"UN Extends Afghanistan Mission"

"UN Extends Afghanistan Mission"
By Marco T' Hoen
Epoch Times Staff
Oct 14, 2010

                The UN has three objectives that made them extend the Afghanistan mission for another year which was a unanimous decision between the members. Their three objectives are first of all to “reduce the capability and will of the insurgency,” second is to aid the “growth in capacity and capability of the Afghan national security forces (ANSF)” and third to improve the development of the government and the economic situation in the country.  With this decision of extending the mission in Afghanistan came a necessary increase to the number of troops in the mission. It is good that they want to help improve government in Afghanistan but the fact that so many children and women are dying and kids are being used for combat is not a good way to show the people that these troops are there to help them out. Also there has been an increased connection between “terrorism and illicit drugs” which is not good for the troops that are being sent to Afghanistan according to the Security Council. With the increase in “terrorism and illicit drugs,” the soldiers need faster training and they need to be self-sufficient inn a really short period of time. Although their need for bigger troops and more soldiers is understandable, training these soldiers too fast might not be a good idea. The might be physically ready but not feel secure or comfortable enough to go to Afghanistan and face the situation after such short training periods.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/44211/

"Cholera Epidemic Spreads Beyond Haiti's Borders"

"Cholera Epidemic Spreads Beyond Haiti's Borders" 

Date: November 18, 2010

The Epoch Times

By: Marco't Hoen

Dominican Republic citizens have been infected with Cholera due to visits they made to Haiti where the cholera epidemic has killed many people already. Protestors against the U.N. are blocking roads which slow down the process of those who are sick getting medical attention, and that is why many people have died up to date. People traveling from Dominican Republic to Haiti should be aware of the health conditions in this country as these can affect them no matter how short their stay may be.  Haiti is a country where people don’t have much resources and where illnesses spread quite fast. It is good that the Dominican Republic government has requested that employers from both the construction and tourism industry do not hire employees from Haiti to avoid the spread of cholera in the country. According to the Epoch Times, “over 1,100 people have died in Haiti as a result of cholera and 18,000 people are currently hospitalized.”  These statistics are scary for a country as small as Haiti. Citizens from the Dominican Republic “blame U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal” as they truly believe these people brought cholera to their country. It is unfair to blame it on someone else because even though they may be sick with cholera, but locals are still traveling to Haiti knowing the conditions and knowing that they will most likely get sick during the trip.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/46112/