Oct. 16
NEPAL/SRI LANKA:
Nepal requests Sri Lanka to reconsider death penalty
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is presently in Goa in course of
attending the BRICS- BIMSTEC Outreach Summit, today called on Sri Lankan
President Maithiripala Sirisena.
On the occasion, matters relating to operating direct flights between the two
countries and hosting the stalled 19th SAARC (South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation ) Summit were discussed at the meeting held at local Leela
Hotel.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Dahal said though Nepal and Sri Lanka are
somehow far in terms of geographical location, both countries need to play role
in the overall development of the South Asia and in the maintenance of cordial
relations among the SAARC countries.
Emphasizing on the need of holding the Summit of the regional body as soon as
possible, he said the member countries should have common views regarding this.
The Prime Minister, on the occasion, also requested the Sri Lankan President to
reconsider the capital punishment handed by Sri Lanka to a Nepali citizen Chet
Bahadur Thapa ( Lalitpur) on a case of drugs smuggling and make effective
measures to control trafficking of Nepali women to the gulf countries via Sri
Lanka.
Stating that Sri Lanka shares friendly relations with Nepal, the Sri Lankan
President underscored the need of making collective efforts to organised the
SAARC Summit. He said Sri Lanka was positive towards the concerns put forth by
Nepal.
(source: my republica.com)
TURKEY:
Erdogan restates he would approve capital punishment
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday reiterated his support for a
restoration of the death penalty in Turkey "if the Parliament passed."
Speaking to several hundred people chanting "death penalty" in the northern
Black Sea city of Trabzon, Erdogan pointed to Turkish soldiers killed in the
fight against the Kurdistan Workers??? Party (PKK) to justify his stance.
"I would approve that [death penalty] because we cannot forgive the murderers
of my Mehmed martyred in Gabar mountains, we cannot forgive the murderers of my
Mehmed martyred in Tendurek," said Erdogan referring to soldiers with a common
Turkish male name affectionately used for troops.
The PKK and Turkish Army have been locked in a renewed warfare in the Kurdish
mountainous heartland including Gabar Mountain in Sirnak Province neighboring
the Kurdistan Region and Tendurek Mountain in the East near the Iranian border.
Discussions in public and political spheres of Turkey over capital punishment
began immediately after the failed July 15 military coup attempt when Erdogan
gave a series of speeches to his supporters in Istanbul.
Erdogan also slammed Western countries for opposing such a move, stating they
had to respect the Turkish Parliament's decision should it pass a law backing
the death penalty.
In July, both the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and
European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini
warned Turkey it could not join the EU if the death penalty were reinstated.
Turkey has not applied the death penalty since 1984 and removed it from the law
in 2004 as a part of accession negotiations with the EU.
(source: kurdistan24.net)
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