Pakistan police rescue chained students from madrasa

Pakistani police say dozens of students were at the Madrasa Zakarya, an Islamic seminary, in Karachi. Several were reportedly chained in a basement, denied food and pressured to join the Taliban.

by Nasir Khan and Mark Magnier, Los Angeles Times

December 13, 2011

Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan, and New Delhi

Pakistani police rescued about 68 students from an Islamic seminary in Karachi, several of whom were reportedly chained in a basement, denied food and pressured to join the Taliban, officials said Tuesday.

It wasn't immediately clear why the students, some as young as 12 and some in their 40s, were subjected to such treatment. But police, who conducted the raid late Monday after a tip from neighbors, told local news media that some of the students were drug addicts sent there by parents or other relatives unaware of the horrible conditions.

TV reports showed boys and men constrained by heavy chains on their ankles. Other shots showed several celebrating after being freed.

"They gave us jihad training," one of the students told television reporters. "They warned us if we ever tried to escape, we would be severely punished."

At least two staff members at the Madrasa Zakarya were arrested, although the leader of the seminary in Karachi's Sohrab Goth neighborhood reportedly escaped. The Interior Ministry has ordered an investigation.

"These young people were chained," Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters. "They were brainwashed. The aggression these people felt toward society, other people, you can't expect them to feel particularly positive."

Government statistics suggest there are more than 15,000 madrasas , or religious schools, in Pakistan educating about 2 million students. Most parents who send their children to madrasas , some of which have a reputation for fomenting extremism, do so because they generally cost less than other schools, provide meals and have teachers who show up.

Nazish Brohi, a sociologist and women's rights activist in Karachi, said corporal punishment and abuse happen in mainstream schools as well as madrasas , even though such conduct is illegal.

"The problem is that all efforts at regulating madrasas have failed," she said, adding that the government isn't very strong on oversight over all sorts of institutions.

Although there has been slight improvement in madrasa oversight — largely focused on trying to prevent them from sending their students to Afghanistan or Pakistani tribal areas to become fighters — it hasn't extended to the curriculum or the quality of education, experts said.

"This isn't the first time they've found students chained, although it may be the first time it's been running live on TV," Brohi said. "My concern, with the shock and horror of this case, is that people will focus on this one incident rather than the wider issue of oversight."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-madrasa-20111214,0,6305366,print.story

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Cellphone ban while driving? The tragedies behind the issue

Eleven texts in 11 minutes from behind the wheel -- then two were dead and 38 injured. A deadly Missouri incident was cited Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board as the panel urged a total ban on cellphone use while driving.

Such a ban (exceptions would be made for emergencies) would go far beyond what states now have in place. Currently, no state has a ban on all cellphone use by all drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety Assn., although some prohibit cellphone use by certain drivers.

Novice drivers are banned from using cellphones while driving in 30 states and the District of Columbia. School bus drivers can't use cellphones in 19 states and D.C. when they have passengers. States are tougher on texting while driving: 35 plus D.C. ban the practice.

In the Missouri incident in August 2010, about 50 students, mostly from a high school band, were headed to a Six Flags park when they were part of a pileup that, the NTSB says, was caused by a 19-year-old driver who sent or received 11 texts directly before his pickup hit the back of a tractor truck.

One school bus then slammed into the pickup, riding up over the smaller vehicle, according to the Kansas City Star. Then the second bus rammed into the first. The pickup driver and a 15-year-old on one of the buses died.

The NTSB can't force states to ban cellphone use by drivers, but the Associated Press notes that its recommendations carry weight with federal and state officials.

Among other cases the NTSB has investigated: In Chatsworth, 25 people died in a 2008 train collision involving texting by an engineer.

NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman last year called the texting by engineer Robert Sanchez "egregious." The contracted Metrolink engineer had been counseled about the issue before the wreck, she said, but continued "in a pattern of behavior that was unsafe on a regular basis."

Then there was a fatal accident in July 2010 on the Delaware River near Philadelphia. A tugboat pilot who was using his cellphone and laptop crashed into a sightseeing "duck boat." More than 30 tourists on the small vessel fell overboard, and two of them died.

Last month, the tugboat's captain, Matthew Devlin, was sentenced to one year and one day for misconduct of a ship operator causing death.

He had pleaded guilty to the crime. He said in court, according to Reuters: "I just wish I could take it all back."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/

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California DUI deaths drop to record low

California also marks the biggest single-year decline in DUI deaths in 14 years. Officials credit safety campaigns.

by Angel Jennings, Los Angeles Times

December 14, 2011

The number of alcohol-related fatalities on California highways dropped to a record low last year, with the biggest single-year drop in DUI deaths in 14 years, according to a federal report released Tuesday.

The drop was largely attributable to federally funded anti-drunk driving campaigns, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

Alcohol contributed to 791 deaths in the state in 2010, a nearly 17% decline from the 950 deaths in 2009.

"Education is the key thing we use to inform the public about the reality and dangers of drunk driving," said Officer Mike Harris, a public information officer for the California Highway Patrol. "We develop programs and different awareness campaigns. Put all those things together and it's bound to have an impact."

Trends show that DUI deaths in the state increased annually from 1998 to 2005 but have decreased every year since then.

Officials attribute the recent sharp decline to an increase in the number of DUI checkpoints, a practice that allow police to stop cars in designated areas in search of drivers under the influence.

In 2010, the federal government beefed up the budget for drunk driving checkpoints. The Office of Traffic Safety allocated $16.8 million in federal funds to law enforcement agencies to conduct 2,553 DUI checkpoints last year, up from the $11.7 million allocated for 1,740 checkpoints in 2009.

In Costa Mesa, police are moving away from DUI checkpoints and toward saturation patrols, which target impaired drivers, both as a cost-saving measure and because of direction from the City Council.

Saturation patrols require half as many police officers as checkpoints and allow officers to respond to emergency calls at other locations. Councilwoman Wendy Leece said it's a better fit for the recently reduced Police Department.

Chief Tom Gazsi said saturation patrols are more effective for catching drunk drivers, whereas checkpoints are more of an educational service.

Officials said the state endorses many tactics to combat drunk driving, including saturation patrol. However, it prefers DUI checkpoints because of the high deterrence rate, said Chris Cochran, a spokesman for the California Office of Traffic Safety.

"Saturation patrols arrest more drunk drivers," Cochran said. "DUI checkpoints save more lives. Our end product is to save lives."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dui-deaths-20111214,0,3281508,print.story

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Donations sought for inmate Christmas toy-making program

The tradition of making Christmas toys is a tradition that dates back 50 years.

Every year during the holidays, some county inmates at Pitchess Detention Center and South Facility spend hours carving out wooden toys from blocks of wood and constructing cloth dolls from plain fabric.

This year, they plan to make 150 wooden cars, trucks and helicopters, as well as 1,400 cloth dolls.

Sheriff Lee Baca was expected to visit the Belvedere Early Education Center in East Los Angeles on Tuesday morning to present some of the handmade toys and dolls to children.

Sheriff's officials are asking residents and merchants to donate raw materials. People interested in donating doll materials should call Gloria Welsh at (323) 568-4500, and anyone with wooden toy materials should contact Sgt. Gerri McCorkle at (661) 295-8805.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/jailers-make-toys-for-needy-children-during-the-holidays.html

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