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CONTENTS:

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

1. World
2. Africa
3. Americas
4. Asia Pacific
5. Europe
6. Middle East
7. South Asia
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
9. Finance
10 Human Rights
11. Law and Legal Issues
12. Transportation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
Air India Flight 182

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

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1. World

Near the site of the December 26 earthquake, now measured at 9.3, came a second massive quake measuring 8.7. Although there was some tidal impact, there was no massive tsunami. The death toll, still unconfirmed, is likely to exceed 1,000. The brunt of the disaster was in the remote island of Nias, another part of the sprawling Indonesian archipelago known for its ancient and remote communities. The aftermath of the December disaster hindered aid, particularly with continued transportation and communication problems, as well as other technical problems. On Nias, which received little aid to recover from the prior disaster, there was massive damage, resulting in a severe shortage of food and water. Although a global early warning system is not yet in place, this latest disaster elicited a more rapid response, including earlier warnings, than the last. Scientists expect further events, perhaps over several years, before the stress points following December 26 finally subside.

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Synthesis Report draws on 22 national science academies around the world to warn of the consequences of human degradation. The most comprehensive survey on the state of the earth finds that 60 percent of life-supporting ecosystems, such as fresh water, capture fisheries, air and water regulation, and regulation of regional climate, natural hazards and pests, are being degraded or used in an unsustainable manner. Humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively in the last 50 years than ever before, and now face the emergence of new diseases, sudden changes in water quality, creation of coastal dead zones, collapsed fisheries, and regional climate shifts.
http://www.maweb.org/en/index.aspx

Avian influenza continues to spread in East Asia, including Cambodia, North Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. The number of human infections continues to rise but as yet is not in a form that is rapidly spread from human to human.

Paul Wolfowitz, deputy US defense secretary and architect of the war in Iraq, has been unanimously confirmed as the next president of the World Bank. He plans to focus on poverty reduction, particularly in Africa.

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2. Africa

Economic aid, not just military training, is needed to mitigate Islamist terrorist risks in the Sahel. The US has worked with Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger to hunt terrorists and train African militaries to join the "war on terror". A new study from the International Crisis Group warns that this heavy handed approach could fuel militancy in a region that is not yet a hotbed of terrorism. Instead, a balanced program with broader western support to engage in political and economic programs, will better help resist extremism.
http://www.crisisgroup.org

Burundi has resumed military cooperation with Belgium, which has been suspended since 1972.

Central African Republic President Francois Bozize failed to win an outright majority in the victory in the presidential election and will face former Prime Minister Martin Ziguele in a run-off on May 1.

Democratic Republic of Congo's attempts to move forward with the upcoming elections is threatened by inadequate security, including continuous lack of payment for police and soldiers and a poor response to disarmament of foreign combatants. UN forces will hunt down militia members who failed to comply with the April 1 disarmament deadline.

Guinea-Bissau faces increased ethnic and religious hostilities that could jeopardize presidential elections in June. Recent political developments, such as challenges to voting lists and nomination of former President Yala who had been removed in September 2003, indicate that constitutional norms continue to be violated.

Ivory Coast New Forces rebels have prepared for the long-term by designating five areas under new warlords, and announcing training facilities and a bank. The rebels refuse to demobilize and disarm unless the political program advances. Both rebels and the government have failed to turn over military equipment lists, and both have been associated with serious human rights violations. Because of growing unrest the UK embassy has closed and its nationals have been told to leave the country.

Niger's increase in food prices had led to numerous strikes and clashes across the country. Niger has jailed five leaders of the Coalition Against Costly Living that is protesting a 19 percent value-added tax (VAT) on basic foodstuffs and other essentials.

Rwanda's Hutu rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) have ended their armed struggle. FDLR includes members of the Interahamwe, which was blames for the 1994 genocide, and had fled into Democratic Republic of Congo. FDLR apologized for its role in the genocide and says it will end attacks against Rwanda and enter the UN program of disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, reinstallation, and rehabilitation.

A Somali ministerial delegation was unable to reach the south-central town of Baidoa, one of the two proposed seats of the transitional government, because of heavy fighting between rival leaders of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army faction. At least 14 people were killed. The fighting may hinder the return of the government from its exile in Kenya.

Sudan may finally come under pressure to address the continued violence in the Darfur region. The UN Security Council has voted to tighten the arms embargo and to designate individuals who pose a threat to the peace process or security, violate human rights or prior embargoes, or are responsible for offensive military over-flights. The Security Council also agreed to refer the Darfur crisis to the International Criminal Court, where those responsible for atrocities can be held to account. Sudan has also been given a deadline of the end of this year to submit a special report on its compliance with the UN civil rights covenant, including the right to life and illegality of torture and slavery. The British parliament also stepped in to the crisis, with a committee report "Darfur, Sudan: The Responsibility to Protect". The government of Sudan has rejected all these measures.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=88&Body=Sudan&Body1=
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/sc8351.doc.htm
http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2005/HumRghtsbrf050401.doc.htm
http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/international_development.cfm

Zimbabwe held parliamentary elections last week. They passed off without the violence of previous polls, but were still neither free nor fair. Issues included vote rigging, bribery, mass arrests of opponents, and severe press restrictions. President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF won two-thirds of the vote, enabling him to change the constitution to install a successor without immediately calling elections, as is presently required.

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3. Americas

The presidents of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua issued an international plea for help in their struggle against gang violence. They plan to ask international agencies like the World Bank to fund programs to help train and re-employ gang members and to make the fight an international one. This plan follows the finding that the bus massacre in Honduras last December may have been planned by Alvaro Acosta-Bustillo of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, who is believed hiding inside the US.

A Brazilian death squad, possibly of rogue police, killed at least 30 people in two districts of Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's indigenous population is the subject of a new Amnesty International report, "Foreigners in Our Own Country" that cites land rights as the most critical issue and says that without long-promised reservations, their very existence is threatened.

Colombia has been asked to provide details of crimes against humanity that may have occurred during the long-running civil war, to the International Criminal Court. About 3,000 people are killed every year, and thousands more have disappeared, been kidnapped, or forcibly displaces since ICC began its work in 2002.

Haitian peacekeepers with the UN have launched a joint operation with National Police against armed groups in the Cite Coleil district of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

US intelligence capabilities came in for scathing criticism last week. The presidential Commission of the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction said that US intelligence agencies were "dead wrong" in their judgments about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction before the war. Today they know "disturbingly little" about the country's most dangerous adversaries, including nuclear programs in countries like North Korea and Iran. The damage caused will take many years to undo, and it will be difficult to the US to recover its international credibility. The new US director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, has been given about 70 recommendations to address the massive failings. Ironically, this report was released while first The National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States was published, and after a Congressional Research Service report on the National Counterterrorism Center found significant discrepancies in intelligence plans and organization.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/wmd/index.html
http://www.ncix.gov/publications/law_policy/policy/FinalCIStrategyforWebMarch21.pdf
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/intel/index.html

Meanwhile, Congressional Quarterly obtained an internal Department of Homeland Security Report assessing national threats. The draft planning document cites the primary adversaries as al Qaeda and other international and domestic Islamist groups, as well as left-wing domestic groups such as the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front, but does not include right-wing extremists, such as the Army of God. Right-wing extremists were responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing. Last week the Federal Bureau of Investigation found explosives hidden in the crawl space of convicted co-conspirator Terry Nichols home, which had been searched several times.

US operations in Iraq came under additional criticism as well, including a study by Rand Corporation that criticizes poor planning, a tendency to not learn from history, and lack of political-military coordination or actionable intelligence.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16942-2005Mar31.html

Venezuela and Spain have signed a number of trade agreements, including sale of naval patrol vessels and military transport planes.

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4. Asia Pacific

"Australians Speak: 2005" is a survey commissioned by the Lowy Institute for International Policy. It found that 57 percent of Australians were "very worried" or "fairly worried" about the external threat posed by US foreign policy - the same level of concern as presented by Islamic extremism.
http://www.lowyinstitute.org/

China hosted a visit from Taiwanese opposition party, the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, KMT). KMT said the visit would help ease tensions with Beijing, but Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) criticized the visit, that followed large demonstrations protesting China's anti-secession law.

North Korean soldiers and riot police stepped in after violence erupted when the North Korea team lost to Iran in a World Cup qualifying match. Such an occurrence in Pyongyang, perhaps the most tightly controlled city in the world, is unheard of and raised questions whether it could be a sign of instability. North Korea's proposal for mutual disarmament talks with the US was dismissed, and it is not clear whether North Korea will accept outside aid to deal with an avian influenza outbreak.

Kyrgyzstan's ousted President Askar Akayev agreed to resign on Monday, following talks with a parliamentary delegation that met with him in the Kyrgyzstan embassy in Moscow.

Singapore hosted Global Security Asia 2005, a conference on homeland security in the Asia-Pacific region. Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng gave the keynote speech in which he warned of the continued threat from Jemaah Islamiah and its coordination with other terrorist groups, and the possibility it could establish links with militants in southern Thailand.
http://www.mha.gov.sg
http://www.globalsecasia.com/

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has said he will reduce the number of troops in the south because heavily armed soldiers are not suitable for fighting the insurgency. Today, three bombs exploded almost simultaneously in civilian areas (airport, supermarket, and hotel), killing at least one and injuring many more.

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5. Europe

Bosnia's senior international envoy, Lord Ashdown, has dismissed Dragan Covic, the Croat member of the tripartite presidency, who has been charged with customs evasion, corruption and abuse of office when he was finance minister in 2000-2003. The Bosnian Serb government has delivered to state prosecutors and Lord Ashdown's office a list of nearly 900 officials suspected of involvement in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

French authorities have arrested three suspects in an investigation of a group calling itself AZF that threatened to bomb rail lines unless it was paid millions.

Italians are voting in regional elections on Sunday and Monday. There is concern that the death of Pope John Paul II may reduce turnout.

Spanish police have conducted further investigations in connection with the March 11 train bombings that have led to another 13 arrests.

In Northern Ireland, a series of firebombs planted in shopping areas has been blamed on dissident republicans.

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6. Middle East

Egyptian authorities have deployed security forces to discourage several demonstrations, including Muslim Brotherhood members and protestors opposed to a fifth term in office for President Mubarak.

Gaza is called "One Big Prison" in the new report by that name from B'Tselem and HaMoked, citing travel restrictions and control on trade. Amnesty International has issued a report describing the disproportionate burden women face in the occupied territories.
http://www.btselem.org/English/Press_Releases/20050329.asp
http://web.amnesty.org/actforwomen/isr-310305-action-eng

Despite attempts in the Knesset, appeals by religious leaders, and threats from settlers, Israeli Prime Minister Sharon won a victory over the budget that will let him continue plans to complete the evacuation from Gaza this summer. Sharon also says that homes vacated by Jewish settlers will not be demolished.

Iraq's interim parliament has elected Sunni Arab Hajim al-Hassani as the speaker, with a Shia Muslim and a Kurd his deputies. The selection finally broke a deadlock that has lasted for more than two months, since the national assembly was elected. Political progress continues to struggle against insecurity. This week included suicide attacks directed against Iraqi soldiers, including one using a bicycle and many gun ambushes that have killed dozens. Some 40 militants using bombs, grenades and guns attacked Abu Ghraib prison, resulting in more than 50 casualties. Bulgaria plans to withdraw its troops this year and Romania's commitment has been challenged following the kidnapping of three of its journalists. Meanwhile, the second interim report of the Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program was released, clearing UN Secretary General Annan of direct wrong-doing but faulting his inadequate handling of inquiries. The final version of the report is due in June.
http://www.iic-offp.org/

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister, Omar Karami, has agreed to postpone his resignation and instead continue attempts to form a new government. The continuing political stalemate threatens to delay the crucial legislative elections due in May. Hezbollah's political role was reinforced when opposition leader Walid Jumblatt said they should remain armed until Israel withdraws from disputed areas in the south. A series of bombs directed against mainly Christian areas has continued.

More Syrian troops have left Lebanon. The withdrawal will be completed by April 30, in time for the May elections.

In the West Bank headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, gunmen opened fire on the compound before rampaging through Ramallah. Prime Minister Abbas, who was inside at the time, has ordered a crackdown on militants. The gunmen are likely loyalists belonging to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad has attended a Palestine Liberation Organization meeting for the first time.

Yemeni security forces have clashed with rebels loyal to slain cleric Hussein al-Houthi. There have been heavy casualties.

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7. South Asia

In Afghanistan, the end of winter has led to an increase in Taliban attacks. Last week a roadside bomb remotely detonated when a Canadian diplomatic vehicle was drove by, injuring four, There was also an attack in Helmand that killed three police and injured four, and gunmen ambushed a military convoy near the Pakistani border, killing three drivers.

Indian state Andhra Pradesh saw two policemen killed by suspected Maoist rebels. Separatist rebels of the United Liberation Front of Assam are being targeted in police operations underway in Assam.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, two soldiers were killed and eight injured in a militant attack, while Indian forces killed three suspected separatists in response to an attack against a patrol, and two militants when the stormed a military camp, killing one soldier.

India will deploy 20,000 additional soldiers at the borders with Nepal and Bhutan, within two years.

Nepal freed some 250 people arrested after King Gyanendra seized power, including former Prime Minister, Girija Prasad Koirala. Koirala called for a return to democracy. Pro-democracy demonstrations continue, as do arrests in response.

Pakistani scholar Allama Ghulam Hussain Najafi was shot dead in a sectarian attack in Lahore. His daughter and her friend were injured. In North Waziristan a hand grenade missed the army convoy it targeted and landed on a private vehicle, injuring at least 15 civilians.

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger's political office in the north suffered a grenade attack that injured three. The attack was attributed to Tiger splinter group.

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8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

The newly established Fingerprint Sharing Alliance is a coalition of 80 large telecommunications companies around the globe that have developed software to identity malicious network attacks and stop them automatically with coordinated attack resolution. Digital fingerprints are created and sent to all affected networks. It can also help trace attacks.
http://www.arbor.net/fingerprint-sharing-alliance.php

Microsoft has filed 117 lawsuits against web sites it alleges are using phishing techniques. The case uses existing trademark infringement, false advertising, and unfair trade laws, in the absence of explicit federal law against phishing. Microsoft has also announced plans to include an "information card" to help their customers manage personal information, apparently replacing the unsuccessful Passport and Hailstorm efforts.

US bank regulators have become the latest to push for additional information security safeguards. In joint guidance, they describe response programs for unauthorized access to customer information, effective immediately.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2005/fil2705.html

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9. Finance

In the ongoing investigation of the GBP 226.5 million Northern Bank Robbery, around GBP 10 million of the notes is effectively untraceable since it lacks recorded serial numbers. One mechanism to launder this money may be purchasing properties outside Ireland, in the UK. Investigators are examining owners who are looking for a quick sale. Irish officials believe the Irish Republican Army is responsible for the theft.

Riggs Bank guilty plea to failure to file suspicious activity reports, incurring a $16 million criminal fine, has been approved by US District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina. Meanwhile, PNC Financial Services Group plans to complete its purchase of Riggs in May.

The Hapoalim money laundering investigation spread to Russian-Israeli oligarch Vladimir Gusinsky, who was questioned by Israeli police on his return from Europe.

UN sanctions experts have uncovered an agreement between Liberia's transitional government and a mining company to give it a 10-year monopoly over the lucrative diamond trade. Http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46385 An expert panel has been named to monitor the arms embargo imposed last year on Ivory Coast.

Britain's Assets Recovery Agency has been given permission to freeze about GBP 200,000 of assets b held by David Winston Hill and Pauline Hill who have been linked to the Ulster Defense Association (UDA).

The UK Department for International Development (DFID) has set up a new website to offer details on how to send remittances abroad without being exploited. This is motivated by the finding that poor migrants are charged up to 40 percent of the cash sent, and that transactions can take as long as ten days. The DFID report, "Sending Money Home - Remittances to Developing Countries from the UK" demonstrates the importance of remittances for funding in poor countries.
http://www.sendmoneyhome.org/

In the US, where remittances have been under much scrutiny, federal financial regulators issued a joint statement to encourage providing banking services to money services businesses (MSBs). It emphasizes that MSBs provide valuable financial services, especially to people who fall outside the formal banking sector. Banking institutions are not the de facto regulators of MSBs and should use internal controls, not fear of regulators, to make decisions to service such accounts.

The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has removed several entities from its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2005/fil2505a.html

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10. Human Rights

The UN Commission on Human Rights has opened its 61st session, reviewing the state of human rights and freedoms around the world.
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/index.htm

The Human Genetics Commission (HGC) report "Profiling the newborn: a prospective gene technology" finds ethical, legal and social barriers to genetic profiling and conclude that such a scheme would not be cost effective.
http://www.hgc.gov.uk

Israel's High Court, in a 7-4 majority, ruled that overseas conversion of Israeli residents will be recognized and therefore permit them to become Israeli citizens.

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has censured a broadcaster for ethnic slurs against the Sikh community.
http://www.cbsc.ca/english/cbscdocs/prs/2005/whatnew050330.htm

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11. Law and Legal Issues

Ahmed Abid and Na'al Abid, convicted of assisting the suicide bomber who carried out the September 2003 Cafe Hillel attack, were sentenced to seven life terms and an additional 30 years in prison.

In Mahmoad Abdah v. George W. Bush, federal judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr ruled that the government could not transfer 13 detainees from Guantanamo to the custody of a foreign government unless the prisoners first have the opportunity to challenge the move in court.
http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/opinions/district-court-2005.html

Fawaz Zi Ajjur, a Palestinian and alleged member of al Qaeda, was arrested in the Philippines, where he is suspected of training Abu Sayyaf members and planning terrorist attacks.

Ahmed Abu Ali, accused of an al Qaeda plot to kill US President Bush, has been granted permission by US District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee, to be examined for signs of torture.

Youssef Belhadj , accused of being al-Qaeda's European spokesman, has been extradited from Belgium to Spain. The Moroccan had claimed al Qaeda was responsible for the 3/11 Madrid train bombings

Ljubomir Borovcanin, indicted for complicity in genocide, crimes against humanity and murder for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, has surrendered to The Hague tribunal.

Ljube Boskovski, former Interior Minister of Macedonia, was transferred from Croatia to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, where he denied charges connected with the murder of ethnic Albanians during the 2001 Macedonian insurgency.

Marcel Gatsinzi, Rwanda's defense minister, has appeared before a traditional gacaca court where he is accused of failing to stop his troops carrying out the 1994 genocide.

Ghassan Elashi and his brothers Basman and Bayan have gone on trial in Texas on terrorist financing charges for allegedly funneling money to Hamas.

Kifah Wael Jayyousi and Kassem Daher have been charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. Jayyousi, a former Detroit, Michigan school official, was arrested when he arrived in Detroit from Amsterdam and a computer check showed he was wanted on a terrorism warrant in Miami, Florida. Daher, who formerly ran a cinema in Leduc, Canada, is a fugitive living in Lebanon.

Miroslav Kvocka, sentenced to seven years in prison for crimes against humanity in his role has a war camp guard, was released after serving two-thirds of his sentence.

Sergei Lapin, a lieutenant with Russian special forces, was sentenced by a Chechen court to 11 years in prison for torturing a Chechen civilian, Zelimkhan Murdalov, in 2001. It is the first such trial in Chechnya.

Mohammed Abuu Baker Mansha was arrested in London and charged under the Terrorism Act. He had equipment and maps that could be connected with an attack, and had personal details and the home address of a British soldier.

Mohamed Sabah and Mohamed Abdullah Rabaa have been charged in Egypt on charges of murder, attempted murder, and possessing automatic weapons in connection with the October 2004 Red Sea resort attacks. A third man, Mohamed Ahmed Fulayfel, has not been found and will stand trial in absentia.

Fawaz Yunis, of the Lebanese Amal Militia in Lebanon, had been convicted of the 1985 hijacking of Royal Jordanian Airlines Flight 402 in Beirut. After serving nearly 16 years, he was released from federal prison then deported to Lebanon because he is considered an illegal immigrant in the US.
http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/deportedtolebanon0329205.htm

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12. Transportation

The US Transportation Security Administration is developing the "Secure Flight" passenger-screening program. Of ten areas identified by Congress as needing to be addressed in order to secure funding, only one (establishing an internal oversight board) has been completed. There remain serious uncertainties regarding system requirements and the privacy impacts of the operational system.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-356

At Boston's Logan Airport 14 Brazilian immigrants were arrested and will be deported as illegal aliens. The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) that manages the airport, had promised to upgrade security procedures for custodial workers such as these following a similar incident in a 2002 raid. They now plan to stop allowing suppliers to issue ID, and will revoke all temporary IDs. Massport will now issue credentials themselves, thereby giving greater control over secure areas.
http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/logan032505.htm

The European Union, noting that only six EU countries are in a position to meet the US deadline for issuing biometric passports, has asked the US Congress to extend the deadline to August 28, 2006.

Five heavily armed pirates kidnapped three Indonesian seafarers from a Malaysian-registered tugboat that was sailing in Southern Philippines waters.
http://www.mima.gov.my/mima/htmls/mimarc/news/newsflash_files/news-cut/apr05.htm

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13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

Seven years of negotiations later, an ad hoc UN committee adopted the draft Nuclear Terrorism Convention. The draft defines acts of nuclear terrorism and, strengthens the international legal framework to combat it by extradition or prosecution, encourages information exchange, and establishes mutual assistance obligations to ensure cooperation across states. The text will move next to the General Assembly.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/l3085.doc.htm

Canada has published its Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) strategy. It provides guidance for policies, funding, operational plans and all other CBRN activities to help accomplish the four strategic objectives of prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
http://www.psepc.gc.ca/publications/news/2005/20050331-4_e.asp

Pakistan will turn over nuclear centrifuge components to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help their investigation into Iran's nuclear program, to see if they match traces of uranium found during inspections in Iran, thereby explaining the origin of the trace samples. Iran has taken journalists on a tour of the Natanz nuclear facility, undisclosed until late 2002 when its existence was revealed by an exile group.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued an Advisory to nuclear facility operators to heighten awareness in ensuring the proper identity of personnel, even when escorted. The advisory follows a recent incident of a foreign national using a false social security number and a false alien registration card to obtain escorted access. NRC urged nuclear facility operators to check identities against a national security database and report any incidents.
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2005/05-055.html

The 30th anniversary of the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention was on March 26.

The World Health Organization, UNAIDS, and UNICEF have condemned claims that antiretroviral therapy is toxic and that vitamins and nutrition alone can prevent AIDS deaths.
http://www.unaids.org/NetTools/Misc/DocInfo.aspx?LANG=en&href=http://gva-doc-owl/WEBcontent/Documents/pub/Media/Press-Statements01/PS_Rath_30Mar05_en.pdf

The outbreak of Marburg virus in Angola has risen to 126 (of 132 known infections), making it the world's worst outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever. Previously, a 1998-2000 outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo had claimed 123 lives. Measures are being taken to control the outbreak.

Although information about terrorism has emphasized chemical, biologic, and radiation events, most terrorist attacks have involved explosive devices. A review article by Ralph G. DePalma et.al., summarizes the mechanisms and describes the clinical consequences of blast injuries.
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/352/13/1335

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14. Recently Published

Carol Berkin, "Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence" Knopf

Walden Bello, "Dilemmas of Domination: The Unmaking of the American Empire" Holt

Alfred Blumrosen and Ruth Blumrosen, "Slave Nation: How Slavery United the Colonies and Sparked the American Revolution" Sourcebooks

Council of Europe, "Organised crime in Europe: the threat of cybercrime - Situation report 2004", Council of Europe Publishing
http://book.coe.int/sysmodules/RBS_page/admin/redirect.php?id=36&lang=EN&produit_aliasid=1888

John Mack Faragher, "A Great and Noble Scheme: The Tragic Story of the Expulsion of the French Acadians From Their American Homeland" WW Norton

Tom Fenton, "Bad News: How the Failing News Industry is Endangering Americans" Regan Books

William Mervin Gumede, "Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC" Zebra Press

William Tucker's "Founding Fathers: A Play About the Writing of the Constitution" is now available in a special Arabic edition.
http://foundingfathersplay.com/

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FEATURE ARTICLE: Air India Flight 182

On June 23, 1985, a Boeing 727 flying from Montreal to Bombay, via London, disintegrated in mid-air, killing all 329 people on board. It was the worst aviation disaster over water.

On March 16, 2005, a Canadian judge found that the case against two men accused of involvement in this disaster had not been proven.

Spanning nearly twenty years, this investigation and prosecution was the costliest in Canadian history, at some $130 million, and it has not yet come to a close.

This Canadian disaster had its roots in India's northern state of Punjab. Sikhs in the Punjab felt discriminated against by the majority Hindu population. In an effort to reduce rising sectarian tensions, the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had agreed to amend the constitution to ensure Sikhism would remain independent. Militant Sikhs were unimpressed by this gesture, demanding their own state, much as had been achieved previously by Muslims.

Sikh militants occupied the holiest temple of the Sikh religion, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, for several months, surrounded by Indian troops. The government, unwilling to make further concessions to what they considered terrorist demands, imposed a curfew across the Punjab on June 3 and troops began to clear the outer buildings of the temple complex.

On June 6, 1984, Indian troops raided the holy shrine. Sikh leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was killed, as were 800 of his followers and 200 troops.

The disastrous raid had a powerful effect on Sikhs and set of retaliatory events that led to Gandhi's assassination, by two of her Sikh bodyguards, on October 31. Sectarian violence followed her death. Government officials later admitted they had grossly underestimated the strength of feeling about the raid.

Rajiv Gandhi was elected to office in December 1984. One of his first undertakings as the new Prime Minister was to visit Canada and the US, to ask for their cooperation in combating Sikh extremists in North America. Canadian officials began surveillance and monitoring of suspected militants, including Talwinder Singh Parmar, leader of the Babbar Khalsa.

Babbar Khalsa traces its history to 1920. It advocates the violent establishment of an independent Sikh homeland, Khalistan, in the Punjab. Affiliated groups include the International Sikh Youth Federation, Dal Khalsa, Bhinderanwala Tiger Force, Saheed Khalsa Force, Khalistan Liberation Tiger Force, Khalistan Commando Force, Khalistan Liberation Front, and Khalistan National Army, several operating together under the umbrella organization known as the Second Panthic Committee. They are responsible for assassinations, bombings, and kidnappings directed against security forces as well as the deaths of thousands of civilians, most Hindu, from 1984 -1992. The dramatic drop in their activities is attributed to Indian security forces operations in which the leaders were killed or captured and around 250,000 Sikhs were killed. Those left are in exile, including the current leader in Pakistan. The Canadian government listed Babbar Khalsa, the International Sikh Youth Federation, and the Khalistan Commando Force as terrorist groups in 2003.

Details are still unclear, but 24-hour surveillance on Parmar failed to uncover details of the plot and most of the tapped phone conversations were erased before they were heard. In addition, on the day the bombs were delivered to the airport there was no surveillance. Since the plane was destroyed over the ocean, only about five percent of the wreckage was ever recovered, although it included the flight data recorder and key pieces of fuselage. Together, the limited amount of evidence contributed to the difficulties in reaching legal standards of proof in this case.

What we do know is that a person calling himself M Singh reserved flights to Toronto and New Delhi. Checking in for the Vancouver to Toronto leg, he asked for his suitcase to be transferred to the New Delhi flight. His ticket was not confirmed so initially his request was refused but finally agreed. When Air India flight 182 took off M Singh was not on board. Instead, L Singh checked in for a flight to Tokyo, with one bag to be transferred to an Air India flight to Bangkok. The bag traveled without L Singh on board. At the time, Air India did not have equipment or personnel to inspect luggage.

The Tokyo flight arrived early and the suitcase exploded in the Narita Airport baggage terminal, killing two and injuring four. Air India 182 was late leaving, and exploded in mid air a little more than an hour after the first bomb. Although structural failure and sabotage were considered, inquiries by the Canadian Air Safety Board and in India, with Judge Bhupinder Kirpal, both attributed the breakup to a bomb in the forward cargo compartment.

A few months later the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) launched operations that led to weapons offenses charged being laid against Talwinder Singh Parmar and Inderjit Singh Reyat, a mechanic linked to Parmar. This was meant to be the first step but was premature. Charges against Parmar, believed to be the ringleader, were dropped; Indian police killed him in 1992.

Reyat was fined $2,000 and released, refusing to cooperate further. In 1991 he was linked to components of the Tokyo bomb and sentenced to five years for manslaughter. He acknowledged purchasing material but denied building the bomb or knowing its intention. In 2001 Reyat was finishing his sentence in Tokyo and was charged with murder and conspiracy for the Flight 182 bombing. After a prolonged court battle that never made it to trial, in February 2003 he pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges for buying the materials. All other charges were dropped and he was sentenced to five years in prison.

A $1 million reward was offered for information, finally motivating witnesses to come forward. Based on this new information, in October 2000, Ripudaman Singh Mailk and Ajaib Singh Bagri were charged with murder for the two bombings. Key suspect Parmar was dead and Reyat claimed no knowledge of those involved in the bombing. Malik, a Vancouver businessman, was accused of financing the bombings. Bagri, a sawmill worker in Kamloops, British Columbia, was accused of transporting the bombs to the airport.

The trial started in April 2003. Evidence included partially reconstructed wreckage, information about the baggage and passengers, data obtained from the Narita bombing, and witness testimony. Wiretap evidence either was not permitted or had been destroyed. After 13 months and 80 witnesses the prosecution rested its case. The defense continued over the summer of 2004, with closing arguments in October and November. The trial finally concluded on December 3.

During the trial there were a variety of problems with witnesses, including language difficulty, inconsistent presentation, poor persona records, and ran into problems protecting a key witness because of media coverage. Intelligence services came in for significant criticism for mismanaging or manipulating evidence and the investigation. Canadian, British, Indian and US intelligence and investigative agencies were variously accused of having a role in the bombing.

In the end, the Canadian judge responsible for the case found there was not enough evidence to convict the two men. He ruled that the bombs did originate in Vancouver but that there were too many inconsistencies in witness testimony, too many cases in which revenge could motivate their testimony, and too little in the way of factual findings.

The prosecution may yet appeal the ruling, and the RCMP says it is continuing to investigate the bombings, with a team of 15 officers. Families of the victims have called for a public inquiry. As these events continue to unfold, they will be reported in the Newsletter.

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