IANSA Update 29.05.09

* Afghanistan: US weapons falling into Taliban hands
* Sri Lanka: 20,000 civilians killed in 'safe' zone
* Philippines: National summit on gun control
* Bangladesh: Peace rally for the ATT
* Caribbean gun tracing agreement with the US
* Other news: 3 Weeks to the Global Week of Action; Amnesty International annual report; Mineral trade in DR Congo; New websites for UN Asia Centre and CSDG; Week of action on Cluster Bombs; Jobs at Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, International Peace Bureau and Omega Research Foundation.

Weapons and ordnance sent by the US to Afghanistan may be falling into the hands of the Taliban, according to an investigation by the New York Times. The leakage of Pentagon-supplied armaments may be caused by a weak firearms inventory system, corruption and poor discipline among government military forces. Analyst Rachel Stohl, an IANSA member in the US, said: "Unfortunately, this is not the first time that US weapons have been diverted to groups fighting against US troops and allies. Mistakes that have been made in Iraq seem to have been repeated in Afghanistan. Greater oversight is needed to prevent this diversion."
www.iansa.org

More than 20,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the final days of the Sri Lankan civil war, despite being in an agreed 'no-fire' zone where they should have been safe. An investigation published by The Times newspaper in London suggests that most of the casualties were caused by government shelling. On 27 April Sri Lankan authorities said that they had stopped using heavy weapons and that they were observing the no-fire zone where 100,000 Tamils were sheltering.
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6383449.ece

IANSA members in the Philippines participated in the National Summit on Firearms Control organised by the police last week at Manila. Police presented a proposal for a comprehensive new Firearms Code to help them deal with the country's estimated 1 million illegal guns. During the Summmit Jennifer Oreta from PhilANSA gave a presentation about gun proliferation and got a very positive response from the audience. PhilANSA has volunteered to join the Technical Working Group on the proposed Code.
www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAN480485.htm

In Dhaka (Bangladesh), IANSA members BDPC and BANSA organised a peace rally in support of the Arms Trade Treaty on May 20. Participants also asked the government to create a National Peace and Security Commission and to fully implementation the UN Programme of Action. Bangla and English newspapers gave wide coverage to the rally.
www.theindependent-bd.com/archive.details.php?nd=2009-05-21&nid=126546

Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana have signed an agreement with the US to trace illegal firearms. Police in both countries will now have access to the e-Trace system of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In 2008 the Trinidad police seized 460 illegal firearms, while their Guyana colleagues seized over 130.
http://guardian.co.tt/news/general/2009/05/20/tt-us-sign-firearms-mou

Other news:

In 3 weeks we will celebrate the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence! IANSA members in 10 Latin American countries will hold simultaneous candle lighting events on June 20. Please let us know when and where your WoA events will take place. Email bruce.millar@iansa.org

Amnesty International has released its annual report with country profiles examining the human rights situation including the abuse of firearms. The report also commends Ireland's new arms exports legislation, which tightens controls over the export of goods, technology and technical assistance for military use.
http://thereport.amnesty.org/en/

A new report about the role of Belgian mineral traders in eastern DR Congo has been published by IPIS. The report outlines possible solutions to break the link between the mineral trade and the financing of armed actors in the region.
www.ipisresearch.be/att/20090513_IPIS_Culprits_Scapegoats.pdf

The UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific has launched its new website, www.unrcpd.org.np. The Centre in Kathmandu (Nepal) will hold a regional seminar on small arms brokering during the Global Week of action Against Gun Violence.

Another new website: the Conflict, Security and Development Group (CSDG) at King's College London has re-launched its site of SSR and conflict prevention articles.
www.securityanddevelopment.org

The Cluster Munitions Coalition will celebrate the global week of action on Cluster Bombs 25 May-4 June. People across the world are urged to write letters to their governments, encouraging them to sign and ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
www.stopclustermunitions.org

The Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict is recruiting a new Director to be based in New York. The International Peace Bureau (Geneva) is recruiting a Disarmament for Development Programme Coordinator; and Omega Research Foundation is hiring a Research Associate. www.iansa.org/jobs

Please send your news and stories for the Update to adriana.medina@iansa.org

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IANSA - The International Action Network on Small Arms

www.iansa.org