Moontown

Gunmen believed to be from a radical Islamic group in northeast Mogadishu, Somalia, shot two people dead during an impromptu raid on a house where people were watching a World Cup match Saturday night, Reuters reports.

A witness told reporters that masked militants “stormed into the house” and open fired at the World Cup viewers, killing two instantly. The militants rounded up about 10 other fans, but left the bodies in the home, the witness said.

The incident came on the heels of a national ban on viewing “un-Islamic” World Cup games made by the local militia group al Shabaab, which controls much of south and central Somalia by force. By al Shabaab’s logic, the championship interferes with the group’s plan to overthrow the government, because Somali citizens are too preoccupied with the games to fight on their behalf.

Other militant groups have also professed their disapproval of the World Cup.

“Football is an inheritance from the primitive infidels, and we can never accept people to watch it and we are directing a final warning to those who want to watch it,” said Sheikh Mohamed Abdi Aros, a spokesman for Hizbul Islam, a group which has reportedly raided homes and detained at least 30 other World Cup fans in Afgoye, about 18 miles south of Mogadishu. He did not specify how the group — which has also routinely banned music and dancing along with other sports — intended to enforce the ban.

Thus far, neither of the two groups has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Despite the prohibitions, Somali soccer fans remained undeterred, and residents say they will continue to seek out various ways to skirt the ban, including the use of makeshift satellite dishes. As one Somali told the BBC, “I have one eye on the TV and other on the door, and the sound turned down.”

 

THE Caribbean Court of Justice will have its first Jamaican on the bench when Professor Charles Winston Anderson is sworn in as a judge at King’s House today.

Professor Anderson, who is the executive director of the Caribbean Law Institute Centre in the law faculty at the University of the West Indies (UWI), was selected by the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission which is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, where he will take up his appointment.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding will deliver a short address after Professor Anderson is sworn in by Governor General, Sir Patrick Allen.

Professor Anderson was born in Brittonville, St Ann and attended the Ferncourt High and St Andrew Technical High schools. He is a holder of a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of the West Indies and a Doctorate in Philosophy in International and Environmental Law from the University of Cambridge. He has been called to the Bar in England, Barbados and Jamaica.

He was appointed lecturer at the Cave Hill-based law faculty in 1994, and later appointed professor in 2006. Professor Anderson served on secondment from UWI as General Counsel of the Caribbean Community for three years between 2003 and 2006.

Professor Anderson has written extensively on International Law, Private International Law and Environmental Law. His major publications include The Law of Caribbean Marine Pollution, Elements of Private International Law and Private International Family Law. (Jamaica Observer)

FIVE prisoners escaped from the Mandeville Police lock-up in Manchester yesterday morning.

They are:

 

• Marchel Goulbourne, 37, of Silent Hill district, Christiana, Manchester – charged with larceny of motor vehicle;
• Ricardo Spence, 17, otherwise called ‘Ratty’ of Greenvale district, Manchester – arrested on suspicion of house breaking and larceny;
• Rodaine Nelson, 16, of Cedar Grove district, Manchester – arrested on suspicion of robbery;
• Leandrow Clarke, 16, of Edinburgh district, Manchester – arrested on suspicion of larceny;
• Chester Smith, 17, of Georges Valley district, Manchester – charged with assault occasioning bodily harm.

Police said that officers were making routine checks of the holding area about 3:40 am, when the men were discovered missing.

Police are asking members of the public not to harbour these men as doing so constitutes a crime. Persons who might have information as to the whereabouts of any of these men are also being asked to contact the Mandeville Police at 962-2250, police 119 emergency number or the nearest police station. (Jamaica Observer)

ROBBIE Earle, a veteran of Jamaica’s 1998 World Cup campaign, has been fired from his job as a pundit for British broadcaster ITV, after allegedly passing on tickets to a third party, against FIFA rules.

The “substantial number” of tickets for Monday’s match between the Netherlands and Denmark, allocated to him for family and friends, were reportedly used by a Dutch beer company Bavaria NV.

In that same match 36 women were ejected from the stadium for allegedly carrying out “ambush marketing” for that company. Several of the women were carrying tickets from Earle’s allocation.

“…a substantial number of tickets allocated to Robbie Earle for family and friends have been passed to a third party in breach of FIFA rules,” said ITV in a statement. “As a result, Robbie Earle’s contract with ITV has been terminated with immediate effect.”

The women were all wearing matching tight dresses in the Netherlands’ national colour of orange and attracted significant media attention.

Under the rules of football’s governing body, the tickets were forbidden to be sold on to third parties. FIFA says that it is looking into “all available legal remedies” against Bavaria NV.

Earle has established himself in football journalism following a creditable club career with Port Vale and Wimbledon in England, the country of his birth. He decided to play for Jamaica by virtue of his Jamaican parentage.

The 45-year-old made history when he scored Jamaica’s first ever World Cup goal against Croatia. He played 33 times for Jamaica between 1997 and 2000, scoring eight times. (Jamaica Observer)

Evading arrest since last month

POLICE are offering a reward of US$20,000 (J$1.7 million) for the capture of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, the former strongman of Tivoli Gardens in West Kingston.

The Police would like to find Coke to execute a warrant of arrest issued by the Courts of Jamaica for him to face extradition proceedings. Coke is wanted by United States law enforcement agencies for drugs and gun running.

Persons knowing the whereabouts of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke can contact Operation Kingfish at 811, Crime Stop at 311 and Police Control at 119.

WASHINGTON - Gen. David Petraeus slumped over Tuesday morning during a Senate hearing, but revived after a few seconds and left the room under his own power. After about 20 minutes he returned to the hearing room.

Petraeus, 57, had finished telling Sen. John McCain that he believes the planned 2011 drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan remains on track, and McCain was responding when the room fell silent and aides began crowding around the four-star general.

Petraeus, who oversees the war in Iraq and Afghanistan as head of U.S. Central Command, briefly put his head on the table, then rose, appearing dazed. He stood under his own power and was escorted from the room.

Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman, suspended the hearing until Wednesday out of concern for Petraeus’ health.

Petraeus himself returned to the room briefly and told the senators he “was feeling a little bit light-headed there.”

“It wasn’t Sen. McCain’s question,” the general added.

In his lengthy appearances before the Senate and House armed services committees in September 2007 to testify on Iraq, he was reported to have endured great back pain and got through it with the help of Motrin.

WATCH video of Petraeus collapsing:

Petraeus is the commander of U.S. Central Command. He was testifying on the war in Afghanistan.As the most popular and widely known general of his generation, Petraeus is approaching a new juncture in a career that catapulted him to fame when President George W. Bush sent him to Baghdad in early 2007 to carry out a long-shot “surge” strategy that arguably rescued Iraq from collapse.

The general has had a high-profile career, and many believe he is the leading candidate to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He commanded all forces in Iraq under President George W. Bush.

- calls on US to back-up findings

The government yesterday denounced the 2010 US State Department Report on Trafficking in Persons (TIP), rejecting the findings of a “significant” number of cases here and Guyana’s placement on the Tier 2 Watch List for the fourth consecutive year.

Priya Manickchand

At a news conference shortly after the release of the report, Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand said angrily that it was “based on sheer ignorance and eye pass” and labelled it “crap,” while Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon suggested that there was something “sinister” in the findings. Manickchand warned that while the two countries have enjoyed very good relations over the years, “this inaccurate report hurts this friendship”.

Of major contention for the government is a statement in the report that indicates that some 984 children were removed from exploitive child labour from 2005 to 2009. Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett has been mandated to make contact with her counterparts in the US to ascertain from where the children were removed and under which project.

According to the report, “during the reporting period the US Department of Labour reported results of a project that withdrew 984 children from exploitive child labour in logging and saw-milling, fishing, hazardous farming, factory work, mining, and freight handling from 2005 to 2009.”

Just hours after the report was released, Luncheon arranged a press conference at the Office of the President, where he along with Manickchand, Minister of Education Shaik Baksh and Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee condemned the report. They referred to Guyana’s own recent TIP report which concluded that there is no evidence of large-scale trafficking in persons and registered “outrage” on behalf of their cabinet colleagues over the US report.

Dr Roger Luncheon

Luncheon said the fact that the government called a press briefing within hours of the US “un-embargoing“ the report was a signal that the country has serious concerns. “They have been unable to sustain the kind of diatribe that they run against Guyana transparently with numbers,” he said, adding, “we don’t doubt that trafficking exists. Whether it does to justify putting Guyana on Tier 2 and to offend this government and this nation with this tripe that is produced annually by the State Department by the most opaque of units…  we have to repudiate it, we got to go public and we are going to be aggressive about this position.”

He added, “there is something sinister as far as we are concerned in manufacturing TIP and manufacturing TIP to the extent to be saying that Guyana you are going to be Tier 3 in 2011….” According to him, what Guyana has been saying and doing is consistent with its reality and has a lot to do with how the enormity of trafficking is judged. He said all in Guyana should have a keen interest in the way the country and government “is being held up and put to shame by the US government… for the most nebulous, unproven of grounds.”

He said the government is calling upon the TIP unit of the State Department to provide the information that will put to rest its reservations, especially when the threats of sanctions are being held out to enforce decisions that are made “on the most superficial, unproven, the dirtiest kind of information collection and analysis that goes on….”

Source country

According to the report, Guyana is a source country for men, women and children subjected to trafficking in persons, and specifically conditions of forced prostitution and forced labour. “Guyanese trafficking victim cases have been identified in the country, as well as in other countries in the region,” the report said. It also said that identified foreign victims have come from Venezuela and Brazil while forced prostitution occurs in brothels on the coast and around mining camps as well as in rum shops and Chinese restaurants. “The common Guyanese practice of poor, rural families sending children to live with higher income family members or acquaintances in more populated areas has the potential to evolve into forced domestic servitude,” the report said. It added that trafficking victims may not self-identify to authorities due to fear of retribution, fear of resettlement to abusive home situations, and lack of awareness that human trafficking is a crime. Those most vulnerable to trafficking, the report said, include Amerindian females, foreign women (such as Brazilians) in prostitution, and children.

“The Government of Guyana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Despite these efforts, the government did not initiate any new prosecutions of trafficking offences during the reporting period and has yet to convict to punish any trafficking offenders under its five-year-old anti-human trafficking law,” it added. (Guyana recorded its first conviction on April 29, this year when Wesley Benn was sentenced to three years in prison after he was found guilty of trafficking two girls at One Mile Potaro Road, Bartica.)

The report said during the reporting period, the government and NGOs identified four victims of trafficking, “two of whom prison officials proactively identified”. It said the government provided some resources toward victim protection and local anti-trafficking groups but no suspected traffickers were charged, limiting the level of safety and protection provided to victims. “While the government took some tangible steps to raise awareness of human trafficking, including the establishment of focal point groups and an anti-trafficking task force, some local observers felt that the government discouraged discussions on developing effective strategies for combating this phenomenon of modern-day slavery,” it further stated.

In the area of prosecution, it stated that progress is perpetually delayed by judicial backlogs, incorrectly-filed paperwork or the failure of key parties to appear at hearings. “NGOs and one government official expressed concern that trafficking-related official complicity was a problem. It is reportedly common for defendants to bribe court officials for favourable rulings,” the report said.

Wrong

Addressing the report yesterday, Manickchand said that the US has again gotten its facts in Guyana wrong, noting that from the beginning the country has objected to its ranking. The government, she said, has always asserted that Guyana did not have significant numbers of trafficking victims. “We have said that we do not have significant numbers of victims. Moreover, no evidence of said significant numbers had been presented by any interested party, including the government of the United States of America,” she said.

Manickchand pointed out that there has never been a claim by the US that the government or its officials are complicit in trafficking and in fact they have made positive assertions to the contrary. “…[T]he resources that are being expended on the issue of combating trafficking in Guyana could arguably be called excessive for our  country when one considers the scale of the problem in comparison to the other numerous social ills that we have to fight,” she added.

She said Guyana has not prosecuted and/or convicted any large numbers of persons for trafficking but argued that no apology should be made for this fact. “Every citizen is guaranteed the right to be presumed innocent until found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. We hold this presumption and its constitutional guarantee very dear to us. It must be protected at all times.”

According to Manickchand, the sloth of the justice system is being addressed through a massive investment programme—the Justice Sector Reform Strategy—whose conclusion and implementation should see all matters, including trafficking cases, being dealt with expeditiously. Further, she said the government has a duty to nurture confidence in the justice system and to assist victims throughout the process so that they may make informed choices.

She also noted that the US has explained that for countries to be placed on the Tier 2 list, they would have had to fail to increase efforts to combat human trafficking over the past year, fail to make significant efforts based on commitments of anti-trafficking reforms, and to see very significant victims or a significantly increasing victim population. “Taking cognisance of the definition of countries which should be on the Tier 2 watch list as well as the US report on Guyana, one cannot help but question whether the report about us and our subsequent placement on the tier ranking are not contradictory,” she declared.

WASHINGTON, USA (AFP) — The United States on Monday welcomed Cuba’s release of a paraplegic political prisoner, Ariel Sigler, but urged Havana to release all such detainees in the Americas’ sole one-party communist regime. US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley. AFP PHOTO State Department spokesman Philip Crowley hailed Sigler’s release as a “positive development.” The ailing Cuban dissident was freed Saturday after landmark talks between the Catholic Church and Cuban President Raul Castro. Sigler immediately vowed to push hard to win “freedom and democracy” for Cuba. “We hope that this will lead to the release of additional prisoners of conscience,” Crowley added stressing that such “prisoners should be released immediately and unconditionally.” Ariel Sigler Amaya, now at home in Matanzas, Cuba, languished behind bars for over six years. The 46-year-old was part of a group of 73 political dissidents picked up in a broad crackdown by the communist government in March 2003. Six other dissidents will also be moved to jails in their home provinces on Saturday to be closer to their relatives as a result of the talks, according to the Havana archbishop’s office. Sigler and the other six detainees were among 53 of the original 73 activists picked up in 2003 still held in prison. The Cuban Human Rights and National Reconciliation Commission (CCDHRN) — an outlawed but tolerated group — estimates there are some 200 political prisoners in the Caribbean nation of more than 11 million people. Cuban authorities consider them a threat to national security, and claim the prisoners are “mercenaries” on Washington’s pay, out to smear the Cuban government. (Caribnet)

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) opened the doors of its Resident Representative Office in Jamaica on Monday. The opening of the office, which will be based at the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) in downtown Kingston, coincides with the appointment of the first IMF representative to Jamaica in some 15 years, Dr. Gene Leon, who was formally introduced to the media at a briefing at the BOJ auditorium on Friday. Newly appointed International Monetary Fund (IMF) Senior Resident Representative to Jamaica, Dr Gene Leon fields questions from journalists at a media briefing at the Bank of Jamaica (BoJ) auditorium, downtown Kingston, on June 11. (JIS photo) Dr Leon, who will serve as the Senior Resident Representative in Jamaica, brings some 13 years of service with the IMF to the position, having previously served as Mission Chief for Oman, Iraq and Qatar, among other postings. Prior to joining the IMF, the St Lucian, worked in senior capacities at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and was Director of Research at the Central Bank of Barbados. In addition, he served a brief stint as an Associate Professor at the State University of New York in the United States. In a brief statement to journalists, Dr Leon pointed out that it was customary for the IMF to establish resident offices in countries with which it has a funding programme. “These offices serve as focal points through which the Fund’s key operations of policy advice, lending and technical assistance are coordinated. In that regard, my main responsibility will relate to the provision of technical and policy advice to the Jamaican authorities on the implementation of the Standby Agreement with the Fund,” he explained. He stated that the office will also be a source of information on global economic and financial developments, and on the Fund’s views on global economic issues. Dr Leon contended that the office should be regarded, first and foremost, as an extension of the IMF’s headquarters in Washington, DC, USA, and would be a pivotal link between the Jamaican Government and the lending institution’s Executive Board. He said that the office was not intended to function as an extension of the Jamaican Government, nor as an additional department of the Central Bank. “I will not be providing running commentary on every economic event in Jamaica, nor will I be commenting on political and policy issues. However, I will commit to, at least, providing regular updates after the Fund conducts the various reviews of the programme,” he explained. Alluding to the US$1.3 billion standby arrangement between the Government and the IMF, Dr Leon noted that this facility has “started well”, and re-assured of the IMF’s commitment to the successful implementation of the programme, in partnership with the Jamaican Government, adding that the IMF was encouraged by the outcome of the first review. (Caribnet)

LONDON, England (JIS) — Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, is in London for a one-week series of meetings, visits and press events, as part of a $10 million tourism promotional blitz, aimed at preventing any loss in revenue to the sector as a result of the recent activities in Western Kingston. In an interview with the JIS News London on Sunday, Bartlett said the programme was aimed at restoring trust and confidence in the destination. Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, makes a point during an interview with JIS News. (JIS photo) “Following on the incident in Kingston, we have received a lot of negative publicity affecting, somewhat, the attitude and response of the tourism market. The programme we are on is to try to reposition the brand, and restore the confidence and the trust,” he said. He noted that the Jamaican Diaspora has an important role to play in this process. “We put a lot of value on the Diaspora discussions. They are very essential to the destination; they are essential in showing the market that Jamaica is a safe destination, and that choice is informed by the attitude of the Diaspora,” he stated. The Minister noted further that overseas nationals are a critical part of the tourism market, making up 10 per cent of total visitor arrivals, and are the best marketers and the greatest ambassadors for Jamaica. However, he voiced concern that some sections of the Diaspora were misinformed about the activities in West Kingston. “It was the state’s response to dealing with criminal activity and to deal with it in a divisive way. What may have started as a part of an extradition exercise has morphed into a national programme to create a game changer in the way in which the country operates and the role the state is playing in wiping out deviant behaviour, particularly gunmanship and drugs and crime,” Bartlett pointed out. While in the UK, the Tourism Minister will be meeting with a number of British government officials, as well as representatives of the British Caribbean All Parliamentary Group, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), and the British Air Transport Association. He will also be doing a series of media interviews including with the BBC World Service, Sky News, The Independent and Guardian newspapers, and a number of ethnic media houses. In addition to the UK, the Minister and tourism officials will also be visiting the United States and Canada. (Caribnet)