KERALA
MONITOR
- Omani quizzed in Manila named on hijacked plane manifest
- Discrimination of Arab, Muslim Americans against US Law: US Attorney
- FBI List of 19 suspects in the World Trade Centre Tragedy
- FM Peres Suggests International Task Force for Combatting Terrorism
- Advani advocates oint Working Groups up with the US and Other Countries to combat terrorrism
- The BSA and the Dubai Free Zone authority announce agreement to enhance copyright
- Standard Chartered Selected as the Travel Industry' Bank for Gulf
Islamic Groups influence growing in the Arab Gulf Region.
September 15, 2001
Dubai : Government authorities in Oman are consulting the Philphines government to verify news reports that Omani citizens were questioned in Manila three days before the US terror attacks for secretly filming the US embassy. According to an AFP report from Manila, an Omani citizen was apparently on one of the hijacked planes. After the report quoting Philippines President Gloria Arroyo's office was flashed by the reputed international news agency, Oman's Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted their counterparts in the Philippines to verify the authenticity of the report.The official media reported that Oman's ruler Sultan Qaboos who is on a private visit to Egypt has met his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Munbarak and discussed various issues including the turbulent situation in the Middle East. Some of the Islamic fundamentalist groups of Egypt are also believed to have played important role in the New York attacks.
Similarly the UAE Government has been in touch with the US authorities to confirm whether one of the suspect's in the terrorist attacks in New York was a UAE citizen. According to official news agency, WAM, a UAE citizen with the same name as Marwan Al Shehhhi studied in Germany. Kuwait residents reportedly distributed candy to passers by celebrating the mass killings in the World Trade Center mishap.
Despite the fact that Osama bin Laden has originated from Saudi Arabia, Governments of Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain have expressed their solidarity with the US Government and offered to cooperate with the counter terrorrism moves. However, some people in these countries are allegedly part of the conspiracy to carry out the terrorist attacks that killed several thousand American civilians. Bin Laden might have cleverly selected citizens of Gulf with an ulterior motive to gain popularity among the Arabs, especially the youth and the present their governments in a difficult position.
"The suspect was among three Omanis who filmed the embassy on September 8, three days before Tuesday's attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon which left thousands dead, Arroyo's spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said in a statement," AFP report said. Tiglao said that after the attacks it was discovered "the name of one of the three (Omanis) appeared in the flight manifest of one of the hijacked planes in the US."
The three Omanis with the surname "Al Sheihhi" were questioned by police on why they were taking video footage of the US embassy but were released after their tapes showed standard tourist scenes, the statement said. "The trio checked out of Bayview Hotel, barely a kilometre (mile) from the US embassy along the busy Roxas Bouelavard in Manila on September 9, even though they were booked for another day and took flights for Bangkok," the AFP report said. Tiglao said following the terrorist attacks in the United States, the American authorities informed Manila that the name of the Omani appeared on the flight manifesto of one of the four hijackjed planes used in the strikes. A day after the US attacks, a Philippine police team with a US technician checked the Bayview Hotel room where the Omanis had stayed and "an initial swipe of the room tested positive for TNT chemicals," he said. The chemicals are used for making explosives.
There has been widespread resentment among Arab citizens in the Gulf countries against the double standard followed by the US Administration and sometimes even their own governments in dealing with the Palestinian issue. Even though the governments have been publicly supporting the Palestinians cause in their fight against US supported Israel, fundamentalist groups like Osama bin Laden have been able to infiltrate the young Arabs, especially university students . The Gulf War following Iraq's attack on Kuwait clearly demonstrated that the tiny Gulf countries need outside military support to face any strong security threat.
During the beginning of Intifada in Palestin when Israel was going ahead with a killing spree of innocent civilians including kids, a number of Arab capitals and cities witnessed massive rallies in support of the Palestinian. According to press reports, Oman and Bahrain witnessed the most violent and strong rallies in support of the Palestinains as students of Sultan Qaboos University, the only university in Oman, and Bahrain University came out in large numbers and staged partially violent demonstrations. Even though these movements were closely monitored and controlled by the Police, they went out of control occasionally forcing the police to resort to lathi charge and tear gas to disburse the mob. Same has been the sentiment in other Universities in the Gulf region.
For about one week, there were heavy traffic jams in streets as large number of citizens came out in the road and held demonstrations. These events which occurred about six months back was reported by the state controlled media which prominently published reports and pictures of such demonstrations. However, when the demonstrations became strong, the police used force to chase away anti-US and anti-Zionist demonstrations. Despite severe state control on political activities, some of the fundamentalist Islamic groups linked to Osama bin Laden have been quite active in the Gulf region. In view of the strong anti-Zionist feelings among their citizens, Gulf monarchies have been trying to distance themselves from Israel and US. It is also known that some of the underground militant Islamic groups in the Gulf have been becoming popular among the Arab youth. Some groups receive financial support and ideological indoctrination from abroad.
While all the Arab governments in the region have expressed their solidarity with the US Government, the public sentiment appears to be jubilant and Osama bin Laden and his supporters are treated as representing the Arab cause. "Very good. America has been killing innocent children in Iraq. They are also supporting Israel to kill innocent civilians in Palestine. Hitting American target was the right thing, because the US should understand that human life is valuable -whether it is Palestinians, Iraqis or Americans," says an Arab taxi driver. The same view is echoed by ordinary people who harbour more hatred towards Israel and the US. "Only because US is supporting Israel they are attacking the Palestinian people. Otherwise, how can a small country like Israel do like this," asks another Arab youth .
Like the US, law enforcement authorities in the Gulf region have been monitoring the Islamic groups, which pose serious challenge to the orthodox governments. Some of the business groups and individuals who advocate fanatic religious ideologies are known to be getting financial support from extremist groups. Some of the Islamic banks in the region are also known to be facilitating fund transfer to such beneficiaries. Two years back, one of the Gulf monarchies was threatened by a fundamentalist group, who were planning to stage a military coup with the support of a prominent business group.As the media is totally controlled by the state, anti-American and anti-Israeli feelings are openly expressed through a number of internet sites and discussion forums that have mushroomed in the Arab world. Such Internet sites have been publishing critical stories about the government policies.
Standard Chartered Selected as the Travel Industry' Bank for Gulf
September 15, 2001
Dubai: The International Transport Association (IATA) has selected British international bank, Standard Chartered, to manage its Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) throughout the Gulf. The BSP covers annual payments of US $ 1.3 billion between IATA's 55 member airlines and over 400 approved travel agencies in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, the bank said in a press release.Jock Boehm, Regional Manager IATA IDFS Gulf, said: "We have appointed Standard Chartered, a strong bank in the region, in order to establish a consistent reliable and more efficient approach to managing the flow of funds between travel agents and airlines in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman."
Andrew Duff, Standard Chartered's Chief Executive Officer for the UAE and Head of Corporate Banking Gulf said in the statement: "We are delighted to have been selected by IATA. Standard Chartered's wholesale banking team is a leading provider of Cash Management, Trade Finance and Treasury Services in the Gulf. We are ideally placed to serve IATA's expanding business in the region."
Standard Chartered was selected from over 20 international and local banks, which were invited to participate in IATA's competitive tendering process. The criteria for selection included levels of service, quality of information, presence in Gulf markets, efficiency of delivery, speed of funds transfer to airlines and cost reduction for IATA and its member airlines.IATA's selection of Standard Chartered complements the group's existing global relationship as the Association's core banker in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and sub-Saharan Africa.
Under the terms of the new regional agreement with IATA, Standard Chartered will collect the billings twice monthly from over 400 travel agents across the Gulf, provide timely reports to IATA of any defaults or short payments and remit funds promptly to IATA's 55 airline members. IATA's role in the Gulf is becoming increasingly important with the rapid growth of travel and tourism at the initiative of host governments in the region. To be accredited by IATA, travel agencies must satisfy the association's strict requirements, which include staff, quality, IT capability and financial strength. The number of Gulf travel agencies approved by IATA has doubled in the past five years, the statement revealed.Dubai Free Zone Authority Strengthens Stance On Illegal Software
The BSA and the Dubai Free Zone authority announce agreement to enhance copyright
Dubai, 14 August, 2001
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) today announced a ground breaking new Co-operation to enhance copyright protection in the UAE: the software watchdog and the Dubai Free Zone authority have undertaken to cooperate on stronger action to ensure that free zone companies abide by the UAE's software copyright laws. This announcement is the first of its kind in the Middle East, where a free zone authority is showing such commitment to encourage the use of licensed software, and is a further and clearer demonstration of the UAE's firm stance on protecting the local IT industry to create the right conditions and continue developing this booming sector.
"This cooperation to assist the BSA in its enforcement work is a strategic decision," commented Dubai Free Zone Chairman, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem. "Not only because IT companies are an important focus for us, but also because we believe in the importance of upholding copyrights throughout the UAE. It is one of our government's priorities and part of HH Sheikh Mohammad's vision that has resulted in the establishment of Dubai as the IT hub of the Middle East"
The UAE government realized early that a healthy software market whose intellectual property is protected is key to encouraging local and international investments in the IT sector, and ensures that proper measures are taken to curb the use and sale of illegal software throughout the Emirates. Over the past years, many of the world's technology leaders have setup office as free zone companies in Dubai. As copyright protection strengthened, making the UAE the region's champion of intellectual property, international players such as Autodesk, Compaq, Microsoft, Tech Data and other leading brands have been increasing their investments in the country, often making Dubai their regional headquarters This has been demonstrated by the unequaled success of the Dubai Internet City, the region's largest IT-focused free zone.
In many other countries of the Middle East, the issue of illegal software (which results in millions of dollars of lost income for companies every year) has been a deterrent to investment. In addition to that, the lack of protection has discouraged local and regional software development initiatives. This situation is slowly changing as awareness grows.
"We have noted an important trend," continued Bin Sulayem, "Many free zone companies are Middle Eastern software developers that have chosen to work here. This is a factor that encouraged our cooperation with the BSA. By protecting copyright, we are first and foremost encouraging Arabs to venture into the software development arena"
The BSA was very upbeat about this new development. "We again praise the UAE government's attentiveness to the needs of the IT sector. This positive step on the behalf of the Dubai Free Zone authority is yet another milestone in the region. The UAE has been a regional leader in terms of copyright protection, and the breathtaking developments in the high-tech industry are a proof of the effectiveness of every measure they has been taken in this country," commented the BSA's regional director, Jawad Al-Redha.
FM Peres Suggests International Task Force for Combatting Terrorism
Jerusalem: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres suggested that NATO, together with the armed forces of Russia and additional states, be formed into an international task force for fighting terrorism. According to the Foreign Minister, there are international armed forces designed for fighting enemies who no longer exist, and they should be converted to the fight against the dangers threatening civilization. These forces are prepared and equipped and their conversion will save time and money. This task force should form a strategy for combatting terrorism and terrorists, while emphasizing suicide terrorism.Foreign Minister Peres also called on all the world's religious leaders - Christians, Muslims and Jews - to strongly condemn the phenomenon of suicide bombers and act with determination against them.
JOINT WORKING GROUPS SET UP WITH THE U.S. AND OTHER COUNTRIES TO COMBAT TERRORISM SHOULD TAKE OFF SAYS ADVANI
New Delhi: The Indian Home Minister, L.K. Advani today said that the Joint Working Groups set up with the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany and Israel to eradicate the menace of terrorism should start functioning actively. Talking to newspersons after addressing the Hindi Diwas celebrations in New Delhi, Advani said it is now clear after the Washington and New York bombings that terrorism is a global menace not limited to a particular country or people. He said the global realization about the devastating effect of terrorism after these tragic events would go a long way towards fighting the menace threatening the civil society. He said America has come face to face with terrorism only recently, while India is battling it for a long time and also urging the civilized world to wake up to the menace. He also referred the Mumbai blasts of 1993 which took a toll of 253 of innocent lives. He said New Delhi has been making systematic efforts to forge ties with other democratic countries for the last few years to face this challenge jointly.
Earlier, inaugurating the Hindi Diwas function the Home Minister said the spread and nurturing of Hindi cannot be done by opposing English. Increased usage of Hindi should act as a reflection of the self-respect of our nation. Advani said like Hindi, English language was also opposed in England in the 18th Century when Debates in the House of Commons were held in English but the laws were passed in Latin. The situation was similar. The intellectuals at that time questioned the capacity of English language to teach science and medicine. He asked the Hindi language experts and computer scientists to put in use the latest technology to spread Hindi worldwide and also make it easier to learn. Shri Advani also released a C-DCC on Hindi
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Home Secretary, Kamal Pande urged that the officials during their normal office work should shed the tendency to lean towards English. They should change themselves in favour of Hindi. The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri I.D. Swami also spoke on the occasion.
Discrimination of Arab, Muslim Americans against US Law: US Attorney
WASHINGTON, D.C. Assistant Attorney General Ralph F. Boyd Jr. of the Civil Rights Division released the following statement: "The Attorney General has made clear that any act of violence or discrimination against a person based on the perceived race, religion or national origin of that person is contrary to our fundamental principles and the laws of the United States. His statement is a reminder to all Americans that Americans of Arab or South Asian decent and people of the Muslim faith were also injured and killed in Tuesday's attacks. In addition, they also are-along with other Americans-involved in relief operations, and other efforts to alleviate suffering. Any threats of violence or discrimination against Arab or Muslim Americans or Americans of South Asian descents are not just wrong and un-American, but also are unlawful and will be treated as such.
"As the Attorney General reminded us today, we must not descend to the level of those who perpetrated Tuesday's violence by targeting individuals for threats or violence based on their race, religion, and national origin. To do so would be to grant terrorists a victory they cannot - and would not - otherwise achieve. We are a great nation; we must treat one another, and others in a manner consistent with that greatness. Everything we do must reaffirm and respect the dignity, heroism and sacrifice of those who have died, lest their sacrifice be in vain."
