International News

On Vacation

2005-12-28T00:54:00.000-05:00

This blog will resume after Christmas break...Thanks.

Right To Kill

2005-12-02T02:22:00.000-05:00

An Australian drug smuggler was executed on Thursday at Singapore’s Changi prison, three years after being arrested at the country’s airport with 400g (about 28 tablespoons) of heroin.

Nguyen Truong Van, 25, was an Australian citizen born in Vietnam, reason why his case had strong media coverage in Australia, where the opinions were divided among those who believed that he should not had been executed and those that did.

The Herald Sun News, a newspaper from Australia, published the sentiment of woman who attended Truong Van service in Australia:

"As a mother and a daughter and a sister and a friend and a human being, I just feel like I can't believe that something like this can still occur in such a modern age, that we can't come up with some better solutions to these sort of problems."

But Singapore’s High Commissioner in Australia, Joseph K H Koh voiced the opinion of Singapore officials on an interview for Radio Singapore International:

"Mr Nguyen was caught with 396 grams of pure heroin, enough for 26,000 ‘hits’, worth a street value of more than Australian $1,000,000.   Yes, he was transiting Singapore, and not smuggling drugs into the country, but Singapore simply cannot afford to allow itself to become a transit hub for illicit drugs in the region."

On the one hand, drugs kill people, so drug dealers should be punished. On the other hand, is death penalty necessary? Killing the dealers would not stop the mafia leaders from selling drugs, so how do we stop the problem? I don’t have answers for these questions, but I do believe that not even the government, from any nation, has the right to kill.

Sex Trade

2005-11-28T16:33:00.000-05:00

A London court found guilty of trafficking and prostitution offences four Albanian men involved in a sex trafficking business. The men, plus a fifth one who pleaded guilty before the trial, will be sentenced on Thursday.

Among the girls taken from their countries and forced to prostitution in London, the BBC interviewed two Lithuanian girls, one was 16 and the other 19.

Both girls were befriended by a man who offered them a fun trip to the United Kingdom with all the expenses paid.

They soon realized that the trip was no fun, and they endured months of servitude in different brothels, selling their bodies to estrangers but receiving next to nothing in pay.

Both girls were virgins when they left their towns. The 19-year-old girl remembers giving up her beautiful gift of innocence for about $69.

I wonder what kind of monster would agree to have sex with a girl who obviously looks scared.

Once the London police rescued the girls, they were send back to their towns.

This story has a happy ending, but it is far from the norm for women who are forced to sell their bodies in hope of a better life.

They are rapped and abused, and thrown away once they catch a disease or are too old to be wanted by the customers.

When the police finds those who shamefully recruit innocent girls and justice is done, I regain the hope that this might be a better world for future generations.

Blanket Immunity

2005-11-21T20:08:00.000-05:00

I don’t usually link articles from newspapers in the United States in this blog, but today’s article from The New York Times about the files from Guatemala’s National Police that were found last summer in a depot with missing doors and windows holds a place in international news.

The New York Times is one of the few newspapers that the human rights office in Guatemala has allowed to see the files, which “date back to more than a century and contain enough documents to stretch the length of 130 football fields.”

The documents might hold clues about cases that have not been resolved like assassinations and disappearances.

When I read the article I wondered why the Guatemala’s government had not destroyed the files instead of hiding them. My answer came at the end of the article:

"Impunity reigns in Guatemala," Heriberto Cifuentes said. "So whether there are documents or not, people responsible for crimes do not expect to pay for them. They have always enjoyed blanket immunity."

I agree with Cifuentes, a Guatemalan historian. Corrupt people who work for the government think that they are untouchable, that they can walk with their hands full of shame because they know that no one would be strong enough to scream for justice and the few that do get killed.

Thirty-six years of civil war were enough for Guatemala. It is time for peace and justice.

Bigger Conflict

2005-11-18T00:33:00.000-05:00

Raffi Berg reports in his BBC article “Israel’s ‘forgotten’ settlers” about the life of the Israelis who used to live in the Gaza strip before they were forced out of their homes under Israel’s disengagement plan.

They are now living in hotel rooms. They have no jobs, no money, no privacy and payments to make.

Their situation is hard, but somehow I feel that the problem is not that they are now living in hotel rooms, but the fact that they cannot live peacefully with Palestinians.

The conflict is not a new one, and no matter how much history there is behind it, blood is being shed today as much as it was shed years ago.

I came to the United States with my family in 1997. We landed in the Miami International Airport with our bags and a phone number -- the 10 digits of a family that helped us through our first moths in this country.

My first dinner was a big chocolate muffin and milk. I lived in a motel room with my family for two months. The owner of the motel recommended that we stayed in our rooms after 6 p.m., and so we did until we moved to an apartment.

Yes, I sympathize with the suffering of these Israelis, but these settlers are suffering economic needs, not violence or hunger.

Their problem must be resolved, but we must first focus in solving the bigger, much larger, conflict.

Out Of Proportion

2005-11-14T19:33:00.000-05:00

Mexican President Vicente Fox and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recalled their ambassadors on Monday.

Both presidents got into an argument (español) about the Free Trade Area of Americas proposal during this month’s Summit of Americas in Argentina.

The Venezuelan president opposes the U.S. backed proposal, while Fox defends it.

According to El Universal online (español), Fox criticized the Argentine government as well as the Venezuelan government while they were in Argentina.

In response, Chavez accused Fox on Friday of being a “puppy” for the United States.

Fox said that Chavez’s comments were attacks against the dignity of the Mexican people and ordered Chavez to retract.

But Chavez refused to do so, and both presidents recalled their respective ambassadors to their country.

According to an El Universal online article (español), the majority of the Mexican people do not feel offended by Chavez's remarks, and the two presidents are just taking this argument out of proportion -- I happen to agree.

Wake Up Call

2005-11-07T20:05:00.000-05:00

After 11 days of urban rioting in many French cities, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin announced on Monday a series of financial measures in favor of the run-down neighborhoods at the center of the riots.

The riots were a reaction to the accidental deaths of two teenagers in an electrical sub-station in a northern Paris suburb. The accident set off a chain attacks throughout several cities by disaffected youths complaining of poverty and discrimination.

I do not agree with violence, but what happens when a group of people accomplish positive changes through violent means?

BBC’s Henri Astier writes in his article that long-term neglect of the France’s impoverished suburbs caused this unrest because during those years the rich got richer and the poor got poorer.

Sadly, usually the poor are mostly immigrants or those who stand apart from the great majority--those who have a different background or color of skin.

France needed a wake up call: discrimination is still alive today.

Paperwork

2005-11-03T19:50:00.000-05:00

War between Ethiopia and Eritrea might erupt if the situation is not handled with care.

Both countries have sent troops to the demilitarized section of the border they share.

Eritrea was under Ethiopia’s control until 1993, when it gained its independence.

In 1998 war erupted over their mutual border, but both countries signed a peace agreement in 2000.

However, Ethiopia has failed to remove its troops from some of the areas awarded to Eritrea by an international demarcation commission.

The UN is preparing a resolution that should pressure Ethiopia into retrieving its troops and complying with the 2000 peace agreement.

But, critics say that previous, weak UN resolutions have done nothing to pressure Ethiopia.

It seems like the UN has done nothing but paperwork in many instances.

This international organization has the ability to make changes and avoid conflict between nations, so why is it that the UN sits on its paperwork instead of using its power?

History Check

2005-10-31T19:43:00.000-05:00

The ceremonies honoring Rosa Parks’s death at 92 became a news story around the world, including the BBC, Reuters, a Colombian newspaper and a South African newspaper.

Parks was prominent woman in the civil rights movement whose refusal to give up her seat to a white man in 1955 launched the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott. The boycott ended 381 days later, when the Supreme Court outlawed segregation on buses.

I read about Parks in my history classes in high school, but I always thought of the civil rights period as a “long time ago.” And to be honest, I didn’t even know that Parks was still alive.

It has been only 75 years since women became franchised and only about 40 since the civil rights era, and to me, that is a "long time ago"-- shame on me.

Prisoners

2005-10-27T09:28:00.002-04:00

A Federal judge said that lawyers must be told before their clients in the Guantanamo Bay jail are force-fed by the U.S. government.

Some Guantanamo Bay prisoners started a hunger strike in August, hoping to force U.S. authorities to either charge them with a crime or release them.

Most of the about 500 prisoners in the jail have been held for more than three years without being charged.

The prisoners are being held under suspicion of terrorism.

The United States says that there are only 26 detainees on the strike, but a human rights group says that there are more than 200.

Because the United States helped Cuba achieve its independence from Spain, the Platt Amendment of 1901 gave the United States permission to construct a naval base anywhere in Cuba.

The United States chose Guantanamo Bay.

I saw a documentary about Cuba’s leader, Fidel Castro, a couple months ago.

He said that the United States couldn’t complain about the way he treated political prisoners in Cuba because at least he had a reason to detain them.

I think he is right. The United States wants all countries to follow treaties and agreements protecting the rights of American prisoners, while it refuses to obey the same treaties.

I have friends in the military who are fighting in Iraq. I would like to know that their rights will be protected even if, God forbids, they become prisoners. Unfortunately, because of what the United States do with its prisoners, I know that that thought is unrealistic.

Kosovo

2005-10-25T00:11:00.000-04:00

The United Nations Security Council offered full support Monday for a proposal to open talks on the future of Kosovo.

People of different ethnic groups inhabit the region that after World War II became known as Yugoslavia, and Josip Broz Tito was the man in charge of keeping these almost-independent provinces – Kosovo among them – together.

However, after Tito died in 1980, the freedom that he gave to the provinces was greatly reduced, increasing the tension between the provinces and the Serbian-run government.

The provinces wanted their independence, and thus war erupted in the mid ‘90s, which led to the launching of NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia – mainly Kosovo and Serbia – in 1999.

For a long time, I believed that there were only two sides in a war: the good and the bad.

Then I learned about the former Yugoslavia and how these different ethnic groups draw each other off the land by raping the women, killing the children and burning families alive, among other atrocities.

Yes, there were good and bad people, but they did not belong to a specific group, there were good and bad within each group.

Kosovo has been administered by the UN since NATO-led troops expelled Serb forces in 1999 to end the war there, and there are cities that still do not have power or whose rubble has not been picked up.

It is time for the UN to move on and to put an end on the conflict. This is a good step toward that end.

Syria

2005-10-21T01:32:00.000-04:00

According to a UN report, Syria was involved in the assassination of former Lebanese President Rafiq Al Hariri.

Based on this report, the United States and France want to introduce UN resolutions holding Syria accountable for allegedly meddling with Lebanon and taking part in Hariri’s assassination.

The United States also accuses Syria of doing too little to stop foreign fighters from entering neighboring Iraq.

Because of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's statements to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, it seems that the United States is getting ready for war against Syria and Iran.

Among other things, she said that President Bush would not need Congress's authorization to use military force against Iraq’s neighbors.

Lebanon is a free country, and I don’t see why we have to send our troops to Syria with the excuse that Syria is meddling with Lebanon. Maybe there could be an excuse in saying that Syrians are helping terrorists, but if it is hard for the United States to screen terrorists, I am sure it is harder for Syria.

Besides, how do you check for a terrorist? What are the specific features of a terrorist?

The Daily Star stated in today’s editorial, “there will be those who will want to exploit the [UN] report and who will twist it and turn it, reinventing and exploiting it for their personal gain.”

I think the Bush administration is doing just that.

Rethoric

2005-10-17T19:23:00.000-04:00

Venezuelan President (español) Hugo Chavez and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe criticized the United States and the United Kingdom Monday.

It is not the first time that these leaders accuse (español) the United States and the United Kingdom of destroying world resources and using capitalism to oppress other nations.

I agree with some of the accusations of these leaders, but I also believe that some of the methods that they use to “help” their people, such as land reform, are not the best for their country.

I think that it is wrong for a small percent of the world to own most of this planet’s resources while the great majority starves and suffers, but what these leaders ask for is unrealistic.

The great majority of the population would not stop drinking Starbucks coffee or using their iPods to start again from zero.

Something must be done to stop world hunger, but rhetoric with an emphasis on religion is not the solution.

Suicide?

2005-10-14T01:35:00.000-04:00

Did Syria’s Interior Minister Ghazi Kenaan commit suicide or did the Syrian government kill him?

As The Daily Star article stated, this is just another political enigma.

It is unknown whether Kenaan was involved in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The problem is that if he was, then the Syrian government was too because Kenaan was a key Syrian political player in Lebanon (among his many positions, he was the head of Syria’s military intelligence in Lebanon until 2002).

Because of his political importance, people believe that the Syrian government might have had something to do with his “suicide.”

On the other hand, Kenaan was interrogated by the UN regarding the killing of Hariri last month, and the pressure carried over by the UN investigation might have trigger Kenaan’s suicide.

But, regardless of the reason of Kenaan’s death, the truth is that if Lebanese citizens blame the Syrian government for Hariri’s and Kenaan’s death, is because they have no trust in it.

Syrians then, have overstayed their welcome, and they need to leave.

Guatemala; Worst-Hit Country

2005-10-10T22:32:00.000-04:00

I was born in Guatemala City and lived there until I was eight. I don’t remember a lot from my country, but my heart aches when I see fellow Guatemalans suffering.

Tropical Storm Stan caused mudslides in many Guatemalan cities, affecting about 3.5 million people.

There are entire cities under water and officials have lost hope of finding people alive.

I am familiar with these places, for I visited some of them when I was younger.

Although this is a tragedy, I am happy to read about people helping those who are suffering.

Cuba, for instance, is sending doctors to help the victims.

It's good to know that, after all, helping others is also part of human nature.

Fujimori

2005-10-07T07:55:00.000-04:00

Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori intends (español) to run for president in 2006.

Fujimori left Peru because his government was accused of misusing public funds and the killing of Shining Path guerrilla members.

Why would anyone in his right mind run for presidency after five years of exile?

Fujimori is a corrupt man who did not help Peruvians during his presidency, so why would he do it now?

He is better off thousands of miles away from Peru, where he cannot harm its citizens.

Nuclear War?

2005-10-03T19:47:00.000-04:00

An Aljazeera columnist announced Monday that “Two more U.S. wars are underway.”

The author accuses the Bush administration of wanting to start a war with Iran and North Korea just to achieve a weapons-of-mass-destruction monopoly.

Have we not learn from the past, from Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

There is no such thing as a WMD monopoly, and there would never be one because no country is naïve enough to let a superpower have all the weapons.

If the United States pushes Iran, there is no doubt that Iran will also respond with war.

Our soldiers have sworn to protect us, but in return they asked to be sent to fight for worthy causes, not to defend lies. I hope that President Bush hears their plead.

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it." –Santayana

I Worry

2005-09-29T23:32:00.001-04:00

Fetuses were found (español) in a Colombian airport Thursday.

A couple of years ago, I met a journalist who discovered that cartels were taking drugs out of Guatemala inside babies. They would kill the babies, fill them up with drugs and take them out of the country without trouble.

Maybe this time the fetuses were not filled with drugs, and their destiny was indeed a satanic sect in Miami, but I can’t help to think that there is a correlation in the way the lives of babies were taken away from this world.

Were the mothers aware of the destiny of their offspring?

Were the fathers responsible for the death of their child?

I can’t answer those questions, but as I ponder about the answers, I also worry about the future of my offspring.
---
BBC article

Help Is On The Way

2005-09-26T23:23:00.000-04:00

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund agreed to cancel as much as $55 billion in loans to as many as 40 impoverished nations.

In the African Experience class I took this summer, I learned that industrialized countries had a great impact on the underdevelopment of today’s Third-World nations. For example, the World Bank would lend these nations money under the condition that the money was spend on specific projects. If the governments accepted, instead of letting them use the help as they “saw it fit,” the World Bank forced them to build, for instance, roads that no one needed but somehow “promoted development.”

A professor who lived in Africa for most of his life once told me that he resented the fact that people would go to Africa to impose the “American” way of life, without realizing that Africans do not need to follow North-American traditions to be happy.

I also learned that the same happened in many Latin American countries that are now underdeveloped, including Nicaragua who now might benefit (español) from the World Bank offer.

Maybe this time help is really on its way, without attachments or hidden agendas.

Never Again

2005-09-22T19:13:00.000-04:00

Will the little ones, our little ones, remember the horrors of a war that happened 60 years ago?

Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor who dedicated his life to hunting Nazi war criminals, died on Tuesday after a long illness. The cause of his death is unknown.

During high school, I once listened to the testimony of a Holocaust survivor. He was on the verge of tears as he related how every single member of his family was consumed by hunger and disease. But when he mentioned the possibility of future generations forgetting what happened to him -- and millions like him -- tears streamed down his face.

The world said “never again” to the former Yugoslavia and to Rwanda, yet genocide is still going on throughout the world -- a clear example being Sudan.

I want my little ones to be free from prejudices and hate, but I want them to remember.

Germany's Elections

2005-09-19T22:40:00.000-04:00

Germans showed respect for their country Sunday by using their right to elect a leader. Yes, executing one’s right to vote in a democratic country is good for the soul, and it shows one’s respect for those who died to protect freedom. The turnout for Sunday’s election (español) was 77.7 percent, and although Germany still does not have a leader, it accomplished a higher turnout of voters than America did in the past election – only 54 percent.

Germans are divided between Angela Merkel, yes — a woman, and Gerhard Schröder, current chancellor. If Merkel or Schröder reach a coalition with other parties, the one with the higher votes will win. If none of them do, Germany will have elections again.

Sudan

2005-09-16T08:46:00.000-04:00

Sudan is a country that has been at war since 1955, a year before it achieved its independence from Great Britain. Sudan’s civil war is a complicated topic, encompassing a series of issues like the economy, religion and the legacy of Great Britain’s colonialism. Certainly, the south has its right to fight to defend its oil reserves, its Christian minority and those who practice African religions. And the north has a right to fight for the unity of the nation – by any means necessary. But no matter who is right and who is wrong, after so many years of fighting and more than 1.5 million casualties the national army and the rebels need to stop.

Sudanese children deserve a future. They deserve to stop suffering or dying from hunger. They deserve to play with dolls and balls, not with guns and death. The government has negotiated with the rebels many times and it is doing it again, let’s just hope that this time those talks become tangible dreams of peace and hope.

Chile Remembers

2005-09-16T02:26:00.000-04:00

Sunday was the 32th anniversary of Augusto Pinochet’s military coup that ousted the first socialist-elected president in Latin America — Salvador Allende. Since that day, Pinochet, a CIA-sponsored dictator who was the head of the Chilean military during Allende’s presidency, ruled the country for 17 years. During his dictatorship thousands of Chileans disappeared — died in the hands of savages who raped women, sold the children of pregnant mothers and tortured fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, etc. in such despicable ways that the human mind cannot even bear to read.

Pinochet claims no knowledge of the outrages committed by the DINA, Chile’s secret police. And until now, Pinochet has had impunity as a former head of state and has been declared mentally incapacitated to stand in trial, but the Chile’s Supreme Court might finally withdraw his privileges and allow justice to be done.

According to the latest report, Sunday’s commemoration of Sept. 11, 1973 brought violence to several cities in Chile, leaving one dead, 120 arrests and 41 wounded police officers — proving that the country’s economic wealth attributed to Pinochet is not enough to make Chileans forget their pain.

Once Pinochet is made accountable for his actions, all the people under him who betrayed Chile will also pay for their sins, and maybe, Chile will be able to remember the past without more deaths.