18 - 24 January 2001
Issue No.517
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 18 - 24 January 2001 Issue No.517 |
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Too little, too late
SOUTH Koreans awaiting a formal apology and compensation from the US for the shooting of South Korean refugees by US soldiers near the village of No Gun Ri in July 1950, shortly after the start of the Korean War, were again profoundly disappointed by what they claim was a US refusal to accept outright culpability. An investigation concluded that contrary to the military's long-standing denial, the American army was responsible for the deaths of unarmed civilians. President Clinton expressed his "regret", but in extending his "condolences" to victims' families, he continued to hide behind the non-emotional phrase "casualties of war."A US offer to erect a monument in South Korea and establish a scholarship fund was also rejected by victims as an attempt to dilute the issue. The No Gun Ri attack gained widespread attention in September 1999 when a Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press exposé detailed the massacre. One year later, the US Army has reversed its position and acknowledged the incident, but maintains that the shootings were the result of confusion and inexperience, not an express order to kill refugees.
Parting ways
THE NATIONALIST leader of Quebec, Premier Lucien Bouchard, announced in no uncertain terms that he is fed up with politics and is returning to private life, bringing to an end a high-profile and tumultuous career, reports Marc Munroe in Ottawa. The unexpected resignation came down like a bombshell, but it had been painfully apparent that the premier was becoming exasperated by fratricidal bickering within the ruling Parti Québecois. In December, old-guard party stalwart Yves Michaud set off a storm of controversy with an anti-Semitic diatribe implying that ethnic communities conspire to vote en bloc against the nationalist dream. The xenophobic rhetoric infuriated Bouchard, but Michaud refused to recant.Bouchard came to prominence as a supporter of Canadian unity, but grew frustrated with the Byzantine nature of federal politics. In 1995, he led a referendum campaign that came within a percentage point of mandating Quebec separation. Since then, nationalist fervour has ebbed and Bouchard acknowledged that his efforts to turn the tide "have been in vain."
Shifting fates
IN AN unusual convergence of two quite disparate wars, the unsolved mysteries of the fates of two casualties of war lit up the news this week. On Friday, the results of a 10-year investigation into the death of Swedish wartime hero Raoul Wallenberg served only to chastise the Swedish government for its sluggishness in pursuing Wallenberg's case and resurrect speculation on his disappearance. Wallenberg is credited with saving tens of thousands of lives by issuing Swedish passports and protection to Jews during his term as a diplomat in German-occupied Budapest. Last accounted for in January 1945, the Soviets originally claimed Wallenberg had been killed in Budapest, then admitted that he was in their custody but died of a heart attack in 1947. A Russian prosecutor admitted last month that Wallenberg was probably a victim of Stalin's purges, but the investigation could not disprove claims that Wallenberg was kept alive as a secret prisoner for much longer, possibly until the late 1980s.The reappearance of the Wallenberg mystery was given further poignancy by a curious change in the status assigned to American fighter pilot Lt Cmdr Michael Speicher, the first American casualty of the 1991 Gulf War. Shot down on the first night of combat, Speicher was designated as "killed in action" after later investigations at the crash site appeared to confirm his death. But new classified evidence led investigators to review the case and on Friday it was announced that Speicher's status had been changed to "missing in action." Though Pentagon officials doubt Speicher is still alive, there is reason to believe that he survived the crash, making him officially unaccounted for.
River of pilgrims
CONSIDERED one of the most auspicious days for ritual bathing in the Ganges River, Sunday (known as Royal Bath Day) saw an estimated eight million Hindu pilgrims take a dip in the chilled river as part of the monumental Maha Kumbh Mela, or Great Pitcher Festival in Allahabad, India. Four days out of the 42-day festival, which takes place every 12 years, are deemed by Hindu astrologers as the holiest of times to bathe and pilgrims rich and poor, local and foreign, flock to Allahabad, where it is said the winged god Garuda spilled a few drops of the nectar of immortality. A staggering 70 million people are expected to attend the Kumbh Mela, making it the largest human gathering in history -- the record is held by the last Kumbh Mela, which was attended by 15 million. Elaborate precautions have been taken to prevent violence between rival sects and deaths by trampling.Offshore plague
IT BEGAN some 100 kilometres off the Pacific coast of El Salvador, but the effects reached as far as Mexico City. Saturday's devastating earthquake was measured at 7.6 on the Richter scale -- El Salvador's most severe since the 1986 quake that took 1,500 lives. Eight people were killed in neighbouring Guatemala, but other affected countries -- Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico and Nicaragua -- reported no deaths. The weight of the shock fell on El Salvador, where collapsed hills buried thousands of homes and some 600 are reported dead, another 1,800 injured, and another 1,000 unaccounted for. Salvadorean President Francisco Flores immediately declared a state of emergency and called on the international community for assistance. Response was swift, but desperate rescue efforts have yielded few survivors. The death toll is likely to exceed 1,000.Compiled by Nyier Abdou
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