A10


EZ SU


KLMNO THE WORLD


Workers reinforce tunnel at


BY JONATHAN FRANKLIN


san jose mine, chile— Rescue work- ers on Sunday rushed to reinforce an escape tunnel that will be used to free 33 trappedminers inChile. Ifallgoesaccord- ing to plan, the firstminer is expected to be lifted to safety earlyWednesdaymorn- ing, more than two months after the accident that left themen sealed off from theworld above. Sixteen steel tubes are being inserted


into the top of the nearly 700-yard-deep shaft inaneffort toprevent the rockwalls from crumbling in and blocking the es- cape route. Using video cameras, officialswith the


PETAR KUJUNDZIC/REUTERS The military showcase on Sunday was broadcast live acrossNorthKorea. Experts say the parademay be part of a strategy to legitimize Kim Jong Eun, the heir apparent. North Korean ruler and heir attend parade


Nation lets foreign media in for massive display of military might


BY CHICO HARLAN


tokyo — North Korean leader-in-wait- ing Kim Jong Eun appeared Sunday with his father at a mass-scale military pa- rade, orchestrated to showcase Pyong- yang’s might as it builds support for another hereditary power transfer. With select foreign news media broad-


casting live, North Korea staged one of the biggest celebrations in its history. Leader Kim Jong Il and his youngest son watched from a viewing box as tens of thousands of troops — as well as tanks, missiles and rocket-propelled grenades —moved in perfect geometry through an open public square, named after North Korean founder Kim Il Sung. Kim Jong Eun, wearing a darkMaoist suit, greeted the procession with applause, salutes and the occasional smile. North Korea took unprecedented


steps to turn its Oct. 10 Workers’ Party anniversary — among its biggest holi- days — into a coming-out party for its young general, who only two weeks ago remained shrouded in mystery. Nearly 80 foreign journalists were granted ac- cess to the secretive nation. Although they followed a mandated schedule, always accompanied by official guides, they were allowed to broadcast live footage of Sunday’s events. NorthKorea typically limits dissent by


sealing off outside information, but jour- nalists staying at the Koryo Hotel also discovered two surprises: a press room and Internet access. North Korea’s brief bow to the wired


world allowed a glimpse into a nation rarely seen by outsiders. One journalist used his Twitter account to provide his personal snapshot of Kim Jong Il — taken with his Canon 60D. Another journalist, al-Jazeera China correspon- dent Melissa Chan, said via Twitter that “the North Korean IT guys at the press room really know their stuff — we’re logged on!”


from Pyongyang, Kim Jong Il drew resounding cheers from the crowd. The weakened leader, 68, who suffered a stroke in 2008, appeared to walk with a slight limp. “Kim Jong Il! Protect him to the death!” the crowd chanted, according to the Associated Press. The parade showcased a series of missiles, bannered with messages about defeating the U.S. military. Speaking at the event, military vice marshal Ri Yong Ho said, according to the AP, “If the U.S. imperialists and their followers infringe on our sovereignty and dignity even slightly, we will blow up the stronghold of their aggression with a merciless and righteous retaliatory strike by mobilizing all physical means, including self-defen- sive nuclear deterrent force, and achieve the historic task of unification.” North Korea’s pep rally coincides with


a large-scale sales job, necessary as the Kim family tries to build support for the young Kim Jong Eun in the powerful


Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Eun appeared together at May Day Stadium, where an estimated 100,000 performers — sing- ing, dancing, twirling through the air — joined for a humans-as-mass-art specta- cle.Whena spotlight shined on the Kims, the stadium roared. North Korea provided the first strong


signal of an impending father-to-son power transfer at its Sept. 28 political conference, and evidence since then has only grown. On Friday, one high-level NorthKorean party official indicated the formality of Kim Jong Eun’s rise. “Our people are honored to serve the


great presidentKimIl Sung and the great leader Kim Jong Il,” YangHyong Sop said in an interview with the AP. “Now we have the honor of serving young general Kim Jong Un.” Yang added that his country is “blessed with great leaders from generation to generation.” Leaders in Washington and Seoul are


ASSOCIATED PRESS VIA KYODO NEWS


NorthKorean ruler Kim Jong Il appeared with his youngest son, Kim Jong Eun. According to news media accounts


military and across the nation. Defectors who speak frequently to those in North Korea describe a citizenry that harbors quiet dissatisfaction over Kim Jong Eun, thought to be either 26 or 27. They think he lacks credentials, despite his four-star general rank and the high-level party titles he received two weeks ago. They believe he’s unlikely to change North Korean policies, despite food shortages and an economy dependent on Chinese aid.


Sunday’s parade, according to experts,


reveals Kim Jong Il’s strategy for legiti- mizing his heir among the 1.2 million- member military. State television carried the parade live, beaming it across the country. According to the Daily NK, a Seoul-based publication that specializes in North Korea, the Workers’ Party also plans to give people rare celebratory food rations, including cooking oil and liquor. Pyongyang’s tightly choreographed


celebration began Friday with a fire- works display in the capital.OnSaturday,


DIGEST SERBIA


Anti-gay rioters battle police Serbian riot police fought run-


ning battles Sunday with hun- dredsof far-right rioterswhotried to disrupt a gay pride march in downtown Belgrade. Several doz- enpeoplewerehurt, officials said. Thousands of police sealed off


streets in the capital, repeatedly clashing at several locations with rioters. The protesters chanted “Death


to homosexuals!” and hurledMo- lotov cocktails, bricks, rocks, glass bottles and firecrackers at riot po- lice. Police responded by firing tear gas and deploying armored vehicles to disperse the charging protesters in the heart of the capi- talevenafterthebriefpridemarch ended.


—AssociatedPress KYRGYZSTAN


Voters prepare to usher in democracy Voters turned out in force Sun-


day inKyrgyzstanto choose anew and empowered parliament that the government hopes will usher in an unprecedented era of de- mocracy. This former Soviet nation,


which hosts a vital U.S. air base near Afghanistan, is set to em- brace a parliamentary system of governance in a largely untrou- bledvote thathaswonpraise from theUnitedStates. Once the votes are counted, the


political partieswill have to begin tworking out howto share power. Under the new system, the parlia- ment will have to come to an agreement on forming a govern- ment andpick aprimeminister. —AssociatedPress


AFGHANISTAN


2NATOtroops among bomb victims Roadside bombs killed seven


people, including two NATO troops, in Afghanistan on Sunday, and a suicide bomber blew up his vehiclenearamilitaryconvoy,kill- ing a child and wounding two others. TheAfghangovernment,mean-


while, named former president Burhanuddin Rabbani as chief of a new peace council tasked with talking to insurgent groups. Daily violence continues un-


abated throughout much of Af- ghanistan. The focus of the U.S.-led war — which entered its 10th year lastweek—has been on the south, but coalition troops are increasingly fighting resilientmil- itants inthe east,west andnorth. The two NATO troops were


killed in a blast on a highway in southernAfghanistan,NATOsaid, without giving their nationalities oraspecific location.OnSaturday, four Italian troops died in a road- side blast in western Farah prov- ince.


—AssociatedPress


Sunnis give up call for Iraq pre- miership:TheSunni-backedpolit- ical coalition that narrowly won themostvotes inIraq’sparliamen- tary election appeared Sunday to be giving up its demand for the premiership, boosting the Shiite primeminister’s drive to keep his job. The stunning turnabout is sure to inflame Iraq’s minority Sunnis, whose crucial support helped the secular Iraqiya move- ment edge ahead of PrimeMinis- ter Nouri al-Maliki’s political co- alition in theMarch 7 parliamen- tary election. A key Iraqiya leader said Sunday that the party is no


longer insisting on receiving the top job as long as it gets an equal share of power in Iraq’s govern- ment.


Anti-immigrant party surges in Austria: The far right surged in local elections Sunday in Vienna, securing the biggest gains invotes and mandates after a campaign laced with anti-Islamic rhetoric. With only absentee ballots left to be counted, the anti-immigrant Freedom Party won 27.1 percent and29seats inthe regionalparlia- ment. That’s a significant boost from the 14.8 percent they gar- nered during 2005 elections, and near their record high of 27.9 per- cent,achievedin1996,whenJoerg Haiderwas at theparty’shelm.


WifeofNobelwinnerunderhouse arrest: The wife of jailed Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo has been


placed under house arrest in Bei- jing, the rights group Human Rights in China said in an e-mailed statement. Liu Xia is be- ing barred fromcontactingmedia and friends and has been told she may leave her home only when escorted in a police car, the rights groupsaid, citingLiu.


Gates reassures Asian nations on China: The United States will back up small Asian nations that feel bullied by China and will in- sist ondiplomatic solutions to ter- ritorialdisputesamongChinaand Pacific neighbors, U.S. officials said.Defense SecretaryRobertM. Gates is in Vietnam to reassure jittery Southeast Asian nations that the United States won’t cede its longtime role as the preemi- nentmilitary power in the Pacific as Chinese naval ambitions ex- pand.


—Fromnews services


watching Pyongyang’s succession pro- cess with increased interest after a report from the Institute for Science and Inter- national Security indicated that nuclear- armed North Korea is relaunching its uranium enrichment program. One South Korean official said last week that North Korea’s nuclear program is at an “alarming” level. The developments con- tradict North Korea’s message in recent weeks, when it indicated a willingness to return to six-party talks, the diplomatic process designed to encourage denucle- arization. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M.


Gates met Friday with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Tae Young, to discuss defense strategies against any possible NorthKorean aggression. After the Secu- rity ConsultativeMeeting,Kimdescribed a possibility for “instability” in North Korea if Kim Jong Il’s health deteriorates or public opposition toward the younger Kim emerges. “I believe it is the responsibility of


both the ROK [South Korea] and U.S. government to prepare for such possibil- ities,” Kim told reporters according to a transcript from theDefense Department. “The ROK and U.S. will prepare against all possible contingencies in North Ko- rea.”


harlanc@washpost.com


Chileangovernment-ledrescueoperation continued to analyze the entire length of the shaft Sunday. Those videos have also beenviewedby a teamof eight geologists. Thus far, the geologists have determined that much of the tunnel is solid rock, meaning there is a relatively low chance of itcavingin.Giventhenumerous curves in the tunnel, however, officials are wor- ried that the capsulemay become struck inthe lower sections of the shaft. “We are going to double-check every-


thing that is necessary until we are con- vinced that the system functions,” said Laurence Golborne, Chile’s mining min- ister. During telephone conversations with


the miners Sunday, rescue officials ad- vised the men that they must determine the order inwhich theywill be hauled up the rescue shaft. Jaime Manalich, the Chilean health minister, told reporters that severalmen expressed a desire to be the last to abandon the mine in what he called “a completely admirable show of solidarity.” The miners later told rescue officials,


however, that the true reason they were fightingtobe the lastoneupthe shaftwas to be listed in the Guinness World Re- cords for the longest time a miner has been trapped underground. Given the complexity of the 10-week-long rescue operation, itwould be a record thatmany consider insurmountable. Aboveground, workers on Sunday dis-


mantled a drilling rig tomake space for a platformthat will be used to support the Phoenix, the bullet-shaped rescue cap- sule thatwill hoist theminers one by one to the surface. Three specially trained Chilean Navy commandos entered and exited the capsule as they rehearsed res- cue procedures. The men also double- checked the sophisticated communica- tions gear that eachminerwillwear as he is hoisted to safety. Throughout Sunday, a caravan of


trucks, vans and buses brought supplies and personnel to this already crowded mountainside.With about 20 companies participating inthe complex rescue effort andhundredsof journalistsat thescene,a temporary village has now spread for acres across this rock-strewnland. In preparation for the rescue, a truck-


load of special clothing was delivered to the mine Sunday. “We imported the fabric, measured the men and stitched their name on the suits,” said Alejandro Pino, from the Asociacion Chilena de Seguridad, theworkplace insurance com- pany that is legally responsible for assist- ing the mine workers. “It is a fabric that pulls perspiration away fromthe body, so theywon’t feel the humidity.” Once the men are removed from the


capsule, they will be escorted down a darkened hallway where a team of doc- tors,nursesandpsychologistswillbegina 48-hour evaluation of the men’s mental and physical health.


Franklin is a special correspondent.


Chile mine Ordeal could end


this week as escape preparations ramp up


MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2010


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64