[Onthebarricades] Repression news, Aug-Sept 2008

[global resistance roundup]

US Repression News

* Denver cops get T-shirts mocking DNC protest brutality
* Holy Name protesters sentenced, lectured
* Filmmaker jailed over peace protest
* Dangerous funeral protest law upheld
* Arizona - man arrested for filming protest
* Apology for Muslim expulsion
* Bringing children to protest criminalised
* Speed cameras used to intimidate protesters

Europe/Global North Repression News

* ITALY: Fun police run riot inventing rules
* FRANCE: Draconian database plan
* HOLLAND: Court system insists on stupid standing ritual, against 
religious rights
* IRELAND: Navy used against protesters
* UK: Crane protester given fascistic lecture, arbitrary curfew
* UK: Coal protesters cleared
* UK: Protester jailed for climbing on house roof
* UK: Olympic torch protester acquitted
* UK: Draconian sentence for youth involved in uprising
* ISRAEL: Islamic group closed down
* ISRAEL: Gaza ship protester detained
* AUSTRALIA: Small victory for G20 protesters
* AUSTRALIA: Vicious graffiti laws introduced
* CANADA: Seal protest costs exposed

Global South Repression News

* WEST PAPUA: War criminal commander indicted
* US - INDONESIA: Exxon faces lawsuit over repression
* INDONESIA: Police torture still widespread, study finds
* INDONESIA: Short jail terms for marines in village massacre case
* WEST PAPUA: Fresh evidence of Indonesian role in teacher killings
* EAST TIMOR: Social cleansing launched against vendors
* YEMEN: Protesters pardoned in deal with opposition
* CHINA: Would-be protesters still detained
* BURMA: Ten jailed for protests
* CHINA: Pressure works to free Olympic grannies
* PHILIPPINES: The new horror of "discipline zones"
* PHILIPPINES: Anti-Arroyo protesters charged
* MALAYSIA: Under fire, government resorts to terror law
* MAURITANIA: Protests banned
* SOUTH AFRICA: Judge bans Zuma protest
* THAILAND: Protesting school students threatened by state
* JAMAICA: State threatens teachers over student protests
* NEPAL: Tibetan protesters could be deported to India
* SAUDI ARABIA: Activist faces trial over women's protest
* IRAN: Jailing of physicians continues to spark controversy
* UGANDA: No more police guns at protests
* THAILAND: Police batons banned in PAD protest
* KENYA: "Tough terms" for students, parents over school insurrection
* CAMEROON: Singer jailed over protests
* GHANA: Protests banned in town
* MOROCCO: Police question photographer for covering demo
* INDIA: Court refuses to repress AIADMK demo
* BURMA/THAILAND: Refugees abandoned on "Isle of the Damned"






http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=12163

Denver Cops Get T-Shorts That Mock Protesters Published on 09-29-2008 
Email To Friend Print Version

Source: Raw Story

Denver's police union is facing criticism for printing a commemorative 
T-shirt that makes light of the use of violence by police, particularly 
in the wake of 154 arrests during the week of Democratic National 
Convention this past August.

"We get up early, to beat the crowds," the shirt reads, followed by 
"2008 DNC." The words flank a grinning police officer holding a baton 
and wearing a hat with a crossed-out number "68," presumably making 
reference to activist organization Recreate 68, which staged several 
anti-war demonstrations during the convention.

"The people of Denver were assured by the city that it would respect 
First Amendment rights during the DNC, and that that police officers 
were being trained to do so. The actions of police during the DNC, which 
involved numerous violations of people's right to freedom of speech and 
assembly, put the lie to those promises," said Recreate 68's Glenn 
Spagnuolo. "And now this appalling, tasteless t-shirt shows why. The 
members of Denver's police union clearly have no respect for the rights 
guaranteed by the United States Constitution. The Denver Police 
Department Operations Manual includes a Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, 
which begins, 'As a Law Enforcement Officer, my fundamental duty is to 
serve mankind, to safeguard lives and property, to protect the innocent 
against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the 
peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional 
rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice.' The creation of 
this t-shirt makes a mockery of that statement."

Detective Nick Rogers of the Police Protective Association said that the 
union predicts sales of about 2,000 shirts in addition to the ones given 
free to Denver police officers, and also told KMGH that he hadn't 
received any complaints about the shirt.








http://chicagoist.com/2008/08/30/easter_protesters_lectured_sentence.php

Easter Protesters Sentenced, Lectured
The group of anti-war protesters who pulled one of the stupidest moves 
of the year by disrupting the Easter Sunday service at Holy Name 
Cathedral were sentenced on Friday. Each was sentenced to: one year 
probation, 30 days of community service, and ordered to pay $2,600 in 
restitution. The group also denied they had anything to do with Catholic 
Schoolgirls Against the War who had originally claimed responsibility. 
Cook County Judge James B. Linn, who sentenced the group, also had some 
choice words for the protesters who had shouted and sprayed the 
congregation with fake blood, calling them "very naive," and then adding:
I find it ironic that in this case that the target you picked out, the 
people you were disturbing on perhaps their holiest day, trying to 
express their beliefs, literally trying to communicate with God -- I 
would guess that the majority of those people were probably of the same 
mind as you about the Iraq war.








http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Steve-Chabot-Protesters-Sentenced/hFAospz4RUeU9zhUDH_pmA.cspx

Steve Chabot Protesters Sentenced

Last Update: 8/30/2008 12:27 am

Related Links
• Jury Gets Local Anti-War Protest Case
Web produced by: Ian Preuth
Contributor: Jeff Brogan
Four protesters who were arrested outside of Congressman Steve Chabot's 
office were sentenced Friday.
They were charged two years ago with criminal trespassing after refusing 
to leave until Chabot signed papers, pledging to bring troops home and 
end the Iraq War.
Three of those arrested, including a nun, received probation.
Filmmaker Barbara Wolf was sentenced to 10 days in jail.






http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-08-26-funeral-protests-phelps_N.htm?csp=34

Court affirms limits on funeral protests
Posted 8/26/2008 8:58 PM | Comments 43 | Recommend 8

By Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service
A federal appeals court has upheld an Ohio law that limits picketing at 
funerals, rejecting an appeal by Westboro Baptist Church, an anti-gay 
Kansas congregation that has held protests across the country.
Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of Westboro pastor Fred Phelps, argued 
that a law amended in 2006 by the Ohio legislature was unconstitutional 
because it imposed unreasonable restrictions on speech. She suggested 
that attendees could "avert their eyes" from protests and are voluntary 
participants at funerals.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, saying the rule "serves 
an important governmental interest" and is reasonable.
"Friends and family of the deceased should not be expected to opt-out 
from attending their loved one's funeral or burial service," wrote 
Senior Judge Richard F. Suhrheinrich. "Nor can funeral attendees simply 
'avert their eyes' to avoid exposure to disruptive speech at a funeral 
or burial service. The mere presence of a protestor is sufficient to 
inflict the harm."
Phelps-Roper and other members of her Topeka church picket military 
funerals because they believe God is punishing America for its 
acceptance of homosexuality with deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq. They 
carry signs with messages such as "Thank God for dead soldiers."
FIND MORE STORIES IN: United States | Afghanistan | Iraq | Ohio | God | 
Kansas | Topeka | Westboro Baptist Church | Fred Phelps
The court also disagreed with Phelps-Roper's argument that the law was 
"overbroad," ruling it was "narrowly tailored" because it restricts 
protests within 300 feet of a burial or funeral service.






http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/25/2519.asp

Arizona: Man Taping Photo Radar Protest Arrested
Police in Scottsdale, Arizona arrest a man for videotaping activists 
protesting a photo radar van.

Police in Scottsdale, Arizona arrested a man late Wednesday claiming he 
"obstructed" a photo radar van. Jason Shelton, 35, had been videotaping 
a pair of anti-camera activists at 6800 E. Shea Boulevard before being 
taken into custody. The protesters held signs calling the speed camera 
program a rip-off and advertising the group CameraFraud.com in an 
impromptu demonstration. Shelton intended to post his video on Freedom's 
Phoenix, an Arizona-based political opinion and news website. Enraged 
local officials did what they could to ensure that would not happen.

"The City of Scottsdale, including the police department, respects and 
protects an individual's right to stage and/or participate in a lawful 
demonstration," Scottsdale Police said in a statement. "However, 
behavior such as the intentional obstruction of a contracted photo 
enforcement van's operation is not lawful and subject to enforcement 
action."

Videotape of an earlier protest documented a similar demonstration. An 
activist held a sign reading "FRAUD" in front of a photo radar van's 
camera as the fully automated system continued in a vain attempt to 
photograph passing traffic. At no point did the protester touch the 
photo radar van or its driver. The video also showed the van's driver, 
an elderly man, used a cell phone presumably to ask his Australian 
employer, Redflex, for guidance on how to deal with the situation. At a 
subsequent protest, police were called to the scene after a phone call 
was made and Shelton was placed under arrest.

Scottsdale Police charged Shelton with "obstruction of government 
operations" (ARS 13-2402) and "refusing to provide truthful name when 
lawfully detained" (ARS 13-2412). The former charge requires Scottsdale 
to show that Shelton used or threatened to use "violence or physical 
force." Video evidence showed the protest was entirely peaceful. 
Refusing to provide a name to a police officer is only a crime if that 
officer had a reasonable basis to believe the suspect had committed a 
crime. According to Shelton's colleagues, his only crime was exercising 
his rights under the First Amendment.

"The person who was arrested was not a demonstrator, but rather a 
journalist who was videographing the event for local media site 
FreedomsPhoenix.com," a statement on the CameraFraud website explained. 
"The person who was arrested never held up a sign the entire evening. 
Scottsdale Police never arrested the two persons who were actually 
holding signs."

Scottsdale Police have a history of using arrest powers to intimidate 
political opposition and support the goals of its photo ticketing 
program. A judge released Shelton on his own recognizance on Thursday.







http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE5012XV20090102

Muslim family booted off U.S. airline gets apology
Fri Jan 2, 2009 4:55pm EST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Muslim family that was ordered off an AirTran 
Airways flight on New Year's Day received an apology and refund on 
Friday from the airline, which said its decision to bar the passengers 
was necessary.
Atif Irfan said in an interview with CNN that federal authorities 
removed him, seven family members and a friend from the flight after 
passengers overheard members of the group talking about the safest place 
to sit on the plane. He said they were being careful to avoid any 
"buzzwords" like "bomb" that would trigger a security alert.
The group was flying out of Reagan Washington National Airport and was 
headed for a religious retreat in Florida when other passengers 
apparently overheard the conversation and reported it to authorities.
AirTran, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings Inc., issued a statement 
apologizing to the nine and the other passengers who were inconvenienced 
by the incident. It said the airfare of the nine was refunded and other 
passengers would be reimbursed for expenses incurred by taking other 
flights.
"We apologize to all of the passengers -- to the nine who had to undergo 
extensive interviews from the authorities, and to the 95 who ultimately 
made the flight," the discount airline said in a statement.
"While ultimately this issue proved to be a misunderstanding, the steps 
taken were necessary," it said.
An earlier AirTran statement said the airline complied with all 
Transportation Security Administration and Homeland Security directives 
and had no discretion in the case.
All 104 passengers aboard the flight were taken off and rescreened and 
their baggage was checked again, AirTran said. Of the nine passengers in 
the group, six asked to be rebooked to Florida, AirTran said.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said it filed 
a complaint on Friday with the U.S. Department of Transportation. The 
Islamic civil rights group said in a statement it was working with the 
Muslim passengers and the airline to address the civil liberties issues 
related to the incident.
"We believe this disturbing incident would never have occurred had the 
Muslim passengers removed from the plane not been perceived by other 
travelers and airline personnel as members of the Islamic faith," the 
group said in its complaint.
Kashif Irfan, Atif's brother, told The Washington Post he thought the 
group, all but one of them U.S.-born citizens, were profiled because of 
their appearance. He said five of the six adults in the group are of 
South Asian descent, and all six are traditionally Muslim in appearance, 
with the men wearing beards and the women in headscarves.
Kashif Irfan, 34, is an anesthesiologist, and his brother Atif, 29, is a 
lawyer, the Post reported. Both live in Alexandria, Virginia.
Atif Irfan told CNN U.S. law enforcement officials treated the group 
with kindness but the family is upset that the airline did not allow the 
group to reboard the plane or rebook a flight after they had been 
cleared of any wrongdoing.
The Post reported the group booked a flight on US Airways after the 
incident.
(Reporting by Donna Smith; Editing by Eric Beech)






http://www.wftv.com/news/17498709/detail.html?rss=orlc&psp=irresistible

DCF Says It May Investigate Protesters Who Bring Children To Anthony House
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 – updated: 11:05 am EDT September 18, 2008
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- The quality of parenting seems to be stealing the 
spotlight in the Casey Anthony case. Not only does Casey face child 
neglect charges, but Eyewitness News found out the Department of 
Children and Families issued a warning saying they may investigate 
parents who bring their children to a protest outside the Anthony home 
if the children are involved in some sort of incident.
Many protesters who bring their children say they just want to teach 
their kids about their First Amendment rights. DCF says it understands 
that, but parents need to be aware of the increasing violence outside 
the home.
Children of all ages have been seen outside the Anthony house, many of 
them protesting right beside their parents.
"We share concerns that the general public and the viewing audience 
shares as well," said DCF's Carrie Hoeppner.
Hoeppner says, after this weekend incident involving a young boy 
(pictured at left), DCF has received several complaints.
"We have seen some situations there get violent, confrontational and we 
want parents to ask themselves, 'Is this really a good environment and 
do I want to expose my child to these types of scenarios?" Hoeppner said.
Now DCF is warning protesters with kids, if there's a complaint against 
them or if the department witnesses it, the agency will open an 
investigation. But Hoeppner said DCF is not trying to tell parents what 
to do when it comes to their children.
"I think we are the big advocates for children. Our intervention in this 
case resulted from the community asking us to get involved," Hoeppner said.
Protestors be warned, DCF is now watching. The Orange County Sheriff's 
Office said if a parent is caught committing a crime, such as 
trespassing, with their child in tow, he or she could also face child 
neglect charges.






http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/25/2534.asp

Arizona: Speed Camera Used to Intimidate Camera Protesters
Scottsdale, Arizona used a speed camera van to intimidate a strategy 
meeting for camera protesters.

Scottsdale, Arizona turned the table on its political opponents 
yesterday by sending a speed camera van to protesters. Ordinarily, it is 
up to those who dislike photo enforcement to make their way to an 
automated ticketing location so that they can express their political 
opinion. This time, however, the city paid a visit to the protesters and 
used the opportunity to conduct a surveillance operation.

The newly formed group CameraFraud.com openly used its website to 
encourage local residents to attend a Friday evening meeting to discuss 
strategies to encourage the city to drop photo ticketing. Soon after 
learning of the event, Scottsdale updated its photo enforcement schedule 
for Friday to include a new location. It ordered a van to the 7600 block 
of East MacDowell Road, the location of Peter Piper Pizza where the 
activist meeting was held. A photograph taken by an attendee shows that 
the camera van was perfectly positioned to videotape and identify all 
patrons entering the restaurant's driveway (view full-size image). It 
was also parked illegally.

"With hundreds of places where the vans could be located, multiplied by 
the various times of operation, the chances of such placement being an 
'honest mistake' seems highly unlikely -- but not impossible," 
CameraFraud founder D.T. Arneson wrote. "Now, one is led to wonder if 
the city is actively attempting to intimidate businesses and perhaps 
provoke peaceful citizens who are guilty of no crime other than lawful 
assembly over a pizza pie."

This is not the first time that a city has used photo enforcement 
equipment to intimidate political enemies. Washington, DC officials 
ordered a mobile speed camera positioned outside the offices of the 
Washington Times on New York Avenue. The paper broke several news 
stories embarrassing to the program, including the admission of the 
then-mayor that photo radar's main purpose was to generate revenue.

"It was literally right before the entrance to our building," said Brett 
M. Decker, a former editorial writer for the Times. "Everybody at the 
paper complained about it."

Scottsdale Police have a history of using arrest powers to intimidate 
political opposition and support the goals of its photo ticketing 
program. Last month, for example, officers arrested a man for 
videotaping a camera protest.








http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10527527&ref=rss

Fun police run riot inventing rules
5:00AM Monday Aug 18, 2008
By Peter Popham
Strange but true
• Good lord, city's giant lamington takes the cake
• It's the running of the balls
In addition to the usual perils of sunburn, jellyfish attacks and 
bottom-pinching, holidaymakers in Italy face a new range of menaces this 
summer, the result of the Berlusconi Government's frontal assault on 
what it calls the "security emergency".
The nation's mayors have been given carte blanche to write laws to 
address their own particular security hang-ups. The result is a blizzard 
of new rules and regulations that threatens to turn the bel paese into 
the biggest nanny state of them all.
Unwary foreigners risk getting hefty fines for doing things perfectly 
legal everywhere in the world except the particular town or city where 
they find themselves.
In Genoa, for example, it is now against the law to walk around with a 
bottle of wine or can of beer in your hand. In Rome that is okay, but if 
you stretch out under a pine tree or on the Spanish Steps to drink it, 
or merely to eat a sandwich, your "indecorous" behaviour may be 
penalised. Likewise if your al fresco snack is followed by a nap.

Stiff regulations are aimed at beach-goers: on one beach in Olbia, 
Sardinia, smokers risk a €360 fine, while nationwide, the Minister of 
Welfare has imposed a ban on massages offered by immigrants, warning of 
the possible dangerous effects of "aesthetic or therapeutic services" 
offered by those "not in possession of adequate training or competence".
At Eraclea, near Venice, parents need to keep a beady eye on their 
children: sandcastles are banned, as they "obstruct the passage" along 
the beach. Racketball and other ball games are forbidden on many 
beaches, and swimmers who dive heedlessly into the sea may face whopping 
fines if they are not in "permitted areas".
And woe betide holidaymakers in many seaside towns who wander away from 
the beach clad only in boxers or bikinis: it's against the law.
The nationwide witch-hunt against the vendors of counterfeit designer 
bags has been fortified in Ostia, Rome's most popular beach, by the use 
of patrolling helicopters, making the Italian beach experience even more 
hellish than usual.
Away from the water, things don't get any easier. Two people may sit 
down on a park bench in the city of Novara, but if a third person joins 
them and it's after 11pm, all three are breaking the law. In Viareggio 
the benches may contain as many people who can squeeze on, but if one of 
them puts his feet up on it he risks a fine. Scatter breadcrumbs for 
pigeons in the city of Lucca and you could end up hundreds of euros poorer.
The drive against begging has been taken up by many towns - including 
Assisi, home of St Francis, who began his religious life as a mendicant. 
In the romantic city of Verona they have taken this trend to its logical 
conclusion, requiring the beggars' takings to be confiscated. And in 
Florence it is now illegal to clean the car windscreens of cars waiting 
at traffic lights.
Silvio Berlusconi's Government may be the first in the world to have 
introduced a "minister of simplification", with the job of identifying 
and abolishing redundant laws, but in the interests of greater local 
democracy and security his Interior Minister, Roberto Maroni, has 
allowed a thousand legal flowers to bloom.
Most of them will probably never be enforced, but that will be scant 
consolation to the pigeon-feeder whose holiday souvenirs include a large 
fine.
- INDEPENDENT






http://www.pcworld.com/article/151212/.html?tk=rss_news

French Gov't Resists Police Database Protests
Peter Sayer, IDG News Service
Sep 18, 2008 4:30 pm
The French government will not reverse a decree allowing French police 
to record the sexuality and religion of suspects in their files, the 
French Minister of the Interior has said, despite calls from a 
parliamentary commission on Thursday not to collect some of that 
information.
The National Assembly's Commission on Laws called on the minister on 
Thursday to modify the June 27 decree to exclude information on 
sexuality, race and health from the database. The Commission's role is 
to scrutinize laws and make recommendations to the government and the 
Assembly.
The June decree merged two domestic intelligence services, the 
Directorate of Terrorist Surveillance and the "Renseignements Généraux," 
or secret police, and set new rules for maintaining and accessing their 
files in two central databases, Cristina and Edvige.
Edvige, a database covering criminals and potential criminals, and also 
past, present and potential elected officials, has received the most 
criticism, notably for the way the decree allows the intelligence 
services to record the sexuality, religion, race and health problems of 
those in the database, and widens the range of officials allowed to 
consult it.
Interior Minister Michelle Alliot-Marie plans no significant changes to 
the decree, she said in a radio interview Wednesday.
However, to allay the fears of various campaign groups, the decree will 
be rewritten to make its meaning clearer, she said.
"There's no question of indicating the sexual or religious preferences 
or health information about people," she said.
Nevertheless, those terms had to appear in the decree because otherwise 
it would be impossible for database entries to mention to, for example, 
membership of a medical research charity whose name referred to a 
particular disease.
The parliamentary commission also called on the minister to impose 
stricter rules on who can access the database, and to keep records of 
all attempts to access the database for five years.
Alliot-Marie has spent the week in meetings with campaigners concerned 
about the Edvige database: on Thursday it was the turn of religious 
groups, trade unionists and employers' representatives, while earlier 
she met magistrates, lawyers, civil rights and anti-discrimination 
campaigners and a group representing paralytics.
An online petition calling for the abolition of the database has 
collected 184,560 signatures since July.
The government has had trouble winning public support for its database 
plans. A new front-end for police databases, Ardoise, was criticized by 
civil rights campaigners in April, also for allowing records to include 
information about sexual orientation or religion.





http://sheikyermami.com/2008/09/07/rotterdam-islamo-shyster-mohammed-enait-wont-stand-for-the-judge/

Enait claims that standing up conflicts with his religion.
Rotterdam: Lawyer may stay sitting
Muslim fundamentalist and lawyer Mohammed Enait does not need to stand 
when the judges enter the courtroom. Enait claims that standing up 
conflicts with his religion. The court in Rotterdam agreed with him, 
reports NRC Handelsblad Friday.
According to the newspaper the court in Rotterdam had spoken with Enait 
about his behavior and had agreed that in extremely exceptional cases 
the lawyer may stay sitting, whenever deep religious convictions dictate 
so.
According to Enait, who recently became a lawyer, Islam states that all 
men are equal. He therefore thinks he can not stand for others. The 
public ministry had objections to this, according to a spokesperson, and 
raised the matter to the Bar Association and the Council for the 
Judiciary Act. “It is common practice to stand for the judge.”

Enait was formerly in the news after the Social Service refused him a 
job since he didn’t want to shake hands with women. The Rotterdam court 
dismissed Enait’s objections on this last month.
Both the CDA government party and the opposition VVD think it’s 
unacceptable. VVD parliament member Henk Kamp reacted furiously to the 
news that Enait doesn’t need to stand for the judges. “This is cultural 
relativism to the extreme. It is impermissible to allow this in a 
constitutional state. Everybody must simply stand for the judge, period.”
Kamp asked Minister of Integration Ella Vogelaar (PvdA) for explanations.
CDA parliament member Sybrand van Haersma Buma said that “it can’t be so 
that an individual with extreme ideas can tackle general manners.” He 
says that everybody must respect the judges and jurisprudence in the 
same way. “Everybody is equal. That holds also for this man.”
He says the court must go back on its decision to make an exception for 
Enait. Should that not happen, the Council for the Judiciary Act must 
make a general regulations staying that everybody must stand when the 
judges come in.
The court in Rotterdam was not available for comments Friday.
The Dutch bar association says that all lawyers must stand when the 
judges enter the courtroom, the head of the organization Willem Bekkers 
said in a radio interview Saturday. Bekkers says that the requirement to 
stand does not appear in the law, but “the judicial power and the Bar 
have to respect each other.”
“We are here in the Netherlands, where Dutch laws are in force,” he 
says. He points out that the lawyers swear respect for the judicial 
authorities and that you do not stand up for a person but for his authority.
According to Bekkers, if there will be a complaint on the issue to the 
Bar, an independent board of lawyers and judges would decide on whether 
the complaint is founded. Bekkers doesn’t expect that more lawyers will 
refuse to stand before judges.




http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhqlojeyojmh/rss2/

Navy called in over Shell protests
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29/08/2008 - 16:00:47
A naval ship was deployed today as protests mounted over a controversial 
Shell gas pipeline.

The Irish Defence Forces said the LE Orla, with 39 crew onboard, was 
requested by gardaí as back-up at Broadhaven Bay, Co Mayo.

A spokesman for the naval service said he could not recall any of its 
ships ever being directly involved in an operation against civil 
demonstrations.

Campaigners opposed to the Corrib off-shore pipeline are expected to 
step up protests there as the world’s largest pipelaying ship, 
Solitaire, was due to sail in.

A Defence Forces spokesman said the Le Orla, which was formally a 
British naval gunship patrolling Hong Kong, arrived at Broadhaven Bay today.

“It is there as an aid to the civil power. It was requested to assist 
gardai and provide them with a platform at sea,” he said.

Asked if an Irish naval ship had been involved in a similar capacity 
before, he replied: “Not to my immediate knowledge.”

He added: “The Naval Service has been in discussions with the gardai 
about this operation.

“Any operation we undertake will be with the gardai. We will not be 
involved in any operation independently of the gardai.”







http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/7624659.stm

Friday, 19 September 2008 08:24 UK
Crane protester gets night curfew

Paul Jones was protesting about being evicted from a council property
A protester who scaled a crane in Wrexham has been ordered to obey a 
night curfew.
Paul Jones, 41, was demonstrating after a long running dispute over his 
eviction from a council property, Flintshire magistrates' court heard.
Jones climbed the 60m (197ft) crane at the town's new Eagles Meadow 
shopping development on Wednesday, and stayed there for more than four 
hours.
He admitted causing a public nuisance, and was also ordered to pay £60 
costs.
The court heard that the crane Jones climbed was due to be dismantled, 
but his actions meant the job had to be cancelled and workmen sent home 
without pay.

You caused a lot of people inconvenience and a loss of income at a time 
when they can ill-afford it

District Judge Andrew Shaw
Another crane had to be brought in at the cost of £3,500 for a police 
negotiator to speak to him.
It was claimed that the cost of the delays to developers at the site 
amounted to £10,000.
'Selfish, attention-seeking'
District Judge Andrew Shaw called it "selfish, attention-seeking 
behaviour" and rejected his claim that it was done on the spur of the 
moment.
"You caused a lot of people inconvenience and a loss of income at a time 
when they can ill-afford it," added the judge.
Euros Jones, defending, said the root of the protest was that Jones, his 
six children and partner were evicted from a Wrexham council property 
four years ago.
The court was told that the defendant believed the eviction order was 
the result of malicious complaints from neighbours, and believed that 
the council had refused to investigate the issue.
"He decided that this was the only option left to him," said his solicitor.
"My client got to the foot of the crane at 5am and it took him about an 
hour and a half to pluck up the courage to go all the way up, but he did 
go."
"He is thoroughly ashamed."
The court said Jones must obey a curfew order to remain indoors from the 
evening until 8am for three months.






http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/10/activists.carbonemissions

Kingsnorth trial: Coal protesters cleared of criminal damage to chimney
The trial of the six Greenpeace UK activists was the first case in which 
acting to prevent climate change causing damage to property formed part 
of a 'lawful excuse' defence
• John Vidal, environment editor
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 10 September 2008 15.00 BST
• Article history

A Greenpeace activist abseils down the Kingsnorth power station in 
October 2007. Photograph Will Rose/Greenpeace
Six Greenpeace climate change activists have been cleared of causing 
criminal damage at a coal-fired power station in a verdict that is 
expected to embarrass the government and strengthen the anti-coal movement.
The jury of nine men and three women at Maidstone crown court cleared 
the six, five of whom had scaled a 200m tall chimney at Kingsnorth power 
station at Hoo, Kent in October 2007.
Greenpeace activists on the painted chimney. Photograph: Will 
Rose/Greenpeace
The activists admitted trying to shut down the station by occupying the 
smokestack and painting the world "Gordon" down the chimney, but argued 
that they were legally justified because they were trying to prevent 
climate change causing greater damage to property around the world.
It was the first case where preventing property damage caused by climate 
change has been used as part of a "lawful excuse" defence in court. It 
is now expected to be used widely by environment groups.
The court had heard from Prof James Hansen, one of the world's leading 
climate scientists, that the 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted 
daily by Kingsnorth could be responsible for the extinction of up to 400 
species.
Hansen, a Nasa director who advises Al Gore, told the court that 
humanity was in "grave peril".
He said: "Somebody needs to step forward and say there has to be a 
moratorium, draw a line in the sand and say no more coal-fired power 
stations."
It also heard David Cameron's environment adviser, millionaire 
environmentalist Zac Goldsmith, and an Inuit leader from Greenland say 
that climate change was already seriously affecting life around the world.
The court was told was that some of the property in immediate need of 
protection included parts of Kent at risk from rising sea levels, the 
Pacific island state of Tuvalu and areas of Greenland.
The defendants also cited the Arctic ice sheet, China's Yellow river 
region, the Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica, coastal areas of 
Bangladesh and the city of New Orleans.
Goldsmith told the court: "By building a coal-power plant in this 
country, it makes it very much harder in exerting pressure on countries 
like China and India to reduce their burgeoning use of the fossil fuel."
The jury was told that Kingsnorth emits the same amount of CO2 as the 30 
least polluting countries in the world combined – and that there are 
advanced plans to build a new coal-fired power station next to the 
existing site on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent.
Greenpeace used the court's decision to pile pressure on government to 
abandon plans for a new generation of coal-fired plants.
"Today's acquittal is a potent challenge to the government's plans for 
new coal-fired stations from jurors representing ordinary people in 
Britain who, after hearing the evidence, supported the right to take 
direct action in order to protect the climate," said Ben Stewart, 
Greenpeace's communications director who was one of the six acquitted.
The others were Will Rose, Kevin Drake, Tim Hewke, Huw Williams and 
Emily Hall.
"It wasn't only us in the dock, it was coal-fired power generation as 
well. The only people left in Britain who think new coal is a good idea 
are business secretary John Hutton and the energy minister Malcolm 
Wicks," said Hall.
"It's time the prime minister stepped in and embraced a clean energy 
future for Britain."





http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7725194.stm

Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Father jailed for rooftop protest

The two men carried out their rooftop protest in June
A fathers' rights activist has been jailed for two months after staging 
a rooftop protest at the home of the deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman.
Jolly Stanesby, from south Devon, scaled Miss Harman's home in Herne 
Hill, south London, in June, City of Westminster Magistrates' Court heard.
Stanesby was found guilty of causing distress and alarm and fined £750.
Another Fathers 4 Justice protestor, Mark Harris, also from south Devon, 
was given a conditional discharge.
The two men mounted the protest which eventually led to Miss Harman and 
her husband Jack Dromey having to temporarily leave the premises.
A spokesman for the Fathers 4 Justice protest group, which disbanded in 
September, said they would be staging further protests on the minister's 
roof and at Prime Minister Gordon Brown's home in Kirkcaldy & 
Cowdenbeath within the week in protest at the sentences.
Fathers 4 Justice, was formed by Matt O'Connor, a father-of-two, after a 
difficult divorce left him struggling to maintain contact with his 
children.






http://www.indopia.in/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/378651/International/2/20/A

British court acquits Beijing Olympic torch protester

Published: September 29,2008

London , Sep 29 (AFP) A British protester who tried to extinguish the 
Olympic flame as it passed through London en route for Beijing walked 
free today, after a judge found in his favour.
Martin Wyness, 50, set off a fire extinguisher and aimed it at the flame 
on April 6, when hundreds of thousands lined the streets amid tight 
security for the flame, on its way to China for the August Games.
Video footage of the incident showed Wyness, dressed in a high 
visibility jacket, aiming a white substance at the flame from the 
extinguisher, labelled " Propaganda Extinguisher," before being detained 
by police.
Judge Andrew Sweet agreed with Wyness' defence lawyer that there was not 
enough evidence to prove he had intended to cause harassment, alarm or 
distress, as charged.
" Having viewed the video footage and listened carefully to your 
argument, I am not satisfied that the elements (of the charge) are made 
out. Your application succeeds," he said, awarding 300 pounds (377 
euros, 541 dollars) in costs to Wyness.
The court heard how Wyness had told television cameramen after the 
incident: "I tried to extinguish the flame. China has no right to be 
doing what it's doing."
Policeman Doug Dinning said he saw Wyness pulling the extinguisher from 
a backpack. "I then grabbed the nozzle with my left hand. My immediate 
thought was that he was going to discharge it within the crowd and to 
the flame.






http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7586338.stm

Thursday, 28 August 2008 16:35 UK
E-mail this to a friend
Child unit riot leader sentenced

The unit can hold up to 36 young residents
A teenager who played a leading part in a riot at a children's secure 
unit in East Dunbartonshire in March has been ordered to be detained for 
four years.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was one of 16 
youths who caused about £200,000 of damage to St Mary's Kenmure unit in 
Bishopbriggs.
At Glasgow Sheriff Court, sentence on a 16-year-old girl and a 
15-year-old boy, who admitted their part, was deferred.
Two girls, aged 15, were referred to the children's panel.
An earlier hearing heard how events began to spiral out of control after 
several girls ran onto the pitch during a supervised game of boys' 
football.
Within hours a full-scale disturbance was in progress - with youths from 
the facility smashing windows and ransacking rooms, before setting fire 
to clothing and waving it about.
Unit revamp
When one member of staff went to investigate the fire alarm he was 
attacked by the 16-year-old with a knife and sustained a superficial cut 
to his left ear.
Firefighters and police eventually brought the riot under control the 
following morning by which time a number of youths had escaped.
Several of them were later caught as they made their way through fields 
to the Milton area of Glasgow.
St Mary's Kenmure residential unit was reopened on 4 August after a 
£500,000 revamp.
The unit is run by the Cora Foundation, which is owned by the Bishops' 
Conference of Scotland.
It can hold up to 36 youngsters aged between 11 and 16.










http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1015101.html

Last update - 19:37 25/08/2008

Arab rights group protests closure of Islamic institute By Yoav Stern 
and Eli Ashkenazi, Haarez Correspondents Tags: Islamic Movement, Adalah
Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, urged 
Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday to revoke an order closing the 
offices of a sub-branch of the Islamic Movement.

The order, outlawing the Al Aqsa Institute, was issued by Barak ten days 
ago but carried out by police only on Sunday, when large forces from the 
Valley District Police raided its offices in the northern Arab city of 
Umm al-Fahm.

Adalah said that the order "seriously infringes on the right to 
unionize, freedom of speech and freedom of religion of the entire Arab 
minority in Israel."

The organization also protested the closing the offices weeks before the 
beginning of the Muslim festival of Ramadan, during which the movement 
steps up its charity activity.

Prior to the raid, the Shin Bet had gathered intelligence revealing that 
Al-Aqsa was coordinating with Hamas commanders in East Jerusalem, by 
giving them financial and logistical support for their activities in the 
capital.

A number of Umm al-Fahm residents and movement activists arrived at the 
Al-Aqsa offices to watch the raid. Police said they seized documents, 
computers and other material belonging to the institute before closing 
it down.

In response to the police action, the Islamic Movement denied any 
connection to Hamas.

"The Israeli establishment prefers to use the stick method instead of 
talking," the movement said in a statement.

Islamic Movement spokesman Zaim Jiday denied the alleged links with Hamas.

"It's absolutely not right," he told Army Radio. "We do not cooperate 
[with Hamas]. We carry out legal, open and transparent activities."

The Islamic Movement's northern branch is headed by Sheikh Ra'ad Salah, 
who last year was arrested for disturbances at a protest against Israeli 
excavations near the Dome of the Rock in the Old City of Jerusalem.

He was later in court with incitement to violence and racism, over a 
fiery speech he gave in the Wadi Joz neighborhood, in which he accused 
Jews of using children's blood to bake bread.

Salah said Sunday that the raided institute was founded 10 years ago and 
has an Israeli license to operate.






http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/6487548.html

Israeli activist released "conditionally " after questioned for Gaza 
boat protest

09:28, August 27, 2008

The Israeli who sailed to the Gaza Strip with other international 
activists in defiance of an Israel-imposed sea blockade was released 
"conditionally" Tuesday evening after being questioned, local news 
service Ynet reported.

Sderot Police Chief Shimon Nachmani was quoted as saying that The 
Israeli, Prof. Jeff Halper, "was held for questioning and the decision 
whether to arrest him will be taken at the end of the probe."

Halper was interrogated at a border crossing in the afternoon on his way 
back from the Palestinian enclave, before police put him into custody at 
a police station in the southern town of Sderot, Angela 
Godfrey-Goldstein, a contact person for the protest organizer Free Gaza 
Movement, told Xinhua.

She said that Halper, the only Israeli participant in the voyage, was 
arrested for violating the law prohibiting Jewish citizens from entering 
the coastal strip.

The incident took place two days after Halper and some 40 other 
activists with the U.S.-based group reached the Gazan coast in a mission 
they said aimed to break the siege the Jewish state has imposed upon the 
Hamas-ruled area.

Before giving the so-called "one-time" green light for the two boats, 
Israeli government had warned that such a provocative move "constitutes 
the legitimization of a terrorist organization" and that all options 
would be considered.

Israel tightened its restrictions on the Palestinian region since Hamas, 
a group Israel blacklists as a terrorist organization, seized control of 
the area last year from the long-dominant Fatah faction. The land 
border, sea and air of the strip are currently all under Israeli control.






http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/765/39501

Small victory for G20 protesters

Maargarita Windisch, Melbourne
30 August 2008

A county court judge reduced the sentences of four G20 protesters on 
appeal on August 28. The four, along with other activists, received 
severe penalties last April in relation to altercations with police at a 
protest against the G20 meeting held in Melbourne in November 2006.
Five protesters received wholly suspended jail sentences of five-to-nine 
months, and four of the five were also fined up to $4000. Five more 
activists were sentenced to 12-month community work orders of up to 250 
hours.

One protester lost his appeal, three had their convictions overturned 
and one had a suspended jail sentence reduced to a conviction with 250 
hours’ community work.






http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/769/39684

Graffiti artists protest unjust laws

Alistair McKinnon, Melbourne
27 September 2008

On September 20, hundreds of people converged on Clifton Park in 
Brunswick to admire the work of talented graffiti artists.
The gathering was part of a “Don’t Ban the Can” campaign, launched in 
response to the state government’s new anti-graffiti laws, which allow 
$550 spot fines to be issued to anyone in possession of a “graffiti 
implement”.

Police can also now search anyone 14-years or older if they are 
suspected of carrying a spray can. Protest organiser Jeremy Gaschk told 
Green Left Weekly: “The great injustice of these laws is the instant 
presumption of guilt placed on anyone for simply carrying a spray can. 
The police have been, in effect, given the power to persecute someone 
for pursuing their chosen art.”

Across Melbourne, designated graffiti areas have been established 
through agreements with local councils and artists. The willingness of 
some councils to cooperate with local artists displays a recognition of 
graffiti as an art form; something that can enhance an area rather than 
detract from it. The new laws appeal to old prejudices and myths about 
graffiti and youth street culture that many in the scene have been 
fighting hard for years to dispel.

“For some of these artists graffiti is their livelihood and they have 
exhibited their work all over the world”, Gaschk said.







http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-252257-NL-outlines-antiseal-protest-expenditures.html

N.L. outlines anti-seal protest expenditures
$167,000 spent over past two fiscal years
Article online since September 22nd 2008, 9:15

N.L. outlines anti-seal protest expenditures
$167,000 spent over past two fiscal years
By Rob Antle

FOR THE SOU’WESTER

Transcontinental Media/The Telegram

The Williams administration in Newfoundland and Labrador spent $167,000 
over the past two fiscal years as part of a pro-sealing, anti-protest 
campaign.

The cash investment - allocated at $100,000 per year - was unveiled in 
the 2006 budget, as a "sealing industry communications strategy to 
counter the fiction and fabrication with facts."

Transcontinental Media’s The Telegram newspaper obtained details of how 
the province spent the cash using access-to-information laws. A fair 
chunk of the money – $26,880 in 2006/07 and $42,720 in 2007/08 – went to 
the Fur Institute of Canada, a non-profit lobby group for the fur industry.

That total of nearly $70,000 helped organize two anti-protest events 
held in the past year and a half.

Those included the 2007 "Up the Anti" pro-sealing rallies held from 
Ottawa to the Netherlands, and the 2008 "Swilers Ball" in St. John's.

According to government documents, the province paid the Fur Institute 
for costs that included "transportation for both national and 
international seal industry representatives and organization of meetings 
with federal government members."

The documents reference a contract between the government and Fur 
Institute, but provide no further details.

Other provincial anti-protest expenditures over the two-year period 
include: $50,000 for a manual and quality practices video for sealers; 
$10,000 for photography of seal-hunt activities; nearly $10,000 for the 
production and distribution of media kits throughout the European Union; 
more than $20,000 in travel expenses, both within the province and to 
Europe; and more than $4,000 in local magazine advertising.

In 2006, while condemning actress Pamela Anderson for her anti-seal hunt 
comments at the Junos, Premier Danny Williams said there would be "a 
definitive strategy that will be developed over a period of time" for 
the $100,000 annual allocation.

Earlier this year, then-fisheries minister Tom Rideout attacked Ottawa 
for what he called a "defeatist attitude," and took credit for victories 
on the pro-sealing front.

The European Union is expected to vote this fall on a bill that could 
ban the import of Canadian seal products.











http://www.survival-international.org/news/3660

Commander indicted for crimes against humanity is removed from West Papua
27 August 2008

Dani man, Papua
© ©Adrian Arbib/Survival
An Indonesian military commander accused of crimes against humanity has 
been removed from his post in West Papua. Colonel Burhanuddin Siagian 
faces two indictments in the UN-backed courts in East Timor for crimes 
committed in 1999. The international police organisation Interpol also 
issued an international warrant for his arrest in 2003.

The tribal peoples of Papua have suffered greatly under the Indonesian 
military occupation which began in 1963. The Indonesian army has a long 
history of human rights violations against the Papuans.

In May 2007, Siagian issued death threats against anyone who 
demonstrated in support of independence for West Papua, saying he would 
‘destroy’ them. Survival joined organisations in West Papua and around 
the world in calling for the Colonel’s removal from West Papua and for 
him to be tried for his crimes.

Siagian remains a leading Indonesian military figure on active duty.






---------------------------------------------------

ExxonMobil must face Indonesian villagers' lawsuit:
US judge

Agence France Presse - August 27, 2008

Washington -- ExxonMobil must face a lawsuit filed
by Indonesian villagers alleging that the US oil
giant is liable for killings and torture committed
by military security forces, a federal judge said
Wednesday.

"Plaintiffs have provided sufficient evidence, at
this stage, for their allegations of serious
abuse," said US Judge Louis Oberdorfer in
Washington.

Eleven Indonesian villagers have accused Exxon
Mobil Corporation and two of its US affiliates,
Mobil Corp. and ExxonMobil Oil Corp., and its
Indonesian subsidiary, ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia
(EMOI) of "killings and torture committed by
military security forces protecting and paid for by
EMOI," the judge said in a court document.

Oberdorfer denied Exxon Mobil Corp.'s and EMOI's
request to throw out the lawsuit. However, he
dismissed the suit for the group's two US
affiliates, Mobil Corp. and ExxonMobil Oil Corp.,
saying there was "insufficient" evidence against
them.

The lawsuit was filed in June 2001 by the 11
villagers, using pseudonyms. The alleged atrocities
took place in Aceh, near ExxonMobil's natural gas
Arun Project, in the early 2000s.

---------------------------------------------------






---------------------------------------------------

Cops torture suspects, study finds

Jakarta Post - August 30, 2008

Jakarta -- The majority of suspects in Jakarta are
subjected to brutality while in police custody, a
recent study claims.

According to a Jakarta Legal Institute (LBH)
survey, 83.7 percent of respondents said they had
been subjected to various forms of torture and
police brutality.

The respondents included 367 suspects who had been
in police custody between January 2007 and January
2008, from across five municipalities and one
regency in Jakarta province, as well as from Depok,
Tangerang and Bekasi.

LBH researchers surveyed sample populations from
Salemba Penitentiary in Central Jakarta, Pondok
Bambu and Cipinang Penitentiaries in East Jakarta
as well as from a juvenile correctional facility in
Tangerang.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Ketut Untung Yoga
Ana refused to comment on the survey findings. "I
don't want to comment. It's not clear where they
got their data from," he told The Jakarta Post on
Friday, refusing to take further questions.

Among the survey's respondents, 22 were under 18
years old, with 34 females surveyed, the report
says.

According to the findings, 24.3 percent of total
respondents said they were threatened at gun point
by police during investigations.

Police tended to use three types of violence --
physical, non-physical and sexual -- the survey
reported.

Beatings were the most common form of physical
violence, with 158 respondents testifying they had
been beaten, followed by kicking (94 respondents)
and slapping (93 respondents). Other forms of
physical violence included being dragged (39
respondents) and blindfolded (16 respondents).

With respect to non-physical violence, 159
respondents claimed to have been yelled at, with 89
held at gun point and 44 stripped.

Some respondents were shot in the foot and had
their chests stomped on by police, the survey
found.

In some cases, respondents claimed to have been
electrocuted or stabbed by a third party -- usually
the victim of the crime the detainee was suspected
of -- with the consent and instruction of the
police.

"According to respondents, the aforementioned
violence had an objective in relation to the
alleged criminal act: It was meant to obtain a
confession and information," the survey says.

Patterns of violence detected in the survey are
comparable to those revealed by a 2005 study, with
a slight increase in cases of police brutality, the
report concludes.

The 2005 survey found 81.1 percent of detainees in
Jakarta and greater Jakarta (nearly 531
individuals) testified they were victims of torture
and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment.

To prevent such acts from occurring in the future,
the Indonesian criminal procedural code and the
Indonesian criminal code should be amended, with a
strong focus on the reduction of detention periods,
as well as on victim rehabilitation and proof of
the value of information obtained through torture,
the LBH report says.

---------------------------------------------------







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Thirteen marines jailed for shooting civilians

Jakarta Post - August 15, 2008

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya -- The Surabaya Military
Court on Thursday sentenced 13 marines to prison
terms of 18 months to three-and-a-half years for
fatally shooting four villagers and wounding
another eight in a clash last year.

Presiding judge Lt. Col. Yan Akhmad Mulyana said in
the verdict that the defendants were convicted for
their role in a crime that caused the deaths of
others. "Each of the defendants is dismissed from
the Marine Corps and is sentenced with different
prison terms," Yan said.

The heaviest sentence was given to platoon leader
First Lt. Budi Santoso, who received three-and-a-
half years in prison. A lighter sentence of two-
and-a-half years was given to First Cpl. Mohammad
Suratno and Chief Pvt. Suyatno. The three said they
would appeal the verdict.

The marines' lawyer Marianus T Miron said the
sentences were too harsh. "The marines were on
patrol when the clash occurred. They did not do so
(conduct the patrol) of their own will. It was a
state duty," Marianus said.

The remaining 10 marines were each sentenced with
eighteen months in prison.

The incident occurred on May 30, 2007, following a
dispute between villagers of Alas Tlogo in
Pasuruan, East Java, and the Navy over ownership
rights to a plot of land.

The killing spree began as angry villagers
reportedly threw objects at the 13 marines as they
were patrolling on foot around the Navy's combat
exercise compound in Alas Tlogo.

Responding to the sentences, some Alas Tlogo
villagers said they were too lenient. "We want them
sentenced to life imprisonment. This is not fair.
They killed people and got only three-and-a-half
years in prison," said Jumatun, a relative of one
of the four killed.

Legal expert I Wayan Titip of Surabaya-based
Airlangga University said he would show new
evidence revealing that the incident was actually a
planned action to attack the villagers. The
evidence in question, according to Wayan, was
discovered by the Commission for Missing Persons
and Victims of Violence.

"The trial gave the image that a clash occurred
between the marines and the villagers and that the
shootings were not made on purpose," he told The
Jakarta Post.

"There is also a possibility that the action was an
order by the military's highest authority as
soldiers are just like robots controlled by others,
the military leaders."

---------------------------------------------------






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Indonesia linked to teacher deaths in West Papua

Melbourne Age - August 17, 2008

Tom Hyland -- New evidence has emerged linking the
Indonesian military to the 2002 murder of two
American teachers and an Indonesian colleague in a
remote region of Papua, according to research by a
US academic and an Indonesian investigative
journalist.

"Credible sources link Indonesian intelligence
agents to the planning of this attack," said Eben
Kirksey, an anthropologist at the University of
California, who co-wrote a new report on the
killing with journalist Andreas Harsono.

Teachers Ricky Spier, Ted Burgon and Bambang
Riwanto were shot dead and five others wounded in
an ambush near the giant Freeport gold and copper
mine on August 31, 2002.

Pro-independence guerillas were blamed, but human
rights groups have long accused the Indonesian
military of involvement in the attack.

The new allegations will be published in a report
in a British academic journal tomorrow, drawing on
what the authors say are more than 2000 pages of
Indonesian court documents, recently declassified
US State Department cables, and more than 50
interviews.

Dr Kirksey said senior US officials, including
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, had helped
cover up evidence of military involvement, while
the FBI had failed to bring the case to a
definitive resolution.

The US was keen to have the case resolved so it
could resume defence co-operation with the
Indonesian armed forces as part of the war on
terrorism.

A possible motive for military involvement in the
attack was to convince the Freeport mine's owners
of the need to continue to pay for security. Seven
men were sentenced over the killings, including
alleged ringleader Antonius Wamang, a guerilla
fighter in Papua's independence movement, who
received a life term.

Military involvement was not seriously considered
at the trial, which was a sham, said Mr Harsono,
the journalist.

The researchers quote "reliable sources" saying
Agus Anggaibak, a 27-year old member of the
regional parliament, helped plan the ambush and
facilitated contacts between the shooters and
military agents.

In an interview with the authors, Mr Anggaibak
admitted to links with Indonesia's intelligence
agency, BIN, but denied any involvement in the
attack. He also admitted to meeting Mr Wamang.

The report will appear in the journal South East
Asia Research.

---------------------------------------------------

=================^==================================
I N D O L E F T - News service > >
=================^==================================

Villagers say sentences handed down by military
court too lenient

Tempo Interactive - August 18, 2008

Abdi Purmono, Pasuruan -- The sentences handed down
by the III-12 Surabaya Military Court against 13
marines who were charged over the shooting of
Alastlogo village residents in the Lekok sub-
district of Pasuruan, East Java, has deeply
disappointed local people.

According to Mahmud, a youth figure from the
Sumberanyar village, the punishment does not reflect
justice, particularly for the people of Alastlogo.

“We join in feeling the sadness of the Alastlogo
villagers. We, and other villagers will continue to
struggle to defend our land from control by the
navy”, said Mahmud when speaking with Tempo in
Monday August 18.

According to Mahmud, the defendants should have been
sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in jail, even
life imprisonment if necessary. Moreover, the
defendants should have been taken before the Human
Rights Court because their actions can be
categorised as a gross human rights violation
because the shooting was carried out in a systematic
manner.

It is appropriate that the defendants receive the
heaviest possible sentence because they have a
better understanding of law enforcement than
villagers, the majority of whom are unable to read
or write.

“They are the ones who understand the law. They are
the ones who should protect the people, but instead
they shot ordinary people will bullets bought with
the people’s money. Why not just sentence them to
the same thing”, said Mahmud.

Speaking in the same vein, Sumberanyar village chief
Purwo Eko said that the judges should have handed
down the heaviest possible sentence because they
were state officials.

“The sentence wasn’t heavy enough and not in line
with their actions against local people. The
defendants should have been given heavier sentences
and dismissed. So, [all of them] not just three be
dismissed and even this is a lenient sentence”, said
Eko.

Alastlogo village chief Imam Supnadi also said he
was dissatisfied. Like Mahmud and Eko, he is also of
the view that the lenient sentence was influenced by
the weak indictment. “It also depends on the
sentence demanded by the prosecutor, right”, said
Supnadi.

Alastlogo residents are asking the prosecutor to
submit an appeal with heavier charges so that the
judges can sentence them to more than five years in
jail and dismiss all of the defendants from the
navy.

The bloody Alastlogo incident erupted on May 30,
2007 when 13 marines from the Navy’s Combat Training
Centre, which has its headquarters on the Grati
regency, clashed with local residents.

The clash began with a protest by residents over the
seizure of disputed land by a contractor using a
marine guard escort. As a result, four people were
shot dead and around eight others wounded.

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.
Alastlogo is also known as Alas Tlogo village.]

****************************************************




--------------------------------------------------

East Timor police panned for crackdown on poor
vendors

Deutsche Presse Agentur - September 20, 2008

Dili -- National police in East Timor, one of the
poorest countries in Asia, are being criticized for
a crackdown on snack vendors working a lucrative
part of the capital, Dili.

No laws ban the sales across from the Palacio do
Governo, or Government Palace, and the police are
targeting poor people just trying to make ends
meet, politicians and vendors complained.

Until two days ago, dozens of small carts loaded
with drinks and snacks were stationed across from
the government offices in a picnic area under shade
trees that sits on the sea. On evenings and
weekends, the picnic tables in one of the most
popular public areas in Dili are usually jammed
with couples and families, and business for vendors
boomed there.

But on Saturday, only one cart dared show up for
fear of the police. "They chased me away a few days
ago, but I have come back," said Tios Sila. As the
sole vendor, Sila was doing a brisk business in
soft drinks, biscuits and cigarettes.

In East Timor, unemployment hangs around 60 per
cent, and most people make less than 1 dollar per
day. Sila said he could make 5 to 10 dollars from
the crowds in front of the Palacio do Governo. He
said he couldn't make that much anywhere else in
the city.

Jose Texeira, a member of East Timor's Parliament,
said he was unaware of any law prohibiting the
carts.

"I don't care if there's a law or not," he said.
"The fact is they have just started doing this
without telling anyone. It's nonsense, cracking
down on people who just want to make a living."

Acting commander of the national police, Alfonso de
Jesus, said no law had been passed but,
nonetheless, he ordered his officers to shoo away
the vendors last week after government workers
complained to him about traffic congestion in front
of their offices.

Police patrolling the area said they have not yet
arrested anyone but if they saw any snack carts,
they would ask them to move elsewhere.

"This isn't government property," Sila said. "Lots
of people come here. If you want to sell anything,
you have got to find a place that's popular."

---------------------------------------------------







http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=&section=middleeast&xfile=data/middleeast/2008/September/middleeast_September200.xml

Yemen pardons rioters in deal with opposition
(Reuters)

11 September 2008
SANAA - Yemen has pardoned dozens of people arrested in violent protests 
by unemployed youths in April, under a government agreement with the 
opposition, a security official said on Thursday.
"The last 12 detainees were freed yesterday and early today (Thursday) 
after signing a pledge not to carry out activities against the unity of 
the country," the official told Reuters.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh issued the amnesty after authorities 
reached a settlement with opposition parties, particularly the Yemen 
Socialist Party (YSP) which ruled south Yemen before its unification 
with the north in 1990.
The amnesty also covers three YSP leaders charged in May with inciting 
violence and calling for secession after the riots that left dozens 
wounded in the south of the country.
Opposition officials confirmed the report.
Youths demanding army jobs rioted in several towns in April, some 
raising demands for secession of the south, where many people feel 
marginalised.
Government forces crushed a southern bid to secede in 1994.
The south is home to only a fifth of Yemen's 22 million population but 
it generates much the country's revenue.
Up to 80 percent of oil production comes from the area which also has 
fisheries and Aden's port and refinery.
One of the poorest countries outside Africa, Yemen is also struggling 
with an ailing economy and an al Qaeda campaign while the government is 
fighting to crush a four-year rebellion in the north and cope with an 
influx of Somali refugees.






http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/17/asia/china.php

Would-be protesters still detained in China

By Edward Wong
Published: September 17, 2008


BEIJING: Eleven people who came to Beijing last week to protest property 
issues in southern China are still being held by the police in or around 
their hometown, a sister of one of the protesters said Wednesday. Some 
of the detainees, who include an ailing 79-year-old woman and a 
4-month-old baby, have been beaten by the police, the sister said.
The detainees are from the industrial city of Liuzhou, in Guangxi 
Autonomous Region, and they have been held by local police since Sept. 
10, when they were arrested in Beijing before they had a chance to carry 
out any protests.
The petitioners had flown to Beijing on Sept. 8 from the southern city 
of Shenzhen after their airplane tickets were arranged by the most 
outspoken member of the group, Huang Liuhong. Once they arrived, they 
hid in an apartment in northern Beijing.
They intended to protest four separate cases of property seizure or 
destruction, a common complaint in China. But as they left the 
apartment, dozens of plainclothes officers from Guangxi arrested them, 
aided by some Beijing police officers.
One of Huang Liuhong's older sisters, Huang Liuqing, said in a telephone 
interview on Wednesday that their mother, Guo Zhenjie, 79, was being 
held in a government villa in the county of Xiangshui. The government 
sends a car every day to pick up Huang Liuqing to take her to see the 
mother, who was injured in the chest while being treated roughly by the 
police, said Huang Liuqing, who also lives in Liuzhou but did not travel 
to Beijing last week.
"My mother's health is not good," she said.
Police officers in Liuzhou and Guangxi have declined to comment on the 
case. An official in Beijing acknowledged last week that the petitioners 
had been arrested by police from the south.
Huang said her younger sister's 4-month-old son, Zhang Tingyuan, was 
also being held somewhere, as was another sister. The three of them all 
came to Beijing last week. The group of petitioners has been split up, 
Huang said, and no one knows where they are. The police have taken away 
everyone's cell phones and identification cards, she added.
When the petitioners were arrested on Sept. 10, they were put into cars 
and driven to Liuzhou. Huang's younger sister said by telephone later 
that night that she and the other older sister had been stripped of all 
their clothes by a female police officer to prevent them from running away.
"There were dozens of male police officers around," Huang said on 
Wednesday. "It was an absolute humiliation for them. My mother was 
psychologically devastated when she saw with her own eyes her daughters 
being stripped naked."
Huang said her family members were brought to a hotel run by the 
military and interrogated for four hours that night by police officers. 
They were then charged with disturbing the social order in Beijing, she 
said.
Before the Olympic Games began on Aug. 8, China said it would allow 
protests in three public parks in Beijing. But the government has not 
granted any protest permits, and instead has detained several seeking to 
demonstrate. The Paralympics ended Wednesday, and it is unclear whether 
China will now relax its restrictions.







http://www.burmanet.org/news/2008/08/29/democratic-voice-of-burma-ten-jailed-for-september-2007-protests/

Democratic Voice of Burma: Ten jailed for September 2007 protests
Fri 29 Aug 2008
Filed under: News, Inside Burma
Ten people, including Bogalay township National League for Democracy 
chairman U Aung Khin Bo, have been sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment 
for their involvement in public protests last September.
Aung Khin Bo was sentenced by Pyapon township court along with Bogalay 
NLD secretary U Maung Maung Chit, joint secretary Daw Mi Mi Sein, 
treasurer Daw Khin Lay, and organising committee members U Thet Tun and 
U Thein Tun, according to lawyer U Aung Thein.
The six were arrested after Bogalay township NLD members led by Aung 
Khin Bo held mass demonstrations last September against the rise in fuel 
and commodity prices.
They were charged with unlawful assembly and disturbing the public order 
under sections 143 and 505(b) of the penal code, and have been held in 
Pyapon prison since their detention.
Aung Thein said he would be working on an appeal against the judgment.
Four other activists, including one from Hinthada township, were also 
jailed for 30 months yesterday for their involvement in last September’s 
demonstrations.
The other three, Ko Aung Moe Win, Ko Htay Win and Ko Kyi Then, were 
arrested after leading a demonstration in Laputta township on 3 
September which was joined by more than 1000 people.





http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,24267825-401,00.html?from=public_rss

China relents on Olympics protest grannies
 From correspondents in Beijing
Agence France-Presse
August 30, 2008 07:11pm
TWO Chinese grandmothers sentenced to re-education through labour for 
applying to protest during the Olympics will escape punishment.
The Beijing municipal committee which sentenced them less than two weeks 
ago revoked its order yesterday, said Human Rights in China.
Neighbours Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Xiuying, 77, were handed the 
one-year punishment after they asked several times for permission to 
protest in one of the three areas where authorities said they would 
allow such activities during the Olympic Games.
The elderly women said they wanted to protest as they had not received 
compensation after their homes were demolished by the Beijing city 
government seven years ago.
The two said they had applied five times to stage protests at official 
Olympic protest zones.
But instead of getting approval for their protest, they were both 
slapped with the one-year sentences of re-education through labour for 
disturbing public order.
Under the police order, the pair were spared immediate detention but 
would have been sent off to camp if they caused more trouble.
An administrative punishment, re-education through labour is generally 
handed down for minor offences, such as prostitution, but is also used 
against political opponents so they can be locked up without trial.
Human Rights in China said the system "has long been widely criticised, 
not only because it violates international standards of human rights, 
but also because it is in direct conflict with the Chinese Government's 
self-professed 'rule by law'".







http://abikwok.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/second-discipline-zone-in-quezon-city-launched/

Second ‘discipline zone’ in Quezon City launched
Posted by Abi Kwok on August 29, 2008
By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 13:27:00 08/29/2008
MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City government will intensify its 
crackdown on traffic violators as it expands its “SB (Mayor Sonny 
Belmonte) Discipline Zone” program to cover portions of Aurora 
Boulevard, particularly those traversing business and university 
districts, Belmonte said on Friday.
The 2nd phase of the discpline zone, launched last August 27, will cover 
1 and ½ kilometers of Aurora Boulevard, beginning at the Elliptical Road 
in Quezon Avenue going towards Marikina city. Key roads covered by the 
discipline zone would include East Avenue, Katipunan Avenue, North 
Avenue, and the entire stretch of Cubao, one of the city’s bustling 
areas, Belmonte said.
Key government buildings and universities are within the vicinity of 
these areas and Belmonte said placing them under a discipline zone would 
highlight the importance of “obedience and respect for the law.”
“Small offenses lead to bigger offenses. For us to revolutionize peace 
and order in Quezon City, we have to cooperate,” he said on Friday.
Aurora Boulevard will be the second discipline zone in the city, the 
first one being the entire stretch of Commonwealth Avenue, an accident 
prone area that was turned into a discipline zone last April.
Apart from stricter traffic rules, street vendors, jaywalkers, “rugby 
boys,” and street children, among others, will also be prohibited from 
the discipline zone. Violators will either be imprisoned or fined, 
Belmonte said.
The second discipline zone will also aim to eliminate street vandalism, 
littering, vagrancy, and other “disorderly behaviors,” he added.
Magtanggol Gatdula, director of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), 
said more law enforcers would be placed in key areas covered by the 
discipline zone.
“We are confident to achieve similar feats in these areas where personal 
discipline of the people matters most. After all, just like other 
foreign countries, peace and order is maintained even without the 
presence of policemen or any other countries,” he added.






http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20081004-164553/Raps-filed-vs-anti-Arroyo-protesters

Raps filed vs anti-Arroyo protesters
By Carla Gomez
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:38:00 10/04/2008

Filed Under: Crime, Regional authorities
BACOLOD CITY – The police on Thursday filed charges of inciting to 
sedition against five Task Force Mapalad (TFM) members arrested for 
interrupting President Macapagal-Arroyo’s speech at the Wednesday 
opening of the Masskara Festival in Bacolod City.
Supt. Leo Erwin Agpangan, Bacolod City police deputy director for 
operations, said they filed charges of inciting to sedition, alarm and 
scandal and resisting arrest against Hermegildo Padilla, Everlito 
Alguna, Bonifacio Alguna, Noel Estaris Jr. and Gerardo Batalla before 
the Bacolod City Prosecutor’s Office.
The five were among the 20 protesters, including Bagong Alyansang 
Makabayan members, who unfurled banners with anti-Arroyo messages just 
as the President was starting her speech before 5,000 people at the 
Bacolod public plaza.
The TFM members, who demanded the implementation of the Comprehensive 
Agrarian Reform Program on Arroyo lands in Negros, said they would face 
the charges.
Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra appealed for the release of the five if 
the charges against them were only minor,saying their families would be 
affected if they continued to be detained.
Navarra said he was saddened by the show of force of the police and 
military officers in dispersing protesters, adding that they should have 
observed maximum tolerance.
But BCPO director Senior Supt. Ronilo Quebrar said the decision to 
release the TFM members would be up to the court.
Quebrar said the protesters’ actions disgraced Negros Occidental and 
Bacolod City.
Most of the protesters, including the Bayan members, managed to evade 
members of the BCPO and the Presidential Security Group after the quick 
rally.






http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43881

POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Security Law Against Dissent - Protests Rise
By Baradan Kuppusamy

Police trying to disperse a candlelight vigil against the arrest of 
dissenters under internal security laws.

Credit:Baradan Kuppusamy/IPS

KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 16 (IPS) - Under relentless opposition since losing 
massively at the March general elections, the government of Prime 
Minister Abdullah Badawi has resorted to invoking a draconian security 
law to check political dissent.

In a sudden crackdown on Sep.12 authorities arrested prominent blogger 
Raja Petra Kamaruddin, who runs the hugely popular Malaysia Today 
political website, and the outspoken opposition lawmaker Teresa Kok, 
under the dreaded Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows for indefnite 
detention without trial.

As part of the blitz three newspapers were issued with notices that 
could potentially see them suspended or banned altogether. A young 
journalist with a Chinese daily who reported the allegedly racist speech 
of a Malay leader was also arrested, but released 16 hours later.

The popular ‘The Sun’ English daily, the Chinese language ‘Sin Chew 
Daily’ and ‘Berita Keadilan,’ the official organ of iconic opposition 
leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Keadilan party, have been asked to say why they 
should not be punished for various offences -- most of them spurious, 
according to human rights lawyers.

The crackdown comes as Anwar struggles to induce the defection of over 
30 to 40 government backbenchers and topple the government. He 
constantly claims to have the required numbers.

Anwar has 82 members in the 222-seat chamber and needs 30 more to form a 
simple majority government, although how he is going to effect that is 
anybody’s guess. There is no precedent and the government appears 
prepared to take tough measures to keep itself safe.

‘’The crackdown is a signal that a new era of intolerance and threat has 
started. They intend to curb media freedom, political freedom and signal 
all Malaysians that more tough action is ahead,’’ Bar Council 
vice-chairman, Ragu Kesavan, told IPS.

The bar, which represents over 13,000 lawyers, is calling an urgent 
emergency meeting on Sep. 20 to plan how to head off the crackdown and 
threats from the government.

The ISA law -- which the authorities defend as necessary to keep the 
peace in a multi-racial society -- was originally enacted in 1948 by the 
British colonial government for use against a communist threat.

Since the 1960s Malaysia has widened the use of ISA to detain 
politicians, religious extremists, activists, currency forgers and even 
passport forgers.

So far, the arrests of Kamaruddin and Kok have sparked a huge storm of 
protest with even cabinet ministers joining in to voice anger at the use 
of the ISA against legitimate political dissent.

Several cabinet ministers broke ranks to speak out, forcing the 
government to release the reporter and allow lawyers and family members 
to visit Kamaruddin and Kok at their detention cells.

Cabinet minister Zaid Ibrahim, who resigned on Monday after failing to 
dissuade the government from making the arrests, had led the criticism 
from within the government ranks.

Speaking to reporters, Zaid said the ISA was ‘’open to abuse’’ and that 
‘’if we cannot be fair in implementing it, then we should confine its 
use to terrorists.’’

The government has defended the arrests saying police had carried out a 
major intelligence survey and found that there is a need to arrest both 
critics to ensure race and religious differences did not get out of hand.

Allied with Anwar, Kamaruddin has been a fierce critic of the government 
with traffic to his website exceeding one million hits on an average 
when he was arrested.

The government has already charged him with sedition and defamation in 
the past months.

Critics say the real reason for arresting Kamaruddin is to protect 
Abdullah’s position as prime minister now that he is under severe attack 
from within his ruling United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) and 
from outside by Anwar.

Opposition lawmaker Kok, a senior member of the Democratic Action Party 
(DAP) that supports the interests of ethnic Chinese and is allied to the 
Anwar-led Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition, was formally arrested 
over unproven claims that she led a non-Muslim complaint about the 
‘’loud sound’’ of morning prayers over loudspeakers at a mosque.

She vehemently denied the accusation and threatened legal action when 
she was arrested.

Abdullah, who has promised to leave by June 2010, is however facing 
mounting pressure from UMNO to leave by December so that a new man can 
take over and win back lost support.

Abdullah’s woes were compounded after the 83-year-old former prime 
minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, a fierce critic of Abdullah, announced 
his decision to return to the political stage.

Protest is building up across the country with ordinary people, NGOs and 
politicians protesting the crackdown by organising candle-light vigils 
and protest meetings to whip up opposition against use of the ISA.

Even the church has expressed its concern at the sudden crackdown and 
has urged the government to allow legitimate dissent. It has also 
launched prayer meetings for ISA detainees.







http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9505E2DF1338F932A35753C1A96E9C8B63

WORLD BRIEFING | AFRICA; Mauritania: Junta To Ban Protests

By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: October 1, 2008
Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf, the prime minister appointed by 
Mauritania's military junta, said Tuesday that the government would ban 
all protests. ''I think that since May we have done nothing else than 
protest in this country; we are going to limit that, actually we're 
going to ban all demonstrations from all sides,'' he told Radio France 
Internationale. The junta, which seized power in August, has promised to 
hold new elections soon, but no date has been set.









http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080912110733968C799484

Judge refuses Zuma protest

September 12 2008 at 11:12AM

There will be no protest by African National Congress (ANC) president 
Jacob Zuma supporters outside the Johannesburg High Court on Friday, 
said the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu).

A picket by members of the ANC, Cosatu and the South African Communist 
Party (SACP) was to have been held in Pritchard Street, outside the 
Johannesburg High Court.

Cosatu spokesperson Siphiwe Mgcina said the Johannesburg metro police 
had approved the protest pending the approval of the chief judge.

"We were only informed this morning that the chief judge refused.

"That automatically cancelled the permission from the police, so there 
won't be a protest for the ANC and the tripartite alliance," he said.


Zuma was appearing in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday for the 
handing down of a ruling on the lawfulness of the criminal prosecution 
against him.

There was a large police presence at the Hospital Street entrance to the 
Constitutional Court on Friday for an expected protest by the ANC Youth 
League. - Sapa







http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=605408

Thai Students warned over boycotting classes for anti-gov`t protest
Posted: 2008/09/08
From: MNN

Thailand`s Ministry of Education has fired a `warning shot across the 
bows` to get the attention of students about to take leave from their 
classrooms to demand the resignation of the prime minister and his gov`t.

The ministry on Sunday officially warned the activist student group now 
designating itself as the 'Young PAD' to be fully aware of the 
significance of their class boycott to pressure Prime Minister Samak 
Sundaravej to resign.

Late Saturday students saying they represented some 80 institutions of 
higher learning nationwide called on their fellow students to absent 
themselves from classes and apply their energy and intellect to convince 
the prime minister to change his intention regarding staying in office.

The students say the prime minister's time at the helm of the ship of 
state is over now, and that its time to leave.

The Commission on Higher Education sent letters to all universities 
asking that the academic authorities monitor student movements and to 
them the gravity of the situation under the Emergency Decree imposed in 
Bangkok, and which remains in effect.

Secretary-General Sumet Yaemnun of the Office of Commission on Higher 
Education said that the office had not imposed any rule to bar students 
from expressing their political opinions and that their activities were 
not against university regulations.

However, he said that students should also think about their futures and 
be careful not to be convinced to do anything without understanding the 
real situation.

Mr. Sumet warned that if students did not attend enough classes, 
according to education sector rules, they may have to waste time 
repeating another term or retaking an exam. (TNA







http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080913/lead/lead4.html

Holness lashes out at student protests
published: Saturday | September 13, 2008
Education Minister Andrew Holness has asked the police to investigate 
instances where students are involved in unlawful protests and has 
warned educators who fail to protect children from these illegal acts 
that sanctions will be applied.
"I would like to publicly express my concern over the practice of 
unlawful protests on, or in the vicinity of school grounds, in some 
instances involving students," Holness said in a release yesterday.
He added: "Where the ministry determines that school officials have 
failed to exercise adequate supervision of students in their care, or in 
any other way acted contrary to the students' best interests, sanctions 
will be applied in keeping with the Education Act and Regulations."
Breach of the peace
Holness said from media reports, it was evident that participants in 
these incidents were in breach of the peace, obstructing public roads 
and trespassing on school property.
Scores of students from Grange Hill High School in Westmoreland on 
Monday blocked the main road in that community to protest against poor 
road conditions. Some 1,900 students converged outside the facility 
demanding that the roads be repaired.
"Most importantly, these demonstrations place our students at risk. It 
is with this in mind that I would like to advise the public of the 
ministry's zero-tolerance approach to unlawful actions occurring on or 
near school grounds," he said.
The education minister said the ministry's zero-tolerance policy on 
unlawful protests was discussed in greater detail in its manual on 
security and safety to be distributed to schools in the current school term.
Hold the school
Under the ministry's zero-tolerance approach to unlawful protests, the 
ministry intends to hold the school community and the public responsible 
for action or inaction that negatively affects school operations.
Holness said under the Child Care and Protection Act, parents have a 
duty to ensure that their children are enrolled and attending school. 
School administrators have a duty at common law to supervise and care 
for students in their care and students are bound to obey the school 
rules, including those prohibiting misbehaviour in public while in uniform.
He pointed out that unlawful protests have the potential to escalate and 
threaten the security and safety of the school community. Such protests, 
he said, create an atmosphere of hostility, intimidation and 
indiscipline without providing meaningful resolution to underlying problems.
Holness said under the Child Care and Protection Act, parents have a 
duty to ensure that their children are enrolled and attending school.






http://newsblaze.com/story/20080912191321tsop.nb/topstory.html

September 12,2008
Send to a friend
Tibetan Protesters Without Nepalese Papers Face Removal to India
By International Campaign for Tibet

137 Tibetan protesters who were taken into custody by the Nepalese 
authorities on September 9, 10, and 11 have been handed over to the 
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kathmandu with 
the understanding that those who do not hold valid papers will be sent 
to India. Thousands of Tibetans have participated in months of protests 
in Kathmandu, often near the Chinese Embassy, against China's crackdown 
in Tibet that followed a tidal wave of demonstrations across the Tibetan 
plateau this spring and summer. Beijing has urged the Nepal government 
to stop the demonstrations, claiming they are an irritant to China-Nepal 
relations.
The Nepal government has taken a series of moves against the Tibetan 
community in Kathmandu, in deference to what it says is Chinese pressure 
to stop activities by Tibetans that it deems as anti-China. In January 
2005 it closed the Office of the Representative of His Holiness the 
Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Welfare Office, both of which had been 
operational with the consent of the Nepal government since the 1960s. 
Tibetans perceive themselves as increasingly vulnerable under the new 
Maoist regime in power in Nepal, and many fear their status will 
deteriorate further.
The 137 Tibetans are currently at the UNHCR-funded Tibetan Refugee 
Reception Center in Kathmandu and have been required to present evidence 
of their legal status in Nepal. According to sources at the Reception 
Center, those who hold a government-issued refugee registration 
certificate (RC) or Nepalese citizenship will be allowed to return to 
their homes. Most of the Tibetans being processed are laypeople although 
there are some monks and nuns; the oldest is in his late fifties, and 
the youngest is 16. This is the first time the UNHCR has been involved 
in conducting such an investigation and is an indication of increased 
scrutiny from the Nepalese authorities' of the Tibetan population in Nepal.
Tibetans without legal status will be deported to India. Tibetans who 
arrived in Nepal prior to 1989, and their offspring, are eligible to 
receive a RC, which allows them to remain in Nepal with certain limited 
civil rights. However, Nepal has been unreliable in the issuance of RCs 
and thousands of Tibetans who are eligible have been waiting for years 
for processing to resume. In 2000, the Nepal Ministry of Home Affairs 
told US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Assistant Secretary Julia 
Taft that Nepal would issue RCs to all eligible Tibetans. This has not 
been done.
Nepalese Home Ministry spokesman Modraj Dottel told news agency AFP 
yesterday that police and immigration department officials have been 
ordered to take action as the Tibetans have not stopped their protests 
despite repeated appeals from the government. "We have been forced to 
take this measure as Tibetan immigrants continued with their anti-China 
protests. We don't want to spoil our friendly relations with China," the 
spokesman said. "We will not allow our territory to be used for 
anti-China activity."
China's acute sensitivity over Tibet has been the primary feature of 
China-Nepal relations for some years and has been re-established with 
the new Maoist government. Prime Minister Prachanda was given a red 
carpet welcome in Beijing when he flew in for the closing ceremony of 
the Olympics ¬ his first trip overseas after being sworn in on August 
18. In Beijing, Prachanda reiterated his intention to support China on 
the Tibet issue.
ICT calls on the Nepali government to resume the issuance of RCs, which 
it stopped in the 1990s, to all those Tibetans who are eligible for 
legal residency in Nepal.
In the near term, ICT calls on Tibetans without legal status to consider 
carefully the serious ramifications of continuing protests at the 
Chinese embassy in Kathmandu.
ICT welcomes the concern that foreign embassies in Kathmandu are 
conveying to Nepalese officials, including that Tibetans should be 
afforded the right of free expression and assembly, and especially as 
the new Maoist government develops policies and procedures that may have 
long-term implications for Tibetans living in Nepal.






http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L04799719.htm

Saudi activist faces trial over women's protest
04 Sep 2007 13:44:32 GMT
Source: Reuters

RIYADH, Sept 4 (Reuters) - A well-known Saudi reform activist and his 
brother have been ordered to appear in court on charges including 
inciting protests by women, a colleague said on Tuesday.
Abdullah al-Hamed and his brother Isa are expected to appear in a 
criminal court in the town of Buraida north of Riyadh over an incident 
in July where the wives of Saudi men in indefinite detention staged a 
public protest.
"They were ordered three days ago to appear in court on charges of 
provoking women to stage a sit-in and trying to break a security 
cordon," said Khaled al-Omair, legal representative for the two men.
Omair said the penalty if found guilty was not clear but it could be at 
least one year in prison.
Hamed was detained for several days in July along with women who 
gathered outside state security offices in Buraida to demand that their 
husbands face trial or be released, and to raise complaints about 
mistreatment in prison.
The Interior Ministry said at the time that Hamed and his brother had 
violated a security cordon around the house of one of the protesters. A 
spokesman was unavailable for comment on Tuesday.
The government says about 3,000 people are in detention out of a total 
of 9,000 arrested since Islamist militants allied to al Qaeda launched a 
violent campaign in May 2003 to topple the U.S.-allied monarchy and 
expel foreigners.
Activists say many of them have little or no connection to militant groups.
Hamed was sentenced in 2005 to seven years in jail on charges of sowing 
dissent and challenging the royal family in the kingdom, which has no 
elected parliament or political parties.
Later that year King Abdullah pardoned Hamed and two other reformers 
convicted in the same case.
Hamed was a key mover behind a petition to King Abdullah this year 
asking for more action on political reforms.






http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/122970.php

Advocates At U.N. Meeting Protest Jailing Of Iranian Physicians
Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice; Medical Malpractice / 
Litigation
Article Date: 25 Sep 2008 - 8:00 PDT

Human rights advocates on Monday during the United Nations General 
Assembly in New York City protested the detention of two Iranian 
physicians who implemented Iran's first HIV prevention and treatment 
program, the Washington Post reports. Brothers Arash Alaei and Kamiar 
Alaei were arrested in June and have been detained in a high-security 
Iranian prison without formal charges, according to the Post. More than 
3,200 HIV/AIDS advocates and researchers worldwide have signed a 
petition requesting that the brothers be released.

According to the Post, the brothers' arrest reflects a trend of the 
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration to detain 
professionals who are suspected of promoting Western interests. 
According to Hadi Ghaemi of the International Campaign for Human Rights 
in Iran, a main focus of Ahmadinejad's administration is a "broad 
crackdown on dissidents of all kinds" and a refusal "to acknowledge that 
anything of the sort is happening."

An unnamed Iranian lawyer who has been in contact with Physicians for 
Human Rights said the Alaeis likely were the targets of intelligence and 
security officials in Iran. Hasan Hadad, deputy general prosecutor of 
Tehran, in an August statement said the brothers attempted to recruit 
and train people to topple the Iranian government. Hadad said that the 
brothers were "involved in organizing gatherings on topics such as AIDS 
that have received attention from domestic and international" 
non-governmental organizations, adding that they "acted to recruit 
individuals to travel abroad with the aim of training them on 
overthrowing the system. They were well aware of their activities and 
topics of training, such as velvet revolutions."

Sarah Kalloch -- a representative of PHR who is leading a campaign to 
call for the brothers' release -- said that the HIV program the Alaeis 
implemented in Iran has been a "very enlightened program for ... harm 
reduction, methadone treatment, therapy and health care for inject[ion] 
drug users." Kalloch added, "Everyone in global health is wisely 
advocating for civil society exchange" in Iran, adding, "If that is a 
threat to the regime, it is a sad day for the health and well-being of 
the people of Iran" (Boustany, Washington Post, 9/24).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You 
can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the 
archives, or sign up for email delivery at 
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily 
Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service 
of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.






http://allafrica.com/stories/200809150628.html

Uganda: Military Police to Stop Using Guns During Riots
Emojong Osere
15 September 2008
Two top military officials have said guns might no longer be used by 
police in quelling riots. In their speeches during the passing out of 
110 Military Police personnel at Kigo Training School on Friday, Uganda 
People's Defence Forces (UPDF) Land Forces commander, Maj. Gen. Katumba 
Wamala and the Military Police Commander, Lt. Col. Tumusiime Katsigazi, 
fronted a total ban on use of guns at riot scenes.
The two claimed the graduands had garnered taekwondo tactics and other 
fighting skills sufficient to control riots without shooting. "It is 
common to hear over the radio that a military police officer killed 15 
people while trying to arrest a suspect. With the level of training we 
have, we might not need rifles in future while fighting rioters," said 
Lt. Col. Tumusiime. "The fighting skills we have acquired are enough to 
push them (rioters) away without releasing a bullet."
He made the remarks after a 30 minute taekwondo skills and accurate 
shooting display exercise by the youthful graduands. Gen. Katumba Wamala 
said Ugandans had spilt a lot of blood and time had come for the public 
and the military to live harmoniously.
"From today, I do not want to hear of the abuse of the touch the UPDF 
has built with the wananchi (citizens)," he said adding, "I want you to 
feel proud of being members of the UPDF, an army that citizens of this 
country are proud of." The officers completed a Level III military 
training, the first of its kind which entailed studies in military 
investigation, prisoner's detention and traffic control.
The Force's personnel have on several occasions been accused of abuse of 
people's rights. In Dec. 2005, the then Military Police Commander, Maj. 
Dick Bugingo, slapped Forum for Democratic Change Head of Elections, 
(Rtd.) Maj. Rubaramira Ruranga, as he was waiting to demonstrate after 
the arrival of South African President Thabo Mbeki in Najjanankumbi.
(The Monitor)






http://www.bangkokpost.com/020908_News/02Sep2008_news09.php

Tuesday September 02, 2008

Riot police ordered to put batons away

Riot police have been banned from carrying batons and are now allowed to 
only carry shields for protection if attacked by People's Alliance for 
Democracy (PAD) demonstrators, deputy national police chief Jongrak 
Juthanont said yesterday.
The riot control measures were weakened in line with Prime Minister 
Samak Sundaravej's wishes that police not carry anything but the shields.
The ban follows accusations that riot police had used undue force 
against unarmed anti-government demonstrators on Friday.
The clashes cost Metropolitan Police chief Aswin Kwanmuang his job as he 
was quickly transferred to an inactive post at police headquarters.
Pol Gen Jongrak was then appointed acting Metropolitan Police chief.
Pol Gen Jongrak said the situation could not be kept under control if 
the protesters were treated badly.

Wooden and bamboo poles and crash helmets are on hand for use by 
People's Alliance for Democracy security guards if police try to break 
up the PAD protest. — APICHIT JINAKUL
He also said an unnamed third party was responsible for the explosion at 
a traffic police kiosk next to the Prachakasem bridge near Government 
House in the early hours of yesterday.
Pol Gen Jongrak said it was a low-powered blast and the aim was to cause 
a public disturbance rather than any harm. The explosion damaged flower 
pots and the glass windows of the police booth and the nearby Private 
School Federation building.
PAD leader Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang said the alliance had nothing to do 
with the bombing.
Wat Benchamabophit school, Rachawinit school and the Rajamangala 
University of Technology Phra Nakhon, all of which are on Phitsanulok 
road, remained closed yesterday.
On Sunday night, three taxi drivers complained to police that some 
people had used catapults to shoot marbles at their vehicles near the 
Royal Plaza protest site, damaging their windshields and side windows.






http://allafrica.com/stories/200809020127.html

Kenya: Tough Terms Set for Students Who Rioted
Jonathan Manyindo, Anthony Kitimo And Walker Mwandoto
1 September 2008
Nairobi — Schools that had their facilities damaged by rioting students 
last term are yet to complete repairs because of huge amounts of money 
required for the job, the Nation has established.
At the Kilifi Township Secondary School, only one of the two dormitories 
razed has been repaired as Form One to Three students started reporting 
for the third term.
Damage to Kilifi Township and Godoma Secondary schools is estimated at 
Sh4 million. In order to repair the facilities, the management of the 
two schools have introduced tough conditions for readmission of students.
Godoma Secondary School board of governors chairman Bishop Julius Kalu 
said the 600 students would have to pay Sh6,000 each, and any fee 
balances before readmission.
He told the Nation that a meeting held on Thursday resolved that Sh15.2 
million needs to be raised to put up a modern dormitory, ablution block 
and a fence around the school compound.
"Other safety measures to be implemented are deployment of three 
watchmen for 24 hours and putting up fire-fighting gadgets in 
dormitories and strategic places," the bishop said.
Safety measures being implemented at Kilifi Township Secondary School 
include the formation of a disciplinary and security committee that will 
inspect dormitories during the day and night.
Principal Kagutha Macharia said that the committee would also be 
responsible for giving permission to students who wanted to go out of 
the compound unlike in the past when any teacher could do this.
All the 550 students are required to pay Sh4,000 each for the damages 
and clear all the outstanding fees for the first and second terms.
In Taita and Taveta districts, most schools have not complied with 
various safety measures announced by the Government to avert disasters.
Taveta district education officer George Awuocha said that although all 
the four secondary schools in his area have doors that open outwards, 
they were yet to be equipped with fire extinguishers.
He said it was a costly exercise that required parents "to dig deeper 
into their pockets, that is why it was being done in bits and pieces".
He also said Timbila High School, where students burnt down a laboratory 
last term, will open as scheduled, while repair work and equipping of 
the facility goes on. The damage was estimated at Sh3.7 million.
"We are trying to source money from elsewhere to see if the damaged 
laboratory could be rebuilt," he said.
In Kaloleni District, parents of schools that were damaged by rioting 
students last term will have to pay for the cost of the damages, area 
education officer Julius Nkariphia said on Monday.
(Daily Nation)







http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7635405.stm

Thursday, 25 September 2008 13:47 UK
E-mail this to a friend
Cameroon singer jailed for riots

Lapiro was arrested in April over riots earlier in the year
A court in Cameroon has sentenced one of the country's best-known 
singers, Lapiro de Mbanga, to three years in prison over anti-government 
riots.
Lapiro was convicted for taking part in riots in February that 
authorities said left at least 40 people dead.
The singer is the author of a song criticising a constitutional reform 
that will allow the President Paul Biya to seek re-election in 2011.
Lapiro's wife denied that her husband had taken part in the riots.
In comments to AFP news agency, she said he had actually "calmed people 
down so that they wouldn't set fire to the city hall," in Lapiro's home 
town of Mbanga.
The court also ordered the singer to pay 280m CFA francs ($640,000) in 
compensation for damage caused during the riots.
Mbanga was one of several Cameroonian towns that saw riots in February 
over the high cost of living and the constitutional reform.
Authorities had accused Lapiro, an influential member of the opposition 
Social Democratic Front, of being one of the orchestrators of the riots 
there, the BBC's Frederik Takang reports from Cameroon.
Lapiro's supporters have said the 51-year-old singer is victimised for 
his songs, which often criticise the government.
President Biya has been in power since 1982.






http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=149648

General News of Sunday, 7 September 2008

Eastern Regional Security Council bans demonstrations at Suhum
NEW. Watch live television from Ghana plus the latest Ghanaian movies 
plus OBE TV.
Koforidua, Sept. 7, GNA - The Eastern Regional Security Council has 
directed that for security reasons, no permit should be given to anyone 
or group to demonstrate in Suhum. A statement issued by the Council in 
Koforidua and signed by Mr Kwadwo Affram-Asiedu, Eastern Regional 
Minister directed the police to ensure peace was maintained in the area. 
It advised the public to co-operate with the security personnel to 
maintain peace.






http://allafrica.com/stories/200806190033.html

Reporters sans Frontières (Paris)
Morocco: Photographer Questioned By Police Over Photograph of Demonstration
18 June 2008
What is left of press freedom in Morocco? The first six months of 2008 
have been marked by an avalanche of trials and repressive judicial and 
administrative decisions. At the same time, promises by Prime Minister 
Abbas El Fassi's government to reform the press law have still not 
materialised. No bill has yet been submitted to the chamber of deputies.
"We are very worried by the deterioration in the press freedom situation 
in Morocco," Reporters Without Borders said. "The mistrust that 
journalists feel towards the government has been reinforced by an 
increase in the number of prosecutions brought against them and the many 
other obstacles they have to face."
Journalists were stunned when reporter Mostapha Hurmatallah of the 
weekly "Al Watan Al An" was returned to Casablanca's Okacha prison on 19 
February to finish the seven-month sentence he was given in 2007 for 
publishing the content of an intelligence agency memo. It made them 
aware of the danger they were all in.
Moroccan journalists have always had to worry about their safety. They 
now know they can go to prison if what they report challenges the 
official version. Hurmatallah's editor, Abderrahim Ariri, got a 
suspended prison sentence but the eight army officers who allegedly 
leaked information to Hurmatallah were given long jail terms that have 
been seen as a warning to all who cooperate with the media.
Before being sent back to prison, Hurmatallah told Reporters Without 
Borders that his first spell of 56 days behind bars had left him with a 
"bitter taste" although conditions in prison had been relatively 
acceptable. "When I set about becoming a journalist, I never imagine 
that I might end up in prison because of what I wrote. This has been a 
brutal experience. I was very moved by all the campaigning on my behalf 
in Morocco and abroad, but prison is prison."
There was no response to the request for a pardon that his family sent 
to King Mohammed and now he is due to be freed in July on completion of 
his sentence. However, on 18 March, the King did pardon blogger Fouad 
Mourtada, who had been sentenced to three years in prison for creating a 
spoof entry on the social networking website Facebook in the name of the 
king's brother - a case which, despite the pardon, has traumatised the 
Moroccan blogosphere.
The courts rarely rule in favour of journalists, who increasingly doubt 
the judicial system's independence. In March, the editor of the 
Arabic-language daily "Al-Massae", Rachid Nini, was sentenced to pay six 
million dirhams (approx. 550,000 euros) in damages and a fine of 120,000 
dirhams (approx. 11,000 euros) in a lawsuit brought by four judges. No 
court had ever ordered such a high damages award before. The case is due 
to be heard by an appeal court soon.
"Al-Massae" photographer Karim Selmaoui was questioned by members of the 
national department of criminal investigation in Casablanca for more 
than two hours on 16 June about a photo in the newspaper's 28 May issue 
of a woman being manhandled by police during a demonstration. The police 
superintendent who appeared in the photo received threats after it was 
published.
Selmaoui told Reporters Without Borders he was interrogated about the 
circumstances in which he took the photo and how it came to be published 
in the foreign press. He was also questioned at length about his former 
work relationship with the French weekly "Le Journal", especially as 
regards to the photos it used for its stories about the Moroccan 
government. "One can live without the press, but one cannot live without 
being safe," one of the policemen told him.
Just as the trial of "Al Watan Al An"'s editor and reporter caused a 
stir in 2007, the high-profile trial of Hassan Rachidi, Rabat bureau 
chief of the Qatar-based satellite TV station Al-Jazeera will start in 
July. He was charged him with "publishing false information" on 13 June 
because, according to the government, he deliberately omitted any 
reference to a government denial about the toll of dead and wounded in 
recent clashes in the southern city of Sidi Ifni.
The authorities seem to have no doubt about his guilt, as his press 
accreditation was withdrawn immediately after the charges were 
announced. In May, the government withdrew Al-Jazeera's licence to 
broadcast directly by satellite from Morocco. This meant that its staff 
had to stop producing a daily news programme about the Maghreb countries 
which it had been broadcasting live from its Rabat studio. Rachidi will 
face a possible one-year prison sentence when his trial starts on 1 July.
Another current case concerns a request by Ahmed Herzenni, the president 
of the Consultative Council for Human Rights (CCDH), for a summary 
ruling to stop the Arabic-language daily "Al Jarida Al Oula" from 
continuing the series of previously unpublished interviews it began on 9 
June. Senior Moroccan officials gave the interviews to Fairness and 
Reconciliation (IER), an entity that was dissolved in 2007 and replaced 
by the CCDH, and Herzenni insists they are confidential government 
documents. He is to argue his case in court on 18 June.
The trial of Ahmed Reda Benchemsi, the publisher of the weeklies "Tel 
Quel" and "Nichane", is also due to resume in Casablanca on 3 September. 
He faces up to five years in prison for "disrespect for the king" under 
article 41 of the press law.
When a Reporters Without Borders delegation met with government 
spokesman and communications minister Khalid Naciri on 30 April in 
Rabat, he expressed a desire to introduce a new press law that would be 
"advanced" and "based on consensus." According to Naciri, the proposed 
new law is still being discussed.






http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/20/stories/2008082060330900.htm

Tamil Nadu

High Court permits AIADMK demonstration against Minister
Staff Reporter
Says, it is very sad to read a counter affidavit filed by a police 
inspector
MADURAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Deputy 
Superintendent of Police, Nagercoil sub division, Kanyakumari district 
to permit All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadres to hold a 
demonstration seeking the dismissal of N. Suresh Rajan, Minister for 
Tourism and Registration.
Allowing a writ petition filed by the district secretary of AIADMK, 
Justice K. Chandru said that the demonstration shall be permitted to be 
held before the Collector’s office on August 25.
The police were at liberty to provide security cover, if they want, 
though the petitioner had not sought for any such protection, the Judge 
said.
Earlier, the Judge said that “it is very sad” to read a counter 
affidavit filed by a Police Inspector who stated that the demonstration 
was not permitted because the police had to provide security to VIPs. 
The officer also stated that refusing permission for demonstration would 
not affect any of the fundamental rights of a citizen.
“First of all, this Inspector of Police does not know what his 
Constitution is. Everything is denied by him. Even the Constitution will 
be denied… If given all the powers, the police might not allow anybody 
to hold demonstrations,” the Judge told the Special Government Pleader 
(SGP) appearing for the police.
Mr. Justice Chandru also told the SGP that there was no harm in 
earmarking a particular entrance/gate at every office of the Collector 
to hold demonstrations.
He pointed out that in Kerala; even the Legislative Assembly has a gate 
allocated exclusively for holding peaceful protests.
Holding a demonstration was a part of the fundamental right to freedom 
of speech and expression and to assemble peacefully without arms 
guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) and (b) of the Constitution, the Judge 
observed and said that it has been approved by the Supreme Court in S. 
Rangarajan Versus B. Jagjivan Ram.
P.H. Manoj Pandian, counsel for the petitioner, stated that the 
demonstration was being held against the Minister as he was accused of 
abusing a Special Deputy Collector in Kanyakumari by referring to the 
latter’s Caste, besides instigating two others to assault him in public 
view on April 18.






http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/general/2008/08/200882714583923494.html

Wednesday, August 27, 2008
18:18 Mecca time, 15:18 GMT

Murder at Sea

Tual has become an 'Island of the Damned' for the runaway Burmese fishermen
Hundreds of "undocumented" Burmese fishermen - perhaps up to 2,000 men - 
have been abandoned on the remote Indonesian island of Tual, west of 
Papua New Guinea.
Compelled by poverty to leave their military-ruled homeland for 
"illegal" work in the Thai fishing fleet, the seafarers have escaped 
brutal working conditions and even murder on the high seas.
Some have been on Tual so long that they have married local women and 
have families.

Others, say reliable sources, have gone feral, scavenging the island's 
forested interior and clearing smallholdings to feed themselves.
Forgotten by the world, for Burmese fishermen Tual has become an "Island 
of the Damned".