Ecuador Government War on Rats

By Margaret Janelle R. Hutchinson
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

 QUITO, Ecuador – The Galapagos National Park Authority (DPNG) is working with other conservation groups to affect Phase II of their mission to eradicate all invasive rodent species on the archipelago, before 2020, by dropping nearly 22 tons of poison onto Pinzón and Plaza Sur Islands.

The government’s goal is to kill off all non-native rodents, beginning on the Galapagos’ smaller islands, without endangering other wildlife. (Photo Courtesy UK Daily Mail)

The capacity of the DPNG has allowed for the control, but not the elimination of invasive rodent species, on the islands over the past four decades.  This operation, with an estimated cost of $180 million in this phase alone, aims to achieve just that.

“It’s one of the worst problems the Galápagos have. [Rats] reproduce every three months and eat everything,” said Juan Carlos González, a specialist involved in the second phase of the program.

“This is a very expensive, but totally necessary war,”  González added.

The tactical approach to the rodent elimination is technical and systematic.  The helicopters that will drop the poison are equipped with high precision satellite global positioning systems (GPS), which allow the pilot to maintain complete control over the application of the poison.  Specific routes, meant to cover the entirety of the islands, are cross-referenced with the GPS data to ensure complete coverage is achieved.  Reapplication will take place 7 days after the first application to make sure all the rodents are killed.

Phase I of the anti-rat campaign began in January 2011 on Rábida island, and about a dozen islets, which like Pinzón and Plaza Sur are uninhabited by humans.  Eventually the non-native black rats, Norwegian rats and house mice will be exterminated on all the islands, with the islands where humans live, Isabela and Santa Cruz, coming last.

The offending rodents, introduced by whalers and buccaneers beginning in the 17th century, feed on the eggs and hatchlings of the islands’ native species, which include giant tortoises, lava lizards, snakes, hawks and iguanas. Rats have also depleted plants on which native species feed.

The rats have left bird species critically endangered on the 19-island cluster 600 miles (1,000km) from Ecuador’s coast.

The rat infestation has now reached about 10 per square metre (one per square foot) on Pinzón, where an estimated 180 million rodents reside.

The project has various mechanisms built in that are intended to mitigate the affect on native species.

The poisoned bait, developed by Bell Laboratories in the United States, is contained in light blue cubes that attract rats but are repulsive to other inhabitants of the islands. The one-centimeter-square cubes disintegrate in about 8 days.

A total of 34 hawks from Pinzón were trapped in order to protect them from eating rodents that consume the poison, Sevilla said. They are to be released in early January.

On Plaza Sur, 40 iguanas were also captured temporarily for their own protection.

Asked whether a large number of decomposing rats would create an environmental problem, Rueda said the poison was specially engineered with a strong anti-coagulant that would make the rats dry up and disintegrate in less than eight days without a stench.

It will help that the average temperature of the islands is 24C (75F), he added.

The Galápagos, whose finches famously inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, were declared protected as a Unesco natural heritage site in 1978. In 2007, Unesco declared them at risk due to harm from invasive species, tourism and immigration.

For further information, please see:

The Guardian – Ecuador drops poison on Galápagos Islands in attempt to eradicate rats – 15 November 2012

International Business Times – 180 million Rats on Galapagos Islands to be Killed – 15 November 2012

KLFM 96.7 – Rat Massacre: Galapagos Islands To Kill Millions – 15 November 2012

UK Daily Mail – Ecuador drops 20 tons of poison on Galapagos Islands to wipe out rats and save unique native species that inspired Darwin – 15 November 2012

Parque Nacional del Galápagos – DPNG implementa plan para erradicar roedores de Pinzón y Plaza Sur – 11 November 2012

Syrian Revolution Digest – Wednesday 14 November 2012

Time for Efficiency!

Syrian Revolution Digest – November 14, 2012 

The National Coalition needs to learn from the mistakes of its predecessor, the Syrian National Council. It needs to learn that getting recognition, both domestic and international, is hinged on its ability to be efficient in its management of relations with rebel groups, in-country activists and refugees. Its leaders should arrange visits to refugee camps soon, as well as meetings with top defectors, rebels and activists. They should also realize that a government of technocrats should put skill and experience over political ideology and communal background.

Today’s Death Toll: 100

The Breakdown:  Toll includes 5 children and 3 women: 37 in Damascus and Suburbs, 16 in Aleppo, 14 in Deir Ezzor, 12 in Idlib, 7 in Daraa, 5 in Homs, 4 in Hama, 3 in Hassakeh, 1 in Lattakia, and 1 in Quneitra (LCC).

 

News

Syria Orders More Airstrikes and Calls French Recognition of Rebels ‘Immoral’

Golan Heights Border Villages Taken By Rebels, Israel Says

Syria opposition coalition faces world demands

Arab League welcomes new opposition bloc

 

Special Reports

In war-torn Syria, secrets and double lives

When Syria’s revolt began as a peaceful protest movement, many participants said it was a moment when hidden views were shared honestly for the first time. They described it as a time that brought fellow Syrians together. But Assad’s crackdown has transformed their movement into a bloody armed revolt and the conflict, in which more than 32,000 people have died, is tearing the country apart, dividing friends and families and spinning a web of secrets between neighbors.

War-weary children in Syria turn to sport, music

Of some 22,000 schools across Syria, more than 2,000 have been damaged or destroyed. Over 800 have been turned into makeshift shelters for refugee families, according to UNICEF. The 2012-13 school year kicked off with a troubled start, though officials said more than five million children joined classes this year. In rebel-held towns besieged and bombed for months, small, informal classes were set up in alleyways to avoid children having to walk very far, says Hussein, an opposition activist in Qusayr, in the central province of Homs. Compounding their difficulties, some displaced children are teased in Damascus by their peers because of their accents, says child psychologist Azza Nasser.

Syria: The ‘something must be done stage’

Prime Minister David Cameron will chair a meeting of the National Security Council on Thursday morning which will consider the military, humanitarian and diplomatic options for dealing with the conflict in Syria and the growing refugee crisis on its borders… The prime minister hopes to find a fresh approach which he can persuade US President Barack Obama to pursue with him so that they are not seen to stand aside as thousands die – to repeat what some inside government call “a Kosovo situation”.

Aleppo’s Deadly Stalemate: A Visit to Syria’s Divided Metropolis

The street warfare isn’t winning the rebels any more friends. The urbane Aleppans have never really warmed to the opposition fighers, most of whom come from religiously conservative Sunni Muslim small-towns–and there is growing concern that the rebels are turning more sectarian. The rebels know they’re not really welcome.

West must arm Syria’s rebels, says new opposition group (and Kissinger)

A growing chorus of voices, including Zalmay Khalilzad, a former US envoy to the UN, and former State Department policy planner Anne-Marie Slaughter, has called on the administration to provide not only nonlethal technical assistance, but to arm Syria’s pro-democratic opposition in order to counter extremists.

Is Bashar al-Assad Syria’s Abraham Lincoln?

The Syrian president’s fans are comparing him with the hero of America’s Civil War. Here’s why they’re wrong.

A model leader for Syria?

A moderate Muslim preacher who suffered as a freedom fighter in Syria has been chosen as opposition leader to Assad. Now, Moaz al-Khatib must unite a people torn by civil war and religion.

Islamist-In-Chief

The new leader of Syria’s opposition has a history of statements that are anti-Semitic, outrageous, and sometimes downright bizarre. (My Comment: my rebuttal of the views expressed here can be read in my previous post).

Ammar Abdulhamid & Khawla Yusuf: The Shredded Tapestry: The State of Syria Today

President Obama’s recent remarks on Syria divulge a more proactive approach towards managing the ongoing conflict there than previously exhibited. Still, the President obviously maintains the same reluctance towards military intervention, even in the form of providing greater support to the opposition beyond nonlethal and humanitarian aid. Still, the statements mark a step in the right direction. The newly formed National Coalition can improve its chances of making this new policy even more open by proceeding with the formation of a technocratic leaning transitional government and an effective military council, as well as by providing a more inclusive vision for Syria’s future.

Meanwhile, and while the political processes continue to unfold, developments on the ground are still very much influx. Rebels looked set to liberate the north just a few days ago, but today, they have suffered several reversals, with the town of Khan Shaikhoon falling back to the regime and a major segment of the city of Idlib. The battle and the war are not over yet. Nothing can be taking for granted. The regime continues to receive regular shipment of weapons and supplies from Russia and Iran, but support to rebels’ continues to be spotty and irregular, which is not conducive to a situation where momentum can be maintained.

The President’s Remarks:

Q. Mr. President, the Assad regime is engaged in a brutal crackdown on its people.  France has recognized the opposition coalition.  What would it take for the United States to do the same?  And is there any point at which the United States would consider arming the rebels?

THE PRESIDENT:  I was one of the first leaders I think around the world to say Assad had to go, in response to the incredible brutality that his government displayed in the face of what were initially peaceful protests.

Obviously, the situation in Syria has deteriorated since then.  We have been extensively engaged with the international community as well as regional powers to help the opposition.  We have committed to hundreds of millions of dollars of humanitarian aid to help folks both inside of Syria and outside of Syria.  We are constantly consulting with the opposition on how they can get organized so that they’re not splintered and divided in the face of the onslaught from the Assad regime.

We are in very close contact with countries like Turkey and Jordan that immediately border Syria and have an impact — and obviously Israel, which is having already grave concerns, as we do, about, for example, movements of chemical weapons that might occur in such a chaotic atmosphere and that could have an impact not just within Syria, but on the region as a whole.

I’m encouraged to see that the Syrian opposition created an umbrella group that may have more cohesion than they’ve had in the past.  We’re going to be talking to them.  My envoys are going to be traveling to various meetings that are going to be taking place with the international community and the opposition.

We consider them a legitimate representative of the aspirations of the Syrian people.  We’re not yet prepared to recognize them as some sort of government in exile, but we do think that it is a broad-based representative group.  One of the questions that we’re going to continue to press is making sure that that opposition is committed to a democratic Syria, an inclusive Syria, a moderate Syria.

We have seen extremist elements insinuate themselves into the opposition, and one of the things that we have to be on guard about — particularly when we start talking about arming opposition figures — is that we’re not indirectly putting arms in the hands of folks who would do Americans harm, or do Israelis harm, or otherwise engage in actions that are detrimental to our national security.

So we’re constantly probing and working on that issue.  The more engaged we are, the more we’ll be in a position to make sure that we are encouraging the most moderate, thoughtful elements of the opposition that are committed to inclusion, observance of human rights, and working cooperatively with us over the long term.

My take on Obama’s position can be found here:

On Wednesday, Obama gave no sign though that despite his re-election there would be any major shift yet in his Syria policy.

“The US has been virtually missing in action on Syria so far, but their recent moves, including the push for the formation of the coalition, indicates that they might be ready to adopt a more proactive attitude,” said pro-democracy Syrian activist, Ammar Abdulhamid, a fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

“The heavy lifting, though, including arming rebels and perhaps pushing for a de facto no-fly zone, might still be left to other countries at this stage,” he told AFP.

US analysts said questions remained over the new coalition, highlighting for example that a Kurdish body had still not joined.

The opposition now needs to work on setting up a transitional government and some form of military council, they said.

“What the United States is looking for… is one military organization where all military aid can be channeled, that in turn can be relied upon to distribute the money among fighting groups inside the country, leaving out the jihadi groups,” said Marina Ottaway, senior associate with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“This is a very admirable plan. I’m not sure that it can work,” she told AFP, adding: “The idea that somehow by centralizing the distribution of money the jihadi groups will be cut off, I don’t think it’s realistic.”

Abdulhamid agreed that before the international community could start arming the rebels a “mechanism for vetting groups and delivery channels need to be agreed.”

Max Boot has a more nuanced take in Commentary Magazine:

President Obama and the U.S. continue to lag behind in trying to influence events in another important country, in spite of the major role played by American diplomats in helping to organize the Syrian National Coalition. That is a major problem, because there is only so much France—or other states such as Qatar and Turkey, which are eager to topple Bashar Assad—can do.

Only the U.S. can organize a coalition to impose a no-fly zone and thus hasten the end of the barbarous Assad regime. If we fail to act, the humanitarian and strategic costs of the war will continue to grow—as witness recent incidents of Syrian forces directing fire near to, and sometimes over, the borders with Israel and Turkey.

Writing in The Christian Science Monitor, Bilal Saab, executive director and head of research and public affairs of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA), argues that

Obama’s policy of ‘staying the course’ in Syria should be weighed against worsening strategic realities in the country and region. Only a careful military program to help the rebels, including arming and training them, can stem the growing costs of US inaction.

For his part, Thomas Friedman advocates a policy of convincing Russia to “fall on the grenade” and “midwife a transition process in Syria. But that would be the equivalent of flipping Russia from herself, which is even more out there than the idea of flipping Syria from Iran by engaging Iran. Putin & Co. are more likely to midwife a process that will take us back to Assad’s bosom, than away from Assad’s rule. The truth is Syrians don’t need anyone to fall on his sword or grenade for them. Rebels simply need support, and midwifing a transition process can still happen from a safe distance, for now. Further delays will definitely change this calculus, and we could indeed face a “Kosovo Situation,” or worse, a regional meltdown brought about by an imploding/exploding Syria, as Friedman himself has argued.

 

Video Highlights

Rebels in Aleppo City showcase advanced missiles they claim to have recently confiscated from troops loyal to Assad, saying that they have been asking for these missiles for a long time, but no one in the international community was willing to provide with this type of weapons. Finally, Allah stepped in to fill the gaphttp://youtu.be/JRe4wfNE0Fs

A new massacre in Diyabiyeh http://youtu.be/71Om1Y8xSTQ , http://youtu.be/vInd0voEiJc Meanwhile, clashes between rebels and loyalists in Eastern Ghoutah Region continues: rebels destroyed a tank in Bouaydahhttp://youtu.be/7VIyETxNhzE The indiscriminate pounding of Qaboun continues http://youtu.be/SSv_K785J94 MiGs continue to take part in the pounding as well: Kafar Batna http://youtu.be/FcaK6-912Vo Helicopter gunships continue to drop Thermobaric bombs on the region http://youtu.be/eSmOJJTTf28

In Deir Ezzor City, militias loyal to Assad regime keep targeting mosques with their shellinghttp://youtu.be/DAA8AVUbXaE Some neighborhoods in the city have been turned completely into rubble as is the case in Jbeileh http://youtu.be/fYVHegSJxJI

Locals pull the bodies of the dead from under the rubble, following an aerial raid on Alboukamal, Deir Ezzor Provincehttp://youtu.be/wJxGBcvD2-I

Expectant Mother Denied Abortion, Dies in Catholic Pro-Life Ireland

By Madeline Schiesser
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

GALWAY, Republic of Ireland – When Praveen Halappanavar accompanied his 17-week-pregnant wife Savita Halappanavar to the University Hospital Galway in Ireland for her back pain, he never imagined that the hospital would deny her a life-saving abortion, or that he would lose her within the week.

Doctors in Ireland refused to terminate Savita Halappanavar’s in progress miscarriage, despite observing her worsening condition and knowing that there was no chance of saving the fetus. (Photo Courtesy of the Guardian)

On Sunday morning October 21, 17-week-pregnant Savita, 31, went to the hospital with Halappanavar, 34, complaining of back pain.  Doctors told her she was having a miscarriage which would be over in a few hours, and that the fetus could not be saved.

Instead, Savita spent three days in “agony” during which she and Halappanavar made repeated requests for a termination of the pregnancy, but were repeatedly denied because the heartbeat of the fetus remained present and Ireland “is a Catholic country.”

Once the fetal heartbeat stopped, Savita received the abortion.  Shakey and shivering, she was moved to the hospital’s intensive care unit, but her condition continued to worsen.  She died from septicaemia and e-coli on October 28 in the early morning.

Ireland has some of the strictest and least clear anti-abortion laws in the world.  By law, abortions are illegal under all circumstances.  A judicial exception was created by the European Court of Human Rights (ECRH) for when the life (as distinct from merely the health) of the mother is at risk, but even this is often left to the discretion of doctors.

By comparison, in Northern Ireland abortions are permitted up to 9 weeks into a pregnancy, and in the rest of the U.K., 24 weeks (see First Private Abortion Clinic Opens in Northern Ireland amid Protests).  Consequently, Irish women seeking abortions will travel to the U.K. or the continent to receive them.

Two investigations have been launched: one by the hospital and the other by Ireland’s health executive.  Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has further called for an independent inquiry with personnel from outside the country to establish the full circumstances.

Savita’s death has also sparked protests, including a 1,000 strong group outside Leinster House (Ireland’s Parliament) and exposed a need for reform.  Currently, Ireland’s coalition government is working to prepare a report on such reform, taking into consideration the ECHR ruling that an absolute ban on abortion is a breach of women’s human rights.

Patrick Nulty, An Irish Labour deputy in the Dáil, stated that there is a “pressing and urgent need” for Parliament to “show responsibility and legislate” in light of Savita’s death.

Halappanavar has given a series of radio interviews since his wife’s death.  He recounts her pain, and how despite being upset she accepted she was losing the baby, and how she asked to induce the pregnancy’s end, only to be told by a consultant  “’As long as there is a foetal heartbeat we can’t do anything.”

Halappanavar’s frustration and grief is evident.  “It was all in their hands and they just let her go. How can you let a young woman go to save a baby who will die anyway? Savita could have had more babies.

“What is the use in being angry? I’ve lost her. I am talking about this because it shouldn’t happen to anyone else. It has been very hard to understand how this can happen in the 21st century.”

For further information, please see:

The Guardian – Ireland ‘Should Change Abortion Law’ After Woman’s Death – 14 November 2012

The Independent — Abortion Laws – Global Differences – 14 November 2012

The Independent – ‘This is a Catholic Country’: Woman Dies of Septicaemia After Being Refused an Abortion in Irish Hospital – 14 November 2012

Irish Times – Woman ‘Denied a Termination’ Dies in Hospital – 14 November 2012

RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann) – Health Minister James Reilly Seeks Report Following Woman’s Death After Miscarriage at University Hospital Galway – 14 November

Human Rights Groups See Opportunity In Upcoming Obama Trip

By Mark O’Brien
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, United States — With only a days remaining until President Barack Obama embarks on a historic trip to Southeast Asia, human rights organizations hope rights abuses in the countries he will visit do not go unnoticed.

Human rights groups hope President Obama will call for an end to longstanding rights abuses during his upcoming historic visit to Southeast Asia. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

On Saturday, the President leaves for visits to Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar, also known as Burma, as part of the 21st Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.  Obama’s visits to Cambodia and Myanmar will be the first to either country by a U.S. President.

The White House said Obama is going ahead with the visits despite some rights groups’ criticism of the trip being premature because the countries have yet to institute reforms after decades of military rule.

But New York-based Human Rights Watch said the upcoming trip was an opportunity.

“We’re calling on President Obama to really strongly and publicly raise these human rights concerns, to press for accountability, and to insist that it can’t be business as usual with the Cambodian government, given the gravity of these human rights violations,” said Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson in an interview with Voice of America.

The rights group released a report this week showing more than 300 people have been killed in the last 20 years in Cambodia under the rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen.  The group criticized the Cambodian government for ignoring the problem rather than investigating it, adding that some of those believed to be responsible have even been promoted.

“The moral strain on this trip is Cambodia,” an anonymous activist told Reuters after a meeting with U.S. government leaders in Washington.  The White House met with international human rights activists on Tuesday.

Officials reportedly told the rights groups that “Obama would take a tough approach with Cambodian Prime Minister Sen in private,” according to the Reuters report.

Another group calling on Obama to take action was the Committee to Protect Journalists.  On Thursday, it issued an open letter to the President on its website, asking that he stay committed protecting the right of free expression worldwide.

Specifically, the committee asked that Obama “exercise U.S. influence and seek the redress of press freedom violations in Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand,” where the committee said press freedoms are worsening.

The committee noted that Burma does not have a free press, despite improvements in recent years.  It also noted that Cambodian Prime Minister Sen continues to suppress criticism of his government, and that Thailand has laws that can send some journalists to jail for comments posted on their websites.

For further information, please see:

Committee to Protect Journalists — Obama Should Address Media Rights in Southeast Asia — 14 November 2012

Reuters — Rights Groups Press Obama Aides on Myanmar, Cambodia — 13 November 2012

The Washington Post — Human Rights Group Urges Obama to Address Cambodian Abuses — 13 November 2012

Voice of America — Rights Group Urges Obama to Address Human Rights Abuses in Cambodia — 13 November 2012

Rising Fuel Prices Lead to Violent Protests in Jordan

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

AMMAN, Jordan — Protests in Jordan became more violent on Wednesday as they entered their second day.  In response to rising household gas and petrol prices, which increased by 53 percent and 12 percent respectively, protesters gathered last Tuesday night to denounce the monarchy.  The Jordanian government also announced sudden 11 percent increase in public transportation fares.  About several thousand Jordanians poured onto the streets after learning of the increases by state television.

Rising prices kick-started violent protests throughout Jordan. (Photo Courtesy of Jordan Times)

In the city of Karak, witnesses and police said that about 2,000 protesters had marched through the streets, smashing shop windows and chanting “Down, down with you Abdullah,” and “Get out and leave us alone.”

Protesters blame the increase on King Abdullah II, who has the final say in all civic matters.  Protesters also demanded the resignation of the prime minister, a top aide of the king, and also chanted against Jordan’s intelligence forces in slogans that personally attacked the royal family and were never heard of prior to the Arab Spring.

Islamists see the protests as an opportunity to start a revolution.  They had planned to demonstrate near the Interior Ministry, where 24 people were arrested last Tuesday among more than 2,000 protesters.  “The street is seething with anger and an explosion is coming,” Zaki Bani Irsheid, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Jordan’s most powerful opposition group, said.  “We want to create a Jordanian Spring with a local flavor – meaning reforms in the system while keeping our protests peaceful.”

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour warned the Muslim Brotherhood against exploiting the price increases for political gain, also saying that the increases were unavoidable.  “If the move was delayed we would have faced a catastrophe and insolvency,” he said during an interview.  Ensour said that the budget deficit could rise to $3.5 billion this year, but he did not say how much would be saved if Jordan cuts subsidies, which it currently spends $2.3 billion, almost a quarter of its budget, on annually.

Ensour also said that the Arab Spring is partially to blame for the rising prices.  Specifically, he referred to the bombing of a pipeline that provided gas from Egypt, and how it forced Jordan to switch to costlier fuels so that its people would continue to receive power.  Also, Saudi Arabia declined to send Jordan $1.4 billion to assist its economy, which has been on the brink of collapse.

At least two Jordanian police men were seriously injured during the protests after being shot by demonstrators in the city of Irbid. In the city of Madaba, rioters fired live rounds at police squadrons, and in Theeban, protestors stormed a police station.

For further information, please see:

Al Arabiya — Strikes, Protests as Anger Over Jordan Fuel Hike Spreads — 14 November 2012

Al Jazeera — Violent Protests Continue in Jordan — 14 November 2012

Gulf News — Protests Erupt in Jordan After Fuel Prices Rise — 14 November 2012

Jordan Times — Vandalism, Arrests as Fuel Riots Continue — 14 November 2012