Lieberman: McCain’s ‘Stark Contrast’ to Obama
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Lieberman_McCain_obama/2008/05/21/97832.html
Voters have a clear choice when it comes to choosing a president who will stand up to America’s enemies and strengthen U.S. foreign policy — and that choice is Republican John McCain, Sen. Joe Lieberman declares.
In an article appearing in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal, Lieberman faults Democrats for their tepid support for the war on terror following 9/11, blaming partisanship and capitulation to the party’s far left wing.
After the September 11 terrorist attacks, “I felt strongly that Democrats should embrace the basic framework the president had advanced for the war on terror as our own, because it was our own,” said Lieberman, who lost the Democratic primary in Connecticut in 2006 and was re-elected as an independent.
“But that was not the choice most Democratic leaders made. When total victory did not come quickly in Iraq, the old voices of partisanship and peace at any price saw an opportunity to reassert themselves. By considering centrism to be collaboration with the enemy – not bin Laden, but Mr. Bush – activists have successfully pulled the Democratic Party further to the left than it has been at any point in the last 20 years.
“Far too many Democratic leaders have kowtowed to these opinions rather than challenging them. That unfortunately includes Barack Obama, who, contrary to his rhetorical invocations of bipartisan change, has not been willing to stand up to his party's left wing on a single significant national security or international economic issue in this campaign.
“In this, Sen. Obama stands in stark contrast to John McCain, who has shown the political courage throughout his career to do what he thinks is right – regardless of its popularity in his party or outside it.”
McCain also understands what many Democrats are seemingly confused about lately — the difference between America's friends and America's enemies, according to Lieberman, who refers to Obama’s stated willingness to meet with the leadership of Iran and other “vicious” regimes.
“What Mr. Obama has proposed is not selective engagement, but a blanket policy of meeting personally as president, without preconditions, in his first year in office, with the leaders of the most vicious, anti-American regimes on the planet,” Lieberman writes.
“If a president ever embraced our worst enemies in this way, he would strengthen them and undermine our most steadfast allies.
“A great Democratic secretary of state, Dean Acheson, once warned ‘no people in history have ever survived, who thought they could protect their freedom by making themselves inoffensive to their enemies.’ This is a lesson that today's Democratic Party leaders need to relearn.”
Catholic Association of Latino Leaders to Join AFM Rally for Marriage in Denver
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07206.shtml
WASHINGTON, (christiansunite.com) -- Matt Daniels, president and founder of the Alliance for Marriage Foundation (AFMF), Mario Paredes, executive board member and president of the newly created Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (C.A.L.L.) today announced the group's participation at a rally for marriage and family in Denver during the Democrat National Convention.
The Catholic Association of Latino Leaders, whose executive board includes San Antonio Archbishop Jose Gomez, will join prominent national Latino leaders from across the country, including Rev. Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, to encourage political leaders to stand up for marriage.
"The Catholic Association of Latino Leaders is committed to being a national voice on social justice issues and to impact the national dialogue and its outcome," said Mario Paredes, Executive Board Member and President of C.A.L.L. "The future of marriage and family in America is no different. We, in the Latino community, must stand and make our voices heard united as one."
The newly created Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (C.A.L.L.) is an organization of men and women committed to being a national voice for Catholic, Latino business and professional leaders in the United States.
Latino voters are some of the strongest supporters of AFM's Marriage Protection Amendment. During Convention Week, Hispanics will rally to encourage political leaders to stand up for marriage.
In September, AFMF will also urge Republican leaders at their National Convention in Minneapolis to protect marriage.
"For far too long the votes of Latinos have been taken for granted by Republicans and Democrats," said Rev. Sam Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and Advisory Board Member of the Alliance for Marriage Foundation. "As our numbers grow, our influence is growing, and it is time for leaders of both political parties to put protecting marriage and strong family values at the center of their agenda."
Recently, the Alliance for Marriage Foundation called on both the Republican and Democratic National Committees -- with open letters to Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean and Congressman John Boehner (R-OH), who will oversee platform committee deliberations at their respective party conventions -- to include language supporting the Marriage Protection Amendment in their 2008 platforms.
The Alliance for Marriage and Alliance for Marriage Foundation are non-partisan coalitions whose Board of Advisors include Rev. Walter Fauntroy -- the DC Coordinator for the March on Washington for Martin Luther King Jr. -- as well as other civil rights leaders, religious leaders and national legal experts.
Federal Court Rules Against Military Gays Policy
http://www.newsmax.com/us/military_gays/2008/05/21/97977.html
SEATTLE -- The military cannot automatically discharge people because they're gay, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday in the case of a decorated flight nurse who sued the Air Force over her dismissal.
The three judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not strike down the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. But they reinstated Maj. Margaret Witt's lawsuit, saying the Air Force must prove that her dismissal furthered the military's goals of troop readiness and unit cohesion.
The "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, don't harass" policy prohibits the military from asking about the sexual orientation of service members but requires discharge of those who acknowledge being gay or engaging in homosexual activity.
Wednesday's ruling led opponents of the policy to declare its days numbered. It is also the first appeals court ruling in the country that evaluated the policy through the lens of a 2003 Supreme Court decision that struck down a Texas ban on sodomy as an unconstitutional intrusion on privacy.
When gay service members have sued over their dismissals, courts historically have accepted the military's argument that having gays in the service is generally bad for morale and can lead to sexual tension.
But the Supreme Court's opinion in the Texas case changed the legal landscape, the judges said, and requires more scrutiny over whether "don't ask, don't tell" is constitutional as applied in individual cases.
Under Wednesday's ruling, military officials "need to prove that having this particular gay person in the unit really hurts morale, and the only way to improve morale is to discharge this person," said Aaron Caplan, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington state who worked on the case.
Witt, a flight nurse based at McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma, was suspended without pay in 2004 after the Air Force received a tip that she had been in a long-term relationship with a civilian woman. Witt was honorably discharged in October 2007 after having put in 18 years _ two short of what she needed to receive retirement benefits.
She sued the Air Force in 2006, but U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton dismissed her claims, saying the Supreme Court's ruling in Lawrence v. Texas did not change the legality of "don't ask, don't tell."
The appeals court judges disagreed.
"When the government attempts to intrude upon the personal and private lives of homosexuals, the government must advance an important governmental interest ... and the intrusion must be necessary to further that interest," wrote Judge Ronald M. Gould.
Gay service members who are discharged can sue in federal court, and if the military doesn't prove it had a good reason for the dismissal, the cases will go forward, Caplan said.
Another attorney for Witt, James Lobsenz, hailed the ruling as the beginning of the end for "don't ask, don't tell."
"If the various branches of the Armed Forces have to start proving each application of the policy makes sense, then it's not going to be only Maj. Witt who's going to win," Lobsenz said. "Eventually, they're going to say, 'This is dumb. ... It's time to scrap the policy.'"
An Air Force spokeswoman said she had no comment on the decision and directed inquiries to the Defense Department.
Lt. Col. Todd Vician, a Defense spokesman, said he did not know specifics of the case and could not comment beyond noting that "the DOD policy simply enacts the law as set forth by Congress."
Witt joined the Air Force in 1987 and switched from active duty to the reserves in 1995. She cared for injured patients on military flights and in operating rooms. She was promoted to major in 1999, and she deployed to Oman in 2003 in support of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.
A citation from President Bush that year said, "Her airmanship and courage directly contributed to the successful accomplishment of important missions under extremely hazardous conditions."
Her suspension and discharge came during a shortage of flight nurses and outraged many of her colleagues _ one of whom, a sergeant, retired in protest.
"I am thrilled by the court's recognition that I can't be discharged without proving that I was harmful to morale," Witt said in a statement. "I am proud of my career and want to continue doing my job. Wounded people never asked me about my sexual orientation. They were just glad to see me there."
Late-Term Abortion Law Upheld in Va.
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/379507.aspx
CBNNews.com - A Virginia law banning a form of late-term abortions was struck down Wednesday, giving doctors the green light to use certain "partial birth" procedures.
A federal appeals panel in Richmond, Va., ruled 2-1 that the state's current law was too restrictive, and thus, unconstitutional.
"It imposes an undue burden on a woman's right to obtain an abortion," Judge M. Blane Michael wrote in the majority opinion.
Still, many state officials oppose the recent ruling.
"We are extremely disappointed with the divided decision," said J. Tucker Martin, spokesman for Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell. "We are reviewing the panel opinion at this time and considering all possible courses of action."
The panel's decision ignored similar legislation known as the "Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act" that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court (WHEN?).
Both laws prohibit doctors from performing "intact dilation and extraction," a procedure that involves removing the fetus, often crushing or damaging its skull.
The more widely used abortion procedure "dilation and evacuation" is permitted, however. During that process, doctors dismember the fetus from the womb.
"Unlike the federal act, the Virginia act subjects all doctors who perform (the more common procedure) to potential criminal liability, thereby imposing an unconstitutional burden on a woman's right to choose," Michael wrote.
The Virginia law does not protect doctors who intend to perform the allowed abortion procedure but end up accidentally performing the banned procedure.
Opponents felt that compromised other legal forms of abortion already practiced.
"Virginia's statute effectively would have banned . . . the most commonly performed second-trimester abortion procedures and would have severely limited women's access to second-trimester abortion services," Center for Reproductive Rights lawyer, Stephanie Toti, said.
The same law was struck down previously in 2005 by Judge Michael and Judge Diana Gribbon Motz.
Virginia has two weeks to either appeal the recent decision or convince the full federal appeals court that it is necessary.
New Outreach Casts Wider Net for After Abortion Care
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07205.shtml
SAN DIEGO, (christiansunite.com) -- America's churches are filled with worshippers who have been deeply affected by an abortion experience. The Alan Guttmacher Institute reports that one in every three women will have had an abortion by age 45. Forty-three percent of women who obtain abortions identify themselves as Protestant, and 27% as Catholic. This means that the majority of people who attend services every Sunday have personally experienced abortion or know someone whose life has been touched by an abortion.
Michaelene Fredenburg, creator of the new outreach effort Abortion Changes You(TM), is one of them. "When I was 18, I had an abortion," Fredenburg shares. "After years of struggling with self-destructive behaviors my experience brought me to church.... but I often found myself thinking that if people sitting around me knew what I had done, they wouldn't shake my hand-and certainly wouldn't sit next to me." Abortion Changes You(TM) is an invitation for people from all faith backgrounds who have experienced abortion - men, women, grandparents, siblings, other family members and friends - to discover that they are not alone and that healing resources are available.
As Fredenburg explains, "Many men and women who have experienced abortion have a sense that somehow God and the church are 'off-limits' for them. Some do find their way into church, but silently struggle to move forward in their relationship with God."
Many men and women want to support those who have experienced abortion, but often don't know how to address such a difficult personal experience. Abortion Changes You helps friends and family members understand the reproductive loss and grief surrounding an abortion experience and offers practical suggestions on how to be a safe place.
Abortion Changes You(TM) also provides pastoral tools for lay leaders, ministers and others to reach those in their congregations and communities who have been affected by abortion. The outreach uses dynamic resources, including an interactive Web site www.AbortionChangesYou.com, the book Changed: Making Sense of Your Own or a Loved One's Abortion Experience, multimedia and ministry tools available at www.AbortionChangesYouResources.com, and connections to local counseling resources, including Biblically-based after abortion healing support.
Says Jonathan Imbody of the Christian Medical Association, "Somehow in the midst of an often caustic cultural clash, the Abortion Changes You outreach has managed to send a soothing message of hope, restoration and unconditional love. The caring partners in this outreach focus on meeting the individual needs of the men and women experiencing abortion sequelae. This redemptive work springs from a true understanding of the loss and heartbreak that millions have experienced through abortion. Through resources, dialogue and counseling, many are experiencing, through the healing hands of Abortion Changes You, a sense of grace and release that they never thought possible."
Presence not Performance for the Worship Institute Conference
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07207.shtml
DALLAS, (christiansunite.com) -- In a world marked by financial crises, war, persecution, hunger, and political struggles, many people are rediscovering the source of peace-the Presence of God. In a bold return to the basics of classic Christian faith, the theme for the 2008 International Worship Institute is "Embracing His Presence."
WorshipInstitute.com's new President Steve Fry says that instead of performance and production-driven sessions, the focus of this year's event will simply be the presence of God. The 2008 IWI will convene June 30 - July 3 at the DFW Airport (TX) Hyatt.
"This is not your normal conference ( Watch the video). This is not about religion but rather our relationship with God. That kind of posture causes us to forget agendas, commercial ventures, career and ministry promotion," says Fry. "We are so gorged with consumer and psychological indulgences that we have lost the simple reality and pure joy of His Presence."
"In times of crisis, people are desperate to connect to God, which surpasses things of earth," explains Fry. "That is classical Christianity. When people find the Lord, they discover that He, all by Himself, is enough."
IWI's new model also addresses a critical need in our society to find relationships of integrity, unconditional love, and peace in a climate filled with war and uncertainty. To help deal with this stress, people are turning to prayer and worship-two of the fastest growing segments in the publishing industry.
According to Fry, "People today feel merchandized and manipulated. They know they are mere economic units in a dehumanizing culture. But, true relationships in Christ rise into the familial."
Fry continued, "In our media-saturated world, it is so easy to confuse worship with performance when it is really about connecting with His Presence. When we embrace God through worship, He brings us into symphony with our relationships, environment, and destiny."
As one of the world's leading praise and worship conferences, IWI will also feature Masters classes, dynamic workshops, and general sessions with some of the most respected worship leaders and speakers in the world. They include Jack Hayford, Steve Fry, Bob Sorge, Eddie James, Morris Chapman, Robert Stearns, Leann Albrecht, John Stevenson, and Ross Parsley.
For more information, please visit www.worshipinistute.com.
Oil Executives Defend Fuel Prices
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/379120.aspx
CBNNews.com - Lawmakers on Capitol Hill grilled executives of the nation's five largest oil companies Wednesday, saying that the high oil prices cannot simply be a result of supply and demand balances.
The oil executives appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to defend their companies in the face of rising fuel costs.
Senators argued that the oil industry's concentration, along with OPEC price collusion, is a major factor in high gas prices. The hearing came on the same day that oil prices surged to $132 per barrel, even as government reports show supplies of oil and gasoline fell last week.
Almost overnight the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline rose to $3.80.
Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said there's an unexplained "disconnect" between prices - and legitimate supply and demand.
"We need to get prices under control. We can only conclude that the oil markets have failed," Sen. Herbert Kohl, D-Wis., said.
But Shell Oil Co. Chairman John Hofmeister responded that the high prices are the simple result of the current market.
"The fundamental laws of supply and demand are at work," he told the committee.
With gas and oil prices setting new records on almost a daily basis, some analysts are beginning to wonder if anything can stop the runaway prices.
Some say the price of crude may have already risen to high. However, with the ever-growing demand for oil in developing nations and supply problems of oil rich nations, more record prices may continue.
Chavez Accuses U.S. of Spying on Venezuela
http://www.newsmax.com/international/venezuela_us/2008/05/21/97882.html
CARACAS, Venezuela -- President Hugo Chavez is accusing the United States of using anti-drug flights in the Caribbean to spy on Venezuela.
Chavez claims that a U.S. Navy plane that flew into Venezuelan airspace during an anti-drug mission last week was actually involved in reconnaissance.
"They are spying," Chavez said during a speech on Wednesday.
Chavez warned Washington that he would dispatch fighter jets the next time a U.S. military plane violates Venezuelan airspace.
The United States says it is taking steps to make sure its planes don't stray into Venezuelan airspace again.
UK Approves Human-Animal Embryos
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/379429.aspx
CBNNews.com - British lawmakers approved plans Monday to create human-animal embryos for research.
The Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill would have outlawed the creation of "human admixed embryos" for medical research. But the House of Commons rejected the ban by 160 votes.
A second amendment, which would have banned the creation of "true hybrids" made by fertilizing an animal egg with human sperm, or vice-versa, was also defeated.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown supported the measure. He said he believes scientists can use the hybrids for stem cell research into diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
But the Roman Catholic Church and other religious leaders oppose this sort of research. They are calling it "monstrous" and "immoral." Several British lawmakers said the legislation was going a step too far.
The main kinds of admixed embryo permitted by the bill are "cytoplasmic hybrids" or "cybrids," which are made by moving a human nucleus into an empty animal egg. These are genetically 99.9 percent human.
As well as true hybrids, it also allows chimeras that combine human and animal cells, and transgenic human embryos that include a little animal DNA.
They then "trick" the egg into dividing so it becomes an embryo from which stem cells can be extracted.
However, any application to create an admix embryo will need a government license. Scientists will need to demonstrate that there is no other scientific way to find a cure for a disease being researched.
Christians disappointed with abortion vote
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.disappointed.with.abortion.vote/18940.htm
The Evangelical Alliance has expressed sadness and concern following the House of Commons rejection last night of efforts to reduce Britain’s record levels of abortion.
This was the final vote in a series of strongly contested conscience votes in Parliament which saw controversial decisions made to allow experimentation on human-animal hybrid embryos, to allow the creation of children to act as ‘saviours’ for siblings, and to remove the right of children created by IVF procedures to have a father.
The entire debate has been dominated by controversy focusing on clashes of rights and hugely emotive and complex ethical issues.
R David Muir, Public Policy Executive Director, said: “Just because science can do something doesn’t mean that it should, and when rights begin to be more associated with adult preferences than protection of the weak and vulnerable, then we should be concerned about the consequences for society.
“The drive for human improvement must not be allowed to trump the need to protect against harm and it is worrying to note the prevalence today of uncertainty and inconsistency relating to where ethical boundaries should be drawn, or indeed whether there should be any ethical boundaries at all.
"There is a growing disparity between what scientists and politicians are promoting and the opinion of the general public, who are increasingly uncomfortable with a utilitarian approach to human life.”
Peter Saunders, General Secretary Christian Medical Fellowship, said “We are disappointed by this result but not surprised given the lead given by the Prime Minister and his Health Ministers. Two out of three people, including three out of four women, and two out of three doctors have signalled their support for a lowering of the 24 week upper limit. By ignoring this change in public mood Parliament has demonstrated that it is seriously out of touch with the opinion of the British people on this issue.”
Dan Boucher, Director of Parliamentary Affairs for CARE said: “May 20th 2008 was a very bad day in the history of our nation. I hope that it will serve to provoke Christians to engage in the public square with greater energy and wisdom and that God will turn the tide.”
On a day dominated in the media by ultrasound pictures of unborn children, all those who fought so long and hard to protect human life were united, they said, in affirming that the new campaign to make abortion rarer and to guard the status of human life starts now.
EU ends 18-month-long deadlock over Russia
http://euobserver.com/9/26189
The European Union and Russia are set to open long-delayed talks on a new "Partnership and Co-operation" pact in June, as 27 EU ambassadors agreed Wednesday (21 May) on a common position for the negotiations.
The negotiation process became hostage over the past few weeks to several demands tabled by Lithuania, described as "vital" for the entire union.
Vilnius now says that all its concerns were taken into account, but the country's foreign minister, Petras Vaitekunas, has at the same time warned that Wednesday's deal is not the end of the story.
"Afterwards, there will be difficult talks with Russia, and after the agreement with Russia on the treaty is in place, there will be a long process of implementation of the treaty. This is the first step in the long road," Mr Vaitekunas said.
The Baltic country had demanded that the EU negotiating mandate - outlining what the European Commission's manoeuvring space would be during the talks with Moscow - reflect Vilnius' worries in the field of energy security, judicial co-operation and frozen conflicts in Georgia and Moldova.
"The issues Lithuania wanted in the mandate are vital to all of us, particularly that of energy," Mr Vaitekunas said, insisting that none of their demands were bilateral issues. "They have a wider bearing on building EU's partnership with Russia and our stance in particular negotiations".
Frozen conflicts
One of the sticking points was linked to Russia's involvement in its former territories, in particular in Georgia and Moldova.
Most recently, tensions are running high in Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia - both beyond Georgian government control for over a decade.
Tbilisi accuses Moscow of efforts to invade Abkhazia, with Abkhaz forces claiming to have shot down a number of Georgian unmanned spy planes. Russia in May announced plans to send an extra 1,000 peacekeepers to Abkhazia.
Lithuania managed to secure that the mandate will include an annex referring to the frozen conflicts and stating the EU's committment to monitor the situation on regular basis and stand ready to assist if needed.
However, one EU diplomat told EUobserver that majority of member states want to underline that this does not mean there is a link between the frozen conflicts and the progress of EU-Russia talks as such.
They are even considering the adoption of specific unilateral declarations ruling out any "conditionality".
Lithuania's demands were "over the top", the diplomat said.
Efforts to launch negotiations on a strategic partnership treaty between the EU and Russia, covering areas such as the economy, external security and justice and home affairs, date back to 2006.
Previously, the launch of negotiations had also been blocked by Poland as a result of a trade dispute. But Warsaw dropped its opposition after Moscow agreed to end its embargo on Polish exports of meat and other meat products.
All 27 EU foreign ministers still need to formally rubber stamp Wednesday's compromise deal on the negotiating mandate - a move expected next week (26-27 May).
Israel's Golan Heights back on the table
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2453
The global effort to wrest the Jews' restored homeland from them lurched ahead Wednesday with the revelation that the Olmert government is - and has been for more than a year – preparing to negotiate an agreement with Damascus that is believed to involve Israel's surrender to Syria of the Golan Heights.
Indirect talks through Turkish intermediaries, Israelis suddenly learned, are slated to start two weeks from now according to an almost simultaneous announcement made by Israel and Syria Wednesday morning.
The Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem released a statement that read: "The two sides have begun indirect talks under Turkish auspices [and] have declared their intention to conduct the talks without prejudice and with openness... They have decided to conduct the dialogue in a serious and continuous manner with the aim of reaching a comprehensive peace."
Syria's foreign ministry said "Syria has started indirect peace talks with Israel under Turkish auspices. Both sides have expressed their desire to conduct the talks in good will and decided to continue dialogue with seriousness to achieve comprehensive peace."
But according to the Israeli daily Ha'aretz, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem added that in advance of the negotiations, Israel has promised to give away the Golan Heights and withdraw to the ceasefire line that was in place between 1949 and 1967.
Israeli officials denied this, but Syria has consistently conditioned any peace treaty with Israel on such a surrender of the heights, and the denials are being treated with some cynicism.
The Golan Heights is a ridge of slopes leading to a plateau high above the Huleh Valley and Lake Kinneret in the Upper Galilee. An integral part of the biblical Promised Land, and known in ancient Israel as Bashan, the "Land of the Giants," Joshua awarded the territory as an inheritance to the Israelite half-tribe of Manasseh.
In the second half of the first century of the Common Era Rome, which then occupied the entire Land of Israel, attacked the Jewish communities on the Golan - including the town of Gamla - massacring their inhabitants and sending the survivors into exile.
For nearly 2000 years the Golan was part of Middle Eastern territory that came under the control of one nation after another, most notably the Ottoman Empire, to which it belonged as part of the province of Palestine for 600 years until that empire was destroyed during the First World War.
The Heights was included in the territory pledged to the Jews in the 1917 Balfour Declaration for the recreation of their national homeland.
But the British Empire, given the mandate to oversee the creation of this Jewish state, instead lopped off the Golan and gave it to the French protectorate of Syria.
Syria - one of a number of Arab states newly-created out of the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire - won its independence in 1944 and so controlled the heights until 1967 - a period of just 23 years.
During that time Syria made no effort to develop the land, instead using it as a platform from which to shoot down on the Jews in the farms and communities below.
After failing to destroy Israel in her War of Independence, Syria between 1949 and 1967 violated the Armistice Agreement signed as a result of that war some 400 times.
At least 140 Israelis were killed by Syrian fire in that period.
In response to the unrelenting aggression and terrorism, the Israel Defense Forces threw the Syrians off the Golan in 1967, returning the land to Jewish rule for the first time since the Romans conquered it nearly 2000 years ago.
It has now been under Israeli control for 40 years.
Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 and that land is under Israeli law and home to approximately 40,000 Israelis - Jews, Druze and Muslim Arabs.
'Olmert will trade Golan to save his skin'
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2454
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, increasingly desperate in the face of advanced criminal investigations against him, had his office drop a political bombshell on the country Wednesday by announcing that Israel and Syria are holding peace talks in Turkey.
This suspicion was the instinctive reaction of a great many Israeli parliamentarians, including members of Olmert's ruling coalition, following the surprise news that hit Israel's airwaves Wednesday morning.
"The publication of the negotiations has a clear purpose, aimed at covering up the prime minister's investigations," charged angry Labor Party MK Danny Yatom.
Yatom party colleague MK Shelly Yacimovich said the prime minister's "only aim" was to divert attention from "his cash envelopes" – envelopes containing money Olmert allegedly received from businessmen and placed in his own pocket.
The chairman of the Likud faction, MK Gideon Sa'ar, said the announcement demonstrated that "Olmert's calculated cynicism when gambling Israel's strategic assets for his own political survival knows no bounds…
"He has no mandate to make any concession in the Golan Heights," he declared.
Likud, National Union-National Religious Party and Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) party leaders all leveled criticism at the prime minister.
For his part, Syrian President Bashar el-Assad has said that he is interested in negotiating with Israel. He has warned, however, that if the talks collapse without an agreement then "war may really be the only solution".
Exclusive: Olmert, Assad stage peace stunt to stave of political woes
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5288
The onset of indirect Israel-Syrian peace talks in Istanbul with Turkish mediation was announced simultaneously Wednesday, May 21, in Jerusalem, Damascus and Ankara.
DEBKAfile’s Middle East and Washington sources report fury in Washington with Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, who is accused of keeping President George W. Bush in the dark on the moves he has set in train with Syrian president Bashar Assad.
The heads of Golan communities issued a statement Wednesday night accusing PM Olmert of acting against the national interest and will and placing Israel in danger. They said he is unfit to continue in office.
Both the Israeli and Syrian leaders are reported to have pounced on this step at very short notice to offset their gathering woes.
Olmert is beset by suspicions of taking bribes, fraud and money laundering which are building up against him as the police bring new disclosures to light. For both these reasons, his coming trip to Washington in two weeks time is very much up in the air.
Assad, for his part, sought to cover his mortification over being shut out of the Lebanese inter-factional accord in Doha Wednesday morning. Our Middle East sources reveal that Hizballah’s Hassan Nasrallah preferred to sign off on an intra-Lebanese factional deal that gives him veto power in the new government in Beirut, instead of following directives from Damascus and Tehran to carry on fighting the pro-Western majority factions. He has thus emerged as Lebanon’s strongman.
To punish him for his show of independence, the Syrian president trumpeted his resort to peace talks with Israel. The message to Nasrallah was plain: If the talks go well, Hizballah’s legitimacy as a “resistance” force against Israel will be nullified and the group can be disarmed.
While Olmert is accused by most political groupings at home of drumming up the peace initiative to dig himself out of a hole, the steps he has embarked on may be genuine. Indirect talks did apparently take place at the Conrad hotel in Istanbul this week with Turkish diplomats shuttling between the delegations in separate rooms. The Syrian foreign minister Walid Mualem claimed that the Israeli prime minister had agreed to cede the entire Golan and pull back to the pre-1967 war lines.
For this concession – a law was enacted by the Knesset to extend Israel law to the Golan (virtual annexation) in the 1980s - Olmert has never consulted parliament or even his own government. In normal times, he would have to fight for a majority to endorse this step. But now, most political spokesmen assert that, under a heavy cloud of suspicion, he is personally incompetent to negotiate important commitments in Israel’s name, let alone a peace treaty.
Olmert told a kibbutz gathering Wednesday night that it is his duty to take full advantage of the chance of peace with Syria. He expects it won’t be easy and painful concessions will be required to achieve results, but he was sure the chances were greater than the risks.
The race is therefore on between Israel’s state prosecutor - for an indictment that will force Olmert’s resignation as prime minister; and a peace accord at the end of the diplomatic track, which he and Assad have set on motion with Turkey’s aid. Most political circles are betting on the prosecution as the winner.
Olmert Announces Tough Concessions Ahead in Talks with Syria
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126252
(IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday night that more tough concessions may be in store for the Israel public, this time due to negotiations with Syria, which are due to begin within the next two weeks.
Olmert said Wednesday night in a speech at an education event in Tel Aviv that the resumption of negotiations with Damascus after an eight-year hiatus was "exciting, but more importantly, it is a national duty which we must exploit to the fullest."
He observed that the northern border is currently the major potential flashpoint for a future conflict, and said, "It is always better to talk, than shoot!"
Olmert said his predecessors in the Prime Minister's Office were "willing to make far-reaching concessions to achieve peace with Syria." Although he acknowledged there were no guarantees, he said, "I have reached the conclusion that the chance in this case is greater than the risk and with this hope we have set forth on our way."
He added, rather cryptically, that the talks could lead to "concessions which will not be simple" but did not elaborate further.
Mayors of communities in the Golan Heights held an emergency meeting following the announcement. The head of the Golan Regional Council, Eli Malka, commented, "We will not let a Prime Minister who is motivated by foreign considerations to hand over a stretch of land to the Axis of Evil and endanger our very existence."
Talks in 2 Weeks, Syria Begins With False Claims
Officials confirmed earlier in the day that Israel and Syria will begin indirect talks brokered by Turkey in two weeks.
The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement saying the two sides declared their intention "to conduct the talks without prejudice and with openness… to conduct the dialogue in a serious and continuous manner with the aim of reaching a comprehensive peace."
Almost immediately, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem claimed that Israel had agreed to withdraw from the Golan Heights, back to the June 4th, 1967 border.
Shortly afterwards, officials in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office denied the claim, saying "Syria knows exactly what Israel demands of it, and Israel knows what Syria expects it to do."
Knesset Bill to Require 2/3 Majority to Approve Ceding Golan
Meanwhile, National Union/National Religious Party Knesset Member Eliyahu Gabbai announced that he is rushing a bill that will require a two-thirds majority in the Knesset before any Israeli leader could hand over any part of the Golan Heights. The bill had already been signed by 57 Knesset Members by late afternoon.
Likud lawmakers accused Olmert of carrying out "a cynical and transparent stunt in order to deflect attention from his personal problems." In a statement released to the media, Likud said the Prime Minister "has no moral and public mandate to hand over the Golan and bring the Syrians back to the Sea of Galilee."
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the news from the Middle East. In a statement issued at the UN headquarters in New York, Ban said that he "praises President [Bashar] Assad and Prime Minister Olmert for taking this important step, and thanks Turkish Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan for his efforts."
Legal Forum Moves to Block Talks During Investigations
The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel demanded that the Prime Minister cease all diplomatic contact with Syria regarding the Golan Heights while the investigation against him in the matter of illegal cash payments continues.
In an urgent letter to Attorney-General Menachem Mazuz, the Forum's legal adviser, attorney Yitzchak Bam, claimed that the timing of the announcement was "no coincidence at all" and asked Mazuz to direct Olmert to stop the negotiations.
"There is a deep concern that the purported advance in the diplomatic talks was intended to divert the public's attention from the Prime Minister's new criminal entanglement," Bam wrote. He contended that the Prime Minister was caught in a conflict of interest, "between his public responsibility as Prime Minister and his personal interest to fill the public agenda with matters that will push the corruption and investigations to the sidelines."
MK Orlev: Situation Gravely Damages Israel
National Union/National Religious Party Knesset Member Zevulun Orlev told Arutz Sheva that "without a doubt" negotiations with Syria "are causing Israel grave damage, because in order to save his skin [Olmert] is prepared to make far-reaching diplomatic concessions."
Orlev predicted that a "diplomatic breakthrough" would soon be announced on the Judea and Samaria front as well, for the same reason. The practical step which should be taken now, he added, is to send Turkey a clear message that the current negotiations are being conducted with a "political lame duck."
Why did Nasrallah disobey Tehran and Damascus in Doha?
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5289
The Hizballah leader defied their directives to avoid signing the inter-factional peace accord and instead keep on fighting, according to DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s exclusive sources. Hassan Nasrallah thus emerged as the strong man of Lebanon and beyond.
Analysis: Doha accord swings Lebanon’s balance of power to Shiite Hizballah
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5287
Heads of the pro-government majority factions and the Hizballah-led opposition reached an agreement in the Qatar capital early Wednesday, May 21, aimed at pulling Lebanon back from the brink of civil war. A president, lacking since last November, will be elected immediately, a new government will be formed with 11 ministries out of 16 for the Hizballah bloc (veto power), new elections will be held and Iran’s Shiite surrogate will not have to disarm.
DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources report that after 26 years, and in defiance of two UN Security Council resolutions, Hizballah’s armed militia won formal national acceptance and the right to possess an independent weapons arsenal.
While the pro-government Sunni, Christian and Druze faction heads at Doha accepted the standing of Hizballah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as a central national figure, they also agreed to drop his archenemy, the pro-US Fouad Siniora, as prime minister in the new government.
The only candidate for president, chief of staff Gen. Michel Suleiman, expects to be elected by a parliamentary consensus before the end of the week.
Our Middle East sources term the Doha deal on Lebanon a Hizballah walkover, its reward for six days of armed onslaught on government positions, unopposed by the armed forces. It marks the most resounding strategic debacle the West, Israel have experienced since Hamas’ forcible takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2005 and Israel’s failure to smash the Shiite terrorists’ armed strength in 2006.
Lebanon Rivals Agree on Crisis Deal
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/379086.aspx
CBNNews.com - Rival Lebanese factions have agreed on steps to resolve an 18-month political crisis that pushed the country to the edge of another civil war, a Lebanese Cabinet minister said Wednesday.
After five days of intensive talks in the Arab state of Qatar, delegates from the U.S.-backed government and Hezbollah-led opposition reached a consensus.
Has Hezbollah gained too much power in Lebanon? Watch CBN News Terror Analyst Erick Stakelbeck for more.
The Bush administration is calling the new peace deal between Lebanon's feuding factions "a necessary and positive step."
The deal -- which was reached with the help of Arab mediators -- follows a violent uprising earlier this month by Hezbollah that left at least 67 people dead. It was Lebanon's worst internal fighting since the 1975-90 civil war.
There's concern, however, that Hezbollah has gained too much power in the new deal. As part of the agreement, the group will now have veto power over any government decision.
Hezbollah's demand for Lebanon to be redistricted into smaller sized districts was also approved.
The agreement was aimed at resolving disputes over electing a new president and drafting an electoral law.
The law is significant because it determines how the factions will distribute power in Beirut, which would influence the outcome of Lebanon's next parliament elections in 2009.
Lebanon has been without a president since November, when Emile Lahoud stepped down.
Mullen Says Iran Jeopardizing Iraq Peace
http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/Mullen_Iran_iraq/2008/05/21/97810.html
WASHINGTON - The top uniformed U.S. military officer told Congress Tuesday that Iran is directly jeopardizing peace in Iraq, prompting fresh calls from senators that the U.S. pursue diplomatic talks with Tehran.
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that "irresponsible actions" by Iran's Revolutionary Guard "directly jeopardize" peace in Iraq.
"Restraint in our response does not signal lack of resolve or capability to defend ourselves against threats," Mullen told the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.
Sen. Arlen Specter, a member of the panel, said he is most concerned about the Bush administration's refusal to fully engage Iran in diplomatic discussions. U.S. diplomats have met with Iranian officials as part of a broader regional conference on Iraq, but insisted that discussions be limited to Iraq.
The U.S. accuses Iran of trying to develop a nuclear weapon, supporting terrorist groups and encouraging violence in Iraq by providing weapons and other material aid to Shiite militants there.
Specter, a Republican, said past talks with the Soviet Union, Libya and North Korea proved helpful and that similar progress could be made with Iran.
If the government refuses to engage Iran, "we're missing a great opportunity to avoid a future conflict," Specter said.
Democratic Sens. Patrick Leahy and Dianne Feinstein said they agreed and urged Defense Secretary Robert Gates to challenge President George W. Bush's policy on Iran.
Gates said he supports sitting down with officials from Tehran, but only after the U.S. has developed significant leverage. In such cases as Libya and North Korea, these countries were seeking to relieve economic pressures imposed by sanctions, Gates said.
"The key here is developing leverage, either through economic or diplomatic or military pressures on the Iranian government so they believe they must have talks with the United States because there is something they want from us, and that is the relief of the pressure," Gates said.
Mullen also told the Senate panel that violence in Afghanistan is increasing, as security in Iraq has improved. Accordingly, the U.S. is deploying more troops to Afghanistan and encouraging local forces to do the same to contend with a growing insurgency, increased attacks and a burgeoning drug trade.
"In short, a stable Iraq and Afghanistan that are long-term partners and share our commitment to peace will be critical to achieving regional stability and security," Mullen said.
"This will require years, not months," he added, "and will require the support of the American people, our regional allies and concerted action by the Iraqi and Afghan people and their leaders."
Cyprus, Turkey peace talks fading
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080516/FOREIGN/798521243/1003
NICOSIA, Cyprus — Hopes for talks to break a deadlock over Cyprus are fading, with both sides increasingly weighed down by issues that for years have prevented the unity of the Mediterranean island.
The Greek-Cypriot government announced this week that "difficulties have arisen" in the work of 13 technical committees charged with preparing the ground for hard-core negotiations, originally scheduled for June.
"Unfortunately, we don"t see the results we had expected to see," said government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou.
The statement was in contrast to the near-euphoric expectations of progress that followed the February election of Dimitris Christofias , a Communist, as Greek-Cypriot president. The optimism was heightened in April when the wall dividing the old town in the heart of the capital was opened to pedestrian traffic.
"Is Christofias getting cold feet on talks?" asked a headline in the English-language daily Cyprus Mail.
Turkish analysts said Turkey"s internal crisis and charges against the governing Justice and Development Party could effectively paralyze Turkey"s role as one of the guarantors of any solution. Turkey has an estimated 35,000 troops in northern Cyprus and their presence has weighed heavily on the deadlock.
According to Stephen Larrabee of Rand Corp., in view of the growing deadlock, "opportunities to make progress on the Cyprus issue could be lost."
"Turkey"s European Union negotiations could be suspended, and power could shift to the [Turkish] military, which traditionally supports a tougher line on Cyprus," he said.
In an apparent effort to save the preliminary talks, Mr. Christofias is expected to meet Mehmet Ali Talat, president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, next week. The Turkish-Cypriot side does not expect new proposals to emerge from the meeting.
Differences between the protagonists also emerged at a special seminar organized by the U.S. Embassy in Istanbul for journalists from the three countries at the center of the problem. Participants said they could not find a common language on any issue.
"The Greeks spoke of the Turkish invasion of 1974, and the Turks called it peace operation," one participant said. "The Greeks would not pronounce the name of the Turkish-Cypriot airport, Ercan, because it was named to honor a pilot shot down over Cyprus."
Soli Ozel, a professor at Istanbul Bilgi University, said, "All of this does not bode well for the [Turkish] government"s stance on Cyprus. No one is going to stick his neck out for a process that got badly burned four years ago." He was referring to the referendum in which the Greek-Cypriot side rejected a U.N. unification proposal.
Pastor's Daughter Raped in Bangladesh
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07209.shtml
(christiansunite.com) - On March 2, Pastor Motilal Das' 13-year-old daughter, Elina Das, was raped by five Muslims intent on stopping his ministry work in the village of Laksmipur, Mymensingh district, according to a May 8 report from Compass Direct. The Muslims abducted Elina while she was walking to a latrine outside her home. They gagged her and took her to a nearby tea stall where she was repeatedly raped.
At approximately 3:00 a.m., Pastor Das found Elina unconscious on his doorstep. When he went to the police station, the officers reluctantly registered the case after accusing him of filing a false case. Muslims have since threatened to kill him and his family if he does not withdraw the charges. Pastor Das claimed that locals Muslim had have long been angered by his evangelistic work in the area and he had previously received death threats. Male Muslim classmates had repeatedly teased and harassed Elina, the only Christian in her school, about her faith.
Ask God to give Elina healing from the assault. Pray that authorities will prosecute the offenders to the full extent of the law. Pray for Elina and her family as they will struggle with the ability to exhibit God's love to their persecutors (Romans 12:14-21).
For more information on the trials facing Christians in Bangladesh, go to www.persecution.net/country/bangladesh.htm.
Formal Court Date set for Persecuted Uyghur Christian Alimujiang Yimiti; CAA President Bob Fu Responds to Controversial Remarks Made by Evangelist Franklin Graham
http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion07208.shtml
XINJIANG, (christiansunite.com) -- CAA has learned that the case against persecuted Uyghur Christian Alimujiang Yimiti has progressed. A Kashi court has given formal notice that the case will be in session on May 27. The court proceedings will take place using the Uyghur language and will be interpreted in Chinese. A rumor originating from government officials of Kashi Region, is that a six year sentence has already been decided internally by the court. Mr. Yimiti's wife Gulinuer and their two children hope the case will be judged justly and will result in Mr. Yimit's unconditional release.
CAA President Bob Fu strongly urges the Xinjiang and Beijing governments to pay close attention to this case and to release Mr. Yimiti immediately in order to improve international relations and human rights within China. CAA also expresses its concern that Mr. Yimiti receives a fair trial within a court system that seems to have predetermined his sentence prior to trial.
In response to Mr. Franklin Graham's offensive and inappropriate comments concerning his opposition to evangelism during the Beijing Olympic Games, Mr. Fu stated: "The Chinese Christians are law-abiding, patriotic citizens, but when an unjust law demands them to go against their faith and Jesus' teaching of the Great Commission, they can not and will not succeed to a 'faith moratorium' in order to please an atheistic government during the Olympic Games, even if that means enduring imprisonment and torture. Mr. Graham's comment is a deep offense to hundreds of House Church prisoners and their family members. "
To express your concern, please contact:
Chinese Embassy in Washington DC
Address: 2201 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Washington D.C. 20007
Tel: (202) 338-6688, (202)5889760
Fax: (202) 588-9760
OB Brings Hope to Earthquake Victims
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/378870.aspx
CBNNews.com - LUOSHUI TOWNSIP, SICHUAN PROVINCE, China - Getting to Luoshui Village, in China's quake-stricken Sichuan Province is not easy.
"The travel time and the access to these people is the most difficult challenge that we have faced," Kumar Periaswamy of Operation Blessing said.
But five hours after a bumpy ride, a few roadblocks and a couple of wrong turns, the Operation Blessing team is welcomed by villagers with tears of joy.
"When they see us coming in to help, their reaction is always they are crying because they have gone through a very difficult time in the last few days," Periaswamy said.
"The house started shaking and moving from side-to-side and then suddenly the roof collapsed and I cried out to God, 'why is this happening, what can I do to save my house?'" earthquake survivor Li Guilan remembered.
Last week's devastating earthquake struck Li Guilan's village with a vengeance. Most of the homes here were destroyed or partially collapsed.
The couple earns less than $600 a year. They poured what little savings they had into building their new home.
Today, the couple, along with dozens of other families, is huddled under this makeshift tent.
"One of the biggest needs these people face is finding a safe place to stay," Operation Blessing's James Seow said. "So many quake victims live in open tents and so when it rains, they get completely drenched and it can be dangerous."
The government has put out an urgent message for more tents. So, this week, Operation Blessing stepped in with a truck-load of much-needed tents for the villagers, as well as cooking oil, flour and bags of rice.
Some one-hundred families lined-up to receive the supplies from Operation Blessing.
"It is so nice to see that there are people who care enough to come all this way to help us," Li Shimin, another earthquake survivor, said. "Thank you!."
"It just makes a lot of difference because for them there is the satisfaction that there are people who care about them," Periaswamy said. "For us personally, it's just to be there and be a blessing and to feel that we are there, right now, at their time of need providing for them and being a blessing to them."
Quake Took the Only Child of Many
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/379356.aspx
CBNNews.com - It's been over a week since an earthquake devastated China's Sichuan Province, leaving over 70,000 dead, missing or buried in the rubble.
More than 40,000 have lost their lives, but many parents have lost something they consider even more precious: their only children.
Mr. and Mrs. Wong hold on to a few photographs, which are all they have left of their daughter, Wen-Chen.
"I just wanted her to grow up safe, and school should have been the safest place," Mrs. Wong said.
For students in some of nearly 7,000 school rooms that collapsed, it was anything but.
Wen-Chen and over half of her more than 400 classmates were some of the thousands of innocent victims.
"All the dead were only children," Mr. Wong said. "Hundreds of only children."
The One-Child Policy has prevented 400 million births since it was implemented in 1979. Wealthy families can afford the heavy fines of having more than one child, but most of the families hit hardest by the quake faithfully followed the policy.
Because of that, they didn't just lose a child, they lost their only child.
Another father's son was just ten years old.
"I could lose anything but not him," he said.
Many parents who lived in the poor farming villages near the epicenter hoped that their children would have a better life than what they could provide.
Mr. Wong says his daughter was one of the brightest students in her class.
"She was the only hope in our family," he said. "Now that she's gone we've lost everything."
The Wongs say they can't bear to have another child, because it would be too painful.
But thousands throughout China are ready to have more. They want to adopt the children who have been orphaned by the quake.
Church Saves Women from Prostitution Ring
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/330609.aspx
CBNNews.com - KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Home at last!
This was the joyful cry of eight Filipino women after arriving safely home in their native land.
Seven months earlier, lured by attractive job offers with substantial wages, they had gone to Malaysia, only to be victimized by the recruiters of a sex syndicate.
The women landed on the streets of Malaysia with a promise that they would get hired as waitresses and maids. Instead, they ended up in sex dens, and according to sources, more than 60 are still languishing in brothels.
"(There are) around 60 girls padlocked in different houses. But the others don't have the courage to escape because our employer always threatened us that we cannot get out of Malaysia alive," said one of the women, 18-year-old April. "But I can't take it any longer. One time I got pregnant and I had to follow their advice to abort the baby."
Margaret, another 18-year-old who worked in the houses, agreed the work was grueling. "We were given seven to 10 customers a day and we were made to work for 24 hours," she said. "There was a time I was too exhausted, I just collapsed."
But there came a ray of hope when the women learned of a nearby Filipino Christian Church.
One day, they jumped from the second floor of the building where they were held and fled to the church for sanctuary.
Despite threats to his life and the congregation, James Bernasor, pastor of the Jesus is Lord Church Worldwide, sought help to return the women safely back to the Philippines.
"We shared the love of Jesus and let them know that there is hope. We started praying and asked for help," he said.
Their prayers were answered when help came through an organization representing several east Asian nations, called the Bimpeaga.
Nida Macasaet is the Philippine representative of the Bimpeaga.
Their lives were in great danger," he said. "All the while, gangsters were stalking on us. We brought the police to the girls only to find out all of them are clients."
God's intervention continued when the women's travel documents, which had been withheld by the sex slavers, surfaced at the perfect time.
It was a miracle that the travel documents were thrown into the church.
"God never fails. In moments when everything seems dark and no help can be done, you can always see the light in the name of Jesus," Macasaet proclaimed.
A week after their escape, the eight Filipino women were finally reunited with their families.
The illegal recruiter in the Philippines, Gemma Manapsal, has been arrested and charged with illegal recruitment and human trafficking.
While Manapsal's sister and other members of the sex syndicate are still at large in Malaysia, Philippine ambassador Victoriano Lecaros says they are closely working with Malaysian authorities to solve the case.
"We don't have police powers or any kind of executive power outside the (Philippines)," Lecaros said. "We rely on Malaysian authorities who have been cooperative with us because it is also of their interest that their country is not labeled as destination of trafficking humans."
It's now up to the Philippine and Malaysian governments to track down the sex slavers and rescue more victims. But as this experience shows, the church also can play a vital role in delivering people from the sex industry.
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