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World News
4/27/04 - 5/2/04
Sunday 5/2/04
Abuse by UK soldiers in Iraq 'common' 5/2/04 Scotsman
Keralites back home from Iraq after ordeal in U.S. camp 5/2/04 The Hindu: "After facing great difficulties, four natives of Velichakala, near here, who worked as kitchen assistants at U.S. military camp in Iraq, escaped from there and reached home today.
Talking to The Hindu today, the four, Faisal, Shahjehan, Mansool and Hameed, said they were taken to Iraq nine months ago by recruiting agents to work in a U.S. Army camp in Iraq. During the nine months, they lived in a virtual battlefield, 70 km from Mosul."
Saturday 5/1/04
 Americans Being Held at US Torture Prison in Iraq? 5/1/04 Anti War: "The torture pictures leaked to the TV program 60 Minutes do not include other pictures still being withheld by the US military that reportedly show bodies of prisoners beaten to death and being attacked by guard dogs.
However, the New Yorker magazine has revealed that it has in its possession a secret U.S. Army report on the horrors taking place at Abu Ghraib prison detailing, in the words of the leaked report, "sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses."
The secret Army report admits to the rape and sodomizing of prisoners and the burning of prisoners with liquid chemicals. Its report was completed a month after the Army’s internal investigation of torture at Abu Ghraib prison began in January, but has remained classified."
Prisoner abuse probe widened - Military intelligence at center of investigation 5/1/04 MSNBC: "Karpinski also described a high-pressure atmosphere that prized successful interrogations. A month before the alleged abuses occurred, she said, a team of military intelligence officers from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, came to Abu Ghraib last year. "Their main and specific mission was to get the interrogators -- give them new techniques to get more information from detainees," she said."
Milestone in U.S. secret terror surveillance 5/1/04 SF Chronicle: "Federal and state courts authorized the use of wiretaps and other electronic surveillance in 1,442 criminal cases last year, according to data released Friday by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. By comparison, the FBI says the number of warrants filed last year with the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in Washington jumped to more than 1,700."
Saddam's man takes over in Fallujah 5/1/04 Telegraph, UK: "The new Iraqi battalion will have up to 1,100 men, many of them former members of Saddam's forces and some insurgents who have been fighting the marines… "Honestly, I don't think they're going to be able to do it," said Cpl Elias Chavez, 28.
"We had the insurgents cordoned off, they couldn't go anywhere, we had a chance to get them. Now they can flee wherever they want and we're still going to have to deal with them." "
Abuse at Abu Ghraib, the Psychodynamics of Occupation, and the Responsibility of Us All 5/1/04 Znet: "If I, a single individual maintaining a web page in my spare time, was well aware of the abuses being reported in the US prisons in Iraq, the only way the top generals, Pentagon officials, senior Administration policy-makers such as the President and Vice-President, and U.S. reporters could be ignorant of them is if they willfully chose to be ignorant. Much more likely, they were aware but considered these abuses -- like the ones documented among detainees in Afghanistan, and those reported by the few released detainees from Guantanamo -- to be the inevitable costs of war and occupation, especially, as is the case in Iraq, when that occupation now is opposed by the majority of the occupied."
Friday 4/30/04
Iraq: Torture not isolated -- independent investigations vital 4/30/04 Amnesty International: ""Our extensive research in Iraq suggests that this is not an isolated incident. It is not enough for the USA to react only once images have hit the television screens".
Amnesty International has received frequent reports of torture or other ill-treatment by Coalition Forces during the past year. Detainees have reported being routinely subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment during arrest and detention. Many have told Amnesty International that they were tortured and ill-treated by US and UK troops during interrogation. Methods often reported include prolonged sleep deprivation; beatings; prolonged restraint in painful positions, sometimes combined with exposure to loud music; prolonged hooding; and exposure to bright lights. Virtually none of the allegations of torture or ill-treatment has been adequately investigated by the authorities." Just as Nam or as France did in Algeria. Colonial wars present problems...
Heavy-Handed Raid on Fallujah Backfires 4/30/04 AntiWar
Failure in Fallujah 4/30/04 Black World Today: "Reading reports and viewing scenes of U.S. Marines withdrawing from Fallujah, I was reminded of the battle of Cuito Carnavale in southeastern Angola in 1988. I was "embedded" with Jonas Savimbi’s rebel army when it arrived on the outskirts of the town. A few days before, Angola’s government troops, strongly supported by Cuban soldiers, had laid siege to South African forces backing Savimbi’s UNITA (the National Union for the Independence of Angola).
Crumbled tanks, mangled artillery, and deep gashes of earth where rockets had fallen marked the battlefield. It was a telling victory for the Cuban freedom fighters, and provided a devastating blow to the pillars of white political and military domination in southern Africa."
Rights abuses seen in Haiti 4/30/04 Brattleboro Reformer, VT: "The Cabot resident said constant armed patrols by U.S. Marines instilled a feeling of unease among street dwellers, who live in constant fear of increasingly deplorable social and political conditions brought on by the recent unseating of President Jean Bertrand Aristide… Despite being the largest political party in the island republic, the Lavalas Family Party -- of which Aristide was a member -- has been excluded from having any representation in the government, Legare said.
To make matters worse, people thought to be in support of Lavalas are being systematically rounded up by police forces, while the multinational coalition -- comprised of nearly 2,600 U.S., Canadian, French and Chilean troops -- stand by and watch.
"Our government is saying they were opposed to these rebels, these former paramilitary personnel," he said. "But when you go there and look around, we're really not doing anything about it."
Many of Aristide's supporters and Lavalas members are in hiding, since the president fled the nation, Legare said, which has caused the widespread poverty throughout Haiti to become progressively worse. Supporters living in fear of the police have been leaving homes and jobs.
"It's very clear that members and supporters of Aristide's party are being targeted," he said. "They're being arrested, they're being beaten, they're being killed." "
Retreat from Iraq? 4/30/04 G2 Mil: "A careful reader of the limited news coming out of Iraq will discover the US military situation is perilous and a few more bad moves could send the US Army and Marines retreating back to Kuwait in the same manner they fled southward 54 years ago in Korea… The main problem in Iraq today is the massive logistics effort required to sustain US Forces at a over a hundred dispersed camps. Over 95% of supplies arrive by ship, and the closest major seaport is in Kuwait. This means everything must be hauled hundreds of miles over war torn roads among hostile natives. This is far more difficult than Vietnam, which had a long coastline where supplies could be dropped off. A recent article by Tom Ricks of the Washington Post noted that most convoys are attacked, and that soldiers must to stop to check each bridge for explosives because there is not enough manpower to guard them. Other reporters tell of recently destroyed bridges, forcing convoys to travel on secondary roads which doubles their travel time. In addition, many civilian truck drivers have refused to drive and many foreign logistics contractors have left Iraq.
Many reports tell of ammunition rationing. The US military was not expecting a prolonged conflict, and drawing and transporting dangerous ammo from limited worldwide stockpiles is a challenge. Senior Army officials told the House Armed Services Committee last month that nearly all the wartime stockpiles in Southwest Asia and on the island of Diego Garcia have been issued, as well as equipment stashed in Europe—a total of 10,000 tanks, personnel carriers, trucks, and other vehicles. Only the Army's equipment for one brigade in Korea and the Marines' brigade stock in Guam remain untouched. In addition, the desert sand and heavy use of helicopters and equipment is wearing them out many times faster than usual. This demands many more spare parts and shortages have developed."
The Pentagon committed war crimes in the Iraqi city of Fallujah 4/30/04 Granma: "U.S. troops committed unprecedented war crimes in the Iraqi city of Fallujah during the two first weeks of April, according to the web site Haaretz.com.
An article on the web site says that of the 600 civilians killed by the occupation forces during those 15 days, some 450 were women and children, according to Prensa Latina reports from Washington."
Iraq: U.S. Prisoner Abuse Sparks Concerns Over War Crimes 4/30/04 Human Rights Watch
Broadcaster pulls plug on listing of Iraq dead - Maryland firm bans its TV stations from airing 'Nightline' show tonight, citing politics. 4/30/04 Star News: the land of the free and the home of the brave…
TORTURE AT ABU GHRAIB
by SEYMOUR M. HERSH 4/30/04 The New Yorker: "Breaking chemical lights and pouring the phosphoric liquid on detainees; pouring cold water on naked detainees; beating detainees with a broom handle and a chair; threatening male detainees with rape; allowing a military police guard to stitch the wound of a detainee who was injured after being slammed against the wall in his cell; sodomizing a detainee with a chemical light and perhaps a broom stick, and using military working dogs to frighten and intimidate detainees with threats of attack, and in one instance actually biting a detainee.
There was stunning evidence to support the allegations, Taguba added—“detailed witness statements and the discovery of extremely graphic photographic evidence.” Photographs and videos taken by the soldiers as the abuses were happening were not included in his report, Taguba said, because of their “extremely sensitive nature.” "
Thursday 4/29/04
Haiti Update IX: The Justice of the Strong 4/29/04 Africana: "The founder of the notorious death squad known as the Revolutionary Front for Haitian Advancement and Progress (FRAPH) has been convicted in abstentia and sentenced to life in jail… Chamblain's surrender occurred at the same moment a conference of international donors met in the capital. The coincidence of these two events cannot be ignored. The current Haitian government, which has praised the rebels as freedom fighters, stands to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the world (and especially in the eyes of international donors) if it cracks down on its war criminals during this crucial period. Ironically this carefully-crafted and timed event reflects the significant power wielded, not by the new government, but by Chamblain himself."
Fleeing Fallujans killed as crisis deepens 4/29/04 Al Jazeera: "US soldiers have fired on a minibus full of civilians near a checkpoint on the outskirts of the besieged Iraqi town of Falluja.
Witnesses said a hail of bullets from occupation forces on Thursday turned the vehicle into a ball of fire.
Iraqi policeman Fuad al-Hamdani said four civilians were killed in the unprovoked attack."
Is Saudi Arabia Still the King of the Oil? 4/29/04 Alternet
AUMENTA LA VIOLENCIA Y LA CRIMINALIDAD LUEGO DE LA OCUPACION 4/29/04 ArgenPress
Commentary: ‘People of Color’ Solidarity a Fictional Bubble that may Burst 4/29/04 Black America Web: "Relations between the two races were not as smooth as some historians
have portrayed. Guinn, who talked to descendants of the black Seminoles
who still live in Brackettville, Texas, wrote that their oral history
says the Native Americans were just as committed to keeping blacks in
bondage as whites were. Eventually many of the blacks fled to Mexico,
where they fought Comanche and Kickapoo for the Mexican government.
When they returned to the United States after the passage of the 13th
Amendment, the blacks served the Army as the Seminole Negro Indian
Scouts. They settled in Brackettville, while other black Seminoles
remained in Oklahoma.
A few years ago the 15,000 Native Americans of the Seminole tribe in
Oklahoma voted out the 2,000 black Seminole members.
The government had awarded the tribe $56 million, and some folks did
the math and noted the loot divided by 15,000 came out better than
divided by 17,000."
Support for War Is Down Sharply, Poll Concludes 4/29/04 NYT: "Mr. Bush's approval rating for his handling of Iraq was 41 percent, down from 49 percent last month and 59 percent in December.
The survey held hints of trouble for Mr. Kerry as he seeks to introduce himself to an electorate that knows relatively little about him. While 55 percent of Mr. Bush's supporters said they strongly favored the president, only 32 percent of Mr. Kerry's supporters strongly favored their candidate.
Sixty-one percent of voters said Mr. Kerry says what he thinks people want to hear, versus 29 percent who said he says what he believes. The Bush campaign has attacked Mr. Kerry for months on that score, portraying him as a flip-flopper with no convictions.
On the same question, 43 percent said Mr. Bush says what people want to hear and 53 percent said he says what he believes."
Hitting them while they’re down: The difficult position of Afro-Colombians 4/29/04 Progreso Weekly: "Colombia has progressive laws providing Afro-Colombians with rights and displaced persons with help, but these laws have no teeth. They suffer intimidation, massacres, supply blockades, and massive displacement caused by the armed actors, both paramilitaries on the right and guerrillas on the left. They are also affected by harsh U.S.-funded drug policies that spray herbicides on illegal coca crops, often mixed with food crops, and are provided relatively little in the way of alternative development assistance. And Afro-Colombian communities endure lower scores than their compatriots on all the human development indicators.
The Afro-Colombian population is no small minority, representing around a quarter to a third of the country’s population[1]. There are about 10 million Afro-Colombians, 900,000 of which are displaced[2] – a number which represents a large percentage of all displaced Colombians. Noteworthy when you consider that Colombia suffers the largest internal refugee crisis after the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo."
Venezuelan Exiles in Florida Find Powerful Friends 4/29/04 Reuters: "U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, said Washington could not stand idly by while one of its main oil suppliers forged a partnership with Cuba, sheltered left-wing Colombian militants and encouraged coca growers in Bolivia. Venezuela denies shielding Colombia's FARC guerrillas."
Mystery group wage war on Sadr's militia 4/29/04 Scotsman: "Now, however, a shadowy resistance movement within might be about to succeed where the 2,500 US marines outside the city have failed.
In a deadly expression of feelings that until now were kept quiet, a group representing local residents is said to have killed at least five militiamen in the last four days.
The murders are the first sign of organised Iraqi opposition to Sadr’s presence and come amid simmering discontent at the havoc their lawless presence has wreaked."
Decently, Kill the Muslims 4/29/04 Village Voice: "Jay Severin, a Boston radio talk show host, had some advice on the subject of Muslims for a caller to his show last week. "You think we should befriend them," he told Chris from Rhode Island, according to a transcript of the show obtained by a local newspaper. "I think we should kill them." "
The Afro-Colombians: Afrodes 4/29/04 Zmag: published 7/01 - "Afrodes is the name of the organization of displaced Afro-Colombians. Although we didn't have enough time with them, we had the privilege of hearing from some of the most courageous and effective organizers in the hemisphere. They were incredibly generous with their time and energy, opening their office to talk to us at great personal risk."
Wednesday 4/28/04
Bush OKs Directive to Boost Biodefense 4/28/04 AP: "While the unclassified version of the directive was short on specifics, memos posted on the Web site of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, said it had a "strong emphasis" on protecting water supplies.
One memo said the directive called for setting up a Biowatch-type system for water. "The new directive charges EPA (Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites)) with developing a plan to examine how such a surveillance system could be established for the nation's water supply," the memo said."
Nine of 10 Army Divisions Are Tied Down 4/28/04 AP
U.S. Returns 651 Haitian Intercepted at Sea 4/28/04 AP
Insurgents in Iraq show signs of acting as a network 4/28/04 CSM: "Far from limited to a small group of "dead-enders" and Saddam "thugs" as Pentagon officials claim, the armed opposition to the US occupation in Iraq has reached the point where some experts say it threatens to become a full-fledged nationalist insurgency.
Bolstered by former Iraqi military and security personnel, today's insurgents are at the least conducting increasingly sophisticated coordinated attacks. In addition, they have built networks to recruit fighters, make weapons, and funnel funds from Iraqi businesses and charitable groups, military experts say. Perhaps most important, insurgents are now motivated primarily by nationalism and Islam, rather than by loyalty to Saddam Hussein, they say."
Al Qaeda Terror Ring Draws Closer to Israel 4/28/04 Debka: "The threat of non-conventional warfare hangs more palpably over the Middle East now than ever before. So too does the very real menace to the royal houses of Saudi Arabia and Jordan. It is now clear that al Qaeda or its surrogates have infiltrated Saudi and Jordanian intelligence and counter-terror agencies to a degree that imperils the two thrones.
There is no other way of accounting how two car bombs came close enough to blow up one of the most sensitive anti-terror facilities in the Saudi kingdom and prop of the royal house. The entire city had been on the highest alert for months. This week it reached a new climax after Saudi security intercepted in the Riyadh area five booby-trapped vehicles laden with a total of four tons of explosives.
Yet two bomb vehicles drove around the town past roadblocks and security checks without being apprehended. The Saudis were as usual intent on minimizing the damage, claiming four dead and 148 injured when the true death toll stood at 24 and 250 wounded.
But they could not disguise the first time that al Qaeda has directly attacked a Saudi security target and personnel charged with protecting the royal family, after a series of bombings against foreigners in the kingdom. Indeed most of the casualties were members of Saudi security forces. ...The incident in Jordan was still more revealing. The Upper Hashami estate, home to some of the wealthiest families in the Hashemite Kingdom, is tightly secured by a private firm, Jordanian security personnel and police officers.
Visitors must show identification before they are allowed in. A fence surrounds the neighborhood’s opulent villas and its guards carry state of the art electronic monitoring equipment. No one goes in or out without the knowledge of Jordanian security. Certainly anyone seeking to rent a villa is thoroughly vetted.
Nonetheless, al Qaeda was able to rent a villa for eight to 10 terrorists, at least seven of them recent arrivals from Iraq. All were highly trained in chemical warfare. Yet security personnel in Upper Hashami saw nothing amiss in a bunch of terrorists living it up in the posh suburb and armed to the teeth at all times."
Huge US attack to crush Iraq rebels 4/28/04 Guardian: "Until now, the US has avoided launching an all-out offensive against Najaf for fear of antagonising Iraqi Shias. In recent weeks, however, US officials in Baghdad have been repeatedly threatening to kill or capture Mr Sadr, who has led an uprising against the US occupation.
On Monday US troops killed dozens of his supporters instead. The move is likely to inflame Shia opinion against America, making enemies of the people who initially welcomed the invasion because it rid them of Saddam Hussein.
Yet if there is any strategic thinking on the US side about how to deal with the Najaf standoff, it was hard to find it there yesterday."
UK: Revolt grows as MPs and military back diplomats' fears 4/28/04 Guardian: "...unease over the threat to the Middle East peace plan led 108 MPs - 87 of them Labour - to endorse a Commons motion condemning President George Bush's pro-Israeli comments.
The diplomats' criticism is echoed by Britain's military chiefs, who have privately expressed deep concern about US tactics in Iraq.
The diplomats' unprecedented letter voiced "deepening concern" over the occupation of Iraq and Mr Blair's apparent endorsement of the unilateral Israeli plan for Palestine. It prompted speculation that it must have been written with the encouragement of senior serving Foreign Office diplomats."
Burning with anger: Iraqis infuriated by new flag that was designed in London 4/28/04 Independent: "But in Iraq greater problems loom where insurgents will be able to strengthen their patriotic credentials by sticking with the old and popular Iraqi flag and portraying the new one as a sign of subservience to foreign occupiers.
Already anti-US guerrillas are adopting the old red, white and black banner as their battle flag, tying it to their trucks and sticking it in the ground where they have their positions. This blend of nationalism and religion has proved highly successful in spreading resistance to the occupation."
'U.S. Attempts to Make an Example Out of Libya Will Fail' 4/28/04 PINR
African Colombian activist wins $125,000 Goldman Environmental Prize 4/28/04 SF Bay View: by Willie Thompson "Libia Grueso Castleblanco, a 43-year-old African Colombia civil rights and environmental activist, was presented last week with the “Nobel Prize” for the environment: the 2004 Goldman Environmental Prize… The 16 million Colombians of African descent have never had title to the land their ancestors lived on for more than 400 years as maroons, enslaved and ex-enslaved people. Law 70, passed in 1991 with determined pressure of Libia and others, grants Afro-Colombians collective land title rights to their ancestral lands. However, title to very little land, if any, has actually been transferred to them so far."
Tuesday 4/27/04
Kerry's Foreign Policy Trap 4/27/04 Alternet: "However, in light of the dramatic increase in U.S. casualties in Iraq – 720 as of this writing – the resumption of fighting in Fallujah – a city that has already experienced more than 1000 dead, including hundreds of woman and children – and the daily suicide bombings and insurgent attacks, it is becoming increasingly clear that the battlefield for the election will not be the economy, education, the environment or even same-sex marriage. It will be the president's war on terrorism, his failed occupation of Iraq, and his other "visionary" foreign policy initiatives. On these issues Kerry has chosen to march nearly lock-step with Bush."
Poland May Set Plan for Iraq Pullout 4/27/04 AP
Police stations burned in Haiti 4/27/04 CNN: "Attackers set ablaze two police stations hours before Chilean troops began patrolling the city of Hinche during the first deployment of the U.S.-led multinational force in Haiti's rebel-held Central Plateau."
Terror Case Against Irish Men Never Materialized
The Colombia Three Acquitted 4/27/04 Counterpunch: "Three Irish men arrested on leaving FARC territory in Colombia during august 2001 were acquitted of the most serious charge of providing training to FARC rebels yesterday in Bogotá. Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan were convicted on the less serious charge of traveling on false identification. For this charge they were sentenced to between 26 and 44 months each, though it is not yet clear whether the three will be released immediately having served that much time already since their capture."
The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2003 - by the Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China 4/27/04 Global Research: released 3/1/04.
John Kerry Must Go - Note to Democrats: it's not too late to draft someone—anyone—else 4/27/04 Village Voice
Iraqis Say Council-Approved National Flag Won't Fly 4/27/04 Washington Post: "In interviews in several Baghdad neighborhoods, a variety of residents expressed strong negative reactions to the flag, which was reproduced in most daily newspapers. In particular, people objected to the pale blue color of the crescent and stripes, saying it was identical to the dominant color in the flag of Israel, a Jewish state."
Monday 4/26/04
Ambassadors' letter to Blair - Here is the letter sent by more than 50 former British ambassadors to Tony Blair, urging him either to influence US policy in the Middle East or to stop backing it 4/26/04 BBC
US bullying Caricom over Haiti? Two planned meetings in jeopardy if interim regime not recognised 4/26/04 Jamaica Observer: "The stand-off has put in jeopardy two meetings planned between the US and Caricom - an April 29 meeting of officials set for St Vincent and the Grenadines, and a high-level meeting on crime and security in the Bahamas scheduled for May 3. The latter meeting was to include a senior administration official, the US secretary for Homeland Security, Tom Ridge.
The foreign ministers and officials of Caricom, meeting last Thursday and Friday in Barbados as the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), variously described Washington's activities as "arrogance" and "bullying tactics".
If the US insisted on its demand for Caricom's "recognition" or "engagement" with the interim regime in Port-au-Prince, before the community heads of government are ready to make such a decision, said one foreign minister, "I can tell you that the meeting with Mr Ridge will not take place"."
Manifestantes en California piden a Bush retirar tropas de Iraq 4/26/04 Prensa Latina: "Junto a Suárez, fundador tras la muerte de su hijo del frente pacifista Mi Guerrero Azteca, alzaron su voz otros familiares de uniformados desplegados en Iraq, quienes prometieron llevar a cabo próximamente una huelga de hambre frente a la Casa Blanca, en demanda del retiro de las tropas."
Diplomats blast Blair for 'US' foreign policy 4/26/04 Reuters: "In an unprecedented letter signed by 52 former ambassadors, high commissioners and governors - the top ranks of British diplomacy - Blair was urged to sway U.S. policy in the region as "a matter of the highest urgency".
The diplomats, among them former ambassadors to Iraq and Israel, told Blair they had "watched with deepening concern the policies which you have followed on the Arab-Israel problem and Iraq, in close cooperation with the United States."
"There
is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and
security to all, but especially to Democracies as against despots:
suspicion." -- Demosthenes
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