Caught In Between

Top Ten Ways To Look Like A CNN Correspondent

Friday Times

Ayeda

10. Pretend to be in grave danger while reporting from the roof of the Marriott, Islamabad

9. Never learn how to pronounce “Pakistan”

8. Get a US marine escort to help you do your groceries

7. Bond with the locals by hanging out at Muddy’s Cafe

6. Carry big black cameras with CNN stickers pasted all over them

5. Always wear a safari jacket (esp. when in big cities)

4. Wear a CNN t-shirt

3. Wear a CNN hat

2. Wear CNN underwear

1. Hunt for the biggest lunatics to put on air

Asian tourism suffers as attack gloom spreads

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



ASIAN-read INDIA!



INTAN, Indonesia: Resort manager Peter Ho watched nervously as news broadcasters talked about Americans being threatened in the Indonesia city of Solo.

To him and other resort managers on this Indonesian island, such news can mean lost business, especially since many tourists are already nervous about travelling after the US hijack attacks that have been blamed on Islamic militants.

So far there are no cancellations at Ho`s resort, Mana Mana Beach Club, only an hour by boat from peaceful Singapore.

And with Solo about 1,100 km away in central Java, the fury of Islamic hardliners threatening to forcibly expel US citizens if Washington strikes Afghanistan looks remote.

``But people don`t make a distinction between Solo and the rest of Indonesia,`` he said, pausing before adding, ``you have to remember Indonesia is a Muslim country.``

Across Asia, the threat of rising Islamic militancy is casting a shadow over some of the world`s most tranquil getaways, threatening to compound a slowdown in travel around the region.

The other deterrent for visitors is a plain fear of flying in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

Tour operators hope Washington avoids a heavy-handed retaliation that could stir up religious unrest and make a fragile situation even worse.

So far, the impact of the US attacks has been mixed for Asia`s tourism industry, a top source of foreign exchange for many countries and a key driver for recession-hit industries in the region such as retailing.

In Indonesia`s holiday island of Bali, many operators hope visitors from other Asian countries, especially Japan, can plug a hole left by dwindling numbers of Americans and Europeans.

``There has been a drop in the American and European market and we already had a significant number of cancellations,`` I Gde Pitana, head of Bali`s tourist board, said.

``But American tourists only represent a small number of total tourists coming to Bali,`` he said, adding ``we`re confident that we can plug the drop by enticing more of Japanese tourists coming here, so our focus now is Bali for Asia.``

Washington said that it was concerned about inadequate protection for Americans in Indonesia, the world`s biggest Muslim nation, after 4,000 protesters condemned the US on Friday, some threatening to round up Americans from hotels and expel them.

In Malaysia, a spokeswoman at a large hotel and resort group that operates in the palm-lined islands of Langkawi and Penang on Malaysia`s west coast reported some cancellations among European and US tourists.

``But it`s not substantial. We haven`t felt the impact,`` she said. Still, air travel in Malaysia has slowed. Malaysia Airports, a national operator, said that it had seen a ``significant drop`` in passenger volumes this month.

Malaysia tourism officials faced a public relations nightmare after Abu Sayyaf Islamic rebels based in neighbouring Philippines took 21 hostages, mostly foreigners, from a diving resort on Sipadan island in the eastern Sabah region in April last year.

Navy boats now patrol the area after the Abu Sayyaf, which Washington has linked to Saudi-born fugitive Osama Bin Laden, took more hostages from Pandanan island in September last year and from Palawan in the Philippines last May.

Many hostages have been released, mostly after payment of ransom, but others have been beheaded and a group of US and Filipino hostages have been held for four months.

Despite this, and last month`s arrest of 10 Malaysians linked to a militant Islamic group accused of inciting religious violence, tourist numbers had been swelling in Malaysia before the attacks on the US.

Before September, Malaysia had seen on average about a million tourists a month so far this year, up from around 700,000 last year, with more than half from Asian countries, the government`s tourism minister was recently quoted as saying.

But the outlook now for Malaysia`s tourism, the country`s second biggest source of foreign exchange, is uncertain, and some operators are bracing for a slump in the December holiday period.

Visitors to Thailand, one of the world`s most popular tourist spots, have been cancelling trips and the government says the outlook for the key industry is likely to get worse.

The state Tourism Authority of Thailand has estimated the number of visitors in the last quarter of this year - normally the peak season - could drop by 30 per cent compared to 2000.

``I think European tourists are afraid... so they have cancelled their travelling plans,`` said the managing director of the River Side Bangkok hotel, Apichart Patcharapinyopong.

In Vietnam, the shockwaves have been worst at the top end of the market, which has suffered a slew of cancellations from individual travellers, tour groups and conference organisers.

But Vietnamese tourism officials say they hope to help the key revenue earner weather the storm by promoting the country as a safer destination than some regional rivals because tourists do not have to worry about large and potentially restive Muslim groups.

Even Nepal`s tourism industry, a mainstay of the Himalayan kingdom`s impoverished economy, has been hit hard, with more than 50 per cent of hotel bookings for the peak September-November tourist season cancelled since the attacks.

``We are even receiving cancellations for March and April next year,`` said Hotel Association Nepal chief, Narendra Bajracharya.

India`s proximity to a potential theatre of conflict in Afghanistan following the strikes on the US has also hurt its tourism industry, officials say.

A little over 2.6 million foreigners, many of them hardy budget travellers and backpackers, visited the country last year.

``New bookings are not coming in, and people abroad are looking at how developments shape up,`` said Murali Dhar, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators and a retired army major.

``But I personally feel there will be no war, and even if a conflict takes place India will not be that much affected,`` he added.

In Hong Kong, travel agents said last week as many as 6,000 people in the travel industry could lose their jobs after a wave of cancelled bookings, mostly by people too frightened to fly.

``There are over 20,000 staff employed by travel agents in Hong Kong. Information I collect from my colleagues is that 20-30 per cent may be facing layoffs if the situation remains as it is for another six months,`` Ronnie Yuen, chairman of the Travel Industry Council, told a news conference.

Some hotels, according to the Hong Kong Hotels Association, saw occupancy shrivel to only 50 per cent after the attacks when they would usually expected to fill 80 per cent of their rooms.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board said that it now expected no growth in tourist arrivals this year. It had earlier forecast arrivals would grow by nearly 8 per cent from last year.

In China, where tourism is a major source of foreign exchange, companies have already seen a slowdown in visitors from the US and other countries and are expecting things to get worse.

``There are cancellations every day. Some groups which originally had dozens of people turn out to only have a few people coming to China,`` said an official of state-owned China International Travel Service.

``So far, about 2,000 of our customers from North America have cancelled their trips to China,`` he said.

Xinjiang Airlines, based in the restive northwest Xinjiang region, which is home to many ethnic Uighur Muslims, has stepped up security on some international flights.

( REUTERS )

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

re appointments

COntinued as per Gazette Extraordinary of the Republic of Roachistan :

AnNy: Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Spices

Romair: State Minister for (dis)Information, Broadcasting, and Propaganda

(Thanks AnNy and bong_dong)

Now I need to find a Prime Minister!

Washington`s deal with the devil(Pakistan)





Wednesday, September 26, 2001 – Page A12

Winston Churchill was a lifelong anti-Communist who never had a good thing to say about the Soviet Union -- until 1941. When the Soviets joined the war against Nazi Germany, he was suddenly full of praise for the brave Soviet people and their wise leader, Joseph Stalin. Churchill was unapologetic. ``If Hitler invaded Hell, I would find something favourable to say about the Devil.``

The United States finds itself in similar spot today. Facing a long war against terrorism, it is willing to become overnight friends with countries it used to condemn. Countries such as Pakistan.

Until Sept. 11, Pakistan was in Washington`s bad books. The United States imposed sanctions on Pakistan in 1998 after India and Pakistan conducted tit-for-tat nuclear tests, setting back U.S. attempts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. More sanctions came in 1999 when General Pervez Musharraf seized power, overturning an elected government. Washington cut off direct aid, stopped military co-operation and dropped its support for international lending to the near-bankrupt Pakistani government.

Now, miraculously, all is forgiven. Since Gen. Musharraf`s decision to help Washington track down Osama bin Laden in neighbouring Afghanistan, the United States has showered the Musharraf regime with thanks, money and promises of more. Washington is lifting the nuclear sanctions and thinking hard about lifting the coup-related sanctions, too. Aid and lending support is to resume and Washington will reschedule $379-million in Pakistani debt. ``In the coming weeks, the United States will be looking at other ways in which it might support Pakistan`s economic development,`` U.S. ambassador Wendy Chamberlain said.

Never mind that Pakistan has refused so far to break diplomatic relations with Afghanistan`s vicious Taliban regime. Never mind that Pakistan practically invented the Taliban, fostering its emergence from Islamic religious schools in the country. Never mind that Pakistan is a military dictatorship with nuclear weapons and a deplorable human-rights record. And never mind that Pakistan supports terrorism in the disputed Indian border state of Kashmir. Apparently, in this war, even the most dubious allies are welcome.

No one can blame Washington for seeking the aid of Pakistan, the front-line state in the coming clash with the Taliban and a possible staging ground for U.S. planes and troops. But Washington must make it clear that it is not writing a blank cheque. This should be a short-term, tactical alliance.

In the longer haul, the United States should urge Pakistan and other allies such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia to put aside their autocratic ways and take the path of democratic reform. If Islamic militancy thrives, it is partly because opponents of regimes like these have few other legitimate outlets. If Islamic terrorism is to be defeated, that must change.

For info: Christiane Amanpour interviews President Musharraf on CNN at 11 am Sunday.

Dear sir

today best day for pakistani. Now democresy saction gone. Pr.bush did it, good mr. bush madani salutes ok. long liver bush and general sahib.I saw cnn good tele co. Z tv not happy. Pakistan ke dushman ka muh kala, dirty hindus crying against usa. Bush and general Sahib very good frends, bush hate india and hindus, he hate animal worshipper he named his DOG INDIA, READ IN URDU PEPERS. may be name advani chor sindhi and wajpai baniya.. India primeminster crying. Geeral sahib bush talk. Promise for pak istan for kashmir. My wish to work in kasmir-pakistan in hotel indusrty ok.Kashmir banega pakistan. Now pakistan Pyre (vary vary liked liked) by usa and china. nobody likes india, sorry hindus.Worship cows HAHAHA....... Anyway.No insult ok.

bbc urdu say uk and china and japan give lot of dollars in new loan in dollars ok.No payment this year. Hindus get nothing, well sorry hindus. Arabs want dollars real ,so no gas for india,sorry feel bad, excuse me ok. Use cowdung for power and electrikciti ok.General Sahib is like Churchill of pakistan. he saved pakistan ok. now expak plese put your mony in pak. , pak stok market.So suport to PK. by bieing stok. My manager said if stok goes up economy up ok. Expak show partritic spirit, talk chip by paki stok ok. Soon economi will rise very good and hindus lost bus. we are with bush in bus advani waiting for us bus. Sorry no usa to pick up animal worshiper hindus. HAHAHA drive cows to catch pk in car. Golden day for pak usa frendship. Thank general Sahib and Presadent Bush, Madani salute, ok.Sal ke din ho hazar, pakistan jiye hazar sal.Long live pakistan. Pakistan will live longer than india and hindus.

sigalph:

no openings for a food minister?

sigalph da,

I absoluteley must protest we must have ROmair for ministry of (dis)Information. Such amazing talent, we simply cannot overlook!

Well said Hari Haran!

saminashah #568

[Sadna, Neptune

Arre, what has happened to the Hydra? Who is Lajwanti #529? Is the Hydra walking toward the light?]

Looks like the men in white coats switched the polarity of the electrodes by mistake.

Re: Pakistan`s predicament

Martin Woollacott of The Guardian sums up Pak`s problems nicely in this article:

In an article titiled `` Muslim societies need to deal with their own failure`` he says the following about Pakistan:

``Pakistan`s main difficulty is not the existence of a vehement street opposition, nor differences of religious belief among its elite. It is that the Americans are asking Pakistan, as the historian Professor Ian Talbot puts it, ``to throw 20 years of strategy into the dustbin``. Pakistani life has been dominated since partition by a vain search for a way of maintaining strategic equality with India. This has provided the rationale for its foreign policy and the legitimisation for the overwhelming role of the army and the intelligence services in domestic affairs.

After defeats in war and the loss of Bangladesh, the perplexed Pakistani security elite found a new strategy for Afghanistan-Kashmir. As the Russians flailed away, Pakistan moved into Afghanistan, with the Taliban as its instrument and ally, in pursuit of what was called ``strategic depth``. Influence in Afghanistan and the use of its facilities to train fighters in Kashmir, along with the acquisition of nuclear weapons, was in some way supposed to compensate Pakistan for India`s otherwise vast superiority.

The debate now evidently going on behind the scenes between the American and Pakistani governments is in part about preserving this unhappy strategy, by ensuring that a government beholden to Pakistan survives in Kabul, whatever happens to Bin Laden.

There are Pakistanis who wish that their country would reconcile itself to the fact that it cannot ever be more than a distant number two to India in South Asia. If it continues to bankrupt itself to match India, where are the resources to be found to feed and educate a country which by the middle of this century will be the world`s third most populous nation? How can Afghanistan ever recover if its biggest neighbour insists on viewing everything that happens there through the lens of conflict with India?``.

Sridhar

Re: Pakistan`s complicity

The noose continues to tighten around Pak rulers` necks as the world learns more about Pakistan`s involvement in training ,supporting Taliban terrorists. The following is the link to the article by Satinder Bhindra that talks about the similarity between AI hijacking to Kandhahar and the recent hijacking and terrorist attacks in USA.

``http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/27/inv.hijacking.similarities/index.html``.

As i type this, Bob Arnot of MSNBC is talking about a Kashmiri terrorist cell in Karachi. The noose continues to tighten.

Sridhar

Re Afghani Defense Council:

Recently saw an article in ``nuggests`` at the fridaytimes.com, that leadership composition of afghani leadership council is from NWFP(Taliban support belt). If this is true, then this needs to be exposed and these mullahs need to be marginalized.

I would also urge every Pakistani to write to Musharraf to ``restore Quaid`s vision``; This is the only way to check-mate potential mullah rule for Pakistan. Quaid`s(secular)vision ought to be a rallying cry for all Pakistanis. These mullahs may burn effigies of Musharaff, but they dare not do anything against Jinnah.

Thanks

hariharan.

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

re zafar 589

I think roach is called a `telapoka` (is that right maha-bong?).

On the new Republic. I have no intention of becoming a day to day leader. So, please let me be a ceremonial President(how like a bhodrolok) with certain very limited reserved powers. So please look for a decent fellow to become Prime Minister. Furthermore, I also recommend that the following be considered for ministries and commissions(list not exhaustive):

RSaxena : Finance, Economics, and Planning

Aisha Sarwari : Speaker of the House

Tahmed: Ambassador to the UN

Sadna: Education

Urstruly: Head of the Hindu Temples Welfare Trust

YLH: Ministry for the Promotion of Jinnahism

Bong-Dong: Head of the National Tagore Institute

Ras Sahib: Foreign Affairs

MahesgG: Head of the National Waqf Trust

FerozK: Defense

Zahra: Head of National Ghalib Institute

Additionally, I intend to keep charge of the Ministry of Women`s Affairs, Alchohol Control Bureau, the Racing Commission, and Ministry for the Promotion of Decent Language and Prevention of Abusive SLurs.

Hope this meets all your expectations so far.