Lithuania jails Soviet commando for Medininkai shooting

A Lithuanian court has jailed a former Soviet commando for life for his part in the killing of seven border guards just after independence in 1991.

Konstantin Mikhailov, an ex-member of the Omon paramilitary police, was arrested in neighbouring Latvia, where he had obtained citizenship.

He denied any part in the killings, known as the Medininkai massacre.

Three other Omon members wanted by Lithuania over the killings are believed to be living in Russia.

The former Soviet republic has accused Russia of shielding them from justice.
Border dispute

"Konstantin Mikhailov committed a serious crime, and thus has been sentenced to life in prison," the judge, Viktoras Dovydaitis, told the court in the capital Vilnius.
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Mikhailov, who has 20 days to lodge an appeal against his sentence, showed no emotion as the sentence was read out, an AFP correspondent reports.

Clean-shaven and wearing jeans and a white shirt, the former policeman simply looked towards the public gallery.

Earlier, he told the court he believed the attack on the Medininkai border crossing with Belarus had been carried out by Omon based in Vilnius.

As a member of the Omon in the Latvian capital Riga, he had not been involved, he said.

The Medininkai crossing was shot up with automatic weapons on 31 July 1991.

Six guards were killed on the spot and a seventh, a customs officer, was mortally wounded.

At the time, Lithuania was seeking to erect border controls to underpin its self-declared independence from the USSR.

With the country's independence not yet recognised internationally, the legitimacy of the border was disputed, and Soviet security forces remained active in the Baltic states.

The Medininkai shooting was one of the bloodiest incidents in Moscow's failed efforts to stop Lithuania breaking away.

A few months after it occurred, the USSR formally recognised the country's independence.

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Advertisement A witness in Homs heard "severe and heavy" shooting for about three hours Continue reading the main story Syria Crisis * Ruling fa

Police in Athens have clashed with groups of demonstrators as thousands marched through the city in protest at government austerity measures.

Dozens of hooded youths hurled stones and petrol bombs at police, who responded with rounds of tear gas.

The march, called by Greek unions, is part of a 24-hour strike that has brought most public services to a halt and paralysed transport networks.

Police said there were several arrests and two police officers were hurt.

Correspondents said at least 10,000 people took part in the march, which was largely peaceful.

Thousands also took part in protests in the northern city of Thessaloniki.

The strike was called after the Greek government proposed a new austerity package to try to reduce the budget deficit and ease the country's crippling debt crisis.

Unions say the policies are making Greece's problems worse.

The violent clashes happened near to where Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou was meeting senior EU and International Monetary Fund (IMF) inspectors.
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Most Greeks I spoke to don't want the country to default on its obligations, and the average person there probably has a better idea of what a default would mean for the country in the short-term than some of the outsiders who blithely recommend it”

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Stephanie Flanders Economics editor

* BBC - Stephanomics - Greek lessons

Many Greeks are angry over job losses, tax rises and pension and wage cuts, enforced by the government to meet the terms of an international bail-out.

But there is concern that the bail-out has not worked.

Wednesday's one-day strike was called by the private sector union GSEE and the public sector union ADEDY.

A four-hour strike by air traffic controllers badly disrupted flights in a country heavily dependent on tourism.

The BBC's Nigel Cassidy in Athens noted that a large number of private sector workers had joined the strike.

"We strongly protest against the unfair and harsh policies that have pushed up unemployment, widen false employment and trample on worker rights," said the GSEE.

Unions said hospitals would be operating with skeleton staff only, schools would be closed, and all train and ferry services were being suspended.

Some banks were shut, while others were open but kept their shutters half-rolled down, fearing violence that might erupt during the day.

Last May, three bank workers died in a petrol bomb attack during anti-austerity demonstrations.
Gaping deficit

Despite its spending cuts, the government is failing to close its budget deficit as quickly as hoped - partly because the fiscal restructuring programme has compounded a recession, while unemployment has reached about 15%.

That has sapped market confidence that Greece will be able to avoid defaulting on its debts.

There is speculation that the government may need a further international loan, so that it does not need to raise capital on the markets, where it would face punishingly high interest rates.

The European Union's Economic Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said on Tuesday that talk of a new rescue package was "premature".

An EU mission is in Athens this week to review Greece's progress on meeting the terms of the 110bn euros ($158bn; £97bn) joint EU-IMF emergency bail-out agreed last year.

It has another two years to run and the mission's assessment will be key to deciding whether Athens will be offered better terms on the loans.

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Syria tanks 'shell' protest city of Homs

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A witness in Homs heard "severe and heavy" shooting for about three hours
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Syria Crisis

* Ruling family dynamics
* Protests mapped
* President's inner circle
* Protest leaders

Syrian army tanks have been shelling the third biggest city of Homs, as security forces continue their nationwide crackdown on weeks of anti-government protests.

Several reports say the residential district of Bab Amro came under attack in the early hours of the morning.

Towns around Deraa in the south have been raided and a western suburb of the capital Damascus has been cut off.

Thousands have reportedly been arrested and hundreds killed in the crackdown.

The Syrian government insists it is pursuing "armed terrorist gangs".

It says it has seized arms and ammunition as well as 150 motorbikes it says the "terrorists" were using to launch attacks.

Meanwhile, diplomats at the United Nations say international pressure following the crackdown has caused Syria to drop its plans to run for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.

There has been no official confirmation of the move.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Syria to take a softer line.

"I urge again President [Bashar al-]Assad to heed calls for reform and freedom and to desist from excessive force and mass arrest of peaceful demonstrators," he told journalists.
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Analysis
image of Jim Muir Jim Muir BBC News, Beirut, Lebanon

Any kind of protest in a country as rigidly controlled as Syria is dangerous, and the authorities are very worried about the fire spreading to all areas. Indeed there have been signs of protest and revolt in practically every part of the country.

However, the big cities - Aleppo and Damascus itself - have not been fully caught up in this revolt. There have been some little protests there, very quickly stifled - the security is all pervasive there. But the population has not risen up as in Cairo or Tunisia, they haven't come out in their hundreds or thousands and until that happens the regime won't be mortally threatened.

But it is facing its biggest threat in more than 40 years of rule by the Assad family and the Baath party, and it's taking no chances.

He said he was disappointed that Syria had not yet allowed an international aid assessment team access to Deraa, where the unrest began in March, despite assurances from Mr Assad.
Under siege

The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut, the capital of neighbouring Lebanon, says that despite the crackdown, solidarity demonstrations are being reported from many parts of the country.

It seems that as soon as the flames are stifled in one area, they break out somewhere else, he adds.

One resident in Homs told the BBC that Bab Amro district had been under siege for four days, with no water, electricity or access to medical care.

He said there had been clashes between security forces and residents, who resisted troops with hunting rifles.

It has not been possible to verify the account.

Reports said heavy shelling began in Bab Amro at about 0530 (0230 GMT) on Wednesday, and that hundreds of troops were moving into the area.

One eyewitness reported seeing three dead bodies in the centre of the district.

Another said there had been a "cautious calm" in the area since 0700, "only interrupted by occasional sounds of gunfire".

A third eyewitness told the BBC security in Homs was extremely tight.

"Always when we go on the streets, around our jobs and the city centre we find the tanks on the bridges," he said.

"They divided the city into three or four regions ... and inspect everybody who comes in. Nobody can go out.

"We see the tanks with [many] soldiers, fully armed, and we hear the sounds of firing from inside these regions. But we have no ability to go there to see what's happening or to give food or to give help to the injured people."

There are reports of theft and looting, and that the main shopping centre in the area has been badly damaged by bombing.
Situation 'normal'

In the town of Jassem, north of Deraa, mass demonstrations continued into the night even as the troops and tanks started to move in.
Anti-government protests in Homs, Syria (6 May 2011) Homs reportedly has no water, electricity or medical care

Jassem and other towns in the area have been surrounded by security forces for several days, declaring their defiance through frequent peaceful protests.

Nearby Deraa has been cut off by troops and tanks for over two weeks, with dozens killed and hundreds arrested.

The government says the situation there is now normal, but it has not allowed UN relief missions in.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 621 civilians and 120 security personnel have been killed since demonstrations pro-democracy protests began in March. Another Syrian rights group, Sawasiah, says more than 800 civilians have been killed.

Officials dispute the civilian toll and say about 100 soldiers have died.

Foreign journalists have not been allowed to enter Syria, so reports from the country are difficult to verify independently.

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Uganda opposition leader Kizza Besigye 'allowed home'

Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye has told the BBC he has now been allowed to return home after saying hours earlier he had been barred.

Initially he said he was prevented from boarding a flight from Nairobi to Uganda after receiving medical treatment in Kenya.

The Ugandan government denied taking any action to block his return.

President Yoweri Museveni, who defeated Dr Besigye in February's election, is to be sworn in on Thursday.

Dr Besigye, who says the election was rigged, was violently arrested during a protest in Uganda two weeks ago and his eyesight was damaged by pepper spray.

He had told the BBC from Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta international airport: "The Ugandan government had told the Kenya Airways chief executive that if they board us the aircraft will not be allowed to land in Uganda and that we were not welcome and that therefore they had absolutely nothing to do if they wanted to fly to Uganda but offload us."

Later he told the BBC that he had been given permission to return but could not say why the authorities had reversed their decision.

He said his wife had been negotiating with staff at the Kenya Airways office in Nairobi.

The BBC's Anne Mawathe at Nairobi airport says Dr Besigye is booked on a flight leaving at 1800 (1500 GMT).
Heavy security

Uganda's information minister, Kabakumba Matsiko, told the BBC the government had not told Kenya Airways to stop Dr Besigye from boarding its flight from Nairobi to Entebbe, outside Kampala.

"We were surprised when the FDC (Forum for Democratic Change - Dr Besigye's party) started spreading this rumour that the government had blocked Besigye from coming back," she told the BBC's Newshour programme.
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Ugandan women stage protest in Kampala over high prices - 9 May 2011

* Kizza Besigye in profile
* Would Museveni recognise his former self?
* Ugandan opposition sprayed pink

"The government has nothing to do with Besigye not coming to Uganda. We're waiting for Besigye to come back and all the preparations have been made."

She said all airlines had been told Dr Besigye was free to travel.

Whether the confusion was a misunderstanding or a ploy to disrupt the opposition's plans to welcome Dr Besigye home and to hold a rally is not clear, says the BBC's Will Ross in Kampala.

But the return of Dr Besigye in time for Mr Museveni's inauguration presents an awkward scenario, our correspondent adds, with the possibility of his supporters gathering in large numbers.

The security forces have been deployed in large numbers in Entebbe and along the 40km (25 mile) route into Kampala.

The opposition has planned another of its regular protests over high prices on Thursday.
Pink spray

In the last week, the opposition has stepped up its campaign over inflation, which has led to recent clashes between the police and protesters.

Kizza Besigye's car was attacked during a demonstration in Kampala on 28 April. He was doused in pepper spray and suffered injuries to his eyes as police arrested him.

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Opposition politician Olara Otunnu was one of those sprayed pink by police in Kampala on Tuesday

The following day, two people were killed and 90 injured when police fired bullets and tear gas at crowds protesting against Mr Besigye's arrest.

On Tuesday, opposition demonstrators were doused in pink liquid by police as they tried to hold a banned rally in Kampala.

President Museveni has said that, in an effort to curb riots, he wants a new law to deny bail for six months to those arrested while protesting.

Mr Museveni has been in power for 25 years and was re-elected to a fourth term in February in polls that Dr Besigye says were rigged.

The two used to be colleagues, with Dr Besigye serving as Mr Museveni's personal physician when they were in the bush fighting President Milton Obote's government in the early 1980s.

Dr Besigye had a role in government when Mr Museveni took power but they fell out about 10 years ago.

Dr Besigye left the country but returned in 2005 with the introduction of multi-party politics.

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Libya rebels 'capture Misrata airport'

Libyan rebels have captured Misrata airport, driving back troops loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi, reports say.

Hundreds of rebels were celebrating in the streets after pro-Gaddafi forces fled, leaving behind tanks that were set on fire, witnesses said.

Government forces have been pounding the western city, which remains largely under rebel control, for weeks.

Its port has become a lifeline for supplying civilians and for evacuating wounded people fleeing the fighting.

Meanwhile, explosions were reported in the capital Tripoli on Wednesday, after Nato said its planes had carried out 6,000 missions over Libya since it assumed command of military operations there at the end of March.

The air strikes have helped secure rebels in their strongholds in eastern Libya, but observers say it remains unclear to what extent they have loosened Col Gaddafi's grip on western Libya.
Bodies in street

Witnesses said Misrata airport fell after hours of fighting between rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces overnight.
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Misrata under siege
Detail of Misrata city centre

* See the whole interactive map of Misrata

The bodies of pro-government forces could be seen lying in the street as the rebels celebrated their victory, correspondents said. A dozen rebels were said to have been wounded in the fighting.

As well as burning government tanks, the rebels said they had captured 40 Grad rockets from the regime troops, AFP news agency reported.

Libya's third-largest city, Misrata is the only significant western rebel holdout, and is strategically important because of its deep-sea port.

Though the rebels are said to be better organised than those in eastern Libya, and have, for example, set up a network of makeshift arms factories, their campaign is still an improvised affair.

Government forces have sown anti-shipping mines off the harbour, used Russian-made Grad rockets to scatter anti-vehicle mines in the port, and set fuel storage tanks ablaze with missile strikes, according to rebels and human rights groups.

Pro-Gaddafi troops in civilian areas are also using Spanish-made cluster bombs, Human Rights Watch and other agencies say.

Libya's government says militants inspired by al-Qaeda are fighting with rebel forces in Misrata. It says it is trying to protect civilians from rebels, and that doctors in the city were "trying to give a bad image of Misrata" to encourage more direct Nato intervention.
'Internal repression'

Following a wave of revolutions across the region, Libya's uprising was sparked by February's arrest of a human rights campaigner in the eastern city of Benghazi that rapidly spread to other cities.

Authorities used aircraft to attack protesters, prompting the resignation of many Libyan diplomats as rebel forces called on Col Gaddafi to relinquish his five-decade rule and open Libya up to a more democratic rule.

France and Italy have recognised the Benghazi-based opposition Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

The EU has frozen the assets of Col Gaddafi and members of his family, and banned the supply of arms, ammunition and any equipment that could be used for "internal repression".

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"Economic adviser" to Obama charged with forgery in Cambodia

Ray Dam (C) and Suos Saroeun (R) (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

Dec 23, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - Police in Cambodia arrested a man claiming to be an adviser to US President Barack Obama and head of an international finance organization that stores its assets in caves and sunken ships.

Ray Dam and associate Soush Saroeun were charged with forgery Monday after being arrested at Dam's home in Phnom Penh. They were accused of forging documents alleging connections with HSBC Bank, the US government and the United Nations.

The pair had been operating a self-described international real-estate consultancy known as Asia Real Property out of modern offices in the Cambodian capital.

Asia Real Property's promotional materials identified the firm as a subsidiary of a group called the Office of International Treasury Control that claimed to be 'the largest single owner of gold and platinum bullion in the world,' holding cash and treasure in a variety of clandestine locations.

'Much of the treasure is buried in tunnels, bunkers and caves and in sunken ships,' the group said in an investment presentation. 'Further treasures are hidden all around the world.'

Dam is identified on the group's website as the 'sole arbiter ... of the Tripartite Gold Commission,' which was a post-World War II organization that searched for gold stolen by Nazi Germany and was dissolved in 1998. The website also said Dam was an adviser to Obama and his predecessor George W Bush.

Police said Dam and Saroeun had been advertising financial services to foreign joint venture partners in company documents claiming a connection to HSBC Bank. If convicted, they face a maximum of 16 years in prison.

According to an investigation report from police, Dam was born in Cambodia, fleeing the country for the US in the 1970s before returning in the early '90s. US embassy officials said they had been unable to confirm whether he holds US citizenship.

Officials from Cambodia's Ministry of Finance lodged a complaint against Dam and Saroeun after learning that the pair were operating without a real-estate licence. A government spokesman said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had ordered an investigation after learning that Dam had been posing as an adviser to the president of Cambodia's Senate

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The view from outside the city

Thursday, 23 December 2010
Neang Sokchea & Kounila Keo
The Phnom Penh Post

Ever since urban centres were formed in Cambodia, usually around centres of trade and industrythere has been an understanding gap between people living in the rural areas and people who became accustomed to life in the city.

Ethnic groups tended to stay in the rural areas, and because they have been separated from places like Phnom Penh, they are seen, and often see themselves as foreigners in their own country when they come to the capital city.

In order to facilitate a greater sense of understanding and community between rural and urban populations, Khmer Community Development, officially established in 2005, invited 750 youth from 7 minority groups in Cambodia to join each other for a weekend of dialogue, activities and developing relationships.

Ngach Pheaktra, a tenth grader from Mondulkiri province, took part in the camping activity and said that, because this was his first trip to Phnom Penh, he sometimes felt like an outsider.

“I feel strange walking along the buildings and houses here. They are all made of brick, while our houses back in our villages are made of wood,” he said, adding that his home doesn’t have too many mosquitoes and he rarely goes on difficult journeys, but his homeland does have mountains, trees and wild animals.

Ngach Pheaktra says Phnom Penh seems much more dangerous, with all of the vehicles moving around the city. “I do not feel secure at all when I am in Phnom Penh. I heard of robbery and rape,” he said. “Compared to Phnom Penh, my village is much better off and safer,” he added.

For Kham Sopheap, a 17-year-old and twelfth grader from Rattanakiri province who is part of one of the ethic minorities in the area, told Lift that she can hardly breathe in Phnom Penh, unlike here village where there are plenty of trees and therefore lots of fresh ait. As a child, she faced a discrimination from students who asked her why she even came to school when she could not speak any Khmer. By the time she was eight, however, she was able to speak Khmer well enough to converse with her classmates.

“There are some things I like about Phnom Penh and other things I don’t like,” she said. “I like it for its amusement parks and the Royal Palace, but I certainly do not like when Phnom Penh is too crowded.”

Lat Bunart, an eleventh grader from Ratanakiri, said that she feels like Phnom Penh is a place only for wealthy people, whereas her village doesn’t require people to be rich. “People in my village are so friendly and welcome the poor and the rich, but people here seem so busy with their businesses and work,” she said. “In our village we spend the day farming and have much more free time to enjoy life.”

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