Exclusive: Court documents claim new Arron Banks links with Russia

Documents filed in a South African court by Arron Banks’ former business partner allege he sought funds from Russians.

20 Jul 2018

Brexit backing businessman Arron Banks sought financial help for his diamond mines from Russia, according to claims made in South African court documents obtained by Channel 4 News.

The documents were written and filed months before recent newspaper revelations of his multiple contacts and meetings with Russians.

The claims, made by his former business partner and contained in a sworn affidavit, were presented to the high court in Kimberley.

The court papers, obtained by Channel 4 News, relate to a civil action between Mr Banks’s diamond company, Distribution Rocks, and its partner firm, Supermix. Distribution Rocks is suing Supermix for failing to pay in excess of ZAR 7m he claims is owing to him.

They allege Mr Banks travelled to Russia and discussed Russian investment in his mines, which were struggling financially.

The statement of his former business partner says: “I was finally made aware in October [2015] that in truth, Banks had been dealing with Russians who contemplated investing in the mines…. I was informed by Banks that he had travelled to Russia and discussed with them the diamond opportunities as well as gold mining opportunities in Russia. He further indicated that he would be meeting with the Russians again during November [2015].”

He also claims in the documents that Banks raised money from investors for the mines,
but instead put the funds into the Brexit campaign and other interests.

“Throughout the early part of 2015 Arron Banks was promising the imminent arrival of these funds. Construction of operation on the mine sites continued in expectation of the funds, however these funds were not forthcoming.”

“It has recently become apparent that the funds were in fact raised but were used by Arron Banks in other interests that he has including but not limited to the his participation in the funding of Brexit.”
The court documents paint a picture of alleged financial issues at the three mines near Kimberley in South Africa in 2014 and 2015. Newlands mine, thought to be the most productive, appears to have failed to hit its production target, while the other two mines, Blaauwbosch and New Elands required significant investment in order to reach full capacity.

An email dated 13 April 2015 and sent to Mr Banks from his business partner reveals the mines were losing money and struggling to pay wages.

“Further to our discussion on Wednesday. We are currently running approximately R4.5 million in the red, of which approx R1.75m are creditors…. This month we will require a further R1.3 million to see us through the month, including salaries. Obviously we will have sales in early May, however we still need to see the month through.”

The documents also claim that Arron Banks planned to raise money from investors by issuing a bond.

The affidavit states: “During the latter part of 2014 further funding was required for the various businesses. Banks advised that he had various funding options open to him, one of which was to create a financial instrument (a diamond bond) whereby £4 million and $5 million would be raised for the capitalization of the business and the other was through a loan from Southern Rock, another Gibraltar headquartered insurance company belonging to Arron Banks and/or STM Life, also of Gibraltar, over which Arron Banks exerted significant influence, although he was not the majority shareholder.”

A prospectus for the bond, seen by Channel 4 News, promised an “exciting opportunity”.  It stated that after the investment, Newlands Mine could make profits averaging $7,000,000 per annum, while Blaauwbosch was predicted to make $10,000,000 each year. The bond documents have since been removed from the internet.

Mr Banks told Channel 4 News that the bond was considered in 2015, but never went ahead.

“Every mining group in the world raises funds via equity or bonds to fund their activities to suggest otherwise is false….Both mines are operating normally under new more successful management.”

“The proposed bond was considered in March 2015 , 2 months before the general election & 12 months before the date of referendum was announced by David Cameron.

“In the end, we did not proceed with the bond raise or any form of external fund raise.

“Unless I was mystic meg it would have been impossible to know that I would be involved in the referendum campaign or that it would even take place ! …

“The notion that Brexit was funded by the Russian’s is risible and just part of the continuing attacks on anyone involved with Brexit…”

“The other evidence Channel 4 have provided is from a court filing by a former business partner responding to our claim of damages.

“We deny in full all of his allegations & would comment that since he is being sued for considerable damages he is hardly a reliable witness.

“I have had no business dealings with any Russian investors through any of my businesses…”
Finally, Mr Banks dismissed the Channel 4 News report as “Fake news”.

The claims of Russian involvement were included in the affidavit, which was filed in the court in Kimberley on the 28th of February 2018, months before The Sunday Times and others revealed Mr Banks had had more extensive contact with Russians than he had previously admitted.

Damian Collins MP, the Chair of the DCMS Select Committee who called Mr Banks to give evidence to the Committee told Channel 4 News: “I think the allegations throw a completely different light on Arron Banks’s relationship with the Russians.

“The papers suggest that he was actively seeking investment with the Russians. He was actively seeking to do deals to support his mining interests in South Africa.

“This all happened before his famous ‘boozy lunch’ with the Russian ambassador. So the Russians knew that Arron Banks needed money and he was looking to them for it.

“Now I think he has to explain once again whether anything came of these meetings and discussions, and why he didn’t tell us when he was in front of the committee about these other meetings as well. It was clearly very material to his interests.

“There is also this issue of the bond he sought to raise. Now some people would say that if he is so rich that he can afford to spend millions of pounds on Brexit, why does he have to go running around the world trying to raise money through a bond issue to support his mining interests? So where does Arron Banks’s money really come from?

“I think this throws up yet more questions about the nature of his businesses, where the money has come from to pay for Brexit, given that a number of his businesses, by different reports, didn’t seem to be making much money at that time. He has clearly got to go to finance his businesses from outside, so where did the money come from that enabled him to spend so much money on Brexit?

 And what is the full extent of his contact with the Russians during this time to discuss business opportunities, and what came of them? There is clearly a lot more to this that Arron Banks let on when he came in front of the committee.”

Russia tells US to release alleged spy Maria Butina after 'fabricated charges'

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov addresses Butina’s detention in call with US secretary of state Mike Pompeo
The alleged Russian agent Maria Butina in an undated photo from her Twitter account. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

Reuters in Moscow-Sat 21 Jul 2018 

Russia’s foreign minister told his American counterpart on Saturday a woman arrested in the US on accusations she was a Russian agent was detained on “fabricated charges” and should be released.
Sergei Lavrov made the comments about Maria Butina in a phone call to the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, that was aimed at improving bilateral relations, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement in the wake of the recent summit in Helsinki.

On Wednesday, a US judge ordered Butina jailed until her trial after prosecutors argued she had ties to Russian intelligence and could flee the country.


Maria Butina, accused Russian spy, poses with politicians and questions Trump - video

Butina has been accused of working with a high-powered Russian official and two unidentified US citizens, trying to infiltrate the National Rifle Association and influence US policy toward Russia.
Lavrov said the actions of the American authorities, who arrested Butina “on the basis of fabricated charges”, were unacceptable and called for her release as soon as possible.

Lavrov and Pompeo also discussed ways to improve bilateral relations on “equal and mutually beneficial grounds” after Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump met in Helsinki on Monday.

They also talked over possible joint efforts aimed at improving the humanitarian situation in Syria, the statement said, and the “challenges” of nuclear talks with North Korea.

How Much Damage Did Trump Cause in Helsinki?

The president’s disgraceful remarks could have disturbing results.

U.S. President Donald Trump discusses his summit in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with House Republicans in the Cabinet Room of the White House on July 17. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

BY WILL INBODEN

| JULY 19, 2018,

After U.S. President Donald Trump’s Helsinki debacle, it is time to take stock of what the substantive damage caused by his conduct might entail. This is not to gloss over the anger in response to his betrayal of the United States in front of one of its most dedicated adversaries. I share that anger, and as rich as the English language is, its syntactic menu of fulminations and imprecations has been taxed to the limit this week as voices across the political spectrum have denounced Trump. Suffice to say it was one of the most appalling moments in the annals of presidential history.

But what might its actual effects be going forward on our country and our national interests? A potential damage assessment must begin with understanding that it wasn’t just about that dreadful day in Helsinki—it was the entire week that led up to it. Trump’s trashing of the NATO
alliance, calling the European Union a “foe” of the United States, insulting British Prime Minister Theresa May and further weakening her fragile coalition, and blaming the United States first for the frictions in its relationship with Russia. Taken together, it was a terrible week for the Western alliance, or what we not long ago called the free world.

It is impossible to tell at this juncture just how much harm Trump’s diplomatic malpractice did to the United States and its interests, but I will here pose a few speculations and places to watch for lingering fallout.

The U.S. intelligence community

Anyone who has worked for or with the intelligence community can attest to the resilience,
 equanimity, and dedication of its professionals. But when the president disgraces the community on the world stage, alongside one of the country’s most cunning and hostile adversaries, there will be a cost. It may come in risky operations curtailed because intelligence professionals doubt the support of the president, in liaison relationships truncated because partner services do not trust the U.S. president’s commitment, or especially in aggressive countermeasures not taken against Russian information warfare because the president refuses to order them, as only the president can do. We will never know the timing or full extent of this damage, but that does not make it less real.

The 2018 elections

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats delivered—and then reiterated—the most emphatic warning possible about ongoing Russian active measures targeting U.S. infrastructure, especially the national elections this fall. By November, we will see to what extent this Russian hybrid warfare does its damage to U.S. democratic processes and institutions, especially given Trump’s refusal to defend, retaliate, deter, or otherwise counter the threat. And for those many congressional Republicans who have thus far failed to take the Russian threat seriously, consider this: Given Putin’s desire to sow chaos and division to further weaken the United States, what if he decides in this election cycle to support Democratic candidates so that a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives will further bedevil the Trump administration? Of course, principle and duty alone should be sufficient to compel Republican members of Congress to do their part to protect our nation’s election system. But those who have been too quiescent about the ongoing Russian assault may eventually see that it hurts them too.

The Baltic States and Ukraine

These are catalogued together because they are the most obvious targets of an emboldened Putin’s next aggressive steps. Now that he has seen firsthand Trump’s supine posture toward him, Putin may perceive a window of opportunity for new coercive measures (or worse) against any of the Baltic States or Ukraine. After former President John F. Kennedy’s weak performance at the Vienna summit with Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev in June 1961, Khrushchev decided to press his advantage by building the Berlin Wall and then deploying nuclear missiles in Cuba. The coming months will reveal if Putin makes a similar calculation.

NATO

By many measures, NATO should be the picture of resurgent strength, as Derek Chollet and others have noted, given increasing defense budgets among member states, more robust exercises, and new capabilities. But NATO’s bedrock has always been the political commitment of its strongest members, especially the United States. In the aftermath of Helsinki and Trump’s disgraceful interview with Tucker Carlson, NATO is a damaged and weakened institution. Trump’s misconduct toward our European allies also diminishes their leaders’ political standing to continue increasing their national defense budgets, as European publics recoil against anything Trump favors.
The Middle East

We do not know what, if any, agreements or indications Trump may have given to Putin on the Middle East in their two-hour private meeting. Given Trump’s predilections, however, it is quite possible that he signaled to Putin a further green light for Russia’s partnership with the Bashar al-Assad regime and growing footprint in the region. As Putin mulls how to exploit the many new openings Trump conceded to him, he may well turn to the Middle East as the most advantageous. The benefits of increased Russian influence in the Middle East will flow to Iran as well, to the further detriment of the United States and Israel.

The British government

While May’s many missteps have contributed to her present plight, Trump’s insults and criticisms of her further weakened her already fragile government. If this leads to a new round of elections, Trump may even have made it more likely that the radical leftist Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, becomes the next British prime minister, whether as head of a coalition or of an outright Labour government.

Bill Browder, Michael McFaul, and other Putin critics

That this category even needs mentioning shows what perilous straits we inhabit. Trump’s grotesque willingness to consider Putin’s demand for Russia to be able to interrogate some of his most effective critics, reiterated yesterday by the White House press secretary, has prompted justifiable outrage.

Even entertaining the notion as Trump did, along with his muted reaction to Russia’s chemical assassination attempts against regime opponents, may further embolden Putin’s gangster behavior. It also puts at risk U.S. diplomats serving in repressive nations, as other governments see the president of the United States refusing to stand up for the people who serve under him.

We already know that Trump’s European misadventure was a disgrace. But just how much damage it actually did will become clear in the weeks and months to come.

[To read the full transcript of the Trump-Putin press conference in Helsinki on Monday—including the bit that the White House edited out from its transcript—click here.]

‘Grab the baby!’: Duck boat tragedy kills nine members of the same family

Tia Coleman of Indiana is a survivor of the duck boat that capsized and sank in Missouri on July 19, but she lost nine members of her family in the accident. (Reuters)

By Kristine Phillips and Reece RistauJuly 21 at 12:46 PM

BRANSON, Mo. — The Coleman family had initially thought of going on a vacation to Florida for their annual trip, but the drive was too long for some elderly relatives. They settled on going to Branson, a southwestern Missouri town about seven hours away from their hometown of Indianapolis. They rented a van and on Tuesday, the family of 11 from three generations of Colemans headed out for what would be their last vacation together.

The trip to this small resort town turned fatal just two days later, after they got on one of the amphibious vehicles for what should’ve been a 70-minute guided tour around the Ozarks. The boat struggled against the turbulent waves on Table Rock Lake, a normally placid body of water churned by a violent thunderstorm. The vehicle took on water, capsized and sank, settling at the bottom, taking 17 lives with it.

Of those 17 victims, nine were members of the Coleman family, the youngest a 1-year-old girl. Only two of the Coleman group on the boat survived, Tia Coleman and her 13-year-old nephew, Donovan.

Tia Coleman’s husband and all of her three children died.

“You don’t know how many times I wished they would’ve went to Florida,” said Carolyn Coleman, whose husband, Gary, lost two brothers, nieces and nephews in the accident.

[The violent storm behind the duck boat tragedy was well-predicted, not ‘out of nowhere’]

On Friday night, Carolyn, who lives in Georgia, said she called Tia while she was recovering at a hospital in Branson. Tia’s voice was calm on the phone, and Carolyn assumed she was probably still in shock, as if the weight of her loss had yet to take its toll.

Lying in a hospital bed, Tia Coleman told reporters that “big swells of water” gushed into the boat as huge waves swept over it.

“The last thing I heard my sister-in-law yell was, ‘Grab the baby!’” Coleman said. Her sister-in-law also died.

There were life jackets on the boat, but Coleman said the captain told them they didn’t need to use them.

“We’re told to stay seated and everybody stay seated,” she said. “Nobody, nobody — when that boat is found, all those life jackets are going to be on there.”

In total, 14 people survived — fewer than half the boat’s passengers and crew — on Thursday evening.

The tragedy was a sudden departure from what had been, for many, a beautiful summer day in the Midwestern retreat. Dark clouds, whipping winds and heavy rains had abruptly turned a routine tour into a disaster for 29 passengers and two crew members.

A duck boat carrying 31 passengers capsized on July 19, killing at least 17 people on board at Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo., on July 19. (Monica Akhtar, Amber Ferguson, Taylor Turner/The Washington Post)

“When tourists come to Branson, they’re our family, and we want to take care of our family. Branson is a city of smiles,” city spokeswoman Melody Pettit said Friday afternoon as she left Branson City Hall, where staffers were cleaning up leftover food and water donations for the victims. “Right now, we’re hurting and we’re not smiling.”

Santino Tomasetti arrived at the Showboat Branson Belle, a riverboat restaurant not far from where the boat sank, just as first responders were pulling people out of the water. Those who made it to shore were shivering, in shock, drained — and Tomasetti scurried to get dry clothing and chairs so paramedics could examine them. It was then, he said, that reality started to hit them.

“There were a lot of people who just, the second they had a minute to calm down, they were crying. They were starting to panic,” Tomasetti said, noting that he wanted to help in any way possible.

On Friday night, hundreds of community members and tourists lit candles, prayed and sang for the victims and their families, gathering outside the office of Ride the Ducks Branson, the company that owned and operated the boat. Tomasetti stood in the front of the crowd in the embrace of his loved ones, all in tears. Outside the office were the cars that the victims had left before they boarded the boat. Josh Daniel, who lives nearby, placed one flower on each car earlier that day.

“It broke us all,” he said.

The cars later were covered with flowers, teddy bears, balloons and handwritten signs. Daniel Scott took a knee as he placed one hand against the passenger-side door of a white SUV and prayed for the family that lost nine of its members, including a 1-year-old girl.

Soon, the crowd broke into song amid sniffles and sobs: “Amazing Grace,” “How Great Thou Art” and “It is Well With My Soul.”

The scene after a duck boat sinks, killing 17 during a storm near Branson, Mo.

View Photos

The boat was touring Table Rock Lake when a thunderstorm swept in. Authorities said 31 people were on board.

At Rock Lane Resort and Marina, a rowdy crowd and a live band that had been playing country music at a tiki bar suddenly went quiet as people began to gather at a hasty memorial that included candles, roses and teddy bears. Two young men sat in front, lighting tiny red candles. Neither of them knew the victims, but they said they felt compelled to join, both to say prayers and show gratitude.

“If it wasn’t for them people, we wouldn’t have a town,” said Stephen Lyons, who is in construction and often works on vacation homes in Branson. Lyons said he owes his livelihood to people like those who were on the duck boat on Thursday — millions of tourists who come to Branson every year and fuel the town’s economy.

“They could’ve gone anywhere else in the world, but they came here,” said the other young man, Stephen Noe.

Branson, near the Arkansas border with a population of 10,500, sees about 8 million tourists annually and is a destination for country music,  amusement parks and outdoor activities. Among its popular attractions are the duck boats; Ride the Ducks has been in Branson for more than four decades.

Questions still remain about why the boat was in the water, despite forecasts and a warning of a potentially violent storm. Jim Pattison Jr., president of Ripley Entertainment, parent company of Ride the Ducks, said the storm came on suddenly and took the crew by surprise. But the National Weather Service before noon had predicted the possibility of serious storms and high winds by late Thursday afternoon; the boat sank at about 7 p.m.

[The violent storm behind the duck boat tragedy was well-predicted, not ‘out of nowhere’]

“Why did that boat even go out? When you’re on vacation and you’re touring, you expect whoever’s running these facilities to be alert on weather and anything else in the surroundings that could bring harm to anyone,” Carolyn Coleman said.

The driver, Branson resident Robert “Bob” Williams, 73, is among the dead.

The passengers who died came from four states. William Asher, 69; Rosemarie Hamann, 68; Janice Bright, 63; and William Bright, 65, were from Missouri. Two — Steve Smith, 53; and Lance Smith, 15 — were from Arkansas. One, Leslie Dennison, 64, was from Illinois. Nine were from Indiana, all from the Coleman family: Angela 45; Belinda, 69; Ervin, 76; Glenn, 40; Horace, 70; Reece, 9; Eva, 7; Maxwell, 2; and Arya, 1.

Gripping footage from the lake showed the boat seesawing and lurching in unrelenting waves, as 65-mph gusts of wind hit it with spray. Before long, the small flat-bottomed half-boat half-bus sank, plunging 80 feet to the bottom of the lake. One other duck boat was on the lake Thursday and made it to shore.

David Plummer, associate pastor at Noble Hill Baptist Church, said that as he watched that footage online, he believed that the driver continued steering the boat even as the water swallowed it.

“Lord help him,” Plummer remembered thinking. “He didn’t have a chance. I watched him. That man gave his life.”

Carolyn Coleman said she and her husband are planning to make a trip to Indiana for the funeral after the bodies are released.

“He’s trying to hang in there,” she said of her husband. “I’m just trying to stand by my husband and support him with what we’re having to endure. This is a lot.”

Mark Berman and Emily Wax-Thibodeaux in Washington contributed to this report.

US immigration: baby did not recognise parents after five-month separation

Fifteen-month-old came to symbolise draconian US policy of separating migrant families

 Adalicia, Johan and Rolando are reunited in Honduras. Photograph: Esteban Felix/AP

Jamie Doward and agencies-Sat 21 Jul 2018

A 15-month old baby who came to symbolise the US government’s draconian policy of separating migrant families did not recognise his parents when they were reunited in Honduras on Friday, his mother has said.

Adalicia Montecinos said her son Johan had “suffered everything that we have been suffering” after spending five months in an Arizona shelter having been separated at the Texas border from his father, who was deported.

“I kept saying Johan, Johan, and he started to cry,” Montecinos said.

Johan soon warmed to his parents, however, laughing as he received kisses outside a centre where they concluded his final legal paperwork before heading home.

Montecinos said she could not be happier to have her son back, but expressed anger that he was kept from her for months, forced to watch him grow up via video.

“I will never see my son walk for the first time, or celebrate his first birthday. That’s what I lost, those memories every mum cherishes and tells their children years later.”

Johan’s case triggered international uproar when the Associated Press reported his appearance in a US courtroom earlier this year.

“I never thought they could be so cruel,” said Johan’s father, Rolando Antonio Bueso Castillo, 37, who had sought entry to the US in search of a better life, determined that his children would not grow up in the same poverty that he had endured since dropping out of the fourth grade to sell burritos to help his single mother support him and his four siblings.

Rolando’s younger brother had left the coffee-growing mountains of central Honduras for the US seven years ago and had thrived in Maryland with his wife and children.

His sister had followed and had also done well, the Associated Press reported. Their eldest brother was killed in a drive-by shooting in San Pedro Sula, one of Latin America’s most dangerous cities.
Rolando, who earned $10 a day as a bus driver, was well aware of the dangers of crossing Mexico. Scores of Central Americans have fallen to their deaths jumping on trains or have been murdered, kidnapped, robbed or raped on their way to the US.

He nevertheless paid a smuggler $6,000 out of the money his brother had sent to him and packed five onesies, three jackets, a blue-and-white baby blanket, lotion, cream, 50 nappies, two bottles and cans of formula for the clandestine trip.

The plan was for Montecinos, who was in her first trimester of pregnancy, to stay behind and sell baseball hats on her market stall with a view to her joining them a few months later.

Father and son made it as far as Tampico, Mexico, 300 miles from the Texas border, when the plan started to unravel. The smuggler drove them to a warehouse and told them to board a truck filled with scores of other parents and children from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Peru.

They spent three days locked in the truck, where buckets served as toilets. “We were carried like meat, but we had no choice by then,” Rolando said.

In the Mexican border city of Reynosa, they boarded a makeshift raft and floated across the Rio Grande to the US. They trudged through the Texas brush until a US Border Patrol agent spotted them and asked them where they were going.

Rolando said his response was simple: “We’re going to search for the American dream.”
The pair were taken to a detention centre, where they were held in a cell cordoned off by a chainlink fence and where they slept on a mattress under a thin, reflective blanket.

Rolando said he had to ask for three days before he was allowed to bathe Johan. “He was covered with dirt,” he said.

He initially believed that at worst he and his son would be deported, but on the fifth day, immigration officers said they were taking him to an office for questioning and an agent removed Johan from his father’s arms. It would be the last time they would be together for five months.

Rolando, who has apparently attempted to enter the US four times, spent 22 days locked up in different detention centres along the Texas border, knowing nothing of what had happened to his son and with no money to call his wife to tell her about the situation.

Upon being deported he was told his son would follow in two weeks, but months passed. On Friday he would not say whether he would attempt another entry. “They broke something in me over there,” he said. “This was never my son’s fault. Why did he have to be punished?”

Fighting for Survival: Whither Modern Civilization?

Global anxieties about nuclear weapons are the highest since the Cold War. Climate change is moving faster than we are. Inequalities are growing. We see horrific violations of human rights. Nationalism and xenophobia are on the rise

by Amir Nour[1]- Jul 18, 2018

 “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones” ~ (Albert Einstein)[2] 

A red alert in an age of fear, anger and extremes

( July 18, 2018, Tirana- Albania, Sri Lanka Guardian) In  anticipation of its 2018 edition, the well-regarded Munich Security Conference issued a report which aimed to serve as a useful compilation for an impressive gathering of over 300 decision makers and security professionals coming from all four corners of the world.

Fighting for Survival Whither Modern Civilization.docx by Thavam on Scribd

Burmese military planned ‘systematic’ genocide of Rohingya, says group

Rohingya refugees line up for daily essentials distribution at Balukhali camp, near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh January 15, 2018. Source: Reuters/Tyrone Siu

By A. Azim Idris | 20th July 2018

THE Burmese authorities had orchestrated a genocidal campaign to drive out Rohingya civilians in the weeks and months before militants launched an attack on police on Aug 25 that sparked wide-scale violence, a human rights group said on Thursday.

In a new report, Fortify Rights said the authorities made “extensive and systematic preparations” for the attacks on the stateless minority group, with “reasonable grounds” for 22 Army and police officials to be criminally investigated for their roles in the atrocities.

The 160-page report, ‘They Gave Them Long Swords: Preparations for Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity Against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma),’ took testimonies from 254 survivors, officials and workers over a 21-month period.

SEE ALSO: Burma’s latest Rakhine investigation a ‘sham’

The group detailed Burmese security forces committing alleged mass killings, rape, and arson attacks against Rohingya in Maungdaw Township in October and November 2016.

The report found at the involvement of at least 27 Burmese Army battalions of 11,000 soldiers, and at least three combat police battalions, comprising an estimated 900 police personnel, in a series of attacks that began on Aug 2017.

“Genocide doesn’t happen spontaneously,” Matthew Smith, Chief Executive Officer at Fortify Rights, said in a statement.

“Impunity for these crimes will pave the path for more violations and attacks in the future. The world can’t sit idly by and watch another genocide unfold, but right now, that’s exactly what’s happening.”

The remains of a burned Rohingya village is seen in this aerial photograph near Maungdaw, north of Rakhine State, Myanmar September 27, 2017. Source: Reuters

The rights group said the failure of the international community in responding to the attacks had allowed the Burmese authorities to make preparations to commit another attack that extended throughout all three townships of northern Rakhine State—Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and Rathedaung.

The group claims the Burmese forces “disarmed” Rohingya civilians by systematically collecting sharp or blunt objects from them.

“They came and took all the knives away,” a 50-year-old survivor known as “Rahana” said.

Other witnesses told the Fortify rights that the military trained and armed local non-Rohingya ethnic citizens in northern Rakhine State, and tore down fencing and other structures around Rohingya homes, providing attackers with a greater line-of-sight on civilians.

SEE ALSO: Burma, UN reach agreement for safe return of Rohingya refugees 

Burmese authorities provided weapons—firearms and swords—and quasi-military training to non-Rohingya citizens in northern Rakhine State months and, in some cases, immediately prior to attacks on Rohingya, the group said.

“They gave them long swords,” a 25-year-old Rohingya eyewitness to an Army-led massacre in Tula Toli—also known as Min Gyi—in Maungdaw Township on Aug 30, 2017.

The Rohingya civilians were also deprived of food and other lifesaving aid in a bid to physically weaken them, the group said, adding the government deployed “unnecessarily” high numbers of state-security forces to northern Rakhine State during the height of the crisis.

Fortify rights also said the authorities committed human rights violations against Rohingya civilians, including imposing discriminatory curfews and other violations prior to attacks.

Myanmar violated U.N. child rights pact in Rohingya crackdown, experts find

Rohingya refugee children leave school after a morning of classes in Shamplapur refugee camp in Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar violated its obligations to the United Nations child rights convention in its crackdown on the Rohingya that led to an exodus of hundreds of thousands of people from the minority community, legal experts have found.

Children make up around half of the more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled Buddhist-majority Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh since the start of a military crackdown last August.
The U.N. has called the Myanmar military operations a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.
Myanmar denies the allegation and has said it waged a legitimate counter-insurgency operation after Muslim militants attacked security posts.

Legal experts commissioned by Save the Children Norway analysed research by U.N. bodies and international human rights groups who have alleged that mass killings, arson, and torture were conducted by Myanmar security forces on the Rohingya.

“The research finds that the response by the Myanmar Government to the August 2017 attacks on police posts, together with the ongoing discrimination against Rohingya, constitute violations of at least seven key articles of the (UN convention on the rights of the child),” their report said.

Rohingya refugee children watch a football game during sunset at Kutupalong refugee camp, near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh January 3, 2018. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

The analysis found both the government and the security forces at fault. The Myanmar government “took positive steps” to assist the military operations and there was no evidence to suggest it did anything to curtail or condemn the security forces’ actions, the report said.

Myanmar acceded to the United Nations convention on the rights of the child in 1991 and is bound to it by law. Representatives of the Myanmar government and military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The violations highlighted in the report include failure to protect children from violence, abuse, neglect, sexual and other exploitation, inhumane treatment and detention.

It refers to “indiscriminate and extrajudicial killing of Rohingya children, and the torture, ill-treatment and gender-based violence” committed against them.

The government’s failure to conduct an independent investigation into the events following the August 2017 attacks, and ongoing discrimination against Rohingya children by denying them citizenship also are in violation of Myanmar’s obligations to the child rights convention, the report said.

The report was shared exclusively with Reuters ahead of its release next week.

Rohingya refugee children walk along the water as parts of the Kutupalong camp flooded during heavy rain in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, July 4, 2018. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain

“The list of violations we have found is not exhaustive,” said Guy Goodwin-Gill, emeritus professor of international refugee law at Oxford University, who co-authored the report.

“It represents only the most serious violations and there most likely are several others.”

'Dangerous complacency' to global HIV epidemic risks resurgence

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

By Alex Therrien-20 July 2018

A "dangerous complacency" in the response to the global HIV pandemic is risking a resurgence of the disease, according to a report.

Experts said a stalling of HIV funding in recent years was endangering efforts to control the illness.
As things stand, the world is no longer on course to end the pandemic by 2030 - a target agreed by UN member states, say experts in The Lancet.

They call for urgent changes in how the disease is treated and controlled.

• HIV vaccine shows promise in human trial
• HIV life expectancy now 'near normal'

'Situation has stagnated'

About 37 million people worldwide live with HIV or Aids. And there are an estimated 1.8 million new cases every year.

New cases of HIV/Aids have been falling in recent years.

But the Lancet Commission said the fall was happening too slowly to reach the UNAids target of 500,000 new infections by 2020.

While HIV rates were falling overall, they remained persistent in marginalised groups, younger people - particularly women - and in developing countries, all of whom were less likely to access treatment, the commission said.

Experts said HIV funding had remained flat in recent years, at about £14.7bn - roughly £5.4bn short of the estimated amount needed to achieve the UNAids targets.

Dr Linda-Gail Bekker, president of the International Aids Society and professor at University of Cape Town, South Africa, said: "Despite the remarkable progress of the HIV response, the situation has stagnated in the past decade.

"Reinvigorating this work will be demanding - but the future health and wellbeing of millions of people require that we meet this challenge."

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

The Lancet Commission also called for more collaboration between health professionals and for HIV treatment to become better incorporated into other areas of healthcare.

This would mean an end to HIV "exceptionalism", where specific funding and services have been provided for HIV alone, and could include combining HIV screening with screening for other non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

In India, for example, if HIV testing and treatments were combined with those for syphilis among women sex workers and gay men it could reduce the number of new HIV cases at a national-level by 7% between 2018 and 2028, the report estimated.

"Health systems must be designed to meet the needs of the people they serve, including having the capacity to address multiple health problems simultaneously," Prof Chris Beyrer said.
"No-one can be left behind in our efforts to achieve sustainable health."

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Mullaitivu families of the disappeared mark 500 days of protest

18Jul 2018

Families of the disappeared in Mullaitivu marked 500 days of protest today following months of prolonged demonstrations calling on the government to release the whereabouts of their missing loved ones. 

Condemning the government's inaction and broken promises, families also criticised Tamil elected representatives for their silence. 

During the past 500 days demonstrators have faced harassment and intimidation from Sri Lankan intelligence officers and the leader of the protest was attacked by unknown persons. 

Marking 500 days the families said they would be drawing the continuous protests to a close but would continue to demonstrate in other ways. 

Related Articles: 

15 July 2018 : Demonstrations at Kilinochchi OMP hearing as families of disappeared demand international investigation

14 July 2018 : Families of the disappeared protest at OMP hearing in Jaffna

A NEW CONSTITUTION SHOULD BE ENACTED WITHIN THIS YEAR, SAMPANTHAN REITERATES

(Press Release/18 July 2018) 

18/07/2018

The Visiting Belgium-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group met with the Leader of the Opposition and the Tamil National Alliance today at the office of the Leader of the opposition in parliament.

Briefing the delegation Mr Sampanthan highlighted that the present Sri Lankan Constitution is not enacted based on consensus. The processes of enacting a new Constitution which recognizes the multi-ethnicity and pluralistic nature of this country has begun and the draft Constitution will be placed before the steering committee on this Wednesday. Further speaking Mr Sampanthan said that he wants the processes to succeed and there are opportunities for this process to succeed and we should take maximum use of the prevailing circumstances to find a permanent solution to this longstanding national question.

Mr Sampanthan stressed that the new Constitution must be adopted before the end of this year to take this country on a new journey. Further, he said that the country is faced with a choice either to take the country forward or to drag the country backwards. If they want the country to move forward in every aspect then it is inevitable that they adopt a new Constitution he said.

Speaking on the reconciliation process, Mr Sampanthan highlighted that the people are not happy as they do not receive early relief for their problems. He brought to the notice of the delegation of a number of issues faced by the Tamil people in the North and East. Highlighting the large extent of lands occupied by the armed forces Mr Sampanthan said People have lived in these lands for generations and centuries and they want their lands back, but the progress in this matter has been very slow.

On the issue of Missing persons, Mr Sampanthan said people want to know as to what has happened to their loved ones and people cannot live in uncertainty forever. The truth must be ascertained said Mr Sampanthan. Our people are staging a protest for a number of months regarding these matters, but the progress made in these matters are not up to the expectations.

Appreciating the EU role in the past Mr Sampanthan appealed to the delegation to impress upon the government to take the necessary steps to cure its ways to prevent adverse impacts on its people in the future.

The Delegation led by Hon (Prof) Ms Petra De Sutter, Senator, President of the Belgium – Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group comprised of Hon Ms Ozlem Ozen, Member of the House, Vice President of the Belgium – Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group, Hon. Georges Dallemagne, Member of the House, Vice President of the Belgium – Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group, Hon. Alain Destexhe Senator, Member of the Belgium – Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group, hon Andries Gryffroy Senator, Member of the Belgium – Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group, Mr Marc Jolling, Secretary of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Office in the Belgium Federal Parliament, and the Belgium Ambassador to Sri Lanka His Excellency Jan Luykx.