Political detention, torture rampant in Eritrea
Officially independent for just 11 years, Eritrea is Africa’s youngest country. For many memories of the 30-year liberation war against Ethiopia are still fresh.

But a report from Amnesty International claims: “Torture, arbitrary detention, disappearances and ill-treatment of political prisoners have become entrenched,” adding that in the past year there had been “an upsurge of religious persecution”. The government officially sanctions only four religions.

The official birth of Eritrea on May 24, 1993 followed a vote by 99.81 percent of the 3.3 million population for independence from Ethiopia in a referendum, and the early years went well.

In 1998, a two-year border conflict, again with Ethiopia, shattered the heady optimism. A dispute over the dusty village of Badme left 70,000 dead and transformed Eritrea’s political landscape. Plans for a constitution were frozen and democracy postponed.

Eleven senior politicians who signed a critical letter to the President were detained in September 2001 with 10 senior journalists who ran the now-banned private press. The President says these detainees are “traitors, “spies” and agents of Ethiopia. None of them have faced trial.

Amnesty International’s latest report, called Eritrea:You Have No Right to Ask, says human rights violations are now “on a massive scale”, with the use of torture systematic. Over 47 pages, it documents and illustrates arbitrary detentions and religious persecution and provides detailed descriptions of torture it says is being committed.

The Eritrean government is used to damning human rights reports and dismisses them as unsubstantiated rumour. “Great progress has been made in establishing a just and democratic order in Eritrea,” Yemane Gebreab, head of political affairs at the ruling party the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice said. “I think Eritrea has done very well.” (Independent UK)

Bush policy creates support for Castro
Once again, a U.S. government seems to be achieving exactly the opposite of what it says it is aiming for with its Cuba policy.

Many of the more than 500 moderate Cuban emigrés taking part in the third Nation and Emigration Conference, hosted by the Cuban government over the weekend, joined in when ‘Cuba va’, one of the songs traditionally sung at gatherings to “reaffirm’’ this country’s socialist revolution, was intoned.

The conference, whose panels took place behind closed doors, ended Sunday with the waving of Cuban flags, shouts of “Viva Fidel!’’, and anti-U.S. chants.

The support that was expressed for President Fidel Castro’s response to new U.S. measures designed to stiffen the four-decade U.S. embargo against Cuba would have been unthinkable 10 years ago.

The program to “hasten the transition to a free Cuba’’, announced this month by U.S. President George W. Bush, will go into effect on the first of June.

But even dissidents in Cuba have spoken out loudly against the new measures, which will restrict travel to the island by Cuban-Americans and the inflow of dollars.

A unified sense of rejection appears to be the general reaction to the Bush administration’s plan. (IPS)

Nepalese tire of crippling strikes
For years, people in the world’s only Hindu kingdom have enjoyed a forced day off from work whenever a ‘bandh’ or general strike is called by mainstream political parties or by the Maoist rebels.

Students gleefully welcomed these total or partial work shutdowns, thankful for the unexpected ‘holidays’ that the hundreds of strikes over the last 14 years have brought.

But these days, the signs of defiance against ‘bandh’ that claim to be for the citizens’ benefit are growing as the shutdowns continue to deal blows to the nation’s economy and psyche.

Many Nepalis defied the latest bandh despite the bomb blasts caused by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on May 19, the second day of the three-day strike.

The economic losses caused by the strikes to this already impoverished nation are staggering. In just one day of total closure, the economy suffers losses to the tune of over 16 million U.S. dollars, according to Kathmandu Research Center.

Since the restoration of democracy in 1990, there have been 85 general strikes in both the whole country and in Kathmandu Valley, according to Home Ministry.

Besides these, there have been hundreds of regional strikes, both 24-hour and dawn-to-dusk ones, educational institutions’ shutdown as well as blockades that bring the movement of people and goods to a grinding halt. (IPS)

Pakistan enjoys newly restored Commonwealth membership
The Commonwealth lifted its partial suspension on Pakistan’s membership Saturday in a move that may have helped itself as much as Pakistan.

The Commonwealth has been the only international body counting Pakistan as a pariah. Its position on Pakistan has been getting increasingly more shaky after the United States declared Pakistan a major non-NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) ally, and the European Union strengthened economic ties with Pakistan.

The Commonwealth, a group of 53 nations including Britain and countries once a part of the British Empire, had not enforced full suspension in any case. Pakistan was suspended only from the councils of the Commonwealth four-and-a-half years ago, after Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf seized power in a military coup.

Britain and Australia argued that the Commonwealth would be out of tune with world opinion if it disregarded steps taken towards democracy in Pakistan.

The result was a compromise that put Gen. Musharraf on notice to quit by the end of the year.

The Commonwealth suspension was a partial application of democratic principles, but lacked political or economic teeth. The partial suspension has been followed now by partial vindication.

Gen. Musharraf’s trump card has been to present Pakistan as an ally against terror. The need for Pakistani support in taking on Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida within Afghanistan has meant that nobody is looking at copybook rules on democracy when dealing with Pakistan. (IPS)

Malaysia moves toward privatized medicine
The Malaysian government’s plan to set up private commercial wings in government-run hospitals to stem the brain drain of doctors to the private sector has come under fire.

Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek said a committee, tasked to look into the idea, would come up with a working model within two months. Patients would pay ‘’reasonable charges’’ for better facilities at the private wings, such as private rooms with attached bathrooms and television.

The reaction to the plan was swift. “It is clear that our under-financed government health care will become even less available to the poor,’’ said Dr Chan Chee Khoon, coordinator of the Citizens’ Health Initiative.

He warned that private wings in state hospitals would lead to human and material resources being reallocated to serve the dictates of the health care market -- including “health tourism’’ -- rather than the needs of the poor.

At present, a nominal fee is imposed for treatment in crowded open wards while a higher, though still subsidized, charge is billed for more spacious rooms in general hospitals. Some 80 to 85 percent of Malaysian in-patients obtain treatment in general hospitals.

The key issue is underfunding of public health care, a subject rarely discussed openly in Malaysia.

Expenditure on public health care as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product has traditionally hovered at around three percent - well short of the five to six percent proposed by the World Health Organisation. Underfunding is responsible for inadequate facilities, long waiting lists and low salaries. (IPS)

Thai Prime Minister’s family profit from position
She may not be a parliamentarian, but Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s wife was a dominant presence during a bitter debate in the legislature where eight ministers faced no-confidence motions.

During the three-day debate, which ended May 21, the opposition Democrat Party accused cabinet ministers of endorsing deals where Thaksin’s wife, Pojaman Shinawatra, stood to gain personally.

These included the sale of a prime block of land in the Thai capital and the construction of a road in front of a real estate project owned by the premier’s wife.

But Thaksin, a billionaire business tycoon, also used his weekly radio address on May 22 to lash out at the opposition for targeting his family during the debates that scrutinized the performance of his government.

They are seeking to “destroy my dignity and my family’’ rather than making a critique of government ministers’ performance,” said Thaksin, whose party, Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thai), enjoys a comfortable majority in parliament.

Thaksin’s family heads the list of cabinet ministers who own properties valued at over one billion baht (25 million U.S. dollars). The land owned by the premier’s family, which includes, among others, properties in Bangkok and the northern city Chiang Mai, is valued at 1.1 billion baht.

Over the years, Thaksin made his money through the successful telecommunications business that he built. Before his party triumphed with an unprecedented majority at the 2001 elections, he handed over control of his financial empire to his family.

“In 2000, the Shin group of companies had posted total revenues of 42 billion baht with a profit of 8 billion baht. But when Thaksin became prime minister in 2001, those amounts jumped to 94 billion baht and 26 billion baht, respectively,’’ opposition parliamentarian Satiti Wongnongtoei was quoted as having told parliament. (IPS)

Blair hit by condoms
A major review of security is under way after condoms full of purple flour were thrown at Tony Blair as he faced MPs in the House of Commons.

The PM was speaking during his weekly half-hour question and answer session when one of the projectiles hit his back, prompting an evacuation by MPs.

Campaign group Fathers 4 Justice claimed responsibility. Two men aged 50 and 36 have been arrested.

It is believed the suspects got tickets to the Commons at a charity auction.

The incident occurred despite a £600,000 security screen being installed in the chamber at Easter.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Chancellor Gordon Brown, who were sitting either side of Blair, both looked up at the public gallery as the dust descended.

MPs were seen wafting something away from themselves as proceedings were suspended.

Government sources admitted that the politicians did not know what to do and expressed surprise that people were let out of the chamber.

The prime minister appeared unsure of what was happening to him before he was ushered slowly, almost bemused, from the chamber. (BBC)

British embassy attacked with firebombs
Demonstrators hurled petrol bombs and stones at the British embassy in Tehran for the third time in less than a week on Friday to protest the presence of Western forces in Iraq, witnesses said.

The petrol bombs landed outside the embassy, which has become the focal point for anti-war protests in Iran in recent days, the witnesses said.

A crowd of about 500 protesters gathered outside the embassy after tens of thousands — chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Britain” — earlier took part in a state-sponsored nationwide rally against the occupation of Iraq, witnesses said.

“We want the immediate closure of the British embassy,” chanted the crowd outside the embassy, which typically bears the brunt of Iranian anger against U.S. foreign policies due to the absence of a U.S. embassy in Iran.

A British diplomat said the protest was relatively peaceful, unlike the other two protests outside the embassy in recent days when several windows in a building inside the compound were smashed by stones hurled by protesters.

“We are ready to sacrifice our lives to protect holy sites in Iraq,” shouted some of the protesters. (Reuters)