Global News Post: Riots

At Least 44 Dead in Bangladesh Clashes

<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">On January 21,
the tribunal sentenced Abul Kalam Azad to death in absentia, finding him guilty
of torture, rape and genocide. On February 5, it sentenced Abdul Quader Mollah
to life in prison on similar charges. At least eight more Jamaat members are
still on trial.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Human rights
groups have questioned the fairness of the trials, saying members of the
defense have been unduly pressured.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Bangladesh</span></span></st1:country-region><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> fought a nine-month war against <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region> in 1971 to obtain its
independence. The government says 3 million people died in the violence,
although other estimates give a lower death toll.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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At Least 44 Dead in Bangladesh Clashes

By VOA News At least 44 people have been killed in Bangladesh in a wave of violence sparked by a special tribunal's decision...

MYANMAR: Rohingyas Call for Global Day of Action on Nov 8

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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">YANGON
(NNN-MIZZIMA) -- Rohingya groups from across the world have signed a statement
calling for a Global Day of Action on Nov 8 in support of human rights for the
Rohingya people of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Myanmar</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“We
call upon all organisations and individuals who support human rights for the
Rohingya to unite to take action on November 8th. On this date it will be 5
months since violent attacks against the Rohingya began in Arakan (<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Myanmar</st1:place></st1:country-region>),” the
joint statement said. “We call [on] you for demonstrations at Myanmar Embassies
or the Foreign Ministry in your respective countries.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
Rohingya umbrella group, which includes Rohingya Organisation UK and similar
NGOs in Europe, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Japan</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Australia</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Malaysia</st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region>, claims that
since violence erupted in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Rakhine</st1:placename>
 <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype></st1:place> in June, thousands
of Rohingya people have been forced to flee their homes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In
its statement on Thursday, the group also drew attention to allegations that
many Rohingya villagers have been living under a state of siege and that many
are suffering from starvation and disease. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
Rohingya groups also called for support for its call to the United Nations to
send UN peacekeepers and international observers into the restive region, the
unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to those affected, and for the
establishment of a UN commission of inquiry into the violence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">They
also called on the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Myanmar</st1:place></st1:country-region>
government to repeal the 1982 Citizenship Law under which the Rohingya are
effectively rendered stateless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
Washington-based US Campaign for Burma (USCB) released a statement on Nov 1
demanding “extreme elements from both sides [Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim
Rohingya] immediately stop utilizing violence as a solution, and to end the
distribution of false and fabricated information with an aim to fuel further
violence and instigating discrimination.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">USCB
urged President Thein Sein to take action against those responsible for the
violence. It also called on the Myanmar Parliament to review the 1982
Citizenship Law and amend the law in accordance with the international standard,
thereby allowing stateless persons in the country to be granted citizenship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“The
recent communal violence in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Rakhine</st1:placename>
 <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype></st1:place> is a product of
decades-long, deep-seeded cultural distrust between the two communities,” the
USCB said. “When people are committed to the democratic principle to tolerate
and respect differences, such distrust can be overcome, which sets up the
future possibility of unity. Diversity is the destiny of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Myanmar</st1:place></st1:country-region>.” -- NNN-MIZZIMA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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MYANMAR: Rohingyas Call for Global Day of Action on Nov 8

YANGON (NNN-MIZZIMA) -- Rohingya groups from across the world have signed a statement calling for a Global Day of Action on Nov 8 in su...

At Least 56 Dead in New Ethnic Violence in Myanmar

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<st1:city w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NEW DELHI</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (NNN-IRNA) -- At least 56 people have been
killed and nearly 2,000 homes destroyed in the latest outbreak of ethnic
violence in western <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Myanmar</st1:country></st1:place>,
a government official said on Thursday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
25 men and 31 women were reported dead in four Rakhine state townships in
violence between the Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya communities that
re-erupted on Sunday, PTI reported quoting local government spokesman Win
Myaing as saying in Kyauktaw.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He
said some 1,900 homes had been burned down in fresh conflict, while 60 men and
four women were injured. In June, ethnic violence in the state left at least 90
people dead and destroyed more than 3,000 homes. Tens of thousands of people
remain in refugee camps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Curfews
have been in place in some areas since June, and been extended to others due to
the recent violence. --NNN-IRNA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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At Least 56 Dead in New Ethnic Violence in Myanmar

NEW DELHI (NNN-IRNA) -- At least 56 people have been killed and nearly 2,000 homes destroyed in the latest outbreak of ethnic violence...

Sectarian Violence Spreads in Burma

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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">By
Daniel Schearf<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">VOA
News--- Renewed sectarian violence between Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist Rakhine
is spreading in <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Burma</st1:place></st1:country>’s
western Rakhine state.  At least two
people were reported killed and there are concerns the death toll may grow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Authorities
say fighting erupted late Tuesday in two more towns, Kyaukpyu and Myebon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Burma</span></st1:place></st1:country><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">'s state media said communal violence has
left more than 1,000 homes burned since Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported two people were killed in the fighting,
while unconfirmed reports say casualty figures are much higher.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Al
Haji Nyunt Maung Shein is chairman of <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Burma</st1:place></st1:country>'s Islamic Religious Affairs
Council.  He says they received reports
as many as 178 Muslims and Buddhists were killed, but were unable to
independently confirm the figures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"Still
the violence is going on in Rakhine state, especially in Kyaukpyu area and
Myinbya area last night.  And recently
they are suffering so much.  And almost
all, nearly 2,000 houses are burnt," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
council cancelled celebration of the Islamic religious festival Eid al-Adha out
of concern for security.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">It
is not clear what started this week's unrest. 
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Human
Rights Watch <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Burma</st1:place></st1:country>
researcher Matthew Smith says the remoteness of Rakhine state is partly to
blame. But he says prejudice also plays a role.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"This
is an issue that has not been covered in any sort of adequate way.  And, the sympathies that few people have in
the country for the plight of the Rohingya are certainly drowned out by
opposing viewpoints," said Smith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
Rohingya Muslims are not recognized as citizens in <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Burma</st1:place></st1:country>, despite many living there
for generations.  Most Buddhists in <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Burma</st1:country> consider them illegal migrants from <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1:place></st1:country>.  Their legal status leaves them open to
exploitation, and the United Nations calls them one of the most abused
minorities in the world.  <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Toronto-based
democracy activist and <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Burma</st1:place></st1:country>
analyst Vijay Sappani says the government needs to offer the Rohingya better
protection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"I
think the long-term solution is to find some form of a citizenship status or
some form of a status that can be given to them so that there is a law which is
clearly defined and that can be implemented," said Sappani. "The
challenge right now is that there is a law that is fairly discriminative and
the majority do support it."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
government withdrew an offer last week for the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation to open an office in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Rakhine</st1:placename>
 <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype></st1:place>, following
Buddhist-monk-led protests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Tensions
between the Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims broke out in June over
allegations in state media that Rohingya men raped a Rakhine girl.  A Rakhine mob attacked and killed a busload
of Rohingya and spiraling revenge attacks left close to 90 people dead and tens
of thousands homeless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">A
government appointed investigation commission is to deliver a report on the
violence in November.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Victor
Beattie in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Washington</st1:city> <st1:state w:st="on">D.C.</st1:state></st1:place> contributed to this story<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sectarian Violence Spreads in Burma

By Daniel Schearf VOA News--- Renewed sectarian violence between Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist Rakhine is spreading in Burma ’s we...

INDIA: Army Only for Specific Operations in Violence-Stricken Assam

INDIA: Army Only for Specific Operations in Violence-Stricken Assam

GUWAHATI (ASSAM, INDIA) (NNN-PTI) -- Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday said the Indian army will be used in the state only for...

INDIA: Former Minister among 32 Convicted in Gujarat Riots

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">AHMEDABAD (NNN-AGENCIES) -- A special court in Ahmedabad on Wednesday convicted 32 people, including a former BJP minister Maya Kodnani and Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, in the Naroda Patia case, the biggest massacre of the post-Godhra riots. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The cases were filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including of murder and conspiracy. The maximum punishment is death, said a lawyer. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The court acquitted 29 people. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On February 28, 2002, 97 persons were killed in Naroda. As many as 94 bodies were found, of which 84 were identified. Three people are still missing. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The court had earlier kept the judgment for pronouncement on June 30, but was deferred till August 29. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The city crime branch nabbed 47 people and filed four charge sheets, but after the Supreme Court transferred the investigation to the special investigation team (SIT), 24 other accused were arrested including Kodnani. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In all, eight charge sheets were filed in this case. The trial began in 2009 and lasted for more than two years. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Special prosecutors Akhil Desai and Gaurang Vyas examined 327 witnesses and in all more than 500 documentary evidences were produced before the court. Those who deposed before the court were 173 relatives of victims who were eyewitnesses, 41 panch witnesses, 17 officials, 42 doctors, 44 cops, one forensic experts and nine others. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"More than 90 people lost their lives, mostly children and ladies, all of them were defenceless," public prosecutor Akhil Desai said, adding that he would push for the death penalty when sentences are handed down on Friday. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"If some of the accused are lucky enough to escape the death penalty, I will ask for life imprisonment, not for 14 years but for the rest of their lives," he told reporters. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kodnani, who served as child and human development minister under Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi until her arrest in 2009, broke down in tears as the guilty verdict was pronounced, as did relatives waiting outside the court. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The violence was triggered by the deaths of nearly 60 Hindu pilgrims in a February 2002 train fire that was initially blamed on a mob of Muslims. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hindus hungry for revenge rampaged through Muslim neighbourhoods across Gujarat in an orgy of violence that marked some of India's worst religious riots since independence from Britain in 1947. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Human rights groups say more than 2,000 people, mainly Muslims, were hacked, beaten or burned to death, while government figures put the death toll at about 1,000. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Last year, a court in Gujarat found 31 Muslims guilty of murder and conspiracy charges for causing the train fire, but a national enquiry in 2005 concluded that the blaze was an accident and cast doubt on much of the police evidence. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wednesday's verdicts came after final arguments in April following a trial that saw 327 witnesses called to give evidence. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">More than 100 others have been convicted for killing Muslims during the riots. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In 2008, the Supreme Court ordered the re-investigation of nine of the most sensitive incidents during the riots, including the initial train fire and the violence in Naroda Patiya. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bajrangi, in an interview taped by news magazine Tehelka, confessed to helping orchestrate the killing in Naroda Patiya where homes were set on fire and some Muslims were set ablaze while hiding in a pit. -- NNN-AGENCIES<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

INDIA: Former Minister among 32 Convicted in Gujarat Riots

AHMEDABAD (NNN-AGENCIES) -- A special court in Ahmedabad on Wednesday convicted 32 people, including a former BJP minister Maya Kodnani an...

OIC Keen to Send Mission to Myanmar on Rohingya Muslims

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (NNN-Bernama) -- The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will ask the Myanmar Government to allow an OIC fact-finding mission to be sent to Myanmar, said OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He made the remarks in an OIC statement at the conclusion of the Executive Committee meeting to discuss the Muslim Rohingya issue at the Permanent Representative level at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah over the weekend. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ihsanoglu has expressed disappointment over the failure of the international community to stop the tyranny and discrimination by the Myanmar Government against the Rohingya Muslims in Arakan, formerly known as Rakhine state. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He suggested looking into the possibility of considering the formation of an Islamic fact-finding committee to seek the best solution to the issue among all parties, including the Myanmar Government, as well as international and regional organisations. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The secretary-general said the indifference of the international community to the rights of the Rohingya people, and fragmentation of the 25 Rohingya organisations, had motivated the largest Muslim organisation to make efforts to unite the organisations at the OIC headquarters in May last year. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“OIC has directed its offices at the United Nations in New York to work in coordination with the Member States that are also non-permanent members in the UN Security Council, namely, Azerbaijan, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo, to urge the <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Council to look into the suffering of the Rohingya Muslims,” he added. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He also urged the OIC Permanent and Independent Human Rights Commission to study the crisis of Myanmar Muslims and its human rights implications during its next session in Turkey at the end of this month. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Meanwhile, Ihsanoglu hoped that Bangladesh could review its position on the Rohingya Muslims, although he understood Bangladesh's position and the sensitivity of the issue. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Violence, which erupted in June, this year, in the Rakhine state between Buddhists and Rohingya, left about 80 people dead on both sides, official figures showed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Reports said the Myanmar Government’s restrictions on humanitarian access to the Rohingya community had left many of the over 100,000 people displaced and in dire need of food, shelter, and medical care. --- NNN-BERNAMA </span></div>

OIC Keen to Send Mission to Myanmar on Rohingya Muslims

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (NNN-Bernama) -- The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will ask the Myanmar Government to allow an OIC fact...

INDIA: Displaced Persons in Assam Expected to Return to their Villages in Next Few Days: Home Minister

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-F5i_DiKZFAYJhxZhbgO88jnq19NcS3RlcxyQmPpOJhLfSGCxFHbXBeNa7FpjqACg-gJckGFoSLtK5AgfTr25YHnl9FYejz0_kEgw_jmaXnEuMBk1J414WdLvl8mB4vpuk32xcOLKm4/s1600/l2012073141549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-F5i_DiKZFAYJhxZhbgO88jnq19NcS3RlcxyQmPpOJhLfSGCxFHbXBeNa7FpjqACg-gJckGFoSLtK5AgfTr25YHnl9FYejz0_kEgw_jmaXnEuMBk1J414WdLvl8mB4vpuk32xcOLKm4/s640/l2012073141549.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram addressing a press conference after visiting Kokrajhar during his visit to Assam on July 30, 2012. The Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi is also seen. Photo © PIB<o:p></o:p></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">NEW DELHI (PIB) --- Ministry of Home Affairs has sent 65 additional companies of Central Armed Police Forces to Assam to restore normalcy in the State.  Presenting the Ministry’s Report Card for the month of July in New Delhi today, the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that plans have been drawn up to establish police pickets in sensitive villages in Assam.  He further said that the displaced persons are expected to return to their villages in the next few days.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Minister said that “on July 30-31, 2012, I visited Assam to review the security situation and the relief provided to persons displaced in the recent ethnic conflict. It is deeply regrettable that 56 persons lost their lives and more than 4 lakh persons have been displaced. They are currently sheltered in 278 camps set up by the Government. The Ministry of Home Affairs has provided additional 65 companies of CAPFs to Assam. The immediate tasks are relief, rehabilitation and providing security. Plans have been drawn up to establish police pickets in sensitive villages. The displaced persons are anxious to return and are expected to return to their villages in the next few days. Government of India has offered full cooperation and support to the State government.”<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

INDIA: Displaced Persons in Assam Expected to Return to their Villages in Next Few Days: Home Minister

The Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram addressing a press conference after visiting Kokrajhar during his visit to Assam on July 30, 2012....

Rohingya Muslims' Massacre "Blot On Face of Humanity" - India's Scholar

Rohingya Muslims' Massacre "Blot On Face of Humanity" - India's Scholar

NEW DELHI, India (NNN-Bernama) -- Massacre of Rohingya Muslims of Arakan region in Myanmar is "a blot on the face of humanity", ...

INDIA: PM's Assam Visit in Trouble Due to Technical Snag in Chopper

INDIA: PM's Assam Visit in Trouble Due to Technical Snag in Chopper

GUWAHATI, India (NNN-Bernama) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's tour to violence-hit northeast state of Assam ran into trouble...

India: Thousands Flee Ethnic Clashes in Northeastern State of Assam

India: Thousands Flee Ethnic Clashes in Northeastern State of Assam

Thousands of people are pouring into relief camps in northeastern India, where ethnic clashes have killed at least 41 people in the last w...

Fresh Clashes between Ethnic Groups Rock Lower Assam

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">KOKRAJHAR (NNN-PTI) -- Fresh clashes between minority immigrants and Bodo tribals and cases of arson were reported from lower Assam Wednesday even as shoot-at-sight orders remained in force in Kokrajhar district which bore the brunt of the violence</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span dir="RTL"></span>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Official sources said there were reports of stray clashes and arson in remote villages of Chirang district where night curfew continued. Night curfew is also on in neighbouring Dhubri district</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span dir="RTL"></span>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Assam remained cut off from the rest of the country by rail as train services remained suspended all over the state with hundreds of Assam-bound passengers being stranded in Coochbehar in West Bengal on the border with Assam and other places</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span dir="RTL"></span>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There were reports of food and drinking water shortage among the passengers leading to protests by them. The official death toll stood at 32, but Chirang Deputy Commissioner Upendra Nath Bora said there were unconfirmed reports of recovery of three more bodies</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span dir="RTL"></span>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Over one lakh people have been rendered homeless and 125 relief camps have been set up in the affected district of Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri. Sources said that 18 columns of the Army's 21 mountain division were on their way to the troubled districts</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span dir="RTL"></span>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">An all-party delegation of the Assam Assembly is scheduled to visit the troubled areas Wednesday</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span dir="RTL"></span>.</span><span dir="LTR"></span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span dir="LTR"></span> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">--NNN-PTI<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Fresh Clashes between Ethnic Groups Rock Lower Assam

KOKRAJHAR (NNN-PTI) -- Fresh clashes between minority immigrants and Bodo tribals and cases of arson were reported from lower Assam Wedne...

Indian Court Convicts 23 for Deadly 2002 Anti-Muslim Violence in Gujarat

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</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">By Anjana Pasricha from New Delhi<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In India, a court has convicted 23 people in connection with the killing of 23 Muslims during deadly religious riots that swept through Gujarat state in 2002. The massacre was investigated by a special team after allegations that the probe by state police was not impartial.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A special court Monday found the 23 people guilty of setting fire to a house in Gujarat’s Ode village where a group of Muslims had taken shelter to protect themselves from rioting mobs.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Twenty-three others were acquitted for lack of evidence. Most of those who stood trial are Hindus.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The massacre took place a decade ago, when towns and villages in Gujarat were convulsed with riots that targeted Muslims homes and neighborhoods. The violence erupted after a train fire, blamed on Muslims, killed 60 Hindu pilgrims and prompted retaliation by Hindu mobs. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The prosecutor, P.N. Parmar, called it a historic judgment in the mass killings in Ode village. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Nine children, nine women and five men burnt alive in this heinous crime,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The sentences will be announced later. Defense lawyers say they will appeal the verdict. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The massacre in Ode village is one of nine incidents into which the Supreme Court has ordered a special investigation, following allegations that the Gujarat police were not impartial in their probe into the deadly riots. About 1,000 Muslims died in the violence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This is the third judgment to be handed down in connection with the riots. In two separate judgments last year, 31 people were sentenced for burning 39 Muslims to death, while 31 Muslims were found guilty for setting fire to the train that killed the Hindu pilgrims.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Gujarat is ruled by the Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. The state’s chief minister, Narendra Modi, has often been accused of not doing enough to stop the riots or bring the perpetrators to justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">After Monday’s verdict, senior BJP leader Balbir Punj said justice has been handed to the riot victims. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“It is a victory for the people of Gujarat and it is a slap on the face of those people that [say] justice cannot be done in Gujarat,” said Punj.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoHeader" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Although the 2002 violence tarnished Narendra Modi’s image, the controversial leader remains one of BJP’s top leaders. He has won state elections in Gujarat twice since the riots and hopes to play a larger role in national politics.---VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Indian Court Convicts 23 for Deadly 2002 Anti-Muslim Violence in Gujarat

By Anjana Pasricha from New Delhi In India, a court has convicted 23 people in connection with the killing of 23 Muslims during deadly re...

Egyptians Protest Security Failure That Caused Soccer Disaster

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh726qLJCiTXosZCTGLxUsvj7-kd7COXq6b8HAXhx5Dxb11sx8ekGmc6wH1SJhyQr6YRyRyTpod_coHbfP0dr_F0sRH5H-W_OwfBiRARvN0Y2fCJJPoPm6A5hsIqh3i3Ci-ZRyENWWE8eE/s1600/2012020215230988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh726qLJCiTXosZCTGLxUsvj7-kd7COXq6b8HAXhx5Dxb11sx8ekGmc6wH1SJhyQr6YRyRyTpod_coHbfP0dr_F0sRH5H-W_OwfBiRARvN0Y2fCJJPoPm6A5hsIqh3i3Ci-ZRyENWWE8eE/s640/2012020215230988.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">Hell broke loose at a soccer stadium in <st1:city w:st="on">Port Said</st1:city> city, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region> Feb. 1, 2012 where 79 people were killed and at least 1,000 injured during a mass invasion of the pitch by rivals fans at the end of a match between <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Port   Said</st1:city></st1:place> team Al-Masry and Al-Ahly. Describing it as the biggest disaster in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region>’s soccer history, the Muslim Brotherhood, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s largest Islamist group, blamed the violence on supporters of ousted President Hosni Mubarak. A three-day period of national mourning has been declared.The match ended with <st1:city w:st="on">Port Said</st1:city> team Al-Masry beating Al-Ahly, one of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s most successful clubs, 3-1.Photo courtesy agencies---NNN<o:p></o:p></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Egyptian activists are taking to the streets Thursday to protest the failure of police to prevent violence at a soccer match that left at least 74 people dead and hundreds injured in the northern city of Port Said.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The protesters are angry that most riot police in the stadium appeared to stand idly by as the worst case of soccer violence in Egyptian history unfolded on Wednesday night. Others are concerned that some of the fans were apparently allowed to carry weapons into the stadium.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8XKOPA2qlRM" width="640"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>How it happened </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The violence broke out when fans of the home team, Al-Masry, stormed the field at the end of the match, attacking players and supporters of the visiting Al-Ahly club.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">VOA correspondent Elizabeth Arrott reported a tense environment Thursday in Port Said, where troops were deployed to prevent further clashes.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">She said some protesters in the city are blaming the police and military for the incident, while others are calling for retaliation against the fans who instigated the violence.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The deputy director of the Port Said General Hospital told VOA that many of the casualties appeared to be the result of suffocation and stab wounds. Witnesses say others died after being trampled or thrown from the terraces of the stadium.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Reaction </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest political party, blamed the violence on supporters of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, saying some are "intent on forcing Egypt into chaos and destruction."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Egypt's cabinet and parliament are discussing the events during emergency meetings on Thursday, at the beginning of an official three-day period of mourning. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Investigation </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The head of Egypt's military council, Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi, has formed a task force to investigate the incident, and promised the riots "will not affect Egypt and its security." </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"God willing, if there is any person planning to destabilize Egypt, he will fail to achieve his goal. Everyone involved in this incident will be handed a fair sentence," he warned.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Police have so far arrested 47 people for involvement in the case. The country's football association called for an indefinite suspension of league games. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Security </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The incident has raised fresh concerns about the ability of Egypt's military rulers to preserve security and manage crowds. In April, state police were also criticized after they failed to stop similar riots at a soccer match in Cairo.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The latest incident comes as Egypt struggles to deal with several other security incidents, including a recent increase in armed robberies and kidnappings for ransom.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Some security officials have said that Egypt's often-criticized and largely unpopular state police have been given strict orders to deal carefully with civilians following clashes between protesters and police that left 40 people dead in November. ---VOA News</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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Egyptians Protest Security Failure That Caused Soccer Disaster

Hell broke loose at a soccer stadium in Port Said city, Egypt Feb. 1, 2012 where 79 people were killed and at least 1,000 injured during...

Riot Police March into Cairo's Tahrir Square

Riot Police March into Cairo's Tahrir Square

Tensions are rising again in Cairo ; one day after thousands of protesters swarmed the city's famed Tahrir Square to demand the mil...

Indian Court Convicts 31 Hindus for Muslim Killings

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span>A court in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> has convicted 31 Hindus and sentenced them to life in prison for killing dozens of Muslims nearly a decade ago, in one of the country's worst outbreaks of sectarian violence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span>A judge handed down the guilty verdicts Wednesday, while acquitting 41 other people.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span>Rights activists said this is the first time in decades so many people in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> have been convicted in a case of sectarian violence. They added that those freed in similar cases should be interrogated and convicted as soon as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span>A group of 33 Muslims who had sought shelter in a house were burned to death after a mob set fire to a building in <st1:place w:st="on">Gujarat</st1:place> state in 2002.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span>The incident was part of a wave of anti-Muslim rioting in which more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span>The rioting followed a train fire that killed 59 Hindu pilgrims. Earlier this year, a court sentenced 11 people to death and 20 to life in prison for involvement in that incident.---VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Indian Court Convicts 31 Hindus for Muslim Killings

A court in India has convicted 31 Hindus and sentenced them to life in prison for killing dozens of Muslims nearly a decade ago, in one of...

Religious Clashes in Egypt: Government Works to Ease Tensions

Religious Clashes in Egypt: Government Works to Ease Tensions

CAIRO (RIA Novosti)-The Egyptian government will hold an emergency session on Monday to discuss the recent clashes between minority Coptic...

23 Killed as Egypt Church Protests Turn Violent

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><span> </span><span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">At least 23 people were killed and 150 injured Sunday in the Egyptian capital, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cairo</st1:place></st1:city>, when a protest by Coptic Christians over the recent burning of a church escalated into rioting against military rule.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Protesters used firebombs, set army vehicles alight and battled with security forces in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s most violent clashes since the February uprising that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Hundreds of rioters fought with police, some of them tearing up pavement and using rocks for ammunition. At one point, an armored security van sped into the crowd, crushing some protesters to death. Two soldiers also died in Sunday's clashes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Christian demonstrators said a peaceful rally in the mostly Coptic neighborhood of Shubra turned deadly when the group marched to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region>'s Radio and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Television</st1:placename>  <st1:placetype w:st="on">Building</st1:placetype></st1:place> where plainclothes police attacked them. The protests later spread to <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Tahrir Square</st1:address></st1:street>, the focal point of the February revolution.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">State media reported that <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s interim Cabinet is holding an emergency session to discuss the situation. The army imposed a nighttime curfew on <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Tahrir   Square</st1:address></st1:street> and the surrounding area.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In the past few weeks, riots have broken out at two churches in southern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>, prompted by Muslim crowds angry about church construction.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">One clash took place near the city of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Aswan</st1:place></st1:city> after church officials agreed to a demand by local ultra-conservative Muslims, known as Salafis, that a cross and bells be removed from the church building.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Aswan</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">'s governor, Mustafa Kamel al-Sayyed, is also reported to have suggested that the church does not have legal authorization. Protesters said Sunday they are demanding the governor's ouster after the church was burned and partially demolished last week.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Christians make up about one-tenth of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s 80 million people and often face attacks from Islamic extremists. Copts joined with Muslims during the protests that ousted Mr. Mubarak, but sectarian troubles have since intensified.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Egypt</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> has been considering new laws designed to stem sectarian violence, including banning protests at places of worship and the use of religious slogans to incite hatred.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In May, 12 people were killed in sectarian clashes between Christians and Muslims after rumors spread that Christians were holding a woman who had converted to Islam. ---VOA NEWS<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

23 Killed as Egypt Church Protests Turn Violent

At least 23 people were killed and 150 injured Sunday in the Egyptian capital, Cairo , when a protest by Coptic Christians over the rec...

British PM Cameron declares war on gangs

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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">LONDON (RIA Novosti)- Fighting street gang culture should become "the new national priority" for Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron said in Oxfordshire on Monday.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Story-Britain-Present-Narrative-History/dp/039332902X?ie=UTF8&tag=glob036-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Story of Britain: From the Romans to the Present: A Narrative History" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=039332902X&tag=glob036-20" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">He also pledged to fight his nation's "moral<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=glob036-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=039332902X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> collapse" to prevent further riots, saying however that disturbances in many places across the country were "just pure criminality."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">"The broken society is back at the top of my agenda," Cameron said.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">"We have been too unwilling for too long to talk about what is right and what is wrong," he said. "We have too often avoided saying what needs to be said - about everything from marriage to welfare to common courtesy."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Subversive-Influences-Burning-Hearings-Ninetieth/dp/1153558394?ie=UTF8&tag=glob036-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Subversive Influences in Riots, Looting, and Burning. Hearings, Ninetieth Congress, First [-Second] Session (pt. 1)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1153558394&tag=glob036-20" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Riots and looting<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=glob036-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1153558394" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> hit several British cities, leaving over 100 police officers injured on August 6-10. The disturbances were triggered by the shooting dead of London resident and suspected drug dealer Mark Duggan.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">More than 1,600 people were detained during the ensuing rioting.</span></div></div>

British PM Cameron declares war on gangs

©flickr.com/ukinitaly LONDON (RIA Novosti)- Fighting street gang culture should become "the new national priority" for Bri...

British PM Cameron pledges 'zero tolerance' approach to street crime

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">LONDON (RIA Novosti)- British Prime Minister David Cameron told the police to take a 'zero tolerance' approach to street crime in the wake of the worst riots to hit Britain in the past 30 years, The Sunday Telegraph reported.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The 'zero tolerance' tactics is a tough system of policing, which was first popularized in the United States and sees even minor offences prosecuted vigorously to send out the message that no form of law-breaking will be tolerated, Cameron said in an interview with the paper.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">"I will be saying much more about that because I think it is true," Cameron said. "We haven't talked the language of zero tolerance enough but the message is getting through."<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The British premier has recruited Bill Bratton, the former U.S. "supercop", to advise him, the paper said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Cameron has approved the use of water cannon if necessary to quell violence and signaled that police will be allowed to order rioters to remove face coverings, and threatened the possible disruption of social messaging networks if they are used to instigate trouble, the paper said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A wave of riots and looting engulfed many British cities in recent days, leaving at least five people dead. British police have arrested over 1,000 people over last week's disturbances.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

British PM Cameron pledges 'zero tolerance' approach to street crime

©flickr.com/ukinitaly LONDON (RIA Novosti)- British Prime Minister David Cameron told the police to take a 'zero tolerance' ...