Clipmarks | enbar's International news collection

Tariq Ali on Bhutto's killing and the PPP

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:08:42 GMT

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clipper's remarks: Ali, who was both a friend and critic of Bhutto, argues that the time has come for the People's Party to recreate itself as a genuinely democratic alternative. Sounds like wishful thinking to me -- but maybe he's right.

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

A tragedy born of military despotism and anarchy

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto heaps despair upon Pakistan. Now her party must be democratically rebuilt

Tariq Ali
Friday December 28, 2007
The Guardian

Benazir's horrific death should give her colleagues pause for reflection. To be dependent on a person or a family may be necessary at certain times, but it is a structural weakness, not a strength for a political organisation. The People's party needs to be refounded as a modern and democratic organisation, open to honest debate and discussion, defending social and human rights, uniting the many disparate groups and individuals in Pakistan desperate for any halfway decent alternative, and coming forward with concrete proposals to stabilise occupied and war-torn Afghanistan. This can and should be done. The Bhutto family should not be asked for any more sacrifices.

Tags: politics, international, pakistan, south_asia, violence, commentary, post:twitter(source), post:facebook(clip)

Latest on the fate of Burmese protesters

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:21:25 GMT

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clipper's remarks: Prosecutions of those detained in September's protests in Burma are beginning. The government says it plans to prosecute only those involved in violent protests; international observers say many thousands are still in detention or unaccounted for.

Clip Source: www.bangkokpost.com

Burma to put protesters on trial

Naypyitaw, Burma (dpa) - Protesters who participated in the September demonstrations in Rangoon will not be prosecuted if they had acted peacefully, the top Burmese policeman said Monday.

"Only those individuals involved in arson or the possession of illegal weapons will be brought to trial," police chief Khin Yi told a press conference in Naypyitaw, the new capital.

It was the government's first statement on the fate of thousands of people arrested since the anti-regime protests in Rangoon, the former capital, led by Buddhist monks.

The demonstrations, the largest since 1988, ended in a brutal crackdown on September 26-27 that left 15 people dead, according to official estimates.

The actual death till is believed to exceed 100.

"They claim to have released 2,000 to 3,000 but nobody knows how many people are still in detention," US charge d'affaires Shari Villarosa said last week in Bangkok.

Tags: international, news, asia, burma