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[mob] [Fwd: Death by Kite]
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Death by Kite
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 13:30:42 -0700
From: R. A. Hettinga <[email protected]>
To: Philodox Clips <[email protected]>
From: Jon Callas <[email protected]>
From: Matthew Brown <[email protected]>
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2978988.stm
Kite flyers in Pakistan's Punjab Province will face murder charges and a
possible death penalty if their sharpened strings cause more deaths. Several
people have had their throats cut this year by strings that are either
metallic or coated with abrasive materials.
Police throughout the province have now been instructed to treat such deaths
as murder cases.
Kite flyers use metallic strings or coat them with glass shards to take part
in "dog fights" where the objective is to cut their opponent's string.
The Punjab chief minister's adviser on law and human rights, Rana Ejaz Ahmad
Khan, announced the move on Tuesday.
Mr Khan said dangerous kite flying practices had forced the government to
take this extreme measure.
Some of the victims were young children, he said.
Basant festival
Mr Khan said the government had the authority to count chemically-finished
and metallic strings as offensive weapons.
Police have been instructed to carry out raids on shops selling banned
strings and make arrests, Mr Khan said.
Kite flying reaches its climax during the Basant festival at the beginning
of spring but is a popular pastime all year round.
The kites pose a particular threat to motorcyclists and pedestrians in busy
residential areas and have also been known to cause power cuts by
interfering with electricity lines.
People have also been killed or injured falling from buildings or by walking
into the paths of cars while flying kites or gazing at them in the sky.
--- end forwarded text
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R. A. Hettinga <mailto: [email protected]>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'