EDITORIAL : THE ASHARQ ALAWSAT, published in LONDON

Yemen: The forbidden has occurred

Divisions have appeared in the ranks of the military leadership in Yemen, and likewise there have been resignations in the Yemeni diplomatic corps, which means that the forbidden has occurred. If the social contract in Yemen is disbanded, God forbid, then what is happening in Libya will be a mere picnic compared to what will happen there.
We gave warnings about Yemen, and the situation in the country, and many others also issued warnings, but Yemen is not the only neglected Arab concern. There are several countries [in critical situations], and it seems that the hour of reckoning has now arrived, and the outstanding issues have today returned once more. Yemen's problem seems to be endemic of the wider political culture in our region today, which I and many others have described as being a [political] deluge. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who once said that ruling Yemen was like dancing with snakes, continues to cling to power after more than three decades in power. The President continues to hold all the strings in the Yemeni [political] game, which has become increasingly complex, and any attempts to resolve the situation today will only lead to further collapse, because the strings in the Yemeni [political] game are already frayed and worn due to extensive manipulation.
The Yemeni crisis was not handled wisely, or with caution, namely via the secure transfer of power. Instead, the Yemeni President announced that the bulk of the people were with him, and that he would not be removed from power. As a result of this, Yemen's future will be disastrous, as this [President Saleh's position] is nothing more than a repeat of mistakes that we have seen before. We have seen such mistakes in Ben Ali's "I understand you" speech, or when the Egyptian regime argued that when considering a population of more than 80 million, 1 million protestors taking to the streets was not representative [of the will of the people], however in spite of this Mubarak was still removed from power. In Syria, there are demands for freedom and reform, and the government response has been to utilize the army. This is also a repeat of the Egyptian error, where demands began with the slogans "dignity and freedom…social justice", and the regime responded with excessive police violence, and matters ended with the ouster of the regime. Likewise, we also heard Gaddafi tell his people: "Who are you [the protestors]? There are millions with Muammar [Gaddafi]", however here he is today under international bombardment. However Yemen is not Libya, for Yemen will be transformed into a living hell, for the Yemenis and the Arab Gulf, particularly Saudi Arabia [should Saleh continue to make the same mistakes]. Not only are Al Qaeda and the Huthi rebels present in Yemen, but there are also numerous tribes, an armed civilian population, and those in the south calling for secession. This is a deadly cocktail, therefore is it rational for us to allow Yemen to throw itself into the abyss? This would be pure madness.
Some might say, what is the solution? The answer is that the Yemeni president must today bear his national and moral responsibility and take a position that will assure his place in Yemeni history, rather than him being known as the man who destroyed his country. President Saleh does not have the luxury of time to dance with the snakes again. We warned him of the need to call early elections, and some scoffed at this, and we have today witnessed all the newcomers to the scene, or let us say opportunists [call for him to step down], and now even the pigeons in Yemen have begun to shy away from the regime. This is precisely what we have seen with a number of Yemeni ambassadors abroad announcing their resignations, and therefore the scene in Yemen today is on the verge of exploding.
What is important today is that the Yemeni regime recognizes the significance of timing, in order to avoid the errors of the Egyptian regime. The ball is now in Ali Abdullah Saleh's court, and the court of those who can have a positive influence on him.
This is not mere speculation, but a genuine fear for tomorrow.

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY YOMIURI, JAPAN

SDF should enhance disaster relief role

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The Self-Defense Forces have mobilized an unprecedented 100,000 personnel to conduct rescue and relief activities in areas hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, as well as to keep the mishaps at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant from developing into a major disaster.

The SDF can perform painstaking missions, including the dangerous work of spraying water over malfunctioning nuclear reactors, because they are a well-trained, well-equipped organization capable of providing their own food, clothing and shelter. We want the SDF to be involved continually in relief activities that are certain to take a long time.

At the time of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, some local governments had a lingering allergy to the SDF. But even so, the SDF made great achievements in saving lives and assisting with reconstruction. Since then, cooperation between the SDF and local governments has become stronger as they worked out disaster-response measures and conducted exercises together.

The immense damage caused by the March 11 earthquake extends over a vast area along the Pacific coast of the Tohoku and Kanto regions. The administrative functions of some local governments have ceased to exist, while the SDF itself has faced difficulty in carrying out relief operations.

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SDF ties with local govts

The SDF has mobilized an unprecedented number of personnel, accounting for about 40 percent of its total number. But in our view, this is insufficient. The SDF needs to strengthen cooperation with the relevant local governments to carry out more effective aid activities.

Regarding the transportation of food and other goods, the SDF should consider leaving what can be done by the private sector in the hands of private organizations while undertaking transportation to evacuation centers that are hard to access due to bad road conditions.

The SDF has established a joint regional command of its ground, maritime and air forces for the first time. Smoother and more rapid operation can be expected by unifying the chain of command under the commandant of the Ground Self-Defense Force's North Eastern Army based in Sendai.

In the current crisis, SDF reserves have been called up for the first time. Reservists hold regular civilian jobs but train with the SDF for five or 30 days a year. Reservists cannot be expected to function at the same level as full-time SDF members, but it is natural to resort to every possible measure in case of an emergency.

Joint relief activities by the SDF and U.S. military forces have been put into high gear.

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U.S. help appreciated

In conducting activities named "Operation Tomodachi," the U.S. military has deployed the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan off the Sanriku coast in Tohoku to serve as an offshore base for search and rescue operations and the transportation of supplies by SDF and U.S. military helicopters. Also, U.S. marines based in Okinawa Prefecture have engaged in work to remove rubble from Sendai Airport.

Among the assistance offered by many countries, U.S. aid stands out in terms of both quality and quantity. We want to express our gratitude for the swift and substantial assistance from our ally.

Since Japan's change of government in September 2009, some people have been skeptical about the importance of continuing to have U.S. forces stationed in this country. Nevertheless, the U.S. military has been earnestly involved in relief activities in the devastated areas. This is quite clearly the result of a relationship of trust built by the two countries over many years.

The SDF and the U.S. military have developed ties through joint exercises and have closed ranks on various occasions such as antiterrorism and antidisaster activities overseas. We hope that the bilateral cooperation we see now will serve as an important step forward toward deepening the Japan-U.S. alliance.

 

EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

President’s speech

IN the days leading up to President Zardari’s speech to a joint session of parliament yesterday, some quarters in the media and politics had been billing March 22 as a turning point, the beginning of the end for the federal government. But what transpired yesterday in parliament was more damp squib than earth-shattering fireworks. There are several points to be made here. First, the event itself: the president’s speech. Like the previous two speeches of President Zardari at the start of the parliamentary year, this year’s speech also lacked substance and leapt from one platitude to the next. By any measure, last year was a tough year for parliament and the PPP-led government. The economic slowdown deepened and widened; the government failed to get key financial legislation passed; militancy remained a potent threat, even if the frequency of attacks dipped; Karachi remained volatile; the insurgency in Balochistan continued; politics trumped policy — the list of governance failures was real and long. As the constitutional head of state, Mr Zardari should have candidly acknowledged these failures and exhorted the government — his government — to do better. Sadly, none of the statesmanship Pakistan so desperately needs from its leaders was evident in his speech yesterday. Effusive praise for a government which has seen its public approval ratings plummet was not what the country needed.

Next, the opposition’s behaviour. The quiet, orderly walkout staged by the opposition can be characterised in several ways. The most flattering is that the manner of the walkout signified a new maturity in Pakistani politics, where unparliamentary behaviour inside parliament was eschewed. The less charitable explanation is that there was a cynical sell-out, the self-interest of the various opposition parties winning the day as the PPP expertly exploited the all-too-familiar cracks in the opposition ranks. Whatever the truth, there is some relief in the fact that political upheaval has been avoided — at least for now. At the end of the day, none of Pakistan’s deep economic, security and social problems can be addressed if the political waters are churning. Ultimately, however, the onus is on the government to improve its record. Empty rhetoric and clever exploitation of differences in the opposition are not a substitute for better governance.

Finally, a word about the destabilising role of sections of the media. Clearly, the political class needs its feet held close to the fire — the elites are too entrenched to initiate on their own the deep reforms the country needs. But too often sections of the media appear to be ringing the death knell of the government instead of being cheerleaders of democracy. A little patience, please.

Peace talks

INDIA and Pakistan are finally coming back to the negotiating table, and peaceniks from the two countries have been busy laying their own ground for the resumption next week of formal talks that were abandoned after the Mumbai attacks in 2008. Members of civil society from both sides have been meeting to express a desire for peace and to offer, according to their various areas of expertise, solutions to the problems that plague India-Pakistan relations. At a conference in Islamabad, journalists, activists and current and former politicians from both sides of the border suggested on Monday that the two countries sign a no-war pact and bring down defence spending. A day earlier, members of the Pakistani and Indian Supreme Court bar associations issued a joint resolution in Jaipur that deemed violence between the countries unacceptable, favouring, instead, the use of judicial tribunals, negotiations and mediation to find peaceful solutions. Last week, an Indian delegation spoke in Karachi about relevant topics, including the potential of an open trade market between the two countries.

While these efforts are not part of formal talks, due to begin with a meeting between the interior secretaries next week and leading to discussions between the foreign ministers, one hopes their suggestions will not be ignored by official interlocutors. The realities of government-level talks are, of course, more challenging than those of conferences attended by activists already in favour of peace and stronger links. Mistrust characterises the official relationship. India remains suspicious of Pakistan’s seriousness about tackling terrorism and its role in the Mumbai attacks; Pakistan disapproves of India’s stance on Kashmir. Lingering territorial disputes and increasingly serious water-sharing issues will also have to be addressed. Given the complexity of these questions, it will be a shame if the intentions expressed and solutions suggested by peace activists go to waste. One hopes that representatives of both governments will leverage the good work to their own citizens to find creative solutions to mutual disagreements. Diplomacy is a tricky matter — even more so in the case of India and Pakistan.

Still, one hopes that both governments will be mindful of the wishes of their people.

Safe drinking water

THE provision of safe drinking water is among the sub-indicators of Pakistan’s millennium development goals. The country has pledged to give 93 per cent of the population access to safe drinking water by 2015. How far we may yet be from meeting this target, especially after last year’s devastating floods, can be gauged from the fact that several thousands of people in Sindh are being forced to drink brackish underground water after the floods rendered the water supply infrastructure non-functional. As this paper reported yesterday — in fact, on World Water Day — the raging waters washed away 77 per cent of 451 water supply schemes in the province’s flood-hit cities and towns. Each water supply scheme in the rural areas catered to up to 20,000 people, while in urban areas it served the needs of up to 100,000 people. A study undertaken by the Drip and Reclamation Institution of Pakistan, which works under the Ministry of Science and Technology, reveals that many months after the disaster, the government is struggling to restore the water provision infrastructure.

Safe drinking water is amongst the most basic essentials of life and crucial for good health and continued productivity. The state must do better in terms of its efforts to rehabilitate the flood-hit areas and rebuild structures and infrastructures. These efforts should be multi-pronged, so that everything from water supply schemes to schools and hospitals are re-established and people can begin to piece together their lives. As yet, the government has not even managed to rehabilitate all the flood victims, with a number of the displaced still living in makeshift camps. Pakistan seems to be in danger of forgetting about the thousands of families who were victims of the floods. This will not do. A government is elected to help the people, not to ignore their needs.

 

 

 

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY STAR, BANGLADESH

FS's tirade against the Star

Our foreign secretary, known for his refined taste for works of art, poetry, literature etc. took an uncharacteristic and extremely uncharitable swipe at this newspaper for its editorial of March 20 titled “Repatriation hampered”, subtitled “Let our government do more to help”. Starting his press briefing by singling out the Star's diplomatic correspondent and subjecting him to some personal remarks, he termed the editorial as an example of “sad journalism” , “bad journalism” journalism meant to “discredit the government” and damage the “image of the country”, as an example of “not so healthy mind”. He also castigated its editor for “not saying sorry to him” by 5.30 pm (time of the briefing) even though he had called him earlier. He questioned how could an editor not know what an editorial contained (we have no idea why he said so) and said this was not “professional” (of course it is not).

We are obviously shocked, and wonder what could have provoked an otherwise pleasant and soft-spoken diplomat to speak as such. The normal procedure is to send a “clarification”, “rejoinder” or even a “protest” to the paper and wait to see what action the paper takes. The foreign ministry did send a “rejoinder” which we carry it (elsewhere) today, as we carry the one from IOM, both with our replies. So what was need for that “on the record” tirade when a rejoinder was being sent.

From the FS's remarks one would get the impression that the editorial was the only thing we wrote on the Libyan affair. In fact we have written six editorials to date. In these editorials we have mentioned the various actions being taken, and not taken, by the government, praising it for some of its actions. We are perhaps the only newspaper that has sent a reporter to the Tunisian-Libyan border for eye-witness reports. In addition we cover the daily briefing of the foreign ministry, making for large number of stories, articles and opinions on the subject.

In the background of all that we have written, to single out one editorial critical of the government only so far as speed and volume of repatriation from the Tunian-Libyan border is concerned is highly exaggerated, to put it most mildly.

The whole episode- using a common briefing to single out one paper, to call it names, question its professionalism, make it appear as if we are working against our national interest, and insist that he was saying everything “ on record” - is, to us, indicative of a narrowing mindset.

Welcome return from captivity

We express our joy and relief to have our sailors and crew back home. We sympathise with the victims who went through an agonizing captivity for 100 days, much to the concern of their near and dear ones let alone compatriots.

We express our concern over state of security in the high seas. Our MV Jahan Moni was hijacked on December 5, 2010 from a place in Arabian Sea some 170 nautical miles from Lakkha islands of India. After a long saga of negotiation with the Somali captors, the crew were released on March 14. Today piracy poses a real threat to the very growth of trade and commerce by waterways and the shipping industry.

According to the UN, last year the shipping industry incurred a loss of 238 million dollars and the global economy about five to seven billion through piracy at seas. The entire area in the Indian Ocean particularly around the Horn of Africa has become a cause for concern for the ocean going vessels. Somali pirates now rule over more than one million square miles preying on whoever dares to run into their zone. Although pressure mounts on the Somali government to take measures against the pirates, it has not taken any effective step as yet. On the contrary, many Somali lawmakers support the outlaws terming them as 'heroes'. Somali pirates are having heyday using captured ships as their base in the deep waters. Still, some thirty ships remain under their siege.

It's high time the governments and international organizations make coordinated efforts to ensure safety of marine waterways. International waters can be guarded by naval ships at vulnerable points, high-sea patrolling with sophisticated weaponry should be increased, and escort vessels need to be provided in a package of new arrangements worked out by International Maritime Bureau in close consultation with littoral states.

 

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY MIRROR, SRILANKA

Religious unity for poverty eradication

The Rajapaksa regime, ecstatic in the afterglow of a hat-trick of resounding national election victories, has repeatedly promised that poverty alleviation or eradication would be one of the primary goals of its mega development plans for Sri Lanka. The regime also claims it is not just a promise-making regime but a promise-keeping administration citing the eradication of terrorism as one of the major promises fulfilled.

During the past 60 years of independence we have seen clear evidence that most politicians of all parties are unable or unwilling to work sincerely for poverty eradication mainly through a more equitable distribution of the country’s wealth and resources. Party politics has become so hypocritical and deceitful that most politicians come to the scene or centre-stage not to sincerely serve the people but for their personal gain or glory. Gone are the days and gone with the wind are the times when political leaders came forward to serve the people and give to the country instead of dominating or abusing the people and plundering the resources of the country for instance as we pointed out in the editorial last Saturday the thousands of local council members elected at last Thursday’s polls would get a monthly salary of only about Rs.5,000 plus allowances. Most of them might have spent up to Rs.500,000 on their election campaigns mainly for preference votes and their priority over the coming months and years will be to make ten times as much as they spent even by resorting to sophisticated ways of robbing from public funds.

Therefore the noble mission of poverty eradication needs to be monitored and regulated by an all-religions solidarity alliance through which there will be sincere, selfless and sacrificial service to the people.

Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne at a religious service last Sunday announced that as part of the work to celebrate the 2,600 Sambuddha Jayanthi, every temple in the country would take the initiative to build at least one house for a homeless family. If this works out well about 10,000 houses will be built and the human dignity of 10,000 families restored. If leaders of the other major religions – Hinduism, Christianity and Islam – could also take similar initiatives then tens of thousands of houses could be built in this jubilee year and the country would have taken a major step towards long-term poverty eradication. The whole humanitarian mission could be monitored by the council of religions for peace, which includes the clergy and lay people from all four major religions. This council, affiliated to the World Conference of Religions for Peace has already set up branches in 11 districts including the war-ravaged northern capital of Jaffna. The council’s branch in Jaffna is headed by a Hindu priest and includes the clergy and lay people from other major religions. In this manner Sri Lanka could take major steps not only towards poverty eradication but also bring about the equally important religious unity in diversity. This is vital for Sri Lanka because through an all-religions solidarity alliance we could promote an attitude where the people – while accepting and practising the precepts of their own religions -- also learn to respect other religions and practise the truth that is preached by them. This will bring about an end to bigotry, extremism or self-centredness and usher in an era of love and non violence, compassion, sharing, care and concern for all.

EDITORIAL : THE AUSTRALIAN, AUSTRALIA

Winners to write history of mining tax?

KEVIN Rudd always looked like an imposter in his own party: popular with the public but a man without deep factional backing or real philosophical connection with Labor.

Despite his huge victory at the 2007 election, there was a lingering sense he and his supporters had "stolen" the party of working men and women. But it is only now, nine months after his deposition as Labor leader, that the extent of Mr Rudd's isolation within his own government has been laid bare.

The revelations by The Australian's political editor, Dennis Shanahan, that it was Mr Rudd as prime minister who led the move to find a compromise on the original mining tax throw a rare light on the workings of government. There is only one conclusion that can be reached from the documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws -- it was not Mr Rudd who failed to grasp the gravity of his party's situation and the need to head off the damaging campaign launched by mining companies against the tax last year. We now learn that he was looking for a compromise within two weeks of the policy announcement. The question for voters -- and ultimately for the history books -- is what role his deputy, Julia Gillard, and his Treasurer, Wayne Swan, played in these efforts to fix the debacle that led to the collapse of support for Labor at the August federal election.

At the least, responsibility for Labor's failure to act must rest with the Treasurer, who had pushed for the super-profits tax to be taken out of the Henry tax report and presented as a fait accompli in May last year, only to see it blow up in the government's face. As the tax debate damaged Australia's business reputation, Mr Swan maintained an aggressive stance. The documents from Treasury show his demonising of the miners as liars was contrary to his own advice that the effective tax rate was 55 per cent -- as the miners claimed. In the seven weeks between announcing the tax and winning the Deputy Prime Minister's job, the Treasurer did nothing publicly to solve this mess. The best that can be said about Ms Gillard was that she was missing in action on the tax, absorbed in managing the crisis over her Building the Education Revolution.

Yesterday, Mr Swan was forced to admit the government had discussed a compromise model for the tax before Mr Rudd's demise. He agreed there were elements in common with the version of the tax finally put forward by Ms Gillard as Prime Minister, but he refused to spell out where the two plans overlapped. That is disingenuous: the documents from Treasury and Mr Swan's office show considerable similarities between the two models. The industry has known this all along: Fortescue Metals boss Andrew Forrest, is on the record about the compromise offered by Mr Rudd.

So what was the problem? Why did the Rudd government not move as the Gillard government did to change tack and remove the most damaging aspects of the mining impost? Yes, Mr Rudd had been distracted in the lead-up, tramping up and down the east coast on his hospitals tour and trying to win support from the premiers for his hospitals package. But it appears he was not well served by the two people, in Ms Gillard and Mr Swan, who would eventually emerge as the big winners from the mining tax debacle. Indeed, much of the negativity within the electorate and the party that was attached to Mr Rudd in the weeks leading up to the "palace coup" was possibly driven by his isolation from those who should have been watching his back. It is well known that Ms Gillard was among those who, after the December 2009 Copenhagen climate change summit, were urging Mr Rudd to dump the carbon pollution reduction scheme upon which he had staked his prime ministership. It proved bad advice. Labor's abandoning of the CPRS was a key factor in its loss of electoral support -- yet Ms Gillard got off scot-free, just as Mr Swan emerged unscathed from the mauling of his tax.

Here are some more facts for historians to consider when they come to look at the Rudd prime ministership. A key advocate of Mr Swan's original mining tax was the powerful Australian Workers Union, through national secretary Paul Howes. The AWU's national president and Queensland branch secretary, Bill Ludwig, a hugely powerful backroom operator in the ALP, goes way back with the Treasurer. It was the withdrawal of AWU support that sealed Mr Rudd's fate last June and led to Mr Swan's elevation to the deputy's job under Ms Gillard.

History will judge the extent to which Mr Rudd was the architect of his own political demise and whether his parliamentary colleagues were pragmatic or principled when they turned against him last year. But it is likely that as more details emerge about the handling of the mining tax, history will be kinder to the former prime minister's policy capacity. For the moment, Ms Gillard and Mr Swan have everything to prove when it comes to their policy delivery.

When reform becomes a circus

LAST week The Australian welcomed the possibility of a belated but sorely needed national political debate about serious tax reform.

Our hopes did not even live through the weekend, with Treasurer Wayne Swan unexpectedly hastening his ongoing retreat from a reform agenda. On Sunday morning, just days after the government's climate change adviser, Ross Garnaut, pointed out the opportunity to link the carbon tax compensation measures to some of the meaningful tax reform recommendations in the Henry review, Mr Swan sent out an underwhelming first message from his new Twitter account. "I have news to share: tax forum will be Oct 4 & 5," he tweeted. "More details in my eco note later, Swanny." And so, officially, a serious taxation summit promised for the first half of the year was relegated to a "forum" and delayed until after the government has carried out all the taxation tinkering it intends for this term.

Labor commissioned the Henry taxation review in its first term, quarantining the goods and services tax, thereby deliberately shunning even the discussion of opportunities to increase or broaden that tax so that inefficient or undesirable taxes such as payroll tax or various stamp duties could be eliminated. Instead of releasing the Henry report to foster a genuine debate, the Treasurer sat on it and eventually cherry-picked the mineral resources rent tax, announcing an unsaleable version, unleashing a series of events discussed above. After a change of prime minister, a compromise was agreed, but it is yet to be delivered. In order to win over the independent MPs post-election, the government provided a written promise to hold a tax summit before June 30 this year.

The significance of the delayed timing announced by "Swanny" is that it almost certainly guarantees that the mining tax and the carbon tax legislation will already have been dealt with by parliament. The event the Treasurer now calls a tax "forum" effectively cannot have any policy impact on the areas of GST, mining taxes or the carbon tax and its compensation measures. In reality, our high hopes for meaningful reform seem dashed. While the carbon tax itself is not a productivity-enhancing reform, if Mr Swan wanted to use carbon tax compensation as an opportunity for productivity improvements through the tax system he would be bringing forward the summit, not pushing it back.

The contrast with the genuine reformist zeal of Labor's Hawke-Keating years could hardly be sharper. In late 1984, prime minister Bob Hawke promised a tax summit and outlined nine reform principles before the December election, then convened the gathering in July the following year. More than 100 business, union, government and community leaders assembled for a full week in the nation's parliament, having had six weeks to consider a draft white paper containing detailed options for significant changes. The pre-positioning, manoeuvring, debate and deliberations all played out in public. Then treasurer Paul Keating could not carry the day with his preferred plan, but a compromise option led to meaningful reform, including capital gains and fringe benefits taxes offsetting income tax cuts.

By comparison, Mr Swan's October forum promises to be a desultory affair. If the government has failed to implement its mining tax or carbon tax it will be on life-support, in no mood for serious debate and, if as is more likely, it has legislated mining and carbon taxes, it will be preoccupied with implementing them and extremely reluctant to grasp an adventurous new agenda.

The independent MPs who demanded this summit, by June, as a condition of support for the Gillard government already sound underwhelmed by what has eventuated and they are promising to force discussion on a full range of tax options. But, as they come to understand what has transpired, and how redundant the gathering is likely to be, they might conclude that the Treasurer promised them Cirque du Soleil and delivered a flea circus.

 

 

EDITORIAL : THE ASHARQ ALAWSAT, published in LONDON

If you have no shame....

Just imagine, the individual who marginalized nearly half of Iraq's population, and who during his ongoing period of rule saw the Christians driven out of their own country and harassed, is now describing the Arab Gulf states as tyrannical and is attacking them!
Just imagine the person who came [to power] on the back of an American tank, and whose term in office as Prime Minister was renewed for him despite losing the elections, and whose people came out and demonstrated on the day they regretted merely voting for him, is now talking about democracy and freedoms!
Just imagine this; during his time in power more Iraqis were killed than during the Saddam Hussein era and all his wars and he is now talking about rights and justice?
Just imagine that the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki, whose term was renewed based on Iranian-US approval and whose government killed approximately 14 anti-government protesters a few days ago, is now attacking the Arab Gulf states on the pretext of defending the Shia of Bahrain and is giving lectures on freedom and democracy and talking about the winds of change. Can anything be more ironic than this? How can Nuri al Maliki be the Prime Minister to the whole of Iraq, with all its Sunnis, Shia, Christians and other components, whilst using the same language as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Hassan Nasrallah? We have written so much on the sectarianism of the Iraqi government and its subordination to Iran and we were told that we were exaggerating. And now we have the Arabs, the people of the Gulf in particular, and of course the Iraqis before them, dumbstruck at what al Maliki and others like him, such as Muqtada al Sadr who lives in Iran and Ahmed al Chalabi, one of the most prominent figures of the US occupation of Iraq, do and say. How can people of this sectarian mindset be guardians of the various components of the Iraqi nation?
When al Maliki attacks the Gulf States and their leaders he is confirming one fact to us; that the current sectarian Iraqi regime is not democratic. He is also confirming that this regime will not last at all in this extreme form as Iraq does not belong to the Shia or to any one sect and nor should it. Rather, al Maliki's attack will isolate the Iraqi regime and it has no future with this kind of logic unless it wants to be like Hezbollah, which also has no future. But there is one very important point to which we must pay attention; we are fortunate that all the cards have been revealed and the game has become clear today.
The lie that is the democracy of Iraq can no longer continue and it cannot be said that Baghdad has returned as an active member on the Arab scene; rather, Iraq has become an active member in the process of the exportation of the Iranian project in the region.
This is not a Sunni-Shia issue, but rather an issue of who believes in the homeland and who believes in the Wali al Faqih [Guardian Jurist] and there is a big difference between the two. Therefore, we are fortunate today that the process of separating [the two] has taken place with very clear results and has happened faster than we thought as this helps us to know who Iran's agents are and to know who are truly eager for their own homelands. With regards to al Maliki and others in Baghdad who are attacking the Gulf States, one can only say to them: if you have no shame then do as you please!

EDITORIAL : THE NEW YORK TIMES, USA

At War in Libya

Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi has long been a thug and a murderer who has never paid for his many crimes, including the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. The United Nations Security Council resolution authorized member nations to take “all necessary measures” to protect civilians and was perhaps the only hope of stopping him from slaughtering thousands more.

The resolution was an extraordinary moment in recent history. The United Nations, the United States and the Europeans dithered for an agonizingly long time and then — with the rebels’ last redoubt, Benghazi, about to fall — acted with astonishing speed to endorse a robust mandate that goes far beyond a simple no-fly zone. More extraordinary was that the call to action was led by France and Britain and invited by the Arab League.

American commanders on Monday claimed success in attacking Libyan air defenses and command and control operations. Over the weekend, there were strikes against Libyan aircraft on the ground, forces headed toward Benghazi and even Colonel Qaddafi’s compound in Tripoli. Colonel Qaddafi remained defiant and announced plans to arm one million loyalists. He gathered women and children as human shields at his compound. On Monday, his forces drove rebels back from the strategically important town Ajdabiya.

There is much to concern us. President Obama correctly agreed to deploy American forces only when persuaded that other nations would share the responsibility and the cost of enforcing international law. The United States is already bogged down in two wars. It can’t be seen as intervening unilaterally in another Muslim nation. But even with multinational support, it should not have to shoulder the brunt of this conflict.

After endorsing a no-flight zone 10 days ago — a move that allowed the Security Council resolution to go forward — the Arab League is sending mixed messages. This military operation requires the Arab states to reaffirm support for the coalition and contribute their own arms, forces and cash. Qatar made a commitmment: four fighter jets. Colonel Qaddafi will find it easier to dig in his heels if he thinks the region is divided.

There has been unsettling dissonance from the allies, too. The operation was portrayed as led by France and Britain. Yet the Americans — which have the ships and cruise missiles to take out Libyan air defenses — are actually directing this phase. They say command will soon shift, but it’s not certain if that will put NATO, France or Britain in charge. A permanent alternate command needs to be established as soon as practical and the broadest possible coalition must be engaged.

We also have questions about the objective. President Obama has said Colonel Qaddafi has lost legitimacy and must go. He also insisted the military aim is only to protect civilians and American ground troops will not be deployed. We hope he sticks to those commitments. There are enormous questions: What will the United States and its allies do if the rebels cannot dislodge Colonel Qaddafi? At a minimum, they must be ready to maintain indefinite sanctions on the regime while helping the rebels set up a government, should they actually win. Mr. Obama should have brought Congress more into the loop on his decision, and must do so now.

There is no perfect formula for military intervention. It must be used sparingly — not in Bahrain or Yemen, even though we condemn the violence against protesters in both countries. Libya is a specific case: Muammar el-Qaddafi is erratic, widely reviled, armed with mustard gas and has a history of supporting terrorism. If he is allowed to crush the opposition, it would chill pro-democracy movements across the Arab world.

 A Dangerous Pursuit

In a world where most people consume their news safely, perhaps in a comfortable chair on some electronic device, it is worth remembering how dangerous news-gathering has become. Monday’s release of four New York Times staff members in Libya was a powerful reminder of the hazards journalists face around the world.

Anthony Shadid, The Times’s Beirut bureau chief; the photographers Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario; and Stephen Farrell, a reporter and videographer, were released almost six days after they were captured in eastern Libya by forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. Turkish diplomats intervened for the journalists and helped get them out of Libya on Monday evening.

That happy outcome is tempered by the fact that so many working journalists are under siege around the world. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 852 journalists have been killed since 1992 when the committee began keeping records. Most recently, in Libya, an online journalist and an Al Jazeera reporter were killed covering fighting near Benghazi.

The Newseum, a museum about the news media in Washington, has reported that more than 160 journalists have died in Iraq since the war began. That is more than both World Wars, Korea and Vietnam combined.

That, in a tragic way, has always been the risk of covering war. But journalists also are increasingly targets of repressive governments — in Russia, Mexico, the Philippines and now in the Middle East. Turkey, which helped our journalists so effectively, has a bad record when it comes to reporters at home.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has documented more than 50 attacks on the press in Libya since political trouble began last month. Those include 33 detentions, two attacks on news facilities, the jamming of broadcasts and interruption of the Internet. At least six local journalists are missing, and Libyan authorities are still holding four Al Jazeera journalists. Agence-France Presse has reported two journalists missing in Libya.

The BBC reported three of its journalists were beaten, subject to mock executions and forced to witness torture of other Libyans at a military barracks.

News flows so freely and easily these days — on Web sites, on cellphone apps, on Facebook and Twitter and YouTube — that it seems almost effortless.

Getting it still requires old-fashioned courage and perseverance.

 Arizona Flinches

Arizona, the nation’s leader in over-the-top immigration laws, has pulled back. Its Republican-controlled Senate rejected five anti-immigration bills in one day last week. It was a startling rebuke to the Senate president, the architect of the state’s go-it-alone approach to enforcement. Other states weighing similar crackdowns should take note.

The reversal has to do with money, of course. The bills were dead once the state’s business lobby weighed in against them. Sixty chief executives signed a letter to the Legislature saying the harsh immigration measures were having “unintended consequences” — boycotts, lost jobs, canceled contracts, publicity so bad that businesses with Arizona in their names were suffering — even one based in Brooklyn. The chief executive of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Glenn Hamer, said the reaction to Arizona’s extremism had already cost the state $15 million to $150 million in lost tourism revenue.

For the record, the new bills sought to end automatic citizenship for illegal immigrants’ newborns. They would have required hospitals and schools to collect records on undocumented patients and students. They would have made it a crime for illegal immigrants to drive and prevented them from going to college.

The bills were the product of one overreaching politician, the Senate president, Russell Pearce, who has made it his mission to rid his state of illegal immigrants by ever-more-aggressive means. He was the sponsor of the one bill that started it all, SB1070, requiring police officers to check papers of anyone they suspected of being unauthorized. That bill last year made Mr. Pearce a national figure, and his success prompted this year’s follow-up flurry. One of the bills,SB1611,  was a mashup of 16 enforcement measures he had offered repeatedly in sessions past. It died with the others last week.

While it is a relief to see Arizona realizing that bigotry is bad for business, it is not the end of harsh, shortsighted laws. Other legislatures were already striving to follow Arizona’s model. There is still a federal vacuum on immigration reform that allows state mischief to thrive. And it’s important to note that none of the objections by Arizona’s businesses had anything to do with the strong moral arguments against xenophobic anti-immigration bills.

 New York’s Prisons Fall Short, Again

Perhaps as many as three-quarters of New York State’s 57,000 prison inmates need drug counseling or treatment to have a chance at productive, crime-free lives once they are released. Athree-year study of drug and alcohol abuse programs in the New York State Department of Corrections suggests that prisons are failing to provide adequate treatment programs for the tens of thousands of inmates who need them.

The study by the Correctional Association of New York, a nonprofit group, examined drug treatment programs at 23 of the state’s nearly 68 facilities. It found that the programs varied wildly in effectiveness and that most departed significantly from best practices laid out by the addiction research division of the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

The New York prison programs have several deficiencies in common. They fail to screen candidates based on the severity of their problems, which means they wastefully enroll large numbers of people in intensive programs they don’t need. They also routinely enroll poorly motivated inmates, which limits effectiveness. In a particularly glaring oversight, they fail to coordinate prison treatment programs with those offered in the communities to which the inmates will return.

The correctional association’s researchers found model treatment programs in at least four state prisons, including Hale Creek in upstate Fulton County. According to the report, these prisons use a three-phase system that begins with a six-month residential treatment program, in which the targeted inmates live in a separate prison dorm. This is followed by an integration component, under which people typically receive treatment during work release. Finally, newly released men and women are formally enrolled in community programs.

According to the study, the Department of Corrections could improve drug treatment without spending any more than the estimated $19 million it currently devotes to this problem by deploying the existing staff in better designed programs. The result would be better drug treatment, safer communities and less recidivism.

 

EDITORIAL : THE SUN, UK

Tyrant target

LET us be in no doubt. Libya's citizens are not safe while Gaddafi breathes air.

This is the man who has used tanks, warplanes and attack helicopters to massacre his people for daring to rise up against his long and barbaric regime.

This is the man who told them: "We are coming tonight. We will come house by house, room by room. We will find you in your closets. There will be no mercy."

The Allies are authorised by the UN to use "all necessary measures" to protect Libya's civilians.

ALL necessary measures.

It will not be enough to ground Gaddafi's jets and repel his forces from Benghazi.

While the monstrous dictator who has ruled Libya by fear for more than 40 years still commands authority over his paid supporters, ordinary citizens are not safe.

So when our Armed Forces chief General Sir David Richards says targeting the dictator is not allowed under the UN resolution he's wrong.

It may not have been spelled out, but Gaddafi's swift end is crucial to the safety of the hundreds of thousands of Libyans we are now sworn to protect.

We would love to see him tried for his crimes. But it doesn't seem likely.

Britain must of course choose our words wisely to keep the Arab League and our UN partners on side. But they are unlikely to shed any tears should some terrible fate befall Gaddafi.

Warplanes, tanks and troops are only the blunt instruments of his murderous vengeance.

The main danger to the Libyan people is the tyrant himself.

 

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY MAIL, UK

More unanswered questions over Libya

Calm and reasonable, David Cameron gave an assured performance in the Commons yesterday as he defended Britain’s intervention in Libya.
His clear message, as he dealt deftly with critical questions from the floor, was that on humanitarian grounds, the West had no alternative but to act.
What a pity his colleagues have failed to show the same sureness of touch.
Take Defence Secretary Liam Fox. On Sunday, to everyone’s surprise – not least the Americans’ – he said Colonel Gaddafi might be a legitimate target. Then yesterday, William Hague appeared exquisitely woolly about regime change and committing troops on the ground.
However, the Chief of the Defence Staff was absolutely firm: The West had no lawful authority to eliminate Gaddafi.
By yesterday afternoon, this was being denied by Number 10, who were backing the Fox position.
When our servicemen are being asked to risk their lives, isn’t it the least they should expect that ministers and defence chiefs stick to a coherent line?
But while Mr Cameron deserves praise for ensuring this is a legal UN-backed operation, there are worrying signs that international support is already fraying.
The Arab League (admittedly a motley crew) are wobbling – while Vladimir Putin’s description of the action as a ‘crusade’ is deeply unhelpful. Nor is it reassuring that the U.S. wants to withdraw from the leadership at the first opportunity.

A Libyan man shows missile debris picked out of the rubble after a UN coalition missile totally destroyed an administrative building of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's residence in Tripoli on Sunday

 

EDITORIAL : THE GLOBAL TIMES, CHINA

Anti-intervention voices must be heard

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa criticized the US, Britain and France for their air raids in Libya on March 20. The coalition operations are facing increasing opposition from global public opinion. The veil of this military intervention under the banner of humanitarianism is rapidly being stripped away.

In this complex world, the situations in this region are much more complex than the description given by Western media. The US, Britain and France attempted to create a simple end in Libya that was beneficial to Western values, which, however, is contrary to reality. It means this military action cannot be as accurate and clear as a Tomahawk missile's trajectory.

Within 24 hours of air strikes, the African Union, China, Russia, India and many other emerging countries stood out to oppose them. German displeasure has also been made clear. Moussa's criticism indicates the dissatisfaction in the Arab world.

It is easy for the US, Britain and France to defeat the military power of Gaddafi, but the final outcome of military action in the Islamic world does not depend on the success or failure of military action alone. The Iraq invasion in 2003 went smoothly at first, but several thousand Americans died after the eradication of the Saddam regime. The war in Afghanistan has now lasted more than twice as long as World War I.

During the Iraq war, anti-American sentiment in the Arab world was severe, but the regulatory constraints in Arab countries limited the release of the discontent. But now with open public opinion, the people in Arab countries will soon understand that the real purpose of the Western air raids in Libya is not as pure as claimed.

Western supremacist interest has become more prevalent these years. In the current Middle East revolutions, Western governments rashly interacted with public opinion and hastily concluded Gaddafi would step down quickly. Now in order to maintain the authority of the West, they have to take the risk of military intervention.

China and Russia do not need to help the West find a way out in Libya. With anti-American sentiment in the Arab world, the West cannot launch a ground war like in Iraq. The Arab world's dislike of Gaddafi and aversion to the Western powers would balance each other out. Regardless of the fate of Gaddafi, a chaotic Libya will become an irremovable burden of the West.

China should unite dissenting countries in uniting reactions against the air strikes. China should dare to do so, because the US, Britain and France first violated the no-fly zone resolution and the anti-military intervention camp can now occupy the moral high land.

Making full use of it, the West will give more respect to China's opinion.

 

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY YOMIURI, JAPAN

Govt must toughen control of radiation in food

The Yomiuri Shimbun

All-out efforts are being made to gain control of malfunctioning reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.
TEPCO's plant workers, Self-Defense Forces personnel and firefighters are working painstakingly to restore power supply at the plant and spray water into damaged spent nuclear fuel storage pools while taking great care about the amount of radiation they are exposed to.
If electrical power is recovered and the storage pools are filled with enough water, the situation will hopefully turn for the better. We pray anew that their desperate efforts will be successful.
But spraying water alone will not solve the problem. And even if the power supply is restored, it remains to be seen whether principal equipment in the plant can resume operation.
The government must prepare the next steps while analyzing images of the reactors taken from SDF helicopters to determine the degree of damage.
===
Little risk to health
The fact that radioactive materials have been found in drinking water and agricultural products in the aftermath of accidents at the nuclear plant is increasing public anxiety.
Radioactive substances have been detected in tap water in Tokyo and elsewhere. But their amounts are extremely small, so they pose little health risk. An amount of radioactive iodine slightly exceeding the current limit, which was set temporarily in line with the Food Sanitation Law, was detected Thursday in tap water in Kawamatamachi, Fukushima Prefecture. But the amount subsequently dropped to half the limit.
In the case of tap water, radioactive materials can be mostly eliminated by normal purification done at water purification plants.
Random checks of food products conducted by the government showed the amount of radioactive substances in milk and spinach in Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures exceeded the provisional limits.
The detected amounts are far short of levels that could immediately harm health if ingested. According to the government, drinking an average yearly amount of milk that contained the detected level of radiation would be equivalent to the radiation exposure of one computed tomography (CT) scan.
===
Calm response urged
Therefore, a calm reaction is called for.
Moreover, the two products in question have not appeared on the market because both prefectures called on producers to voluntarily refrain from shipping their products.
The government should cooperate with prefectural governments to ensure thorough checks and quick public disclosure will be conducted. New regulatory measures such as the halting of shipments and recall of goods already shipped must be studied so measures can be implemented promptly when radiation exceeding limits is found in food.
To help prevent damage caused by rumors, the government and prefectural governments must carefully and repeatedly explain that thorough checks can ensure our food remains safe to eat.
Because the government did not assume a serious nuclear accident, it has not established standards to regulate radiation levels in food.
After the accidents at the Fukushima plant, the government temporarily adopted guidelines proposed by an international organization. But it is necessary to study whether the international food safety standards can fit Japanese dietary habits, thereby avoiding excessive regulations.

EDITORIAL : THE DAWN, PAKISTAN

Karachi violence

NEARLY a hundred people have been killed in Karachi over the last two weeks. Is it this city`s fate to suffer in silence? Is there no solution to the violence that has torn Karachi apart and which has now reached a level of chaos that is becoming increasingly difficult to decipher? Earlier, it was relatively easy to identify foes and the perpetrators of specific incidents of murder. The finger of blame, not an easy thing to raise publicly in Karachi, could then be pointed in private with considerable surety at one political group or the other. Now the situation is much murkier as `targeted killings` are being carried out by a wide spectrum of operators, including hardened criminals of little or no ideological or political bent. Ethnicity and sectarianism — call it plain hatred for the other — come into it of course, as do the yearnings of some to check a demographic shift that could undermine their position at the polls. Then there is the lust for power, a `this is our area` syndrome, that otherwise unempowered citizens find so heady that they can kill real or perceived opponents to achieve their objectives. And let`s not forget the land mafia. Karachi, despite its myriad problems, is still prime real estate and the fight over grabbing a piece of the pie is also claiming lives. The last week or so has seen a spike in assassinations that are not readily understood, for they could be attributed to a combination of all these factors.

How long will it be repeated, in print and on television, that Karachi burns again? Somehow sporadic carnage has become an accepted fact of life in the city. People keep score, without much inner reflection, of how many are killed on any given day, almost just as casually as they ask passers-by about the latest from the cricket World Cup. Such desensitisation does not bode well for the future. True, most people have no choice but to get on with it, to get to their workplaces every day and earn a livelihood come what may. But the psychological scars of this relentless exposure to, and tacit acceptance of, violence will only become more engraved over time.

It is time for all groups that claim ownership of Karachi to come together and end this madness. What has become `normal` is unacceptable and the blame game that dominates life in Karachi cannot provide any solutions. Genuine grievances need to be aired around a table, not through guns or — in a new twist to an already deadly situation — hand grenades. Our elected representatives must restore the rule of law.

Sorrange tragedy

THE blast at a coalmine in Sorrange near Que- tta on Sunday exposes the miserable conditions mine workers in Pakistan face. Several methane gas explosions caused the 4,000-foot-deep mine to collapse, trapping over 50 miners. By Monday, officials said 45 miners were confirmed dead while the hope of finding any survivors appeared to be slim. The blast was so powerful it blew off the roofs of nearby houses. The mine is owned by the state-run Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation but had been leased to a contractor. According to a report in this paper, the contractor had been warned two weeks ago by the chief inspector of mines to shut down the mine due to the excessive accumulation of methane. However, the warning was ignored. The result of the negligence was Sunday`s tragedy.

While miners across the globe work in hazardous conditions, the predicament of mine workers in this country is particularly acute. Mine safety in Pakistan is very poor and several deaths are reported every year. Workers use obsolete equipment and there are hardly any safety protocols in place. Observers say that in mineral-rich Balochistan mine accidents in which one or two workers die are routine; it is only when the death toll is higher that the accidents make news. According to one figure, over the last four years over 150 accidents have occurred in Balochistan`s mines. Nearly 170 workers are believed to have died in these mishaps. Crude methods are used to detect the level of gas in mines while the safety of workers is given least precedence by contractors and mine owners. The state needs to apply work-safety regulations to mines and ensure that operators are observing these. It must be ensured that miners have access to modern tools and equipment while workers should be made familiar with the safety protocols to follow in case of an emergency. Contractors and mine owners who fail to follow safeguards and continue to put the lives of workers at risk for the sake of profits should also be brought to justice.

Pakistanis in Bahrain

IS it advisable to continue to recruit Pakistanis for Bahrain`s security forces at a time when the anti-monarchy stir shows no sign of abating? Pakistanis have been working in oil-rich Arab countries for decades, contributing to the host countries` development and sending billions in foreign exchange back home. This helps ease pressure on the acute unemployment position at home, with Pakistanis abroad working in diverse positions — from unskilled labourers to white-collar workers. However, the situation in Manama warrants a serious review of our recruitment policies because of the hatred towards Pakistanis serving in the Bahrain police. So far enraged mobs have killed four Pakistanis, two of them policemen, who were lynched in Pearl Square by angry protesters. The latter continued to kick and mutilate their bodies long after the Pakistanis were dead.

The mob`s hostility towards the Pakistani policemen is understandable, considering that they are part of the force that is crushing the people`s desire for freedom. Because the Bahraini people want their rights as citizens, their fury would naturally turn on anyone helping an authoritarian regime. Conflicting reports say Pakistani homes have been marked as targets for future attacks, imperilling the lives of thous- ands of Pakistani men, women and children. Yet the Bahria and Fauji foundations continue to seek recruits for the Bahrain National Guards. Islamabad must realise the damage the continued recruitment is doing to Pakistan`s image in Bahrain and other Gulf countries at a time when an anti-establishment wave is rocking the Arab world from the Gulf to the Atlantic. It is true that the recruitment drive has been in place for long and is not specific to the current situation. Nevertheless, Pakistanis` continued recruitment to a coercive apparatus would appear to the people of Bahrain as a callous disregard for their struggle for freedom.

EDITORIAL : THE DAILY STAR, BANGLADESH

 Speaker is right to be upset

Must we forget our manners?

We can only commiserate with the Speaker of the Jatiyo Sangshad for his frustration at the way some members of the parliament have conducted themselves in the House, and has vented his displeasure, rightly. It is for the second time in as many weeks that we have commented on the issue. To say the least, the standard of debate in the Sangsad that we have been unfortunately exposed to recently has left us dumbfounded.

And for many of those that had taken to watching the proceedings of the parliament on the TV have chosen of late not to do so fearing the adverse impact it might have on their children.

We all feel embarrassed, and we are sure the honourable members of the parliament do too, at the use of indecent words about fellow parliamentarians. Listening to the tone and tenor of the speeches of some of the members of the parliament it appears that there is perhaps an effort to outdo one another in invectives, vituperation and broadsides that have crossed not only the limit of parliamentary decorum but also civilised norms.

And the Whips must take seriously the words of the Speakers that they are allowing time to those members of their respective parties who make it a point to use unprintable epithets about their opponents. And even worse, such remarks are cheered by the party MPs.

We understand that expunging the remarks of the lawmakers is not a palatable job, and it is not an end in itself, which must ensure that such attitude is abjured by the parliamentarians. We fear that if things continue in such a vein there may be very little left of the proceedings after deleting the unparliamentry remarks of the members. We emphasise that the parliament members are elected leaders of the people and many look up to them to set examples of uprightness, honesty, and sobriety. We must say that the goings-on in the house have disappointed us in this regard. 

Torture of domestic workers

Formalise sector to prevent abuse

We express deep concern over the repeated stories of torture against domestic workers, the latest reported case that of nine-year-old Baby in Khulna, who was not only underfed but also allegedly beaten by her employers with sticks and electric wires. As is often the case, the child's parents were unable to file a case and Baby saved herself the only way she could, by running away. Not all domestic workers are as lucky, however. Numerous cases have been reported where they have borne inhuman torture, some of them allegedly murdered and others forced to commit suicide.

All this is despite the High Court ruling last month declaring all forms of violence, torture and repression on domestic help as well as employing children under the age of 12, illegal. The court also provided a number of other directives to ensure rights of domestic workers.

A Baseline Survey on Child Domestic Labour (CDL) in Bangladesh conducted by the International Labour Organization in 2006 revealed that there were approximately two million domestic workers in Bangladesh, 12.7 percent of them children and the majority of them women and girls. The unorganised and informal nature of the sector makes it difficult to monitor it, however, and for every horror story reported in the media, there may well be many untold ones.

Human rights organisations have constantly demanded that domestic work be included in the country's labour laws to ensure basic rights of workers such as working hours, minimum wages, holidays, etc. The government is said to have already formulated a policy for elimination of child labour and drafted a policy for protection of domestic workers. We urge the quick and effective implementation of these measures, sensitisation programmes for both employers and workers and a strong monitoring mechanism to be put in place to protect the basic human rights of domestic workers.