Thousands, apparently inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt, held a mass demonstration on Thursday calling on Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to quit after holding power since 1978.
It came a day after a 28-year-old man set fire to himself in the port city of Aden, the former capital of the formerly independent south, witnesses said. That brought to four the number of such copycat self-immolation attempts in the Arab world’s poorest nation.
The US, which has played an increasingly active role in efforts to stem al-Qaeda’s use of the Arab world’s poorest nation as a rear-base for its worldwide activities, said it backed the right to peaceful protest.
Photo: AFP
Washington backs the right of Yemenis to “express themselves and assemble freely,” US Department of State spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters, echoing the message that it has been delivering to key Arab ally Egypt.
“Enough being in power for [more than] 30 years,” chanted protesters in demonstrations staged by the Common Forum opposition in four different parts of the capital Sana’a.
In reference to the ouster of veteran Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the demonstrators said he was “gone in just 20 years.”
However, Yemeni Interior Minister Motahar Rashad al-Masri dismissed any resemblance between the protests in Yemen and the public outcry in the North African country that led to Ben Ali’s departure.
“Yemen is not like Tunisia,” al-Masri said, adding that Yemen was a “democratic country” and that the demonstrations were peaceful.
Witnesses said that during protests on Wednesday a bus station employee set fire to himself in a central square in Aden and was only saved from death by the swift action of passers-by, who put out the flames.
Medics said he remained in intensive care after suffering extensive burns. He was at least the fourth such protester, security sources said.
A 45-year-old who poured gasoline on himself in the southeastern province of Hadramawt on Jan. 20 died of his injuries, the only fatality so far.
Slogans chanted during Thursday’s demonstration in the capital were firm in demanding Saleh’s departure.
“No to extending [presidential tenure]. No to bequeathing [the presidency],” chanted demonstrators, insisting that it was “time for change.”
Security measures at the demonstrations appeared relaxed, but were tight around the interior ministry and the central bank.
Saleh’s ruling General People’s Congress (GPC), meanwhile, organized four simultaneous counter-demonstrations which were attended by thousands of the government’s backers.
“No to toppling democracy and the Constitution,” the president’s supporters said on their banners.
Last Saturday, hundreds of Sana’a University students held counter-protests on campus, with some calling for Saleh to step down and others for him to remain in office.
Saleh, who has been president for decades, was re-elected in September 2006 for a seven-year mandate.
A draft amendment of the Constitution, under discussion in parliament despite opposition protests, could allow him — if passed — to remain in office for life.
Saleh has urged the opposition, which rejected the amendment, to take part in April 27 parliamentary elections to avoid “political suicide.”
School bullies in Singapore are to face caning under new guidelines, but the education minister on Tuesday said it would be meted out only as a last resort with strict safeguards. Human rights groups regularly criticize Singapore for the use of corporal punishment, which remains part of the school and criminal justice systems, but authorities have defended it as a deterrent to crime and serious misconduct. Caning was discussed in the parliament after legislators asked how it would be used in relation to bullying in schools. The debate followed stricter guidelines on serious student misconduct, including bullying, unveiled by the Singaporean Ministry of
As evening falls in Fiji’s capital, a steady stream of people approaches a makeshift clinic that is a first line of defense against one of the world’s fastest-growing HIV epidemics. In the South Pacific nation — a popular tourist destination of just under a million people — more than 2,000 new HIV cases were recorded last year, a 26 percent increase from 2024. The government has declared an HIV outbreak and described it as a national crisis. “It’s spreading like wildfire,” said Siteri Dinawai, 46, who came to be tested. The Moonlight Clinic, a converted minibus parked in a suburban cul-de-sac in Suva, is
A MESSAGE: Japan’s participation in the Balikatan drills is a clear deterrence signal to China not to attack Taiwan while the US is busy in the Middle East, an analyst said The Japan Self-Defense Forces yesterday fired a Type 88 anti-ship missile during a joint maritime exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces, hitting a decommissioned Philippine Navy ship in waters facing the disputed South China Sea, in drills that underscore Tokyo’s rising willingness to project military power on China’s doorstep. The drill took place as Manila and Tokyo began talks on a potential defense equipment transfer, made possible by Japan’s decision to scrap restrictions on military exports. The discussions include the possible early transfer of Abukuma-class destroyers and TC-90 aircraft to the Philippines, Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. Philippine Secretary of
A South Korean judge who last week more than doubled former South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee’s prison sentence was found dead yesterday, police said. Shin Jong-o was found unconscious at about 1am at the Seoul High Court building, an investigator at the Seocho District Police Station in Seoul said. Shin was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, he said. “There is no sign of foul play in the death,” the investigator added. Local media reported that Shin had left a suicide note, but the investigator said there was none. On Tuesday last week, Shin presided over 53-year-old Kim’s appeal trial, finding her guilty
RSS