Thai Court Dissolves Ruling Party

Culminating what rebel People Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leaders had dubbed the ‘final battle” on Tuesday, a Constitutional Court ruling in Thailand ordered the dissolution of the ruling party and banned Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from politics for the next five years.

The court ruling follows months of opposition protests, including a week-old siege of Bangkok international airport and sparked angry counter-protests by Prime Minister Wongsawat's supporters outside the court.

The court was hearing into vote-rigging charges leveled against the People Power Party's coalition headed by Wongsawat.

At the Suvarnabhumi international airport, jubilant PAD activists celebrated the landmark ruling but vowed to maintain a blockade of the airport until they were convinced that the ruling coalition would not simply return under another name.

Passenger flights remained grounded, but cargo, military and emergency flights resumed Tuesday afternoon at the airport, said media reports quoting airport officials.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Wongsawat loyalists, who earlier termed the vote-rigging case a “concealed coup,” staged angry counter-protests outside the court following the decision.

The blockade at the Suvarnabhumi international effectuated by anti-governmment protesters started on November 25, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and caught in the midst of the country’s deteriorating political climate.

"We wish we hadn't come here at all," Keri Gannam, a visitor from the United States, who was honeymooning in Thailand was quoted by CNN as saying. "It's just stressful. It's taken away everything... I'm supposed to have job interviews. I missed them."

"Money isn't flowing in for us," added her husband, Andy. "And we came here to take a couple of relaxing weeks -- something both of us had earned. And it's turned out being a disaster, basically."
In a humanitarian mood after the judgment PAD activists allowed convoy of buses, carrying Muslim pilgrims stranded at Suvarnabhumi since last Tuesday, to leave for a naval base. From there they can make their trip to Saudi Arabia for the Haj.

Also on Tuesday, A blast has killed at least one Thai anti-government protester and wounded 22 others at Bangkok's Don Mueang domestic airport, emergency officials have said.

A report on the BBC website said a grenade had been fired at the domestic hub, which is occupied by the People's Alliance for Democracy.

(UPDATE)

Thai anti-government protesters have agreed to end their occupation of Bangkok's airports, allowing thousands of stranded tourists to leave.

Passenger flights from the main international airport could resume as soon as 4 December, say correspondents.

Protests had shut down Thailand's two main airports for more than a week.

Jewish Settlers Riot in Hebron

Jewish settlers in the West Bank city of Hebron rioted for several hours. Reports say several Palestinians were injured. Violence broke out on Tuesday after rumours spread that Israeli forces were about to evict the settlers from a disputed building in the mainly Palestinian city.

Settlers and their supporters threw stones at Palestinians and Israeli police, damaging homes and cars. Similar incidents were reported in several other parts of the West Bank.

HEBRON FACTS
Divided into H1 and H2 under 1997 agreement115,000 Palestinians live in H1 under Palestinian security controlH2 is under Israeli security control and is home to several hundred settlers and 35,000 PalestiniansTomb of Patriarchs and traditional Palestinian town centre is in H2

The eviction was ordered by the Israeli supreme court in November.

The settlers have been involved in several clashes since the eviction order was issued, and have desecrated a mosque and a Muslim graveyard.

In northern West Bank, near Nablus, dozens of settlers clashed with Palestinians and border police, and blocked roads in a show of support for the settlers in the centre of Hebron. There were several arrests.

Several hundred hard-line religious settlers live in the centre of Hebron under heavy military guard amid some 150,000 Palestinians.

Hebron is holy to both Jews and Muslims as the site of the cave that Abraham bought as a burial site for his wife Sarah.

The settlers say that they bought the house in a legal transaction from its Palestinian owner for nearly US $1m. He says he pulled out of the deal.

The Israeli high court is yet to rule on who owns the disputed building, but says it must be vacated while the decision is made.

All settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are considered illegal under international law though Israel disputes this.

(Agencies)

Nanny’s Righteous Act Finds Acclaim in Israel

Sandra Samuel, 44, the Indian nanny who rescued Jewish toddler Moshe Holtzberg from the clutches of terrorists during last week’s terror strike in Mumbai, may be presented with a top Israeli honour usually conferred upon saviours of Jews from Holocaust. Samuel and Moshe reached Jerusalem aboard a special aircraft on Monday.

Moshe is the orphaned son of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka, who were killed after being held captive by terrorists at the Nariman House in Mumbai.

Samuel, lauded a hero by the Chabad movement and Moshe's family for saving the child, could be conferred the "Righteous Gentile" award that could facilitate her stay in Israel, media reports said.

The special honour is usually reserved for those who risked their lives to save Jews from the Holocaust. Samuel, 44, had worked at the Chabad centre for about five years and started caring for Moshe who had become "extremely connected to him".

As terrorists stormed the Chabad centre last week, Samuel locked herself in a room with another staff member.

The following morning, she heard Moshe calling her name and went to look for him. She found Moshe, his pants covered in blood, crying beside his motionless parents.

The Indian nanny told reporters that she grabbed the child and ran outside. Terrorists continued the siege of Nariman House for the next two days, killing several hostages before being gunned down by Indian Army commandos.

Siege Ends, All-Clear at Taj

The Terrorists’ siege on the Taj Mahal Hotel and Mumbai ended on Saturday morning after a joint commando operation killed three terrorists holed up inside the swank Taj, a symbol of Indian hospitality dating back to the British Raj. "Finally, we have been able to win the battle and do the job," a visibly tired JK Dutt, the head of the National Security Guard (NSG), was quoted as saying after the final phase of operation “Black Tornado’

The despicable attack on Mumbai, which started on Wednesday night, left 148, including 20 foreigners, dead and wounding hundreds.

Among the dead are several security personnel that laid down their lives making the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.

Billows of black smoke emanated from the ground floor of the hotel signaling the end of a nearly 59 hour siege on the hotel by terror perpetrators that were eventually smoked out and put down by a team of 200 commandos drawn from the NSG, the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Mumbai police.

A sanitization process is reportedly underway at the Taj, where security personnel are gleaning the sprawling complex for detonators or explosives left behind by the now dead terrorists.

The operation launched at the crack of dawn on Saturday marked the culmination of a four-day effort that began Wednesday evening after several terrorists, armed with grenades, explosives and assault rifles, sneaked into the city on an inflatable boat after being set off from a terrorist ‘mother ship.’

Ratan Tata at Taj

Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata group that owns the Taj hotel, arrived at the site after security forces sounded an all-clear on Saturday.

Tata inspected the damage wrought on the historic building during the terror that began Wednesday night and lasted nearly 59 hours before being brought to an end on Saturday.

(IANS and Internet Inputs)

Bush Saddened by Mumbai Attack, Vows Action

US President George W. Bush said on Friday that he was saddened by the terror attacks on Mumbai, in a statement released from Camp David where he spent the Thanksgiving holiday with his family he vowed to fight against extremists "who offer nothing but violence and hopelessness."

"Laura and I are deeply saddened that at least two Americans were killed and others injured in Wednesday's horrific attack in Mumbai, he said.

"We also mourn the great loss of life suffered by so many people from several other countries, and we have the wounded in our thoughts and prayers," he said.

The statement was issued after three Americans were confirmed dead in the two-day attacks in the Indian's financial capital.

A New York rabbi, Gavriel Noach, and his Israeli wife, Rivka, who ran the local headquarters for a New York-based Jewish organization, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, were confirmed among the dead.

The other Americans, Alan Scherr, 58, and his 13-year-old daughter Naomi, who were working on a meditation program in Mumbai, were also killed in the Oberoi hotel on Wednesday night.

Bush said in the statement that the US had been closely working with India and the international community to ensure the safe release of "those still under threat."

"We will continue to cooperate against these extremists who offer nothing but violence and hopelessness," he said.

(Xinhua inputs)

Mumbai Terror Hijacks Headlines, Front Pages

If it was headline space they wanted, they got it. The attack on Mumbai pushed Madhya Pradesh polls and death of former Prime Minister VP Singh off the first pages, which were practically covered with the latest on what experts in India and abroad term India’s own 9/11.

The terror attack on Mumbai is unarguably the biggest story of the year, taking a cue from the TV and print media, the Google news (India) homepage is almost completely swarmed by related copy from sources across the world. On the minute updates on numerous web-editions across the globe make it virtually impossible to give the news a chronological pattern.

With the unabated gun-fights almost in their 48th hour, the bone-chilling attack is likely to keep journalists awake through the night on Friday, as they struggle to add last minute updates to a spread that will span the length of the front pages on Saturday.

Nightmares triggered by Mumbai terror desperadoes and mayhem wrought on the country’s commercial capital will continue to echo in media reports for years to come. In the initial spurt -- the fall-out of the attack, the following investigations and the now visible diplomatic efforts are likely to echo in the international media for several weeks.

All aspects of the attack, from the failure of intelligence system to the permeable Indian coastline will make headlines and trouble the government, which in the economically slack season is left to pick up a burgeoning tab for a heightened terror response capacity that the Mumbai attack validates beyond doubt.

Though a momentary quiet prevails over the country’s political firmament, the attack on Mumbai is likely to reverberate in electoral battlegrounds and voters’ hearts when they set out to elect a government next year, all with help from the fourth estate.

Sound Bytes: Condemnations Pour in over Mumbai Attack

The global community came out strongly in support of India on Wednesday, as she reeled under the impact of one the worst terror attacks on her soil late on Wednesday night in Mumbai that killed at least 80 and wounded another 900.The United States and Britain led the condemnation.

The United States said the attacks were "horrific", while US President-elect Barack Obama pledged to work with India to "root out and destroy terrorist networks".

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said such violence was "totally unacceptable", while Britain condemned the late Wednesday attacks on its former colony as "outrageous" and the European Union expressed its "horror and indignation".

One British guest at the Taj Mahal hotel told television reporters. "They said they wanted anyone with British and American passports."

The United States and Britain said they had no reports of casualties among their citizens, although Japan reported one of its nationals killed and another hurt, and two Australians and a European Parliament staffer were also injured.

Washington condemned the "horrific" attack and the White House said it had convened a meeting of top intelligence and counter-terrorism officials in response, and stood "ready to assist and support the Indian government".

Obama's chief national security spokesman, Brooke Anderson, said the president-elect's prayers were with the victims and their families.

"These coordinated attacks on innocent civilians demonstrate the grave and urgent threat of terrorism," Anderson said.

"The United States must continue to strengthen our partnerships with India and nations around the world to root out and destroy terrorist networks."

UN Secretary General Ban also condemned the attacks, saying: "Such violence is totally unacceptable."

"The secretary-general reiterates his conviction that no cause or grievance can justify indiscriminate attacks against civilians. He calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice swiftly," read a statement issued by his office.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he had sent Indian premier Manmohan Singh a message assuring that "the UK stands solidly with his government as they respond, and to offer all necessary help".

"These outrageous attacks in Mumbai will be met with a vigorous response," he said.

The French presidency of the European Union said it had learnt of the attacks "with horror and indignation" and "condemns them in the strongest possible terms".

It said the EU "shares in the mourning of the Indian nation and stands by its side during this dramatic test".

In a separate statement, the EU's executive arm, the European Commission, said: "Terrorism is never justified and is no means to achieve any goal."

"This is a cowardly act. It's indiscriminate, it's a terrorist act, it's an assault on democracy," said acting Australian Foreign Minister Simon Crean.

Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon condemned the "savage terrorist attacks" and stressed his country's ties with India.

"Canada and India share a commitment to freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Among our mutual priorities is close cooperation to promote international security and to fight terrorism," he said.

Spain's Crown Prince Felipe also voiced "tremendous sadness and condemnation of the attacks which seem to have left such a high number of victims".

Brazil reaffirmed its "strong condemnation of all forms of terrorism" and offered its condolences to the families of the victims, as did Argentina.

Colombia said that it had "also suffered at the hands of terrorism and supports the Republic of India in its fight against this international scourge, recognising that terrorism is a criminal and unjustifiable action".

Bangladesh's foreign minister condemned the coordinated attacks in India's commercial capital Mumbai as "cowardly" and "mindless acts of terror".

"I condemn it as mindless acts of terror. I wish to underscore that terror can serve no purpose. Our hearts are with those so many innocent people, Indians and foreigners, who have been affected by these cowardly bombings" he said.

(Agencies)

Suicide Bomber Targets US Embassy in Kabul

A suspected suicide bomber has struck close to the entrance to the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, witnesses and police say. At least one person, reportedly a civilian, was killed, reports say the bomber detonated explosives about 200m from the heavily guarded entrance to the US compound.

Security in Afghanistan has become a key concern as the country faces an increasingly strong Taleban insurgency.

Kabul's police chief, Mohammad Ayoub Salangi, said one person had been killed and six injured.

However, the city's head of criminal investigations told reporters that four had died in the bombing.

The Associated Press said the US embassy was hosting a Thanksgiving Day event, and Americans and others foreigners were entering the compound at the time of the explosion.

No Hand in Mumbai Attack: Pakistan

Amid heightened tensions over attacks in Mumbai, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that has country has nothing to do with Mumbai attacks, reportedly, the clarification came after premier Singh told his Pakistani counterpart that New Delhi had evidence to prove cross-border involvement.

The Indian premier has also asked for ISI chief to be sent to India which his Pakistani counterpart has agreed to.

Manmohan Singh mentioned intelligence intercepts and the arrest of a Pakistani national involved in the dastardly attack on Mumbai, the sources said.

The sources also said that Gilani told Singh that both India and Pakistan are victims of terror and added that groups acting against India are also enemies of Pakistan.

Reuters India adds on Saturday, refuting earlier reports Pakistan Prime Minister Gilani’s office has said that a representative of the notorious Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and not its Director General would be deputed to India, for investigations into the Mumbai Terror crisis.

Reports appearing in a section of the media had earlier said that the top ISI official would be sent to India.

(NDTV Inputs)

PM Addresses Nation, Promises Tough Action

In a tough and extraordinary address to the nation on Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh blamed elements outside the country for the terror strikes in Mumbai, and warned that India will not tolerate the use of territories of its neighbours for attacks on the country.

Premier Singh said: "It is evident that the group which carried out these attacks, based outside the country, had come with the single-minded determination to create havoc in the commercial capital of the country."

India will take up "strongly with our neighbours that the use of their territory for launching attacks on us will not be tolerated, and that there would be a cost if suitable measures are not taken by them."

He said the "well-planned and well-orchestrated attacks, probably with external linkages, were intended to create a sense of panic by choosing high profile targets and indiscriminately killing foreigners."

Before promising that "strongest possible measures" would be taken to deal with such elements, including the use of the National Security Act and setting up of a Federal Investigation Agency to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

"We will take a number of measures to strengthen the hands of our police and investigation authorities. We will curb the flow of funds to suspect organisations. We will restrict the entry of suspects into the country.

"We will go after these individuals and organisations and make sure that every perpetrator, organiser and supporter of terror, whatever his affiliation or religion may be, pays a heavy price for these cowardly and horrific acts against our people," the Prime Minister said.

While the National Security Act would be employed to deal with situations of this kind, the existing laws would be tightened to ensure that there were no loopholes available to terrorists to escape the clutches of the law, he said.

"Most importantly, it is essential to immediately set up a Federal Investigation Agency to go into terrorist crimes of this kind and ensure that the guilty are brought to book," Singh said.

Transcript of PM's Address to the Nation (November 27, 2008)

Dear Citizens, The dastardly terror attacks that took place in Mumbai last night and today leading to the loss of many precious lives and injuries to many others have deeply shocked the nation. I strongly condemn these acts of senseless violence against innocent people, including guests from foreign countries. I offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and sympathies to those injured. The Government will take all necessary measures to look after the wellbeing of the affected families, including medical treatment of injured. The well-planned and well-orchestrated attacks, probably with external linkages, were intended to create a sense of panic, by choosing high profile targets and indiscriminately killing foreigners. I salute the courage and patriotism of the police officers, including the Chief of the Anti-Terror Squad, Shri Hemant Karkare and men who have laid down their lives in fighting these terrorists. I assure the country that we will attend in an urgent and serious manner to police reform so that the law and order authorities can work unitedly, effectively and in a determined manner to tackle such threats to national integrity. We are not prepared to countenance a situation in which the safety and security of our citizens can be violated with impunity by terrorists. It is evident that the group which carried out these attacks, based outside the country, had come with single-minded determination to create havoc in the commercial capital of the country. We will take the strongest possible measures to ensure that there is no repetition of such terrorist acts. We are determined to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the safety and security of our citizens. Instruments like the National Security Act will be employed to deal with situations of this kind. Existing laws will be tightened to ensure that there are no loopholes available to terrorists to escape the clutches of the law. Most importantly, it is essential to immediately set up a Federal Investigation Agency to go into terrorist crimes of this kind and ensure that the guilty are brought to book. We will take up strongly with our neighbours that the use of their territory for launching attacks on us will not be tolerated, and that there would be a cost if suitable measures are not taken by them. We will take a number of measures to strengthen the hands of our police and intelligence authorities. We will curb the flow of funds to suspect organizations. We will restrict the entry of suspects into the country. We will go after these individuals and organizations and make sure that every perpetrator, organizer and supporter of terror, whatever his affiliation or religion may be, pays a heavy price for these cowardly and horrific acts against our people. In this hour of tragedy, I appeal to the people to maintain peace and harmony so that the enemies of our country do not succeed in their nefarious designs. All concerned authorities are on alert and will deal sternly with any attempts to disturb public order. I am confident that the people of India will rise unitedly to face this grave challenge to the nation’s security and integrity.