Asia

Pakistan Implicated for Backing Ongoing Terrorist Raids in Kashmir Region

By Brian Lanciault

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW DELHI, India– India’s army reported that it has been fighting “Pakistan-backed” militants in Kashmir for more than a week. The Pakistani government denied these charges, citing its recent efforts to engage in peaceful negotiations with the Indian government regarding the disputed region.

Soldiers are stationed in an armored truck near the site of a recent gun-battle between Indian military forces and suspected Pakistan-backed militants. (Photo Courtesy of EPA)

Pakistan dismissed as ‘baseless’ India’s accusation that its troops were involved in massive infiltration attempts across the Line of Control (“LoC”) into Jammu and Kashmir, on Thursday.  Some 30 to 40 fighters have crossed the LoC, which divides the region, senior army officer Gurmeet Singh said.

Claimed by both countries, Kashmir has been a hot-spot of conflict for over 60 years. Bilateral ties have been tested over recent clashes in the disputed region.

Last month, at least 10 people were killed when militants attacked a police station and an army camp in the Poonch area of Indian-administered Kashmir. India has a large security presence in Kashmir with tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces deployed.

“The army is fighting the largest group of infiltrators including some special troops on the line of control with Pakistan in Indian territory. It’s one of the longest operations in Kashmir,” Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh said.

At least 10 to 12 infiltrators have been killed by Indian soldiers, Lt. Singh said, adding that another group of 10 had tried to cross over on Tuesday. Lt. Singh told reporters on Wednesday evening that Indian soldiers first encountered around 40 militants on September 24 in an abandoned village called Shala Bhata near the line of control.

“There is no question of our territory being taken over,” he said, adding that the army was in “total control of the operation”.

On Thursday, Pakistan’s army denied India’s charge.

“No such thing happened at all. This is a blatant lie. We totally deny this baseless allegation,” Press Trust of India quoted a Pakistani military spokesperson as saying.

The latest fighting is taking place days after Indian PM Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif pledged in New York to work together to halt a recent upsurge of violence in Kashmir. During the weekend PM Singh told the UN General Assembly that Pakistan had to stop being “the epicentre of terrorism”.

India has long accused Pakistan of sponsoring militants in the disputed region. However, violence has declined overall since the early 2000s, despite a recent spike. But relations plunged again over the 2008 Mumbai attack.

PM Singh has expressed disappointment in the Pakistani response and reiterated a call for Pakistan to rein in militants in his UN speech.

Nawaz Sharif swept into power in May with pledges to improve ties with India.

For more information, please see:

BBC– Kashmir clashes: India troops ‘fight Pakistan infiltrators’ — 3 October 2013

Indian Express– Pakistan Army denies infiltration attempts from across the LoC — 3 October 2013

The Telegraph– India and Pakistan militants in 10 day battle in Kashmir — 3 October 2013

Hindustan Times– Gunfight on, army tries to push back J-K intruders — 3 October 2013

Myanmar Security Forces Battle Another Bout of Unrest

By Brian Lanciault

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar– A Buddhist mob killed a 94-year-old Muslim woman and set fire to more than 70 homes Tuesday as sectarian violence once again afflicted Myanmar’s Rakhine state in the immediate wake of a visit by President Thein Sein.

President Thein Sein is greeted by ethnic Rakhines as he arrives in the western state Tuesday. (Photo Courtesy of EPA)

Attacks were reported in several villages on the outskirts of Thandwe, an area where tensions have been mounting for days. Reports expect the number of causalities to continue to rise over the next few days.

Some 700 rioters, wielding swords and other weaponry, flooded the streets in Thabyuchaing, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of coastal Thandwe on Tuesday afternoon, said police officer Kyaw Naing. An elderly Muslim woman was stabbed, and later died from the wounds, in the ensuing clashes. Officer Naing estimated the number of houses set on fire at between 70 and 80.

Smoldering buildings — and several injured Buddhist Rakhines — were seen by The Associated Press in Shwe Hlay. A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he did not have authority to talk to the media, said Linthi was similarly enveloped by rioters.

The two villages are about 17 kilometers (10 miles) from Thandwe.

The visit by Preisdent Thein Sein to the divided region was his first since violence broke out over a year ago. He arrived in the Rakhine state capital of Sittwe with a tight security unit early Tuesday morning, and was planning to travel to several more towns, including Maungdaw to the north and, on Wednesday, Thandwe to the south, said a senior official in the president’s office. Whether the plans remain intact has not been revealed yet.

He said Thein Sein “is going there to help find a long-term solution to the problem” and would meet with government officials and residents.

A strongsecurity presence failed to deter the attackers, and witnesses reported that soldiers and police made no efforts to step in. A 6 p.m. curfew was imposed.

Sectarian clashes that began in Rakhine in June 2012 have since evolved into an anti-Muslim campaign that has spread to towns and villages nationwide. So far more than 240 people have been killed and more than 140,000 have left their homes. The vast majority of them are Muslims.

Thein Sein, who has been otherwise praised for making efforts to transition from half a century of harsh military rule, has been criticized for failing to contain the unrest and protect the country’s embattled Muslim minority.

Many of those targeted so far have been ethnic Rohingya Muslims, considered by many in the country to be illegal migrants from Bangladesh, though many of their families arrived generations ago. But in this latest incident, the victims were Kamans, another Muslim minority group, whose citizenship has been long recognized.

The trouble began Saturday, when a Buddhist taxi driver alleged he’d been verbally abused by a Muslim shop owner while trying to park his vehicle. Hours later, rocks were thrown at the man’s home. By Sunday anger spread through the village, and two houses, owned by Muslims, were burned to the ground.

The violence has proven to be a major challenge for Sein’s government, which rights groups say has done little to crack down on the religious intolerance. Rights groups attest that he has failed to bridge a divide that has left hundreds of thousands of Muslims marginalized, many of them trapped in prison-like camps for those who have been “displaced.”

For more information, please see:

Reuters– Myanmar security forces battle to quell deadly sectarian unrest — 1 October 2013

Times of India– Buddhist mob kill 1, torch 70 homes in Myanmar — 1 October 2013

Herald Sun– Fresh unrest in Myanmar kills four — 1 October 2013

ABC News– Myanmar Hit by Fresh Round of Sectarian Violence — 1 October 2013

Bangkok Post– Violence shakes western Myanmar — 1 October 2013

Dozens of Kidnapped Children Freed in China

By Kevin M. Mathewson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China — Chinese police have rescued 92 abducted children and taken 301 suspected members of a trafficking network into custody. A breakdown of how many boys and how many girls were kidnapped, or their ages, was not reported. However, police found sleeping pills commonly used for babies during the investigation. The rescue is being called one of the biggest busts of its kind in years.

The freed children are being cared for by health and welfare workers. (Photo courtesy of Skynews)

On September 11, after a six month investigation, police simultaneously swooped into 11 different locations to free the children. No reason has been given for the delay in reporting the operation.

The freed children have been sent to hospitals for checkups and some of them have been sent to a children’s home in Zhengzou, Henan Province.

The trafficking of Chinese children and women has increased in recent years because of the strict Chinese one-child policy. There is a traditional preference for boys, especially in rural areas, resulting in an increase in sex-selective abortions.

Kidnapped women are sold to men in remote areas who are unable to find brides due to a sex imbalance resulting from the one-child policy. Some families even buy trafficked women and children to use as extra labor and household servants.

Child trafficking has become a serious problem in China. According to a report released by the China National Radio, about 200,000 children disappear in China each year. Of these, only 0.1% are found and freed from captivity.

Roughly 24,000 abducted women and children were freed in China last year.

The Chinese government has vowed to impose harsher punishments on people who buy kidnapped children. The government also said it would punish parents who sell their children.

On October 4 a U.N. committee is scheduled to issue its findings on China’s implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Beijing ratified in 1992.

For further information, please see:

BBC News – Chinese police rescue 92 abducted children – 28 September 2013

Reuters – China police rescue 92 kidnapped children: state media – 28 September 2013

The Guardian – Chinese police rescue 92 children from gang planning to sell them – 28 September 2013

Sky News – China: Dozens Of Kidnapped Children Freed – 28 September 2013

The Huffington Post – Chinese Police Free 92 Abducted Children In Rescue Operation – 28 September 2013

Fighting Continues in Zamboanga City

By Kevin M. Mathewson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — An estimated 158 people have been killed, including 15 members of the military, five police and 13 civilians, since fighting broke out between Philippine soldiers and separatist rebels.

Filipino special forces troops carry the flag-draped coffins of fellow service members killed in clashes with Muslim rebels around the southern port city of Zamboanga, where fighting has been flaring for 17 days. (Photo courtesy of CNN)

A majority of those killed, roughly 125, were members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

The fighting began more than two weeks ago in Zamboanga City when a large number of MNLF rebels came ashore.  The rebels took nearly 180 people hostage causing Philippine security forces to move in.

The majority of the captives have now been freed, but authorities believe the rebels could still be holding up to five people hostage, Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, a military spokesman, said Wednesday.

As a result of the fighting over 1000 buildings have been destroyed, driving at least 80,000 local residents from their homes. Continued sporadic fighting has closed schools and halted transit.

“The Zamboanga crisis has laid bare the inherent vulnerabilities of Philippine government in providing security to its citizens as well as instituting durable peace in Mindana,” Asia Times Online reported.

President Benigno Aquino III has issued an ultimatum for the rebel front’s founder, Nur Misuari, to surrender, warning that the government is prepared to use additional force. The Philippine government has already deployed more than 3,000 police and soldiers.

The Philippine government has been struggling with Muslim rebels since the MNLF was founded in 1971, with at least 120,000 estimated to have died in fighting. The MNLF was created with the aim of establishing an autonomous region for Muslims in the mainly Catholic Philippines.

The MNLF signed a peace deal with the central government in Manila in 1996, but some of its members have broken away to continue a violent campaign.

For further information, please see:

CNN – Death toll climbs as army, militants fight on in the Philippines – 26 September 2013

Los Angeles Times – Battle drags on between Philippine troops and Muslim rebels – 25 September 2013

Aljazeera – Deaths as battle drags on in Philippine city – 25 September 2013

The Big Story – 6 MORE DIE AS FIGHTING DRAGS ON IN PHILIPPINE CITY – 21 September 2013

 

Terrorist Attack in Kashmir Region Presents Hurdle for India-Pakistan Talks

By Brian Lanciault

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW DELHI, India– An early-morning attack on the Indian side of the disputed Kashmir region reportedly killed 12 people, including three teenage militants. This occurred just days before the Indian and Pakistani leaders were scheduled to meet in New York.

Soldiers take cover during a violent militant attack on a camp in the Jammu and Kashmir state. (Photo Courtesy of EPA)

The attack seemed to follow a long-established pattern of extremist attempts to derail any steps toward reconciliation between the wary neighboring countries, reports said.

A relatively minor group, identified as the Shohada Brigade, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group first surfaced in September when a threat was issued under its name against a classical-music concert, featuring conductor Zubin Mehta, in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Thursday’s attack started around 6:45 a.m. local time when three militants dressed in military garb arrived in a motorized rickshaw at the Hira Nagar police station, located in India’s northern Jammu and Kashmir state a few miles from the de facto border with Pakistan. Police said the gunmen were between 16 and 19 years old. Taking officers by surprise during a shift change, the three stormed the station with grenades and automatic weapons, reportedly killing four policemen and a civilian.

Reports said the militants commandeered a truck, killing an assistant and forcing the driver to accompany them along a main highway to Samba, in the adjoining district. There they engaged in a firefight with Indian troops outside an army camp before infiltrating the camp’s perimeter.

In a battle lasting much of the day, the insurgents killed an officer and two more soldiers before they were killed.

Omar Abdullah, Jammu and Kashmir’s chief minister, said it would be a disgrace if planned talks between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were cancelled because of this attack.

“It would be grave injustice to those who have been killed,” he told reporters, adding that he believed the attackers had crossed over from Pakistan-controlled territory.

Both leaders seem to want better relations, analysts said, but face significant political constraints. Sharif has longstanding links to hard-line clerics, including those close to the Jamaat-ud-Dawa Islamist group opposing closer ties, while Singh’s ruling Congress Party is vulnerable to opposition accusations that it’s weak and ineffective.

“Personally, Sharif is in favor of peace, but I don’t know that he will make that his political agenda,” said Radha Kumar, director-general of the Delhi Policy Group think tank. “And India wants peace, but I am appalled by the levels of immaturity the opposition shows when it comes to peace talks with Pakistan.”

India is already in election mode with next years upcoming elections, and within hours of the attack the opposition party attacked the government for even considering a meeting with Pakistan’s prime minister.

Talks and terrorism aren’t compatible, it said, blaming elements close to Pakistan’s powerful military for the attack. “What is the point of taking to a [Pakistani prime minister] who has no control over his army?” said opposition lawmaker Yashwant Sinha.

Though no significant breakthrough was expected upcoming meeting, that it was even taking place sent a positive signal to both countries. Cancelling it reverses hope of any progress in the near future. Two of three wars fought between the two countries since their independence in 1947 have been over Muslim-majority Kashmir.

India, which has battled a separatist insurgency in its part of Kashmir since 1989, has repeatedly accused Pakistan’s military of supporting militants fighting Indian rule.

“The army, [intelligence agencies] and political leadership are on the same page,” supporting better India-Pakistani relations, said Mehmood Shah, a Peshawar-based analyst and former army officer. “Whoever did this attack is no friend of India’s and no friend of Pakistan’s.”

Other recent militant attacks in the region include the killing of eight soldiers at Hyderpora in June and a March suicide strike at a paramilitary camp in Srinigar which resulted in the deaths of five paramilitary personnel and three insurgents.

“We have equally emotional publics on both sides,” Shah said. “But the political leaders must try and keep things in check. We’ve seen many incidents like this before.”

For more information, please see:

CNN– Militant attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir kills 9 — 26 September 2013

LA Times– Ahead of India-Pakistan talks, 12 die in militant attack in Kashmir — 26 September 2013

The Hindu– 12 killed in fidayeen strikes in Jammu — 26 September 2013

Hindustan Times– Twin terror strike in Jammu kills 10, PM says talks still on — 26 September 2013