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الأحد، 4 ديسمبر 2011

Lincoln Tribune

Rights group criticizes Thai monarchy laws after lengthy sentence
Christmas Seals
Violence continues as Syria condemns UN resolution
Demonstrators rally in Bonn ahead of Afghan conference
Former military general found guilty of land scam in eastern India

Rights group criticizes Thai monarchy laws after lengthy sentence

Posted: 04 Dec 2011 03:16 AM PST

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- Human Rights Watch on Saturday called on the Thai government to amend the laws intended to protect the monarchy after a 61-year-old man was sentenced to prison for sending text messages deemed offensive.

The New York-based rights group said that the case of Ampon Tangnoppakul, who was sentenced to 20 years last month for sending four text messages considered offensive to the Thai King, illustrates the 'misuse' by successive Thai governments of laws intended to protect the monarchy.

The messages were sent in May 2010 by Tangnoppakul to a private secretary of Abhisit Vejjajiva, who was at the time the prime minister. He was arrested on August 3 of last year after a complaint was made by the secretary, although the actual contents of the messages have not been revealed.

"The severity of penalties being meted out for lese majeste offenses in Thailand is shocking," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The new government seems to be responding to questions about its loyalty to the monarchy by filing countless lese majeste charges."

Since Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra took office in August, the government has allegedly led a campaign against alleged violations of lese majeste. Minister of Information and Communications Technology Anudith Nakornthap previously warned that using the "Like" or "Share" features of the social networking website Facebook could be considered a criminal offense if the content is deemed lese majeste.

However, Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej has in the past publicly stated that he is not above criticism. In his 2005 birthday speech he said he must also be criticized. "I am not afraid if the criticism concerns what I do wrong, because then I know," he said. "Because if you say the King cannot be criticized, it means that the King is not human. If the King can do no wrong, it is akin to looking down upon him because the King is not being treated as a human being. But the King can do wrong."

Human Rights Watch, which said the laws place 'unnecessary restrictions' on freedom of expression, urged the Thai government to release information about anyone who has been arrested, charged or convicted of lese majeste.

Christmas Seals

Posted: 04 Dec 2011 03:08 AM PST

Profile America — Sunday, December 4th. Christmas Seals in the U.S. first appeared 104 years ago this week. Started in Denmark, the first seals in America went on sale in 1907 at a table set up in the Wilmington, Delaware, post office. The idea was to sell special stamps designed by Emily Bissell to put on Christmas mailings, with the profits helping in the fight against tuberculosis, then the nation’s number one killer. The goal was $300, and 10 times that amount were sold. The next year, sales reached $135,000. From then on, Christmas Seals have been sold nationwide. Today, these special stamps are still sold by the American Lung Association — one of the charities to which Americans contribute $173 billion a year. Profile America is in its 15th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources: American Lung Association
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 489
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012edition.html

Violence continues as Syria condemns UN resolution

Posted: 04 Dec 2011 02:50 AM PST

DAMASCUS (BNO NEWS) -- The Syrian government on Saturday described the United Nations Human Rights Council's condemnation of the country's deadly crackdown on protesters as "unfair", the state-run news agency SANA reported on Sunday.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said the resolution passed in a vote on Friday was unfair and based on a 'premeditated report devised by those who target Syria and its stances.' The council condemned the "gross and systematic" violations by Syrian forces and recommended urgent action by the UN.

The resolution followed a report released by a UN commission of inquiry on Syria earlier in the week that alleged that the Syrian government is responsible for 'wrongful acts,' including crimes against humanity which were committed by members of its military and security forces. An official source from the Foreign Ministry said the report was 'blatantly politicized.'

"It has become clear to the people of Syria and the countries that realize the reality of the conspiracy against it that the interest of the Syrian people is the last thing on the mind of the countries sponsoring such sessions and their impotent resolutions, and that their true goal is inciting the continuation of terrorism against citizens," the source said, as quoted by SANA.

Meanwhile, according to media reports, more than 20 people were killed on Saturday in Syria in battles between army defectors and troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. It is not possible to independently verify the reports due to reporting restrictions.

Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned on Friday that Syria is on the verge of a full-fledged civil war as the death toll from the nine-month government crackdown against protesters has surpassed at least 4,000, including more than 300 children.

Pro-democracy demonstrations have spread across the country since mid-March, resulting in a fierce government crackdown. The Syrian government has claimed violent acts against protesters have been carried out by 'terrorists dressed as soldiers,' although international observers have rejected these claims.

Demonstrators rally in Bonn ahead of Afghan conference

Posted: 04 Dec 2011 02:41 AM PST

BONN, GERMANY (BNO NEWS) -- German demonstrators took to the streets in the city of Bonn on Saturday to demand the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan. It comes just days before an international conference is to be held there.

Thousands of demonstrators took part in a march to the city center while some 4,000 police officers were deployed to monitor the protests, according to the German dpa news agency. The rally took place ahead of Monday's international conference on Afghanistan's future.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrived in Germany on Friday for the Bonn conference, which will bring together 85 countries and 16 international organizations. The conference is to focus on the transfer of security responsibilities to the Afghan government after NATO ends its mission in 2014, peace talks with the Taliban, economic development and long-term regional stability.

With some 5,000 soldiers, German troops constitute NATO's third-largest troop contingent in Afghanistan. The German government expects that the last of its soldiers will be leaving the war-torn nation by 2014 and the withdrawal will begin by the end of the current year.

A total of 49 countries are currently involved in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation with a combined force of more than 130,000 soldiers.

Former military general found guilty of land scam in eastern India

Posted: 04 Dec 2011 02:29 AM PST

NEW DELHI (BNO NEWS) -- An Indian military court on Saturday convicted a former top military official for his role in a land scam in the eastern state of West Bengal, local media reported on Sunday.

Former Military Secretary Lt. Gen. Avadesh Prakash was found guilty on three counts by an army court in Guwahati in the northeastern state of Assam. The scam involved the transfer of 71 acres (28.7 hectares) of land adjacent to the Sukna military station in the town of Siliguri in West Bengal to a private realtor for the construction of an educational institution.

The court martial was conducted after Prakash was indicted by an army court of inquiry early last year for his role in the illegal transfer of the land. Prakash, who is the senior-most Indian army officer to face a court martial in recent history, was indicted for misusing his position, the Hindustan Times reported.

The army had earlier convicted another senior officer and former army commander Lt. Gen. PK Rath in the same case. They were punished through a loss of seniority and a part of their pension.

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الأحد، 4 ديسمبر 2011

Lincoln Tribune

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