Several people whose residences in Manggarai were destroyed by
\nthe fire ran amok, attacking police officers and fire engines
\nwhich were trying to put out the fires.<\/p>\n
They accused the firefighters of being too late to arrive to
\ncombat the fire. Reports saying that the water from the fire
\nengines contained oil -- which worsened the fire -- apparently
\nenraged them, so they attacked the officers and destroyed a few
\nfire trucks.<\/p>\n
Johny Pangaribuan, chief of the Jakarta Fire Department,
\nadmitted that the firefighters reached the fire site 15 minutes
\nafter the residents' reports due to several problems. The traffic
\nwas bad, the roads to the fire site were too narrow for the fire
\ntrucks, and the crowds blocking the road was another matter.<\/p>\n
The residents wanted the firefighters to prioritize their
\nhomes, and competed with them for the hose. By all means, this
\ndisturbed the firefighters' work.<\/p>\n
Rumors saying that the firefighters used water containing oil
\nare irrational and unacceptable. Could the firefighters possibly
\nhave had the time to mix oil or fuel with water under such a
\ncritical situation?<\/p>\n
What happened in Manggarai, South Jakarta, did reflect the
\nresidents' appreciation of the City Fire Department. People are
\nnot aware that the Fire Department cannot be held responsible for
\nthe fires ravaging residential areas. It is the residents who
\nmust prevent the fire from happening in the first place.<\/p>\n
They should have been informed that most of the fires in
\nresidential areas are due to human errors, or people's ignorance.<\/p>\n
-- Warta Kota, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The war and the pope<\/p>\n
Can a fast stop the spiral toward war, which quickens more
\nevery day? Can a fast save peace?<\/p>\n
To a believer, the purpose of a fast, as of a prayer, is
\nlinked to the promise and mystery of God. But for all of us,
\nbelievers or not, this gesture proposed by the pope is a
\nchallenge to logic of interests, of force and of violence.<\/p>\n
It is a political act in the highest sense of the term,
\nbecause it concerns the most profound reasons of human
\ncoexistence. To fast as a personal choice, when a large part of
\nthe world risks starvation, means committing oneself to a cause
\nand defining oneself as responsible.<\/p>\n
It would be wrong to consider the pope's call anti-American,
\nor as an answer to Bush's refusal of his overtures for peace. It
\nis much more. The pope condemns terrorism along with war,
\nrefusing violence from all sides. He denies the pretenses of men
\nand states to judge over good and bad, condemning all holy wars.<\/p>\n
The pope's call for a fast has a strong religious meaning,
\ncoinciding with Ash Wednesday. But it is also a historical,
\npowerful and tangible contribution to the difficult road of peace
\nin the Iraq crisis.<\/p>\n
-- La Republica, Rome, Italy<\/p>\n
Josef Stalin and Russia<\/p>\n
50 years ago today, Josef Stalin, one of world history's worst
\ndictators, died.<\/p>\n
That he, in alliance with the United States, Great Britain and
\nFrance, led the Soviet Union to victory over Nazi Germany does
\nnot excuse the brutal persecution, which may have claimed the
\nlives of 20 million-30 million Russians.<\/p>\n
Many other peoples have been forced to slow and painful
\nreckonings with their history. But in Russia, there are still
\nmany who hail Stalin.<\/p>\n
Last fall, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin approved the
\nminting of 500 silver coins with Stalin's portrait. The Russians,
\ntoo, should actively come to terms with their past.<\/p>\n
He who secretly hails Stalin cannot at the same time become a
\ndemocrat with respect for human rights.<\/p>\n
-- Huvudstadsbladet, Helsinki, Finland<\/p>\n
The formation of Islamic
\nparty in the Netherlands<\/p>\n
The Arabic-European League, born in Belgium, has now arrived
\nhere. The movement advertises itself as an 'Islamic, democratic
\nparty.'<\/p>\n
Not only has a group of young, educated Moroccans called a
\nparty into existence with a religious basis, but that party holds
\na number of conservative values on drugs and prostitution. How
\nthe liberal, secular Dutch society will react is unknown, but
\nit's exciting.<\/p>\n
But if there can be a Christian Democrat party, why not an
\nIslamic Democrat party, as long as it, like the Christian
\nDemocrats, can abide by the rules of our secular democratic
\nsystem?<\/p>\n
If so, then the AEL could even play an important part in
\nemancipating Moroccans in the Netherlands, and the much-needed
\nrapprochement between Islam and democracy can take place.<\/p>\n
-- Volkskrant, Amsterdam, Netherlands<\/p>\n
The United Nations and Iraq<\/p>\n
The diplomatic tug-of-war over a second U.N. resolution on
\nIraq is turning into a charade. Three times in the past five
\ndays, George Bush has made plain his intention to overthrow the
\nIraqi regime, whatever the U.N. says. His aim, he said last week,
\nwas "a liberated Iraq. ... America's interest in security and
\nAmerica's belief in liberty both lead in the same direction." At
\nthe weekend, Mr. Bush again sketched out plans for a bright new
\nfuture entirely predicated on Saddam Hussein's downfall. The U.S.
\npresident's candid although still very blurry focus on a post-
\nSaddam settlement, rather than on disarmament, makes it clear
\nthat nothing less than physical as opposed to behavioral regime
\nchange will now suffice. U.S. determination to impose its will by
\nforce renders the U.N. debate redundant in terms of practical
\noutcomes. It makes a mockery of the Security Council. ...<\/p>\n
-- The Guardian, London<\/p>\n
The North Korean challenge<\/p>\n
Iraq masks a second emerging crisis, no less dangerous,
\nperhaps even more: North Korea. The recent interception of an
\nAmerican spy plane in international airspace by four North Korean
\nfighter jets over the Sea of Japan, Sunday March 2, ... gives the
\nimpression that the Korean Peninsula is skidding.<\/p>\n
Wrong or right, North Korea feels it is the next target of
\nWashington after Iraq; it intends to show it is not intimidated
\nby the United States. ...<\/p>\n
Washington insists it does not want war with North Korea and
\nis favorable to negotiating a solution to the crisis started by
\nthe nuclear ambitions of Pyongyang.<\/p>\n
But the more the Americans delay restarting dialogue with
\nPyongyang, the more the process of reactivating a (nuclear)
\nreprocessing facility in Yongbyon, capable of producing
\nplutonium, becomes inescapable.<\/p>\n
-- Le Monde, Paris<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/several-people-whose-residences-in-manggarai-were-destroyed-by-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }