News…
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Human rights organization Amnesty International has called for an end to forced evictions in Cambodia. Thousands of families have already been moved from their homes in the center of the capital Phnom Penh, and more evictions are set to follow. The authorities say this is a necessary part of Cambodia’s development. But in its report Amnesty disputes this, and says there has been a lack of accountability and consultation with local communities. Members of threatened communities from across Phnom Penh are fighting on, although their homes may soon be reduced to rubble. (BBC)
Hundreds of schools closed, roads were empty and shops were shuttered in districts in Nepal’s southern plains on Feb. 13 at the start of a strike by ethnic Madheshi groups to press for regional autonomy. Violent ethnic protests in the region last year claimed at least 45 lives, throwing a shadow over Nepal’s peace process after a decade-long civil war with Maoist rebels ended in 2006. Three Madheshi groups, saying they represent the dominant ethnic community of the fertile Terai plains, have called the indefinite strike aimed at blocking roads to Kathmandu and other hilly areas of landlocked Nepal. (Reuters)
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is deeply concerned about the growing number of civilian casualties, including children, resulting from the deteriorating security situation across Sri Lanka. Since the beginning of this year, the ICRC has observed an increase in the number of civilians killed or injured in targeted and/or indiscriminate attacks. In the first six weeks of 2008, more than 180 civilians were reported killed and almost 270 injured in a series of attacks on civilian buses, railway stations and individuals in Colombo, Dambula, Kebhitigollewa, Madhu, Okkampitiya and Welli Oya. (ICRC)
An independent UN expert Feb. 13 hailed progress in Saudi Arabia on advancing the status of women but urged more action to prevent gender-based violence and raise their profile in public life. “Women of Saudi Arabia, in full respect of their societal values, appear ready to embark on a new stage of engagement in contributing to the advancement of their society and that of the coming generations of women and men,” the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences, Yakin Erturk, said in a statement after visiting the country from Feb. 4-13. (UN News)
Severe flooding caused by weeks of heavy rain is now known to have left 48 people dead and some 40,000 families homeless, authorities in Bolivia say. Two rivers in one of the worst-hit provinces, Beni, have broken their banks and are threatening to cut off the main city in the region, Trinidad. The government has declared a state of emergency and launched relief efforts. Among the worst-hit areas are the eastern provinces of Beni and Santa Cruz as well as Cochabamba in central Bolivia. Several thousand people have been moved from areas at risk in Beni. (BBC)
Sexually transmitted diseases have spread so widely in some Aboriginal communities that mass treatment without individual testing, even for children as young as 10, is the only way to fight the problem, according to a medical paper published Feb. 4. The authors of the paper in The Medical Journal of Australia, Dr. Frank Bowden and Dr. Katherine Fethers, contend that the traditional method of screening and treating people individually is not working because patients often move on before their test results have been returned and because of a lack of resources. (NYT)