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| Monday, February
26, 2001, Chandigarh, India   |
Lift West Bank siege,
Powell asks Israel
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USA for constant review of sanctions Asian groups decry Bush on census Rights violations
on rise in Pak Hindujas’ gift ‘did not get passports’ |
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Threat to blow up court in B’desh Borneo massacre toll may touch 400
Lanka set for peace
talks 40 Islamic militants killed
in Algeria Manisha Koirala to marry
envoy?
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Lift West Bank siege,
Powell asks Israel Gaza, February 25 While Mr Powell met Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Palestinians in Gaza, including members of militant groups, vowed to continue a five-month-old uprising against Israeli occupation. “Colin Powell, listen, listen,” nearly 2,500 demonstrators chanted, echoing a protest leader shouting into a megaphone as the crowd waved Iraqi and Palestinian flags and banners of militant Islamic movements. “Colin Powell go home, your solutions will not intimidate us,” they shouted. “Tell the killer (U.S. President George W.) Bush that our people will not kneel and will continue to fight.” Shortly after the Powell-Arafat meeting ended, a Jewish settler was shot in the head by Palestinians who opened fire on his car in the West Bank. In Gaza, demonstrators poured gasoline on US and Israeli flags and a picture of Powell and set them on fire. Mr Powell, on a Middle East tour, went to Ramallah, about 13 km north of Jerusalem, after holding talks with Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem. The Palestinian police closed off roads, preventing many people from reaching the area where Mr Powell and Mr Arafat met. But as the Secretary of State’s motorcade left town, a handful of Palestinians waved pictures of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Throughout the West Bank, Palestinian shopkeepers heeded demands by militant groups and closed their shops early. Waving posters reading “You (Powell) are not welcome in our land, go back home”, Hamas supporters in al-Najah University in the West Bank city of Nablus burned pictures of Sharon and Powell, along with Israeli and U.S. flags. RAMALLAH, (West Bank):
Mr Colin Powell on Sunday urged Israel to lift its “siege’’ of West Bank and Gaza Strip as soon as possible to enable the resumption of Palestinian economic activity. Speaking at a joint news conference with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, he said: “We discussed how it is necessary for all sides to move away from violence and incitement and how it is necessary to lift the siege as soon as possible so that economic activity can begin again in the region. The challenge is how to get the process started.’’ Israel has sealed off the two territories, home to three million Palestinians, because of what it says are security concerns. Palestinians say the measures are choking off their economy, and brand them as collective punishment. Making his first middle east diplomatic trip since taking office a month ago, Mr Powell earlier in the day met Israeli Prime Minister-Elect Ariel Sharon.
Reuters |
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USA for constant review of sanctions Cairo, February 25 “We should constantly be reviewing our policy, constantly be looking at those sanctions to make sure that they address towards their purpose, Mr Powell said yesterday after meeting Egyptian President, Mr Hosni Mubarak. “We had a discussion about the nature of the sanctions, the fact that they exist not for the purpose of hurting the Iraqi people but for the purpose of keeping in check (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein’s ambitions for developing weapons of mass destruction,” he said. Mr Powell said high-level talks between Iraq and the United Nations, resuming in New York on Monday and Tuesday, would be “important.” Adding that they would see if the Iraqis wanted to move in a direction that would cause sanction to be lifted”. “Sanctions aren’t something that we want to live with for ever. They were put in place to bring a regime in compliance with the international community,” Mr Powell said at a news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Mussa. Mr Mussa said Egypt agreed the sanctions regime should be under constant review, rather than a “stagnant situation that we accept.” “If I was a Kuwati and I heard leaders in Baghdad claiming that Kuwait was still part of Iraq and if I knew that they were continuing to try to find weapons of mass distruction, I would have no doubt in my mind who those weapons were aimed at,” he said. “So I think he has to be contained until he realises the error of his ways”, Mr Powell said.
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Asian
groups decry Bush on census Washington, February 25 The city of Los Angeles in California has filed a suit challenging this decision, saying it could cheat cities and other undercounted areas. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in L.A., challenges Evan’s decision to take the power to decide which set of 2000 census numbers to release by the Census Bureau. The legal brief filed by L.A. and arguments forwarded by Napalc and other minority and civil rights groups to U.S. lawmakers contends that Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evan’s action would politicise a decision that should be made by statistical experts. The Clinton administration had vested this power with the Census Director saying that giving him the decision-making authority would insulate the issue from politics. But Republicans are saying that the Census Director at the time — Kenneth Prewitt — was appointed by the Democratic Administration. On February 16, Evans had announced that he, and not the Census Director, would decide how to tally the 2000 Census, virtually ensuring that Republicans will prevail in the bitter dispute over which set of population figures is released to states for redrawing political districts. Republican leadership favours the use of raw numbers from the census, while Democrats are pushing for figures adjusted through a technique known as “statistical sampling,” which they argue has also been endorsed by the National Academy of Sciences, to compensate for millions of people who were missed-disproportionately minorities, immigrants, and the indigent, mainly in inner cities. The stakes are high and Republicans who control the house by only a handful of seats fear if census numbers are used to redraw political boundaries, they could go to the Democrats, who would then take control of the House. Evans said he would seek advice from career Census Bureau officials and others, but it is a virtually foregone conclusion that he will decide against adjustment and instead go with the raw numbers. “I believe the decision-making authority for the 2000 Census should reside with that person selected by the President, approved by the U.S. Senate, and accountable to the people,” he said. This week, a committee of career Census Bureau officials are expected to make a recommendation to Evans, who is then slated to announce his final decision later in March, and the government must send redistricting figures to states by the end of March. Napalc said Evans’s decision “places accuracy of the census into political hands rather than non-biased scientific hands. It also jeopardises the concept of fair and equal representation during the redistricting process and the fair distribution of federal funds.” Before Clinton’s tenure, a decade ago, during President George W. Bush’s father’s tenure, the then Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher overruled Census Bureau officials, who had recommended adjusting the count, and decreed that raw numbers must be used. A coalition of big cities had sued to overturn the decision, but the court ruled that Mosbacher had the authority to decide.
— India Abroad News Service |
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Rights violations on rise in Pak Islamabad, February 25 In its latest report on the human rights situation in Pakistan, the HRCP, while stressing the need for immediate return to democracy, said the “unwelcome consequences of deviation from the democratic course” had over the last year negated the basic rights of people and institutionalised evil practices, including torture in custody and frequent harassment of people. The report says that general elections promised by the military regime seemed a long way off and the issue of provincial autonomy, and mass boycott of polling by minorities added to the sense of doubt. Parliament rarely debated any legislative measures. Important legislation was often enforced by Presidential ordinances. Even Cabinet meetings were infrequent and their deliberations barely reported, the report pointed out. Following a law introduced early in the year barring public gatherings, the right to assembly remained suppressed throughout the year. Political activists were repeatedly taken into detention and the condition in which many detainees were held, were found to be inhuman and brutal. Members of the judiciary were required to take a new oath and those who refused, were retired. Other members of the judiciary faced increased threat with judges and lawyers falling victim to attacks. Situation of labourers, including the 3.3 million child workers, remained dismal. Many were held in bondage, both on agricultural lands in Sindh and brick kilns across Punjab. Registered rape victims in Punjab province alone were a little below 2000. Punjab Press reported 303 victims of ‘honour killings’ while Sindh Press of reported 271. More than 300 cases of burning were reported. While 69 deaths were attributed to sectarian violence, 98 persons died in tribal feuds, the report found out. Honour killings have been on the rise. Most frequent killers were brothers and husbands. More than 15 per cent victims in Punjab were minor. A rape occurred every two hours and nearly 500 women committed suicide last year. There were 885 women in Punjab jails. A total of 561 persons died at the hands of law enforcing agencies, including 527 in ‘encounters’, while the rest inside lock-ups, the report pointed out.
UNI
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Hindujas’ gift ‘did not get passports’ London, February 25 “Former civil servant Sir Anthony Hammond’s report into the passport affairs will conclude that Home Office ministers complied with the official policy by granting British citizenship to Gopichand and Srichand Hinduja (president and chairman, respectively of the Hinduja Group),” The Sunday Telegraph said. “Sir Anthony will conclude that there is no evidence to support claims that the decision to issue the brothers with passports was influenced by their gift of £ 1 million to rescue the faith zone at the ill-fated Millennium Dome,” it said. “He is also expected to state the speed with which the decisions were taken — in six months rather than the average 18 months — was not unusual,” the leading newspaper said. It quoted people who have seen the evidence presented to Sir Anthony for its report. The Sunday Observer, a weekly, in a front-page story said the inquiry “is expected to say that Mr Peter Mandelson, who resigned over the passport issue, gave confusing answers to questions about his role in the scandal which had the effect of misleading the Prime Minister”. The Observer said “The report will be a setback for Mr Mandelson even though he will be cleared of telling lies.” While the Sunday Telegraph said the report was due to be presented to Prime Minister Tony Blair on February 28 after a four-week investigation, The Observer reported that the Prime Minister’s Office is expected to publish the report the day after the Budget on March 8, leaving the “decks cleared if Tony Blair decides on an early election date of April 5.” Mr Mandelson resigned in January-end after it was reported he had given misleading answers to The Observer over its report that he had made contact with the Home Office over a passport application by Srichand Hinduja. The Telegraph report contained comments from Srichand Hinduja who denied that the brothers had sought to influence ministers. When contacted in Mumbai yesterday, Srichand told the daily, “We made our application for citizenship in the normal way. I’m surprised everyone in England is going so crazy over this”.
PTI |
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Threat to blow up court in B’desh Dhaka, February 25 The organisation styled the Islami Jangi Dal sent the threat in letters to the President, the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, the Chief Justice and the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. Mujibur Rahman Patwary in a letterhead of the organisation cautioned the authority against any dilly-dallying. A report in the leading Bangla daily, The Ittefaq, today claimed all civil and defence intelligence agencies during the past one week have investigated the threat. The courier service, which delivered the letters, admitted of its role in delivering the letters to the addressees only. They denied having any knowledge of the contents and sender. The address in the letter appeared to be fake as no one of that name was found at the address mentioned. Home Minister Mohammad Nasim when contacted on phone admitted to The Tribune correspondent about the receipt of the letter and said they took it seriously and taken precautions. He thought that my be someone from the Jatiya Party or the IOJ was involved in the threat. Mr Ershad is now imprisoned at the Dhaka Central Jail as he was convicted in a corruption case. His party hopes to pay the fine imposed by the court for his release before the Id festival. Kidnapping of three foreigners precedes this — two Danes and one British — at a place in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) presumably by a group opposed to the peace accord in the CHT. Security forces, including the army, have cordoned off a 30 km area around the suspected hideout of the kidnappers who demanded ransom of nine crore takas in foreign currency. Negotiations through two separate channels — by CHT Minister Kalpa Ranjan Chakma, ruling party legislator Dipankar Talukdar on the one side and on the other by the Army and administration were going on. The administration has given an ultimatum of 48 hours to the kidnappers to release the captives by Monday morning. |
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Borneo massacre toll may touch 400 Sampit (Indonesia) February 25 Local officials said the confirmed death toll was 270, although the state Antara news agency said around 400 people had been killed according to information collected by the agency. Dozens of people have been wounded. The visit marked the first serious response from the embattled government in Jakarta to the violence between indigenous Dayaks and immigrants from Madura island, off Java, that has also created some 40,000 refugees. Chief Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono led the delegation that included military chief Admiral Widodo on a tour of the steamy river town of Sampit, scene of most of the killings. He said the top priority was to save lives. “The military and the police deployed here should be used effectively to control the situation and return conditions to order,” Yudhoyono told reporters in apparent criticism of the free rein armed Dayaks have over most of the town. The grisly massacres — some victims were beheaded and their heads paraded through Sampit — underscore the mess Indonesia finds itself in more than three years after plunging into political and economic chaos. Beleaguered President Abdurrahman Wahid, speaking during a trip to the West Asia, reiterated that the nation was in danger of disintegration because unnamed politicians were undermining his rule, the Jakarta Post newspaper reported. Wahid did not give specifics and made no mention of the Borneo killings. Raising fears of spreading violence, the official Antara news agency reported that several buildings in the provincial capital Palangkaraya belonging to immigrants were torched today. One official in Sampit expressed shock at the reluctance of the 2,000 soldiers and police there to disarm marauding Dayaks, once fearsome headhunters, and whom witnesses say have carried out most of the massacres. “We don’t see the police and the military disarming the Dayaks. There are some groups of Dayaks who still patrol the street with knives and sharp weapons, and the security apparatus are doing nothing,” the official told newsmen. Officials
have said troops had been ordered to disarm the gangs in Sampit, 750 km north
east of Jakarta. Jauhar Pauzni, a local government spokesman in Sampit, said a total of 270 persons had been killed so far in the week of violence. He said dozens of people had been wounded.
Reuters
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Lanka set for peace talks Colombo, February 25 President chandrika Kumaratunga raised the possibility of talks with the LTTE during her visit last week to India, officials here said. They quoted Ms Kumaratunga saying in an interview with the CNN in new Delhi that the two sides could probably meet in two months because the tigers had asked for time to implement certain conditions. Diplomatic sources here said despite SRI Lanka's refusal to reciprocate a unilateral truce called by the Tamil tiger rebels, Norway was pressing ahead with attempts to arrange a meeting between the two antagonists. Tiger rebels on
Thursday extended their truce by a month till march 24 and urged the international community to pressurise
Sri Lanka to accept and reciprocate their “gesture of goodwill.” AFP |
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40 Islamic militants killed
in Algeria Algiers, February 25 Thirteen Islamic militants died in an operation by government security forces on a farm near Chlef in western Algeria, 210 kilometres from Algiers, on Friday non-government newspapers reported. The farm was surrounded by a task- force of army soldiers, police and armed civilian guards and was stormed 24 hours later. The daily El Watan said security forces found six Kalashnikov attack rifles and other small arms among the dead on the farm. It said the group was held responsible for a massacre late last month in which 25 villagers had been hacked to death near
Chlef. Another 27 extremists were killed during army operations last Thursday in the mountainous regions of Ain Defla and Mascara, 150 and 360 km from Algiers respectively, independent newspapers said. El Watan said three soldiers died Friday in a bombing attack in the desert town of
Laghouat, 430 km south of Algiers. DPA |
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Manisha Koirala to marry
envoy? Kathmandu, February 25 Nepali newspapers are flooded with stories about Manisha’s “possible” marriage and her pictures with her husband-to-be — Australian Ambassador to Nepal, Chrispin Conroy. Australian embassy staff have many good stories to tell about their “honorable ambassador” and the Bollywood actress. An official at the embassy, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “They must be getting married as her mother is guarding her “son-in-law-to-be” throughout the day sitting in the majestic bar at the embassy. She has even started ordering embassy employees to do something that would be regarded against the rules,” but he did not elaborate saying it would be something like “disclosing the diplomatic secret.” In an interview to Himal, a news magazine, on a recent visit to Kathmandu, Manisha said, “Though Indian newspapers connect my name with ‘this and that’ I do not want to correct them as they would poke into it too much.” In the interview, Manisha has expressed her desire to study philosophy and psychology “probably” in London. At the same time she declared that she would like to visit outside (the continent) but later would like to live in Nepal, for which she has already bought “land.” “I have worked very hard in Indian film industry for nearly a decade and I still want to work. Hence after that I would like to ‘relax,’ Manisha, 30, said. Manisha, who first appeared on screen some 12 years ago in Nepal, modelling for a wool company, later appeared in Nepali movies, but all of them were flops. “Many actresses, who were successful in Nepal, went to Mumbai to try their luck but nobody but she (Manisha) became a big success”, said a filmmaker who had cast Manisha in his film but could not even recover his investment.
IANS |
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