08.27.10
Posted in army at 7:54 pm by Les
Les says :This story beggars belief
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Army hero who lost a leg in Afghanistan denied a disabled parking permit by council bosses ‘because he might get better’By Daily Mail Reporter
A hero soldier who lost a leg in Afghanistan has been denied a disabled parking badge three times by council bosses.
Lance Corporal Johno Lee has clocked up £800 in fines for parking in disabled bays in his home town of Newark, Nottinghamshire, on days when he uses a wheelchair or feels unable to walk very far.
When he first applied to Nottinghamshire County Council for a blue badge, he was advised he was young and ‘may get better’.
Wounded veteran Johno Lee has racked up over £800 in parking fines because council officials refuse to grant him a disabled persons parking permit
His right leg was amputated below the knee after he was caught up in an explosion in Helmand Province in 2008 and was catapulted into a minefield.
He said yesterday: ‘I replied that they possibly did not quite understand the situation and that I thought it unlikely my leg would grow back.
Johno in Afghanistan before his injury. ‘I think everybody in the next few years will know someone who has been injured. We are in a war at the end of the day.’
‘Sometimes the leg swells so badly I can’t even get the prosthetic leg on. I then have to park in disabled bays otherwise I can’t get into town, but then I get a ticket.
‘If I live for another 60 years, am I expected to continue to have to struggle for all of that time?’
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Lance Corporal Lee’s applications are being supported by the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen’s’ Association.
In a statement, the Council’s Service Director Mr Paul McKay said: ‘We are looking into the matter and have arranged for a member of staff to meet Mr Lee to review the situation. We will urgently assess whether he meets the criteria for a disabled parking badge as laid down by the Department of Transport.’
Mr Lee, a charity worker for the Armed Forces, added: ‘A lot of people are coming home from Afghanistan severely wounded and are deserving of recognition rather than to be disrespected by the bureaucrats.’
When he was blown up, his heart stopped twice, once on the helicopter taking him to Camp Bastion and once on the operating table, but he was revived each time.
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08.21.10
Posted in Life at 8:43 am by Les
Les says :
This is the follow on from yesterdays story
(Thanks Eric)
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Wendy Lewis, 32, was given a ‘guard of dishonour’ by angry war veteransA woman branded “Britain’s most disgusting person” by war heroes after urinating on a war memorial remains at large after fleeing court.
Wendy Lewis, 32, was given a “guard of dishonour” by angry war veterans – who she told to “f*** off” when she appeared at Blackpool Magistrates Court on Friday.
But she fled the building 20 minutes later and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Lewis had been caught on CCTV relieving herself on the Cenotaph in the town before performing a sex act on a man nearby.
She was found guilty of outraging public decency at an earlier hearing and was due to be sentenced, where a community service order was expected as punishment.
But Lewis, who arrived 40 minutes late for her 9.30am court appointment, disappeared later before her case began.
Veterans waited until her case was dealt with when JPs issued the warrant for her arrest.
Earlier, Lewis, of Princess Street, Blackpool, had run the gauntlet of angry old soldiers when she first arrived.
She covered her face with a hood and lashed out at photographers and TV crews as she walked to the court.
A handful of veterans, proudly wearing berets and campaign medals on their blazers, lined the court steps to form the “guard of dishonour” for Lewis. They clapped and shouted, “Disgusting!” as she entered the building.
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08.20.10
Posted in Life at 9:21 pm by Les
Thanks Eric — for this story — Yes a bluddy disgrace, She should be ashamed of herself
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Cenotaph outrage woman flees courtA woman branded “Britain’s most disgusting person” after urinating on a war memorial is on the run after fleeing court.
Wendy Lewis, 32, was given a “guard of dishonour” by angry war veterans – who she told to “**** off” when she appeared at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.
But she fled the building 20 minutes later and a warrant has now been issued for her arrest.
Lewis had been caught on CCTV relieving herself on the Cenotaph in the town before performing a sex act on a man in public.
She was found guilty of outraging public decency at an earlier hearing and was expected to face a community service order.
But Lewis, who arrived 40 minutes late for her 9.30am court appointment, promptly disappeared 20 minutes later before her case was called on in court.
Earlier, Lewis, of Princess Street, Blackpool, had run the gauntlet of angry old soldiers when she first arrived.
She covered her face with a hood and lashed out at photographers and TV crews as she walked to the court building
A handful of veterans, proudly wearing berets and campaign medals on their blazers lined the court steps to form the “guard of dishonour” for Lewis. They clapped and shouted, “Disgusting!” as she entered the building.
Police officers will be on the look-out for Lewis and if she is arrested this weekend will spend it in the cells until court resumes on Monday morning.
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08.10.10
Posted in Life at 10:38 am by Les
A Royal Air Force C-17 aircraft has been called in by the Department for International Development (DFID) to assist the flood relief effort in Pakistan.
The C-17, based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, is the RAF’s largest transport aircraft, capable of carrying 73,800kg of freight and 138 personnel over ranges up to 8,300km.
It is already operating every day in the region providing vital logistic support; ferrying supplies and personnel in aid of UK operations in Afghanistan.
The C-17 has taken a load of 500 tents from a DFID store in Dubai to Islamabad, where they will be driven to the Peshawar region of Pakistan to help provide shelter for at least 2,500 people driven out of their homes by the flooding.
The tents can be erected within half-an-hour and are designed to withstand extremely heavy rainfall and cold conditions.
Officer Commanding 99 Squadron, Wing Commander Simon Edwards, said: “I am pleased that the 99 Squadron has been able to help DFID in this important task and that we are able to use the C-17’s world-class lift capability in support of their vital humanitarian mission to Pakistan.”
DFID’s Head of the Pakistan Office, George Turkington, who met the plane as it landed at Chaklala Airbase in Islamabad, said: “These are the worse floods Pakistan has ever seen. These 500 tents, along with the 2,000 we’ve already provided, will give urgently needed shelter to thousands of people whose homes have been washed away by the monsoon floods.”
Britain is also supporting the Government of Pakistan’s work to provide safe drinking water, hygiene kits, toilets, sewage clearance and waste removal, with £5m to UNICEF, another £5m for the Pakistan Emergency Response Fund, and bringing forward a £10m project to provide new bridges to replace some of those washed away by the floods.
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08.09.10
Posted in army at 10:07 am by Les
Les says :
what a bluddy travesty — He has just come back from serving in Afghanistan and ‘Cant get a bluddy beer because he is in uniform’ ?
A soldier who arrived home after months of fighting the Taliban was refused booze at a supermarket because he was in uniform.
Hero Sapper Anthony Walls had popped into the store to buy beer after a gruelling 34-hour trip from Kandahar.
But the 27-year-old was left fuming when the cashier said she couldn’t serve him alcohol while in combat gear.
The shop manager was called who told him bluntly: “There’s nothing I can do.”
Anthony, who was on his way to his three-year-old nephew Jack’s birthday party, left his beer at the check-out and left the Co-op shop in disgust.
The 27-year-old said last night: “I was deeply hurt.
“All I was thinking about was getting home to Jack in time to wish him a happy birthday. It was great to be home after a difficult journey and I just thought I’d grab a couple of beers, a luxury I hadn’t had in a while.
“But when I came to pay the cashier refused to serve me and rang her bell. A supervisor came along and the cashier explained she was refusing to serve me because I was in uniform. He looked at me and said ‘I can’t do anything about it’.
“I put the beer down and walked out. I was shocked
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08.03.10
Posted in army at 2:11 pm by Les
Hi
Difficult job in Afghanistan
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A Royal Marine from 40 Commando has been praised by his Commanding Officer for personally overseeing the safe medical evacuation of his injured colleagues despite being hit three times himself.
Lieutenant Jack Anrude, from 40 Commando Royal Marines, is currently serving in Helmand province in Afghanistan. He is a Multiple Commander and has been living and working in the notorious Sangin district for the last three months.
On Sunday 20 June 2010, his multiple was patrolling with the Afghan National Army (ANA) in a village when a lone insurgent opened fire, injuring three members of the patrol, including Lt Anrude, who was shot in the arm, head and took shrapnel wounds to his legs.
Lt Anrude said:
“As we approached the local mosque in the village, the usual pattern of life was missing and there was already a sense that something suspicious was happening from within the compound walls.
“We were trying to speak to one of the village elders, and an insurgent suddenly appeared behind a gate and fired about 30 rounds at us with an AK47 assault rifle.
“Five rounds hit the ANA soldier in the leg and one of my IED searchers was hit in the right ankle.
“I was shot in the right arm and received fragmentation injuries to my legs, as well as being hit in the head – thankfully my helmet saved me.”
Over four-and-a-half hours in a very dangerous situation Lt Anrude successfully managed to extract his multiple back to safety, personally treating and then evacuating his injured Afghan comrade to the helicopter landing site.
Lt Anrude said:
“Initially, when the adrenaline was pumping, it was quite exhilarating. It was only after I calmed down that my arm started hurting.
“I was too busy concentrating on the incident and getting my lads out alive to give my injury much thought. It was only afterwards, on reflection, that I realised how dangerous the situation was and that I was actually quite scared.
“Without trying to sound too clichéd I didn’t feel scared at the time, I didn’t have time for that, as things were happening so quickly – the training just kicked in.
“I did realise the danger we were in and the need to get out of there and to get medical attention to the ANA soldier. It was with help from a fellow Royal Marine, Lieutenant O’Toole, that our extraction from the area went smoothly.
“Lieutenant O’Toole and his team provided fire support, covering our movement to safe ground. They also cleared a suitable helicopter landing area and made sure it was safe and secure.
“The speed that we were medically treated, from on ground to Camp Bastion, was second-to-none and I know for a fact that if I’d not been wearing my personal protective equipment I would certainly not be alive today.”
Praising the actions of Lt Anrude, Lieutenant Colonel Paul James, the Commanding Officer of 40 Commando, said:
“Jack Anrude was hit in the arm, in the head and legs, yet he still carried on commanding his troops.
“He personally evacuated the Afghan soldier by carrying him up a hill. It was an extraordinary act of courage and he did all that while he was wounded.
“What the guys are going through here, it’s quite humbling to see how the young lads are taking it on.
“It’s very frustrating at times but the guys are excelling and it’s testing their soldiering to the extreme.”
Lt Anrude and his multiple have been working closely with the ANA, partnering them on patrols and interacting with the local population to bring security and development to the area.
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07.15.10
Posted in army at 9:11 am by Les
Les: -
I agree with the Malaysians we should NOT be in Afghanistasn
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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is sending military personnel to Afghanistan for the first time to provide medical and humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged country, officials said Thursday.
Twelve personnel were scheduled to leave for Afghanistan later Thursday and 28 others will join them by September, said Lt. Col. Salawati Yahaya, a Malaysian defense ministry representative.
The troops, who include doctors and paramedics, are expected to be deployed for between six to nine months in Bamiyan province northeast of the capital, Kabul, to work with New Zealand’s 140-strong provincial reconstruction team there.
Salawati said Afghanistan requested medical assistance. “They need Muslim doctors from Malaysia,” she said.
Muslim-majority Malaysia strongly opposed the U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Defense Ministry stressed in a statement that the Malaysian personnel would not have any combat roles, but would focus on health services, dental care and other community work.
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07.12.10
Posted in orang Asli at 1:00 pm by Les
Orang Asli (lit, “original peoples” or “aboriginal peoples” in Malay) is a general term used for any indigenous groups that are found in Peninsular Malaysia. They are divided into three main tribal groups – Semang (negrito), Senoi, and Proto-Malay (Aboriginal Malay). The Orang Asli are further divided into 18 sub-ethnic group according to their different languages and customs. The Negritos are usually found in the northern region of the peninsula, the Senois in the central region, and the Proto-Malay in the southern region. There is an Orang Asli museum at Gombak, which is about 25 km north of Kuala Lumpur.
History
Orang Asli kept to themselves until the first traders from India arrived in first millennium AD. Living in the interior they bartered in land products like resins, incense woods and feathers for salt, cloth and iron tools. The rise of the Malay sultanates, coinciding with trade in Orang Asli slave, forced the group to retreat further inland to avoid contact with outsiders. The arrival of British colonists brought further inroads in the lives of Orang Asli. They were the target of Christian missionary and subjects of anthropological research.
During the Malayan Emergency of 1948 to 1960, the Orang Asli became a vital component of national security, as with their help, the Malaysian army was able to defeat the communist insurgents. Two administrative initiatives were introduced to highlight the importance of Orang Asli as well to protect its identity. The initiatives were the establishment of the Department of Aborigines in 1950, and the enactment of the Aboriginal Peoples Ordinance in 1954. After independence, the development of Orang Asli become the prime objective of the government where the government adopted a policy in 1961 to integrate the Orang Asli into the wider Malaysian society.
Within the decades of 1970s and 1980s, Malaysia was in the period of sustained growth. With development that emphasize modernization and industrialization, new lands were developed. This development has resulted in encroachments on Orang Asli land. In response of this encroachment, the Orang Asli mobilized themselves and formed the Peninsular Malaysia Orang Asli Association (POASM). With this association, the Orang Asli has become more visible and vocal.
Demography
In 2000, the Orang Asli comprise only 0.5% of the total population in Malaysia. Their population is approximately 148,000. The largest group are the Senois, constituting about 54% of the total Orang Asli population. The Proto-Malays form 43%, and the Semang forming 3%.
The poverty rate among Orang Asli is 76.9%. In addition to this high rate, the Statistics Department of Malaysia has classified 35.2% of the population as being “hardcore poor”. The majority of Orang Asli live in rural areas, while a minority have moved into urban areas. In 1991, the literacy rate for the Orang Asli was 43% compared to the national rate of 86% at that time. They have an average life expectancy of 53 years (52 for male and 54 for female). A high infant mortality rate is also evident with 51.7 deaths per 1000 births.
Languages
The division of Orang Asli into three categories are not due to linguistic differences but merely sociological. The Semelai language, for example, is part of the Austro-Asiatic language group, whereas the other Proto-Malay groups, such as the Temuan language, are part of the Austronesian language group. The Semelai and other Orang Asli sub-ethnics speak languages classified as Aslian language. This is further divided into the Jahaic languages (North Aslian), Senoic languages, Semelaic languages (South Aslian), and Jah Hut. The languages which fall under the Jahaic language group are the Che Wong, Jahai, Bateq, Kensiu, Kintak, and Menriq languages. The Lanoh language, Temiar language, and Semai language fall into the Senoic language category. Languages that fall into the Semelaic group include the Semelai language, Semoq Beri language, and Besisi language (language spoken by the Mah Meri group).
Besides these, some Orang Asli also speak the Malay language, the official language of Malaysia.
Lifestyle and religion
Orang Asli are traditionally animists, where they believe in the presence of spirits in various objects. However, in the 21st century, many of them have embraced monotheistic religions such as Islam and Christianity following some active state-sponsored dakwah by Muslims, and evangelism by Christian missionaries.
In June 2007, an Orang Asli church was allegedly torn down by the government in Gua Musang, Kelantan. As of 2008, a suit has been filed against the authorities. The affected Orang Asli also sought a declaration under Article 11 of the Constitution of Malaysia that they have the right to practice the religion of their choice and to build their own prayer house.
Negritos of Peninsular Malaysia
According to the Encyclopedia of Malaysia, the Negritos, who number approximately 2,000, are regarded as the earliest inhabitants of the Malay Peninsula. They are of Australo-Melanesian affinity and probably descend from the people of Hoabinhian cultural period, with many of their burials found dating back 10,000 years ago. They speak the Aslian languages which is part of the Austro-Asiatic language family, as do their Senoi agriculturalist neighbours. Negritos belong to various subgroups, namely the Kensiu, Kintak, Lanoh, Jahai, Mendriq and Bateq. Those from Perak, Kedah and Pahang are also known as Semang, the meaning of “Semang” is debt slaves, while those from Kelantan and Terengganu were called Pangan, the forest peoples. The Senoi and Proto-Malay arrived much later probably during the Neolithic period.
Social and legal status
The government agency entrusted to oversee the affairs of the Orang Asli is the Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (Department of Orang Asli Affairs) (JHEOA). This body is under the Malaysian Ministry of Rural Development, and it was first set up in 1954. Among its stated objectives are to eradicate poverty among the Orang Asli, improving their health, promoting education, and improving their general livelihood. There is a high incidence of poverty among the Orang Asli. In 1997, 80% of all Orang Asli lived below the poverty line. This ratio is extremely high compared to the national poverty rate of 8.5% at that time.
Some legislations which concerns Orang Asli are the National Land Code 1965, Land Conservation Act 1960, Protection of Wildlife Act 1972, National Parks Act 1980, and most importantly the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954. The Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 provides for the setting up and establishment of the Orang Asli Reserve Land. However, the Act also includes the power accorded to the Director-General of the JHEOA to order Orang Asli out of such reserved land at its discretion, and award compensation to affected people, also at its discretion. A landmark case on this matter is in the 2002 case of Sagong Tasi v. Government of Selangor. The case was concerned with the state using its powers conferred under the 1954 Act to evict Orang Asli from gazetted Orang Asli Reserve Land. The High Court ruled in favour of Sagong Tasi, who represented the Orang Asli, and this decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal.
The Orang Asli are theoretically classified as Bumiputras, a status signifying indigeneity to Malaysia which carries certain social, economic, and political rights, along with the Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak.
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07.10.10
Posted in army at 10:25 am by Les
The Ministry of Defence has moved to distance itself from reports that SAS soldiers have assisted with the search for suspected gunman Raoul Moat.
In an interview with MoDOracle.com a spokesman for the department categorically denied that special forces had been involved in the police operation in Northumbria.
The rebuttal follows reports in some quarters of the national media, which suggested that the elite soldiers had been summoned to assist with the search.
However he said that the military had been available to give help where needed and confirmed that the Royal Air Force had provided assistance.
A Tornado GR4 ground attack aircraft was scrambled from Northern Ireland on the evening of Thursday, July 8 to carry out a surveillance operation.
The spokesman added that the fast jet had made several passes over the area, scanning the Northumberland countryside with monitoring kit before returning to base.
The law enforcement firearms teams on the ground have been armed with kit including the NATO standard G36 rifle – which fires the same 5.56mm round as the SA80 – as well as 7.62mm sniper weapons.
Moat is wanted in connection with a shooting incident in which his former partner was injured and her boyfriend killed and a separate attack on a police officer.
As this story went live, a man fitting the description of Moat had been negotiating with police officers. It had been reported that a shot had been fired and a man had been taken to hospital. No police officers had been injured.
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