A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Saudi soldier killed in clashes as siege of Shia town enters seventh day
A number of people have been killed in Awamiyah since Saudi security forces raided the town on Wednesday
Photo taken by local resident shows vehicles stand ready to demolish buildings in Awamiyah (Twitter)
Alex MacDonald-Tuesday 16 May 2017
A soldier was reported killed by gunmen in the Saudi town of Awamiyah
where a "siege" by security forces entered its seventh day, according to
the interior ministry. Five members of the security services were also
injured.
Several people have been reportedly killed in the town after Saudi
security services launched a raid in the Eastern Province town early on
Wednesday, claiming the historic Almosara neighbourhood was being used
as a hideout for Shia militant groups.
Gunmen have repeatedly opened fired on police and roadblocks have been placed at entrances to the town, restricting access.
The Eastern Province has a large Shia population who have frequently
been accused of being linked to Iran and carrying out anti-state
activity. Awamiyah, in particular, has been a flashpoint - in March, a teenager was killed by Saudi police after they "responded as necessary" to gunfire from militant groups.
Another aim of the raid, however, appears to be to enable the demolition
of Almosara to make way for a planned renovation project. Activists
have posted pictures and videos of bulldozers being accompanied by
heavily armoured military vehicles towards the site.
One Awamiyah local, speaking to MEE on condition of anonymity, said that
residents were working together under a state of "siege" to try and
keep local amenities running.
"But regarding electricity still there is lots of houses outside
Almosara without electricity, living on generators," they said. "As a
result of the destruction of public and private property that was
imposed by Saudi forces, many generators were damaged."
Video sent to MEE appeared to show concrete blocks placed on roads
leading out of the town, though this footage cannot be independently
verified:
"Since the final exams started on Sunday, in specific periods people can
go out especially in the morning during school time from a specific
road, with fears of being harassed, arrested or being shot carelessly
and killed as reported," the resident said.
"Even while answering your question, everybody in my town can hear the sounds of shooting by armoured vehicles."
Boy, aged two, among several killed
According to a statement from the interior ministry on Friday, workers
on the project in Almosara "came under fire and their vehicles were
targeted by explosives" from within the neighbourhood. A two-year-old Saudi
boy - identified by the pro-government Al-Arabiya news site as Jawad
al-Dagher - and a Pakistani resident were killed in the shooting.
The ministry did not specify when the attack took place but said
criminals engaged in the drugs and arms trade had tried "to jeopardise
the project and protect their terrorist activities that they launch from
the abandoned houses in the neighbourhood".
Al-Hayat newspaper also reported that a man wanted by the authorities
had been shot dead, while the Mira al-Jazeera news site claimed two
locals had also been killed by the security services in the ensuing
clashes.
"A citizen was confirmed martyred as well as another of Indian
nationality after being shot by Saudi army gunfire," the online
newspaper reported on its Facebook page. The European Saudi Human Rights
Organisation (ESHRO) identified one of the men as Ali Abdul Aziz Abu
Abdullah.
Dozens have reportedly been injured. The interior ministry said 14
people were wounded, including two Pakistanis, an Indian, a Sudanese and
four policemen.
"The situation's miserable," a resident told AFP, asking for anonymity.
"We think it will take a long time to finish this operation."
'It's really hard for people and you can imagine these army vehicles, they would open fire like 24 hours. People can't sleep'- Ameen Nemer, activist
Residents have also reported a lack of water and mains electricity, with only private generators providing power.
People from the Almosara neighbourhood have been asked to leave by
authorities, while photos circulating on social media have shown special
police wearing balaclavas and camouflage pants moving residents in
armoured cars.
Ameen Nemer, an activist originally from Awamiyah, told MEE that "most
of the entrances to Awamiyah" had now been blocked off and that there
was only one entrance still in use, which was also frequently closed.
Project puts pressure on residents
The planned "renovation" of the historic 400-year old Almosara district
has been highly controversial. In April, the United Nations called on the Saudi government to halt the project, warning that it threatened "the historical and cultural heritage of the town with irreparable harm".
“Residents have been pressured in many ways, including through power
cuts, to vacate their homes and businesses without adequate alternative
resettlement options, leaving them at best with insufficient
compensation and at worst, with nowhere to go," said the UN Special
rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha.
The Awamiyah resident said he was deeply worried about the threat to Almosara.
"The government doesn't want to improve the city. They mainly want to killed some men hiding inside Almosara."
Awamiyah was also the home of Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia cleric executed in
January last year for "terrorism," leading to massive protests
internationally, including the sacking of the Saudi embassy in Iran.
Nimr was a driving force behind protests by Shia that began in 2011 and
developed into a call for equality in the Sunni-majority kingdom.
Since then, scores of activists have been arrested or killed, sometimes due to torture and execution.
Nemer said the spiralling violence in the town stemmed from the government's harsh response to calls for reform.
"I believe the government has, from the beginning in 2011, dealt with
the [protesters'] demands in a military way, in a police way, that's why
the thing has turned into chaos," he said.