By Alok Bhatt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – The continual violence between insurgency groups and US and Nato forces in Kandahar has recently claimed the lives of three youths, aged between eleven and fifteen.  The children were playing near a donkey cart in a residential locality, where their uncle, who had significant involvement in the election  of President Hamid Karzai, serves as a local chief.  The children jumped on the donkey cart and triggered a concealed explosive device.  The blast also injured two police officers and two civilians.  Screams were reported to  be heard from inside a nearby residential compound, and the scene after the blast has been described as “carnage”.

Explosions were apparently to a donkey fitted with a remote detonator.  The weight of the children upon the cart likely activated the detonator, resulting in the  explosion.  A Taliban leader claimed responsibility for the attack and also asserted that the attack actually took the lives of eleven people.  It does not seem to be reported, however, whether or not this count has been confirmed.  Furthermore, the Taliban agent divulging the alternate number did not identity the other supposed victims as either civilian or combatant, making the additional entailed human rights issues based on his information difficult to determine.

Previous reports expressed that only one boy had been killed while the two civilians and pair of policemen had been injured.  Further confusing the account of the blast, the Taliban fighter claiming responsibility for the attack asserted that the attack was intended to effect “foreigners”, and that eleven foreigners were successfully killed.  The purpose of the attack, however, was discovered to be a response to a US military strike that has been planned to remove Taliban presence from the Kandahar region.

The instances of attacks outside Kandahar carry severe implications for both  the effort to oust the Taliban and the right of civilians to live in peace.  Violence occurring in residential areas suggests that the perpetrators of such strikes have accumulated the resources and disposition to strike areas not directly involved in the conflict.  This has the effect of terrorizing non-combatants and leaving no areas immune to such attacks.  Such reckless regard for human life also signifies the difficulty of attempting to undermine a group that kills merely to demonstrate their presence.

For more information, please see:

Al-Jazeera – Children killed in Afghan blast – 19 April 2010

CNN – Donkey cart at police post, killing 3 children – 19 April 2010

Yahoo! News – Three children killed in Afghan blast – 19 April 2010

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BANGKOK, Thailand- On Tuesday, protesters dug their heels deeper, fortifying their encampment in Bangkok’s hotel-and-shopping district and threatened to “wage a big war” to bring down the government.  The Thai army has stated its intentions to use live ammunition against “red-shirt” anti-government protesters in certain circumstances.

A spokesman for the army said that soldiers were ready to use their weapons “decisively”.  The army warned that is was ready to use force if provoked.  Soldiers in combat gear guarded nearby sections of the capital, are prepared to use tear gas and rubber bullets, in addition to live ammunition in self defense, if fighting were to occur.  The Thai army alleges that protesters were arming themselves with crude weapons such as small bombs, and sharpened bamboo poles.  Spokesman Col Sansern KaeKamnerd told reporters “We can no longer use the soft to hard steps…We have to keep a distance between troops and demonstrators.  If they try to break the line, we will start using tear gas, and if they do break the ling, we need to use weapons to deal with them decisively.”

The “Red Shirt” protesters, mostly comprised of poor, rural demonstrators,  have demanded that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva call early elections.  They have occupied the tiny Rajprasong district for more than a month and now are camping in nearby main roads covering several city blocks.  On Monday, security forces moved to nearby Silom Road to prevent Red Shirt incursions in the the area’s central business district.

This standoff in Bangkok has cost city merchants tens of millions of dollars. Key protest leader  Nattawaut Saikua stated ” We will fortify our rally campground to ward off any invasion before we go out to wage a big war.”  He also stated that once troops move out of Silom Road, the Red Shirts would stage a march down the road.

Saikua indicated that the protesters were open to negotiations to end 40 days of confrontations in the city, saying  “Our group is always open to outsider suggestions.  Whatever group wants to propose a solution to the crisis, we’re happy to hear these solutions.”

However there has been no sign of compromise on the horizon, although Abhisit said he would not set a date for protesters to be forced out of their encampment.

For more information, please see:

BBC News- Thai Army ‘Ready To Use Live Fire Against Red-Shirts’– 20 April 2010

WDAM.Com- Thai Protesters Fortify Camps in Heart of Bangkok– 20 April 2010

Inthenews.co.uk- Thai Army Ready To Use Weapons “Decisively’ Against Protestors– 20 April 2010