BISHKEK, April 7 (Xinhua) — At least 93 people have been injured when opposition protesters clashed with police outside the Kyrgyz presidential office in central Bishkek Wednesday, a spokesperson for the health ministry told Xinhua.
The spokeswoman, Elena Byalinova, said the exact death toll remained unknown.
Witnesses told Xinhua that at least four people have been shot dead by police who were trying to disperse protesters outside the presidential office.
Related:
Kyrgyz first vice PM taken hostage by protesters in Talas — witnesses
Kyrgyz interior minister taken hostage by protesters — media
Kyrgyz PM declares emergency state nationwide
Kyrgyz protestors seize two regional gov\’t buildings
U.S. embassy urges negotiations between Kyrgyz gov\’t, opposition
Russia urges restraint over Kyrgyz unrest
http://www.gtrip.net
COLOMBO, April 8 (Xinhua) — Sri Lankans began to elect their 225 legislators Thursday morning in the island\’s first parliamentary polls held after the end of the 30-year-old civil war.
Election officials said 14,088,500 people are eligible to cast their votes from 7 a.m. (0130 GMT) to 4 p.m. (1030 GMT) with 7,620 candidates from 36 political parties and 301 independent groups contesting the election.
This will be the first general election held without the presence of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which was defeated by the government troops in May 2009.
Out of the 36 political parties in the race, the main contenders are the ruling United People\’s Freedom Alliance, the main opposition United National Party and the newly formed Democratic National Alliance headed by the leftist JVP or the People\’s Liberation Front.
http://www.kphy.com
Smoke billows following a huge bomb blast in Peshawar. Islamist militants armed with guns and suicide vests targeted the U.S. consulate in Pakistan\’s northwestern capital and unleashed carnage at a political rally on Monday, killing 40 people. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
ISLAMABAD, April 5 (Xinhua) — A suicide bomber ripped through a rally of the Awami National Party (ANP) that rules the restive North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in Pakistan on Monday, killing 40 and injuring over 100 people, police said.
\”It was a suicide attack,\” ANP spokesman Senator Zahid Khan told media while condemning the attack on the meeting that was held at a rest house near the crowded bazaar in Timergarah of the Lower Dir district in the northwest province.
Some 800 local party workers and leaders were attending the meeting before taking out the rally to celebrate the renaming of the northwest province as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Emergency has been declared in all the hospitals of the area while Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has ordered a quick relief to the injured.
\”The government will continue to fight against the militants in the province,\” said Haji Adeel, an ANP leader.
The Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that the ANP was targeted as it is in the front line of the war on terror. He said the ANP will continue to fight against the militants unless they are eliminated.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack. But the ANP leaders blamed Taliban militants for the attack.
Taliban militants had targeted ANP leaders, who are supporting the army\’s operation against the militants.
The ANP is leading a coalition in the NWFP along with the Pakistan People\’s Party of President Asif Ali Zardari.
Officials said that the injured were shifted to hospitals in Peshawar, the provincial capital, and several other cities. Doctors said that several injured are in critical condition and the death toll may rise.
Smoke billows following a huge bomb blast in Peshawar. Islamist militants armed with guns and suicide vests targeted the U.S. consulate in Pakistan\’s northwestern capital and unleashed carnage at a political rally on Monday, killing 40 people. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
http://www.lersus.com
Video>> Red Shirts continue blood protests in Bangkok
A Thai red-shirted demonstrator pours blood at the gate of Prime Minister\’s house in Bangkok, Thailand, March 17, 2010. Thailand\’s red-shirts demonstrators poured blood at the gate of Prime Minister\’s house at about 12:00 a.m. local time Wednesday after they initiated the blood-pouring tactic Tuesday at the Government House and the headquarters of the ruling Democrat Party.(Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)
BANGKOK, March 17 (Xinhua) — Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he was informed by the peace-keeping operations command Wednesday morning the red-shirted group headed to pour their collected blood at his residence, but there was nothing to worry about, a state-owned media reported.
The Thai prime minister\’s residence is located on Street Sukhumvit 31 in the center of capital Bangkok.
Also, in the morning Abhisit flew to a southern province of Songkhla to attend a funeral of former Bannang Sata police chief Sompian Eksomya, who was killed by a roadside bomb on Friday, the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT) under the Public Relations Department of the government, reported.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban invoked the Internal Security Act (ISA) to ban the demonstrations on Street Sukhumvit 31, where the Abhisit\’s house is situated, from March 17 to 23.
Ten more companies of police and soldiers were deployed Wednesday morning to reinforce six companies of security officials at the premier\’s place.
? Blood are seen at the feet of riot police near the gate of Prime Minister\’s house in Bangkok, Thailand, March 17, 2010. Thailand\’s red-shirts demonstrators poured blood at the gate of Prime Minister\’s house at about 12:00 a.m. local time Wednesday after they initiated the blood-pouring tactic Tuesday at the Government House and the headquarters of the ruling Democrat Party.(Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)
Thousands of the red-shirted people arrived at the street at about 11:45 a.m., local time, in a heavy rain.
They were stopped by the security forces about ten meters away from Abhisit\’s house before they managed to break through the blockade to pour the blood at the entrance gate and inside the yard.
They poured the blood at the gate of prime minister\’s house at about 12:00 a.m., local time, after they initiated the blood- pouring tactic Tuesday at the Government House and the headquarters of the ruling Democrat Party.
Some plastic bags full of blood and filthy stuff were also threw into the yard. One of the building was stained by the blood, according to the reporter at site.
The blood was donated Tuesday by red-shirted protesters. More than 300 liters, stored in 40-gallon drums, were collected.
Red-shirt supporters protest outside the Thailand\’s Election Commission building in Bangkok April 5, 2010, demanding the EC expedite its decision in the donation case against the ruling Democrat Party. Protestors on Monday agreed to give Thailand\’s national election watchdog another 15 days to speed up investigation of an allegation the ruling Democrat Party illegally accepted donations from a business. (Xinhua/Thana Nuntavoranut)
BANGKOK, April 5 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s anti-government movement red-shirts started to move away from the Election Commission (EC) building after a temporary intrusion into the building.
The rally began to disperse at 03:20 p.m. local time after their leaders declared victory, quoting the EC chairman agreed to make a decision in the party dissolution case against the Democrat Party on April 20.
The red-shirts\’ leaders said that the protesters would come back to the EC head office on April 20 to hear the decision.
More than two hundreds red-shirted protesters rushed into the EC building Monday afternoon in Bangkok but they soon retreated following their leader\’s request of a peaceful demonstration.
They entered into the EC building at about 02:00 p.m. after the election commissioners failed to show up to answer their demand concerning Democrat Party\’s dissolution case.
A female red-shirt at the site, however, explained on a live broadcast by Redshirt TV, that they did not intend to break into the building. They entered into the building after one of their leaders went in to talk to the commissioners, and they worried about his safety. \”The police just let us in,\” the lady said.
There is no clash between the protesters and the security forces so far. Now the red-shirts are still rallying in front of the EC building.
Red-shirt supporters protest outside the Thailand\’s Election Commission building in Bangkok April 5, 2010, demanding?the EC expedite its decision in the donation case against the ruling Democrat Party. Protestors on Monday agreed to give Thailand\’s national election watchdog another 15 days to speed up investigation of an allegation the ruling Democrat Party illegally accepted donations from a business. (Xinhua/Thana Nuntavoranut)
A group of red-shirts this morning moved from Phanon Yothin Road to rally near the EC office in the government complex on Chaeng Wattana road in Bangkok\’s Lak Si area.
The Election Commission must say whether or not it would dissolve the Democrat Party by 02:00 p.m. Monday, red-shirts\’ leader Kwanchai Praiphana said earlier.
The ruling Democrat party has been accused of receiving an illegal 258 million baht (about 8 million U.S. dollars) donation from TPI Polene Plc in 2005. The constitution caps individual donations at 10 million baht a year. If the EC upholds the complaint, the prime minister\’s party could be disbanded by the Constitution Court.
JAKARTA, March 17 (Xinhua) — Indonesian police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri said Wednesday that his subordinates have arrested two more terrorist suspects in Aceh province, local media reported here.
The arrest of the two terror suspects, Marzuki and Maulana from Bireuen and Lhokseumawe followed their surrender to the local police stations on Tuesday.
Along with them, the police also seized an M-16 rifle and three pistols
\”That was the report that reached me as soon as I arrived back in Jakarta,\” Bambang was quoted as saying by the Kompas.com. He had just arrived from his visit to Aceh.
\”We are still hunting the remaining 12 terror suspects with assistance from the military and local people,\” he added.
Bambang visited Aceh on Tuesday, a few days after the police shot dead two terror suspects linked to the group that was raided in Pamulang, south of Jakarta last week.
Earlier reports said that a terrorist suspect identified as Muchtar surrendered himself to the Lhokseumawe Police. Police confiscated an M-16 assault rifle, three pistols and more than 1, 000 bullets at two separate locations in Lhokseumawe following questioning Muchtar on Tuesday.
http://www.qb-china.com
NEW DELHI, March 17 (Xinhua) — India will soon have a Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine for 10 years under an agreement signed by the two countries during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin\’s visit to New Delhi last week, local newspaper The Times of India said Wednesday.
Under the agreement, India will get the K-152 Nerpa submarine. The lease flows from a secretive agreement inked between New Delhi and Moscow in January 2004, with India funding part of Nerpa\’s construction at Komsomolsk-on-Amur shipyard in Russia with an initial 650 million U.S. dollars, said the newspaper.
Nerpa was to be inducted in the Indian Navy as INS Chakra by mid-2008 but technical glitches delayed the process. Then, just as it began its sea trials in November 2008, 20 sailors were killed on it due to a toxic gas leak. After repairs, Nerpa is fully- operational now.
In fact, India is dispatching a 50-member submarine crew, including eight to 10 officers, to Russia to train on the Akula-II class nuclear submarine before it gets the new nuclear submarine.
\”The Indian naval team will be leaving within 15 days. They will first undergo intensive training on Nerpa and then bring it to India on the 10-year lease,\”\’ a Defense Ministry source was quoted as saying.
The over 12,000-ton Nerpa in itself will, of course, not fulfill India\’s long-cherished aim to have a credible nuclear weapon triad — the ability to fire nukes from land, air and sea.
While Nerpa is nuclear-propelled, it will not come armed with its long-range nuclear-tipped missiles due to international treaties like the Missile Technology Control Regime.
But it will contribute in other ways. For one, it will train Indian sailors in the fine art of operating nuclear submarines. This will be useful when India\’s own nuclear submarine, the over 6, 000-ton INS Arihant, becomes operational by 2011-2012, the report said.
India now has only 16 ageing conventional submarines operating at present.
http://www.lersus.com
ULAN BATOR, April 7 (Xinhua) — Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhia met with Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Filipe Marques Amado on Wednesday and they discussed bilateral relations.
The president welcomed Amado, the first high-level official from Portugal to visit Mongolia since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1974. He hoped the two countries would further improve relations and promote cooperation.
Amado said he is happy to see Mongolia successfully transforming into a democratic society, and appreciates the president\’s decision to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty early this year.
In January 2009, the two countries approved a draft contract in Lisbon on developing cooperation in education, culture, science and technology, youth, sports and media.
http://www.gemuhope.com
KHOST, Afghanistan, April 5 (Xinhua) — Taliban militants attacked a road construction company in Khost province east of Afghanistan on Monday killing two employees of the firm, spokesman for provincial administration Mubariz Zadran said.
\”Armed Taliban rebels raided the site of a construction firm in Sapira district today, as a result two workers of the firm were killed,\” Zadran told Xinhua.
A passerby sustained injuries in fire exchange, he further said.
All the victims were Afghans, he said.
Taliban fighters who have intensified their activities have yet to make comment.
http://www.znnw.com
KABUL, March 17 (Xinhua) — The Afghan police have arrested more than 500 terrorists over the past one year and foiled nearly 800 terrorist attacks, Abdul Manan Farahi Chief of Counter- Terrorism Department of Interior Ministry said Wednesday.
\”Counter-Terrorist police force has arrested 512 terrorists and foiled 797 terrorist attacks over the past one year in the militancy-plagued country,\” Farahi told a news conference here.
He also added that among the arrested terrorists, 105 are foreign nationals with a majority of them Pakistanis.
To stabilize security in the country, Farahi added that operations would be launched before the fighting season.
The spring and summer in Afghanistan are traditionally known as fighting season and Taliban-linked insurgents often intensify their activities against Afghan and NATO-led troops stationed in the post-Taliban country.
http://www.lersus.com
SEOUL, March 17 (Xinhua) — South Korea\’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae denied Wednesday President Lee Myung-bak\’s alleged remarks two years ago on the disputed islets whose territorial sovereignty is claimed both by Seoul and Tokyo.
The Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun previously reported that Lee asked Japan\’s then-Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda at a summit in 2008 to wait for an \”appropriate\” time to renew Japan\’s territorial claim over the islets, known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan.
The remarks in question came under fire here as the president apparently did not protest Japan\’s move to describe the islets as its territory in an education handbook, leading opposition lawmakers and the public to denounce Lee and even call for his impeachment.
\”The government did not seek a legal action against the newspaper, because we thought it might stir up international controversy over Dokdo\’s status as disputed islets, which won\’t be in our interest,\” Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye told reporters in a briefing.
\”Doko cannot be subject to disputes; it is a matter of our territorial sovereignty as well as a historical issue,\” she added, reiterating Seoul\’s longstanding stance that its easternmost islets belong to South Korea.
Territorial disputes over the lonely islets, lying halfway between the two countries, have continuously caused diplomatic ire in the two countries in the past. The latest diplomatic row broke out in December last year when Japan\’s newly released education guidebook maintained its sovereignty claim.
http://www.nmgmzbwg.com.cn
TOKYO, March 17 (Xinhua) — A U.S. military vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run incident in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, on Wednesday, according to police.
The incident left a 2-year-old boy slightly injured with a cut to the head. A 45-year old man, the child\’s father, and his 10- year-old brother were also in the car.
The vehicle involved in the accident was a U.S. Navy Jeep, which was found crashed and empty with its engine running shortly after the incident.
A woman saw the incident and reported it to police, other people had already contacted authorities about a speeding vehicle before the accident occurred.
The accident took place near to the U.S. Camp Nago military facility.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano called the incident \” extremely regrettable,\” and said the government would discuss the matter with U.S. authorities.
The incident is likely to lead to anger in Okinawa, where tens of thousands of U.S. forces are based. Since coming to power, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has been analysing alternative options to a 2006 Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed between Washington and Tokyo. That agreement will see many U.S. personnel remain in Okinawa, and transferred from the current Futenma facility to a new area away from the center of Ginowan city.
Okinawans have taken to the streets in recent months to protest against the U.S. military presence in the prefecture. In November last year, a separate hit-and-run incident involving a member of the U.S. military left an Okinawa citizen dead.
http://www.zokn.com
MANILA, March 17 (Xinhua) — The Special Ministerial Meeting of the Non- Aligned Movement on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development (SNAMMM) opened here Wednesday, adopting the Manila Declaration.
The declaration underlined the importance of promoting understanding, tolerance and friendship among human beings in all their diversity of religion, belief, culture and language.
It reaffirmed the commitment to promote and strengthen a culture of peace and dialogue, and resolve to achieve progress, address gaps and challenges and fulfill actions in the promotion of a culture of peace and dialogue at the local, national, regional and international levels aimed towards the full realization of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.
It said that in the current international environment, it is not an option but an imperative, sound and productive tool to promote economic and social development, peace and security, and human rights and the rule of law in guaranteeing a better life for all.
The ministers and heads of delegations from NAM member countries stressed the necessity of respecting cultural diversity and maximizing its benefit, through working together to build a harmonious and productive future by putting into practice and promoting values and principles such as justice, equality and non- discrimination, democracy, fairness and friendship, tolerance and respect within and among communities and nations.
Founded in September 1961, NAM devotes itself to striving for the interests of developing countries all over the world. The movement now groups 118 member states, 17 observer countries and 10 observer organizations, comprising nearly two-thirds of UN member states and 55 percent of the world population.
http://www.qb-china.com
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A Thai red-shirted demonstrator pours blood at the gate of Prime Minister\’s house in Bangkok, Thailand, March 17, 2010. Thailand\’s red-shirts demonstrators poured blood at the gate of Prime Minister\’s house at about 12:00 a.m. local time Wednesday after they initiated the blood-pouring tactic Tuesday at the Government House and the headquarters of the ruling Democrat Party.(Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)
BANGKOK, March 17 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s Deputy Prime Ministeter Suthep Thaugsuban said Wednesday that the government is ready for talks with the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, which is leading the ongoing anti-government rally in Bangkok, Thai media reported.
According to Bangkok Post online, Suthep Thaugsuban said that the government is ready to hold talks with UDD, particularly with its core leader Veera Musikhapong, on the condition that he must first get the green light from former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is seen as the de facto leader of the red-shirts movement.
Suthep made the remarks while the red-shirts\’ rally, led by UDD, continued to mount pressure on the government for an early House dissolution.
Their latest actions included pouring more than 300 litres of blood at the Government House, the headquarters of the ruling Democrat Party and the house of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. The blood was donated by the red-shirted people Tuesday.
Suthep said that while the government is ready for talks, most important of all, Thaksin must first show a clear stance.
Suthep said, however, it will not be possible for a national government to be set up with UDD core leaders being included in it.
? Blood are seen at the feet of riot police near the gate of Prime Minister\’s house in Bangkok, Thailand, March 17, 2010. Thailand\’s red-shirts demonstrators poured blood at the gate of Prime Minister\’s house at about 12:00 a.m. local time Wednesday after they initiated the blood-pouring tactic Tuesday at the Government House and the headquarters of the ruling Democrat Party.(Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)
The deputy prime minister said one possible way of resolving the ongoing political conflict is for all parties concerned to come to see one another and make a joint agreement on how to amend the constitution.
Suthep, who is in charge of security affairs, also said the government is concerned over reports of possible sabotage.
He said he can not tell whether the saboteurs will take orders from Thaksin, and that the only thing he can tell is that there were still some people who wanted to stir unrest and hurt the country.
Suthep said the government will continue to take stringent measures until it can be sure that there will not be any violence. The government will definitely not allow seizure of important installations including Suvarnabhumi airport, he added.
NEW DELHI, March 17 (Xinhua) — India\’s top judiciary on Wednesday asked the country\’s nodal adoption agency to consider, as an exception, the plea of a German couple for adopting twins born to a surrogate mother on \”humanitarian grounds.\”
The Supreme Court gave four weeks to the Central Adoption Resource Agency to consider the case of German couple John Balaz and his wife as a special one.
Under the existing law, surrogacy is an offense in India and the German couple cannot be granted adoption rights because such a privilege is available only if the children are abandoned by the biological parents.
However, the government\’s counsel told the apex court that it could consider this case as a one-time if it was not treated as a precedent in the future.
The adoption agency will respond to the court\’s request on May 3.
http://www.chinacourse.com
KABUL, March 17 (Xinhua) — Over 30 people were killed in a gas tank explosion in northern Afghanistan on Tuesday, a government official said Wednesday.
Most of the victims were women and children burnt to death, the official added.
http://www.nmgmzbwg.com.cn
JAKARTA, March 17 (Xinhua) — Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said Wednesday the military is ready to cooperate with any foreign counterparts on equality and balance basis as it is a sovereign territory.
\”We are ready to cooperate with the United States, China, Australia, Singapore and others with a condition of equality and balance basis,\” Purnomo told reporters.
He made the statement to comment on the joint-military training between Indonesian army special forces of Kopassus with its U.S. counterpart in the last few days.
\”That would be a good material for both forces as they could exchange military expertise,\” said Purnomo.
He said that military cooperation with other countries should be under national interest.
\”As President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that Indonesia must have zero enemy and one thousand friends, we have to maintain our good relationship, including military one, to make it happen,\” he said.
On the military cooperation with the U.S., Purnomo said that so far everything goes well.
\”So far we have no problem related to military cooperation. Indonesia-U.S. Security Dialog keeps continuing,\” he said.
According to Purnomo, joint military training between Indonesia and the U.S. is also aimed to show its counterpart that the country\’s military has changed compared to 10 years ago.
\”Now, our military has reformed and the result is extraordinary. The Indonesian military no longer has representatives in parliament, meaning that we are more professional in conducting our jobs in defending this country,\” he said.
http://www.kphy.com
JAKARTA, March 17 (Xinhua) — Indonesian President Spokesperson Dino Patti Djalal said on Wednesday that the comprehensive partnership agreements to be signed by Indonesian and U.S. governments are based on equality, the Antara news agency reported.
\”With agreements, the future partnership between Indonesia and the United States would be based on equality. Even though the U.S. is a super power country, Indonesia has an equal say in the bilateral relationship,\” Dino said in the presidential palace here.
The agreements are expected to be signed during the upcoming visit by U.S. President Barrack Obama.
According to Dino, with the basis of equality, the two governments could get along even though they disagree on certain issues without harming the ties between the two countries.
\”Disagreement in the relationship is normal and it could possibly occur in the future. But mutual respect would still be based on the comprehensive partnership between the U.S. and Indonesia,\” Dino said.
With the comprehensive agreements, relationship between the two countries would move ahead to wider arrays of cooperation in terms of education, technology, science, trade, investment, energy, security, food, among others.
Relationship between the two countries would also enter a new era as it will endorse \”soft power\” approach rather than \”hard power\” one applied in the past.
After the delay due to healthcare bill issue at home, Obama is scheduled to visit Indonesia from March 23 to March 25, a bit delayed from the initial schedule set from March 20 to March 22.
http://www.tbogg.com
LUCKNOW, India, March 17 (Xinhua) — The chief minister of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday got a new garland made of hundreds of cash notes here despite protests from the Congress party and other parties for her extravagance in receiving this kind of gifts.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leaders and activists of the Uttar Pradesh unit on Wednesday gifted another garland, made up of cash notes worth 1.8 million rupees (36,000 U.S. dollars), to their party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.
Mayawati, who was criticized in the past for installing hundreds of statues of herself across the state, was given 1.8 rupees of cash notes in a garland at a press conference here just a couple of days after she was given another garland, reportedly worth 200,000 rupees and made up entirely of 1,000 rupee notes during a rally to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the BSP.
BSP, the ruling party of Uttar Pradesh which is India\’s biggest state, has been severely criticized for accepting the multi-crore garland on Monday, with the ruling Congress and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party both rapped the event at the both houses of Indian Parliament.
But the BSP, which is a major regional party of India, remained defiant on Wednesday.
\”Our party organizes these rallies for the poor. The Opposition has objected to Mayawati\’s garland and making it an issue. BSP is very angry about all these allegations being made against Mayawati. We will continue to garland Mayawati with currency note garlands,\” BSP leader Nasimuddin Siddiqui told reporters.
http://www.znnw.com
PYONGYANG, March 17 (Xinhua) — The joint military exercise staged by the United States and South Korea was a test nuclear war of aggression against the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to a report published Tuesday by the official news agency KCNA.
The exercise, which was a total denial of the process for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, was an extension of invariable U.S. policy to stifle the DPRK, the report said.
\”Looking back on history, the U.S. has only pursued a policy to bring down the system in the DPRK, not seeking any solution to the issue based on the respect for sovereignty,\” it said.
The report noted that the current U.S. administration was little different from the preceding administration in pursuing a hostile policy toward the DPRK and didn\’t want to see things going well in the country.
The U.S. should take substantial steps to put an end to the state of war and hostile relations with the DPRK, the report said.
The U.S. and South Korea on March 8 started their annual joint military exercise, which was scheduled to end Thursday.
http://www.gemuhope.com
BANGKOK, April 5 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s Civil Court on Monday evening decided to shelve a request by the security agency to order the red-shirted protesters to move out of a shopping and tourism center in Bangkok.
Early on Monday, Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) applied to the Civil Court for an injunction to order the red- shirt leaders to leave the Ratchaprasong Intersection in central Bangkok.
The Isoc asked the court to order Veera Musikhapong, Jatuporn Prompan, Natthawut aikua, Weng Tojirakarn and Arisman Pongruengrong, core leaders of the United front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), to lead protesters out of the area and remove stage, vehicles and belongings.
Also, the court is asked to ban rallies at 11 roads which Centre for Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO) declared as controlled areas under the Internal Security Act, which means that protesters are banned from entering these areas.
The court said that as Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, chairman of Isoc, has issued an announcement to ask the five core leaders of the red-shirts movement to move out of the area, which has been in effect, it is not necessary to ask for court\’s approval.
The decision was hailed by Jatuporn, one of the core leaders, who described it as a victory for the red-shirted protesters.
Since Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters occupied the Rajprasong Intersection, Bangkok\’s prime shopping and tourism district, forcing several malls to shut down. The UDD has claimed that the protesters will stay at the intersection until Prime Minister Abhisit agrees to dissolve the parliament within 15 days as the group demanded.
http://www.zokn.com
PHNOM PENH, April 5 (Xinhua) — Cambodia said Monday that Chinese dams built on the upper parts have no impact on the level of water in the downstream of the Mekong River.
Lim Kean Hor, minister of water resource management and meteorology said based on studies and experts the dams built by China have no impact on the change of water level in the lower Mekong River, but because of climate change, lack of rainfalls and drought in the upper parts in China, Laos and Thailand.
Lim Kean Hor made the statement upon his arrival at the Phnom Penh International Airport from the first Mekong River Commission Summit held in Hua Hin, Thailand on April 4-5.
The meeting which was attended by heads of the governments from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam plus their dialogue partners of China and Myanmar had discussed how to achieve sustainable development in the Mekong basin.
During the meeting, China had pledged to make closer cooperation with the countries that use water from the Mekong River, according to Lim Kean Hor.
During the meeting, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Song Tao said that \”China now has three hydropower stations in operation over the Lancang River, namely Jinghong, Manwan and Dachaoshan. \” Those three are cascade hydropower stations that do not consume water, with scarce effect on the water volume flowing across the border.\”
The research and evaluation work by various Chinese and overseas institutes supports Song\’s remarks. According to a brochure issued by China\’s Ecosystem Study Commission for International Rivers, the study by those institutes including Canada Dilon Environment Scientific Consulting, drew the same conclusion.
Song said the runoff volume of the Lancang River accounts for only 13.5 percent of that of the Mekong River. The runoff of the Mekong River mainly comes from the middle-and-lower Mekong basin, amounting to 86.5 percent.
He also quoted a statement by the Mekong River Commission last month as saying that the water level decline of the Lancang-Mekong main stem is contributed by an early ending of rain season in 2009, a low monsoon rainfall and an extreme scarcity of dry-season rainfall.
http://www.chinacourse.com
ISLAMABAD, March 17 (Xinhua) — A Pakistani court on Wednesday indicted five Americans on terror charges, three months after they were arrested on suspicion of plotting attacks with Al-Qaeda- linked groups, a lawyer said.
The five U.S. nationals from Virginia, aged from 18 to 25, were arrested in December 2009 in a house raid of a member of the banned militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), in the town of Sargodha in the eastern Pakistani province of Punjab. They have been suspected of having plans for terrorism in Pakistan.
According to private TV channels, they were indicted by an Anti- Terrorist Court in Sargodha. The court has, once again, adjourned hearing of the case till March 31.
The proceedings were held amid tight security and reporters were not allowed inside the prison where the accused have been languishing.
A Pakistani court has also barred their deportation to the United States, where they all lived before traveling to Pakistan last year.
Pakistani officials say the men planned to travel to Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban against U.S. troops. They have denied links to Al-Qaeda and said they wanted to go to Afghanistan for charity work.
Related:
Al-Qaida leader nabbed in Pakistan\’s Karachi
ISLAMABAD, March 8 (Xinhua) — America-born al-Qaida leader, Adam Yahiye Gadahn, was arrested in south Pakistan\’s port city of Karachi, local media reported on Monday.
Gadahn, a close associate of Al-Qaida chief Osama Bin Laden, was arrested on Sunday from the outskirts of Karachi.?? Full story
Osama bin Laden won\’t appear in U.S. court alive: attorney general
WASHINGTON, March 16 (Xinhua) — U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday that al-Qaida world network leader Osama bin Laden will never appear in a U.S. courtroom because he won\’t be brought in alive.? Full story
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BANGKOK, March 17 (Xinhua) — The majority of investors in Thailand understand the country\’s political situation, Board of Investment (BOI) secretary-general Atchaka Sribunruang Brimble said Wednesday.
If the ongoing mass rally by the anti-government group does not turn violent, the conflict won\’t affect the investment sentiment, she was quoted by the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT) as saying.
Atchaka is also confident that the BOI will meet with a target of 500 billion baht (15.46 billion U.S. dollars) worth of investment projects to apply for the BOI investment promotion privileges in 2010.
Moreover, the BOI plans to continue with a plan to organize at least 150 roadshow activities to attract foreign investments in 2010 despite the political movement, she said.
The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) protestors on March 12 traveled from the countryside to stage the mass rally in Bangkok as their rally has been continuing.
The Internal Security Act (ISA) has been enforced by the government in eight provinces during the period from March 11 to March 23 to ensure security during the rally.
The ISA imposition has taken effect in the whole area of capital Bangkok and the neighboring Nonthaburi.
The ISA law has been enforced in some 21 districts of six other provinces nearby Bangkok, including Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Chachoengsao, Nakhon Pathom, and Ayutthaya.
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NEW DELHI, April 5 (Xinhua) — Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram Monday met with the U.S. Ambassador Timothy Roemer here and discussed India\’s demand to access international terror suspect David Coleman Headley who is now in U.S. custody.
\”This is an issue that is being taken up at the highest levels of the U.S. government day and night constantly,\” Roemer said after the meeting.
In a plea bargain last month, Headley accepted that he was guilty of planning and executing bombings at public places in India, including Mumbai attacks, on behalf of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
In return, American officials agreed that the death penalty would be waived for him, and that he would not be extradited to India.
India has been assured by the U.S. Justice Department that it alone will decide whether India can quiz Headley directly about his role in Mumbai terror attacks, high level sources in the Union Home Ministry said.
They revealed that India may get direct access to Headley within 30 days.
So far Indian intelligence officials have been given mixed signals by America on whether they can directly question Headley.
However, Roemer surprised India last month by announcing that no decision had been taken on whether India could interrogate Headley directly.
Roemer\’s statement came after U.S. attorney General Eric Holder phoned Chidambaram to assure him that India would get the access it wanted to Headley, a Pakistani-American who made multiple trips to India between 2006 and 2008 to survey the places that would become the sites of the attacks in Mumbai.
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? A Thai red-shirted demonstrator holds a bag of blood near the gate of Prime Minister\’s house in Bangkok, Thailand, March 17, 2010. Thailand\’s red-shirts demonstrators poured blood at the gate of Prime Minister\’s house at about 12:00 a.m. local time Wednesday after they initiated the blood-pouring tactic Tuesday at the Government House and the headquarters of the ruling Democrat Party.(Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)
BANGKOK, March 17 (Xinhua) — The anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) group announced Wednesday evening a plan to scatter their rally in capital Bangkok on Saturday, Thailand\’s Channel 9 Television reported.
The planned-scattering rally on was announced at 18:44 p.m.(11: 44 GMT) by two UDD core leaders: Nattawut Saikua and Veera Musigkapong, Channel 9 TV reported.
The UDD or red-shirted protesters on March 12 traveled from the countryside to stage the mass rally in Bangkok and their mass rally has been continuing.
The red-shirt people are demanding a House dissolution and holding a fresh general election.
The Internal Security Act (ISA) has been enforced by the Thai government in eight provinces during March 11-23 to ensure security during the rally.
The ISA imposition has taken effect in the whole area of capital Bangkok and Nonthaburi, which is next to Bangkok.
Also, the ISA law has been enforced in some 21 districts of six other provinces nearby Bangkok, including Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Chachoengsao, Nakhon Pathom, and Ayutthaya.
Related:
Thai gov\’t ready to talk with red-shirts\’ leaders: Deputy PM
BANGKOK, March 17 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s Deputy Prime Ministeter Suthep Thaugsuban said Wednesday that the government is ready for talks with the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, which is leading the ongoing anti-government rally in Bangkok, Thai media reported.
According to Bangkok Post online, Suthep Thaugsuban said that the government is ready to hold talks with UDD, particularly with its core leader Veera Musikhapong, on the condition that he must first get the green light from former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is seen as the de facto leader of the red-shirts movement.Full story
Thai PM not worried about blood pouring by red-shirted people
BANGKOK, March 17 (Xinhua) — Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he was informed by the peace-keeping operations command Wednesday morning the red-shirted group headed to pour their collected blood at his residence, but there was nothing to worry about, a state-owned media reported.
The Thai prime minister\’s residence is located on Street Sukhumvit 31 in the center of capital Bangkok.Full story
Video>> Red Shirts continue blood protests in Bangkok
A Thai red-shirted demonstrator pours blood at the gate of Prime Minister\’s house in Bangkok, Thailand, March 17, 2010. Thailand\’s red-shirts demonstrators poured blood at the gate of Prime Minister\’s house at about 12:00 a.m. local time Wednesday after they initiated the blood-pouring tactic Tuesday at the Government House and the headquarters of the ruling Democrat Party.(Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)
by Nuttanan Srithorn
BANGKOK, March 17 (Xinhua) — If violence is avoided during the ongoing mass rally by the red-shirted protesters, it is to enhance the country\’s democratic movement, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of security affairs Suthep Thaugsuban said Wednesday.
\”If the pretest leaders can carefully manage the rally to prevent violence, it will enhance the country\’s political movement for a democratic purpose,\” Suthep was quoted by the National News Bureau of Thailand as saying.
Moreover, Suthep said the government is open for dialogue with ousted former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, but a negotiation must be made under a legal framework.
The pro-Thaksin red-shirt demonstration remained peaceful on Wednesday as the government tightened security measures in capital Bangkok to prevent violence.
Ten of thousands of protesters led by United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) converged on Bangkok since March 12 to press the prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve the lower house of parliament and call new election.
Abhisit was given until noon on Monday to accept their demand but he refused to give in as thousands of protesters gathered outside the military barracks where Abhisit based.
In a symbolic protest to mount pressure, red-shirt demonstrators hurled plastic bags filled with their own blood in the house compound of Abhisit at noon on Wednesday after they poured human blood Tuesday at the Government House and the headquarters of the ruling Democrat Party.
With the number of protesters dwindling, the UDD announced a plan to scatter their rally in Bangkok on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) index climbed 13.34 points, or 1.77 percent, to close at 765.54.
Also, the Thai baht currency strengthened to 32.36 per U.S. dollar — the strongest in 21 months on continued capital flows into the foreign exchange market despite of the anti-government protest.
Board of Investment (BOI) secretary-general Atchaka Sribunruang Brimble said if the mass rally does not turn violent, it won\’t affect the investment sentiment.
The Internal Security Act (ISA) has been enforced in and around Bangkok during March 11-23 with a 50,000-strong riot police and soldiers on standby to shun violence.
ISLAMABAD, March 17 (Xinhua) — Pakistan has procured 13 AH-1F Cobras from the United States for use as spare parts for its helicopter fleet, the U.S. embassy in Islamabad said Wednesday.
The helicopters will be shipped from a U.S. facility in Alabama later this year, an embassy spokesman said.
The 13 aircraft are part of a larger 2007 transaction under which Pakistan also procured and refurbished 12 AH-1F Cobras for its fleet, the embassy said in a statement.
During the last three years, U.S. civilian and security assistance to Pakistan has totaled more than 340 billion Pakistani rupees (about 4 billion U.S. dollars).
The U.S. has funded and provided training for more than 370 Pakistani military officers in a wide range of leadership and development programs covering topics such as counter-terrorism, intelligence, logistics, medical, flight safety, and military law, the statement said.
\”Assistance provided and delivered has included support for medical aid, school refurbishment, bridge and well reconstruction, food distribution, agricultural and education projects,\” it said.
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BANGKOK, April 6 (Xinhua) — A leader of the anti-government movement known as red-shirts Tuesday called on supporters from all provinces to immediately come to the Thai capital Bangkok for final showdown against the government, local media said.
Many soldiers were stationed at the Lumpini Park, some 300 metres from Ratchaprasong intersection, a prime shopping and tourism area in Bangkok, waiting for an order to crack down on the demonstrators, the Bangkok Post online quoted Natthawut Saikua, a core leader of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship or UDD as saying.
Meanwhile, Jatuporn Prompan, another UDD leader, said that if the government used force to evict red-shirted protesters from the rally site at Ratchaprasong intersectionthey will immediately lay siege to headquarters of the ruling Democrat Party and attack prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva\’s residence in Bangkok.
\”If we were dispersed at Ratchaprasong, we would disperse the ruling Democrat Party\’s 64th anniversary celebration being held at its headquarters,\” Jatuporn said.
Weng Tochirakarn, another UDD leader, has dispatched some 1,000 security guards to each intersection in Pratunam, Ploenchit, Pathumwan and Chidlom areas to confront with the joint police and military troops.
Late Monday, the UDD announced that they would on Tuesday march to 11 areas, starting from 11:00 a.m. local time, which are banned from entering.
The red-shirts, mainly supporters of the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in 2006 coup, started occupying the central commercial area last Saturday with roads blocked and shops forced to close to push the government to dissolve parliament and hold early elections.
Related:
Thai Red-shirts start to withdraw from EC building
BANGKOK, April 5 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s anti-government movement red-shirts started to move away from the Election Commission (EC) building after a temporary intrusion into the building.
The rally began to disperse at 03:20 p.m. local time after their leaders declared victory, quoting the EC chairman agreed to make a decision in the party dissolution case against the Democrat Party on April 20. Full story
Thai red shirts storm into Election Commission
BANGKOK, April 5 (Xinhua) — More than two hundreds red-shirted protesters rushed into the head office of Election Commission (EC) Monday afternoon in Bangkok but they soon retreated following their leader\’s request of a peaceful demonstration.
The anti-government red-shirts entered into the EC building at about 02:00 p.m. local time after the election commissioners failed to show up to answer their demand concerning Democrat Party \’s dissolution case. Full story
SUVA, March 18 (Xinhua) — Fiji\’s Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama said that while most of Fiji and in particular the densely populated areas were spared the devastating effects of Cyclone Tomas, residents in the northern region, Lomaiviti and Lau Groups suffered the brunt of the hurricane.
The winds of Tomas reached up to speeds of 130 knots or 240 km per hour which damaged just about anything that crossed its path.
Bainimarama told a press conference on Wednesday afternoon that his government\’s first priority was to carry out an assessment to determine the full extent of the damage. This started on Wednesday and is expected to be completed by Thursday night at the latest.
He said while carrying out these assessments, emergency supplies including food and water would be delivered to the affected regions.
The divisional Eastern and Northern Commissioners have been spearheading the assessment teams and emergency relief work.
Bainimarama said under the arrangement between France, Australia and New Zealand, emergency relief supplies and assistance as well as aerial surveys to determine the full extent of the damage would be available for Fiji.
A New Zealand Air Force transport airplane landed in Fiji on Wednesday with the Australian and French airplanes being deployed for assessment flights the same afternoon.
On Thursday the Northern team will fly to Cikobia, one of the most affected islands in the division.
In conjunction, three Fiji Navy vessels left on Wednesday for Lomaiviti, Lau and for the Northern Region islands, such as Cikobia.
These vessels were carrying emergency relief supplies including food, water, tents and tarpaulins.
On Friday, two vessels will leave for Lau and Lomaiviti groups with more supplies. They will also carry planting material from the Ministry of Agriculture as well as military engineers and public servants who will be deployed to carry out rehabilitation work.
In this respect, apart from providing emergency supplies of food and water, the Fiji government will focus on rehabilitating medical centers and schools that have been damaged.
Bainimarama wanted schools and medical centers operational immediately.
In areas where schools and medical centers have been completely damaged or shall require time to rehabilitate the structures, make- shift accommodation will be provided through large tents.
Apart from the outer islands, relief work and assessment was also being carried out in the affected parts of Vanua Levu, Taveuni,Rabi and Kioa.
The Northern Region and the Lomaiviti and Lau Groups have been declared a Natural Disaster area for the next 30 days.
Bainimarama said Fiji military territorial engineers will be deployed to work on the priority areas of schools, hospitals and medical centers while the Navy will be deployed to expedite the rehabilitation work.
