Syria

[Rainbow Moonlight]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011 ... 200001.htm

"...A massive crackdown was also underway in Douma, 15 kilometres north of Damascus, a rights activist said.

"Security forces have surrounded a mosque and are firing indiscriminately. Streets are cut off from each other and Douma is isolated from the outside world," the activist said, adding that there have been sweeping arrests in the town since Sunday.

He said communication network was also cut in the town, as he spoke from the edge of Douma.

The latest crackdown appears to be in retaliation for massive protests on Friday, in which tens of thousands of Syrians took to the streets demanding the fall of president Bashar al-Assad's regime.

More than 100 people are reported to have died since Friday, when security forces opened fire on huge protests and then attacked mourners who turned out on Saturday to bury the dead.

The mass demonstrations around the country came despite Mr Assad signing decrees on Thursday ending a draconian state of emergency.

Activists say the violence the following day showed Mr Assad was not serious about addressing calls for political freedom.

But despite the crackdowns the protests show no sign of abating, with pro-democracy activists renewing calls for action.

The United States is considering possible sanctions against senior officials in the Syrian government in response to the continuing crackdown.

The measures could freeze those officials' assets and ban them from doing business in the US.

There is no word on whether Mr Assad might be among those targeted.

Sanctions would mark a more assertive approach by the Obama administration, which has been criticised for not doing more to curb the escalating violence against demonstrators...."

So, when will the bombing of Syria start? Will it occur at all under Obama?

[Jovial Monk]

I have seen bits of this over the weekend, something about the border with Jordan being closed. Obviously, the despots in power there will do anything to stay in power. But if they crackdown too much, keep thousands in gaol etc the economy will collapse.

[Leftwinger]

Some crazy places over there. A bloke I know was arrested in Jordan for posession of alcohol and detained for 24 hours. Could have been much worse since you can be flogged with a cane for naming a teddy bear "Mohammed" apparently.

[Rainbow Moonlight]

Syrian forces have continued their military crackdown in the flashpoint city of Deraa, where at least four people were reportedly killed in the latest violence.

The southern city came under heavy shelling and gunfire on Saturday, witnesses told Al Jazeera, as residents attempted to bury those killed a day earlier during Friday's "day of rage" protests against the government.

"We are totally besieged. It is a tragedy. Many houses are levelled by shelling from the army. For the past six days we haven’t seen an ambulance," one witness told Al Jazeera via telephone, as gunfire rang out in the background.

"We are keeping the bodies of the dead in refrigerator trucks, but many bodies are still lying in the streets. Many of the bodies are bloated and are reeking."


Residents said Syrian forces fired at protesters in neighbourhoods throughout the city, as tanks reportedly surrounded the Omari mosque in the north.

"They are shooting at houses, both the tanks and the soldiers. The most intense fire is at the Omari mosque," one resident told Al Jazeera.

"The bullets are flying straight over my head as we are talking: It's so close. The humanitarian situation is very bad: There's no food, no medicine, no electricity. We are collecting rain water to drink," the second witness said.

Witnesses later told the Reuters news agency that Syrian forces had stormed the mosque, following heavy shelling....

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middl ... 35564.html

Are these civilians in as much danger as the Libyans?