THIRD Nepal Africa Film Festival 2013 ended
Special ContributionBy Manju Mishra
Jun 23, 2013
During 3rd Nepal Africa Film Festival
THIRD Nepal Africa Film Festival 2013 ended with great success.It was held from June 18th to June 20 th June at Russian Cultural Center. This time we had the largest media coverage.All the daily papers, News Channels,online and FMs aired covered the news. It was also broadcasted by one American TV Channel.There was more than a dozen interview taken about the festival. The festival was possible due to FREDSKORPSET partnership which opened the door for CJMC to the African world. They printed the news with photos and reported in detail about all three days programme schedule.
We were able to invite Monoque as our distinguished guest from Benin who was present all three days. She became the source of our inspiration who committed us that she will put all her effort to continue the Africa Film Festival in Nepal in coming years. She advised us not to give up and stop this unique project.Monoque we assure you that we will not stop it.
We request all the Africa partners interested to work with us to recommend us to the film institutions in your country. Please go through the links and see the beautiful coverage.
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Damascus: delegation for political solution
Jun 18, 2013
A strike by Syrian government forces
The International Peace in Syria Initiative Meets with Government and Opposition in Damascus and Lebanon Since September 2012 the Peace in Syria Initiative has undertaken consultations inside and outside Syria. Between June 2 and 8, the Peace in Syria Initiative met with high ranking government officials, opposition and religious organizations.
This international initiative is composed of prominent civil society figures from Europe and Latin America (list attached) representing all those concerned with peace and justice in Syria. Its aim is to contribute to the end of the war and the suffering by helping create favourable conditions for the advancement of the political process through dialogue and negotiations.
In order to achieve such an aim, we met with State officials at high levels and various groups and parties of the opposition inside and outside the country, along with religious organizations and international and non-governmental bodies. We have been received, have been informed on the aspects and essence of the conflict, and have been heard.
On the basis of the discussions held, the Initiative identified key areas of agreement and drew the following conclusions: 1 The conflict cannot be solved by military means. 2 There is a need for a viable political solution based on dialogue and negotiations and aiming at drawing up a political transitional framework.
3 A sectarian war is now in the making and there is a real possibility of it becoming transnational, making peace all that more urgent. 4 The conflict has had a catastrophic impact on the Syrian people as 6.8 million people are in need of assistance, according to interviewed United Nations officials.
5 The inflow and funding of weapons, soldiers, foreign fighters and militia from the outside aimed at continuing the war must all stop. 6 The embargo has increased misery among the population and is a factor, among others, affecting the delivery of the much needed assistance. 7 The Geneva II meeting must be attended and supported by all relevant parties in a way that genuinely meets the social aspirations of the Syrian people based on justice for the dispossessed, displaced and oppressed. The Peace-in-Syria initiative agrees with the above considerations.
In the course of its discussions, various suggestions were presented to the parities including the following: - Organizing a Syrian civil society conference to be held possibly in Austria in support of peace-building and Syrian infrastructure reconstruction with an emphasis on the role played by women in the peace building process.
- Local zones of non-violence around places such as hospitals, schools, cultural and religious centres with the aid of the Red Crescent. - Good will steps by contending forces on the ground for the release of prisoners, hostages and kidnapped persons, particularly those most vulnerable. - Formation of a European parliamentary delegation to encourage dialogue among the parties concerned.
The Initiative believes there is no higher moral imperative at this time than that of ending the killing and the suffering in Syria. Further misery must also be avoided by ending the destruction of medical infrastructure and cultural patrimony. Every day that the war continues signifies a further erosion of the social fabric of the nation and therefore the capacity to build a lasting peace based on justice. We further believe that a genuine solution to the conflict should arise from a political process and outcome consistent with basic democratic and human rights, Syrian sovereignty, principles of international law and international humanitarian law.
We join in advocating for the security of all civilians, particularly vulnerable groups, and call for the strictest adherence to international humanitarian and human rights law including the end of indiscriminate attacks against non-military targets and enhanced humanitarian access for Syrian Red Crescent and others for the delivery and distribution of medicines ending the embargo on the same.
We strongly believe in the fundamental importance of the principle of self-determination in a context of the sovereign territorial and political integrity of Syria based also on freedom of expression and respect for cultural, economic and social rights.
We reject all foreign intervention in the Syrian conflict. We warn against imperial and regional attempts to create sectarian states and redraw the map of the Middle East in order to control the resources and the future of this region while also ignoring the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. The continuation of military action can only increase external dependence, foreign intervention and the multiplication in the number of victims leading to uncontainable chaos and destruction.
The Initiative will continue its work and promote discussion among the parties of and immediate measures to alleviate suffering and promote Syrian-led reconciliation. Beirut, June 14, 2013
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LESSONS IN DEMOCRACY: ARRESTS IN ZIMBABWE
Special ContributionBy Roland Watson(dictatorwatch)
Apr 16, 2013
A group of 46 arrested Zimbabwean activists
Twenty-three Zimbabweans were arrested last week in Bulawayo, in the Southwest of the country, during a demonstration. One of the leaders of the protest, Busani Sibindi, is our coordinator in the country. He organized the translation of Lessons in Democracy into Zimbabwe’s two main languages, Shona and Ndebele.
The twenty-three individuals were part of a larger protest, of over one hundred people, under the banner of the Mthwakazi Youth Joint Resolution. They are opposed to the local hiring practices of the country’s energy supplier, ZESA, which is doing significant work in the area, and which the prior week hired more than three hundred workers from another region. The protestors had been attempting to deliver a petition, asking the company to hire local unemployed people, for the jobs that are available. Bulawayo has a high unemployment rate.
The police accused the group of holding a protest without permission. The leaders have been charged under Zimbabwe’s Public Order and Security Act. The rest are charged with being a criminal nuisance.
There has been massive local support for the protestors. Funds were collected, and they were bailed from prison after two days. Their court date is set for April 23. The correct course of action for the government would be to drop the charges, and to hire local workers.
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Evading Justice, Guilty Church-State Officials Face Public Banishment
Archbishop Wilfrid Napier
Public Banning Order to be issued by the Common Law Court of Justice against Pope, Cardinals, and Archbishop Wilfrid Napier for aiding and encouraging child rape... A Public Statement from ITCCS Central Office - Proclamation is enclosed
Brussels: After evading arrest by lawful Common Law Court officers, over thirty officials of church and state now face permanent banishment from their communities during Easter Week for being wanted criminals who are a danger to children everywhere.
These officers include Pope Francis I and former Pope Joseph Ratzinger, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Queen Elizabeth Windsor of England, all of whom were ordered detained by Citizen Arrest Warrants issued by the International Common Law Court of Justice on March 5 and 15, 2013. (see www.itccs.org) "They have defied the law and lawful arrest, so therefore they are declared to be public enemies who are no longer welcome or allowed in our communities" explained Rev. Kevin Annett, who presented the evidence to the Court that convicted the guilty.
And now, a South African Catholic Archbishop who elected Pope Francis 1 has joined the ranks of officials who have been so banished. After stating publicly that child rape is not a crime, and thereby endangering children in his community, the Archbishop of Durban, South Africa, Wilfrid Napier, has joined the ranks of over thirty church and state officials who as of Palm Sunday, March 24, will be declared banished from their communities by order of the Common Law Court of Justice.
This Banishment Proclamation was issued today and is enclosed. It will be read and posted at catholic churches around the world on Sunday, March 24, and during Easter Week. The persons named in this Banishment are no longer welcome or allowed in any church or public facility, and are ordered to avoid contact with any child or victim of church violence.
If the guilty do not abide by this Public Banishment, they can be detained and arrested by any Citizen, with or without a Citizen Arrest Warrant. The ITCCS calls upon the citizens of the world and all ITCCS affiliates to enforce this Banishment by doing the following:
1. Post the enclosed Banishment Proclamation on Catholic and Protestant churches and other facilities throughout the world starting next Sunday, March 24. 2. Occupy these churches and government offices to ensure that the guilty criminals have no contact with children and other vulnerable people. 3. Inform the local police that these criminals are evading Citizens' Arrest and are a threat to the community and to the safety of children. 4. Monitor the actions and movements of these guilty men and women, and known child rapists, and detain them if possible.
Further notices concerning the actions of ITCCS groups in twenty one countries during Easter Week will follow shortly. Issued 18 March, 2013, ITCCS Central, Brussels
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An Appeal to the People of Iran and the world: Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper must be charged with crimes against humanity
Special ContributionBy Kevin D. Annett
Oct 19, 2012
People of Iran
Secretary, The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State (itccs.org) author, Hidden No Longer: Genocide in Canada, Past and Present (2010) Barely three years ago, my aboriginal friend Johnny Dawson was beaten to death by three policeman in Vancouver, Canada for leading occupations of local churches that murdered more than 50,000 children in their "Indian residential schools".
The official cause of Johnny's death issued by the Vancouver Coroner's office made no mention of his broken nose and shattered jaw. Johnny's fate is an example of how Canada's genocide of native people has never stopped.
Last year, at a tribal-approved excavation, I held in my hand bits of bones and small buttons from what appears to be the mass grave of Mohawk Indian children who died at the Church of England Indian school in Brantford, Canada, and who were buried in secret on the school grounds. But after we made this historic news public, the Canadian media refused to report any aspect of it.
Canada is a land of official silence and coverup when it comes to its own ongoing genocide. With full church and state authorization, for over a century a hundred thousand Indian children were incarcerated in special camps called "residential schools" where until 1996 they were gang raped, tortured, worked to death as slave laborers, sexually sterilized, experimented on, starved to death and exposed to communicable diseases. Half of them died there.
For twenty years, I have documented and made public the details of these crimes (www.hiddennolonger.com), and have watched as the Canadian government and the Roman Catholic, Anglican and United Churches have evaded justice and covered up their responsibility for the deliberate killing of more than 50,000 children in this infamous system.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is personally implicated in this criminal conspiracy by authorizing an official whitewash known as Canada's "Truth and Reconciliation Commission", which censors survivors' statements, minimizes the genocide, ignores the mass graves of residential school children and actually prohibits the prosecution of the guilty churches and the naming of names of the guilty. Prime Minister Harper must be made to stand before an international court of justice for this crime.
Behind Canada's global image of a humanitarian nation lies the fact that it continues to violate international law with apartheid legislation known as the Indian Act, which denies aboriginal people on reservations full citizenship rights. The death rate among Indians is forty times the national average, and Indian children are still stolen from their families and cultures in a clear plan of cultural eradication by the government that is as entrenched as it was during the time of the Indian "residential schools".
Canada's extermination of Indians is in fact continuing at an ever-quickening pace because of the demands of the United States military and corporations for Canada's uranium, water and minerals, much of which lies on Indian territory. The depleted uranium that slowly tortures and kills the children of Iraq and other Islamic nations is mined on Cree Indian land in northern Saskatchewan, where it first causes the same death among Cree aboriginal families.
Whenever we have confronted these crimes of past or present genocide in Canada, we have faced the same attacks from the government, corporations and churches responsible. A total of thirteen native activists in our network across Canada have been killed or died mysteriously in the last four years, including homeless men like Johnny Dawson in Vancouver. I believe the only reason I am still alive is because of my pale skin; and the public exposure our campaign has received.
That campaign is now escalating, as we have joined with other victims of catholic church terror in countries like America, England, Ireland, Italy and Australia. This month, we are launching an online common law court, in which the evidence of these crimes will be presented to panels of citizen judges and jurors, and an enforceable verdict will be issued.
We urgently rely on the courts and people of other nations to help us bring to justice the institutions responsible for the ongoing slaughter of indigenous people and children. We have served public summonses on Pope Benedict, the Queen and England, Prime Minister Harper of Canada and other church and state officials. On November 1, our International Common Law Court of Justice will begin revealing to the world the extent of their crimes against humanity.
For the sake of our children, living and dead, and for the victims of the worst genocide in human history, I ask for your help.
Please call and work for international economic and political sanctions to be brought against Canada for its genocide of Indians, and for a boycott of all trade and tourism to Canada. Endorse our Common Law court, and give it exposure in your media. And join us to actively dis-establish the Vatican and other churches and criminal institutions covered with the blood of so many innocent children.
Please consult the attached documents and videos. In the name of our common humanity and our desire for justice, I thank you. http://youtu.be/2E1KtqGo86w
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Nepal
2nd ROUND NEPAL AFRICA FILM FESTIVAL 2012 A GRAND SUCCESS
Special ReportBy Manju Mishra
Jun 29, 2012
Nepal Africa Film Festival ceremony
College of Journalism and Mass Communication (CJMC) organised Africa Film Festival for the second time in Kathmandu for the second time from 25th June to 28th June. The festival was organised in partnership with its African partners from Uganda,Tanzania,Kenya,Ethiopia and Zambia under the Norwegian exchange programme. The festival was a great success.
Minister for Information and Communication, His Excellency the ambassador of Egypt,Russia, Consulate of South Africa to Nepal, UNESCO Head,The Director of Alliance Franciase and His Excellency the Vice Chancellor of Purbanchal University.
Film Directors, actors, academics, journalists and many foreigners watched the movie.We screened 12 films from Africa from South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo,Uganda,Tanzania,Nigeria,West Africa,Egypt, Ruwanda, Zimbabwe and Central Africa.
The African Fashion Show was organised in collaboration with Nepalese Fashion Home who trained the Nepalese to do cat walk in Africa dress.CJMC BOUGHT THE DRESSES FROM AFRICA
The book Africa Pride and Enigma of the World " The more you explore the more it mystifies" was released by the Minister of Information and Communication. This year festival continued for four days. Nepalese and foreigners staying in Nepal showed great interest to see the movies. Nearly 2000 viewers watched the movie.This was a great satisfaction for us.
We will post all the media coverage in our website very shortly along with the film names. There was huge media coverage and television coverage.You can also google in the website. There are news online like www.filmykhabar.com
Next year we are hoping to partner with South Africa.It has been tremendously difficult for CJMC to collect the films in a personal level. We are trying to build up a direct channel with whom we will partner to work jointly collecting the film from the whole continent and organise joint film festivals. This activity will also help the Africans and Nepalese to promote tourism and culture in each others country. Yesterday the closing ceremony took place and we were fortunate to have a chief guest a profound film director founder of Nepal Television Mr.Nir Bikram Shaha and the film coordinator Prakash Nayak of Karnatak film festival Odissa India.
CJMC heartily thanks all its partners and supporters who supported us to organise this film festival. This year we screened one French film with English subtitles" Les Derniers Colons"
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Migration of Women Workers from South Asia to Gulf
Special ContributionBy Soheb Lokhandwala
Jun 16, 2012
Book of South Aisan women in Gulf
A must read report:-Migration of Women to Gulf is disturbing reports where by migrant spl.women from ASIA are subjected as slave-Concern countries and Human Right groups must take a strong action to stop violation they face. Among the Asian countries, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka constituted the major share of workers. It is estimated that there were 1.5 million Asian women domestic workers, primarily from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Nepal in Saudi Arabia (Human Rights Watch, 2008).
Domestic workers comprise only 1.5 million out of the 8 million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, the majority of the complaints received by the embassies from the labour sending countries relate to abuses faced by the domestic workers (Human Rights Watch, 2008). Domestic workers are excluded from Saudi labour law, amended through Royal Decree No. M/51 on 27 September 2005,denying them protections guaranteed to other workers, such as a day off once a week, limits on working hours, and access to new labour courts to be established according to court system reforms announced in October 2007.
In 2010, there were 7.29 million immigrants in Saudi Arabia, who constituted 27.8 per cent of the population; the share of females among the immigrants was 30.1 per cent (World Bank, 2011).Saudi immigration policy requires employers to sign an ‘exit visa’ for migrant workers wishing to return home. Many employers refuse to sign these exit visas, forcing domestic workers to continue working against their will. Morality laws prevalent in Saudi Arabia even deny justice to domestic workers subject to rape or sexual harassment; on the contrary, they are prosecuted for immoral conduct or adultery and even subjected to violent punishments.
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Congo
Emergency Assistance is needed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
c
The Church Near Bukavo, DRC
We are asking for the assistance of the WCICC Membership to come to the rescue of a WCICC Member Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our pastor has said, "The church is literally hanging on its edge." The structure began to lose its earthly footing in April of 2011, during a particularly heavy rain spell. What was left was an unstable church, the home of nearly 600 faithful members near the city of Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. "We are now in the rainy season again for the next few months and our church continues to slide away. Soon the building will collapse, leaving so many without a place in which to worship and minister. Without our church building it will be impossible to meet the needs of so many people. Many are coming to Christ simply as a result of the church being there meeting their needs every day."
Our National Director for the Democratic Republic of Congo has reported to International Christian Relief (ICR) that what needs to be done is to secure this structure through the use of wire reinforced cement, anchor poles and pinning.
The National Director has said, "This church is our center of influence in this region. It is our home church and our home with God. We need immediate assistance." He further explained that if the structure collapses, the costs to rebuild a new church will certainly far outweigh the current need for repair and he tells us all at the WCICC worldwide, "Time is of the essence, as it will continue to rain hard and often through May 2012".
We at International Christian Relief (ICR), the Mission Arm of the WCICC, ask that you assist us in this much needed immediate relief project to save this church. Their need is now. We are asking for a donation of any amount, $25, $50, $100, $500 or $1000. Any amount will help. When we are successful, we will be able to save this church and its people from the greater hardship of having to rebuild the church. Please, if the Lord leads you, assist us in giving cause for celebration to our Christian Brothers and Sisters of Bukavu, DRC and their church.
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Qatar
WORLD FORUM OF FISHER PEOPLES
Press NoteBy Thomas Kocherry
July 20, 2011
Kerala fishermen
Six Kerala fishermen from the coastal villages of Anjengo, Mampally, Poonthura and Vilizhinjam of Trivandrum District, went to UAE for the job of fishing under the sponsorship of Mr. JAMMAL OBEID ALITHANI. On September 13th 2010 they ventured into sea for fishing in one launch from Ajman, Dubai. Unfortunately by mistake they were happened to enter into Qatar sea side on September 15, 2010 and six fishermen were arrested by the Qatar navy on the same day.
The fishermen were detained in the police station for few weeks. We were informed on September 22, 2010 by companions’ fishermen about the arrest and detention of our fishermen. Our fishermen used to make calls twice a week to the family. For this also they have to wait for some visitors to pay them. We were with the hope that the sponsors’ will do the needful in the release and repatriation of our fishermen. Meantime the families our fishermen gave a representation to Mr. Anathalavattom Anandhan, MLA on November 13, 2010 and to Hon’ble Shri. Vialar Ravi, Minister for Over Sea Affairs on November 15, 2010 to rescue the fishermen from Qatar jail.
On November 29, 2010 our fishermen were taken to the court and they were asked to pay each 20,000 Qatar riyals as fine. Usually, whenever such events take place for fishermen, the sponsor used to release them by paying the fine for our fishermen. But in this case neither the sponsor is ready to take any action nor does the Qatar government show mercy on them even though our fishermen are innocent of their scientific mistake. So far, there is nobody to speak for our fishermen in Qatar.
Since the fine amount is not paid the fishermen are imprissioned in the Central Jail of Qatar. It seems this is the jail where major criminals and sentenced prisoners are maintained. At present our fishermen are permitted to speak with their family twice in a month only. And also they are prohibited to contact anybody in Qatar. The family members of the imprisoned Kerala fishermen are in a pitiable condition without proper food, and peace of mind since they came to know about their detention. The entire villages of the fishermen are mourning from the very day of detention. The following are the details of the fishermen in Jail.
Lawerence s/o Soosai, Anjengo, Trivandrum District, Kerala
Nelson s/o Stanislaus, Anjengo, Trivandrum, Kerala.
Moses s/o Alphonse, Poonthura, Trivandrum District, Kerala
Jacob s/o Alphonse, Poonthura, Trivandrum district, Kerala
Reegin s/o Ouseph, Mampally, Trivandrum District, Kerala
Richard s/o Savariyaradimai, Vilizhinjam, Trivandrum District, Kerala
Since our fishermen were abandoned by the sponsor, the family members met Hon’ble Achuthanandan, chief minister of Kerala in person and requested to show mercy on our fishermen as the Tamil Nadu government had done for Tamil fishermen who were in Qatar jail. 12 lacs rupees were sanctioned. But it was not reached Indian Embassy in time. After 6 monthe of punishement in Jail 5 were released and they came home. But Reegin was kept in the jail for 3 more months. And he was released and came home on 19th July with the help of Indian Embassy giving him the ticket.
I take this opportunity to thank the Indian Embassy in Quatar and Dubai, Advocate . Nizar Kocherry, Advocate Ansari, and Fr. Churchil and his organization SOUTH ASIAN FISHERMEN FRETEENITY for rendering all out help for helping these fishermen.
We place the following requests for the consideration of the Government of India and Kerala Government:
1. If the innocent fishermen are asked to pay the fine, it must be met by their sponsors or the state government.
2. The six fishermen families must be given compensation for the months that they have been detained in Qatar jail.
3. Here after if our fishermen are arrested, it must be informed to our embassy without delay and the same to the concerned families.
4. Since our fishermen are not expert in Arabic languages and legal procedures, the central government should establish permanent legal cell in support of fishermen.
5. Since thousands of fishermen are working in gulf countries, the central government has to establish Goodwill Relationship with gulf countries.
6. A special officer can be appointed to look after the issues concerning crossing international.
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The Arabs aren't happy! Why? The Supreme Mother of Ironies
By Massey SubraJuly 16, 2011
The Arabs World
The Arabs aren't happy!
BUT WHERE?
They're not happy in Gaza.
They're not happy in Egypt.
They're not happy in Libya.
They're not happy in Morocco.
They're not happy in Iran.
They're not happy in Iraq.
They're not happy in Yemen.
They're not happy in Afghanistan.
They're not happy in Pakistan.
They're not happy in Syria.
They're not happy in Lebanon.
The Arabs are happy! BUT WHERE?
They're happy in England.
They're happy in France.
They're happy in Italy.
They're happy in Germany.
They're happy in Sweden.
They're happy in the USA.
They're happy in the Australia.
They're happy in Norway.
They are happy in Canada.
They're happy in every country that is not Muslim.
And who do they blame?
Not Islam.
Not their leadership.
Not themselves.
WHOM DO THEY BLAME THEN?
They blame the countries where they are happily living in
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Qatar
Request to take immediate steps to release the detained 40 Indian fishermen from Qatar
Special ReportBy Nizar Kochery
June 5, 2011
Indian fishermen on the boat
To
The Ambassdor
Indian Embassy,
Doha, Qatar.
Sir,
Greetings and regards from SOUTH ASIAN FISHERMEN FRATERNITY (SAFF). We thank you for your kind action and support in the mission of releasing 50 Indian fishermen already from Qatar jail in the end of 2010.
This is for your kind consideration and favorable action that about 40 fishermen of Tamil Nadu went to Bahrain for the job of fishing. On June 04th 2011 they ventured into Bahrain Sea for fishing in eight launches. Unfortunately by mistake they were happened to enter into Qatar sea side and on the same day the 40 fishermen were arrested and detained by the Qatar Coast Guard. Our SOUTH ASIAN FISHERMEN FRATERNITY’s legal advisor Adv. Mr. Nizar Kochery has already informed in the morning to the First secretary at the Embassy Mr. Anil Notiyal.
Sir you know very well that our Indian fishermen are unaware of the scientific knowledge about the sea in Gulf Countries. It is their innocence that they happened to cross the Qatari water. You may understand that the innocent fishermen are not the criminals. Therefore, kindly come to their help and make them to be released without any case on them. We believe that only your office can come to the help of our innocent Tamil Nadu fisherman who are detained in Qatar. Therefore, we kindly request you sir, to take immediate steps for the release of our fishermen from Qatar at the earliest.
In the urgent executive meeting of SAFF which was held at Kanyakumari in conference call with its regional representatives and the legal advisor of SAFF it is decided to instruct our legal advisor to get into action for the release of fishermen. Our Adv. Mr. Nizar Kocherry will meet the Indian Embassy officials at Doha at 3.00 p.m of Qatari time to discuss about the mission of releasing the detained fishermen. We give the hope and promise to the family members of the detained fishermen that their people will be safe and secure.
May God bless your mission.
Thanking you,
For South Asian Fishermen Fraternity
FR. CHURCHIL, IVD
General Secretary
Copy to:
Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of Tamil Nadu
Hon’ble Vialar Ravi, Minister for Over Sea Affairs, Government of India
Mrs. Helen Davidson, Kanyakumari Member of Parliament, Government of India
The District Collector, Kanyakumari District, Nagercoil
Hon’ble S M Krishna, Minister for External Affairs, Government of India
Adv. Mr. Nizar Kocherry, legal advisor, South Asian Fishermen Fraternity
Rev. Fr. Thomas Gulfam, President, South Asian Fishermen Fraternity
Rev. Fr. Thomas Kocherry, Special Invitee, WPPV
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Africa Asia
Africa Asia Destitute Relief Foundation for African and Asian children
By Salai ThangStaff Correspondence
May 6, 2011
ADRF staff members interview with the Global Digest
South Korea based Africa Asia Destitute Relief Foundation (ADRF) is raising the dreams of children in impoverishes Africa and Asia. It was started in 1994 to support Liberian refugees in western Africa. Later the reliefs work was extended to other countries; Senegal, Kenya, Ethiopia in Africa; and Mongolia and Nepal in Asia. They are in need of support and facing an extremely difficult situation, said Mr. Joong Hwan Park (General Director of ADRF).
ADRF mainly supports for education such as scholarship for primarily students and continue until they finish a high school. The foundation believes education is the best way to help out and construct a peaceful global village.
ADRF poster
So far, the foundation has been given scholarship to 370 students from various countries as those mentioned above. Also, the foundation supports directly to the schools such as blackboards, benches, school articles and school buildings. Every summer and winter vacations, the foundation’s volunteers were served it’s activities in overseas.
This year, they have a plan to support children in Cambodia, India and Lesotho(Africa). It is also likely to support those political crisis countries North Korea and Myanmar in future.
A small charity organization, ADRF is a non profit and an independent organization; they are funded by neither government agency nor any companies. They conduct fundraising activity by themselves and some individual well wishers contributed.
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South Africa
ANC statement on the UN panel of experts` recommendations on Sri Lanka
Letter of statementMay 6, 2011
South African lawyer Yasmin Sooka
The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, had appointed a Panel of Experts to advise him on accountability in the Sri Lankan conflict. Amongst those who served on the panel is Yasmin Sooka, a prominent South African jurist. The Panel of Experts concluded that there were serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law committed by both the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers Tamil Eelam (LTTE), some of which would amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The African National Congress has consistently condemned any act of violation of human rights in all conflict areas. We therefore urge all conflicting parties to resolve problems through peaceful dialogue and negotiation. We have noted, with regret, that breakdown of the ceasefire and the negotiations between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE led to a military solution of resolving the problems.
The ANC supports the recommendations of the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s Panel of Experts that called for the establishment of an independent body to investigate all violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws committed in the conflict.
We also call on the government of Sri Lanka to take immediate steps to address the core grievances of the Tamil population and engage in a genuine reconciliation process
Issued by:
Head of International Relations
Dr Ebrahim Ebrahim
African National Congress
Enquiries:
Moloto Mothapo 082 370 6930
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Libya
BAD FRIENDS AND GOOD ENEMIES- Rajapaksa and Ghadafi
Special ContributionBy Subramaniam Masilamany
Apr. 5. 2011
Rajapaksa and Ghadafi
There is a saying that it is good to have Good enemies than Bad friends. There will never be any better example than the Rajapaksa Ghadafi alliance.
When Ghadafi phoned and asked Rajapaksa what to do about the freedom fighters, Mahathanamuktha Mahinda Rajapaksa in his legendry style said "cut the neck and break the pot". You all know the story.
So Ghadafi sent his troops to put down the uprising, you all know rest of the story.
Then there is rumour that Ghadafi was using Mahinda as proxy to thumb his finger at the UK-USA alliance. Who paid all the millions to Woldroff Astoria and The Dorchester Inn? Comrade Colonel Ghadafi. Now the problem Mahinda is having is Ghadafi cannot give any more money, so Mahinda decided to send his wife Shirani to join the parade outside the Tourist Hotels in Colombo with the other 50,000! What a competition? Couples of times my bank account was seized by the Revenue people for not paying their dues. They have a search and seize division that will scan and seek.
Now people are saying that The United Nations did not want another Sri Lanka fiasco so they acted soon and here is Ghadafi in trouble. and Mahinda Aiya has refused asylum to his friend Ghadafi. What is good for your friends may sometimes no good for you. What is good for the Goose may afterall not necessarily good for the Gander.
Did you all notice that Mahinda has the legendry maroon colored noose around his neck, so is Ghadafi a green colored noose around his neck. So who is whose role model? Ghadafi with money and Mahinda with wisdom. I mean in the legendry wisdom.
Mahinda Aiya keep up the good work of helping the world to identify good-bad friends. But stay calm, they are coming after you, not for you actually, but for failing to investigate all the murders.
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Egpyt
Mubarak resigns, Mahinda next
MAHINDA AIYA, HUMAN DIGNITY- you did not give a damn
Feb. 12, 2011
82-year-old Hosni Mubarak has resigned as President of Egypt
The United States president Barack Obama addressing the nation from White House Friday noon giving his administration’s reaction to the events in Egypt following the resignation of Hosni Mubarak from the presidency stated that the Egyptian revolution very clearly showed the power of human dignity that can never be denied. He reiterated that something in the sole that always cries out for freedom and those were the cries that reverberated from the Liberation Square in Cairo that brought a wall stumbling down.
As much as the revolt in Egypt which in eighteen days brought down a regime that denied its masses freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, basic human rights, freedom to dissent and good governance with economic opportunity throughout not only the Middle East and North Africa but many corners of this globe, the United States president Barack Obama’s sentiments expressed at Friday February 11 remarks from the White House is equally reverberating and will have far-reaching effect on nations that stifle their peoples basic freedoms.
Obama saluted the Egyptian people for their non-violent struggle these eighteen days and commended the nation’s most powerful military for not turning their fire power against the aspirations of the people.
He said: “People of Egypt have spoken, the voices have been heard, and Egypt will never be the same. By stepping down President Hosni Mubarak responded to the Egyptian peoples hunger for change. This is not the end of Egypt’s transition but the beginning".
There will be more questions asked and answers sought. I am confident that people of Egypt will find the answers and do so peacefully, constitutionally and in the spirit of unity that defined these past three weeks. For, Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than genuine democracy will carry the day.
The military has acted responsibly as the caretaker of the nation. And, we have to ensure that the transition is credible in the eyes of the Egyptian people, protecting their rights, protecting the people, lifting the emergency laws, revising the constitution and other laws to make this change irreversible, and laying out a clear path to hold free and fair elections.
Above all this transition must bring all of the Egyptian people’s voices to the table. “The United States will continue to support the Egyptian people and will be their friend.
We are not defined by our differences but the common humanity we share was the voice of the Egyptian people. Above all, we saw a new generation emerge; a generation that used their own talents, creativity and technology calling the government to represent their hopes and fear.
This is the power of the human dignity and can never be denied. The Egyptians have inspired us. For the Egyptians it is the moral force of non-violence and not terrorism.
The voices we heard are of the Egyptians but we cannot deny the echoes of history that brought the Berlin Wall down, youth in the streets of Indonesia and popular agitations for freedom elsewhere.
"But something in the sole that cries out for freedom. Those were the cries came from the Liberation Square in Cairo which brought down the wall".
American president Barack Obama’s less than ten-minute address to the nation, to the Egyptian and Middle East people and to the rest of the world was carefully drafted with penetrating messages to nations who curtail their people’s right to dissent and human rights. Mr. Obama used the incidents that unfolded in Egypt to give a message to the rest of the world by saying “today belongs to the people of Egypt. The American people were moved by the scenes in Cairo because we know who we are as a people.”
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Southern Sudan
REFERENDUM ON 'IDENTITY' IS THE SOLUTION!
A call from "Act Now"
Jan. 23. 2011
Staffs are counting of votes on Southern Sudan's referendum on self-determination
The week long vote this month in Southern Sudan's referendum on self-determination is a model solution to an intractable problem. A country at war for twenty years, split between two distinct peoples speaking a different language, worshiping a different religion and ethnically separate. One dominates the other and imposes their way of life upon the other. There can never be real unity. Sounds familiar?
Well it could describe any number of countries in Africa or Asia that inherited colonial borders forcing different peoples together whilst dividing others. For Act Now it represents the situation in Sri Lanka where a majority community seeks to impose its' way of life upon the minority. East Timor, Kosovo and now Sudan have cast their vote on their future. It is the practical, moral and right thing to do.
We believe that just such a UN supervised referendum is the long term political solution for Sri Lanka. Eelam Tamils can choose Unity, Autonomy or Independence. We don't campaign in favour of a particular vote but we do campaign for a vote. If you haven't read our Strategy paper explaining why and how such a Referendum on self-determination for Sri Lankan Tamils can be obtained, we attach a copy for your interest.*
GAP GETTING NERVOUS?
Rumor has it that GAP are considering pulling out of importing Sri Lankan products. They were put under enormous pressure from the Global anti-GAP campaign largely run by ACT NOW and the Boycott Sri Lanka group in the US. We cannot confirm these rumours but we do know that GAP are worried that their image as an 'ethical' company is becoming tarnished.
And we will continue to picket GAP and if it hurts their image or income they only have themselves to blame. We hope that all our supporters will do their bit to join us on the picket line! Don't leave it to a few and be part of what would be a historic victory! Watch this space for the date.
We are looking for more helpers to join existing pickets or help organise new ones (http://gap.eu/stores/). Pickets can generate publicity for the cause. The local press will often print press releases. Why not take some pictures and produce a press release (we can help). For the pickets outside London please contact us urgently on info.actnow@gmail.com so that we can supply you with leaflets.
For further information, please contact:
Tim Martin, Director, Act Now Tel: +44(0)7817 504 227
Graham Williamson, Director, Act Now Tel: +44(0)7970 455 445
Sockalingham Yogalingam, Asst. Director, Act Now Tel: +44(0)7948 380433
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Tunisia
Tunisian president flees the country
Special ContributionBy Ann Talbot
Jan. 16, 2011
Tunisian Protest rally going on
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has fled Tunisia. A state of emergency has been declared. The army has taken control of the airport, and gatherings of more than three people have been banned. An announcement on state television warned that anyone refusing to obey military orders would be shot. As night fell, the country was once again under curfew, after a day in which the police opened fire on peaceful protesters outside the Ministry of the Interior.
The day began with thousands of protesters marching along Avenue Bourguiba in central Tunis and gathering outside the ministry to demand the immediate resignation of Ben Ali. They chanted, No to Ben Ali, the uprising continues.
This was the first time in almost a quarter of a century that such a demonstration had taken place in the capital of Tunisia. The demonstrations followed the president’s television address on Thursday night, in which he promised to step down at the next election in 2014 and ordered police to stop shooting down the protesters.
The demonstration had been called by the Tunisian General Workers Union, the UGTT, as part of a token two-our general strike. Riot police and army units initially tried to prevent the demonstrators from approaching the ministry, but eventually withdrew to surround the building, while snipers took up positions on nearby rooftops.
The interior ministry is a ministry of terror, the crowd numbering tens of thousands shouted. The interior ministry is an object of particular hatred, because it is regarded as being at the centre of the crackdown that has killed 23 people, according to official reports, and probably many more. It has long been associated with allegations of torture.
It is estimated that there is one policeman for every 40 citizens in Tunisia, and that two thirds of those are plain-clothes officers. Throughout Ben Ali’s 23-year rule, he has maintained a climate of fear through this repressive machinery.
Initially, there was a celebratory atmosphere in the demonstration, which included lawyers in their robes, doctors, university teachers and former political prisoners. Protesters sang the national anthem and shook hands with soldiers. Plain-clothes police were present but did not interfere with the demonstrators or journalists. Blocked Internet sites such as YouTube.com had become available again overnight.
In the space of an hour, the atmosphere changed dramatically. By mid-afternoon police reinforcements arrived, and they began to attack the demonstrators with tear gas grenades. There were reports that shots were fired.
What had been until then a noisy but entirely non-violent demonstration broke up in panic. Women and children fled in terror, only to find that the riot police pursued them into the side streets and fired more gas at them. Police pursued unarmed protesters, hitting out with batons and kicking them as they lay on the floor. Some protesters were chased onto rooftops. Reporters on the spot spoke of running battles. The Guardian’s Paris correspondent Angelique Chrisafis, who was among the crowds, said on Twitter, This is turning very, very bad.
Shortly afterwards, the government news agency announced that Ben Ali had sacked his entire government and declared a state of emergency. The announcement said that there would be early elections in six months time. Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi was to form a new interim government and take charge of the elections.
Within hours, however, Ghannouchi announced that he was assuming presidential powers because the president was temporarily indisposed. A state of emergency was still in force, and there was no more talk of elections.
It is forbidden for more than three persons to gather on the public highway , the official statement said, the police and the army are authorised to fire on any suspect person who has not obeyed orders or fled without the possibility of being stopped.
It is rumored that Ben Ali may be in Malta, en-route to Paris. Several members of his family fled yesterday. Their beachfront mansions were ransacked by looters after demonstrators overwhelmed police in the resort of Hammamet.
Thousands of foreign tourists have been evacuated by their tour companies, and governments have warned against travel to Tunisia. Air France, the main scheduled carrier to Tunisia, has suspended flights.
Ghannouchi is a close ally of Ben Ali and has been his prime minister since 1999. He has taken over under a provision within the constitution that allows the prime minister to assume power if the president in unable to carry out his duties. France, the former colonial power in Tunisia, was quick to recognise the constitutional transition.
Ghannouchi’s move has something of the character of a coup. The role of the army is not yet clear. Al Jazeera reports that the army is moving towards the capital to take charge of the situation. There is criticism of the police and the interior ministry for inflaming the situation.
Events are still unfolding, but Ghannouchi’s bid for power and the army’s move on Tunis can only be interpreted as a bid to protect the interests of the ruling elite. Whether or not the first family, whose looting of the country is one of the causes of the uprising, emerges with its wealth intact, other elements in the regime are determined to survive. To do so, they may need to bring oppositionists into the government. Foreign Minister Kamel Morjane told the French radio station Europe1 this morning that a national unity government was a possibility.
I think it is doable and I think it is quite normal even, he said.
He praised Mohammed Nejib Chebbi, leader of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP). Chebbi was barred from standing in the last presidential election and so retains a certain popular credibility.
Chebbi described Ghannouchi’s seizure of power as regime change, Speaking to i-Tele, he said, This is a crucial moment. There is a change of regime under way. Now it is the succession. It must lead to profound reforms, to reform the law and let the people choose.
Chebbi represents the legal opposition that has long accommodated itself to the repressive regime of Ben Ali. This makes Hamma Hammami, leader of the still-illegal Workers Communist Party of Tunisia (PCOT), a potential key player. PCOT is an Albanian Maoist party aligned with the Workers Communist Party of France (PCOF) and an avowed admirer of Stalin’s tyranny and that of Enver Hoxha. He has also called for a government of national unity. Arrested three days ago, Ghannouchi has now released him.
Hammami has been repeatedly arrested and tortured by the regime. His wife, the lawyer Radhia Nasraoui, and their children have been persistently harassed and interrogated. Hammami has been prominent in the coverage of the Western media. The New York Times named the couple as oppositionists. Their participation in any national unity government would be utilised to lend it false credentials as a decisive break with the old regime.
In reality, talk of a national unity government does not indicate any slackening of state repression. On Thursday night, Ben Ali had appeared to be in a conciliatory mood on state television speaking in Tunisian dialect and assuring his audience that he understood the Tunisian people. But even as he spoke, more protesters were being shot. Video footage posted on YouTube.com showed dead and wounded young men being brought into the hospital Kheirredine in the working class Tunis suburb of Le Kram.
Under the state of emergency, the police and army will have even greater freedom to terrorise the population. The departure of Ben Ali and Ghannouchi’s assumption of power does not change the fundamental character of a state that has, ever since independence, defended the interests of the local bourgeoisie and global capitalism.
The young protesters that have taken to streets night after night in the face of brutal police actions should not put their faith in a government of national unity. They need to organise themselves independently of the existing parties, even those that proclaim their left credentials, and the trade unions, which reluctantly called the march to the interior ministry to put themselves at the head of a movement largely composed of unemployed youth that was getting out of control.
Already, the uprising in Tunisia is having an impact in the Middle East. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Jordan on Friday calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Samir Rifai and demanding lower prices on essential food and fuel. �Jordan is not only for the rich. Bread is a red line. Beware of our starvation and fury, one banner read.
A major reason for Ben Ali’s sudden departure is pressure from the United States and France, which fear that unless the movement in Tunisia is halted it will spread to other countries.
Writing in the Financial Times, columnist Gideon Rachman warned, Tunisia is a small country but right now it is anything but insignificant.
The Tunisian protests, he wrote, are on the front pages of every Arab newspaper, and every Arab country faces similar political dilemmas. He pointed to the street protests that have already broken out in Algeria. It is the fate of the big strategic countries Egypt and Saudi Arabia that will be most worrying their western allies.
What is required is an independent movement based on a socialist programme and a struggle for a workers & government. Such a movement must immediately establish links with workers and the rural poor in other North African and Middle Eastern countries and with workers in Europe and the rest of the world. This struggle can be carried forward only through the building of a Trotskyist party, a section of the International Committee of the Fourth International, based on the perspective of permanent revolution.
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Iraq
Mr. President, Your Religion of Peace Strikes Again
Dec. 25, 2010
Christians in IraqWhile many of us in America are preparing to celebrate a joyous Christmas, Christians all over Iraq are cancelling celebrations to protect their lives.
Since the October 31 massacre at the Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad, brazen attacks and bombings all over Iraq are causing Christians to flee northwards to Kurdistan while seeking asylum to protect their families and their lives.
"We are afraid for our sons and our children. There is no life in Baghdad for the Christians," says Ban Daub, a Christian woman who narrowly escaped the attack at Our Lady of Salvation. Her family has since escaped to a Christian district called Ainkawa in this Kurdish city of Irbil.
Religious sectarian violence has been an inescapable part of Iraqi life since the US-led invasion in 2003. Tens of thousands died in bombings and street battles between minority Sunnis and the Shiites, but unlike many of Iraq's other religious minorities, Christians have no political power to protect them.
Christians have been fleeing the country long before attacks began in earnest in October, but the recent bombings have led to a dramatic rise in requests for help to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Many people often question the WCICC's relationship with the United Nations and why we chose to partner with them. We partner with the United Nations because despite many of their flawed policies the United Nations has done and continues to do more to protect and help endangered Christian minorities around the world than the United States government has ever done.
Throughout the Middle East and beyond, Christians are facing life-threatening violence and harassment in every Muslim nation. It is important that we seek and find help wherever we can to protect and aid our Brothers and Sisters in Christ.
We ask you to pray for all of our persecuted Brothers and Sisters throughout the world, with a special thought for WCICC pastors and churches in Iraq.
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UN Special coverage
Conference against Human Trafficking was held in Seoul
By John Smith Thang 28/06/2010
UN Special Rapporteur Joy Ngozi Ezeilo speech
National Human Rights Commission of Korea organized the “Seoul International Conference Against Human Trafficking in Migrant Women” in Seoul Monday June 28, 2010.
A Nigerian the UN Special Rapporteur, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, delivered the keynote addressed. In her speech, she said the women are the most victimizers of human trafficking. Further, the women were usually targeted to trafficking because it is correlated with sexual exploitation.
According to the ILO reports, the Asia and the Pacific region have the highest number of human trafficking, its 1,360,000 out of 2,450,000 (the global number).
The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (2000), known as Palermo Protocol, in that the article 3, defines “Trafficking in Persons” as follow: “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.”
South Korean is among not yet ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and punish Trafficking in Persons, even the South Korean government have not been specifically defined—the term “trafficking” officially yet.
According to, the US State Department describes the South Korea as tier (1) category jumped from tier (3) in 2001. But still its found many trafficking cases in this country.
Most of the victimizers of trafficking in Korea are foreign women who entered in Korea through marriage brokers. In addition, the present of US troops makes increasing sex industries in South Korea, said Korean activists.
During the conference, apart from women, some men are also raised the question as men victimizes trafficking as well.
Finally the conference called for the Korean government and Asia region to combating trafficking across the continent. The suggestion made by UN Special Rapporteur Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, about 5 P’s are: Protection, Prosecution, Punishment, Prevention, Promoting international cooperation and partnership. Also she asked the Medias to play critical roles through promoting awareness on human trafficking.
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Southern Sudan awaits independence, perhaps more violence SUDAN REBELS
Southern Sudanese soldiers
By Alan Boswell | McClatchy Newspapers
GOONGBAAR, Sudan — Hidden behind a cluster of mud huts on the banks of Sudan's White Nile, youthful soldiers perch atop Soviet-era battle tanks and anti-aircraft-mounted trucks, the dark contours of their faces a wavy blur under the midday sun.
They're members of Southern Sudan's military, a rebel army that waged 20 years of guerrilla warfare against Sudan's northern government. But today, these young men are neither fighting a rebellion nor have they laid down their arms.
They're waiting in suspense, as they have for most of the last six years, after a U.S.-backed peace deal created a cease-fire arrangement that's set to end in about three weeks.
"We have an objective beyond this, and we want to achieve it at all cost," said Maj. Gen. Gabriel Jok Riak, a boyish-faced general who commands the first of 10 divisions in the Southern Sudan army, known still by its rebel moniker Sudan People's Liberation Army.
The general is referring to the peace deal's grand finale: a referendum. On Jan. 9, Southern Sudan is set to vote on seceding from the rest of Sudan and forming a new country. According to the deal, independence then could come six months later.
Until then, a wary standby has escalated into a fidgety anticipation, the uncertain wait for a dreaded new round of violence from a volatile opponent.
Riak's concern is northward. Just eight miles north of the riverside army base, a stack of tires in the middle of the road marks the de facto point where Sudan's southern region ends and the northern one begins. Amassed on the other side are these soldiers' old wartime foes, the Sudan Armed Forces. It's the stalled conflict's northernmost front line.
In July, it could become the world's newest sovereign border. The Sudan People's Liberation Army is hoping to secure the split, but some fear that it won't be so easy.
"Sooner or later they will try to disrupt it (the secession process), either during or after the referendum," the general said. "Don't be surprised."
The desire for freedom from northern rule is widely shared among most Southern Sudanese, not just among its military. Resentment of the north is rooted in a painful past: Two million are thought to have died during two long civil wars between the sides when southerners rebelled against the colonially imposed Arab government on the eve of Sudan's independence in 1956.
Most are now eager to put the murderous coexistence to rest.
"We want separation," said Salah Abdel Salaam, a boat captain who lives in Renk, the nearest town, where the Sudan People's Liberation Army division headquarters is based. "All other systems have been suffering and death."
Analysts point out that both sides would benefit from an amicable divorce, including the sharing of oil revenue from the south. Some signs are positive: Sudanese President Omar al Bashir has promised to recognize the referendum result, and the polling process itself has moved forward, with voter registration ending earlier this month.
But other signs seem to point in the opposite direction.
According to the research of the Geneva monitoring group Small Arms Survey, the north is building up its forces along parts of the border and has intensified its practice of arming loyal Arab tribes nearby.
"No one really knows how the north will respond to a likely vote for southern secession," said Claire McEvoy, the director of Small Arms Survey's Sudan project. "That is the big question."
U.S. officials are hoping to promote stability by offering Bashir incentives to let the process proceed peacefully, such as removing Sudan from Washington's list of state sponsors of terrorism.
At this border point at the peak of Southern Sudan's Upper Nile state, both sides face off far from the closed doors of international diplomacy, and anything seems possible.
On Oct. 30, the area was the site of a brief skirmish between small contingents of the two armies. The following day, the two sides met in the middle and agreed to withdraw their front lines to a few miles from the border to quell the situation quickly.
The military positions here are highly strategic for both sides, capping off a chimney-like jut of Southern Sudan land that follows the White Nile River deep into northern territory. The north surrounds the Sudan People's Liberation Army division on three sides. The capital, Khartoum, is due north, 230 miles straight up a paved highway. Due south, behind Sudan People's Liberation Army lines, sit Southern Sudan's most productive oil fields, which account for more than half of Sudan's output. Under the peace deal, neither side's military is allowed to patrol within the south's oil fields, leaving them effectively unguarded.
In a frank interview at his home, Riak gave a blunt assessment of his troops' ability to defend his immediate position in case of a full-frontal attack.
"How? Who controls the airspace?" he said. "We know the fight would be a disaster for us at first."
But the middle-aged man, who joined the movement in 1983 when he was barely into adulthood and sports scars as if they were medals of honor, wasn't admitting defeat. If the war is brought back to the south, the Sudan People's Liberation Army will join with other rebel movements in Sudan's Darfur region and other marginalized areas, he said.
"If war resumes, we will try to punch a hole and go north," the general said. "It would be a progressive suicide."
The threat could be more than bluster. Recently, the Sudanese government has accused Southern Sudan's leadership of actively aiding the largest Darfur rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement, a charge that Southern Sudan denies. The north's ruling party also has complained that many of the Darfur rebels have taken refuge in Juba, Southern Sudan's capital.
One of these new Juba residents is Minni Minnawi, a splinter leader of the Darfur rebel group the Sudan Liberation Army who signed a 2006 accord with the government, the Darfur Peace Agreement. This week, he announced that the peace deal was dead and that he was in talks with the Sudan Liberation Army's founder, Abdel Wahid al Nur, to recombine the rebel group.
The Sudan People's Liberation Army also maintains close political ties with rebel comrades who joined the rebellion but now are stuck north of the division line.
One, former Sudan People's Liberation Army Gen. Malik Agar, is the governor of the neighboring Blue Nile state.
If the Sudan People's Liberation Army is strengthening ties with armed disillusioned groups in the north, it could be a twist in a familiar playbook. During the war, Bashir heavily armed breakaway rebel factions to serve as counterinsurgency proxies.
"The south could be saying, 'Look, you've got tools, but we've got tools too,' " said Fouad Hikmat, a Sudan analyst for the International Crisis Group, a nonprofit crisis-resolution group.
The message is clear: Don't try to stop the secession, or else.
"Khartoum would fall," Riak said. "And then we would be part of the new ruling coalition," he said, with a slight smile.
For now, his troops continue their years-long vigil, nearing what people here call their "final walk to freedom."
David Aolach Bion, a 34-year old low-ranking soldier, stood guard nearby.
He spent 11 years as a refugee getting educated in Uganda. That makes him rare in a force that's overwhelmingly illiterate. He's also an aspiring poet.
"God is a single-breast cow," read one of his compositions that he shared eagerly on a crumpled piece of paper. "That is why there's the gap between the rich and the poor."
When he was asked why he returned to the military, David Aolach's answer needed no literary interpretation. "I came back to demarcate the border," he said.
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