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About 30,000 anti-government protesters gather in Bangkok for the first major rally since lifting of state of emergency. Last Modified: 09 Jan 2011 14:27 GMT | ||||
About 30,000 supporters of Thailand's so-called Red Shirt movement have gathered in the capital, Bangkok, demanding the release of the group's leaders who were detained in the wake of last year's deadly violence. Sunday's anti-government protest appeared to be peaceful at large, but a brief scuffle occurred in the upmarket Ratchaprasongan shopping area where police had tried to seal off the main intersection with barricades. A few hundred protesters hurled plastic water bottles and pushed past the police, who stepped aside to avoid further conflict. More than 1,000 police were deployed across the city. Jatuporn Prompan, a Red Shirt leader who avoided arrest because he has parliamentary immunity, vowed to hold "frequent and symbolic gatherings" twice a month - a change from the large sit-in last year that lasted 10 weeks and prompted a violent crackdown. "We have learned a lesson that big gatherings will not lead to the result we want," Jatuporn said. About 90 people were killed and more than 1,400 were wounded in the March-May unrest, as the protesters tried to force Abhisit Vejjajiva, the prime minister, to call early elections. Ban lifted The rally comes as Abhisit has announced nine welfare policies, aimed at addressing social inequalities and helping low-income groups in the country. Sunday's protest was the first major rally since Abhisit's government on December 22 lifted a state of emergency in Bangkok that technically barred gatherings of more than five people.
Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay, reporting from Bangkok, said protesters would march on two main locations: Democracy Monument and Ratchaprasong Intersection. "These two areas were the scene of some of the worst violence during that long-running Red Shirt rally last year," he said. "The lifting of the state of emergency basically means that, among other things, the military takes a step back from day-to-day security and hands over to the police." Even though the state of emergency has been lifted, however, the army could still be redeployed. "Bangkok remains under the Internal Security Act, and that means that if the security situation worsens, the troops can be redeployed," Hay said. A day ebfore the rally, a bomb was reported to have exploded in the country's northeast, the heart of the opposition movement. No injuries were reported after the early morning explosion in Khom Kaen province. The bomb damaged the library at a school named after General Prem Tinsulanonda, the head of the king's privy council and a former prime minister who the Red Shirts believe masterminded a coup that deposed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006. A government intelligence official in Khon Kaen said the home-made bomb was likely a "symbolic" attack, as it destroyed a sign bearing the general's name. "The preliminary assumption is that it was to incite political unrest," the official, who requested anonymity, told the AFP news agency. | ||||
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Source: Al Jazeera and agencies |
Sunday, 9 January 2011
'Red Shirts' rally in Thai capital
Protesters killed in Tunisia riots
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At least 20 people have been killed as demonstrators clashed with security forces in Tala and Kasserine. Last Modified: 09 Jan 2011 15:00 GMT | ||||
At least 20 people have been killed in clashes with police in a two cities in Tunisia. Six people were killed and another six wounded in the city of Tala, 200km southwest of the capital Tunis, on Saturday, after security forces opened fire on protesters. Another 14 people were killed in similar clashes in the Kasserine region, union sources told Al Jazeera. Belgacem Sayhi, a teacher and trade union activist, told the AFP news agency that the victims in Tala were between 17 and 30 years old, and were killed when the police opened fire on the crowd. The government has put the death toll after the Tala riots at two. "The police opened fire in legitimate self-defence and this led to two dead and eight wounded, as well as several wounded among police, three of them seriously," a government statement said. An employee at a hospital in Tala told Reuters that several people had been admitted to the hospital after the clashes, and other witnesses said that six people who were in critical condition have been moved to the regional capital, Kasserine. Police attacked
Witnesses said police fired their weapons after using water cannons to try to disperse a crowd which had set fire to a government building. The crowd has also thrown stones and petrol bombs at police. French police confirmed that a "small explosion" occurred at the Tunisian consulate in a Paris suburb early on Sunday morning. The blast took place at the consulate in Pantin, and caused "minor damage to the consulates metal shutters", police said. Raouf Najar, Tunisia's ambassador to France, said in a statement: "The disinformation these past few days on what is happening in Tunisia is such that anything is possible, even this terrorist act." The consulate reopened for business later on Sunday morning, with a police guard posted outside. On Saturday, troops were deployed to the area for the first time since the start of the recent wave of unrest which has been in protest at high levels of youth unemployment. The soldiers were assigned to protect public buildings, said Mahmoudi. Union protest On Saturday, the Tunisian General Union of Labour (UGTT), the country's main union, condemned the authorities for their heavy-handed response to protesters. Several hundred UGTT members gathered in Tunis to observe a minute's silence for those who have died since protests began. "We support the demands of the people in Sidi Bouzid and interior regions," said Abid Brigui, deputy general secretary of the union, which is considered to be close to the government. Last week, a 26-year-old Tunisian man who set off a wave of protests after attempting to commit suicide by setting himself on fire last month died of third-degree burns in hospital. Zine al Abidine Ben Ali , the Tunisian president, has said the violent protests are unacceptable and could harm the country's interests by discouraging investors and tourists who provide a large part of the country's revenues. | ||||
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Source: Agencies |
Israel demolishes historic hotel
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Hotel Shepherd bulldozed to make way for new settlement despite global opposition to the move seen as obstacle to peace. Last Modified: 09 Jan 2011 09:19 GMT | ||
Bulldozers have demolished a hotel in east Jerusalem to make way for a new Israeli settlement, the latest in a wave of new buildings globally seen as an obstacle to the now stalled peace process. The Shepherd Hotel was razed by three Israeli bulldozers, early on Sunday, as part of a plan to build a new settlement of 20 units in the heart of the occupied city. The hotel is located on the demarcation line between two Arab neighbourhoods of Sheikh Jarrah and Wadi al-Joz. The site will not only divide the two neighbourhoods but it will also change the aspects of occupied Jerusalem. According to official documents, the hotel was owned by al-Quds Mufti, Haj Amin al-Hussaini, who was deported by the British rule in 1937. He later died in Lebanon in 1974. The Israeli government has granted permission to begin work on the settlement, despite Washington's opposition to it. Reporting from west Jerusalem, Al Jazeera's correspondent Hoda Abdel-Hamid said that, “This has been a very big problem here." "Palestinians (are) pointing at this specific demolition as a perfect example of the unilateral steps taken by Israel to change the landscape and the ethnic balance of occupied east Jerusalem, which Palestinians consider the capital of their future state.” The Shepherd Hotel project is funded by Irving Moskowitz, a Jewish-American millionaire and a longtime patron of Jewish settlers. 'No negotiations' It has drawn condemnation by Palestinians. They say that the historical hotel is owned by them and it was taken over by Israel occupation forces after 1967 and sold to Jewish-American millionaire. Saeb Erekat, Palestinian negotiator has said that Palestinians would not negotiate with Israel as long as such moves continued. "As long as this government continues with settlement and acts like [it did with] the demolition of the Shepherd Hotel there will not be negotiations" There has been no progress in peace talks as Palestinians refuse to negotiate without an Israeli settlement freeze that includes east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as their future capital. “The justification given by the Israeli authorities, is that a Jewish person is allowed to live wherever he or she wants to in Jerusalem and no one should be able to stop that,” our correspondent said. “President Obama has tried very hard to stop that specific plan to demolish the Shepherd hotel,” she added. Israel's plans to demolish the hotel created a diplomatic dispute with the US in 2009. The step is likely to spark protests by Palestinians as well as cause a negative affect on the peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel. But there have been no reports of violence after the demolition in Sheikh Jarrah. In this neighbourhood, evacuation of Palestinian families from homes that Israeli courts have ruled were owned in the past by Jews or purchased from Arabs, has led to anti-settler protests. The hotel was declared "absentee property" by Israel after it captured and annexed East Jerusalem. Some 190,000 Israelis live in East Jerusalem and adjacent areas of the West Bank that Israel annexed to its Jerusalem municipality after the 1967 conflict. East Jerusalem has 250,000 Palestinian residents. | ||
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Source: Al Jazeera and agencies |
Partial re-run of Kosovo vote
Polls open in five municipalities after officials annulled December general election results due to irregularities. Last Modified: 09 Jan 2011 15:43 GMT | ||
Polling stations have opened in Kosovo for a partial re-run of December's general election, with international observers keeping a close watch to prevent any fresh fraud. Voting is being held in five municipalities where electoral authorities annulled the December poll, the first since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, and ordered a rerun due to irregularities which saw a suspiciously high turnout. Local and international observers noted the turnout of more than 90 per cent of voters in two municipalities in the Drenica region, which is one of the strongholds of Hashim Thaci, the prime minister. About 185 polling stations were opene on Sunday, with around 100 election-monitoring teams consisting of international officials and diplomatic missions' staff accredited in Pristina and dispatched to observe the vote. They "will follow every stage of the election on voting day," the office of Pieter Feith, the European envoy to Kosovo, said on Friday. Warning against new fraud attempts, Feith said: "Short term gain at the expense of Kosovo's international reputation is unwise, particularly at a time when Kosovo needs further international and European support." Valdete Daka, chairwoman of the electoral commission, told journalists on Sunday that the voting process "is well under way". 'Demonstrate responsibility' More than 100,000 people are eligible to cast their ballots. However, observers predict that the result will have little effect on the overall outcome of the elections with Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) still the largest party in parliament. Preliminary results in December gave the PDK 33.5 per cent of the vote, with the leading opposition Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) trailing on 23.6 per cent. Isa Mustafa, the LDK leader and mayor of Pristina mayor, has called for new elections saying that democracy was "being violated on a large scale in Kosovo". Kosovo's constitutional court also ordered a repeat ballot in the biggest northern town of Mitrovica. The fresh vote is expected to be held later this month, with Kosovo expecting to have a new government by February. | ||
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Source: Agencies |
Pakistan rally backs blasphemy law
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Demonstration against possible changes to the controversial law draws more than 20,000 people in Karachi. Last Modified: 09 Jan 2011 14:21 GMT | ||
An estimated 20,000 people have rallied in the Pakistani city of Karachi against possible changes to the blasphemy law that was behind the killing of Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab. A large number of police officers guarded Sunday's demonstration, which forced the closure of businesses and roads in the area. Participants chanted slogans and waved the flags of religious parties. Taseer was killed in the capital, Islamabad, last Tuesday over his views in favour of the blasphemy law's amendment. That liberal stance offended the country's increasingly powerful conservative religious base. Qari Ahsaan, from the banned group Jamaat ud Dawa, addressed the crowd from a stage, saying: "We can't compromise on the blasphemy law. It's a divine law and nobody can change it." "Our belief in the sanctity of our prophet is firm and uncompromising and we cannot tolerate anyone who blasphemes. Whoever blasphemes will face the same fate as Salman Taseer." But speaking to Al Jazeera from Islamabad, Omar Waraich, Pakistan correspondent for the UK's Independence newspaper, said:"The reality is that there are no moves afoot right now to amend this law in any way. The government and the ruling party [Pakistan People's Party, or PPP] have backed off that." "It [the rally] certainly means that a more radical, more intolerant mood has become mainstream in Pakistan for the moment. "For the moment the liberal voices have been silenced." Deep faultlines Pakistan has yet to execute anyone for blasphemy, but Bibi's case has exposed the deep faultlines in the conservative country. Sunday's protesters held banners in support of the police commando who shot dead Taseer. "Mumtaz Qadri is not a murderer, he is a hero," said one banner in the national Urdu language. "We salute the courage of Qadri," said another. Waraich called the Karachi rally "a display of muscle". "This is a muscle-flexing exercise by the religious right in Pakistan who, after the tragic events of this week when Salman Taseer was assassinated, they feel emboldened by the fact that there have been many cheering that tragedy and are now out to make political capital out of it," he said. The blasphemy law was recently used to sentence Asia Bibi, a Christian mother-of-five, to death. Politicians and conservative religious leaders have been at loggerheads over whether Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's president, should pardon her. Controversy over the law flared when Sherry Rehman, a former information minister and a senior PPP member, tabled a bill in November seeking to end the death penalty for blasphemy. Rehman spoke to AFP from her heavily guarded home in Karachi on Sunday and said she would not be cowed by the protest. "They can't silence me ... it's not any extreme position like a repeal bill, it's very rational," she said. "They can't decide what we think or speak, these are man-made laws." Sentences commuted Most of those convicted of blasphemy in Pakistan have their sentences overturned or commuted on appeal through the courts. However, Waraich of The Independent said, "what happens with these blasphemy laws is that they are used to give militants and vigilante groups and even the states, cover when actions are taken against minorities, especially the beleaguered Christian community in Pakistan". The pro-blasphemy law rally took place in Karachi as Christian groups held memorial services in Islamabad and in the eastern city of Lahore to honour Taseer. Bishop Alexander John Malik led a rare gathering of 300 Christians at a cathedral in Lahore on Sunday. "He was a voice for the oppressed section of society. We dedicate this day to him," Malik said, before leading prayers for Taseer. Only around three per cent of Pakistan's population of 167 million are estimated to be non-Muslim. | ||
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Source: Al Jazeera and agencies |
US politician shot in Arizona
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Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords remains in critical condition, while at least six others are killed in Tucson attack. Last Modified: 09 Jan 2011 15:41 GMT | ||
US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona has been shot in the head at point-blank range outside a supermarket in the city of Tucson while holding a public event. She survived the attack, but is in critical condition. The shooting has prompted US legislators to postpone their agenda in Congress next week, delaying a vote on the repeal of US President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, of which Giffords was a strong supporter. Pima county Sheriff Clarence Dupnik has said that at least six people were killed in the attack, including Arizona's chief federal judge, a congressional aide to Giffords and a nine-year-old girl. He said that Giffords was the target of a gunman he described as mentally unstable, and possibly acting with an accomplice. Dupnik said that at least 12 people, in addition to the congresswoman, had been wounded in the shooting. Bob Walkup, the mayor of Tucson, told Al Jazeera that a suspicious package had also arrived at Giffords' office, and that a bomb disposal squad was called to examine it. That package was later found not to contain any explosive materials. He said police are currently searching for an older man who was seen speaking with the suspected shooter, who has a criminal record, earlier in the day. Dupnik said that the suspect had been known to make death threats in the past, though he had never done so against Giffords. 'Very optimistic' Earlier, US news agencies reported that Giffords had died, but trauma surgeon Peter Rhee confirmed that she had undergone surgery and was in a critical condition. "Gabrielle Giffords' condition is very optimistic," said Rhee. "It's about as optimistic as I can get in this situation." Doctors said a bullet passed through Giffords' brain. Local television networks said late Saturday she was awake in her hospital bed and recognised her husband. Dupnik said the attack ended only when two people tackled the gunman. The dead include Arizona chief federal judge John Roll, Giffords' director of community outreach Gabe Zimmerman and a 9-year-old girl, Christina Greene. Also killed were 76-year-old Dorthy Murray, 76-year-old Dorwin Stoddard, and 79-year-old Phyllis Scheck, investigators said. President Obama, speaking at a press conference in Washington shortly after the shooting, called the incident an "unspeakable tragedy", saying that some victims had died while Giffords was "gravely wounded". Al Jazeera's Nick Spicer, reporting from Washington DC, said that according to eyewitnesses, "bodies were lying on the sidewalk" outside the Safeway supermarket. National Public Radio reported that the suspected attacker, described as a male in his 20s, was "tackled by a bystander and taken into custody". Mark Kimball, a communications staffer for Giffords, described the scene as "just complete chaos. People screaming, crying". According to his account, the gunman fired at Giffords and her district director, and then opened fire indiscriminately at staffers and others standing in line to speak with the congresswoman. Over a hundred people held a candlelight vigil for the congresswoman, who was still in hospital, at her headquarters on Saturday night. "She was not somebody who was appreciated by the right wing of the Republican party," Spicer said. "She had been singled out as someone who should be beaten at the polls, certainly, and she was somebody who supported healthcare reform which is really the landmark policy of Barack Obama's first term." On the morning she was shot, Giffords was hosting a "Congress on the Corner" event - something she advertised on to her constituents as an opportunity to meet her and to discuss their concerns. Chris Patyk, programme director of Tucson's KNST radio station, told Al Jazeera that Giffords is known for being "very personable" and that "it is easy to gain access and speak to Representative Giffords at an event like this, and that is why this news is all the more harrowing". Giffords focused on immigration reform, military issues, stem cell research and alternative energy, as well as being a supporters of gun rights, while serving in Congress. She was married to US astronaut Mark Kelly. 'Vitriolic political rhetoric' Sheriff Dupnik pointed to the vitriolic political rhetoric that has consumed the country as he denounced the shooting. "When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous," the sheriff said. The reaction to the shooting rippled across the country as Americans were aghast at the sight of such a violent attack on a sitting member of Congress. The shooting cast a pall over Washington, where Congress called of a key vote over healthcare reform next week, as politicians of all stripes denounced the shooting as a horrific and senseless act of violence. Obama dispatched FBI director Robert Mueller to Arizona. Capitol police asked members of Congress to be more vigilant about security in the wake of the shooting, and some politicians expressed hope that the killing spree serves as a wakeup call at a time when the political climate has become so emotionally charged. Law enforcement officials said members of Congress reported 42 cases of threats or violence in the first three months of 2010, nearly three times the 15 cases reported during the same period a year earlier. Nearly all dealt with the health care bill, and Giffords was among the targets. Police say the shooter was in custody, and was identified by people familiar with the investigation as Jared Lee Loughner, 22. Pima County Sheriff's officials said he used a 9mm pistol to carry out the attack. The suspect's exact motivation was not clear, but a former classmate described Loughner as a marijuana-smoking loner who had rambling beliefs about the world. The army said he tried to enlist in December 2008 but was rejected for reasons the military did not provide. | ||
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Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | ||
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Masses turn out to vote in S Sudan
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People in Southern Sudan vote in a historic referendum that will decide whether the country splits or remains united. Ranjit Bhaskar in Juba, Southern Sudan Last Modified: 09 Jan 2011 13:16 GMT | ||||||
Southern Sudanese have turned out in droves to vote in a historic referendum to decide whether they want to secede from Sudan or remain united. The week-long poll started on Sunday at 8:00 local time [05:00 GMT] across Sudan. It is also being held in eight other countries that have substantial numbers of southern Sudanese. Chan Reec, deputy head of the South Sudan Referendum Commission, hailed the massive turnout in the first hours of the week-long independence vote. "I can't express it. This is the size of turnout we have never witnessed before, even during the election," he said, referring to last April's presidential, parliamentary and state elections. "There is singing, there is dancing, this is a day like no other in the history of the people of south Sudan," he said. Among the first to vote was Salva Kiir, the president of southern Sudan. Kiir appeared early at a Juba polling centre near the simple mausoleum of John Garang, who led the south to a 2005 peace deal that ended a 22-year war with the north. Garang died in a helicopter crash soon after the deal was signed. Peace urged Addressing people gathered at the voting centre after he cast his ballot, Kiir paid tribute to Garang. "Dr John Garang, and those that died with him in the struggle, are here with us today and we hope that they did not die in vain," Kiir said.
"This is the moment you have been waiting for," he told the huge crowd inside and outside the memorial grounds. He asked them to be patient about voting after having waited for more than 50 years to choose their own destiny. "Even if you cannot vote today, you have six more days to vote." Kiir said that in no way should the vote be jeopardised, telling the security forces to protect all the people, especially people from the north. Acuil Tito Madut, Southern Sudan's inspector general of police, told Al Jazeera that the security situation in all of south Sudan was calm, "except for the skirmishes in Abyei yesterday". At least one person was reported dead on Saturday after violent clashes between Misseriya tribesmen and southern security forces in the disputed Abyei border region. "We are still observing the situation there," Madut said. Large crowds He confirmed that a large number of people had turned out to vote, and that voting was going well throughout the region. "We do not think all the people who have turned out today can vote by the end of polling at 5pm. They will have to vote tomorrow." Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow, reporting from Khartoum in the north, said voting took off to a slow start. "There were no queues. Most of the 70 polling stations in the capital have more polling officials and observers than voters," he said. "Officials say the knowledge that they have six more days to vote might be keeping voters away during the first day of the historic polls." A total of 3.9 million southerners have registered for the self-determination vote that may lead to the partition of Africa's largest country. The breakdown of the registrants is: Southern Sudan, 3.7 million; northern states, 116,000; and the diaspora spread over eight countries, 60,000. Nhial Wei, a young student in the south, told Al Jazeera that he was proud of the moment. "But we should not count our chickens before they hatch," he said alluding to the challenges that lie ahead for this would-be young nation. John Kerry, a US senator, is in Sudan to monitor the polls and act as President Barack Obama's special representative. Kerry watched Kiir cast his vote and said that the referendum represented a "new chapter" for Sudan. Hollywood star George Clooney also watched Kiir as he cast his ballot, and described the launch of the referendum as a "great day for all the world". On the ground, to see firsthand that the referendum passes off without any incident, are 1,400 international observers spread across Sudan. Foreign observers UN flights were busy throughout the past few days to take the observers to remote areas of a region the size of Texas state in the US. Prominent among foreign poll observers are Jimmy Carter, former US president and Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general. Visiting a polling station at the St Bakitha Kator Primary School in Juba, both Carter and Annan said that they were happy with conduct of the poll so far and the enthusiasm shown by the people.
"The world is watching and the people of Darfur especially are watching this democratic exercise very keenly," Carter said. He said the best way forward would be for both regions of Sudan to have a soft border between them. "People have had enough of war. They want to avoid conflict," Annan said. Annan told Al Jazeera that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, the ruling party in Southern Sudan, had lots of experience, unlike other armed groups that transform into governing parties. "They have to learn from the mistakes of others and hope not to repeat them," Annan said. Vote counting will be done on a daily basis and results will be displayed at individual centres. While the preliminary results will be announced from Juba, the final result will be announced in Khartoum. | ||||||
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Source: Al Jazeera |
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