Travels with Abe, an Israeli’s Perspective: Drafted in 1967

Welcome back with another article from an Israeli friend, Abe. Abe is a guest contributor with history to tell. Perhaps you will begin to see an Israeli’s perspective of this world that we live in and what we are up against. Respectfully, Bosun

Drafted:

In November of 1967 I was drafted. The aftermath of the Six Day War was intoxicating. Stories filtered down. General Ariel (Arik) Sharon had been wounded fighting his way into Northern Sinai through Gaza. General Goradish and his 7^th Brigade of tanks had had very tough battles, but “Goro” had done the job. The Golani brigade had taken the Golan Heights with the help of a unit of paratroopers and the immortal Shermans. The Sherman tank, a veteran of WW2, had had a face-lift, stomach change and prosthetics installed all over. What emerged was the Super Sherman. This tank featured a 105mm gun, a new 460hp Cummins diesel engine,

and modifications to the tracks and suspension. The M4A1 had become the M51. The best tank Israel had was the Centurion. This tank was also worked on and changed. The third tank was the French made AMX13. Light (only 13 tons) and fast, it’s function was supposed to have been scouting, but in Israel it was used as a Main Battle Tank (MBT).

There were rumours that there was a new MBT in the field. Among the first tanks to reach the Canal, it was rumoured, was a company of M48 Pattons… The latest word in tank warfare.

We heard about Ammunition Hill and other battles on the Jerusalem front. It hadn’t been easy. The Jordanian army, The Arab Legion, was British trained and had fought well.

The darlings of Israel were the paratroopers. They had fought well on all fronts. All my friends (including myself) wanted to be paratroopers. We were drafted. I reported to the Draft office in Haifa, was put on a bus, and we were off. At the main induction camp, just east of Tel-Aviv, we were grouped into tents, and had our first army meal…nothing to write home about, especially since I was picked to wash the cooking pots.

The paratroopers had an office in the camp, and next morning, four of us went together, as a group, to sign up. There are special units you could volunteer for, and this was one of them. We then endured a week of hell, while the DIs argued and debated over who was to stay and who was to wash out. They ran us to death, and followed that up with calisthenics. They did everything they could think of, to try and dissuade us from continuing. The paratroopers had 5 times the volunteers they needed, so only the top 20% in sheer stamina made it. I was good, but I wasn’t in the top 20%, so I was kicked out. Three of the original four volunteers were out, and we returned to the tent, depressed. As we sat, feeling sorry for ourselves, a corporal walked in and told us to pick up our kit, and follow him.

We followed the corporal to a waiting bus. We climbed on, and saw that the bus was full. We took the last three seats and watched as the driver took the roster from the corporal. The doors slammed shut, and we were gone…gone? Where? Where were we going? I asked the guy sitting beside me, and he answered with one word…”Magah.” “What,” I asked, “is Magah?” “Don’t know.” I stood up in the bus and asked out loud if anyone knew what Magah was. Nobody knew, but we were going there.

We were about to find out. The bus rolled into a camp in southern Israel. There was an old Cromwell tank on a pedestal at the entrance. We then understood that we were going to the Armoured Corps.

The bus stopped and we disembarked. There was a sergeant yelling at us to get into formation. As we stood, he gave each one of us two yellow epaulets. “What are they for?” We asked. “You’re going to Magah.” “What’s Magah?” The answer was immediate, “Patton tanks.”

But we were about to learn something else first, Basic training. For two months we were trained as infantrymen. Day and night, we drilled and marched and fired and ran. We went on forced marches and, of course, camped out in the field. A sergeant was God and a corporal was God’s assistant. We were all Gadna’ trained, but that didn’t count. This was “Man Stuff.” Gadna was considered child’s play. This was the “real thing.”

The rumour spread throughout the camp; we were about to be sworn in. Traditionally, the Armoured Corps rookies were sworn in on Massada. Massada was the last Jewish holdout of the revolt of 70AD against the Romans. It’s a stronghold built at the top of a steep and tall hill overlooking the Dead Sea. The Romans besieged it for three years. At the end of those three years, there ensued a battle that has gone down in history as one of the greatest heroic stands ever. During the fighting, the Romans built a ramp. They were great engineers, especially when working under fire. Slowly but surely, week after week, the ramp of earth climbed higher and higher. Finally, the ramp was done. It was made of the salt-desert sand of the Dead Sea Valley, and was hard as stone. It was very, very steep, but there were many Legionnaires available to push the wheeled siege engines and huge shields. When the Romans reached the fort itself, they found everyone dead. The Jews had picked 100 men to kill everyone else, 10 of those to kill the other 90 and one to kill the last nine. The last man committed the sin of suicide and fell on his own sword.

Massada has been, for centuries, an example of courage for Jews all over the world. In Israel, it had become an IDF tradition. Rookies of certain combat units were sworn in there, and given their first rifles. We were taken by truck to a point just east of the town of Arad, overlooking the Dead Sea Valley, and set out on a 25km forced march. We arrived before Massada with our tongues hanging out and set up our camp…exactly where the 5^th Legion Fretensis had camped 2000 years ago. I had a bad taste in my mouth and sure enough, I soon found out there was good reason. We stood at parade at the foot of Massada. To our left was the Roman ramp, built 2000 years ago, still there, still very, very steep. We were informed by our Company Commander that we would have to run up the ramp with full kit. We ran. Upon reaching the top, panting, we were told that it wasn’t good enough; we would have to do it again…

We ran up that ramp, again and again, for 10 hours. At the end of those 10 hours, thoroughly exhausted, we stood at parade on the top of Massada. It was night, and the site was alive with flaming torches. The ceremony was haunting and will never leave the memories of those who were there. We vowed “Massada Will Not Fall Again.” We knew what that meant. “Massada” stood for the whole State of Israel. We swore it wouldn’t fall. We had been given our first rifles, and we lifted them high as we swore the oath. A new age-group was taking over the defense of the country.

By the end of those two months, we were an infantry unit.

After that, we were told that we were about to be trained as crewmen of Patton M48A2C tanks. For two months, we went to school. We had been asked what job we would like to do in the tank. I chose driving because I had seen a Russian movie about a tank driver who leads a breakout from a German POW camp in WW2, and takes his buddies to safety in a stolen T34 tank. I liked the whole idea and figured that being a tank driver would be cool. Most of us got the job we wanted. Towards the end of the roster, some didn’t. I have always been lucky in that my last name begins with an A.

We sat in a classroom for half the day, and then drove tanks the other half. We learned how to maneuvre a tank under any and all conditions. We learned about the inner workings of the tank, and how to get out of jams in the field. We cross-trained. Drivers, loaders and gunners learned each other’s jobs and were drilled in them. We still performed our main jobs, but we were well trained in all aspects of tank operation.

At the end of the two months, we were pronounced ready for unit training. Another two months of Platoon, and Company training. Formations and live-fire exercises were practiced and drilled. We lived in the field and went without sleep for days at a time.

We were informed that we would be sent to the Suez Canal. Buses came to the camp to pick us up. The buses went to Rafah, in the Gaza Strip, and entered a camp. “Why are we here?” “Change of plans,” we were told, “You have another month’s training before going to the Canal.”

We were introduced to the M48A3 (Israel). There was a reason for the (Israel) designation. These tanks were older M48A1s and A2Cs. Israeli workshops had changed them. The 90mm main gun had been swapped for a British 105mm, giving the tank more range, accuracy and punch. The gasoline motor had been replaced by a more powerful and fuel-efficient diesel. Other systems (radio, gunnery sighting, range-finding and others) had been added, some of them very advanced Israeli designs. We had a tank that was a new generation, compared to the A2C we had trained on. This tank was ready to go to war.

Seven months after being drafted, we were an operational battalion of tanks and were stationed in the Suez Canal Zone.

Ahmadinejad Questions 9/11, Holocaust

Courtesy of KFMB San Diego, Channel 8 News

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad questioned the official version of the Sept. 11 attacks and defended the right to cast doubt on the Holocaust in a tense appearance Monday at Columbia University, whose president accused the hard-line leader of behaving like "a petty and cruel dictator."

Ahmadinejad smiled at first but appeared increasingly agitated, decrying the "insults" and "unfriendly treatment." Columbia President Lee Bollinger and audience members took him to task over Iran's human-rights record and foreign policy, as well as Ahmadinejad's statements denying the Holocaust and calling for the disappearance of Israel.

"Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator," Bollinger said, to loud applause.
He said Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust might fool the illiterate and ignorant.

"When you come to a place like this it makes you simply ridiculous," Bollinger said. "The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history."

For the rest of the story More >>

Technorati tags: Ahmadinejad, Iran, State sponsored terrorism, Columbia President Lee Bollinger, Iranian President, Holocaust, dictator, Columbia University

Muslim intimidation could make 'land of Jesus' barren in 15 years

Imagine that: 'Not a single Christian' in birthplace of Christ

Muslim intimidation could make 'land of Jesus' barren in 15 years

---

Courtesy of  WorldNetDaily.com

The once vibrant Christian communities of Bethlehem and Nazareth, with roots in the "land of Jesus" going back to first century Israel, are rapidly declining in the face of a systematic campaign of persecution conducted by the same Muslim terrorists intent on driving the Jews into the sea.

Beatings, sham legal proceedings, property seizures, dismissal and replacement of elected Christian leaders, accusations of selling property to Jews and intimidation by gunmen with links to the government of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have so reduced Christian populations in the cities of Jesus' birth and boyhood one community leader predicts all Christians will be gone within 15 years.  

 For the rest of the article, please visit World Net Daily, Intimidation

Information on the book: In "Schmoozing with Terrorists: From Hollywood to the Holy Land Jihadists Reveal their Global Plans – to a Jew!" author and WND Jerusalem bureau chief Aaron Klein chronicles his meetings and interviews with leaders of terror groups and Islamist organizations long accused of intimidation and violence against Mideast Christians.

Technorati tags: palestinian, jewish, israel, muslim Extremists, terrorism, islamists, mideast christians, middle east, Bethlehem

An agreement between Columbia University and Ahmadinejad?

As reported, there appears to be more to the story:
Columbia Alum Freed in Advance of Ahmadinejad’s Speech 

Looks to me that Iran is still in the hostage taking business.  Who approached who to gain the release of Columbia Alumnus?????

(CNSNews.com) – The president of Columbia University is expressing relief that a Columbia alumnus was released from an Iranian prison -- just days before the Iranian president is scheduled to speak at Columbia University.
for the rest of the story: Columbia Alum Freed in Advance of Ahmadinejad’s Speech

Technorati tags: Columbia University, Ahmadinejad, hostages, Iran, pre-release agreement, state sponsored terrorism, terrorist nation, america at war

Columbia University rolls out red carpet for Ahmadinejad

Columbia University is trying to paint itself as a beacon of freedom of speech and opportunity by their move to invite Ahmadinejad over for a speaking engagement.   However one of their little secrets is that they have banned military recruiters since 1969 and will not sanction a ROTC program.

Prior to the Vietnam War, Columbia cadets had peacefully coexisted with their classmates since the inception of ROTC in 1916. Columbia’s dedication to service was profound—at one point in its history the university was producing more officers per year than even the U.S. Naval Academy. In spite of Columbia's military tradition, the administration expelled ROTC programs from campus in 1969 to appease student protesters and disgruntled faculty. When the war in Vietnam ended in 1975, students resumed their studies and the protests faded away. Columbia's ban on ROTC, however, has remained to this day.  Source: Advocates for Columbia ROTC.

On with the Columbia University - Ahmadinejad love affair, a marriage of questionable nature. 

Courtesy of NY Daily News:

Ripped for inviting Iranian thug

Prominent politicians, religious groups and some alumni were outraged yesterday at Columbia University's decision to allow Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to spew his hate on campus.......For the rest of the story  alumni were outraged

Join the discussion at NYDailyNews.

This is the news you come to your own conclusions. 

Hat tip to Stop the ACLU

Bin Laden set to release a NEW video

Courtesy of Drudge Report

As al Qaeda chatter picks up just before the 6th anniversary of 9/11, AP is reporting this morning that Bin Laden is set to release another video. Apparently, Bin Laden will be presenting the last testament of one of the Sept. 11 homicide hijackers on the new video set for release today.

If you recall that last week, Bin Laden tried to justify the 9/11 attacks, which, he claimed, "further harmed America's reputation and its prestige worldwide..." Bin Laden mocked the Democrats for failing to stop the war in Iraq and called for the Michael Moore crowd to step up their anti war rhetoric, "Now that your representatives in the Democratic party failed to fulfill your desire to stop the war, you can keep marching in the streets of big [U.S.] cities holding up anti-war signs......"

Bin Laden appeared to be issuing a warning (da'wa) to the infidels of America and the west to convert to Islam or perish, "The biggest and most irreversible error one can commit in this world is to die without surrendering oneself to Allah, namely, to die without embracing Islam......"

The Sahih Muslim Hadith, [Book 019, Number 4294] indicates that a Muslim da'wa is required before an all out onslaught with the infidel western enemies.

Is an attack imminent? Only the radical Islamists know for sure. We should be prepared to unite against them and drive them from the face of the earth. My message for the liberal crowd is that you don't know what you are up against.

Be ever vigilant.

UPDATE: Latest on Fox News regarding the new video, 9/10/2007

Sept. 11 Hijacker's 'Last Testament': Al Qaeda announces it will release new video of Usama bin Laden presenting last testament of one Sept. 11 hijacker

Travels with Abe: And these are the generations

Forwarded to me from a good friend in Israel, “Abe.”   This is a series of the Middle East and of Israel from an Israeli's perspective.  Please come back, you will be seeing much more of Abe.  Enjoy.

And these are the generations…

 Around November of 1990 we knew there would be a war. Gas masks were distributed to the whole population. My parents were staying with me in Eilat at the time. I was a single parent with three children. My parents and I went together to the mask distribution center. It was at a local school. You went to the desk, signed that you had received the mask, showed an ID, and were handed a mask kit. I had my mask from the IDF, so only my parents and my kids were getting masks. I was there to pick up my kids’ masks. I signed for them and was given the kits. Then came my parents’ turn. My mother took hers and…there came my father. The 73 year-old Holocaust Survivor picked up the kit in its brown box, looked up towards the ceiling, smiled wryly, and spoke to his dead father, killed in the Holocaust, “You see Papa,” he said, “there is a difference. This time around we get masks.”

 In Israel there are four generations, each one with a different mentality. My father’s generation sees life through the prism of people who have seen the worst of anti-Semitism. They have been hunted down, imprisoned, beaten, starved, hanged, gassed and burned. Those who survived came out bitter and hard. Many, like my father, actually went on to live normal lives. They fathered children and played with them. They had jobs, careers, successes and failures, but underneath it all, they carried the scars. This clouded every move they made, in one way or another. I could appreciate the mentality but I could never fully understand it, not having gone through that hell.

 The second generation is mine. Born in a sovereign State of Israel, we grew up proud, accepting the military as a part of our coming of age. We were children of the 50s and early 60s. We were drafted in the late 60s and early 70s and served well. We started to ask questions of our leaders and demand peace. We understood that THEY were trying to kill us, but we were confident in our strength and could, therefore, be compassionate. We felt bewildered that the world saw us as bullies when we were so understanding.  We traveled to places like Europe and the US.

 The third generation is my kid sister’s. They served while asking more questions and started traveling to exotic places like India and Thailand. They behaved in ways that my generation considered selfish. We grew up with the feeling that we should sacrifice for the state. The state was our identity and we felt guilty when we were out of the country. Not these kids. They were perfectly comfortable anywhere in the world. If an Englishman could get high in India, then so could an Israeli.

 The current generation seems to be a mixture of the second and the third. I can’t quite get to know them. The age difference is too great. They serve well (that, sadly, is the single most important requirement). I try, but I find it very difficult to connect to these people politically. As a scuba instructor, I can reach them socially (sort of) for the purposes of teaching, but beyond that…

 In some ways, they seem to be more conservative than we were, and in others they’re the opposite. I just can’t put my finger on their pulse, but I trust them with the security of the country, and…they serve well.

Tzeth’a Leshalom VeShuvh’a Leshalom

Abe

Uyghur's women and girls taken as slaves

This is an article that really bothers me. Anything to do with slavery bothers me to the point no one has ever seen from me. It does not matter the color, the location, the race, the religion, or whatever else there is. IT IS WRONG! I believe it is also a SIN against God.

Yes, it is in the Bible. So is adultry. Why, some may ask? I can answer this. To show us the damages that sins cause, and to teach us how to live and be better people than that. God did not create slavery, man did. If you want to blame it on someone, look into your own heart first. Always, no matter the situation. That is a good rule.

Back to the article. In the area of Uyghur, a minority Muslim part of northwest China, it is very poor. So when the local officials came around telling the families about a 'training program' (to work in factories) for the women and girls for which they would be paid 500 yuan per month in the beginning, and later they would be paid up to 900 yuan.

It comes as no surprise to me, but they have received no pay. There are 213 girls that we know of who signed up for this 'program'. If you would like to read the actual article, it is Radio Free Asia. Please read it, because there is more. The parents and the girls who manage to escape and return home are being punished and made to go back without pay. It is a crime against humanity. Where are the Human Rights groups?!

Do you think we should say something? I do. Do you think we should stop trading with them? I do. Are you are 'free-market' person? I was, until I decided to become a FAIR trader.

Sarkozy pushes for help in Darfur, NOW

Cross-posted at Rosemary's Thoughts.

Source: CNN.

It is about time someone else besides President Bush started pushing Bashir in Sudan and the EU to allow the AU-UN peacekeepers to take control. If something doesn't happen soon, we will have another Rwanda, if we don't already. Boy, I'll bet the Left would be just thrilled with that. They could blame Bush for it! Ah, but where are THEY? [Hello? Hello? (Kennedy on the Senate floor.)]

PARIS, France (AP) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy pushed fast international action toward speeding up deployment of troops in Darfur, as key world players met Monday to try to consolidate efforts and resources for the ravaged Sudanese region.

Sudan was not invited to the one-day Paris conference, organized by a new French government that has made the four-year conflict in Darfur a top priority. The meetings come after Sudan agreed -- under international pressure -- to allow the deployment of a joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force in the region. [Continue reading.]

I shall be praying for the people in Darfur. I hope whoever reads this, if you still that you are not the be all to end all, would pray with me for these people. I will also be praying that the al Qaida will be found and killed! Have a great day.

Oh my! Have I got news for you

I have been so busy copying the news (just in case they decide to move the links) that I forgot to post the articles over here! D'oh!

Okay, here we go:

U.S. House members blast China, May 6, 2007.

U.S. House members blast China, 5/6/07.

Sudan, Chad reach Darfur deal, 5/6/07.

Cheadle acts to stop Darfur Genocide, 5/6/07.

China Neutralizes Cutting-Edge Magazine, 5/6/07.

Book Review: The Truth about Muhammed, 5/7/07.

In Mind and Body, N. Koreans Still Suffer After Defection, 5/13/07.

U.N. official accuses Sudan of 'disproportionate' attacks, 5/13/07.

Siniora officially asks UN to form Hariri tribunal, 5/14/07.

'They will repent: 'Ahmadinejad vows 'severe retaliation' for any US attack, 5/14/07.

Palestinian interior minister quits in protest, 5/14/07.

Egyptian court upholds Mubarak decision to try Brotherhood members before military tribunal, 5/14/07.

Japanese premier defends invasion of Iraq, 5/14/07.

Iran lifts 9-month ban on moderate newspaper, 5/14/07.

Moderate Muslim Voices Silenced, 5/15/07.

Television evangelist Falwell dies at 73, 5/15/07.

Islamism, not Islam is the Problem, 5/18/07.

Operation Recruiter Appreciation Day--GOE, 5/19/07.

Moderate Muslim voices silenced, 5/23/07.

With Honor, 5/23/07.
Harsh Birth Control Steps Fuel Violence in China, 5/27/07.

Villagers riot as China enforces birth limit, 5/27/07.

Congress ignores population police in China: Help!, 5/27/07.

Report: North Korea test-fires missiles, 5/28/07.

Hospital ship begins trip around Africa in Liberia, 5/28/07.

U.N. peacekeeper killed in Darfur, 5/28/07.

In Darfur camp, women recount rapes, suffering, 5/28/07.

3,000 Darfur refugees make 10-day trek through bush, 5/29/07.

Your e-mails: Will U.S. sanctions on Sudan work?, 5/30/07.

Tibetan Abbot Forced To Step Down, 5/30/07.

Blair to G8: Keep African promises, 5/31/07.

Burma Detains Opposition AIDS Activist, JUNE/1/07.

In land of war criminals, Liberia divided on Taylor trial, 6/3/07.

C.P.B.’S ‘Rosa Parks’ Treatment, 6/4/07.

So you see, I've been quite busy reading. These are just the articles I copied, btw. lol. I have to stop before my fingertips fall off. LOL.

4 North Koreans defect to South Korea

May 1, 2007.

Four North Koreans braved one of the most dangerously contested borders to defect to South Korea:

SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) -- Four North Koreans have drifted south across a heavily guarded maritime border in a wooden boat and are seeking political asylum, South Korean media reported on Wednesday quoting government officials. [Continue reading.]

I surely hope South Korea provides these four people with the asylum they seek. South Korea has been known to be prejudiced against accepting defectors.

They believe that if they start accepting some people, more will come. I wonder who else would ever believe that? Hmm...President Bush, are you listening? These are relatives separated through a war which has never been resolved. Another UN disaster...

Source: CNN.

Bush to NK: Patience is not Unlimited

April 27, 2007

President Bush and Prime Minister Abe were at Camp David over the weekend. One of the topics of grave concern to Japan is North Korea's nuclear weapons. They are already withholding food and oil from NK.

"Our partners in the six-party talks are patient, but our patience is not unlimited," Bush said, referring to disarmament negotiations between the United States, Japan, China, Russia, South Korea and North Korea

For his part, Abe said, "We completely see eye to eye on this matter. They need to respond properly on these issues. Otherwise we will have to take a tougher response on our side."
...
Japan is already withholding economic and food aid to the reclusive communist regime.

There was another amazing action taken:

On another subject, Abe apologized for the Japanese military's actions in forcing women to work in military brothels during World War II. He said he wanted to "express my apologies that they were placed in that circumstance." [Continue reading.]

It may be 60 years late, but better late than never. Thank you.

Source: CNN.

Japan nabs NK spy

In 1973, Yoko Kinoshita, 59, kidnapped a 6 year old little girl and her 3 year old brother from a Japanese family:

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Japanese police obtained an arrest warrant Thursday for an alleged North Korean spy suspected of abducting two children to the communist country decades ago, according to a media report.

Police obtained the arrest warrant for Yoko Kinoshita, 59, for allegedly kidnapping a 6-year-old girl and her 3-year-old brother in 1973 and taking them to North Korea, Kyodo News agency reported. [countinue reading.]

Source: CNN.

Chinese beating protesters again

Source: Radio Free Asia.

HONG KONG—Chinese authorities repeatedly and separately questioned five Americans detained for two days after they staged an Olympic-related protest on Mount Everest before expelling them on Friday, one of the protesters has told Radio Free Asia. [There is also a video at YouTube.] Continue reading.

Asian News 4/11/2007

I am going to keep down to a list today. There are many good articles. Check out the ones that interest you.

N. Korea funds impasse resolved.
Tokyo re-elects nationalist governor.
U.S. presses N. Korea to shut reactor.
Navy plans massive war games off Guam.
Report: Asia upgrading military.
China, Japan pledge closer ties.
Japanese PM sets 1st visit to U.S..
Malaysian political bloggers form alliance.

Have a nice day.

News from Asia: 4/2/2007

These articles were written by CNN.

Myanmar allows foreign media into new capital.
NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar (Reuters) -- Myanmar's secretive military government has allowed foreign journalists into its new capital for the first time since it quit the leafy colonial-era Yangon in October 2005.

"As far as I know, visas were granted to everyone who applied for them this time, including those who used to be on the blacklist," an Information Ministry official said on Monday.

If that link is no longer available, use this one.

China, Russia urge Iran to play ball.
MOSCOW, Russia (AP) -- The presidents of Russia and China have called on Iran to fulfill the U.N. Security Council's resolutions over its disputed nuclear program.

Vladimir Putin and Hu Jintao also said Monday in a joint statement that their countries -- permanent, veto-wielding Security Council members -- were ready to "search for a comprehensive, long-term and mutually acceptable solution to the Iranian nuclear problem."

If that link is no longer available, use this one.

Bank threatens to sue over NK funds.
HONG KONG, China (AP) -- A majority foreign-owned North Korean bank has threatened legal action if money it holds in a Macau bank is transferred to China, a report said Tuesday.

Such a move threatens to derail a U.S.-North Korean deal that was crucial in getting the North to agree to start shutting down its nuclear program.

If that link is no longer available, use this one.

Japan deploys missile near Tokyo.
IRUMA, Japan (Reuters) -- Japan trucked its first ballistic missile interceptors to an air force base north of Tokyo on Friday in an effort to beef up its defenses against its unpredictable neighbor North Korea.

The deployment of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) launchers, capable of shooting down incoming missiles in the final stage of flight as they near their target, was sparked by Pyongyang's firing of a ballistic missile in 1998 that flew over Japan.

If that link is no longer available, use this one.

News from Darfur, Sudan: 4/2/2007

U.N. envoy: 'Fragile' balance in Darfur could disintegrate.
ES SALLAM, Sudan (Reuters) -- The new U.N. humanitarian chief warned Sunday that humanitarian efforts in Darfur could collapse if the situation deteriorates and aid workers are prevented from doing their work.

The warning came on a day of unusually heavy condemnation of the violence in Darfur, with Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain proposing a no-fly zone over the region and German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying the suffering of the Sudanese people had become "unbearable."

If this link no longer is available, try this one.

Refugee crisis threatens to overwhelm Chad.
ABECHE, Chad (AP) -- Chadian officials expressed concern Tuesday at the growing number of refugees fleeing the conflict in neighboring Sudan, which the U.N. humanitarian chief feared could become an intolerable burden on the country.

John Holmes visited this eastern Chad town on the second leg of a 10-day trip to the region, one week after the new U.N. undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs visited Darfur and South Sudan -- part of an effort to improve the bitter conditions under which aid workers have to operate.

If this link no longer is available, try this one.

Calls to use Beijing Games to pressure China on Sudan.
BEIJING, China (AP) -- China on Thursday blasted separate calls by a French politician and a Hollywood actress to use the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games to pressure Beijing into doing more to stop the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.

In an article published in Thursday's Wall Street Journal, actress and UNICEF goodwill ambassador Mia Farrow accused Beijing of "bankrolling Darfur's genocide" and called on director Steven Spielberg and four corporate sponsors to "add their ... voices to the growing calls for Chinese action to end the slaughter..."

If this link no longer is available, try this one.

Top officials: U.S. to impose Sudan sanctions soon.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The United States will impose tough new measures against Sudan, likely within days, to try to force it to change course on Darfur and aims to pressure Khartoum militarily by helping rebuild forces in the south, U.S. officials said.

State Department, Defense, Treasury and other U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the goal was to "tighten the screws" on President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and have him accept an international force in the vast western province.

If this link no longer is available, try this one.

Five African Union peacekeepers killed in Darfur.
KHARTOUM, Sudan (Reuters) -- Unidentified gunmen killed five African Union peacekeepers in the Darfur region of western Sudan, the deadliest single attack against the force since late 2004, an AU spokesman said Monday.

The five were guarding a water point near the Sudanese border with Chad when they came under fire Sunday, Noureddine Mezni said. Four soldiers were killed in the shooting, and the fifth died of his wounds Monday morning.

If this link no longer is available, try this one.

News from Radio Free Asia

Christians Said Persecuted in Laos, Ministry Denies Charges
BANGKOK—A French-based Lao exile group is accusing officials in a remote village in central Laos of seeking to evict Christians who refuse to renounce their faith, but the Lao Foreign Ministry denies the charge.

North Korean Teen Defectors Face Huge Challenges.
SEOUL—North Korean teenage defectors may have escaped starvation and political repression, but they have a hard time playing catch-up with their South Korean peers once they resettle.

Paper IDs Wife of Last U.S. Defector in North Korea.
WASHINGTON—A Romanian newspaper says it has identified a Romanian woman, kidnapped in 1978, who married the U.S. Army deserter James Dresnok—reportedly the last U.S. defector still living in North Korea.

News from RFA-North Korean women sold as slaves in China

Thousands of NK Women Sold as Slaves in China.
SEOUL — Thousands of North Korean women who fled famine in their homeland in recent years are believed to have been sold as “brides” to Chinese men, who often put them to backbreaking labor and subject them to constant fear, physical assault, and sexual abuse, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reports. [If that link does not work, try this one.]

Here are my two cents: Kim Jong Il--Go to hell. Chinese president--Go to hell. STOP THIS!

Update: Nathan is kind enough to have an open trackback at Church and State this weekend, and he also has a great site. Please be sure to read the policy on trackbacking before you use it. Remember to be kind, and also be sure to stop by during the week. I appreciate your civility. :) Have a nice weekend.

Hardly Known, Not Yet Forgotten, South Korean POWs Tell Their Story

From the desk of RFA:

SEOUL — Thousands of South Koreans taken prisoner by the North during the Korean War (1950-53) were sent to do hard labor and were refused the chance to be repatriated under international law.

Those who survived the working conditions found they were still subjected to contempt and discrimination, 50 years after the end of the war.

“One day I found it rather strange that I could not hear the sound of airplanes overhead. Later, I found out the reason the skies had fallen silent: the war was over,” POW Cho Chang-Ho told RFA’s Korean service shortly before his death.

While 80,000 South Koreans were missing...continue reading.

I cannot believe they would choose to stay in North Korea unless it was out of fear of trickery. Animals. I hate this.