APSNet for 20061113
Austral Peace and Security Network (APSNet)
Twice weekly report from the Nautilus Institute at RMIT, Australia.
Monday 13 November 2006
- Diabetes ‘Threatens to Wipe Out Aborigines’
- Ruddock Warned of ‘War Crime’
- Alkatiri Leaves Dili after Probe
- US Intelligence Reveals Extent of Iraq Carnage
- Insight Afghanistan: Karzai Discusses Worsening Security in Interview
- Myanmar: The UNSC Backlash?
- Philippines Killings Rise, and U.S. Firms Speak Out
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Diabetes ‘Threatens to Wipe Out Aborigines’, Jill Stark, Age, 2006-11-3
The Aboriginal population of Australia could be wiped out by the end of the century unless urgent action is taken to curb a global diabetes disaster described as the “biggest epidemic in world history”. International experts will converge on Melbourne for a three-day crisis summit convened to put pressure on the United Nations to tackle the threat of extinction facing indigenous communities around the world.
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The United Nations says more money won’t fix the problem of poverty and lack of human development in Australasia, ABC, 2006-11-11
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Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the Global Water Crisis, Human Development Report 2006, United Nations, 2006-11-09
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Ruddock Warned of ‘War Crime’, Michelle Grattan, Age, 2006-11-11
Australian ministers urging that David Hicks be tried by a US military commission could be guilty of a war crime according to the Law Council of Australia. Such a trial would contravene the Geneva Convention, the lawyers claim. It would also contravene the standards for a fair trial under Australian law according to their written opinion, sent yesterday to Attorney-General Philip Ruddock.
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Senators Break Ranks with PM over Hicks, Brendan Nicholson, Age, 2006-11-09
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Alkatiri Leaves Dili after Probe, Lindsay Murdoch, Age, 2006-11-09
East Timor’s deposed prime minister Mari Alkatiri flew out of the capital Dili for Portugal a day after he was questioned by prosecutors over allegations he set up a hit squad to kill political opponents.
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Interview with General Secretary of FRETILIN, Mari Alkatiri, John Loizou, Southeast Asian Times, 2006-11-06
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Chega! Final Report of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor (CAVR), 2005
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US Intelligence Reveals Extent of Iraq Carnage, Brendan Nicholson, Age, 2006-11-11
While Australia and the US remain committed to staying in Iraq until local security forces are strong enough to keep the peace, a report to US Congress has revealed that the task could take a long time to achieve. The quarterly report, measuring stability and security in Iraq, was presented to Congress in August. It reveals that more than 6000 Iraqi police have been killed since the war officially ended in 2003.
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Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq, August 2006, Report to Congress, 2006-08-29 [PDF]
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Militias Intensify Rein of Terror in Baghdad, Salah Salman, Azzaman, 2006-11-11
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Counting the Dead in Iraq, Peter Mares, ABC, 2006-11-05
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Insight Afghanistan: Karzai Discusses Worsening Security in Interview, EurasiaNet, 2006-11-09 [transcript]
Afghan President Hamid Karzai met with the director of RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan, Akbar Ayazi, for a wide-ranging interview in Kabul covering issues including the security situation in the southern and eastern provinces of Afghanistan [translation from Dari and Pashto by Hashem Mohmand].
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Myanmar: The UNSC Backlash? [Name withheld] Asian Analysis, November 2006
In the aftermath of the UN Security Council saga [briefing on Myanmar] there could be further repression against political activities and dissent while the National Council will be bulldozed to a conclusion in 2007. Will UN Under Secretary-General Gambari’s visit in November yield any positive results?
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Philippines Killings Rise, and U.S. Firms Speak Out, Carlos Conde, International Herald Tribune, 2006-11-12
U.S. companies have asked President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to protect workers, particularly those who join unions, and investigate the killings. The appeal letter was signed by Gap, Polo Ralph Lauren, Wal-Mart, Liz Claiborne, American Eagle Outfitters, Jones Apparel Group, and Phillips-Van Heusen. Products of these companies are made by subcontractors in the Philippines.