New Honduran Government Defies OAS Ultimatum

By Brian Wagner Tegucigalpa, Honduras 02 July 2009

New President of Honduras Roberto Micheletti, 28 Jun 2009

The interim Honduran president has rejected an ultimatum from American governments to reinstate ousted leader Manuel Zelaya to the presidency. The ongoing political crisis has sparked new protests.

Interim President Roberto Micheletti is facing new foreign pressure to allow the return of President Manuel Zelaya, who was forced to leave the country on Sunday.

The United States, United Nations and many Latin American nations have refused to acknowledge the government that took control from Mr. Zelaya, who has been accused of criminal charges. The Organization of American States (O.A.S.) went a step further Wednesday and said Honduras has 72 hours to reinstate Mr. Zelaya or the regional group may suspend the nation's membership.

In Tegucigalpa, Mr. Micheletti said his government will not bow to outside pressure, and that he is not fazed by the overwhelming negative reaction from foreign governments.

The interim leader said he is confident that Honduras will not be isolated for long, and that other countries will begin to understand how the new government has saved the country. He added that God is with the new government to help it resolve the crisis.

He said officials from the new government were beginning to reach out to Washington and other foreign partners to offer details on why Mr. Zelaya was removed from power. Officials have announced a criminal investigation into the ousted leader, who is accused of 18 offenses including treason and abuse of power.

Still, pressure is mounting on the interim government, as Spain and France recalled their ambassadors to Honduras. In Washington, the Pentagon said it was suspending military activities while officials reassess the situation. U.S. military forces operate a security and counter-drug operation from the Soto Cano airbase outside the Honduran capital.

Meantime, the president of the Honduran Commission for Human Rights offered a proposal aimed at easing the political crisis between the interim government and foreign allies. Ramon Custodio said election officials should consider holding a referendum on whether to allow Mr. Zelaya to return to power or not.

Custodio said the vote would offer a response to the international community, and show that only the Honduran people can decide the country's future.

The announcement marked a shift from the human rights chief, who has said officials acted properly in removing Mr. Zelaya and that the interim government has full authority. Custodio says he has received scores of threats for his actions, but says he will not be intimidated.

Supporters of the interim government held a large rally in the southern city of Choluteca on Wednesday, and smaller rallies took place in the capital. Also, some medical workers and school employees walked off their jobs after labor unions called for a strike until Mr. Zelaya is returned to power. Many schools have been closed since the coup, but businesses in the capital continue to operate

Chinese Netizens Celebrate Green Dam Delay

Many Internet users in China are celebrating after Beijing delayed implementing its order that Internet-blocking software be installed in all new computers.

Customers surf the Internet at an Internet cafe in Beijing, China, 30 Jun 2009

News of the delay turned a scheduled Internet boycott into an all-day celebration on Wednesday. Hundreds of opponents of the plan flowed in and out of a tucked-away restaurant in Beijing's Caochangdi art district.

The well-known artist and activist Ai Weiwei organized the event. Dressed in neon pink, he walks around posing for photographs and signing T-shirts with slogans protesting the plan. Ai had proposed a 24-hour Internet boycott for Wednesday, the day the plan was to go into effect, and used online tools such as Twitter to invite people to gather at the restaurant near his home.

"It's just to let people know what our attitude is towards this kind of censorship," Ai said.

By lunchtime the party already had over 200 guests enjoying free food and alcohol. Ai says he expects over 1,000 people from all over China to join the party before the day is over.

"They traveled to Beijing many of them," Ai said. "The guy on the phone there is from Hangzhou, some people are from the northeast, some are from different provinces. I was so surprised. Some are fans of mine, some are Internet activists, [and] some are human rights activists."

Last month, the government said that all new computers sold in China would have to have Internet-blocking software installed. The government said the software, called the Green Dam Youth Escort program, would protect young Internet users from pornography, but many critics say it also would have blocked access to Web sites containing politically sensitive information or allowed the government to track what people view on the Internet.

Ai says citizen protests may have influenced China's decision to delay the software's implementation, but also says the government faces greater pressure than activists.

For weeks, foreign officials and industry groups expressed opposition to the Green Dam software, for political, commercial and technical reasons. Twenty-two chambers of commerce and trade groups asked Premier Wen Jiabao not to go through with the plan. Computer-makers Dell and Hewlett-Packard said they might complain to the World Trade Organization.

Many of these groups welcomed the implementation delay. The American Chamber of Commerce in China called it a "positive development" for Chinese consumers, the government and the business community.

While partygoers in Beijing say the delay is positive, many do not believe it will be permanent. Miao Shiming attended Wednesday's party after reading about it online. He thinks the government will go forward with Green Dam, since it has already invested money in it.

Miao says he believes China will implement the Green Dam requirement when there is less attention focused on the issue.

But for the rest of the day at least, Chinese netizens celebrate their victory.

source by voa

US and Indonesia Agree to Abolish Debt

The United States and Indonesian governments have signed an agreement on Indonesia’s debt abolition worth close to 30 million US dollars in an 8-year forest conservation scheme.

"We hope the funds would be used for the conservation of seven million hectares of forested land in North Sumatra, Central Sumatra, and South Sumatra," US Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron R.Hume told a press conference at the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation in Jakarta Tuesday.

Cameron said Sumatra has many habitats and unique and rare animal species like the Sumatra tiger and orang-utans. The cooperation agreement was reached under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA).

Indonesia was the 15th country which established the agreement with the United States. The other countries were Bangladesh, Botswana, Colombia, Costa Rica, and the Philippines.

The debt abolition not only involved the Indonesian government, but two community self-supporting institutions as well, namely the Indonesian Bio-diversity Foundation (KEHATI), and Conservation International (CI). Forestry Minister MS Kaban, meanwhile, said Sumatra was the first region in Indonesia to serve as a model in the application of the TFCA.

Kaban said many areas in Indonesia are still in need of conservation, such as East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan. In this context, Kaban said, while the fund has yet to be made available, raids against illegal logging would continue under a government commitment to reduce the degradation and deforestation rates.

He also hoped for the people’s participation in the nature conservation activities, because the people are also a decisive element for a successful conservation drive. KEHATI executive director Damayanti Buchori said Indonesia will receive the biggest amount from the US for the debt abolition under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, while the other countries also enjoying a debt abolition received only 12 to 13 million US dollars.

Damayanti said the sum equivalent to 300 billion rupiah, is quite a big sum of money for forest conservation if it is truly and most effectively carried out in the field. In the meantime, he also said that the fund allocation would not be equally distributed among the three Sumatra provinces, but based on their respective forest conservation needs.

"In other words, the 30 million US dollars will not be equally divided, and each of the provinces gets 10 million US dollars, but we will first study the conservation needs of respective regions," Damayanti said.

source : kompas