Reuthers

Dalai Lama Decries Buddhist Attacks On Muslims In Myanmar

COLLEGE PARK, Md., May 7 (Reuters) - Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Tuesday decried Buddhist monks' attacks on Muslims in Myanmar, saying killing in the name of religion was "unthinkable."

The Dalai Lama, a foremost Buddhist leader, told an audience at the University of Maryland at the start of a U.S. tour that the root of seemingly sectarian conflict was political, not spiritual.

Russian Troops and Separatist Guerrillas: Chechnya

Boys play football in bombed out Grozny
REUTERS/Said Tsarnayev

Fighting between Russian troops and separatist guerrillas has killed an estimated 70,000 civilians and forced tens of thousands more to flee their homes.
  • Chechnya is one of only two places in the world where aid agencies routinely use armed escorts.
  • Some 95,000 people are displaced, mostly living in squalid shelters.
  • Mines and unexploded ordinance are a major risk.
  • 90 percent of Grozny's schools are damaged or destroyed - International Rescue Committee.
  • Children have been traumatised by years of gunbattles, bombings and upheaval.
  • Four fifths have health problems, mainly neurological and psychological, according to a 2003 health survey.
"Sadly, the consequences of war will have a major impact on the health of our children for many years to come."

Chechen Ministry of Health official Hasan Gadayev in 2003


Al Jazeera--Witness: Lost Children of Chechnya, Parts 1 and 2