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Japan’s despair turns into anger
Airlines mobilise outbound traffic from Tokyo |
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Libyan troops close in on Benghazi
Bahrain arrests six opposition leaders
Protests in Pak over release of Davis
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Japan’s despair turns into anger
As Japan struggles to gain control of a nuclear crisis and to feed and shelter the thousands of people left homeless by last week's devastating tsunami, the Japanese government is facing a growing chorus of criticism for its handling of the catastrophe. Amid vociferous unease in the Japanese media at the apparent lack of progress in providing people in the country's stricken north-east with the bare essentials they need to survive, the Governor of Fukushima prefecture, Yuhei Sato, has voiced frustration at shortages that were slowing evacuations. "Anxiety and anger felt by people have reached boiling point," he said. He warned evacuation centres did not have enough hot meals, medicine or petrol. Meanwhile, in the first sign that international frustration at the Japanese government's reticence on the status of the stricken Fukushima power plant has reached a critical moment, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency issued a thinly-veiled rebuke to Prime Minister Naoto Kan's administration. "We do not have all the details of the information, so what we can do is limited," said Yukiya Amano, who is Japanese himself. "I am trying to further improve the communication." The UK government was sufficiently alarmed by the situation, especially the radioactive leaks, that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office announced: "British nationals currently in Tokyo and to the north of Tokyo should consider leaving the area." Since the news of difficulties at the plant first emerged, many analysts say the government in Tokyo has underplayed the situation. There was a hint that unease was reaching the very highest levels of the government when reports emerged that Mr Kan had lost his temper with executives from the plant operator, Tepco. "What the hell is going on?" he is said to have demanded, according to the Kyodo news agency. Tepco has been responsible for most of the information coming out of the plant. But the sharpest reproach for the government was visible in the country's north-east on Wednesday. With lines for food stretching six city blocks, temperatures below freezing in many places and snow further hampering relief efforts, people in the region are struggling with shortages of necessities that the government appears unable to supply. In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, when the attention of the authorities was focused on rescue efforts and trying to save as many people as possible, it would have been understandable if the supply of basic commodities had been interrupted. But six days later, and with it still impossible to buy a bottle of water in a city located just five hours' drive from Tokyo, people are beginning to wonder what is happening. In many cases the absence of fresh water, electricity and gas is adding to the misery. The government has offered no explanation. "It took me 10 hours to queue up to get petrol," said Ota, a 45-year-old office worker from Sendai. "And then each person was only allowed 10 litres. Nobody there was able to give me any information." Ota, who declined to give his second name, said a friend had told him that when he visited a store and bought some snacks, he was charged "100 times" the usual amount. "My friend had to buy the food," he added. "He has to live." The shortage of supplies has not triggered panic. People queuing to get into the few shops that are open do so calmly and efficiently, even though the line could wait for more than an hour. Many of the shops have employed officials with flags to direct the queues. "I had to get in line for an hour. Then there was no milk, no bread. People were allowed two snacks each and one tin of food," said Tsugitaka Chiba. "In my neighbourhood, people have been giving food away. There's just no information about the resupply of the shops." However difficult things may be for people in Sendai, where large parts of the city have electricity and water, a far more pressing situation exists in those towns and villages closer to the coast. There, there is no electricity and often no fresh water. There is also precious little to eat; at an elementary school in the town of Higashi Matsushima that had been turned into an emergency shelter for several hundred people who were homeless, there were boxes of instant noodles and a communal kitchen serving miso soup. How long the supplies would last was unclear. There are similar reports from communities all along the coast. Officials believe 440,000 have been evacuated, either from the area struck by the tsunami or else from the proximity to the nuclear reactors. There are hundreds of shelters set up for those with nowhere else to go, but large numbers of people in isolated areas are still waiting for assistance and food. The government has sent 100,000 troops to assist in the aid effort and delivered 120,000 blankets, 120,000 bottles of water and 110,000 litres of petrol to the worst-hit areas. But these can only be temporary measures. Officials warn it could take many days to restore supplies of power and water. — The Independent
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Airlines mobilise outbound traffic from Tokyo
Tokyo/Frankfurt, March 17 As an increasing number of governments from Britain to New Zealand to South Korea advised citizens to leave quake-affected northern Japan, airlines mobilised for a stream of mainly outbound traffic from one of the world's biggest cities. "We can keep flying even if the situation deteriorates further. But never say never; we don't know what will happen there over the coming days and weeks," Christoph Franz, chief executive of Germany's Lufthansa, said in Frankfurt. The US State Department said the government had chartered aircraft to help Americans leave Japan and had authorised the voluntary departure of family members of diplomatic staff in Tokyo, Nagoya and Yokohama, about 600 persons. The situation has deteriorated in the days since the tsunami and ... the situation has grown at times worse with potential greater damage and fallout from the reactor," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. The US travel advisory came after Australia urged citizens with non-essential roles in Japan to consider leaving Tokyo. “We have a real problem in terms of the infrastructure in Japan. We have uncertainty of power supply, we have problems with train services and there is this repeated series of aftershocks," Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said.
Radiation checks for travellers
from Japan
Britain said it was chartering flights from Tokyo to Hong Kong, which would cost £600 pounds per person. Britons directly affected by the tsunami would not be charged. France and Germany have also advised citizens in Tokyo to get out or head to southern Japan.
Health authorities in several countries responded to concerns about the possible health impact from radiation by starting checks on people, planes and boats. About 25 passengers arriving in Taiwan from Japan were observed with levels of slightly higher exposure to radiation, a government official said on Thursday. Authorities in South Korea reported unusually high radiation levels on three passengers arriving from Japan. Malaysia, which has been screening air passengers, bags and aircraft since Monday, said it would scan ports. Lufthansa extended plans to divert flights away from Tokyo to Osaka and Nagoya until March 27 and said it was scanning aircraft arriving from Japan but all results had so far come back negative. Air France said it was checking planes and offering medical advice to crew, 10 of whom agreed to be scanned for radiation by France's nuclear safety agency. The results of all the tests were negative, a spokeswoman said. — Reuters
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Libyan troops close in on Benghazi
Cairo/Washington, March 17 Heavy fighting raged around the key town of Misurata and Ajdabiya, as rebel forces made last ditch efforts to stop two tanks-led columns closing on the two port cities of Benghazi and Tobruk, which would give the Libyan leader total sway over his country.
* The UNSC all set to meet to vote on a draft resolution to introduce a no-fly zone * May also authorise the use of air strikes to stop the advance of Gaddafi’s forces The rebels claimed to have shot down two fighter aircraft bombarding Benghazi amid reports that at least 30 people were killed and several wounded in the fighting. Al Jazeera quoted state-run Libyan television as saying that Gaddafi's forces were on the outskirts of Benghazi. "The town of Zuwaytinah is under control (of loyalists) and armed forces are on the outskirts of Benghazi," the Arab channel said. Wary of the speed at which Gaddafi's forces were moving, the White House pushed for an international response in Libya as a top US official said Washington was contemplating steps that could go beyond a 'no fly' zone. As intense battles raged, the UN Security Council was all set to meet to vote on a draft resolution that would not only introduce a 'no-fly' zone over Libya, but may also authorise the use of air strikes to stop the advance of Gaddafi's forces. Susan Rice, US ambassador to the UN, said: "We are discussing very seriously and leading efforts in the Council around a range of actions that we believe could be effective in protecting civilians". Claiming that Libyan forces seemed determined to kill as many people as possible, she said "many different actions" were being considered. "The US view is that we need to be prepared to contemplate steps that include but perhaps go beyond a no-fly zone," she said. Top US officials said military action could be directed not only at Gaddafi's air force, but at artillery and communications systems too. The change in the US mood appeared to be driven by the worsening plight of the rebels, with TV footage showing that lightly armed rebels were being pummeled by Gaddafi's forces. Apprehending a combined western move against him under the aegis of the UN SC, Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam set a "48 hours" deadline for his forces to capture the twin cities of Benghazi and Tobruk, BBC reported. Facing an unprecedented month-long uprising, Gaddafi unleashed his forces to wrest back territories seized by the rebels, Al Jazeera said. — PTI
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Bahrain arrests six opposition leaders
Manama, March 17 All of those arrested were dissident leaders including five Shias and one Sunni and were picked up overnight and early morning as heavily armed forces and tanks blocked most of the city's thoroughfares. Opposition leader Hassan Mushaima of the Haq Movement, who had returned last month from self-imposed exile to the UK, was one of the prominent leaders detained as authorities declared that holding of rallies would remain banned. Abdel Wahhab Hussein from Wafa party and Sunni liberal leader Ibrahim Sharif from the Waad Society were among the six opposition leaders arrested. "Significant members of the opposition were arrested overnight, including some prominent activists. Soldiers broke into the houses of these figures early in the morning and made these arrests," Al Jazeera reported. All offices, banks, schools and business establishment remained close for the second day as Bahrain's King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa came under mounting diplomatic pressure to end the crackdown and start negotiations with the dissidents. The Indian nationals were reported to be safe in the country which has witnessed attacks on some Pakistani and Bangladeshis, an Indian resident told PTI from Manama. Bahrain has nearly 300,000 Indians, making them the single largest expatriate community in the tiny Gulf country. US President Barack Obama called King Hamad to express "deep concern" at the bloody crackdown. British Prime Minister David Cameron has urged the King to pursue "reforms not repression." US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, now on a visit to countries in the region which have witnessed upheavals, has criticised the deployment in the country, which houses American Navy's 5th fleet. "What is happening in Bahrain is alarming and it was unfortunately diverting attention and effort away from the political and economic track. That is the only way forward to resolve differences," Clinton said. — PTI
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Protests in Pak over release of Davis
Islamabad, March 17 Students, lawyers and supporters of religious and political parties took to the streets in several cities, including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar, a day after a court pardoned and released Davis following a "blood money" deal with the families of the two men he killed. Small protests had erupted in Lahore and Islamabad yesterday, hours after Davis, a 36-year-old former Special Forces soldier, was flown out of Pakistan on a special US flight. "The US Embassy and consulates will be closed for routine business tomorrow," Embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez told PTI. Rodriguez said the decision was made for public safety and to ensure that people coming for visa applications and other routine business were not inconvenienced by the planned protests. Meanwhile, most of the protests were organised by the Jamaat-e-Islami and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Tehrik-e-Insaf party. The Jamaat-ud-Dawah, Jamaat-e-Islami and Tehrik-e-Insaf organised protests today in Lahore and called for a countrywide strike tomorrow against the release of Davis. Leaders of the three organisations accused the government of selling out the interests of Pakistan and failing to ensure the trial of Davis. Demonstrations erupted in several Pakistani cities after Davis, who shot and killed two men in Lahore on January 27, was freed by a court after striking a "blood money" deal of over two million dollars with the families of the dead. The Punjab University's Academic Staff Association organised a protest in Lahore while demonstrations were organised in the southern port city of Karachi by the Islami Jamiat Tulaba, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami. — PTI
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As Japan struggles to gain control of a nuclear crisis and to feed and shelter the thousands of people left homeless by last week's devastating tsunami, the Japanese government is facing a growing chorus of criticism for its handling of the catastrophe.
