Missionary To The United Kingdom

AUSTRALIA - *Passport, Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or non-electronic label visa, proof of onward or return ticket, and sufficient funds are required. An ETA or non-electronic label visa is required for tourist or business stays of up to 3 months. An ETA is an electronically stored authority to travel to Australia and can be obtained online at www.ETA.immi.gov.au or through participating travel agencies or airlines. Minors not accompanied by a parent or traveling with only one parent need notarized written parental consent from the absent parent(s). AIDS test required for permanent resident visa for applicants age 15 and older; tests taken in the U.S. are acceptable. More information about entry requirements to Australia (including for longer stays) is available on the Embassy of Aus ... [Read More]

Tonga (06/05)

Tonga is the South Pacific's last Polynesian kingdom. Its executive branch includes the prime minister and the cabinet, which becomes the Privy Council when presided over by the monarch. In intervals between legislative sessions, the Privy Council makes ordinances, which become law if confirmed by the legislature. The unicameral Legislative Assembly is controlled by the royal family and noble families. It consists of nine nobles who are elected by the 33 hereditary nobles of Tonga and nine people's representatives elected by universal adult suffrage for 3-year terms. The Cabinet includes 12 ministers, appointed by the monarch, including two from the nine selected nobles' representatives and two from the nine elected people's representatives. The governor of Ha'apai and Vava'u are appointed to their offices and serve as ex officio members of the cabinet. The Legislative Assembly sits for 4 or 5 months a year. ... [Read More]

N - Appendix B: Background Information on Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations

Worldwide campaign against the Iranian Government stresses propaganda and occasionally uses terrorist violence. During the 1970s the MEK killed several US military personnel and US civilians working on defense projects in Tehran. It supported the takeover in 1979 of the US Embassy in Tehran. In 1981 the MEK planted bombs in the head office of the Islamic Republic Party and the Premier’s office, killing some 70 high-ranking Iranian officials, including chief Justice Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, President Mohammad-Ali Rajaei, and Premier Mohammad-Javad Bahonar. In 1991, it assisted the overnment of Iraq in suppressing the Shia and Kurdish uprisings in northern and southern Iraq. Since then, the MEK has continued to perform internal security services for the Government of Iraq. In April 1992, it conducted attacks on Iranian Embassies in 13 different countries, demonstrating the group’s ability to mount large-scale operations overseas. In recent years the MEK has targeted key military ... [Read More]

Terrorism 2005: Changing Threat to the United States

The American private sector overseas is a prime soft target. American businesses, schools, nongovernmental organizations, and religious missionary groups abroad are on the front lines with us in the Global War on Terrorism. Reports from Diplomatic Security research analysts with the Secretary of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council show that the biggest concern for the U.S. private sector is terrorism in the Middle East, primarily in Saudi Arabia and Iraq. In 2004 and 2005, al-Qaida and associated groups continued to call for attacks against the energy and defense industries in the Middle East. Threats and incidents against nongovernmental organizations, including aid organizations and missionary groups, continued to increase last year. A high number of threats were made against security and protection services, as well. At the same time, there was a shift away from the traditional focus of retail establishments and fast food outlets. ... [Read More]

Nepal

Tibetan Buddhists have faced various restrictions on their celebrations. Since mid-2001, local authorities generally have restricted celebration of Tibetan religious festivals to private property. On July 6, 2003, celebrations planned in Kathmandu to mark the Dalai Lama’s birthday were confined to a monastery compound. Celebrations to mark the Tibetan New Year, or Losar, on February 22 were largely restricted to a monastery compound. Plans to mark December 10, 2001, as the anniversary of the Dalai Lama's Nobel Prize, to be held at the Boudhanath Stupa, the center of Tibetan religious life in Nepal, were canceled at the request of the authorities. In 2002, police prevented a Tibetan cultural program planned at a public venue from taking place. The program was to have honored the 13th birthday of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the boy recognized by the Dalai Lama to be the 11th Panchen Lama. ... [Read More]

Nepal

Local authorities in Kathmandu halted the performance of a traditional dance scheduled to be performed on February 26, 2001, at the Boudanath Stupa during the 6-day celebration of the Tibetan New Year. Other activities that same day and the other 5 days of the festival continued as usual. In December 2000, police stopped a procession of Tibetan school children, monks, and others on their way to Swayambunath Temple in Kathmandu; no injuries were reported. In July 2002, Government pressure forced organizers to cancel three separate public events planned to celebrate the Dalai Lama's birthday. On July 25, 2002, police closed down a press conference held by a local Buddhist community group to protest statements by followers of the Dorje Shugden deity that criticized the Dalai Lama. In September 2002, the Tibetan Democracy Day religious gathering was interrupted by police. In March 2003, Tibetans celebrating the New Year were forbidden by police from displaying pictures of the Dalai Lama. I ... [Read More]

Appendix B -- Background Information on Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations

The group’s worldwide campaign against the Iranian Government stresses propaganda and occasionally uses terrorism. During the 1970s, the MEK killed US military personnel and US civilians working on defense projects in Tehran and supported the takeover in 1979 of the US Embassy in Tehran. In 1981, the MEK detonated bombs in the head office of the Islamic Republic Party and the Premier’s office, killing some 70 high-ranking Iranian officials, including chief Justice Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, President Mohammad-Ali Rajaei, and Premier Mohammad-Javad Bahonar. Near the end of the war with Iran during 1980-88, Baghdad armed the MEK with military equipment and sent it into action against Iranian forces. In 1991, it assisted the Government of Iraq in suppressing the Shia and Kurdish uprisings in southern Iraq and the Kurdish uprisings in the north. In April 1992, the MEK conducted near-simultaneous attacks on Iranian Embassies and installations in 13 countries, demonstrating the group’s abi ... [Read More]

US and Coalition 2001

Special envoy Dobbins met with Northern Alliance officials at Bagram, and said that they would be willing to attend an international conference on the future of Afghanistan. Germany had offered to host the conference. Northern Alliance spokesmen remained noncommittal, and UN officials had not said what other parties would be invited to attend. Pakistani Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar called the Northern Alliance’s occupation of Kabul unacceptable and called for the deployment of an international force. The Northern Alliance complained that it had not been consulted about the dispatch of British troops to the Bagram airfield, and said that France would have to negotiate sending troops to the airport at Mazar-e Sharif. Britain and France postponed plans to send additional troops to Afghanistan ... [Read More]

Nepal

A conviction for converting others or proselytizing can result in fines or imprisonment or, in the case of foreigners, expulsion from the country. Four cases related to converting others and/or proselytizing were filed during the period covered by this report. The courts dismissed two cases; one case resulted in a guilty verdict and a 3-month sentence for the four defendants, who have all since been released; and the fourth case is pending, with a court date set for October 2, 2001. However arrests or detentions for proselytizing are rare, and there have been few incidents of punishment or investigation in connection with conversion or proselytization during the last few years. In October 2000, four Christians, including one Norwegian national, were arrested on charges of attempting to convert others in Rajbiraj, Satpari district in eastern Nepal after a local teacher claimed that the four had offered him money if he converted. On November 9, two of the accused were released on bail af ... [Read More]

White House Fact Sheet on Terrorism

LET is based in Muridke (near Lahore) and Muzaffarabad. LET trains its militants in mobile training camps across Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Afghanistan. LET collects donations from the Pakistani community in the Persian Gulf and United Kingdom, Islamic NGOs, and Pakistani and Kashmiri businessmen. The amount of LT funding is unknown. LET maintains ties to religious/military groups around the world, ranging from the Philippines to the Middle East and Chechnya through the MDI fraternal network. ... [Read More]