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And next, Syria?

Idris2002

Idris2002

canadian girlfriend
This was on the BBC site:

#
1340: In Syrian capital, Damascus, hundreds of people took part in a protest against the security forces on Thursday, after police beat up a young man in the Old City, according to the Dubai-based opposition website, all4Syria.info. The crowd chanted: "The Syrian people will not be humiliated" and "Police, thieves". The interior minister reportedly later appeared at the scene to order the arrest the policemen involved.
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I thought it was unlikely to spread to Syria - but was I wrong?
 
the fact that the minister appeared immediately makes me wonder if it was a carefully staged provocation. . .
 
don't know. Maybe they sent him right out there to nip anything in the bud. I hear there has been a little unrest in the middle east recently so they might want to avoid having the same issues.
 
This via Twitter Google Translate required:

Activist arrested:

Syrian Organization for Human Rights when it demanded the immediate release of Ms. Tehama known, they show concern for the integrity and condition of health in light of her hunger strike, in order to achieve their legitimate demands transported to the prison of women and improving the conditions of detention in accordance with the provisions of the Syrian laws and international instruments ratified by Syria
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http://www.marxy.com/middleeast/syria/save-touhama-maarouf270211.htm
 
anyone interested in following events on Twitter, these people seem fairly reliable:

Mohammad_Syria Mohammad Al abdallah
by Razaniyat
Confirmed:Thousands are protesting right now in #Deraa in Omari Mosque Square with the arrival of the government delegation to #Deraa #Syria
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Razaniyat also has a blog:

http://razaniyyat.tumblr.com/

this from Reuters Arabic:

Thousands protest in Syria for a third day
Sun Mar 20, 2011 11:15 am
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Residents said thousands of people staged a protest in the Syrian city of Dara on Sunday with the arrival of a government delegation to offer his condolences after the deaths at the hands of security forces in demonstrations demanding freedom last week.

The government has sought to calm public discontent with the pledge for the release of 15 children arrested fueled protests, which is the boldest challenge to the regime since the popular uprisings in parts of the Arab world this year
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http://ara.reuters.com/article/topNews/idARACAE72J0GI20110320
 
Well it's all looking a bit fucking grim in Deraa also further protests elsewhere:

Mohammad_Syria Mohammad Al abdallah
@
@KreaseChan @dododecleansed It's almost impossible to get them out of city.
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Mohammad_Syria Mohammad Al abdallah
Urgent: #Omari mosque is seeking doctors and nurses as situation is getting very critical in #Deraa #Syria #mar15
3 minutes ago

Mohammad_Syria Mohammad Al abdallah
Confirmed: 7 ambulances are heading to #Omari Mosque in order to rescue cases of suffocate by tear gas #Syria #Deraa # mar15
6 minutes ago

Mohammad_Syria Mohammad Al abdallah
Confirmed: #Army encircles the city of #Deraa #Syria #mar15
10 minutes ago

Mohammad_Syria Mohammad Al abdallah
Confirmed: Clashes at west bridge and east bridge in #Deraa #Syria #mar15
11 minutes ago

Mohammad_Syria Mohammad Al abdallah
Protests in #AlQunaytirah have been confirmed #Syria #Mar15
12 minutes ago

Mohammad_Syria Mohammad Al abdallah
Confirmed: Thousands are gathering near #Al-Saraya area in #Deraa city #Syria #mar15
16 minutes ago

Mohammad_Syria Mohammad Al abdallah
Confirmed: #Syria Gov Dismissal #Deraa governor. #Syria #mar15 #Syriarevolution
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These protestors are obviously cia stooges or fools who have been stirred up by foreign powers. I mean, honestly, why would anyone have a problem living under the Syrian government?
 
There's loads of tweets atm about a massacre at the mosque in Daraa here is just one of them:

Mohammad_Syria Mohammad Al abdallah
Eyewitnesses: Dead bodies are right & left inside #Omari mosque in #Daraa, massacre is happening as army entering the mosque #Syria #mar15
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Some stories from before the apparent latest events at that mosque:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2060788,00.html

Protesters, who were continuing to demonstrate — though less vociferously — on Tuesday, have renamed the public space in front of Dara'a's Omari Mosque "Dignity Square" — dignity being another theme of the revolutions in the region.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-syria-protests-20110323,0,2884903.story

The demonstrations Tuesday were centered around the Omari mosque, which has become a refuge for those wounded in a violent crackdown by security forces who used tear gas and live ammunition.
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Syrian forces have killed at least six people in an attack on a mosque in the southern city of Deraa, the site of protests challenging President Bashar al-Assad's Baathist rule, residents said.

Those who died included Ali Ghassab al-Mahamid, a doctor from a prominent Deraa family who went to the Omari mosque in the city's old quarter to help victims of the attack, which occurred just after midnight on Wednesday, according to the residents......
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/23/syria-kills-six-mosque-attack-deraa
 
Grim

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12843905

Syrian security forces have opened fire on hundreds of people protesting against the deaths of anti-government demonstrators in Deraa, witnesses say.

Youths from nearby villages were shot at when they marched towards the city.

One person told the Reuters news agency that "bodies fell in the streets". Another said: "You didn't know where the bullets were coming from."

Troops also reportedly shot at people attending the funerals of six people killed in a raid on a mosque overnight.
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Via the Guardian:

11.54am – Syria: AFP is reporting that around 20,000 people have gathered in Daraa, south Syria, for the burial of victims shot dead on Wednesday.
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The government are going to announce a series of reforms this evening no doubt to hedge off protests tomorrow.

Why it satisfy the people or will it give them confidence to ask for more? I guess we'll find out tomorrow
 
1. Increased salaries from government enquiries
2. Help for the unemployed
3. Enquiry into the killings

Spokeswomen stated the President hae ordered the security services not to use live ammunition

4. Allow political parties
5. New media to be allowed
6. End emergency powers
 
The Syrians seemed to have gotta a bit of a better handle on PR than the Libyans.

They have a normal looking person in a normal press conference rather than some nutter ranting on about exterminating rats and cockroaches
 
More on these 'concessions' after they kill a 100 people:

Buthaina Shaaban has just announced on behalf of the Regional Command of the Baath Parth a list of reforms on al-Jazeera. Here is what I got

On the social side – Raise the salaries – today. Syria To Raise State Employees’ Wages By Up To 30% Zawya. Next week we will have another decision to raise salaries further to suit people’s standards of living

Create jobs and work opportunities – immediately

Parties – give opportunity for opposition parties to form and operate

May end the country’s emergency law

Give courts more power

Freedom of the press – immediately

She added that she was in the room when the President ordered the security agencies not to shoot anyone – not one shot.

She says there is no taboo on any subject protesters opened

Popular demands on the table fo the president

Offers condolences to people of Daraa and says that the people have legitimate demands. She added that it is not strange that Syria is being targeted. Reports of political protests have been exaggerated by some media organizations and there are signs that they have been funded by foreigners, she said.
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I find it interesting how they have taken a totally different approach to Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and which is to give deep concessions (or the impression of giving concessions) right at the beginning rather than giving small concessions in stages as the protests build
 
Divisive Cotton said:
I find it interesting how they have taken a totally different approach to Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and which is to give deep concessions (or the impression of giving concessions) right at the beginning rather than giving small concessions in stages as the protests build
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The big 'concession', ending emergency law, has been promised before but never delivered; much of the other stuff is bribery rather than reform.

Cheers - Louis MacNeice
 
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