Egypt has delayed a plan to deport more than 600 Sudanese refugees amid continued wrangling over a raid against Sudanese protesters that left 28 people dead. The UN refugee agency said on Wednesday that Egypt had agreed to delay by three days the deportations of more than 600 Sudanese after rights groups condemned the plan.
Egypt, facing an unwelcome international spotlight over the forcible break-up of a three-month protest by Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers, has sought to deflect responsibility, saying the UNHCR had applied enormous pressure on the government to end the sit-in. Thousands of riot police wielding batons and water cannon last week dispersed the protest by more than 2000 Sudanese in an upmarket district of Cairo aiming to draw attention to their cause. Hundreds were also reported to have been wounded.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2006 00:00 ||
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An Advisor to the Senegalese Regional Planning Ministry praised 'anti-Jewish' remarks by the Iranian arab-parast president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying only few statesmen speak as explicitly as he does. Safietou Ba Diop confirmed President Ahmadinejad's views, saying Muslims can achieve success through unity and following Iran's right policies.
She added the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) should hold a session to discuss Muslims' problems and said the next meeting of the OIC would be held in Senegal.
She stressed the importance of reinforcing unity among world Muslims, saying if realized this will solve all problems facing Muslims across the globe.
The official said although her country has political relations with Israel, the Senegalese nation supports the Palestinians from financial, cultural, political and social points of view.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/06/2006 00:55 ||
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#1
Please take this into account when planning the FY 07 foreign aid budget.
Security experts believe that Bangladesh has now emerged as the second front of Islamic terror in South Asia over the last few years as many Islamic groups linked to Osama bin Laden led al-Qaeda have set up their training camps on Bangladesh soil.
A meeting between Border Security Force (BSF) of India and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), nearly three months back on the issue of the terror camps running in Bangladesh ended on a stormy note as Bangladesh denied all allegations that any militant camps operates from its soil.
India's Border Security Force (BSF) has given a list of more than 192 camps of various militant outfits active Bangladesh.
Its no secret now that most of these insurgent bases are being funded by Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI. Pakistanâs ISI is also using Bangladesh as a new transit point to infiltrate militants. A former director general of India's Border Security Force, Prakash Singh had revealed that more than 3,000 Al-Qaeda and ISI terrorists have entered into India from Bangladesh this year.
In a recent non official survey it was concluded that more than 50 lacs Bangladeshis are staying illegally in India, thanks to the spineless attitudes of Indian Politicians. Bangladeshis are given free passports in exchange for votes and as a result there are thousands of them pouring into India.
The biggest obstacle in tackling the problem lies with Indian policy makers and their unwillingness to acknowledge the existence of the terrorist threat.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/06/2006 00:51 ||
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George Galloway checked into the Big Brother house last night for the latest controversial instalment of his political career. "Gorgeous George", as the MP for Bethnal Green and Bow has been described, has told producers his favourite things are his "daughter, sunbathing and sex". "Preferably, all at the same time."
The MP, who was thrown out of the Labour Party and founded his own instead, left politics off his list. But he stood at the top of the steps on his way into Channel 4's reality television house, held his fingers aloft in a victory sign and shouted "Stop the war". He was greeted by a chorus of boos.
Inside the house, he introduced himself to fellow "celebrities", saying: "I'm an MP." He enjoyed a prolonged handshake with Faria Alam, the former mistress of England coach Sven Goran Eriksson, and then went to speak to the red-haired actress Rula Lenska.
Claiming he had "no game plan other than to entertain and inform", Mr Galloway said politics was "showbiz for ugly people". He is playing for the charity InterPal, which provides humanitarian aid for Palestinians, and said he would "take the opportunity to speak for a more civilised way of life". "For instance, in civilised Palestinian society this scenario would be familiar to a visitor - bundled out of a car for house arrest with no idea as to time of release, no information allowed from the outside, large sums of money changing hands behind the scenes..."
#1
It would make really great TV if he had and affair with Faria Alam, the former mistress of England coach Sven Goran Eriksson and then with the red heaired actress, Rula Lenska - outraging Faria. After drinking a glass of champagne at dinner, in the dining room, he would feel weak and retire to his room only to be found in the hallway clubbed to death with a candlestick. After which time inspector Ritter would arrive and all guests would gather in the drawing rooom to determine "who done it".
#3
Personally, I'd rather see Galloway have a reluctant, brief and energetic affair with Dennis Rodman, leaving Michael Barrymore feeling spurned, and then be found one morning floating face-down in the house swimming pool. Maybe that's too predictable.
Because poverty and despair drove him to desperate acts...
One of the four suspected Islamic extremists involved in the July 7, 2005 suicide bomb attacks in London left 121,000 pounds (175,455 euros, 212,433 dollars) in a will, The Sun reported. Shehzad Tanweer, who worked part-time in a fish and chip shop in his home city of Leeds, northern England, blew himself up at Aldgate Underground station, killing eight people and injuring dozens more. In all, 52 commuters died in the terrorist attacks on three Underground trains and a double-decker bus while more than 700 people were injured. An official from the High Court probate department was quoted by the newspaper as saying that 22-year-old Tanweer's estate was a net figure following the deduction of loans, debts and funeral costs. The Inland Revenue would not be taking inheritance tax from the amount because it was under the threshold. Mohammed Muntaz Tanweer, Shehzad's father, has applied to take control of the estate, it added. The Sun -- which headlined its article "Bomber's Booty" -- suggested survivors and families of the bomb attacks victims would be "appalled" at the size of Tanweer's estate. Most families will only receive up to 11,000 pounds under the government's criminal injuries compensation scheme, while amputees could receive up to 55,000 pounds, the newspaper added.
#6
WG - yep, the loony left in the UK (Galloway et al.) would sure love that. 'The Met are buying the family off.. a sign of guilt.. send the officers responsible to prison..' etc...
Posted by: Howard UK ||
01/06/2006 9:32 Comments ||
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#7
Nice. Think I'll move to London and get me a parttime job in a fish and chips shop.
#8
Exactly what I was thinking, tu! How in the world does a guy working at a fish and chips shop come up with almost a quarter million dollars AFTER paying off all debts? Another one of the Soddies' payoffs is my bet.
Posted by: BA ||
01/06/2006 12:38 Comments ||
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#9
WG--The Brazilian would never have been shot if it hadn't been for the acts of Shehzad and his pals.
Howard--Agreed!
Posted by: Dar ||
01/06/2006 12:40 Comments ||
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#10
My new get-rick-quick plan:
"Do you want fries chips with that?"
Posted by: Dar ||
01/06/2006 12:43 Comments ||
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#11
I think the point we are all missing is how did a part time fry cook amass $212,433? Who paid him the money?
#13
Do not distribute a single farthing of that money until it has been thoroughly traced. If there is even a whiff of terror financing emanating therefrom, confiscate the entire amount. All legatees should be told to piss off and the legacy should be divided amongst the victims.
#14
IIRC, his family was fairly well off. I think the kid's uncle bought him a red Mercedes a few weeks before the boom. But that does not explain the large estate; if it was just family money his father wouldn't be trying to gain control of it.
Doubtless the money will eventually be used to "educate" the British public about Islam.
Police suspect the Basque terrorist group ETA robbed material from at least three factories in France last year. The most recent robbery took place in late December, when ETA is believed to have stolen nearly 1.3 tons of aluminum powder in the l'Eure region near Normandy. The suspected robbery follows two others in separate parts of France, according to Le Monde newspaper, in its edition dated Wednesday. One robbery in April involved a chemical substance used to make fertilizers but also explosives, the newspaper reported. Another in October involved the robbery of ink and papers police believe could have been used to make false documents. Police believe ETA uses France as a base to regroup and hire new recruits. Today, experts believe ETA is now at one of its lowest points in history, weakened in part by the arrests and imprisonment of its top commandos. But some also warn that ETA has been weakened before but has always managed to rise again.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/06/2006 00:52 ||
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The German government refused comment Thursday on a claim by a German Muslim that Berlin offered to pay a ransom for her release last month from the hands of kidnappers in Iraq. Susanne Osthoff, 43, was freed December 18 after three weeks in captivity but the terms have never been disclosed. Osthoff, a freelance archaeologist and aid worker, has not returned to Germany. In Thursday's issue of the magazine Stern, she was quoted saying, "The kidnappers got an offer from the Germans. I'm not allowed to say how much, but they thought it wasn't enough." She said no more.
The Foreign Office declined comment after the interview appeared. Shortly after her release, Foreign Office spokesman Martin Jaeger said Germany's policy had been stated by Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier: Germany was not open to extortion and refused on principle to pay ransoms.
In a video message delivered by DVD disk to a television bureau in Baghdad, the kidnappers had demanded Germany halt assistance to the Iraqi government. There have been persistent reports in the past of Germany paying for hostages' freedom, but these were never confirmed. German all-news TV channel N-TV aired Thursday an interview with Osthoff, who wore ear-rings and makeup. Like an interview aired on ZDF television last month, it was interspersed with explanations by an announcer, since many of her remarks were puzzling. Asked why she had not phoned her daughter since her release, Osthoff said she had tried "but this was technically not possible". N-TV said she was somewhere in the Middle East with no fixed abode. Asked why she had given one interview to Qatar-based al-Jazeerah TV wearing a veil with only her eyes showing, Osthoff said she had been accommodated by a sheikh in the women's quarters at the time and had dressed to suit: "I didn't have time to change."
U.S.-Based Saudi Professor & Former U.N. Fellow in Interview with Iranian State Media: "I Agree Wholeheartedly with President Ahmadinejad⊠There was No Such Thing as the Holocaust"; The Americans are Digging Their Own Grave and Eventually Will Collapse Just as the Soviet Union Collapsed
On December 26, 2005, Dr. Abdullah Muhammad Sindi, [1] a Saudi professor of political science who has taught at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, at two American universities (the University of California in Irvine and California State University at Pomona) and at two American colleges (Cerritos College and Fullerton College) gave an interview to the Iranian Mehr News Agency. In it, he expressed his support for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent statements regarding the Holocaust.
It should be noted that Dr. Sindi has authored several publications, in both Arabic and English, and maintains a website, http://members.aol.com/AMS44AMS/ (website hosted by America Online in Virginia). [2] The website contains links to other articles he has written, interviews he has given to media outlets such as Al-Jazeera and Radio Iran (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting), and information about his family. His articles have been published by notorious Holocaust-denial websites, including Radio Islam [3] and the Institute for Historical Review. [4]
The following are excerpts from Dr. Sindi's interview to the Mehr News Agency, from an essay dealing with the 9/11 attacks, and from a series of interviews he gave to Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting over the past few years. [5]
Dr. Sindi in an Interview with Mehr News Agency (December 26, 2005)
Interviewer: "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that he thinks that the Holocaust is a myth. However, he also said some European countries insist that millions of innocent Jews were killed during World War II by Hitler, and asked why the Europeans donât give part of their land to the Jews if they are correct. What is your view?"
Dr. Sindi: "I agree wholeheartedly with President Ahmadinejad. There was no such a thing as the 'holocaust.' The so-called 'holocaust' is nothing but Jewish/Zionist propaganda. There is no proof whatsoever that any living Jew was ever gassed or burned in Nazi Germany or in any of the territories that Nazi Germany occupied during World War II. The holocaust propaganda was started by the Zionist Jews in order to acquire worldwide sympathy for the creation of Israel after World War II. I detailed all of this in my book (The Arabs and the West: The Contributions and the Inflictions).
"I also wrote a detailed article titled 'The Holocaust is a Typical Zionist Myth' (http://abbc.net/sindi/typic.htm ).
"President Ahmadinejad is 100% correct and 100% logical when he states that if the European countries keep insisting that Nazi Germany gassed and burned six million live Jews, then Germany or Austria should be the real location for this rogue state of Israel. In fact, this illegal and illegitimate state of Israel is the one that created a real holocaust against the Palestinian people, both Muslim and Christian." Rest at link.
Posted by: ed ||
01/06/2006 19:20 ||
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#1
Put these Nazi-loving b@stards on the wetworks list. They are too stupid to live.
'Cos apparently Zarqawi and Binny were otherwise occupied...
Al-Qaida's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, said in a videotape aired Friday that the United States' recent decision to withdraw some troops from Iraq represented "the victory of Islam and stalwart members of the MSM and Democratic Party." Maybe we can do a joint press conference." Al-Zawahri, wearing a white turban and gray robe stylish
and seated next to an automatic rifle, waved his finger for emphasis as he spoke in the two-minute excerpt aired by Al-Jazeera. "I congratulate (the Islamic nation) for the victory of Islam in Iraq," he said. Al-Zawahri apparently was referring to comments last month by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who said President Bush had authorized new troop cuts below the 138,000 level that prevailed for most of last year. Rumsfeld did not reveal the exact size of the cut, but the Pentagon said the reductions would be about 7,000 troops, about the size of two combat brigades. The Pentagon has not announced a timetable for troop reductions, but indications are that the force could be cut significantly by the end of this year. "You remember I told you more than a year ago that the American withdrawal from Iraq is only a matter of time, and here they are now ... negotiating with the mujahedeen," al-Zawahri said. "Bush was forced at the end of last year to announce that he will pull out his forces from Iraq, but he was giving excuses for his withdrawal that the Iraqi forces have reached a good level." Well, there was a clarion call to surrender, but W said the opposite. Repeatedly. It sure wasn't the "Lions of Islam" beating us.
Bush has not offered concrete details about bringing troops home but said Wednesday that "possible adjustments" would be discussed with Iraqi leaders if progress continued on security and political efforts. "As we and our Iraqi friends kill more Jihadis, they will run out of cannon-fodder."
Al-Zawahri said the American forces "with their planes, missiles, tanks and fleets are mourning and bleeding, seeking for a getaway from Iraq." True about the media and Dems. Most definately NOT true about the American armed forces. They are 'cleaning the clocks' of the Jihadis under very restrictive RoE.
"Regarding your withdrawal timetable ... you have to admit, Bush, that you have been defeated in Iraq and are being defeated in Afghanistan and will be defeated in Palestine," he said, speaking calmly but forcefully. Ohhhhhh. forcefully.
Al-Jazeera said the videotape was dated in December but it gave no more specifics. We have had it for a while, but were awaiting instructions from al-Queda on exactly when to release it. Reid was in Vegas, so approval was delayed for a bit.
The most recent videotape from al-Zawahri, aired by Al-Jazeera in October, called on Muslims to aid victims of a massive earthquake in Pakistan. "If I was comforting the Islam nation for its crisis of Pakistan's earthquake, I today congratulate it and bless the Islamic victory in Iraq," al-Zawahri said in Friday's tape.
Sheesh... Jack Murtha isn't just giving the enemy aid and comfort-- he's giving it professionally-drafted, lefty-focus-group-tested talking points, as well.
That sonofabitch doesn't belong in Congress; he belongs in Leavenworth, dangling at the end of a rope on a scaffold. Fucking traitor...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/06/2006 18:27 Comments ||
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#7
Zawahiri is taking his PR lessons from Bagdad Bob. Did you see any M1 tanks in the background?
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/06/2006 20:25 Comments ||
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#8
Hey, tu. I know that the POTUS has to be an American citizen, but can anyone inform me what the Constitution says about foreign nationals being Veep, lol? I can just picture him now, standing tall in the Senate casting a deciding, tie-breaking vote of some sort in 2010, lol!
Posted by: BA ||
01/06/2006 21:33 Comments ||
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#9
"But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States."
ISLAMABAD - Pakistanâs president on Thursday said he hoped India would agree to proposals to demilitarise Kashmir region and allow people self-rule for the divided region, the state news agency reported.
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf made the comments in a meeting with senior Muslim separatist leaders from Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. âFor any solution to Kashmir to be durable it has to be in accordance with the wishes of Kashmiri people,â the Associated Press of Pakistan news agency quoted Musharraf as saying.
Musharraf told leaders from the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a separatist alliance in Indian Kashmir, that Pakistan will continue moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris to get a âfair settlementâ of the Kashmir dispute, APP reported.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/06/2006 00:00 ||
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The leadership of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) has said that the NWFP chapter of the religious alliance would be restructured and re-activated at a meeting in the coming week. The NWFP chapter of the six parties religious alliance has formally met only twice during the past two-and-a-half years due to the leadershipâs lack of attention to the allianceâs affairs. âWe would meet and discuss the restructuring of the alliance in the NWFP and ensure more activities,â said Allama Ramzan Tauqir, one of the five provincial vice presidents of the MMA and adviser to the NWFP chief minister. He claimed that the meeting would help activate the alliance in the NWFP.
Qazi Abdul Latif of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-S (JUI-S) is heading the provincial chapter of the alliance despite the fact that his party has been at loggerheads with the other five components of the MMA. Qari Gul Rehman, a JUI-S leader and an MNA from Karachi, last month announced renaming his faction to âJUI-Seniorâ instead of JUI-Sami, saying that Maulana Samiul Haq had been expelled from the party. The MMA leadership at the last meeting of its supreme council announced to part ways with Maulana Samiul Haq, saying that his own party members had expelled him. The situation in the province, however, is unchanged as Qazi Abdul Latif is still heading the alliance in a province where it has been in power for more than three years. However, the MMA leadership has expressed concern that the NWFP cabinet of the alliance held only two meetings since June 2003.
A three-member committee, consisting of Liaqat Baloch, Hafiz Hussain Ahmad and Pir Ijaz Hashmi, at a meeting with the senior MMA leadership on February 28 last year decided to convince Qazi Abdul Latif to head the provincial chapter. The committee also announced restructuring the provincial cabinet if Qazi did not agree to comply. Qazi after a meeting provisionally agreed to lead the body but has not presided a single meeting because his party did not allow him to go along with the MMA. The JUI-S had informally parted ways with the MMA in November 2004 and had expelled MNA Qari Gul Rehman and Haji Ayaz, a provincial minister, for participating in the activities of the alliance. One of the active members of the JUI-S, however, is the deputy speaker of the provincial assembly.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2006 00:00 ||
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Sardar Sherbaz Mazari has called upon President Gen Pervez Musharraf to invite rebellious tribal chiefs to talks to find a solution to the Balochistan problem. Mr Mazari, who along with his son Sher Ali Mazari played a major role in effecting a rapprochement between the government and Nawab Akbar Bugti following clashes in March last year, was talking to Daily Times at his DHA residence on Thursday. He said the Balochistan situation today had âsome semblanceâ to the situation in 1971 that led to the break up of the country, and urged Gen Musharraf to reach out to the ârebellious onesâ.
âI think the best way [for Musharraf] is to be more flexible and understanding and try to sort it out in a responsible manner. Gen Musharraf, who claims himself to be the president, must sort it out with understanding and sympathy,â said Mr Mazari, who is related to both Nawab Akbar Bugti and Nawab Khair Bux Marri, whom the government accuses of sponsoring acts of sabotage in Balochistan. Asked if he thought the Mengal, Marri and Bugti tribal chiefs would accept an invitation to talks, he said: âThere are two or three sardars who really matter. They are Bugti, Marri and Mengal. Believe you me our culture is such that if someone treats them with respect and dignity and makes an offer, I am sure they canât say no,â Mr Mazari said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2006 00:00 ||
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President George W. Bush complained on Thursday that Arabic television often gave a false impression of the United States, saying Americans needed to do a better job of communicating their ideals.
Launching a National Security Language Initiative to boost the teaching of foreign languages, Bush said it was a way to help combat the notion that the United States was bullying in imposing its concept of freedom.
"You can't convince people unless you can talk to them," Bush told a State Department audience.
The language initiative, which aims to boost learning of Russian, Chinese, Hindi, Farsi, Arabic and other languages, was part of a strategic plan to protect the United States and spread democracy, Bush said.
"You can't figure out America when you're looking on some of these TV stations -- you just can't -- particularly given the message that they spread," he said.
"Arabic TV does not do our country justice."
"They ... sometimes put out propaganda that just isn't right, it isn't fair, and it doesn't give people the impression of what we're about."
State Department officials said the aim of the plan was to to get children involved in learning foreign languages from kindergarten and to fund more programs through university-level and beyond.
Assistant Secretary of State Barry Lowenkron expressed hope that it would "ramp up the mastery of these critical languages, not solely for national security reasons but also in terms of America's standing in the world."
The White House will ask Congress for $114 million in the 2007 budget to initiate the plan, involving a number of agencies including the education and defense Departments.
"We view this as serious seed money to get this thing launched," said Lowenkron. Some of the money would be used directly to fund teaching in schools and some for more advanced learning abroad.
Especially since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Pentagon, CIA and other agencies have bemoaned a shortage of experts in Arabic and other "exotic languages," particularly for translating security information.
"We need intelligence officers who, when somebody says something in Arabic or Farsi or Urdu, know what they're talking about," Bush said.
Memories are still fresh of two messages intercepted from suspected members of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network on Sept. 10, 2001, that said, "Tomorrow is zero hour," and "The match begins tomorrow." They were translated on Sept. 11 and only given to policy-makers on Sept. 12.
Lowenkron said fewer than two percent of high school students in the United States studied Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Farsi, Urdu, Korean, or Japanese.
In a separate program, the Pentagon said it intended to spend $750 million over five years beginning in fiscal 2007, which starts Oct. 1, on efforts to increase foreign language proficiency within the military.
U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have been complicated by the fact that nearly all the U.S. personnel serving there do not speak or understand the local languages.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/06/2006 00:27 ||
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#1
Lack of language skills continues to hurt US security and too little has been done. For another review of the scale of the problem, see http://federaltimes.com/index2.php?S=921531 . Turning the problem over to the school system may not work well in view of the infiltration of the educational system by fifth columnists. Hiring native speakers as translators is a problem because of doubtful loyalty & the need for security clearances. The internet seems an ideal way to study languages of any kind now that multimedia is widely available, but apparently little has been done along these lines.
As an example, I work for a German multi-national, yet have no need or even real opportunity to speak German. When I have been over to the home-office everyone always speaks English at work. There are so many people from all over, that English is the only language that everyone knows.
When it comes to High Schoolers even if there is a language offered there is no need to use it outside of school and it will rapidly be forgotten. If the government wants trained linguists then the government needs to recruit talented young people and teach them the language AND THEN PUT THEM TO USE.
#4
Hell, US TV gives the wrong impression of the US.
How about putting that advantage to work? Create a whole lot of ruthless shoot-first-ask-questions-later movies and maybe they'll think twice about phuquing with Americans? ;)
#5
#3 Hell, US TV gives the wrong impression of the US. Why expect the "arabs" to get a clue?
Posted by mojo 2006-01-06
#4 Hell, US TV gives the wrong impression of the US.
How about putting that advantage to work? Create a whole lot of ruthless shoot-first-ask-questions-later movies and maybe they'll think twice about phuquing with Americans? ;)
Posted by Bomb-a-rama
Dammit guys! You both stole my thunder! As soon as I saw the header, I said "What about US Telly giving wrong impression of US?"
I do like Bomb-a-rama's idea.
Posted by: The Accurate Fliegerabwehrkanonen ||
01/06/2006 14:15 Comments ||
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#6
Create a whole lot of ruthless shoot-first-ask-questions-later movies and maybe they'll think twice about phuquing with Americans?
We called it "The Reagan Years" B-A-R and it worked reasonably well.
This news is so old it was found etched on a clay tablet next to some dinosaur bones.
How is it that our administration has such a difficult time sitting down with the Saudis and quietly informing them of our displeasure at Americans being protrayed as monkeys, pigs and dogs while we have developed their country from a bunch of camel herders over to a major power in the last half century? America is being bent over an oil barrel and this administration doesn't seem to be too worried about it.
January 02 2006 at 0733 UTC in position 13:48N - 049:48E, Gulf of Aden. Three speedboats with 3/4 persons onboard followed a tanker underway. Master altered course and boats moved away. Later at 0753 UTC in position 13:49N - 049:54E, another speedboat with three persons onboard followed for 30 minutes. Alarm was raised boat stopped following.
January 02 2006 at 0040 LT at Teluk Semangka anchorage, Indonesia. Three robbers armed with long knives boarded a tanker at poop deck. Duty A/B raised alarm, crew mustered and robbers escaped empty handed in a waiting boat. Pertamina port control informed and a patrol boat arrived two hours later for investigation.
December 29 2005 at 1800 LT in position 21:40.3N - 088:00.9E, Sagar anchorage, India. Two robbers boarded a container ship awaiting berthing with pilot onboard. Duty A/B raised alarm and robbers escaped with ship's stores. Pilot station and port authority informed.
December 27 2005 at 0400 LT at Tg. Bara inner anchorage, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Robbers boarded a bulk carrier at forecastle. They tried to steal ship's stores but alert crew raised alarm and robbers escaped empty handed in a boat waiting with accomplices. Master suspects that stevedores may have collaborated with the robbers.
I've been reading this blog periodically all year. I like his perspective and attention to detail. I've also swiped some of his photos (especially of ol' Pencilneck) for use here. This post has some excellent links; I encourage you to read the whole blog. Excerpt:
This blog launched began after New Year's Eve in 2005. What a time to start looking at civil rights in the Middle East, and to wonder what the explosion (if it would come) would look like! Despite the persistence of destructive blasts across the region, there were a bunch of inspiring - and unprecedented - breakthroughs. Here's a quick look back at the good, the bad, and the just plain wacky...
More journalists and media staffers have been killed during the Iraq war than during 22 years of conflict in Vietnam, Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday. The organization said Iraq was the world's deadliest place for media members for the third consecutive year, with 24 journalists and five aides killed. Most victims in Iraq died in insurgent and terrorist attacks, and three were killed by the U.S. military, Reporters Without Borders said. A total of 76 journalists and media staff have been killed since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, the group said. Sixty-three reporters were killed in the 1955-1977 conflict in Vietnam, the group said, citing figures from U.S.-based press advocacy group Freedom Forum. Jean-Francois Juillard, director of information for Reporters Without Borders, said fewer journalists and media organizations covered Vietnam and media members in Iraq can be targeted by insurgents.
"Journalists are often not considered witnesses or independent observers, but as enemies" in Iraq, Juillard said.
Looking at this list I can't help but get the impression that journalists tend to die at the hands of those who may be expected to dislike them. I had gotten the impression from the newspapers that most journalists died at the hands of US or Iraqi forces. But in fact US forces were involved in 4 deaths and they were not obviously "hits" but shootings in ambiguous situations. On the other hand, at least 14 pro-US journalists were clearly murdered; perhaps more, but the motives are not always clear. Steven Vincent was apparently the only foreign journalist to die in Iraq, unless some of the others had foreign passports.
The Washington Post recently wrote a somewhat disparaging article of bloggers on the battlefield, mentioning Bill Roggio in particular. I hadn't realized that a blogger -- and not a regular Western professional correspondent -- was the only foreign journalist to die in Iraq in 2005.
#2
LOL SE! Honestly things are much more dangerous in this war for journalists because they are imbedded with our troops and are exposed to the saem dangers.
#3
"More journalists and media staffers have been killed during the Iraq war than during 22 years of conflict in Vietnam, Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday. "
Right on the heels of MSM accounts of how Bush is at fault for the deaths of 13 coal-miners in Tallmansville, W.Va., we'll soon hear and read accounts of how Bush is responsible for these journalists' deaths.
Q: General, is the violence that we saw today in Iraq an illustration that the December 15th elections did not diminish the intent of the insurgency in Iraq, as some had hoped? And could you assess what you see as the intensity of the insurgency?
GEN. PACE: Well, especially today when there have been at least two suicide bombings, of which I'm aware, what's clear to me is that each of the elections has been a major blow to al Qaeda. In January, in October, in December, al Qaeda tried to influence the voters in each of those to not go to the polls, and the percentage went up. In January, the percentage of the people that voted was in the 50 percent mark, 50-plus. In October it was 60-plus. And in December it was 70- plus. So clearly, the terrorists failed at each of their primary missions with regard to stopping the vote. And I think what you're seeing now is their continuing attempt to disrupt the proper formation of the Iraqi government. And I'm very confident that they'll fail at this as well, because the Iraqi people will form a government that is representative of what they want to have, and it will begin functioning to the betterment of the Iraqi people.
So I see the terrorist attack as acknowledgement on the terrorists' part that this is a center of gravity and that they're losing.
Sir?
Q: General, you mentioned al Qaeda specifically when you referred to the attacks. Of course the suicide attacks are generally thought to be non-Iraqi. But is that the primary concern you have in the insurgency, is not the Iraqi side of it, the former Ba'athists?
GEN. PACE: There are several parts to those who are fighting against the Iraq government right now. But I think fundamentally that those who are Iraqi citizens, as they see the results of these elections, as they see their own government providing a way ahead that all of their citizens can understand as progress for their country, that those who are fighting against the government right now who are Iraqis will more and more lay down their arms and decide to become part of the future of Iraq and not the past.
It is the foreign fighters, from whom I believe most of these suicide bombers come, who are the ones who are not going to adhere to that same kind of principle because they are not Iraqi, and they are there simply to try to subjugate the Iraqi people.
Sir?
Q: If I can just go back to the first question about the intensity. Whether or not they're going to be ultimately successful, do you see this kind of intensity, with this level of attacks, with 130 people killed in Iraq today, and also a suicide bombing in Afghanistan, do you expect that level of intensity to continue throughout the U.S. stay there? Or do you see that going down over time, as some of these events you're talking about occur -- Iraqis becoming more and more in line?
GEN. PACE: I don't have a clear crystal ball on that. Clearly, though, the environment inside of which they are operating right now, as it changes, as more and more Iraqis want to have a peaceful solution to the problem, as more and more Iraqis see the benefit of their own government, there will be fewer places from which those folks who want to attack will have refuge.
So the opportunity in the future for the folks who are against the government to hide, to store weapons and the like will go down. So I do believe that over the course of the coming year, that violence will subside. However, the enemy has a vote, and the bottom line is is that we will assist the Iraqi government and the Iraqi armed forces to be able to have enough security so that their government can function properly and start providing the services to their people that they deserve.
Yes, sir?
Q: General, first of all, welcome home and happy new year.
GEN. PACE: Thank you.
Q: Will the embedding now with the U.S. -- I mean, with the Iraqi police units, what type of U.S. troops are embedded? Are they MPs? Are they special forces? A mixture? And what's the ultimate goal to train the police as SWAT teams or as cops on the beat or something in between that?
GEN. PACE: Thank you.
The -- as you know, the current embeds are with the Iraqi armed forces, and they are able to assist them in bringing in medevac and fixed-wing attack and logistics and the like.
The commando battalions that are part of the police are the ones that we're looking to have embedded people with, not the cops on the street, but these battalions that are in fact formed for operation at the battalion level to be able to do locally what some of the Iraqi armed forces have been doing regionally. So that the types of support that the police will receive will be more along the lines of what we've been providing to the Iraqi army battalions, not airstrikes and the like, but the ability to call in medevacs, the ability to help train -- train the trainers, so to speak, some of whom will be our own MPs, some will be gendarmerie from other countries, folks who can assist the police force in Iraq to understand how to function as a local police force, how to protect their citizens, but also to strengthen them where they initially won't have capacity, so they can go out and do their job.
Q: General, can I follow up on that, please? Do you plan on increasing the number of U.S. trainers in Iraq? I think there are 230 11-member teams now with the Iraqi army. Do you plan on shifting those teams over to the police, or just increasing the number of teams?
GEN. PACE: The number of teams will increase, and that's a good thing. As you've seen -- let's -- I mean, take 2005, as an example. It was an incredible year. About a year ago, there were only a handful of Iraqi army battalions in the fight. Today there are 100 battalions in the fight. A year ago, there were zero Iraqi brigade -- operational brigades. Today, there are 31 brigades. A year ago, there were zero Iraqi division headquarters operational. Today there are eight. As they've come online, we have had eight to 10 of our individuals with them. That allows them, then, to go out and take over responsibility. So now we have about 30 of those battalions that in fact have their own responsibility, their own area of the country for which they're responsible.
So as their battalion displaces our battalion, you have perhaps 700 of our folks who are able to either do a different mission or come home, and we add eight to 10 of our folks to help them do what they're doing. So the addition of teams is a very, very healthy way of strengthening them and allowing us over time to transition to full control by the Iraqi government.
Q: Any sense how many more teams you'll create?
GEN. PACE: At this point, no. But for each of the commando battalions that I talked about, we will probably have a team, so that's 28 more. But as their individual units come online, we'll assess their needs and add what we need to do to give them the strength they need.
Q: General?
GEN. PACE: Sir?
Q: General, you said the embeds will be with the special commandos with the police. But isn't the problem at the local level with local police departments in Iraq? For example, in Kirkuk there is cases where several police officers launched a spate of kidnappings. What's being done on the local level to shape up the Iraqi P.D.s?
GEN. PACE: Yeah, the Iraqi government is very much aware of the fact that recruiting for both their army and their police force is their responsibility. And they have worked from the Iraqi central government with the provisional governments to go out, determine how many police are needed in a particular area, recruit to that need, and then vet the names of the individuals who've been selected through the national level to see whether or not the individual who has volunteered is a person who has some kind of a background that would not be the kind of person you'd want in the police force. That vetting is going on, and of course some people will slip through the net, and when they do, they'll be dealt with. But the training, the vetting, the recruiting is all Iraqi government responsibility with our assistance.
Q: If I could follow up on that, is it fair to say the majority of police training will still be under the purview of the Iraqi government? So it will be up to them how much training they get on human rights and abiding by the law?
GEN. PACE: Both the Iraqi police and the Iraqi army are primarily the responsibility, training-wise, for the Iraqi government. What we do is work hand in glove with the Iraqi government to recommend syllabi for the various units, to recommend how they're trained, to recommend things like human rights training.
Q: And how much of the police force do these police commandos make up? Do you have an idea?
GEN. PACE: I do not. There's 28 battalions. I can get you that number, but I don't have it off the top of my head.
Yes, sir?
Q: General, these past two days have been particularly bloody. Do you feel that this insurgency, these terrorists, have the capacity to continue this level of violence for an extended period of time?
GEN. PACE: I think that depends on the Iraqi people. I think it depends on how comfortable these terrorists feel moving about the towns and cities in Iraq. I think if the Iraqi people demonstrate to the terrorists that they're not welcome in their cities, that they're not welcome in their towns, that murderers -- which they are -- murderers of fellow Muslims, indiscriminate murderers that they are -- are not welcome, that that will reduce the number of people.
But clearly there is enough munitions scattered around that country still that the capacity to attack will be there. The difference will be the ability of the Iraqi armed forces and Iraqi police to maintain order inside the cities and countryside, and the desire of the Iraqi people to have -- to lead a normal life.
Q: If I could switch topics, sir, this week Representative John Murtha was asked if he would join the U.S. military today, and he said no. And pressed in that ABC interview -- and I don't know if you saw it or not -- he said -- the interviewer said, "I think you're saying the average guy who's considering recruitment is justified in saying, 'I don't want to serve.'" And he said, "Exactly right." Can get your response to those statements?
GEN. PACE: You know, when I got back yesterday, one of the first questions I was asked was what I thought about that. I had not seen the clip. I did get a chance to see it yesterday.
A large segment of the clip had to do with opinion about the war, and that's not my lane. This country's strength is based on the ability of its citizens and its leadership to have divergent views.
There were two parts in what I saw that went directly to my lane in the road, which is the health of the U.S. military. One was a statement that the U.S. Army is not well trained. The United States Army is well-trained. It is the best trained army in the world. It has never been better-trained, and we will continue to make sure that it stays well- trained.
The second was a quote that you just mentioned. That's damaging to recruiting, it's damaging to morale of the troops who are deployed, and it's damaging to the morale of their families who believe in what they're doing to serve this country. We have almost 300 million Americans who are being protected by 2.4 (million) volunteer active, Guard and Reserve members. We must recruit to that force. When a respected leader like Mr. Murtha, who has spent 37 extremely honorable years as a Marine, fought in two wars, has served the country extremely well in the Congress of the United States, when a respected individual like that says what he said, and 18- and 19-year-olds look to their leadership to determine how they are expected to act, they can get the wrong message.
Q: Sir, you look and sound a little angry about this. Am I misreading that?
GEN. PACE: I would describe myself as "energized" -- (laughter) -- because we have an all-volunteer, all-recruited United States armed forces. I believe that all young people should have the opportunity to serve their country in whatever way they see fit, and that those who would elect to serve in the armed forces of the United States should be encouraged to do, especially when we're in a war where our enemy has stated intention of destroying our way of life.
Q: So, General, is it irresponsible of the congressman to have made those remarks?
GEN. PACE: I think I've said what I needed to say about that.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/06/2006 00:19 ||
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#1
When a previously respected leader like Mr. Murtha, who has spent 37 extremely honorable years as a Marine, fought in two wars, has served the country extremely well in the Congress of the United States, when a respected individual like that says what he said, he's just stuck on stupid.
10:47 a.m. Sharon's Brain Scan Shows Improvement Prime Minister Ariel Sharon showed "significant improvement" after five hours of emergency brain surgery Friday, and his intracranial pressure returned to normal, hospital officials said. Sharon remains in serious condition, said Hadassah Hospital director Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef.
False Report of Sharon's Death Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the most powerful Israeli leader in 50 years, has died, Middle East Newsline reported. He was 77. However other reports are presenting conflcting information.
February 27, 1928 Born Ariel Sheinerman in Kfar Malal
1942 Joins Hagana at age 14, active guarding outlying Jewish settlements
1945 Graduates from Tel Aviv's Geula Secondary school
1948 Commands infantry company in the Alexandroni Brigade during Israel's War of Independence, wounded in Latrun
1951 Serves as Chief Intelligence officer of the Central Command
1952 Serves as Chief Intelligence officer in Northern Command, establishes close alliance with then chief of staff Moshe Dayan
1952 Enrolls at Hebrew University in Jerusalem to study oriental culture and history
1953 Marries first wife Margalit
1953 Founds and leads the special commando unit "101," which participates in reprisal operations in Jordan, Egypt and Syria
1954 Wounded at Kissufim
1956 Serves as commander of Paratroop corps during Sinai Campaign, his troop suffers heavy casualties
1957 Attends Camberley Staff College in Great Britain for advanced military staff command training
1958 Appointed commander of Infantry School
1962 Appointed commander of armored Infantry Brigade
1962 Graduates with LL.B in Law from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
1962 Wife Margalit killed in automobile accident
1964 Appointed Head of the Northern Command Staff
1964 Marries second wife Lily, the younger sister of Margalit
1966 Appointed Head of the Army Training Department, the youngest ever to hold such a position in the IDF
1967 Six Day War, Sharon's armored division breaks Egyptian front, pushes enemy back across Suez Canal
1969 Appointed Head of the Southern Command Staff
1972 Reprimanded by then Defense Minister Moshe Dayan after being accused of applying unacceptable and unauthorized methods of dealing with terrorists
July 1973 Retires from the military with the rank of Major-General
1973 Recalled to active military service in the Yom Kippur War to command an armored division; leads the crossing of the Suez Canal which brought about victory in the war and eventual peace with Egypt
December 1973 Elected into Knesset on right-wing Gachal ticket
January 20, 1974 Leaves army permanently
1974 Elected to Knesset on Likud ticket, serves as Security Adviser to then prime minister Yitzhak Rabin
1975 Resigns from Knesset
1977 Elected to Knesset on Shlomzion ticket
1977 Joins Herut party; appointed Minister of Agriculture, in which position he actively pursues agricultural cooperation with Egypt
1981 Appointed Defense Minister;
serves in this position during Lebanon War which brought about destruction of PLO terrorist infrastructure there;
Renews diplomatic relations with African nations;
Spearheads first strategic cooperation agreement with the United States
Helps bring thousands of Ethiopian Jews into Israel via Sudan
1983 Resigns as Defense Minister after commission finds him indirectly responsible for 1982 massacre of Palestinians at Sabra and Shatila refugee camps by Lebanese Christians
1983-1984 Remains minister-without-portfolio
1984 Serves as Minister of Industry and Trade until 1990
1985 Concludes Free Trade Agreement with US
1990 Appointed Minister of Construction and Housing and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Immigration and Absorption
1990 Heads program to absorb immigrants from Russia after fall of Soviet Union, which includes construction of 144,000 apartments
1992-1996 Member of Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
1996 Appointed Minister of National Infrastructure; fosters joint ventures with Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinians; serves as Chairman of Ministerial Committee for Beduin Advancement
1998 Appointed Foreign Minister; heads permanent status negotiations with the Palestinian Authority; meets with US and European leaders to advance the peace process
May 1999 Becomes interim Likud party leader after the resignation of Binyamin Netanyahu
September 1999 Elected Chairman of the Likud
2000 Second wife Lily dies of cancer
2000 Controversial vist to the al-Aksa mosque
February 6, 2001 Elected Prime Minister of 16th Knesset in landslide victory
October 2002 National unity government breaks up, forcing Sharon to call elections for early 2003
2003 Likud victory in national elections
2003 Sharon's government accepts the internationally supported road map peace plan, resumes talks with the Palestinians
Summer 2005 Pushed by Sharon, the plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank is approved, drawing much resistance from the settler movement and its supporters
August 17, 2005 Israel begins the disengagement which is fully completed by early September
November 21, 2005 Sharon quits the Likud and establishes center-line party Kadima; many of his colleagues follow
December 18, 2005 Suffers minor stroke; returns to work within days
January 4, 2005 Suffers massive hemorrhagic stroke; prognosis reported as "extremely bleak" after surgery
#1
Whoops! I guess I'm not handling the situation as well as I thought -- this should be Page 2: Israel. If a moderator would be so kind as to fix my mistake? Thank you!
#2
"1972 Reprimanded by then Defense Minister Moshe Dayan after being accused of applying unacceptable and unauthorized methods of dealing with terrorists." I wonder if that involved such things as hot/cold rooms, flushing korans, loud rap music, or serving non-kosher meals?
Ariel Sharon is unlikely to return as Israel's prime minister after his massive stroke, doctors said last night, threatening to derail faltering steps towards peace in the Middle East.
Confirmation that Mr Sharon's military and political career spanning more than half a century was effectively over was given by Dr Shlomo Mor-Yosef, the director of the Hadassah Hospital outside Jerusalem. Asked if the prime minister could return to work, he said: "Under the current circumstances it will not be possible."
The 77-year-old leader had a seven-hour operation to stem bleeding in his brain on Wednesday night after suffering a massive haemorrhage. Doctors placed him under deep sedation and on a respirator for at least 48 hours to allow him to "recover from severe trauma".
The deep sedation is part of standard therapy in this situation, and can be continued as long as needed.
As tributes and get-well messages arrived from world leaders, rumours persisted that Mr Sharon had died. Two Arab news networks claimed that he was dead before Dr Mor-Yosef's statement. The doctor promised to issue statements on every change in condition as Israel's political establishment struggled to continue as normal.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/06/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
My condolences to the Israelis. He was a good leader and will long be remembered for taking action and getting meaningful results.
I have no idea what will happen next - but I hope the next leader will continue to bring peace and prosperity to the Israelis.
#3
Mubarek has been grooming his son to take over, but I have the impression the son is a bit too Westernized to do the job as [in]effectively as his father. Heaven help the Egyptians (who have more than enough problems already!) if Mubarek fil turns out to be like Bashar al Assad.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Some of us hope for a more hawkish Israel. Personally, I found Sharon a major disappointment, continuing to follow the insane path of trading land for terror. I hope for an end to "Palestinian" occupation of Israeli territory in the not-too-distant-future. I propose giving the "Palestinian" invaders a simple choice: return to their home countries of Egypt, Jordan, or Lebanon -- or die.
#2
I don't read Kos or Atrios, or the rest, but I do like to read the "Have Your Say," or whatever they call it, column on the BBC website. As usual the Tranzi crowd was whining about "Sharon the war criminal" and how he should have been tried before the World Court. (I've never understood why Miloslavic is fighting such a hard fight there. Murderers get 8 years in the EU with time off for good behavior. If he had gone into trial and plead guilty, he'd probably be back home writing his memoirs by now.) But a surprising number of Arabs seemed to have a grudging respect for him. Most comments seemed to be along the lines of, yes he was a bastard, but at least we always knew where he stood and we could negotiate with him.
#3
Fears that will soon be realized. The Paleos, thier friends and supporters only have themselves to blame for not getting behind Sharons offers. Those offers are dead. BiBi is a hard ass. There will be no deals with him and he will not screw around with you fools.
In 1976, Sharon advocated negotiations with the PLO Nazi terrorist mass murderers at a time when even the Marxist Labor Party publicly opposed such negotiations.
When asked in 1976 about meeting with the PLO for negotiations, the Marxist Rabin replied, "The only place where we will meet with the PLO terrorist murderers is on the battlefield."
But Sharon said in 1976 that if Jewish leaders could speak to the Germans after they murdered over 6 million Jews, then Jewish leaders could also speak to the PLO terrorists.
Sharon and his new political party also advocated creating an independent PLO terrorist state in 1976, at a time when even the Marxist Labor Party publicly opposed a PLO terrorist state....
n 1998, then Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appointed Sharon as Foreign Minister.
Shown during a recent Knesset meeting, phony "right-wingers" Ariel Sharon and Binyamin Netanyahu have been busy for years surrendering Israel to the PLO Arab Muslim terrorists - In 1998, as then Prime Minister Netanyahu's foreign minister, Sharon assisted him and the Jew-hating Traitor-in-Chief Bill Clinton in crafting the agreement to surrender 13% of Judea and Samaria to the PLO Muslim Nazi terrorists
Netanyahu and Sharon then went together to the infamous 1998 Wye Plantation summit, where they negotiated with the Arab Hitler Yasser Arafat. Under the supervision of the Jew-hater Bill Clinton, Netanyahu and Sharon agreed to surrender another 13% of Judea and Samaria to the PLO Nazi terrorists.
http://www.jtf.org/israel/israel.unmasking.sharon.htm
After Oslo, the Road Map of pieces, what has not changed for the worst? Iran has al Queda base in Gaza to attack Israel and our soldiers in Iraq.
#5
Oh. It's Bardo. we don't need to read his post to know where he stands: Any Israeli that dares to think for himself instead of following Bardo's maximalist party line (I believe that the borders of King Solomon's kingdom are his minimal acceptable national borders) is a fascist traitor to God and his race. Heaven forbid that the situation on the ground might change; it's more important to be Correct than to be Effective.
#6
TW, no snark intended but if you've got any ideas on how to sort the Paleos and Iranians out without massive amounts of bloodshed and the use of WMD, I'd be very interested in reading them. Both of those two groups seem like they are rabid dogs with whom no honest negotiation is possible and who will only be stopped by powerful blows that will inflict massive casualties. Believe me, I'd like to think another alternative was out there but the last thirty years of Muslim-Israeli interaction makes me EXTREMELY skeptical. I'm no millenialist but the idea of an Iranian bomb in the hands of a nutball like Ahmedinejad leads, however reluctantly, to a recollection of Revelations. And if it's going to come to that, I think we'd both agree that it would be better Israel should strike first and destroy those who have sworn its eradication rather than wait for them to carry out their genocidal threat.
Posted by: mac ||
01/06/2006 21:49 Comments ||
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I dunnot TW, Bardo's making plenty of sense to me. I challenge you point anything specific that he's wrong about....
Indonesia is expected to press US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for access to intelligence from two key members of Al Qaeda, who have been captured by the US. The first terrorist suspect Indonesia wants access to information from is Hambali, who was seized by US agents in Thailand in 2003. He has been named as Al Qaeda's chief operative in South-East Asia and the operations head of Jemaah Islamiah. Indonesia also wants access to intelligence gathered from Omar Farouk, who confessed to financing many attacks throughout South-East Asia before escaping from US custody in 2005.
Ms Rice will receive the request during her first visit to Indonesia, which begins on Sunday. She will be meeting with her Indonesian counterpart, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda, and with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Dr Yudhoyono has a personal stake in the Hambali case - as chief security minister he was rebuffed by the US when he went to Washington a month after the arrest to seek access to Hambali. When her visit to Indonesia is complete, Dr Rice will visit Australia.
Rice cancels Australia, Indonesia trip
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has cancelled a trip to Australia and Indonesia because of concerns over the condition of critically ill Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2006 22:04 ||
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I agree with Jones's basic thesis, but I think that she's got to be talking about the number hard-core full-time JI members rather than all of the cannon fodder.
Terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) is divided between a few dozen militants involved in bombings, and a larger "mainstream" group of up to 1,000 people who pose a long-term threat to Indonesia as their leaders try to regroup.
This analysis by Ms Sidney Jones, one of the world's leading experts on the extremist group, indicates that different tactics and goals exist within the organisation amid intense pressure from law enforcement authorities.
At a forum here sponsored by the Institute of South-east Asian Studies yesterday, she said JI militants involved in bomb plots number up to 50, and are divided into cells of five to 10 people.
The larger group is not involved in bombings, but continues to conduct military training for members, and is suspected of carrying out robberies to raise funds.
Ms Jones, project director for the International Crisis Group in Jakarta, said JI's bombing faction had considered kidnapping to raise funds from ransoms or as a form of terror.
Key JI man Noordin Moh Top had ordered a survey of possible kidnapping attempts or attacks on Americans working at an electrical plant, a synagogue in Surabaya and an ethnic Chinese business owner.
But no attacks were carried out, apparently because of police pressure, she said.
The mainstream did not share the bombing faction's tactic of terrorising the United States and its allies with indiscriminate bombing, and its main goal was the establishment of an Islamic state in Indonesia, she noted.
But while mainstream JI leaders distance themselves from the bombings, she said, some rank-and-file members could be supporting the more violent faction.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/06/2006 00:46 ||
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Ayatollah Jannati: "The Spirit of Man Requires Sustenance... Martyrdom is a Kind of Such Nourishment;" "Non-Muslims are Like Animals Who Chew Their Cud"
Ayatollah Meshkini: "America and England are Two Cancerous Growths [Which] Will Destroy Any Country Whose Body They Enter"
Ayatollah Mesbah-e Yazdi: "We Need 5,000 Propagators of the Religion to Serve the Iranians Living in the U.S." Rest at link.
Posted by: ed ||
01/06/2006 19:24 ||
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For months Iranian activists and even moderate clerics have been concerned about the radical tendencies of Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In the past few weeks - after he said that the Holocaust was a myth, called for Israel to be wiped off the map and banned Western music from state-run radio and television, the concern spread around the world.
But there is another development in Iran - this one positive and with great potential - that the world should not miss: civic defiance against Ahmadinejad's authoritarianism is increasing.
From the outset of his term, the new president's policies exhibited a volatile mixture of nationalism and radical Islamic social engineering. While touting Iran's nuclear program, he has promised to redistribute wealth to the poor and curb capitalists (without yet delivering on either promise).
Ahmadinejad's language has been replete with contempt for religious and ethnic minorities, xenophobia, anti-intellectualism, rejection of compromise, and readiness for violence in dealing with the political opposition and minorities, including Kurds and Arabs. His performance is disturbingly reminiscent of those of European fascist leaders of the 1920s and 1930s.
While policy makers and pundits in the West are rightly chagrined by the language coming from Iran's new leader, less has been said and little has been done by the international community - now or in the past - to support ordinary citizens in Iran who have persistently been pressing for genuine democracy, the rule of law and economic opportunity. Iranians are risking imprisonment or worse by engaging in protests, not to satisfy American or European foreign policy, but because they are fed up living with fear, economic misery and arbitrary edicts from unelected clerics.
Against all odds, nonviolent tactics such as protests and strikes have gradually become common in Iran's domestic political scene. Medical professionals, teachers and workers have gone on strike. Last month, Tehran's bus drivers walked off the job, paralyzing the city. In the week of the presidential elections, more than 6,000 Iranian women took to the streets to protest discriminatory laws, especially the ban on women from running for the presidency.
Student activists have frequently resorted to strikes, sit-ins and demonstrations, and the violent response of the regime and repeated attacks of the paramilitaries have not succeeded in silencing them. From prison, a leading dissident and defector from the Revolutionary Guards, Akbar Ganji, is electrifying the country with hunger strikes, declaring the regime illegitimate.
Unfortunately these are uncoordinated actions, and their organizers have not known how to anticipate and counter the inevitable repressive countermeasures - beatings, detentions, torture and extrajudicial executions. While there is a grass-roots movement for equal rights and civil liberties waiting to be roused in Iran, its cadres so far lack a clear strategic vision and steady leadership.
Moreover, the failure of Iran's parliamentary reformists and the ensuing victory of Ahmadinejad have tumbled society into a mood of despair. But the new president's failure to deliver on any of his crowd-pleasing promises will surely create a new opportunity for Iranians who remain determined to resist repression and demand real economic reform.
That determination should also be reflected by the international community in what it does to support freedom and justice in Iran. Governments should increase pressure on Tehran to stop human rights abuses and release political prisoners. Nongovernmental organizations around the world should expand their efforts to assist Iranian civil society, women's groups, unions and journalists. And the global news media should finally begin to cover the steady stream of strikes, protests and other acts of opposition. A regime like the one in Tehran always wants to pretend that it is popular and legitimate, whether it is or not.
There is a historical legacy of such help being effective. Catholics in Europe and the United States aided the trade union Solidarity in Poland and the "people power" movement in the Philippines. African-American organizations gave crucial support to South African civic groups fighting apartheid. American labor unions backed the anti-Pinochet campaign in Chile. In each instance, the objective was assistance, not interference. That can also be the model in Iran.
The constituency for justice and equality in Iranian society is vast but inchoate. Yet it is those Iranians, and not the power-hoarding, self-enriching members of the repressive government, who will ultimately shape Iran's future. Their prospects will not be enhanced either by pleading with Iran's rulers for moderation or threatening external intervention.
As with a score of other peoples who transformed their countries from below - such as Poland, South Africa, the Philippines, Chile, Ukraine and Lebanon - Iranians themselves can summon the will and apply the nonviolent strategies that dissolve oppression.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/06/2006 01:00 ||
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#1
If you can persecute them from any angle of the law, including GOD himself, what is the problem with deposing these bad Kings? Is the "International Community" that useless?
#3
The article assumes a level of liberality and reasonableness that is not evidenced by any actions or words by the Iranian government.
The Polish situation succeeded because even the Poles who supported Moscow were reasonable.
How many reasonable religious fanatics have we seen in the Middle East? Heh.
Posted by: DanNY ||
01/06/2006 6:36 Comments ||
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#4
THE STREET WILL RISE UP!
Yeah right, that's what they always say. Just like the Turkish Army and the European Street.
Some movies are had to watch, just cause the plot is always EXACTLY the same. I'mmadinjihad has consolidated enough power to begin his purges. Unless someone manages to bump him off, he will follow the traditional Hitler, Stalin, Saddam path to absolute power. The only question left is at what point will this same ol' story end. Will it end when he is killed? Or will we get down to the scene with a digital red clock, ticking down the seconds until the bomb goes off before Arnold defuses it? Will cities be turned to glass to be followed by an epic battle scene between good and evil? Or will we let it go all the way to Mad Max?
#5
Ahmadi Nejad is currently in the process of purging his potential enemies from the higher levels of govt, the military, the diplomatic core, the police and various special security forces.
One problem with this is that he will basically own the country and they country has problems.
#9
I should have been more specific in my earlier comment.
The street isn't completely irrelevant but the most important thing is to watch what happens to each agency in the government.
Agencies make mistakes and agencies controlled by ideological hacks make more mistakes and egregious ones at that. When a mistake happens, what happens to the ideological hacks at the top.
If nothing happens, it creates a culture that results in more mistakes. If people get sacked, it may result in a schism amongst the hacks with the political equivalent of red-on-red conflict.
#10
Spengler made a good point the other day. Giving power to the demos is only good insofar as the people are good. If the people have a zero sum culture that condones things like taking booty, might makes right, "a thousand years of tyranny are better than one day of anarchy," and the US (or Joooos) must be rich because they are stealing everyone else's wealth, then the result of democracy is going to be Ahmadinejad or Nasrallah or Saddam Hussein.
Gromguru is right. Khomeini came to power based on his popularity in the Bazaars. That was the phrase that was used at the time: bazaar power. These are rural people or rural transplants into the cities. They are anti-West and religiously conservative.
One of the mistakes that we keep making in these conflicts is that we keep allying with the cosmopolitan city dwellers when the fighters and the opposition are coming from the small towns and farms. Well, as we are finding out with our own politics, the city dwellers are corrupt, aren't very good fighters, and tend to be more interested in entitlements than freedom.
In Vietnam, we controlled the cities easily, but had a hard time controlling the countryside. We are running into the same problem in Iraq. Goatherders and farmers fight us or at the very least look the other way while Baathists and Jihadis use them as a base to launch attacks. It is an an epic mistake to expect the urban masses to rise up against the mullahs. The "street" wants bread and circuses, not freedom. If you read Josephus or Maccabees, the rallying cry of the largely rural fighters is freedom -- the freedom to live their lives the way they always have without the corrosive effects of Hellenistic culture forced upon them.
Depending on the Iranian street to rise up against the Mullahs will result in disappointment -- just as the Iraqi street never rose up against Saddam. I've been thinking of some ways to ways to win in this environment. I don't think that they are well enough thought through yet... at least not to present here.
#12
This kind of story pops up every time there is saber rattling in Iran. I remember reading similar articles here at Rantburg over a year ago. Sit-ins and hunger strikes are not going to bring down the Mad Mullahs.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
01/06/2006 10:45 Comments ||
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#13
...The ONLY way I can see a popular overthrow is if the MMs overplay their hand internally SO badly that you get a spontaneous nationwide uprising. As was pointed out, the overwhelming majority of Iranians are rural, not urban, and they still pretty solidly support the MMs.
Another thing to keep in mind is that we are dealing with people who - at best - dislike us far more than they dislike the MMs. If the best-case scenario somehow happpened and the current MM leadership was strung up aux lanternes , all we would get is Somewhat Less Mad Mullahs to replace them. There would be no sudden dawning of freedom and renunciation of terror and/or nuclear weapons, just a promise from the new SLMMs to be nicer in the future - and the future would last until the next 'provocation' from the Great Satan, the Joos, or whatever else some senile holy man in a mosque in Teheran decides is worth it.
IMHO, these folks are the Imperial Shinto Japan of the 21st century - nothing short of vaporizing a good chunk of their nation will get their attention.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/06/2006 12:05 Comments ||
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#14
I am not sure the bazaars or the countryside supports the MM. The photoblogging from the Iranian elections made it seem like NO ONE was voting. There is widespread suspicion that most of the votes in the last election were bogus.
However one thing that is obvious is that the MM are not going to give up power peacefully.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
01/06/2006 14:44 Comments ||
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#15
civic defiance against Ahmadinejad's authoritarianism is increasing.
Yawn, let me know when that "defiance" includes bullets and their so-called "morals police" being gibbeted. Until then, SSDD.
From the outset of his term, the new president's policies exhibited a volatile mixture of nationalism and radical Islamic social engineering. While touting Iran's nuclear program, he has promised to redistribute wealth to the poor and curb capitalists (without yet delivering on either promise).
So, where's all the money going? Well, shuckey darn, a big ol' nuclear weapons program usually tends to suck down bazillions at a gulp. Mebbe that's what's happened to all the moolah.
As noted already about rural Iran, you know - that vast tract of underedumahcated goat herders who think lopping off hands and wimmen's privates is jes hunky dory, is where the major support for the mullahs resides. The city folk have neither the numbers or the weapons to force any change.
Killing a huge portion of the mullahs, their revolutionary guard and Iran's legislators all at once is the best we can hope for. Sure, maybe all we'll get are some less-mad-mullahs. But that should just make the "rinse and repeat" indicator light up on our launch boards.
We are faced with crippling Iran's facist government or standing by as they obtain nuclear weapons. This is one of recent history's most glaring no-brainers since fighting Hitler. If we do not crush Iran's nuclear aspirations, it will rank as one of the greatest military follies of all time.
#17
As the saying goes, the success of Ghandi said more about the British then it did for the effectiveness of non-violence.
How'd that thing at Tienaman Square work out again?
Either approach, that non-violence solves nothing, that non-violence solves everything, is ridiculously simplistic.
Tienamen is a data-point. Ukraine, Georgia, Lebanon are other data-points.
The outcome seems to depend on the willingness of the armed forces to shoot on their own civilians -- and it seems to me that this willingness (or unwillingness) to a great extent derives from the ethnic and class homegeinity between these armed forces and the protesters. You don't shoot on the neighboorhood kid that's friends with your son.
Anyone has knowledge of how willing Iran's forces have been to fire on their own civilians in the past? This may provide a hint on how likely a widespread popular peaceful revolt is to be successful or crushed instead -- though it still doesn't help us determine on how likely such a peaceful revolt is to *happen*.
#18
Aris K,
Iranian websites have stated that the regime is using Palestinian mercinaries to crush recent demonstations since the Iranian troops are unwilling to do it.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
01/06/2006 16:38 Comments ||
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#19
Anyone has knowledge of how willing Iran's forces have been to fire on their own civilians in the past?
In August 1994, some Pasdaran [Revolutionary Guard] units reportedly refused orders from the Interior Minister to intervene in the riots in the city of Ghazvin, 150 km. west of Tehran which left more than 30 people dead, 400 wounded and over 1,000 arrested.
#21
Aris, the point is that non-violence only works if the oppressor is susceptible to conscience.
Many, if not most, dictatorial types especially early in the life span of the dictorship don't have morals or conscience as we define them.
Therefore non-violent suasion works not at all.
The MM certainly fall under that label. There is no way they will allow non-violence to make an appreciable dent. Just like Stalin or Mao or Pol Pot or Hitler or ..........
After a regime has been in control for some number of generations there is a chance that it will mellow to the point that non-violence will work as a reforming tool. Iran is certainly not there a bare 25 years past the inception of the fascist religous tyranny.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinajad dared the international community once again with his remarks regarding the continuation of Iranian nuclear studies, just a short while following his statement that Israel should be âwiped off of the mapâ.
âIranians will have no limits to conduct their nuclear program,â challenged Ahmedinajad, who defends that their studies are for âpeacefulâ purposes only.
On Wednesday, the Iranian leader advocated that due to the past compromises of previous governments regarding nuclear studies, Europeans still continue with their demands, but this diplomacy is about to change.
His blunt move is being interpreted that Iran has serious nuclear intentions, in particular weaponry.
The British daily the Guardian claims the Tehran administration is still in pursuit of production of nuclear warheads. A leaked report by Western intelligence which the Guardian acquired, reads that Iran is looking for materials in Europe via bogus companies and agents.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/06/2006 00:30 ||
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#1
"The British daily the Guardian claims the Tehran administration is still in pursuit of production of nuclear warheads."
#4
SW, it's going to be nukes at 500 miles against an intellectually unarmed opponent. Iran, meet toast. You and charcoal briquette will have a lot in common.
Posted by: mac ||
01/06/2006 17:52 Comments ||
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#2
No - remember that for the Failed/Angry Left the WOT is about PC forcing "justified" Socialism and OWG on America, and doing so while avoid nuke war which destroys all sides; or at minimum prevents /obstructs the evolutionary progress of Socialism If America does not submit to SOcialism, the Lefties reserve their unilat and unconditional right to resort to de facto MAD nuke war. i.e. THEY'LL TAKE THE WORLD WITH THEM TO HELL. The Left is working to induce Washington, aka the Fed, to engage in SOcilaist-style domestic expansion while also "justifying" America's loss of sobereignty and control on endowments - they like Iran and North Korea-Taiwan because it means geopol confrontation.
#3
Asked what steps the U.S. might take if UNSC action proved ineffective, Rice was elusive, but did note that the U.S. arsenal included a large number of comfy chairs. What might follow those is anyone's guess.
Posted by: Curt Simon ||
01/06/2006 8:10 Comments ||
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#4
Oooooo... referal to a toothless, corrupt, US hating bureaucracy
the UNSC, how very scary for Iran.
That won't even make their Give-a-Shit meter twitch.
#7
Bastards! There's a caviar crisis going on right now and this is all you can think about? Have some priorities, damn you!
Posted by: Kofi A. ||
01/06/2006 16:17 Comments ||
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#8
If our administration has a pulse, they will highlight Russia and China's intervention on Iran's behalf in this glaring crisis. We need to connect the dots for Putin about Beslan and Russia's continued assistance of terrorism sponsors. China should be quietly notified about how ill-advised it is to allow their petroleum supplies to depend upon a nation that is inviting destruction.
Democratic Gathering bloc MP Wael Abu Faour denied on Thursday that MP Walid Jumblatt had called for Syria to be occupied by the United States. Abu Faour's comments came in response to an editorial written by Ad Diyar's Charles Ayoub, in which the latter lashed out at the Druze leader for his statements made to The Washington Post.
In a statement, Abu Faour said Jumblatt's position was a "defensive position regarding the crimes and political assassinations the Syrian regime is committing in Lebanon." The row is over comments Jumblatt made to Washington Post columnist David Ignatius that he "feared a deadly new attack by the Syrians that would attempt to trigger sectarian conflict in Lebanon and take the heat off Damascus."
According to Jumblatt, "regime change in Syria, a Milosevic solution, is the only stable outcome that will bring Assad to justice through the United Nations." Addressing U.S. officials, the Chouf MP said: "You came to Iraq in the name of majority rule. You can do the same thing in Syria."
Abu Faour noted that "when Walid Jumblatt commented on Iraq and had his entry visa to the U.S. withdrawn, none of those who claim Arabism in Lebanon sided with him because, at that time, they did not want to disturb the Syrian-U.S. relations or thwart the possibility of renewing a Syrian-U.S. deal in Lebanon."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2006 00:00 ||
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Abdul-Halim Khaddam, the former Syrian vice president, has called for political change in Syria, saying the Damascus government has outlived its time and is unlikely to survive much longer.
Sometime prior to 9-11-06 is my guess...
Asked whether he supported regime change in Syria, Khaddam replied: "Yes," adding that he had no personal interest in leading the drive to oust Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president.
"I prefer my sweet self unperforated and in a single piece, thankew..."
The former vice president, who was deeply involved in the Syrian presence in Lebanon and left his post in the Syrian government in June, spoke to The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Paris on Thursday. "What concerns me is for the Syrian people to recover their freedom and their ability to decide their own fate," he said.
Can you "recover" something you've never, ever, had?
Khaddam said al-Assad's "mistakes" on the domestic and international front had weakened the Syrian government beyond repair to the point where "it can no longer reform itself. It has become like a model 1916 car".
... or a model 1938 regime...
"I am convinced that the regime committed big mistakes against Syria and Lebanon ... and consequently it must shoulder its responsibility in front of the Syrian people," Khaddam said. "I think the regime has no chance of surviving in the long term."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/06/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
What a steaming pile. The "reporter" is in full sympathy/admiration mode. Here's a quick summary:
Sure, they're accussed of terrorism, but they have an ideology, and they're SO smart and media-savvy! Plus they build schools and hospitals for poor people and stuff.
#2
Its this sort of simple minded BS that kumbaya retards like Rachel "Patron Saint of Pancakes & all things flat" Cory and her equally stupid parents buy wholesale..nice catch Scooter.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Egypt has delayed a plan to deport more than 600 Sudanese refugees amid continued wrangling over a raid against Sudanese protesters that left 28 people dead. The UN refugee agency said on Wednesday that Egypt had agreed to delay by three days the deportations of more than 600 Sudanese after rights groups condemned the plan. 
George Galloway checked into the Big Brother house last night for the latest controversial instalment of his political career. "Gorgeous George", as the MP for Bethnal Green and Bow has been described, has told producers his favourite things are his "daughter, sunbathing and sex".
Police suspect the Basque terrorist group ETA robbed material from at least three factories in France last year. The most recent robbery took place in late December, when ETA is believed to have stolen nearly 1.3 tons of aluminum powder in the l'Eure region near Normandy. The suspected robbery follows two others in separate parts of France, according to Le Monde newspaper, in its edition dated Wednesday. One robbery in April involved a chemical substance used to make fertilizers but also explosives, the newspaper reported. Another in October involved the robbery of ink and papers police believe could have been used to make false documents. Police believe ETA uses France as a base to regroup and hire new recruits. Today, experts believe ETA is now at one of its lowest points in history, weakened in part by the arrests and imprisonment of its top commandos. But some also warn that ETA has been weakened before but has always managed to rise again.
The German government refused comment Thursday on a claim by a German Muslim that Berlin offered to pay a ransom for her release last month from the hands of kidnappers in Iraq. Susanne Osthoff, 43, was freed December 18 after three weeks in captivity but the terms have never been disclosed. Osthoff, a freelance archaeologist and aid worker, has not returned to Germany. In Thursday's issue of the magazine Stern, she was quoted saying, "The kidnappers got an offer from the Germans. I'm not allowed to say how much, but they thought it wasn't enough." She said no more. 
Zawahiri Touts U.S. Troop Cuts in Iraq 
The leadership of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) has said that the NWFP chapter of the religious alliance would be restructured and re-activated at a meeting in the coming week. The NWFP chapter of the six parties religious alliance has formally met only twice during the past two-and-a-half years due to the leadershipâs lack of attention to the allianceâs affairs. âWe would meet and discuss the restructuring of the alliance in the NWFP and ensure more activities,â said Allama Ramzan Tauqir, one of the five provincial vice presidents of the MMA and adviser to the NWFP chief minister. He claimed that the meeting would help activate the alliance in the NWFP.
Sardar Sherbaz Mazari has called upon President Gen Pervez Musharraf to invite rebellious tribal chiefs to talks to find a solution to the Balochistan problem. Mr Mazari, who along with his son Sher Ali Mazari played a major role in effecting a rapprochement between the government and Nawab Akbar Bugti following clashes in March last year, was talking to Daily Times at his DHA residence on Thursday. He said the Balochistan situation today had âsome semblanceâ to the situation in 1971 that led to the break up of the country, and urged Gen Musharraf to reach out to the ârebellious onesâ.
January 02 2006 at 0733 UTC in position 13:48N - 049:48E, Gulf of Aden. Three speedboats with 3/4 persons onboard followed a tanker underway. Master altered course and boats moved away. Later at 0753 UTC in position 13:49N - 049:54E, another speedboat with three persons onboard followed for 30 minutes. Alarm was raised boat stopped following.
Ariel Sharon is unlikely to return as Israel's prime minister after his massive stroke, doctors said last night, threatening to derail faltering steps towards peace in the Middle East.
Indonesia is expected to press US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for access to intelligence from two key members of Al Qaeda, who have been captured by the US. The first terrorist suspect Indonesia wants access to information from is Hambali, who was seized by US agents in Thailand in 2003. He has been named as Al Qaeda's chief operative in South-East Asia and the operations head of Jemaah Islamiah. Indonesia also wants access to intelligence gathered from Omar Farouk, who confessed to financing many attacks throughout South-East Asia before escaping from US custody in 2005.
Democratic Gathering bloc MP Wael Abu Faour denied on Thursday that MP Walid Jumblatt had called for Syria to be occupied by the United States. Abu Faour's comments came in response to an editorial written by Ad Diyar's Charles Ayoub, in which the latter lashed out at the Druze leader for his statements made to The Washington Post.
