South Korea celebrates Pride after two-year hiatus

Sat, July 16, 2022


South Korea's Pride parade returned from a two-year, pandemic hiatus, with revellers chanting, dancing and waving rainbow flags at Seoul's City Hall on Saturday, as conservative groups protested the equality event.

Thousands of participants listened to speeches and musical acts at the central Seoul Plaza before braving pouring rain to march through town accompanied by performers dancing atop mobile stages blaring pop songs. Police provided heightened security along the route to maintain a cordon between marchers and the mostly Christian protesters.

One counsellor and activist, who gave his name as Joy, told AFP he was glad to be celebrating Pride, but noted "South Korean society still has a long way to go" in terms of recognising LGBTQ rights.


"We are always in a situation where our existence is denied," he said. "It's important to be able to show that we exist, even if it's just for one day."


Same-sex marriage remains illegal in South Korea, and activists have long emphasised the need for legislation outlawing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

"We live our day-to-day lives pretending like we're not different, but today we can be ourselves, express ourselves confidently, wear the clothes we want to wear and hold hands with our lovers," Pride attendee and activist Kim Hyun-jung told AFP.

- 'Timely and important' -

Saturday’s protesters, some in army-style fatigues, erected scaffolding on the parade route, with crowds clapping along to a team of drummers, and attendees holding signs that read, in English, "Homosexuality is Sin" and "No!! Same-Sex Marriage".

"(Homosexuality) is wrong. It brings moral corruption and disorder to society. We cannot have this in South Korea," said protester Hong Sung-bo.

"I feel sorry for them. If they could meet Jesus and receive the Gospel and be changed, they would be able to live a healthier life. I pity their sinful culture."

Prior to the downpour, the gathering at Seoul Plaza -– formally known as the Seoul Queer Culture Festival –- drew high-profile supporters, including numerous foreign emissaries.

Speaking alongside other diplomats, New Zealand Ambassador Philip Turner, who appeared on stage with his partner Hiroshi Ikeda, told the crowd "everybody should be able to live their lives with freedom and pride".

EU Ambassador Maria Castillo Fernandez noted the gathering was "even more timely and important today, as human rights in the world are not a given", while newly arrived US Ambassador Philip Goldberg vowed to attendees that the US would "fight with [them] for equality".

Goldberg was singled out by name by the protest camp, some of whom held signs suggesting he was gay and accusing the US embassy of "destroying the alliance of both countries".

Several speakers, including Norwegian Ambassador Frode Solberg, alluded to the groups protesting the event in their remarks.

"I was here the first time in 2018… and the forces around us today show us that this fight is still very important," he said, urging attendees to "stay brave, stay proud".

bur/lb

THAI & BURMA JUNTA'S ARE PALS

How Thailand pushes Myanmar migrants into modern slavery

Myanmar's COVID-19 border closure and the recent coup have driven workers to desperation. This investigation into Thailand's fishery industry was made possible by the Pulitzer Center and Democratic Voice of Burma.

'When people violate the law it becomes the norm, many authorities have a blind attitude'

When the moon reaches its fullest in the coastal town of Ranong in southern Thailand, ships dock under the watch of the port-in port-out (PIPO) authorities — investigators appointed in 2015 to quell trafficking on the busy seaside.

But four months ago, when Moe Tha Hlay's boat docked off schedule carrying a dead fisherman, inspectors paid scant attention.

"In these situations, PIPO should ask how [migrant workers] died, how they can help the family — questions such as these. I wish they would do something like that, not [only ask about] the life jackets," he said of their misplaced focus.

This is the second death that Hlay — agreeing to speak under a false name for fear of repercussions from his boat's owner — has seen at sea in the last four months. Though he endures things that scare him, he dares not change vessels.

"It’s difficult to change [boats], we have no choice. When we change to another fishing boat, we must pay a lot of money from our own pockets. We don't want to pay [this bond] and that's what keeps us working aboard the same boat — even if it's dangerous."

Most Myanmar migrant workers are indebted, rights groups say

Ten years ago, horrifying reports of extreme debt bondage surfaced from Thailand's commercial fishing industry, shocking consumers into reconsidering their position on one of Thailand's leading sectors.

A 2020 endline study of Thailand's fishing sector by the International Labor Organization found 14% of fishers experienced involuntary work and coercion. But migrant working advocacy organizations estimate that the vast majority of Myanmar migrants working in Thailand's fisheries or similar trades are indebted and ostensibly bonded to an employer, agency, or broker.

Conditions like these have resurfaced since Myanmar was hit by the pandemic and the coup —  a two-year closure of the Thai-Myanmar border has allowed brokers to demand significant upcharges. Aside from the physical risks, migrants now seeking work in Thailand are shouldering a larger economic burden.

A familiar pattern

Hlay and other workers fear things are taking a turn for the worse since the ousting of the semi-civilian government in February 2021. Hlay says the return of the Burmese military could catalyze a rush for jobs, allowing brokers to exploit people desperate for work once more.

Hlay's trawler routinely runs short on food, sometimes he works days in excess of 12 hours

"Now, many migrants will face a host of problems in other countries. I see this happening," he said. "In the past, a lot of fishermen faced physical abuse; now that things have changed, I worry this situation will return."

In the 17 years Hlay worked on ships, debt has been constant: paying yearly for a new visa, and biannually for a work permit through a broker the boat owner selects.

Brokers chosen freely by owners are prone to adding additional fees, deducted from fishers' salaries —  it can take fishermen years to pay these off. Changing employers (thus transferring the liabilities accumulated) also carries a surcharge — debt.

In the past, Hlay has managed to pay the premium required to change employers, but now his family in Myanmar is in greater need of remittances. At the time of his last transfer, he still owed the boat owner approximately THB 10,000 (€270, $300).

Next month, he'll be required to pay new documentation fees as his last ship never went back out to sea, leaving him without work. He holds out hope this new debt will be paid off within five months.

"I have a family, so I can't pay it all at the same time. I'll tell the owner to deduct it from my monthly salary."

Forced labor and precarious work

Hlay was never given a contract by his employer. He isn't sure how much the renewal of his documentation will cost next month and is sometimes paid up to THB 2,000 less than his promised wage, although he is not sure why.

His trawler routinely runs short on food and he sometimes works days in excess of 12 hours, a direct violation of Thailand's committments under ILO convention C188. As Hlay effectively lacks the freedom to leave his job, it also meets the organization's definition of forced labor.

But when his ship docks, Hlay's complaints fall on deaf ears.

"PIPO have Burmese translators, but they don't do anything. Sometimes, on the boats, there's not enough food to eat. Even though we talk to them, they fail to address the situation. That's why I'm so angry," he said. "… If Burmese [people] die, they don't care."

Thai authorities turn blind eye

Thailand's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report last year investigated 14 cases of forced labor, a number widely rejected by migrant worker advocacy groups who cite weak inspection and willful ignorance. Despite requests for comment, the Royal Thai Police Operations Centre, which oversees trafficking prevention, did not respond.

Migrant Working Group representative Adisorn Kerdmongkol found, when studying debt bondage, that up to 90% of workers in sectors such as fishing and domestic work end up paying employers or brokers to arrange documentation and job placements in Thailand.

"It's not only expensive, but also complex," he said about the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) process for migrant workers. "You want the chance to make money; [under the MoU] you have to wait three months and work with the government — I think it's not a choice. If you come illegally, you need a broker."

Despite the resumption this May of Thailand’s MoU system — which aims to place 150,000 Burmese workers to address the country's chronic labor shortage — he says the tens of thousands forced across the border by the coup may still opt for irregular routes.

Research conducted in April this year by the Seafood Working Group and the Global Labor Justice-International Labor Rights Forum found that a brokered journey across the Myawaddy-Mae Sot border costs around THB8,000-10,000 per person.

Joint Action Committee for Burmese Affairs' Moe Kyaw says two types of brokers work in tandem. After carrying clients from across Myanmar to border regions, other groups of brokers will offer jobs in garment factories, fisheries, and on boats.

The "total package" —  a passage to Thailand or Malaysia and a work placement — can cost up to THB30,000.

"People pawn their houses to get loans for money to give to brokers. For those who can't find the cash, they arrange for agents to take a cut from their own salaries," he said.

"But you won't get your money back once you are arrested. Some people have been abandoned in the forest with no food; they may only eat when they encounter Thai authorities."

'It's become the norm'

Mon State farmer Ba Tun couldn't afford to feed his pigs after Thingyan, Myanmar's new year festival in April. He thought giving a broker a lump sum of THB 23,000 to get to Thailand would help him start over — a decision he has yet to stop paying for.

"They asked for more money once the journey ended. I'm not satisfied at all," he said. "Once I pay back the travel expenses, then I would like to go back to Burma and do my old job."

After crossing the border river by boat, brokers smuggled him to a garment factory job in Samut Sakhorn.

While his sister pays his broker fees back home, Ba Tun covers the THB18,000 demanded for his placement and work permit. Twice a month, bosses slash his salary in half to cover these costs. He's not sure when he'll be able to go back home.

Roisai Wongsuban, program advisor for The Freedom Fund, a non-profit working to eliminate modern day slavery, says this perpetual cycle is one of the key indicators of debt slavery; once workers are close to repaying what is demanded, it's time to renew their documents.

"It’s become the norm in this sector — 'Oh okay, it's normal, we have to pay to get a good job. The documentation is because we want to work here, then we have to pay for that. The boss will be the one who chooses the documentation broker, and we can't complain as it brings no benefit to us,'" she said.

"I think this type of thinking resonates with the workers, so many do not see themselves in a situation of debt bondage — nor do many Thai authorities. When people violate the law it becomes the norm; many authorities have a blind attitude because everyone in the market does it."

Edited by: Sou-Jie van Brunnersum

Amazing Planet: The long, slow life of a Greenland shark

Greenland sharks born long before the Industrial Revolution are still hunting Arctic waters to this day. But as their icy habitat heats up, these mysterious giants face an uncertain future.

Greenland sharks can live for centuries

The Greenland shark is a true oddity of the seas. Its flesh is toxic, its eating habits eclectic and sometimes unsavory. Though a powerful hunter, it is also partial to rotting carrion and has been found with a belly-full of reindeer and horse remains.  

Another less-than appealing feature are its eyes. Worm-like crustaceans attach themselves to the shark's corneas, rendering their host almost blind. Fortunately, this doesn't seem to pose much of a problem for the shark, which also pursues squid blow the Artic ice at murky depths of up to more than 2,000 meters (6,500 feet).   

Yet the most remarkable thing about this curious shark is its lifespan — the longest of any vertebrate on Earth. 

Carbon dating their eyes  

The age of other sharks can be determined by counting rings of growth in their vertebrae — much like counting the rings of a tree. But the Greenland shark has soft, gelatinous bones that reveal little about its life history. It was only in 2016 that scientists revealed its extraordinary longevity — by looking deep into its eyes.   

The long parasite attached to the shark's eyeballs makes it hard for the animal to see

They may not be much good for seeing, but the shark's eyes, like those of other species, contain proteins that are preserved throughout the animal's life. Scientists gathered the eyes of 28 Greenland sharks from the bycatch of fishing trawlers — and radiocarbon-dated them.   

Smaller sharks in their sample had been alive since the early 1960s — a moment when high concentrations of carbon-14 in the atmosphere left "bomb pulse" markers from nuclear tests in their tissue.   

But one mature, fiver-meter female was revealed not only to have been around before the nuclear age, but well before the Industrial Revolution, with scientists putting her date of birth somewhere between 1504 and 1744.  

Threatened by melting ice 

This animal survived an era when its kind was hunted for the oil in its liver — used to fuel lamps of the pre-electrical age — only to get caught in nets cast for more palatable species. Thousands of Greenland sharks meet their end this way each year, and the threat is increasing as Arctic waters warm and ice melts, opening new expanses of their habitat to commercial fishing. 

High concentrations of trimethylamine oxide make fresh Greenland shark meat poisonous. A months-long process of fermentation renders it a delicacy for some, though it is said to be an acquired taste

The slow tempo of their lives doesn't help matters. With an exceptionally sluggish metabolism adapted to their freezing habitat, they only reach sexual maturity at the age of about 150 — so when adults are killed, it takes time for them to be replaced.   

For the Greenland shark, the climate crisis has unfolded in the blink of a parasite-encrusted eye. If a new generation survives to continue its line, it could inhabit a world very different from the one it is born into today.  

Edited by: Tamsin Walker 

DW RECOMMENDS

SLOW DAY FOR CRIME
Boy calls 911 to report he needs a dinosaur. This is how a Florida deputy responded


Orange County Sheriff's Office photo

Mark Price
Thu, July 14, 2022 

A Florida sheriff’s deputy is being lauded on social media for his response to a boy’s exaggerated idea of what calling 911 can accomplish.

It happened around 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 12, in Orange County, home to Orlando, and the boy did not have an emergency in the traditional sense.

“He thought it was an emergency that he needed a dinosaur,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Office reported in a Facebook post. “The dispatcher explained what emergencies are & sent a deputy ... to check on the child & his family.”

The deputy made a stop along the way and picked up two “Jurassic World” dinosaur toys — with roaring capabilities.


“The dispatcher actually ordered the toys for pickup at a Target and the deputy (got them) ... before going to chat with the boy and his dad,” the sheriff’s office said.

Identities of the deputy and dispatcher were not released. However, the sheriff’s office noted the dispatcher also listened patiently as the boy reported lizards in the backyard “chase him and his little brother all the time.”

A photo shared on Facebook showed the barefoot boy proudly holding a dinosaur toy in each arm as he stood on the porch.

The July 13 post racked up nearly 3,500 reactions and comments in 12 hours, including some who said the small act of kindness proves “the human race is not failing.”

A lot of parents responded, too, sheepishly admitting their children had also called 911 for the wrong reasons. They thanked the deputy for delivering an important lesson the boy will “remember ... for the rest of his life.”

“I feel better knowing my kid wasn’t the only one. He called 911 just to have a deputy come say hi to him,” Victoria Grace L. Constantinidis wrote on the department’s Facebook post.

“My daughter once called 13 times because she wanted to know if it was true that when she called 911 the police came,” Jahaira Marquez Padilla posted. “They came.”

“We must teach what an emergency is, but let’s face it ... in his little mind dinosaurs were important. So cute and beautiful attitude of the officer!” Julianna Varela B. Rios said.

Rewilding: How vultures could save an ecosystem

Conservation groups all over the world are bringing animals back from the brink of extinction. I meet a team in Bulgaria working with the creepiest species of them all: vultures. The idea is that they will eventually help mitigate climate change. But how exactly is that supposed to work? Reporter: Aditi Rajagopal Video Editor: Andreas Hyronimus Supervising Editor: Joanna Gottschalk

Social life helps orphaned elephants

overcome loss: study

Juliette COLLEN

 Sat, July 16, 2022 

Orphaned elephants manage to overcome the loss of their mother by living in a herd, highlighting the importance of a social life for the species, according to a study.

Scientists investigated the consequences of a mother elephant's death on her child by examining the level of stress hormones in the excrement of 37 young elephants in Kenya between 2015 and 2016.

Among the young elephants, 25 had lost their mother between one and 19 years before from poaching or drought.

Of the 25 orphans, 20 stayed within the same family unit after the mother's death, while five joined an unrelated group.

The researchers found that stress hormones were at similar levels in the long term among orphans and the other elephants, even though the former were expected to show more stress symptoms in the absence of maternal care.

Any stress among the orphans did not last long, showing their "resilience" and the effect of social support from the other elephants, said Jenna Parker, the main author of the study published this week in the journal Communications Biology.

The importance of family links was obvious when observing elephant herds, Parker told AFP.

The young rarely stray more than 10 metres (33 feet) away from their mother and "incredible" reunions involving the entire group were seen after a few hours of separation, said the researcher at Colorado State University in the United States.

When poachers or hunters kill an elephant, that social cohesion disintegrates and threatens the group's wellbeing, particularly the young ones left orphaned, she said.

The bond between a baby elephant and its mother is believed to be strong even after weaning.

- 'Playmates' -

Parker and her colleagues investigated how orphaned elephants felt by measuring the quantity of hormones they release when faced with stress.

The hormones can be found in blood, saliva, urine and faeces. The last option was chosen as the most reliable and widespread way to measure stress in wild animals because it is non-invasive, Parker said.

Only the excrement of young females aged between two and 20 in the Samburu and Buffalo Springs reserves in northern Kenya was used, with males less easy to track because they are less attached to their original herd.

Scientists also found lower stress levels among young elephants growing up in groups with more animals of a similar age, suggesting that "playmates" are essential for them.

The results could guide orphanages to provide companions of the same age to help orphaned elephants.

The study also concluded that releasing groups of orphaned elephants together after they were linked during captivity could facilitate their transition to living in the wild.

juc/cel/imm/ah

CANADA'S FORGOTTEN COLONY
At least 234 dead or hurt in Haiti gang violence from July 8-12: UN

Christophe VOGT
Sat, July 16, 2022


Gang violence killed or injured at least 234 people from July 8-12 in Haiti's Cite Soleil, an impoverished and densely populated neighbourhood of the capital Port-au-Prince, the United Nations said on Saturday.

The unrest erupted between two rival factions and the city's ill-equipped and understaffed police failed to intervene, trapping residents in their homes, unable to go out for even food and water.

With many houses in the slums made of sheet metal, residents fell victim to stray bullets. Ambulances were unable to reach those in need.

"Most of the victims were not directly involved in gangs and were directly targeted by gang elements. We have also received new reports of sexual violence," said UN human rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence.


Earlier this week, the National Human Rights Defense Network, a Haitian organisation, had put the toll at 89 people killed, 16 unaccounted for and 74 wounded.


For the six months from January to June, the UN human rights office put the death toll at 934, with 684 more people wounded. A total of 680 kidnappings also occurred during that period, it said.

"We are deeply concerned by the worsening of violence in Port-au-Prince and the rise in human rights abuses committed by heavily armed gangs against the local population," Laurence said.

"We urge the authorities to ensure that all human rights are protected and placed at the front and centre of their responses to the crisis."

The bloodshed in Haiti has come alongside soaring food prices and chronic fuel shortages -- a toxic mix that has accelerated a brutal downward spiral in the security situation in Port-au-Prince.
- 'Desist'-

Aid agencies say many areas are impossible to access due to the dangerous conditions.


"We call on those responsible and supporting this armed violence to immediately desist, and to respect the lives and livelihoods of all Haitians, most of whom live in extreme poverty," Laurence said.

Mumuza Muhindo, head of the local mission of Doctors Without Borders, told AFP that his group had operated on an average of 15 patients a day during the spike in violence.

"It's a real battlefield," Muhindo said. "It's impossible to estimate how many people have been killed."

Cite Soleil is home to an oil terminal that supplies the capital and all of northern Haiti, so the clashes have had a devastating effect on the region's economy and people's daily lives.

Petrol stations in Port-au-Prince have no petrol to sell, causing prices on the black market to skyrocket.

"We are seeing a significant increase in hunger in the capital and in the south of the country, with Port-au-Prince hit the hardest," Jean-Martin Bauer, director of the World Food Programme, said on Tuesday.

For the past several years, Haiti has seen a wave of mass kidnappings, as gangs snatch people of all walks of life, including foreigners, off the streets.

Emboldened by police inaction, gangs have become increasingly brazen.

Haiti announced a rare seizure of weapons in cargo containers late Thursday: 18 military grade weapons, four 9mm handguns, 14,646 rounds of ammunition and $50,000 in counterfeit money.

The following day, the UN Security Council called on member states to ban the transfer of small arms to the Caribbean nation but stopped short of a full embargo requested by China.

UN Council urges halt to small arms reaching Haiti gangs

The U.N. Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution that calls on all countries to stop the transfer of small arms, light weapons and ammunition to any party in crisis-torn Haiti supporting gang violence and criminal activity

ByEDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press
July 15, 2022


Police drive their car over a barricade set up by taxi drivers to protest fuel shortages in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)
The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Friday that calls on all countries to stop the transfer of small arms, light weapons and ammunition to any party in crisis-torn Haiti supporting gang violence and criminal activity.

Haiti is experiencing escalating bloodshed and kidnappings by criminal gangs, and China had proposed a rival text that would have authorized a U.N. arms embargo on the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country. But other council members said an embargo would be unenforceable.

The resolution drafted by the United States and Mexico that was approved on a 15-0 vote Friday does demand an immediate cessation of gang violence and criminal activities, as China wanted.

It also expresses the council’s readiness to impose sanctions that could include travel bans and assets freezes “as necessary” on individuals engaged in or supporting gang violence, criminal activity or human rights violations in Haiti within 90 days of the resolution’s adoption. That language is weaker than China’s proposal, which called for action within 30 days.

The back and forth came in negotiations over a resolution to extend the mandate for the U.N. political mission in Haiti. The council’s previous authorization for the mission expired Friday.

The U.S.-Mexico resolution extends the mission, known as BINUH, until July 15, 2023. China wanted an extension until Oct. 15, 2023.

U.S. deputy ambassador Richard Mills said the resolution sponsored with Mexico will allow the U.N. mission to “continue its critical advisory efforts in support of facilitating political dialogue, enhancing the capacity of the Haitian National Police to address gang violence and protecting human rights.”

China’s U.N. ambassador, Zhang Jun, said the resolution could have been stronger, but called it “a right step in the right direction” in warning Haiti's gangs.

“The gangsters must immediately stop violence and criminal activities and the occupation of public facilities and roads, and seas, all acts of human rights violations,” Zhang added.

The adopted resolution, put in final form late Thursday, makes no mention of China’s call for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss with various parties possibly establishing “a multinational police unit” to help Haitian police tackle gang violence.

Instead, it asks Guterres to consult with Haiti’s government, “relevant countries” and regional organizations on “possible options for enhanced security support … to combat high levels of gang violence” and to submit a report by Oct. 15.

The resolution adopted Friday retained the original U.S.-Mexico draft's call for beefing up the U.N. mission to include up to 42 police and corrections department advisers, led by a U.N. police commissioner, and staff to ensure that sexual and gender-based violence are addressed.

When the current resolution extending the U.N. mission was adopted in October, Haiti had been contending with the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse last July, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that killed over 2,200 people in August, and escalating gang-related killings, kidnappings and turf wars.

A year after Moïse’s assassination, gang violence is even worse, and Haiti has gone into a freefall that has seen the economy tumble and many Haitians flee the country to escape the turmoil. At the same time, attempts to form a coalition government have faltered, and efforts to hold general elections have stalled.

This week, officials in Haiti’s capital reported that dozens of people had died as a result of days of fighting between rival gangs in the violent Cite Soleil neighborhood. Doctors Without Borders said thousands of people were trapped in the district without drinking water, food and medical care.

The resolution approved Friday expresses “grave concern about the extremely high levels of gang violence and other criminal activities, including kidnappings and homicides, and sexual and gender-based violence, as well as ongoing impunity for perpetrators, and the implications of Haiti’s situation in the region.”

It notes “with deep concern the protracted and deteriorating political, economic, security, human rights and food security crisis in Haiti.”

The resolution urges the government to strengthen the rule of law, tackle social and economic problems, initiate violence reduction programs, singling out the need to target sexual violence and manage weapons and ammunition. It also calls for the illicit trafficking and diversion of arms and illicit financial flows to be urgently addressed.

The United Nations has been involved in Haiti on and off since 1990, and the last U.N. peacekeeping mission was in the country from 2004 until October 2017. The political mission now there advises Haiti’s government on “promoting and strengthening political stability and good governance,” including the implementing the rule of law, inclusive national dialogue and protecting and protection of human rights.

Sri Lanka's political crisis: What happens next?

Sat, July 16, 2022


Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as acting president after his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to Singapore and resigned following months of protests over the country's financial meltdown.

AFP looks at how cash-strapped Sri Lanka ended up in its worst-ever economic crisis, and what comes next in its complicated, corrupt and sometimes violent political system.
- Why did Rajapaksa flee? -

Sri Lanka's financial woes were triggered by the coronavirus pandemic but exacerbated by mismanagement under Rajapaksa's government.

The country has been unable to finance even the most essential imports since late last year, and has since defaulted on its debt.


Discontent had been mounting for months over severe food and fuel shortages, record inflation and lengthy power cuts.

Even Rajapaksa's closest allies began abandoning him, and when protesters overran his official residence in Colombo last weekend, he was forced to flee to a navy base in fear for his life. He escaped first to the Maldives, then travelled on to Singapore.
- Wasn't Rajapaksa a popular leader?-

Rajapaksa was dubbed "The Terminator" for ruthlessly crushing Tamil rebels as head of the defence ministry during his elder brother Mahinda's presidency between 2005 and 2015.

He was loved by his Sinhala Buddhist majority, but loathed by Tamils and Muslims who saw him as a war criminal, a racist and an oppressor of minorities.

When inflation crossed 50 percent, and with four out of five people forced to skip meals because of acute shortages, the ethnically divided nation united in its opposition to Rajapaksa.
- Why an acting president? -

Rajapaksa formally quit on July 14, just 32 months into his five-year term, with prime minister Wickremesinghe automatically elevated as the acting leader under the country's constitution.

Wickremesinghe is serving as a stop-gap until the 225-seat parliament elects one of its members to lead the country for the balance of Rajapaksa's term. The legislature's Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana has scheduled the vote for Wednesday.
- How does the election work? -

The 225 MPs will rank the candidates in order of preference in a secret ballot.

Candidates need more than half the vote to be elected. If no-one crosses the threshold on first preferences, the candidate with the lowest support will be eliminated and their votes distributed according to second preferences, and so on until someone reaches the mark.
- Who are the likely candidates? -

Acting President Wickremesinghe, the pro-Western six-time prime minister, is the front runner after he secured the support of the Rajapaksas' SLPP, which is still the largest single bloc in parliament.

The SLPP has more than 100 seats and if party discipline holds, Wickremesinghe is almost certain to be elected.

But the party is fractured so that unity is not guaranteed, and SLPP dissident Dullas Alahapperuma, 63, a former media minister, is a serious challenger.

Sajith Premadasa, 55, the main opposition leader, announced Friday that he would also enter the fray.

A possible fourth contender is former army chief Sarath Fonseka, 71, a nemesis of the Rajapaksa family.

The secret ballot gives MPs a freer hand than an open poll, and previous elections have seen allegations of bribes offered and accepted in exchange for votes.

During a constitutional crisis in October 2018, some MPs said they had been offered $3.5 million in cash and apartments abroad for their support.
- What does this mean for IMF talks?-

Despite their differences, Sri Lanka's political parties are united in their support for ongoing talks with the International Monetary Fund, with Wickremesinghe saying a bailout is urgently needed.

Sri Lanka declared itself bankrupt in mid-April when the government defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt.

But the political crisis has interrupted the negotiations, and the IMF said Thursday that it hoped the unrest would be resolved soon so they could resume.

No political party in the current parliament has a clear majority, and even if the country could afford to hold a fresh election, Tamil legislator Dharmalingam Sithadthan pointed out that a strong mandate was not always a guarantee of stability or success.

"We had Gotabaya with a record 6.9 million votes and what did he do?" Sithadthan told AFP. "He was a total failure."

aj/slb/smw

Secret recordings deepen political crisis in Iraq

Shiite cleric Moktada Al Sadr speaks after the preliminary results of Iraq's parliamentary elections were announced in Najaf, Iraq, Octobre 11, 2021. © Alaa al-Marjani, Reuters


Issued on: 16/07/2022 -
Text by: Pierre AYAD

The Iraqi political scene has been ablaze for the past 72 hours due to the emergence of recordings attributed to Nuri al-Maliki, the ex-Iraqi PM, in which he appears to be criticising and insulting Moqtada al-Sadr, one of Iraq's strongest Shiite political figures whose faction won big in the 2021 general parliamentary election. 

“The issue is that there is a British project aiming to put Moqtada in control of the Shia and Iraq, then they would kill him and give Iraq to the Sunnis. The issue is not al-Maliki [myself], I can just leave and take refuge in the house of Malek and have 2000 fighters protecting me, no one will be able to get to me. That project exists, but I am fighting it, and it is to be fought politically and militarily,” said Nuri al-Maliki about his longtime political rival, Moqtada al-Sadr, in a leaked recording.

“Iran helped al-Sadr, to make him a new Nasrallah [Lebanese Hezbollah chief] in Iraq”, he continued in his tirade against the Shiite leader. “Moqtada is a murderer, how many did he kill in Baghdad? The kidnappings, the car bombs, he is not a master, he is a coward, a traitor, an ignorant who knows nothing (…) I know the Sadrists, I fought them in Basra, Karbala and Baghdad, we had no weapons and the Iranians had given them advanced missiles and we still won,” he said of al-Sadr and his followers.

Nuri al-Maliki, leader of the Shiite party known as the State of Law Coalition and one of the leaders of the Coordination Framework, a Shiite coalition currently holding parliamentary majority, denied the veracity of the recordings via Twitter. He said that the recordings, released on social media by journalist Ali Fadel, were fake. Moqtada al-Sadr, for his part, said that the recordings mean nothing.

The leaks in and of themselves are hardly newsworthy. Nuri al-Maliki’s hostile position regarding al-Sadr and his followers, known as the Sadrists, has always been well documented; the two leaders have had bad blood since the early days of al-Maliki’s government.

According to many observers of Iraqi politics, the leaks are a symptom of the deep fractures in Iraqi society and politics.

A walk down memory lane

The face-off between al-Maliki and al-Sadr began in 2003 following the American invasion of Iraq. After the US disbanded the Iraqi army, the country's various factions had to fend for themselves. Militias were formed within individual regions for protection and to fight the Americans. The militias fell largely into two categories according to whether they were comprised of Sunni or Shia Muslims. Some of the Sunnis were affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), and the Shias were largely organised by al-Moqtada into a militia called the Mahdi Army.

The Mahdi Army was popular in the south and centre of Iraq and had a very big impact in the war against the Americans until 2006, when al-Maliki became prime minister of Iraq. It was understood that, if al-Maliki were to take the reins, he would start a vast military operation against AQI as well as the Mahdi Army to try and disarm them, which he did in 2007 and 2008.

After intense fighting, al-Sadr asked his militias to lay down their arms and do community work instead. In fact, in 2010, during the parliamentary elections, al-Sadr supported al-Maliki in his re-election bid allegedly after intense lobbying from Iran. The Mahdi Army committed several war crimes, but al-Sadr and the militia’s leadership recognised and condemned these actions and explained that their goal was to fight the Americans, not kill fellow Iraqis.

In 2014, after the arrival of the Islamic State (IS), the Mahdi Army resumed its military activities against the group under a new name, the Peace Brigades, as fighting them was considered a religious duty. The militia is considered to be active and in control of several areas in Iraq since. Al-Sadr became a very powerful and popular leader in the country’s politics. His influence is indeed the strongest in Iraq at this point, and the political movement named after him is the biggest political power in Iraq and enjoys broad popular support.

The Shiite leader’s relationship with Iran has been very turbulent and complicated to say the least. Now however, the political leader is a staunch opponent of the Islamic Republic of Iran and is considered to be one of its adversaries in the country, at least politically.

Political paralysis

In 2021, the Sadrists won the majority in the parliament with a coalition that included Masoud Barzani’s party, known as the Kurdistan Democratic party, and the Sunni Coalition for Sovereignty.

Al-Sadr and his allies effectively controlled the majority of parliament. The rest was controlled by the Coordination Framework, who oppose al-Sadr and his movement. The Coordination, formed after the elections, is composed of al-Maliki’s party and other Shia leaders who lost their influence in 2021 vote, along with some Sunni MPs.

After various attempts, al-Sadr’s majority failed to establish a government due to the veto power held by the opposition in the Iraqi parliamentary procedures. Al-Sadr decided to leave parliament along with all of his elected MPs. Officially, he left to help the political process; unofficially, it was to put pressure on the Coordination.

This was a smart move, as al-Sadr’s decision put him in a win-win situation and the Coordination in a tight spot. The latter needed another government appealing to everyone, especially al-Moqtada, as he threatened massive protests unless his vision of how the government should be made up was met. Moreover, the current interim government led by Moustafa al-Kazimi is close to al-Moqtada. This means he gets to keep his influence in government anyway.

“I think Mr. al-Sadr got out of the government and the political opposition to join the popular opposition, which is stronger. He gave himself a margin of freedom after being criticised for criticising the government while being a part of it”, said Najm Al-Qassab, an Iraqi political analyst and commentator. “He is the only political leader in Iraq capable of moving his base at any time”, he added. In fact, after he threatened to call for protests after Friday prayers on July 15, several pro-Sadr protests were recorded in the country. 

This manoeuvre effectively put the country in political paralysis. Fractures run deep in the political fabric of Iraq. The Iraqi Shia divide has been detrimental to the country’s politics for years, and the recordings are just a symptom of that. Many ask if the timing of these recordings is meant to halt the political process. This question itself misses the point, as the political process has been halted since the 2021 elections and no new government has yet been formed.

A political detachment from economic realities

Despite the oil revenues capable of lifting the country from financial ruin, Iraq continues to suffer an astounding lack of services, decaying infrastructure, rampant unemployment and corruption. The population has engaged in massive protests in recent years to try and change the situation, citing political corruption as the source of Iraq’s economic woes. In fact, it was the 2019-2021 protest movement in the country that lead to the 2021 elections, which in turn led to the current deadlock.

In Iraq, the squabbling factions seem to be simply fighting for power rather than acting to change the economic or political status quo. In fact, after nine months of political deadlock, the Iraqi parliament is nowhere near naming a new government and the current interim government has not employed any solutions for the country's economic problems.

“The people named on the list leaked by the government to replace Kazimi as prime minister would be difficult to get elected by the MPs. The Coordination can form a government, as it has the majority in Parliament. The continuation of said government is a whole different story, as no government can continue without al-Sadr's support”, said Qassab.  

Daughter of doctor who gave 10-year-old an abortion faced kidnapping threat

Stephanie Kirchgaessner

THE GUARDIAN
Fri, July 15, 2022 

Photograph: AJ Mast/AP

The Indiana doctor who recently provided an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim whose story has garnered national attention faced serious threats in the past and is named on an extreme anti-abortion website linked to Amy Coney Barrett before she was a supreme court justice.

Dr Caitlin Bernard testified last year, in a case involving abortion restrictions in Indiana, that she was forced to stop providing first-trimester abortions at a clinic in South Bend. She stopped the procedures after she was alerted by Planned Parenthood – who in turn had been alerted by the FBI – that a kidnapping threat had been made against her daughter.

The Guardian reported in January that the names of six abortion providers, as well as their educational backgrounds and places of work, were listed on the website of an extreme anti-abortion group called Right to Life Michiana, in a section of the website titled “Local Abortion Threat”. Bernard was among the list of doctors named on the extremist website.

Barrett, who voted to overturn Roe v Wade last month, signed a two-page advertisement published by the group in 2006, while she was working as a professor at Notre Dame. It stated that those who signed “oppose abortion on demand and defend the right to life from fertilization to natural death”. The second page of the ad called Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion, “barbaric”. The advertisement was published in the South Bend Tribune by St Joseph County Right to Life, which merged with Right to Life Michiana in 2020.

Related: Man charged with rape of 10-year-old who had abortion after rightwing media called story ‘not true’

Bernard said in sworn testimony that she had started to travel to South Bend once a month – beginning in 2020 – in order to perform first trimester abortions, but stopped making the 2.5-hour trip once she learned of the threat against her daughter.

“I felt it would be best for me to limit my travel and exposure during that time,” she said. “I was concerned that there may be people who would be able to identify me during that travel, as well as it’s a very small clinic without any privacy for the people who are driving in and out, and so therefore, people could directly see me.”

Bernard is still listed on the Right to Life Michiana website. It is a common tactic employed by anti-abortion groups that supporters of abortion rights have said invites threats of violence and intimidation against abortion providers.

Neither Bernard nor her attorney could be immediately reached for comment.

She became the center of a media storm early this month when the Indianapolis Star reported an anecdote about how, three days after the supreme court issued its decision to overturn Roe v Wade, the Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist took a call from a colleague about a 10-year-old patient who was six weeks and three days pregnant and needed an abortion.

The girl received Bernard’s care after traveling from Ohio, where the state had outlawed any abortion after six weeks. The story was initially treated with skepticism by some conservative media outlets and Republican politicians.

Bernard’s lawyer, Kathleen DeLaney, issued a statement on Friday saying that her client had provided proper treatment and had not violated any patient privacy laws in discussing the unidentified girl’s case.

The Republican Indiana attorney general, Todd Rokita, has said he would investigate Bernard’s actions but did not suggest there was any specific wrongdoing.

A 27-year-old man was charged in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday with raping the girl.

Jackie Appleman, the executive director of Right to Life Michiana, has previously said in response to questions from the Guardian that the information on its website was “publicly available information”.

“Right to Life Michiana does not condone or encourage harm, threats or harassment towards anyone, including abortion doctors, abortion business employees and escorts. We encourage pro-choice groups to also accept our nonviolent approach when it comes to the unborn,” she said in a previous statement.

During her 2020 confirmation hearing, Barrett said she had signed the advertisement as a private citizen, while she was making her way out of church, and had not recalled signing it until it became public following a report in the Guardian.

“It was consistent with the views of my church,” she said, in response to senators’ questions about the statement. She later added: “I do see as distinct my personal, moral, religious views and my task of applying the law as a judge.”

Bernard’s testimony is included in the case Whole Woman’s Health v Rokita, a trial in federal district court in Indianapolis in June 2021.

Doctor who gave abortion to 10-year-old rape victim threatens to sue Indiana AG who told Fox she might have broken the law

Tom Porter
Fri, July 15, 2022 

Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind., takes his seat for the House Budget

 Committee meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015.

Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

A doctor who provided a 10-year-old rape victim with an abortion became a focus of GOP attacks.


The doctor's attorney said she might sue Indiana attorney general Todd Rokita over a Fox interview.


Rokita suggested she broke rules on reporting the procedure to state officials. She did not.

The doctor who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old Ohio girl who was raped may sue Indiana's attorney general for questioning whether broke state laws, her attorney said.

In a Fox News interview on Thursday, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican, suggested that the doctor, Caitlin Bernard, may not have complied with state laws requiring doctors to report each abortion.

The case of the 10-year-old gained huge attention in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

The ruling brought into effect a ban on abortions in Ohio after six weeks, prompting her to travel to Indiana.

Under Indiana's rules, abortion is permitted in the first 22 weeks of pregnancy. Procedures involving rape victims must be reported to state authorities within a strict three-day timeframe.

The state is moving to introduce more laws restricting access to abortion.

After Rokita suggested Bernard may have broke the rules, The Washington Post obtained evidence that she had in fact made a correct referral.

The doctor's attorney, Kathleen DeLaney, said in a statement to the Post said that Bernard was "considering legal action against those who have smeared [her], including Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita."

"My client, Dr. Caitlin Bernard, took every appropriate and proper action in accordance with the law and both her medical and ethical training as a physician," DeLaney said.

"She followed all relevant policies, procedures, and regulations in this case, just as she does every day to provide the best possible care for her patients."

In a statement to Insider, Kelly R. Stevenson, a spokesperson for the Indiana attorney general, said the office was continuing to collect evidence on the allegations.

"As we stated, we are gathering evidence from multiple sources and agencies related to these allegations. Our legal review of it remains open," said Stevenson.

Bernard brought the girl's story to attention by telling the Indianapolis Star newspaper about it, and the story was cited by President Joe Biden.

Conservative lawmakers and media outlets poured scorn on the story, claiming it was likely to be false and attacking media outlets who reported it only on Bernard's say-so.

But on Wednesday corroboration arrived when The Columbus Dispatch reported that police had charged a man, Gerson Fuentes, with raping the child.

The new information prompted The Wall Street Journal to issue a correction to an editorial disputing the story, and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan to delete without explanation a tweet saying the story was untrue.