Saturday, March 8, 2014

Crimea And Geneva: Reverse Lessons For The Rajapaksa Regime And Diaspora Separatism

By Rajan Philips -March 9, 2014

Rajan Philips

What is happening in Crimea is what diaspora separatism would love to have happening in Sri Lanka. And Russia is one country that the Rajapaksa regime would be hoping to rely on to prevent northern Jaffna becoming a South Asian Crimea. But what Russia is doing in Crimea is almost a casual demonstration of the fulfillment of separatist aspirations, on the one hand, and an inconsiderate frustration of the textbook expectations of national sovereignty and security – in a country called Ukraine. At one point, Russia even invoked R2P of all things to justify its army getting out on the streets of Crimea, exercising its ‘Responsibility to Protect’ the Russians who are a minority in Ukraine but a majority within Crimea. Shoved virtually to the sidelines, notwithstanding all the puffed up rhetoric about diplomatic isolation and economic retaliation, are the West and the NATO – the flagship defenders of R2P and occasional promoters of separatist aspirations. Tough luck (more like, up yours), says Putin, grandson of Lenin’s cook, PhD in resource economics, possessed of his own – rather manic – sense of Great Russian history, and reinforced by KGB training.

Let us shift focus to Geneva, where the shoes are reversed and even mixed up. While Crimea exploded out of nowhere in the last fortnight, Geneva has been the stage for a slow moving drama (with year-long Acts and half-yearly Scenes) of undramatic resolutions that never rise up to the worst fears of the Rajapaksa regime or the best expectations of the diaspora groups. And in Geneva, it is the West that stands accused, by Russia among others, of trying to unnecessarily meddle in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs. But the West’s alleged meddling in Sri Lanka is nowhere near what Russia is doing in Ukraine. The leaked draft resolution for this

month’s UNHRC meeting is mostly incremental ‘muddling through’ from last year’s resolution. The draft changes are more about acknowledging developments in the past year than about radical action items for next year. Yet, the changes are enough to worry the Rajapaksa regime because the annual agony has started to sap the regime’s energy so much so there could be fatigue failure even without a regime change.

TNA disappointed with draft - US resolution-Says core issues not touched

By Ananth Palakidnar-March 7, 2014

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has expressed dismay over the draft resolution prepared by the US on Sri Lanka, to be presented at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva. The TNA has pointed out that the US draft resolution was disappointing and contains nothing constructive towards addressing the genuine grievances towards the Tamils affected by war.

TNA Spokesperson and Parliamentarian, Suresh Premachandran, who was in Geneva a couple of weeks ago, told Ceylon Today, the US draft resolution has not touched on the core issues such as an international investigation into alleged war crimes, disappearances in the North and East, and on the indefinite detention of the Tamil political prisoners.

He added, that the draft seemed to be soft pedalling on several serious issues with regard to human rights violations in the North and East.

"Canada, Britain and the US had earlier vehemently condemned the human rights violations in Sri Lanka and had also called for an international investigation into .the alleged war crimes in the Island. But the US draft resolution had failed to mention anything on the International investigation into the alleged war crimes," Premachandran said.

He also said that instead of addressing the Tamil people specifically, the US draft resolution had looked into various other national issues such as the independence of the judiciary and stabilizing the democratic institutions in the country.
The TNA Spokesperson, while expressing disappointment over the US draft resolution, had stated that nothing was mentioned about finding a political solution, and that the US resolution should have outlined an internationally mediated dialogue on the measures to be taken to prevent land grabbing in the North.

Pillay reiterates call for international probe on SL

Saturday, 08 March 2014

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has reiterated her call in her final annual report as High Commissioner for the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to set up an international inquiry mechanism into Sri Lanka.

The annual report was presented to the 25th session of UNHRC in Geneva.

Pillay has noted that nearly five years after the end of the conflict, the Sri Lankan government has failed to satisfy the Council’s call for a credible and independent investigation into allegations of serious human rights violations.

“I therefore recommend that the time has come for the Council to establish its own international inquiry mechanism which I believe can play a positive role where domestic mechanisms have failed,” she has said.

Geneva, India, And American Imperialism

By Izeth Hussain -March 8, 2014

Izeth Hussain

At the moment of writing I have not had access to the full text of the US Draft Resolution on Sri Lanka that has been presented at the UNHRC Meeting in Geneva. But the most important fact about it is known: there will be no meaningful action of any sort at the present stage, and there will be such action only after the lapse of another year if Sri Lanka fails to show that there has been progress in taking credible action on internal investigations into war crimes etc. In the meanwhile there will be no international investigations into war crimes and no sanctions, both of which were being confidently anticipated. We don’t of course know what might happen by the time of the final vote on the Resolution. But it does seem that what threatened to be a dazzling Western pyrotechnic display at the expense of Sri Lanka has turned out to be a damp squib – not pathos for Sri Lanka but bathos for the US and the West.

What went wrong for the latter? Probably nothing. We are probably witnessing the unfolding of a game plan worked out between the US and India in 2011, as I argued in my article The Ban Ki-moon Conspiracy.(Island of May 2, 2011). Everything falls into place, in my view, if were recognize the fact that the outcome in Geneva depends not on the US, not on the Eu, not on the international community, but on India as I argued in my article Dawn on the Ethnic Front? In the Island of February 17. I quote from that article: “The present expectation is that the UNHRC vote will go against us I believe that the best way of countering that possibility would be to get India to act on our behalf, not necessarily openly but effectively. There are several reasons why India could have very special clout with the Western bloc. It is a regional power and an emerging great power, for which reason the Western bloc would very probably be prepared to recognize that Sri Lanka is India’s turf.

GL humiliated in Geneva: participants including Russia, China, Cuba scorn and spurn his speech

(Lanka-e-News-06.March.2014, 11.30PM) It is with deep regret that we bring you the report that following Sri Lanka (SL) foreign Minister Dr. G L Peiris’ address today at the Geneva human rights conference , his speech was treated with great disdain , and not even received an applause or hand clap from any of the participating countries. No representative of any country had even taken the trouble to give him a handshake , according to our Geneva correspondent. It is usual for representatives of other countries to congratulate a speaker after his / her speech, but in regard to the address of Dr. G L Peiris , sadly no representative had followed that practice.

In sharp contrast , when the representative of Benin state who preceded Dr. G L Peiris made his speech , more than 20 representatives of other countries came up to him and congratulated . Surprisingly , even the countries , Russia , Cuba and China which were expected to support SL, did not hand clap or congratulate Peiris.

Never has SL been reduced to this egregiously humiliating state in its history. SL was driven into this disgraceful plight apparently because Dr. Peiris in his speech castigated the UN gen. secretary even more than the UN human rights commission. It is to be noted that UN gen. secretary has been appointed on the votes of a majority of member countries of the UN, and no country resorts to this type of reprehensible and ridiculous speeches any day criticizing him.

Dr. Peiris after the contemptuous treatment he received (architect of his own misfortune) , unable to bear the disgrace left the venue without waiting to talk to any representative of any country. Except a solitary Muslim lady , no other SL representative participated even in the afternoon session.

Rajapaksas Don’t Know How To Handle The Crisis In Geneva Nor The Numerous Crises At Home: UNP

March 8, 2014

The United national Party calls on the people of Sri Lanka not to be misled by the propaganda of the regime and to seek rational reasons as to why international allies who once supported us to defeat the LTTE are now acting against the ruling administration.

The Rajapaksas believe they can appeal to the primordial racist sentiments of certain people by this kind of juvenile handling of the country’s foreign policy crisis.

“We must understand that this militaristic regime that continues to curtail our democratic freedoms in their attempts to establish a dynasty while making Sri Lanka the drug capital of Asia is solely responsible for our current plight. Yet those who will suffer the most through international action are the personnel of the security forces who would be collectively branded as war criminals, the poorest segments of our society through tightening of economic opportunities and all the rest of us, the ordinary citizens of this country. The Rajapaksa family and their selected loyalists have secured their wealth and futures and will not to be affected by these international actions.” the UNP said today.

Issuing a statement last night the UNP called on the regime to restore the rule of law and ensure democracy and good governance in order to wade off international concerns.

We publish below the statement in full;

Despite repeated appeals to the government by the United National Party and truly patriotic elements of this country to desist from taking petty political mileage out of the Geneva human rights crisis it is abundantly clear that the Rajapaksa administration is only interested in furthering its own narrow political agendas even at a colossal cost to the country. Read More

Mariyakade diplomacy and non-aligned diplomacy

Saturday 08th March 2014

Senior Minister DEW Gunasekara, MP for Kalawana electorate at that time, came home late in the night after a visit to his electorate. He was resting when then President JR Jayewardene called him and told him to

come immediately to discuss an important matter which could not be discussed over the phone.
Gunasekara being an Opposition MP was reluctant to have discussions with the President late in the night and consulted the party General Secretary Peter Kenaman. With the approval of Kenaman he checked with Anura Bandaranaike, then Leader of the Opposition, who told the MP that he himself got an invitation from the President and planning to go there.
Once he arrived at the Ward Place residence of the President, Gunasekara realised that even the President's security officers were not aware of his visit. When he met the President there were a very few people present, including then Prime Minister R. Premadasa, Minister Lalith Athulathmudali, Foreign Minister Shahul Hameed and the younger brother of the President, HW Jayewardene. They were joined later by then Leader of the Opposition Anura Bandaranaike and MP Dinesh Gunawardane.

Letter from India
The point of discussion was a letter sent by then Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi. What he said was due to the military operations in northern Sri Lanka, there was a severe shortage of essential foods, which was of a great concern of Tamil Nadu, and due to the pressure of the politicians of Tamil Nadu, it had become his problem . Hence he warned if quick action to supply food items to north would not be taken, he would take action to do so.
The opinion of the President was the best place to reply would be the Parliament where the Prime Minister would make a statement that the Government of Sri Lanka would take immediate steps to supply food items to northern civilians.
Opposition MPs were summoned to get their consent rather than debating it in the Parliament. DEW Gunasekara said that since this was a matter of national interest although he was an Opposition MP he was in favour of the suggestion and prepared to back the Government in this difficult hour. Anura Bandaranaike and Dinesh Gunawardane also consented.
Then the President informed EL Senanayake, the Speaker, to summon Parliament the following day. The statement to be made by the Prime Minister on the following day was also drafted.
The following day at his chambers of Parliament, the Prime Minister persuaded Gunasekara to make a statement in Parliament in this respect. The MP responded that he had made his stance clear the previous day and there was no necessity to make a statement.
At last the Prime Minister rose to make the statement. To the surprise of the persons who knew the ground situation, without making the prepared statement, he criticised India heavily with his own aggressive style. At that time Indian diplomats also were in the Gallery.
Indian invasion
After the thundering speech of the Prime Minister, which lasted for an hour, when the MPs were going home leaving Parliament, they were informed via news of the Broadcasting Corporation that the Indian Air Force had invaded Sri Lankan air space and was dropping dry rations on northern Sri Lankan soil.
This is how Prime Minister Premadasa jeopardised a problem which could have been solved with ease. This is how he sacrificed the future of the country for the cheap popularity expected at the upcoming elections. This is how he replaced the non-aligned diplomacy of Mrs. Bandaranaike and friends-aligned diplomacy of President Jayewardene with Mariyakade diplomacy of his own.
Why did he lose patriotism, generosity and tact which were displayed by the three Opposition MPs including DEW Gunasekara? That is because a bunch of people who misinterpret patriotism were prepared to listen to him in the capacity of voters who were capable of determining his political future.
Invasion of sovereignty
This is the prevalent situation of the country today as well. Sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva have started and it is scheduled that the issue of Sri Lanka where there were previous resolutions passed will be taken up towards the latter part of the month. In case a resolution as requested by the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights to have an international inquiry is passed against the will of Sri Lanka, it would be an invasion of our sovereignty.
It would not only be the invasion of "sovereignty of the ruling elite" if there is such a thing as thought by the majority of the people here, but also the invasion of sovereignty of the nation in true sense, unfortunately.
India invaded our sovereignty by dropping dhal in the northern part of the island, unilaterally and illegally, but the so-called friends of President Jayewardene did not take any step even to criticise the action of India and we were lectured to settle the differences with India . The situation today is far more serious than that. If the resolution is passed in Geneva it would be a legal resolution approved by the majority. This situation has not emerged all of a sudden. It has been evolving over a period of time.
All this time the Government was doing what Prime Minister Premadasa did at that crucial moment. That is to criticise foreign dignitaries who visited us in true Mariyakade style in order to satisfy a bunch of voters who unfortunately lack common sense whether they are educated or not and do not know head or tail about patriotism although they claim to be patriots. The ruling elite in power do not hesitate to sacrifice the sovereignty of the nation to satisfy the said bunch and in return to be in power.
True patriotism
After the unpatriotic statement of Prime Minister Premadasa and invasion of Sri Lankan air space by Indian Air Force, President Jayewardene said that India can conquer Sri Lanka only after the death of 18 million people and himself. He may have meant that according the situation prevailed at that time.
He had to say that since his Prime Minister has messed up the situation. President Rajapaksa also claims that he is prepared to go to the electric chair on behalf of the nation. He says that after messing up the situation with his approval. It seems to be that he does not mean it and no one wants him in the electric chair. His statement is also a part of the mess.
Therefore people should know what patriotism is. Patriotism is not something like the idiotic friend of the king attacking a fly with a sword in order to chase it away from the sleeping king. Patriotism of the politicians and the officials of the present regime is like that.
Patriotism is to save the nation, not to put it in danger and not to save a race within it. For this, one has to be intelligent, wise, with strategic thinking, and not emotional and without too much bravery. This can be understood by examining the American policy of former Iranian President Ahmadinejad and present President Rauhani. In relation to the diplomatic mess created by the Sri Lankan State with the Western nations, we need a policy like that of Rauhani.

(The writer is a Chartered Accountant by profession and holds a Master of Business Administration degree awarded by the Postgraduate Institute of Management of University of Sri Jayewardenepura. For this article, the writer interviewed Senior Minister DEW Gunasekara to establish the factual situation he faced during the time of President Jayewardene. The rest of the article comprises the views of the writer.)

French show interest in local transport sector

Details: Created On Saturday, 08 March 2014 09:37; Category: General

A French business delegation was in Sri Lanka last week to hold discussions on improving Sri Lanka's transport sector.

A press communiqué from the French Embassy said: "A 10-member business delegation visited Colombo on 4 and 5 March. The delegation comprised representatives of French companies in the field of urban infrastructure, especially transport.

French companies operating in India and Singapore were also represented. Participating French companies included Alstom Transport, Bouygues Batiment International, Dassault Systemes, DTP Terrassement, Egis International, Signes-Paysages, Systra, Veolia Transport RATP, Vinci Concession and Unibridge.

"The main area of interest for the business-delegation was the modernization of urban mass transport systems. The renovation and electrification of the urban rail network as well as improving road access was also discussed with the local authorities. During most discussions, financing under public -private partnerships was considered the best option and the participating French companies took note of the investment concepts put forward by their counterparts.

"France has experienced a surge in urban public transport since the 1970s. First with the creation of metro lines in the largest cities, then with the launch of many modern tram networks in the Paris region and in medium-sized cities, and, more recently , with the creation of rapid transit bus lanes when heavy modes were not justified.

"During their visit, the business delegation held meetings with the Mayor, the Municipal Commissioner of Colombo, the Secretary to the Ministry of Highways, Ports and Shipping, the Secretary to the Ministry of Transport and the Secretary to the Ministry of Water Supply and Drainage .

The delegation was led by Ambassador of France in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Jean-Paul Monchau. "

Article 19 Slams Ban On Colombo Telegraph Website

March 8, 2014

Freedom of expression watchdogs Article 19 has strongly criticised the Sri Lankan Government for its continued censorship of the Colombo Telegraph website in the country.

Article 19′s Executive Director Thomas Hughes

Article 19′s Executive Director Thomas Hughes said the blocking of the Colombo Telegraph website in Sri Lanka was “deeply concerning”.

“Silencing of onling news media, such as the Colombo Telegraph, deprives the public of an invaluable independent voice on issues of key public interest,” Hughes said.

Colombo Telegraph is being blocked by all internet service providers and mobile networks – private and state owned – in Sri Lanka.

Readers are strongly advised to change the DNS settings on their computer to Google Public DNS by following the instructions provided here: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/how-to-change-dns-settings-in-windows-7-vista

Readers can also utilise this one click link to access Colombo Telegraph: http://j.mp/ColoTele

More Of The Same!

By Emil van der Poorten -March 9, 2014

Emil van der Poorten

Brush fire on the hillside in middle distance

A short while back I chronicled what poor rural folk had to undergo in their pursuit of an honest living. The central thrust of that piece was the fact that, in the absence of anything resembling the rule of law, misery is the lot of the less powerful in this land through absolutely no fault of theirs.

Shortly after those shenanigans we were treated to pyrotechnics of a natural kind when several “fire-bugs” in our neighbourhood decided to test the combustibility of vegetation that is still suffering under unusually severe drought conditions.

The photographs that accompany this piece (if the editor finds them adequate for reproduction) hardly show the extent and ferocity of the fires that consumed our hillsides at several points of the compass that evening.

It all began a little before sunset and got steadily worse. The good news is that there was no loss of life. However, the economic loss, even given the fact that most of the land around here is, to all intents and purposes, fallow thanks to the hang-over from the late Hector Kobbekaduwa’s attempt to extract revenge in the name of “land reform.” However, one pyromaniac’s efforts were rewarded by a neighbour’s rubber trees having the bark “boiled” off them, as one of the rubber-tappers described it to me. Read More

No country will reach its full potential if female citizens do not enjoy full equality

Saturday 08th March 2014

Statement by UNDP Administrator Helen Clark for International Women’s Day

This year’s International Women’s Day theme – Equality for Women is Progress for All – states a simple truth. No country will reach its full potential if its female citizens do not enjoy full equality.
As the 2015 end date of the Millennium Development Goals nears, and as discussion on the next global development agenda intensifies, there is strong momentum for achieving development with equity, including by eradicating gender inequality and empowering women and girls.

Next week, the 58th UN Commission on the Status of Women will convene in New York. Its discussions will focus on ‘Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls’.
While there has, undoubtedly, been progress for many women and girls, it has been uneven and too slow. The world has officially achieved gender parity in primary education, but regional gaps persist and girls’ enrolment drops off at the secondary level.
The proportion of women in national parliaments has grown, but women still comprise around only 21% of the world’s parliamentarians. Lagging farthest behind is MDG 5, which focuses on reducing maternal mortality and achieving universal access to reproductive health care.
Grounded in international human rights, gender equality doesn’t just improve the lives of individual women, girls, and their families; it makes economic sense, strengthens democracy, and enables long-term sustainable progress.

“Grounded in international human rights, gender equality doesn’t just improve the lives of individual women, girls, and their families; it makes economic sense, strengthens democracy, and enables long-term sustainable progress”

Women with even some education tend to have fewer and healthier children, better economic opportunities, and to be more likely to ensure that their own children go to school. One of the findings of UNDP’s 2013 Human Development Report was that a mother’s education is more important to child survival than are household income or wealth.
Access to sexual and reproductive health services enables women to plan their families and expand their opportunities, and it also helps prevent maternal and child mortality.
Making sure that women farmers have equal access to agricultural resources boosts women’s incomes and status, and has a positive impact on a country’s agricultural sectors.
Let’s mark this International Women’s Day by redoubling our efforts to make equality for women a reality. That means ensuring that women have access to education and resources, decent work, and equal pay. It means removing the structural barriers — the discriminatory laws and institutions, and gender stereotypes and practices – which prevent women from fulfilling their economic, social and political rights.
It means getting more women into political office and ensuring that women have a voice in the decisions which affect their lives – in households and communities, in government and other sectors, and at peace-keeping tables. It means ensuring that women have freedom from violence, access to health care, and the ability to make their own sexual and reproductive health choices.
The need to address such inequalities came up consistently in the UN-led consultations on the post-2015 development framework. In the MyWorldSurvey, education, health care and job opportunities – all so central to women’s empowerment – are top priorities for the more than 1.4 million people who have voted worldwide. In an e-discussion organised by UNDP, one contributor highlighted the importance of gender equality this way: “A society that fails its women and girls ultimately fails itself.”
Let’s commit ourselves to investing our time and resources in all aspects of gender equality and women’s empowerment. Only then can we fulfil the rights of all women and men, and create a more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient world.

Colossal Mihin Lanka losses: Some context

Photo Courtesy Wikipedia

by Devanesan Nesiah
- On 03/07/2014

Through The Republic Square and OTHER We learn that media Mihin Lanka, the brainchild of Sri Lanka's current President Mahinda Rajapaksa, lost 2.2 billion over the current financial year. As Colombo Page Notes,

Some Colossal losses Context Mihin Lanka by nelvely

‘Extremely grave’ situation in Central

African Republic demands urgent action –

UN official

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos holds press conference in Geneva. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré

7 March 2014 – Painting a grim picture of war-torn Central African Republic (CAR), where months of inter-religious violence has wrecked State institutions, left millions on the brink of starvation and now threatens to suck in the wider region, the top United Nations relief official today called for urgent international action – more peacekeepers and more aid – to end the crisis.

“The situation…is extremely grave and urgent action is required by everyone if we are going to prevent further bloodshed,” Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said in Geneva, where she told reporters that the violence in the CAR has led to a “total breakdown of the State.”

The conflict in CAR erupted when Séléka rebels launched attacks in December 2012 and has taken on increasingly sectarian overtones as mainly Christian militias known as anti-Balaka (anti-machete) have taken up arms. Thousands of people are believed to have been killed, and 2.2 million, about half the population, need humanitarian aid.

“A State that was already very weak now does not really have any institutions. They cannot deliver basic services and they have no capacity to stop the violence,” she said, describing “palpable fear” in the eyes of the people she met on a recent visit to the capital, Bangui, and also in Bossangoa, in the north. “Lots of people [say] that they wanted to leave the country.”

Her comments echoed her briefing to the UN Security Council yesterday in New York, where she said CAR is experiencing “unacceptable sectarian brutality, persistent insecurity and fear” with tragic humanitarian consequences.

More than 650,000 people are still internally displaced, with more than 232,000 in the capital, Bangui, alone. This includes 70,000 people who are still living at a site for internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the airport in “appalling” conditions which are set to worsen dramatically with the onset of the rainy season. Over 290,000 people have also fled to neighbouring countries.

“So this is not just about Central African Republic. It is about the region as a whole and in particular the large numbers of people going to Cameroon, but also going to Chad, to DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo] and also the Republic of Congo,” she said today.

“We, the humanitarian community, have stepped up our response. We reconfirmed our commitment to doing all we can to secure additional capacity and resources to support the people of CAR. But security is key, and the amount that we can do given the lack of institutions on the ground is constrained.”

With the Security Council weighing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s proposal to establish a near 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in CAR to support existing African- and French-led missions, Ms. Amos underscored that more troops are needed now to restore security and stabilize the country. There is a proposal for a UN peacekeeping force but that deployment will take at least six months, she added.

She went on to express concern that, with the onset of the rainy season, a food crisis is looming and millions of people will be at risk of communicable diseases. “We are extremely worried that if we do not get the money that we need to pre-position, we will have an even further crisis,” she said.

Only 16 per cent of the $551 million requested by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has been received, she said. “At the conference which was co-hosted by me and [European Union Commissioner Kristalina] Georgieva, in Brussels on 20 of January, we had a lot of pledges; we need those pledges to be turned into cash,” she said.

Meanwhile, in a separate briefing in Geneva, Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that, although the security situation seemed to have recently improved in some parts of CAR, there is concern about the “critical situation” in Boda, a town located west of the capital.

According to a team of five human rights monitors deployed by OHCHR at the beginning of the week, large numbers of Christian and Muslim civilians in Boda and surrounding villages have suffered tremendously from the recent fighting and the deterioration of their living conditions, and tensions were running very high.

Mr. Colville explained that Boda was currently divided into a Muslim area and a non-Muslim area. Some 11,000 Muslim civilians are stranded in four neighbourhoods and at risk of further attacks by surrounding anti-Balaka elements. A buffer zone under the control of French forces, known as Sangaris, separated the two communities.

He said this situation was made even worse by the fact that the civilians cannot engage in any kind of economic activity. In addition, anti-Balaka elements are reportedly forbidding civilians from selling food to Muslims. “Even local vendors from neighbouring villages are said to have been threatened by anti-Balaka after Muslim civilians bought food from them under Sangaris’ protection,” he said, adding that Christian civilians, and in particular those displaced by the previous month’s clashes, are also living in very difficult conditions.

In Boda, unlike in other towns visited by the team, Muslim elements had reportedly been the first to attack after ex-Séléka forces had left on 29 January. “OHCHR brought concerns about the real danger of a further explosion of violence to the attention of the international forces present in the country. However, they were clearly extremely stretched,” said Mr. Colville.

International Women's Day: Health struggles of displaced women

03/07/2014

On International Women’s Day 2014, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) presents stories of the unique health challenges faced by displaced and refugee women around the world.

PAKISTAN | HAITI | SOUTH SUDAN | PHILIPPINES | MAURITANIA | KENYA

Photo: Eymeric Laurent-Gascoin

PAKISTAN

MSF has worked in Pakistan since the early 1980s and today provides emergency medical care to vulnerable populations, including Afghan refugees and displaced people.

Sarah Dina, MSF mental health officer in Pakistan

For many people, telling the story is half the healing. We can’t take the pain away completely. But we can be there for people. Be there in their sadness, their guilt and their fea

International Women's Day Health Struggles of Displaced Women by nelvely

Was it a terror attack? Two people aboard Boeing 777 that disappeared over Vietnam were traveling on STOLEN PASSPORTS as missing U.S passengers identified as IBM exec and two toddlers

MailOnline - news, sport, celebrity, science and health stories

By RICHARD SHEARS and LIZZIE PARRY-8 March 2014
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12.21am
Vietnamese Navy detected emergency signal 153 miles out to sea
Flight MH370 declared missing nearly 90 minutes after it was due to land
Malaysian Transport Minister said 'no crash site has been found'
227 passengers and 12 crew were from 14 different countries including Malaysia, China, U.S., France, Canada, and Australia
Three Americans, including two toddlers, feared dead
IBM employee Philip Wood, 51, identified as sole adult American national aboard the missing plane
Two passengers believed to have been travelling on a stolen passports
Aviation expert Chris Yates said the aircraft will not have been carrying enough fuel to still be flying and 'will have crashed'
He said the investigation will look at two areas, the maintenance of the aircraft and possible terrorism
Vietnamese air force spot two oil slicks suspected to be from the wreckage

An American national working for IBM in Malaysia has been identified as one of the passengers traveling aboard the Malaysian Airlines plane that vanished off the coast of Vietnam as new information concerning stolen passports has raised fears that it may have been an act of terror.

Philip Wood, 51, was identified as the only adult passenger traveling on a U.S. passport on Flight MH307. Two other American travelers have been named as toddlers Leo Meng, 2, and Nicole Meng, 4.

Earlier today, two oil slicks were spotted by the Vietnamese air force earlier today, as the major search and rescue operation was launched when the aircraft disappeared shortly after losing contact with air traffic controllers.

The Boeing 777, with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board, took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12.21am (4.21pm GMT) bound for Beijing, where it was expected to land at 6.30am (10.30pm GMT). Among them were three Americans, including two toddlers.

But after reaching 35,000ft and 120 nautical miles off the coast of the Malaysian town of Kota Bharu the plane vanished, prompting fears the aircraft 'could have crashed'.

As Malaysian Airlines released a full list of the passengers on board - including five children aged two to four years old - it emerged two passengers were traveling on stolen passports.