By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PUNE, India- Nine people died and about 60 were injured in a bomb attack at a restaurant popular with tourists in the city of Pune.

The powerful bomb left in a backpack under a table at the German Bakery, and which killed two foreigners, is the first major terrorist strike in India after the three-day siege of nearby Mumbai in November 2008 in which 166 people died.  “It appears that an unattended package was noticed in the bakery by one of the waiters who apparently attempted to open it, denoting the bomb inside,” federal home secretary Gk Pillai said after Saturday’s blast. Vinod Dhale, a restaurant worker, said “We heard a big noise and we all rushed out.  The impact was so great that there were body parts everywhere”.

Six people died instantly while the other three fell to injuries at local hospitals.  Home minister P Chidambaram described the bomb as ” a significant terrorist incident”, stating that the evidence pointed to a well planned plot.  Chidambaram said one or two people acting as customers had left the backpack carrying the bomb inside the bakery.

Preliminary investigations indicate the bomb was denoted remotely, possibly by a mobile phone.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.  A security red alert has been issued in the capital New Delhi, Indore, and Kanpur in the east following intelligence alerts of possible terror strikes in all three places.

Senior security officials suspect the culprits are the Pakistan-based Lashkahr-i-Taiba (LiT, or the Army of the Pure) terrorist group which India holds responsible for executing the Mumbai attack and on “sleeper” cadres of a local militant group called Indian Mujahideen (IM) which it often used.  Security officials said both groups are known to have worked together in the past with the LiT providing the funding and planning to carry out deadly bombing in crowded places.

The blast in Pune comes a day after India and Pakistan agreed to meet for talks in Delhi on February 25th, giving rise to speculation that terror groups were once again trying to derail bilateral peace talks which could eventually lead to action against them.

India has so far refrained from blaming Pakistan directly.

For more information, please see:

ABC News- Restaurant Bomb Blasts Kills 9 In India -15 February 2010

IRISHTIMES.COM- Bomb Blast Kills Nine In Restaurant In Western India– 15 February 2010

BBC NEWS- India Restaurant Bomb Blast Kills Nine in Pune – 15 February 2010

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

MARJA, Afghanistan- NATO has confirmed that two rockets fired at militants during its offensive in Helman south Afghanistan, missed their target and killed 12 civilians.

The missiles struck a house in Marjah as thousands of NATO troops continued their operations to remove the Taliban.  General Stanley McChrystal, NATO’s commander said that “we deeply regret this tragic loss of life”.  Coalition forces are aiming to build on gains in Operation Moshtarak.  Operation Moshtarak, meaning “together” in Dari, is the largest coalition attack since the Taliban fell in 2001.

Civilian casualties have been a key concern for the NATO-led offensive.  The areas targeted were leafleted in advance to minimize casualties.  Afghan President Hamid Karzi has called for an investigation into the civilian deaths, his office said.  In a statement the office said that it believed at least 10 of those killed were from the same family.  NATO said in a statement “Two rockets from a High Mobility Rocket System launched at insurgents firing upon Afghan and [Nato] forces impacted approximately 300 meters (980ft) off their intended target killing 12 civilians.”

General McChrystal added “The current operation in Central Helmland is aimed at restoring security and stability to his vital area of Afghanistan…It’s regrettable that in the course of our joint efforts, innocent lives were lost.”

It was unclear whether one or more rockets hit the building.  Officers said the barrage had been fired from Camp Bastion, a large British and American base to the northeast.  The weapon system is known as HIMARS, or High Altitude Multiple Launch Artillery Rockets.  The system is G.P.S- guided and advertised as being accurate enough to strike within a yard of their intended targets.  General McChrystal said that he was suspending use of the weapon system “until a thorough review of this incident has been confirmed.”

For more information, please see:

BBC News- Afghan Civilians Killed Strike by NATO Rockets – 14 February 2010

New York Times- Afghan Civilians Killed In Offensive on Taliban– 14 February 2010

VOANEWS.COM- NATO Acknowledges Responsibility for Killing 12 Civilians During Afghan Offensive– 14 February 2010

Tin Oo, deputy leader of Myanmar’s National League for Democracy Party, talk to journalists at his home in Yangon after he was released Saturday from nearly seven years in detention. Photograph courtesy of MSNBC: World News.

Oo, now 82-years old, helped propel the National League for Democracy along with Suu Kyi. Authorities arrested Oo in May 2003 on politically motivated charges of disturbing public order after pro-government militias attacked the convoy carrying him and other opposition leaders. He has been held under an annually renewed detention order and denied access to visitors and fellow party leaders since 2003.

The release comes shortly before a United Nations envoy, Tomas Ojea Quintana, is scheduled to visit Myanmar on February 20. The visit is viewed by many as a status report, to evaluate the regime’s progress on human rights. Quintana is expected to meet several key ministers and members of the opposition during his five-day visit. He is also to tour Yangon’s notorious Insein prison and another prison in the northwestern state of Rakhine.

National League for Democracy Party spokesman, Nyan Win, said the party welcomes the U.N. envoy’s visit since gross human rights violations continue. According to Win, “His visit won’t be able to totally address the human rights issue but the visit can certainly cover human rights abuses.”

Mark Farmaner, director of the rights group Burma Campaign UK, commented on Oo’s release, stating it is “very welcome, but we should not attach any political significance to the release.  Burmese democracy activists are regularly released when the generals want to score points with the international community, and are then arrested again later.” Human rights groups say the junta holds some 2,100 political prisoners.

In commenting on his release, Oo said, “I am not happy with my freedom. I am very sorry about my colleagues who are still serving time in prisons.” Oo continues to pray for their early release at Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda. Oo, a one-time defense minister, said he hopes to continue to work for democracy. He wants to serve as vice chairman of the league, and coordinate political activities with Suu Kyi and the party’s 20-member Central Executive Committee.

For more information, please see:

Boston Globe – http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2010/02/14/myanmar_releases_deputy_leader_of_opposition_party/ – February 14, 2010

Human Rights Watch – Burma: Release Democracy Leader U Tin Oo – February 13, 2010

MSNBC: World News – Myanmar frees opposition figure after 7 years – February 13, 2010

Mizzima – Hope Mounts Over Tin Oo’s Release –  February 12, 2010

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

SHANGHAI, China– A human rights activist, Feng Zhenghu, has returned home to China in time to celebrate the country’s biggest holiday, Lunar New Year, with his family after living at a Japanese airport since last November.

Eager to reunite with his family for the holidays, Feng said, “I think this request [to return home] is humble and reasonable.  They [Chinese officials] should not be so nasty as to keep me from going home.”

Feng has spent more than three months in a limbo at Japan’s Narita Airport surviving on food given to him by airport passengers and personnel after the Chinese authorities refused to let him enter China.

Feng’s predicament of camping out at an airport began after he was refused entry into China eight times despite holding a valid Chinese passport, which reflects the Chinese government’s intent to silence public dissent. 

As a human rights activist, Feng was imprisoned for three years back in 2000 and has angered the Chinese authorities with his support for student protests and accusations of government wrongdoings.

According to Amnesty International, Feng was jailed for his political views and for his activism, such as helping victims of forced evictions explore their legal options.

However, one Feng supporter, Zhou Minwen, said, “Feng is great.  He hasn’t done anything wrong but help us fight for justice.”

During his stay at Narita Airport, Feng carried a suitcase draped with a white tank-top that said “difficulty returning home” in Chinese characters.

Feng communicated with the outside world using his cell phone and laptop via blogs and social networking sites like Twitter.

Feng received word that he would be able to return home last month when Chinese officials met with him at Narita Airport. 

Once the New Year’s festivities are over, Feng said that he would seek medical consultation to see how months of living on instant noodles and sleeping at airport benches have taken a toll on his body.

“After all, 92 days of abnormal life would hurt anyone’s health.  But it’s [OK]…I have a good mentality and will be able to overcome all this.  I will return to normal life,” said Feng.

For more information, please see:

AFP – ‘Terminal’ activist returns home to China – 12 February 2010

AP – Chinese who camped in Tokyo’s airport arrives home – 12 February 2010

BBC – Chinese activist allowed home after living in airport – 12 February 2010

By M.E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – One of China’s best known and well-respected democracy advocates, Liu Xiabo, was turned down again by a court in Beijing in an appeal after being sentenced to eleven years in prison.

Human Rights advocates have spoken out that the Beijing Municipal Higher People’s Court convicted Liu, and sentenced him with an unusually harsh sentence. Many believe that he received such a sentence because he not only played a key role in organizing Charter 08 – a petition for political freedom and an end to the ruling Communist party’s monopoly of power. The online petition has garnered thousands of signatures since it was released just over a year ago. Many believe, however, that Liu’s status as a scholar and his academic background are the real reasons he was convicted of “inciting subversion of state power,” say human rights activists. 

According to Amnesty International, several Beijing human rights activists were placed under surveillance following the decision on Liu’s appeal. “By upholding the verdict, the court missed an opportunity to right the wrong,” said Roseann Rife, the deputy director for Asia and the Pacific at Amnesty International. “His harsh sentence is a stark reminder to the Chinese people and the world that there is still no freedom of expression or independent judiciary in China.”

Human Rights activists, however, are not the only voices speaking out against the decision, Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., United States ambassador to China, uttered his concerns. Huntsman denounced Liu’s verdict, stating, “We believe that he should not have been sentenced in the first place and should be released immediately.”

About twenty other foreign diplomats showed their support for Liu by appearing outside the court. A statement from the European Union declared that the decision “is entirely incompatible with his right to freedom of expression.”

The denial of Liu’s appeal is not the only hard-line decision recently issued by Chinese officials. In the same week, one human rights activist in Sichuan was sentenced to five years in jail for having publicly blamed the earthquake deaths of thousands of children on shoddily built schools, another who had helped distraught parents planning to sue the authorities had his appeal against a three-year prison term turned down, and a young factory worker who said he had joined a banned political party because he did not like the Communist party’s abuse of power was found guilty of subversion by a court in the southern boomtown of Shenzhen and sentenced to 18 months in jail.

Many fear the string of convictions and harsh sentencing to continue for activists, but human rights advocates are speaking out and attempting to reform China’s severe treatment.

For more information, please see:

The New York Times – Chinese Court Denies Appeal by Jailed Activist  – 12 February 2010

Wall Street Journal – China Sentences Earthquake Activist – 10 February 2010

The Guardian – Chinese dissident’s appeal rejected – 11 February 2010