Shutdown of reactor will take decade
posted by Pax Christi @ Monday, January 29, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Australians debate immigration and national identity
Australia once was proud of the policy of multiculturalism that had allowed its new citizens to celebrate their heritages and the culture of the society they had joined. But now there is an increasing feeling, particularly on the right of the political spectrum, that clinging too closely to some inappropriate aspects of that cultural heritage is incompatible with Australian culture.
To read the full article in the International Herald Tribune, click on:
IHT
To read the full article in the International Herald Tribune, click on:
IHT
posted by Pax Christi @ Monday, January 29, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
West Papua: Dispute over fishing rights with Chinese company in waters, adjacent to Australia, leads to human rights abuses of Marind people
Friday 26 January 2007
Report by Paula Makabory & Matthew Jamieson Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights.
It has been reported by Church sources in Merauke, that an Indonesian employee/agent of a Chinese owned fish processing company PT Minatama Mutiara, a member of the Indonesian security forces and three local men acting as police deputies have been responsible for the detention & torture of 14 Papuan people from the Mariana Straits on 21 December 2006. One of those tortured, Titus Yun, is reported to have died as a result of broken ribs sustained from this torture & beatings.
The victims of the incident are two groups of local people who were shot at, threatened at gunpoint, forcibly detained, bound and tortured, repeatedly beaten, cut with weapons and hit with blunt instruments during a period of one day. The perpetrators of the abuse appear to have attempted to make the incident appear as if the injuries resulted from a conflict over customary rights between local people.
The abuses appear to be retaliation by the Indonesian military and the fish processing company PT Minatama Mutiara. Local Yawasir people asserted their customary rights by removing fishing nets belonging to the company.
The perpetrators of the abuses are reported to be:
- Abu Bakar, an Indonesian man from Suliwasi, who organizes the local fishing business on behalf of the Chinese fishing company PT Minatama Mutiara and claims the position of head of the village of Waan;
- Thomas Wanggai, an Indonesian military personnel, TNI, who is a Papuan man that acts as Babinsa (Bintara Pembina Desa, a military noncommissioned enforcement officer posted in villages and affiliated with the civilian administration) from Kimaam District; &
- Three men from the local Waan village employed as Linmas. Linmas are local people recruited to act as Police. (Lindungi Masyarakat/ Protection to People, is a police structure that recruit local people at the village level)
The victims of the abuse are salt water /coastal people belonging to the Mamboon Marind group from Yawasir area in the Mariana Straits.
The Mariana Strait is the waterway between Fredrick Henry Island, also know as Palau Dolok, and the New Guinea coastline. This area has extensive mangrove forests and estuarine systems.
The area where the incident occurred is about 130 km’s east of Merauke. The town of Merauke is adjacent to the border with Papua New Guinea and is the closest Indonesian town to Torres Strait and Australia.
It is reported that the events leading to the assault and torture of the Yawasir people involved boats and people from the commercial fishing companies, entering their traditional maritime estates and destroyed their sacred places. The Yawasir people were making efforts to protect their marine resources from impacts of the commercial fishing companies.
The incident involves members of the Indonesian security forces working with representatives of the fishing company to persecute & intimidate the local community as a way of dealing with local people attempts to assert their customary rights.
The perpetrators of the abuses appear to be trying to protect the commercial fishing interests of the Chinese owned PT Minatama Mutiara. The perpetrators also appear to seek to orchestrate a fake conflict over customary rights within the local community as a way of camouflaging this objective.
Local people report that the fishery companies use giant fishing nets and enter the sacred places and traditional estates of the Marind people.
The consequence of local people trying to asset their traditional rights is that they are threatened by action from the Indonesian security forces.
The different branches of the security forces have a wide range of commercial interests, including fishing and security, which come into conflict with the interests of local people. There are examples of the security forces (TNI) being directly paid buy overseas companies for security in West Papua. This security role of the TNI often includes the use of military force against the local people.
Names of the 14 persons* affected are:
1/ Titus Yun, tortured & died from injuries;
2/ Paulus Yun, tortured;
3/ Korbianus Nar, tortured;
4/ Hendrikus Nar, tortured;
5/ Aliander Yun, tortured;
6/ Klemens Yun, tortured;
7/ Ak Yun, tortured
8/ Paskalis Nar, tortured;
9/ Yosep Nar, tortured;
10 / Tadeus Awi
11/ Dominikus Yolmen
12/ Maria
13/ Afra
14/ Korianus Yun
· * the chronology below accounts for only thirteen people. This chronology was provided before the list of names and no clarification is available at this time.
Chronology of the Mariana Straits Incident
On Thursday, 21 December 2007 8 am a boat came to where the area where the first group of local people were staying in the Mariana Strait. These people where in their "befak" (traditional hut made of coconut trunk and coconut leaves) which was built on a "Katintin" (traditional long boat/ canoe).
The local people have said that they did not recognize the boat. They have said they thought the boat from was from the fishing company coming to recover its fishing nets. The local people had taken the nets of the company as a protest to fishing company and the local government.
When the group of local people tried to go near the boat, a member of the Indonesian security forces, Thomas Wanggai, pointed a M-16 machine gun at the people and said, "You fight against each other now.” He is reported to have said to this also to the 4 other people traveling in the boat with him and the local people in their canoe.
Wanggai then started firing automatic weapon at the local people on their canoe but was not directly targeting them. While continuing shooting and Wanggai reportedly told the people on his boat to beat up the people in the canoe.
The four other people in the boat with Wanggai boat were Abu Bakar and 3 member of LINMAS from Waan village. Wanggai, Abu Bakar and 3 Linmas members took axes, machetes, bows and arrows, iron sticks and logs from their own boat and commenced beating up the Yawasir people using these weapons.
The people on the canoe escaped these acts of unprovoked violence and jumped into the water and swam back to the land. When they reached the land some of Yawasir people from the canoe and on those who were on the land escaped to the forest. Others stayed to assist those injured in the incident.
Abu Bakar, Wanggai and the three men landed their boat and continued viciously attacked the remaining people, which were 2 women and 8 men. All the victims were cut, a braised, bruised and badly wounded. The belongings of the people were then destroyed them by cutting them in peaces and burning them together with the katintin - canoe.
The 10 captives were then moved to the perpetrators boat and were tied-up to the poles on the boat. The captive were turned around the boats mast and their torture continued. The captives experienced viscous torture by the Indonesian security personnel for nearly 3 hours during the boat trip from Mariana straits (Muli River) until they arrived at Moi River.
When they arrived at Moi river all the captives were forced out of the boat. Wanggai was reported to beat the 10 captives with the barrel of his M-16 weapon. On the land and the captives were tortured again and then tied them up at the base of the coconut trees and left.
Abu Bakar, Wanggai and the 3 Limnus then took their boat to Malatar River to Komolom village. The Yawasir people from Komolom were inside their katinting (canoe) when they heard the M-16 gun shots.
Some of the people jumped out and escaped into the forest. Wanggai ordered the 3 Linmas men to catch and arrest some of the Komolom people. They caught 3 people in that place. The three captives were taken to the boat where Wanggai and Abubakar were waiting. Wanggai kept shooting his M-16 gun around them but not hitting them.
The captives were forced into the boat and then Wanggai and the three Linmas beat them up and tortured them using the same weapons as they had used earlier in the day. These 3 captives were treated as brutally as the other people. Those 3 victims were tied-up and received further torture and beatings, and then salted water/sea water to their open wounds.
The captives were tortured all the way back to the Moi River. When they arrived at Moi River, the 3 captives were taken to the same place as the 10 captives tortured earlier in the day.
Wanggai is reported to then have forced these victims/captives to say, " The problem is finished and do not be hostile to each other anymore, all (you) could go looking for food as usual, while waiting for the customary council and the government to settle your traditional rights and land rights." To persuade the rest of the people from Waan and Yawasir, Wanggai and the three Linmas called all the Waan and Yawasir people in that area and told the victims to repeat what they had been told to say.
It appears this incident involves members of the Indonesian security forces working with representatives of the fishing company to persecute & intimidate the local community as a way of dealing with local people attempts to assert their customary rights. The perpetrators of the abuses appear to be trying to protect the commercial fishing interests of the Chinese owned PT Minatama Mutiara. The perpetrators also appear to seek to orchestrate a fake conflict over customary rights within the local community as a way of camouflaging their objectives.
Abu Bakar was reported as the trigger of the conflict, he claimed himself as the head of Waan village, Moi River. And according to some witnesses, Abubakar gave alcoholic drinks (Brandy) to Wanggai and 3 linmas members from Waan village before they went to chase the victims.
This report was prepared by Paula Makabory & Matthew Jamieson based on communication with the Office for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Church in Merauke.
For more information please contact:
Paula Makabory, Els-ham Papua, in Melbourne +61 402547517&
Matthew Jamieson, Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights +61 418291998
Matthew Jamieson
Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights
PO Box 1805, Byron Bay NSW 2418 Australia
matthew@hr.minihub.org
tel +61 (0) 418291998
Report by Paula Makabory & Matthew Jamieson Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights.
It has been reported by Church sources in Merauke, that an Indonesian employee/agent of a Chinese owned fish processing company PT Minatama Mutiara, a member of the Indonesian security forces and three local men acting as police deputies have been responsible for the detention & torture of 14 Papuan people from the Mariana Straits on 21 December 2006. One of those tortured, Titus Yun, is reported to have died as a result of broken ribs sustained from this torture & beatings.
The victims of the incident are two groups of local people who were shot at, threatened at gunpoint, forcibly detained, bound and tortured, repeatedly beaten, cut with weapons and hit with blunt instruments during a period of one day. The perpetrators of the abuse appear to have attempted to make the incident appear as if the injuries resulted from a conflict over customary rights between local people.
The abuses appear to be retaliation by the Indonesian military and the fish processing company PT Minatama Mutiara. Local Yawasir people asserted their customary rights by removing fishing nets belonging to the company.
The perpetrators of the abuses are reported to be:
- Abu Bakar, an Indonesian man from Suliwasi, who organizes the local fishing business on behalf of the Chinese fishing company PT Minatama Mutiara and claims the position of head of the village of Waan;
- Thomas Wanggai, an Indonesian military personnel, TNI, who is a Papuan man that acts as Babinsa (Bintara Pembina Desa, a military noncommissioned enforcement officer posted in villages and affiliated with the civilian administration) from Kimaam District; &
- Three men from the local Waan village employed as Linmas. Linmas are local people recruited to act as Police. (Lindungi Masyarakat/ Protection to People, is a police structure that recruit local people at the village level)
The victims of the abuse are salt water /coastal people belonging to the Mamboon Marind group from Yawasir area in the Mariana Straits.
The Mariana Strait is the waterway between Fredrick Henry Island, also know as Palau Dolok, and the New Guinea coastline. This area has extensive mangrove forests and estuarine systems.
The area where the incident occurred is about 130 km’s east of Merauke. The town of Merauke is adjacent to the border with Papua New Guinea and is the closest Indonesian town to Torres Strait and Australia.
It is reported that the events leading to the assault and torture of the Yawasir people involved boats and people from the commercial fishing companies, entering their traditional maritime estates and destroyed their sacred places. The Yawasir people were making efforts to protect their marine resources from impacts of the commercial fishing companies.
The incident involves members of the Indonesian security forces working with representatives of the fishing company to persecute & intimidate the local community as a way of dealing with local people attempts to assert their customary rights.
The perpetrators of the abuses appear to be trying to protect the commercial fishing interests of the Chinese owned PT Minatama Mutiara. The perpetrators also appear to seek to orchestrate a fake conflict over customary rights within the local community as a way of camouflaging this objective.
Local people report that the fishery companies use giant fishing nets and enter the sacred places and traditional estates of the Marind people.
The consequence of local people trying to asset their traditional rights is that they are threatened by action from the Indonesian security forces.
The different branches of the security forces have a wide range of commercial interests, including fishing and security, which come into conflict with the interests of local people. There are examples of the security forces (TNI) being directly paid buy overseas companies for security in West Papua. This security role of the TNI often includes the use of military force against the local people.
Names of the 14 persons* affected are:
1/ Titus Yun, tortured & died from injuries;
2/ Paulus Yun, tortured;
3/ Korbianus Nar, tortured;
4/ Hendrikus Nar, tortured;
5/ Aliander Yun, tortured;
6/ Klemens Yun, tortured;
7/ Ak Yun, tortured
8/ Paskalis Nar, tortured;
9/ Yosep Nar, tortured;
10 / Tadeus Awi
11/ Dominikus Yolmen
12/ Maria
13/ Afra
14/ Korianus Yun
· * the chronology below accounts for only thirteen people. This chronology was provided before the list of names and no clarification is available at this time.
Chronology of the Mariana Straits Incident
On Thursday, 21 December 2007 8 am a boat came to where the area where the first group of local people were staying in the Mariana Strait. These people where in their "befak" (traditional hut made of coconut trunk and coconut leaves) which was built on a "Katintin" (traditional long boat/ canoe).
The local people have said that they did not recognize the boat. They have said they thought the boat from was from the fishing company coming to recover its fishing nets. The local people had taken the nets of the company as a protest to fishing company and the local government.
When the group of local people tried to go near the boat, a member of the Indonesian security forces, Thomas Wanggai, pointed a M-16 machine gun at the people and said, "You fight against each other now.” He is reported to have said to this also to the 4 other people traveling in the boat with him and the local people in their canoe.
Wanggai then started firing automatic weapon at the local people on their canoe but was not directly targeting them. While continuing shooting and Wanggai reportedly told the people on his boat to beat up the people in the canoe.
The four other people in the boat with Wanggai boat were Abu Bakar and 3 member of LINMAS from Waan village. Wanggai, Abu Bakar and 3 Linmas members took axes, machetes, bows and arrows, iron sticks and logs from their own boat and commenced beating up the Yawasir people using these weapons.
The people on the canoe escaped these acts of unprovoked violence and jumped into the water and swam back to the land. When they reached the land some of Yawasir people from the canoe and on those who were on the land escaped to the forest. Others stayed to assist those injured in the incident.
Abu Bakar, Wanggai and the three men landed their boat and continued viciously attacked the remaining people, which were 2 women and 8 men. All the victims were cut, a braised, bruised and badly wounded. The belongings of the people were then destroyed them by cutting them in peaces and burning them together with the katintin - canoe.
The 10 captives were then moved to the perpetrators boat and were tied-up to the poles on the boat. The captive were turned around the boats mast and their torture continued. The captives experienced viscous torture by the Indonesian security personnel for nearly 3 hours during the boat trip from Mariana straits (Muli River) until they arrived at Moi River.
When they arrived at Moi river all the captives were forced out of the boat. Wanggai was reported to beat the 10 captives with the barrel of his M-16 weapon. On the land and the captives were tortured again and then tied them up at the base of the coconut trees and left.
Abu Bakar, Wanggai and the 3 Limnus then took their boat to Malatar River to Komolom village. The Yawasir people from Komolom were inside their katinting (canoe) when they heard the M-16 gun shots.
Some of the people jumped out and escaped into the forest. Wanggai ordered the 3 Linmas men to catch and arrest some of the Komolom people. They caught 3 people in that place. The three captives were taken to the boat where Wanggai and Abubakar were waiting. Wanggai kept shooting his M-16 gun around them but not hitting them.
The captives were forced into the boat and then Wanggai and the three Linmas beat them up and tortured them using the same weapons as they had used earlier in the day. These 3 captives were treated as brutally as the other people. Those 3 victims were tied-up and received further torture and beatings, and then salted water/sea water to their open wounds.
The captives were tortured all the way back to the Moi River. When they arrived at Moi River, the 3 captives were taken to the same place as the 10 captives tortured earlier in the day.
Wanggai is reported to then have forced these victims/captives to say, " The problem is finished and do not be hostile to each other anymore, all (you) could go looking for food as usual, while waiting for the customary council and the government to settle your traditional rights and land rights." To persuade the rest of the people from Waan and Yawasir, Wanggai and the three Linmas called all the Waan and Yawasir people in that area and told the victims to repeat what they had been told to say.
It appears this incident involves members of the Indonesian security forces working with representatives of the fishing company to persecute & intimidate the local community as a way of dealing with local people attempts to assert their customary rights. The perpetrators of the abuses appear to be trying to protect the commercial fishing interests of the Chinese owned PT Minatama Mutiara. The perpetrators also appear to seek to orchestrate a fake conflict over customary rights within the local community as a way of camouflaging their objectives.
Abu Bakar was reported as the trigger of the conflict, he claimed himself as the head of Waan village, Moi River. And according to some witnesses, Abubakar gave alcoholic drinks (Brandy) to Wanggai and 3 linmas members from Waan village before they went to chase the victims.
This report was prepared by Paula Makabory & Matthew Jamieson based on communication with the Office for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Church in Merauke.
For more information please contact:
Paula Makabory, Els-ham Papua, in Melbourne +61 402547517&
Matthew Jamieson, Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights +61 418291998
Matthew Jamieson
Institute for Papuan Advocacy & Human Rights
PO Box 1805, Byron Bay NSW 2418 Australia
matthew@hr.minihub.org
tel +61 (0) 418291998
posted by Pax Christi @ Saturday, January 27, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Australian Government Strategy, Policy and Arrangements to Protect Australia Against Terrorism
The Australian Government has released a new publication on Terrorism.
The publication Protecting Australia Against Terrorism 2006 updates and builds on the 2004 edition of Protecting Australia Against Terrorism to provide a comprehensive overview of Australia’s domestic and international counter-terrorism strategy, policy and arrangements. It:
* explains the steps the Australian Government has taken to protect Australians and Australian interests against the threat of terrorism
* outlines the government’s partnership with state, territory and local governments as well as the private sector in developing the nation-wide counter-terrorism capability.
To obtain further details about the Government's position or to download the publication, click on:
DFAT
The publication Protecting Australia Against Terrorism 2006 updates and builds on the 2004 edition of Protecting Australia Against Terrorism to provide a comprehensive overview of Australia’s domestic and international counter-terrorism strategy, policy and arrangements. It:
* explains the steps the Australian Government has taken to protect Australians and Australian interests against the threat of terrorism
* outlines the government’s partnership with state, territory and local governments as well as the private sector in developing the nation-wide counter-terrorism capability.
To obtain further details about the Government's position or to download the publication, click on:
DFAT
posted by Pax Christi @ Thursday, January 25, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Bring David Hicks Home
Former premier Jeff Kennett says that the Australian Government has shown no compassion towards David Hicks and should use its special relationship with the US to immediately repatriate him.
Out of 775 detainees who have been brought to Guantanamo, approximately 340 have been released. Of the other 435 detainees, 110 have been labeled as ready for release. Of the other 325, only "more than 70" will face trial, the Pentagon says. That leaves about 250 who may be held indefinitely. Hicks has already been held for 5 years which will not come off his sentence if he is convicted.
After years of legal wrangling, the guidelines for the military commission to try the detainees at Guantanamo Bay have been established. They abolition habeas corpus and allow hearsay evidence and testimony obtained through "coercive interrogation" to be admitted. These are safeguards and rights that date back to Magna Carta.
The Sunday Age is running a campaign to bring David Hicks home. You can either send an email to bringdavidhome@theage.com.au or write to David Hicks campaign, The Sunday Age, 250 Spencer St, Melbourne, 3000. The content of your email is probably not important and can be quite brief. The objective is to express your support and concern.
To read the article about Jeff Kennett's comments in The Age, click on:
The Age
Out of 775 detainees who have been brought to Guantanamo, approximately 340 have been released. Of the other 435 detainees, 110 have been labeled as ready for release. Of the other 325, only "more than 70" will face trial, the Pentagon says. That leaves about 250 who may be held indefinitely. Hicks has already been held for 5 years which will not come off his sentence if he is convicted.
After years of legal wrangling, the guidelines for the military commission to try the detainees at Guantanamo Bay have been established. They abolition habeas corpus and allow hearsay evidence and testimony obtained through "coercive interrogation" to be admitted. These are safeguards and rights that date back to Magna Carta.
The Sunday Age is running a campaign to bring David Hicks home. You can either send an email to bringdavidhome@theage.com.au or write to David Hicks campaign, The Sunday Age, 250 Spencer St, Melbourne, 3000. The content of your email is probably not important and can be quite brief. The objective is to express your support and concern.
To read the article about Jeff Kennett's comments in The Age, click on:
The Age
posted by Pax Christi @ Monday, January 22, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
West Papuan clergy seek resolution to humanitarian crisis in Puncak Jaya
West Papuan representatives of the clergy from 20 different churches in District Yamu in Punjak Jaya have meet with Els-ham (Institute for Human Rights study & Advocacy) to jointly work to resolve the humanitarian crisis occurring in the Puncak Jaya region.
These clergy have said that 5000 members of church congregations from Catholic, Kingmi and Baptist churches have been displaced by the Indonesian military & police operations. These 5000 people are from Yamu district and are said to be hiding in the jungle.
These clergy have reported that members of the church congregations have been in the jungle since December 2006 when they fled the military operations. The clergy state that there is no civilian access allowed into the region and the Police & Army deny this access.
On civilian, Lenus Murib, has been reported shot dead by military in Yamu District. There is concern for the health and well being of women and children.
Els-ham reports that in similar military operations in 2004 & 2005 there were 6000 people from 27 villages displaced from their homes. Famine and many famine related deaths were reported.
Rev Socratez Yoman in a recent report stated that the Indonesian military and police are responsible for promoting the conflict situation and resulting humanitarian crisis in Puncak Jaya.
Local sources report that there are 3000 troops in Puncak Jaya in the town. Additional Brimob (Paramilitary Police) & Indonesian military are reported to be undertaking operations outside the town.
Human Rights workers report that many civilian houses have been burned and that Government buildings and vehicles have been reportedly taken over by the military. The Cenderwasih Post (Jayapura, 14 January 2007) reports that the Indonesia Police dispute the number of 4000 people who have fled military operations in Puncak jaya. The police a reported to say that the people have returned to there villages as they have nothing to fear.
For further information contact:
Paula Makabory +61 402547517, Els-Ham West Papua
Rev Socratez Yoman +62 812 4888458, President Communion of Baptist churches
Rev Benny Giay +62 852 44373166 Kingmi Church
These clergy have said that 5000 members of church congregations from Catholic, Kingmi and Baptist churches have been displaced by the Indonesian military & police operations. These 5000 people are from Yamu district and are said to be hiding in the jungle.
These clergy have reported that members of the church congregations have been in the jungle since December 2006 when they fled the military operations. The clergy state that there is no civilian access allowed into the region and the Police & Army deny this access.
On civilian, Lenus Murib, has been reported shot dead by military in Yamu District. There is concern for the health and well being of women and children.
Els-ham reports that in similar military operations in 2004 & 2005 there were 6000 people from 27 villages displaced from their homes. Famine and many famine related deaths were reported.
Rev Socratez Yoman in a recent report stated that the Indonesian military and police are responsible for promoting the conflict situation and resulting humanitarian crisis in Puncak Jaya.
Local sources report that there are 3000 troops in Puncak Jaya in the town. Additional Brimob (Paramilitary Police) & Indonesian military are reported to be undertaking operations outside the town.
Human Rights workers report that many civilian houses have been burned and that Government buildings and vehicles have been reportedly taken over by the military. The Cenderwasih Post (Jayapura, 14 January 2007) reports that the Indonesia Police dispute the number of 4000 people who have fled military operations in Puncak jaya. The police a reported to say that the people have returned to there villages as they have nothing to fear.
For further information contact:
Paula Makabory +61 402547517, Els-Ham West Papua
Rev Socratez Yoman +62 812 4888458, President Communion of Baptist churches
Rev Benny Giay +62 852 44373166 Kingmi Church
posted by Pax Christi @ Thursday, January 18, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
Talisman Sabre 07 joint US-Australian war games
TS07 war games: risking the great barrier reef
Environmental Report understates risk
In May 2007 the Talisman Sabre 07 joint U.S.-Australian war games will begin. The games will principally be carried out in Shoalwater Bay and the nearby Coral Sea section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Queensland.
To read the environmental report commissioned by the Department of Defence and the report by Friends of the Earth, click on:
Friends of the Earth
To read more about Talisman Sabre 07, click on:
Peace Convergence
posted by Pax Christi @ Monday, January 15, 2007
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Monday, January 08, 2007
Appeal from the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Jerusalem
Dear friends and colleagues,
I am particularly sending this to those who may be leading worship in the next couple of weeks. In the common lectionary, the story of the wedding feast at Cana features for Epiphany 2, 14 January. ON that Sunday, let us remember, grieve and pray for the victims and the perpetrators of this crime.
Peace,
Jeff Wild,
National Council of Churches in Australia
August 2, 2006. 15:36:35
Bishop Riah on the current crisis in the Middle East - 2nd Letter of Appeal, August 1, 2006
Dear Friends,
When I wrote to you last Friday, I could not have imagined that a second Qana Massacre in a decade would be carried out by the State of Israel on Sunday when they dropped two bombs on a house, crushing at least fifty-six people, including thirty-four children and twelve women. They suffocated under dirt and debris, virtually buried alive in the make-shift bomb shelter where they had had little water and food and no toilet.
“In 1996, one of the deadliest single events of the whole Arab-Israeli conflict took place there - the shelling of a United Nations base where hundreds of people were sheltering. More than one hundred were killed and another one hundred injured, cut down by Israeli anti-personnel shells that explode in the air sending a lethal shower of shrapnel to the ground,” reported Martin Asser of BBC News, Beirut.
With expressions of “deep sorrow” from Prime Minister Olmert, this tragedy of epic proportions is not enough to stop Israel’s attacks on the people of Lebanon. Today, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved a widening of the ground offensive in the South. Yesterday, Israel violated their agreement to stop the air offensive over Lebanon for forty-eight hours which would have allowed humanitarian aid to reach victims and residents stranded in the South could have traveled more safely to the North. Olmert announced today that the end to the war is not in sight. While tens of thousands are without food and medical supplies, the U.N. reports that their convoys have been turned away and cancelled by the Israeli government. The short journey from Tyre to Qana is delayed for hours because the roads have been destroyed. Aid trickles in.
“Amid the despair and the grim task of removing the victims, there is deep anger at what many here regard as the callous indifference of the West,” reports Ilene Prusher of the Christian Science Monitor in Lebanon. The offering of condolences from President Bush, Secretary Rice, and Prime Minister Blair to the Lebanese people for Israel’s murder of innocent children seems hollow, with no condemnation of Israel’s repeated and flagrant disregard for human life and the values of civilized people everywhere.
I have read the letter sent to The President of the United States signed by my brother in Christ The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal hurch of America and fourteen other Christian leaders in which they say “This violent conflict has created a grave humanitarian crisis, and no hoped-for benefit should outweigh the cause of saving innocent lives.” The letter continues with a plea, “Your presidential leadership and the full weight of the United States, acting in concert with the international community, must be applied now to achieve an immediate cease-fire and to launch an intensive diplomatic initiative for the cessation of hostilities”. I regret that the President has ignored this call.
Last week in Lebanon, Israel bombed and destroyed a U.N. observation post on the border in Southern Lebanon killing four peacekeeping observers. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan expressed indignation that Israel appeared to have struck the well known, established, and clearly identified site deliberately. The bomb made a direct hit on the building and the attack continued even throughout the rescues and recovery mission. The Security Council’s statement excludes condemnation of Israel at the insistence of The United States.
The war rages on into the third week. If fighting does not cease, the homeless count in Lebanon will soon reach one million people. Families and communities continue to be ripped apart.
Gaza
And, the offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza has been relentless. This week when Jan Egeland, the U.N.’s Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs visited Jerusalem, he focused much of his attention on “the tragedy happening in the Gaza Strip”. He does not understand what benefit Israel will gain from punishing 1.4 million people by cutting them off from their sources of electricity and jobs, from running water in their houses and from fresh food. “What is the message that the residents of Gaza receive from the sight of mountains of tomatoes tossed out on the side of the road at the border crossings into Israel? That they should be more productive and support peace?”
Saturday, after waiting two and one half hours at the checkpoint, our delegation visited Gaza on a mission of mercy, taking medical and relief supplies to hospitals and shelters. Israeli Defense Forces tanks had pushed back before dawn, just one day after ending an unusually deadly incursion that killed thirty Palestinians over three days.
According to an Associated Press count, in the past one month period, Israeli troops have killed 159 Palestinians since they started their relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip in response to the capture of soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit. I have seen the Caterpillar bulldozers and the orchards of oranges uprooted by them. I saw an apartment building where forty families were given forty minutes to leave before it was demolished into a pile of rubble. I have heard the concern of the Director of our Al-Ahli Arab Hospital regarding medical supplies, staffing shortages, and lack of fuel to run the generators essential to critical care. And, I have seen children playing near mountains of garbage which are the breeding ground to rats and the threat of cholera, a disease that I watched devastate India when I lived there.
We must not become complacent or be desensitized by the images of this human tragedy. Continue to appeal to your government representatives to demand an immediate cease-fire. It is time that The United Nations and the world community see to it that Israel complies with U.N. Resolutions 242, 338, and 194, so that compliance with Resolution 1559 can be enforced. We must find an end to this madness. Killing and the destruction of the environment is not a war against nations, but it is a war against God.
In, with, and through Christ,
+ The Rt. Rev. Riah H. Abu El-Assal
Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem
The Diocese of Jerusalem
Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria
I am particularly sending this to those who may be leading worship in the next couple of weeks. In the common lectionary, the story of the wedding feast at Cana features for Epiphany 2, 14 January. ON that Sunday, let us remember, grieve and pray for the victims and the perpetrators of this crime.
Peace,
Jeff Wild,
National Council of Churches in Australia
August 2, 2006. 15:36:35
Bishop Riah on the current crisis in the Middle East - 2nd Letter of Appeal, August 1, 2006
Dear Friends,
When I wrote to you last Friday, I could not have imagined that a second Qana Massacre in a decade would be carried out by the State of Israel on Sunday when they dropped two bombs on a house, crushing at least fifty-six people, including thirty-four children and twelve women. They suffocated under dirt and debris, virtually buried alive in the make-shift bomb shelter where they had had little water and food and no toilet.
“In 1996, one of the deadliest single events of the whole Arab-Israeli conflict took place there - the shelling of a United Nations base where hundreds of people were sheltering. More than one hundred were killed and another one hundred injured, cut down by Israeli anti-personnel shells that explode in the air sending a lethal shower of shrapnel to the ground,” reported Martin Asser of BBC News, Beirut.
With expressions of “deep sorrow” from Prime Minister Olmert, this tragedy of epic proportions is not enough to stop Israel’s attacks on the people of Lebanon. Today, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved a widening of the ground offensive in the South. Yesterday, Israel violated their agreement to stop the air offensive over Lebanon for forty-eight hours which would have allowed humanitarian aid to reach victims and residents stranded in the South could have traveled more safely to the North. Olmert announced today that the end to the war is not in sight. While tens of thousands are without food and medical supplies, the U.N. reports that their convoys have been turned away and cancelled by the Israeli government. The short journey from Tyre to Qana is delayed for hours because the roads have been destroyed. Aid trickles in.
“Amid the despair and the grim task of removing the victims, there is deep anger at what many here regard as the callous indifference of the West,” reports Ilene Prusher of the Christian Science Monitor in Lebanon. The offering of condolences from President Bush, Secretary Rice, and Prime Minister Blair to the Lebanese people for Israel’s murder of innocent children seems hollow, with no condemnation of Israel’s repeated and flagrant disregard for human life and the values of civilized people everywhere.
I have read the letter sent to The President of the United States signed by my brother in Christ The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal hurch of America and fourteen other Christian leaders in which they say “This violent conflict has created a grave humanitarian crisis, and no hoped-for benefit should outweigh the cause of saving innocent lives.” The letter continues with a plea, “Your presidential leadership and the full weight of the United States, acting in concert with the international community, must be applied now to achieve an immediate cease-fire and to launch an intensive diplomatic initiative for the cessation of hostilities”. I regret that the President has ignored this call.
Last week in Lebanon, Israel bombed and destroyed a U.N. observation post on the border in Southern Lebanon killing four peacekeeping observers. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan expressed indignation that Israel appeared to have struck the well known, established, and clearly identified site deliberately. The bomb made a direct hit on the building and the attack continued even throughout the rescues and recovery mission. The Security Council’s statement excludes condemnation of Israel at the insistence of The United States.
The war rages on into the third week. If fighting does not cease, the homeless count in Lebanon will soon reach one million people. Families and communities continue to be ripped apart.
Gaza
And, the offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza has been relentless. This week when Jan Egeland, the U.N.’s Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs visited Jerusalem, he focused much of his attention on “the tragedy happening in the Gaza Strip”. He does not understand what benefit Israel will gain from punishing 1.4 million people by cutting them off from their sources of electricity and jobs, from running water in their houses and from fresh food. “What is the message that the residents of Gaza receive from the sight of mountains of tomatoes tossed out on the side of the road at the border crossings into Israel? That they should be more productive and support peace?”
Saturday, after waiting two and one half hours at the checkpoint, our delegation visited Gaza on a mission of mercy, taking medical and relief supplies to hospitals and shelters. Israeli Defense Forces tanks had pushed back before dawn, just one day after ending an unusually deadly incursion that killed thirty Palestinians over three days.
According to an Associated Press count, in the past one month period, Israeli troops have killed 159 Palestinians since they started their relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip in response to the capture of soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit. I have seen the Caterpillar bulldozers and the orchards of oranges uprooted by them. I saw an apartment building where forty families were given forty minutes to leave before it was demolished into a pile of rubble. I have heard the concern of the Director of our Al-Ahli Arab Hospital regarding medical supplies, staffing shortages, and lack of fuel to run the generators essential to critical care. And, I have seen children playing near mountains of garbage which are the breeding ground to rats and the threat of cholera, a disease that I watched devastate India when I lived there.
We must not become complacent or be desensitized by the images of this human tragedy. Continue to appeal to your government representatives to demand an immediate cease-fire. It is time that The United Nations and the world community see to it that Israel complies with U.N. Resolutions 242, 338, and 194, so that compliance with Resolution 1559 can be enforced. We must find an end to this madness. Killing and the destruction of the environment is not a war against nations, but it is a war against God.
In, with, and through Christ,
+ The Rt. Rev. Riah H. Abu El-Assal
Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem
The Diocese of Jerusalem
Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria
posted by Pax Christi @ Monday, January 08, 2007
