World News Roundup
ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2015
16INTERNATIONAL
Myanmar
Subcontinent
Island ban
Opposition‘faults’ pollYANGON, Oct 11, (Agencies): Asparsely populated cluster of IndianOcean islands has become theunlikely focus of allegations thatMyanmar’s government is spikingthe chances of democracy iconAung San Suu Kyi’s oppositionparty in next month’s landmark
general election.Both the rul-
ing UnionSolidarity andD e v e l o p m e n tParty (USDP)and the Nobelpeace laureate’sNational Leaguefor Democracy(NLD) havefielded candi-dates on the
Coco Islands, an archipelago offMyanmar’s west coast and thecountry’s smallest parliamentaryconstituency.
But NLD parliamentary nomineeWin Min has been prevented fromgoing to the Coco Islands, where themain installation is a naval base,making it almost impossible for himto canvas for votes in the Nov 8 poll.
The allegations undermine thesemi-civilian government’s insis-tence that the election will beMyanmar’s first free and fair pollfor 25 years, a milestone in its tran-sition from military dictatorship todemocracy that will be closelywatched by the international com-munity.
Restricted “I believe if they let me go there,
I will win,” said Win Min during aninterview in Yangon, where he hasrecently been racking up a largemobile phone bill making calls tovoters on the islands about 300 km(190 miles) away.
The Coco Islands are a restrictedarea and transport links are sparse.A military plane flies every twoweeks from Yangon, while a navyship and a state-owned boat alsomake occasional trips.
Win Min said he made plansthree times to visit the islands sincethe campaign started on Sept. 8,once by boat and twice by plane.His scheduled boat trip was abrupt-ly canceled while he was waiting toboard. He was told there was nospace on two subsequent flights tothe island.
Win Min told Reuters that herented a boat and had planned to setsail on his own on Sunday to theislands, a 36-hour journey fromYangon, but the government with-drew permission for the trip.
Win Min’s USDP rival, ThetSwe, who until August served ascommander-in-chief of the navy,has been able to campaign freely onthe island.
Although there are no reliableopinion polls, the USDP — whichincludes many members ofMyanmar’s former junta — isexpected to be beaten in many partsof the country by the NLD.
However, the Coco Islands seatis considered to be a relatively easywin for the ruling party because ofthe development projects it hasrolled out there and because manyof the voters are military personnelor government officials.
Western diplomats say the partyhas used a variety of tactics to tripup NLD candidates, but most overt-ly in seats where it wants to ensurea victory for its prominent leaders.
Three senior USDP officials atparty headquarters in the capital,Naypyitaw, declined to commenton why only their candidate wasallowed access to the Coco Islands.
Decision Thet Swe could not be reached
for comment.The election commission says it
has no say over whether the NLDcandidate can visit the islands, and thedecision is up to the Yangon regionalgovernment. Officials in the govern-ment of the country’s main city couldnot be reached for comment.
“It is quite clear they don’t wantus campaigning there,” said WinHtein, a senior NLD official, whoaccused authorities of “playing vol-leyball” with complaints filed byhis party.
Win Min sent campaign materi-als, notebooks emblazoned withSuu Kyi’s image and NLD head-bands, on a cargo ship bound forthe islands last month.
Hla Tun, a retired navy surgeon,and his wife have set up an NLDbranch on Great Coco, the only inhab-ited island in the group. They havebeen quietly distributing the materi-als, but face also face challenges.
“USDP members on the islandare carrying out a whisper cam-paign, saying that those who votefor the NLD will get in trouble,”Hla Tun told Reuters by phone.
The island’s population is around1,900, according to census data.Most are military families, civil ser-vants and workers brought to theisland to construct an airport. Allrequire permission from authoritiesto come and go, a regulation thatWin Min says he would abolish.
Supporters of Pakistani cricketer-turned-opposition leader Imran Khan wave flags of the Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, or Pakistan Movement for Justice, during a campaign meeting in Lahoreahead of the by-election for NA-122, a constituency for the National Assembly of Pakistan, to be held on Oct 11. (Inset): Imran Khan waves to supporters. (AFP)
In this photograph received from theIndian Presidential Palace on Oct 10,Indian President Pranab Mukherjee(left), walks with King Abdullah ofJordan ahead of a meeting at the AlHusseinieh Palace in Amman. IndianPresident Pranab Mukherjee is on an
official visit to Jordan. (AFP)
Sharif Oli
PM pushes new peace talks:Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifon Saturday said he is trying to revivepeace talks with the Taleban after the lat-est round was derailed by untimely newsof the death of leader Mullah Omar.
Islamabad organised the first set ofdirect peace talks between the Talebanand the Afghan government in July, butanother round was abandoned after theannouncement of the cleric’s death.
Since then the insurgents haveunleashed a wave of violence, includingseizing the northern Afghan provincialcapital Kunduz in their most spectacularvictory since being toppled from power in2001.
“We are now trying to resume the(peace) process and pray to God to crownour efforts with success”, Sharif said intelevised remarks to the media from theeastern city of Lahore.
“The news of Mullah Omar should nothave been broken just before the start ofthe second round of talks”.
Pakistan has historically supported theTaleban insurgents and many Afghansaccuse it of nurturing militant sanctuarieson its soil in the hope of maintaininginfluence in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s deputy army chief thisweek said Pakistan’s military had helpedthe Taleban to capture Kunduz andPakistani generals had escaped the citywearing burqas — a claim they denied.
News of Mullah Omar’s death created arift among the Islamist insurgents, afterthey admitted that the death of the talis-manic one-eyed group founder had beenkept secret for two years. (AFP)
❑ ❑ ❑
Swaraj visits Maldives: India’s
India
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajvisited the Maldives on Saturday amid signsof reviving relations with the neighboringarchipelago state whose leaning towardChina had angered the regional giant.
Swaraj arrived in the capital Male andwill lead the India-Maldives Joint
Commission on Sunday, the Maldives for-eign ministry said in a statement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlierthis year avoided Maldives in his tour ofneighboring island states. He didn’t state aspecific reason, however it was seen as anattempt to avoid controversy amid politi-
cal turmoil in the Maldives following thearrest of a pro-India ex-president and thecountry’s increasing leaning towardChina.
Former President Mohamed Nasheedhas since been convicted of ordering themilitary detention of a top judge while in
Pakistani women drive pink auto-rickshaws during a rally in Lahore on Oct 10.The streets of the Pakistani city of Lahore were tickled pink when a group ofwomen staged a rose-coloured ‘rickshaw rally’ for female empowerment.Driven by female representatives from local social groups and charities, thebright pink, covered three-wheeled motorcycles zipped through the city in a bid
to highlight the challenges faced by Pakistani women. (AFP)
Suu Kyi
Pakistani ‘rickshaw’rally call for equalityLAHORE, Pakistan, Oct 11,(AFP): The streets of the Pakistanicity of Lahore were tickled pink onSaturday, when a group of womenstaged a rose-coloured “rickshawrally” for female empowerment.
Driven by female representa-tives from local social groups andcharities, the bright pink, coveredthree-wheeled motorcycleszipped through the city in a bid tohighlight the challenges faced byPakistani women.
The project is the brain child ofZar Aslam, president of non-prof-it Environment Protection Fund(EPF), who launched the serviceexclusively for women after yearsof being harassed by male rick-shaw drivers.
office three years ago and sentenced to 13years in prison. (AP)
❑ ❑ ❑
Oli named new Nepal PM: VeteranKP Sharma Oli was chosen as Nepal’snew prime minister Sunday, charged withunifying the quake-hit nation after theadoption of a new constitution triggereddeadly protests and a border blockade.
Oli won 338 votes in a parliamentaryballot, easily defeating rival candidateSushil Koirala who took 249, after hestepped down as premier as required bythe constitution adopted on Sept 24.
“I announce that respected member KPSharma Oli has been elected to the post ofNepal’s prime minister”, speaker SubashChandra Nembang told the parliament toloud cheers and claps.
Oli of the Communist Party of Nepal(Unified Marxist Leninist) has vowed tospeed up rebuilding after an earthquakehit the impoverished nation in April andclaimed nearly 8,900 lives.
“Our country has been devastated bythe earthquake. I will accelerate the recon-struction process”, he told lawmakersahead of the vote.
The 63-year-old will also have to quellcontinuing protests over the new constitu-tion and end a blockade which has led tonationwide fuel rationing.
The constitution is aimed at bolsteringthe Himalayan country’s transformation toa peaceful democracy after decades ofpolitical instability and a civil war. (AFP)
Communalism threatened country’s economic growth: PM
With BJP rule, beef grows more politicalNEW DELHI, Oct 11, (AP): The leg-islator was full of outrage when hearrived in the north Indian village daysafter the killing of a Muslim farmerwho was rumored to have slaughteredcows. A Hindu mob had smashedthrough the heavy wooden door to theman’s home, then beat him to deathwith his wife’s sewing machine.
The legislator’s anger, though, wasnot about the killing. Instead, SangeetSom was furious that men had beenarrested in the attack in the village,just 30 miles from New Delhi. Som, amember of India’s ruling BharatiyaJanata Party, called the arrests “atroci-ties on innocent villagers.” As for thefamily of the dead man, he dismissedthem as “those cow killers.”
A few days later, a half-dozen BJPpoliticians slapped around a legislatoron the floor of a state legislature,angry that he had served beef at aparty. In south India, six members of aleftist student political party were sus-pended after their attempt to servebeef curry on campus to protest thefarmer’s killing set off a melee. OnFriday, violence swept another north-ern village amid rumors that a cow hadbeen slaughtered, with a crowd, whohad chased down two Muslim menthey suspected of cow-killing, clash-ing with police and burning severalcars. Some villagers and police wereinjured, but no major injuries werereported.
Cows have long been sacred toHindus, worshipped as a mother figureand associated since ancient timeswith the god Krishna. But increasing-ly, cows are also political. They havebecome a tool of political parties, anelectioneering code word and a rally-
ing cry for both Hindu nationalists andtheir opponents.
On Thursday, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi broke his silence onthe late September mob killing ofMohammad Akhlaq, saying commu-nalism threatened the country’s eco-nomic growth.
“We should decide if Hindus wantto fight Muslims or poverty. Muslimsmust decide if they want to fightHindus or poverty,” Modi said at acampaign rally in Bihar state, whereelections start next week. “It is unity,communal harmony, brotherhood andpeace that will take the nation for-ward.”
But Modi also rose to power asHindu nationalist, and since his elec-tion last year hard-line Hindus havebeen demanding that India ban the saleof beef — a key industry withinIndia’s poor, minority Muslim com-munity. In many Indian states, theslaughtering of cows and selling ofbeef are already either restricted orbanned.
AngrilyIn the past, Modi has spoken out
angrily against India’s beef industry.“Brothers and sisters, I don’t know
whether this saddens you, but my heartscreams out” at the rise of Indian beefexports, Modi said in a 2012 speech.“I am unable to understand why youare silent, why you are taking thislying down.”
Since becoming prime minister,though, he has danced delicatelybetween an intense desire to be seen asa tolerant international statesman —the sort of man who is greeted warmlyby presidents and jokes around with
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg — andthe need to satisfy a political base thatis deeply distrustful of Muslims andother minorities.
That dance has, his critics say,emboldened extremist Hindus andgiven rise to everything from a seriesof church vandalisms to the recentmob killing. Criticism of cow slaugh-ter, some say, is often simply code foranti-Muslim sentiments.
India, a country of 1.3 billion, isabout 81 percent Hindu and 13 percentMuslim.
Strong“I am afraid the hotheads will get
busier. They are greatly encouragedand their strength is rather strong,”said Inder Malhotra, a political analystand former editor of the Times of Indianewspaper. “One of the reasons thisprime minister keeps quiet about it, isthat he doesn’t want to lose theseHindus, because they are a very strongproportion of his supporters.”
He criticized Modi for not speakingmore strongly against the recent mobattack, and for his silence about com-ments like Som’s. “Modi has not saida word against those in his party whohave been making the most obnoxiousstatements,” Malhotra said.
Authorities are still investigatingafter the arrrests of eight villagers forAkhlaq’s death, but announced Fridaythat the meat found in his home turnedout to be mutton — not beef.Meanwhile Som, the Hindu firebrandand avowed strict vegetarian, hasdenied media reports that he onceowned part of a major Indian meatexport company. The company exportsgoat and buffalo meat, but apparently
not beef.Amid so much rancor, it is not hard
to find people sympathetic to theattack on Akhlaq.
“We should drink cow’s milk, notits blood,” Ram Mandal Das, a priestat a Hindu temple in New Delhi thatalso shelters abandoned cows, saidFriday. “If someone attacks mothercow, or eats it, then this sort of reac-tion should happen,” he said ofAkhlaq’s killing. “It is justified.”
Modi supporters see some oppo-nents as deliberately provokingHindus. Some “beef parties” — whenbeef is eaten in defiance of local laws— are clearly intended to invite abacklash and score political pointsagainst the BJP.
Such actions “have pushed a socie-ty that worships the cow as mother toquestion the real motives of the secu-lars,” Tarun Vijay, a member of parlia-ment and top BJP official, wroterecently in The Indian Express.
He also criticized the killing ofAkhlaq, writing: “Lynching a personmerely on suspicion is absolutelywrong.” ((Maybe: “Vijay left unsaid ifhe felt lynching was justified if there isevidence of cow slaughter.”??)
The public bitterness on both sideshides the reality of much of Indian life,where Hindus and Muslims can livealongside one another for decadeswithout incident.
In Akhlaq’s village, for example,more than 100 Hindu villagers trekkedto his family’s home a few days afterthe attack, to urge his family not tomove away. Hindu leaders alsopledged to ensure that upcomingMuslim marriages went ahead withoutincident.
