http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdeyJyVECSw&feature=related
August 29, 2008 (Less info)
In an exclusive interview after reclaiming his seat in parliament, Anwar Ibrahim talks to 101 East about how he plans to change 50 years of political consensus in Malaysia.
Myanmar junta denies Suu Kyi on hunger strike
Myanmar junta denies Suu Kyi on hunger strike
YANGON (AFP) — Myanmar’s ruling junta denied Tuesday that detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi had gone on hunger strike, but rumours persisted after she apparently refused to receive food deliveries.
Exiled Myanmar dissidents in India and Thailand reported that the Nobel Peace Prize winner last accepted fresh food supplies on August 15.
“It is just rumours, it is not true,” said a Myanmar government official who refused to be named. “We have not got any (political) demands from her.”
Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), said they were unable to confirm or deny the report as they were not allowed to keep in regular touch with their leader, who is under house arrest in Yangon.
“We haven’t heard anything about it. So we cannot confirm these rumours as we have no contact with her at all,” said NLD spokesman Win Naing.
The rumours were persistent enough to spread to Western diplomatic circles, with one diplomat who refused to be named telling AFP: “We are trying to know more. The only person who has seen her is the doctor.”
Aung San Suu Kyi’s doctor and lawyer were permitted to visit her on August 17 when she was given a medical checkup, her first since February.
One exiled opposition party based on the Thai-Myanmar border said it had heard Aung San Suu Kyi’s weekly food supplies were last accepted on August 15, but were turned away on August 22.
Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the past 19 years confined to her lakeside Yangon home.
Her latest detention began more than five years ago, and she has been allowed little contact with the outside world.
She met her lawyer, Kyi Win, twice in August but that was their first meeting since 2004.
Last week the junta said Aung San Suu Kyi refused to meet visiting UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, and state television aired images of his two aides standing in vain outside her compound waiting for a response.
Gambari also failed to meet junta head Than Shwe, and left the country on Saturday with few results.
In a bid to soothe international outrage after a violent crackdown on anti-junta protests last September, the generals appointed a liaison, labour minister Aung Kyi, to negotiate with Aung San Suu Kyi.
But the pair have not met since January, when the opposition leader complained about the slow pace of their talks.
Aung San Suu Kyi is known as “The Lady” throughout Myanmar, where she remains a potent symbol of the struggle to end military rule despite being largely silenced by the ruling generals.
The NLD won national elections in 1990 but the junta, which has ruled Myanmar since 1962, never allowed it to assume power.
Myanmar protestors display a portrait of Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
Kashmir Muslims defy India curfew
Kashmir Muslims defy India curfew |
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Muslims in Indian-administered Kashmir have defied a curfew imposed ahead of a rally that had been planned in the region’s largest city, Srinagar. At least four people were killed in confrontations with police. Earlier, three prominent separatist leaders were placed under arrest. There have been massive rallies in recent weeks in support of independence from India. Both India and Pakistan claim sovereignty over Kashmir. The strength of the protests is an embarrassment for the Indian authorities, the BBC’s Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says. Despite large numbers of police and paramilitary troops on the streets there were demonstrations in many places in defiance of the curfew which was imposed early on Sunday in many areas of the region. India’s Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) opened fire killing one person after hundreds of people tried to march from Narbal, eight kilometres (five miles) from Srinagar to the location of Monday’s planned rally, the Lal Chowk (Red Square) in the city. A second person was killed in Pulwama, south of Srinagar, another died in the northern area of Handwara and a fourth person was killed in Hajin, a village nearly 30 km (20 miles) from Srinagar. ‘Journalists beaten’ In another attempt to dampen the protests, separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Omar Farooq were arrested at their homes on Sunday night. Separatist leader Yasin Malik was arrested on Monday when he tried to defy the curfew by leading a procession of some 30 people. On Sunday one person was killed and another wounded as police fired on a crowd in Srinagar.
The valley is already paralysed by a strike called by separatist groups who want an end to Indian rule, with shops, banks and schools shut. Thousands of troops have been drafted in to patrol Srinagar’s streets. Local media say 15 journalists were among those beaten by police on Sunday as they tried to cover the protests, despite having curfew passes. The strikers want a referendum which they hope will lead to self-determination for the region. On Friday, hundreds of thousands of Muslims took part in a protest rally called by separatist leaders in Srinagar. ‘Repression’ Speaking before his arrest, Mr Farooq said the Indian authorities were afraid of “peaceful but massive demonstrations for freedom”. “Such repressive measures will not work. We will emerge stronger and more vibrant,” he told the AFP news agency.
The strike comes amid continuing separatist violence in the region. Fifteen people died in a gun battle on Friday between militants and the authorities near the Line of Control – the de facto border dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Army officials said three soldiers were critically wounded during the battle, which they said was the fiercest this year in Kashmir. The recent trouble started when the state government said it would grant 99 acres (40 hectares) of forest land to a Hindu trust, the Amarnath Shrine Board. Muslims launched violent protests, saying the allocation of land was aimed at altering the demographic balance in the area. The government said the board needed the land to erect huts and toilets for visiting pilgrims. But following days of protests, the government rescinded the order, prompting Hindu groups to mount violent protests of their own. Those protests continued on Monday with around 40 people, including 10 policemen injured. The city of Jammu and neighbouring areas was shut down again. Hundreds of Hindu protesters took to the streets and police used tear gas to disperse them.
Are you in Srinagar? Have you been affected by the curfew? Send us your experiences using the form below. Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100. If you have a large file you can upload here.Read the terms and conditions At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. |
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Beijing bids farewell to Olympics
Beijing bids farewell to Olympics |
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Cannot play media. Sorry, this media is not available in your territory. Video – Beijing Olympics come to an end The Olympic Games have drawn to a close with a glittering ceremony inside Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium. Spectacular fireworks kicked off the proceedings, while a beautifully choreographed drumming and dancing display recalled the opening ceremony. It was a more celebratory affair, as exuberant athletes, dancers and musicians got into the party spirit. The Olympic flag was handed to London mayor Boris Johnson, with organisers briefly showcasing the 2012 Games. The countdown to 2012 has started, and organisers will know they have a great deal to live up to with China hosting one of the best organised Games in history and staging some of the most memorable opening and closing ceremonies ever seen.
Beijing’s dramatic farewell to the 29th Games of the modern Olympiad got under way with a magnificent firework display, which quickly segued into an amazing display of dancing and drumming. Scottish cyclist Chris Hoy, who claimed three gold medals in Beijing, carried the flag for Team GB as more than 200 flag bearers led the way for the thousands of athletes. After speeches from Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organising Committee, and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, the Beijing Games were officially declared to be over. China staged the Olympics against a background dominated by fears of pollution, worries over security and protests about its human rights record. But the sporting action was enthralling, with highlights including Michael Phelps swimming to a record eight gold medals and Jamaica’s Usain Bolt breaking three world records on his way to three golds. “We have come to the end of 16 days which we will cherish forever,” said Rogge. “New stars were born and stars from previous Games continued to amaze us. “We shared their joys and their tears and marvelled at their abilities, and will long remember their achievements here. “These were a truly exceptional Games.”
The British flag was raised and “God Save the Queen” sung by the choir, before Johnson was handed the Olympic flag from Guo Jinlong, the major of Beijing, and Rogge. It heralded the start of an eight-minute segment for London organisers to offer a flavour of the 2012 Games, as a red London bus arrived into the stadium. Hoy, dressed up as a city gent, and fellow British cyclists Victoria Pendleton and Jamie Staff accompanied the bus on bicycles alongside a troupe of dancers holding umbrellas. Singer Leona Lewis and former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page emerged as the bus transformed into a grass-covered carnival float, and the pair combined for a rendition of “Whole Lotta Love”. And the biggest star turn came when former Manchester United star and England captain David Beckham arrived to kick a football into the crowd of athletes. The Olympic flame was then extinguished, before the attention shifted to a “memory tower” in the centre of the stadium. Legendary Spanish tenor Placido Domingo and Chinese soprano Song Zuying joined forces to sing, while Hollywood actor Jackie Chan later joined a throng of dancers and singers for a closing number. The sporting action was finally brought to an end earlier in the day, with France’s men claiming gold in the final of the handball. It was the 302nd and last gold medal to be awarded, and followed Sunday’s finals in boxing, basketball, volleyball and water polo, while Kenya’s Sammy Wanjiru won the men’s marathon. |
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UN Burma envoy ‘wasted his time’
UN Burma envoy ‘wasted his time’ |
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Burma’s main opposition party has dismissed the latest visit by UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari as a waste of time. Nyan Win, of the National League for Democracy (NLD), said Mr Gambari had not established any dialogue between the military rulers and the opposition. He was also annoyed that the envoy appeared to have given tacit backing to the junta’s planned election in 2010. Detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi refused to meet Mr Gambari, fuelling speculation she is unhappy with the UN. And Mr Gambari was not invited to the remote capital of Nay Pyi Taw to meet the junta’s top leader, Senior General Than Shwe. The BBC’s South East Asia correspondent, Jonathan Head, says Mr Gambari now seems to have used up all the credibility he had. After more than two years of failure his statements remain relentlessly upbeat – yet he seems to put no pressure on the generals, our correspondent says. Consolidated power Nyan Win expressed particular annoyance with Mr Gambari for negotiating with the generals over their “roadmap” to democracy, which plans for elections in 2010. “We have made very clear to the UN envoy that the mission should not discuss the upcoming 2010 elections, as the NLD does not recognise the military-backed constitution,” he said.
“The UN envoy was wasting his time on matters that he was not supposed to deal with.” He added that Mr Gambari had also failed to make any progress on the other major theme of his mission – to secure the release of political prisoners including Ms Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest. During his six-day visit, Mr Gambari did hold talks with the NLD and meet Prime Minister Thein Sein – a figurehead who holds little real power. But diplomats conceded that nothing concrete had come of his visit. The NLD won a general election in 1990 but the junta refused to allow the party to assume power. In recent months, the generals have further consolidated their grip on power, pushing through a constitution which reserves 25% of the seats in any future parliament for the military. They have also extended Ms Suu Kyi’s house arrest for another year. She has spent more than half of the past 20 years in detention. |
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