The Star Online: World Updates
The Star Online: World Updates |
- Thailand struggles to curb high teen pregnancy rate
- Kenyan presidential election heads to nail-biting finish
- Venezuela's Chavez to be embalmed for public view
| Thailand struggles to curb high teen pregnancy rate Posted: 07 Mar 2013 09:09 PM PST BANGKOK (Reuters) - When Mallika told her parents she was pregnant at 17, they pulled her out of school and ordered her to marry the baby's father. But the marriage didn't happen and the one-time aspiring singer now cares for her baby girl alone.
"I love her, but at the time I hid in shame," said Mallika, now 23 and a vendor of cheap, made-in-China clothing at a weekend market in Thailand's capital, Bangkok. "The boy's family wanted to pay me to shut up and stay away from them. We were both children ourselves," she added, sitting in her dilapidated apartment overlooking a highway on the outskirts of Bangkok. Mallika's situation is, sadly, far from unusual. Thailand's teenage pregnancy rate is the highest in Southeast Asia after neighbouring Laos, according to the Bureau of Reproductive Health at the Thai Public Health Ministry. In fact, even though the overall birth-rate is dropping, teen births are on the rise. Out of every 1,000 live births, 54 are from teen mothers aged 15-19 - higher than in the United States and ten times higher than Singapore's teen pregnancy rate. What's more, it's rising fast. The number of live births by Thai teenage mothers aged 15-18 increased 43 percent between 2000 and 2011, a Thai annual public health report shows. Though there are many factors responsible, health experts put weight on cultural mores that make frank discussion of the issue difficult, whether in an official context or a personal one. This is complicated by gender issues. "Women are told to protect their virginity but Thai men who have multiple sexual encounters are seen as cool," said Visa Benjamano, a commissioner at the Thai National Human Rights Council (NHRC). "If men sleep around, their image is not at stake whereas a woman's image is. Women are generally more afraid to discuss their sexual health needs in public." LACK OF DISCUSSION Although sexual education is part of the national school curriculum, teaching is clearly insufficient. The Education Ministry limits instruction on the subject to eight hours a year despite changing attitudes towards sex among the young. "Teachers are prudish and out of touch with Thai kids today and they approach the topic like a biology class rather than talking about the emotional issues involved," said Visa. The consequences of unplanned pregnancy are often left out of classroom teaching too, despite a lack of legal options. A 2011 report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Thailand's National and Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) shows the number of women hospitalised in connection with abortions increased by over 16 percent between 1994 and 2009, hitting 60,000 in 2009. Yet abortion is illegal in Thailand except in cases of rape or incest, to save a woman's life or preserve her physical or mental health, and if the woman is under 15 years of age. Under Thai law the penalty for performing illegal abortions is up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 10,000 baht ($340). Despite this, illegal clinics and back street abortions abound. In 2010, Thai police found 2,000 foetuses on the grounds of a Bangkok Buddhist temple. They were believed to have been sent there from illegal abortion clinics. The discovery left the Thai public grappling with the reality of a highly charged religious and social issue. Abortion is recognised as a "sin" in the Theravada Buddhism practiced by up to 95 percent of the population. Unlike the predominantly Catholic Philippines, Thailand offers easy access to contraception and birth control pills, with condoms and most other contraceptives readily available and sold over the counter. But when it comes to teenage girls getting them, social stigma gets in the way. Kanya Musiket was 15 when she started a physical relationship with a boy in her neighbourhood. But when she ventured to a local shop to buy condoms, shopkeepers would look at her "disapprovingly," making her feel ashamed. OVERSEAS HELP? In a bid to find solutions, a Thai delegation visited Britain in November 2012, looking to emulate programmes there. The number of babies born to teen mothers in England dropped by 27 percent between 2000 and 2010 and overall conception by teens fell by 25 percent between 1999 and 2010. Some areas, like Hackney in East London, showed reductions of over 40 percent. This was due largely to a 1999 government plan aiming to halve England's under 18 conception rate by 2010. The plan used local grants and guidelines, government funds to improve access to contraceptives and media campaigns to raise awareness. By contrast, Thailand issued a population strategy plan in 2012 that focuses on reducing teen births but does not include either target reduction goals or concrete ways to do so. There are university-led sexual health awareness programs, and the UNFPA is trying to raise awareness through both civil and private networks. Yet the most fundamental measure is the hardest to achieve: changing attitudes. "This is about trusting the moral standards of those young people whom we have invested years of education and nurturing - our children," said Caspar Peek, UNFPA Representative for Thailand and Country Director for Malaysia. "We need everyone ... to see this as a challenge to development and not just something bad that happens to teenagers because they do 'bad' things." ($1 = 29.8000 Thai baht) (Editing by Elaine Lies) Copyright © 2013 Reuters | ||
| Kenyan presidential election heads to nail-biting finish Posted: 07 Mar 2013 08:47 PM PST NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's presidential race tightened on Friday as Uhuru Kenyatta's lead narrowed over his main rival, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, raising the prospect of a second-round run-off.
Kenyatta, 51, the deputy prime minister, who is due to go on trial at The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the violent aftermath of the last election in 2007, had led since results started trickling in after polls closed on Monday. Results from strongholds loyal to Odinga, 68, closed the gap, but with counting continuing and almost a third of constituencies still to report, Kenyatta could still edge over the 50 percent mark needed for a candidate to win outright. The poll is seen as a critical test for East Africa's largest economy, whose reputation as a stable democracy was damaged by the bloodshed that followed the 2007 election. Much will rest on whether the final result is accepted, and whether any challenges take place in the courts or on the streets. By 0405 GMT on Friday, with 8,925,401 million total votes tallied, Kenyatta had 4,421,696 votes or 49.5 percent, to Odinga's 3,940,917 or 44.2 percent, according to a display by the electoral commission. That was based on votes reported from 290 of 291 constituencies. If no candidate achieves 50 percent in the first round, the top two go to a run-off tentatively set for April. But the Kenyatta and Odinga camps have both raised questions about the vote process, so legal battles could push that date back. Turnout was estimated by election officials at more than 70 percent of the 14.3 million eligible voters, who were undeterred by pockets of violence that killed at least 15 people. Despite the delays and technical glitches, international observers have broadly said the vote and count were transparent. But Odinga's camp raised the strongest challenge to the process on Thursday when the tally still showed Kenyatta on course to win outright. They said counting should be stopped because it lacked integrity and some results were "doctored," raising tensions in the so far mostly peaceful process. LEGAL CHALLENGES Issack Hassan, chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, said the count would not stop and said the vote tally was genuine. The European Union ambassador to Kenya, Lodewijk Briet, said the vote-counting was sound and should be allowed to continue. "As Chairman Hassan has just said, it should not be stopped midway. It should continue. If people have a problem with the integrity, the legal disputes settlement mechanism exist and should be followed," Briet told Reuters. The United States and other Western nations, big donors that view Kenya as vital in the regional battle with militant Islam, have already indicated that a victory by Kenyatta would complicate diplomatic relations. The Kenyan shilling has swayed against the dollar, gaining on reassurances of a smooth counting process and buckling on concerns that delays in announcing a winner would prompt rivals to challenge the election outcome. Analysts said a run-off would unnerve markets by prolonging the uncertainty. Kenyatta, son of Kenya's founding president, Jomo Kenyatta, and his running mate, William Ruto, both face trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on charges of unleashing death squads after the 2007 election. Both men deny the charges and have said they plan to clear their names. Kenyatta's Jubilee coalition has complained about delays in the count and challenged the commission over its decision to include rejected votes in calculating the final tally. Rejected votes are for now running at more than 85,000 and could tip the balance in favour of an outright win for Kenyatta if they are excluded from the final calculations. The Jubilee coalition also accused British High Commissioner Christian Turner of seeking to meddle in the vote. Turner said the accusations were "entirely false and misleading," showing how brittle both sides have become in a tense race. (Additional reporting by Yara Bayoumy and Richard Lough; Writing by James Macharia and Edmund Blair; Editing by Peter Cooney) Copyright © 2013 Reuters | ||
| Venezuela's Chavez to be embalmed for public view Posted: 07 Mar 2013 06:21 PM PST CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's Hugo Chavez will be embalmed and put on display "for eternity" at a military museum after a state funeral and an extended period of lying in state, acting President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday.
Huge crowds are still waiting to pay their respects to Chavez after his death this week, and Maduro said the move - reminiscent of the treatment of Communist leaders Lenin, Stalin and Mao after their deaths - would help keep the late president's self-declared socialist revolution alive. "It has been decided that the body of the comandante will be embalmed so that it remains eternally on view for the people at the museum," Maduro told state TV. Chavez, a former paratrooper, died on Tuesday aged 58 after a two-year battle with cancer. He was president for 14 years and is now lying in state at a military academy where the government says more than 2 million supporters have viewed it since Wednesday. Maduro said Chavez's official funeral would go ahead on Friday, attended by about 30 leaders from around the world and that his body would then lie in state for a further seven days. Huge lines snaked around the academy on Thursday as tens of thousands of Venezuelans shuffled forward to salute, raise clenched fists or make the sign of the cross over Chavez's casket. From soldiers in fatigues to officers in ceremonial dress, to residents of the slums where Chavez was most loved, those in line vowed to defend his legacy and back Maduro, his preferred heir, in a new election. "I arrived in the early hours to see Chavez. He is my personal idol," said Henry Acosta, 56. A sobbing Berta Colmenares, 77, said "Chavistas" must throw their weight behind Maduro to carry on the revolution. "I will vote for Maduro, who else? He is the one who Chavez chose and we have to follow his wish." Chavez was dressed in an army uniform and a signature red beret like the one he wore in a 1992 speech to the nation that launched his political career after he led a failed coup. People were given just a few seconds to glance at his body inside the relatively simple wooden coffin, which has a glass top and was draped in flowers and a Venezuelan flag. One government source told Reuters that Chavez slipped into a coma on Monday and died the next day of respiratory failure after a rapid deterioration from the weekend, when he had held a five-hour meeting with ministers at his bedside. The cancer had spread to his lungs, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. MADURO VERSUS CAPRILES VOTE LOOMS There is uncertainty over exactly when a presidential vote will be held in the South American OPEC country, which has the world's largest oil reserves and 29 million residents. The constitution stipulates a poll must be called within 30 days, but politicians say election authorities may not be ready in time and there is talk of a possible delay. Chavez ruled for 14 years and won four presidential elections. Maduro, 50, a former union leader who ended his education at high school before plunging into politics, looks certain to face opposition leader Henrique Capriles, 40, the centrist governor of Miranda state who lost to Chavez in last year's election. Maduro will be sworn-in on Friday as caretaker president, National Assembly head Diosdado Cabello told state TV. Members of the opposition have kept a low profile and offered condolences during the enormous show of support for Chavez, one of Latin America's most popular leaders. But some expressed relief at the demise of a man they saw as a dictator who trampled on opponents and ruined their economy. "I wanted his mandate to end. Power made him lose perspective," said Israel Nogales, 43, a university administrator walking in a Caracas park. "He polarized the country and families like mine. ... He is going to be treated like a martyr and that is wrong." On Wednesday, opposition sources told Reuters they have again agreed to back Capriles, whose 44-percent vote share in 2012 was the best performance by any candidate against Chavez. One recent opinion poll gave Maduro a strong lead, and both international markets and foreign diplomats are factoring in a probable win for him and a continuation of "Chavista" policies, at least in the short term. The tall and hefty Maduro, who lacks Chavez's man-of-the-people charisma, served as his foreign minister for six years before being named vice president in late 2012. He has pledged to adhere to Chavez's brand of ferociously nationalist politics and controversial economic policies that included regular seizures of private businesses as well as wildly popular social welfare programs. Some analysts believe Maduro might eventually try to ease tensions with Western investors and the United States. But just hours before Chavez's death, Maduro was accusing "imperialist" enemies of infecting the president with cancer and he expelled two American diplomats for alleged conspiracies. Maduro is expected to continue bashing Washington, at least until the election. He may have to step down from his role as caretaker president to launch his candidacy and one official source told Reuters that Chavez's son-in-law, Science Minister Jorge Arreaza, might step into that role. Capriles, an athletic career politician and lawyer from a wealthy family, wants Venezuela to follow Brazil's softer centre-left model. Venezuela's heavily traded global bonds, which gained before Chavez's death, were down for a second straight day on Thursday as investors realized his economic model of government control could persist for years. Yields for the 2027 bond spiked to nearly 9.5 percent as prices continued to fall. State media have been airing old Chavez speeches and songs over and over in lengthy tributes. Foreign Minister Elias Jaua urged private Venezuelan media outlets to let "Chavistas" mourn and refrain from provoking opponents to hold rallies against the government. Authorities blame TV channels aligned with the opposition for helping incite a 2002 coup that briefly toppled Chavez. At the wake, Venezuelans strained for a glimpse of Chavez, many welling up in tears as they reached his casket. "I told him 'don't worry, Nicolas Maduro will be the new president as you asked'," said nurse Maria Fernandez, 51, after filing past the coffin. (Additional reporting by Simon Gardner, Marianna Parraga and Daniel Wallis in Caracas, Rosa Tania Valdes in Havana, Helen Popper in Buenos Aires, and Daniel Bases in New York; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Kieran Murray and David Brunnstrom)
Copyright © 2013 Reuters |
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