World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #6 Disinformation, Inc.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1760893/posts

Contact lost with jet carrying 100 (Indonesia)
AP via cnn.com ^ | 1/1/2007

Posted on 01/01/2007 6:17:28 AM PST by fzx12345

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- A commercial Adam Air passenger plane with more than 100 people onboard lost contact with flight controllers Monday on a flight between Indonesia's Java and Sulawesi islands, officials said.

Adam Air flight KI-574 was still missing more than five hours after the scheduled arrival time.

A senior Transport Ministry official, Ichsan Tatang, said aviation authorities were gathering information from other flights which "might have picked up the plane's distress signal."

Adam Air's chief executive, Gunawan Suherman, confirmed to The Associated Press that controllers had lost contact with Adam Air flight KI-574.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...

I have not researched this site, but it looks worth posting:

http://attackreport.com/plo/bd_part1.htm

We Are the Next Target
Terrorism and the Betrayal of Israel
(Audiotape documentary, April 1994)

Side A

The autumn months of 1989 saw the apparent collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe, followed by growing instability in the Soviet Union itself. In 1991, the Communist regime in Moscow declared itself dead. To Americans, the Cold War finally seemed to be over. With the disappearance of the Soviet military threat, as well as the end of Soviet-sponsored revolution and terrorism, the world could now settle in for a new era of peace.

But that hope was shattered on February 26, 1993, when a massive explosion ripped through the basement parking garage of New York City’s World Trade Center. Days after the blast, which killed five people and wounded 1,000 others, authorities found and arrested Mohammed Salameh, the man who had rented the truck containing the deadly bombs.

From a comment in this thread, which is related also to the googles that I did in post 729 of this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1760800/posts?page=23

Cold River: A Case Study (A Blogger Uncovers Arafat's Murder of U.S. Diplomats)
Powerline Blog ^ | December 28, 2006

Posted on 12/31/2006 8:00:40 PM PST by Zack Nguyen

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1760869/posts?page=2

North Korea plans bigger military in New Year(and more food)
Khaleej Times ^ | 1/1/07

Posted on 01/01/2007 4:44:10 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster

North Korea plans bigger military in New Year

(DPA)

1 January 2007

SEOUL - Impoverished North Korea declared Monday that its goal in 2007 is to expand its military as it hailed its October nuclear test.

‘Our access to a nuclear deterrent was an auspicious event in the national history as it meant the realization of the Korean people’s centuries-old desire to have national strength no one could dare challenge,’ the hardline communist government said in an editorial carried in state-run newspapers.

North Korea would build up its military this year to remain ‘an impregnable fortress,’ added the editorial carried in the newspapers representing the Workers Party,ilitary and youth militia.

At the same time, the article said, North Korea must promote the foundation for economic production ‘to crush down the sanctions and blockades of the imperialists with strong national pride and audacity.’

After the October 9 nuclear test, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Pyongyang. They followed financial sanctions implemented by the United States, which accused North Korea of counterfeiting, money laundering and weapons dealing.

The US sanctions stalled six-nation talks on ending North Korea’s nuclear programme for 13 months before Pyongyang’s atomic test provided a new impetus for diplomacy, and the talks reconvened two weeks ago in Beijing. However, because of the gulf between the United States and North Korea, the negotiations ended without progress.

Building up the economy was presented as ‘the main task in the present general march,’ the editorial said. The emphasis would be placed on agriculture to resolve chronic food shortages that have plagued North Korea.

Mismanagement and natural disasters have left the country dependent for years on foreign aid.

Horrible.

God have mercy on us.

What horrific idiocy.

However, the puppet masters evidently with ET help and other demonic help have evidently planned something not that far off from such scenarios.

We'll see.

It says that the titles are in english, but the declassified papers are in Russian, don't know if anything worthwhile is here, will see what google says........Lots of Iran and other surprises in this list, they had groups all over the world, I googled this and that, no goal......granny

Soviet Archives
posted by V. Bukovsky
7. Terror to the World
Back to Main Menu

Back to INFORUSS
7.1 Europe, North America
7.2 Asia
7.3 Africa
7.4 Central and South America
7.1 Europe, North America
Links
Document
Date

Document
Number

Title
1201
25-Oct-57 CT52/128 $20,000 to the correspondent of "National Guardian", KGB. * [9.1]
0606
03-Aug-70 P171/23 Organization and planning of clandestine radio communications (document also included in "KPSS and communist world"), KGB. * [5]
0904
05-May-74 PB136/53 Italy, special training for 12 people
0907
08-Jun-74 1853-A Illegal transfer of arms to Cyprus
0913
14-Jul-75 P147/42 $37,625 for KGB
0932
17-Jan-79 CT143/7 Italy, special training for 15 people
0949
14-Apr-80 CT206/67 Cyprus, clandestine training for 2 people
0951
13-May-80 CT210/62 Portugal, special equipment
0960
05-Sep-80 CT227/39 Special training for staff of the US Communist Party secretary. * [9.1]
0984
18-May-88 CT85/15 Special training (Cyprus)
0990
06-Jan-89 Ireland - refusal to provide special training for 5 people
0995
22-Jun-89 CT102/124 Cyprus - special training for 2 people
0999-2
01-Jan-91
(approx.) About political immigration to the USSR (without date); on 01/01/90 6,643 political immigrants were living in the USSR

7.2 Asia
0900

28-Aug-69

No.2169-A
Demonstration in India organized by KGB
0901

29-Dec-73

CT108/62
Lebanon - military training doe 12 people
0903

23-Apr-74

1071-A/OB
Clandestine meeting between KGB resident and PLO leader - KGB report
0905

08-May-74

CT125/5
Syria, special training
0908

27-Jun-74

CT130/64
Syria, special training
0910

19-Jul-74

CT132/13
Lebanon, special training for 12 people
0911

10-Jan-75

55-A/OB
About illegal visit of PLO leader to Moscow, KGB report
0912

16-May-75

1218-A/OB
Illegal transfer of arms to PLO, KGB report
0914

10-Oct-75

P192/6
Shippment of arms to Lebanon
0915

31-Dec-75

3240-A
Shipments of american ammunition captured in Vietnam, KGB report
0916

29-Mar-76

CT3/42
Lebanon, special training
0917

07-Apr-76

CT4/40
Flat for widow of iranian communist who cooperated with soviet special service
0921

04-Jun-76

CT11/73
Syria, job in Moscow for 2 Syrian communists
0924

14-Dec-76

CT36/64
Radio translations to Iran
0931

13-Dec-78

CT138/5
Shipment of precise controllers for artillery to Lebanon
0935

21-Jun-79

CT164/31
Special trainiing for D. Wilner, Jsrael
0936

03-Jul-79

CT165/55
Lebanon, special training for two groups of 5 people each
0939

23-Jul-79

CT168/47
Shipment of portable radio station for translation to Lebanon and Iran
0941

30-Aug-79

CT174/44
Iran, shipment of non-soviet-made ammunition
0943

03-Oct-79

CT179/17
Cooperation with new revolutionary organizations in Tailed, assistance to non-maoist movement
0945

19-Feb-80

CT198/60
Pakistan, special training for general secretary of communist party
0950

08-May-80

CT210/37
Lebanon, special training for 5 people
0956

11-Aug-80

CT219/50
Iran, special training for 3 people
0630

12-Dec-80

CT241/41
Soviet military delegation to Syria. * [5]
0965

26-Dec-80

CT243/44
Special trainiing for D. Wilner, Jsrael
0968

21-Jun-83

P113/110
Shipment of special equipment, including 2 German small military ships, for PLO via Syria and Tunis
0969

11-Nov-83

CT131/68
Lebanon, special training
0970

22-May-84

CT153/58
Iran, special training of general secretary of communist party
0971

26-Jun-84

Iran, special training for 20 people
0973

27-Nov-84

P185/49
Exchange with PLO of special equipment for collection of artifacts
0974

17-Jan-85

CT181/28
Iran, special training
0975

20-Apr-85

No.318/5/0219
Lebanon, arrangment of special military training courses by soviet instructors
0976

14-Aug-85

CT202/18
Lebanon, special training for 7 people
0978

09-Feb-87

CT39/65
Agreement for 1987-88 to provide special military training for 30 people/year
0982

02-Mar-88

CT80/3
Turkey, special training
0991

18-Jan-89

CT95/62
Lebanon, military training for 20 people
0992

21-Feb-89

CT97/76
Turkey, clandestine training
0997

09-Sept-89

CT105/159
Turkey, special training for 10 people
0998

06-Feb-90

CT10/3
Discontinued practice to allow trespassing for Iraqi activists

7.3 Africa
0909
19-Jul-74 CT132/12 Falsification of passports for South African communist party members
0922
11-Nov-76 CT32/29 Senegal, special training
0927 04-Apr-77 CT50/131 Ammunition for the military camp in Zimbabwe
0930
12-Dec-78 CT137/80 Shipment of various arms to Zimbabwe
0934
24-May-79 CT160/32 Senegal, special training
0938 12-Jul-79 CT167/12 Shipment of ammunition and special training, South African national congress
0957 18-Aug-80 CT224/64 Contrustion of airport in Benin
0963 05-Dec-80 CT240/46 South Africa, special training for communists
0977 28-Aug-85 CT203/34 Namibia, shipment of arms
0983 06-May-88 CT84/14 Namibia, shipment of arms
0985 24-Jun-88 CT86/265 Sudan, military trining of 20 people
0986 30-Jun-88 CT86/317 Egipt, special training
0989 22-Nov-88 CT91/153 Egipt, special training for 2 people

7.4 Central and South America
0902 31-Jan-74 CT112/28 Military training: Argentina - 20 people, Panama - 5, Nicaragua - 5, Costa Rica - 13.
0906 20-May-74 CT125/145 Brasil, special training for 12 people
0918 19-Apr-76 CT6/30 Chile, special training for 12 people
0919 17-May-76 CT9/25 Costa Rica, special training for 6 communists
0920 24-May-76 CT10/4 Military training: Argentina - 10 people, Columbia - 7, Costa Rica - 15, Mexico - 3, Nicaragua - 6
0923 14-Dec-76 CT36/99 Military training: Argentina - 10 people, Panama - 8, Paraguay - 2, Uruguay - 6, Costa Rica - 1
0925 27-Dec-76 CT37/37 Special training: Argentina - 10 people, Panama - 3, Salvador - 3, Uruguay - 3
0926 30-Dec-76 CT38/36 Chile, military training for 15 social-party members for 11 months
0928 23-Oct-78 CT130/74 Chile, special training for 8 people
0929 07-Dec-78 CT137/29 Brasil, Uruguay; special training for 2 people each
0933 17-Jan-79 CT143/8 Chile, special training for 20 people.
0942 30-Aug-79 CT174/47 Chile, military training for 10 people in 1979
0944 25-Jan-80 CT195/20 Chile, special training for 20 people and 8 communist leaders
0948 04-Apr-80 CT205/55 Special training: Columbia - 6 people, Paraguay - 2, Peru - 1
0953 01-Jul-80 CT217/39 Jamaica, special training for 2 people
0954 07-Jul-80 CT218/45 Uruguay, special training for 2 people
0955 06-Aug-80 CT223/5 Argentina, special training for 3 people
0958 18-Aug-80 CT224/71 Salvador, military training for 20 people
0959 20-Aug-80 CT225/5 Transportation of ammunition from Hanoi to Havana for Communist Party of Salvador
0961 06-Nov-80 CT236/35 Venezuela, special training
0962 06-Nov-80 CT236/34 Chile, special training for 20 people, covert actions etc.
0964 24-Dec-80 CT243/2 Uruguay, special training for 2 people
0966 13-Jan-81 CT245/75 Chile, special training for 20 people
0967 24-Jan-81 CT247/26 Replacement of a stuff member in the Nicaraguan embassy by KGB agent
0636 04-Feb-81 CT249/12 Visit to Cuba by military delegation. * [5]
0979 13-Feb-87 CT40/39 Paraguay, assistance to communist party member in trespassing
0980 12-Jan-88 CT76/82 Chile, special training for 20 people from communist party and 14 - from social party
0981 18-Jan-88 CT76138 Chile, assistance to communist party members in trespassing
0982 02-Mar-88 CT80/3 Turkey, special training for 12 people
0988 23-Sep-88 CT90/103 Ecuador, special training for 6 people
0993 01-Mar-89 Chile, assistance in trespassing; special training for 2 people
0994 27-Mar-89 CT99/114 Special training: Communist party of Chile - for 20 people and for 6 radio specialists, Ecuador - 1, Social party of Chile - 2
0995-2 19-May-89 Chile - assistance in legal issues to Lois Corvalan
0996 23-Sep-89 CT105/114 Argentina, assistance in falsification of passports and shipping containers
0999 14-Feb-90 CT112/27 Special training: Argentina - for 5 people, Chile - 4
Note: * Document also included in section [No.]
Please note that English letters preceding the document numbers mean:
"CT" - documents by Secretariat of Central Committee;
"P" - protocols of Politburo ;
No. w/o preceding letter identify documents from the Central Committee;
In English titles "CP" is as abbreviation used for any communist party.
Back to Main Menu
TOP

Back to INFORUSS
02/12/99

Very Interesting, I wonder how many of these Russians are still alive? granny

http://psi.ece.jhu.edu/~kaplan/IRUSS/topresident.html

This is a letter by 240 info-russ subscribers
sent to President Bill Clinton
and other representetives of the USA Government
on Jan. 10, 1995:

[Re: Russia/Chechen war]

Lots of reading here:

http://psi.ece.jhu.edu/~kaplan/IRUSS/inforuss.html

http://www.thegratitudefund.org/spisok-eng.html

May they live on in our memory forever!

Among the dead and fallen dissidents,

Some were killed outright by the Soviet regime.

Some died of abuse in labor camps and prisons.

Others were sapped of life from persecution, deprivation and exile.

They are gone now, their lives abbreviated.

Our fund can help the living, but not the dead.

For the dead we can do one thing - make sure that their names and the greatness of

their contribution to the cause of human rights are not forgotten.

So remember these dead and fallen and their fates.

How much they accomplished!

Let their memory never fade.

[There must be many stories in this list of names]

Other files:

http://psi.ece.jhu.edu/~kaplan/IRUSS/inforuss.html

Up to date homepage:

http://psi.ece.jhu.edu/~kaplan/index.html

There was a time when one had to dig, to find reports of the planned takeover of the world, today, one passes them by, as every muslim seems to be saying and writing it.

I feel sorry for those muslims who are attempting to be free and are not jihadi.

Agreed.

And even the Jihadi's will be tossed aside and terminated when their usefulness has passed.

Thanks.

Early reports, english and russian:

http://www.geocities.com/s_w_l_m/AntiSoviet/

in Russian and english, check out the psy on political prisoners:

http://psi.ece.jhu.edu/~kaplan/IRUSS/BUK/GBARC/buk.html

Detailed map of Russia & emigration - related sites & sources:

http://psi.ece.jhu.edu/~kaplan/IRUSS/detrus.html#human

News and related links:

http://psi.ece.jhu.edu/~kaplan/IRUSS/russ.html

http://www.friends-partners.org/friends/

http://psi.ece.jhu.edu/~kaplan/IRUSS/detrus.html#human

http://psi.ece.jhu.edu/~kaplan/IRUSS/inforuss.html

More than likely you all know of these sites, but they are new to me............

Why God Never Received Tenure at a University:

He had only one major publication.
It was in Hebrew.
It has no references.
It was not published in a refereed journal.
Some doubt He wrote it himself.
He may have created the world, but what has He done since then?
The scientific community cannot replicate His results.
He never got permission from the ethics board to use human subjects.
When one experiment went awry, He tried to cover it by drowning the subjects.
He rarely came to class and just told His students, "Read the BOOK!"
Some say He had His Son teach the class.
He expelled His first two students.
His office hours were irregular and sometimes held on a mountain top.
There were as many as 10 requirements, and most students failed them.

(the Sourse insisted on staying anonymous) Last updated on October 7, 2005 Back to Alex Kaplan's home page

According to this collection of protest and articles from 1994, that were putting forth the effort to stop the Russia/Chechen war, I am even more convinced that my gut feeling has been right all along.

Not only did Russia invade to control Chechnya, they destroyed it to the point the jihadi could attempt to take it over and now it is not safe for either side.

It is not a surprise that Anna was killed to shut her up.

The Litvinenko name is here, a relative?
granny.............

http://psi.ece.jhu.edu/~kaplan/IRUSS/chechnya.html

Excerpts from RFE/RL Daily Report No. 238, 19 December 1994
RFE/RL Research Institute is a division of
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.

OFFENSIVE ON GROZNY. The one Russian column approaching Grozny
continued using artillery and aerial power against Chechen
positions and residential areas as well as engaging Chechen forces
in tactical clashes, Russian and Western media reported. Moscow's
official toll of 16 Russians killed through 16 December is
generally deemed understated. The Russian side has yet to
acknowledge the Chechen civilian casualties, estimated to number
in the hundreds. One major official justification for the
intervention is to protect the physical security of the Chechens,
in their capacity as Russian Federation citizens, in connection
with the "inter-Chechen conflict." -- Vladimir Socor, RFE/RL, Inc.

RUSSIAN GENERAL: LAW AND HUMANITY ABOVE ORDERS. On 15 and 16
December Major-General Ivan Babichev, commander of one of the
three Russian columns moving toward Grozny, publicly announced
that he was halting the advance and would refuse to use force
against civilians. The military operation against Chechnya was
unlawful and inhumane, and any orders to attack the population or
residential areas would be "criminal," Babichev said. He made the
statements to Russian and Western journalists and in a
fraternizing encounter with a predominantly female Chechen peasant
crowd astride his column's path. He also strongly implied that a
nighttime attack by unidentified forces against his column had
probably been orchestrated by Russian security services in order
to provoke an attack on the Chechen. Officers from various
elements of the column told the press that they had prepared
letters of resignation from the military and would submit them if
ordered to attack. Comprised of several hundred tanks and armored
vehicles, elements of a motor rifle division and of the elite
Pskov paratrooper division, MVD units, and other elements,
Babichev's column had refrained from challenging civilian crowds
thwarting its advance through Ingushetia and Chechnya toward
Grozny. The column's head is still reported 35 kilometers from
Grozny and its rear still in Ingushetia. Another column seems to
be marking time on the Dagestan-Chechnya border. -- Vladimir
Socor, RFE/RL, Inc.

ETHNIC RUSSIANS ALSO VICTIMS. Ethnic Russians, whose share in the
population of Grozny and environs remains substantial, are being
made to suffer the rigors of bombardment and blockade alongside
the indigenous Chechen population. Respected human rights
campaigner and Duma deputy Sergei Kovalev told RIA on 16 December
that "many of the industrial and residential buildings on the
outskirts of Grozny have been destroyed." Outside Grozny, hardest
hit by Russian forces has been the predominantly Russian-inhabited
town of Pervomayskoe. Ethnic Russians interviewed by Russian and
Western media express indignation at Moscow's use of force which
puts their lives at risk. Reports from the field also speak of the
emergence of a sense of solidarity among local ethnic Russians and
Chechens in the face of common adversity. There are no reports of
Chechen threats of any kind to local Russians. One of the
justifications for the Russian intervention had been the presumed
need to protect ethnic Russians in Chechnya. -- Vladimir Socor,
RFE/RL, Inc.

SHEVARDNADZE SUPPORTS RUSSIAN ACTION IN CHECHNYA. Russia must
defend its national interests and territorial integrity in
Chechnya, Eduard Shevardnadze told ITAR-TASS on 18 December.
Shevardnadze said Georgia supports a united and indivisible
Russia, because if Moscow will not curtail an "aggressive
separatism," it could lead to the disintegration of the Russian
Federation. Georgia, which has a joint border with Chechnya, has,
of course, a special reason to support military action against
Dudaev; it has its own separatist territory, Abkhazia, and
Shevardnadze hopes that the Chechen example will help legitimize
Georgian policy towards its secessionist state. -- Victor Yasmann,
RFE/RL, Inc.

Old dissies rise their voice again... (coordinator & RL)

From: sasha@super.ece.jhu.edu (Alexander Kaplan)
Date: Thu, 22 Dec 94 22:45:07 EST
Subject:INFO-RUSS:pishite nam, pishite po starym addressam...
To: info-russ@smarty.ece.jhu.edu
Status: OR

Dear IR-folks,
Below is another excerpt from RFE/RL Daily Report No. 241,
22 December 1994, on "reopened" dissident movement and samizdat in Russia.
I just want to make a little comment on the report below by Julia Wishnevsky,
an old dissy herself, who is usually well informed and write good reports.
She wrote "all four participants in the 1968 demonstration against the Soviet
invasion of Czechoslovakia who are still alive--Larisa Bogoraz, Pavel Litvinov,
Nataliya Gorbanevskaya, and Viktor Fainberg --have signed a petition
condemning the Russian intervention in Chechnya". It is good to know that
my own instincts (I am talking here about Chechnya) are still the same as
that of the people whom I used to know personally for many years, to know
both as brilliant and talanted individuals and as bravest and honest to
earth dissidents, pioneers in open opposition to the sov-system, people
with whom I had had an honor of having my signature to appear on the same
protest letters 28 years ago and later.
It is so good to hear their names and voices again, to know they are
the same brave and outspoken dissies, soul and heart... The only thing
is that, thanks God, they are not "all ... participants ... still alive".
There were seven of them at that demonstration in Red Square in 1968. Vadik
Delone died in Paris about 10 years ago; and unfortunately at this point I
don't know anything about Kostya Babitsky, but the 7-th demonstrator,
Volodya Dremlyuga, it quite alive in NJ (at least as of an hour ago when I
spoke with him on the phone:-). Good for him; after 6 years spent by him in
the worst sov-camps, he can use some extra time on this earth... It is my
pleasure to let those of you who remember my posting about "7 in Red Square"
know that the rumors of him not being alive are a bit exaggerated:-)

--Alex Kaplan, INFO-RUSS owner/coordinator

There is more, in english and Russian.

Note: this author is still very active, he posts his articles to a group that i read...........Vladimir Socor

Hugh/

I could not agree more with your last post if I tried. Yes, of course, moslems are an alien body in our midst. Every day in London - on the tube, in shops, in parks, whilst shopping, whilst going about the 101 tasks that make up an average life - this is borne in on me.

In London today moslems dress differently, are rude to locals, jump queues, shout at us, wave their fists at us, call us 'worthless infidel' in public and in loud voices. I have, just four days ago, been elbowed aside by a moslem couple, with sidekicks, whilst trying to top up my Oyster card at a tube station at the automatic machine. Apparently, I had taken longer than the ten seconds that they were prepared to wait and so three burly males forced me aside and, when I objected, pushed me to the floor and - quite literally - and took over the machine which I was attempting to use.

Not, in a crowded and impatient city like London that this was a surprise, but that in this instance that I was insulted by these people was a surprise. The eldest male in the group, dressed in the usual and ridiculous garb of mohammedans everywhere, looked directly at me amd said, in quite clear English, (and I quote verbatim) "Get out of our way infidel slave".

You may imagine how I felt at that moment. To be so insulted in my own capital city was stunning. It took all my self-control not to do something rash at that moment.

Knowing that CCTV cameras would have captured this incident I complained, some three hours later (after having completed my journey and return), to the British Transport Police on the Broadway. I need not have bothered. Not only would no-one there take my complaint of 'technical assault and insult' seriously but no-one to whom I spoke was even prepared to initiate any paperwork whatsoever nor were they remotely prepared to find and look at the video recordings. Indeed, one Officer even said to me that I 'should swallow my pride' and live with it because - and, once again, I quote verbatim 'you are just being racist and you have to remember that it's cultural with them'.

Obviously, at this point, I indicated that I felt that I had been physically assaulted and that I would really like to have my complaint investigated. Well, this is really where everything about that evening begins to stick in my craw. When I said that, the Officer of the BTP who was listening to me actually cautioned me and warned me that if I persisted with making a nuisance of myself I would be charged under the The Race Relations Act 1976 and the RRAA (Race Relations (Amendment) Act) 2000.

I gave up at this point. Cowardice is sometimes the better part of valour. But, damn it, they won, didn't they? I have been intimidated into a dhimmi position by them and the very powers which should have protected me in my own country.

"Happy New Year everyone", I say in a bitter tone of voice.

Dominic.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/014639.php

Muslims' march through Nazareth "meant to intimidate Christians"
"Celebrating" Eid al-Adha with threats and intimidation. "Muslims shout at Jesus' home: 'Islam will dominate the world'," by Aaron Klein for World Net Daily:

NAZARETH – Islamic groups held a large militant march down the main streets of Nazareth this weekend, highlighting for some here the plight of Christians in this ancient city where Muslims have become a majority and members of the dwindling Christian population say they suffer regular intimidation.
[...]
The Islamic Movement, the main Muslim political party in Nazareth, said it organized yesterday's march to celebrate Eid ul-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, which commemorates the Muslim belief Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Ishmael for Allah.
Christian and Jewish faith dictates it was Isaac, not Ishmael, whom Abraham almost sacrificed.
Islamic Movement leaders paraded down Nazareth's main thoroughfare brandishing their party's green flag. Young Muslim men in battle gear marched and beat drums as a man on loudspeaker repeatedly exclaimed in Arabic, "Allah is great."
Hundreds of activists strutted screaming Islamist epithets, including "Islam is the only truth" and "Islam shall rule all."
Tens of thousands of Nazareth residents, seemingly mostly Muslim, congregated on the streets as the march passed by. Muslim children launched firecrackers into the sky, occasionally misfiring, with the small explosives landing dangerously close to the crowds.
Many of the town's Christian residents stayed away from the event, with the exception of Christian shopkeepers who worked in the area. WND observed as several Muslim youth marching in the parade started to charge at three local Christian shopkeepers but the youth stopped short.
While the march was billed as a celebration, it's militant virtues were clearly visible. The event seemed more a show of force than a street party.
"The march is meant to intimidate Christians," said Saleem, a Nazareth Christian resident who asked that his last name be withheld for fear of what he said was "Muslim retaliation" for speaking out.
"It's part of the methods used by the Muslims in very obvious ways to create an atmosphere where the Christians should know the Muslims are the main power and we are not welcome anymore," Saleem said.
Ahmed Zohbi, a member of Nazareth's municipal council and the leader of an umbrella group consisting of the city's Islamic parties, denied Saleem's accusations, claiming there is "no problem" between Christians and Muslims in Nazareth.
"We just want to celebrate. The Muslims have nothing against our Christian brothers. Our communities may have differences but we live a peaceful coexistence," Zohbi told WND.
But Christians interviewed here said otherwise. Like Bethlehem's Christians, those in Nazareth spoke of attacks against Christian-owned shops and told stories of Christian women being raped by Muslim men. They noted several instances of interreligious violence and Muslim riots they said began when Muslims attacked Christian worshippers. The Muslims claimed Christians started the violence.
Israeli security officials say the majority of anti-Christian violence in Nazareth goes unreported because local Christians are too afraid to report crimes.
One Christian resident said violence and intimidation tend to increase around the time of local elections. The Islamic parties, once in the minority, are now one seat away from dominating Nazareth's city council.
"During the last elections, Muslims on the streets were openly threatening the Christians. They tried to stop some of the Christian cars from voting," said Saleem.
In October 2000, the Arab Christian mayor of Nazareth, Ramiz Jaraisy, was reportedly beaten by members of the opposing Islamist party.
Nazareth's Christian population, at times the majority during the city's long history, is now at about 37 percent, according to the Israeli Bureau of Statistics, which notes a regular downward trend.
The situation mirrors similar trends in West Bank and Gaza cities controlled or dominated by Muslim Arabs.
Siham el-Fahum, a Muslim Nazareth municipality member and a local historian, admits Christians are fleeing her city because of Christian-Muslim tension.
"There is no doubt the situation for Christians in Nazareth is bad," el-Fahum told WND.
"Christians like to live where life can be good for them, whereas Muslims are more attached to the community and will stay through tough times. Muslims in the city want more dominance and the only way to achieve that, logically, is at the expense of Christians. It's a delicate balancing act that is having negative consequences for Christians."
Like many Muslims here, el-Fahum claimed Christians several times "instigated" Muslim riots. But she said in the struggle for power, "the Muslims are definitely on the rise."
She said the core of the conflict began in 1998, when Israel approved a local Muslim request to build a mosque in front of the Church of the Annunciation.
Muslims wanted to build the mosque at an adjacent, 6,500-square-foot site, which they say is the burial place of a nephew of Saladin, the Muslim commander who led the army that defeated the Crusaders in 1187. The site previously housed a public school.
Christians charge the site was not previously considered holy by Muslims and that the planned mosque is meant to overwhelm the church.
Dave Parsons, a spokesman for the International Christian Embassy, said the proposed mosque might contain multiple spires that would tower over the Annunciation Church's large, black-coned dome.
In 2002, Israel rescinded permission to construct the mosque following worldwide outcry and protests from the Vatican and White House.
Nazareth Muslims temporarily occupied the site and erected a tent mosque. Islamic Movement leaders demanded Nazareth officials deed the property over to local Muslim authorities.
Muslims hold regular prayer services at the site neighboring the Annunciation church throughout the week, usually drawing large numbers of worshippers on Fridays.
Yesterday's afternoon service, attended by WND, was preceded by a sermon delivered by a prominent local sheik, who shouted into a loudspeaker, "Islam will dominate the world.".
The sermon could be heard by clergy inside the Annunciation church.
The Islamic Movement's Zohbi told WND he is "optimistic" the mosque will eventually be built.
"It's just a matter of time before we (the Islamic parties) dominate the city council and then the situation will be different," he said.
Zohbi claimed the Muslim stake to the Nazareth site predates Christianity's. He said the Church of the Annunciation "was built in the 1950s."
While the church structure was indeed completely rebuilt in 1955, several previous churches there date back to the 5th century, about the same time the original Church of the Nativity was constructed in Bethlehem.
The original Annunciation church was destroyed during Muslim conquests. Reconstructed versions were burned during Crusader losses in the region. The church was rebuilt again in 1730, then later enlarged in 1877.
Archeologists say the first shrine at the church site was constructed in the middle of the 4th century, comprising an altar in the cave in which Mary is said to had lived.
Zohbi said he would only lead "peaceful" protests to built the mosque. Muslims in Nazareth have "no interest" in tensions or further violence with local Christians, he claimed.
But El-Fahum said it was only a matter of time before another round of anti-Christian riots were sparked.
"The tension is very palatable [sic]. The Christians know it. The situation is a powderkeg that can explode again at any time."

http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/

The Polonium 210 Trail Reaches America

I am amazed that the Litvinenko story is not getting serious attention in the US or in the Europe. The media is so wedded to the possible assassination angle they have totally ignored the equally plausible, and much more disturbing possibility, of the Dirty Bomb. Ever since I began posting on this story the evidence did not sit as well with an assassination as it did a smuggling operation that went bad. Before the trail of Polonium became known, I predicted - because of the massive and immediate PR campaign that was put in place at Litvinenko’s death - the trail would lead to Boris Berezovsky. When there was only two hotels infected and tied to Lugovoi trips to London to meet Litvinenko, I said a smuggling effort would show more than one round of moving the material. Sure enough another hotel was found to be contaminated with many rooms showing signs of Polonium, and it was tied to a trip by Lugovoi to meet Litvinenko and visit some of these suspicious security firms which also show Polonium contamination.

As the evidence for a smuggling ring has grown in the UK, I wondered if and when it would show up in other countries - possible destinations of Polonium. We all know the trail later extended to Germany. But today the LA Times is reporting the Plonium trail reached the United States of America:

Since identifying polonium-210 as the poison that killed Litvinenko, investigators have found traces of it in hotel rooms, airplanes, embassy rooms and other sites in the U.S. and Europe visited by Andrei Lugovoy, a former KGB bodyguard who is considered a potential suspect in the case. Lugovoy has said he is being set up by persons unknown.

This little detail is being reported so off-handedly I cannot wonder if it is not a mistake. First off I am not aware Lugovoi visited America - but it is possible. Did the author mean Russia instead of the US? Maybe, but it is clear the FBI is involved and has been interrogating people here in the US. But if it is accurate then there should be much more news reporting on this incident and its potential implications. It means nuclear material was smuggled into the US - and that would be news.

The article is a wealth of details that establish parameters for the doses that have been seen and the possible amounts and the form of the Polonium that was smuggled through London in October. First are a series of historical incidents that resulted in death in the handing of Polonium. Key to these is how long the effects took to kill the victims:

At the height of World War II, in an isolated medical ward at the University of Rochester in New York, Dr. Robert M. Fink gave water laced with polonium-210 to a terminal cancer patient [later the reporter notes the patient volunteered for this as part of the war effort] and injected four others with the isotope. None of the five apparently died from the minute doses, though one succumbed to his cancer six days later.

…

The first polonium death occurred in 1927.

The victim was Nobus Yamada, a Japanese researcher in Marie Curie’s lab in France. In 1924, he worked with Curie’s daughter Irene Joliot-Curie to prepare polonium sources. After returning home the next year, Yamada fell ill.

…

The Curies’ daughter Irene also fell victim to the isotope. She died of leukemia in 1956, 10 years after a sealed capsule of polonium-210 was accidentally broken in her laboratory at the Radium Institute in Paris.

About the same time, scientists developing Israel’s nuclear program were exposed to its lethal effects.

The first signs of contamination were the traces of radiation on the laboratory desk of Israeli physicist Dror Sadeh. He had taken what he thought were adequate precautions against the hyperactive element.

But those precautions weren’t enough. Radiation was discovered “in my private home, and on my hands too and on everything that I touched,” he wrote in his diary.

Within a month, one student who worked in Sadeh’s lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, was dead from leukemia. The lab’s supervisor died a few years later — contaminated by polonium-210 as well, Sadeh suspected.

These incidents show that exposure is not immediately lethal. It is lethal - but death can take months or years. Not that great for a assassination tool. But it also indicates Litvinenko may not have been poisoned at one incident on November 1st, but may have been accumulating his deadly dose over time. Though I still think Litvinenko did get a large dose at one critical encounter around that date. Another thing to note in the article is how easy it is to block Polonium-210 in transport but how difficult it is to handle it without it contaminating the location where it is being handled:

Unlike other radioactive elements, polonium-210 is relatively safe to transport.

…

“I could put it in a tiny Ziploc bag, and I would be fine,” said Dooley, president and chief executive of MJW Corp., a consulting firm in Amherst, N.Y., that specializes in radiological and health physics services.

…

The energy produced as it naturally disintegrates is so great that “small chunks, perhaps a few hundred atoms in size, are blasted out of the surface and then drift around the room,” Zimmerman said.

“It would tend to creep around the lab,” Dooley said. “If you had polonium in an open jar and you left it overnight, the next thing you knew, it would be all over the lab. It would jump on a dust particle and end up on lab benches and floors and things.”

Interestingly this pattern of dispersion seems to fit what was found at the three hotels. And it may be the kind of pattern scene at Berezovsky’s office, which did have multiple points with Polonium-210 contamination. It does seem that many of the locations of contamination were the result of material flaking off people trailing the material, while hotel rooms may show the more diffuse pattern. Without more details it is hard to say. But clearly the contamination sites show little evidence of an assassination. The assassin would have the Polonium-210 in a salt form which could be innocently dropped into a drink. This form would resist both the flaking off and possibly the random escape of particles on dust. The fact the more controlled form of a small amount (still a very high dose) would not seem consistent with an assassin who hoped to survive his actions.

The other information in this article to note is the dosage levels and the expected biological response:

Pound for pound, polonium-210 is at least a million times more toxic than hydrogen cyanide, the poison used to execute prisoners in gas chambers, according to medical toxicology books. Radiation safety experts calculate that a single gram of polonium could kill 50 million people and sicken another 50 million.

But it is extremely hard to get. About 100 grams — or 3 1/2 ounces — are produced each year, primarily by Russia.

…

A dose of the white powder smaller than a grain of salt could have been dropped into Litvinenko’s drink at the Millennium Hotel’s Pine Bar in London without altering the taste, according to chemist John Emsley of Cambridge University.

Within minutes of ingestion, the energetic particles shooting off the polonium-210 molecules began killing the cells lining Litvinenko’s gastrointestinal tract. As the cells sloughed off, they caused nausea, severe internal bleeding and enormous pain.

descriptions I saw here. But there is one symptom of Litvinenko’s case that are different - the massive inflamation of his mucus membrane areas:

Later I [Marina Litvinenko] was told that not only the mucus membranes in his mouth, but everywhere in his body were horribly inflamed and covered with blisters.

The symptoms seem to indicate Litvinenko encountered a cloud of Polonium-220, ingesting some and inhaling some. The ingested amount caused the symptoms assoiated with the vomiting, but I am of the mind the mucus membrame damage was from inhalation. If Litvinenko was exposed by a cloud of material that he ingested and inhaled, I would say that would really be a sign this was an accident in handling and not an assassination attempt. Assassins would want to control the material to make sure it only hit its intended target. That is why I think the salt form that could be added to a drink is the form an assassin would use, and prepare well before bringing the material into the UK.

In any event, if the material has been shown to have reached our shores, I think it is long past time the news media stopped obessessing with the assassination theory to shore up the biased views of Russia and Putin. This is a very serious situation and it deserves objective, honest reporting. Everyone who could be at risk if this is a smuggling effort for a dirty bomb deserves some clear heads on this matter and how it is reported.

http://strata-sphere.com/blog/index.php/archives/3167

Monday, January 01, 2007
The Day After the Bangkok Bombs
1:00 am Sorry for the lack of coverage but have been at the airport and on a plane all day, but will have a post up soon summarising news articles from Thai Rath and Matichon on the bombs - nothing else to do on the plane and airport lounge.

11:45 am According to Channel 3, there are 2 theories on who is behind the violence from different academics from southern Thailand.

One view is that it is more likely to be undercurrents because the nature of explosions was not very strong (i.e the number of deaths was not great). Two, because the southern terrorists are not acquainted with Bangkok and it would be difficult for them to stage the attacks.

Another view is that it is most likely the southern terrorists. First, the kind of explosive used with a timer, the shrapnel of 1 cm nail and timing of the events on the evening of 31 Decembers was to cause maximum damage. Says that it is unusual for political movements to use such violence (i.e normally just 1 or 2 small grenades to kill a specific person or go to after a target). Second, the coordinated nature of the bombs also suggests the southern terrorists. Suggested 2 groups of persons involved (one for Victory Monument, Saphan Kwai etc; second, for Klong Toei and other targets on Rama IV road) . Says this would match the modus operandi of the southern terrorists.

However, both groups said that no conclusions should be drawn on who was behind it and the authorities should not rule any group out.

Gen. Sonthi is coming back from the Haj in Sauda Arabia on an urgent flight and will be back this afternoon.

Posted by Bangkok Pundit

http://bangkokpundit.blogspot.com/2007/01/day-after-bangkok-bombs.html

BE SURE AND READ THE COMMENTS

Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Bangkok Bombs : A Further Update

The following is mostly taken from the Thai language newspapers Thai Rath and Matichon. I have taken this from the paper edition of both papers, but the articles are likely available online. Any references to Thai Rath will be will TR and Matichon by M. I will try to update this again tomorrow Wikipedia style with further references.

LOCATION OF BOMBS AND INJURIES

M: 1st bomb went off at Victory Monument. It was at the booth for Bus No 140, in front of Ponglee restaurant. There were 4 people injured. TR: The bomb went off just after the end of the national anthem - which is played daily at 6pm.

M: Second bomb was near the police booth at the Saphan Kwai intersection - TR: this is only about 70 metres from the Bang Sue police station. M: Two people were injured. TR: Metal shrapnel from the bomb was found close by.

M: Third bomb at the front of a VCD store in Klong Toei. This is in front of Wat (temple) Pai Sing To. 7 people were injured including a 12 year old girl. One person later died of their injuries.

M: Fourth bomb was in the Lotus section of the Seacon Square Department Store. Small metal balls and a 9 volt battery were found nearby.

M: Fifth bomb was at the police booth at Sukhumvit 62. One person was injured.

M: Sixth bomb was at the Kaa Rai intersection (near the Mall Ngam Wong Wan). No one was injured.

For further information on the initial 6 bombs and later 2 bombs see the Wikipedia article.

TR: Authorities in Pattaya say that a bomb was found before it exploded in Pattaya. The location was near the Central Festival on Pattaya North Road. They found a Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO) bomb in the bushes which was set to go off at 00:01. Large numbers of nails were found in the bomb device. As many tourists were in the area, the New Year's Eve celebrations were immediately called.

[COMMENT: I can't find any other reports confirming the almost attack on Pattaya as Bangkok blogger Matt blogs:

Can anyone confirm or counter the claim that there were three bombs in Pattaya? I suspect that this may be a mistake as I can’t find any reference to it anywhere, but I don’t have any contacts in Sin City that I could call up right now. The rumour is that this has been kept under wraps for one reason or another. I don’t want to say it’s true because in all likelihood it probably isn’t.

The TR report is not a vague report, it provides precise details, and nothing like this has been printed in the English language media which might scare off the tourists. Who knows whether it is true or not?]

TYPE OF BOMBS

TR: Special Police Forces (191) says that the bomb at Victory Monument had a 10 metre radius and was an AFNO bomb [According to The Nation, this is "classified as M4, an industrial blasting agent of 94 per cent ammonium nitrate and 6 per cent petrol."]. The bomb at Victory Monument was a 5 kg bomb. The bomb at Seacon Square was also of ANFO, but only 1 kg. Digital alarm clocks were used to detonate both bombs. This is very similar to what the "Mujahideen" in the South have been using.

M: C4 was used and two-thirds of a pound. Ditial watches were used as timers. Said that the perpetrators didn't intend the loss of life [COMMENT: Quite how this was concluded I don't know given that nails were used for shrapnel] and some of the bombs went off in high density places in Bangkok, but the implication seems to be it was Thaksin/TRT].

M: Police say that only small intensity bombs were used.

FOREWARNING OF ATTACKS

M. The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) had warned the government that there would be 10 events [10 bombs? or 10 different coordinated bombings?] in Bangkok. This warning had been passed onto the government 3 times.

TR. Thai Military Intelligence and Special Branch have received intelligence that there would be bombs in up to 30 places in Bangkok and surrounding areas (i.e Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan etc), particularly popular shopping malls like Siam Paragon, the Mall Bangkapi, and Seacon Square.

TR. Army Commander of the 1st Region (Central Thailand including Bangkok) is reported to have said that there was no intelligence that there would be attacks in Bangkok.

TR: Gen Anupong, Assistant Army Commander [also involved in the coup, but was regarded as being close to Thaksin previously] stated there were general reports that there would be incidents/events taking place, but no specific intelligence with a date/time or location.

WHO TO BLAME (OR WHO WAS BEHIND THE ATTACKS?)

M. Reports (anonymous sources ?) suggest that the CNS have requested that Pol Gen Chidchai (former key Minister under the Thaksin govt and close to Thaksin), Chumpon (former head of the National Intelligence (NIA) under Thaksin), Chalor (who works/worked at the Office of the PM), and Dr Promin (former Secretary to PM in the Thaksin govt) report to the Army, but it was unsure whether they were involved in the attacks. Police deny this, but Gen Saprang (key logistics person in the coup) ordered Dr Pomin to appear at 9am on 1 Jan.

M. Pol Lt Terredee from Special Branch is unable to conclude who is behind it.

M. Reports (anonymous sources ?) suggest that it is the work of a political group who lost political benefits/influence [implication that Thaksin/TRT] and not connected with the insurgents.

M. Prime Minister Surayud refuses to speculate who was behind the attack [although he has since said it was not likely the southern terrorists and implied it was TRT/Thaksin who was behind the bombings]

TR: Pol Gen Kowit, head of the Royal Thai Police [he was involved in the coup, but his participation is seen as being reluctant and only after Thaksin didn't have the numbers] says it was definitely not the "undercurrents" (ie Thaksin/TRT).

COMMENT: The police who are speaking publicly are turning the blame away from Thaksin without specifically blaming anyone whereas the anonymous sources are only blaming Thaksin. Now, those behind the coup and PM Surayud are also blaming Thaksin. No wonder anti-Thaksin media mogul Sondhi yesterday called for Pol Gen Kowit to be transferred.

I hope Crispin has his visa sorted out after this article. I am still trying to go over in mind who might have staged the attacks and will try to have some more comprehensive commentary tomorrow. Just briefly, you have southern terrorists, international terrorists, CNS, rogue elements of the CNS/military, Thaksin/TRT, rogue elements of the security forces who are "supportive of Thaksin", or some other group.

I think it is between the southern terrorists and the rogue elements. I think the rogue elements are just power hungry and it makes no difference whether they label themselves pro-Thaksin or anti-Thaksin. The label exists to win support from either pro-Thaksin or anti-Thaksin groups. The rogue elements of the CNS that Crispin mentions in his article are unlikely to include Gen. Sonthi - guess who was out of the country, but quickly came back. It boggles the mind if true.

ARMY RESPONSE

TR: Gen Anupong says that CNS head and coup leader Gen. Sonthi has ordered soliders from Army Region 1 to Bangkok for patrols, particularly on the mass transit system.

TR: Army Commanders for the North, North-east, and the South are on alert.

M: The Council of National Security (CNS - the coup leaders/military junta) ordered the military to the streets of Bangkok to control the situation. 6000 checkpoints were setup throughout Bangkok.

COMMENT: Look for the Army to take more responsibility and control from the police in the name of national security particularly through their new 14,000 own little new special army which was created this month. Gen Anupong has also said in a very strong threatening tone that the police must cooperate with the Army. There are significant tensions and the army will look to tighten their grip on things over the coming days.

PREVIOUS ATTACKS ON BANGKOK

M: On 30 June 1980, PULO (a separatist group from southern Thailand) launched 6 bomb attacks on various venues throughout Bangkok, although 2 bombs failed to go off. There were no injuries.

COMMENT: Also see the ICG report for confirmation:

"Groups linked directly or indirectly to PULO carried out four major terrorist incidents during this period. PULO itself did four bomb attacks in Bangkok in a single day in July 1980 [July 1]".

MISC

TR: Bangkok Governor Apirak has ordered all 50 Districts in Bangkok to collect all their rubbish bins although it is unknown exactly where all the rubbish will be stored. Also, it will create problems as people will have no place to throw away their rubbish. [COMMENT: After saying nice things about Apirak yesterday, I just roll my eyes at this measure}.

Posted by Bangkok Pundit at 2:46 AM

1 comments:
patiwat said...
Great roundup of the Thai press. Were these all the 1 January editions?

With all the loose ends, the only thing I know for sure is that anybody blaming anybody else right now is probably doing it for their own benefit. The junta should take care not to repeat the error of the 2004 Madrid train bombings.

January 02, 2007 5:55 AM

http://bangkokpundit.blogspot.com/2007/01/bangkok-bombs-further-update.html

Straits of Malacca cooperation: A glass half-full

Mark J Valencia

21-Dec-06

THE states bordering the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (the Straits states Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore) and the extraregional maritime powers that depend heavily on the Straits for transit of commercial and naval vessels have divergent interests. More than 70 per cent of vessels using the Straits do not call at any Straits state port and thus the Straits states receive no direct benefit from their passage.

Yet the Straits states have been bearing the brunt of the burden of maintaining the safety and security of navigation and the environment there. Consequently, the Straits states have been trying to forge an agreement with the user states to assure that they contribute to Straits safety and security.

A ministerial meeting of the Straits states in August 2005 and International Maritime Organisation-sponsored meetings between the Straits states and the user states produced an agreement of sorts. But many issues remain unresolved and some states remain dissatisfied. Indeed the glass remains half-full.

Malaysia and Indonesia are primarily concerned with both their conceptual and practical sovereignty in the Malacca Strait control and keeping the Strait free from pollution, as well as preventing piracy, smuggling, and illegal fishing.

Singapore and the user states are much more concerned with the safety and security of navigation. The United States in particular is interested in preventing possible terrorist attacks on its vessels and in interdiction of vessels carrying weapons of mass destruction.

The meetings were an attempt to implement Article 43 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which all involved have ratified except for the United States. The Article provides that in such Straits used for international navigation user states and littoral states should cooperate in the establishment and maintenance of necessary navigational and safety aids and in the prevention, reduction and control of pollution from ships.

The meetings produced a proposal by the Straits states to establish a mechanism to meet on a regular basis with user states and the shipping industry. This mechanism would be used to discuss safety, security and environmental protection of the Straits and to facilitate cooperation in keeping the Straits safe and open to navigation, and sharing of the cost of doing so.

The mechanism has been praised for avoiding sensitive issues like creating a system for charging users for the services provided by the Straits states, defining user states, allocating jurisdiction and rights and responsibilities in the Straits, and creating a Straits management scheme. But that is exactly where it falls short of what is needed. Indeed, no matter how well it is dressed and differences papered over, this arrangement is a lowest common denominator compromise that fully satisfies no one.

The Straits states' long-standing hope that the user states would finally begin to significantly share the burden remains largely unfulfilled. Such assistance could take the form of contributions to projects identified and agreed with the littoral states either in the form of direct financial contributions or in-kind technical assistance or equipment.

However, such contributions remain voluntary and other than long-term contributor Japan, the only other user state offering such assistance is China. Moreover the agreement does not define user states or the direct and indirect beneficiaries of Straits use such as shippers, shipping companies and consumers of oil and goods that transit the Straits.

This means that the net cast to solicit contributions remains narrow and porous. Although good intentions have been expressed by some users, the proof will be in the giving. Until then, most users will remain free riders, benefitting from the efforts of the littoral states and the two contributors while contributing nothing themselves.

Moreover, some boundaries remain uncertain and issues of jurisdictional rights and responsibilities will not be resolved in these areas until they are agreed.

The agreement also avoids any formal arrangement among the littoral states for cost-effective and efficient management of the Straits. Indeed, the ad hoc nature of current Straits management is reinforced in that assistance can be bilateral, which is preferred by Indonesia.

Although the Tripartite Technical Expert Group on Safety of Navigation will oversee developments, needed urgently is a coordinating committee to solicit and select appropriate projects including training and capacity building, collect funds, enhance efficiency, eliminate redundancy, monitor and report on project implementation, collect and disseminate information, and share intelligence. Thus the agreement is hardly an example of robust cooperation between the littoral states as one entity and the user states.

Further, the issue of security in the Straits is not addressed. While security can be discussed in the forum to be set up under the mechanism, the focus of discussions will be on safety and environmental protection.

Moreover, direct user state assistance in enhancing security in the Straits continues to be unwelcome by the Straits states. This will disappoint India, Japan and the United States which have repeatedly offered such assistance.

Thus for both Straits states and user states the agreement is much ado about little. The only incremental change is the establishment of a forum in which user states can use to pressure the Straits states regarding their security concerns. User state assistance in improving safety and security in the Straits remains elusive. And the interests of the Straits states and the user states are likely to continue to clash.

The author is a maritime policy analyst.

http://www.bruneitimes.com.bn/section/opinion/21Dec2006-4.php

Somali Islamists lose last stronghold

Monday January 1, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Somali government troops backed by Ethiopian tanks today captured the last major stronghold of a militant Islamic movement as all Somalis were ordered to hand over their weapons within three days.
The Somali prime minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, also offered an amnesty to hundreds of Islamic fighters fleeing south towards the Kenyan border, if they gave themselves up, but offered no amnesty for leaders of the Islamic group.

The offer came after the Islamic militants were driven out of the port city of Kismayo following a 13-day offensive by government forces.

"I can confirm to you that our forces have captured Kismayo," Mr Gedi said.

The military advance marks a stunning turnaround for Somalia's government, which just weeks ago could barely control one town - its base of Baidoa - while the Somali Council of Islamic Courts (SCIC) controlled the capital and much of southern Somalia.

Mr Gedi also ordered a nationwide disarmament that comes into effect tomorrow. This is seen as an ambitious pledge as Somalia is awash with weapons after a 15-year civil war.

The prime minister told journalists that warlords and clan militias must abide by the order.

"The warlord era in Somalia is now over. If they fail to heed the orders of the government, the government will forcefully extract weapons from them," he said.

Islamic forces have promised to wage an Iraq-style guerrilla war if defeated.

Among those sought were three al-Qaida suspects wanted over the 1998 bombings of US embassies who the government said were being sheltered by the Islamic group. The government said it hoped to catch them before they slipped out of the country.

The United States had also been asked to provide air and sea surveillance to prevent suspected extremists from escaping, Somali officials said.

The Kenyan president, Mwai Kibaki, in his new year's message, called for an urgent summit of the east African regional body, IGAD, to discus the Somali crisis. And senior western diplomats were pushing for the deployment of an African-led peacekeeping force in Somalia as soon as possible to help stabilise the country.

Government and Ethiopian forces were delaying their entry into Kismayo, which Islamic fighters captured in September, while they cleared land mines.

Hundreds of gunmen who apparently deserted from the Islamic movement began looting the warehouses where the SCIC had stored supplies, including weapons and ammunition.

"Everything is out of control, everyone has a gun and gangs are looting everything now that the Islamists have left," the businessman Sheik Musa Salad said.

The Islamic forces have a base near the Kenyan border on a small peninsula called Ras Kamboni, where there is a pier for traditional ocean-going boats known as dhows.

Ethiopian MiG fighter jets flew low over the ocean looking for boats that might be carrying the escaping Islamic fighters.

The Islamic forces began to disintegrate after a night of artillery attacks at the frontline and following a mutiny within their ranks, witnesses said.

In the past 10 days, the Islamic group has been forced from the capital, Mogadishu, and other key towns in the face of attacks led by Ethiopia.

Somalia's interim government and its Ethiopian allies have long accused Islamic militias of harbouring al-Qaida, and the US government has said the 1998 bombers have become leaders in the Islamic movement in Africa.

"If we capture them alive we will hand them over to the United States," Mr Gedi said.

Islamic movement leaders deny having any links to al-Qaida. But in a recorded message posted on the internet on Saturday, the deputy al-Qaida leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, called on Somalia's Muslims and other Muslims worldwide to continue the fight against "infidels and crusaders".

Mr Gedi accused Mr Zawahri of trying to destabilise Somalia and its neighbours.

The SCIC, the umbrella group for the Islamic movement that ruled Mogadishu for six months, wants to transform Somalia into a strict Islamic state.

Islamic officials said they still had fighters in the capital and were ready for warfare.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1980980,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=1

TerroristWarning.com Terrorism Headlines 01/01/2007 # 1

Editors Note: I will be in the Arlington, VA area Jan 3-7 and will be available to meet with folks who are interested in collaborative efforts, custom versions of the incident mapping system (www.globalincidentmap.com), etc - please email me at News@TerroristWarning.com

National:

[WAFB] LOUISIANA - Bomb Found at Erwinville Church

"Cazes says that when they arrived, they found an Improvised Explosive Device inside a suitcase left at the front door of the church. You may have heard of IEDs in reports from the War in Iraq where they are common, but not in the small community of Erwinville"

http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5877520&nav=menu57_4

[Huffington Post] WASHINGTON D.C. - Possible Explosive Device Found Near Bridge In DC Suburb...Developing...

"Tipped off by an anonymous caller, police found a possible explosive device on the banks of the Anacostia River in Colmar Manor, Maryland"

" package appeared to be a box with protruding wires, connected to a trip wire"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/12/30/possible-explosive-device_n_37466.html

[AP] MINNESOTA - Man arrested after Grand Rapids robbery with bomb-type device [False alarm]

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/904294.html

[AP] INDIANA - Suspicious Package Destroyed

http://www.fox28.com/News/index.php?ID=10733

See also http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/local/16346868.htm

[AP] USA - U.S. officials urge vigilance against any possible attacks; no specific threats cited

"U.S. government officials said Friday that people should be vigilant about the possibility of a terror attack associated with Saddam Hussein's impending execution in Iraq"

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/29/america/NA_GEN_US_Saddam_Terrorism.php

[AP] NORTH DAKOTA - Package disguised as a bomb had no explosives [Dry run?]

"Authorities are looking at surveillance tapes to help determine how a package disguised as a bomb was left outside the downtown federal courthouse"

"package was found under a gas main on the north side of the building around noon on Friday"

http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2006/12/30/news/state/126238.txt

[Port Huron Times] MICHIGAN - Man finds explosives bundle in mailbox

"object was a round plastic cylinder packed with 20 commercial-grade fireworks bound together with electrical tape"

http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061230/NEWS01/612300307/1002

[Washington Post] USA - Localities Operate Intelligence Centers To Pool Terror Data

"Frustrated by poor federal cooperation, U.S. states and cities are building their own network of intelligence centers led by police to help detect and disrupt terrorist plots"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/30/AR2006123000238.html

[Earthtimes/PRNewsWire/CAIR] LAS VEGAS - CAIR: German Muslim Denied Entry to U.S., Detained in Las Vegas

"According to his family, 62-year-old Majed Shehadeh is being held after arriving at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport on Thursday"

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,39232.shtml

[BCN] CALIFORNIA - Bomb squad detonates device in San Bruno

"The device, which was unspecified, was detonated without injury, according to the sergeant"

http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2006/12/31/n/HeadlineNews/EXPLOSIVE-DEVICE/resources_bcn_html

[Hillsboro Argus] OREGON - Police respond to vague airport bomb threat [TSR Editor - Appears to be a date discrepancy with this article]

"caller said a bomb had been set in an F-16 fighter jet at the airport. There were no military airplanes stationed at the airport that night"

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/116741466684940.xml&coll=6

[AP] UTAH - Idaho Professor Arrested In Utah For Hoax [Hantavirus]

"...planned to send her bankruptcy documents that included a substance in them that would expose her to the hantavirus"

"arrested Tuesday night by the FBI at the Salt Lake City International Airport after a flight from Chicago"

http://kutv.com/local/local_story_362130512.html

[The Tennessean ] TENNESSEE - Terminal evacuated after security breach at NIA

"after some unscreened passengers slipped around security lines, airport officials said.

The passengers could not be located, prompting the evacuation of all passenger areas so that travelers could be re-screened"

http://www.dicksonherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061228/NEWS03/61228012

[RGJ] NEVADA - Nugget's shuttle van stolen from airport recovered near Galena area

http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061231/NEWS01/612310356/1002/NEWS

[Tallahassee Democrat] USA - Civil aviation: A threat still exists

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061227/OPINION05/612270306/1006/OPINION

[CTV] CANADA - Gunman hijacks TTC bus, forces driver on joyride

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20061231/busjacking_061231/20061231?hub=TorontoHome

See also http://www.thestar.com/News/article/166656

[Herald-Tribune] FLORIDA - Security Effort by Coast Guard Is Falling Short

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061230/ZNYT02/612300694/1006/SPORTS

[AP] VIRGINIA - Virginia shipbuilders unhappy with new U.S. port security rules

http://www.wsls.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSLS%2FMGArticle%2FSLS_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149192438789&path=!news!localnews

International:

[AP] THAILAND - 20 injured in Bangkok bomb blasts

"National police chief Gen. Ajirawit Suphanaphesat confirmed six explosions on the iTV television network and said authorities were inspecting several more locations where there were suspicious packages"

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/166697

[IRNA] UNITED KINGDOM - UK orders 12,000 'dirty bomb' protection suits for police

http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0612290546190305.htm

[AFP] AFGHANISTAN - Troops kill seven rebels in Afghanistan, child dies in bomb

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=157206

[AP] ARMENIA - Man detained in connection with alleged coup plot probe in Armenia

"security officers found weapons and ammunition including guns, grenade launchers and a shoulder-fired missile launcher"

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/29/europe/EU_GEN_Armenia_Opposition_Arrest.php

[ColomboPage ] SRI LANKA - Two Sri Lankans injured in bomb explosion in Hendala

"A bomb had been fixed to the switch, to be activated with the help of an electrical circuit next to the driver's seat"

http://www.colombopage.com/archive/December29142104JV.html

[Reuters] SPAIN - Spanish PM suspends talks with ETA after car bomb

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-12-30T195342Z_01_L30851238_RTRUKOC_0_UK-SPAIN-EXPLOSION.xml

[Reuters] SPAIN Key facts about Basque separatist group ETA

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-12-30T143220Z_01_L30856150_RTRUKOT_0_TEXT0.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsArt-R3-RelatedNews-1

[Reuters] SPAIN - Chronology - Separatist group ETA

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-12-30T143220Z_01_L30341567_RTRUKOT_0_TEXT0.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsArt-R3-RelatedNews-2

[Xinhua] IRAQ - Two people killed in fifth car bomb in Baghdad

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-12/30/content_5551243.htm

[Daily Star] BANGLADESH - Explosives, Rab garb found at militant den

http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/12/31/d61231011411.htm

[PTI] INDIA - Army seizes huge cache of explosives in Assam

"duo allegedly supplied arms to major insurgent groups of Assam like the ULFA and NDFB as well as an underground group of Meghalaya"

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1072058

[Interfax] RUSSIA - Two more militants surrender in Chechnya

" large cache with explosives has been discovered in Grozny's Zavodskoi district"

"The cache was found near a half-ruined bridge "

http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11656385

[KUNA] IRAQ - Car bomb kills 2 in Baghdad; 20 insurgents arrested in Falloja

http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=938789

[Reuters] IRAQ - Security developments in Iraq, Dec 31

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L31853943.htm

[Agence France-Presse] INDIA - Bombs found hidden in toys - police

"explosives hidden inside toys which they planned to blow up at a busy market in New Delhi"

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20997042-5005961,00.html

[Korea Herald] SOUTH KOREA - Korea beefs up security for overseas missions

"All diplomatic missions overseas were instructed to take additional security measures to make sure that the buildings and Korean travelers should be safe"

"They were also told to take precautions against possible terrorism"

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2007/01/01/200701010002.asp

[SomaliNet] SOMALIA - Explosion kills two civilians in Somalia capital [Grenade]

http://somalinet.com/news/world/Somalia/6316

[IsraelNN.com] ISRAEL - Police Suspect Criminal Activity in Haifa Bomb

"Police sappers at this hour are trying to neutralize a bomb that was found next to a beverage store in Haifa"

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=118466

[Jerusalem Post] LEBANON - Fearing terrorist attacks, UNIFIL raises level of alert

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467632492&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[AP] SRI LANKA - Bomb blast kills 2 police officers

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/01/asia/AS_GEN_Sri_Lanka_Blast.php

[DPA] IRELAND - Greek Plane Forced To Divert To Ireland After Bomb Threat

"A man speaking English with a "strong Arab accent" had twice rung Athens airport to issue warnings of an attack in connection with the execution Saturday of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein"

http://www.playfuls.com/news_10_6941-ROUNDUP-Greek-Plane-Forced-To-Divert-To-Ireland-After-Bomb-Threat.html

[Irish Examiner] SPAIN - Car bomb rocks Madrid Airport

"A powerful car bomb exploded at Madrid’s international airport today, injuring 26 people and leaving two missing in an attack blamed on the Basque separatist group ETA"

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/story.asp?j=87971392&p=8797y694&n=87971772

See also http://www.thestar.com/News/article/166506

[BBC] UNITED KINGDOM - Passengers thrown off Goa flight

"group of passengers started to cause a disturbance on board"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/6221419.stm

[The Telegraph] INDIA - Army defuses bomb on bus

"Army personnel today recovered a 3.6-kg improvised explosive device (IED) from a Guwahati-bound bus at North Guwahati "

"army spokesman said a major disaster had been averted following recovery of the powerful IED"

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1061229/asp/frontpage/story_7196911.asp

[DPA] BAHRAIN - Bahraini Officer Wounded In Molotov Attack On Police Bus

"Bahraini police officer was seriously wounded late Saturday when masked men attacked a police bus during a shift change in Duraz village, north of Manama"

"officer suffered severe burns when he was struck by a Molotov cocktail, as another police officer was getting out of the bus"

http://www.playfuls.com/news_10_6906-Bahraini-Officer-Wounded-In-Molotov-Attack-On-Police-Bus.html

[Reuters] BRAZIL - Police and gangs exchange fire in Brazil [Bus torched, 7 burned alive]

"shootouts followed a wave of bloodshed unleashed by drug gangs on Friday, when 18 people died, including seven passengers burned alive on a bus torched by assailants"

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10417345

See also http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N30285470.htm

[AP] THAILAND - Bomb blasts rock Bangkok

"I heard a loud explosion and I thought it was fireworks. I ran there and saw a bleeding woman at the bus stop"

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/166697

[CNN] INDIA - New Year's Eve bomb arrests in India [At Railway Station]

"Police arrested two suspected terrorists with improvised explosive devices on New Year's Eve at a busy railway station in New Delhi"

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/12/31/india.arrests/

See also http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=345199&sid=NAT&ssid= and http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1072106

[PTI] INDIA - Karnataka Express delayed following bomb hoax

"Karnataka Express was delayed by over four hours after it was forced to make an unscheduled stop at the railway station here today following a bomb hoax call"

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200612311512.htm

[Manila Standard] PHILIPPINES - Drunken man causes Monumento bomb scare

"21-year-old man caused a bomb scare when he tried to take firecrackers, including what looked like sticks of dynamite, onto a commuter train at the LRT Monumento station in Caloocan City yesterday"

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news4_dec30_2006

[PTI] INDIA - Chemicals seized from two train passengers

http://www.newkerala.com/news4.php?action=fullnews&id=71331

[GreaterKashmir.com] INDIA - Blast near railway track in Assam

"Suspected ULFA militants exploded a bomb near a railway line in Nalbari district of lower Asom in the early hours.

Official reports here said the blast occurred at about 0300 hours near the broad gauge railway line at Bakura near Nalbari"

http://www.greaterkashmir.com/Home/Newsdetails.asp?newsid=2075&Issueid=103&Arch=

[Sky News] THAILAND - Bangkok bombs

"In the Victory Monument, the blast happened at a bus stop near an escalator linking to the Sky Train monorail station and injured ten people."

"The blasts happened near the Victory Monument monorail station"

http://www.skynews.com.au/story.asp?id=147155

Seaports/ Shipping/ Cruises/ Ferries/ Maritime Security/ Cargo Security/ Container Security/ Lakes/ Waterways:

[Sri Lanka Army] SRI LANKA - LTTE's Blatant Piracy Exposed; Maritime Laws, UN Conventions & CFA Breached

http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=3828

[The Nation] SRI LANKA - Fate of cargo in LTTE hijacked ship unknown

http://www.nation.lk/2006/12/31/news12.htm

[Office of Naval Intelligence] GLOBAL - Worldwide Threats to Shipping Reports [Weekly reports including many incidents we dont see in the media]

http://www.nga.mil/portal/site/maritime/?epi_menuItemID=3e37041ec7a4546e36890127d32020a0&epi_menuID=e106a3b5e50edce1fec24fd73927a759&epi_baseMenuID=e106a3b5e50edce1fec24fd73927a759

[AP] GLOBAL - Some maritime disasters in the past decade

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20061230-1039-indonesia-ferrysinks-glance.html