The new library 'Permerke' has transformed Coninckplein in Antwerp
Coninckplein, a neighborhood within the municipal zone of 2060 in Antwerp, has been a center for all notorious and nefarious activities in the past.
Just an hour investigation and survey at the area on Saturday, November 20, 2010, revealed that the place has increased in its criminal activities more than ever.
Drug peddlers, criminals, scavengers, alcoholics, and thieves, have chosen Coninckplein as their safe haven or paradise.
It's unfortunate that the modern library built a few years ago to transform the place is not yielding any good result to the continually terrorized neighborhood.
Junkies, alcoholics, the homeless and criminals in possession of stolen items and fake jewels, interrupt decent people and pedestrians with their fake ornaments forcing them to buy.
People who are not interested in buying stolen items and fake ornaments can't even secure their freedom easily. It can take them munites to break free from the frustrated criminals.
Coninckplein has been a center of concern for every administration of the past and present of elected Mayors of Antwerp. Unfortunately, nothing has been achieved so far.
One thing I have observed so far is, any time the police in Antwerp, set up a "Police Mobile Office" at the place, the activities of the criminals and drug peddling dwindle or subside. They only resurface when the police move away.
As a matter of fact, another issue causing more problems within the vicinity is the sale of alcohol by many Cafe and alcohol shops at the place.
Coninckplein under such state, the Mayor of Antwerp, Patrick Janssens, should realize that he has a big responsibility to make the place safe hanging on his shoulders.
Antwerpen needs citizen action for neighborhood safety. A community strategy must be enforced to improve the quality of life. Coninckplein really needs a face-lift.
If necessary all the alcohol and cafes brewing crime and drug peddling in the area must be permanently shut down.
Suu Kyi
World leaders hailed the release of Burma's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi from years of house arrest Saturday but warned the country's junta not to restrict her, even as a senior government official insisted she was "completely free". This is history in Burma, as military junta bows to democracy.
Burma's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi holds a bouquet of flowers as she appears at the gate of her house in Rangoon. World leaders have hailed the release of Burma's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi from years of house arrest but warned the military junta not to restrict her in other ways and called for all political prisoners to be freed.
US President Barack Obama said that "while the Burmese regime has gone to extraordinary lengths to isolate and silence Aung San Suu Kyi, she has continued her brave fight for democracy, peace, and change in Burma."
"She is a hero of mine and a source of inspiration for all who work to advance basic human rights in Burma and around the world," said Obama in a statement, using the country's former name.
While the United States welcomed Suu Kyi's release, it was "time for the Burmese regime to release all political prisoners," added Obama, in Japan for a regional summit, echoing sentiments aired by other world figures.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, "an inspiration" to the world, a UN spokesman said.
"The secretary-general expects that no further restrictions will be placed on her, and he urges the Burma authorities to build on today's action by releasing all remaining political prisoners," said the spokesman.
"France will be extremely attentive to the conditions in which Madame Aung San Suu Kyi enjoys her refund liberty," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a statement issued by the Elysee Palace.
Any "restrictions on her freedom of movement and expression would constitute a new unacceptable denial of her rights," he said.
But a senior Burma official said no conditions were tied to Suu Kyi's release. "She is completely free -- there are no conditions at all," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
British Prime Minister David Cameron called her release "long overdue", branding her detention for 15 of the last 21 years a "travesty, designed only to silence the voice of the Burmese people."
"Aung San Suu Kyi is an inspiration for all of us who believe in freedom of speech, democracy, and human rights," he said. "Freedom is Aung San Suu Kyi's right. The Burmese regime must now uphold it."
Britain is the former colonial power in Burma, which achieved its independence as Burma in 1948, and Suu Kyi's late husband was British.
Desmond Tutu, chair of the group of retired senior statesmen known as The Elders, called Suu Kyi "a global symbol of moral courage" and said her release "offers hope to the people of Burma."
For his part, Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which includes Burma, told AFP he was "very, very relieved" at the news.
Pitsuwan said he hoped Suu Kyi would be able to play a role in bringing national reconciliation while the Japanese government urged Burma to take "further positive measures."
In Brussels European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso called for Suu Kyi to be granted "unrestricted freedom of movement and speech" so she could "participate fully in her country's political process." He echoed the call for the release of political prisoners.
Similar reactions came from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the governments of Poland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria and South Africa.
In Geneva, United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay called Suu Kyi's release "a positive signal" by Burma authorities and said she could "make a major contribution" in the transition to democracy and national reconciliation.
"I urge the authorities of Burma to now release the other 2,200 political prisoners as a clear sign that the new government intends to respect human rights and forge a new future for the country," Pillay said.
China, one of Burma's closest allies and a mainstay for the junta through trade ties, arms sales, and using its veto on the UN Security Council against sanctions, had no immediate reaction.
But the official Xinhua news agency, reporting her release, did describe Suu Kyi as "a noted political figure."
Rights group Amnesty International said Suu Kyi's release was not a "concession" by the regime and should not take attention away from other prisoners of conscience being held in "deplorable conditions".
Meanwhile, New York-based Human Rights Watch called the junta's move a "cynical ploy" to deflect criticism of its recent election.
"If the military government is serious about increasing political space after the elections then it will release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally," said HRW official Elaine Pearson.
Dangerous implements used for female circumcision in Africa
Oppression and discrimination against women have become major concerns in many parts of the world, including Africa.
Many women have become subject to all kinds of horrible situations, ranging from rape, sexual harassment, and physical battering, to psychological abuse.
In some parts of Africa and Asia, men hold the view that "as a husband, to that woman" they have the right to beat up their wives any time they wish to do so. The ignorant idea that girls are not as important as boys views women as sexual objects rather than industrious, hard-working people.
An outdated practice going on in Africa, which has caused many health hazards to women, is female circumcision. In the Republic Of Sierra Leone an ethnic group calling its self "The Bondo Society" still carries this practice.
Why female circumcision? The idea behind this barbarous act, which has caused so much misery and sickness to thousands of women across Africa, is to "help" the woman to be faithful and stay with only her husband.
Female circumcision is practiced in 26 countries across Africa and the significance behind this act is totally meaningless and not beneficial to women in any way. Women are not going to be tied down by this outdated tradition. The world must fight against this wicked act. It's totally inhuman.
