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TerrorismWest Papua

Family demands justice for slain relative in Papua, urges fair legal process for soldier perpetrator

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News Desk  7 January 2024
Sentani, Jubi – The family of Daud Bano, a resident of Kwansu Village in Kemtuk District, Jayapura Regency who died after being slain by an Indonesian Military (TNI) soldier, requests that the perpetrator be fairly and openly prosecuted.
“We demand that the TNI perpetrator be processed under fair and transparent legal procedures,” said the spokesperson for the victim’s family, Seblon Dwaa, on Thursday, 14 January 2021.
The murder of Daud Bano occurred in Karya Bumi Village, Nablong District, Jayapura Regency, on Monday morning. Karya Bumi Village, situated in Besum, has been a settlement for transmigrants in Namblong District since 1976. The news of Daud Bano’s death incited anger among the masses, leading the residents of Karya Bumi Village to seek refuge in three villages in Nimbokrang District.
Dwaa mentioned that Bano was taken to the Genyem Community Health Center but couldn’t be saved and passed away. Before the slashing occurred, Daud Bano and the perpetrator had a disagreement.
Security forces guard one of the access roads in and out of Karya Bumi Village in Namblomg District, Jayapura Regency, Papua, Wednesday (3/1/2024). – Jubi/Theo Kelen
“On New Year’s Eve, they were drinking, then in the morning, they shook hands. There was an argument between them when the TNI member returned from duty. After a clash, he went home with a friend, and they clashed again. The perpetrator swung a machete, hitting him in the neck. He was taken to the clinic but couldn’t be saved due to excessive bleeding,” he explained.
Dwaa stated that they had approached the XVII/Cenderawasih Military Command. The perpetrator has been detained at Korem 172/PWY in Padang Bulan.
Dwaa also mentioned that the community’s demands and aspirations had been submitted to the Grime Nawa Customary Council. He stated that this issue would be discussed with the Jayapura Regency Government in Kwansu Village on Friday.

Demands of the indigenous community

According to Dwaa, the local indigenous community also demands that the status of the land, which is the location of Karya Bumi Village, be resolved. He mentioned that there hasn’t been a customary release of that land yet.
“They may have certificates, but in Papua, customary rights need to be acknowledged. So far, there hasn’t been any acknowledgement. That’s why the residents demand a quick resolution to the issue of the Besum land,” he explained.
Dwaa mentioned that the transmigrant-occupied land is approximately 360 hectares. He stated that the land belongs to several tribes originating from Sumbe Village, Hamonggrang Village, Kwansu Village, and several other villages.
“There are multiple tribes, not just one. There has not been a release document for the land, and during the time of our ancestors in 1974, during the Soeharto era, it was taken for transmigrants. Until now, the residents still demand recognition of their customary rights,” he added.
Access in and out of Karya Bumi Village in Namblomg District, Jayapura Regency, which was blocked by residents after the stabbing of Daud Bano. – Jubi/Theo Kelen
Dwaa said that there has not been a specific compensation demand for that customary land yet. However, he reminded that the local indigenous community has repeatedly asked the Jayapura Regency Government to swiftly resolve the issue of land compensation.
“It has been discussed numerous times with the Jayapura Regency Government. Last year, there was even a road blockade. After the death of the victim, they unified these demands as their stance,” he stated.
Dwaa mentioned that they would once again open discussions after the talks between the local indigenous community and the Jayapura Regency Government. He assured that the community has no intention of causing chaos and guarantees that peace will be restored as before.
The Head of Karya Bumi Village, Mariana, mentioned that residents have inhabited Karya Bumi Village since 1976. He mentioned that the residents also possess land certificates. Muryani urged the Jayapura Regency Government to promptly resolve the land issue. Currently, Karya Bumi Village is inhabited by 1,329 people. (*)
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Spirits & NatureTerrorismVanuatu

Chinese Company banned from log export

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Numerous tonnes of round logs are currently stranded at Palekula on the island of Santo.

The Director of the Department of Forests (DOF) in Port Vila, Rexon Vira, revealed that the trees were felled by Vanuatu Forest Industry Limited (Ltd), a Chinese company, for export to China.

Vira said the company had already exported round logs earlier this year to produce paper, but their attempt for another export has been halted by the DOF. The department stopped them because they failed to provide the results of the final product from the first export.

The Director explained the company was granted a licence to process timber locally, not to export round logs. Due to the company’s lack of proper machinery for processing round logs, the Department has suspended their activities until they comply with Vanuatu’s laws, which prohibit the export of round logs.

Vira mentioned that the department is unaware of the value and the quantity of logs currently in Palekula. The Vanuatu Daily Post received reports from Santo that the Chinese company allegedly paid VT5,000 for a tree to landowners, but the DOF in Luganville cannot confirm this payment. They acknowledge that some landowners may have received payment for their trees.

They said some of the trees were damaged by Tropical Cyclone (TC) Harold in 2020, and the company cleared the bush to utilise the damaged trees. However, a visit to Palekula by Vanuatu Daily Post last week revealed that some recently cut logs were not damaged by TC Harold.

The Vanuatu Daily Post also observed recently felled trees near the dumpsite along the road to Suranda.

Vanuatu Forest Industry Ltd has also cleared bush around Luganville as part of a Government program for cattle restocking. Reports indicate that the Chinese company is expected to bring in machines to make wood chips. However, while waiting for the machines’ arrival, some of the logs may deteriorate.

Some Santo residents have criticised the Chinese company for its alleged negative impact on the environment, claiming that the company cut down trees that were not supposed to be felled.

Earlier in October, the then Director General (DG) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries, and Biosecurity (MALFFB), Moses Amos, along with Godfrey Bomee, Manager of Forestry Operations, confirmed that the Vanuatu Forest Industry Ltd, had undergone the necessary legal procedures and possesses a valid operational licence granted by the Vanuatu Government, administered through the DoF, and is licensed for logging with interested Santo landowners.

Source: VDP

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Nurdin Yabu Lamojudu, chairman of the Lindu Traditional Council (second from right), gives a talk about the customary forest area in Anca, a village in Sigi regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, June 21, 2023. [Taufan Bustan/BenarNews]
Terrorism

How customary laws help an Indonesian tribe preserve a forest

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Two Lindu people fish on Lake Lindu in Sigi regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, June 22, 2023.

Two Lindu people fish on Lake Lindu in Sigi regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, June 22, 2023.

Every morning, Abter Tendesabu puts on his boots, grabs his machete and heads to his farm in the forest.As he nears the edge of the woods, he hears the cicadas – their loud buzzing, chirping, squawking sounds.“They alert me that I have entered the forest,” Abter, of the Lindu tribe, tells BenarNews, as he walks through the dense greenery. “They also warn me if there is danger.”The Lindu tribe of about 5,000 people lives in the heart of Lore Lindu National Park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve in Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province that is a model of how humans and nature can co-exist in harmony.In a country that faces a deforestation crisis and attendant habitat loss, the sprawling park, therefore, stands apart. It is home to some of the world’s most diverse and endangered wildlife, including hornbills, tarsier and babirusas.The 217,991-hectare (538,667-acre) park is a beneficiary of the Lindu community’s distinctive approach to forest conservation, which stems from customary law that’s been passed down from their ancestors, said Manya Rambangudu, another Lindu villager.“The way we apply it in Lindu I think is very special because it can prevent conflicts between residents and the government regarding forest management,” he told BenarNews.What further helps is that the state has a buy-in, and helps impose these customary laws, or rules, Abter said. Administration officials work with a customary council of elders and village representatives, called Totua Ngata, to ensure that rules are respected and enforced.Customary laws are also taught to children in elementary schools, so they can learn the values of their ancestors from an early age.The customary rules divide the forest into four zones, each with different levels of access and management, said Nurdin Yabu Lamojudu, chairman of the Lindu Tribal Council.The first zone, Wanangkiki, is off-limits to all – it is the home of the spirits and the ancestors.The second zone, Suakantodea, is where the Lindu people can collect some plants and wood, such as rattan, bamboo, and herbs, for their daily use.In the third zone, Pangale, they practice shifting cultivation, growing rice, corn, cassava, and other crops using traditional methods.Main crops, such as cocoa, coffee, fruits, and vegetables, which they sell in the market, are grown in the fourth zone, Pobondea, Popampa, and Polida.The park’s lake is also divided into three zones. Fishing is banned in the core zone, the deepest part of the lake.In the buffer zone, which is the middle part of the lake, fishing is allowed only using traditional equipment and methods.In the lake’s shallow part, or the utilization zone, fishing is allowed with any equipment and methods.Sanctions, known as givu, are imposed on those who disobey these customary rules. The penalties include a buffalo or cash or even expulsion from the Lindu community.The park officials and the tribal council work together to patrol and monitor the forest, and to punish anyone who violates the rules, Abter said.And yet, according to UNESCO, the park has suffered from “massive” illegal logging, hunting and poaching in recent times. Unauthorized gold mining also contributed to the damage, according to park Director Titik Wurdiningsih.According to a 2022 land cover analysis, all these illegal activities have affected nearly 12% or about 60,000 acres of the park.“The destruction has harmed the habitat of wildlife and reduced the function of the park as a catchment area for water resources,” Titik said to BenarNews.“The mining activities use harmful chemicals, such as cyanide and mercury, which pose health risks for the people around the mining sites.”Abter said other threats to the forest include “theft of various forest yields, including rattan and wood, as well as poaching of endemic animals that are protected.”Despite the challenges, the Lindu people are determined to preserve their way of life.“We are grateful that customary law is still obeyed,” Abter said.Mohamad Irwan, the regent of Sigi, said that the Lindu’s forest management practices were an extraordinary gift. The forests in Sigi and Poso regencies are part of Lore Lindu National Park.“Lindu is very rich in tradition. That’s why the forest there can be preserved well because there are customary rules that are highly respected. And the people are afraid to violate them,” Irwan told BenarNews.He said 75 % of Sigi’s territory was forested and most of it was conservation and protected forest managed by the National Park Authority.“In general, the people in Sigi know how to manage the forest. They know which rules to follow and which not to,” Irwan said.Often, when the state and indigenous peoples have different interests and views on how to manage a forest, the two sides may have a conflict, said Syaiful Taslim, a researcher at Karsa Institute, a forest conservation organization in Central Sulawesi.But in Poso and Sigi, there is a harmonious relationship between the government and the local communities.The Lindu people have a deep-rooted philosophy about the forest, which they express as “Ginoku katuhuaku,” which means, “This place is my life,” Nurdin, the Lindu tribal council’s chair, told BenarNews.“If you want to live, don’t destroy the place where you live,” he said.Source: BenarNews
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A plume of smoke rises in the sky of Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on 9 October. Photo: AFP
Terrorism

What war crimes laws apply to the Israel-Palestinian conflict?

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Conflict between Israel and Palestinian forces since militant group Hamas’ weekend assault have created a huge and rising death toll on both sides.

A plume of smoke rises in the sky of Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on 9 October. Photo: AFP

A plume of smoke rises in the sky of Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on 9 October. Photo: AFP

The war falls under a complex international system of justice that has emerged since World War II.

What laws govern the conflict?

Internationally accepted rules of armed conflict emerged out of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which have been ratified by all UN member states and supplemented by rulings at international war crimes tribunals.

A series of treaties governs the treatment of civilians, soldiers and prisoners of war in a system collectively known as the “Law of Armed Conflict” or “International Humanitarian Law”. It applies to government forces and organised armed groups, including Hamas militants.

If alleged Palestinian perpetrators of atrocities in Israel and all alleged perpetrators of crimes on the occupied Palestinian territories are not brought to justice at home, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is the only international legal organ able to bring charges.

Domestic courts can apply so-called universal jurisdiction in war crimes cases, but that would be limited in scope.

The ICC’s founding Rome Statute gives it legal authority to investigate alleged crimes on the territory of its members or by their nationals, when domestic authorities are “unwilling or unable” to do so.

On Tuesday, the office of the prosecutor of the ICC confirmed that its mandate applies to potential crimes committed in the current conflict and said it continues to gather information.

What is the role of the ICC?

The International Criminal Court (ICC), the world’s permanent war crimes tribunals, opened in The Hague in 2002. It has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in its 123 member states or committed by its nationals.

Many of the world’s major powers are not members, including China, the United States, Russia, India and Egypt. The ICC recognises Palestine as a member state, while Israel rejects the court’s jurisdiction and does not formally engage with it.

With a limited budget and staff, ICC prosecutors are already investigating 17 cases ranging from Ukraine and Afghanistan to Sudan and Myanmar. The ICC budget has allocated just under a million euros (US$1.06 million) for investigations in the Palestinian territories for 2023 and is seeking additional resources.

The ICC has had an ongoing investigation into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the occupied Palestinian territories since 2021.

It has not issued any arrest warrants.

Prosecutors said in 2021 there was a reasonable basis to believe that violations had been committed on all sides, including by Israeli troops, Hamas militants and other armed Palestinian groups.

What acts could violate war crimes law?

New York-based Human Rights Watch cited as possible war crimes the deliberate targeting of civilians, indiscriminate rocket attacks, and the taking of civilians as hostages by Palestinian armed groups, as well as the Israeli counter-strikes in Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinians.

“Deliberate killings of civilians, hostage-taking, and collective punishment are heinous crimes that have no justification,” said Omar Shakir, the group’s Israel and Palestine director.

The taking of hostages, murder and torture are explicitly banned under the Geneva Conventions, while Israel’s response could also be subject to a war crimes investigation.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant drew criticism from UN officials and human rights groups by announcing a tightened blockade to prevent food and fuel from reaching the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million people.

Gallant also vowed to wipe Hamas “off the face of the earth” amid growing expectations Israel will launch a ground invasion to destroy the Palestinian militant group.

Do the Geneva conventions apply?

Israel has a right and duty to respond, US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday, adding that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had discussed “how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and more secure when we act according to the rule of law.”

A siege can be considered a war crime if it targets civilians, rather than a legitimate means to undermine Hamas’ military capabilities, or if found to be disproportionate.

Attacks on military objectives have to be proportional under international law which means they must not lead to excessive loss of civilian life or damage to civilian objects in relation to the direct and concrete military advantage expected.

Nick Kaufman, a British-born Israeli defence lawyer at the ICC, cited the gruesome killings by Hamas militants of hundreds of revellers at a dance rave and civilians in several Kibbutz communities near the Gaza border as an obvious focus for a war crimes case.

– Reuters

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Terrorism

The Gaza Strip − why the history of the densely populated enclave is key to understanding the current conflict

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Analysis – The focus on conflict in the Middle East has again returned to the Gaza Strip, with Israel’s defense minister ordering a “complete siege” of the Palestinian enclave.

The military operation, which involves extensive bombing of residences, follows a surprise attack on 7 October, 2023, by Hamas militants who infiltrated Israel from Gaza and killed more than 900 Israelis. In reprisal airstrikes, the Israel military has killed over 800 Gazans. And that figure could escalate in the coming days. Meanwhile, an order to cut off all food, electricity and water to Gaza will only worsen the plight of residents in what has been called the “world’s largest open-air prison”.

But how did Gaza become one of the most densely populated parts of the planet? And why is it the home to militant Palestinian action now? As a scholar of Palestinian history, I believe understanding the answers to those questions provides crucial historical context to the current violence.

A brief history of Gaza

The Gaza Strip is a narrow piece of land on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Roughly twice the size of Washington, DC, it is wedged between Israel to its north and east and Egypt to its south.

An ancient trade and sea port, Gaza has long been part of the geographic region known as Palestine. By the early 20th century, it was mainly inhabited by Muslim and Christian Arabs who lived under Ottoman rule. When Britain took control of Palestine following World War I, intellectuals in Gaza joined the emergent Palestinian national movement.

During the 1948 war that established the state of Israel, the Israeli military bombed 29 villages in southern Palestine, leading tens of thousands of villagers to flee to the Gaza Strip, under the control of the Egyptian army that were deployed after Israel declared independence. Most of them and their descendants remain there today.

Following the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the Gaza Strip came under Israeli military occupation. The occupation has resulted in “systematic human rights violations,” according to rights group Amnesty International, including forcing people off their land, destroying homes and crushing even non-violent forms of political dissent.

Palestinians staged two major uprisings, in 1987-1991 and in 2000-2005, hoping to end the occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state.

Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist militant group centered in Gaza, was founded in 1988 to fight against the Israeli occupation. Hamas and other militant groups launched repeated attacks on Israeli targets in Gaza, leading to Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. In 2006, Palestinian legislative elections were held. Hamas beat its secular rival, Fatah, which had been widely accused of corruption. Elections haven’t been held in Gaza since 2006, but polling from March 2023 found that 45 percent of Gazans would back Hamas should there be a vote, ahead of Fatah at 32 percent.

After a brief conflict between Hamas and Fatah militants in May 2007, Hamas took complete control of the Gaza Strip. Since then, Gaza has been under the administrative control of Hamas, even though it is still considered to be under Israeli occupation by the United Nations, the US State Department and other international bodies.

Who are the Palestinians of Gaza?

The more than 2 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip are part of the 14 million-strong global Palestinian community. About one third of Gaza’s inhabitants trace their family’s roots to land inside the Gaza Strip. The remaining two-thirds are refugees from the 1948 war and their descendants, many of whom hail from towns and villages surrounding Gaza.

The Palestinians of Gaza trend young: nearly half the population is under 18. The enclave is also very poor, with a poverty rate that stands at 53 percent.

Despite this grim economic picture, education levels are quite high. Over 95 percent of Gazan children ages 6-12 are in school. The majority of Palestinian students in Gaza graduate from high school, and 57 percent of students at the prestigious Islamic University of Gaza are female.

But because of the circumstances of their surroundings, young Palestinians in Gaza find it difficult to live fulfilling lives. For graduates between the ages of 19 and 29, the unemployment rate stands at 70 percent. And a World Bank survey earlier this year found 71 percent of Gazans show signs of depression and high levels of PTSD.

There are several factors that contribute to these conditions. A major factor is the crippling, 16-year blockade that Israel and Egypt – with US support – have imposed on Gaza.

Years of blockade

Shortly after the 2006 elections, the Bush administration tried to force Hamas from power and bring in a rival leader from the Fatah party who was considered friendlier to Israel and the US Hamas preempted the coup and took full control of Gaza in May 2007. In response, Israel and Egypt – with US and European support – closed the border crossings into and out of the Gaza Strip and imposed a land, air and sea blockade.

The blockade, which is still in effect, limits the import of food, fuel and construction material; limits how far Gaza’s fishermen can go out to sea; bans almost all exports; and imposes strict limitations on the movement of people into and out of Gaza. In 2023, Israel has allowed only around 50,000 people a month to exit Gaza, according to UN figures.

The years of closure have devastated the lives of Palestinians in Gaza. Inhabitants there don’t have enough water for drinking and sanitation. They face electricity cuts that run 12 to 18 hours each day. Without adequate water and electricity, Gaza’s fragile health care system is “on the brink of collapse,” according to the medical rights group Medical Aid for Palestine.

These restrictions hit the young and the weak of Gaza particularly hard. Israel routinely denies sick patients the permits they need to receive medical care outside of Gaza. Bright students with scholarships to study abroad often find that they are unable to leave.

UN experts say this blockade is illegal under international law. They argue that the blockade amounts to a collective punishment of the Palestinians of Gaza, a violation of the Hague Convention and the Geneva Conventions that form the backbone of international law.

No end to the suffering

Israel says that the blockade on Gaza is necessary to secure the safety of its population and will be lifted when Hamas renounces violence, recognizes Israel and abides by previous agreements.

But Hamas has consistently rejected this ultimatum. Instead, militant fighters stepped up the firing of homemade rockets and mortars into populated areas surrounding the Gaza Strip in 2008, seeking to pressure Israel to lift the blockade. They have sporadically attacked Israel in this way in the years since.

Israel has launched four major military assaults on Gaza – in 2008-09, 2012, 2014 and 2021 – in efforts to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities. Those wars killed 4,000 Palestinians, more than half of whom were civilians, along with 106 people in Israel.

During that time, the UN estimates that there has been more than US$5 billion worth of damage to Gaza’s homes, agriculture, industry, electricity and water infrastructure.

Each of those wars ended in a fragile cease-fire but no real resolution to the conflict. Israel seeks to deter Hamas from launching rockets. Hamas and other militant groups say that even when they have upheld previous cease-fires, Israel has continued to attack Palestinians and has refused to lift the blockade.

Hamas has offered a long-term truce in exchange for Israel ending the blockade on Gaza. Israel has refused to accept the offer, sticking to its position that Hamas must first end violence and recognize Israel.

In the months leading up to the latest escalation, conditions in Gaza have deteriorated even further. The International Monetary Fund reported in September that Gaza’s economic outlook “remains dire.” Conditions became more dire when Israel announced on Sept. 5, 2023, that it was halting all exports from a key Gaza border crossing.

Without an end in sight to the suffering caused by the blockade, it appears that Hamas has decided to upend the status quo in a surprise attack on Israelis, including civilians. Israel’s reprisal airstrikes and its imposition of a “complete siege” on the strip have heaped even further suffering on ordinary Gazans.

It is a tragic reminder that civilians bear the brunt of this conflict.

*Maha Nassar is an associate professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Arizona.

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PoliticsTerrorism

Indonesian president: Immediately resolve Palestine-Israel conflict according to UN-agreed parameters

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Nazarudin Latif 2023.10.1

Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the seaport of Gaza City, in Gaza, Oct. 10, 2023.

Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the seaport of Gaza City, in Gaza, Oct. 10, 2023.

[Mohammed Salem/Reuters]

UPDATED at 10:48 a.m. EDT on 2023-10-11

As fighting raged for another day in a new war in the Middle East, Indonesia’s president said Tuesday that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should be resolved according to United Nations-agreed parameters on “Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands.”

In his first public comments since Hamas fighters struck Israel on Saturday and the Israeli military hit back hard, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, leader of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, urged an end to the bloodshed.

“Indonesia calls for the war and violence be stopped immediately to avoid further human casualties and destruction of property because the escalation of the conflict can cause greater humanitarian impact,” Jokowi said in a statement.

“The root cause of the conflict, which is the occupation of Palestinian land by Israel, must be resolved immediately in accordance with the parameters that have been agreed upon by the U.N.”

Indonesia staunchly supports the Palestinian cause and does not have diplomatic ties with Israel.

On Tuesday, Israel intensified its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, where more than 2 million Palestinians live, and threatened to inflict a heavy toll on Hamas, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Hamas fighters had launched a surprise attack on Saturday from Gaza, using drones, rockets, missiles and assault weapons to breach the border fence and infiltrate towns in southern Israel.

Jokowi said his government was working to protect Indonesian citizens in Palestinian territories, especially 10 in Gaza. The foreign ministry said there were 275 Indonesians in Israel and Palestinian areas, with most of them there for religious purposes.

The Indonesian government has prepared a contingency plan to evacuate its citizens from the region in coordination with various parties through its embassies in Amman, Beirut and Cairo, the foreign ministry said.

AFP.jpg
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (right) speaks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, May 11, 2023. [Willy Kurniawan/Pool/AFP]
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi had been in touch with several countries and international organizations to seek an end to the violence, ministry spokesman Lalu Muhammad Iqbal said.

“The focus of the Indonesian government at the moment is the humanitarian situation, especially how to push for efforts to stop the escalation of violence and avoid more civilian casualties,” Iqbal told reporters.

In neighboring Malaysia on Tuesday, the country’s football association said that the Palestinian football team had withdrawn from a tournament in the Southeast Asian nation because of the “tense situation” in Gaza.

Separately, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said late Monday that he had discussed Palestine-Israel developments with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Also on Monday, the Malaysian government announced it would allocate 1 million ringgit (U.S. $211,423) in humanitarian aid for Palestinians.

The war has already left at least 1,600 people dead on both sides – possibly many more – according to AP. Israel has also said that Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza had taken more than 150 soldiers and civilians captive.

The conflict is likely to worsen in the coming days. Israel increased the number of reservists to 360,000 on Tuesday, and there were reports that the military might launch a ground assault into Gaza.

On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres had strong words for both Hamas and Israel as he condemned what he called “the abhorrent attacks by Hamas and others against Israeli towns and villages in the Gaza periphery.”

“This most recent violence does not come in a vacuum. The reality is that it grows out of a long-standing conflict, with a 56-year long occupation and no political end in sight,” the U.N. chief said in remarks to the press.

“It’s time to end this vicious circle of bloodshed, hatred and polarization.”

ID-pic-3 (1).jpg
Women mourn during the funeral of Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli shelling in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 10, 2023. [Said Khatib/AFP]
Evacuation of Thais begins Wednesday

Meanwhile, six more Thai citizens were confirmed killed in the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, taking the death toll of Thais in the conflict to 18, Kanchana Patarachoke, a Thai foreign ministry spokeswoman, told reporters.

Nine Thais were reported injured with 11 said to be abducted, she added.

“The fighting continues in Israel, particularly around the Gaza Strip. Both sides clashed as the Israelis had been attempting to regain control, cutting power grids and water supplies,” Kanchana said.

“Both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv came under attacks, while the Israelis launched offensives into Palestine.”

On Monday, the deputy Thai foreign minister said he had asked Egypt and the Palestinian Authority to help release the Thai hostages.

“As far as we discussed with partners, Hamas would not harm foreigners because they are not involved [in the disputes] and it does not want to expand the disputes,” Kanchana said, referring to other agencies the Thai government is coordinating with.

More than 4,533 Thais were working in areas of southern Israel close to the Gaza Strip as of August, according to the Thai Ministry of Labor. There are about 30,000 Thais working throughout Israel, according to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kanchana said that 3,226 had signed up to return home after the fighting broke out Saturday.

The first group of 15 evacuees was expected to leave Israel on Wednesday via an Israeli commercial flight and arrive in Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok a day later. Another group of 80 Thais is expected to be evacuated on Oct. 18, Kanchana said.

ID-pic-4.jpg
An Israeli firefighter kneels to recompose himself after he and his colleagues extinguished cars set on fire by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon, Israel, Oct. 9, 2023. [Ohad Zwigenberg/AP]
In the Philippines, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said Tuesday that the safety of the more than 30,000 Filipinos living and working in Israel remains a priority for the government.

There are approximately 40,000 Filipinos in Israel, but only 25,000 are legally documented, according to labor and migrant groups.

The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv said that six Filipinos were still missing – two men and four women – while one remains in hospital being treated for moderate injuries sustained during the rescue operation.

“Coordinating with Israeli authorities and local contacts, the embassy is exhausting all available means to ascertain the condition of the still missing Filipinos,” the embassy said.

The situation is expected to only get worse, said Manoch Aree, an assistant professor at Srinakharinwirot University in Bangkok.

“Today’s troubles do not lie only on Israel and Palestine but their respective allies – making the situation uncertain,” he said.

“Following the aerial bombardment, I believe the ground troops will move in, unless they change their mind. If Israel eventually occupies the Gaza Strip, Palestine’s allies may likely join the war.”

Tria Dianti and Pizaro Gozali Idrus in Jakarta, Nontarat Phaicharoen in Bangkok, and BenarNews staff in Manila contributed to this report.

CORRECTION: An earlier version incorrectly reported that more than 4,533 Thais were working in Israel as of August 2023.

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TerrorismWest Papua

Concern grows in Papua over the safety of kidnapped pilot, as journalists struggle to verify information

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On the program today: Source HERE

Papua journalist Victor Mambor said the media are struggling to verify information about a recent attack that killed Indonesian soldiers who were searching for a kidnapped New Zealand pilot.

A merry-go-around of diplomatic visits has started in Solomon Islands with the arrival of New Zealand’s 52-member delegation led by the country’s deputy prime minister.

Australia’s former counsel general to New Caledonia said the competition of talks between France and pro-independence and anti-independence factions marks a big step in resolving differences in the territory.

A small-scale trial of Ocean Thermal Energy is underway in the Marshall Islands this year but could it work on an industrial scale?

And Tonga’s native Malau bird is one of the last surviving of its kind and now efforts to save it have been turned into a new book.

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TerrorismVanuatu

Indonesia ‘makes humanitarianism illegal’ for West Papuans – 20 arrests

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Asia Pacific Report

Twenty West Papuans who were fundraising for the victims of tropical cyclones in Vanuatu were today arrested by Indonesian police in Jayapura, the Papuan provincial capital, claims a West Papuan advocacy group.

“This was a peaceful, compassionate action, with Papuans taking to the streets to raise money for those affected by this latest Pacific natural disaster,” said Benny Wenda, interim president of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), in a statement.

“The Indonesian response was to disband the march at the barrel of a gun.

Vanuatu was hit by two successive cyclones within 24 hours earlier this month. Homes and schools were destroyed, many were forced to flee to evacuation centres, and people lost access to water and electricity for several days.

West Papuans see ni-Vanuatu as “family” — “we naturally want to support them in their hour of need, just as they have always supported us in ours,” said Wenda.

“By criminalising this act of solidarity, Indonesia has demonstrated it will not accept any form of Papuan assembly or self-expression.”

Not political protest

Wenda said this was not a political protest. Participants did not raise the Morning Star flag or call for independence.

“They only raised awareness and money for a fellow black Melanesian nation that has always supported the West Papuan struggle.

“Indonesia, like the ULMWP, is a member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) along with Vanuatu. They have an obligation to allow West Papuans to raise money to stop the suffering of their fellow member.”

Indonesia has behaved like this before.

In March 2015, after Vanuatu was hit by a large cyclone, Papuans in the Yahukimo regency held a similar solidarity fundraiser. In response, police violently broke up the meeting, shooting six Papuan civilians and killing one.

“We must remember that climate change is the sole reason Vanuatu is so vulnerable to cyclones and other natural disasters. Despite producing zero carbon emissions, Vanuatu is being punished for the actions of rich countries and big corporations,” Wenda said.

“West Papuans stand with all Pacific nations in our joint fight against this existential threat. Our island is the lung of the world, with its third largest rainforest and thousands of unique plants and animals.

‘Ripping down forests’

“But Indonesia is ripping down our forests and mountains to build highways, mines, and palm oil plantations.

“To fight for climate justice we must also fight for West Papuan independence and the fulfillment of our Green State Vision.”

Wenda said he also wanted to alert the world about the alleged murder of another Papuan child. Enius Tabuni, a 12-year-old boy, was killed by Indonesian soldiers who then videoed his dead body, branded him as “OPM” — the Papuan Freedom Movement.

“The way that Tabuni was killed is the logical conclusion of Indonesia labelling OPM and all Papuan resistance fighters as ‘terrorists’. If we are stigmatised as terrorists, then we can be killed like terrorists.”

Criminalising this act of solidarity

“By criminalising this act of solidarity, Indonesia has demonstrated it will not accept any form of Papuan assembly or self-expression,” says ULMWP president Benny Wenda. A wall poster displays the Vanuatu flag. Image: ULMWP

Tabuni was not OPM — he was a schoolboy, said Wenda.

“His death is a continuation of the last few years, as Indonesian occupation forces have committed unprecedented atrocities against civilians,” he said. Other incidents cited:

“None of these people were combatants. The Indonesian occupation kills all West Papuans equally.”

‘Deliberately targeting’ youth

In an attempt to crush the Papuan spirit, Indonesia was “deliberately targeting” the next generation of West Papuans, Wenda claimed.

“This kind of military violence is the reason that 100,000 West Papuans have been forcibly displaced since 2019, and why tens of thousands are still in the bush, unable to return to their homes,” he said.

Wenda reiterated his call for Indonesia to immediately withdraw their military from West Papua.

“Demilitarising West Papua is a precondition for this situation to be resolved peacefully. They must also release all 20 Papuans arrested today, alongside all political prisoners including Victor Yeimo.

“International journalists must be allowed to report on West Papua.

“Lastly, I repeat the call of 84 countries for Indonesia to finally allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit West Papua.”

This was an important moment for the world to reflect on what Indonesia was doing to West Papua, Wenda said.

“In reclaiming our sovereignty, we are aiming to restore our fundamental human rights – the right to show solidarity, to exercise freedom of assembly, and the rights of our children to live without fear.”

The Jakarta government had not responded at press time.

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Kyle Larson’s comeback brings him to the brink of NASCAR championship

by admin
written by admin

A wonderful world with with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me.

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To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it?

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When I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and flies, then I feel.

Everyone realizes why a new common language would be desirable: one could refuse to pay expensive translators. To achieve this, it would be necessary to have uniform grammar, pronunciation and more common words. If several languages coalesce, the grammar of the resulting language is more simple and regular than that of the individual languages. The new common language will be more simple and regular than the existing European languages. It will be as simple as Occidental; in fact, it will be Occidental.

The European languages are members of the same family. Their separate existence is a myth. For science, music, sport, etc, Europe uses the same vocabulary. The languages only differ in their grammar, their pronunciation and their most common words.

MODERN NEWS & MAGAZINE

Everyone realizes why a new common language would be desirable: one could refuse to pay expensive translators. To achieve this, it would be necessary to have uniform grammar, pronunciation and more common words. If several languages coalesce, the grammar of the resulting language is more simple and regular than that of the individual languages. The new common language will be more simple and regular than the existing European languages. It will be as simple as Occidental; in fact, it will be Occidental.

 

To an English person, it will seem like simplified English, as a skeptical Cambridge friend of mine told me what Occidental is.The European languages are members of the same family. Their separate existence is a myth. For science, music, sport, etc, Europe uses the same vocabulary. The languages only differ in their grammar, their pronunciation and their most common words. Everyone realizes why a new common language would be desirable: one could refuse to pay expensive translators.

How To Achieve Zero Carbon Emission

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth.

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Terrorism

10 dietary tips to reduce heart disease and stroke risk, according to research

by admin
written by admin

A wonderful world with with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth, a thousand unknown plants are noticed by me.

DEVELOP THE ECONOMY 

When I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and flies, then I feel.

To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it?

Penci Design

When I hear the buzz of the little world among the stalks, and grow familiar with the countless indescribable forms of the insects and flies, then I feel.

Everyone realizes why a new common language would be desirable: one could refuse to pay expensive translators. To achieve this, it would be necessary to have uniform grammar, pronunciation and more common words. If several languages coalesce, the grammar of the resulting language is more simple and regular than that of the individual languages. The new common language will be more simple and regular than the existing European languages. It will be as simple as Occidental; in fact, it will be Occidental.

The European languages are members of the same family. Their separate existence is a myth. For science, music, sport, etc, Europe uses the same vocabulary. The languages only differ in their grammar, their pronunciation and their most common words.

MODERN NEWS & MAGAZINE

Everyone realizes why a new common language would be desirable: one could refuse to pay expensive translators. To achieve this, it would be necessary to have uniform grammar, pronunciation and more common words. If several languages coalesce, the grammar of the resulting language is more simple and regular than that of the individual languages. The new common language will be more simple and regular than the existing European languages. It will be as simple as Occidental; in fact, it will be Occidental.

 

To an English person, it will seem like simplified English, as a skeptical Cambridge friend of mine told me what Occidental is.The European languages are members of the same family. Their separate existence is a myth. For science, music, sport, etc, Europe uses the same vocabulary. The languages only differ in their grammar, their pronunciation and their most common words. Everyone realizes why a new common language would be desirable: one could refuse to pay expensive translators.

How To Achieve Zero Carbon Emission

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary, I throw myself down among the tall grass by the trickling stream; and, as I lie close to the earth.

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