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battle against people smugglers CHANGLE COUNTY (CHINA), Sept 17: Superpower America fears nothing - nothing except......more
India to support Israel JERUSALEM, Sept 17: India has described Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon as a brave and .....more
Peruvian President resigns, LIMA, Sept 17: Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori has announced he would resign from office and .......more India’s concerns over WASHINGTON, Sept 17: Summing up his "rewarding" visit to the United States, Prime Minister.......more |
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India welcomes
UAE as member of IOR-ARC ABU DHABI, Sept 17: India has welcomed the entry of the United Arab Emirates as........more
WASHINGTON, Sept 17: It was vintage Atal Behari Vajpayee all the way when the Prime Minister...more Army recaptures strategic town near Jaffna COLOMBO, Sept 17: In a major turn around in balance of power in war-torn Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lankan Army today. ...more
ISLAMABAD, Sept 17: Osama Bin Laden, the most wanted Arab dissident, escaped an attempt on his life a few weeks ago when some unidentified......more |
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China in uphill battle against people smugglers CHANGLE COUNTY (CHINA), Sept 17: Superpower America fears nothing - nothing except four counties in Fujian province, goes a saying popular along this rugged stretch of China’s coast. What rattles the United States is not Chinese missiles or crack troops - deployed in Fujian to scare nearby Taiwan off independence - but a stealthy invasion of waiters and sweatshop workers, moving illegally and under perilous conditions. Changle and three other counties outside the Fujian provincial capital of Fuzhou shot from sleepy obscurity to international notoriety in June when 58 locals were found dead in a tomato truck in Dover, England. The 56 Fujianese men and two women - who suffocated on the last leg of a tortuous trip from home to promised jobs in Britain -cast a harsh spotlight on the lucrative but murky business of human trafficking and what many believe is official collusion. "At least 80 per cent of the villages around changle have families with members working in England or America," shrugged a local truck driver named lin when asked to point out villages where relatives of the dover dead could be found. Landscape transformed A tour of villages here, where overseas remittances have transformed the landscape from ramshackle rural to high-rise urban almost overnight, drives home the high level of dependence on the sweat of seagoing sons and daughters. Zhanggang, home to at least two of the tomato truck victims, bristles with row after row of barely finished four-story concrete and tile homes - all the fruit of villagers toiling abroad, legally or illegally. Temples, graves and churches were built or rebuilt with the cash they sent home, while local teenagers dress like their suburban cousins in the west. "This whole area was rice paddy only five years ago," said Mr Lin, who has several cousins living in America. If this is now the most infamous source of emigrants, a 300-km swathe of coastal Fujian, from Fuzhou to Xiamen, sports similar signs of emigre largesse. Time-honoured tradition Asked about human trafficking, Fujian Governor XI Jinping said his Government was tough on "snakeheads" who organise and profit vastly from the illegal traffic, but that emigration itself was a deep-rooted tradition in the province. "The ratio of Fujianese inside the province to those outside is about one to one and the history of Fujianese travelling overseas stretches back to the sung dynasty," he told mediapersons, referring to a period that ended about 900 years ago. "But people who emigrate illegally are a very small fraction of the 33 million who live and work contentedly here," XI said, adding that Fujian was ranked sixth in per capita GDP in China. China’s official Xinhua news agency appeared to endorse him, reporting that Fuzhou police had seized 152 snakeheads in the past four months and that thorough patrols had halted snakehead activity off Fujian since July. British Detective Superintendent Dennis McGookin told reporters in Beijing at the end of a week-long visit to China that China had made arrests in the Dover deaths. "We believe several people have been arrested," he said, but added that he had no details. "We believe they’re key individuals." Fear enforces silence The cultural and economic drive combines with what analysts and local residents alike say is collusion between traffickers and officials to defy Beijing’s best efforts to stamp it out. "The snakeheads work hand-in-glove with local authorities - otherwise they would not be so powerful," said one man. After Dover’s grisly discovery, western reporters who tried to find bereaved relatives were rounded up and expelled by police here. A Reuters correspondent visiting Zhanggang found villagers unwilling to talk without Government permission and was later chased away by a man on a motorcycle demanding he go through the local communist party office. (AGENCIES) |
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India to support Israel in international fora JERUSALEM, Sept 17: India has described Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon as a brave and responsible step towards application of UN resolution and pledged that New Delhi will make a new analysis of its voting pattern in the international fora, Israeli Foreign Ministry said. This was conveyed by Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh to his Israeli counterpart Shlomo Ben Ami during a meeting between the two leaders at the United Nations earlier this week, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson told PTI here. Singh praised withdrawal of Israeli troops from occupation of Southern Lebanon earlier this year and described the move as a brave step "which expresses self assurance, responsibility and the application of UN resolutions," the spokesperson said. Israeli media reports said that New Delhi would now extend support to Tel Aviv in the international fora and organisations. Singh made the promise to Israeli Foreign Minister that "India will begin to support israel in international fora and organisations," Hebrew Daily `Ma’Arive’ said. Ben Ami said that during the meeting the Indian Foreign Minister expressed "a deep understanding of the Israeli positions in the matter of Jerusalem and Palestinians, and a promise that good relations that exist between the two countries would now also be expressed in international forums," Ma’Ariv reported. During their meeting, Ben Ami updated Singh with the Israeli position and the developments in the peace process. A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official told PTI that following high-profile visits of Indian leaders and former Israeli Premier Shimon Peres’ trip to New Delhi to drum up diplomatic support in favour of Israeli position of peace process, Tel Aviv expects good ties with New Delhi to be reflected in India’s voting pattern in international forum. Describing India as one of the most important players emerging in the international community, the official said given its historical ties with Arab world and support of Palestinian cause, New Delhi could influence the Palestinians that any unilateral action would not serve the cause of peace process and that negotiations should go on unless a final settlement is agreed upon. Palestinian Information Ministry said Palestine had historical ties with India which had always stood for Palestinians’ inalienable right to a home land. He said India commanded a good respect from the Arab World and Israel and hoped that New Delhi would use its influence over Tel Aviv to further the Palestinian cause. The official said strong Indo-Palestinian ties should also be translated into economic and cultural relations. (PTI) |
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Peruvian President resigns, calls for new elections LIMA, Sept 17: Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori has announced he would resign from office and called for new elections following revelations of a bribery scandal involving one of his most trusted confidantes. He would not be a candidate in the elections, Fujimori said late yesterday. Mr Fujimori’s resignation ends 10 years of iron rule that culminated this year in allegations of shady election practices and manipulated procedures for his reelection in may. Both the United States and neighbouring South American countries have been calling for a return of democratic principles to Peru. No date was set for the elections for Parliament and the presidency. Earlier yesterday, it was revealed that one of his closest supporters - the head of the secret police - was videotaped haggling with an opposition Member of Parliament about blackmail money. The official, Vladimiro Montesinos, was secretly filmed trying to lure the opposition activist into the Government’s camp. Mr Fujimori said the secret police would be dissolved. In the capital city, opposition supporters cried "victory" and hooted their horns. The affair has further tainted the controversial Fujimori, who has been under pressure from the United States and neighbouring states in South America for alleged manipulation of recent elections. He narrowly beat his opponent, Alejandro Toledo. Since the election was so close in April, a run-off was held in may, but Mr Toledo withdrew because of continuing complaints about the impartiality of the election process. Mr Fujimori won a landslide victory in the run-off. Mr Fujimori’s unprecedented third term in office follows a decade of iron rule. Mr Toledo yesterday called for Mr Fujimori to resign and build an interim Government. To protest yesterday’s revelations, the opposition party announced their withdrawal from discussions with the Government over returning democratic rule to Peru. The organisation of American states is overseeing the talks. Mr Montesinos offered himself up for questioning. But the main state prosecutor, Blanca Nelida Colan, is his close confidante and shut down a previous investigation into his alleged wrongdoings. (DPA) |
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India’s concerns over S
Asia gaining WASHINGTON, Sept 17: Summing up his "rewarding" visit to the United States, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has said that India’s concerns over South Asia were gaining increasing acceptance. The four-day official visit had carried forward the momentum of Indo-US relations "in most satisfactory manner" and without doubt there was now "a repositioning of India in global and regional affairs," he said. The Prime Minister’s comments on his visit came last night in a statement that was to have been distributed at a press conference for Indian journalists which was cancelled at the last minute. Two days ago, his joint press conference with President Bill Clinton was also cancelled. The statement that was distributed to the press after a sparkling address by Vajpayee to a gathering of Indian Americans, said that India was increasingly being recognised as a "responsible and stabilising force in Asia." Clinton had yesterday described the outcome of the Indian leader’s visit as a great success. Vajpayee, who leaves for home after a dinner at the White House tonight, said that both at the United Nations and in his bilateral talks in Washington, he had conveyed India’s readiness to shoulder "broader responsibilities" in the coming decades. He had projected India’s thinking on the growing threat of terrorism, the Prime Minister said, adding "our views on nuclear questions have also been articulated at various forums." Expressing satisfaction at the growing momentum and deepening of relations between India and the United States, Vajpayee said that the coming years would see the relationship "grow, imbued with new content, greater understanding and enhanced cooperation." On economic relations, Vajpayee said that he had projected the Government’s priorities such as infrastructure development, energy, finances and information technology. The business community’s response was constructive, displaying a keen desire to seek new investment opportunities in India. (PTI) |
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India welcomes UAE as member of IOR-ARC ABU DHABI, Sept 17: India has welcomed the entry of the United Arab Emirates as a full-fledged member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) and called for "deeper and closer"relations between the two countries. "We have always considered the UAE as more than a close friend... The relations between India and the UAE have been an example of friendship and cooperation," India’s Ambassador to the UAE, K C Singh, said at a reception he hosted here last night. The event was attended by senior Emirates officials, prominent citizens, diplomats from various countries and members of the strong Indian expatriate community here. Noting that trade between India and the emirates was the highest India had with any GCC country, he said, "the UAE is a valued neighbour. Our shores are linked by the vast Indian ocean. It is thus natural that Indians have come to the uae in large numbers. They live and work here, furthering the UAE’s development and cementing India-UAE friendship." The Ambassador praised the visionary leadership of Emirates President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Speaking about international issues, Mr Singh said India would continue to work for an equitable international economic order, a fair global financial architecture, a world without violence and terrorism, a world without disease and want and a world rid of weapons of mass destruction. "These are the values that India and the UAE share," he added. The Indian Embassy has organised in the UAE capital a week of exhibitions, films and dances, offering glimpses of the rich cultural heritage of the country and its multi-faceted life. An Indian jewellery exhibition-cum-sale is already under way in the city, drawing huge crowds. (UNI) |
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WASHINGTON, Sept 17: It was vintage Atal Behari Vajpayee all the way when the Prime Minister addressed a rally of the Indian community in the US last night. Bothered by a painful knee, Vajpayee has not been his usual self during public appearances since he arrived in this country eleven days ago. The tired look had vanished and Vajpayee of the old resurfaced at the rally. He sat quiet as the hosts lavished praise on him. When his turn came, Vajpayee began by saying that those occupying the chair like him were used to being praised. Such praise was garnished not only with spices but with all the sugar in the world. As he was warming up in Hindi, someone from the audience suggested that he speak in English. This was opposed by the bulk of the audience. "I don’t want to start a language controversy here", the Prime Minister responded, adding that a person must speak in the language in which he or she is most comfortable with. As it is, Indians had mutilated the English language, Vajpayee said amid laughter by the audience. Why did his college principal, who was an englishman, leave India? Vajpayee: The principal was not victim of Quit India Movement. He left because he could not bear to see his mother tongue murdered in India. English was a strange language too. Or else, why would the Hindi expression "Baad Main Aao" (come later), be actually translated by Indians as "come from behind," said the Prime Minister to his roaring audience. Vajpayee told the lone voice that had suggesed he speak in English, "I have spoken in Hindi at the United Nations also". He went on to recall that it was in his imprisonment during the emergency that he had first dreamt of speaking in Hindi at the United Nations. "At that time, it was just a dream. I was not sure when I would get out of the jail. Speaking at the UN appeared a distant dream. But the dream came true," Vajpayee said. He said he had never thought he would become the Prime Minister. But an "accident" took place and he got the post. His Government had been brought down in Parliament by just one vote. In the subsequent elections, voters decided that if Government has to be defeated again, it should be by a bigger margin. That is whey they gave him more votes and in the process, "I won the elections," Vajpayee said. Speaking about India’s relations with her neighbours, Vajpayee said the country had good ties with all, "except one". In search of peace with that country, he had undertaken the bus journey to Lahore. But the bus ended in Kargil. Now, it is being suggested that India should talk to Pakistan, the Prime Minister said. "What do we talk to them about? wheather?" he asked, sending the crowd into raptures. "Or perhaps, inquire about the welfare of our wives and children?" At the end of his hour-long address, Vajpayee thanked the large gathering for listening to him patiently. He had special word of thanks to one person in particular— the gentleman who had wanted him to speak in English. (PTI) |
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Army recaptures strategic town near Jaffna COLOMBO, Sept 17: In a major turn around in balance of power in war-torn Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lankan Army today recaptured Chavakachcheri town, located about 14 km south of Jaffna town, from the LTTE. Chavakachcheri, the lone urban centre held by the rebels in the northern peninsula, was captured after a three-hour operation in which four soldiers were killed and 46 others injured, an Army release said here. It said as the operation was launched, troops noticed LTTE cadre deserting their bases, defence lines and fleeing to south. The fleeing rebels were engaged by artillery and ground attack aircraft. While one Army officer and three soldiers were killed and three officers and 43 soldiers wounded in today’s offensive, the casualty figure on the rebel side could not be known. But the Army said the LTTE suffered heavy casualties during the operations. Chavakachcheri would provide wider and broader depth to the defences of Jaffna town, which was precariously held by the troops after the rebels captured its outhern outskirts of Colombuthruai in their April-May offensive. In a series of operations during the past few weeks, Army had pushed LTTE rebels from their defences at Colombuthurai and drove them towards Chavkachcheri. The capture of Chavkachcheri is of major military importance as over 145 troops were killed and another 900 injured in the succesive limited Army operations since September three. The LTTE, according to the Army, lost 392 of its men during the period. Today’s success would enable the Army to recapture all important elephant pass garrison, located at the mouth of the peninsula, which had fallen to the LTTE in May this year. Army spokesman Brig Sanath Karunaratne said the town has a lot of strategic value as it provided access to rebels to three directions into the peninsula. Also it was located on the main highway connecting the peninsula to the main land, which would enable the Army to attempt and move towards further south, he added. (PTI) |
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ISLAMABAD, Sept 17: Osama Bin Laden, the most wanted Arab dissident, escaped an attempt on his life a few weeks ago when some unidentified assailants ambushed his convoy in the southwestern Afghan province of Kandahar, a newspaper reported today. During the attack, the assailants fired rockets at the convoy damaging one of the vehicles, but Bin Laden escaped unhurt, the Frontier Post quoted travellers arriving from Kandahar as saying. They claimed that soon after the attack, Bin Laden was shifted to his hideout by his supporters and guards. The attackers, whose origin could not be traced, fled after the incident. The international terrorist mastermind had escaped a US attack on his base in western Khost province. During that attack in August 1998, US cruise missiles hit various buildings. (PTI) |
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