Editor’s Top 5 April 2010

 

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1) Ousted Kyrgyz Leader Says He is Still President

2 ) Egypt Urges Cooperation on Stolen Antiquities

3) South Korea Arrests Two North Korea Spies with Assassination Mission

4) Election Monitor Website SudanVoteMonitor.com Blocked Within Sudan

5) After Class, Thai Standoff Deepens

1) Ousted Kyrgyz Leader Says He is Still President
By:  David Eisenberg
Pace International Law Review, Junior Associate 
 
 
Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the ousted leader of Kyrgyzstan, addressed the world on April 21st and declared that he is still the rightful leader of the nation.  Mr. Bakiyev made this declaration from Belarus, the nation he fled to on April 7th following violent anti-government protests in Kyrgyzstan which left eighty-four people dead. 

Proclaiming that “only death can stop me,” Mr. Bakiyev adamantly denies the validity of the resignation which the interim Kyrgyz Government claims that he gave.  Furthermore, Mr. Bakiyev now refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the interim government, stating that they are nothing more than an “illegitimate gang.”  Roza Otunbayeva, the interim leader of Kyrgyzstan, vehemently denies Mr. Bakiyev statements, and asserts that Mr. Bakiyev signed a formal letter of resignation before fleeing to Belarus.  In addition to relinquishing his control over the country, the interim government further asserts that Mr. Bakiyev should face criminal charges in connection with corruption, nepotism, and the shooting of demonstrators involved in the uprising.

At present, Mr. Bakiyev and his family are is in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, under the protection of the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.  Mr. Lukashenko has pledged his full support for Mr. Bakiyev, believing that not only has Mr. Bakiyev been targeted with false accusations, but that he should also take part in the upcoming presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan.  Mr. Lukashenko’s statements were delivered as the uprising in Kyrgyzstan continues to gain momentum. 

2) Egypt Urges Cooperation on Stolen Antiquities
By: Junior Associate
Pace International Law Review

A two-day conference was held in Cairo, Egypt to deal with the issue of stolen national artifacts from around the world.  The conference will include deputy culture ministers and museum directors from twenty one nations; Italy, China, Libya, Peru and Greece are among those in attendance.
           
Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, has taken the lead on this initiative and has urged states to draw up lists of ancient treasures stolen from their lands and displayed in museums abroad.  "Museums are the main source for stolen artifacts.  If they stop (buying stolen artifacts) the theft will be less," Hawass told the delegates at the conference.
           
Hawass has been pushing to reclaim some major pharaonic treasures Egypt says were taken by foreign powers, including the Rosetta Stone, which is now in the British Museum and Queen Nefertiti's bust, currently located at Berlin's Neues Museum.  "We have good cooperation with other countries. We have had artifacts returned from Spain, Italy but the number one country that has returned artifacts is the United States," Hawass told the two-day conference in Cairo. A major goal of the conference is to ensure implementation of a 1970 convention of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which calls for countries to take steps to prevent the illegal export of national treasures.  "There is a real problem of antiquities trafficking through theft, colonialism and the negative role some foreign missions play," told Ayman Slaiman, from the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums, to Reuters.

Greece is seeking the return of stone sculptures, inscriptions and architectural features taken from the Parthenon in Athens by British diplomat Lord Elgin in the 19th century during Ottoman rule, which now reside in the British Museum.  The antiques in question are invaluable to the concerned countries.  The Rosetta stone is more than 2200 years old and includes hieroglyphs inscribed by Egyptian priests.  "It is not a question of legality but of goodwill and that cannot fall under a paragraph of law," said Elena Korka, a delegate from Greece's Culture Ministry.

3)South Korea Arrests Two North Korea Spies with Assassination Mission
By: Saira Khan
Pace International Law Review, Junior Associate

For the first time, South Korea’s intelligence service recently apprehended two North Korean spies sent to South Korea on a mission to assassinate Hwang Jang-yeop. Once a high-ranking government official, Hwang Jang-yeop was the architect behind North Korea’s “juche” or self-reliance ideology. During the Pyongyang government, Hwang Jang-yeop acted as secretary of the Worker’s Party, chairman of the national assembly, and teacher to North Korea’s present leader, Kim Jong Il.  Despite his standing, Hwang Jang-yeop defected to South Korea in 1997. At eighty-seven, Hwang Jang-yeop lives under guard supervision at a secret, undisclosed address.

Despite the high security, North Korea has made many thwarted attempts at assassinating Hwang Jang-yeop.  Although Hwang Jang-yeop once ranked high in the Pyongyang government, Hwang Jang-yeop is now one of its harshest critics.  Many speculate that this most recent assassination attempt comes at a critical time.  Hwang Jang-yeop recently made trips to the United States and Japan where he vociferously condemned the North Korean Government.  On April 5, 2010, North Korea’s official website, Uriminzokkiri, issued a “death threat” to Hwang Jang-yeop in response to his disparagement remarks.  The website stated “You must not forget traitors have always been slaughtered with knives.” It went on to describe Hwang Jang-yeop as a “traitor . . .  who viciously slandered out dignity and system.”

Once apprehended, South Korea’s intelligence service brought the two North Korean spies before prosecutors in Seoul. Major Kim Myong-ho, thirty-six and Major Tong Myong-kwan, thirty-six were charged with violating national security and conspiracy to commit murder. According to investigators, the two North Korean spies crossed the border into China last November where they met with other agents. There, the two men received cell phones and money, provided by North Korean armed forces. Traveling through Thailand, Major Kim Myong-ho and Major Tong Myong-kwan pretended to be defectors.  Eventually, the men were arrested by Thailand police who deported them to South Korea.  Once brought to South Korea, the two “defectors” were questioned; there, inconsistencies in their stories emerged. One South Korean newspaper, The Chosun IIbo, reported that the two men admitted receiving orders to file reports on Hwang Jang-yeop’s whereabouts and then, as one senior South Korean prosecutor stated, “slit the betrayer’s throat.”

South Korea suspects that this is not the first time North Korea has sent assassins to kill high-profile defectors. In 1997, the year Hwang Jang-yeop defected, a relative of Kim Jong Il, who had also defected, was shot to death in front of his Seoul apartment. Although officials never caught the assassins, many believe that North Korean agents were responsible. As for Hwang Jang-yeop, he remains vigilant about his safety. It is reported that Hwang Jang-yeop does not drink water provided to him when making public speeches criticizing North Korea for fear that it could be poisoned. Despite that, Hwang Jang-yeop has said that living under round the clock security in Seoul is better than “a life of servitude as a high-ranked slave in Pyongyang.”

Some South Koreans question the timing of the assassination attempt. Last month a South Korean naval vessel sank, killing forty-six on board. Many South Koreans believe that the Pyongyang Government played a part in the event.  The naval vessel sank close to a maritime boarder that North Korea continues to dispute.  Investigators believe the ship sank as a result of an “external explosion;” however, investigators have not confirmed the cause of the blast or North Korea’s involvement.  Nevertheless, some in Seoul suspect a torpedo sank the vessel.

4) Election Monitor Website SudanVoteMonitor.com Blocked Within Sudan
By: Daniel Pelletier
Pace International Law Review, Junior Associate

Voice of America news reports that the election monitoring website SudanVoteMonitor.com is being blocked from access within Sudan.  The website was established to allow those in Sudan to upload video, text and messages and help document the election process.  Without access to the website, Sudanese citizens and observers are unable to upload evidence of irregularities in the voting process. 
The website is operated by the US-based Sudan Institute for Research and Policy and the Asmaa Society for Development, located in Khartoum.  Sudan Vote Monitor compiles the data uploaded and presents it as a timeline and a map for independent assessment. 
The national election vote in Sudan was extended from the originally planned three days to five days due to issues related to long delays at polling places, poor organization and unavailability of ballots at some polling places.  The elections are the result of a peace compromise between the ruling government of Sudan and the Southern People’s Liberation Movement, who have been at war for twenty years.  Meanwhile, Sudan Tribune reports that two major opposition parties have agreed to accept the results of the election and to join in a government of unity.  With the election results not yet final, but with the ruling National Congress Party and its candidate Uman al-Bashir expected to win, the parties have agreed to a power-sharing agreement with the ruling government.

 5) After Class, Thai Standoff Deepens
By:  David Eisenberg
Pace International Law Review, Junior Associate

After nearly a month of peaceful protests, the politic standoff in Bangkok has taken a turn for the worse.  The political upheaval, triggered by the Thai Government’s refusal to order new elections, has so far resulted in over 900 people being wounded and twenty-one people being killed.  This recent series of violent protests is called the worst civil violence in Thailand in nearly twenty years.
           
In a country where the military has seized power eighteen times in the past eighty years, talks of a possible coup have been resurfacing as protestors continue their aggressiveness towards government forces.  The Government forces have become seriously concerned about the growing protests of the “third force,” an activist group bent on destabilizing the government, who continue to lead marches in the streets armed with firearms and explosives.

The protestors are calling for the resignation of Abhisit Vejjajiva, the current Prime Minister of Thailand.  Mr. Vejjajiva took office in December 2008 through the use of political maneuvering, rather than a popular vote.  Already dissatisfied with the Government when he took office, the poor majority of Thailand has been growing increasingly angry over the Government’s failure to attend to their needs.  These so-called “Red Shirts,” have been camping out in downtown Bangkok for the past month, and have devoted themselves to asserting the rights of the individual voters.  Opposed to this movement is the “Yellow Shirts,” a group of traditional middle class business owners. 

Although the outcome remains uncertain, one sure consequence of this uprising is the effect that it will take on tourism.  Many hotels in the area have already been forced to close their doors to guests, as violence has spread too close to the buildings.  In addition, there is a strong possibility that future tourists will be dissuaded from traveling to Thailand for fear of another armed conflict.  As a result, the nation and people of Thailand will likely lose millions of dollars in revenue.