Author: Tashjian Arbi

A DAY FOR DARFUR
Emily Nguyen / Villa Walsh Academy

Dailyrecord.com, NJ
Posted from the Daily Record newsroom
09/22/06

Attending Sunday’s ‘Save Darfur’ rally in New York’s Central Park
are, from left, Julie Tiedrich, Caleb Zimmerman, Emily Nguyen, Janet
Namkung and Stephanie Gomez.

Young activists join rally against genocide

Remember Cambodia. Remember Bosnia. Remember Armenia.

Remember Rwanda. Remember Sudan.

The term genocide is traditionally defined as "the deliberate and
systematic extermination of a national, racial, political or cultural
group."

In Darfur, a western region of Sudan, the past three years have
been chiefly characterized by unspeakable atrocities that have left
more than 400,000 dead, 2.5 million displaced, and 3.5 million on
the brink of starvation, according to the Save Darfur Coalition at

These travesties have almost exclusively befallen innocent civilians
— men, women, and children of Sudanese descent — whose apparent
disloyalty to the Arab-dominated government, after continuing military
conflict with Sudanese rebel groups that began in 2003, prompted the
government to support an Arab militia known as the Janjaweed.

The Janjaweed have made it their mission to "clear" civilians from
certain areas of the country. Their methods of "clearance" include
indiscriminate murders, mass rape and innumerable other violations
of international law.

Doesn’t this sound like genocide?

Remember Cambodia. Remember Bosnia. Remember Armenia.

Remember Rwanda. Remember Sudan.

Unfortunately members of the international community have hesitated
to label it as such. The United Nations refers to the situation in
Darfur as a "humanitarian and human rights tragedy of the first order,"
but has not deployed an international peacekeeping contingent to stop
it. Resolution after resolution has passed without any appreciable
action on their part, and within two weeks, the resolution that
allows non-governmental organizations to provide relief will expire
and expel what limited aid has existed.

Recognizing this genocide and the ensuing inaction as deplorable,
concerned humanitarians in our country and around the world organized
rallies on Sunday. More than 30,000 people, many clad in "Save
Darfur" T-shirts and blue berets (in imitation of the hats worn by
UN peacekeeping forces), gathered in New York’s Central Park to send
a very powerful message to world leaders.

The masses of people, who encompassed a refreshing diversity in age,
religion, political convictions and ethnicity, filled the vast East
Meadows lawn. That diversity was a living testimony to one of the most
prevalent themes on that sunny afternoon — that reaction to human
suffering is universal and dissolves all superficial barriers. The
impressive list of speakers and musicians who filled the three hour
time span expanded upon this idea.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who opened the series
of speakers, stressed this idea, passionately proclaiming, "This is
not about politics.

This is about people."

Albright’s brief but commanding message was followed by some
equally riveting speeches by activists, including Olympic speed
skating medalist Joey Cheek, Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino,
New Jersey Rep.

Chris Smith, New York Rep. Charles Rangel, member of Canadian
Parliament Irwin Cotter, BET’s Jeff Johnson, and a myriad of speakers
from various humanitarian organizations such as Amnesty International
and the Darfur Alert Coalition.

The orators were unified not by political party, religion or personal
gain, but by a true sense of humanity and a genuine will to effect
change. Their passion and energy captivated the audience and stressed
the notion that we are all the same because we are all human.

For instance, the opening prayer, which read, "There is one God who
does discriminate with respect to caste, creed, color, or beliefs," was
read by Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood,
while subsequent speakers included Tony Kireopoulos from National
Council of Churches and Steve Gutow from the Jewish Council for Public
Affairs. Vastly different backgrounds, one coherent message.

In addition to the formidable cast of speech-makers, a number of
musicians came out to show their support and to communicate their
message. Starting off with the Nsengiyumva & the Vang’Inanga drum
troupe, performances and pleas for international action came from
the Berklee College of Music, Suzanne Vega, and Brooklyn’s own
Citizen Cope.

Big & Rich, a Nashville-based group that, in the words of MC Jeff
Johnson, "has done more to spread awareness than almost anyone," gave
an especially compelling performance. Emerging onto the stage wielding
a guitar that read "Love Everyone," they played country-influenced
tunes with lyrics that clamored for peace.

As the grand finale, O.A.R., a wildly popular group among young
people, played a series of three of their own songs and one cover of
Bob Dylan’s "The Times They Are A-Changin’." Met with a collective
cheer as they sang the words "Come senators, congressmen, please head
the call," their final song choice was classic and eerily applicable
to the issue at hand.

With the last chord of O.A.R.’s grand musical performance, those
gathered at the rally began to disperse and swamp the city’s public
transportation system. They returned to life as usual — to home,
school, and work; to Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island; to New
Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

However, it is unquestionable that each person was touched by the
three-hour spectacle that they had just witnessed.

One of the most poignant speakers, Ethan Rafal, a student journalist
who was imprisoned in Sudan for taking pictures of government-supported
bombings of civilian villages, aptly verbalized the call to which
many of the rally attendees will now respond:

"You need to take up arms against the Sudanese government, but when
choosing your weapons, I ask that you choose carefully. I ask you
to choose love. I ask you to choose brotherhood. I ask you to choose
humanity."

Whether by handing out fliers, sending a text message to the White
House, or simply informing someone on the subway about the plight
in Darfur, each person at the rally has garnered such weapons and
employed them.

In the words of a prisoner Rafal met during his time in Sudan,
"As long as we are human, as long as there are violations of human
rights, we will do something.

As long as there is human suffering, we cannot stand by and wait. We
must act."

Remember Cambodia. Remember Bosnia. Remember Armenia.

Remember Rwanda. Remember Sudan.

ARMENIA MAY BE USED AS TRANSIT TERRITORY FOR IRANIAN GAS

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.09.2006 17:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The US and Russia are united in the matter of using
Armenia as transit territory for Iranian gas to the west, Head of
Hay Dat Office Kiro Manoyan stated at a news conference September
19. In his words, the two superpowers realize that for Armenia,
which is in an economic blockade, having an alternative gas source
is necessary. "It is important that Russia – the only gas supplier
to Armenia – realizes that fact," he said.

As for Armenian-Iranian relations, Manoyan believes there are no false
rumors seen. "The "Iranian dossier" may become the only factor for
worsening. If US desires are turned into reality and the international
community applies sanctions against Iran, problems may appear in
Armenian-Iranian relations," Manoyan stressed, reports IA Regnum.

A NUMBER OF STATE FIGURES AWARDED ORDERS AND MEDALS ON OCCASION OF 15th ANNIVERSARY OF RA INDEPENDENCE

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 19 2006

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, NOYAN TAPAN. By RA President Robert Kocharian’s
September 18 decrees, on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of
proclamation of RA independence, for his great contribution to
establishment of statehood and development of economy, RA Prime
Minister Andranik Margarian was awarded St Mesrop Mashtots order.

By the President’s another decree of the same day, for his great
contribution to establishment of statehood, army building and
strengthening of homeland defence, RA Defence Minister Serge Sargsian
was awarded Tigran Mets order.

According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan from RA President’s
Press Office, RA NA Speaker Tigran Torosian, RA NA Vice-Speaker Vahan
Hovhannisian, member of RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations
Gurgen Arsenian and member of RA NA Standing Committee on Finance and
Credit, Budgetary and Economic Issues Karen Karapetian were awarded
1st degree medal For Services Rendered to the Homeland.

ISOLATION HOSPITAL WAS REPAIRED

A1+
[02:39 pm] 19 September, 2006

About fifty-year-old isolation hospital of Nork-Marash was fully
repaired this year with the financial assistance of the Armenian
community representatives of San Paulo, Brazil, and "Armenia" fund.

Over 54 million AMD was spent on the repairs of intestine infection
and reanimation departments of the hospital.

Naira Melqoumyan, head of the fund, says that they offered the Armenian
community of Brazil to support the construction work of the first
floor but they expressed their readiness to repair the whole building.

Ashot Eghazaryan, RA envoy to San Paulo, Oshin Mostichyan, head of
the local body of "Armenia" fund, and a number of sponsors were among
the 20-member delegation of the Brazilian Armenians. One of them said
that they wanted the name of the Armenian community of Brazil to be
mentioned on the memorial plaque on purpose. "We took into account
the fact that Brazil is a large country and there are Armenians in
all cities. But their number is comparatively larger in San Paulo
and the residents of this city are willing to help Armenia," stated
the speaker.

Archbishop Tatev Gharibyan, head of the Armenian church in Brazil,
blessed the opening ceremony. "Let all children come and be cured in
this hospital," ended Tatev Gharibyan her speech.

Ara Asoyan, head of the hospital, added that the hospital is financed
by the state budget and they could hardly carry out the repairing
without their assistance.

ArmeniaNow.com, Armenia

Peak Experience: Climber says `Masis’ at top of mountaineering achievements

By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

Karo Hovasapyan has followed Noah. And when he reached the Biblical
hero’s landing site, the mountain climber fell to his knees.

The climber.

`When I reached the summit of Masis, I was dead on my feet so I fell
to my knees with tears of delight burning my eyes.’ says mountaineer
and polar explorer Karo Hovasapyan, who fulfilled his dearest dream by
hoisting the Armenian tricolor on the snow-white top of the Mount
Ararat, now the property of the Turks, but the spiritual peak of every
Armenian.

Climbing Ararat was not Hovasapyan greatest mountaineering
experience. He has reached the highest peaks of the six continents,
including Mount Everest and the North and South Poles.

Toping `Masis’ (as it is known by Armenians), however, was his
greatest joy.

`I have felt excitement and pride each time I climbed the mountains,
but standing on the top of the Mount Ararat symbolizes something very
special that I think every Armenian should feel,’ says the mountain
lover.

Hovasapyan and 10 others launched their Ararat expedition on September
3, and reached the peak 5,165 meters later, on September 6.

He says climbing Masis (the bigger Ararat) was not a complicated task
in terms of mountaineering. However it was difficult to get
permission.

A citizen of the US and Russia, Hovasapyan had been denied permission
to climb in Turkey, three times. His fourth application succeeded
because Hovasapyan had joined Russian mountaineer Shataev’s
expedition. Shataev has been making expeditions on Mount Ararat in
search of the Noah’s Ark for the last seven years.

Hovasapyan has been the only Armenian who has reach the North Pole and
the South Pole and will soon become one of only 11 alpinists who have
been able to conquer the highest points in seven parts of the world.

`I have only the Mount Winson peak in Antarctica to reach. I think I
will manage it this December,’ he says.

A carpenter by background, and a native of Tehran (then Russia, Canada
and, finally the USA), Hovasapyan, age 47, has been enchanted by
alpinism since childhood, when the heroes of the books about mountain
climbers became his everyday friends.

`I dreamt of passing the same route, of overcoming all those
difficulties. It seemed to be a challenge. You take the dare, you
overcome and ask nature to help you, to make you its part,’ says
Hovasapyan.

Hovasapyan got acquainted to the whims of nature in the Geghama
Mountains and on Mount Aragats (the highest peak in Armenia), which he
climbed six times.

But the idea of overcoming Everest would haunt him. `I had been
dreaming of reaching Everest for 23 years but I managed to do it only
last year.’

Hovasapyan reached the roof of the world at first attempt losing 14
kilograms of his weight in two months.

He reached the summit of Everest on May 30th 2005 at 6:15 a.m. seeing
the sunshine on the whole world’s panorama in front of him.

Hovasapyan’s two dreams of reaching the tops of Ararat and Everest
have coincided in time: he has reached both summits at 6:15 a.m. and
it has become a symbolic time for him.

`I am lucky. The weather on the summit was perfect that day and I
managed to stay there for 30 minutes and enjoy the wonderful view of
the dawn,’ the mountaineer says.

Staying on the top of Ararat for so long turned impossible because of
the strong wind, when the climber was forced to go down in ten
minutes.

Hovasapyan says the weather on Masis is difficult to forecast. It
changes quite frequently and unexpectedly.

And still, no weather has ever hindered Hovasapyan to climb the
mountain he wanted to and to hoist the flag of independent
Armenia. Until last Friday (September 8) Hovasapyan himself hadn’t
been in Armenia since 1988, when he came to be a rescue worker after
the Spitak earthquake.

He does not live in Armenia but its flag is with him even in the most
difficult moments.

`In the future I will give the flag that has overcome all the
difficulties with me as a gift to Armenia. That will be the first
flag that has been hoisted on the highest peaks of seven parts of the
world,’ says Hovasapyan.

Newport News Times, OR

Posted: Sep 15, 2006 – 08:46:34 PDT

Two years in Ukraine: Rural life in the former Soviet state
By Laura Eberly Of the News-Times

Villages in Ukraine are filled with contradictions: While most of
the teenagers in Romankivtsi text message one another on their cell
phones, the town has no infrastructure for indoor plumbing – villagers
either carry buckets to and from the town well or dig a well on their
property for water. (Courtesy photo)

Kay Eldon, assistant director of the Newport Public Library, has lived
in New York City, Israel and England, among other places, and is no
stranger to new cultures and ideas. As a volunteer with Heifer
International, a worldwide aid program that provides developing
communities with income-producing livestock and economic development
training, she has traveled to Ukraine and Armenia – experiences that
compelled her to once again join the international community as a
Peace Corps volunteer.

In the fall of 2004, Kay received her Peace Corps assignment to the
village of Romankivtsi, Ukraine. For the better part of the past two
years, she has spent her time and energy teaching English and
establishing an English language resource center at the Romankivtsi
Gymnasium, the local school. In her free time she practiced Surzhyk,
the regional language that includes a unique blend of Ukrainian,
Romanian and Russian; learned to live with temperamental electricity
and without running water; and brought a new perspective to a village
of people living – in many ways – in conditions of 19th century
America.

"I didn’t realize the culture would be so incredibly foreign, this was
way beyond what I ever anticipated," Kay said. The closest American –
and Internet service – was 2-1/2 miles away. "I had been to Ukraine in
2001 with Heifer International, so I kind of knew what I was getting
into – but not really. Ukraine has about 300 Peace Corps volunteers,
more than any other country in the world; partly because they have a
fabulous staff there and partly because there is a lot of need."

Countries that collaborate with the U.S. Peace Corps program invite
volunteers, so Peace Corps members are sent to areas where their
assistance is appreciated. "Because Ukraine wants to join the
European Union, they realize they have to get their standards up to
European standards," Kay said, including updating and expanding the
schools’ curriculum. In Romankivtsi, "before I came they had never
heard a native speaker of English. They’ve seen them in films, but
most are dubbed over," said Kay. During her visit, "they learned about
real Americans, not 90210 Americans, not Hollywood Americans. I made
it a real point to emphasize that."

The village of Romankivtsi has a population of about 3,500 people and
recently celebrated its 400th year as a community. "There are plenty
of animals in the village" and the unpaved streets turn to mud in the
rain, Kay said. Hammered tin is used for doors and gateways. "It’s
amazing because the stuff never discolors so it’s very attractive,"
she said. There is no infrastructure to facilitate indoor plumbing or
running water; the village well is the primary water source.

"The water had a heavy metal content, and could have had residual
radioactive fallout from Chernobyl," Kay noted, so she used well water
for washing and other utility purposes, but drank only bottled water –
which had to be special ordered. She rented a small house that came
furnished with ornate – if a bit musty – rugs on the walls for
insulation and color. "I had electricity most of the time, it came and
went at whim," she said.

In the winter of 2005, temperatures dropped below -40 degrees
Fahrenheit. "I had the wood stove going 24/7. I wore a hat and coat
inside," Kay said. "The wind chill was wicked."

The Romankivtsi Gymnasium where she spent much of her time serves 700
students in grades one through 11; there is no 12th grade and
kindergarten is held separately. Kay received grant funding to supply
an English language resource center with books, books on tape,
computer software and textbooks and asked family and friends to send
images of America, which she hung on the walls.

"The school is old and funky, it needed paint and a lot of repair; but
it’s the same thing as here, there’s no money so it doesn’t get done,"
Kay said. "I tried to set up Internet through the phone lines, which
were circa 1946, very old, very bad. Nothing would load and then after
a couple of minutes, it would disconnect. They didn’t have cell phones
when I first got there because there was no antenna," she
continued. Then, when the village got cell service, "people were
scrambling to get them. Many people didn’t have land lines because
they’re so expensive – they were skipping that whole stage and going
straight to cell phones," which require little to no infrastructure.

The village is a mixture of old and new: students at the school text
on cell phones while navigating muddy roads alongside horse-drawn
carts.

"A hard thing for me was the isolation, at first they didn’t get me,"
Kay said. "Women my age are grandmothers, they have no concept of
volunteerism. They didn’t understand why I would come and live
without running water and not get paid and I was like, ‘Well, cultural
exchange.’

"There were a couple of kids who really understood what I was doing
there, that they could really take advantage of me to learn English
and get a better understanding of the world," she continued. "I said
to them, ‘If you can learn English, you can travel.’ I wanted them to
learn how to dream. There were a few who understood that to get out of
Ukraine, they had to learn English. While their parents had gone
illegally into other countries to work, this could open legal
opportunities to make money and maybe come back and change the
village. I have hope for them."

Coming home to Newport "isn’t as strange as I thought it would be. I
came back to the same place, the same job. I’m still sort of hyper
aware of things like running water – and it comes out immediately and
I’m like, what is that?!" Kay said. "And washing machines, I think,
are one of the finest inventions. Washing sheets and towels in a
bucket is not really fun.

"I appreciate this country so much, and the way I live and the way I’m
able to live and the freedoms that I have. I did make some good
friends there and I do miss them and wish they had the opportunities
to travel that I have," Kay said. "For people who like to travel to
different countries, I would put Ukraine on the map as a place to
visit. The cities are pretty much like cities everywhere and the
people are incredibly wonderful; for people who want to do eco-tourism
and try new things, Ukraine is an absolutely beautiful place – but you
have to be willing to have an adventure."

PAGLIA HEADLINES FALL EVENTS WITH WRITERS, EDITORS

insideBU
Binghampton University
September 14, 2006 Volume 28, No. 4

The fall slate of literary activities from the Binghamton Center for
Writers focuses on faculty and alumni readings, as well as workshops
and conversations with journal and press editors.

Headlining this season’s events will be social critic and intellectual
Camille Paglia, an Endicott native and Binghamton graduate. Paglia,
this year’s Milton Kessler D i s t i n g u i s h e d Reader, will
speak at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, in the Anderson Center Chamber
Hall. The event is free and open to the public; a book signing and
reception will follow.

The first event of the season will be a conversation with Stanley
Barkan, editor and publisher of Cross-Cultural Communications, from
1:30-3:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18, in PSPC-C. With browsing categories
like Armenian, Beat and Cheyenne, Cross-Cultural Communications
fulfills its claim of specializing in the rare and hard-to-find.

Opening the Readers’ Series will be novelist Tom Bailey, who will
speak at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, in S1-149. Bailey, a Binghamton
graduate, is the author of The Grace That Keeps This World, published
in hardcover by Random House in 2005 and newly in paperback. Bailey’s
first novel centers on a community in the Adirondacks during the days
leading up to hunting season. Bailey is also the author of Cotton Song,
forthcoming from Random House, and a collection of short stories,
Crow Man, as well as A Short Story Writer’s Companion.

October events include a poetry reading by new faculty member Joe
E. Weil at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, in S1-149 and a Writing Life event
from 1:30- 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18, in PSPC-C with Jeffrey Levine
of Tupelo Press, publishers of poetry and literary fiction.

>>From Oct. 19-21, Binghamton graduate students will hold
Writing By Degrees, their ninth annual national creative writing
conference at the Decker Mansion in Binghamton, with featured
writers Steve Almond, Timothy Liu and Suzanne Paola. Many of
those events are free and open to the public. For details, visit
http://writingbydegrees. binghamton.edu.

Two November events close out the season.

Christine Gelineau, associate director of the Center for Writers,
will read from her collection of poetry at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14,
in S1-149.

Paul Ruffin of Texas Review Press, which publishes fiction, poetry and
prose non-fiction as well as the literary magazine The Texas Review,
will finish out the Writing Life series for the fall with a 1:30-3:30
p.m. event on Thursday, Nov. 16. The location for that event has not
been announced.

All of the events are free and the community is invited
to attend. Directions to the various rooms and further
information on the series and the writers can be found at
http://english. binghamton.edu/cwpro.

The Writing Life Series is supported by the Office of the Dean of
Harpur College, while the Binghamton University Alumni Association
supports the Readers’ Series.

POLITICAL DUEL

A1+
[06:45 pm] 13 September, 2006

Armen Ashotyan from the Republican Party and leader of the Democratic
Party Aram G. Sargsyan, the guests of "Mirror" club, were to debate
about foreign policy, particularly about regional problems, but
gradually the debate was taken to the inner political field.

The sides debated mixing together the present and the past. The
journalists blamed Aram Sargsyan for repeated thoughts for the last
seven years. Asked the question if the opposition does not blame
itself for four years’ idleness Aram Sargsyan said, "Not four but two"
and noted that the opposition has not done anything after the famous
April 2004 events. "What could they do if their opponent followed
the principle of brutal force? " He added that the only mistake of
the opposition was that "they did not lead the people to destroy
those authorities".

Has Aram Sargsyan himself made any mistakes? To the journalist’s
hint about entering Robert Kocharyan’s administration he answered,
"I rectified my error resigning after a year".

Armen Ashotyan noted that the issues are of mutual interest. He said
that if the authorities consisted only of "thieves and robbers" as Aram
Sargsyan claimed, it would be easy for the opposition to distinguish
itself. But the opposition did not make use of that chance. According
to Ashotyan, "maybe they did not have enough chances, or they may
have failed to assess the situation".

Ashotyan blamed his opponent for not having a political plan
and for intolerance towards the Republican Party and "Prospering
Armenia". According to him, the governing parties have those political
features which the people need today.

Aram Sargsyan was angry at the fact that "his opponent protects the
authorities". Ashotyan’s last announcement that there are no political
crimes in Armenia made not only Sargsyan but also the journalists
outrageous. Vainly did they try to remind him about irrefutable facts
about suchlike crimes.

After the end of the debate Aram G. Sargsyan informed "A1+" that next
time he is invited to a similar debate he will turn the invitation
down, or he will try to make sure that the debate will be about
"serious themes".

YOUNG ARMENIAN JUDOISTS WIN 1 SILVER AND 1 BRONZE MEDALS AT JUDO EUROPE YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP

Noyan Tapan
Sept 11 2006

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Judo Europe Youth Championship
ended on September 10 in Tallinn. 5 out of Armenian delegates, Anoush
Hakobian (52 kg, Nor Hachn) took the 2nd place and Paylak Vardazarian
(60 kg, Gyumri) the 3rd place. They received silver and bronze medals,
respectively.

A RALLY AGAINST "ARMENTEL"

A1+
[01:55 pm] 12 September, 2006

more images Today a rally was organized against "ArmenTel" opposite the
Ministry of Transportation and Communication. This time the initiators
of the rally were a number of companies providing Internet services.

The strikers claim that over 100 companies were deprived of telephone
connection without preliminary warning at 2:00 on September 7. When
they tried to make inquiries from the Committee Regulating Public
Services they were told that they must turn to "ArmenTel" with that
question as the Committee is not entitled to deal with the matter
bothering them. "When the Ministry of Transportation and Communication
regulated the sphere we had no problems on this score.

But now neither the Committee Regulating Public Services nor "ArmenTel"
want to fulfil their functions and obligations," says Gnel Militonyan,
head of one of the companies.

He assures that their activity doesn’t contradict the provisions of
License 60; they made their payments in due time and have faced no
problems. Then the participants of the rally headed to the Committee
Regulating Public Services to talk to Robert Nazaryants, chairman of
the Committee.

They have also issued a complaint-statement to the Committee
Regulating Public Services, President Kocharyan, RA NA Speaker and RA
Prime Minister. The statement says that many employees of companies
providing Internet services have been left without work because of
the telephone disconnection and they demand either to resume their
connection or to provide their workers with job. By the way, their
workers are mainly pensioners, invalids, students and most of them
live in regions. Over 50 companies signed the statement.

At present, the strikers are opposite the Committee Regulating Public
Services.