The Star Online: Metro: Central
The Star Online: Metro: Central |
| Indian Kashmir shuts down to protest military court verdict Posted: 31 Jan 2014 03:25 PM PST Srinagar (India) (AFP) - Large parts of Indian Kashmir shut down on Friday and protests were held against a military court verdict last week that exonerated five army officers involved in the killing of civilians 14 years ago. Most shops and businesses were closed and public transport halted in the main city of Srinagar and other areas of the restive region after separatist groups called a strike over the court's decision. Scores of protestors shouting anti-India slogans pelted stones during clashes with police and paramilitary forces who fired tear smoke canisters to disperse them in the city's old town area. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who also heads a faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a grouping of separatist organisations, urged Kashmiris to "raise our voice against the verdict", in a statement this week. Police detained more than a dozen activists after they tried to stage a protest near a central commercial district in Srinagar, an AFP photographer said. Hundreds of residents also protested near the graves of the five civilians in the southern village of Brari Angan, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, chanting "we want justice", according to a police officer. The five victims were killed days after the massacre of 35 Sikhs in the remote village of Chattisinghpora in March 2000. The army claimed the victims were "foreign militants", accusing them of being responsible for the massacre. But a subsequent probe by India's top investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation, described the killings as "cold blooded murder", paving the way for a trial in a military court held behind closed doors. The five soldiers were however cleared last Thursday as "the evidence recorded could not establish a prime facie case against any of the accused persons", according to an army statement. In its verdict, the military court did not dispute the CBI's findings that the victims were civilians but it added that they were killed during an operation "based on specific intelligence". The decision has been denounced by rights groups and Kashmiri separatists and fuelled anger in the already tense region. Security forces, particularly paramilitaries and army personnel, in Indian Kashmir are routinely accused by human rights groups of using excessive force and torture. The local government was preparing a "legal recourse" to try to reopen the case, but it is unclear how this could be achieved since the military court handling the case was outside of civilian jurisdiction and scrutiny. Kashmir, a picturesque Himalayan region, is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both. About a dozen rebel groups have been fighting Indian forces since 1989 for Kashmir's independence or for its merger with Pakistan. The fighting has left tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, dead. |
| Philippine typhoon survivors brace for new storm Posted: 31 Jan 2014 03:52 PM PST Tacloban (Philippines) (AFP) - Hundreds of people who survived Super Typhoon Haiyan are bracing for a new storm that is expected to hit the central Philippines late Friday, officials said. Tropical storm Kajiki, packing maximum winds of 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour, is expected to hit the central island of Leyte before midnight, cutting through the archipelago as it heads towards the South China Sea, the government weather station said. Although Kajiki is far weaker than Haiyan -- one of the strongest storms ever to hit land with winds reaching 315 kilometres (195 miles) per hour -- authorities are still warning it could bring new flashfloods and landslides to communities living in already rudimentary shelters. Leyte suffered the worst casualties when Super Typhoon Haiyan struck in November, flattening whole towns and leaving about 8,000 dead or missing. In the island's still-ruined capital of Tacloban City, about 150 families living near the coast evacuated ahead of time before the storm hit. The residents, who are still housed in tents after Haiyan destroyed their homes, fled to higher ground or took refuge with friends or relatives, said city administrator Tecson Lim. Housewife Bising Alberta 55, said her family had decided to voluntarily flee "even before the government told us to evacuate," as she and her loved ones packed up to find shelter in a crowded boarding house. During Haiyan's fury, her house was wiped out by large waves and she had to be hospitalised for her subsequent injuries. "I am a survivor (of Haiyan). I am scared of water now. Even if it is just drizzling, I am already frightened," she said. Regional civil defence chief Rey Gozon said pre-emptive evacuation had been ordered in all areas expected to be affected by the new storm. Stockpiles of food have also been prepared in case more people are forced to flee, he added. The second level of a three-step storm alert has been raised over much of the central and southern Philippine islands with a lower alert hoisted over the surrounding areas. |
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