Nov 14, 2012
Controversial Russia treason law takes effect
Controversial Russia treason law takes effect: Critics say new legislation is so vague the government can now brand any inconvenient figure a traitor.
Violent protests continue in Jordan
Violent protests continue in Jordan: Demonstrators clash with police and chant slogans against the king as anger grows over fuel price hikes.
Congolese refugee children attend catch-up classes in Rwanda
Congolese refugee children attend catch-up classes in Rwanda: To date, almost 2,800 refugee children at Rwanda's Kigeme camp have registered for the orientation classes and more are expected to join.
Syria situation regional update
Syria situation regional update: In Syria, UNHCR is progressing in major effort to provide aid to up to 500,000 people by the end of this year despite recent disruptions to operations due to insecurity.
To date, UNHCR family aid packages...
To date, UNHCR family aid packages...
After 20 years, more than 1,000 Burundians returning home every day
After 20 years, more than 1,000 Burundians returning home every day: The pace of UNHCR-assisted returns from Tanzania picks up for former refugees, with nearly 30,000 yet to return.
YEMEN: New challenges for aid worker security
YEMEN: New challenges for aid worker security:
 | DUBAI, 14 November 2012 (IRIN) - Yemen has long been renowned as a place where foreigners, including aid workers, are at risk of kidnapping. On the brink of civil war last year, and with a still fluid social and political transition under way, new challenges for aid worker security are emerging, say experts. |
SWAZILAND: Illegal abortions endangering lives
SWAZILAND: Illegal abortions endangering lives:
 | MBABANE, 14 November 2012 (IRIN) - Abortions are illegal in Swaziland and have resulted in criminal convictions, but in October 2012 more than 1,000 women were treated for abortion-related complications at a single clinic in the country's second city Manzini, says the Family Life Association of Swaziland (FLAS), a family planning organization. |
UGANDA: Sex workers missing out on HIV care
UGANDA: Sex workers missing out on HIV care:
 | KAMPALA, 14 November 2012 (IRIN) - Sex workers in Uganda's capital, Kampala, are reluctant to seek HIV testing and treatment services, putting their health in jeopardy, preliminary results of a new study reveal. |
SOUTH SUDAN: Contraceptives give women the right to choose
SOUTH SUDAN: Contraceptives give women the right to choose:
 | JUBA, 14 November 2012 (IRIN) - Cut off from development by five decades of civil war, South Sudan has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world and high levels of infant mortality and morbidity. Large families struggle to get by in the war-ravaged new nation. |
HEALTH: Family planning - a sound economic investment
HEALTH: Family planning - a sound economic investment:
 | LONDON, 14 November 2012 (IRIN) - Family planning is a worthwhile investment that could reduce the cost of maternal and new-born health care by US$11.3 billion annually and provide much-needed support to some 222 million women globally who need contraceptives but do not have access to them, according to the UN Population Fund's (UNFPA) annual State of the World's Population report. |
FOOD: Spotlight on "land grab" deals
FOOD: Spotlight on "land grab" deals:
 | JOHANNESBURG, 14 November 2012 (IRIN) - "Land-grab" deals involving multinationals in developing countries have often been seen as detrimental to food security and the livelihoods of millions of small farmers, but a new study puts such deals into the context of agricultural investments more generally. |
NGOs Harassed Ahead of Summit
NGOs Harassed Ahead of Summit: 
Cambodian authorities have disrupted several events held by nongovernmental organizations and have threatened to arrest anyone holding protests ahead of sensitive regional summits to be held in the capital Phnom Penh, rights groups said Wednesday.
The Independent Democracy of Informal Economic Association (IDEA) said authorities in Meanchey district forced the owner of a local restaurant to shut down the meeting space he had rented to a group of NGOs ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the East Asia Summit from Nov 18 to 20.
Top leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, will attend the meetings.
Ngoung Mongtha, an IDEA official, told RFA’s Khmer service that hundreds of NGO officials met on Wednesday morning to discuss requests for a petition the group planned to submit to leaders of the 10-member ASEAN body during the summit.
Cambodia is the current chair of ASEAN, which also includes member states Brunei, Burma, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
“More than 300 officials were forced to leave on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. The owner of the building they had rented shut off the electricity and forced them out,” Ngoung Mongtha said.
“The owner was pressured by local authorities. Three police officers were present at the meeting and later a police officer asked the NGO staffers to end their discussion.”
According to reports, authorities had warned the restaurant owner of possible consequences if “a grenade attack” occurred during the NGO meeting.
Vorn Pov, IDEA president, said that the NGOs had been meeting to discuss 12 separate topics, without providing details. He said the NGO officials now plan to meet in a variety of different locations around Phnom Penh to continue their discussions.
At least 50 villagers from various provinces around Cambodia that had traveled to the capital to support the petition bid through protests during the ASEAN Summit were also kicked out of a local guesthouse early on Wednesday, Vorn Pov said.
Lor Lyno, the police chief of nearby Chak Angre Krom commune, said he had not prevented the meeting from taking place.
"I didn't stop the meeting," he said, when contacted by phone.
Venues canceled
Reports of the alleged intimidation of the NGOs in the capital on Wednesday came as another civil society organization expressed concerns that authorities in Phnom Penh had prevented two earlier NGO events planned in connection with the upcoming ASEAN Summit.
The Cambodia Center for Human Rights (CCHR) said Cambodian authorities were “repeatedly disturbing” the organization of the ASEAN People’s Forum 2012 in the capital, which had been planned for Nov. 14-16.
“The venues that the [APF] committee booked for the event have been canceled by the owners on two occasions due to pressure from the Cambodian authorities,” the statement said.
“The Committee has been exploring other potential venues to host the event, however members are deeply concerned and frustrated at the continued disruption by the authorities,” it said, adding that APF workshops had been similarly harassed in March.
The CCHR said that the opening ceremony of a sister event—the ASEAN Grassroots People’s Assembly—had ended “prematurely” on Tuesday after the venue owner refused to sell food or drinks to participants and turned off the site’s electricity.
Reports said that some 2,000 participants had gathered for the Tuesday event.
Event organizers said that the restaurant owner was “pressured by the local authorities to cancel the event” and that workshops scheduled for Wednesday as part of the four-day assembly had also been canceled by the venue owner “at the last minute.”
The group also cited a Monday report by Cambodia Express News which said that a spokesman from the Phnom Penh municipal government had warned activists involved in land dispute cases that the authorities would “arrest any protesters during the ASEAN Summit.”
Authorities have said they will deploy around 10,000 police officers during the ASEAN meeting, during which time demonstrations will be prohibited and universities located close to where ASEAN delegates will travel will be ordered to close.
“The above actions of the Cambodian authorities are in violation of the right to freedom of assembly,” the CCHR said.
“The actions also run contrary to Article 1 of the ASEAN Charter, which states that all ASEAN members must ‘promote a people-orientated ASEAN in which all sectors of society are encouraged to participate in, and benefit from, the process of ASEAN integration and community building.”
As the current chair of ASEAN, Cambodia is eager to avoid a second gaffe after an unprecedented failure to issue a joint communiqué at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in July over the region's dispute with Beijing on overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Some diplomats from ASEAN had charged that Cambodia was influenced by its giant ally China not to incorporate the views of ASEAN member states the Philippines and Vietnam in the statement, causing an impasse at the meeting.
Reported by RFA’s Khmer service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Cambodian authorities have disrupted several events held by nongovernmental organizations and have threatened to arrest anyone holding protests ahead of sensitive regional summits to be held in the capital Phnom Penh, rights groups said Wednesday.
The Independent Democracy of Informal Economic Association (IDEA) said authorities in Meanchey district forced the owner of a local restaurant to shut down the meeting space he had rented to a group of NGOs ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the East Asia Summit from Nov 18 to 20.
Top leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, will attend the meetings.
Ngoung Mongtha, an IDEA official, told RFA’s Khmer service that hundreds of NGO officials met on Wednesday morning to discuss requests for a petition the group planned to submit to leaders of the 10-member ASEAN body during the summit.
Cambodia is the current chair of ASEAN, which also includes member states Brunei, Burma, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
“More than 300 officials were forced to leave on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. The owner of the building they had rented shut off the electricity and forced them out,” Ngoung Mongtha said.
“The owner was pressured by local authorities. Three police officers were present at the meeting and later a police officer asked the NGO staffers to end their discussion.”
According to reports, authorities had warned the restaurant owner of possible consequences if “a grenade attack” occurred during the NGO meeting.
Vorn Pov, IDEA president, said that the NGOs had been meeting to discuss 12 separate topics, without providing details. He said the NGO officials now plan to meet in a variety of different locations around Phnom Penh to continue their discussions.
At least 50 villagers from various provinces around Cambodia that had traveled to the capital to support the petition bid through protests during the ASEAN Summit were also kicked out of a local guesthouse early on Wednesday, Vorn Pov said.
Lor Lyno, the police chief of nearby Chak Angre Krom commune, said he had not prevented the meeting from taking place.
"I didn't stop the meeting," he said, when contacted by phone.
Venues canceled
Reports of the alleged intimidation of the NGOs in the capital on Wednesday came as another civil society organization expressed concerns that authorities in Phnom Penh had prevented two earlier NGO events planned in connection with the upcoming ASEAN Summit.
The Cambodia Center for Human Rights (CCHR) said Cambodian authorities were “repeatedly disturbing” the organization of the ASEAN People’s Forum 2012 in the capital, which had been planned for Nov. 14-16.
“The venues that the [APF] committee booked for the event have been canceled by the owners on two occasions due to pressure from the Cambodian authorities,” the statement said.
“The Committee has been exploring other potential venues to host the event, however members are deeply concerned and frustrated at the continued disruption by the authorities,” it said, adding that APF workshops had been similarly harassed in March.
The CCHR said that the opening ceremony of a sister event—the ASEAN Grassroots People’s Assembly—had ended “prematurely” on Tuesday after the venue owner refused to sell food or drinks to participants and turned off the site’s electricity.
Reports said that some 2,000 participants had gathered for the Tuesday event.
Event organizers said that the restaurant owner was “pressured by the local authorities to cancel the event” and that workshops scheduled for Wednesday as part of the four-day assembly had also been canceled by the venue owner “at the last minute.”
The group also cited a Monday report by Cambodia Express News which said that a spokesman from the Phnom Penh municipal government had warned activists involved in land dispute cases that the authorities would “arrest any protesters during the ASEAN Summit.”
Authorities have said they will deploy around 10,000 police officers during the ASEAN meeting, during which time demonstrations will be prohibited and universities located close to where ASEAN delegates will travel will be ordered to close.
“The above actions of the Cambodian authorities are in violation of the right to freedom of assembly,” the CCHR said.
“The actions also run contrary to Article 1 of the ASEAN Charter, which states that all ASEAN members must ‘promote a people-orientated ASEAN in which all sectors of society are encouraged to participate in, and benefit from, the process of ASEAN integration and community building.”
As the current chair of ASEAN, Cambodia is eager to avoid a second gaffe after an unprecedented failure to issue a joint communiqué at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in July over the region's dispute with Beijing on overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Some diplomats from ASEAN had charged that Cambodia was influenced by its giant ally China not to incorporate the views of ASEAN member states the Philippines and Vietnam in the statement, causing an impasse at the meeting.
Reported by RFA’s Khmer service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
The Changing of the Guard
The Changing of the Guard: 
The ruling Chinese Communist Party wrapped up its 18th Congress with the resignation of the country's President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao from their top party posts to make way for the next generation of leaders to be unveiled on Thursday.
Hu stepped down to make way for Vice President Xi Jinping, while Premier Wen Jiabao left his post to Vice Premier Li Keqiang as more than 2,000 hand-picked Party delegates cast their votes for the three top policy-making bodies in the ruling party: the Central Committee, the Politburo, and the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee.
Xi and Li were both elected to the party's Central Committee at the end of the week-long meeting, according to state news agency Xinhua, setting the stage for them to be president and prime minister respectively.
The two, who have long been predicted to take over, are expected to be confirmed as president and prime minister when parliament meets for its annual session in March, completing the party's second orderly succession since it took power in 1949.
The full list of the Central Committee well as the Politburo and Politburo Standing Committee is expected to be released on Thursday, when Xi is expected to be officially announced as the party's top leader.
All eyes will be on the Politburo Standing Committee, China's highest decision-making body which currently has nine members but is widely expected to be cut to just seven seats, according to veteran China political analyst Willy Wo-lap Lam.
"Whether inside China or overseas, the main thing people are concerned with at this congress has been the personnel changes, which will be announced at a meeting [on Thursday]," Lam said.
"But it is very clear that there has been a setback for intra-party democracy, because a lot of the retired leaders, especially Jiang Zemin, have been clearly involved in the selection of top personnel," as delegates rarely vote against leadership guidelines.
"It was Jiang Zemin who put forward Xi Jinping's name at the last 17th Party Congress as the successor to Hu Jintao," he said.
'Scientific development' theory
The close of Hu's political tenure has resulted in his theory of "scientific development" being entered into the Party's constitution alongside Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, and the "Three Represents" of Party elder and former president Jiang Zemin.
Political commentator Cai Yongmei, a former editor of the Hong Kong-based magazine Kaifang, said the congress and the inscription of Hu's theories into the Party canon served as a stark reinforcement of China's rule of man, as opposed to rule of law.
"If [a leader] has a lot of political influence, then their theories are likely to last longer," Cai said. "In a society ruled by man [not law], all of the top leaders see themselves as playing a similar role to the founder of a religion."
Conservative retrenchment
Cai said the congress had shown the world unequivocally that there would be no political reforms in China, in spite of a growing chorus of calls in favor, although it was still unclear exactly what the world could expect from the new administration.
"Now the old guard ... have to sit back and enjoy the show, and it will take a while for us to see what the new leadership will be like after it has been fully revealed," she said.
"The tone of the 18th Party Congress wasn't [necessarily] the tone that will be struck by the new leadership."
Overall, Cai said there had been a conservative retrenchment in Chinese politics since the military crackdown on the 1989 student-led pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen Square.
"The Chinese Communist Party has faced its biggest challenges at this congress since June 4," including the scandal surrounding former rising political star Bo Xilai who was linked to the murder of a British businessman, she said.
"I think they have a very keen sense of crisis, so they want to ensure that they hang onto power smoothly and completely; they have used all manner of security measures and held it behind closed doors."
Hu's legacy
Lam said the inscription of Hu's "scientific development" theories into the canon of the constitution were becoming a courtesy nod to outgoing leaders.
"This means that Jiang Zemin had the 'three represents' from his era, and now we have the so-called values of 'scientific development' from Hu Jintao's tenure," said
"I think that Hu Jintao is very concerned about his position in history now that he is retiring from public life."
"His views on how to run the country now must get inscribed into the Party constitution," Lam said, adding that there was little substance to Hu's "theories."
"It's not very meaningful for China's future development," he said.
According to Wong Yiu-chung, director of the politics department at Hong Kong's Lingnan University, Jiang's high-profile role in this congress had put pressure on outgoing president Hu Jintao, who may not succeed in retaining his post as head of the armed forces.
"If he doesn't stay on [as chairman of the Central Military Commission], I think it'll be because he was forced out," Wong said.
"Jiang Zemin's high-profile role has put a lot of pressure on Hu."
Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin service and by Grace Kei Lai-see for the Cantonese service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party wrapped up its 18th Congress with the resignation of the country's President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao from their top party posts to make way for the next generation of leaders to be unveiled on Thursday.
Hu stepped down to make way for Vice President Xi Jinping, while Premier Wen Jiabao left his post to Vice Premier Li Keqiang as more than 2,000 hand-picked Party delegates cast their votes for the three top policy-making bodies in the ruling party: the Central Committee, the Politburo, and the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee.
Xi and Li were both elected to the party's Central Committee at the end of the week-long meeting, according to state news agency Xinhua, setting the stage for them to be president and prime minister respectively.
The two, who have long been predicted to take over, are expected to be confirmed as president and prime minister when parliament meets for its annual session in March, completing the party's second orderly succession since it took power in 1949.
The full list of the Central Committee well as the Politburo and Politburo Standing Committee is expected to be released on Thursday, when Xi is expected to be officially announced as the party's top leader.
All eyes will be on the Politburo Standing Committee, China's highest decision-making body which currently has nine members but is widely expected to be cut to just seven seats, according to veteran China political analyst Willy Wo-lap Lam.
"Whether inside China or overseas, the main thing people are concerned with at this congress has been the personnel changes, which will be announced at a meeting [on Thursday]," Lam said.
"But it is very clear that there has been a setback for intra-party democracy, because a lot of the retired leaders, especially Jiang Zemin, have been clearly involved in the selection of top personnel," as delegates rarely vote against leadership guidelines.
"It was Jiang Zemin who put forward Xi Jinping's name at the last 17th Party Congress as the successor to Hu Jintao," he said.
'Scientific development' theory
The close of Hu's political tenure has resulted in his theory of "scientific development" being entered into the Party's constitution alongside Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, and the "Three Represents" of Party elder and former president Jiang Zemin.
Political commentator Cai Yongmei, a former editor of the Hong Kong-based magazine Kaifang, said the congress and the inscription of Hu's theories into the Party canon served as a stark reinforcement of China's rule of man, as opposed to rule of law.
"If [a leader] has a lot of political influence, then their theories are likely to last longer," Cai said. "In a society ruled by man [not law], all of the top leaders see themselves as playing a similar role to the founder of a religion."
Chinese Communist Party leaders wave at the closing ceremony of the 18th Party Congress in Beijing, Nov. 14, 2012.
Conservative retrenchment
Cai said the congress had shown the world unequivocally that there would be no political reforms in China, in spite of a growing chorus of calls in favor, although it was still unclear exactly what the world could expect from the new administration.
"Now the old guard ... have to sit back and enjoy the show, and it will take a while for us to see what the new leadership will be like after it has been fully revealed," she said.
"The tone of the 18th Party Congress wasn't [necessarily] the tone that will be struck by the new leadership."
Overall, Cai said there had been a conservative retrenchment in Chinese politics since the military crackdown on the 1989 student-led pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen Square.
"The Chinese Communist Party has faced its biggest challenges at this congress since June 4," including the scandal surrounding former rising political star Bo Xilai who was linked to the murder of a British businessman, she said.
"I think they have a very keen sense of crisis, so they want to ensure that they hang onto power smoothly and completely; they have used all manner of security measures and held it behind closed doors."
Hu's legacy
Lam said the inscription of Hu's "scientific development" theories into the canon of the constitution were becoming a courtesy nod to outgoing leaders.
"This means that Jiang Zemin had the 'three represents' from his era, and now we have the so-called values of 'scientific development' from Hu Jintao's tenure," said
"I think that Hu Jintao is very concerned about his position in history now that he is retiring from public life."
"His views on how to run the country now must get inscribed into the Party constitution," Lam said, adding that there was little substance to Hu's "theories."
"It's not very meaningful for China's future development," he said.
According to Wong Yiu-chung, director of the politics department at Hong Kong's Lingnan University, Jiang's high-profile role in this congress had put pressure on outgoing president Hu Jintao, who may not succeed in retaining his post as head of the armed forces.
"If he doesn't stay on [as chairman of the Central Military Commission], I think it'll be because he was forced out," Wong said.
"Jiang Zemin's high-profile role has put a lot of pressure on Hu."
Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin service and by Grace Kei Lai-see for the Cantonese service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Nov 13, 2012
Activist Allowed to Enter US
Activist Allowed to Enter US: 
The spokesman for the exile World Uyghur Congress, Dolkun Isa, who is on top of China's "terrorist" list, has been allowed to enter the United States after being barred twice during the last 13 years.
Overseas Uyghur activists hailed Washington's decision to allow him into the country as a "political victory" for ethnic Uyghurs, who say they are subject to persecution in China's troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang and have faced various travel restrictions abroad by governments on the advice of Beijing, activists said.
Dolkun Isa, who is a German citizen, said his application for a travel visa at the U.S. consulate in Munich was finally approved last week, enabling him to travel for meetings with government and congressional officials as well as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a congressionally funded grant-making organization that works to support freedom around the world.
"It is a victory for U.S. justice, a victory for me personally and, more importantly, for the Uyghur cause," he told RFA in Washington, after arriving in the U.S. on Nov. 9. "But I had never lost my hope of traveling to the United States all these years," he said.
Terror list
Dolkun Isa said he was placed number three among Uyghurs on the Chinese terrorist list in 2003.
"Maybe, the U.S. authorities at first believed the Chinese accusations but after several years of investigations, they finally did not believe the Chinese accusations," said Dolkun Isa, whose World Uyghur Congress speaks out on issues affecting Uyghurs inside Xinjiang and the Uyghur exile community around the world.
"The Chinese government has for several years been trying to stop all activities of the World Uyghur Congress and they have also attacked me. Sometimes, they have succeeded," he said.
He said that he had not been involved in any terrorism-related or unlawful activities when he was in China.
The Chinese Ministry of Public Security had accused some of those on the terror list of being linked to separatist violence in the Xinjiang region but exile groups believe Beijing is exaggerating the terrorism threat to crack down on Uyghurs in Xinjiang and abroad.
Previous attempts
Dolkun Isa said that he first attempted to apply for a U.S. visa in 1999 to attend a U.S. congressional meeting when he was a refugee in Germany.
"I went to the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt to get a visa. But I was taken from the U.S. consulate to the German police office," he said, adding that he suspected that his name was on the Interpol list.
In 2006, after he obtained German citizenship, he flew to the United States without applying for a visa, based on the understanding that Germans are covered by a U.S. visa-waiver program.
"At the Dulles airport in Washington, I was stopped and after 23 hours, and the immigration authorities sent me back to Germany. They did not say exactly the reason for not letting me enter the country but my impression was I have been put on a blacklist of the State Department," he said.
Now that the U.S. has decided to allow him into the country, he hoped that other countries that had denied him entry, such as Turkey and South Korea, would also allow him to travel there to meet with exile Uyghur communities.
No 'blacklist'
When asked to comment on Dolkun Isa's case, U.S. officials said they cannot speak on specific visa cases because those records are confidential but stressed that the State Department does not have any "blacklist" for travelers.
But the department maintains a database, called CLASS, that has over 39 million records on those who may be inadmissible to the United States, the officials told RFA. The entries to the database are added by U.S. government agencies.
There are various conditions, including security-related conditions, imposed on citizens of countries covered under the visa-waiver program and wishing to travel to the United States, the officials said.
In addition, a visa only authorizes a traveler to approach the port of entry into the United States.
"The Department of Homeland Security has the final say on who can be admitted to the United States," a State Department official said.
Still, Nury Turkel, a Uyghur American attorney based in Washington, described Dolkan Isa's visit to the United States as a "political victory" for all Uyghurs, saying the Chinese government was trying to curtail the Uyghur freedom movement domestically and internationally.
"This is a big slap in the face of the Chinese," he said.
Reported by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.
The spokesman for the exile World Uyghur Congress, Dolkun Isa, who is on top of China's "terrorist" list, has been allowed to enter the United States after being barred twice during the last 13 years.
Overseas Uyghur activists hailed Washington's decision to allow him into the country as a "political victory" for ethnic Uyghurs, who say they are subject to persecution in China's troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang and have faced various travel restrictions abroad by governments on the advice of Beijing, activists said.
Dolkun Isa, who is a German citizen, said his application for a travel visa at the U.S. consulate in Munich was finally approved last week, enabling him to travel for meetings with government and congressional officials as well as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a congressionally funded grant-making organization that works to support freedom around the world.
"It is a victory for U.S. justice, a victory for me personally and, more importantly, for the Uyghur cause," he told RFA in Washington, after arriving in the U.S. on Nov. 9. "But I had never lost my hope of traveling to the United States all these years," he said.
Terror list
Dolkun Isa said he was placed number three among Uyghurs on the Chinese terrorist list in 2003.
"Maybe, the U.S. authorities at first believed the Chinese accusations but after several years of investigations, they finally did not believe the Chinese accusations," said Dolkun Isa, whose World Uyghur Congress speaks out on issues affecting Uyghurs inside Xinjiang and the Uyghur exile community around the world.
"The Chinese government has for several years been trying to stop all activities of the World Uyghur Congress and they have also attacked me. Sometimes, they have succeeded," he said.
He said that he had not been involved in any terrorism-related or unlawful activities when he was in China.
The Chinese Ministry of Public Security had accused some of those on the terror list of being linked to separatist violence in the Xinjiang region but exile groups believe Beijing is exaggerating the terrorism threat to crack down on Uyghurs in Xinjiang and abroad.
Previous attempts
Dolkun Isa said that he first attempted to apply for a U.S. visa in 1999 to attend a U.S. congressional meeting when he was a refugee in Germany.
"I went to the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt to get a visa. But I was taken from the U.S. consulate to the German police office," he said, adding that he suspected that his name was on the Interpol list.
In 2006, after he obtained German citizenship, he flew to the United States without applying for a visa, based on the understanding that Germans are covered by a U.S. visa-waiver program.
"At the Dulles airport in Washington, I was stopped and after 23 hours, and the immigration authorities sent me back to Germany. They did not say exactly the reason for not letting me enter the country but my impression was I have been put on a blacklist of the State Department," he said.
Now that the U.S. has decided to allow him into the country, he hoped that other countries that had denied him entry, such as Turkey and South Korea, would also allow him to travel there to meet with exile Uyghur communities.
No 'blacklist'
When asked to comment on Dolkun Isa's case, U.S. officials said they cannot speak on specific visa cases because those records are confidential but stressed that the State Department does not have any "blacklist" for travelers.
But the department maintains a database, called CLASS, that has over 39 million records on those who may be inadmissible to the United States, the officials told RFA. The entries to the database are added by U.S. government agencies.
There are various conditions, including security-related conditions, imposed on citizens of countries covered under the visa-waiver program and wishing to travel to the United States, the officials said.
In addition, a visa only authorizes a traveler to approach the port of entry into the United States.
"The Department of Homeland Security has the final say on who can be admitted to the United States," a State Department official said.
Still, Nury Turkel, a Uyghur American attorney based in Washington, described Dolkan Isa's visit to the United States as a "political victory" for all Uyghurs, saying the Chinese government was trying to curtail the Uyghur freedom movement domestically and internationally.
"This is a big slap in the face of the Chinese," he said.
Reported by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.
Analysis: Sri Lanka’s long road to reconciliation
Analysis: Sri Lanka’s long road to reconciliation:
 | PUTHUKKUDIYIRUPPU, 9 November 2012 (IRIN) - Genzia Mary, 10, is fascinated by the buses arriving in northern Sri Lanka, their jovial travellers singing in a language that, until two years ago, was completely foreign to her. |
NIGERIA: Floodwaters recede but millions remain displaced
NIGERIA: Floodwaters recede but millions remain displaced:
 | BAYELSA/WARRI/DAKAR, 9 November 2012 (IRIN) - Efforts to repair infrastructure and restore livelihoods destroyed by Nigeria's recent flooding - the worst in five decades - require urgent funding and will take six months or longer, say aid agencies. |
GUINEA-BISSAU: Fear amid human rights abuses
GUINEA-BISSAU: Fear amid human rights abuses:
 | BISSAU, 9 November 2012 (IRIN) - A 21 October attack in Guinea-Bissau - when soldiers stormed barracks near Bissau's main airport, targeting military figures and leaving six people dead - has provoked more fear than the numerous coups and counter-coups of recent years. |
ETHIOPIA-SOMALIA: The cost of being a good neighbour
ETHIOPIA-SOMALIA: The cost of being a good neighbour:
 | DOLLO ADO, 12 November 2012 (IRIN) - Ethiopians would like to continue to be good Samaritans to the hundreds of thousands seeking refuge from drought and conflict in neighbouring Somalia, but massive camps in fragile environments have sparked concern among both the government and the people sharing space with the refugees. |
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Diagnosis difficulties behind pneumonia spread
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Diagnosis difficulties behind pneumonia spread:
 | BANGUI, 12 November 2012 (IRIN) - In a bid to increase the low level of awareness of pneumonia in the Central African Republic (CAR), where the disease is the biggest killer of children under five, a wide-ranging media campaign has been launched. |
SWAZILAND: HIV stigma still a barrier
SWAZILAND: HIV stigma still a barrier:
 | MBABANE, 12 November 2012 (IRIN) - Stigma against HIV-positive people is hobbling national efforts to encourage testing, and more people to access antiretrovirals (ARVs), according to findings from a stigma index compiled by Swazis living with HIV. |
SIERRA LEONE: Elections – sampling opinions in the diamond-rich east
SIERRA LEONE: Elections – sampling opinions in the diamond-rich east:
 | KONO, 13 November 2012 (IRIN) - On 17 November Sierra Leone will head to the polls as President Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC) and his main rival Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) face off in what will be the country's third election since the end of an 11-year civil war. |
CAMEROON: New cassava species could boost food security
CAMEROON: New cassava species could boost food security:
 | YAOUNDE, 13 November 2012 (IRIN) - Scientists and farmers' associations have high hopes that a variety of cassava could help build their resilience to droughts and food insecurity. |
ZIMBABWE: Succumbing to the debt trap
ZIMBABWE: Succumbing to the debt trap:
 | HARARE, 13 November 2012 (IRIN) - When Davis Moyo* was retrenched from his job at a financial institution in the Zimbabwean capital Harare last year, he counted himself lucky when he found another job almost immediately, and even luckier when he secured a loan to start a chicken-rearing business that he hoped would supplement his salary. |
Brazil jails Lula's ex-aide for vote buying
Brazil jails Lula's ex-aide for vote buying: Jose Dirceu, former chief of staff for popular president, is sentenced to nearly 11 years for role in electoral fraud.
Yellow fever kills 107 in Sudan's Darfur area
Yellow fever kills 107 in Sudan's Darfur area: The World Health Organisation says more than 500 million people in Africa are at risk of infection.
Israel and Gaza reach tacit truce
Israel and Gaza reach tacit truce: Brokered by Egypt, both sides agree to hold fire but warn to resume fighting if attacked again.
Afghan Warlord Ismail Khan’s Call to Arms Rattles Kabul
Afghan Warlord Ismail Khan’s Call to Arms Rattles Kabul: Ismail Khan, a former mujahedeen commander, is calling on his followers to reorganize and defend the country as Western militaries withdraw.
Tribal Crime Rises, but Washington Still Pulls Back
Tribal Crime Rises, but Washington Still Pulls Back: The federal government has cut its law enforcement efforts on Indian lands even as rates of murder and rape there have increased, according to data.
False Posts on Facebook Undermine Its Credibility
False Posts on Facebook Undermine Its Credibility: Fake accounts and fraudulent “likes” are an especially acute problem for Facebook as it has sought to distinguish itself as a place for real identity on the Web.
Concern Grows Over Top Military Officers’ Ethics
Concern Grows Over Top Military Officers’ Ethics: David H. Petraeus’s resignation comes during a year when a large number of senior officers were investigated and fired for poor judgment and sexual improprieties.
Tainted Water in California Farmworker Communities
Tainted Water in California Farmworker Communities: Dozens of small and predominantly Latino communities in the Central Valley region of California continue to be plagued by contaminated drinking water.
Media Decoder: New Editor for a Shrinking Washington Post
Media Decoder: New Editor for a Shrinking Washington Post: Marcus Brauchli, hired in 2008 after working at The Wall Street Journal, is stepping down as top editor as The Post continues to grapple with the challenges of a difficult business environment for newspapers.
News Analysis: Petraeus Case Raises Concerns About Americans’ Privacy
News Analysis: Petraeus Case Raises Concerns About Americans’ Privacy: The F.B.I. investigation that toppled David H. Petraeus, the director of the C.I.A., underscores a danger that civil libertarians have long warned about.
'No Progress' on Impunity
'No Progress' on Impunity: 
Updated at 11:30 a.m. EST on 2012-11-13
An international rights watchdog charged Tuesday that Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen’s iron-fisted rule has led to hundreds of political killings, saying the country has made “almost no progress” on addressing impunity.
More than 300 people have been killed in in the past two decades in politically motivated attacks that have gone unpunished, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a stinging report on the rights situation in the country.
None of the cases resulted in a credible investigation and conviction and instead, the perpetrators were protected by the government, HRW said in the report released ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's landmark trip to Cambodia next week to attend a regional summit.
“Instead of prosecuting officials responsible for killings and other serious abuses, Prime Minister Hun Sen has promoted and rewarded them,” HRW’s Asia director and report co-author Brad Adams said in a statement.
“The message to Cambodians is that even well-known killers are above the law if they have protection from the country’s political and military leaders.”
The report, titled “Tell Them I Want to Kill Them,” examines killings and other abuses committed in the country since the 1991 Paris Agreements, when the U.N. helped broker a peace settlement among competing political factions following the fall of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime and laid the foundations for the country’s first elections.
But despite rights protections included in the country’s constitution and Cambodia’s accession to international human rights treaties, “almost no progress has been made in tackling impunity over the past two decades” since the peace agreements, the group said.
The report is based on interviews with government officials, members of the armed forces, the police, the judiciary, parliament and other state institutions, and representatives of political parties, labor unions, the media, and human rights organizations.
'Destructive Campaign'
Cambodia's Council of Ministers Spokesman Phay Siphan denounced the report on Tuesday, saying the authorities are working to solve unsolved crimes.
“The government has never been careless about resolving those crimes. We are working gradually," he said.
'This report is [part of] a destructive campaign. They want to see the government and Cambodia look bad,” he said.
The Cambodian government has repeatedly defended its rights record against accusations from rights groups.
In June, Cambodian Secretary of State Kao Kim Hourn dismissed as a “misconception” the notion that the country nurtures impunity.
“There is no such thing as a culture of impunity [in Cambodia],” he said while on a trip to the U.S with Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.
“Anyone that carries out criminal activity [is] subjected to the due process of law in court,” he said.
Obama’s visit
Obama is scheduled to attend a meeting of the East Asia Summit, which is being hosted by Cambodia as the 2012 chair of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), on Nov. 18-20 in Phnom Penh. He will also visit Thailand and Burma on the trip.
It will be the first trip by a sitting U.S. president to Cambodia and Burma.
HRW urged Obama to use the visit to publicly demand systematic reforms and an end to impunity for "abusive" officials in Cambodia.
“On his historic first visit to Cambodia, President Obama is uniquely placed to publicly demand that Hun Sen make genuine reforms so the Cambodian people can enjoy the same rights and freedoms that Americans take for granted,” Adams said.
But so far Cambodia’s donor nations such as the U.S. have failed to press Cambodia on human rights, he said.
“Donor governments, instead of pressing for accountability, have adopted a business-as-usual approach,” Adams said.
“The lack of accountability in Cambodia needs to be addressed head-on, not ignored or downplayed, as so many foreign governments and donors have done over the past 20 years,” Adams said.
On Monday, more than 100 protesters from communities involved in five separate land disputes with the government gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh to petition Obama to press Cambodia to respect human rights and resolve the conflicts over land.
Land disputes have been cited as being at the root of Cambodia’s human rights abuses.
In August, U.N. special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia Surya Subedi submitted a report to the world body accusing the authorities of rights violations over economic land concessions granted to private companies.
In another report, Subedi also warned that Cambodia could plunge into violence if it does not reform the current electoral system to allow for fair and free elections.
Cambodia’s Ministry of the Interior has rebuffed calls for reform of the country’s election committee, saying the people see “no problem” with the voting process.
As Southeast Asia’s longest-serving prime minister, Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia since 1985, and in 2009 said he would continue to stand as a candidate until 2023.
Reported by RFA’s Khmer service. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.
Updated at 11:30 a.m. EST on 2012-11-13
An international rights watchdog charged Tuesday that Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen’s iron-fisted rule has led to hundreds of political killings, saying the country has made “almost no progress” on addressing impunity.
More than 300 people have been killed in in the past two decades in politically motivated attacks that have gone unpunished, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a stinging report on the rights situation in the country.
None of the cases resulted in a credible investigation and conviction and instead, the perpetrators were protected by the government, HRW said in the report released ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's landmark trip to Cambodia next week to attend a regional summit.
“Instead of prosecuting officials responsible for killings and other serious abuses, Prime Minister Hun Sen has promoted and rewarded them,” HRW’s Asia director and report co-author Brad Adams said in a statement.
“The message to Cambodians is that even well-known killers are above the law if they have protection from the country’s political and military leaders.”
The report, titled “Tell Them I Want to Kill Them,” examines killings and other abuses committed in the country since the 1991 Paris Agreements, when the U.N. helped broker a peace settlement among competing political factions following the fall of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime and laid the foundations for the country’s first elections.
But despite rights protections included in the country’s constitution and Cambodia’s accession to international human rights treaties, “almost no progress has been made in tackling impunity over the past two decades” since the peace agreements, the group said.
The report is based on interviews with government officials, members of the armed forces, the police, the judiciary, parliament and other state institutions, and representatives of political parties, labor unions, the media, and human rights organizations.
'Destructive Campaign'
Cambodia's Council of Ministers Spokesman Phay Siphan denounced the report on Tuesday, saying the authorities are working to solve unsolved crimes.
“The government has never been careless about resolving those crimes. We are working gradually," he said.
'This report is [part of] a destructive campaign. They want to see the government and Cambodia look bad,” he said.
The Cambodian government has repeatedly defended its rights record against accusations from rights groups.
In June, Cambodian Secretary of State Kao Kim Hourn dismissed as a “misconception” the notion that the country nurtures impunity.
“There is no such thing as a culture of impunity [in Cambodia],” he said while on a trip to the U.S with Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.
“Anyone that carries out criminal activity [is] subjected to the due process of law in court,” he said.
Obama’s visit
Obama is scheduled to attend a meeting of the East Asia Summit, which is being hosted by Cambodia as the 2012 chair of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), on Nov. 18-20 in Phnom Penh. He will also visit Thailand and Burma on the trip.
It will be the first trip by a sitting U.S. president to Cambodia and Burma.
HRW urged Obama to use the visit to publicly demand systematic reforms and an end to impunity for "abusive" officials in Cambodia.
“On his historic first visit to Cambodia, President Obama is uniquely placed to publicly demand that Hun Sen make genuine reforms so the Cambodian people can enjoy the same rights and freedoms that Americans take for granted,” Adams said.
But so far Cambodia’s donor nations such as the U.S. have failed to press Cambodia on human rights, he said.
“Donor governments, instead of pressing for accountability, have adopted a business-as-usual approach,” Adams said.
“The lack of accountability in Cambodia needs to be addressed head-on, not ignored or downplayed, as so many foreign governments and donors have done over the past 20 years,” Adams said.
On Monday, more than 100 protesters from communities involved in five separate land disputes with the government gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh to petition Obama to press Cambodia to respect human rights and resolve the conflicts over land.
Land disputes have been cited as being at the root of Cambodia’s human rights abuses.
In August, U.N. special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia Surya Subedi submitted a report to the world body accusing the authorities of rights violations over economic land concessions granted to private companies.
In another report, Subedi also warned that Cambodia could plunge into violence if it does not reform the current electoral system to allow for fair and free elections.
Cambodia’s Ministry of the Interior has rebuffed calls for reform of the country’s election committee, saying the people see “no problem” with the voting process.
As Southeast Asia’s longest-serving prime minister, Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia since 1985, and in 2009 said he would continue to stand as a candidate until 2023.
Reported by RFA’s Khmer service. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.
China Fuels 'White Gold' Trade
China Fuels 'White Gold' Trade: 
Elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns are being smuggled into China from Africa in growing numbers by transnational gangs in spite of law enforcement efforts, pointing to a need for greater public awareness to reduce demand for the prized items sought for their ornamental value or for traditional medicine, activists and officials say.
In October, a major ivory seizure in Hong Kong uncovered roughly four tons of ivory products valued at more than U.S. $3.4 million, and believed by animal welfare groups to have been taken from as many as 500 elephants.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), with offices in China, estimates that 25,000-50,000 elephants were killed for their ivory in 2011, says IFAW Asia Regional Director Grace Ge Gabriel.
“Rhino poaching is also on the rise,” Gabriel said.
“South Africa has seen over 300 rhinos killed in 2010, 400 rhinos killed last year, and this year already 400 rhinos slaughtered by poachers.”
“Most illegal ivory is destined for Asia, in particular China, where it has soared in value as an investment vehicle and is coveted as “white gold,” Gabriel said.
The trade in illegal ivory and in rhino horns—which are often used in fraudulent medical remedies—is spread throughout China, and especially in wealthier urban areas, Gabriel said.
In auction markets alone last year, Gabriel said, 11,100 pieces of ivory were sold in China at an estimated value of U.S. $94 million—an increase of more than 100 percent from 2010. And 2,750 pieces of rhino horn were auctioned for a total value of U.S. $179 million.
'Outgunned'
African governments are working hard to reduce the traffic, but in many cases find themselves “outgunned” by the well-organized criminal gangs supplying the trade, said U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Robert Hormats.
“It’s clearly a bigger problem than many of us even a year or two ago had thought it was, in terms of volume, in terms of the number of animals killed, in terms of just the sheer amount of money that is made with illegal wildlife trafficking.”
“After the arms trade and the drug trade, this is the third most lucrative trade of illegal items around the world,” Hormats said.
To help reduce the trade, Hormats said, the United States assists in awareness and enforcement efforts with groups such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Wildlife Enforcement Network and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-sponsored Asia’s Response to Endangered Species Trafficking (ARREST).
“We’re eagerly anticipating additional cooperation with other governments and with NGOs, and also with outside groups that are simply concerned about this.”
Public awareness
What is most needed now is “public education—to explain to people that when they see these pretty ivory figures in a store, that an elephant died,” Hormats said, adding that consumers should also be aware that ground-up rhinoceros horns are not real medicine.
“And this is not an attack on traditional Chinese medicine, because some traditional Chinese medicine is very effective,” Hormats said.
Ultimately, greater public awareness of the problem is key to reducing the slaughter of endangered species, agreed Peter Knights, executive director of the wildlife advocacy group WildAid, which has enlisted the help of Chinese basketball star Yao Ming in publicity efforts.
“We need to make consumption of these products socially unacceptable in consuming countries,” Knights said.
“The effort now needs to be in enforcing laws in consuming countries and raising awareness to reduce demand there.”
Reported by Richard Finney.
Elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns are being smuggled into China from Africa in growing numbers by transnational gangs in spite of law enforcement efforts, pointing to a need for greater public awareness to reduce demand for the prized items sought for their ornamental value or for traditional medicine, activists and officials say.
In October, a major ivory seizure in Hong Kong uncovered roughly four tons of ivory products valued at more than U.S. $3.4 million, and believed by animal welfare groups to have been taken from as many as 500 elephants.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), with offices in China, estimates that 25,000-50,000 elephants were killed for their ivory in 2011, says IFAW Asia Regional Director Grace Ge Gabriel.
“Rhino poaching is also on the rise,” Gabriel said.
“South Africa has seen over 300 rhinos killed in 2010, 400 rhinos killed last year, and this year already 400 rhinos slaughtered by poachers.”
“Most illegal ivory is destined for Asia, in particular China, where it has soared in value as an investment vehicle and is coveted as “white gold,” Gabriel said.
The trade in illegal ivory and in rhino horns—which are often used in fraudulent medical remedies—is spread throughout China, and especially in wealthier urban areas, Gabriel said.
In auction markets alone last year, Gabriel said, 11,100 pieces of ivory were sold in China at an estimated value of U.S. $94 million—an increase of more than 100 percent from 2010. And 2,750 pieces of rhino horn were auctioned for a total value of U.S. $179 million.
'Outgunned'
African governments are working hard to reduce the traffic, but in many cases find themselves “outgunned” by the well-organized criminal gangs supplying the trade, said U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Robert Hormats.
“It’s clearly a bigger problem than many of us even a year or two ago had thought it was, in terms of volume, in terms of the number of animals killed, in terms of just the sheer amount of money that is made with illegal wildlife trafficking.”
“After the arms trade and the drug trade, this is the third most lucrative trade of illegal items around the world,” Hormats said.
To help reduce the trade, Hormats said, the United States assists in awareness and enforcement efforts with groups such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Wildlife Enforcement Network and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-sponsored Asia’s Response to Endangered Species Trafficking (ARREST).
“We’re eagerly anticipating additional cooperation with other governments and with NGOs, and also with outside groups that are simply concerned about this.”
Public awareness
What is most needed now is “public education—to explain to people that when they see these pretty ivory figures in a store, that an elephant died,” Hormats said, adding that consumers should also be aware that ground-up rhinoceros horns are not real medicine.
“And this is not an attack on traditional Chinese medicine, because some traditional Chinese medicine is very effective,” Hormats said.
Ultimately, greater public awareness of the problem is key to reducing the slaughter of endangered species, agreed Peter Knights, executive director of the wildlife advocacy group WildAid, which has enlisted the help of Chinese basketball star Yao Ming in publicity efforts.
“We need to make consumption of these products socially unacceptable in consuming countries,” Knights said.
“The effort now needs to be in enforcing laws in consuming countries and raising awareness to reduce demand there.”
Reported by Richard Finney.
Nov 12, 2012
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