The 'Fortress Within': Restriction of Movement and Refugee Self-Organisation

The 'Fortress Within': Restriction of Movement and Refugee Self-Organisation

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by Sunny Omwenyeke

Sunny Omwenyeke is member of The VOICE and the Caravan-for the rights of refugees and migrants. A human rights campaigner, he was one of the activists who launched the anti-Residenzpflicht campaign in 2000 and for his protest was imprisoned for 15 days.

The concept of Fortress Europe entails in political and practical terms, the concerted will of the collective European Union (EU) to prevent unwanted migrants, refugees or asylum seekers from entering the territorial EU. And beyond preventing them from entering, it also describes the 'weeding' away of each and every one of the aforementioned groups who, by dint of courage or unyielding persistence already found themselves within the EU but have yet to secure a permanent legal residence. Underlying this concept is the idea that the EU must secure and protect itself from being swarmed by these unwanted elements; that could constitute a strain on the social system here. Therefore, the farther the territorial border is from mainland EU the higher the probability of actually preventing these groups of people from stepping into the EU. To this end, not only has the territorial EU border been broadened to Eastern Europe, coerced and dubious agreements have been reached with some of the countries that now border the EU aimed at preventing the 'unwanted' from reaching the EU.

These new border countries like Ukraine and across the See like Libya have been compelled to be recipient of EU camps (Lagers); where supposedly, asylum applicants are held and their application processed to prevent their presence in Europe. The audacious FRONTEX project of the EU is a step further in the intensification of border policing-both land and water, to achieve the aim of preventing the unwanted from entering and not the burnished humanitarian image that is sold to the public. Put differently, secured and externalised borders and externalised Lagers is the solution to the problem of the 'unwanted' in the EU, even at the expense of human freedom and dignity. This is because the EU turns a blind eye to its humanitarian commitment and obligations and the precarious condition of the 'unwanted' that is orchestrated by its own policies and actions like its lop-sided trade policies with the so-called third world countries.

The 'Fortress Within'

The above is only one side of the coin. The other side is what obtains within the EU proper and this complements the former, hence the 'Fortress Within'. To be specific, I use Germany and the 'Residence Obligation Law' (Residenzpflicht) for illustration. In Germany, refugees are restricted to the particular administrative Districts where they are registered and irrespective of the reasons and urgency, they can only leave there with a written permission issued by the foreigners' office. Any refugee who violates this restriction is either fined or sent to prison or can be both fined and imprisoned. The fine could be as much as 2500euro and the jail term as much as a year. Refugees are denied the right to freedom of movement and are forced to live in miserable Lagers for the endless years that it takes to decide their asylum applications. Most of these Lagers are isolated from the mainstream society and sometimes located in abandoned military barracks in the jungle with little or no access. They are deliberately isolated from the main populace like outcasts and stigmatised.

Now can these refugees be regarded as inhabiting an 'Area of Freedom' or simply living-out life in a Fortress? No doubt it is the latter. The Residence Obligation is a clear violation of the right to individual freedom of movement and a violation of the right to human dignity. It is a blatant violation of Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 2 Protocol No.4 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The UNHCR, human rights groups and refugee activists have long condemned this as inhuman and campaigners have rightly branded it as the 'Pass Law' in Germany, in direct comparison to the erstwhile Pass Law in apartheid South Africa. Its effects on refugees combined with their living conditions are broad and far reaching. As space will not permit these to be exhausted here, I will therefore briefly look at its history and the self-organisation of refugee groups in Germany.

When most refugees leave their friends and loved ones behind, they do so in search for safety, security and the preservation of their human dignity. They carry the hope to live a good life if not a better one than they have had and to lend a helping hand to those they leave behind. They are often driven by war-which they are not responsible for, hunger-arising from the loss of the means of livelihood, persecution-political and cultural; some of which are neither properly nor legally codified internationally and thus not a "sufficient" reason for being granted international protection (asylum). Contrary to widely held opinion in the West, they do not simply want to 'feed on the sweat of others'. They are being forced by the circumstances to seek a place more amenable to their desires and aspirations as human beings. They therefore also want to develop and live like other regular and normal human beings, study or work as the case may be even while they go through their travail. Much as no one expects a red-carpet reception, no one also expects to be restricted to a particular local District for years on end. The expectations and hopes always seem to be at odds with the reality. For some it is a shock and for others it is outright disbelief.

Peculiarity of Restriction

Several studies by different independent organisations across Europe reveal that the restriction on the refugee right to freedom of movement in Germany is unique. In other words, there is no other country in Europe where such a blanket restriction is placed on every refugee. What is also particularly troubling here is the arbitrariness of those in a position to issue any permission. They are not obliged to give any reason for their refusal and in most cases, you only hear that refugees are expected to eat and sleep in the Lagers and not travelling all over the country. And many refugees have been told that if they are tired of eating and sleeping, they can return to their countries. Moreover, there is no provision for appealing such refusal except by going to the court, which makes a mockery of any attempt to get permission in the first place. And in some Districts, refugees who only get 40euro a month have to pay 10euro for any permission. If the applicant is politically active, the chances of refusal are doubled and so are the attempts to intimidate and persecute him/her for being active against the miserable condition they are forced to live in. And when permissions are refused and refugees are then compelled to violate the restriction, they are treated and classified as criminals-a natural boost for statistics with the underlying message that most refugees are criminals and not fit to live here. For refugees, this criminalisation by default is a traumatic experience.

The so-called Residence Obligation was established with the introduction of the Asylum Procedure Law of 1982. The argument was that it would make it possible or easier for the authorities to contact refugees for their asylum cases. An argument that flies in the face since allowing refugees to move freely is not a hindrance to contacting them. Moreover, the registered address of the refugee is already enough for contact. In reality, the law was about intensified control-like the EU borders, making life uncomfortable as much as possible for refugees here and then sending them out if they can't bear it anymore. It was also to prevent other potential refugee from coming-since they will not like it here as it won't be comfortable. This recent history is ebbed on a 'control mentality' and it dates back much longer. Combined this with the Lager system, you arrive at a lager and control mentality which basically underlies the asylum system here in Germany with no respect for freedom and human dignity.

And even earlier.

It should be remembered that in former German colonial territory like Togo, villagers and local inhabitants were prevented from attending meetings outside their immediate localities without permission from their German colonial masters. This was specifically to ensure that the locals were prevented from meeting and fomenting any sort of unrest against their colonial masters. And even more chilling is the recollection that on 22nd August 1938, the National Socialists through the Foreigners' Police Order placed a very similar restriction of movement on foreigners in Germany. The consequence of a violation then like now was both a monetary fine and a possible one year jail term. And this law existed and remained valid until 1965 when a new foreigner law was enacted. Judging from the similarities in language, fine and consequences of the 1938 restriction and the Residence Obligation Law, it can hardly be doubted that the restriction placed on refugees today in Germany has not simply been paraphrased from the racist law enacted by the dreaded Nazi regime. That for a refugee in Germany in 2009 to leave his/her immediate District he/she needs a written permission from the foreigner's office-else a fine or possible jail term awaits upon police control is a startling and sad reminder of that 1938 restriction.

Self-Organisation

So far the focus has been on the Residence Obligation and the restriction of movement as a major problem to show that many of us are really living it out in a Fortress, contrary to what others would want us believe. But it should be said that it is not the only problem. There are the problems of refugees being denied private accommodation and privacy, leaving adults to be crammed together in single rooms, denied access to doctors and proper medication, being forced to use food coupons with its consequent public humiliation and of course the incessant police brutality; which sometimes results in the death of refugees at the hands of the police. These, combined, leave the refugees with hardly any better option than to organise and confront them, which brings us to refugee self-organisation. Normally, a few courageous individuals take the initial lead. They articulate the main problems before various audiences and in no time, they are speaking on behalf of the others while at the same time soliciting solidarity and support. It should be mentioned that although refugee self-organisations are also engaged with other fundamental issues like the exploitation of their home countries, neo-colonialism and the damning effects of globalisation amongst others, the focus here remains the experiences of these groups within the Fortress with particular attention to restriction of movement.

Starting from the scratch, refugee self-organisation is a hard and strenuous affair for a multiplicity of reasons. First, many refugees faced with the plethora of problems that is the asylum process and the constant threats of deportation simply withdraw onto themselves and begin to suffer depression with little or no attention. In some cases, the result is an attempted suicide or actual suicide. Second, because the formation of a refugee self-organised group is usually predicated upon the immediate problems that confronts the refugees, the primary aim of these groups is therefore to solve those problems. While it is true that some of these problems like closing down a camp or abolishing food coupon require long term planning and strong commitment to solve, such long term plans are usually not part of the original bargain at the beginning. One of the reasons for this is that you can never be sure of who will be around and for how long, to continue any such plans. This is because; the authorities always devise and employ the strategy of relocating most of the leading figures in such situations. Such activists are usually sent to far more remote places to isolate them, limit their possible support and solidarity to break any refugee resistance. Added to this is that they could be deported anytime. Third, even though many refugees live and experience the same horrible conditions in the Lagers, bonding together to confront these problems is not always an easy or straightforward project. Sometimes, differences in cultural background can be a problem. But more importantly, are both the issues of mistrust between refugees (in some cases due to previous experiences in their home countries) and the politics of 'divide and rule' by the authorities. For many who faced persecution and torture in their home countries, it takes time to trust strangers. Then there are those that are regarded as the "good refugees"-who are not complaining about their ordeals here and therefore not giving the authorities any problems and those seen as the "trouble makers"-who would never keep quiet about the problems they experience in the system. So, the authorities play them against each other and this affects how well they organise themselves against their common problems.

Besides the continuous relocation and isolation of refugee activists by the authorities, some of the leading figures in any such resistance also cease to be active soon after their papers are regularised, move out of the Lagers and no longer face movement restrictions. In many cases, the void left is difficult to fill. Therefore, long term commitment to common purpose from the self-organisation perspective is a huge problem. Another problem is sustaining the structure of engagement or improving on what has been developed for a start. Because these structures are usually feeble and unstable, it is not uncommon to see them crumbling under pressure-both from refugees' expectations of immediate solutions to his or her problems and from the authorities. By far one of the biggest problems to refugee self-organisation and networking remains the restriction of movement. When refugees go out of their Districts to attend meetings and network with other refugees, the threat of being arrested possibly brutalised and the certainty of a fine hangs over his/her head. It takes a lot of courage and some preparedness to pay a heavy price to continuously violate the restriction. Moreover, the intimidation and punishment that comes with such action serves as a lesson to discourage other refugees from being politically active.

Effects and Results

Nonetheless, refugee agitation leads to solutions of other problems like improving the living conditions in the camps or sometimes securing private apartments in some cases. And what is undeniable is the motivation, encouragement and re-awakening of hope that such little practical and tangible successes can inspire in some refugees. They are then imbued with the self belief that they can fight and win even against the all-powerful state. This is also particularly true in deportation cases. When refugees are active, the authorities adopt a hostile and aggressive attitude towards him/her and usually attempt to deport such refugees with haste. For a known activist, it is easier to mobilise support and solidarity to stop such deportation attempts.

The fact that other refugees can see and feel the support and solidarity that hinder such a deportation; which can be traced back to the personal engagement of the refugee usually offers a huge motivation. At the same time, the so-called "good refugees" are made to realise that irrespective of how "gentle" they may be, it would not endear them to the authorities to stop their deportation. On the contrary, they see that their deportations are usually easier because, it is more difficult to mobilise support for them when it is needed because they are relatively unknown.

Resolve and Defiance

Given the enormity of the problems refugees face here coupled with the institutional and societal racism, it is not surprising that many refugees feel too intimidated and therefore afraid to confront the situation and fight for their rights. There is a mental and psychological block that needs be broken for many of these refugees. This is precisely where self-organised and courageous refugee activists and groups like The VOICE Forum (http://thevoiceforum.org) and networks like the Caravan-for the rights of refugees and migrants (http://thecaravan.org) come in. These groups consist of refugees and migrants of diverse background from different nationalities and continents. Formed over 15 and 10 years ago respectively, they have the experience of motivating and mobilising refugees in isolated Lagers to fight for their rights and not accept the deplorable conditions that are forced upon them here. They have been at the forefront in highlighting the isolation and social exclusion of refugees and the realities of the 'Fortress Within'.

In 2000, The VOICE Forum hosted the Caravan-organised International Refugee and Migrant Congress in Jena. As preparation got underway refugees were threatened with imprisonment if they attend the Congress without a written permission from the foreigners' offices. Many refugees defied the threat and attended the congress without permission. They rose from the congress and launched a civil disobedience and the campaign to abolish the residence obligation law. They vowed never to respect this law anymore and never to ask for any permission to leave their Districts. At the same time, they risked and were prepared to go to jail rather than pay any fine for exercising their right to freedom of movement. Since then, there have been lots of public events, discussions, rallies, demonstrations and other forms of protest against the residence law throughout the country. At the same time, litigations have gone through all the instances in the German judicial system with the cases ending up at the European court of human rights. As expected, many refugees have been fined and punished for violating the restriction. And while some have been threatened and remain threatened with imprisonment, others have actually been sent to prison for weeks or months depending on how angry the presiding judge was at the time. Nevertheless, these groups are determined to not only expose the nature of the Fortress but break its tentacles 'Within'.

A Harder and Operational Fortress

Finally, we can review how the Fortress has developed and operated in its fortification, both externally and 'Within' since the last several years and we can only come to one conclusion: it is that the Fortress has become harder and more ruthless in trying to achieve its aim of keeping out the unwanted. Just a few years ago, some people who sought asylum in this country away from dictatorship and other forms of oppression in their home countries still managed to secure that internationally guaranteed protection. But since the last couple of years, particularly with the reckless abandon with which the so-called war on terror has been prosecuted and its consequent anti-terror laws, the very reasons for which a lot of those people got asylum and international protection has become the very reasons to now withdraw that protection. Many are being forced to live and endure life in 'illegality' or face the ominous process of being returned to the tormentors they fled from years ago.

And as if to show how ruthless the Fortress can be, the horrors and the harrowing experience of the Boat people are further spiced with such cruelty and inhumanity that is only matched by the inconsiderate and selfish aim to keep away the unwanted. And even so at the expense of disregarding and discarding the much vaunted European value of human freedom and human dignity not to mention humanitarian obligation. If anyone ever needed to be reminded of where we are, the sight of Spanish police and soldiers shooting and killing innocent migrants and potential refugees at their borders in 2005 should do. If not, then the more recent deadly collaboration with Libyan authorities will help. We should note that the Fortress is operational and its functionality has been taken to a higher level in the just ended week by the horrendous example of Italy. Having watched hundreds of hapless Boat people braved the odds and risks to arrive on its border, it wasted no time and immediately repatriated them to Libya without even allowing them to make asylum claims. Libya of all places-where there is neither any form of asylum policies nor is it a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In Germany, if accident occurred and a victim needed help, a passer-by who refuses to help when it is within his/her capability is normally charged and prosecuted for not helping-to save life. Now, those who have taken the risk to rescue and save drowning people on the high See have become villains and criminals. They are being prosecuted with jail terms awaiting them-for supposedly helping drowning people who 'ought to be left to drown'. And for the Fortress Within, it is the same-it is more brutal and more ruthless. As we speak a refugee is currently in jail to languish there for eights months for violating the restriction law and no other offence. Imagine a crime that would warrant eight months in jail for a German! The list goes on.the Fortress is here.

June 2009

References

• 2. StGB § 323c
• Michael Stoffels, Die «Residenzpflicht» - eine rassistische Auflage für Ausländer
• Grundrechte-Report (2002), S. 159-163
• The research by European Council of Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) on the restriction of movement for asylum seekers in Germany/Europe (2002).
• The 'Residenzpflicht'-History and Current Developments in: "Widerstands Bewegungen: Antirassismus zwischen Alltag und Aktion. (2005), Assoziation A, Berlin/Hamburg.

Police Open Fire on Indigenous Blockade in the Peruvian Amazon

25 Civilians and 9 Police Dead, 150 Injured

Garcia Government Criticized for Orchestrating Violent Attack on Peaceful Blockade While Censoring Congressional Debate on "Free Trade Laws"

Peru Ministers Under Report Number Indigenous Peoples Dead and Injured

Interviews with Eyewitnesses and High-resolution Photos Available Upon Request

Photos of June 5 Police Attack on Peaceful Blockade in Bagua

Peru's Amazon Indigenous Peoples need you to TAKE ACTION now!

Tell the Peruvian Government:

1. Immediately suspend violent repression of indigenous protests and the State of Emergency
2. Repeal the Free Trade Laws that allow oil, logging, and agricultural corporations easy entry into indigenous territories
3. Respect indigenous peoples' constitutionally guaranteed rights to self-determination, to their ancestral territories, and to prior consultation
4. Enter into good faith process of dialogue with indigenous peoples to resolve this conflict

Bagua, Peru (June 6, 2009) – In the early morning hours on Friday, Peruvian Special Forces staged a violent raid on a group of indigenous people at a peaceful blockade on a road outside of Bagua in a remote area of the northern Peruvian Amazon resulting in 25 civilians confirmed dead and more than 150 injured. Over 600 police attacked several thousand unarmed Awajun and Wambis indigenous peoples including many women and children and forcibly dispersed them using tear gas and live ammunition.

Dramatic photos (available on www.amazonwatch.org) of the attack show clearly the police brutally beating and shooting demonstrators at close range. At 2am police began to approach the demonstrators as they were sleeping along the Fernando Belaúnde Terry road. Demonstrators refused to move from the roadblock as police in helicopters fired teargas grenades and live ammunition. Eyewitnesses report that police also attacked from both sides firing live rounds into the crowd as people fled into surrounding steep hillsides, many becoming trapped. As the unarmed demonstrators were being killed and injured some wrestled with police, fighting back in self-defense, which resulted in the reported deaths of nine police officers.

In local radio reports the chief of police claimed that the indigenous demonstrators were armed and fired first. This claim has been strongly rejected by dozens of local eyewitnesses including local journalists who confirmed that Amazonian demonstrators have been entirely peaceful and only bear traditional spears and in no way provoked any violence. A point highlighted by the fact that the blockades have been going on for 56 days without a single incident.

Gregor MacLennan of Amazon Watch who is currently in Bagua gathering first hand testimonies from blockade participants, local journalists and residents stated: "All eyewitness testimonies say that Special Forces opened fire on peaceful and unarmed demonstrators including from helicopters, killing and wounding dozens in an orchestrated attempt to open the roads. It seems that the police had come with orders to shoot. This was not a clash, but a coordinated police raid with police firing on protesters from both sides of their blockade."

"There have been many accounts of atrocities committed by the Special Forces. Some have reported seeing the police throwing liquid on the cadavers and burning them. Also local residents have given accounts of having seen police throwing bodies of dead civilians into the river in an apparent attempt to underreport the number of dead. We've also received accounts that some of those injured were being detained by security forces and denied medical attention leading to additional deaths. There are many people still reported missing and access to medical attention in the region is horribly inadequate."

Peru's Ombudsman's office issued a strong statement yesterday demanding an end to the violence. Letters condemning the government's actions are pouring in from thousands of Peruvians and international human rights activists and organizations. Today, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the chair of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues of the United Nations issued a letter expressing "shock and deep distress at reports received of atrocities committed" and calling on the government to "Immediately cease all violence against indigenous communities and organizations."

Indigenous peoples have vowed to continue protests until the Peruvian Congress revokes the "free trade" decrees issued by President Garcia under special powers granted by Congress in the context of the Free Trade Agreement with the United States.

In the past two weeks, the Constitutional Committee of Congress has ruled that legislative decrees 994 and 1090 were unconstitutional. The Peruvian Congress was scheduled to debate the revocation of decree 1090 again on Thursday, however, Garcia's political party, for the third time, prevented the debate preferring instead to attack the peaceful blockades. The government Ombudsman office has filed a legal action with the constitutional tribunal regarding the unconstitutionality of decree 1064, which affects the land rights laws in Peru.

"Garcia has rejected several congressional debates on the decrees, opting for violent attacks and brute force that will only worsen this conflict. It is outrageous that the ministers are now attempting to blame the victims for this incident and cover up the number of indigenous people
dead," said Gregor MacLennan.

The protests have provoked national debate about government policies in the Amazon that ignore indigenous peoples and encourage large-scale extractive industries in Amazonian lands. Indigenous peoples assert that new laws undermine their rights and open up their ancestral lands to private companies for mining, logging, plantations, and oil drilling without their consultation or consent.

AIDESEP, the national indigenous organization of Peru presented a legal petition yesterday for "precautionary measures" to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights requesting intervention to prevent more bloodshed. Orders for the arrest of leaders of AIDESEP, including Alberto Pizango who is being charged with sedition, were put in effect on Friday.

A coalition of human rights and environmental organizations are urging the Garcia Government to stand down and cease violent confrontations by the military and calling for solidarity demonstrations at Peruvian Embassies around the world. There were demonstrations on Friday at the Peruvian Government missions in San Francisco and Washington, DC. More are planned next week.

AIDESEP, the national indigenous organization of Peru has called for a nationwide general strike starting June 11th.

For Background information see additional links and www.aidesep.org.pe.

Hessen (Germany) deports 26-year-old Rom to Kosovo

28 May 2009 – According to information by his lawyer, police officers arrested the 26 year-old Elvis A. on Monday, 26 May 2009, around midnight at his home in Fuldatal, to deport him back to Kosovo. His life-time companian and the two small children of the couple are left alone in Germany.

28 May 2009 – According to information by his lawyer (see press release on our website), police officers arrested the 26 year-old Elvis A. on Monday, 26 May 2009, around midnight at his home in Fuldatal, where he lived together with his life companion and their two small children, one and a half year and three weeks old, to deport him back to Kosovo, where he has no other family members. According to the same source, Elvis A. arrived in Germany, in September 1999, together with his parents and other siblings, in the aftermath of the Kosovo conflict.

Instead of receiving asylum, Elvis A. was merely granted a “tolerated status” (“Duldung”), which offers but a limited protection against deportation. Moreover, under this status, Elvis A. was not allowed to receive professional training or take up a regular job. Arriving in Germany 82 days too late, he missed the deadline for having his case to be considered by the so-called “Härtefallkommission”, which deals with cases of exceptional hardship among asylum seekers.

One month ago, Elvis A. received a letter, asking him to leave Germany on a “voluntary basis”. Referring to his family situation and social integration, his lawyer requested a residence permit. There was no response to this, until his deportation to Kosovo. According to his lawyer, there was no time to introduce legal remedies.

The German federal government has recently concluded a readmission agreement with the Kosovo authorities which allows for the forced repatriation of people originating from Kosovo, regardless their ethnic background. This agreement stands in contrast and de facto violates the UNHCR position on the continued international protection needs of individuals from Kosovo, according to which Kosovo Roma and Serbs continue to be at risk of persecution and should be granted asylum or subsidiary protection.

The deportation of Elvis A. coincides with the publication by Minority Rights Group International of a report highlighting the continued discrimination of ethnic minorities leading to their departure from Kosovo. The same day, the Council of Europe Commission against Racism and Intolerance, ECRI, issued its fourth country report on Germany in which it expressed its criticism regarding Germany’s restrictive policies towards asylum seekers.

In this report, ECRI devotes an entire section to the situation of people who have been admitted in Germany on the basis of the “tolerated status”. While praising Germany’s efforts to provide a provisional residence status to persons who have been staying in Germany for many years, which is referred to as “Bleiberechtsregelung”, provided their fulfilment of certain conditions, ECRI encouraged the German authorities “to work towards a solution which is humane and respectful of human rights for all persons, including those who will not benefit from the present provisions, who have been living in Germany with tolerated status for a long time and have developed close ties with Germany.” Elvis A. would certainly have fallen under this category.

Chachipe a.s.b.l.

For more information, please visit our website
http://www.romarights.wordpress.com

Tamils present and future in Sri Lanka?

While Sri Lankan government praises itself for having defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and claiming the death of its leader, Vellupupilai Pirabakaran, Sri Lankan army continues the slaughtering of Tamil civilians.

On Sunday, 17th of May 2009, TamilNet reported on Col. Soosai, the Sea Tiger Special Commander of the LTTE saying that around 25,000 civilians injured in the artillery attack of Sri Lanka Army are dead and dying now without receiving medical attention. The LTTE has repeatedly requested the ICRC through Mr. Pathmanathan to evacuate the injured through Vadduvaakal or Iraddaivaaikkaal, but there was no IC response. Within a 2 square kilometre area, there are dead bodies everywhere while the remaining thousands are in bunkers amidst the use of every kind of weapon by Colombo's forces. The SLA is not even allowing the people to flee but prefers to fire at them, Soosai said.

Meanwhile, latest reports from Vanni indicate that several thousands of civilians have been captured by the SLA, but only after first firing at them at random, causing the death and injury of many.

LTTE's head of international relations S. Pathmanathan in a statement Sunday, following an hour after Soosai's message, said the LTTE is prepared to silence its guns if that is what needed by the International Comunity to save the life and dignity of the Tamil people.

Voice: Soosai's message to media from Vanni Sunday noon (in Tamil)

Direct Link (mp3)

What is happening to the surviving civilians captured by Sri Lankan army or who are "liberated from the LTTE" as Sri Lankan government used to call the capture shows the following article published by http://tamilaffairs.com/ :

Tamil women raped by the government forces! President must reveal the names of Tamils taken to execution chambers!

News reaching from very reliable sources from the IDP Camps in Vavuniya, have alleged that up to 300 Tamil women have been allegedly mistreated and in most cases raped by members of the Sri Lankan army. A majority of the victims were gang-raped by Sri Lankan soldiers, whilst in the transition camps prior to their arrival at the permanent camps in Vavuniya district. There are upto 16 IDP camps at present with over 150,000 IDP’s.

Mistreatment of young Tamil women aged between 18 and 25 years is almost a daily occurrence with some victims so scared they voluntarily act as sex slaves for prying desperate Sri Lankan Army personnel. Up to 45 women escaped from the LTTE controlled areas three months ago were recently interviewed discreetly and it was confirmed that they are pregnant as a result of being the victims of rape. The SL Army on the other-hand is denying the allegations and blaming the LTTE instead for the war crimes.

It is also claimed that the government forces have taken large numbers of young Tamil men and women from the transit points to undisclosed places. Their whereabouts are been kept secret and it is claimed that by barring the International Non Governmental Organizations like the ICRC, the government forces are able to carryout untold human rights violations against the arrested persons. Sources also said the government death squad operating in the war torn areas have become so sophisticated that they are carrying out the murders without traces of evidence.

It is claimed that over one thousand young Tamil men and women have been executed by the military death squad since the government operations started against the LTTE.

(End of Article from tamilaffairs.com)

That theese genozidal acts by Sri Lankan forces are not likley to end after defeating the LTTE shows the current mood in colombo, described by TamilNet on Sunday, 17th of May 2009:

Flaunting 'victory' to Tamils in Colombo

Sinhala mob carrying the Lion Flag of Sri Lanka, and shouting 'jeyawewa' (victory), menacingly hover around the Tamil suburbs in Colombo such as Ko'l'lup-piddi, Ve'l'la-vaththai, Bambalapiti, Dehiwela, Koddaagn-cheanai and Maddakku'li, news reports from Colombo said. Their vehicles in which they roam around, are also guarded by flag-carrying police and intelligence vehicles, the reports said. The Tamil pedestrians are humiliated and ridiculed by this gang and by the armed personnel at security points by being specifically addressed and told that their leader Pirapaharan has been captured and everything was over, the reports further said.

The Lion Flags were hoisted on both sides of the Galle Road in Colombo and police personnel were seen distributing flags to shopkeepers and householders and enforcing them to hoist the flags.

'Kiri-bath' (milk-rice) served on auspicious occasions by the Sinhalese was seen being offered to pedestrians in different parts of Colombo as part of the 'celebrations'.

Meanwhile, video clippings Sunday showed Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, being received at the airport after his Jordan visit by a jubilant crowd of colleagues and well-wishers, including Mr. Douglas Devananda, giving him a welcome kiss.

Sri Lanka: 1200 bodies counted, hundreds seriously injured

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 May 2009, 11:26 GMT]
Rescue workers within the Mullaiththeevu Safety Zone have counted more than 1200 bodies after the large scale slaughter Saturday night and Sunday morning by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) with the use of cluster ammunition, multi-barrel rocket launchers and cannons, sources from Vanni said. The workers fear that there may be additional bodies yet to be uncovered, and the numbers killed will likely rise. Rescue workers also said several hundreds were very seriously injured, and the critical shortage of medicine at the makeshift hospital in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal will lead to many more deaths. Meanwhile, Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal Hospital staff said, until 3:00 p.m. the number of bodies brought to the hospital was 378, injured totaled 1122. The staffers added that 106 of the dead, and 251 of the injured were children.

The casualties and the seriously injured include many elderly, women and children.

The bombing which subsided until noon Sunday increased after 12:00 noon when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) fighter jets carried out two bombing raids at 12:45 p.m. Sunday, sources from inside the safety zone said.

Rescue workers said the counting of the dead is continuing and the actual number killed in the worst-ever man inflicted carnage by Sri Lanka state will not be known for a few days.

The large scale slaughter is believed to be a result of India prodding Colombo to finish the war before the change of government, political circles in Colombo said adding that the 'war on terror' has appeared to have been translated into 'war on civilians' in the time of Obama Administration.

May 10th carnage in Safety Zone

May 10th carnage in Safety Zone

Letter of Protest from the Lager in Möhlau (Germany)

The voice and the caravan members of Mohlau, Lutherstadt Wittenberg had united together as refugies to discuss their strugles and surferings to which the following protocol were made,on 05/04/2009.

1. The discussions of deportation treats and the denied of " Aufenhaltsrechts" for refugies who merited to be regulated, such as for the case of Stolla from Kosovo, who have been living in Mohlau since 1999, Saifa from Kosovo, who equally live in möhlau with his several children since 9 years, Toure who have been equally living in Möhlau for almost 11 years now, Ali has been living in möhlau for the past 7-8 years, Kahlaf als from syria has been in germany for the past 15 years and she equally had Diabete and eye problem, also victim of "Gutschien", Alsaid there since 1999 and his chldrens were born here in Germany, Fernando has been living in mohlau for the past 5 years with his familly, from Guinea Bissau, Liu from China has been living in mohlau for the past 13 years and her child were been born here in Germany also "Gutschein" victim and many others.Especially africains are favoured victim in this matter why?

2. The manipulation of the foreing office and social office of lutherstadt Wittenberg concerning "Gutscheine". The use of "identität" as an objet to touture and practice inhuman treatement to innocent refugees, to which some of them had totally lost kontact to the country of residence or their old documents had been destroyed and expired or are Stateless and had no families any moor.

3. The deniyal of working permitte by the same forigne office of lutherstadt Wittenberg to innocent refugees were been discused while other Local governement were now according working permits to refugees living in there local governement.

To all these points mentioned the refugees in Mohlau wittenberg are expressing their anger and protest because thier lives were been systematically destryoyed despite the fact that they were innocent they were angry because of the negetive interpretation of their innocent law as far as it concerns refugees. They were calling for support The voice refugees forum and the caravane for the right of refugees for a public demonstration in Lutherstadt Wittenberg.

Letter of protest

The voice and the karavane for the right of refugees Mohlau, Lutherstadt Wittenberg were definitely angry and are denoucing the inhuman practices accorded to them by the forigne office and social office of lutherstadt Wittenberg, therfore are calling for their right to be respected and be giving to them because they have had enough patient in these matters, however, the refugees lives were been destroyed instead of the neccessasry proctection from which the law defines in a positive way.

Refugees in mohlau lives in an isolated area, to which integrating themselves into the society is very very difficult never the less they were been tortured, intimadated, abused by some civil servant because of hatred, ignorance etc. Refugees are calling for the abolishment of all these practices.

They were demanding for the abolishement of the so called "Gutschien" . With this practice the lives of innocent refugees were been totured and Luterstad wittenberg knew that it was an inhuman treatement but they applied it, that is racism and non tranperency of democracy.

he refugees were demanding for their right of existence, to compromise that, the german law makers defined what we called "Aufenthaltsrecht" So that refugees can work and contribute to the development of germany.Therefore the refugees were strongly demanding the director of the foreing office to take positive position now! So that the refugees live will be saved instead of destroying their lives.

The refugees in mohlau lutherstadt wittenberg have the right to work , however this has not been permitted because of racial intent, hatred why? So therfore we the refugees were demanding today Lutherstadt wittenberg to abolish all these inhuman treatements and recognise the human dignity, existence.

We the refugges of Mohlau lutherstadt wittenberg were basing on all these reasons mentioned to informe the "Burgermeister", The director of the foreing , the administrative office, Gemeinde rat , and the citicens, indigenes of lutherstadt wittenberg to reforme their hatredness toward refugees and recognise the right of thes refugees and respect the human right and diginity.

German

10th of March 09, "GUTSCHEIN" -- STOP IT NOW! Call from Salomon, Möhlau and pictures from the Lager where he must live read more (htm)
6th of Februrary 2009, The Protest of The VOICE Refugee Forum, By Salomon W. from the Refugee Heim in Möhlau (Sachsen-Anhalt) the voice forum
9th of November 2008, Saxony-Anhalt: Salomom Wantchoucou's deportation threat the voice forum
29th of Sepember 2008, Stop the colonial heritage! Nigerian Activists Protest Against Deportation the voice forum

How to look at the swine flu epidemic

27 April 2009. A World to Win News Service. It is impossible to predict the spread, severity and consequences of the swine flu epidemic that broke out in Mexico. But influenza epidemics have occurred regularly – with three pandemics (global epidemics) in the 20th century – and scientists and public health authorities have known for a long time that new pandemics were inevitable. Some possible parameters and paths of development of such a situation can scientifically understood, in both the biological and social spheres.

There are two separate and mainly independent factors at work. One is the nature and evolution of the disease itself, which is not caused by human activity. Although social factors – for instance industrial pig farming – may conceivably have played a contributing role in the appearance of this particular disease, human beings didn’t invent viruses or human and animal vulnerability to them.

The other factor is just the opposite: What kind of society people live in, what drives the economic organisation of those societies and their social and political relations. In short, if the first factor concerns natural phenomena, itself, the second is the capitalist and imperialist world in which they occur.

Regarding the first factor, some crucial information is known: It is not unusual for farm people to catch flu from pigs, but what’s being called swine flu is something new and has never been detected in pigs before. Viruses mutate constantly, and different kinds are able to swap genetic material. The current swine flu has genetic elements that seem to have come from swine, birds and people. What makes it different than classical swine flu is that it can be readily transmitted between people. Its epicentre (where the original outbreak was centred) was not rural, but in Mexico City, a huge and dense concentration of people.

Other life-and-death biological issues remain unknown:

• How easily is the disease spread between human beings, how many of those exposed to the virus become ill, and what percentage of those who become ill die of it?

• Why have there been so many severe and mortal cases in Mexico while all the cases in other countries have been mild so far? Is this because of other factors in Mexico, such as the presence of other infections that work in tandem with swine flu? Is the virus undergoing a mutation that makes it less severe? Will there be further waves of this crisis?

• So far, most of those killed by the disease have been young adults, and none very old or very young. What does this say about how the disease affects the human body – does it force the body’s natural defences, the immune system, to act in such a way that instead of fighting off the disease it kills the patient? What does this mean for how it can be treated once people do get sick?

The following article is excerpted from part one of "Bird flu in an imperialist world", from AWTWNS 15 January 2007. The current swine flu epidemic and possible pandemic is not the same as the possible bird flu epidemic that article discussed. But insofar as this article focused on historical experience and general scientific knowledge about viral epidemics in humans, it remains relevant. The article puts emphasis on a worst-case scenario, not as a prediction but because the world’s authorities and the social system they represent can be judged by how seriously and effectively they work to prevent and prepare for such a catastrophe. The same standards apply today, no matter how this particular crisis unfolds

***

Flu viruses are now known to have caused many pandemics in the last few hundred years, including three globalized flu pandemics in the 20th century. The one in 1968-70, commonly called "Hong Kong" flu, was the mildest, killing about a million people worldwide. In 1957-58, the so-called "Asian flu" felled about twice that many. The deadliest, in 1918-20, labelled "Spanish flu" (although there is evidence that it first arose in the U.S.), killed between 20 and 100 million people – no one is sure. No other disease in history has cut down so many people so quickly.

A great many experts believe that such a mutation is bound to occur again sooner or later. David Nabarro, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official and the UN’s coordinator for influenza, said, "I am certain that there will be another influenza pandemic sometime. In the natural history of these things, I am almost certain that there will be another pandemic soon."

Since by definition few people would be immune to a new strain of flu, the number of people who would get sick could be extremely high – in the hundreds of millions or even billions. How sick – how many people would die of it – is another factor that cannot be predicted. At one end of the scale of virulent infectious diseases, some are not dangerous on a world level because they are too lethal – people who get sick die too quickly to spread them effectively. An example of this is the Ebola virus. At the other end of the scale, ordinary seasonal varieties of flu affect millions and billions of people every year, but unless they are frail for other reasons, relatively few people die of them.

The 1918 flu circled the world in several waves. The first took nine months to infect almost every country. The flu virus was at its most lethal at the beginning. As it continued to mutate, it became weaker. So death tolls from place to place varied according to when the disease struck – and it struck many places two and three times. In Turkey and Iran, death tolls were very high. In parts of central India, where the death rate was the world’s highest, British colonial records indicate that almost eight percent of the population died, and the real numbers might have been higher. Japan was able to escape the worst by limiting travel, as were a few islands, but other islands and isolated populations were devastated. Europe and the US were hit hard. About 400,000 people died in France. Some American cities were all but spared. In others, like Philadelphia, nearly every family had someone sick. Horse-drawn carts were sent through every street as criers called "Bring out your dead! "; steam shovels were used to dig mass graves. The city's manufacturing and economic life ground almost to a halt. As described in The Great Influenza by John Barry, the city’s political and social structure had reached the edge of collapse when suddenly the disease ran its course.

Within two years, when nearly everyone in the world had been exposed to the disease, enough people had developed a resistance and it completely disappeared. A recent study involving the examination of tissue from a long-frozen corpse revealed that the 1918 flu originated in birds. Current prevalent scientific opinion is that all human influenza viruses probably originated in birds. [Pigs can serve as a way station in a chain of viral mutations.]

A study in the international medical journal The Lancet (21 December 2006) estimates the number of deaths a hypothetical new outbreak of a similar influenza would cause today, based on a statistical analysis of recorded deaths in 1918-20. The figure it came up with is 62 million dead. This, the study concluded, is probably the "upper limit" – the worst-case scenario.

But although this terrifying number is what made headlines, the study went much deeper. The scientists studied the relationship between those deaths and poverty. The relationship was not direct for many reasons, some of them chance and others non-class social factors (for instance, local population density – American troop ships headed for Europe became floating coffins). There was no cure or effective treatment for the "Spanish" flu then, when even the cause was a mystery, so medical care was not a factor. In fact, the study says that the reasons for the relationship between people’s income and why they died are still not thoroughly understood. The authors believe that the victims' general health, diet and other diseases ("co-infections") played a major role – although not the only one – in determining who survived and who did not.

Why is the experience of the 1918 flu relevant in looking at what might happen today? Hasn’t medical science taken enormous leaps since then?

First of all, it's not entirely clear how much medicine could do if a new lethal flu pandemic were to break out. The Lancet report says that even with advance preparation, six months could easily pass between the emergence of a disease and the development and manufacture of an effective vaccine. It is certainly true that contemporary medicine does have some potentially powerful tools, especially anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu that cannot cure influenza but have proven effective in helping people sick with existing kinds of flu. There are also anti-bacterial drugs that could prevent or treat pneumonia in the wake of a viral infection, which may have been a major cause of death in 1918-20. Anti-inflammatory medications could also help prevent sick people from dying because their own immune systems overreact. But the WHO has warned that most of even the world's best medical systems might be overwhelmed and perhaps collapse.

Further, the study's grave concern is based on more social realities rather than the possible inadequacies of contemporary science in the face of such a challenge. Their statistical studies of deaths in 1918-20 lead them to conclude, "The burden of the next influenza pandemic will be overwhelmingly focused on the developing world." Some "96 percent of those deaths will be in the developing world, " they say.

The study’s comparison between 1918 and today is valid: "Health inequity [inequality] is scarcely less now than in 1918, and the medical advances of the last 96 years are unlikely to benefit much of the developing world in any future pandemic... Large stocks of antibiotics or anti-virals are unlikely to be available in most resource-poor countries during a pandemic. Therefore, perhaps the best estimate of mortality in a possible 2007 pandemic is that from 1918 – a rather damning indictment of global inequity in health care. "

In countries where other diseases are already widespread, the report's examination of the experience of the 1918 flu makes it horribly clear that many millions are at serious risk. It is known that malaria, for instance, left people especially vulnerable to dying of the flu. In today's world, as many as half a billion people have malaria. Another factor in our time is the unprecedented existence of up to 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS – and little or no immune system. These are the starting points for scenarios almost too grim to contemplate.

Malaria and AIDS are primarily (though far from exclusively, especially in the case of the latter) diseases of poor countries. This is one factor that led the study’s authors to conclude that Africa and Asia could be where the most deaths occur.

The decisive question, however, contrary to the study's terms, is not poverty but social system. The authors believe that differences in per capita (per person) income account for about half of the differences in death rates between different countries. Yet when China was still a socialist country, under the leadership of Mao, even though per capita income was less than today, the health situation of the people was far better than it is now. In a few decades of revolution, China wiped out many of the diseases that had preyed upon the people. When Chinese society was guided by the principal "Serve the people", the allocation of resources and the conscious participation and mobilization of the masses of people in many different ways more than doubled the average life expectancy. Since the restoration of capitalism (in fact, if not in words) when the right took power after Mao's death, the rural health care system has been largely dismantled, leaving two-thirds of the population – 800 million people – with little access to health care. Guided by the new principal "to get rich is glorious", when an epidemic of the SARS virus struck China’s countryside in 2003, instead of doing everything to stop it, the authorities covered it up so as to protect commerce and their own rule.

Also in regard to the question of social system, although the study rightly makes a crucial distinction between what it calls "developing" and "developed countries" and concludes that the peril is very different in these two cases, the difference between them is not just their degree of development. A major characteristic of the contemporary global economic, social and political system is the domination of most of the countries and peoples of the world by the monopoly capitalist rulers of a handful of imperialist countries. The crucial difference is not one of national incomes, but that in the dominated countries the economy – and ultimately almost everything else – responds to the needs of foreign finance capital.

It is inevitable that new and potentially dangerous diseases will arise under any social system, long into the future. The point is not that capitalism created this flu. But the way human beings are organized in today's imperialist world is an enormous obstacle to being able to deal with the problem.