World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #7 Security Watch

No one to counter Chavez In a region where the leading ideology is Bolivarianism, there is not one leader positioned to offer a better idea for a brighter future.

For over two decades, the prevailing ideology in Latin America was neo-liberalism, a Washington-born idea that claimed the power of open markets would lift the region’s poor from misery. It did not, and corruption ran rampant.

While democracy still remains strong, resentful voters ushered in a new generation of neo-populist leaders touting a new idea: a form of socialism, called Bolivarianism, that has slowly but surely become the loudest and most prevalent ideology.

Bolivarianism is anti-capitalist, supports nationalization, regional trade with like-minded countries and above all, suggests that a country should rely on itself or fellow socialist states, not imperialist powers, as a source of the economic growth that will lift all from poverty. It is a sort of refurbished socialism that is not a guiding light for the future.

Latin America cannot readily absorb the economic shock of open markets, nor can it get bogged down in the trappings of old socialist ideas. A blended ideology must be promoted, but the problem is that no one is strong enough to counter Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the leader of Bolivarianism.

Chavez calls it Socialism for the 21st Century. Cuba's Fidel Castro passed him the torch. Leaders around the region pay homage to their own past as socialist upstarts through hugging and laughing with Chavez on the international stage while taking care of often pro-capitalist, neo-liberal business at home.

Brazilian President Luis Inacio “Lula” da Silva is a perfect example. He has the leftist background and eye for fiscal conservatism to become a great ideological counterweight to Chavez. His politics represent an ideal blend for the region. But his politically weak position at home and strong voices from his own left deter any would be shouting match with Chavez.

Within a week after winning his second term in office, Lula visited Chavez for a photo opportunity on a bridge linking both countries. That was in November, and it looks like Lula’s administration will remain bogged down until March as he struggles to get past his party’s sordid past and form a working cabinet willing to share the same table.

Argentina of the past could have been a counter weight to the Bolivarian ideology. But since Nestor Kirchner has come to power, Argentina has become a Venezuelan puppet.

Chavez has literally bought the support of his southern neighbor with over US$3 billion in purchases of Argentine debt. The most recent purchase occurred on 16 February, when Venezuela dumped another US$750 million into Argentine government coffers.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has the politics to promote an ideological battle with Chavez. Colombia has been a model of economic growth through a mixture of neo-liberal policies and social programs. But Uribe has serious problems.

Political allies are falling like dominos due to links with former paramilitary leaders. And if Uribe took the time to speak out for neo-liberalism and against Chavez, he would be dismissed as another of Washington's puppets. Colombia is a top recipient of US aid.

The only other leader who could take up an ideological fight with Chavez is Mexican President Felipe Calderon. He has the right politics and his country has a history of not blindly supporting the US. Voting against the US invasion of Iraq at the UN is a clear indication. But Calderon won on the thinnest possible mandate. His opposition controls enough seats in the Mexican Congress to block any unwanted initiative, and his focus is on Mexican organized crime, not on verbal sword play with Chavez.

Finally, the US has launched a diplomatic offensive in the region. This is to be a year of engagement, but the US president is clearly obsessed with the war in Iraq, not with putting a muzzle on Venezuela’s leader for the sake of the region’s future. Washington is doubly discredited, first for promoting an ideology that clearly did not work, and second for doing nothing about it.

Latin America needs an independent leader willing to stand up to Chavez, but that leader does not exist on the region’s geopolitical map. Bolivarianism will continue to seep into the minds and hearts of millions across Latin America. Chavez and his pool of allies will control the headlines until the next round of presidential elections tell the world how the region has embraced this new ideology.

As Chavez puts it, Socialism for the 21st Century is just getting started. If that is true, then he will continue to trumpet his ideology until Latin Americans learn, the hard way, that Bolivarianism did not carry them much farther from poverty than neo-liberalism. Disillusionment with reality may then spread faster than hope for the future.

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Sam Logan is an investigative journalist who has reported on security, energy, politics, economics, organized crime, terrorism and black markets in Latin America since 1999. He is a senior writer for ISN Security Watch based in Brazil.

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author only, not the International Relations and Security Network (ISN).

Guatemala murders raise more questions
By Mike Lanchin
BBC Latin America analyst

In the latest twist in an increasingly complex case of the gruesome murder of three Salvadorean politicians, allegedly assassinated by corrupt Guatemalan police officers, the four main suspects have themselves been shot dead in jail.

A spokeswoman for the Guatemalan national police confirmed late on Sunday the deaths of the four men, identified as Luis Arturo Herrera, head of the police's organised crime unit, and three of his officers.

Maria Jose Fernandez said that she did not know who had killed the men, who were being held at the notoriously violent El Boqueron prison, 70km (43 miles) east of Guatemala City.

Initial reports from the scene, quoted in a Salvadorean newspaper on Monday, said that hired assassins had entered the jail during visiting time and had carried out the killings during a power cut later that same day.

However, police said that a riot had broken out in the prison on Sunday afternoon, initiated by members of the violent Mara Salvatrucha gang who dominate the jail, although they could not say whether the four victims were shot during or after the disturbances began.

One member of the Mara Salvatrucha told reporters by telephone from inside the prison that they had rioted out of fear of being blamed for the police officers' deaths.

By late Sunday the rioters were still holding a number of hostages inside the jail complex.

Theories

Luis Herrera and his fellow officers were arrested on 22 February for the abduction and murder of Salvadorean of the politicians William Pichinte, Eduardo D'Aubuisson and Jose Ramon Gonzalez - all members of El Salvador's ruling Arena party - and their driver.

Their charred bodies had been found three days earlier on the outskirts of Guatemala City, where they had been due to arrive on a visit from El Salvador.

As the days have gone by there have been a wide variety of versions circulating about why they were targeted.

Early reports suggested that it was a political killing, since Eduardo D'Aubuisson was the son of Roberto D'Aubuisson, the man was widely believed to have run El Salvador's right-wing death squads in the 1980s.

Other sources quoted by the Guatemalan press said the victims had been carrying drug money in a hidden compartment in one of their vehicles and were killed as part of a vendetta between rival gangs.

The head of the presidential human rights office in Guatemala, Frank LaRue, told the BBC he could not confirm or deny that version, but said that he was convinced "organised crime" was behind the killings.

He also confirmed that his government had requested help in the investigations from the FBI.

'Weakness'

For his part, El Salvador's chief of police, Rodrigo Avila, has said he believes the three politicians and their driver were killed "by mistake", and that the assassins were "tricked" into believing they were targeting drug traffickers by those who had hired them.

Mr Avila also said that on their arrest, the four police officers had confessed to their interrogators, a version that was later denied by the Guatemalan authorities.

However, GPS tracking devices in the police officers' car appeared to link them directly to scene of the crime.

With the suspected gunmen now dead, investigations will now centre on the larger question of who was behind the killings.

The ability to assassinate high-profile politicians in broad daylight and then order the death in custody of the principal suspects, suggests a powerful and well-organised criminal syndicate is involved.

Mr LaRue said that infiltration of the Guatemalan police by organised crime was nothing new and reflected the continuing weakness of the security apparatus in the country.

Neither was it the first time, he said, that politicians from Central America had become caught up in criminal activities - if that were indeed the case.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6397209.stm

Published: 2007/02/26 17:49:44 GMT

© BBC MMVII

'Guatemala mafia killed officers'
Guatemalan President Oscar Berger says he believes organised criminal gangs were behind the killing of four police officers who were being held in prison.

They had been detained over suspected involvement in last week's killing of three visiting Salvadorean politicians.

The officers were shot by armed men who penetrated a maximum security facility, sparking a 12-hour riot among inmates.

Authorities have now arrested the jail's director and 21 employees, including prison guards.

Investigators are trying to determine how armed men managed to enter the prison and kill the four policemen.

Witnesses said they had seen armed men entering the prison after visitors were forced to leave by the guards, the Associated Press reported.

The policemen were gunned down on Sunday inside the Boqueron prison in Cuilapa, some 70km (40 miles) east of Guatemala City.

One of those killed was the head of the country's organised crime unit, Luis Arturo Herrera, and three of his colleagues.

President Berger said the murders of the policemen had robbed prosecutors of key evidence about the killing of the three Salvadoreans.

Eight locked doors

Mr Berger said that the gunmen had managed to get through eight locked doors to reach the inmates, who had already been moved from one prison because their lives were believed to be at risk.

He said it remained unclear if the deaths of the policemen were linked to drug trafficking or other organised crime.

The US authorities estimate that much of the cocaine entering the US comes via Guatemala.

US President George W Bush is due to travel to Guatemala in March and it is expected that the growing drugs trade will be high on the agenda.

El Salvador's chief human rights prosecutor, Beatrice de Carrillo, said the audacity of the killings revealed a culture of impunity.

"There are some people, with a power so great, that they can allow themselves this luxury and, at the same time, they so fear the truth that they prefer a deed like this to it coming out," she was quoted as saying by the Spanish news agency, Efe.

The killings in the prison, which is occupied mostly by street gang members, sparked a 12-hour riot during which five people, including the prison director were taken hostage.

It ended only after the inmates were allowed to tell a television crew that they had not been behind the killings of the four police officers.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6399381.stm

Published: 2007/02/27 01:49:33 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Afghan base hit as Cheney visits
At least 19 people have been killed and 10 injured in a suicide attack outside Afghanistan's main US base during a visit by US Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Mr Cheney, on an unannounced visit to the region, was staying at the Bagram base, 60km (40 miles) from Kabul.

The US military said the blast did not seem to be aimed at the vice-president, who was safely inside at the time.

A spokesman for the Taleban telephoned the BBC to say his group carried out the attack.

A US spokesman described it as a "direct attack" on the base, which was put on red alert for a while.

Most of the dead were labourers queuing for daily jobs at the base, but at least one US soldier was killed.

"The vice-president is fine," said Mr Cheney's spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride.

Mr Cheney had breakfast with troops at the base and left about 90 minutes after the blast. He is now in Kabul for talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

A meeting between the two men scheduled for Monday had been delayed because of heavy snow.

Rare incident

His visit comes amid increasing concern about insurgent activity in several regions of the country.

But the BBC's Charles Haviland in Kabul says Bagram is one of the most heavily guarded sites in Afghanistan and such incidents there are extremely rare.

The surrounding territory is heavily mined and people, including children, have frequently been injured by such devices.

Officials said the explosion occurred between the outside security gate and an inner gate guarded by US troops, some distance from living quarters at the base.

A trader in a market outside the base described the explosion as "huge", saying it shook market stalls.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/6399527.stm

Published: 2007/02/27 07:56:12 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Cleric loses deportation appeal
Radical Islamic cleric Abu Qatada has lost his appeal against a Home Office move to deport him to Jordan.

The home secretary welcomed the ruling, seen as the first test of a policy that seeks assurances deportees in terror cases will not be abused on return.

The alleged al-Qaeda figure's lawyers said he could face torture at home but the UK said he was a security threat.

Qatada, who has been convicted in Jordan for terror attacks, is to seek leave to appeal the deportation ruling.

Human rights lawyer Gareth Peirce said it was a "profoundly important appeal" that could have ramifications across the world.

Qatada, 45, has spent most of the past five years in prison in the UK under anti-terrorism and immigration laws.

'Right balance'

The judgment by Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) chairman Mr Justice Ouseley said members had concluded there was "no real risk of persecution of [Qatada]" on his return.

The case is significant because the government has been trying to secure deportations to countries accused of torture by securing special agreements that deportees will not be abused.

The agreement - called Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) - signed between the UK government and Jordan in 2005, aimed to guarantee that anyone deported to the country would not face torture or ill-treatment.

If there is evidence... have a fair trial in this country
Gareth Peirce, human rights lawyer

Critics claim the MOU is meaningless, with director of civil rights group Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, saying "paper promises" were not enough.

"Dodgy little 'assurances' from regimes that practise torture convince few outside government," she said.

But a lawyer for the home secretary, Ian Burnett QC, had said it would be "extraordinary" if Jordan did not comply with its diplomatic assurances.

Mr Reid said the government was "pleased" the court had recognised the value of MOUs.

"It is our firm belief that these agreements strike the right balance between allowing us to deport individuals who threaten the security of this country and safeguarding the rights of these individuals on their return."

Spiritual adviser

Qatada's legal team claimed in Siac hearings last May that part of the government's case against him was based on evidence extracted by torture.

But on Monday the Siac members dismissed the case put by Qatada, also known as Omar Mahmoud Mohammed Othman.

Siac accepted Qatada had "long-established connections with Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda" and that he "held sway over extremists".

"He has given advice to many terrorist groups and individuals, whether formerly a spiritual adviser to them or not. His reach and the depth of his influence in that respect is formidable, even incalculable." the judgment said.

Ms Peirce said the ruling would mean sending Qatada to a "flagrant denial of justice", with the prospect of trial by a military court using evidence obtained from torture.

TERROR SUSPECT DEPORTATIONS
Already deported: Six to Algeria, one to France
Awaiting deportation: 23
Of which:
Four already lost appeals
Three withdrawn appeals
16 awaiting hearings or decisions
Source: Home Office

"We say it would be so grotesquely unreconcilable with the concept of justice that it would constitute a complete denial of our responsibilities - to deport on that basis with that known prospect."

She added: "We understand that this decision is being monitored and watched by a number of other countries who are considering deporting individuals to regimes where they know they will be tortured."

Amnesty International UK campaigns director Tim Hancock said the group was "profoundly concerned" Siac had discounted evidence showing the risk of torture if Qatada was returned to Jordan.

This included material documenting the "routine infliction of torture on 'security suspects' in Jordan...a practice which continues with impunity".

Qatada became one of the UK's most wanted men in December 2001 when he went on the run on the eve of government moves to introduce new anti-terror laws.

The Palestinian-Jordanian has always publicly distanced himself from claims of links to al-Qaeda and insists he has never met its leader, Osama Bin Laden.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/6396447.stm

Published: 2007/02/26 15:56:20 GMT

© BBC MMVII

French killed in Saudi shooting
Three French nationals have been shot dead in Saudi Arabia and at least one other seriously wounded, the Saudi and French governments say.

Saudi sources told the BBC that police were treating the incident as a "terrorist attack".

The shooting happened near the ruins of Madain Saleh, in north-western Saudi Arabia, which is popular with tourists.

Saudi TV said the victims were part of a group of French nationals, some of whom were Muslims heading to Mecca.

But a French diplomat confirmed to the French news agency AFP that none of those shot was Muslim.

Major General Mansour al-Turki, a Saudi interior ministry spokesman, said two men were killed instantly as they rested at the side of the road and came under fire from gunmen.

Another died later in hospital and a fourth was in serious condition, he said.

Some women and children were also part of the group, but were not hurt, he added.

A French diplomatic source, quoted by the French news agency AFP, said an unknown number of attackers "machine-gunned them while they got out [of their vehicle] to go for a walk".

Violent campaign

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said in a statement that "several of our compatriots residing in Riyadh were the victims of an armed attack".

The French President Jacques Chirac described the attack as "hateful".

SAUDI ATTACKS ON FOREIGNERS
May 2003: Suicide bombers in Riyadh kill 35 people
May 2004: 22 civilians die in Khobar compound shootout
June 2004: Gunmen kill BBC cameraman Simon Cumbers and seriously injure correspondent Frank Gardner
June 2004: US contractor Paul Johnson beheaded
No fatal attacks since 2004
"I condemn with the utmost strength this horrible act," he said, promising to lend all support to the Saudi authorities in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says the attack will come as a blow to the Saudi government, which has been fighting a successful campaign against Islamist militants since they launched a triple truck bombing in 2003.

A number of foreigners have been killed - including Frenchman Laurent Barbot, who was shot dead in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah by suspected al-Qaeda militants in September 2004.

But there have been no foreigners killed since late 2004.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6398395.stm

Published: 2007/02/27 00:20:51 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Anger over HIV scandal's child victims
By Natalia Antelava
BBC News, Shymkent, Kazakhstan

The hum of radio sets and the murmur of conversation, the odour of sewage and cooking rice all seeped through the thin walls of the dilapidated hallway.

An ageing Kazakh woman in a colourful headscarf put a finger to her wrinkled mouth, signalling us to be quiet, as she led us up stairs to her biggest secret.

The secret was a baby boy, fast asleep on a cheap mattress in a shabby room.

His chubby face looked healthy, peaceful and happily oblivious to the poverty and tragedy around him.

Sayat is 18 months old and he is HIV positive.

Anger and shame

His story dates back to February 2006, when he was taken to a hospital for a minor surgical procedure.

Most of us have lost not only children but husbands too
Aynura

It was there, his grandmother says, that he contracted pneumonia for which doctors prescribed a blood transfusion.

Seven months later in September 2006, HIV was discovered in blood banks across the region and Sayat became one of 93 children who tested positive for the virus.

Since then eight babies have died, 12 have infected their mothers and although health officials say they have now cleaned up the system, new cases continue to emerge all the time.

"I keep thinking what kind of future he could have, and I can't see any future for him," she says. "And I keep thinking why, why did this happen?"

Ninety-three families in Shymkent are asking the same questions.

Theirs is a story of anger, confusion and shame. In Central Asia, HIV is not just a disease, it is also a huge stigma.

Fearful of their neighbours, most families refuse to speak to journalists. Those who do, do not want their names revealed or their children filmed.

Thirty-two-year-old Aynura no longer has a child and, she says, she has nothing to lose.

She sits up straight in her chair, staring at photos of a once happy family. Not only is her son dead, but her husband has also left her.

"He does not believe that I don't have HIV," Aynura says "Most of us have lost not only children, but husbands too."

A profitable business

This unprecedented outbreak has already destroyed dozens of lives, it has revealed a corrupt and reckless healthcare system and, in a region where HIV infection rates are rapidly growing, it has also raised some pressing questions.

Among them is why blood transfusions are so popular here.

The investigation into this outbreak alleges that the procedure was often not only not justified, but even repeated several times in the course of one treatment.

Many in Shymkent believe they know why.

Blood, they say, is a profitable business, without regulations. One can buy it cheaply, either from the poor in the street or in neighbouring Uzbekistan, and then re-sell it for four times the price.

In grey and provincial Shymkent 21 medical workers are currently on trial over the outbreak.

No courtroom was big enough to accommodate their case and so the hearings are taking place in a dilapidated concert hall of one of the administrative buildings.

Expensive cars belonging to the defendants and their lawyers are parked outside the gray building. The victims, represented just by one lawyer, make their way mostly on foot. Many come from the villages outside Shymkent.

Inside, 19 doctors and medical officials sit on wooden benches. In an iron cage next to them two women, who unlike the others are already under arrest, lower their heads as the judge calls their colleagues to come forward.

From across the hallway, parents of the victims listen as one by one the doctors deny the charges that range from corruption to re-use of disposable equipment to recklessness, malpractice and illegal trade of donor blood.

What lies ahead?

"None of these doctors are any longer in administrative positions but if you can believe me, some of them are still practising," says Kanat Alseytov, one the very few here who wants people to see what happened to his son.

When Baukhzan was diagnosed, Kanat set up a foundation that raises money and lobbies for the rights of the children. It is largely because of this work that the outbreak received public attention.

As two-year-old Baukhzan chases his twin sister across the living room, Kanat, his wife and the grandparents talk about the uncertainty that surrounds the government aid the victims are currently receiving, and the desperate need to get rid of the social stigma.

"We need to think ahead," says Kanat. "How long will we have the aid for? What kind of aid will be available for people who are being diagnosed now? And the future of these children too?"

"People are pointing fingers at us already, what will happen when these kids have to go to school?"

In his view, it is the widespread corruption of the entire healthcare system that is responsible for ruining Baukhzan's future.

"Imagine the healthcare budget is an apple," Kanat explains "First the Ministry of Health takes a bite, then the regional government, then the municipality and so on. By the time the apple reaches the hospital, only the core is left."

Drugs and prostitution, lack of education and poverty - these are the common reasons behind the growing rate of HIV infection across Central Asia.

The Shymkent outbreak shows that what goes on behind the hospital walls could be just as dangerous.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6379511.stm

Published: 2007/02/21 00:43:12 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Incendiary devices found at Uni
Two incendiary devices have been found at an Oxford University college.

Bomb disposal experts cordoned off an annex at Templeton College, Kennington, on Monday morning after concerns were raised by a member of staff.

The devices were found in a search which had been prompted by claims on an animal rights website that the college had been targeted.

Officers specialising in the activities of animal liberation groups were dealing with the incident.

A Thames Valley Police spokeswoman stressed this was one line of inquiry, and that she could not confirm the nature of the devices.

Bomb disposal experts were called in and the immediate area was evacuated as a precaution. Police said there was not thought to be any immediate danger to members of the public.

Obviously we have been very vigilant in recent months, on the look-out for activity of this kind
Oxford University spokeswoman

The devices were found after an "anonymous communiqué" was posted on Saturday on a website which gives details of animal liberation groups' activities.

The posting claimed an arson attack had been carried out some days earlier on the college's offices.

It read: "This latest action is part of an on-going fight against the University of Oxford and its continued reign of terror over the unseen victims inside its animal labs."

A University spokeswoman said: "Obviously we have been very vigilant in recent months, on the look-out for activity of this kind and especially after the recent letter-bombings.

"The university has its own security services who alerted the college when they discovered the posting on the website.

"We have increased security in recent times but obviously staff and students need access to university buildings and nobody would like us to make them into a fortress."

She said that those using Oxford University premises had all been made aware for the need for increased vigilance.

Iain Simpson from Pro Test - an Oxford-based group campaigning in favour of continued animal testing - told the BBC that the incident had failed to rattle his colleagues.

"These incidents are much less common than they were," he said.

"More and more scientists are coming out, speaking about the work they do, explaining how their use of mice and rats models does help to come up with some cures for some hideous diseases."

Located in Egrove Park, Templeton is a graduate college specialising in teaching and research on business management.
Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2007/02/26 17:21:32 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Tamil gangs tackled from 'within'
By Debabani Majumdar
BBC News, London

For a 26-year-old, Abhya's face seems to have too many scars.

"That was someone trying to take my eye out with a broken beer bottle," he said pointing to the circular scar almost encircling his right eye.

"And this here was a cut from a samurai sword," he added, showing a cut which extends from his hairline to his right eyebrow.

The scar sent shivers down my spine, but Abhya, who did not want to be identified, describes a confrontation with a rival group at a wedding in 2005 in Ilford, east London, in a matter-of-fact way.

"They chased me down the high street. When I confronted them, one of them cut me on the forehead."

Those who attacked Abhya were members of a Tamil gang.

Since 2000 Tamil gangs in London have been involved in many gory confrontations, which have resulted in 10 deaths, spurring the Metropolitan Police to set up a special task force, Operation Enver, to tackle Tamil gang-related incidents.

Abhya says he used to 'hang around with friends' and got involved in fights, but denied being in any organised gang.

Community 'intimidated'

A childhood friend's gruesome death in 2003 jolted him into reforming his ways. His friend was 23.

"He was watching TV downstairs and I was upstairs with other guys when a group wearing masks came and shot him thrice through the window. He died on my birthday."

Chief Inspector Derrick Griffiths, who has been involved with the special task force, said there are five main Tamil gangs in London.

They are based in East Ham and Walthamstow in east London, Wembley in north-west London and Merton and Croydon in south London.

The East Ham group is the biggest with 30 core members.

But a series of crackdowns, patrols and installing CCTV cameras on the High Street over the past 18 months has driven the gangs into hiding.

Despite these measures and a relatively quiet two years, people still live in fear as police were only able to secure convictions in two of 10 murders, said Mr Griffiths.

"All crimes were detected and people were charged but what we found was the level of intimidation was so high that we couldn't get anybody from the Tamil community to come to court and give evidence," he said.

The gang violence shocked the nearly 100,000-strong Sri Lankan Tamil community in London.

Vellupillai Jegendira Bose, 58, who owns an estate agency on East Ham High Street, faced the wrath of the gangs when he attended a community meeting called by the police.

"After the meeting I was joking with the officer that I may need protection, and when I returned someone had shattered the display window of the shop," he said.

'Funding' rebel struggle

Most of the violence has resulted from inter-gang rivalries and revenge attacks stemming from territorial control, community leaders believe.

Historically the gangs have largely been involved in credit card frauds and extortion from local businesses.

A police operation uncovered that in the past two years alone, credit card frauds by Tamil gangs amounted to £70m.

In Newham, for instance, gang members demand £10,000 to £15,000 a year from shops and businesses while they confiscate cars from people and demand up to £3,000 for their return, Mr Griffiths said.

And the money is sent to Sri Lanka to fund the struggle by Tamil Tiger rebels, he added.

Rebels are fighting for a separate homeland for the country's 3.1m-strong Tamil population following decades of alleged discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.

But this has been repeatedly and vehemently denied by community leaders although some do believe that the Tamil Tigers use gangs to threaten people.

Paul Sathianesan, a councillor in Newham, said: "The anti-social behaviour is damaging race relations and spoiling the image of the community, but it is mostly territorial control with these boys. They have nothing to do with the fighting in Sri Lanka."

'Show of power'

Mr Griffiths said they have successfully subdued some gangs by arresting and slapping ASBOs on main players, but many businessmen like Mr Bose say some should be deported to send a strong message.

Deportation is a tricky issue, said Mr Griffiths, although police have submitted at least 24 names to the Home Office.

"The boys get rid of their ID papers so when they are taken back to Sri Lanka the immigration there says we can't prove their nationality," he said.

"Also many of these boys are second generation Tamils who are born and bred here."

Mala Krishnaraja, 56, who heads Tamil Community Forum, said young children are most vulnerable.

"Boys of 12 and 14 are being lured by the gangs. The attraction of having money and flashy cars and the show of power gets the children interested in gang culture."

The police have carried out regular raids to seize weapons from gang hide-outs. While their weapon of choice seems to be samurai swords, axes and daggers, guns have started infiltrating the leadership, some of whom now carry pistols, Mr Griffiths said.

Following the recent spate of shootings in south London, which claimed the lives of three teenagers, a police report identified 169 groups, more than a quarter of which have been involved in murders.

With regard to the Tamil gangs Mr Griffiths said their next target will be money launderers and Tamil Tiger fundraisers.

Even people from the community agree that recent measures have brought the gang menace under control.

Action from 'within'

Mr Griffiths said: "Unreported crimes are still a problem but the number of intelligence reports have gone from one in two to three months to 10 or 15 a week. The intelligence flow is very important in relation to future action and our success."

Although optimistic, Abhya believes every time a gang is subdued the next generation takes over.

"Teenagers follow their brothers or cousins... We need to help these boys rather than classing them as gangs as that gives them publicity," he said.

"People need to go to schools and speak to these boys. The action needs to come from within the community."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6380817.stm

Published: 2007/02/26 06:10:39 GMT

© BBC MMVII

http://www.google.com/search?q=Tamil+gangs+in+London&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

I thought that I recalled the same stories, but in Canada:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=jPJ&q=Tamil+gangs+in+Canada&btnG=Search

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=Tamil+gangs+in+U.S.&btnG=Search

http://www.google.com/search?q=the+level+of+intimidation+was+so+high+that+we+couldn%27t+get+anybody+from+the+Tamil+community+to+come+to+court+and+give+evidence&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.com/search?q=credit+card+frauds+by+Tamil+gangs+amounted+to&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.com/search?q=money+is+sent+to+Sri+Lanka+to+fund+the+struggle+by+Tamil+Tiger+rebels&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.com/search?q=the+Tamil+Tigers+use+gangs+to+threaten+people.&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

http://www.google.com/search?q=Tamil+Tiger+fundraisers&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Iran rocket claim raises tension
Iranian media say the country has successfully launched its first rocket capable of reaching space.

But officials later said it was for research and would not go into orbit.

Experts say if Iran has fired a rocket into space it would cause alarm abroad as it would mean scientists had crossed important technological barriers.

Iran has made little secret of its desire to become a space power and already has a satellite in orbit launched by the Russians.

The latest launch - if confirmed - comes at a time of mounting tension between Tehran and the West over Iran's controversial nuclear programme.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany are due to meet on Monday to discuss the possibility of more sanctions over the nuclear issue.

On Sunday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered another defiant speech insisting there is no going back on Iran's nuclear programme.

Iran's potential nuclear military programme, combined with an advanced missile capability, would destabilise the region
Sir Richard Dalton, former UK ambassador to Iran
In a speech in Tehran, he likened his country's nuclear programme to a train with no brakes and no reverse gear.

One of his deputy foreign ministers, Manouchehr Mohammadi, said they had prepared themselves for any situation arising from the issue, even for war.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers from seven Muslim states meeting in Pakistan have called for a diplomatic solution to the "dangerous" stand-off.

"It is vital that all issues must be resolved through diplomacy and there must be no resort to use of force," said a statement issued after talks involving ministers from Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Missile technology

Iranian TV broke the news of the reported test saying: "The first space rocket has been successfully launched into space."

It quoted the head of Iran's aerospace research centre, Mohsen Bahrami, as saying that "the rocket was carrying material intended for research created by the ministries of science and defence".

However, Ali Akbar Golrou, executive director of the same facility, was later quoted by Fars news agency as saying the craft launched by was a sub-orbital rocket for scientific research.

"What was announced by the head of the research centre was the news of launching this sounding rocket," Mr Golrou said.

It would not remain in orbit but could rise to about 150km (94 miles) before a parachute-assisted descent to Earth.

No pictures of the reported launch have been shown on Iranian state TV, and no Western countries have confirmed tracking any such test-firing.

Some Western diplomats suspect Iran may have backtracked on the announcement when it realised what negative publicity this would bring at a sensitive time, says the BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran.

The reports come a day after Iran's Defence Minister spoke of plans to build a satellite launcher and join the space club. Also, an Iranian official quoted in Aviation Week earlier this month said Iran would soon test a new satellite launcher.

Britain's former ambassador to Iran, Sir Richard Dalton, told the BBC that, if confirmed, such a launch could destabilise the Middle East.

"It is a matter of concern," he said. "Iran's potential nuclear military programme, combined with an advanced missile capability, would destabilise the region, and of course if there were a bomb that could be placed on the end of this missile, it would be in breach of Iran's obligations under the non-proliferation treaty."

Military experts believe that if Iran has sent a rocket into space it means scientists have mastered the technology needed to cross the atmospheric barrier.

In practice, they say, that means there is no technological block to Iran building longer range missiles now, something that will be of great international concern.

In 2005, Iran's Russian-made satellite was put into orbit by a Russian rocket.

But shortly afterwards Iranian military officials said they were preparing a satellite launch vehicle of their own, and last month they announced they were ready to test it soon.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6394387.stm

Published: 2007/02/25 15:44:39 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Political problems mount for Ahmadinejad
As world powers seek new ways to put pressure on Iran, Sadegh Zibakalam, professor of politics at Tehran University, looks at how much popular support President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has at home.

No-one had expected Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to face such a strong barrage of criticism at home so soon after his impressive election victory more than 18 months ago.

In the past few weeks, criticism has been coming from all political quarters, the left, the reformists, former president Hashemi Rafsanjani, influential conservative figures and even some of his hardline allies.

Ever since his election victory in July 2005, Mr Ahmadinejad has been on the offensive.

Iranian officials responsible for handling the country's nuclear negotiations with the International Atomic Agency and European countries were lambasted for "acting weakly and being too docile to the wishes of the decadent Western powers".

Praised

Imitating the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, he sent a message to the American people, advised US President George W Bush to reconsider his policies, and suggested that one solution to the century-old Arab Israeli conflict would be to carry out a referendum among Jews and Palestinians to decide the future of Israel.

He also questioned the historical truth of the Holocaust and his officials organised a controversial international conference on the subject.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameni, repeatedly gave his backing to the president.

At a meeting during the holy month of Ramadan in October last year he warned critics to observe "fairness and honesty" when expressing their views on a president who was working so hard for the poor.

Criticism

As late as November, Mr Ahmadinejad's star was still on the rise.

However, things were not looking good on the economic front.

When he took office, Mr Ahmadinejad promised to raise the standard of living for the huge number of Iranians living in poverty. Many of the 17 million people who voted for him did so in the expectation that he would create jobs, curb inflation and alleviate poverty.

Instead, inflation has risen, there has been no decline in unemployment and there have been huge price rises in the housing sector. The gap between rich and the poor has shown no sign of narrowing.

The first doubts about his performance came from within the president's own camp.

The head of the Majlis' (Iranian parliament) Research Office, an influential body that advises deputies on important issues, criticised Mr Ahmadinejad for drawing "unreservedly and without much consideration" from the country's oil revenues special fund.

Ahmad Tavakoli, a leading hardliner and an economy expert, criticised the government for almost emptying the reserves. Another influential deputy and a leader of the government faction accused the government of "lacking any direction".

Election defeat

Mr Ahmadinejad did not respond to these remarks and continued very much as before. The turning point, however, came during the municipal elections in early December. They were the first national elections since his victory.

At the beginning of the campaign, everyone assumed that the election would be a battle between hardliners championed by the president on the one hand, and reformists on the other.

It was widely assumed that the conservatives would either win or, at least, take most of the seats. But, as the campaign unfolded, it became increasingly apparent that there was a serious division among the hardliners. The reason was clear. The overconfident president had refused to agree on a compromised list of candidates with the other conservatives.

As a result, and to the astonishment of most Iranians, the hardliners entered the elections with two different lists in many constituencies. The election results were catastrophic for Mr Ahmadinejad, particularly in critical seats such as Tehran and some other major cities.

The defeat, followed by the imposition of UN sanctions against Iran in December 2006, unleashed a barrage of criticism against the president. His handling of the economy and his foreign policy were the focus of the strongest censure.

The supreme leader did not meet the president for nearly three months, perhaps because of these criticisms.

For his part, Mr Ahmadinejad did not respond to his critics until the two-month period that the UN Security Council had given Iran expired last week.

In a huge gathering in Rasht, the northern province of Gilan the president repeated his hard-line stand over the country's nuclear programme. Many had expected that the president would soften his tone over the nuclear issue. But he repeated his resolute stand that Iran would not give in to the US pressure.

As long as the people stood behind the country's nuclear programme, he said, his government would do everything at its disposal to advance it.

Whether or not the nuclear issue will strengthen the weakened president's position remains to be seen. What is certain however, he is determined to stand firm on the issue.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6396873.stm

Published: 2007/02/26 14:45:24 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Germany Companies Profit From Torture Device Exports

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2365836,00.html

Germany Companies Profit From Torture Device Exports
This Iraqi man was tortured by electro-shock before being rescued by
Iraqi and US forces This Iraqi man was tortured by electro-shock before
being rescued by Iraqi and US forces
Torture is still practiced in many different countries and
electro-shockers -- some of which can be bought and exported from
Germany -- have become increasingly common in torturing political
dissidents.

Electro-shockers are black, about as long as your arm and resemble
police batons but are capable of causing much more pain.

"The pain is extreme," Nedim Baran told German public broadcaster ARD
of
when he was tortured with an electro-shocker. "You have the feeling
your
eyes are popping out of your head. You think your head will explode.
You
can only think about your death."

There are electro-contacts on one end that transfer up to 120,000 volts
of electricity into the victim's body -- about 500 times the voltage
delivered by a power outlet.

"The electrons are applied in different places -- to the ears, the
tongue, the temples, the genitals, such as women's nipples, and so on,"
said Mechthild Weng Anson a Berlin doctor who has treated people
tortured with such devices.

Only recently did the German customs office confirm that German
companies export electro-shockers to countries where they are used for
torture: 100 to Iran, 84 to Georgia, 115 to Bangladesh.

According to ARD television, torture is currently practiced in 87
countries.

Little evidence of torture

Manfred Nowak Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der
Bildunterschrift: Manfred Nowak

Unlike other torture methods, however, the electro-shockers cause
intense pain without leaving any visible wounds, they also make it
difficult for doctors to prove that a patient had been subjected to
this
kind of torture.

"They are very, very common weapons of torture," said Manfred Nowak, a
human rights commissioner for the United Nations. "A torture method
that
causes a lot of pain but can't really be proven without eye witnesses
is
exactly what modern torturers prefer."

UN calls for ban

In Great Britain, the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and
Luxembourg), Switzerland and Scandinavia, selling electro-shockers is
forbidden. This is, however, not the case in Germany, which ranks
second
behind the United States in exporting the devices. German xxporters
need
only apply for a license to sell the torture devices abroad.

"It is my wish that every country in the world would completely outlaw
the export of all electro-shock weapons and punish violators with high
monetary fines or prison sentences," Nowak said.

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