Loud Thinking

Archive for 2013

An Eye Opening News for UN, USA, EU, UK, OIC, Red Cross, HRW, Pope, Dalai Lama & Amnesty International.

Myanmar: 13 die in mosque fire, police blame electrical short circuit for the blaze
AP | Apr 2, 2013, 04.51 PM IST

(Times of India News) Strangly Pakistani media and Al Jazeera TV is Silent.

YANGON, MYANMAR: A fire engulfed a mosque housing schoolchildren in Myanmar’s largest city on Tuesday, killing at least 13. Police, anxious over sectarian violence that has shaken the nation, blamed an electrical short circuit for the blaze and said they were investigating mosque authorities for possible negligence.

Security forces and three trucks of riot police blocked off roads around the scarred building in Yangon. Around 200 people, many of them Muslim, gathered uneasily nearby as some expressed suspicion that the fire had been set intentionally.

Myanmar has been on edge after sectarian unrest between Buddhists and Muslims erupted in the central city of Meikhtila in March, killing dozens of people and displacing more than 12,000. The violence, which has largely targeted Muslims, has since spread to several other towns where extremist Buddhist mobs have torched or ransacked mosques and Muslim-owned property.

Police officer Thet Lwin said about 75 children lived in the compound in eastern Yangon – which encompasses a mosque, a school and a dormitory – and most were able to escape by running out of a door rescue workers knocked open. Security bars blocked most of the building’s windows, which were stained by black smoke in the late morning, hours after firefighters put out the flames.

Mosque member Soe Myint said most of the children, who had been sent to the religious boarding school by their parents, were sleeping on the ground floor when the blaze began and were able to flee.

But 16 were sleeping in a small loft and were trapped when the stairs to it caught fire. Three boys jumped to safety and the rest died, he said.

Soe Myint, who said he helped carry the dead out of the mosque, said he did not believe the fire was caused by a short circuit and urged authorities to launch a thorough investigation.

“The whole mosque smelled of diesel,” he said. “We don’t use diesel at the school.”

But Thet Lwin, the policeman, said the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit “and not due to any criminal activity.”

Every time he mentioned the word “electrical short,” though, angry Muslims shouted and began banging on vehicles with their fists.

He also appealed to journalists for help. “We need the media’s support in Yangon. Please don’t report that there is conflict in Yangon. We’re here to stop conflict,” he said.

Yangon Police Chief Win Naing said authorities were investigating the head of the mosque and a teacher, but no arrests had been made. “As the two people in charge, they are responsible for this and we have to take action against them,” he said.

Win Naing said the fire started in a voltage regulator under the stairs that led to the sleeping loft and that firefighters had to break two locks on the door of the mosque to rescue the survivors. He ruled out arson, saying that three police were guarding the mosque and saw no one approach the building before the fire started.

Zaw Min Htun, a member of a local Muslim youth organization, said he raced to the mosque after hearing it was on fire. He said he entered the charred building and also smelled fuel.

“Muslims are very angry,” he said, calling on authorities to investigate. “The children are innocent. … Someone burned the mosque.”

Hla Myint, whose 15-year-old nephew died in the blaze, waited in a crowd outside Yangon General Hospital, where the dead were taken. Two trucks of riot police were parked nearby.

“We sent him to school only yesterday and today he is dead,” she said. “We are so sad we can’t express it.”

Later Tuesday, several thousand mourners gathered at a cemetery on the outskirts of Yangon for a group burial. The charred bodies of the children were wrapped in white cloth before being lowered into the ground as women wept nearby.

The recent upsurge in sectarian unrest in Myanmar has cast a shadow over President Thein Sein’s administration as it struggles to make democratic changes after a half century of military rule. His government has warned that the violence could threaten the reform process.

Hundreds of people were killed last year and more than 100,000 made homeless in violence in western Myanmar between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims. On March 20, unrest hit the central town of Meikhtila for several days and then spread to several villages farther south, near the capital, Naypyitaw.

The violence has spooked people in Yangon, where late last month false rumors swirled of mosque burnings and authorities told some shops to close as a precautionary measure. Yangon is about 550 kilometers (340 miles) south of Meikhtila.

Education is the process of receiving or giving instruction.

“Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”

Walter Cronkite (1916-2009);
American broadcast journalist

Well Done PCB…!

We fully appreciate PCB particularly its Director Vigilance & Security, Mr. Ehsan Sadiq for making water tight and fool proof security arrangements at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, during the recently held Faisal Bank T20 tournament.

This tournament not only proved a huge success from the PCB, its sponsors and the cricket lovers point of view, but also proved to the entire world, that holding of any type of local or international cricketing event in Pakistan, is not only possible from the security point of view, but is a guarantee of success for the sponsors, as well.

The PCB security wing was so strict and attended to the minutest of security details, that even VIP’s or PCB senior staff was not given any leeway in security matters. It was a gigantic task of security for the PCB, specially on the final day of the tournament, when the entire stadium was full to the brim.

It would have been even better for the PCB, to have invited the ICC and other world cricketing board members, with particular reference to their security staff, to observe and even film the entire security operations, on the final day of the match, for their review and reference.

Anyway, this successful event will go a long way in enhancing the image and reputation of Pakistan, as a country where now cricket can be played in absolutely peaceful and secure conditions; and also allaying any security issues, concerning ICC and all other cricketing boards, who may decide to send their cricket teams to Pakistan, in very near future.

What a love affair?

An Article of Hamid Mir on the relations of Israeli leaders and Pervaiz Musharraf when Israeli President said that “Peres had openly said in October 2001 that he prayed for the life of Musharraf every morning as he (Musharraf) had signed his death warrant by changing the Afghan policy of Pakistan”.

Israeli President Shimon Peres, President Pervez Musharraf
Israel ready to provide security to Musharraf?

– Hamid Mir (Bio and Archives) Sunday, August 17, 2008
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ISLAMABAD: Israeli President Shimon Peres is desperately trying to help his friend President Pervez Musharraf and is putting indirect pressure on the coalition government through different diplomatic channels not to impeach him, Foreign Office sources reveal.

The sources claim that Peres wants a safe exit for Musharraf and he is also ready to provide security to his friend outside Pakistan. These sources also claim that Peres and Musharraf are in regular contact with each other for the last three years. Both met first in Davos in January 2005 and since then they have been writing letters to each other and exchanging pleasantries on telephone regularly.

According to the sources, Peres wrote his first-ever official letter to Musharraf in October 2007, appreciating his efforts in the fight against terrorism. Musharraf, in his response, thanked the Israeli president for his support and good wishes. These letters were exchanged through diplomatic channels of Turkey.

Peres called his Pakistani friend again a few days ago. Though the details of their conversation were not available with the Foreign Office yet it is believed that Peres offered his friend some help.

Informed sources are of the view that Israel has strong friendly relations with Turkey and is in a position to provide security to Musharraf in Turkey. One close friend of Musharraf is also busy in lobbying for him in the Jewish lobby in the US these days. This friend of Musharraf has met many leaders of the World Jewish Congress recently. Musharraf even praised this friend publicly in recognition of his services for facilitating him to address the Jewish lobby in New York. This special friend still enjoys ministerial status in Pakistan without being elected and despite the fact that he is an American citizen. It has been learnt that the same friend is requesting his American Jewish contacts to do something for the safe exit of Musharraf through Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Peres had openly said in October 2001 that he prayed for the life of Musharraf every morning as he (Musharraf) had signed his death warrant by changing the Afghan policy of Pakistan. After that, Musharraf also came into contact with the late Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon. He also met Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak in January this year in Paris.

Diplomatic sources claim that Musharraf is the most popular Pakistani leader in Israel. He was the first Pakistani leader who was invited to address the World Jewish Congress in the US in 2005. After that historic event, the then foreign minister of Pakistan Khurshid Kasuri met his Israeli counterpart Silvon Shalom in Turkey in 2005.

Musharraf had asked the Foreign Office in early 2007 to prepare a plan for the recognition of Israel but it did not materialise due to the political turmoil started in March 2007. It is also pertinent to mention here that Indian National Security Adviser MK Narayanan was the first foreign leader to come out openly in support of Musharraf on Wednesday, saying his impeachment would only help extremist elements in the country. The same Indian leader had declared on December 19, 2007 that India could trust Musharraf but not Benazir Bhutto.

Musharraf knows that he is still popular among the Indian and Israeli establishments and has a lot of friends in Western capitals as well. If provided a safe exit, he can find a new role for himself in international diplomacy.

Highly placed sources in the coalition government claim that Musharraf is now completely isolated and he has informed Asif Ali Zardari, through the governor Punjab, that he would resign if provided special indemnity. However, the coalition government is not ready to provide him indemnity and in that case he would face the first-ever humiliating impeachment process, which would definitely make history in Pakistan.

Hamid Mir is the Executive Editor of Geo TV in Islamabad and he has also interviewed Osama bin Laden, Tony Blair, Condoleezza Rice, General Pervaiz Musharraf, Hamid Karzai, L K Advani and other international leaders.

Hamid can be reached at: hamid.mir@geo.tv
Older articles by Hamid Mir

Can someone confirm its true or false?

During Musharraf’s tenure I read somewhere that Israeli PM said that he don’t go to sleep without praying for the safety of Musharraf.

I don’t know it was true or false?

Making-A-Difference is to make a difference in a positive way.

Keep Your Company’s Secrets in the Digital Age

Through social sharing technologies like Facebook and Twitter, your employees may be unwittingly exposing company secrets. Even seemingly innocuous information like travel schedules or what online groups an employee joins can give competitors inside intelligence. Here are a few ways to shield your organization from prying eyes:

Assess and educate. Determine what’s important for your company to protect and make sure everyone understands what information might be sensitive. For example, a person’s list of LinkedIn connections can reveal her network and even potential partnerships in the works.

Disable geolocation. Make sure employees turn off these features so that they don’t inadvertently leave footprints that show where they’re visiting and who they might be meeting with.

Keep it inside. Implement and promote internal social networks that are walled off from the outside world. These platforms allow employees to talk shop without risking information leakage.

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from “How Not to Unwittingly Reveal Company Secrets” by Martin Harrysson, Estelle Metayer, and Hugo Sarrazin.

“You cannot convince someone to see something that they do not
want to see, no matter how much you know it would improve their
lives. You have to love and accept them exactly as they are
today. If you cannot do that, you have to let them go and find
their own way, in their own time, if they ever choose to do so.

Otherwise, you’ll be giving them the power over your happiness,
too.”

— Doe Zantamata

PCB Must Stop Fiddling With the Future

PCB Drops Younis Khan From Champions Trophy ODI Squad

Dropping of Younis means nothing, when already, he was recalled from his retirement. PCB is again going, as usual, on a wrong path, by keeping faith with oldies who are absolutely spent cartridges. Players like Misbah, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Imran Farhat and Shoaib Malik are not even fit for the Test matches; and PCB has selected them for the ODI Champions trophy. This is a highly retrogressive step, of wasting the future of young cricketers, for such a long time. When the ODI World Cup will begin in 2015, these oldies, by that time will be reduced to nothingness; and youngsters will be highly short of few years experience.

It looks the PCB people incharge of its helm of affairs, can’t see beyond their nose. They must realise that if these spent forces can’t give us reasonable stability, why to be afraid of losing with youngsters? At least six new players in place of the above named ones, will be a sound investment in future.

Come on PCB have a heart and have some faith in youth, all the oldies are past their prime and they can’t go anywhere, except downhill.