freepalestine
5th August 2012, 05:51
Leave Hashish Alone!
Leave Hashish Alone!
http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/5cols/leading_images/Hashish_Amin_pic_1.jpg
A farmer shouts as she stands near burned tires in a street during a protest against the government's use of tractors to uproot hashish plants in Bouday village, near Baalbak city, 23 July 2012. (Photo: Reuters - Ahmed Shalha)
By: Ibrahim al-Amin
Published Saturday, August 4, 2012
Given the Lebanese tendency for random acts of solidarity, there ought to be mass demonstrations in Beirut tonight in support of the people of the Baalbak-Hermel district.
This time, it should not only be the poor who demonstrate. There is no need for tire-burning or blocking roads in Beirut or the provinces by the touffar (outlaws) hiding out in the mountains, or their children living in the alleyways of the capital’s northern or southern suburbs.
This time, we ought to see ‘original’ Lebanese take to the streets in their thousands, even tens of thousands – from the districts of Gemmayze, Monot, Hamra, Raouche and Ain al-Mreisseh; from the various parts of Solidere-land, old and new; and from all of the nightspots, open or underground, which dot the coast from Tyre in the South to Chekka in the North.
This time, the protest should be joined by contingents of resident foreigners, including diplomats, intelligence agents and journalists – and also by our fellow Arabs from the Gulf states who refused to heed their governments’ orders or advice not to visit Lebanon.
They should all take to the streets in protest at the damage done to their interests – and their moods – by the ongoing destruction of the hashish crop in the Bekaa Valley.This time, much of our country’s elite should join in too, be they the shining stars of Beirut's nightlife, former or future MPs and ministers, or office-holders in every department, agency or branch of the state and from every part of the country.
They should all take to the streets, individually or in groups, and march to the headquarters of the Drug Enforcement Bureau, or to army and gendarmerie barracks, in protest at the damage done to their interests – and their moods – by the ongoing destruction of the hashish crop in the Bekaa Valley.
They should take up the cry in unison: For my sake... For Lebanon’s sake... Stop destroying hashish!
Nobody in our country could reject the authority of a genuine state. Nobody wants the agencies that represent the authority and power of the state to be trashed and humiliated constantly. Nobody opposes the enforcement of the public law.
But what this country has witnessed since its illusory independence – through hot and cold civil wars, to the traumatic birth-pangs we are currently experiencing – has smartened us up a bit. This has prevented us from being trodden on daily, or from turning into dreamers awaiting the great day of judgement whose onset would relieve all God’s creatures.
All our past experiences have shown us that the collective mind in Lebanon is dominated by cronyism, trickery, half-truths and suchlike. Like a game of Russian roulette, all depends on luck, and those who have none need not bother.
I tried hashish once but was admitted to hospital because, according to a sworn expert, I didn’t ingest it properly. Yet I share the view of the majority of Lebanese who do not partake of this substance, but either resort to chemical drugs which have the same effect in order to cope with life in the land of unending insanity, or cannot afford the medical equivalent. What the state does annually in the northern Bekaa should be considered a crime.
There is no cure for the growing misery. The provisions of the law cannot feed the hungry. There are no national policies to provide for the needy or sick. And there are not enough fatwas in all the religions to persuade people to accept penury and humiliation.
The majority of Lebanese who do not partake of this substance resort to chemical drugs which have the same effect.None of our statesmen can persuade us that the authorities in Turkey, Morocco and Afghanistan are better able than us at getting the world to pay compensation for halting the planting of hashish.
No one can convince us that the money earmarked for alternative crops doesn’t go into the pockets of charlatans, who get their personal supplies of hashish by sending their errand-boys to roadsides near Yammouneh late at night to buy it. Nobody can persuade us that the foreign parties concerned have our interests at heart, when their representatives in Lebanon ask their Lebanese chauffeurs to ensure they get Baalbaki hashish because it’s the best in the world.
So let’s have no more phoney displays of heroism from this government, like those that its predecessor staged and its successors will attempt. Let the army and police go where they ought to, and raid the palatial dens of the gangsters who rob the country and deprive it of electricity, water, schools and hospitals. Let the security forces go after the corrupt, whose identities they know name by name.
The truth is bitter, hard perhaps for anyone to accept, but we can still entreat:
No one can convince us that the money earmarked for alternative crops doesn’t go into the pockets of charlatans.God, protect the touffar, and help them evade the eyes of the informers – official and unofficial!
God, divert the wheels of the army and police trucks heading for the area!
God, make the green fields invisible to those who would turn them into the color of ash and death!
God, plant the fear of the farmers in the hearts of their persecutors, and free the poor peasants from fear of unjust authority!
God, bring down your wrath on the chastity-preaching harlots of our age... and deprive them of hashish!
God, tie the tongues of the media and journalists, truth-tellers and liars alike, and make all the television channels repeat the lyrics of Hermel’s touffar rap crew. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez27ZvOcOR8)
Amen!
Ibrahim al-Amin is editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/leave-hashish-alone
ez27ZvOcOR8
Yammouneh Rises: Hashish is Our Livelihood
Yammouneh Rises: Hashish is Our Livelihood
http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/5cols/leading_images/Lebanon_Hashish_Main_pic_1.jpg
A soldier and a policeman secure a field as a man uses a tractor to uproot hashish plants in Boday village, near Baalbak city, 23 July 2012. (Photo: Reuters - Ahmed Shalha)
By: Rameh Hamieh
Published Saturday, August 4, 2012
Clashes erupted yesterday in the town of Yammouneh in the Bekaa valley between local hashish farmers and security forces. The farmers in the largely marginalized region are fiercely defending their crops as they are their only source of income.
Security forces charged with destroying hashish crops in Baalbak-Hermel in the northern Bekaa had another rough day. So did the residents of the town of Yammouneh.
The townspeople stayed in their homes from early in the morning following violent clashes between hash farmers and the eradication force.
Hash farmers decided to “defend their livelihoods” using all necessary means, including light and medium weapons. “We will continue the confrontation until they stop destroying,” they say.
At the same time, it seems that the security forces are determined to destroy the fields of illegal crops at any price.
Threats and warnings from hash growers became explicit yesterday morning. Forces from the Central Office of Drug Control, Internal Security Forces, and the Lebanese Army, accompanied with tractors were heading towards the town of Yammouneh to destroy its hash crops through the Deir al-Ahmar - Ainata road.
The forces were hit by an explosive device placed on the side of the main road in al-Eyara district near the town of al-Mchitieh. Three B7 rockets were fired by gunmen hiding in the trees on a surrounding hillside.
It seems that the security forces are determined to destroy the fields of illegal crops at any price.An army major was wounded in the neck and an army personnel carrier was damaged, a security source told Al-Akhbar.
Simultaneously, armed men in two Jeeps attacked the police and judiciary police stations in Baalbak. They fired light weapons and PKM medium caliber machine guns. Two policemen standing at the entrance were injured – ISF First Adjutant AA was hit in the neck and Sergeant MR was struck in the legs and waist.
The assailants escaped and the two injured policemen were taken to a nearby hospital where “their conditions are medically stable,” according to medical sources.
Some of the tractor owners who were part of the eradication force decided not to continue. Several managed to leave while others were forced to remain by security forces.
Lebanese army reinforcements arrived at the scene of the roadside bomb and then the combined forces headed towards Yammouneh. When they reached the town, fierce clashes erupted between the army and hash farmers.
The battle lasted for 45 minutes and saw the use of light and medium weapons, in addition to B7 rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rockets. A Lebanese army soldier was injured and taken to a hospital in the area.
Another bomb exploded under a bridge inside the town, damaging a tractor. A large bulldozer intended for destroying the crops was hit by a mortar round.
As the clashes continued, clouds of smoke appeared over the town of Dar al-Wasea, overlooking Yammouneh. The fire resulted from several rockets that fell in the forest outside the town.
Civil Defense firefighters arrived promptly to put out the fire, which was spreading fast due to the dry grass and strong wind.
Due to the strength of the attack, the security force was stopped at the northeastern entrance of Yammouneh.
The army brought in additional reinforcements and closed off the town from the Ainata - Deir al-Ahmar and the Dar al-Wasea - Shlifa sides. It then proceeded to initiate negotiations with the farmers.
“The situation is extremely dangerous,” a security source told Al-Akhbar. “We were told of large numbers of armed men inside the town and the surrounding hillsides. More than 200 people are equipped with medium weapons in order to stop the security forces from destroying the hash.”
Following several hours of negotiations, an agreement was reached by mid-morning to allow a “limited” operation to wipe several fields on the outskirts of Yammouneh. Two army helicopters flew over the hillsides, chasing some of the attackers and armed men.
The town residents disclosed the presence of “almost 500 armed men, mostly from Baalbak-Hermel villages, in Yammouneh and Dar al-Wasea. They are here to prevent the destruction of our livelihoods and our children’s sustenance.”Meanwhile in the town of Yammouneh, the streets have been empty since the morning. Residents remained at home following instructions from the farmers through loudspeakers warning them not to move around for safety reasons.
A town official confirmed the “failure of attempts to calm things down.” The farmers are furious about attempts to destroy their fields, considered this their “livelihood source.”
“The farmers warned their families so as to keep them safe from harm,” he said. The town residents disclosed the presence of “almost 500 armed men, mostly from Baalbak-Hermel villages, in Yammouneh and Dar al-Wasea. They are here to prevent the destruction of our livelihoods and our children’s sustenance.”
Tracked army vehicles had already begun destroying some hash fields. They were followed by members of the drug office, the ISF, and the tractors.
The Yammouneh source said that one of the main conditions of the agreement that allowed the destruction of the crops was that “the Central Office of Drug Control and the tractors stay out of the operation and that it is conducted by the army.”
He stressed that, beginning today, “there will no longer be any hash eradications operations at all... Yesterday, we were generous. But today, we will not allow them to destroy what we had toiled for.”
“We might allow them to do so if they paid the farmers compensation for the loss of their income. Stop taking people for fools with all the talk about alternative crops or alternative agricultural policies,” he elaborated on the subject.
Speaking to Al-Akhbar, a security source maintained that the eradication operation will continue without confirming whether it will include the fields of Yammouneh and Dar al-Wasea.
He explained that “collected information shows that the armed men in both towns are ready for a fierce confrontation by all means at their disposal.”
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/yammouneh-rises-hashish-our-livelihood
Leave Hashish Alone!
http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/5cols/leading_images/Hashish_Amin_pic_1.jpg
A farmer shouts as she stands near burned tires in a street during a protest against the government's use of tractors to uproot hashish plants in Bouday village, near Baalbak city, 23 July 2012. (Photo: Reuters - Ahmed Shalha)
By: Ibrahim al-Amin
Published Saturday, August 4, 2012
Given the Lebanese tendency for random acts of solidarity, there ought to be mass demonstrations in Beirut tonight in support of the people of the Baalbak-Hermel district.
This time, it should not only be the poor who demonstrate. There is no need for tire-burning or blocking roads in Beirut or the provinces by the touffar (outlaws) hiding out in the mountains, or their children living in the alleyways of the capital’s northern or southern suburbs.
This time, we ought to see ‘original’ Lebanese take to the streets in their thousands, even tens of thousands – from the districts of Gemmayze, Monot, Hamra, Raouche and Ain al-Mreisseh; from the various parts of Solidere-land, old and new; and from all of the nightspots, open or underground, which dot the coast from Tyre in the South to Chekka in the North.
This time, the protest should be joined by contingents of resident foreigners, including diplomats, intelligence agents and journalists – and also by our fellow Arabs from the Gulf states who refused to heed their governments’ orders or advice not to visit Lebanon.
They should all take to the streets in protest at the damage done to their interests – and their moods – by the ongoing destruction of the hashish crop in the Bekaa Valley.This time, much of our country’s elite should join in too, be they the shining stars of Beirut's nightlife, former or future MPs and ministers, or office-holders in every department, agency or branch of the state and from every part of the country.
They should all take to the streets, individually or in groups, and march to the headquarters of the Drug Enforcement Bureau, or to army and gendarmerie barracks, in protest at the damage done to their interests – and their moods – by the ongoing destruction of the hashish crop in the Bekaa Valley.
They should take up the cry in unison: For my sake... For Lebanon’s sake... Stop destroying hashish!
Nobody in our country could reject the authority of a genuine state. Nobody wants the agencies that represent the authority and power of the state to be trashed and humiliated constantly. Nobody opposes the enforcement of the public law.
But what this country has witnessed since its illusory independence – through hot and cold civil wars, to the traumatic birth-pangs we are currently experiencing – has smartened us up a bit. This has prevented us from being trodden on daily, or from turning into dreamers awaiting the great day of judgement whose onset would relieve all God’s creatures.
All our past experiences have shown us that the collective mind in Lebanon is dominated by cronyism, trickery, half-truths and suchlike. Like a game of Russian roulette, all depends on luck, and those who have none need not bother.
I tried hashish once but was admitted to hospital because, according to a sworn expert, I didn’t ingest it properly. Yet I share the view of the majority of Lebanese who do not partake of this substance, but either resort to chemical drugs which have the same effect in order to cope with life in the land of unending insanity, or cannot afford the medical equivalent. What the state does annually in the northern Bekaa should be considered a crime.
There is no cure for the growing misery. The provisions of the law cannot feed the hungry. There are no national policies to provide for the needy or sick. And there are not enough fatwas in all the religions to persuade people to accept penury and humiliation.
The majority of Lebanese who do not partake of this substance resort to chemical drugs which have the same effect.None of our statesmen can persuade us that the authorities in Turkey, Morocco and Afghanistan are better able than us at getting the world to pay compensation for halting the planting of hashish.
No one can convince us that the money earmarked for alternative crops doesn’t go into the pockets of charlatans, who get their personal supplies of hashish by sending their errand-boys to roadsides near Yammouneh late at night to buy it. Nobody can persuade us that the foreign parties concerned have our interests at heart, when their representatives in Lebanon ask their Lebanese chauffeurs to ensure they get Baalbaki hashish because it’s the best in the world.
So let’s have no more phoney displays of heroism from this government, like those that its predecessor staged and its successors will attempt. Let the army and police go where they ought to, and raid the palatial dens of the gangsters who rob the country and deprive it of electricity, water, schools and hospitals. Let the security forces go after the corrupt, whose identities they know name by name.
The truth is bitter, hard perhaps for anyone to accept, but we can still entreat:
No one can convince us that the money earmarked for alternative crops doesn’t go into the pockets of charlatans.God, protect the touffar, and help them evade the eyes of the informers – official and unofficial!
God, divert the wheels of the army and police trucks heading for the area!
God, make the green fields invisible to those who would turn them into the color of ash and death!
God, plant the fear of the farmers in the hearts of their persecutors, and free the poor peasants from fear of unjust authority!
God, bring down your wrath on the chastity-preaching harlots of our age... and deprive them of hashish!
God, tie the tongues of the media and journalists, truth-tellers and liars alike, and make all the television channels repeat the lyrics of Hermel’s touffar rap crew. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez27ZvOcOR8)
Amen!
Ibrahim al-Amin is editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/leave-hashish-alone
ez27ZvOcOR8
Yammouneh Rises: Hashish is Our Livelihood
Yammouneh Rises: Hashish is Our Livelihood
http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/5cols/leading_images/Lebanon_Hashish_Main_pic_1.jpg
A soldier and a policeman secure a field as a man uses a tractor to uproot hashish plants in Boday village, near Baalbak city, 23 July 2012. (Photo: Reuters - Ahmed Shalha)
By: Rameh Hamieh
Published Saturday, August 4, 2012
Clashes erupted yesterday in the town of Yammouneh in the Bekaa valley between local hashish farmers and security forces. The farmers in the largely marginalized region are fiercely defending their crops as they are their only source of income.
Security forces charged with destroying hashish crops in Baalbak-Hermel in the northern Bekaa had another rough day. So did the residents of the town of Yammouneh.
The townspeople stayed in their homes from early in the morning following violent clashes between hash farmers and the eradication force.
Hash farmers decided to “defend their livelihoods” using all necessary means, including light and medium weapons. “We will continue the confrontation until they stop destroying,” they say.
At the same time, it seems that the security forces are determined to destroy the fields of illegal crops at any price.
Threats and warnings from hash growers became explicit yesterday morning. Forces from the Central Office of Drug Control, Internal Security Forces, and the Lebanese Army, accompanied with tractors were heading towards the town of Yammouneh to destroy its hash crops through the Deir al-Ahmar - Ainata road.
The forces were hit by an explosive device placed on the side of the main road in al-Eyara district near the town of al-Mchitieh. Three B7 rockets were fired by gunmen hiding in the trees on a surrounding hillside.
It seems that the security forces are determined to destroy the fields of illegal crops at any price.An army major was wounded in the neck and an army personnel carrier was damaged, a security source told Al-Akhbar.
Simultaneously, armed men in two Jeeps attacked the police and judiciary police stations in Baalbak. They fired light weapons and PKM medium caliber machine guns. Two policemen standing at the entrance were injured – ISF First Adjutant AA was hit in the neck and Sergeant MR was struck in the legs and waist.
The assailants escaped and the two injured policemen were taken to a nearby hospital where “their conditions are medically stable,” according to medical sources.
Some of the tractor owners who were part of the eradication force decided not to continue. Several managed to leave while others were forced to remain by security forces.
Lebanese army reinforcements arrived at the scene of the roadside bomb and then the combined forces headed towards Yammouneh. When they reached the town, fierce clashes erupted between the army and hash farmers.
The battle lasted for 45 minutes and saw the use of light and medium weapons, in addition to B7 rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rockets. A Lebanese army soldier was injured and taken to a hospital in the area.
Another bomb exploded under a bridge inside the town, damaging a tractor. A large bulldozer intended for destroying the crops was hit by a mortar round.
As the clashes continued, clouds of smoke appeared over the town of Dar al-Wasea, overlooking Yammouneh. The fire resulted from several rockets that fell in the forest outside the town.
Civil Defense firefighters arrived promptly to put out the fire, which was spreading fast due to the dry grass and strong wind.
Due to the strength of the attack, the security force was stopped at the northeastern entrance of Yammouneh.
The army brought in additional reinforcements and closed off the town from the Ainata - Deir al-Ahmar and the Dar al-Wasea - Shlifa sides. It then proceeded to initiate negotiations with the farmers.
“The situation is extremely dangerous,” a security source told Al-Akhbar. “We were told of large numbers of armed men inside the town and the surrounding hillsides. More than 200 people are equipped with medium weapons in order to stop the security forces from destroying the hash.”
Following several hours of negotiations, an agreement was reached by mid-morning to allow a “limited” operation to wipe several fields on the outskirts of Yammouneh. Two army helicopters flew over the hillsides, chasing some of the attackers and armed men.
The town residents disclosed the presence of “almost 500 armed men, mostly from Baalbak-Hermel villages, in Yammouneh and Dar al-Wasea. They are here to prevent the destruction of our livelihoods and our children’s sustenance.”Meanwhile in the town of Yammouneh, the streets have been empty since the morning. Residents remained at home following instructions from the farmers through loudspeakers warning them not to move around for safety reasons.
A town official confirmed the “failure of attempts to calm things down.” The farmers are furious about attempts to destroy their fields, considered this their “livelihood source.”
“The farmers warned their families so as to keep them safe from harm,” he said. The town residents disclosed the presence of “almost 500 armed men, mostly from Baalbak-Hermel villages, in Yammouneh and Dar al-Wasea. They are here to prevent the destruction of our livelihoods and our children’s sustenance.”
Tracked army vehicles had already begun destroying some hash fields. They were followed by members of the drug office, the ISF, and the tractors.
The Yammouneh source said that one of the main conditions of the agreement that allowed the destruction of the crops was that “the Central Office of Drug Control and the tractors stay out of the operation and that it is conducted by the army.”
He stressed that, beginning today, “there will no longer be any hash eradications operations at all... Yesterday, we were generous. But today, we will not allow them to destroy what we had toiled for.”
“We might allow them to do so if they paid the farmers compensation for the loss of their income. Stop taking people for fools with all the talk about alternative crops or alternative agricultural policies,” he elaborated on the subject.
Speaking to Al-Akhbar, a security source maintained that the eradication operation will continue without confirming whether it will include the fields of Yammouneh and Dar al-Wasea.
He explained that “collected information shows that the armed men in both towns are ready for a fierce confrontation by all means at their disposal.”
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/yammouneh-rises-hashish-our-livelihood