DHAKA TRIBUNE
World
S Korean president: Ferry crew actions murderous Sixty-four people are known to have died and 238 are still missing, presumed dead had been involved in a sea accident off n Reuters, Jindo Japan years before. South Korean President Park Geunhye said yesterday the actions of some crew of a ferry that sank with hundreds feared dead were tantamount to murder, as a four-year-old video transcript showed the captain promoting the safety of the same route. Sixty-four people are known to have died and 238 are missing, presumed dead, in the sinking of the Sewol ferry last Wednesday. Most of the victims are high school children. Captain Lee Joon-seok, 69, and two other crew members were arrested last week on negligence charges, with prosecutors announcing four further arrests - two first mates, one second mate and a chief engineer - on Monday. Lee was also charged with undertaking an “excessive change of course without slowing down” while traversing a narrow channel. Several crew members, including the captain, left the ferry as it was sinking, ahead of the passengers, witnesses have said. Park said the crew’s desertion was tantamount to murder. “Above all, the conduct of the captain and some crew members is unfathomable from the viewpoint of common sense, and it was like an act of murder that cannot and should not be tolerated,” she told aides. Lee, the captain, said in a promotional video four years ago that the journey from the port city of Incheon to the holiday island of Jeju was safe as long as passengers followed the instructions of the crew. He also told a newspaper that he
The irony of the video is the crew ordered the passengers to stay put in their cabins as the ferry sank. As is customary in hierarchical Korean society, the orders were not questioned. However, many of those who escaped alive either did not hear or flouted the instructions and were rescued as they abandoned ship. Of the 476 passengers and crew on board, 339 were children and teachers on a high school outing.
Sub search for MH370 two-thirds complete n AFP, Perth
Malaysia Airlines jet in emergency landing after tyre bursts
Two-thirds of the planned underwater search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been completed, with no signs so far of the jet, Australian officials said yesterday. As many as 10 military aircraft and 11 ships are taking part in the search for the aircraft, which was carrying 239 people when it vanished on March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. No debris from the plane has been found despite an intense air and sea search and hopes centre on the underwater autonomous vehicle (UAV) Bluefin-21 finding wreckage on the Indian Ocean seabed. “Bluefin-21 has searched approximately two thirds of the focused underwater search area to date,” the Joint Agency Coordination Centre managing the search said in a statement. “No contacts of interest have been found to date.” The torpedo-shaped sonar scanning device has so far made eight missions to the vast depths of the ocean with no result, despite exceeding it’s operating limit of 4,500 metres (15,000 feet). MH370 inexplicably diverted from its course towards Beijing and is thought to have crashed into the remote Indian Ocean. Authorities believe acoustic signals picked up from the seabed far off the west coast of Australia by specialist US equipment -- known as a towed pinger locator -- are the best lead so far in solving the mystery. l
‘I know how he said ‘dad’’
Parents of the children missing in the accident in what is likely to turn out to be one of South Korea’s worst maritime disasters sat exhausted from days of grief on Monday, waiting for the almost inevitable news that their loved ones had died. They have spent all their time since the accident in a gymnasium in the port city of Jindo, taking it in turns to vent their anger at the crew’s inaction and slow pace of the rescue operation. One of those waiting in the gymnasium was Kim Chang-gu, whose son Kim Dong-hyup is among the missing. “I dream about him and hear hallucinatory sounds,” he told Reuters. “Somebody told me he was alive but I now have given up. I know how he said ‘Dad’. I keep hearing that.” Divers are retrieving the bodies at a faster pace and some parents have moved from the gymnasium to the pier to await news. Others stay put on their mattresses in the gym, where one by one, parents are informed that a body
n AFP, Kuala Lumpur A Malaysia Airlines plane with 166 people aboard was forced to make an emergency landing in Kuala Lumpur early Monday in another blow to the flag-carrier’s safety image after the loss of flight MH370. Flight MH192, bound for Bangalore in India, turned back to Kuala Lumpur shortly after it was discovered that a tyre had burst on take-off, the airline said. “As safety is of utmost priority to Malaysia Airlines, the aircraft was required to turn back to KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport),” the airline said in a statement. The episode caused deep anxiety among passengers, with some crying or reciting prayers as the plane circled for hours off the coast, Malaysian media reported. The plane circled in order to burn up fuel -- a common practice in such landings, designed to make the plane lighter and minimise fire risks. “The passengers were very scared when we learnt that the flight was having trouble,” the New Straits Times quoted a Dutch traveller as saying. “Some were crying, while most of us had already started reciting prayers.” The plane landed safely at 1:56 am
N Korea slams Obama’s ‘dangerous’ Asia tour n AFP, Seoul North Korea warned yesterday that an upcoming Asian tour by US President Barack Obama could escalate military tensions, as South Korean media cited intelligence reports of increased activity at the North’s main nuclear test site. Obama’s April 23-29 tour includes visits to Japan and South Korea, the two main US military allies in Asia and key partners in the effort to curb Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme. A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said the “reactionary and dangerous” trip would only serve to “escalate confrontation and bring dark clouds of a nuclear arms race” over the Korean peninsula. In a statement carried by the North’s official KCNA news agency, the spokesman said recent Asia visits by the US Secretaries of State and Defence had sought to demonise the North’s nuclear and missile programmes and justify a growing US military presence in the region. “It is as clear as noonday that Obama will trumpet the same thing,” he said.
The last two months have been a period of elevated tensions on the Korean peninsula, as South Korea and the United States conducted annual, largescale military exercises. North Korea protested by test-firing dozens of short-range missiles and conducting its first mid-range missile tests for nearly four years. On Monday, the South’s Yonhap news agency, citing unidentified military sources, said increased activity had been observed at the North’s underground Punggye-ri site where its three nuclear tests were carried out in 2006, 2009 and 2013. “South Korean and US forces have been closely monitoring the latest development to detect signs of another test,” one source told Yonhap. At the end of last month, North Korea said it would not rule out a “new form” of nuclear test after the UN Security Council condemned its latest medium-range missile launches. Experts saw this as a possible reference to testing a uranium-based device or a miniaturised warhead small enough to fit on a ballistic missile. l
South Korea Coast Guard members transfer the bodies of passengers from the sunken South Korean ferry ‘Sewol’, to a ship at sea off Jindo. Divers began retrieving bodies on April 20 from inside the submerged South Korean ferry that capsized five days ago with hundreds of children on board AFP matches a family DNA swab, prompting wailing and collapses. Two US underwater drones have been deployed in the search for bodies, a coastguard official said. Strong tides hampered operations overnight but the weather was better on Monday.
(1756 GMT), nearly four hours after take-off, and all 159 passengers and seven crew members disembarked, the airline said. It added that tyre debris discovered on the runway had led to the decision to bring the Boeing 737-800 aircraft back. “They have landed safely -- thank God,” tweeted Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said police would probe the incident, including the possibility of sabotage, though he gave no indication sabotage was suspected. “We will take the necessary steps to investigate from all angles,” he was quoted by Malaysian media as saying. A Malaysia Airlines spokeswoman confirmed the re-scheduled flight took off at 3:35 pm local time on Monday. Malaysia Airlines is still reeling from the loss and presumed crash of MH370, which disappeared on March 8 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The plane is now believed to have crashed into the remote Indian Ocean with 239 people aboard after inexplicably diverting from its route. Malaysia Airlines had previously enjoyed a good safety record, as did the Boeing 777 aircraft used for MH370. l
Hamid Mir’s condition stable n AFP, Karachi A leading Pakistani journalist and TV anchor who was shot three times in an attack in Karachi is conscious and in stable condition, his hospital said yesterday. Hamid Mir, who hosts a prime-time current affairs talk show on the Geo News channel, was attacked on Saturday while travelling by car to his office from the airport in Karachi. The government has announced a special commission to investigate the attack and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. A spokesman for Karachi’s Aga Khan University Hospital said Mir was “conscious and stable”. The shooting came less than a month after gunmen tried to murder another prominent liberal journalist, Raza Rumi, known for criticising the Taliban. Rumi survived the attack but his driver was killed. Mir has survived previous attempts on his life including a bomb under his car last year which police defused before it could go off. He has long been a critic of the country’s powerful intelligence agencies and military for their alleged role in the abduction of thousands of people in the restive southwestern province of Baluchistan. l
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Tuesday, April 22, 2014
A clearer picture has started to emerge of the time around the accident after coastguards released a recording of a conversation between vessel controllers and the ship. Witnesses have said the Sewol turned sharply before it began listing. It took more than two hours for
it to capsize completely but passengers were ordered to stay put in their cabins. According to the transcript, the controllers told the captain to “decide how best to evacuate the passengers” and that he should “make the final decision on whether or not to evacuate.” l
Sherpas consider boycott after Everest disaster n AP, Katmandu, Nepal Buddhist monks cremated the remains of Sherpa guides who were buried in the deadliest avalanche to hit Mount Everest, a disaster that has prompted calls for a climbing boycott by Nepal’s ethnic Sherpa community. A Sherpa boycott could critically disrupt the Everest climbing season, which is key to the livelihood of thousands of Nepali guides and porters. Everest climbers have long relied on Sherpas for everything from hauling gear to cooking food to high-altitude guiding. At least 13 Sherpas were killed when a block of ice tore loose from the mountain and triggered a cascade that ripped through teams of guides hauling gear. Three Sherpas missing in Friday’s avalanche are presumed dead. “Right now, I can’t even think of going back to the mountain,” said Tashi Dorje, whose cousin was killed. “We have not just lost our family members, but it is a loss for the whole mountaineering community and the country.” Since the avalanche, the Sherpas have expressed anger that there has not been a bigger response from Nepal’s government, which profits from the permit fees charged to the climbing expeditions. The Tourism Ministry said it has not been told of any cancellations by expedition teams. Some Sherpas had already left the mountain by Monday, either joining the boycott or mourning their friends and colleagues. The government has announced an emergency aid of 40,000 rupees ($415) for the families of the deceased climbers. l
Bismillah Khan’s family refuses to be Modi’s proposer n Agencies The family of late Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan has refused to become a proposer for BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi when he files nomination for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat on April 24, reports Times of India. Bismillah’s grandson Affaq Haider said they do not want to be associated with any political party on this ‘hot seat’. Varanasi will go to polls on May 12 with Modi, Congress candidate Ajay Rai and
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in the fray. “We got a phone call from BJP mayor Ramgopal Mohale on April 16 who expressed his desire to meet us. My father Ustaad Zamin Hussain, and our family friend Shakeel Ahmed went to meet him at his residence. “We thought that he wanted to arrange some cultural programme but he told us that Modiji has sent some people from Gujarat especially to meet us as he wants Zamin to be his proposer along with the grandson of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya,” Haider said. “We told him that we will take a
decision after consulting family members. He then gave us a day’s time. We politely told him that we cannot be Modiji’s proposer as neither Bismillah was involved with any political party nor do we wish to. Bismillah used to say that you can talk to me for hours about music but keep me away from politics,” he said. When contacted, the Varanasi mayor said he shares a warm relationship with the shehnai maestro’s family but denied that he had approached the family members for standing as Modi’s supporter. l
Clock ticking for embattled Thai PM n Reuters, Bangkok
A Thai court will decide this week whether to give embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra more time to defend herself against charges of abuse of power, accusations that could bring her down, or whether to move swiftly to a verdict. The fate of Yingluck and her government will determine the course of politics in Thailand which is polarised between the supporters of her and her brother, ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, and supporters of the
royalist establishment. The confrontation between the two sides, marked by occasional violence, has undermined growth in Southeast Asia’s second biggest economy. Yingluck’s government has faced months of sometimes violent antigovernment protests but it appeared to be weathering the storm until legal challenges against her began to mount in February. The charges Yingluck faces this week relate to the transfer of National Security Council chief Thawil Pliensri in 2011, which opponents say was done
to benefit her party. The Constitutional Court will decide on Wednesday whether to grant her an extension to prepare her defence. If the court eventually finds her guilty, Yingluck will be forced to step down. “If the court does not grant the prime minister an extension this week and there is enough evidence, then the next court date will be the verdict,” Constitutional Court spokesman Pimon Thampitakphong told Reuters on Monday, adding that the verdict could come at the end of April. l
ELECTION FRANZY
Supporters listen as unseen union minister, patron for the National Conference and candidate for Srinagar’s seat for the lower house of parliament in India’s general election Farooq Abdullah speaks during an election rally in Chadoora. The sixth phase of the world’s largest election will begin on April 24 AFP