• 85 pc targets hit Iraq: USA
• 2 missiles hit Iran

China jails third rebel
BEIJING, Dec 22 — A Chinese court today sentenced a third member of an opposition party to 12 years in jail even as international condemnation poured in over long prison terms for two others a day earlier.

34 LTTE rebels killed
COLOMBO, Dec 22 — At least 34 LTTE rebels were killed in separate confrontations with the Sri Lankan troops in the north and eastern areas during past two days, a Defence Ministry statement said here today.

USA sets deadline for suspects
WASHINGTON, Dec 22 — Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the bombing of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie Scotland, the USA and Britain have honoured the 270 persons killed in the crash and stepped up pressure on Libya to surrender two suspects for trial.

World’s first octuplets battle for survival
NEW YORK, Dec 22 — The world’s first surviving octuplets, six girls and two boys, born to a 27-year-old woman who took fertility treatment, are fighting for survival in the intensive care unit of a children’s hospital at Houston in Texas.

Running a ‘human zoo’ for tourists
THE slave trade officially came to an end last century. Unofficially, it has started all over again. The owners of a tourist attraction in north-west Thailand appeared in court on charges of running a “human zoo”.

Israeli House votes for early poll
Netanyahu fails to woo members

CAIRO, Dec 22 (PTI) — The Israeli Parliament has set a course for national elections after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost support for his peace agreement arrived with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The vote for early elections was passed by 81 to 30 with four abstentions in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) after Mr Netanyahu’s US-brokered Wye river land-for-security deal fell through 56 to 48 with two abstentions late last night.

The Labour Party Opposition sponsored the election bill but Mr Netanyahu’s Likud Party backed it in an acknowledgement that the embattled leader could no longer command a stable majority.

Shortly before the vote, Opposition Labour chief Ehud Barak rejected a dramatic last-ditch call by Mr Netanyahu for a 72-hour time-out to explore the chances for a national unity government.

Parliament also rejected an appeal by Mr Netanyahu, whose 30-month-old government has been plagued by uncertainties, for cross-party backing for five conditions he had set the Palestinians for resuming the Wye deal.

These were that Mr Arafat renounce his intentions to declare a state, accept Israel’s terms for freeing Palestinian prisoners, halt incitement and violence, collect illegal weapons and accept Israeli demands for reciprocity.

However, the Palestinians say they have met their obligations under the accord, which requires Israel to withdraw in three stages from 13 per cent more of the West Bank in return for Palestinian security guarantees. Israel carried out a first land handover last month.

The cabinet suspended the agreement on Sunday, formalising a freeze Mr Netanyahu imposed earlier this month.

The bill will require two further readings to become law possibly as early as next week. An election date was also to be set.

Meanwhile, Palestinian officials are skeptical about the fate of the Wye river accord as they fear Mr Netanyahu will block the agreement to woo the Israeli electorate.

“Having an interim government in Israel or anywhere in the world does not relinquish this government from its responsibilities,” said senior peace negotiator Saeb Erekat.

The handling of the West Asia peace process has evoked criticism from all sides with the dovish party feeling that Mr Netanyahu was not sincere in carrying out the accord. Right-wing leaders feel that the Prime Minister should not have agreed to the land-for-security peace deal.

Mr Netanyahu was elected in mid-1996 to a term that was due to end in late 2000.

UN council divided on Iraq

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 22 (Reuters) — A sharply divided UN Security Council began consultations on how to pick up the pieces of its shattered seven-year efforts to destroy Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.

But diplomats said any conclusions would take weeks and they first expected private talks between France and Britain on any new plans that might also be acceptable to Russia, the USA and China.

All five are veto-bearing members of the 15-nation council, whose current President Jassim Mohammed Buallay of Bahrain said yesterday it would continue to “assess its approach”.

British Ambassador Sir Jeremy Greenstock said members would be briefed on the extent of damage caused by four days of US-British bombing raids as soon as details were available, but he said he expected no immediate council action.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in answer to questions, said it was not helpful “that the council is divided and I would hope that in the weeks ahead we will find a way of bringing everyone together.”

The USA and Britain have said that UNSCOM would return only if its inspectors would be allowed to work properly. Iraq has said they cannot return at all.

Washington and London also say the threat of force would be kept alive and the eight-year-old punishing trade sanctions would be monitored more stringently to cut down on smuggling.

In contrast, France is suggesting a new kind of UNSCOM, presumably less aggressive than the current unit and more like the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency.

French President Jacques Chirac called over the weekend for “a new organisation, new methods” so the UN could exercise “effective control over Iraqi arms and their future development.”

Mr Chirac has also suggested an easing of the oil embargo, which is linked to certification that Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction have been accounted for.

Diplomats said France might be considering allowing Iraq to expand trade further than the humanitarian goods while still making sure no military goods were imported.

Iraq now can sell $ 5.25 billion in oil every six months to buy basic goods under the UN “oil-for-food” programme, a target it is not able to meet yet. But its exports are limited to oil and its imports are restricted.

Senior Iraqi officials have made it clear that if sanctions continue in their current form no inspections will be allowed, particularly if they are led by Mr Richard Butler, the Australian Executive Chairman of UNSCOM.

Several Security Council members would like to see Mr Butler removed and Moscow has called for his dismissal openly. Others who support him question whether it makes sense for him to continue in his post.

Asked about Mr Butler, Mr Annan said, “I think that is a question I would prefer not to answer today,” adding that he did not know what governments had in mind when they spoke about a “new structure” or a “new inspection mechanism.”

Carter, Ford for censure resolution

NEW YORK, Dec 22 (PTI) — Former US Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter today suggested a bipartisan censure resolution in the Senate against President Bill Clinton to quickly close the Monica Lewinsky sexual misconduct case.

Under their plan, Clinton would acknowledge wrongdoing while accepting rebuke and the harm he had caused. But it would also stipulate that the President’s acceptance of these findings, including a public acknowledgement that he did not tell the truth under oath, cannot be used in any criminal trial to which he may be subjected.

Thus the resolution, they suggested, takes care of Clinton’s fear that his acknowledgement of lying under oath could create problems for him if he was prosecuted after he left the office.

WASHINGTON: Vice President Al Gore called on the Senate on Monday to vote for a biapartisan compromise to put a quick end to the impeachment trial against Clinton.

“I hope the Senate will rise to be the voice of reason, healing, and forge a fair bipartisan compromise to end this matter promptly,” Gore said.

The White House is open to “all options” to avert a trial of President Clinton in the Senate following his impeachment, an official said on Monday.

“We must explore all options,” including a Senate censure, that could bring a “positive and respectful end” to the case that was dividing the nation, White House Communications Director Ann Lewis told CNN.

85 p.c. of targets hit in Iraq: USA

BAGHDAD, Dec 22 (AP) — Iraqi officials say that the US-British airstrikes killed 62 soldiers, demolished key missile factories and severed phone lines, but insist that the attacks failed to seriously harm the military or government.

Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said on Monday evening that civilian casualties were “much, much higher” than the military toll but refused to give details. Iraq earlier said that 42 persons were killed in the four-night barrage, which was suspended early Sunday.

The attacks targeted key military bases, government buildings, communication centres and factories that could be used to manufacture weapons of mass destruction.

In Washington, US Marine Corps Gen Anthony Zinni said the strikes hit 85 per cent of their targets, 74 per cent of them successfully. He said a damage assessment from the series of Cruise missile and bombing attacks was still continuing and would probably take a few more days.

General Zinni, Commander of Central Command which oversees US military operations in West Asia, said the USA would maintain a presence in the Persian Gulf to protect its interest.

He also said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein remained a danger.

US Secretary of Defence William Cohen said the strike delayed Iraq’s development of ballistic missiles by at least a year and diminished its overall ability to attack its neighbours.

Iraq said that in addition to hitting missile factories, the bombardments struck colleges, post offices, dormitories, a museum and an oil refinery.

The Iraqi authorities have not taken foreign journalists to sites where they say there were significant civilian casualties as they have in the past, a likely indication that civilian casualties either were not high or were scattered.

Mr Aziz said the Republican Guard lost 20 soldiers, and that 18 soldiers of the Special Republican Guard and 24 soldiers in other branches of the military were also killed. A total of 180 soldiers were injured, he said.

The attacks also heavily damaged factories that could be used to produce weapons of mass destruction or long-range missiles.

Iraqi officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the speed of the attacks took them by surprise and that workers did not have enough time to remove crucial equipment.

China jails third rebel

BEIJING, Dec 22 (PTI) — A Chinese court today sentenced a third member of an opposition party to 12 years in jail even as international condemnation poured in over long prison terms for two others a day earlier.

The court in the central industrial city of Wuhan convicted Qin Yongmin on charges of “subverting state power”, a court official said. He was also stripped of his civil rights for three years.

The official said Qin was “expressionless” when the verdict was delivered. It was not clear whether he would appeal.

The United States of America, Britain, France and Germany denounced the sentencing yesterday of two other founding members of the Chinese Democratic Party, Xu Wenli and Wang Youcai.

The USA yesterday deplored the sentences Beijing handed down to the three dissidents and demanded their release.

The arrests were seen as a clear signal that China’s Communist authorities would crush any organised resistance to their five-decade monopoly on political power.

USA sets deadline for suspects

WASHINGTON, Dec 22 (Reuters) — Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the bombing of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie Scotland, the USA and Britain have honoured the 270 persons killed in the crash and stepped up pressure on Libya to surrender two suspects for trial.

US President Bill Clinton said yesterday an offer to try the two bombing suspects in the Netherlands was a “take it or leave it deal” and said Libya could face tighter sanctions if it did not turn over the suspects by February.

“This is a take it or leave it offer,” Clinton said at an Arlington National Cemetery ceremony to remember those lost in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 — one of the world’s worst air disasters.

34 LTTE rebels killed

COLOMBO, Dec 22 (PTI) — At least 34 LTTE rebels were killed in separate confrontations with the Sri Lankan troops in the north and eastern areas during past two days, a Defence Ministry statement said here today.

Meanwhile, the Lankan military and police officials claimed a major breakthrough in the detection of LTTE's operations in Colombo with the arrest of a youth who was reportedly heading the militant group's intelligence and financial network in the city, state run Observer said today.

World’s first octuplets battle for survival

NEW YORK, Dec 22 (PTI) — The world’s first surviving octuplets, six girls and two boys, born to a 27-year-old woman who took fertility treatment, are fighting for survival in the intensive care unit of a children’s hospital at Houston in Texas.

The infants, identified as babies “A” through “H”, weighed between 11 ounces and two pounds at birth and doctors at Texas children’s hospital said today that their condition was critical.

“They are all critically ill. Several have shown some improvement and several haven’t. It’s a day to day kind of thing,” hospital chief of neonatology Dr Leonard Weisman said.

Statistically, he said, the babies had 85 per cent chance of survival and 75 per cent chance of developing normally.

The first baby, a girl, who was born on December 8, was the only one breathing without the help of a ventilator.

Meanwhile, the condition of the mother, Nkem Chukwu, was stable and improving following yesterday’s surgery. “Hopefully, she’ll be able to go home by the end of the week,” said Brian Kirshon, Chukwu’s attending physician.

Running a ‘human zoo’ for tourists
from George Monbiot in London

THE slave trade officially came to an end last century. Unofficially, it has started all over again. The owners of a tourist attraction in north-west Thailand appeared in court on charges of running a “human zoo”.

Twelve adults and 21 children of the Padaung tribe had been discovered by a British journalist and a Thai human rights campaigner in a compound near the Burmese border. They had been tricked into leaving a refugee camp, then displayed to tourists who came to see their famously elongated necks.

The Padaung were forced to dance, sing and sell artefacts to the visitors, and those who tried to escape were beaten up. By the time the slaves were discovered, one woman had died, due, her husband said, to a “broken heart”.

These were the lucky ones. Their human zoo was closed down when exposure forced the reluctant authorities to open an investigation. But in many parts of South-East Asia, slavery is either ignored or promoted by the state. As both tourists and Thai men demand HIV-free prostitutes in Bangkok, the Thai hill tribes are searched for girls to trick or kidnap.

Across the border in Burma, the entire tourist industry has been built on slave labour, as hundreds of thousands of men and women have been forced, on pain of death, to construct the roads, airstrips, hotels and golf courses demanded by an industry that neither sees nor cares. Thousands have died of beatings, malnutrition and exhaustion. Yet the vampire tourists come.

While the manacles of the tourist industry are applied more or less indiscriminately in Burma, in many parts of the world it is tribal people specifically who are most likely to be imprisoned for our entertainment. These are the people whom travellers want to see, often for precisely the same reason as they visit London Zoo. While some tourists travel with genuine hopes of enlightenment, in many parts of the world tourism among tribal peoples is little more than a freak show. Tourists will pay handsomely to see people whose appearance and behaviour diverges from their own, and many tribal people, for whom the mainstream economy may be opaque, are easy to exploit.

Too lazy to travel to the human safari parks that some indigenous reserves have become, tourists demand the more convenient entertainment of a human zoo. Unsurprisingly, many tribal people don’t want to be confined to fake villages and hotel foyers, so tour operators, like the zoologists of the 19th century, organise expeditions to capture them.

In the Peruvian and Colombian Amazon, for example, companies found that taking the tourists to the natives was expensive, time-consuming and hazardous. It was far easier to bring the natives to the tourists.

The charity for indigenous peoples, Survival International, has shown how members of the Yagua tribe have been cajoled or coerced into relocating to camps close to the hotels and tourist lodges. Far from home, they become wholly dependent on the tour operators for food, money and transport, and are forced to perform a cruel parody of their sacred ceremonies, often several times a day.

— The Guardian London

2 missiles hit Iran

TEHERAN, Dec 22 (AP) — Two stray missiles from the recent US-British attack on Iraq fell on the city of Khorramshahr in southern Iran, the Teheran Times reported today.

The official Islamic republic news agency previously reported that one missile hit Khorramshahr, about 40 km east of Basra in Iraq. The first missile struck the port city with major oil facilities last Thursday.

The USA apologised for the incident, the newspaper said.

Exiled Editor
PARIS: Exiled Iranian Editor and writer Faraj Sarkoohi has been awarded the Golden Pen of Freedom award for his contribution to press freedom, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) announced. “Sarkoohi has persistently called for greater press freedom in his country and has not been deterred by imprisonment, harassment, torture or exile,” WAN said in a statement on Monday. Sarkoohi, (51), who lives in Germany, was detained for eight years during the Shah’s rule and was again sentenced to a year in prison in September, 1997, on charges of slandering Iran. — AFP

Colonel Passy dead
PARIS: Andre Dewavrin, better known under the alias Colonel Passy, the wartime head of the London-based Free French Secret Service, has died at 87, friends said on Monday. A career army offices, Dewavrin was a 29-year-old Captain when Gen Charles de Gaulle, creator of the fledgling Free French Movement, entrusted him with creating the Central Bureau for Intelligence and Action (BCRA) in June 1940. — Reuters

Muslims in US forces
WASHINGTON: With the support of the top brass, Islam is becoming more visible in the US armed forces to reflect the multi-ethnic, multi-religious composition of today’s American population. There are now 4,000 soldiers who have described their religion as Islam but only 70 per cent of the US armed forces personnel reveal their religious affiliation and the actual number of Muslims in the US forces is believed to be 10,000, The Washington Post said. — PTI

Ramzan fast
RIYADH: A taste of food does not break the dusk-to-dawn fast of the Muslim holy month so long as no food is swallowed, senior religious officials have said. “In the case of need, just tasting food, without ever swallowing, cannot break the Ramzan fast,” said a fatwa from the Saudi Scientific Research Committee in Riyadh on Monday. Islamic scholars have long debated the question of tasting food. — AFP

Satellite launch
TOKYO: Japan on Tuesday gave the final go-ahead for the launch of its intelligence satellites in 2002, setting aside $ 97 million for development in the year to March, 2000, officials said. “We at the Cabinet meeting decided to introduce information - collecting satellites with fiscal 2002 (the year to March, 2003) as our target,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka told a news conference. —AFP