Foreign Correspondence

[thepennyking]

RECENT INCIDENTS & HEADLINES
These updates are based on a collection of reporting from websites and the media.
MIDEAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Iraq

US Marines today closed all roads into Fallujah, the site of last week's slayings of four US civilian contractors and the mutilations of their bodies. Firefights erupted as the Marines raided several houses, sources said, leaving one Marine and five Iraqis dead. There also are reports of clashes in Baghdad and Najaf between coalition forces and Shiites.
Israel
Israeli security forces were placed on high alert ahead of the Passover holiday as troops shot dead a militant and wounded seven other Palestinians in the northern West Bank. The government, meanwhile, kept up its campaign of intimidation against Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, accusing him of being a bigger obstacle to peace than assassinated Hamas chief Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Security was being especially tightened around Jewish settlements in the West Bank after the killing of a Jewish resident of the northern West Bank settlement of Avnei Hefetz early Saturday. The attack was carried out by a member of the radical Islamic movement Hamas, 18-year-old Ramzi Fakhri Arda, who was himself shot dead by troops stationed nearby.
Jordan
Reports emerging on 1 April 2004 indicate that Jordanian authorities have increased security at government offices, hotels and public facilities and are conducting an intensive search for a vehicle laden with explosives. The measures are a result of information obtained in a security operation on 30 March, during which security forces seized explosives and arrested several suspected members of a terrorist cell who were allegedly planning to stage attacks in Jordan. Authorities are looking for at least three other suspects and have published their pictures and names on local media, asking for the public's assistance in locating them. Authorities have not revealed the intended targets and timing of the planned attacks.

SOUTHEAST ASIA
Thailand
Reports emerged on 31 March 2004 that a group of heavily armed men raided a quarry in Libon, which is located in the southern Thai province of Yala in an area 40 mi/70 km from the Malaysian border, and stole 2,900 lbs of ammonium nitrate, 170 blasting caps and 58 sticks of dynamite. The government has put security forces on high alert in the southern provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, Songkhla and Satun. The country's interior minister voiced concern that attackers involved in the surge in violence in southern Thailand may attempt to conduct attacks in the popular tourist area of Hat Yai. Authorities warned that there is a heightened possibility that attacks may occur during the upcoming Songkran Water Festival between 13 and 16 April 2004.
Philippines
On 30 March 2004, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced that security forces seized approximately 80 lbs. of TNT and arrested four suspects in Metro Manila, reportedly thwarting terror attacks against malls and trains in the capital. Arroyo claims that the arrests and seizure of explosives prevented a "Madrid-level attack." Authorities believe that the four suspects are members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), a quasi-separatist/criminal group, and that the suspects reportedly received training from members of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorist group. According to police officials, the men had been under police surveillance since the beginning of March 2004. Following their arrests, authorities report that the men have claimed responsibility for the blast and subsequent fire aboard a ferry in Manila Bay on 27 February 2004.
Bangladesh
Thousands of business owners in Dhaka staged a protest on 1 April 2004 to demand that the government take serious action to suppress criminal activity in the city. In recent days, traders went on strike to protest over this issue as well. The protests come after a number of reported attacks directed at businessmen in recent weeks and months. No serious violence was reported during the 1 April event.
EUROPE
United Kingdom
Police officers in London carried out anti-terror raids throughout southern London on 30 March 2004. A force composed of at least 700 officers divided into five groups raided 24 houses early on 30 March. Eight British terror suspects of Pakistani descent were arrested. Officials also recovered approximately 500 lbs. of ammonium nitrate. Two suspects were arrested in Uxbridge, west London, and a further three in Crawley south of London. One suspect was detained in Ilford, east of London, and two others in Horley and Slough, south and west of London respectively. The ammonium nitrate was recovered from a mini-storage unit in west London.

Spain
Spanish police have found an explosive device on a high-speed railway between Madrid and Seville last week, Interior Minister Angel Acebes said. A rail employee raised the alert after seeing a suspicious package on the line half an hour outside Madrid and at least 10 trains have been halted. Spain's rail system is particularly busy ahead of the Easter holidays.
Spain was rocked by a series of bombs on passenger trains in Madrid on 11 March which killed 191 and injured hundreds. Police are pursuing suspected Islamic militants for those attacks.
The explosives were similar to those used in the 11 March attack.
Bombs have also been found on train tracks in France and Moscow in recent weeks. Moscow rail officials discovered a grenade rigged to explode when the next train passed on the main rail line northwest of Moscow on 1 April 2004 near the Monino rail station. The device was disarmed successfully.
Greece
United States athletes will have increased security on their flights to the Athens Olympics and an evacuation strategy in case of a major terrorist attack, the media reported Thursday.
The U.S. Olympic Committee's security chief told the media that the U.S. team would receive additional protection from Greek and international authorities during the games because the United States - along with Israel, Britain, Spain and others - is at a higher risk of terrorist threats. Armed air marshals on flights carrying athletes were likely, but no further detail was provided.
AMERICAS
Bolivia

An angry miner with dynamite strapped to his chest blew himself up in Bolivia's congress Tuesday, killing two police officers and wounding 10 others, authorities said. La Paz Police Chief Guido Arandia said the suicide bomber — whose demand for early retirement benefits underscored the grievances of many low-paid miners in Bolivia — stormed into congress around midday and went to a part of the building away from the congressional chambers. The miner detonated his vest laced with at least five sticks of dynamite as congressional security police tried to negotiate. Arandia said he killed himself and fatally wounded Col. Marbel Flores, head of the congressional security police, and an officer who wasn't immediately identified. Col. Carlos Za, head of the country's intelligence service, was critically injured.

Dominican Republic
Dominican Air Force troops took control of six major airports Wednesday when air traffic controllers threatened to strike in demand of wage increases.
President Hipólito Mejía ordered a government decree giving the Civil Aeronautics Department the right to ``preserve and guarantee the security of civil aviation operations in the country."
Bolívar de León, president of the Dominican Association of Air Traffic Controllers union, condemned the takeover, saying at no point did employees make concrete plans to abandon their jobs. The troops arrived at airports in capital Santo Domingo, Santiago, Puerto Plata, Barahona, Punta Cana and La Romana. They told some 300 air traffic controllers and technicians to leave, then took over their duties. How long the troops would be in the airports wasn't clear.
For the past two weeks, the air traffic controllers union has been pushing the Aviation Department, which oversees the airports, to double their wages. Currently air traffic controllers make between $340 and $1,136 a month.
Argentina
On 1 April 2004, approximately 130,000 demonstrators rallied in Buenos Aires demanding an end to the country's increasing crime rate. Similar demonstrations took place in smaller cities across the country. The demonstrators urged the government to re-organize the police force and impose tougher sentences on criminals. Argentina, and particularly Buenos Aires, has seen a sharp increase in the number of kidnappings for ransom targeting local businessmen and ordinary citizens.
Brazil
On 30 March 2004, a strike initiated by the Brazilian Federal Police entered its 21st day. Federal Police have been demanding higher salaries that they claim the government owes them from previous negotiations. The strike by the Federal Police, who are in charge of immigration and customs in Brazil, has caused long delays for people coming in and out of the country of up to four hours. Airline companies operating out of the Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport in Rio de Janeiro have reportedly been asking customers to arrive at the airport five hours ahead of time to ensure that the flights are not delayed due to people having to wait up to four hours in customs/immigration lines. Federal Police have put approximately 80 percent of their work force on strike. There has been no word from the government on any ongoing negotiations with the Federal Police.


AFRICA
Sudan
Reports emerged on 30 March 2004 that government officials arrested at least 10 military officers in connection with a possible coup attempt. It is not clear from reports when the arrests occurred. Officials believe that the officers arrested belong to the Islamic opposition Popular Congress and that the coup attempt was related to an ongoing armed insurgency in the western region of Darfur. In addition to the military arrests, six ranking opposition politicians were also detained, according to Popular Congress sources. Further details regarding the allegations of a coup attempt are not available at this time.