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Monday,
December 10, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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8 hurt in
Haifa suicide attack
Lankan
PM’s first move to woo India |
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Pak’s plan to sell submarines fails
USA to
hunt Osama, Omar What will
USA do with Bin Laden? USA
running operations from Gulf Sikhs
‘target’ of racial slurs
Speight
loses seat in parliament
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8 hurt in Haifa suicide attack
Jerusalem, December 9 The police told Reuters the blast left the suicide bomber badly wounded. When they saw he was still moving and feared he might detonate more explosives, they shot him dead. “I heard a huge explosion, I saw smoke and something fly in the air,” Mr Yoram Einstein, a witness to the bombing, told Israel Radio. A spokesman for Magen David Ambulance Service said 18 persons had been taken to hospital, eight with light to moderate injuries and the rest suffering from shock. The police said the number of casualties was relatively small because the bomber detonated his explosives prematurely when officers at the scene began surrounding him. “The terrorist looked suspicious and when (a policeman) made eye contact, (the bomber) blew himself up,’’ police commander Yitzhak Borovsky told Israel Radio. Mr Borovsky said he believed the bomber did not intend to blow himself up at the hitch-hiking post, which is also the site for inter-city bus stops. “There is no doubt that he did not expect to explode at the place where he blew himself up,” Mr Borovsky said. Palestinian suicide bombers killed 25 persons in attacks in Jerusalem and Haifa last weekend. RAMALLAH (WEST BANK):
Four Palestinian police officers have been killed by Israeli soldiers overnight during an operation in Anabta in the north of the West Bank, Palestinian security services said on Sunday. The killings came after the Israeli army occupied Palestinian-controlled Anabta and nearby Ramim, occupying a building belonging to the personal guard of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and arresting Palestinians there, the source said. The security officials said the police officers were travelling in a jeep when the Israeli soldiers opened fire on them without warning. They were all hit in the head. Two other police officers at the scene were also injured. An Israeli army spokesman confirmed that an operation had been carried out in the two places to “stop Palestinians involved in terrorist activities.” The spokesman said the operation would continue until the mission was completed. The renewed violence comes as Israel keeps up the pressure on Mr Arafat to rein in militants. GAZA:
Israeli army forces entered Palestinian-controlled territory in the southern Gaza Strip and destroyed a security post, a statement from Palestinian public security said. Eyewitnesses in Rafah said while two bulldozers were destroying the post on Saturday, two tanks were firing to cover them. They added that the Israeli army left the area after levelling the structure. Israeli army sources told Israel Radio’s Arabic service that the four military vehicles, which drove 500 metres into Rafah from the Morag Jewish settlement, entered the area after Palestinian militants fired two mortar shells at Morag, adding that there would be more similar army operations until the mortars stop.
Agencies |
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Lankan PM’s first move to woo India Colombo, December 9 Mr Wickremesinghe is likely to sound New Delhi on renewing a virtually shattered Norwegian bid to open peace talks between Colombo and Tamil Tiger guerrillas, a campaign pledge he made ahead of the December 5 elections. Mr Wickremesinghe announced on Saturday that his first foreign trip as Prime Minister would be to India for talks with Indian leaders and indicated he would discuss Sri Lanka’s long-running separatist conflict and its disastrous effect while in New Delhi. He told his United National Party (UNP) that the trip was necessary to resolve the two main challenges facing the nation, ending the Tamil Tiger separatist war and reviving the economy to provide jobs for the thousands of unemployed youth. “I will get India’s support to solve these immediate problems,” Mr Wickremesinghe said. He did not give precise dates for the visit but said it would take place in December. Said a former diplomat: “It is a step in the right direction, if he wants to play all his cards well. India will play a big part, even if it is only from the sidelines.” Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is known to be a personal friend of Mr Wickremesinghe and the two were known to have maintained close relations while they were in and out of power. Mr Wickremesinghe made an official visit as the Opposition leader to New Delhi in June during which he met Mr Vajpayee, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Home Minister L.K. Advani and Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi. Analysts point out that India had supported Norway’s attempts to broker peace in the war-torn island and was disappointed when President Kumaratunga sidelined Oslo’s special envoy Erik Solhiem in June. Mr Solheim, who had handled months of negotiations since 1999, was perceived by Colombo as being pro-LTTE and too open with information about the supposedly hush-hush process. Mr Kumaratunga was once a favourite of New Delhi that supported her package of political reforms offering wide-ranging devolution powers to the Tamils. But she failed to muster legislative support to push the reforms through. Mr Wickremesinghe has promised to pursue the Norwegian bid, offer “maximum devolution” to minority Tamils and arrive at a consensus with all parties involved. He has ruled out a key LTTE demand for revoking a 1998 ban on the organisation before talks open, but said the decision would be subject to discussions with the Norwegian facilitators. Since it sent troops to Sri Lanka under a 1987 bilateral pact, New Delhi has refrained from direct involvement in the island nation but has pushed for a negotiated settlement to the Tamil conflict. The dragging war with the LTTE has claimed more than 60,000 lives.
IANS |
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First Buddhist monk ever in Lanka House Colombo, December 9 The first Buddhist monk ever to be elected, Baddegama Samitha, as well as former Sri Lanka cricket skipper Arjuna Ranatunga are first-time winners for the defeated People’s Alliance (PA). The western Gampaha district fell to the United National Party although it is the stronghold of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and her brother Anura Bandaranaike. The district, the second most populous in the island, was nursed by their prime minister parents, father S.D. Bandaranaike and mother Sirima, since the 1950s and later by Ms Kumaratunga and her once estranged brother. The Bandaranaikes managed to keep their Attanagalle constituency in the district where their family home and estate are located. Despite voters returning Mr Anura Bandaranaike and six other PA members, the UNP took nine of the districts and the radical left Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) two. Among the interesting personalities who will take their seat in the House are Mr Ranatunga, who led Sri Lanka to World Cup victory in 1994.
IANS |
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Pak’s plan to sell submarines fails
Islamabad, December 9 The deal could be a major blow to the Pakistani navy as it planned to embark on high sales drive of the Agosta sub ever since it acquired the transfer of technology rights from France and invested heavily to construct a submarine building and repair facility at the southern Ormara Port few years ago, media report said here. The much awaited submarine deal with Malaysia failed to take off as Kuala Lumpur opted to buy two Scorpion class diesel submarines for about $ 1.8 billion from France itself, instead of giving the order to Pakistan. The Malaysian decision to buy the original French submarines from France has completely eliminated Pakistan’s sales prospects, The Friday Times newspaper said. The Pakistani navy has signed the deal with France in early 1990s to acquire transfer of technology. As per the deal one submarine would be delivered by France and other two would be built at the newly constructed Ormara base, which was set up with an eye on the exports. Pakistan opted for the costly transfer of technology option as it was convinced of being able to manufacture and sell the sub at far more cheaper price due to the availability of cheap labour. Besides Malaysia, similar offers were made to Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Myanmar but without success. The Agosta was in news early this year as the Pakistani navy said it could build a nuclear platform on it if so desired. “Going nuclear is government’s decision. If the country has become a nuclear power, it is obvious that the government has to think of the means of delivery and most credible delivery in the history of naval power is the submarine platform,” Pakistan naval Chief Admiral Abdul Aaziz Mirza said in June this year. He said in order to go nuclear the French-built Agosta 90B nuclear submarine “have to have independent propulsion and firing system of longer range missiles and if the government decides we will be able to deliver to whatever extent it is possible”.
PTI |
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USA to hunt Osama, Omar New York, December 9 Mr Wolfowitz, the Pentagon’s second-ranking official, specifically mentioned yesterday Afghanistan’s neighbour Pakistan, as well as Somalia and Yemen, as countries to which these high-profile fugitives may seek to flee. He also warned other countries against harbouring them. “I think we’ve made it clear that the leadership of the Taliban are, in our view, wanted for criminal activity, and that it doesn’t matter where they are,” Mr Wolfowitz said while in New York for the commissioning of the guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley. Mullah Omar is believed to be in the area of Kandahar, Mr Wolfowitz said, but he added, “If you told me he turned up on a ship in the Indian Ocean tomorrow I couldn’t be totally surprised.” “We’re pretty sure some people are trying to escape into Pakistan. I think the key to catching them is going to be cooperation with the Pakistanis themselves,” Mr Wolfowitz said, adding that Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf had so far been cooperative. The ongoing search in Afghanistan will be focused around Jalalabad and Nangahar in the eastern part of the country and Kandahar in the south, Mr Wolfowitz said. But he also acknowledged that US objectives in this phase of the military campaign could diverge from those of the Afghan allies, and that gaining the continued cooperation of Afghans would take some effort. PESHAWAR: One of four main groups which helped forge the Bonn accord for an interim government in Afghanistan has called on the United Nations to start a voter registration drive in anticipation of general elections. The so-called ‘Peshawar group’, headed by Pashtun royalist Pir Sayed Ahmed Gailani, also called on the UN and international community “to assist in the reintegration of the mujahideen into the international community”. In a statement issued here on Saturday, the group urged the creation of a fund to “assist the families and other dependents of martyrs and victims of the war, as well as the war disabled”. The landmark power-sharing agreement to form a post-Taliban government, signed in Bonn on Wednesday by rival Afghan factions, establishes a six-month interim administration headed by Mr Hamid Karzai from the dominant Pashtun ethnic group. It also called for a national census of the Afghan population to be carried out. Pir Gailani earlier this week said the new interim administration lacked balance, and that “many who had a significant role in the jehad (war against the Soviets) were not considered”.
Reuters, AFP |
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What will USA do with Bin Laden? Washington, December 9 That’s a tough question President George W. Bush must be weighing. Perhaps the administration has already decided what to do, but every option seems fraught with difficulties. Right now US marines are scouring the mountains around Kandahar in an effort to hunt down key members of the Taliban and Al Qaida. Every marine above the rank of sergeant is carrying a set of photos of the key members. So far senior figures in the US administration, from President Bush downwards, have avoided spelling out exactly what would happen to bin Laden and Taliban chief Mullah Omar. Every move by the Bush administration after their capture will be a very difficult one, according to a BBC news report. If the two men are tried in an open court, officials fear that pictures or information from the proceedings would be twisted by supporters or sympathisers of the Taliban and used as propaganda against the USA. If President Bush decides to hold a trial in a closed military court, that will prove very controversial and will attract criticism from rights groups both at home and abroad. When the administration gave itself the powers to set up closed military tribunals in November, it came under sustained criticism for undermining the rights of defendants. The closed trials were also criticised because one of the tenets of democracy is people should be tried in public. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recently indicated that it might be acceptable to “bring them to justice” in another country. This could involve Omar being tried by the new government of Afghanistan. Mr Rumsfeld suggested bin Laden could face trial in his native Saudi Arabia. Even such trials would be problematic for the USA. It will want to ensure that it is seen as a fair one, and that any punishment matches the expectations at home. Mr Rumsfeld has said it would be unacceptable for Omar to “live in dignity” somewhere in Afghanistan. The problems of a trial suggest the USA might be happier if they were killed in Afghanistan. The danger for the USA then is that their supporters could turn them into martyrs. The problems of the war in Afghanistan may be nearly over, but the pursuit of the two men could prove even more difficult to prosecute.
IANS |
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USA running operations from Gulf Kuwait, December 9 The US Embassy in Kuwait said Lieut-Gen Paul Mikolashek (54), head of the US Third Army, had been temporarily deployed to Kuwait from Atlanta to run US Army Forces Central Command (USARCENT) operations in Afghanistan. The decision to move ground forces command operations for Afghanistan to Kuwait was taken “due to time zone and distance challenges”, the US Embassy said. Mindful of the sensitivity of the US military presence in the oil-rich region among many Arab states, the defence sources stressed that allied commanders were only directing operations from the region and not deploying forces from there. General Mikolashek was previously based in Kuwait when he served as Chief of the US Office of Military Cooperation in the Gulf Arab state in the mid-1990s.
Reuters |
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Sikhs ‘target’ of racial slurs Perth, December 9 Mr Sarjit Singh Jassal, who is the trustee of the Sikh Gurdwara Temple in western Australia state capital Perth, said the terrorist attacks on the USA had resulted in racist slurs against the Sikhs based on their dress code. “Because some turban-wearing people grabbed headlines through terrorist acts, all turban-wearing people, including Sikhs, have become the targets for racist taunts and jibes,” he said. “I have lived in this country for 20 years and, like many Sikhs, have great Australian friends, but these days, people look at us suspiciously and it is not uncommon for us to be questioned aggressively about what faith we belong to.” He said vandals had mistaken a Sikh temple for a mosque and had thrown a pig’s head and beer cans into its grounds. State Premier Geoff Gallop said there was no place in society for racism, discrimination, intimidation or acts of violence against the minority groups. “I want to reassure the Sikh community of our state’s commitment to provide a safe and secure future for all west Australians, free of racist and religious discrimination,” the Premier said. At marches throughout Australia’s capital cities today, demonstrators called for an end to the war in Afghanistan and racism and sought respect for human rights. Hundreds of people took part in the marches.
AP |
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Speight loses seat in parliament Suva, December 9 The police today called for calm from Mr Speight’s nationalists who rejected his disqualification from parliament and said they were considering a legal challenge and possible street protests. “We plead to supporters of George to remain calm as we head into the festive season,’’ Fiji Police Commissioner Isikia Savua told Reuters in the capital Suva. Mr Speight stormed parliament with a group of armed nationalists in May 2000, overthrowing the government of Fiji’s first ethnic Indian Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry. A military-appointed indigenous government ruled the South Pacific nation until elections in September 2001, but Mr Speight has languished in an island prison off Suva charged with treason after his supporters failed to hand in all their weapons under an amnesty. Parliamentary speaker Epeli Nailatikau said that under the constitution an MP was allowed to be absent from two sessions of parliament only and that he could not grant Mr Speight permission for further absences. “After much consideration I am of the firm view the member on remand on charges of treason is not entitled to that (further absences),” Mr Nailatikau told parliament in a late night sitting on Saturday.
Reuters |
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