US Increasing Troop Levels in Iraq Ahead of Election
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=A3B491:2F72C9DThe additional forces are intended to bolster security at a time when
the country's insurgency is threatening to prevent voting in areas
of the country dominated by Iraq's Sunni minority
More U.S. troops are on their way to Iraq ahead of elections set for
the end of January. The additional forces are intended to bolster
security at a time when the country's insurgency is threatening to
prevent voting in areas of the country dominated by Iraq's Sunni
minority, some of whom are demanding that the election be postponed.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved a request from the top U.S.
commander in Iraq to extend the rotations of more than 10,000 American
troops in the country, while at the same time ordering the deployment
of an additional 1500 active duty soldiers. That would put the total
number of American troops in Iraq about 150,000 the most since the
U.S. led invasion in March of last year.
Among those headed for Iraq are two battalions from the Army's 82nd
Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The decision to raise troop levels reflects on going concerns about
security ahead of elections scheduled for January 30, and whether
parts of the country engulfed in insurgency will be secure in time for
the voting. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld has raised the possibility that
some areas of Iraq may not be safe enough to ensure voting can take
place. But there is also concern that if Iraq's Sunni minority do not
take part in the vote or see the election as illegitimate, the
insurgency could grow worse.
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Israel to Halt Military Action Against Palestinians if Calm Continues
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Israeli PM says his government stands ready to help new Palestinian
leadership, due to be elected January 9
Ariel SharonIsraeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says Israel will not
be the first to launch attacks or raids on Palestinian militants so
long as the situation remains calm and there are no provocations. The
promise was made during a period of relative quiet between the two
sides that has prevailed since the death of Yasser Arafat.
Speaking to Israeli newspaper editors in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister
Sharon said that while Israel would not be the first to strike, it
would also not stand idly by if it had information that Palestinian
militants were planning an attack.
He also said his government stands ready to help the new Palestinian
leadership, due to be elected January 9 and he said he would
coordinate with the Palestinians Israel's planned withdrawal from the
Gaza Strip next year.
Mr. Sharon said "should there be a Palestinian Authority leadership
which will choose to fight terror and dismantle its infrastructure,"
we are ready to help them." He also said the Palestinian leadership
can prove its own good intentions by maintaining peace and quiet.
There has been a marked drop in violence between Israel and the
Palestinians for the better part of a month, since the death of Yasser
Arafat.
Mr. Sharon and new PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas have also called for
resuming peace talks.
Mr. Sharon maintains certain preconditions for negotiations. He says
there should be an end to violence and incitement by the Palestinians
along with a halt to anti-Israeli bias in Palestinian media. The
Israeli leader said that since he signaled his desire to resume direct
talks he has seen positive signs.
Mr. Sharon said "Since I turned to the Palestinians, the incitement
has dropped."
Palestinian officials confirm that Mr. Abbas gave instructions earlier
this week to the state-run radio and television outlets to cease
broadcasting what he termed "hateful programming."
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China May Execute Tibetan Monk
[http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=A3B492:2F72C9D
Tensin Deleg Rinpoche is one of two Tibetans sentenced to death for
alleged roles in 2002 bombing in Chengdu China is suggesting it will
go ahead with plans to execute Tibetan monk Tensin Deleg Rinpoche -
convicted of a fatal bombing in 2002. The action would be despite
protests from the United States and from the Dalai Lama, the exiled
Tibetan spiritual leader.
Tensin Deleg Rinpoche was one of two Tibetans sentenced to death for
their alleged roles in a 2002 bombing in the Chinese city of Chengdu
in which one person was killed and another injured. After a flurry of
international protests, his sentence was suspended for two years. That
suspension expired on Thursday.
Both men denied having any role in the attack. Lobsang Dhondup, the
other man who was convicted of the bombing, was executed in 2003.
The United States and international human rights organizations have
expressed concern about China's handling of Tensin Deleg's case,
saying his trial and sentencing were not carried out in a transparent
manner.
At a regular briefing Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Zhang Qiyue defended the decision to execute the monk.
Ms. Zhang says the Chinese Ministry of Justice has reviewed the case
of Tensin Deleg. She says that in any country, criminals who
jeopardize national security and engage in terrorist activities will
be punished according to the law.
A U.S. embassy spokeswoman says the United States remains concerned
that, among other problems, the Supreme People's Court never reviewed
the case, as required by Chinese law.
A number of U.S. diplomats, including Secretary of State Colin Powell,
have brought Tensin Deleg's case in recent meetings with Chinese
officials.
Speaking from India where he has been exiled for decades, the Dalai
Lama called on Chinese authorities to reconsider their decision to
execute the monk. Considering the politically sensitive matter of
Tibet, China has sometimes commuted death sentences of Tibetans and
the spiritual leader said he hoped Beijing would do the same in this
case.
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French Socialists Back EU Constitution
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59 percent of Socialist party members voted in favor of European
constitution in a national referendum
French Socialists supporting the new European constitution are
savoring a victory today, after the party's rank-and-file voted in
favor of the charter.
Results announced Thursday found some 59 percent of Socialist party
members voted in favor of the European constitution, in a national
referendum held the night before.
The vote has no direct consequences on the charter, but it was being
closely watched in Europe.
That is partly because the Socialist vote may be a sort of litmus test
of what will happen next year, when the French - in a national
referendum - vote on whether or not they support the constitution. The
constitution must be ratified by all 25 members of the European Union,
to go into effect.
Segolene Royal Top Socialist Party politician Segolene Royal calls
Wednesday's vote a great victory for Europe.
Ms. Royal told France Info radio that, if ordinary French voters
follow the example of Socialist Party members next year, France will
be able to weigh in on Europe.
Center for European Reform researcher Aurore Wanlin says the party
referendum also has major consequences for France's Socialists.
"Another question at stake is the future of the Socialist Party," said
Aurore Wanlin. "In 2007, there will be a presidential election. So,
basically, the internal referendum [this week] will decide the program
of the Socialist Party to run for these elections and who will be the
leader."
Potential presidential candidates include Socialist Party leader
Francois Hollande, Ms. Royal's partner, who supported the
constitution. But the vote marks a defeat for another potential
presidential hopeful - former Socialist Prime Minister Laurent Fabius
- who led the faction against the European constitution.
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Mbeki Returns to Ivory Coast
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S. African president expected to meet Ivory Coast president as well as
reconciliation PM Diarra before meeting opposition leaders, rebels in
the north South African President Thabo Mbeki is returning to
strife-torn Ivory Coast today for a second attempt to revive failed
peace efforts.
Thabo Mbeki Mr. Mbeki is expected to meet Ivory Coast President
Laurent Gbagbo as well as reconciliation Prime Minister Seydou Diarra
on Friday before meeting opposition leaders and rebels in the north.
His visit - scheduled to last several days - is being welcomed by all
sides, including supporters of Mr. Gbagbo, such as the leader of the
so-called Lady Patriots, Genevieve Bro Grebe. She says Ivorians need
an African solution rather than the stalled French-brokered peace deal
signed in a Paris suburb in January 2003.
"If we are trying to find a solution for our problem, we should find
an African solution and we should find a solution here in Cote
d'Ivoire not outside. I think we have the solution in our hands," Ms.
Grebe says.
Mr. Mbeki himself has repeatedly expressed support for the so-called
Linas-Marcoussis peace agreement.
Mr. Gbagbo's ruling party has been amending the peace agreement in
parliament, which angered rebels and the opposition, who accuse him of
blocking its implementation. One of the key provisions of the
agreement expands the rights of many northerners who are now treated
as second class citizens.
The vice-president of an opposition party, Boa Amoakon Tiemele, says
he hopes South Africa's president can revive the reconciliation
power-sharing government, which has been plagued by boycotts.
"We hope that in the trip of President Mbeki [he] will help us to find
some compromise at the level of all the main items we are discussing,
including the working of the government to move toward something
smooth and capable to bring peace to the country. We hope to have some
solution," Mr. Tiemele says.
Mr. Mbeki's first attempt to mediate peace in Ivory Coast last month
followed violence triggered by the government's bombing of rebel and
French targets in the north and the destruction of the country's air
force by France in retaliation. Mass looting and protests that
followed killed dozens and drove thousands of foreigners and Ivorians
out of the country.
Several thousand French troops are in Ivory Coast to assist United
Nations peacekeepers.
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Bush Thanks Canadians for Support After 9/11
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US president delivered message to people of Canada in final hours of
official visit focused on cooperation
George Bush with his wife Laura and PM Paul Martin with his wife
Sheila pose with members of the RCMP President Bush says memories of
the September 11, 2001 attacks on America provide constant proof of
the need for the international community to come together to fight
terrorism and rebuild Iraq.
The president went to an Atlantic Coast pier that is revered in Canada
as the nation's historic gateway to the world.
About one million immigrants passed through Pier 21 before it closed
as an entry checkpoint in 1971. And it was there that President Bush
spoke of the way Canadians embraced travelers stranded when American
airports were closed and flights diverted on September 11, 2001.
"So let me say directly to the Canadian people and to all of you here
today who welcomed Americans, thank you for your kindness to America
in an hour of need," said Mr. Bush.
He said Americans and Canadians are one family, a family that
sometimes disagrees but ultimately stands together.
"The affection that appeared in an instant will always be there and it
runs deep," said President Bush. "Beyond the words of politicians and
the natural disagreements that nations will have, our two peoples are
one family and always will be."
The president spoke of the long history of hemispheric peace, and the
joint determination to deal with challenges abroad.
"We know it is not possible to live in quiet isolation on our peaceful
continent, hoping the problems and challenges of other nations will
pass us by," he said. "We know there can be no security and no lasting
peace in a world where proliferation and terrorism and genocide and
extreme poverty go unopposed."
Mr. Bush said he wants that cooperation to expand to other nations,
banding together to achieve great goals.
He stressed the importance of strengthening multinational institutions
and fighting an effective war on terrorism. But he added that as the
world takes on the terrorists, it must also foster freedom throughout
the greater Middle East.
The president emphasized bringing democracy to Iraq is an important
step in achieving that goal. He acknowledged there were differences of
opinion on the wisdom of invading Iraq, but emphasized there is
agreement on the need to help Iraqis build a democracy.
"Sometimes even the closest of friends disagree and two years ago we
disagreed about the best course of action in Iraq. Yet, as your prime
minister made clear in Washington earlier this year, there is no
disagreement at all with what has to be done with going forward," said
Mr. Bush.
President Bush said democracy is the key to a better future for the
entire region, emphasizing a democratic government for Palestinians is
a pre-requisite for peace with Israel. He said only with democracy and
the rule of law, can the dream of a Palestinian state become a
reality.
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Corruption Main Issue As Cambodia's Donors Meet
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World Bank says corrupt public officials contribute to the depletion
of the country's natural resources, impede investment
Cambodia's foreign aid donors gather next week to assess progress in
the country's economic reforms. The World Bank warns that Cambodia
risks economic stagnation if the government fails to deal with
corruption.
The World Bank says "endemic" corruption is making Cambodia's poor
poorer. It says corrupt public officials contribute to the depletion
of the country's natural resources and impede investment.
In a report released ahead of the annual aid donors meeting Monday,
the international lender called on the government of Prime Minister
Hun Sen to implement "urgent efforts" to improve governance - such as
improving laws and strengthening the judiciary.
Failure to do so, it says, will be costly for the future of the
country.
Sok Hach, director of the Economic Institute of Cambodia, says he
expects donors to press harder for results.
"Donors right now highlight the real issues," said Sok Hach. "Before
they just complain behind the scene and in front of the government,
they just pledge for a lot of money. What is interesting is that the
World Bank is now focused more on the issue of governance that it was
not before. "
A World Bank survey showed a majority of companies pay bribes to
public officials to secure contracts. But the system of accountability
is weak, anti-corruption laws lacking and the country's judges and
prosecutors poorly paid and trained.
Cambodia is struggling to rebuild its economy after a legacy of war
and genocide. Some 40 percent of the country's 13 million people live
on less than $1 a day.
With Cambodia's economy expected to grow only two percent next year,
economists say it cannot afford to delay reforms.
The government recently drafted a four-year strategy to address these
issues. Mr. Sok says it is a good start.
"I think the government more or less recognize that this [reforms] is
missing.," he said. "I think the World Bank tried to take this
opportunity to tell the government, 'Okay you are right, but you have
to implement it right now'."
The donors' conference Monday will be the first such meeting since
2002, when Cambodia received $635 million in aid.
No donors' meeting was held last year as Cambodia struggled for months
to form a new government following national elections. The European
Union Thursday says it is giving $33 million to fight poverty in
northwestern provinces.
On Thursday, Vietnam's major donors held a similar meeting and pledged
more than $3 billion in aid, 21 percent more than last year.
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Powell Visits Port-Au-Prince, Urges World Help to Control Haitian
Violence
[http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=A3B494:2F72C9D
Brief visit marred by shooting incident outside presidential palace as
he met officials of country's interim government
Colin Powell, left, with Haiti PM Gerard LatortueSecretary of State
Colin Powell held talks in Port-au-Prince Wednesday in a brief visit
to Haiti marred by a shooting incident outside the presidential palace
as he met officials of the country's interim government. Mr. Powell
called for international help for efforts to control Haitian violence.
The gunfire erupted outside the Haitian presidential palace just after
Mr. Powell had arrived there for meetings with the country's interim
president, Boniface Alexandre, and Prime Minister Gerard Latortue.
According to State Department officials, shots were fired from a car
passing outside the palace and that fire was returned by U.N. security
forces deployed around the building.
Some reports said shooting continued later in nearby areas of the
Haitian capital, and that there were at least three civilian
casualties but that could not be confirmed here.
At a news briefing, State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli said
Secretary Powell and members of his party, in a holding room at the
palace at the time, heard the shots but went on with their scheduled
meetings.
"They heard the gunfire but it did not disrupt any of their business,
nor was the secretary or any member of his staff in any danger," he
said. "They changed the room location of the meeting just as a
security precaution. The secretary has been able to continue his
schedule basically uninterrupted and unaffected."
A diplomat who spoke to reporters in Washington said U.S. officials
suspect that followers of ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide were behind the shooting.
But he said such incidents are commonplace in Port-au-Prince, and that
it is unclear if the gunfire was related to the secretary's visit.
At a joint news conference with Prime Minister Latortue, Mr. Powell
said the solution to violence in Haiti is the continued, rapid buildup
of United Nations troops in Haiti.
He said members of the U.N. contingent "have to forcefully take on"
the armed individuals behind attacks like the one on Wednesday.
The Brazilian-led U.N. stabilization force began deploying in Haiti in
June, replacing U.S., French, Canadian and Chilean troops who went in
to keep order after Mr. Aristide's departure at the end of February
amid country-wide political unrest.
The U.N. Security Council this week extended the mandate of the
stabilization force until June of next year. But it is still
considerably below its authorized strength of 6,700 troops and 1,600
international civilian police.
In Port-au-Prince, Mr. Powell pledged continued U.S. aid to Haiti for
disaster relief and economic development, and said he is confident the
country can move to elections next year to replace the interim
government.
But he cautioned that all political groups must be allowed to
participate and that the only outcome that will satisfy the United
States is an election that is free and fair, not fraudulent or stolen.
Haiti's efforts at recovery from the political turmoil earlier this
year were set back by disastrous floods in September spawned by
tropical storm Jeanne that left more than 2,000 people dead or
missing.
Political violence attributed to supporters of Mr. Aristide in recent
weeks has further complicated the situation. Haitian leaders accuse
Mr. Aristide of inciting violence from exile in South Africa, but he
denies doing so.
The United States has allocated nearly $50 million to help Haiti
overcome flood damage and pledged $230 million in long-term economic
aid at a Washington donors conference in July.
It is also providing about $20 million a year to help Haiti deal with
an HIV/AIDS infection rate of about five-percent of the population,
the highest in the Western Hemisphere.
Mr. Powell's visit to Haiti came on World AIDS Day and among other
events there, he met with young Haitians who receive and provide
HIV/AIDS support services.
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US Expresses Grave Concerns About Venezuelan Media Law
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US says measure imposes unclear restrictions on media content and
allows government to censor content it considers harmful to public
order and national security
The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it is gravely concerned about
a pending new media law in Venezuela that its critics say could
silence dissent by opponents of President Hugo Chavez.
The State Department says it joins human rights groups in expressing
grave concerns about the threat to freedom of expression in Venezuela
posed by the new media law.
After some six weeks of debate, the controversial legislation was
narrowly approved by parliament in Caracas last Thursday, and is now
awaiting the signature of President Chavez.
Among other things, the law would ban vulgar language on Venezuelan
T-V and radio in daytime hours, and prohibit images and sounds related
to alcohol and drug use and violence.
It would provide for heavy fines or the closure of broadcast stations
found to have violated the standards, or broadcast messages that
promote the disruption of public order.
The measure also requires that a set portion of all programming be
made in Venezuela.
The Chavez government, which initiated the measure, says it will
improve the quality of programming and democratize access to the
airwaves.
But domestic critics, joined by human rights groups, say they fear it
will violate press freedoms and silence Chavez opponents.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has said the vague
language of the law could be used to impose indirect restrictions on
freedom of expression. The measure has also been criticized by Human
Rights Watch and the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.
A State Department official told V.O.A. the United States shares the
concerns, saying the measure imposes unclear restrictions on media
content, and allows the government to censor content it considers
harmful to public order and national security.
The official said a free press and freedom of expression are a
critical element of democratic governance.
He said the United States is disappointed to see a law whose spirit is
contrary to longstanding Venezuelan traditions and institutions, and
urges the Chavez government to review those aspects of the law that
undermine freedom of expression.
Mr. Chavez can either sign the bill into law or sent it back to
parliament for revisions. The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry has accused
foreign critics of the bill of meddling in the country's affairs.
The United States has had a difficult relationship with Mr. Chavez, a
left-leaning populist who has maintained close ties with Cuban
President Fidel Castro.
Among other things, Mr. Chavez has accused the United States of
supporting a military coup that briefly deposed him in 2002, and of
being behind the recent recall campaign against him - charges
Washington has denied.
Official returns said Mr. Chavez won the August 15 referendum with
nearly 60 per cent of the votes, but the Bush administration hesitated
to accept the results for several days amid opposition claims of
fraud.
The State Department subsequently did embrace the outcome, after
observers from the Organization of American States and the U.S.-based
Carter Center conducted a partial audit of returns and said they found
no evidence of vote-rigging.
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Hundreds Dead, Thousands Flee in Typhoon-Battered Northern Philippines
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Typhoon Nanmadol - the fourth and most powerful storm in less than two
weeks - slammed into six provinces Scores of people have been killed
and hundreds of thousands more evacuated after a series of typhoons
hit northeastern Philippines. Barely recovered from three earlier
storms, the northeastern Philippines was battered again Thursday by a
more powerful typhoon.
Typhoon Nanmadol - the fourth and most powerful storm in less than two
weeks - slammed into six provinces.
Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes urges people to stay in government
shelters and prepare food, water and other essentials.
A family braves strong winds and rains as they evacuate to higher
grounds in Gabaldon town, Nueva Ecija province, northern Philippines
Thousands of families already have been crammed in makeshift shelters
for days now and the army has been mobilized to evacuate remaining
residents in the area.
Floods and landslides triggered by the storms have killed hundreds of
people over the past week and the number is expected to rise.
The severe weather is hampering efforts to find scores of people still
missing.
Tes Usapin, spokeswoman for the Philippine Red Cross, calls the
situation unprecedented. She says the Red Cross is still in the middle
of relief operations for victims of three recent typhoons and
resources are getting scarce. "This is just a beginning," he said. "We
know that our resources will be drained soon and that is why we are in
urgent need of help."
The Philippines is hit by several typhoons each year but a series of
four at the very end of the storm season is unusual.
President Gloria Arroyo ordered a crackdown on illegal logging
Wednesday, which she says contributed to the deadly floods and
landslides. Without trees on the hillsides, there is nothing to hold
the rainwater and mud from flowing down and overwhelming impoverished
villages.
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Sudan's Land Act Could Thwart Darfurians' Return
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Under 1984 Civil Transaction land act, people who abandon their
property for one year forfeit their right to own it
Refugees in campUnlike in much of Sudan, people in the western Darfur
region have for centuries owned and distributed land according to
their own tribal customs. But a little-known land act, if imposed on
Darfur, could have serious consequences for Darfurians displaced by
the fighting in western Sudan.
Sudan's 1984 Civil Transaction land act could keep nearly two million
people who fled their villages and farms in the wake of atrocities in
western Sudan from reclaiming their ancestral homelands. Under the
Sudanese law, people who abandon their property for one year forfeit
their right to own it. The land can then be occupied by tenants who
could claim ownership after living on it for 10 consecutive years.
As hundreds of thousands of Darfurians near their first year away from
their villages, United Nations observers and human rights groups are
pressuring Sudan's government to suspend the law. Land expropriation,
they say, could become one of the most explosive issues in Darfur's
22-month conflict.
Daniel Lewis is head of the post-conflict section for the U.N.'s human
settlement program. He has been researching Sudan's land tenure laws,
and speaks by telephone from the U.N. regional headquarters in the
Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
"Anytime there is displacement, whether it's Darfur or anywhere else,
there is rarely a vacuum," said Mr. Lewis. "In other words, when they
are displaced, someone else moves in and asserts a certain amount of
control over the property that's been, in their minds, abandoned. The
more prolonged the displacement, the deeper entrenched are the new
occupants. Therefore, the more difficult and potentially volatile the
process of reacquisition or reoccupation of land and property."
In Darfur's case, it is mainly Arab herders who are poised to take
over land traditionally owned by black African tribes, including that
of the Fur, the region's largest tribe and the tribe for which this
dar, or homeland, is named. Some analysts say Arab tribes, driven
southward in recent decades by the creep of the Saharan Desert and
increasingly prolonged droughts, have the backing of Sudan's
government and its allied Arab militias who, to help put down a rebel
uprising, have carried out a campaign of violence that has claimed the
lives of up to 70,000 people.
So far, Sudan's top officials differ on whether to implement the
controversial land law in Darfur or temporarily suspend it so people
displaced by the conflict can return home, especially now with the
prospect of a peace deal in coming weeks between the Khartoum
government and Darfur's two rebel groups.
Hussain Ibrahim Karshoum, a lawyer who heads the government's
Humanitarian Affairs Commission in Nyala, where he oversees some of
the region's largest refugee camps, says the longer families from
Darfur stay in the camps, the more difficult it will be for them to
return to their homelands.
"It's true. But the Sudanese laws are very flexible, they adopt the
customs and traditions of the people," he said. "I just suggest that
they have to make a very special enactment for the region - concerning
the land. They need it so."
Several U.N. agencies and aid groups have called for a meeting on this
issue later this month, partly to discuss ways to educate Darfurians
in the refugee camps on this land act, which most of them have never
heard of.
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20 Years Later, Union Carbide Leak Still Threatens Lives in Bhopal
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Disaster at chemical plant emitted toxic cloud that instantly killed
thousands, injured tens-of-thousands more Twenty-years ago, in the
world's worst industrial disaster, a Union Carbide chemical plant in
the Indian city of Bhopal emitted a toxic cloud that instantly killed
thousands of people and injured tens-of-thousands more. Since then,
activists charge, no one has cleaned up the poisonous waste that
continues to threaten the lives of the city's residents.
Atal Ayub slum (VOA photo - P. Nunan)Tucked between railroad tracks
and the abandoned Union Carbide chemical plant, the Atal Ayub slum is
home to nearly 3,000 people. Its residents live in the shadow of the
plant, where abandoned barrels of toxic waste remain open or dumped in
a landfill nearby.
Shortly after midnight on December 3, 1984, a leak in a chemical
storage tank at the Union Carbide pesticide factory sparked a reaction
that caused a cloud of methyl-isocyanate to descend across much of the
city of Bhopal. It killed 2,000 people almost instantly, and an
estimated 6,000 more that week. In the years since, 15,000 more are
believed to have died as a result of the gas cloud. Tens of thousands
of people were sickened or permanently disabled by the gas.
Savitri (VOA photo - P. NunanSavitri, who estimates her age to be more
than 40, lost two children in what, 20 years later, remains the
world's worst industrial disaster. The slum, she says, still lives
with its consequences.
She says when the wind blows, the toxic waste comes and people cannot
breathe. We feel sick, she says, and some people have chest pains.
Atal Ayub is one of 14 communities in Bhopal where activists say waste
from the Union Carbide plant still contaminates water that residents
use to drink, cook and bathe. The contamination takes a toll on the
health of Bhopal's poor, including children born years after the leak.
Ms. Savitri says her three surviving children suffer from skin disease
and chronic respiratory problems, and her three grandchildren are
underweight for their age.
Satinath Sarangi, an activist with the Bhopal Group for Information
and Action, says cancer rates and other ailments related to the
contamination, such as anemia, remain extremely high.
"The children are born with low birth weight, they grow very slow," he
said. "Mentally, physically, retardation is there."
State government officials say they are doing what they can - trucking
clean water to the affected communities. But Ms. Savriti says it is
never enough.
Savitri fetches water (VOA photo - P. Nunan)She says water deliveries
take place at night, when it is difficult to get up. If residents wait
until the morning to get fresh water, there will be none left. Getting
fresh water, she adds, is survival of the fittest.
Union Carbide paid the Indian government $470 million in a 1989
settlement. Much of it has been paid out as compensation - about $570
per victim. Activists say that hardly covers medical costs. Further
more, the state government says it does not have the $500 million
needed to clean up the site now.
Mr. Sarangi's organization and other activist groups want Union
Carbide to pay more to the victims and to clean up the toxic waste.
But their efforts have been mired in a legal and bureaucratic maze.
In 2001, the U.S. company, Dow Chemical, bought Union Carbide and says
the 1989 settlement frees it from any further liability. Dow Chemical
and Union Carbide refuse to give interviews, but have issued an audio
statement from its U.S. offices. In it, Union Carbide spokesman Tomm
Sprick says it is up to Indian authorities to act.
Abandoned Union Carbide plant (VOA photo - P. Nunan)"Union Carbide
India Limited spent more than $2 million on clean-up activities at
this site up and through 1994," he said. "In 1998 the Madhya Pradesh
state government took control of the site and assumed all future
responsibilities for clean-up activities."
This year, India's Supreme Court ordered the release of $327 million
in national and other funds intended as compensation.
Mr. Sarangi at the Bhopal Group for Information and Action says that
winning justice for the people of Bhopal would go a long way toward
ensuring greater corporate responsibility by multinational companies,
especially in developing countries.
"If Union Carbide and Dow get away with what they have done - get away
with the horror they have created here - that would be an unfortunate
message for people all over the world whose lives and health would
continue to be endangered due to corporate crime," he said. "And that
is why we cannot afford to lose the battle for justice in Bhopal."
To this day, the cause of the leak remains in dispute. Union Carbide
says it was the result of sabotage by a disgruntled employee.
Activists charge that the company is culpable because it did not have
adequate safety standards in place.
Making sense of the charges and counter-charges, and the legal and
ethical issues in the case may be challenging for activists, but in
Atal Ayub, Ms. Savitri is no less frustrated.
I am angry at everyone, she says, but I do not know whom to be angry
at.
For Ms. Savitri and tens of thousands of others like her, what
happened at the Union Carbide plant one night 20 years ago is a
tragedy that has yet to end.
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ANC Youth League Battles HIV/AIDS Among SAF Youth
[http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=A3B48F:2F72C9D
Organization mobilizing community volunteers As part of the observance
of World AIDS Day in South Africa, the ANC Youth League says it’s
working toward an ambitious goal. That is, to have a zero HIV
infection rate among young people by the year 2014.
The ANC Youth League says the HIV/AIDS pandemic “remains a key
challenge confronting young people today.” Spokesperson Zizi Kodwa
says part of that challenge is overcoming the stigma surrounding the
disease.
He says, "Part of the problem among young people is that what kills
them is not only the disease, they don’t know how to disclose. And
when it’s discovered, sometimes it’s discovered at late stages. So,
these are the issues through public platforms that we will be using as
part of our engagement."
While UN statistics show HIV/AIDS spreading rapidly among 15 to
24-year-olds, Mr. Kodwa says local studies show some encouraging
trends.
"There are quite interesting statistics also available, which are done
by a number of research institutes, which are conducted throughout the
country. Overwhelming, they show a decline in new infections at the
moment. They also indicate that there’s a rise in terms of awareness,
use of condoms, particularly among the young women," he says.
Nevertheless, health officials say women are more vulnerable to HIV
than men for a number of reasons. Besides the biological reasons,
there are the social, such as the fact that a woman often does not
have the power to refuse to have sex.
"Most countries in Africa – and I would imagine also in Europe – they
are still rooted in their cultures, beliefs and superstitions. That
men still impose themselves as people who cannot be asked and women
are simple sex objects. And that this is a point, among other things,
that we must deal with if we are to win," he says.
The ANC Youth League spokesman also says South Africa tries to deal
with AIDS prevention by addressing poverty.
"We are one of the few countries in the entire world that are giving
free condoms. Many countries, including in Europe, condoms are not
free. You buy them. And you can imagine in the developing countries in
the continent of Africa that if people cannot buy bread – why would
they sacrifice what little money they have to buy bread and buy
condoms. And these are the problems of developmental poverty that
we’re talking about. That at the same time we address this disease, we
must be able to resolve these problems, " he says.
He says the ANC Youth League has mobilized volunteers on the community
level to provide home-based care for those living with HIV/AIDS,
voluntary testing and counseling and AIDS awareness campaigns.
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