Local humanitarian workers dying in silence, Red Cross warns

Local humanitarian workers dying in silence, Red Cross warns
Lebanese Red Cross members stand near a site hit by an Israeli strike, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Marjayoun, Lebabon, near the border with Israel, October 27, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 28 October 2024
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Local humanitarian workers dying in silence, Red Cross warns

Local humanitarian workers dying in silence, Red Cross warns
  • Their deaths are soaring amid clashes in Mideast, Sudan, Ukraine and Myanmar

GENEVA: Local staff and volunteers — the backbone of aid agencies providing help in the world’s worst conflicts — are dying in ever greater numbers. Yet few seem to notice, the head of the Red Cross said in an interview on Monday.

“Almost 95 percent of the humanitarians who are killed are actually the local staff and local volunteers,” Jagan Chapagain, the secretary-general of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

But while the killing of an international staff member of large humanitarian organizations can spark global outrage, there is often little attention paid when a local aid worker suffers the same fate.

“Unfortunately, when a local staffer or volunteer gets killed, it gets hardly any attention,” Chapagain said.

The issue is of particular concern this year, one of the deadliest for humanitarians, with aid worker deaths soaring as conflicts rage in the Middle East, Sudan, Ukraine and Myanmar, among others.

“It has been really the worst year for humanitarian actors, particularly the ones from the local communities,” Chapagain said.

Since the beginning of this year alone, 30 of the network’s volunteers have been killed worldwide, while within the UN system, “they have lost hundreds,” he said.

He decried a clear “erosion” in the respect for international humanitarian law and the principles requiring humanitarians to be protected.

Growing disregard for international law in conflict was significantly “increasing the situation of extreme exposures (and) risk for our humanitarian workers, (with) volunteers getting shot, ambulances getting attacked.”

Respect for the Red Cross Red Crescent emblem, and for people wearing the network’s signatory red vest has “eroded significantly,” he warned.

Asked if he believed humanitarians were being deliberately targeted, he said: “Definitely. Unfortunately, the numbers speak for themselves.”

Chapagain said the IFRC was “seriously, seriously concerned” about the growing dangers facing humanitarians and warned that more people could die if humanitarian workers are not protected.

His IFRC will along with the International Committee of the Red Cross kick off their quadrennial international conference in Geneva on Monday, which is due to focus heavily on the need to boost compliance with international humanitarian law.

It will include participants from the 191 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, whose staff and volunteers are frequently the ones on the frontlines in conflicts and in the communities under attack.

Chapagain said his team estimated that when “a local gets harmed compared to an international who gets harmed, the attention is one to 500 ratio.”

“Any death is appalling, and we cannot accept that. But what we would also like to see is the same outrage when any humanitarians lose their life.”

“This is something super, super important, because globally... most of the people who are on the frontline providing ... assistance are the people from the local communities,” he said.

“Their lives should be as sacred as anyone else’s.”


Popular actor in southern India freed on bail after spending night in jail in stampede case

Popular actor in southern India freed on bail after spending night in jail in stampede case
Updated 9 min 28 sec ago
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Popular actor in southern India freed on bail after spending night in jail in stampede case

Popular actor in southern India freed on bail after spending night in jail in stampede case
  • Woman was killed in stampede during screening of Allu Arjun’s “Pushpa 2: The Rule” Bollywood flick 
  • Victim’s husband filed case against Arjun for not informing police of actor’s plan to attend screening

NEW DELHI: A popular actor in southern India was released from jail on bail on Saturday, a day after he was arrested by police in connection with a stampede that led to the death of a woman at the premiere of his movie earlier this month.

A 35-year-old woman died and her 8-year-old son was critically injured in the stampede, which occurred during the screening of Allu Arjun’s release for “Pushpa 2: The Rule” in southern Telangana state’s Hyderabad city on Dec. 4.

Arjun was arrested after the woman’s husband filed a case against him, his security team, and the theater’s management for not informing police of the actor’s plan to attend the screening, which resulted in a larger-than-expected crowd. Police charged the actor, his security team, and the theater’s management staff with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Police have already arrested the theater’s owner and two of his employees in connection with the case.

A local court on Friday ordered the actor to spend 14 days in jail, but within hours the Telangana High Court granted him bail. However, the actor had to spend the night in jail because prison authorities did not receive a copy of the bail until late Friday, the Press Trust of India reported.

The accident happened after the 41-year-old actor made a surprise appearance at a local theater where the movie was being screened. As his fans surged toward the venue, the theater’s main gate collapsed, resulting in the stampede.

The actor did not comment on the police charges or his arrest. But shortly after the accident, Arjun wrote on the social platform X that he was “heartbroken by the tragic incident.” He later announced financial assistance of $29,000 for the woman’s family and promised to take care of the medical expenses for her injured son.

Deadly stampedes are relatively common in India, where large crowds gather in small areas with shoddy infrastructure and few crowd safety measures.


South Korea’s parliament votes to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol

South Korea’s parliament votes to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol
Updated 31 sec ago
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South Korea’s parliament votes to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol

South Korea’s parliament votes to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol
  • Growing number from president’s party support impeachment

SEOUL: South Korean lawmakers on Saturday voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, a move that shocked the country, split his party and imperilled his presidency half way through his term.

His move to impose military rule on Dec. 3 was rescinded barely six hours later after parliament defied troops and police to vote against the decree, but it plunged the country into a constitutional crisis and triggered widespread calls for him to step down for breaking the law.

Yoon’s conservative People Power Party boycotted the first impeachment vote a week earlier, preventing a quorum.

Since then, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon has urged party members to vote for impeachment on Saturday, and at least seven PPP members have said they would vote to impeach.

The opposition parties control 192 of the 300 seats in the single-chamber parliament so they need at least eight PPP votes to reach the two-thirds threshold for impeachment.

Ahn Cheol-soo, a PPP lawmaker among those backing Yoon’s impeachment, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that he would vote for impeachment “for the sake of swift stabilization of people’s livelihood, economy and diplomacy.”

The PPP floor leader said on Friday, however, that the party’s stance is still to oppose impeachment.

PPP lawmakers are due to meet on Saturday morning to decide whether to change that position.

If impeached, Yoon would lose authority but remain in office until the Constitutional Court either removes or reinstates him. In the meantime, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would serve as acting president.

If the court removes Yoon or he resigns, a presidential election must be held within 60 days.

Yoon is separately under criminal investigation for alleged insurrection over the martial law declaration and authorities have banned him from traveling overseas.

He has not signalled a willingness to resign and in a speech on Thursday vowed he would “fight to the end” and defended the martial law decree as necessary to overcome political deadlock and protect the country from domestic politicians who are undermining democracy.

Yoon, president of Asia’s fourth-largest economy, hopes political allies will rally to support him, but the fiery remarks appeared to find mixed reception among PPP lawmakers.

A Gallup Korea poll on Friday had two-thirds of supporters of Yoon’s party opposing the impeachment, though three-quarters of all respondents supported it.

Elected in 2022, Yoon was widely welcomed in Washington and other Western capitals for his rhetoric defending global democracy and freedom, but critics said that masked growing problems at home.

He clashed with opposition lawmakers that he has labelled as “anti-state forces” and press freedom organizations have criticized his heavy-handed approach to media coverage that he deems negative.

The crisis and ensuing uncertainty shook financial markets and threatened to undermine South Korea’s reputation as a stable, democratic success story.

South Korean shares rose for a fourth straight session on Friday on hopes that the political uncertainty would ease after this weekend’s parliamentary impeachment vote.


One dead, dozens missing in Greece migrant boat sinking

One dead, dozens missing in Greece migrant boat sinking
Updated 4 min 18 sec ago
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One dead, dozens missing in Greece migrant boat sinking

One dead, dozens missing in Greece migrant boat sinking
  • An Italian frigate and helicopters were operating at the site, with more ships heading to the area

Athens: One man died late Saturday when a migrant boat sank off Crete, Greece’s coast guard said, leaving 40 people reportedly missing while 39 survivors were rescued.
The boat sank 12 nautical miles southwest of the island, according to ERTNEWS, which reported the 40 missing.
A huge rescue operation is under way in the sea south of the island of Gavdos after the boat capsized shortly after midnight, the coast guard said.
An Italian frigate and helicopters were operating at the site, with more ships heading to the area.
Local media said another man was taken by helicopter to hospital in the city of Chania on Crete and was admitted to intensive care.
Greece has seen a 25-percent increase overall this year in the number of migrants entering, fleeing war and poverty, with a 30-percent increase to Rhodes and the southeast Aegean, according to the migration ministry.
Several similar accidents have struck in recent weeks. In the last one in late November, eight migrants, six of them minors, died north of the island of Samos, on a route frequently used by people smugglers.


Thai police detain 2 suspects after a bomb in a border province killed 3 and injured scores

Thai police detain 2 suspects after a bomb in a border province killed 3 and injured scores
Updated 49 min 12 sec ago
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Thai police detain 2 suspects after a bomb in a border province killed 3 and injured scores

Thai police detain 2 suspects after a bomb in a border province killed 3 and injured scores
  • Local police said at least 48 people were injured and that police have not yet pressed charges against the suspects as the investigation is ongoing
  • Local police said there was a fight between rival groups of men before the explosion and that there was no wider security threat

BANGKOK: Thai police on Saturday said two suspects were in custody as authorities investigated a bombing in the north that killed at least three people and injured dozens of others.
An explosive device was thrown into a crowd during an outdoor performance at an annual festival in Umphang town in Tak province, which borders Myanmar, on Friday just before midnight, according to the Association of the Umphang Rescue Groups.
Local police said at least 48 people were injured and that police have not yet pressed charges against the suspects as the investigation is ongoing.
Thanathip Sawangsang, a spokesperson for the Defense Ministry, said that local police said there was a fight between rival groups of men before the explosion and that there was no wider security threat. He said the forensic evidence showed that the explosive device was a homemade bomb.
Tak province has a heavy military presence in its border areas, including in Umphang.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed her condolences to the victims and their families, and ordered security personnel and relevant agencies in the area to investigate and help those who have been affected, said government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsap.


The Detroit area’s many Syrians are celebrating Assad’s overthrow and planning long-delayed visits

The Detroit area’s many Syrians are celebrating Assad’s overthrow and planning long-delayed visits
Updated 14 December 2024
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The Detroit area’s many Syrians are celebrating Assad’s overthrow and planning long-delayed visits

The Detroit area’s many Syrians are celebrating Assad’s overthrow and planning long-delayed visits
  • Nizam Abazid says he’s excited to see the country of his birth for the first time since 1998 but that he can now return without fear.

DEARBORN: Nizam Abazid is gleefully planning his first trip in decades to Syria, where he grew up. Rama Alhoussaini was only 6 years old when her family moved to the US, but she’s excited about the prospect of introducing her three kids to relatives they’ve never met in person.
They are among thousands of Detroit-area Syrian Americans who are celebrating the unexpected overthrow of the Syrian government, which crushed dissent and imprisoned political enemies with impunity during the more than 50-year reign of ousted President Bashar Assad and his father before him.
“As of Saturday night, the Assad regime is no longer in power,” Alhoussaini, 31, said through tears Tuesday at one of the Detroit-area school and day care facilities her family operates. “And it’s such a surreal moment to even say that out loud, because I never thought that I would see this day.”
It may be some time before either visits Syria. Though happy to see Assad go, many Western countries are waiting for the dust to settle before committing to a Syria strategy, including whether it’s safe for the millions who fled the country’s civil war to return.
Ahmad Al-Sharaa, who led the insurgency that toppled Assad after an astonishing advance that took less than two weeks, has disavowed his group’s former ties to Al-Qaeda and cast himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. But the US still labels him a terrorist and warns against any travel to Syria, where the US hasn’t had an embassy since 2012, the year after the war started.
But for Syrians in the US who have been unable to visit, the overthrow of the Assad government has given them hope that they can safely return, either for good or to visit.
“The end of the regime is the hope for all the Syrian people,” Abazid said this week, days after Assad and his family fled to Russia.
Abazid said he could go to Syria whenever, since he holds dual US and Syrian citizenship, but that he’ll wait a few months for things there to settle down.
Although European leaders have said it’s not safe enough yet to allow war-displaced refugees to return to Syria, Abazid said he and his brother aren’t concerned.
“When Assad’s forces were in power, my fate would’ve been in jail or beheaded,” Abazid said. “But now, I will not be worried about that anymore.”
Many Syrians who immigrated to the US settled in the Detroit area. Michigan has the largest concentration of Arab Americans of any state and is home to the country’s largest Arab-majority city, Dearborn. It also has more than 310,000 residents who are of Middle Eastern or North African descent.
As rebel forces seized control of Syria, capping a lightning-quick advance that few thought possible even a month ago, Syrians in and around Detroit — like their counterparts all over the world — followed along in disbelief as reports poured in about one city after another slipping from Assad’s grip. When news broke that Assad’s government had fallen, celebrations erupted.
Abazid, who owns a cellphone business in Dearborn, was born in Daraa, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of the Syrian capital, Damascus. He moved to the US in 1984 at age 18, and although he’s gone back a few times, he hasn’t visited since 1998 because of what he described as “harassment” by Syrian intelligence. That trip had to be heavily coordinated with US authorities, as he said Syrian authorities took him into custody and detained him for more than six months during a 1990 visit.
“When I was kidnapped from the airport, my family didn’t even know ... what it was about,” he told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “I still don’t know the reason. I have no idea why I was kidnapped.”
Abazid, 59, said his parents have died since that 1998 trip, but his five sisters still live in Syria. Each of his four brothers left Syria during the 1970s and 1980s, including one who hasn’t been back since emigrating 53 years ago, shortly after Bashar Assad’s father, Hafez Assad, rose to power.
Alhoussaini, who lives in West Bloomfield Township, said she was born in Damascus and moved to the Detroit area as a young girl, “mainly because there was nothing left for us in Syria.”
She said under the Assad family’s rule, her grandfather’s land was taken. Authorities detained him for almost a month. Her father was also detained before the family left.
“There never needed to be a reason,” Alhoussaini said. “My dad was able to return one time, in 2010. And he has not been able to go back to his home country since, mainly because we spoke up against the Assad regime when the revolution started in 2011. And we attended many protests here. We were vocal on social media about it, did many interviews.”
But with Bashar Assad gone and Syria in the hands of the rebels, “We don’t have to be afraid anymore to visit our country,” she said.
Her father, 61, is considering making a trip to Syria to see his siblings and visit his parents’ graves. Alhoussaini said she and her husband, who is from the northern city of Aleppo, want to take their kids over to visit with family and friends.
Alhoussaini’s three sisters, ages 40, 34 and 29, were also born in Syria. But none of them have been back.
Now, there is hope and amazement that people in Syria can celebrate in the streets, she said.
Alhoussaini said she thinks people who were born and raised in the US won’t be able to fully relate, because Americans enjoy a freedom of expression that people in Syria have never had.
“You can say what you want. You can go out into the street and protest whoever you want,” she said. “You will not be detained for it. You will not be killed for it.”