Armies of Liberation

Whoa, last time we checked, it was 2 million abroad. What did they do- give out six million bogus passports in the last two years? (The statistical anomaly is not unusual- during the 2006 elections, there were more registered male voters than men. The official unemployment statistics are pretty funny too.) And now the plan is to establish a monitoring system on Yemeni expats… Does Yemen really need 62 embassies; they’re such money pits. There were those big and repeated announcements in 2005 that the regime was going to close some embassies as money saving measures, Romania I think it was, but it never happened. From the Yemen Observer:

Yemen plans to conduct comprehensive surveys for Yemeni expatriates that would focus on their numbers, jobs, families and activities, and their remittances to their homeland. (Read on …)

LM

New Delhi: India’s largest power generation company, NTPC Ltd, says its plans to set up power projects and a training centre for local engineers in Yemen—from where it wants to source gas for its fuel-starved plants back home—have run into trouble following a dispute over the cost of maintaining existing facilities in that country. (Read on …)

Not even on a per case basis when in hot pursuit, Yemen Observer:

Yemen has denied foreign navies access to Yemen’s territorial waters whilst in pursuit of pirates. Yemen’s Deputy-Foreign Minister for Arab, Asian and African Affairs Ali al-Ayashi, denied the news currently being circulated by some websites that quoted a French diplomatic source saying the Yemeni government had permitted foreign warships to chase pirate vessels into its territorial waters on a case-by-case basis when Yemen is unable to act.

Al-Ayashi said these claims were baseless, and go directly against the sovereignty of Yemen. “The issue of fighting piracy by foreign ships in Yemen’s territorial waters is baseless, and Yemen has never agreed to any such procedures,” said al-Ayashi. He added that Yemen had affirmed many times that it would fight piracy in its territorial waters through the use of Coast Guard patrols, and through joint-operations between the Yemeni Navy and Coast Guard.
(Read on …)

1- Many students abroad have recieved their scholarships as a result of nepotim.
2- Because of the corruption rampant at most Yemeni embassys, students funds are often embezzled.
3- In 2007, an alert was issued for Mumbai that jihaddi groups may have established contacts with senior al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen. It discusses the likelihood of soft targets being hit. A December 2006 alert for Goa was issued after Saudis discovered detailed planns of a terror attack on specific sites in Goa on a captured Yemeni’s computer.

TOI

Goa police to probe details of Yemeni students meet
9 Dec 2008, 1617 hrs IST, PTI

PANAJI: A gathering of Yemeni youth on the beachfront dotting Panaji city have come under scanner of the state police who are inquiring into the details of the meet.

“We will inquire into the meeting, if at all it has taken place. We are already on our toes to verify the activities of Yemeni students in Goa,” deputy superintendent of Police Sammy Tavares told reporters here on Tuesday.

The police swung into action after a media report and a photograph on local Marathi daily “Goa Doot”, which raised the question mark on the meeting a day before Eid.

The media report carrying a picture of religious head addressing gathering on seashore contended that the meeting took place on the morning of December 8.

“We had no information about such meeting but still we are on our job to verify it,” Tavares said.

Superintendent of Police (CID) Atmaram Deshpande said that the meeting may be to offer prayer as in Arab countries Eid is celebrated a day in advance.

He said that the state police are on verification drive checking antecedents of all the foreign students. “Many of them don’t attend the classes so we have asked the institutions to give their detailed weekly attendance,” Deshpande, who is also tasked to form state’s special cell to counter probable terrorism activity, said.

The police have recommended that all the institutes imparting education to the foreign students should be recognised by the state education department.

“The collector will have right to cancel their licences, if they are found violating the guidelines issued by authorities,” he said.

huh? Kashmir? No, Mumbai.

DNA India Intelligence agencies see a method in Qaeda madness

MUMBAI: Intelligence and security agencies are trying to establish a pattern which links the latest Al Qaeda video and possible infiltration by a section of West Asia-based terrorists into important Indian cities.

A recent intelligence assessment warned of a strong likelihood of Yemen-based terrorists infiltrating into Mumbai and Delhi.

Security agencies are trying to figure out if a section of local Jehadis has managed to forge “ties” with operatives of senior Al Qaeda leaders in Yemen.

However, New Delhi sought to downplay the latest Qaeda threat which signalled a possible attack on diplomatic missions in the capital, with the Centre choosing to dismiss the warning as an “extended threat”.

Qaeda-sponsored terror attacks, according to the video, would be orchestrated to avenge US-led actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But a possible Qaeda imprint on last year’s commuter train bombings has sent officials here on the trail of “operatives” who may be owing allegiance to members of Osama bin Laden’s group.

Sources in the security establishment told DNA a Qaeda threat can’t really be dismissed. More so, in view of National Security Adviser MK Narayanan’s recent statement that the terror group has successfully performed “dummy runs” in parts of the country.

Infiltration by operatives from Yemen-based terror groups is the newest threat to the nation.Intelligence sources said the security scene is particularly grim in Mumbai as it remains a perennial soft target for Jehadis.

There has been a spate of reports suggesting possibilities of “high-impact” terror strikes in Mumbai, and that known groups may league up with hitherto “lesser-known” entities to target business installations and civilian population.

“The threat is as much to Mumbai as for cities such as Tel Aviv, Moscow and New Delhi,” said an Intelligence official.

MSOJ:

12/26/2006 04:24:18 PM
Yemen, Algeria, reports may prompt Centre to issue Goa terror alert
[INDIAN EXPRESS]

Published Date: December 26, 2006

The Centre is considering issuing a New Year terror alert to Goa. This comes after Indian missions in West Asia and North Africa reported that intelligence inputs warning of a terror strike in Goa tallied with information obtained from interrogation of members of Islamic militant groups arrested in these regions. The Centre is now mulling directions to the state government seeking all steps to keep the tourist destination – particularly beaches and night clubs – secure during festivities leading up to and including New Year’s Day. Sources said Indian missions in Yemen, Algeria and Saudi Arabia had been asked to follow up intelligence inputs after Israel’s advisory on Goa earlier this month. These inputs were based on information after the arrest of Yemenese and Algerian militants in Jeddah, which showed that militant groups had done a recce of popular spots in Goa. A laptop with them had detailed plans of a possible militant strike, intelligence sources said. It is learnt that the Indian mission had checked with the countries and gone through interrogation reports of the arrested militants for corroboration. Sources said some of the information tallied and this was cause for concern. Officially, the threat is being downplayed. Goa Director General of Police B S Brar told The Indian Express: “Goa is safe, there is no threat.” Among the measures the state police has put in place are patrol parties along the beaches and other popular tourist spots in Goa, Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs), checkposts at entry points from neighbouring states and commandos in vans across the city. On December 13, Israel had issued an alert, saying a “concrete threat” existed for Goa during late December and over the New Year in light of terrorist threats by Al-Qaeda. Israeli nationals were advised to avoid staying in Goa during this period.

SANA’A, June 11 — Yemeni students in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) continued their sit-it for the fourteenth day running despite harsh weather conditions, as the port city has been bombarded with monsoon rains. Protesting students said that the decision to continue the sit-in was a reaction to the Yemeni Ministry of Higher Education’s ignorance of their predicament.

Around 300 protesters demanded the implementation of the President Saleh’s directive issued on 18 February 2005 that augmented financial assistance granted to the students. Yemenis studying in India live in difficult circumstances that have been aggravated by the state of India’s economy. India’s economic turnaround effected a retreat of the American dollar relative to the Indian rupee leading to a rise in the cost of rent, student expenses, and the general cost of living. Students say that they are unable to afford the costs associated with studying and research.

Protesters at the sit-in demanded payment of student fees to Indian universities, noting that grants originating from the Ministry of Higher Education are retained by the cultural attaché at the Yemeni embassy for years. Often, this practice has led students to terminate their studies due to lack of funding.

Nas Press published news that said a delegation of students met with Mustapha Noman, the Yemeni Ambassador to India, and discussed their demands with him. In turn, he referred the matter to the Ministry of Higher Education in Yemen. According to student spokespersons, the Ministry has ignored the ambassador’s communication.

Indian police granted Yemenis studying in India permission to hold their protest rally in front of the Yemeni Consulate General in Mumbai and have provided them with tents to protect themselves against the weather.