Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 15 March 2018
China tells Vatican of crackdown on underground transplants

By NICOLE WINFIELD dation, provided the data derground trade, mostly in via their communications medical privacy and ethi-
ROME (AP) — Chinese as part of China's years- kidneys, isn't conducted in and social media. To crack cal concerns. The Vatican
health authorities have told long effort to convince the hospitals but in remote civil- down on transplant tour- conference was closed to
a Vatican trafficking con- international medical com- ian, non-medical facilities. ism, he said China had pro- the news media. Last year,
ference that Beijing's efforts munity that it no longer har- "This kind of underground posed international infor- at a similar conference,
to crack down on illegal vests organs from executed activity — they're getting mation sharing agreements Wang and the head of Chi-
"underground" organ trans- prisoners. At a news confer- smarter, so it's difficult to to identify patients on na- na's program, Dr. Dr Huang
plants have resulted in 220 ence Wednesday, he reaf- identify," he said. To com- tional wait list registries so Jiefu, engaged in spirited
arrests and 100 victims be- firmed that the organ har- bat it, Wang said the health countries can be alerted debate with trafficking ex-
ing rescued over the past vesting practice officially ministry and police had re- at customs if the patients perts who pressed China to
10 years. stopped in 2015 and that cently initiated a surveil- are arriving for possible ille- allow independent inspec-
Dr. Haibo Wang, deputy China is now working to lance program to track gal transplants. But he ac- tions to ensure China's pro-
chief of China's organ do- prevent illegal transplant transplant candidates with knowledged the proposal gram meets international
nation and transplant foun- activity. He said the un- potential organ brokers is controversial because of standards.q
Duterte withdrawing Philippines from Int’l Criminal Court

worse human rights situa- do not amount to crimes
tion in the country. Others against humanity, geno-
called the move a foreign cide or similar atrocities.
policy blunder that could "The so-called war against
embolden China to scoff drugs is lawfully directed
at Manila's victory in an in- against drug lords and
ternational arbitration case pushers who have for many
against Beijing over con- years destroyed the pres-
tested territories. ent generation, specially
An ICC prosecutor an- the youth," Duterte said in
nounced last month that a 15-page statement ex-
she was opening a pre- plaining his legal position.
liminary examination into "The deaths occurring in
possible crimes against hu- the process of legitimate
manity over alleged extra- police operation lacked
judicial killings in Duterte's the intent to kill," Duterte
drug crackdown, angering said. "The self-defense em-
the president. ployed by the police of-
Duterte said Wednesday ficers when their lives be-
that the court cannot have came endangered by the
jurisdiction over him be- violent resistance of the
cause the Philippine Sen- suspects is a justifying cir-
ate's ratification in 2011 cumstance under our crimi-
of the Rome Statute that nal law, hence, they do not
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte addresses troops in suburban Quezon city northeast of Ma- established the court was incur criminal liability."
nila, Philippines. Duterte said Wednesday that his country is withdrawing its ratification of a world never publicized as re- Duterte also invoked presi-
treaty that created the International Criminal Court, where he’s facing a possible complaint for
crimes against humanity. quired by law. He called dential immunity from law-
(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) the failure to make the rati- suits, which he said prevents
fication public a "glaring the ICC from investigating
By JIM GOMEZ drawing its ratification of a his anti-drug crackdown. and fatal error." him while he is in office.
Associated Press treaty that created the In- Critics expressed shock at Thousands of mostly poor The president renewed his
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — ternational Criminal Court, Duterte's decision, saying drug suspects have been verbal attacks against U.N.
President Rodrigo Duterte where he is facing a pos- he was trying to escape killed under Duterte's drug human rights officials who
announced Wednesday sible complaint over thou- accountability and fear- crackdown. He argued have expressed alarm over
that the Philippines is with- sands of suspects killed in ing it could foster an even Wednesday that the killings the massive killings.q

Nepal plane crash survivors say it’s a miracle they’re alive

By B. GURUBACHARYA to land at Kathmandu’s “My husband saved my Pandey, adding that he huge sound.
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) airport, said her husband life.” Huggain’s brother-in- does not remember much Among the 22 who sur-
— Survivors of this week’s saved her life. law died in the crash. but believes he was eject- vived, two have gone
plane crash at Nepal’s “I thought I was going to Another passenger, Nepal- ed from the plane when it home, while the others
main airport said Wednes- die because I inhaled a lot ese travel entrepreneur Ke- broke on impact. were being treated at vari-
day that it was a miracle of smoke, but I did not want shav Pandey, said he was Huggain and Pandey re- ous hospitals in Kathmandu,
they survived an accident to die,” Huggain said from lucky to survive with only called the flight being Nepal’s capital. Ten of the
that killed 49 of the 71 peo- her hospital bed, recalling injuries. “I have not heard mostly smooth all the way injured were at the Kath-
ple on board. how she was pinned in her of many people surviving a from Bangladesh’s capital, mandu Medical College
Shorna Huggain of Bangla- seat after the crash. plane crash, but it is a mir- Dhaka, to Kathmandu, but Hospital, where Dr. Rajeev
desh, who was a passen- “Finally, my husband was acle that I am alive,” Pan- said that before the crash, Manandhar said Wednes-
ger on the US-Bangla Air- able to pull me out of the dey said. “I guess I lived be- the aircraft violently shook, day that seven were in sta-
lines flight when it crashed plane, and moments later it cause the plane crashed tilting toward the left and ble condition and three in
Monday while attempting burst into flames,” she said. on open grounds,” said hitting the ground with a critical condition.q