Hong Kong, December 14 
While the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting in Hong Kong this week may hold promises of more free trade and a better livelihood for mainstream society, for some it is a matter of life and death.

Cambodian sex worker Chuon Neth (28) was diagnosed with HIV two years ago but has been unable to get access to life prolonging anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs.

“Because of WTO rules, Cambodia cannot buy cheaper ARVs from countries like India, but only from rich countries like the USA,” said Chuon, who works as a prostitute to support two younger brothers and a younger sister.

“I know I am not well. I am always feeling feverish, coughing and having a headache. If I die, who will take care of my siblings?”

Chuon is among some 10,000 anti-globalisation activists who have flown into Hong Kong this week to protest on the margins of the December 13-18 meeting. Her trip was funded by an NGO.

Meanwhile, South Korean protesters — some with plastic wrap over their eyes to protect them from pepper spray — clashed with the riot police today for the second straight day at a WTO meeting in Hong Kong. No serious injuries were reported.
Security forces fought back with clubs and shields as about 100 Koreans spent 45 minutes trying to punch and kick their way through a police line a few blocks from the WTO’s meeting venue. After the Koreans left, a small group of Filipino and Indonesian demonstrators briefly scuffled with police.

While trade ministers and economists all over the world have converged on Hong Kong to discuss ways to liberalise trade and improve lives, displaced fishermen, farmers, factory workers and prostitutes have taken to the streets to vent their wrath.

They accuse the world body of making rules that take away their jobs and benefit only the rich.

“They are just talking about free trade, but the truth is, there are quotas, restrictions. We don’t want any sympathy, we just want to buy ARVs from cheaper sources. But now we can only buy from places like the USA because of patent laws,” said Pry Phally Phuong of Womyn’s Agenda for Change, an NGO in Cambodia.

Many who took to the streets were also unhappy with the many obligations that international agencies impose on their countries, such as privatising state entities.

Shahin Akter, a former textile worker in Bangladesh, was laid off in 2003 with the rest of the 1,500-strong workforce at her factory after it was forced to privatise.

“When the government stopped taking care of these companies, they just close down and workers get no compensation at all,” said Shahin, the sole breadwinner in her family. — Reuters, AP

Kuala Lumpur, December 14
An exclusive university for Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) in India is on the cards.
Moreover, India and Malaysia have decided to recognise each other’s educational degrees.

These two important announcements were made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday during his meeting with the Indian community here.

Dr Manmohan Singh said his government was considering several proposals to increase the number of seats available to persons of Indian origin in educational institutions in India. As part of this, the idea of establishing an exclusive PIO university was being considered. He made it a point to add that the feedback from the PIO community the world over on this initiative had been “extremely encouraging”.

The Prime Minister announced that India and Malaysia would shortly conclude a Memorandum of Understanding with Malaysia in education, in which Mutual Recognition Arrangements of educational qualifications is an integral component. 
In another very significant development, Malaysia’s senior Minister and President of the Malaysian Indian Congress Party, Mr S. Samy Vellu, is coming to India shortly with an investment of 10 billion Malaysian Ringgets in roads and housing sectors, Mr Rajiv Sikri, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs told reporters.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Mr Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary, were under pressure last night to refute convincingly claims that Britain has been complicit in alleged use of CIA planes to take suspected terrorists for torture in secret camps abroad.

Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat deputy leader, has accused the Government of conducting a "hear no evil, see no evil" policy on renditions, after repeated denials that Britain is colluding in transporting prisoners to countries where torture is reputedly widespread.

But there are signs that the Government's attempt to keep free of the controversy are becoming untenable, amid calls from MPs, human rights groups and European bodies for an in-depth investigation.

The Foreign Secretary revealed on Monday for the first time that he had agreed as Home Secretary to rendition for two flights from the UK to the US under the Clinton administration on the grounds that the suspects were to stand trial. He refused a third, he said, because he was not satisfied about the arrangements for sending the suspect to a third country.

Yesterday, under cross-examination by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Commons about rendition, Mr Straw said there could be a fourth case. He said the Home Office was still checking the records.

The Foreign Secretary's own integrity is not on the line, but the approach of the Government as a whole has been brought under severe question by the affair. Last week, challenged by Charles Kennedy at Prime Minister's Questions about the CIA flights, Mr Blair said: "I don't know what you are referring to." Yesterday Mr Straw said: "Unless we all start to believe in conspiracy theories and that the officials are lying, I'm lying and that behind this there is some kind of secret state in league with some dark forces in the US, and we believe Secretary [of State Condoleezza] Rice is lying, there is simply no truth in claims that the UK has been involved in rendition."

Dick Marty, a Swiss parliamentarian conducting an inquiry for the Council of Europe, said he had unearthed "clues" that Poland and Romania were implicated, perhaps unwittingly. Both countries have denied any involvement. "Based on what I have been able to learn, currently, there are no secret detainees held by the US in Europe," said Mr Marty, speaking in Paris. "To my knowledge, those detainees were moved about a month ago, maybe a little more." Many observers believe the lack of pressure from European governments shows that several may have been made aware of what was taking place. 

— By arrangement with The Independent, London

Athens, December 14
Greek police today said they would investigate a complaint by seven Pakistani immigrants who claim they were abducted and interrogated in July following that month’s bomb attacks in London.

“A request from the Athens prosecutor to investigate a complaint involving multiple counts of abduction was received by official correspondence today,” the police department said in a statement.

The announcement came hours after the Pakistani immigrants’ Greek lawyer, Frangiskos Ragoussis, delivered a note to Greek Parliament, demanding that the Ministers of Justice and Public Order explain why the authorities were failing to properly investigate the issue.

The claimed incident occurred in July, when Javed Aslam, head of the Unity of Pakistan Community Association in Athens, charged that seven of his fellow nationals were arrested without warrants, blindfolded and taken to a secret location for questioning.

“They were questioned about relatives of theirs resident in London, the case was evidently linked to the July attacks,” Ragoussis told AFP.

“It was a violation of basic constitutional rights... they were made to wear hoods, and were held at an unknown location for a week,” added the lawyer. — AFP

Durban, December 14
A delegation of politicians, government officials and businessmen from the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal is headed to the Indian state of Punjab to seek cooperation on a variety of fronts, including agriculture and the arts.

The 20-member delegation, headed by S’bu Ndebele, premier of the province, will sign memorandums of understanding with Punjab in arts and culture, exchange programmes, agriculture, small and medium enterprises and science and technology.
Around 1.2 million persons, accounting for 10 per cent of the population of the South African province are of Indian origin. — IANS

Dhaka, December 14
Amidst tight security, tens of thousands of Bangladeshis today thronged memorials and laid wreaths as they remembered intellectuals killed by the Pakistani army and its local collaborators during the 1971 Liberation War. 

Bangladesh marks “Martyred Intellectuals Day” each year on December 14, as on this day in 1971 the largest number of professionals were killed, although selective killing started on March 25 that year, soon after the Pakistani Army’s crackdown to silence the independence campaign led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. 

Tight security was in place at the memorials, including the main one in suburban Mirpur, where Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed laid wreaths followed by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Both stood in solemn silence for a minute to pay respect to the martyrs. 

A contingent of army also gave military salute to the martyred intellectuals. 
Main Opposition Awami League’s chief Sheikh Hasina Wajed was among the first national leaders to place wreaths at two memorials in Dhaka. The memorials were built at two major killing fields. 

In a statement, Prime Minister Ms Zia said “the occupation forces (Pakistan) killed intellectuals on the eve of the nation’s independence in a planned way to weaken our existence.” 

In a separate statement, Sheikh Hasina said “the defeated forces of the Liberation War had wanted to take revenge for their defeat by killing the great sons of the soil.” — PTI