Myanmar. Reuters reports
that United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein,
has presented yet another genocide warning March 7th to the U.N. Human Rights
Council; he fears acts of genocide against the Rohingya have occurred in the
Rakhine province since last August. In her report to the U.N. Human Rights
Council March 12th, Yanghee Lee, special rapporteur on Myanmar, has claimed the
strong likelihood of genocide of the Rohingya and has urged accountability. The
Myanmar military continues to reject U.N. claims. The U.S. and U.N. position
currently is that the Rohingya are victims of ethnic cleansing. Adama Dieng, the
UN's Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide ending his visit to
Bangladesh faults the international community for doing nothing to stop atrocity
crimes against the Rohingya. The Anadolu Agency reports 750,000 Rohingya
refugees fleeing to Bangladesh since August 25, 2017. Dieng has noted evidence
of genocide and because of ongoing violence against Rohingya in Myanmar is not
recommending return of refugees at this point. Amnesty International has
released information that the military is currently bulldozing the Rohingya
towns it has emptied through massacres or the people's flight, and is
constructing military facilities throughout the Rakhine. Ongoing genocide
warning. Previous.
"Despite the numerous warnings I have made of
the risk of atrocity crimes, the international community has buried its head
in the sand. This has cost the Rohingya population of Myanmar their lives,
their dignity and their homes." - Adama Dieng
Partial
sources online: "Note to Correspondents: Statement by Adama Dieng, United
Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, on his visit to
Bangladesh to assess the situation of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar," Adama
Dieng, March 12, 2018, United
Nations Secretary-General;
"Yanghee Lee: Incidents in Rakhine bear hallmarks of genocide," UNB, March 13,
2018, Dhaka
Tribune;
"Rohingyas could face further violence if they return to Myanmar, UN adviser
warns," March 13, 2018, UN
News;
"UN official convinced of Myanmar Rohingya 'genocide'," Bard Wilkinson, March
12, 2018, CNN;
"Myanmar: Remaking Rakhine State," ASA 16/8018/2018, March 12,
2018, Amnesty
International;
"Myanmar: Military land grab as security forces build bases on torched Rohingya
villages," March 12, 2018, Amnesty
International;
"Global community 'buries head in sand' over Rohingya," Fatih Erel, March 13,
2018, Anadolu
Agency;
"Rohingyas could face further violence if they return to Myanmar, UN adviser
warns," March 13, 2018, UN
News;
"'Acts of genocide' suspected against Rohingya in Myanmar: U.N." Stephanie
Nebehay, Simon Lewis, March 7, 2018, Reuters.
--
Honduras: with strong evidence of voting
fraud supported by the U.S., the January 27th installation as president of Juan
Orlando Hernandez relied on police and military security forces which countered
mass demonstrations across the country with the murder of 16 citizens and an
unreported number of 'preventive'
arrests. Reuters notes that in early
December alone there were mass arrests of 1351 people. Previous. Since the U.S. supported ouster of democratically
elected Manuel Zelaya corporate interests have continued to advance through
police state tactics and murder. The alleged mastermind of
the plot to murder activist Berta Cáceras two years ago was arrested as he tried
to leave Honduras early in March. David Castillo Mejía, a former military
intelligence officer (four of the nine suspects arrested so far for this killing
have military ties) is the CEO of the dam building company Cáceras, an
indigenous leader, and the community were protesting. The dam was proceeding
without community approval. She was shot at her home around midnight, March 2nd
or 3rd, 2016. The U.S. which is generally responsible for protecting corporate
interests in Honduras from a citizens' democracy has publicly approved the
arrest although the U.S. has provided the Honduran police and military an
estimated 200 million dollars of aid since 2010. An investigation
by The Guardian discovered Berta
Cáceras listed on a military hitlist delivered to U.S. trained elite forces.
Honduras is known as the most lethal country in the world for environmental
activists. With police state tactics at home, Honduras with Paraguay and
Guatemala has indicated its willingness to move its embassy in Israel to
Jerusalem, in accord with the U.S. decision to move its embassy (Russia as well
will move its embassy to West Jerusalem, believing that East Jerusalem should be
the capital of Palestine). Previous. Partial
sources online: "U.N. blames Honduras security forces for killing electoral
protesters," Reuters Staff, March 12, 2018, Reuters;
"Honduras, Paraguay "ready in principle" to move embassies to Jerusalem," JTA,
March 12, 2018, The Jerusalem Post; "Berta Cáceres
murder: ex-Honduran military intelligence officer arrested," Nina Lakhani, Mar
2, 2018, The Guardian; "Berta Cáceres's name was on
Honduran military hitlist, says former soldier," Nina Lakhani, Jun 21,
2016, The Guardian.
Israel: a new
law approved by Israel's parliament allows the Minister of the Interior to take
away any Palestinian's rights to live in Jerusalem if considered disloyal or
having committed what the Minister considers a criminal act or error in
residency application. The threat includes Palestinians born there and whose
families have lived and worked there for
generations. Al-Jazeera points out
that the current Interior Minister, Aryeh Den has in the past been "convicted of
bribery, fraud and 'breach of trust'"; Den claims that the intent of the new law
is the 'security of Israeli citizens'. The same reason of 'necessity for the
security of Israeli citizens' - was given to explain the recent action of the
Israeli army as it entered Burin village to claim the town secondary school with
its land, firing tear gas into the school grounds and terrorizing the students.
The town is bordered by three illegal settlements for Jewish Israelis only.
There is little evidence within Israel of overt Jewish resistance to military
policies. There is resistance by Orthodox Jews who continue to protest forced
conscription into Israel's military on religious and cultural grounds. The
nonviolent protests have been met with police brutality and arrests. The law
exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service in order to maintain the
culture through immersion in their religious studies was nullified by Israel's
Supreme Court in mid-September 2017.
Partial sources
online: "Israel passes law to strip residency of Jerusalem's Palestinians,"
March 7, 2018, Al Jazeera; "Israeli troops enter Burin
to 'confiscate' more land," Anadolu news agency, March 12,
2018, Al Jazeera; "Would-be converts must marry or
leave partners, Knesset committee told. The practice has been called 'coercive
and unfair'," Jeremy Sharon, March 12, 2018, The Jerusalem
Post; "9 arrested after Orthodox Jews clash with police in Jerusalem over
military draft (VIDEOS)," Sept. 18, 2017, TV-Novosti;
"‘We’d rather die than enlist’: Ultra-Orthodox Jews clash with police over
military draft (VIDEOS)," March 13,
2018, TV-Novosti.