 |
Thursday,
September 12, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
Asia remains alert as half
a dozen US missions close South Asians meet to combat 9/11 backlash |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
ARD chief quits on health grounds Campaigning dull sans
Benazir, Nawaz
|
|
Asia remains alert as half
a dozen US missions close
Kuala Lumpur, September 11 At the Petronas Twin Towers here, which stand higher than those destroyed in New York many people failed to turn up for work. A couple of blocks away, the US Embassy remained shuttered and guarded by troops after a spokesman announced it had received a “credible and specific threat”. The US missions in Phnom Penh, Jakarta and Surabaya in (Indonesia), Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), all posts in Pakistan and Kula Lumpur were among the 14 worldwide which remained closed for security reasons today. More than 100 protesters from the Thai Inter-Religious Groups for Peace waved banners and shouted protests outside the US Embassy gates, following a ceremony inside the mission. Representatives of the group said while they “sympathised” over the loss of life in September 11, they were protesting against the US military presence in Kabul. A New York Times report from Jakarta quoted US officials as saying that the decision to declare a higher terrorist alert status was made after investigators uncovered a plot by a radical Islamic organisation with links to Al-Qaida. The group was planning attacks at several American embassies in Southeast Asia, the officials said. Australia closed its embassy in East Timor’s capital of Dili because of a security threat and issued a travel warning for Southeast Asian countries. A maple tree was planted in front of the US Embassy in central Tokyo as a symbol of the friendship and support shown by Japan to Americans in their darkest hour while a police helicopter hovered overhead. The head of China’s Foreign Ministry’s international department Li Baodong said the danger was so severe that Beijing has set up a dedicated anti-terrorism bureau under the Ministry of Public Security. “China is a victim of terrorism,” the state-run China Daily newspaper quoted him as saying.
AFP |
|
South Asians meet to combat 9/11 backlash New York, September 11 The gathering was organised by the Asian American Legal Defence and Education Fund (AALDEF) at Jackson Heights in Queens. According to Krittika Ghosh and Saurav Sarkar, community organisers with the AALDEF, the meeting’s primary aim was to get the communities together. “Now, we have addresses, contact telephone numbers as well as e-mail addresses. We listened to the instances of harassment the participants said they faced and briefed them on their rights in case they were victimised, harassed or arrested. All of them agreed that we should work as one group,” said Sarkar. Those who took part in the weekend meeting were members from the Sikh community from Richmond Hill, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Afghans and Punjabis. According to Sarkar, members of the Sikh community from Richmond Hill complained that the police did not register complaints lodged by them. “We told the community that they should alert the AALDEF in future in case of any harassment or non-action on the part of the police as we would be able to reach higher police ranks and ensure swift action,” he pointed out. Ghosh said at the meeting, a member of the South Asian community had highlighted the fact that despite being one of the victims of the September 11 attacks, he has not been able to receive any money from the various funds. “He said many South Asian victims face a similar plight.” “It was a fruitful meeting as various viewpoints came forth. Someone said we should keep away from the police and be mindful of them, but this was met with demands that we should not take things lying down,” he said. AALDEF is planning to hold training camps for the members of the affected communities on to how to handle the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS) and other agencies. The group said it offered free legal services to members of South Asian and Muslim communities, who have been affected by bias crimes, hate attacks, detention and employment and housing discrimination as a result of September 11.
IANS |
|
ARD chief quits on health grounds Lahore, September 11 Although Mr Nawabzada said the ARD would remain intact, The News quoting sources said differences on seat adjustment among the component parties was the main reason for his stepping down. Talking to The News, the veteran opposition leader denied any differences in the alliance and said “the ARD is intact and soon it will elect its new chief.” The central secretary-general of the alliance Zafar Iqbal Jhagra of the PML-N would be the acting president but it is said that PPP-P president Makhdoom Amin Fahim would be elected as the new chief. Saying his party would remain in the alliance, Mr Nawabzada said he felt proud that he had formed all opposition alliances except the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad, which was formed by the former ISI chief Lt-Gen Hameed Gul. Referring to president Pervez Musharraf’s statement that he would quit as Chief of Army Staff, Mr Nasrullah said it was their demand that had forced the General to take such a decision. Mr Nasrullah was quoted as saying that he would call upon the people of Pakistan not to support those elements who had joined hands with the military government. Mr Nawabzada had quit the ARD top slot twice but had changed his decision on the Benazir Bhutto’s request. It appeared that this time he was disappointed with the PPP-P and the PML-N which had denied adequate representation to the smaller parties of the alliance, the News said.
UNI |
|
Campaigning dull sans
Benazir, Nawaz Lahore The two leaders are also out of the electoral race. Benazir’s nomination papers have been rejected for being convicted in a corruption case while Nawaz has withdrawn his nomination papers in solidarity with her. The absence of two popular leaders has apparently dampened the campaigns of the two mainstream political parties. Political parties are faced with the problem of mobilising people without the traditional methods of electioneering. In the past, these parties adopted various ways to create an election atmosphere, much before going to the polls. They would take out processions, hold rallies, organise public meetings in parks, playgrounds and roundabouts of main arteries, hoist party flags on buildings, put up hoardings and banners and wall posters. Under the new rules, the Election Commission of Pakistan has prohibited these activities. The government has also barred cable operators form telecasting any political message or carrying advertisements. The rules of the game laid down by the Election Commission are obviously aimed at keeping the election fever manageable. The 22-point code of conduct says that a candidate would not be allowed to use any other individual’s land, building or compound for hoisting flags, putting up banners or sticking posters without permission. This clause has provided an excuse to those who would not like to be branded as supporters of any party for not allowing the hoisting of banners and flags. The code of conduct does not allow posters, hoardings, banners and stickers larger than the prescribed sizes 2ftx3ft, 3’x5’, 3’x9’ and 4’x4’ respectively. The code allows leaflets and handbills of 9’x6’. In the past supporters of various candidates were provided with these materials in various sizes in order to distinguish them. In view of the difficulties faced in mobilising supporters, even popular parties are not expected to bring a large number of voters to the polling stations on the polling day. This is the challenge parties are faced with in formulating their poll strategy to contact their supporters in the short time left at their disposal. In Lahore, there is little sign of electioneering in the streets because of lack of mass mobilisation effort by political parties. Even the door-to-door mass contact drive is yet to pick momentum. The government lifted the 34-month ban on political activities on September 1. However, except for small-scale protests on the rejection of the papers of Benazir Bhutto or corner meetings by candidates, no major activity has taken place in the city. None of the parties held any public meeting at places notified by the district government on September 1. Under the new electoral rules, political parties and candidates cannot take out processions; they can only hold public meetings at certain places reserved by the district administration. The most vocal figure seeking votes not for him but for government-supported candidates is Lahore’s District Nazim Mian Amir Mahmood. The united front of religious parties, Muttahidda Majlis-i-Amal, has tried to mobilise its supporters by resuming a train journey but the government arrested religious leaders disallowing them to use public trains for election campaign. The united front of the main opposition parties, the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy, ARD, is going to organise the first election public meeting at Minar-i-Pakistan in Lahore on September 15. At the moment, candidates of various parties are holding small corner meetings in streets to contact masses. |
|
Arafat Cabinet avoids vote, quits Ramallah, September 11 “President Arafat has accepted the resignation of the Cabinet, so there is no need to bring it to a vote,” Tayeb Abdel Rahim, general secretary of the Palestinian presidency, told a meeting of the Palestinian legislature. “In the next 14 days, President Arafat will appoint a new Cabinet.” The Palestinian Legislative Council postponed on Tuesday a vote of confidence required under law after Arafat reshuffled his Cabinet three months ago. Legislators had predicted an uphill battle for approval of the Cabinet in Parliament, where Arafat has faced criticism for not doing enough to overhaul the government after internal and international calls for reform. Before the ministers resigned, Arafat issued a decree setting January 20 as the date for presidential and legislative elections, a move that turned his administration into a transitional government that officials argued made any vote of confidence moot. GAZA: Yasser Arafat’s Fatah faction has drafted a document in talks with the European Union mediators calling for a halt to attacks by Palestinian militants on Israeli civilians, a Fatah official said here on Tuesday.
Reuters |
RIYADH FREES 6 AL-QAIDA SUSPECTS S. ARABIAN BODY TO CHECK ISLAMIC CHARITIES USA TO SHIFT MILITARY COMMAND OLDEST OBSERVATORY FOUND IN GERMANY |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
From the world’s tallest twin towers to airports, embassies and dockyards around Asia, security bristled today as memories of a year-old tragedy half a world away evoked fears of new horrors.
In
Video: Security has been tightened in Karachi amid concerns of
anti-US activities a year after the attacks on New York and Washington.
(
