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Afghanistan-Pak-India
Report: Satellite Quake Zone Images Ax
2005-10-19
EFL
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- International agencies and relief organizations pulled high-resolution satellite images of earthquake-stricken areas in Kashmir from their Web sites under pressure from Pakistan, citing security concerns, a magazine reported Tuesday.

Pakistan denied the report, while a U.N. official said the images would soon be re-posted.
Soon as we get finished photoshopping them...
Following the request from Pakistan, the United Nations and other agencies, needing the country's cooperation on the ground in the relief effort, felt compelled to remove the images from their Web sites, the magazine Nature reported, citing an unidentified U.N. official and an unidentified senior European official.
Why does the UN 'need' the Paks' cooperation? Either the Paks want the aid or they don't. If they don't want to cooperate, I'm sure the Samoans could use the aid.
But Pakistan's Foreign Ministry rejected the report as "absolutely incorrect." "No one in the Pakistan government has made such a request that such maps be removed," spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said.

An official from UNOSAT, the U.N. body that gives relief agencies access to satellite imagery, confirmed that it had removed images from its Web site, but said there had been no Pakistani demand to do so.
So they just did it on their own, did they?
Einar Bjorgo, who leads UNOSAT's rapid mapping division, said the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had decided the images should be distributed to relief teams and not displayed publicly. He said it was concerned about sensitivity surrounding the border between India and Pakistan. "This was more a preventive measure to avoid any potential political situation," Bjorgo told The Associated Press. "we preferred to do it low key."
Finally, the real reason: the Paks were afraid Indian intel analysts would be looking at the pics ...
Bjorgo said U.N. officials had decided Monday that enough time had passed and UNOSAT could post images publicly again starting on Wednesday.

The U.S.-based magazine reported that the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, a consortium of space agencies that supplies satellite images and data to the relief community, first posted the images of the quake zone last Friday. The images are believed to be essential to planning relief logistics, such as working out what roads are open and locating isolated settlements.

There have been local media reports recently that Islamic militants are operating training camps near Balakot, one of the towns in northwestern Pakistan worst hit by the earthquake. Pakistan has denied that terrorists are operating from its territory.
Nope, nothing to see there, move along...
Posted by:DanNY

#5  Anybody got Google Earth to run in Wine on Linux?
Posted by: 3dc   2005-10-19 19:50  

#4  Especially you Old Patriot. It'll amaze ya.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-10-19 17:24  

#3  Still available (10 minutes ago) here.

And yes, you do need GoogleEarth even tho it's Google.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-10-19 17:23  

#2  Look at these {CENSORED} sitting around the conference tables in New York. And, that Kofi Annan? Why he is a {CENSORED} and his son, let me tell you why that {CENSORED} scandal? The {CENSORED} of Kofi is up to {CENSORED} and that's not all. I have evidence that {CENSORED} may be involved himself.

Hopefully the cypercensors on 42nd Street in NY will let this pass

Don't count on it, Facist American - censor Gwozwotz Annan
Posted by: BigEd   2005-10-19 15:42  

#1  Again - who's going to let this A-hats run the internet?
Posted by: Crains Hupaimp9679   2005-10-19 10:33  

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