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June 12, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Benazir’s doubts on Indo-Pak summit Autonomy formula ‘US idea’ Bangladesh blasts “handiwork” of Harkatul Jehad |
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 Oklahoma bomber executedTerre Haute (Indiana), June 11 Former war hero-turned-bomber Timothy McVeigh was executed by lethal injection this morning for triggering a blast in an Oklahoma steel-and-glass Federal building in 1995, that killed 168 persons. Thirtythree-year-old McVeigh, convicted for mass murder in the worst act of terrorism on US soil, was executed today in the first capital punishment by the US federal authorities since 1963.
Rebels take 15 more hostages West Asia crisis: three-way meeting put off Wahid defiant, not to quit 13 killed in Aceh violence Indian charged with two
murder counts
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Benazir’s doubts on Indo-Pak summit Islamabad, June 11 “As far as I can see, the visit will enable Musharraf to have coffee with Prime Minister Vajpayee, send smoke signals of peaceful intent to the west, visit his old home and do some shopping. I am willing to be proved wrong but I doubt that the visit will lead to any substantive agreement on Kashmir”, she said in an interview to Pakistani newspaper The Dawn. She said in principle, the Pakistan’s Peoples Party (PPP) advocated a dialogue between India and Pakistan to resolve all the outstanding issues, including Kashmir. However, the party is in double mind about the world’s largest democracy talking to a dictator. Since Musharraf lacks the mandate to represent the people of Pakistan, his position is weak in negotiating lowering of tensions between the two countries, she said. Ms Bhutto said to resolve the Kashmir issue, the PPP has advocated a formula to have an open and safe borders between India and Pakistan without prejudice to the UN resolutions with a view to building a south Asian trading block. Asked whether Pakistan should involve Hurriyat Conference to the summit meeting, she said “I am unable to comment on this as I am not privy to discussion on this issue. I understand that the military regime has announced it will not meet Hurriyat leaders during Musharraf’s visit to New Delhi”. However, Hurriyat is party to the dispute and if Musharraf regime can have negotiations with New Delhi without them, its leaders may feel that they too can negotiate with India without Islamabad, she added. Commenting on a question about the political future of Musharraf, Ms Benazir said it was now clear that he needs to get elected to carry on in power in the future. “But to get elected you need political support”, she said. The PPP opposes formalisation of the military’s role in the political affairs of the country. That formalisation under the eighth amendment led to the destabilisation of democracy since 1985 and misery of the people, she said. Asked why she cannot return to Pakistan from her self exile like the former chief of Pakistan Navy, Admiral Masoorul Haq, who was recently brought back from US to face charges of corruption levelled against him, Ms Benazir said the admiral has admitted his guilt and returned on a plea bargain. Whereas she and her husband Asif Zardari were innocent and persecuted for political reasons.
PTI |
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Autonomy formula ‘US idea’ Islamabad, June 11 Reacting to Saturday’s Washington Times report stating that Pakistan might propose an autonomy formula during the proposed Musharraf-Vajpayee summit, Pakistan’s Defence spokesman Maj-General Rashid Querishi said the autonomy idea essentially appeared to be that of the US Government. “It appears that the newspaper is quoting US sources. This is not the position of the Government of Pakistan and I am not aware of such an idea being discussed at any level of our government,” Maj-General Querishi, also press adviser to General Musharraf, said. To a question whether Pakistan favoured such an idea, he said: “Our point of view is that the start of a new peace process will be the first step towards peaceful resolution of the long-standing problem. “It is counter-productive to talk about solutions even before the talks begin. Sometimes the talks could get stalled if we go too much into the issues even before the commencement of a dialogue.” He said General Musharraf had consistently stressed the need for a dialogue as a first step. “General Musharraf always maintains that talks are a first step and a solution can be found if both parties demonstrate sincerity and genuine desire for peace,” he said. On reports about Corps Commanders’ meeting extending full support to General Musharraf’s decision to go to New Delhi, he said the issue figured during the meeting but was not discussed in detail.
PTI |
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Bangladesh blasts “handiwork” of Harkatul Jehad Dhaka, June 11 The reports said that the police claimed that it could extract confessional statements from two members of the organisation arrested recently in connection with a bomb explosion at a cultural function at Ramna Gardens to mark the first day of the Bangla year. The police had arrested four teachers of a madrasa situated in a suburb from near a mosque in Dhaka on the basis of a statement by a man arrested earlier. The police claimed that Maulana Akbar Hossain and Maulana Enayetullah confessed to their involvement in at least two bomb blast incidents. The other bomb blast was at a public meeting of the Communist Party of Bangladesh on January 20 in which seven persons were killed. The two others arrested are, Maulana Abdul Awal and Maulana Habibur Rahman. On the basis of a confession by Akbar Hossain a shopowner Mustafizur Rahman was arrested from his shop on Sunday. The police seized four separate passports in his name on which he used to regularly visited Pakistan, Arab countries and India. He acted as secret messenger of the organisation. The DMP is now looking for the secretary-general of the Harkatul Jehad who had planned all bomb attacks to teach a lesson to the Awami League government which opposes fundamentalism, said Akbar and Enayetullah. The last person was in an Indian jail on suspicion of being a Taliban activist. All four arrested teachers received specialised training under the Taliban of Afghanistan in sabotage. The name of the other key person has not been disclosed. The police has so far arrested 12 persons in connection with the bomb blast at Ramna gardens on April 14 in which 10 persons, including two carriers of the bomb, lost their lives. A young female student died after 10 days at a hospital. Akbar Hossain admitted that two students of a madrasa in the Mohammadpur area of the city were given the responsibility to carry the bomb to the Ramna Gardens. The plan was finalised at a mosque a week ahead of the incident. Meanwhile, the joint investigation team succeeded in arresting another madrasa teacher from the southern Barishal district town on charges of planning the bomb attack on the Catholic church at Baniarchar in Moksedpur sub-district in Gopalganj district on June 3 killing 10 persons. He is also a member of the Harkatul Jehad and has received training from the Taliban. However, the police could not extract any statement from him. The police is looking for two local Christian youth suspected to be involved in the blast. These two bomb blasts this year have embarrassed the Sheikh Hasina government. Intellectuals had been agitating for a speedy investigation to arrest the persons responsible for the blasts and give them exemplary punishment. The confessions by the two madrasa teachers is being considered as a breakthrough in the case. The news of arrest came at a time when the Awami League government was working despite bitter criticism by the opposition to enact a law providing special security protection to Ms Sheikh Hasina and her sister Ms Sheikh Rehana, the two surviving daughters of the slain leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The Awami League argued that fundamentalist forces aided by the killers of Mujib were active against these two sisters who needed special protection. |
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Oklahoma bomber executed Terre Haute (Indiana), June 11 Thirtythree-year-old McVeigh, convicted for mass murder in the worst act of terrorism on US soil, was executed today in the first capital punishment by the US federal authorities since 1963. He was given a lethal cocktail of chemicals through an intravenous insertion in his right leg. Federal Prison Warden Harley Lappin, who supervised the execution, said the bomber cooperated throughout the execution process that lasted four minutes and made no oral statement before his death. He, however, handed over a written statement containing the text of a poem by William Ernest Henley titled “Invictus”, which lauds the human spirit — “I am the master of my fate and captain of my soul.” The execution was carried out at 8.14 hours Eastern Time (1744 IST). McVeigh’s body would be handed to family representatives, Lappin said. The execution was delayed for a few minutes to get a television transmission working to Oklahoma City, where victims and their families were watching. ‘’Timothy James McVeigh has been executed by lethal injection,” Lappin announced solemnly. The execution was witnessed by about 350 persons, including 30 at the prison. McVeigh was strapped in a chair and injected with sodium pentothal, pancuronium bromide and potassium chloride, which stop the heart and lungs within 10 to 15 minutes, Lappin said. The execution was witnessed by 10 chosen press representatives, both from the print and electronic media. Lappin said his thoughts were about the people killed in the bombing when he supervised the execution. Larry Whicker, the brother of a bomb victim and a witness to the execution, said he could see no remorse in McVeigh and given a chance he would commit such a crime once again. But those who watched the execution said there was total silence and no one cried for him. McVeigh’s execution brings the curtains down on a six-year-old legal battle in various US courts. Even the Supreme Court had to intervene at one point to ensure that he was executed. McVeigh’s execution was scheduled for May 16 but had to be postponed since the investigating authorities — the FBI — had not handed over some legal documents to McVeigh’s lawyers. Outside the execution room, two groups were holding demonstrations, one in favour of and the other against capital punishment. However, both groups condemned the killing of 168 innocent persons, including 17 babies, who were resting in the government creche in the Alfred P. Murrah building. |
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Rebels take 15 more hostages Manila, June 11 The mayor of Lantawan town on the southern island of Basilan had said earlier Abu Sayyaf rebels had kidnapped 50 school children. “It’s an all-male group, 15 of them,” National Security Adviser Roilo Golez told reporters, Referring to the hostages. He said they included the two 12-year-olds and two teenagers and the rest were above 20. The rebels are holding 13 other persons, including three Americans. They had threatened to execute the Americans at noon but called off the plan after the government agreed to allow a Malaysian to act as a negotiator. President Gloria Arroyo today asked Malaysia to send in two mediators sought by Muslim kidnappers after they threatened to start killing their American hostages, a presidential spokesman said. “We will talk to the Malaysian government” to allow politician Sairin Karno and businessman Yusuf Hamdan to join a Filipino emissary in talks with the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, Arroyo spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said in a radio broadcast. Tiglao said Manila was aware that Malaysia’s Deputy premier, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, had earlier “publicly stated that he will not allow (the two Malaysians) to help in the negotiations.” “If Malaysia allows Sairin to fly to Manila to be part of the team, we will allow him... Our appeal to the Abu Sayyaf is not to harm the innocent victims.” Rebel spokesman Abu Sabaya told the Radio Mindanao network he would put off his threat to behead the Americans in response to the Arroyo government’s gesture. Tiglao rejected suggestions Manila was going soft in the face of blackmail, saying military operations against the rebels would continue. Earlier today, Abu Sayyaf gunmen attacked another town in Basilan and took a Filipino farmer hostage.
AFP |
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West Asia crisis: three-way meeting put off Ramallah, June 11 A Palestinian official said yesterday on condition of anonymity that the Palestinian Authority had produced its written answer to the US document aimed at bolstering the fragile Mideast truce, but gave no details on the contents of the response. Earlier, Palestinian officials had said the scheduled three-way meeting had taken place in the West Bank town of Ramallah, but Israeli officials later denied they had taken part in any such meeting. Israeli public radio, quoting high-ranking security officials, said that “after he was informed of the nature of the Palestinian response to his proposals, Tenet understood that the gap between the two positions was still too wide to be bridged and as a result decided to postpone the meeting”. Israel’s first television channel said US officials, who had arrived in Ramallah for the meeting, had returned to Jerusalem as they were not pleased with the Palestinians’ responses to their proposals. The postponed meeting comes as a setback in peace efforts as the European Union also stepped up efforts to end the crisis. During talks with EU officials, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat told reporters he remained committed to the truce. On the Israeli side, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said the ceasefire had been “quite a success.” US officials have not given details of Tenet’s proposal. Palestinian Cabinet Minister Nabil Shaath has confirmed only that it included security matters detailed in the report of a commission led by former US Senator George Mitchell. That report calls for arresting militants, consideration of an Israeli military pull-back and renewal of security cooperation. Earlier today after its regular weekly meeting, Israel’s Cabinet released a statement saying that Premier Ariel Sharon warned of more attacks on Israelis and said “he still doesn’t see any actions or serious efforts of the Palestinian Authority to prevent terror.” AGADIR (Morocco):
Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah held talks in Agadir with Morocco’s King Mohammed on Sunday on the situation in West Asia and ways of increasing financial support for the Palestinians. Prince Abdullah, who arrived earlier for a two-day official visit on a tour that has taken him to Germany and Sweden, is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including the Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal. “The talks focused on Prince Abdullah’s European tour and the deteriorating situation in West Asia,” a senior Moroccan official said.
AFP, Reuters |
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Wahid defiant, not to quit Jakarta, June 11 Wahid, trying desperately to stave off likely impeachment in August, said he would not step down even if the armed forces turned their guns on the presidential palace, underscoring the prickly relations between the Muslim cleric and the military. They can point their guns and shoot at the palace... what
I'm doing is maintaining the unity of the state and I will not hesitate to deal with violators of the constitution,” the Jakarta Post daily quoted him as saying. Wahid compared himself to Indonesia’s founding President Sukarno — ousted in the mid-1960s following a coup attempt blamed on the now banned Indonesian Communist Party — who he said faced the same adversity. “At that time he (Sukarno) talked to the TNI (military) and said: “go ahead, you can shoot me because
I have been chosen by the people,” Wahid said. Wahid is growing increasingly isolated in his scramble to hold on to power and has driven a wedge between himself and the military in the process. Earlier this month he sacked the national police chief General Bimantoro. His rejection of the presidential order to step aside has won widespread support from senior police and major factions in Parliament. He also sacked widely respected Chief Security Minister and former General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Rumours also surfaced last week, which were denied, that Wahid would sack armed forces commander Admiral Widodo as part of his attempts to cling to power. Wahid’s threat to declare a state of emergency if legislators persist in the impeachment effort has drawn fire from the armed forces. Indonesia’s supreme legislature, the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), will consider impeaching Wahid on August 1 over two graft scandals and his chaotic 19-month rule. It has the power to dismiss Wahid, whom it elected President for a five-year term in October 1999. MPR speaker Amien Rais over the weekend said the assembly would press ahead with the impeachment hearing in August even if Wahid defied a requirement to attend.
Reuters |
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13 killed in Aceh violence Banda Aceh, Indonesia, June 11 Six civilians were killed and six others were wounded yesterday by rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in the Central Aceh village of Cemparan, said police spokesman Sudharsono. “Most of the victims are non-Acehnese who have been settling in Central Aceh since a long time ago,” Commissioner Sudharsono said.
AFP |
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Indian charged with two
murder counts Toronto, June 11 Piara Singh Sandhu is charged with two counts of second degree murder and one count of attempted murder. He and the victims shared a room in the home’s Alzheimer’s unit. The Toronto police was called to the nursing home on Saturday after receiving a call that a 74-year-old man was beating other residents in the head with a steel object, possibly the footrest of a wheelchair. The police said, Pedro Lopez, 83, and Ezzeldine, Elroubi, (71) were bludgeoned to death. Giuseppe Naccarato (89) was left with serious head injuries. The men were attacked in their room.
AP |
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Pope confers
sainthood on 5 Vatican City, June 11 In a solemn ceremony in an overcast but people-filled St Peter’s Square, the 81-year-old Pontiff praised the purity of the new saints’ faith.
Reuters |
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Islamabad, June 11
Pro-death penalty demonstrators of Terre Haute, Indiana, show their support for the execution of Timothy McVeigh as they protest in a Terre Haute
park on June 10, 2001.
Anti-death penalty demonstrators march past the grain silo of a Terre
Haute farm on June 10 as they make their way to the Federal Penitentiary to protest
against the execution.
southern Philippines today, including two 12-year-olds, authorities said.
The mayor of Lantawan town on the southern island of Basilan had said earlier Abu Sayyaf rebels had kidnapped 50 school children.
