WASHINGTON (AFP) /NEW YORK (DPA) – Egypt’s Finance Minister Samir Radwan apologized on Friday (yesterday in Manila) for any instance of “harsh treatment” of journalists as civil unrest continues in Cairo and other parts of the country.
The Committee to Protect Journalists reported the death of an Egyptian journalist from a bullet wound suffered while covering events in Cairo’s Tahrir Square last January 28.
In an interview with CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight,” Radwan said: “I would apologize to any journalist or any foreigner or any Egyptian for that matter that has been subjected to this harsh treatment.”
The newly appointed minister was reacting to reports of incidents involving government security forces allegedly manhandling journalists at scenes of unrest.
“I inquired and I was told that there is zero tolerance, zero tolerance of this government on attacks against foreigners, let alone journalists whom we need to have them on our side, to watch this situation unfold and convey a much better image to the outside world,” he said.
Ahmad Mohamed Mahmoud, who was working for the newspaper al- Ta’awun, was hit by what the newspaper described as sniper fire while filming a confrontation between security forces and protestors on January 28 near Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
His death Friday was the first by a journalist covering the unrest in Egypt, according to the New York-based non-governmental organization.
Numerous journalists from around the world have been detained or assaulted while covering the protests in Egypt with the rate of incidents targeting media soaring since Thursday.
“It is stupefying that the government continues to send out thugs and plainclothes police to attack journalists and to ransack media bureaus,’’ said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, the committee’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator.
Radwan acknowledge the protestors that have mounted massive protests across Egypt in recent days had “fair demands.’’
“They are talking about jobs. They are talking about corruption. They are talking about, you know, the freedom and so on... Now the fact that there are other political agenda that interfered with the situation and unfortunately on Wednesday the situation turned a bit nasty.’’
Egypt’s defiant strongman Hosni Mubarak meanwhile Friday showed no sign of quitting following a “departure day’’ on Friday that drew tens of thousands opposed to his 30-year grip on power and international calls for him to quit.
US President Barack Obama meanwhile hinted that Mubarak should step down saying the “patriot’’ should “listen what is voiced by the people,’’ while EU leaders clearly said it was time for change.
French journalists missing
Egyptian authorities have arrested Al-Jazeera’s bureau chief and one of its journalists in Cairo, the Doha-based television channel said, amid anti-government protests in the capital.
“Egypt’s security services have arrested Al-Jazeera bureau chief in Cairo Abdel Fattah Fayed and the journalist Ahmed Yousef,” the pan-Arab channel, banned since last Sunday from operating in Egypt, reported on its website.
The arrests came a day after Al-Jazeera said that its offices in the capital had been burned by a “gang of thugs’’ and its website hacked by “opponents of the pro-democracy movement in Egypt.’’
In Paris, French cable television channel Canal+ said two French journalists working for the station in Egypt had been missing for more than 24 hours.
Canal+ said the two journalists were detained by armed men in Cairo on Thursday, along with several human rights workers, including a representative of Amnesty International and another person working for New York-based Human Rights Watch.
The station had no news of the journalists since.
DFA prepares 2nd batch of Filipinos from Egypt
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Saturday it will repatriate a second batch of Filipinos from tension-filled Cairo in Egypt early next week even as the first batch arrived home.
DFA Spokesperson Ed Malaya said that the final tally for first batch, scheduled to leave Egypt at 6:55 p.m. Saturday (Cairo time), is 26 Filipinos, down from the initial number of 27.
“Some changed their minds (about leaving), while some decided to join the trip back to the Philippines,” Malaya said, explaining the slight change in number.
This first batch of repatriates consists of Filipino scholars from Al Azhar University and their families, three nurses from Dar Al Faoud Hospital, and household service workers.
The Philippine Embassy in Egypt received assistance from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) office in Cairo in securing arrangements for the flight.
As for the second batch of Filipinos, Malaya said that it would “most likely” be composed of around 20 Filipinos who would be repatriated either this coming Monday or Tuesday. Like the initial batch, Malaya said that the second batch is composed of Filipino community members in Cairo who availed of the Philippine government’s offer of voluntary repatriation.
Meanwhile, Vice President Jejomar C. Binay called on the United Nations (UN) to issue a strong statement calling for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict in one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East.
In a statement from Washington, D.C. where he is on official mission, Binay said that even if the Philippine Embassy in Cairo is doing its best to reach out to Filipinos in Egypt, there is a need for a higher level of vigilance and preparedness.
Binay, who also serves as Presidential Adviser on OFW affairs, said that the international community must take a more pro-active stance particularly as lives of journalists and innocent civilians including tourists and foreign workers remain under threat as protest actions against the present leadership continue to escalate.
Malacañang assured that the government stands ready to assist Filipinos who will be repatriated from Egypt seek income opportunities.
“We have reintegration programs, TESDA provides skills training, there are also entrepreneurship programs,” Carandang said.
As for those who opted to stay in Egypt, Carandang advised them to stay away from places of protests.
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