Friday, July 04, 2003

The Civilian Toll Is Rising in Aceh by Step Vaessen 03 Jul 03 The Indonesian military is claiming it now has control over the whole of Aceh province - six weeks after the battle started to crush the rebels. But Jakarta insists the war on the GAM separatists will continue. With many of the rebels now hiding in the hills, more and more civilians are getting caught up in the violence. [Radio Netherlands] 6:04:04 PM  Google It!

Liberia: No Immunity for Taylor 03 Jul 03 If U.S. troops are sent to Liberia, they should not make any deals that involve a withdrawal of the indictment of President Charles Taylor by the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Human Rights Watch said today... The Special Court for Sierra Leone recently indicted Taylor as one of those 'bearing the greatest responsibility' for war crimes (including murder and taking hostages); crimes against humanity (rape, murder, extermination, sexual slavery); and other serious violations of international humanitarian law (use of child soldiers) committed in Sierra Leone. The indictment charges that Taylor actively supported the rebel Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone's ten-year civil war. The indictment was announced on June 4, 2003 while Taylor was in Ghana attending peace talks on the recently intensified Liberian conflict. News reports today suggest that the United States is considering sending peacekeepers to Liberia. [Human Rights Watch] 12:41:45 AM  Google It!

In the Land of Guantanamo by Ted Conover 29 Jun 03 In the Land of Guantanamo: A surreal society has emerged at the tip of Cuba in which rules are the only common language and prisoners and guards alike feel marooned. [The New York Times Magazine] 12:26:52 AM  Google It!