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Saturday,
September 15, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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US
airports reopen amid precautions
10 with
fake identities arrested in USA Fourth
plane’s black box found |
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approves $ 40 b to fight terrorism Washington, September 14 Determined to show a united front, the Congress moved with uncommon speed toward approving $ 40 billion to combat terrorism and recover from attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, double what President George W. Bush requested.
FBI
probes pilot training school USA may lift sanctions for Pak’s support WINDOW ON PAKISTAN
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US airports reopen amid precautions Los Angeles, September 14 But even amid sharply tightened security measures, experts warned that the US air transport system was still vulnerable to determined hijackers. Airports reopened amid security measures never seen in the USA. Armed plainclothes security guards, known as “air marshals”, are to be placed on all domestic flights. Police and other security officers, many with bomb-sniffing dogs, checked everyone entering the airport. All planes were being thoroughly searched before boarding. People were forced to park their cars at a distance and take public transportation to terminals. Convenient curbside luggage drop-offs were closed, and all passengers checked in at ticket counters only. Travellers were thoroughly searched and questioned before boarding planes, and metal blades of any kind were banned. Federal aviation officials recommended that passengers allow three-and-a-half-to-four hours for check in time. “There will be some inconveniences, but safety will be the first element of our system to be restored,” said Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta yesterday. Yet security experts cautioned that the new measures, while making it more difficult for a hostile agent to act against aircraft, by no means provided airtight protection. Even the adoption of more stringent measures such as biometric identification devices, database screening to identify high-risk passengers or more advanced X-ray machines, would be unlikely to prevent an attack by a clever and determined foe. A major weakness, according to experts, is that people operating X-ray machines and metal detectors — the first and virtually only line of defence — are largely low-wage workers, ill-trained and poorly motivated. The job is hardly a profession at all, and turnover rates are exceedingly higher.
Reuters |
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10 with fake identities arrested in USA New York, September 14 Four of them were taken out from a plane at the JFK airport by a Swat team after all passengers were seated for a flight to Los Angles. Both airports were closed within almost immediately after they reopened to the limited traffic. A passenger travelling to Los Angeles
interviewed by a television network, said they were waiting for the plane to take off when they heard noise at the back and immediately, the police took four men in handcuffs.
PTI |
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Fourth plane’s black box found Shanksville, September 14 The so-called black box, which was quickly transported to the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington for analysis yesterday, could shed light on what happened aboard San Francisco-bound Flight 93 before it crashed on Tuesday near a wooded area 128 km south-east of Pittsburgh. FBI agent Bill Crowley could not say whether the data recorder was in working order. The device, discovered in the crash-impact crater is designed to monitor and record the operations of in-flight systems. The voice recorder, which investigators hope will reveal conversations and events that occurred in the plane’s cockpit, is still missing. “We’re trying to determine what happened and this development that just occurred is going to help a lot. I think it will answer a lot of questions,’’ Crowley said. Meanwhile, search crews began moving human remains from the debris field to a makeshift morgue set up in a nearby armoury. “Every piece of tissue that’s there will be given a unique number and put into the computer,’’ said Dennis Dirkmaat, a forensic anthropologist from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was reluctant to say whether DNA analysis, dental records and fingerprints would identify everyone on board the flight, and noted that identifying the remains of the hijackers would depend on the availability of usable records. Families of the victims are expected to begin arriving soon in western Pennsylvania. Flight 93, which crashed soon after three other jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, was the only hijacked plane not to hit a US Landmark. That fact has brought intense speculation about what brought the plane down. Earlier this week, Pentagon officials vigorously denied initial reports that a military fighter had shot down the United Airlines jet.
Reuters |
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Cong approves $ 40 b to fight terrorism Washington, September 14 Lawmakers also seemed to be nearing agreement on a separate measure that would back the use of “necessary and appropriate force” by Bush against the people responsible for Tuesday’s attacks. House Speaker Dennis Hastert said the House could consider that Bill as early as today. Hastert said lawmakers agreed to drop earlier language opposed by some lawmakers that would also have approved use of force by Bush to “deter and pre-empt any related future acts of terrorism or aggression against the United States of America”. Opponents said that would have gone too far in eliminating Congress’ role in future incidents. Leaders were hoping to push the spending measure through the House as early as today, with the Senate to follow. An 11th-hour disagreement, with White House officials seeking fewer congressional restraints on spending much of the money, dashed leaders’ hopes of completing the spending measure yesterday. Even so, approval of such a vast sum just days after Tuesday’s calamitous events would be lightning speed for a Congress that usually takes weeks or months to approve money for anything. “We are shoulder to shoulder. We are in complete agreement that we will act together as one,” said House Democratic Leader Dic Gephardt.
AP |
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TRIBUNE READERS’ ACCOUNTS I AM a Professor at Seton Hall University in South Orange, a suburb of New York City. From my 6th floor corner office in Kozlowski Hall on our campus, I could see the World Trade Center Towers. Every time I got tired of working, I stood up in my office, walked around and looked at the World Trade Center Towers and imagined free, energetic Americans of all races and colours joining in the hustle bustle of this lively city. Today, September 12, 2001, has been different. My window is empty. There are no two tall towers that not only I saw as a source of energy from my office, but every tourist returning from the Statue of Liberty Island saw as two columns of a gateway to the land of the free. It is sad! Yesterday, I saw these towers burning. Soot was bellowing out of them as if it was procrastinating something bad to happen in the world. We, thousands of Americans, saw the planes ramming into the Towers but could not do anything. There was helplessness beyond description. A mighty people felt hostage to a few callous bigots to whom life has no meaning. It was a scene that no Hollywood horror movie has yet been able to capture. Clouds of thick white cement and dust loaded with pieces of debris from the collapse of the Towers were behind and horrified men and women running in front of them, as if monsters were chasing innocent, helpless people who no doubt were there from around the world at this tourist attraction in Lower Manhattan. I felt as if the rogues had violated the trust that America had given to all people by providing a rather free and easy access to all citizens of the world. The incident will not only change America for many years to come, it will probably have a new chapter written in the world history. There has never been such a massive, cruel terrorist attack anywhere in the world. By launching this on America, the virtual leader and the most powerful nation on the earth, these terrorists have invited an end to their activities. There are already calls to compare it with the attack on Pearl Harbor that was evened out by dropping two atom bombs. The attack on Pearl Harbor had killed 2300 Americans, this terrorist attack will definitely exceed this number. Americans want our government to treat it at the same level. America will rise out of it. We will build new Towers, larger that the ones we lost to these cowards. Nevertheless, the biggest losers— probably forever—will be the people who for decades have believed that violence was the means to resolving all problems. The nations and the people who harbor them will be the losers for ever. No one in the world will trust them. They will be isolating themselves and retreating their people to the primitive lives that they really deserve. There will be no room for them among the civilised societies of the world. From The Tribune Internet edition, that I read almost daily, I learn of the lives being lost at the hands of terrorists everyday in India. The world ignored it. People assumed it could never happen in powerful countries. I am sure, this incident has changed that thinking. No country should tolerate terrorist activities anywhere in the world. It may start and raise its head in an innocent and trusting country like India but once it gets its confidence and experience, it can land at the door of any people. The whole world has to fight it together. I have no doubt; now it will happen, at the behest of America. — A.D. Amar
I work in Newark, New Jersey. The next city to New York city. That horrible scene was viewable from my office. I started as usual from home and reached as office at 8.40, after a few minutes, I saw that smoke was coming from the building one, I was just looking that building then one another plane come in front of my eyes and hit the other big building...wow...horrible... could not believe ... I was just thinking that it is a dream, but not, it was fact. A big smoke clouds were there, building was burning like paper. Everybody in our office started screaming and crying.... I could not stop myself from weeping...I called to India and informed them about this tragedy. Then we rushed to home. On the way, all roads were busy with sirens of police vehicle and ambulances. All the big buildings’ US flags were half way down. The whole day and night, we could not sleep. I received a voice mail and pager from office that we have to reach office tomorrow morning. So I started from home to office with a bad mood. My wife dropped me at the railway station, the same station which was always crowded with cheerful and good looking persons, but today there was only few of us, which were also looking like dead bodies were moving around. No smile was there. No person said “good morning” this time. The parking lot was almost empty. A few cars were parked there, may be those cars belonged to persons who could not come back yesterday night. As I entered the train, it was almost empty, the same train where to manage a single seat was very difficult in other days. This is the same train which goes same tragic place “World Trade Center”. (Fortunately or unfortunately, I was there whole last week for my training). Today morning, I did “bye” to my sweet wife who was looking at me like as I was going to war, not to office. Today I am in office, but not able to work. Everybody is just scary. Just looking to that place where twin towers were. Yes, that huge buildings is now history. That was not just building but they were like friends and family members. A symbol of happiness, which is no more. A symbol of prosperity which is no more. Now just one question to The Tribune readers: Are we really doing progress? Come united against terrorism now or never. Remove them from their roots. If they can target such big things then they can do anything. Because they are terrorists and their aim is to spread only terror nothing else. They are aimless persons. No religion says, “kill the innocent persons”. But if we are united then we can fight them. It is challenge to humankind, come together and let’s do fight against terrorists and terrorism.
— Preetmohan Hooda, originally from Karnal, Haryana, who now lives in New Jersey.
MY name is Vinay Gupta and I work next to White House, in the World Bank building. It was total chaos on Tuesday morning. I reached my office at 8.30 am and within 20 minutes, got the news about the plane crash at the WTC in New York and then the second crash within next 18 minutes. My 10-year-son Ankush has a hard time believing this, as I had just taken him to show the World Trade Center three weeks ago. In the next five minutes heard about horrifying crash at the Pentagon building. We are no more than 5 miles from the Pentagon building. Could see high flames from our office. Soon our building was evacuated and the people were on the road struggling to go home. Took almost four hours to drive back home which usually takes 35 minutes. This is the most horrifying attack on USA. Today understand that the attack on the Pentagon was initially meant to be on the White House. Gosh! if that happened, God knows how many more lives would have been lost. Our heart goes to the families who have lost their loved ones and may God give them enough courage to bear this unforgettable loss. I have been in this country for almost 20 years and have never seen anything like this before. I have talked to my brothers and sister in India. They all have been informed that we are doing fine here. Thank you. To those of my other relatives, who I could not reach, please print this letter in your paper so they also get sense of relief.
— Vinay Gupta from New York. |
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Embassy to take up cases of attacks on Sikhs Washington, September 14 While President George W. Bush has urged all Americans not to take vengeance against Arab-Americans or Muslims for the terrorist attacks, his Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIS) denounced the attacks. “My colleagues and I share the grief of our fellow Americans over the terrorist attacks that have gripped our country,” AAPIS chairman-designate John B. Tsu said. The Indian Embassy here, in a statement, deplored harassment of Sikhs and said, “Their outward appearance, which is a manifestation of their religious beliefs, has made them victims of mistaken identity. Along with other Indians, they themselves have been targets of terrorism, and have been known for acts of great heroism.” “The embassy would like to emphasise that the Sikhs are a law abiding, peaceful and progressive community from India. They are adherents of a modern, open and democratic faith.” It said the Indian consulates have been asked to take up any such cases of harassment with the local civic authorities.
PTI |
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FBI probes pilot training school Detroit, September 14 Mr Elson Floyd, president of Western Michigan University, which runs a pilot training center in Battle Creek, Michigan, described the FBI’s conversations with its training personnel as “purely routine” given the extent of the federal probe into Tuesday’s attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The statement did not elaborate. FBI spokesmen declined to comment on the agency’s interest in Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation. But university spokesman Matt Kurz said agents met at least two of its pilot training officers on Wednesday to discuss various aspects of the aviation programme in Battle Creek. The school has long-trained pilots from overseas and currently does contract work, including full-range training on its 737 flight simulator, with the British Airways, according to Mr Kurz. But what may have focused attention on the school is the fact it has also trained pilots from the Emirates Airlines, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates.
Reuters |
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USA may lift sanctions for Pak’s support
Washington, September 14 Replying to a question at a press conference here on whether the USA had any leverage at all with Pakistan since that country is “sanctioned up to the eye balls’’ and also getting very little aid from the USA, Powell said, “you kind of said it in your question there, ‘sanctioned up to the eyeballs. And they don’t have that much aid now.’’
UNI |
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WINDOW ON
PAKISTAN The tragic events in the USA have found an extensive coverage in all English and Urdu newspapers in Pakistan. Jang groups’ The News International Pakistan came out with an editorial within hours of the devastations in New York and Washington. Calling it the doomsday for the USA, the newspaper said: “The attacks must provide an occasion for the United States establishment to pause and think whether the hard line they have adopted is proving counter productive. The desperation of the attackers, whoever they may be, reflects that some individuals, groups or organisations, were strongly driven and fired up against the Americans that not only stopped caring for their own lives, they did not care claiming the lives of hundreds and thousands of other innocent victims of these attacks. If America was preparing and waiting for an Armageddon, it has now happened.” Another common point which major newspapers like Dawn and The Nation reflected was that ultimately Muslims would be blamed for their desperate violent acts which had been meticulously planned and executed. The myth of American invincibility has been broken. The News said: “How would the American policymakers react to this tragedy is yet not clear but President Bush has already said the attackers would not be allowed to get away.... The Administration must guard being swayed by emotional responses against one set of presumed attackers or another. Any attempt to give currency to Hollywood versions of arch type enemies of the United States should be resisted. Many a time in such previous smaller incidents, Muslims have been prematurely blamed and targeted. Unless some credible evidence emerges that any particular group or organisation is responsible, indiscriminate retaliation should be avoided.” But more significant comment was,” Sweeping aimless reprisals would only add to the haltered that has America has already earned around the world, for some in such a degree that they had to resort to a cataclysmic bloodbath to serve their cause”. It also advised that, “It was time that policy review is undertaken on all major flashpoints, Middle East at the top of the list, followed by South Asia where Kashmir and Afghanistan provide justification for hundreds and thousands of militants to adopt violent ways to seek justice, after having lost all hope that they would ever get their rights through peaceful negotiations”. It warned that unless injustice was undone, peace could not be there. It said,“Unless world leaders put their heads together and seriously try to find a way to end this bloodletting, repeats of the Black Tuesday may continue, making lives of people around the world insecure”. The call indeed is the loudest. But how about the states abetting terrorism, the newspaper had obviously no time to ponder over. In an editorial comment Dawn echoed the opinion of the President of Pakistan: The fear that the country would face hard times and may even suffer reprisals was also evident. It also ran a story, saying that the Indian government’s response was confused. Its editorial said,“Grim tragedy America suffered on Tuesday is both mind-boggling and soul searing. In its severity and dimensions, it is clearly the worst carnage continental America has suffered since the civil war. Pearl Harbor pales into insignificance because the targets and the victims were then overwhelmingly military, the civilian casualties being only collateral.” Dawn felt more concerned than Jang when it said,“When the jetliners crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the casualties were all civilians — innocent human beings — men, women and children — going about their day’s business. The thousands killed, injured, burnt, maimed for life and those countless others — charred by aviation fuel or mutilated beyond recognition — had nothing to do with the policies of the American government. Only a criminal mind would, thus, think of killing them to make a point to the world and to those who run the US administration.” Dawn also said: “More important, the targets selected spoke of the political motive behind the operation: the end-result was spectacular for all to see; the targets were not only to be destroyed, the attacks were intended to paralyse America’s economic life and cripple the nerve-center of its military machine.” “The terrorists proved the point that America was as vulnerable as any other nation. No matter what security arrangements the US government takes, its enemies can still manage to strike at will and at a place and time of their choice,” Dawn said. Unlike some other papers, Dawn was with America when it said: “In this hour of crisis and grief, the government and people of Pakistan express their full sympathy for the government and the people of the United States. Themselves often victims of terrorism in various forms, they know what it means to suffer shock and trauma at the hands of maniac bombers.” But then the paper had its own opinion as to how this all happened. It said: “The question surrounding the tragedy is: who could have plotted this carnage? Before someone could accuse Osama bin Laden of the crime, Taliban spokesmen in Kandahar and Islamabad denied that the Saudi exile was involved in the crime. Suspicion may fall on some Middle Eastern groups, whose main complaint against the US stems from Washington’s acquiescence in Israel’s genocidal policies against the Palestinian people. However, so far no Middle Eastern group has claimed responsibility for the attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon.” |
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