Balochistan: Continued protests and token hunger strikes against Baloch leaders arrest and military operation

A complete shutter-down was observed in Punjgoor against the arrest of BNF leaders. Protest rallies and demonstration were also held in Karachi and different areas of Balochistan.

Thousand of Baloch and non-Baloch political, social and student activists have taken part in these protests. Protesters demanded the immediate release of Baloch leaders and an end to military operation in Balochistan. Speaking at the gatherings Baloch political, social and student leaders said that Baloch struggle for Freedom is at the peak and Pakistan cannot weaken Baloch struggle by detaining our leaders and activists.

Leaders from different organisation visited the token hunger strike camps set up by Baloch activists to show their sympathy and assured their help. It is worth mentioning that Baloch activists has set up these token hunger strike camps against the army operation in Balochistan, thousands of missing person and against the recent wave of abduction of Baloch political and student leaders.

Israeli troops take grip on Gaza, civilians suffer

Israeli troops and tanks split the Gaza Strip and ringed its main city on Sunday in an offensive against Hamas that has killed 500 Palestinians, including a growing number of civilians.

Israeli tanks poured shells and machinegun-fire into suspected militant positions and war planes struck as Hamas fighters fought back with mortars and rockets.

Hamas kept up rocket attacks against southern Israel, defying efforts by the Middle East's most powerful army to achieve Israeli leaders' declared aim of removing the threat of cross-border salvoes.

"It's a very very interesting, demanding, tough first 24 hours right now, and we are committed to follow through to continue as long as needed to achieve our objectives," Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said as he met Tony Blair, the envoy of powers sponsoring Middle East peace talks.

European Union foreign policy chiefs launched a mission to seek a ceasefire in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip but acknowledged they faced a difficult task.

At least 42 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were killed on Sunday as Israeli shells slammed into houses and Gaza's main shopping district, medical sources said.

Israel has accused Hamas of using civilians in the Gaza Strip as "human shields", saying the Islamist group has been firing rockets at Israeli towns from densely populated areas and storing weapons in homes and mosques.

Among the Palestinian casualties were five civilians killed and 40 wounded when tank shells slammed into Gaza City's main shopping area. Two children were dismembered by another blast from a tank, medical workers said.

A foreign Red Crescent doctor said: "Civilians are being killed ... shells are severing people's legs, shrapnel is going into people's bodies and into people's homes, a lot of people are being cut down. Everyone is terrified."

The head of emergency services in the Gaza Strip told Al Jazeera television that three Palestinian rescue workers were killed by Israeli fire on Sunday, raising to seven the total number of medical staff who have died in nine days of bloodshed.

The Saturday night invasion of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip followed a week of Israeli bombardments from land, sea and air -- the most serious Israeli-Palestinian fighting in decades.

The total Palestinian death toll tallied by Gaza medical officials in Israel's "Operation Cast Lead" rose to 512. A UN agency said at least a quarter of the dead were civilians. A Palestinian human rights group put the figure at 40 per cent.

One Israeli soldier was killed and 32 were wounded in the ground offensive, Israel said. Four Israelis have been killed by the Hamas rocket strikes since Dec. 27.

Taliban bans co-education in restive Pakistan tribal areas

After banning girls' education in Swat district of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in Pakistan, Taliban militia Sunday imposed restrictions on co-education in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

Pamphlets attributed to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were distributed in the restive tribal areas of the country, asking school owners and teachers to close down all institutes offering co-education even at the pre-school level.

The pamphlets in Urdu asked the government to stop issuing identity cards to women "with or without pictures". According to Pakistani rules, every adult above 18 years of age has to have an identity card with his/her photo pasted on it.

The pamphlet said all co-education schools and issuance of identity cards should be stopped by Monday. "No school should open Monday with co-education," the pamphlet warned.

However, there was no mention if the girls can go to schools reserved for them in the tribal areas.

Taliban leaders in the restive Swat district declared Dec 26 that any girl found going to school after Jan 15 will be dealt with according to the "Islamic laws".

"All the private and government schools have been given a 15-day deadline to close down the female education facilities. They have also banned women from visiting markets," said Mohamed Osman, a school teacher and social worker.

"We have no choice but to follow the orders. The government cannot give us protection. Taliban runs a parallel government in 90 percent of the area of the district and they execute everyone who opposes them," Osman said.

The TTP had then said the Swat leadership of the Taliban would be asked to review the ban.

International Detention Monitor

Issue 2: December 2008 In this our second International Detention Monitor, the International Coalition on the Detention of Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants (IDC) has compiled the latest immigration detention news, member updates, resources and jobs from around the world, an IDC brief on detention of asylum seekers in Japan and developments in Malaysia. Please send items for next edition: info@idcoalition.org International Detention News Europe UK- Struggle for rights of young asylum seekers ends in triumph http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2008/11/11/109928/lifting-uncrc-reservation-offers-hope-for-asylum-seekers.html UK - Detention units 'fail on health' http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7739849.stm Italy- UN Experts Call on Italy to Uphold Human Rights in its response to immigration http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/BD8D204D07A1E588C125750100691187?opendocument France - French detention and immigration policies risk reducing human rights protection http://www.coe.int/t/commissioner/News/2008/081120FranceMemo_en.asp US Legal Orientation Program provides for more efficient immigration court system http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/nov/19/legal-orientation-program-provides-more-efficient-/ Detention of migrant women faulted by UA researcher http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/arizona/103211.php Panel Explores Psychological Effects of Torture http://cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2008/11/21/panel-explores-psychological-effects-torture US detention practice exposed http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081211/NEWS/812110329/-1/NEWS06 Asia Pacific Australia - First report on the inquiry into immigration detention http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/mig/detention/report.htm Malaysia - Thousands of Migrants Already Deported and More Being Held for Deportation http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7582793.stm The Americas The Bahamas - Gov't Tackling Immigration http://www.jonesbahamas.com/news/45/ARTICLE/18826/2008-12-04.html Africa South Africa - Notorious Detention Facility Closes http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20081122082802575C170768 For more international detention news visit: http://www.idcoalition.org

bugti tribes man shuter down strikes

11th december bugti tribes man posted nawab brahimdug bugti pictures and BRA flag in sui bazar and main choak but pakistan army raided whole city arrested many bugti shop keeper from bazar and beaten them badly and arrested more than 20 bugti and took them in their cantonment for doing torture.in the reaction of this brutal act of army bugti tribal man call for shutter down bazar and vehical jam strikes.this thing happen first time in dera bugti district to strike in such way.today 12th dec.bugti tribes man pasted nawab brahimdug,shaeed balaach marri and nawab akbar bugti in sui main bazaar and stand every where BRA and BRP flag at whole sui in road bazzar and homes after this reaction ugti tribes two thousand people carried a protest rally chanting slow against pakistan army and governement and chanting slowgun in favour of brahimdag and shaeed balaach.this rally was carried first time after shaeedat of nawab sahib.sui city was full of BRA flag.today bugti celeberated there this success step in favour of freedom fighter.this rally was in favour of BRA,BLA ,BLF.pakistan army want to flop this rally but bugti baloch resist very angerly they successed from army.first time bugti tribe show off big majority in favour of freedom fighter.this thing was happening other part of balochistan but in dera bugti it was difficult because due to two division of army deployed in dera bugti district.it was full fledge army coup in dera bugti.it was ban on protest rally raise any flag of BRA any baloch national party.today bugti tribes man broke up this ban for ever.