Babies Seized by Robert Mugabe's Forces as Zimbabwe Hounds Voters (Chinese Soldiers Also Seen)

The Sunday Times ^ | April 27, 2008 | Christina Lamb and John Makura in Harare

[fight_truth_decay]

Thousands flee crackdown.

Scores of children and babies have been locked up in filthy prison cells in Harare as Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president, sinks to new depths in his campaign to force the opposition into exile before an expected run-off in presidential elections.

Twenty-four babies and 40 children under the age of six were among the 250 people rounded up in a raid on Friday, according to Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Yesterday they were crammed into cells in Southerton police station in central Harare.

“This is ruthlessness of the worst kind. How can you incarcerate children whose mothers have fled their homes hoping to give their children refuge?” asked an emotional Chamisa yesterday. “In Mugabe’s Zimbabwe even children are not spared the terror that befalls their parents.”

The families were rounded up from MDC headquarters, where they had sought refuge from violence in the countryside.

Thought to be directed by top military officers, Operation Where Did You Put Your Cross? has prompted thousands to flee. They are trying to escape the so-called war veterans, who are attacking people and burning down hundreds of houses for voting “incorrectly” in last month’s elections.

“What we’re seeing is an undeclared civil war,” said Chamisa. “It’s genocide. This situation is out of control, it’s now beyond the capacity of the MDC alone. It requires the region, the continent, the international community to act.”

[fight_truth_decay]

"Chinese soldiers have been seen on the streets of Mutare:

"… there was a surprise presence of Chinese soldiers armed with revolvers in the city. The Chinese, together with about 70 Zimbabwean senior army officers are staying at the Holiday Inn, in the city’s central business district. There are about 10 Chinese soldiers."

“We were shocked to see Chinese soldiers in their full military regalia and armed with pistols checking at the hotel,” said one worker. “When they signed checking-in forms they did not indicate the nature of the business that they are doing and even their addresses.”

"No official comment could be obtained from the authorities here on this issue."

"The SA Police Explosives Unit earlier reported an uncleared Chinese vessel docked at the outer anchorage of the Port of Durban was carrying arms. Customs revealed that the shipment was destined for Zimbabwe. Inspector Nicholas Gunther of the SA Explosives Unit in Durban told Sapa the vessel - called ‘An Yue Jiang’ - was carrying a shipment of arms."

Human Rights Watch Letter To President of China, April 22, 2008 :

"We write to urge the government of the People’s Republic of China to immediately recall the shipment of weapons aboard the An Yue Jiang."

" ZimDaily heard the US government was pivotal in placing pressure on South Africa, Mozambique, Angola and Namibia to refuse to unload the ship with weapons ordered by Mugabe on April 1, a day after he learned of his stunning electoral loss to the MDC. Washington also stepped up pressure on Beijing to recall the ship and ordered the country to stop any form of gun running with Harare in the future."

"The ship, laden with mortar grenades, ammunition and other weapons was part of "normal military product trade between the two countries," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement..."As far as I know, the carrier is now considering carrying back the cargo," she [Jiang Yu] added."

"Zimpundit writes:"An online newspaper, Zimdaily, has also launched a campaign to out the children top ZANU-PF politicians. The idea is to encourage western host governments to expel these children back to Zimbabwe because of their parents purported anti-western politics. ZimDaily has established Mugabe and his colleagues in ZANU PF have over 300 kids studying in either US, UK and Australian universities and the belief is that these students are being funded by tax payers in Zimbabwe."

[benjamin032]

Where’s the UN on this one? Have they sent troops?

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Jimmy Carter’s friend Bobby is a fiend! I’m worried that he might live to be 100!

[Maine Mariner]

I wonder if the US colleges and universities will revoke
Mugabe’s honorary degrees. I wonder if the World Council of Church and the UCC, United Church of Christ have any regrets however small or minute, of supporting this guy back in 1979.

I won’t even mention Carter-he could care less.

[masadaman]

Where are our champions of democracy for people of color?

Barack and Michelle, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, the Clintons, Rev. Wright, Rev. Sharpton, Rev. Jackson, Oprah, the MSM, MSNBC, Matt Lauer, Bill Maher, Larry King, Olbermann and Matthews and Katie? Where is the NY Times? Do all the ruthless dictators in Sudan, Zimbabwe, Haiti, Congo, Venezuela, Cuba and the PRC get passes because they are people of color?

Hard to blame Mugabe on Bush, but they'll find a way.

[Red Badger]

Where’s Obambi on this?......

[benjamin032]

Wait, if the outrage over Wright racistist, what is the outrage over Mugabe? I mean he is actually from Africa, and Obama’s Dad was from there. You might be brought up on charges.

[Red Badger]

I doubt if any “journalist” has the cajones to ask their messiah such an outrageous question........

[RightWhale]

Arresting babies? Good thing we don’t do that.

[BlueMoose]

How about Texas.

[RightWhale]

What? Oh, that’s different. Somehow.

[benjamin032]

Well we don’t want to have to ask him to answer a question that does not have a clearly defined populist answer.

[RichInOC]

Oh, dear. The food situation is worse than I thought. They’re eating the “seed corn”.

[BlueMoose]

Yes That is what I hear.

[Nextrush]

A question for Reverend Wright of the UCC and all the other race baiters in this country to answer.

[fella]

Where’s the UN on this one?

If they can't place the blame on the U.S. or get money from the U.S. over this then they are nowhere. As for Carter, this is just the kind of democracy that he and his RAT party have advocated since 1932, just look at what Hussien and Hitlery are saying that they want to do.

[swmobuffalo]

So who is taking care of the babies?

[HighlyOpinionated]

Just for perspective:

[Chode]

i guess stealing babies is a lot cheaper than buying chinese weapons...

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Who is going to stop this demonic slug? He is worse than Saddam at this point. But Saddam had his children’s prisons also.

Come on President Bush - intervene!

Marshall the forces for good one more time——we can do it!

[TNCMAXQ]

Carter helped put the scumbag in power. He is partly responsible for this. Yet he is lauded as a proponent of human rights. That is one of the greatest myths of all time yet unless history is some day re-written that will remain his “legacy,” false though it may be.

The world supposedly thinks Bush is the focus of evil. Mugabe and his ilk are heroes, no matter how low they sink.

[fight_truth_decay]

...locked up in "filthy prison cells"

Not anything like Texas. But a cute answer.

[fight_truth_decay]

Robert Mugabe’s honorary degrees should stay, some say.

They represent a period of madness in history where a genocidal dictator went on the rampage and the international community, the West in particular, either looked the other way or cheered him on. Any university that respects human rights should never ever have awarded Mugabe an honorary degree during the 1980s or any other period.

A public apology to Zimbabweans is the only sincere protest against Mugabe’s rule that these universities can offer.

The period 1980 to 1983 was the most critical with mass disappearances, beatings, rape and murder of innocent villagers. With the urging of then Minister of State Security, Emerson Mnangagwa, the North Korea-trained 5th Brigade, Central Intelligence Organization and Zanu PF militias “burned down the villages infested with dissidents”. Hundreds were burned alive in their huts.

Thousands were shot in public executions. At Lupane on March 5, 1983, for example, the 5th Brigade rounded up and shot 62 young men and women on the banks of the Cewale River. 55 died and seven survived with gunshot wounds. Often, the 5th Brigade forced the victims to dig their own graves in front of family and fellow villagers.

The three universities awarded Mugabe the degrees during the watershed decade of government crackdown on political dissent under the guise of fighting rebels in Matabeleland and the Midlands. State-directed violence punctuated 1984, 1986 and 1990, the years, respectively, Edinburgh University, University of Massachusetts and Michigan State University, honoured Mugabe. Edinburgh University is reportedly reviewing the dictator’s honorary degree. Recall petitions are under way at the two US universities.

[fight_truth_decay]

Agree was reading one such site and look what article appears above Mugabe's;

Zimbabwe News Update: President Mugabe Opens Trade Fair; EU, US Failing Farmers; Outcry Over Arms Exposes West's Hypocrisy

IN the strongest indication yet of the real motives behind the Western hullabaloo over the Chinese arms shipment to Zimbabwe, a leading American daily intrinsically linked to the United States’ ruling elite has proposed that the Bush administration arm the MDC while simultaneously weakening the Government to abet illegal regime change.

The revelations were contained in an article headlined ‘‘Arm Zimbabwe’s opposition’’, in yesterday’s issue of the Wall Street Journal, a publication that reflects the thinking of the White House on financial and foreign policy issues.

The newspaper claimed the MDC-T leadership had already indicated there was a war in Zimbabwe and it was time for the US to intervene.

‘‘The argument for arming the Zimbabwean opposition has gained new urgency in light of the news that three million rounds of ammunition, 3 500 mortars and 1 500 rocket-propelled grenades were on a Chinese ship, to be delivered to Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe . . . more at Pan-African News Wire by Abayomi Azikiwe

Nare a mention of baby snatching.

[fight_truth_decay]

Freedom'sWorthIt: Come on President Bush - intervene!

http://panafricannews.blogspot.com/

Down the Page after a tribute to Rev. Wright and Obama--their comment on our Chinese ship intervention. Also showing the UN is all talk and no action--The UN official, human rights expert for Somalia Ghanim Alnajjar, expressed particular concern at the reported killing of numerous clerics at the Alhidaya compound mosque in the capital Mogadishu.

During weekend clashes with Islamist fighters, the bodies of nine Islamic clerics were found in and around the mosque Monday, with residents saying they had been shot by Ethiopian forces.

"Killings have to be investigated expeditiously and impartially, and any lasting peace in Somalia must be based on justice, truth and accountability," he said in a statement.

On Tuesday, the United Nations warned that Somalia risked plunging into its worst humanitarian catastrophe since the early 1990s as the twin threats of war and drought put millions of lives in danger.

OK, This is getting way out of hand...we complain about high gas prices, continue to buy whatever, whenever, while under these horrific political tyrannous power grab conditions, these helpless victims just hope they and their family remain together and still alive come the next morn, and have not been hauled off and slaughtered by some youth militia gang.

When you see presidential candidate Barack Obama and spiritual adviser, Reverend Wright on the same page being defended by the same groups that support these aforementioned atrocities in Zimbabwe etc, with the claims of stories manufactured by the "Bush" press in the West..you really have to stop, wonder, and consider the seriousness of it all......Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. in the White House.

[BlueMoose]

The underling principle is the same.

[fight_truth_decay]

You say: "The underling principle is the same."

I disagree: One is out of a malicious and criminal intent to cause or inflict personal injury, willful neglect of the safety for said child(ren), and/or thus threaten the safety of, for intimidation reasons only.

The other (which I assume I do not have to identify) was out of reason to believe a child or child's well being was being jeopardized. That safety of the child(ren) ran first thought.

There is no similarity, whatsoever. The intent is absolutely the opposite.

However, separation of mother from child will have a terrifying effect on the child, nevertheless. Children were not mistreated while away from their mothers as older female members with which they could identify as people of family trust was available. The children of Zimbabwe were reported by human rights watchers as cast into filthy conditions of confinement isolated from family relations. Punishment for support of another's electoral candidacy. Pure evil intent demonstrates the obvious difference between both case scenarios.

[fight_truth_decay]

re:care-So who is taking care of the babies?

"Care" was not a consideration, unfortunately. Don't know.

[GodGunsGuts]

...

[DieHard the Hunter]

Geez, kicking the oppressive white Rhodesian government out of office sure was a good idea, wasn’t it?

(Well, wasn’t it??)

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Yes agreed.

I know many say we should not intervene. The UN will do nothing.

Surely there are nations who could unite and intervene.

NATO?

Will we stand by as was done in Ruwanda and watch the millions starve to death? And now the babies in prison???

[L,TOWM]

Twenty-four babies and 40 children under the age of six were among the 250 people rounded up in a raid on Friday

3rd world pikers. C'mon out to TX, son, we'll show how to lock up babies in a nice Texas sized hooskow. That must be the difference.

[L,TOWM]

That safety of the child(ren) ran first thought

rrrriiiiiiiiiiiight.

[BlueMoose]

The underling principle is what is not understood. It is we are from the government and you belong to us. We are here to protect you even if it kills you.