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| Thousands of Mexicans march to protest drug war Posted: 08 May 2011 06:29 PM PDT  People hold placards as they take part in a march on the streets in Mexico City, May 8, 2011, Thousands of Mexicans on Sunday marched into the capital city to protest the wave of killing that has claimed 38,000 lives since President Felipe Calderon launched his war on drug gangs in late 2006. — Reuters pic Demonstrators, many wearing white and walking in silence, held up placards that read "Not a single more death," "Enough already" and "No more bloodshed." The march started on Thursday about 72km from the capital in the tourist city of Cuernavaca, which has been rocked by drug-related violence and where in March suspected hitmen killed the son of writer Javier Sicilia, who is heading the march. "We don't want any more death because of this growing mess," said Sicilia, from a platform in Mexico's huge central Zocalo square, where the demonstrators gathered. "No more deaths, no more hate. We've come out to walk these streets with dignity and peace ... violence will only bring us more violence," he added. Sicilia, who called for a broad peace pact between citizens, government officials and politicians, also demanded that Public Security Minister Genaro Garcia resign. Protesters on the march, which the city government said attracted about 150,000 people, told local media they wanted the government to change its strategy in the war on drugs. Along the four-day march to the Zocalo, Sicilia was joined by activists, academics, artists, immigrants and members of social organizations, as well as the relatives of victims of the violence. "We've come from San Juan Copala (in Oaxaca state), seeking peace, because we're also suffering violence and injustice," said Mariana, a 21-year-old from the Triqui tribe, wearing indigenous clothing. Helped by friends, 49-year-old Carlos Castro held up a large blanket with photos of his wife and two daughters. They disappeared one January night in Xalapa, in the east of the country, and he has not heard anything of them since. "I've not found any other way to protest, nobody has spoken to me and the authorities know nothing about them," he said. "The idea of coming here with this blanket is to send a message to the people that have them. So they give them back to me." Calderon's military-led crackdown has led to the killing and capture of dozens of drug kingpins since December 2009 but the bloodletting has hurt Calderon's conservative party and Mexico risks losing control of large areas to drug gangs near the U.S. border. "We've had it with this terrible government that goes unpunished. We want peace," said Araceli Vazquez, 60, as he held up an improvised placard with his demands. April was the most violent month yet in Calderon's fight, with 1,402 deaths, Milenio newspaper reported. Other, smaller protests were also planned yesterday in different cities in Mexico. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Lee Kuan Yew: A Singaporean generation that does not remember Posted: 08 May 2011 05:16 PM PDT  Singapore's former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew speaks during an interview at a Reuters Newsmaker event in Singapore March 4, 2009. — Reuters pic He also cautioned: "Do not believe that the Singapore flight can be on auto-pilot. We will run into storms, we will run into all kinds of emergencies and we must have good pilots on board." The Minister Mentor was speaking to residents in Queenstown to celebrate the completion of several pavilions at a community plaza. Earlier, the Minister Mentor, accompanied by his five-member team and Radin Mas MP-elect Sam Tan, had toured Tanjong Pagar GRC for almost two hours on an open-top bus to thank voters for their support (picture). The People's Action Party (PAP) team in Tanjong Pagar was returned unopposed, while Tan won the contest in Radin Mas with more than 67 per cent of the vote. Speaking to the media, Lee was asked about the swing in support, which saw the PAP secure 60.1 per cent of the vote, down from the 66.6 per cent it garnered in 2006 and the lowest by the party ever. "I'm sure the Prime Minister and his team would sit down carefully and analyse the reasons and adapt our policies. I can't say more. I'm not the Prime Minister," said Lee. Asked by a Berita Harian reporter whether Lee's comments had affected the party's votes, Lee said that he did not think so. "Big national issues were at stake. My comments were part of a book which I wrote on hard truths and you know I am given to speaking hard truths," he said. On how the PAP would work with the Workers' Party which has secured eight seats in Parliament — six elected and two Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMP) — for the good of Singaporeans, Mr Lee replied, "You believe the Workers' Party is in Parliament to help the good of Singaporeans, or oppose the PAP?" Earlier while speaking to residents, MM Lee had reminded Tanjong Pagar residents why he chose the area as his first constituency to contest when he entered politics in 1955. Then, the constituency was near the Harbour Board, and the dock workers were "lowly paid" and lived in "poor conditions". Today, Singapore ports have seen the introduction of machines and computers, instead of relying on manual labour for operations. "As a result, salaries have gone up, productivity has gone up," he said. "That is the way Singapore has to go. It is the only way we can raise our standards of living — increase our skills, increase our capabilities." Speaking earlier to residents in Mandarin, Lee said several candidates had made promises during the General Election, but the real test, he added, was whether the candidate has delivered on their promises. In Tanjong Pagar GRC, Lee said the PAP team has always delivered on its promises and promised to do more in the future. — Today Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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