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| Tuesday,
October 3, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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No let-up in West Asia unrest, toll 33 Israel threatens use of tanks to quell stir JERUSALEM, Oct 2 — Two Israeli Arabs, an Israeli Jew and a Palestinian died in violence that swept the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel today, bringing the death toll to 33 in five days of unrest. Eleven freed from Abu Sayyaf men’s clutches 20 killed in Lanka bomb attack Ceasefire after full
assurance: Hizb Protesters block Belgrade’s main bridge Speight breached immunity decree |
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| Pope canonised 2
criminals: China BEIJING, Oct 2 — China has provided details about two of the more than 100 Catholics made saints by the Pope, saying the men were actually China-hating criminals whose canonisations were perverse and vicious acts. ‘Keith’ pounds Belize
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No let-up in West Asia
unrest, toll 33 JERUSALEM, Oct 2 (Reuters, AP) — Two Israeli Arabs, an Israeli Jew and a Palestinian died in violence that swept the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel today, bringing the death toll to 33 in five days of unrest. Of those killed, 28 were Palestinians, three Israeli Arabs, one an Israeli border policeman and an Israeli Jew. Israeli police killed an Arab, shooting him in the head during clashes in the Israeli town of Um Al-Fahem today. Hospital sources said a 17-year-old boy from the town died of his wounds. Gunmen shot dead an Israeli Jew in the West Bank today. The police said the 30-year-old man, killed at the entrance to the West Bank village of Bidya, was probably attacked by Palestinians but checks were still being made. He was the first Jewish civilian to be killed in the violence. Meanwhile,
Palestinian and Israeli leaders each called on the other to ceasefire after four days of heavy fighting — while their armed forces appeared to be preparing for even greater hostilities. “Stop shooting our soldiers, our old people, our youths, our women,” Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat said in a statement. “Get Israeli soldiers out of Palestinian cities and refugee camps.” “In the next few days, the most important thing is to put an end to the clashes and the bloodshed,” Prime Minister Ehud Barak told Israel radio. Both leaders were engaged in intensive behind-the-scenes diplomacy aimed at salvaging the peace talks — and at explaining their version of events to other world leaders. Col Jibril Rajoub, Arafat’s West Bank security chief, warned that the fighting “could spread to areas of Israeli residence. That appeared to refer to Jewish settlements. The army closed the main West Bank thoroughfares to Israeli vehicles, meaning Jewish settlers could not enter or leave their communities without army escorts when they returned to work today. Arafat singled out the use of helicopter gunships and antitank missiles in the clashes to show that the Israelis were using unfairly heavy-handed tactics. Maj Gen Yom Tov Samia, who commands troops in the Gaza Strip, ridiculed that suggestion. “There is no arms agreement,” he said. “If a Palestinian shoots at me with an M-16 or a Kalashnikov, that does not confine me to an M-16 or a Kalashnikov or a Galil in response,” he said, referring to the automatic rifles that proliferate in this region. The deadliest firefight yesterday was waged in Nablus over Joseph’s Tomb, a tiny Israeli-controlled enclave smaller than a city block and ringed by a cement block wall and barbed wire. Violence flared in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem on Thursday following a visit by Israel’s right-wing Opposition Leader Ariel Sharon to a site in Jerusalem’s old city that is holy to Muslims and Jews. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak issued a new call today for Palestinian Yasser Arafat to quell four days of violence and vowed that Israel would use any means to halt the bloodshed. Barak said that Israel would even use tanks to stop the bloodiest clashes to erupt in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in four years. Geneva: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed to Prime Minister Barak and President Arafat today to do their utmost to end the worst violence between Israelis and Palestinians since 1996. “The violence in West Asia is very worrying,’’ Mr Annan told reporters during a visit to Geneva. Mr Annan said he hoped that West Asia peace process would not be derailed by the four days of clashes in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and northern Israel that had killed 33 people, including 28 Palestinians. He said his special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen was on the ground, working with the two sides to help end the violence. The violence in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem flared after a visit by Israeli Right-wing Opposition leader Ariel Sharon on Thursday to a site in Jerusalem’s old city that is holy to both Muslims and Jews. In a statement the Palestinian leadership called on the United Nations to form an international committee to investigate the events and condemn those responsible. Separately, the White House has said that the Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed to support a US-led, three-party inquiry into the outbreak of violence. |
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Eleven freed from Abu Sayyaf men’s clutches MANILA, Oct 2 (Reuters) — Philippine troops today rescued 11 Christian hostages held for more than three months by Muslim rebels after the 12th had walked to freedom, officials said. President Joseph Estrada in a radio interview said the Abu Sayyaf rebels fled during an army attack on their hideout on the southern island of Jolo. “They all ran and the troops are pursuing them,’’ he said of the rebels. “They have brought us too much shame... this kind of people should not linger long on this earth: they should be finished off in the soonest possible time so that we can finally have peace.’’ It was a major victory for Estrada after a military assault he ordered on the rebels last month appeared to be getting nowhere. Local residents said there were many civilian casualties and many analysts had doubted if any of the hostages could be found alive. Military officials said the bible preachers, led by their chief pastor, Wilde Almeda, were rescued today after a fire-fight with the guerrillas lasting only two minutes. But a military spokesman earlier said one of them escaped from the rebels last night and was found by troops. The rebels, who have been on the run since Estrada ordered the air and ground assault on their strongholds on Jolo on September 16, still hold five hostages — three Malaysians, a US national and a Filipino. “I think we can finish this problem within this week,’’ Estrada said. “This has been an embarrassment for us and it has affected our economy and damaged our image abroad so it is best that we finish this problem in the soonest possible time,’’ he added. A military spokesman said evangelist Fernando Solon escaped his captors last night after pretending he was going for a swim in a nearby stream. Solon had told army investigators that the rebel group guarding the evangelists numbered only about 15 young guerrillas who were exhausted, running out of food and were “ready to surrender’’, the spokesman said. Solon said the main leaders of the Abu Sayyaf, including Galib Andang, also known as “Commander Robot”, had left the evangelists in the care of the younger group. At least 117 rebels and four soldiers had died in the offensive against the rebels who have split up into smaller groups to try to elude pursuit, the military said. It said two civilians had died in the fighting and that more than 80,000 others had fled their homes to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Military officials said the Abu Sayyaf was estimated to number about 4,000 men when the government offensive began but many of them had abandoned the fight and blended with the local population. Before Estrada announced the news of the rescue of the evangelists, the armed forces chief, Gen Angelo Reyes, told foreign correspondents he could not guarantee that all of the hostages would be recovered alive. He also said the military had erred in predicting that it would finish the war with the Abu Sayyaf in a week. Almeda and his disciples voluntarily went into the rebel lair in the hills of Jolo on July 1 to fast and pray for 21, mostly foreign hostages abducted by the Abu Sayyaf from Malaysia’s Sipadan tourist resort in April. The preachers ended up being taken captive themselves. All the Sipadan hostages, except for a Filipino resort worker, have been released. The rebels have also freed two journalists from Germany and France, while two other French television crewmen escaped in the first days of the army offensive. Almeda was reported to have suffered a mild stroke while in captivity and military reports said his disciples had carried him through the jungle. Military spokesman Brig-Gen Genoroso Senga said all 12 evangelists appeared to be in fair health. |
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20 killed in Lanka bomb attack COLOMBO, Oct 2 (PTI, UNI) — A Sri Lankan minister and Muslim leader MLA M Hisbullah today survived an attempt on his life in Batticaloa even as a suicide Bomb attack at an election rally in Trincomalee killed 20 persons, including a candidate of the ruling People’s Alliance (PA), and wounded several others. An LTTE suicide bomber struck at an election rally in Muthur in eastern Trincomalee this evening killing Mr Bithullah, candidate of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), a constituent of the ruling coalition, and 19 others, reports said. The police said the casualty figure could go up as several persons were seriously injured. Mr Bithullah, contesting the October 10 parliamentary polls on PA ticket, figured high on the LTTE hit-list as he previously worked as a senior police official in-charge of anti-LTTE operations in the Trincomalee district. He is the second PA candidate to be killed by rebels. The suicide attack at Muthur came hours after LTTE rebels detonated a mine fitted to a bicycle while the convoy of Mr Hisbullah, Deputy Minister for posts and Telecommunications, was passing through Kaluwanchakudi, a small town in eastern Batticaloa district. Mr Hisbullah, leader of SLMC, survived the attack but a civilian was killed and three of his securitymen were injured in the attack, second in the last three days. Official sources said the convoy came under attack when Mr Hisbullah was proceeding to attend an election campaign meeting in the area. Mr Hisbullah is contesting for parliament from Batticaloa district on the National Unity Alliance (NVA) ticket. |
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Ceasefire after full assurance: Hizb ISLAMABAD, Oct 2 (PTI) — Militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen has said it would consider ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir only after “full assurance” from the international community that India will not back out of its commitments once prepared for a meaningful tripartite dialogue, which India is not agreeable to. Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Saleem Hashmi told a Pakistan daily, The Frontier Post, that India should announce that it would hold meaningful dialogue with Pakistan and true Kashmiri representatives on the core issue and the international community assured that New Delhi would not go back from its commitments. The outfit would continue its armed attacks until India was ready for a viable solution to the Kashmir issue, Hashmi was quoted as saying. Rejecting media reports that the outfit would announce a fresh ceasefire, Hashmi said “at this stage the group” had no plans to even conditionally offer ceasefire. It would try to compel India to announce talks itself. The group had announced a unilateral ceasefire on July 24 but withdrew it on August 8 following failure to finalise the modalities for enforcing the ceasefire. India is not agreeable to the outfit’s demand for tripartite talks involving Pakistan and is also against third party mediation in resolving the Kashmir issue. |
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Protesters block Belgrade’s main bridge BELGRADE, Oct 2 (Reuters) — Protesters blocked one of Belgrade’s main bridges today at the start of a campaign of civil disobedience called by opponents of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Traffic ground to a halt on the Brankov bridge leading to the city centre on a rainy and windswept morning while on the other side of the capital, striking taxi drivers staged a noisy protest on a major intersection. The police, which was out in force by the time dawn rose, began taking licence plates off some of the taxis and buses blocking the bridge to try to stop the protest. Around 150 km to the south, Police Commander Jovo Jovanovic tried the same tactic against a protest of several dozen trucks and taxis blocking a major intersection. But people there sat down in the road and blocked his path until he gave the licence plates back to its owners. The demonstrators told him to stop defending Milosevic and his son Marko. In the Belgrade districts of Brace Jerkovic in the south and Karaburma in the east, garbage containers, concrete flower pots and building material blocked the dark and rainy streets shortly after 5 a.m. the official start of the protest. The main route to the western Belgrade suburb Zemun was also blocked and buses, trucks and people blocked a road in nearby Novi Beograd. One of the Yugoslav capital’s taxi companies announced the start of a strike at 6 a.m. Over the radio. Taxis stopped dead where they were, and told customers to get out. Other taxi companies later joined the strike. But public transport was working, with buses from the outskirts already full of people. In some places buses simply drove around obstacles placed in the road. One taxi driver said he had nearly smashed his vehicle running into a makeshift blockade in the pre-dawn darkness. The opposition has urged people to blockade all state institutions and has called for a series of demonstrations later in the day, including rallies by students and high school pupils, who plan to boycott their classes. But none of the main government buildings in the centre of town appeared to be affected. AFP adds: Thousands gathered in several towns in Serbia late yesterday in protest over the federal electoral commission’s decision to call a presidential run-off vote on October 8, independent news agency Beta reported. Around 5,000 Serbs were reportedly marching on the country’s main coal mine, which the police was said to have taken over in a bid to end an energy crisis linked to protests against incumbent President Slobodan Milosevic. The developments, in the town of Lazarevac, 60 km southwest of Belgrade, appeared to have the makings of the first confrontation between authorities and protesters who embarked last Friday on a campaign to oust Milosevic from power. The opposition has called a campaign of mass civil disobedience to start today. The 18-party Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition insists that its candidate, Vojislav Kostunica, won an outright victory against Milosevic in the September 24 voting. Over 15,000 people gathered in the central square of the northern town of Novi Sad where a local rock band held a concert, Beta reported. MOSCOW (Reuters): Russia’s Foreign Ministry today said the decision by Yogoslav Election Authorities to call a second runoff round in the country’s presidential election was lawful and based on the first round results. As is known, a decision has already been taken by the Central Election Commission to hold the second round on October 8.” Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said in a written statement. Yakovenko also noted that many Yogoslav political parties had called for a recount of the first round votes and said this was a matter for Yogoslavs to decide themselves. |
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Speight breached immunity decree SUVA, Oct 2 (AFP) — Fiji coup plotter George Speight’s campaign to get off his prison island took a blow today with a High Court judge saying that the immunity deal he won from the Army had been breached by a failure to return stolen military arms. Mr Justice Peter Surnam from Britain was giving judgement in an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions in a case of attempted murder against Speight supporter Isoa Karawa. Karawa had earlier been released by the Magistrate’s court on the grounds that he was covered by the immunity granted to Speight and his group in return for ending the siege of Parliament. Allowing the appeal, Mr Justice Surnam said: “The failure to return the arms and ammunitions negated or nullifies the immunity decree.” The Surnam ruling was one of the two high court judgements which have been holding up a Magistrate’s court decision on whether to press ahead with the treason charge against Speight and his followers. Chief Magistrate Sailesi Temo has been told not to proceed with the treason case until the two high court cases have been dealt with. A decision is still being awaited on a habeas corpus application which requires Speight and his men to be produced in court so that the state can justify holding them in custody on a prison island, near here. Speight and 21 others are facing the treason charge for the May 19 coup against Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and for threats against the life of the then President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. The treason charge is tangled up with legal arguments on whether the immunity decree is valid despite the conditions of the Muanikau accord. Mr Justice Surnam found that the immunity decree and the accord of July 13 were “inextricably linked”. “In my judgement, there is a plain and unambiguous intent that this Muanikau accord or agreement is the precursor of the immunity decree. “The accord sets out the agreement details and introduces the decree as a specific and direct result of those agreements and conditions,” he said. “If there has been a failure by the Speight group to return all weapons, ordinance and stores then, in my judgement, this will indicate a fundamental breach of the conditions of the accord which, in turn, will mean the provisions of the immunity decree would not operate.” |
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Pope canonised 2 criminals: China BEIJING, Oct 2 (Reuters) — China has provided details about two of the more than 100 Catholics made saints by the Pope, saying the men were actually China-hating criminals whose canonisations were perverse and vicious acts. The Chinese government has exploded in anger with the Vatican for canonising 87 Chinese and 33 missionaries on Sunday, saying the act glorified a century of western imperialism in China. The canonisations, which fell on the 51st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, also severely hampered chances for normalising relations between Beijing and the holy city, which do not have diplomatic ties, it said. But a spokesman for China’s State Administration of Religious Affairs cited examples of “monstrous crimes” committed by the saints against the Chinese people, including one who he said slept with all the brides of his followers. A second missionary, Auguste Chatdelaine of France, instigated the second opium war and the burning of the imperial Summer Palace in 1860 after he was punished for felonies, the spokesman said. “Did they represent God’s ‘true love’ to the Chinese people like the Vatican said?” asked the spokesman, who Xinhua did not identify. Chinese Catholics are allowed to practise their faith only under a Communist Party-controlled church, which China says has 40 lakh members. The Vatican says there are 80 lakh Chinese Catholics loyal to the Pope who worship in secret. |
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‘Keith’ pounds
Belize CANCUN (Mexico), Oct 2 (AFP) — Some 66,000 residents of high-risk rural and urban areas in the Quintana Roo state of Mexico were evacuated as Hurricane Keith approached, authorities have announced. Areas of the Yucatan peninsula, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua have also felt Keith’s wrath, besieged by heavy rain that could create deadly flash floods and mud slides, the US National Hurricane Centre said yesterday in a
statement. The category four storm is some 90 km southeast of Chetumal in Quintana Roo state, packing maximum sustained winds of 217 km per hour. BELIZE CITY (Reuters): Hurricane Keith pounded Belize’s delicate Reef islands on Sunday, sending palm trees and electricity poles flying, and dumped heavy rain as far South as Nicaragua, where one person drowned. |
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