BANGKOK, March 26 (Xinhua) — Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Friday expressed his concern over the red-shirted march around the capital Bangkok on Saturday, Thai News Agency reported.
Meanwhile, the premier assured the coalition government has no policy to disperse the ongoing red shirt gathering.
However, it is worrying since by now it is still unknown yet how the march will be organized, while the red shirts have kept changing their march\’s plan, Abhisit said.
It will be better if the red-shirts declare the plan since it will be helpful for the government to operate security measures and for the public to avoid any difficulty to occur during the march, the prime minister said.
The red-shirted march will be organized as the 122 Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and Related Meetings will also start from this Saturday.
The meeting will be hosted at Centara Grand hotel at Ratchaprasong Intersection in the center of Bangkok as over 2,000 people from 153 countries will participate in.
Hence, Thai Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul said that if the red shirts will not scatter their march on Saturday, it will be good for the country\’s image, the National News Bureau of Thailand (ANT) under the government\’s Public Relations Department reported.
In a related development, Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said the national emergency center together with hospitals in eight provinces nearby Bangkok are ready to deal with the red-shirted march.
After the rally debut, it is recorded that some 185 red shirts were sick and 176 of the total already recovered as only nine persons are still being healed at hospitals, he said.
The red-shirted main rally site is now at the Phan Fah Bridge in the center of capital Bangkok.
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FlASH: SOUTH KOREAN NAVY SHOOTS AT UNIDENTIFIED VESSEL: YONHAP
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ISLAMABAD, March 27 (Xinhua) — Militants Saturday blew up two schools in Mohamnd and Khyber tribal areas of Pakistan\’s northwest in a fresh attempt against educational institutions, local media reported.
A government boys\’ middle School was blown up by militants in Alinagar area of subdivision Saafi, Mohamand Agency earlier Saturday morning, according to official sources.
Unknown militants came at around 1:00 AM local time and placed explosive materials in different parts of the school. The school was comprising of 16 rooms. Eleven rooms were blown up completely while five were damaged partially. It is to be noted that since January 2009, this has been the 36th school targeted by the militants in Mohamand Agency.
In another incident in Qambar Khel area of subdivision Bara, Khyber Agency, earlier Saturday morning at between 04:00 to 05:00 a.m. local time, a government boys\’ primary school was blown up by militants from Khyber Agency. The school had five rooms and four of them were damaged completely while the one left behind received partial damages. The school was without a boundary wall.
Pakistan Taliban, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, have claimed responsibility for the two incidents.
Pakistan has witnessed a rise in religious conservatism in parts of its northwest tribal belt with militants opposing education, especially female education and hundreds of schools have been destroyed in the last a few years.
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South Korean Navy\’s Ship Salvage Unit members return from their search for possible survivors from sunken naval ship \’Cheonan\’ as a Marine (front) stands guard at the seashore on Baengnyeongdo March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
by Kim Junghyun
Seoul, March 27 (Xinhua) — A South Korean naval vessel with 104 crew members onboard sank into waters off the west coast of the Korean peninsula late Friday due to an unknown cause, alarming the nation that anxiously watched the overnight rescue process of what is called one of the biggest tragedies of the country\’s naval history.
The news of the 1,200-ton warship sinking off the South Korean island of Baekryeongdo, located near the disputed maritime border between South Korea and the Democratic People\’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), initially sparked much speculation here that the cause of the incident was possible attacks from the DPRK, which quickly died down as authorities scrambled to determine a cause of the incident.
WARSHIP SINKING
The patrol ship, named Cheonan, sank near the country\’s northernmost island of Baekryeong after an unidentified explosion in the back of the ship made a hole in the bottom of it, local media reported citing military officials. Another South Korean naval ship fired at an unspecified object northward in a following action.
President Lee Myung-bak held a second consecutive emergency meeting with security officials early Saturday, following a late- night emergency meeting convened immediately after the news hit home.
\”The President instructed the Armed Forces authorities to do all they can to rescue as many survivors as possible. At the same time, he said the authorities concerned should find out what exactly transpired in the incident in a speedy and thorough manner, considering all possibilities,\” presidential office Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye told reporters earlier in the day.
As the coast guard is put on the highest alert, all public officers in the country are also put on standby during the weekend at an instruction of Prime Minister Chung Un-chan for possible emergency situations in the wake of the incident.
No fatalities have been reported yet. Thirteen crew members have been hospitalized for injuries but they are not in a critical condition, according to South Korea\’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JSC).
South Korean Navy\’s Ship Salvage Unit members on a rubber boat patrol to rescue possible survivors from sunken naval ship Cheonan off Baengnyeongdo, an island near the border with?DPRK March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
RESCUE OPERATION
While 58 crew members out of 104 onboard the warship were rescued alive as of early Saturday morning, 46 members still remain missing.
ISLAMABAD, March 27 (Xinhua) — Pakistani border troops have arrested a mastermind of the killing of three Chinese engineers in the country\’s southwestern Balochistan province after exchange of firing, a senior military officer said Saturday.
Haji Murad Khan Muri, was arrested late Friday night after he entered Chaman, a Pakistani town bordering Afghanistan, Commandant Frontier Corps Colonel Shehzad told reporters.
Murad Muri, was behind the 2006 attack on the vehicle of Chinese engineers near Hub, a city some 700 km southeast of Quetta, the Balochistan provincial capital.
Three Chinese engineers and their driver were killed in the firing incident while several locals were injured.
The Pakistani government announced a reward of three million rupees (about 50,000 U.S. dollars at that time) for information on Murad Muri, a commander of the banned group, \”Balochistan Republican Army\”.
Giving details of the arrest, Colonel Shehzad said that the border troops intercepted a vehicle while entering Pakistani territory from Afghanistan at 11:00 p.m. local time when the troops signaled the vehicle to stop, the gunmen fired at the troops from the vehicle.
The security forces also fired on the suspects and arrested Murad Muri while his two colleagues fled towards Afghanistan in the darkness.
He said that the troops seized the car and recovered Indian currency and mobile sims. The commandant claimed that the accused had made calls to India, Kandahar in Afghanistan and Quetta in Pakistan.
Shehzad said that the accused will be shifted to Quetta for further investigation, hoping that the arrest will help the authorities to unearth the terror network in Balochistan.
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KABUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Afghan forces captured a Taliban commander in Nangarhar province east of Afghanistan, a press release of Defense Ministry said Saturday.
\”National security troops in conjunction with NATO-led forces captured Taliban commander Mullah Bahadar from Khogyani district on Friday,\”the press release said.
The arrested commander was involved in conducting terrorist activities including organizing roadside bombings in Khogyani and other parts of Nangarhar province, according to the press release.
Taliban militants have not to make comment yet.
Related:
Pakistan says Taliban arrests have no links with Afghan reconciliation
ISLAMABAD, March 25 (Xinhua) — Pakistan Thursday rejected criticism at the arrests of senior Afghan Taliban leaders, saying there was no linkage between arrests and talks of reconciliation in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has arrested Mulla Baradar, second-in-command to the Taliban Chief Mulla Omar, in the southern port city of Karachi last month. At least six other Afghan Taliban leaders have been arrested in two months, according to security officials.? Full story
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Supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra gather on a road during a rally in Bangkok March 27, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s anti-government protestors Saturday are marching in Thailand\’s capital Bangkok as they have announced that they will march to at least eight important places, Thai News Agency reported.
The red-shirted protestors announced that their march is aimed at pressuring the army to withdraw their forces, which have been deployed at several important places in capital Bangkok.
At about 10.30 a.m.local time, the march plan was announced by core leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship(UDD) group and shortly before 11.00 a.m. they started their procession.
Tens of thousands of the protestors led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship group have converged on Bangkok since March 12 to press Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve the lower House of parliament and call a new election.
The red-shirted or UDD group\’s main rally site is now at the Phan Fah Bridge in the center of Bangkok.
In a bid to ensure security amid the continued mass rally, the Internal Security Act (ISA) has been imposed in Bangkok and Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan next to the capital until March 30.
Related:
Thailand\’s cabinet approves to enforce Internal Security Act until March 30
BANGKOK, March 23 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s weekly cabinet meeting Tuesday resolved to extend the Internal Security Act (ISA) from March 23 until 30, or seven more days, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said after the cabinet meeting, Thailand\’s Channel 9 Television reported.
However, from March 23 until 30, the ISA law\’s extension will be enforced only in three provinces, including capital Bangkok, Nonthaburi, and Samut Prakan, Abhisit said.Full story
Thai Public Health Ministry hit by bombs
BANGKOK, March 23 (Xinhua) — Two bombs exploded Tuesday in Public Health Ministry compound, near a building where the Cabinet used as a venue for its special meeting, Thai media reported. Full story
Thai leading opposition proposes House dissolution
BANGKOK, March 23 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s leading opposition Puea Thai Party on Tuesday issued a statement calling on the coalition government to dissolve the House of Representatives.
Party leader Yongyuth Wichaidit read the statement at a press conference, saying that the opposition has proposed the House dissolution in order to end peacefully the country\’s political conflict, the National News Bureau of Thailand (ANT) reported.? Full story
KABUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — A gun battle between Taliban insurgents and police left three militants dead in Afghanistan\’s southern Ghazni province Saturday, provincial police chief Khayalbaz Shirzai said. \”The rebels stormed the headquarters of Rashidan district in the wee hours of today and police with the support of NATO-led troops retaliated, killing three insurgents forcing others to flee, \”Shirzai told Xinhua.
However, he did not say if the troops used airpower in the operation.
Taliban militants who have stepped up activities against security forces have not to make comment yet.
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KABUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — An Afghan civilian was killed and ten others were injured as a roadside bomb struck a passenger minibus in country\’s western Farah province on Saturday, a statement of Interior Ministry said.
\”The incident occurred in Pushtroad district in the wee hours of today as a result a civilian was killed and ten others were wounded,\”the statement said.
An investigation has been initiated into the incident to identify the culprits, it asserted.
Taliban militants, who made a bloody comeback four years ago in their traditional hotbed in southern region, often use roadside bombs and suicide attacks to target Afghan and international forces but the lethal weapons often claim the life of civilians.
In 2009, according to UN\’s report, 2,412 civilians which indicated 14 percent higher than 2008, were killed in the militancy-hit Afghanistan.
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KABUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — A soldier with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed in southern Afghanistan on Saturday.
\”An ISAF service member died as a result of an IED (improvised explosive device) strike in southern Afghanistan today,\” ISAF said in a press release.
It did not disclose the nationality of the victim.
More than 130 foreign soldiers, most of them Americans, have been killed in Afghanistan so far this year.
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COLOMBO, March 27 (Xinhua) — Sri Lankan police said on Saturday they have arrested over 100 people in escalating political violence in the run-up to the April 8 parliamentary election.
\”We have arrested 102 people while 234 more are to be arrested, \” Gamini Navaratne, the deputy inspector general of police told reporters.
Navaratne said political party supporters are being misled by candidates to indulge in violence.
Election monitors said intra-party clashes rather than inter- party rivalry have led to the growing number of incidents.
Meanwhile, the election monitors said 22,000 of over 400,000 postal voters were denied the opportunity of voting due to administrative shortcomings.
Postal voting for the election took place on Thursday and Friday. The monitors said in some polling stations the voting started late because the election officers failed to come on time.
The island\’s parliament was dissolved in February and 225 members are to be elected based on the proportional representation system for a six-year term on April 8.
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by Abdul Haleem
KABUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — Conflicts and militancy are going to take impetus in the insurgency-ridden Afghanistan with snow melting in the mountainous country as over 50 people including eight NATO soldiers have been killed over the past week.
Both spring and summer in the militancy-plagued Afghanistan are traditionally known as the fighting season when both militants and authorities use the favorite climate to consolidate their positions and take over more territory.
On Saturday a roadside bomb allegedly planted by Taliban militants struck a minibus in the western Farah province, killing a civilian and injuring 10 others.
Similar attack in the troubled southern region, meanwhile, claimed the life of a NATO soldier, a press release of the military alliance said without mentioning the nationality of the victim.
The war-weary Afghans also on the same day witnessed a gun battle between Taliban fighters and police in the southern Ghazni province which left three insurgents dead.
Taliban militants stormed headquarters of Rashidan district in the wee hours of Saturday and police with the support of NATO-led troops returned fire killing three insurgents, according to inspector general of police in Ghazni province Khayalbaz Shirzai.
A day earlier, the Afghan and NATO-led forces captured a Taliban commander Mullah Bahadar during a joint operation in Khogyani district of the eastern Nangarhar province.
The NATO-led troops also claimed capturing two insurgents in former Taliban bastion Nad Ali district of southern Helmand province.
Five soldiers with NATO-led troops were killed by a roadside bomb in Jalai district of southern Kandahar province, Taliban\’s birthplace, on Wednesday, officials said.
Two helicopters of the NATO-led forces crashed in two successive days in Afghanistan.
The first one in the central Wardak province on Tuesday left one dead and three others injured, and the other occurred Wednesday in the northern Kunduz province without casualty, according to NATO statement.
Taliban militants have claimed responsibility, saying the insurgents shot down both the helicopters and inflicting casualties on the multinational forces.
Moreover, the Taliban insurgents raided Musa Qala district in Helmand province and captured Shah Kariz village.
However, governor of the district Mullah Abdul Salam stressed on Monday that the insurgents had lost 40 fighters in the conflict.
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BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — An M79 grenade was thrown into Thai Army-run Channel 5 TV station on the capital Bangkok\’s Phaholyothin Road on Saturday night, injuring one soldier and two passers-by.
The explosion was the second attack of the day. A hand grenade was earlier hurled into the compound of the Customs Department, shattering a window of a building and damaging a vehicle.
Related:
Thai Public Health Ministry hit by bombs
BANGKOK, March 23 (Xinhua) — Two bombs exploded Tuesday in Public Health Ministry compound, near a building where the Cabinet used as a venue for its special meeting, Thai media reported.
According to The Nation online, the attacks took place when a press conference was going on after the special cabinet meeting. No one was injured from the bombing, the report said.? Full story
Bomb explodes inside Thailand\’s Customs Department
BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua) — A bomb exploded outside a building in Thailand\’s Customs Department compound in Bangkok Saturday morning.
The explosion happened at about 6 a.m., local newspaper The Nation \’s website reported. The blast damaged glass windows and a van parked nearby.? Full story
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Video>> U.S., Pakistan reaffirm partnership
ISLAMABAD, March 27 (Xinhua) — The United States has agreed to provide another 14 F-16 jet planes to Pakistan till December this year, Pakistani Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman said at a media briefing Saturday.
He said that in June this year, the U.S. authorities would start delivery of planes, adding that America would also provide Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles along with the jet planes.
The Pakistan Air Force is capable of thwarting both conventional and unconventional threats from enemy, he said.
The air force chief said that the Pakistan Air Force is focusing on its preparedness and is taking stock of it preparations according to the modern trends.
On March 24, Pakistan and the U.S. held strategic dialogue and the latter wants to improve ties with Pakistan.
It is worth to mention that the news about the provision of F- 16 planes to Pakistan came at the time when India tested two types of short-range ballistic missiles.
Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has repeatedly said that it is the policy of Pakistan to keep minimum deterrence and strategic balance in the region.
Related:
U.S., Pakistan trying to boost mutual trust through strategic dialogue
WASHINGTON, March 24 (Xinhua) — Through their first ever high-level strategic dialogue, the United States and Pakistan are trying to strengthen their partnership based on mutual respect and mutual trust, which they say is in their common interests.
The U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, being held in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday, is the first ever held at the ministerial level on both governments.? Full story
Pakistan hopes for holding strategic dialogue with U.S.
ISLAMABAD, March 23 (Xinhua) — As Pakistani delegation is waiting for the start of strategic dialogue with the United States in Washington, Pakistani analysts are much hopeful for a big breakthrough.
Pakistan will attend the dialogue on March 24 with ten point agenda including terrorism, security, economic cooperation, education, health, agriculture, electricity deficit and the possibility of having peaceful nuclear energy cooperation.? Full story
U.S. drone attacks kill five in northwest Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, March 8 (Xinhua) — Suspected U.S. drone Monday night fired five missiles at a house near Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan tribal agency in northwest Pakistan, killing at least five persons and wounding four others, local TV channels reported.
The reports said that five missiles were fired hitting a house in Malay Khan Serai area. So far it is not clear as to what was the possible target of the attack of the spy plane, nor are the total casualties certain.? Full story
ISLAMABAD, March 27 (Xinhua) — Pakistani security forces killed at least eight militants on Saturday in Orakzai tribal region in northwest Pakistan, local TV reported.
Security forces also destroyed three hideouts of terrorists by gun shelling in Chappar and Feroz Khel areas.
In the past four days, Pakistani security forces have killed more than 100 militants in Orakzai, Pakistan\’s only tribal region that does not border Afghanistan.
On Friday a senior Pakistan army official told reporters that 32 of those killed were foreign fighters.
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? ? Thai soldiers stand guard at the Government House during a rally by supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, in Bangkok March 27, 2010. Thai \”red shirt\” protesters raised tensions on Saturday with threats to expel thousands of troops guarding Bangkok\’s old city during a rally to oust Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.(Xinhua/Reuters)
BANGKOK, March 27 (Xinhua)– Thailand\’s red-shirted anti- government protestors blocked the Government House on Saturday evening and threatened to enter the compound if the soldiers guarding the building refused to retreat to their barracks.
They issued an ultimatum to Metropolitan Police Division 1 chief Wichai Sangprapai, demanding the troops leave the Government House immediately, television reports said.
Meanwhile police urged the protestors to calm down and not to break into the Government House.
Red-shirted protestors finally agreed not to storm into the compound and returned to their main rally site at Bangkok\’s Pan Fah Bridge.
The agreement was reached after tense and lengthy negotitaiton between protestors\’ leaders and senior police officers.
The protestors started surrounding the Government House at about 5pm local time and threatened to storm into the compound if Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva did not dissolve the Lower House of parliament.
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Thai soldiers stand guard next to a barricade at the Government House during a rally by supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, in Bangkok March 27, 2010. Thai \”red shirt\” protesters raised tensions on Saturday with threats to expel thousands of troops guarding Bangkok\’s old city during a rally to oust Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.?(Xinhua/Reuters)
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Supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra rally outside the Government House in Bangkok March 27, 2010. Thai \”red shirt\” protesters raised tensions on Saturday with threats to expel thousands of troops guarding Bangkok\’s old city during a rally to oust Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.?(Xinhua/Reuters)
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Supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra rally outside the Government House in Bangkok March 27, 2010. Thai \”red shirt\” protesters raised tensions on Saturday with threats to expel thousands of troops guarding Bangkok\’s old city during a rally to oust Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.(Xinhua/Reuters)
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MANILA, March 27 (Xinhua) — Filipinos in 1,041 cities and towns turned off their lights at 8:30 p.m. local time Saturday to participate in the Earth Hour, a symbolic call for united action against global warming.
About 15 million Filipinos have pledged to switch off the lights at homes, offices and businesses for an hour this year. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) also participate in the event by turning off lights and signages in all its camps for one hour.
In Metro Manila, with the count-down coming to the end, lights at the Mall of Asia, a landmark building, were switched off at 8: 30 p.m. Customers went out to watch performances staged at a seaside open ground.
Gina Manguiag, a 40-year-old mother, took her eight-year-old daughter to the mall this year. She said, \”Earth is the mother of the mankind. When the Earth is facing the threat of climate change, all its children should united to save their mother.\”
Roger Sausa, an 18-year-old from southern Mindanao Island, said he wanted to witness the Earth Hour celebration this year along with other people. He believed the activity would arouse people\’s awarness of environmental protection.
Similar Earth Hour events, including rock concerts and street parties took place in many other cities and towns all over the Philippines.
This is the third consecutive year that the Philippines joined the global movement initiated in Sydney in 2007 and is held on the last Saturday of March annually. Last year, 647 cities and towns switched off lights for 60 minutes, saving an estimated 611MWh of electricity.
Earth Hour Philippines National Director Naderev Sano said, \” One just have to switch off the lights for one hour – enough to do one\’s part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.\”
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KABUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — The delegation of a major militant group has called for the withdrawal of NATO-led troops from Afghanistan, a private television channel reported Saturday.
\”Hizb-e-Islami wants the foreign troops to withdraw from Afghanistan as a precondition for peace,\” Tolo broadcast in its main news bulletin.
Quoting Hizb-e-Islami sources, Tolo said that foreign forces should begin pullout in July and complete the process within four to six months.
A delegation of Hizb-e-Islami brought a 15-point peace plan to Kabul two weeks ago and met with President Hamid Karzai and other Afghan officials and politicians including some parliamentarians.
Second only to Taliban, the Hizb-e-Islami led by former premier Gulbudin Hekmatya has been fighting the Afghan security forces and NATO-led troops.
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by Nuttanan Srithorn
BANGKOK, March 20 (Xinhua) — The Thai anti-government red shirts on Saturday evening returned to the main rally site Phan Fah Bridge following their peaceful march around the capital Bangkok.
Two red-shirted core leader Jatuporn Promphan and Natthawut Saikua led the red shirts back to the Phan Fah Bridge at about 6: 00 p.m. local time.
Ten of thousands of the protesters led by United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) have converged on Bangkok since March 12 to press the premier to dissolve the lower House of parliament and call new election.
At about 10:00 a.m. local time, they started their march and moved to several places in Bangkok claiming that they wanted to send smile, love, and happiness to Bangkok residents.
Prime Minister\’s (PM) Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey said the government managed to prevent the traffic problem and clash from occurring during the red-shirted march, the National News Bureau of Thailand (ANT) under the government\’s Public Relations Department reported.
Security officers also attempted to prevent any confrontation between the protesters and the Bangkokians who are not happy with the red-shirted movement, said Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd, the spokesman of the peace-keeping operation center.
Col Sansern said it was estimated that up to 30,000 supporters participated in the red-shirted procession.
About 4,000 motorcycles were used in the procession by the red shirts on Bangkok streets, according to a report by Bangkok Post\’s website.
Hence, amid the traffic congestion, Police Major General Panu Kerdlappol, Deputy Police Commander of the Metropolitan Police, who closely monitored the traffic situation, suggested Bangkok residences to avoid the streets occupied by the red shirts.
Also, Police Major General Panu suggested the general public to use public transportation services in a bid to help reduce the traffic problem, Thai News Agency reported.
In a related development, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the government has never rejected a proposed peace talk with the red-shirted group, but this option is unlikely to happen since ousted former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra had turned down the attempt by the National Human Rights Commission to settle the conflict.
Speaking during an interview with Thailand\’s Channel 3 Television, Abhisit said he has understood why the red-shirts have demanded a House dissolution, but prior to this stage, it is essential to have an agreement between the government and the red- shirts.
Significantly, such an agreement between the government and the red-shirts must be made based on the national interest and democracy, Abhisit said.
Also, Abhisit said \”Thaksin is an obstacle of the proposed negotiation. I will talk with the red-shirted leaders if they do not take Thaksin as a condition.\”
On March 22, Mr. Korbsak Sabhavasu and PM Office Minister Sathit will hold a negotiation with the red shirted core leaders, Abhisit said.
AHMEDABAD, India, March 27 (Xinhua) — The chief minister of the western Indian state of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, was questioned by investigators of the central government Saturday for his alleged inaction to stop a 2002 Hindu-Muslim communal violence.
Modi, a 59-year-old politician of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for the first time to answer questions about his role in the riot.
He had been summoned to depose in connection with a complaint filed by Zakia Jaffery, widow of former Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Eshan Jaffery, who was killed in the riots at Gulburg Society in Ahmedabad along with 69 others.
This came one day after another BJP leader L.K. Advani landed into trouble, after his former female security officer deposed against him in a 1992 mosque demolition case in the northern state Uttar Pradesh which triggerred communal riots in India.
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NEW DELHI, March 21 (Xinhua) — Indian Navy Sunday successfully testfired a new vertical version of the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile from a ship in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of the eastern state of Orissa, a senior Defense Ministry official said.
\”The missile was launched at 11:30 a.m. today from an Indian Navy ship INS Ranvir and it maneuvered successfully hitting the target ship successfully. It was a perfect hit and a perfect mission. After today\’s test, India has become the first and only country in the world to have a maneuvering supersonic cruise missile in its inventory,\” head of BrahMos Aerospace A. Sivathanu told the media in the national capital.
This would mean that the missile, which has a range of 290 km and flies at a speed of 2.8 Mach, can take on a target lying anywhere in the 360-degree range of the ship, sources said, adding that the Indian Army has plans to induct three regiments of BrahMos in future to use the missile as a \”precision first strike weapon\”.
BrahMos can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. It is a joint venture between India\’s Defense Research and Development Organization and Russia\’s NPO Mashinostroeyenia who have together formed the BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited.
BrahMos claims to have the capability of attacking surface targets as low as 10 meters in altitude. The missiles can carry a 200 kg warhead, whereas the aircraft-launched variant can carry a 300 kg warhead.
Since late 2004, the missile has undergone several tests from variety of platforms including a land based test from Pokhran desert, in which the \”S\” maneuver at Mach 2.8 was demonstrated for the Indian Army and a launch in which the land attack capability from sea was demonstrated.
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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, March 27 (Xinhua) — After his return from Saudi Arabia and Geneva, the chairman of the moderate faction of separatist Hurriyat Conference in Indian- controlled Kashmir Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said Saturday back channel talks with New Delhi have stopped.
\”For the past two months there is no back channel contact with New Delhi at any level,\” said Mirwaiz while addressing a press briefing in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Last year Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram stated that quiet diplomacy with the leaders of all shades in Indian-controlled Kashmir will be initiated to find a solution to Kashmir unrest.
Although Hurriyat leaders have ruled out their participation in the quiet diplomacy programme, they admitted back channel talks with New Delhi were in place.
Mirwaiz said India should stop looking at Kashmir problem through what he said \”the prism of Pakistan.\”
\”Kashmir is an issue and for past 20 years Kashmiris have launched indigenous movement and it should be acknowledged,\” he added.
Militants and separatists in the region are demanding an end to the New Delhi\’s rule in the region.
A guerrilla war is also going on between militants and the Indian army and paramilitary troops stationed in the region over the past two decades.
Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since their Independence from the British rule, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.
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HONG KONG, March 27 (Xinhua) — People from a number of countries and regions in Asia-Pacific on Saturday joined this year \’s Earth Hour global campaign by shutting off their lights for an hour to highlight a commitment to tackling climate change.
In New Zealand, at 8:30 p.m. local time Saturday (0645 GMT), the diesel generators supplying electricity to the Chatham Islands, 800 km off the coast of New Zealand, were switched off, as the first of 125 countries and territories set in motion a 24-hour relay of hope and positive action on climate change.
Auckland\’s iconic Sky Tower was the centerpiece of positive action on climate change, while The Beehive and Parliament Buildings of Wellington plunged into darkness, reflecting the resolve of the world\’s southernmost capital city to be part of a global journey to a climate solution. About 50 councils, cities and towns across New Zealand, from Queenstown to Whangarei, are switching off.
Australia\’s Sydney has joined 4,000 cities plunged into darkness on Saturday night as hundreds of millions of people around the world turned off their lights for Earth Hour.
At 8:30 p.m. local time lights on the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge and in homes and businesses across the city were switched off in an effort to reduce the earth\’s carbon footprint and raise awareness about climate change.
\”From Brazil to America, to Canada, all the way down to Australia, Japan and India – it\’s a really diverse set of countries taking part this year,\” Earth Hour executive director Andy Ridley said.
\”Today\’s personal communication has unprecedented reach and influence, enabling citizens to take ownership of Earth Hour and spread it\’s message of hope and action to great effect without any limitation,\” he told Xinhua.
This year, a record-breaking 126 countries are taking part in the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiative, which started in 2007 in Sydney with approximately 2.2 million people and 2,100 businesses taking part in.
The usually brightly illuminated iconic landmark Tokyo Tower were thrown into darkness at 8:30 p.m. Saturday and the southwestern Japanese port city of Hiroshima is also an active participant, where the Hiroshima Peace Memorial went dark at the same time.
South Korea joined the global Earth Hour wave on Saturday with municipal governments, corporations, retailers and households voluntarily taking part in the event by turning off non-essential lights.
The lights of major buildings in Seoul, including the Main Government Building, the City Hall, the Samsung Town, and such landmarks as the Seoul Tower and the 63 City, participated in the event, were turned off for an hour.
Some 50 cities in South Korea agreed to join the campaign, Project Executive Manager Lee Hee-song told Xinhua, a sharply increase from the previous year when only Seoul and Changwon took part in.
Also the Filipinos in 1,041 cities and towns turned off their lights at 8:30 p.m. Saturday to participate in the Earth Hour. About 15 million Filipinos have pledged to switch off the lights at homes, offices and businesses for an hour this year.
by Na Haejung
SEOUL, March 27 (Xinhua) — With a 10-second countdown, a sudden blackout covered the Namsan Folk Village in central Seoul at 08:30 p.m. local time (1130 GMT) on Saturday.
Some 100 people gathering there despite the unusual cold broke out with a loud cheer as electric lights went off and candlelight shaping the word \”Earth Hour\” in Korean were ignited.
\”I think Earth Hour is a very meaningful event, worthy to celebrate despite the cold weather,\” Yoon Hye-mi, a Seoul City resident, told Xinhua.
Yoon, holding hands with her son, said she would try her best to reduce electricity usage to respond to the climate change.
In Seoul, the city landmarks, such as the Main Government Building, the City Hall, the Samsung Town, the Seoul Tower and the 63 City went dim.
Some of the 19 bridges over the Han River switched off their exterior lighting system for the one-hour event.
In contrast with only two cities, Seoul and Changwon, joining the move last year, some 50 cities and towns in the nation joined the annual global campaign sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund ( WWF) this year, Lee Hee-song, South Korea\’s Project Manager working with the WWF, told Xinhua.
\”The move is attracting greater attention from media and general public this year, which will likely lead to a surge in participation,\” Lee said.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Seoul Metropolitan Government represented the government endeavors, mostly engaging in promotion works.
In addition, Naver, South Korea\’s biggest portal website, provided keyword search service, allowing easier access to the information related to Earth Hour.
Weizmann, one of South Korea\’s largest private academies, provided students with background information on Earth Hour.
After taking a ten-minute lesson on Earth Hour, the Weizmann kids said they became better informed on Earth Hour and the climate change.
Kwon Young-woo, a 10-year-old boy who wants to become a scientist, said the Earth Hour would help the planet survive.
\”I will definitely join the event on Saturday. I will also ask mother to turn off the floor heating system and close the window, because that can save a lot of energy,\” Kwon said.
Kim Sun-won, an 11-year-old, said he will pull the plugs at home when he does not use household appliances in the future.
\”The ultimate goal is to make Earth Hour part of our everyday life,\” Lee Hee-song said.
With a growing number of South Koreans joining the Earth Hour move, the event organizers are expecting stronger actions to cut greenhouse gas emission in the nation.
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? ? Former prime minister and Nepali Congress (NC) president Girija Prasad Koriala passed away Saturday, Bal Krishna Khad, minister for irrigation and leader of the NC declares in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, March 20, 2010. File photo taken on May 26, 2008 shows Girija Prasad Koriala attending an activity in Kathmandu. (Xinhua/Gautam)
KATHMANDU, March 20 (Xinhua) — Former Nepali Prime Minister and Nepali Congress (NC) President Girija Prasad Koirala passed away on Saturday afternoon at 12:10 p.m. local time, NC Central Committee declared.
The NC Central Working Committee (CWC) informed media\’s report about his death after medical doctors involved in Koirala\’s health check up handed them with his death certificate.
Four-time Prime Minister Koirala was suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for a long time and remained unconscious since Saturday morning.
Earlier on Saturday Koirala was breathing with the help of artificial oxygen supplied by medical doctors.
His dead body will be kept at Open Theater on Sunday before cremation, according to NC CWC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Hundreds of NC cadres and senior leaders of major political parties are thronging to Koirala residence in capital Kathmandu.
Most importantly, Nepali President Ram Baran Yadav, the single and the largest opposition party Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-M) President Prachanda have reached to Koirala\’s residence.
A key figure of Nepali politics, he was democratically elected Prime Minister in 1991 and then served the country from 1991-1994, 1998-1999, 2000-2001, and from 2006-2008.
He began his political career from labor movement, he founded Nepal Trade Union Congress in 1948. Koirala was mobilizing a labor movement at a largest jut mill called Biratnagar Jute Mill in his home town Morang, some 240 km south east of capital Kathmandu a largest Jute Mill in the country.
Koirala was born in 1925 in Bihar of India at the time when his father Krishna Prasad Koirala along with his family was exiled by Rana rulers.
Koirla was keenly involved in Nepal\’s political scenario for six decade. Recently, Koirala was nominated for Nobel Prize by Nepali government to honor his effective role resolving decade long insurgency and peace process.
In addition to this, while he was admitted to hospital, Koirala expressed his last wished of concluding ongoing peace process in Nepal.
Koirla was survived with only daughter who is currently in the post of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs.
? ? Former prime minister and Nepali Congress (NC) president Girija Prasad Koriala passed away Saturday, Bal Krishna Khad, minister for irrigation and leader of the NC declares in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, March 20, 2010. File photo taken on Feb. 16, 2009 shows Girija Prasad Koriala (C) addressing a conference in Kathmandu. (Xinhua/Gautam)
KABUL, March 20 (Xinhua) — The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) shot at a motorcyclist in western Herat province and the man succumbed to his injuries in a nearby hospital, police said Saturday.
\”NATO-led forces possibly Spanish soldiers opened fire on a motorcyclist Friday afternoon injuring him and he died due to his injuries in hospital,\” Deputy to provincial police chief Dilawar Shah Dilawar told Xinhua.
The incident, he added, occurred in Shidai area outside Herat provincial capital of the Herat city.
He also added that ignoring warning by the ill-fated man prompted the troops to open fire and cause the tragedy.
In the wake of suicide attacks against the NATO-led troops the military alliance as precautionary measures have asked motorists through advertisements to stay away from military convoys.
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ISLAMABAD, March 20 (Xinhua) — At least 10 militants were killed and several others injured in air raids in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, local TV channel reported.
Five hideouts of the militants were also destroyed in the air strikes at Arghanjo, Dago and Shadla areas of upper Orakzai tribal agency, the private TV Express reported.
Besides, at least three people were killed and one injured Saturday when unknown gunmen opened fire at a vehicle in Hazar Gunji area of Quetta, the capital of the western province Balochistan.
According to police all these four people were vegetable businessmen who were taking their vegetable-loaded vehicle to the city market when unidentified gunmen fired at them.
After shooting the gunmen ran away to the nearby fields. Police has reported the case and started investigation.
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ISLAMABAD, March 20 (Xinhua) — Pakistan police arrested three important Taliban militants including one of the most wanted terrorists in southern Pakistan\’s city Karachi, local media reported Saturday.
Umar Khatab, Senior Superintendent police, told media that Special Unit of Investigation Police, following secret information, raided a house in recent days in a Steel town and arrested three militants including the most wanted Ismaeel Mahsood.
Ismaeel Mehsood is the younger brother of militant commander Khalid who is blamed as the mastermind behind the assassination plan of Pakistan former Prime Minister Benzair Bhutto.
Police also seized weapons and explosive material from their house.
Pakistani security forces have arrested a lot of Taliban militants in Karachi in recent months, including Mulla Abdul Ghani Radar, Afghan Taliban No. 2.
http://www.chinacourse.com
Thailand\’s anti-government red-shirts take part in a motorcade procession around Bangkok, capital of Thailand, March 20, 2010. The motorcade procession by red-shirts took place as the anti-government movement, led by the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), staged a massive rally in Bangkok since March 12, aiming to pressure the government to dissolve the parliament and to call a snap election. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)
BANGKOK, March 20 (Xinhua) — Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Saturday the government has never rejected proposed peace talks with the red-shirted group, but this option is unlikely to happen since ousted former Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra had turned down the attempt by the National Human Rights Commission to settle the conflict.
Speaking during an interview with Thailand\’s Channel 3 Television, Abhisit said he has understood why the red-shirts have demanded a House dissolution, but prior to this stage, it is essential to have an agreement between the government and the red- shirts, the National News Bureau of Thailand (ANT) under the government\’s Public Relations Department reported.
Significantly, such the agreement between the government and the red-shirts must be made based on the national interest and democracy, Abhisit said.
Also, Abhisit said \”Thaksin is an obstacle of the proposed negotiations. I will talk with the red-shirted leaders if they do not take Thaksin as a condition.\”
Tens of thousands of the anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) or red-shirted protestors have converged on Bangkok since March 12 to press the premier to dissolve the lower House of parliament and call new election.
On Saturday morning at about 10.00 a.m., local time, the red shirts began their motorcade procession around Bangkok, claiming they want to send smile, love, and happiness to Bangkok residents.
Related:
Thai red-shirts begin procession around Bangkok
BANGKOK, March 20 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s anti-government red- shirts began their motorcade procession around Bangkok at about 9: 45 a.m. on Saturday, claiming they want to send smile, love and happiness to Bangkok residents.
The head of the motorcade, leading about 500 motorcycles, started to move at Yommarat Intersection, more than 1 km away from the red-shirts\’ main rally site Phan Fah Bridge, where the tail of procession was.?Full story
Thailand\’s red-shirts urged to march peacefully in Bangkok
BANGKOK, March 19 (Xinhua) — Thailand\’s Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij on Friday urged the red-shirted protestors to march peacefully in Bangkok on Saturday.
The march should not affect the normal life of the general public, Korn was quoted by the National News Bureau of Thailand (ANT) as saying.Full story
COLOMBO, March 20 (Xinhua) — Official campaigns of Sri Lanka\’s two major political parties for the April 8 parliamentary election have got underway, party officials said here on Saturday.
The ruling United People\’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) — the firm favorite to win the election — kicked off its campaign from the central town of Kandy Friday evening with a well attended rally presided over by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, UPFA general secretary Susil Premajayantha told reporters.
Rajapaksa who won the Jan. 26 presidential election convincingly appealed to voters to give him two-thirds majority in the 225-member assembly.
\”I want to establish a disciplined nation with a strong parliament. So give me the power required to develop the country,\” Rajapaksa told the gathering.
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) chose to kick off its campaign from the northern capital of Jaffna, the cultural capital of the minority Tamils.
\”Like Nelson Mandela did in South Africa it is time to unite all communities. We have to forgive and forget the past — Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims must unite for a better future for the country,\” UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told the rally, also held on Friday.
The third force, Democratic National Alliance (DNA) kicked off its campaign two weeks earlier than the two major parties.
The DNA, dominated by the leftist JVP or the People\’s Liberation Front, is led by former Army Commander and defeated presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka.
Fonseka is currently under military detention and faced military courts this week.
The DNA campaigns to restore democracy and good governance in the country.
More than 7,600 candidates are vying for votes from over 14 million voters from the island\’s 20 million plus population.
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