BARCELONA: Millions of Catalans hope to go to the polls on Sunday to vote on whether the region should become independent from Spain, in a referendum fiercely opposed by the central government and which threatens to expose ruptures in the country’s 39-year democracy.
Catalonia, which has its own language and is a semi-autonomous region in Spain’s northeast, has long felt distinct from the Castilian heartlands.
After statutes to expand Catalonia’s autonomy were denied, despite approval from the Catalan and Spanish parliaments, separatists decided that independence was the only option for a region that comprises 16 percent of Spain’s population and accounts for a fifth of the economy and a quarter of exports.
Following a symbolic referendum in 2014 which drew a low turnout, but in which 81 percent of voters backed independence, Catalonia’s President Carles Puigdemont announced the Oct. 1 poll, which Spain’s government says is illegal because the constitution declares the “indissoluble unity” of the Spanish nation.
Madrid has taken draconian measures to prevent the referendum; about 10 million ballot papers have been confiscated and police have raided media offices, local government buildings and printing presses, also arresting officials. Referendum-related websites have been shut down, only to pop up elsewhere on the Internet.
Spain’s attorney-general has ordered Catalonia’s regional police, Mossos d’Esquadra, to be controlled from Madrid, while an estimated 16,000 police and security officers from other parts of Spain will be dispatched to Catalonia to stop the vote.
These harsh measures, which carry an implicit threat to suspend Catalonia’s semi-autonomy, have echoes of Spain’s fascist past. Spain returned to being a democracy in 1978 following the death of dictator Francisco Franco three years earlier. Franco’s army rebellion sparked the Spanish Civil War and the victorious fascists brutally repressed Catalan culture, language and institutions. The transition to democracy included a broad amnesty and today’s ruling People’s Party (PP) was founded by a cadre of former Francoist ministers in the 1970s.
“In Spain, Franco is never far away,” said Christophe Bostyn, international relations officer at Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC), a pro-independence civil group that has helped organize rallies supporting secession.
“The central government doesn’t respect autonomy — it sees Catalonia as its possession that cannot be questioned. They don’t have a negotiating culture — either you obey or we send in the police.”
Over 1 million people took to Barcelona’s streets on Catalonia’s national Day, Sept. 11, to demonstrate in favor of independence, and protests of varying sizes are now near-daily occurrences in the Catalan capital, yet everyday life continues unaffected. About 1.4 million people joined city-wide festivities last weekend for La Merc, a celebration of Barcelona’s patron saint, and protests seemed good natured; Catalonia is prosperous, peaceful and democratic, although many Catalans worry that welcome state of affairs is now in jeopardy.
Josep Tirapu was one of around 150 protesters gathered outside the University of Barcelona on Saturday to protest Madrid’s actions. The students aim to continue the vigil until polling day.
“We’re not all going to vote yes, the important thing is to defend democracy,” said Tirapu, 20, a law and politics undergraduate.
“We believe in our government, which has been preparing for this vote for many months. The state is trying to repress us, so we’re making it possible for the referendum to go ahead by taking to the streets.”
As with Brexit, traditional political leanings have been marginalized, with parties on the left and right in both the pro- and anti-independence camps. Like Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, leader of the PP, Catalan President Puigdemont fronts a right-wing party, yet the two men have bitterly opposing views on greater self-governance for the region.
Whether the vote will happen is uncertain. The Catalan government will shortly release the location of the polling stations, according to the referendum website, with organizers seemingly taking a flash-mob approach to try to outmaneuver Madrid.
“The referendum is going ahead,” said ANC’s Bostyn.
“We will see a massive mobilization of people. Beyond any doubts, yes will win.”
Should he be correct, Puigdemont has vowed to unilaterally declare independence within 48 hours, although that would be a symbolic gesture unless the Catalan government is willing and able to secure and defend its territory immediately.
“The division of the country is outlawed under the Spanish constitution,” said Dr. Rebecca Richards, a lecturer in law at Britain’s Keele University.
“If Catalonia decides to declare its independence and halt all exchanges with Spain, to essentially attempt to kick Spain out of the territory — that could get messy and potentially violent. What’s more likely is negotiating a new economic relationship with Spain, negotiating increased autonomy, or both. Spain has a lot to lose if it has a poor relationship with Catalonia.”
Ferran Brunet is founder of Societat Civil Catalana, which opposes the referendum. A professor of economics, Brunet warns of the calamitous effect unilateral independence would have on Catalonia, which would be left outside the EU.
“The referendum is illegal. People who are against the vote and those who wish to vote no have no voice,” said Brunet. “It’s a waste of public money. Catalans are divided, families are divided.”
Amid those schisms, Madrid’s heavy-handed approach is undoubtedly pushing many undecideds into the “yes” camp.
“The Spanish government is acting in an anti-democratic way,” said Anna Bertran, a pro-independence 25-year-old school teacher from Barcelona taking part in the student protest.
“It’s using the judiciary to try to stop the vote, rather than allowing political debate. It’s not a question of independence, it’s a question of having the right to vote. We’re not asking for any more than that — if ‘no’ wins the vote, I’ll respect the result.”
Others take a more cynical view of Puigdemont’s push for independence.
“It’s only the wealthy who want it,” said Ignacio Lamata, a volunteer at La Rosa de Foc, an anarchist bookshop in Barcelona’s seedy El Raval district owned by the far-left Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT), which took up arms to thwart a fascist takeover of Barcelona at the outset of the civil war in 1936.
“Ask a factory worker and they don’t care — it’s the kids of Franco in charge, not only in Madrid, but Catalonia, and whatever the result those in power will just keep stealing and stealing. Nothing will change,” said Lamata.
His sentiments are not without foundation. In July, Prime Minister Rajoy testified in court as part of a corruption investigation involving the ruling PP that includes charges of organized crime, falsifying accounts, influence-peddling and tax crimes, Reuters reported, while in 2014 Jordi Pujol, the former long-serving Catalan president, admitted to over 30 years of tax fraud.
Catalonia vote poses big problems for Spain and aspiring new state
Catalonia vote poses big problems for Spain and aspiring new state
Elon Musk launches Starlink service in Indonesia
- Indonesia is the third Southeast Asian country where Starlink will operate
- Starlink expected to improve internet access for thousands of Indonesian health centers
JAKARTA: Elon Musk and Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin launched SpaceX’s satellite internet service on Sunday, aiming to boost connectivity in the world’s largest archipelago.
Musk, the billionaire head of SpaceX and Tesla, arrived in Bali by private jet on Sunday morning, before attending Starlink’s launch at a community health center in the provincial capital Denpasar.
Wearing a green batik shirt, he inaugurated Starlink together with Sadikin, Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi and Maritime, and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, and said that the satellite service would help millions in Indonesia to access the internet.
“We’re focusing this event on Starlink and the benefits that high-bandwidth connectivity can bring to a rural island and to remote communities,” Musk told reporters in Denpasar.
“I think it’s really important to emphasize the importance of internet connectivity and how much of a life-changer that could be.”
Indonesia, an archipelagic state comprising over 17,000 islands, is home to more than 270 million people and three different time zones. Following the launch, Musk said that internet connectivity was also integral for learning and business.
“You can learn anything if you’re connected to the internet, but if you’re not connected, it’s very difficult to learn,” Musk said. “And then if you have some virtual services that you wish to sell to the world, even if you’re in a remote village, you can now do so with an internet connection. So, it can bring a lot of prosperity, I think, to rural communities.”
Indonesia is the third Southeast Asian country where Starlink will operate. Neighboring Malaysia issued the firm a license to provide internet services last year, while a Philippine-based firm signed a deal with SpaceX in 2022.
On Sunday, Starlink was launched at three Indonesian health centers, two of which are located in Bali and one on the remote island of Aru in Maluku. Officials say the services will be prioritized for health and education, and in outer and underdeveloped regions.
Starlink is expected to bring high-speed connectivity to thousands of health centers across the country, Sadikin said, allowing Indonesians in remote areas to access services that were previously not available to them.
“With Starlink … 2,700 community health centers that had difficulties getting internet access and another 700 that didn’t have internet access, now can have them. So, the services will not differ with health centers … that are located in the cities,” the health minister said.
The arrival of Starlink in Indonesia is expected to boost equal internet access across Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
“A satellite-based internet service like Starlink will certainly be very beneficial for the country because there are still many regions which don’t have internet access,” said Pratama Persadha, chairman of the Communication and Information System Security Research Center.
Other sectors in Indonesia, such as education and the digital economy, will also get a boost from Starlink, he added.
“Wherever the location that requires good internet connection, whether on top of the mountain, in the middle of the forest, or in the middle of the sea, they can still enjoy the internet through satellite-based services like this.”
Suspected rebels kill political activist in Indian-administered Kashmir
- Two Indian tourists visiting the Himalayan territory were also wounded in a separate attack in Anantnag
- Rebel groups opposed to Indian rule have for decades waged an insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir
NEW DELHI: Suspected rebels shot dead an activist from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party in Indian-administered Kashmir, local authorities said Sunday after the latest violent attack in the disputed region.
Police named the victim as Aijaz Ahmad, a local leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who was fired upon in Shopian district on Saturday evening, days after the region began voting in India’s six-week national elections.
The BJP’s local office in Kashmir confirmed Sunday that Ahmad had died and announced plans to stage a protest against the attack.
Two Indian tourists visiting the Himalayan territory were also wounded in a separate attack by suspected rebels in nearby Anantnag on the same day, police said, adding that both had been hospitalized.
Security forces had cordoned off the surrounding area to find those responsible for separate incidents, police said.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947, with both claiming the Himalayan territory in full.
Rebel groups opposed to Indian rule have for decades waged an insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir, demanding either independence or a merger with Pakistan.
India accuses Pakistan of backing the militants — charges Islamabad denies.
The conflict has left tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and militants dead.
Violence has drastically reduced since 2019, when Modi’s government canceled the Muslim-majority region’s limited autonomy and brought it under direct rule from New Delhi.
Security forces have reported a spate of clashes in Kashmir since voting began last month in ongoing general election.
Earlier this month suspected rebels killed an Indian air force member and injured four others in an ambush on a military convoy.
Pakistani students return from Kyrgyzstan after mob violence in Bishkek
- At least 5 Pakistani citizens injured in clashes in Bishkek
- Islamabad is arranging special flights to get students home
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government has repatriated 140 students from Kyrgyzstan after mobs attacked foreign citizens in the capital, Bishkek, over the weekend.
A special flight bringing the first batch of Pakistani students home landed at an airport in Lahore on Saturday night, with Islamabad planning to use more such flights to bring back citizens who want to leave Bishkek after violent incidents in the Kyrgyz capital.
On Friday, hundreds of Kyrgyz men in Bishkek attacked buildings where foreign students live, including Pakistan citizens who are among thousands studying and working in the Central Asian country.
The angry mob reportedly targeted these residences after videos of a brawl earlier this month between Krygyz and Egyptian students went viral online, prompting anti-foreigner sentiment over the past week. The Kyrgyz government deployed forces on Friday to mitigate the violence.
“Our first concern is the safe return of Pakistani students,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said.
“God willing, more students would be brought back via additional flights (on Sunday).”
Students who spoke to Arab News said that the Pakistan Embassy in Kyrgyzstan advised them to stay indoors after the mob attack. But when they ran out of food and water and some became fearful of potential riots, they asked authorities to evacuate them.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the return to Pakistan of citizens who wished to do so would be “facilitated at the government’s expense.”
Sharif is sending a two-member delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, to Bishkek on Sunday to meet with Kyrgyz officials and provide assistance for Pakistani students.
“The decision to send this delegation was made to ensure necessary support and facilities for Pakistani students,” a statement issued by Sharif’s office reads.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Saturday it had summoned and handed a note of protest to Kyrgyzstan’s top diplomat in the country in response to the violence in Bishkek.
Five Pakistani medical students were injured in the mob attack, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Hassan Zaigham said, with one student admitted to a local hospital with a jaw injury.
“No Pakistani was killed or raped in the violence,” he told Arab News over the phone, dispelling rumors circulating on social media.
“The situation is under control now as Bishkek authorities have dispersed all the miscreants.”
Tourist couple injured in shooting in India’s Kashmir amid elections
- Condition of Indian couple from Jaipur city is said to be stable, police say
- India is in a marathon election with two Kashmir seats to be contested on May 20, 25
SRINAGAR: A tourist couple was injured in India’s Kashmir after militants fired on them late on Saturday night, police said, ahead of voting scheduled in the volatile region for India’s ongoing election.
The couple from the Indian city of Jaipur was evacuated to the hospital and the area where the attack took place was cordoned off, Kashmir police said on social media. The condition of the injured tourists is said to be stable, they said.
India is in the middle of a marathon election with the remaining two seats in Kashmir going to polls on May 20 and May 25.
Voters turned out in large numbers for polling in the first seat in Srinagar on May 13, reversing the trend of low vote counts in the first polls since Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed the region’s semi-autonomy in 2019.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is skipping elections in Kashmir for the first time since 1996 saying it will support regional parties instead.
Major parties in Kashmir, the National Conference and People’s Democratic Party (PDP), have focused on restoration of semi-autonomy in their campaigns.
Analysts and opposition parties say the BJP is not contesting elections in Kashmir because it fears the outcome will contradict its narrative of a more peaceful and integrated region since 2019.
In a separate incident, unknown militants shot dead former village headman and BJP party member Ajiaz Ahmad Sheikh in Shopian district on Saturday.
The last major attack on tourists in Kashmir had happened in 2017 when a Hindu pilgrimage bus was targeted, killing eight people.
Tourists wounded in deadly Afghanistan shooting stable — hospital
- Group of tourists was fired at while shopping in mountainous city of Bamiyan on Friday
- Attack first deadly assault on foreign tourists since Taliban’s return to power in 20221
KABUL: Tourists wounded in an attack in Afghanistan which left three Spaniards and three Afghans dead were in a stable condition, a hospital said Saturday, as a survivor described the horror of the shooting in an open market.
The group was fired on while shopping in the bazaar in the mountainous city of Bamiyan, around 180 kilometers (110 miles) from the capital Kabul, on Friday.
French tourist Anne-France Brill, one of the dozen foreign travelers on an organized tour, said a gunman on foot approached the group’s vehicles and opened fire.
“There was blood everywhere,” the 55-year-old told AFP from Dubai, where she landed Saturday after being evacuated from Kabul with two Americans.
“One thing is certain,” she said, the assailant “was there for the foreigners.”
Brill, who works in marketing and lives near Paris, said she helped collect the bloodied belongings of her wounded fellow travelers before a Taliban escort brought them to the capital, where they were taken in by a European Union delegation.
The attack is believed to be the first deadly assault on foreign tourists since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 in a country where few nations have a diplomatic presence.
The bodies of those killed were transported to Kabul overnight Friday, along with the wounded and survivors, after bad weather made an airlift impossible.
Italian NGO Emergency, which operates a hospital in Kabul, received the injured who it said were from Spain, Lithuania, Norway, Australia and Afghanistan.
“The wounded people arrived at our hospital at 3:00 am (2230 GMT Friday) this morning, about 10 hours after the incident took place,” said Dejan Panic, Emergency’s country director in Afghanistan, in a statement.
“The Afghan national was the most critically injured, but all patients are now stable,” he added.
Spain’s government on Friday announced that three of the dead were Spanish tourists.
Its foreign ministry said one of the wounded was also a Spanish woman, who had been seriously injured and underwent surgery in Kabul.
The dead included three Afghans — two civilians and a Taliban member, the government’s interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said.
Local officials said the civilians were working with the tour group, while the Taliban security official had returned fire when the shooting broke out.
“Overwhelmed by the news of the murder of Spanish tourists in Afghanistan,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted on social media platform X.
The bodies of the dead would likely be brought back to Spain on Sunday, the country’s foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Spanish public television TVE.
Spanish diplomats were headed to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Qatar, where the Spanish ambassador to the country is currently based.
The Spanish embassy was evacuated in 2021, along with other Western missions, after the Taliban took back control of Kabul, ending a bloody decades-long insurgency against foreign forces.
Spanish authorities have also been coordinating with a European Union delegation in the capital.
Interior ministry spokesman Qani said seven suspects had been arrested, “of which one is wounded.”
“The investigation is still going on and the Islamic Emirate is seriously looking into the matter,” he added.
There has not yet been a claim of responsibility.
The EU condemned the attack “in the strongest terms.”
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, said it was “deeply shocked and appalled by the deadly terrorist attack” in Bamiyan, adding it had provided assistance after the incident.
The Taliban government has yet to be officially recognized by any foreign government.
It has, however, supported a fledgling tourism sector, with more than 5,000 foreign tourists visiting Afghanistan in 2023, according to official figures.
Western nations advise against all travel to the country, warning of kidnap and attack risks.
Alongside security concerns, the country has limited road infrastructure and a dilapidated health service.
Multiple foreign tourism companies offer guided package tours to Afghanistan, often including visits to highlights in cities such as Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Bamiyan.
Bamiyan is Afghanistan’s top tourist destination, once home to the giant Buddha statues that were blown up by the Taliban in 2001 during their previous rule.
The number of bombings and suicide attacks in Afghanistan has fallen dramatically since the Taliban authorities took power, and deadly attacks on foreigners are rare.
However, a number of armed groups, including Daesh, remain a threat.
The group has waged a campaign of attacks on foreign interests in a bid to weaken the Taliban government, targeting the Pakistani and Russian embassies as well as Chinese businessmen.
