Scores of Montagnards Denied Safe Haven in Cambodia

http://m.voanews.com/a/in-cambodia-dozens-of-montagnard-asylum-seekers-remain-in-hiding/2656636.html
A considerable group of Montagnard refugees, forced to flee from Vietnam and denied political asylum in Cambodia, have taken to hiding from the forces of both countries in the northwestern forests of Cambodia. I believe this constitutes a man-made disaster and a disturbing trend in the politics of the region. Vietnam has had a historically poor human rights record, especially with regards to its Montagnard minority. Montagnards constitute the hill tribes of central Vietnam, and many are Protestant, which makes them a target for religious violence in a country that is under a strict atheistic socialist regime. They are also often targeted by the Vietnamese government for being strong supporters of the United States during the Vietnam War, providing essential intelligence and well-trained personnel, and quickly gaining a reputation for being a highly effective fighting force. After North Vietnam took Saigon in 1975, they enacted a policy of brutal vengeance against former anti-communist elements. Cambodia is no paragon of human rights, either; the Cambodian PM, Hun Sen, has held power in a dictatorial regime for over 25 years, and has been accused of receiving indispensable support (and orders) from Hanoi. The Montagnards have found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. Therefore, I believe the responsibility to relieve their position falls on NGO's and foreign democratic governments. Ideally, a country such as the United States, who in a sense contributed to the situation the Montagnards are in, should offer them asylum and warn of serious repercussions should any harm befall the Montagnards. However, we unfortunately do not live in an ideal world.

Avalanches in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is currently facing a major disaster: avalanches in and around Panjshir Valley, about sixty miles north of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul. The area, while prone to heavy snow, reported the worst sudden snowfall in decades. The avalanches began on Tuesday and have been continuing since then, with two reported on Thursday. Over 180 people have been reported dead, with many more injured.

The risk from these disasters is very high. The hazards, avalanches, are a serious threat, and are occurring in regions that are especially vulnerable, not only due to their location but also due to the fact that residents of Panjshir Valley tend to be poor farmers. Their low income means that they are unable to afford homes that could potentially protect them from an avalanche. Many homes have been collapsed and buried under feet of snow, killing all residents.

With the avalanches still continuing, exposure is ongoing. This severely degrades the manageability of the disaster. Rescue crews are not able to enter places where there is a high chance that another avalanche will occur, and crews that have been despatched have not even been able to safely traverse the roads to the valley, and are still digging their way there. Heavy snow is forecast to continue for the next two days. The fact that Afghanistan lacks a completely stable government and is currently at war with terrorist groups in the region only exacerbates the humanitarian situation in the area affected by the disaster.

For more information:
Afghanistan in frantic search for avalanche survivors (BBC)
Afghanistan avalanche toll rises to 165 amid rescue efforts (USA Today)
Avalanches kill 186 in Afghanistan (Reuters)

DisneyLand: No Longer the Happiest Place on Earth?

Recently, a measles outbreak has impacted upwards of 70 people in what was once thought of as the happiest place on earth, DisneyLand. This once eradicated disease has come back into full force, and 82% of those diagnosed have had to be hospitalized because of this disease. The measles, “was once considered eradicated in the United States because there is a safe and effective vaccine against it, and the reason it’s coming back is because people are making the impossibly absurd decision to skip it” (Saunders). People who are able to access vaccines that can save lives and then choose not to take them, are not only putting themselves at risk but also everyone around them, as seen at California’s DisneyLand theme park. This is especially threatening for those who are too young to be vaccinated, and thus have no protection against those who may have measles, or any other illness. Russell Saunders, a New England pediatrician, calls to attention the fact that, “when enough people refuse the vaccine out of a self-centered willingness to let other parents take the imaginary risk they associate with the vaccine, there won’t be enough responsible people to keep it 

effectively at bay.” The anti-vaccination trend is sweeping the media, as more and more people are join the movement, which in turn puts more and more people at rise. Since the DisneyLand outbreak,  several surrounding states as well as Mexico have reported outbreaks, and if this trend were to continue a disease that was once preventable could, “go from ‘eliminated’ to ‘endemic’” (Saunders). 

This should absolutely be considered a disaster because of the direct risk the anti vaxxers are putting onto those who cannot get vaccinations, due to age or other health conditions. These people are providing a hazard for many innocent people because of their choice not to vaccinate. These people could be anywhere and no one would know, which makes there exposure especially dangerous, especially in public places like amusement parks and schools. These places are densely populated, contributing even more to their uncontrollable spread. If these people don't start vaccinating and the government does nothing to ensure that people do vaccinate, measles and other once eradicated diseases will only continue making a comeback and impacting more people. 

There is however a silver lining to this disaster, or so some scientists are arguing. This outbreak at DisneyLand proves that vaccines do work. Vaccines do “prevent the diseases they were created to prevent” (McCarthy). This is why these diseases have been eradicated and the fact that they’re coming back may be enough to encourage people to get their children vaccinated. When people see these horrible diseases, many of whom have never seen them before, they will understand the consequences of not vaccinating, and hopefully get their children vaccinated so these diseases don't continue spreading. 

Sources:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/23/anti-vaxxers-brought-measles-to-the-happiest-place-on-earth.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/claire-mccarthy-md/the-good-thing-about-the-disney-measles-outbreak_b_6559328.html

Greece and the Eurozone: An Economic Disaster

Greece, in it's political and economic standoff with Brussels and Berlin, has blinked. Just mere weeks away from completely running out of cash, the newly elected Greek government is scrambling to arrange a deal with the EU that will keep them funded, rolling back on many of the demands that they had once claimed to the Greek people they would make to the rest of Europe in regards to their crushing debt. Instead of renegotiating and creating a new loan program in which up to half of Greece's debt would be forgiven, the Syriza government is now looking for a six month extension to their current Eurozone loan program.

But the Germans are on the offensive now. In a rare break from the EU government and Brussels, the German government rejected the Greek proposal to extend their current loan program, mere minutes after the European commission called the request "positive."

Talks are continuing over the phone between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as of friday, with a Greek official calling the talks "constructive."

If the talks were to fail however, which though unlikely is not off the table, and were the Greek government be forced to print a national currency, this could be called a disaster for both the EU and Greece, from an economic and political standpoint. With Greek unemployment at a staggering 25%, and their debt equaling to 155% of their GDP, being forced to come off the Euro could very well cause the nation to fall into complete turmoil. The European Union, on the other hand, would suffer political consequences for allowing a nation to leave the Euro behind, as both right wing and left wing parties both in nations such as France, Spain, and the Netherlands writhe under the thumb of the EU and are itching to find an excuse to leave the EU.
While not a disaster in terms of lives, the ramifications of the failure of the talks occurring between Brussels, Athens, and Berlin can indeed spell disaster for the people of Europe.

References
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31545115
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/greece/unemployment-rate

Niger Funeral Bombed by Fatal Airstrike

On February 17th an airstrike occurred in a southeastern village in Niger. The airstrike was carried out by a military plane, which's nationality has yet to be identified. The attack resulted in the death of 37 mourners at a funeral in the village. An additional 20 persons were wounded during the airstrike. The incident according to the security source who announced the airstrike said it was accidental, explaining that the airstrike was part of an ongoing attack on the group Boko Haram. Response for this incident has not yet be reported, and this airstrike is part of an ongoing fatal war against Boko Haram.

It is important to take note the location of the airstrike, a small village named Abadam on the northeastern border of Niger with Chad and Nigeria. This border village occupies a dangerous area due to the ongoing fight of Boko Haram for the breakaway from the islamic state. Secondly, Niger itself is a poverty stricken landlocked country in Western Africa. 59.5% of the population fall under poverty according to the World Bank, and GNI as of 2013 stood at $400. The country lacks the ability to provide basic social services. This leaves the country weak in the forces of disasters and conflict. The bombing is a strong representation, as the victims could not be treated with appropriate medical help. Also, their has yet to be a response by aid groups, such as NGO's or IGO's. This could be due to the desolate location and lack of proper infrastructure.

The second major point of this disaster is its place in the larger conflict of Boko Haram. This group is a radical islamic terrorist organization which strives to enforce a strict form of Sharia Law. The group has been blamed for over 5,000 civilians deaths between 2009 and 2014. Thus, countries like Chad, Niger and Nigeria have launched campaigns to destroy this movement and the violence they create. This incident comes at an odd juncture, as it was not Boko Haram (as of yet) who bombed the civilians, but a nation trying to stop the terrorist organization.

Finally, there is the essential question of wether this is a disaster. In terms of numbers, 37 civilians is does dictate a high death toll and could be considered a disaster. One could look at the risk assessment of the village, and see that Abadam was at high risk of attacks from Boko Haram, other terrorist groups or even accidental airstrike like what occurred in this instance. The most tragic and heart wrenching part of this disaster however was that this was a funeral that was bombed. The people were mourning the death of a family member or friend and were ultimately killed. One could say that this is an example of wrong place wrong time, or the incompetence of the pilot, or the lack of intelligence or a slue of other responses. The most important part of this tragedy is the lives lost during a sacred event and how this event contributes to the greater subject of the terrorist group Boko Haram.

References:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/18/africa/niger-mourners-killed/
http://www.demanjo.com/news/entertainment/568453/air-strike-kills-dozens-in-niger-nigeria-border-village.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31521279
http://data.worldbank.org/country/niger#cp_wdi

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Shooting

On Tuesday afternoon 3 member of a Muslim family were found dead in Chapel Hill, North Carolina near the UNC Chapel Hill Campus. Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19 were killed by their neighbor Craig Stephan Hicks, a known atheist. 

  

The question that authorities are trying to answer is whether or not this was a hate crime. Today, police are arguing that this was in fact a response to a growing conflict regarding parking. 

But the public is not pleased with this response. Hicks is knowns for his strong atheist Facebook posts and killed the young family execution style, using a bullet to the head. 

The father of the young wife argues that Hicks was known to pick on the family and express negative sentiments regarding her head scarf. 

Whether or not Hicks is found responsible for committing a hate crime against the Muslim community, this shooting has stirred fear amongst the Muslim community, and because of this, this attack should be considered a disaster. The damage this incident has cased, the loss of three lives and the intense fear and anti-Muslim sentiment among community members, can never be reversed and is why Hicks actions should be taken as a disaster. 

Right now Hicks is being charged with three counts of first degree murder, so at this point, only time will tell what exactly his motive was.

References

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/2/11/three-students-shot-dead-near-unc-chapel-hill.html

Costa Concordia

    Last class we talked about disasters and what makes a disaster a natural disaster. One of the points, in the Strömberg reading from last week, said about natural disasters was that humans set the stage for the high death toll in natural disasters, “nature did not construct twenty thousand houses of six or seven stories there.” (Stömberg, 199). This can be applied not only to natural disasters, but also other examples of disasters. In the past a cruise disaster, involving the Costa Concordia, was caused by a single man.

     On January 13th, 2012, the Costa Concordia took off for a seven night cruise, off the coast of Civitavecchia, Italy, but before making it out into the sea, it hit a rock off of Isola de Giglio. The rock made a long gash on the side of the ship and water started to come into the cruise. As more water poured inside the lower part of the vessel and the winds grew stronger, the cruise capsized close to shore. With the cruise being half way sunk to the side, it was difficult to get life boats off the side of the cruise and into the water. The rescue efforts took an entire weekend to complete. The cruise was carrying close to 4200 passengers and crew members on board, and 32 people died.
  
Compensation for each passenger was $34,000. In September 2013 engineers started an operation to raise the wrecked cruise. The operation to rotate the ship into an upright position took 19 hours to complete and the cost went over $729 million dollars to do so. There was also ecological effects from the sinking. The ship tilted over onto a coral reef and there was risk of a fuel leakage. The ship has been salvaged and brought to a junkyard for scrapping. 

     The biggest controversy of the entire ordeal was the fact that the captain of the cruise, Francesco Schettino, abandoned the ship before any of his passengers. It was later discovered that he was not supposed to be steering the cruise so close to shallow water and when the ship did hit a rock he did not immediately drop the anchor. He also did not sound an alarm soon enough. This week he was convicted of four counts manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the vessel. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison, which was ten years less than prosecutors expected. Survivors from the disaster were very upset by the sentencing and felt like the captain should be given a much longer sentence. There will be an appeal, but for now the captain is not yet going to prison.

 References
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/world/europe/captain-convicted-in-italy-for-role-in-costa-concordia-disaster.html?_r=0
www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-16563562
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/costa-concordia-survivors-blast-insulting-sentence-captain-n304926
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-16597720