Two Dutch Embassies Cancel Queen's Birthday Reception

The Dutch embassies in Afghanistan and Pakistan have canceled their annual receptions in honor of the Dutch Queen's Day today. This is due to the deteriorated security situation. In Kabul (Afghanistan) the embassy has been closed and the employees have been moved to a secret place. In Islamabad (Pakistan) the embassy has been moved to a hotel in view of the threats received after the broadcast of the movie "Fitna" by Dutch right-wing leader Geert Wilders. In Jakarta (Indonesia) the reception has been moved away from the embassy and major security measures have been taken.

www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article1070837.ece/Na_Fitna_geen_Koninginnedag_op_ambassades

More Incidents in Dutch Air Space

The number of safety incidents in Dutch air space has more than doubled in 2007 to 737. This has been documented in the annual report of the Dutch Air Traffic Control (LVNL). There were five dangerous situations as against only two in 2006. The LVNL employs 250 air traffic controllers and has 25 vacancies, which are difficult to fill.

www.parool.nl/nieuws/2008/APR/29/bin1.html

More than Half of Court Psychiatrists and Psychologists on Strike

More than half of the 650 psychiatrists and psychologists who advise courts on punishment for criminals with mental problems are on strike, demanding higher payment.

www.nrc.nl/binnenland/article1069482.ece/Adviseurs_van_rechter_staken_om_beloning

Dutch Soldiers Vandalize Camp in Afghanistan

The Dutch army base Kamp Holland in Afghanistan has been plagued in recent weeks by acts of vandalism of a small group of soldiers. This has come to light due to an internet weblog by one of the soldiers at the base. Maintenance workers at the camp say that soldiers have a low awareness of values and ethics.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3896717/_Militairen_vernielen_Kamp_Holland__.html?p=19,1

Journalist Accuses Teacher of Islam of Preaching Hatred

For a year, Dutch investigative journalist Patrick Pouw studied for a year the Suhayb Salaam’s teaching of Islam in the town of Tilburg. In a newly published book Pouw accuses Salaam of promoting hatred of others. Salaam advised a student to burn a Christian Bible she had at home. He also recommended that a Muslim should not report other Muslims to the police. When this was made public, Salaam commented: People should go first to an imam to mediate.” The Dutch intelligence service has already expressed its concerns about this radical Muslim in the past.
www.depers.nl/binnenland/192806/Bijbel-verbranden-juist-uit-respect.html

More Cases of Euthanasia Reported in 2007

The regional commissions in charge of investigating cases of euthanasia, which is legal in the Netherlands, received 2,120 reports on mercy killings and assistance in suicide in 2007. In 2006 1,923 reports had been received. The commissions concluded that only in three cases the doctor in charge had not acted properly.
www.trouw.nl/hetnieuws/nederland/article977194.ece/Toetsingscommissies_meer_meldingen_euthanasie

Feminist Paper Cannot Discriminate Against Males

Acting on a complaint by a bureau which monitors discrimination, a commission on equal rights has decided that the feminist magazine Opzij cannot refuse to accept people as members of the board of editors solely because they are male. The commission called such an attitude discriminatory. At present the seven members of the editorial board are all
women.
www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/ln_binnenland/article966737.ece/Opzij_mag_mannen_niet_weigeren

Computer System in Pharmacies Often Unsafe

Gerrit van der Wal, Inspector-General of the Health Care Inspectorate, has stated that the computer systems of pharmacies are unreliable. There is thus a chance that patients could receive medicines which should not be taken together, or medications to which they might be allergic. Van der Wal said that the pharmacies are wrong in thinking that their systems are safe, as this is often not the case.
http://www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/ln_gezondheid/article976817.ece/Computersysteem_apotheek_vaak_niet_veilig?backlink=true

Parliament Requests Action Concerning Obsolete Oil Refinery in Curaçao

A majority of the Dutch Parliament is demanding the Netherlands to take action regarding the obsolete oil refinery in Curaçao in the Dutch Antilles. The environmental pollution caused by the refinery leads to at least 18 deaths of Antilleans annually, and hundreds become ill. According to the parliamentarians the refinery regularly breaks the emission laws for sulphur dioxide.
www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/laatstenieuws/article976100.ece/Kamer_wil_opheldering_over_raffinaderij_Curaccedil_ao

Former Minister Refuses to Reimburse Unjustified Government Payments

Former Minister Eveline Herfkens has refused to reimburse the payments of about 190,000 Euro she received mistakenly from the Dutch government while she was an employee of the UN body UNDP. The Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen said that he wants to wait for the outcome of a United Nations investigation before deciding what action should be taken.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3818177/_Herfkens_wil_niet_terugbetalen__.html

Eighty People Involved in Brawl in the Town of Deventer

Last Friday night eighty people were involved in a fight in a coffee house in Deventer, throwing glass, stones and flower pots at each other. Four people were wounded; one person was arrested by the police. It is still unclear what caused the fight.
www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article531610.ece/Tachtig_mensen_op_de_vuist_in_Deventer?source=rss

Dutch Embassy in Pakistan Moved for Security Reasons

The Dutch embassy in Pakistan has been temporarily moved to a hotel. The embassy's spokesperson said that the move was related to concerns about the security situation due to the anti-Quran movie by Geert Wilders.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3814524/_NL_ambassade_Pakistan_verplaatst__.html

Twenty Percent Increase in Pick Pocketing

The number of cases of pick pocketing increased by 20% in 2007 over the previous year. Twenty-nine thousand people reported that they had been victims in 2007. Four hundred eighty people were arrested, 13% more than the previous year. A spokesman for the Council of Head Police Commissioners said that many of those arrested are Romanians and Bulgarians.

www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/laatstenieuws/article975939.ece/AD_zakkenrollers_slaan_vaker_toe

Tens of People Posing as Lawyers

Tens of people posing as lawyers are working in the profession in the Netherlands. One of these has appeared wearing a lawyer's cape in several cases in Dutch courts. The Dutch courts admit that there is a problem, but say it is the responsibility of the client to hire a certified lawyer. The Order of Dutch Lawyers has expressed its concern in this matter.

www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/laatstenieuws/article976260.ece/Tientallen_nepadvocaten_actief_in_Nederland

Four Thousand Pakistani Women Protest against Wilders Movie

Four thousand women in Karachi, Pakistan, have protested against the anti-Quran movie by Geert Wilders and the Danish cartoon about the Islamic prophet Mohammed. The demonstrators cried out "Death to Denmark" and "Death to the Netherlands." They demanded that the Pakistani government cut off relations with the Netherlands and Denmark. The demonstration was organized by the fundamentalist party Jamaat-i-Islami.

www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/ln_buitenland/article976190.ece/Vrouwenprotest_tegen_Wilders-film_in_Pakistan

Increased Punishment for Activists who Threaten Others

Minister of Justice Ernst Hirsch Ballin (Christian Democrats) is investigating the possibility to increase the punishment for activists who threaten other people. At present the maximum punishment is nine months in jail. The minister promised Parliament this after the Science Link project in Venray was canceled as a result of threats of animal rights activists.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3801100/__Mediahulp_ministers_zelf_betalen___.html?cid=rss

Socialist Party: Labor Party Should Pay Ministers’ Media Advisors

MP Ronald van Raak of the extreme left Socialist Party says that the Labor Party should pay for its ministers’ media advisors. He thinks that the problem of Environment Minister Cramer and Integration Minister Vogelaar is not their public image but their poor performance. He pointed out that the Labor Party regularly hires party members to do public relations for their ministers and that this should not be at the expense of the various ministries.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3801100/__Mediahulp_ministers_zelf_betalen___.html?cid=rss

Courts not Dealing with Human Trade Problem

Judges in the Netherlands must deal more seriously with the human trade problem. This is the opinion of Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin (Christian Democrats). The exploitation of illegal residents has been punishable for the last three years, but only one suspect has been condemned during that time.
www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/ln_binnenland/article966833.ece/Onvoldoende_rechtszaken_over_mensenhandel

New Transportation Ticket Will be Delayed

Deputy Minister of Transport Tineke Huizinga (Christian Union) has announced that the introduction of the new “smart card” transportation ticket will be further delayed and will not come into use in January 2009 as planned. In tests at the Radboud University in Nijmegen, it was shown that the ticket, which is based on a chip, can be copied very easily. A second trial by the Royal University in London confirmed these findings.
www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/ln_binnenland/article966119.ece/Huizinga_voorspelt_opnieuw_vertraging_OV-chipkaart

Former Minister: Netherlands in Need of Traffic Disaster

Former Minister Elco Brinkman, now head of the Builders’ Association, says that only a major traffic disaster will cause the government to act about the heavy traffic on Dutch roads. He said that perhaps when all traffic on the highways comes to a standstill, the political leaders will finally understand that something must be done. Various other employer organizations have expressed their agreement with Brinkman’s statements.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3801512/_Applaus_voor_Brinkman__.html

Muslim Countries in UN Call for Action against “Fitna”

Muslim countries which are members of the Human Rights Council of the UN have recommended that the Netherlands prosecute Geert Wilders for having produced “Fitna.” Among the countries demanding that the Netherlands initiate laws making blasphemy of religion punishable are Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Dutch Deputy Minister of Justice Nebahat Albayrak (Labor Party), who is part of the Dutch delegation, said that the Attorney-General will investigate whether any laws have been broken.
www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/laatstenieuws/article967030.ece/Moslimlanden_dringen_aan_op_actie_tegen_Fitna

Animal Rights Threats Leads to Cancellation of Project

The town of Venray has canceled an infrastructure project where companies which could do testing on animals would be established. The alderman responsible for the project had been threatened and the Dutch government was not willing to support the security costs of the project.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3798760/__Venray_zwicht_voor_dierenactivisten___.html

Human Rights Council Investigates the Netherlands

The Netherlands is one of the first countries to be investigated by the Human Rights Council of the United Nations. The supervisors of this project are Pakistan, Nigeria and Peru. The critical points to be investigated in the Netherlands are discrimination against non-white immigrants, domestic violence against women, schools for non-white immigrants and their progeny and the situation in the Dutch Antilles and Aruba. www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3795797/_Pakistan_toetst_Nederland__.html

Eight Percent of Employees Threatened by Colleagues

Last year eight percent of Dutch employees were threatened by a work colleague at least once, and six percent were molested. These are the results of a national survey by CSU security services. There are 7.3 million people employed in the Netherlands. This year’s worst incident was at a telecommunications firm where a 38 year old employee was stabbed to death by a colleague who was a friend of his.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3783572/_Rake_klappen_op_het_werk__.html?p=2,1

Half of Demolishing Companies do not Work Safely

Half of the demolishing companies in the Netherlands, do not work according to safety regulations. This was reported by the Labor Inspectorate which, last year controlled 276 companies on 400 locations. The situation at a quarter of the locations was so dangerous that work had to be stopped immediately. The Inspectorate also reported that it is a regular occurrence that a building is demolished before a specialist company has come in to remove the asbestos.
www.volkskrant.nl/temp_notypes/article526658.ece/Helft_sloopbedrijven_werkt_niet_veilig?source=rss

One Thousand to Fifteen Hundred False Complaints about Sex Crimes

Of the 10,000 annual complaints about sex crimes, 1,000-1,500 are revealed to be false. This was reported by police commissioner Walter van Kleef. The police now wants to deal with this problem through the courts.
www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article526546.ece/Valse_aangiften_zedendelicten_onderzocht

Football Stadiums Not Adapted to Spectators’ Behavior in Case of Fire

Security measures at football stadiums do not take into account the behavior of spectators in case of fire. This is the result of a study by the Dutch institute Physical Safely Nibra. This was reported after the fires at the Groningen football stadium last Sunday
www.trouw.nl/hetnieuws/nederland/article966150.ece/Voetbalstadions_gevaarlijk_door_afwijkend_vluchtgedrag_bij_brand

Major League Soccer Game Canceled Due to Arson

The major league soccer game between Groningen and Ajax last Sunday had to be canceled, as fires broke out in the stands, caused by arson. Hundreds of panicky fans fled onto the field. An hour later many players were still suffering from breathing problems. Twenty-eight supporters were hospitalized.
www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=telegraaf%2C+chaos+in+stadion+groningen&btnG=Google+Search
http://www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/ln_binnenland/article965118.ece/Meeste_gewonden_stadionbrand_weer_uit_ziekenhuis

Tens of Arrests after Soccer Game

After the major league soccer game between PSV and Twente, 43 fans were arrested. They had fought or thrown stones or were involved in other violence. Three policemen were wounded.
www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/laatstenieuws/article965165.ece/Tientallen_arrestaties_na_wedstrijd_PSV-FC_Twente

Netherlands Financially Supports Palestinian Press Bureau that Glorifies Violence

The Freedom Party (PVV) has requested that Minister Bert Koenders demand a refund of 1.2 million Euro in Dutch government subsidies from the Palestinian press bureau Ma’an. It became known that this agency glorifies suicide bombers and calls them martyrs of Allah. The hate propaganda appears only in the Arabic version of the press bureau, not in the English one.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3771486/_MILJOEN_SUBSIDIE_VOOR_PALESTIJNS_JIHAD-PERSBUREAU__.html

Christian Youngsters Afraid of Muslim

In a debate attended by 700 Christian youngsters it became evident that many of them fear Muslim violence. Christian parliamentarian Bas van der Vlies of the Christian SGP party said that “We are already too late. New mosques are going up which are against our culture.” The paper reported that, during the break, one nurse said that a Muslim colleague tells her that she will kill her when the Muslims come to power. www.trouw.nl/hetnieuws/nederland/article965198.ece/Christenjongeren_zijn_bang_voor_al_die_moslims

Traffic Tickets can be Copied in Seconds

Anyone who has a laptop computer can, within just a few seconds, copy the key data on the new traffic tickets, which are based on a chip. A few months ago the digital security group of Radboud University in Nijmegen found that, with a computer, one could break down the security system in a few minutes. In a demonstration to the Ministry of Transport at the end of March it still took nine minutes. The new method great accelerates the process.
www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article526261.ece/OV-chipkaart_nu_helemaal_gekraakt

Explosive Growth in Child Porno Sites from the Netherlands

The national monitoring center (LMK) for child pornography has reported that there has been explosive growth of complaints in the field. LMK said that they had received 700 complaints in 2007, as opposed to only 100 in 2006.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3763441/_Grote_stijging_kinderpornosites__.html

Amsterdam Public Transport May Collapse

A report made by Booz Allen Hamilton concludes that there is a threat of a catastrophic collapse of the Amsterdam public transport system. It is unclear whether the municipal transport company (GVB) is capable of maintaining the metro and tram system. There is no proper documentation regarding the maintenance of rails and equipment.
www.parool.nl/nieuws/2008/APR/12/p1.html

Parliament Claims Royal Family Travel Expenses Higher than Reported

Parliament has requested details about the costs of air travel of the royal family. The RTL news media reported that while in 2005 the Ministry of Transport published the costs as being 275,000 Euro, real costs were over a million. RTL claims that in all recent years costs have been over a million Euro. The ministry had reported only 585,000 Euro for 2007.
www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/ln_binnenland/article964687.ece/Kamer_wil_uitleg_vliegkosten_Oranjes

Criminal Behavior Among 10-11 Year Old Children

Each year about 130,000 ten and eleven-year old children commit at least one crime or other offense. This includes besmirching, pestering, arson, shoplifting and verbal or physical violence. One out of three children in this age group are involved in such activities. These are the conclusions of an analysis of police data by Rolf Loeber, professor of psychiatry and youth delinquency. Police files are opened on about 4,500 children of this age group, with 15% of them having more than one offense a year.
www.trouw.nl/hetnieuws/nederland/article962474.ece/Een_op_drie_12-minners_vertoont_wangedrag

Senior Officials of National Detective Service On Special Leave

Four leading officials of the National Detective Service have been sent on special leave, as a result of an investigation of anonymous complaints by colleagues regarding intimidation, abuse of power, and sexual harassment. The National Detective Service is likely to investigate who leaked the results of the report to the media.
www.nieuws.nl/506191

Report: Municipality Ignores Racism for Over a Year

For about a year and a half, the authorities in the town of Waalwijk ignored a large number of complaints about racist intimidation of a Liberian family living in the town. This is the conclusion of Forum, the Institute for Multi-Cultural Development in a report submitted to Minister of Immigration Ella Vogelaar, after the family fled the town in September 2007. The mayor of Waalwijk said that all authorities had failed in their responsibilities and apologized.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3756232/_Racisme_Waspik_werd_genegeerd__.html

United Arab Emirates Parliament Condemns Wilders Movie

The National Federation Council, the Parliament of the United Arab Emirates, has condemned the “Fitna” movie by Geert Wilders. The Parliamentarians called the movie “blasphemous.” They demanded that the Dutch government take judicial measures against the producers as it incites to hatred of Islam.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3755101/_Arabische_Emiraten_tegen_film_Wilders__.html

Schools Need Help to Deal with Sex Terror

Schools have complained that very young children are sexually terrorizing their classmates. Most of the cases are among children aged 4-7. In 2007 there were about 100 complaints of such behavior among young school pupils. Anke Visser of the educational project “Prevention of Sexual Intimidation” thinks that the actual number of such incidents is probably much higher.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3746575/__Hulp_bij_seksbeleid_school___.html?p=4,2

Opponent of Wilders Movie Condemned by Court

In Utrecht, a 19-year old youth worker of Moroccan background has been sentenced to three weeks of suspended jail service. He and a minor friend were arrested while carrying a jerry can of gasoline and looking into cars. They had also sprayed “F… Wilders” on a wall. The judge said that he decided on the punishment because it was possible that the two people were planning to burn cars. That night two cars were burned in Utrecht. The judge added that a youth worker should behave better and serve as a role model to others.
www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article524617.ece/Enige_arrestant_Wilders-film_krijgt_werkstraf?source=rss

Close to Half of Street Robberies Committed by Minors

The number of youngsters between 12 and 17 who commit criminal acts in the Amsterdam-Amstelland region increased in 2007. Forty-six percent of street robberies are committed by minors. Nine percent of all youngsters in this age group in Amsterdam West have a police file. The number of hard-core criminal youngsters has decreased from 859 to 746, the average age of hard-core criminals is going down. At the same time the character of the crimes is become more severe. These are the results of the Regional Safety Report for Amsterdam-Amstelland in 2007.
www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/laatstenieuws/article961365.ece/Aantal_Amsterdamse_hardekernjongeren_afgenomen

Why Did Police Stand By While Person was Murdered?

In Rotterdam a court procedure has begun against three 25-year olds who are suspected of having tortured a 28-year old to death in an apartment. The police had come after being called by a neighbor and they met one of the suspects who was planning to withdraw money with the credit card stolen from the not yet dead victim. He told the police that the people inside didn’t have any weapons. Still, the police stood by outside waiting for further enforcements while the victim was being tortured to death in the apartment,.
www.trouw.nl/laatstenieuws/laatstenieuws/article960473.ece/Vragen_over_wachtende_agenten_bij_martelmoord

Muslim Organization Loses Court Case Against Wilders

The Dutch Islamic Federation (NIF) has lost its court case against Geert Wilders. The NIF had asked the judge to rule whether Wilders had broken the law by linking Islam and the Quran with Fascism. The judge ruled that a parliamentarian must be able to express his opinion and that Wilders was not calling for hate or violence against Muslims. Wilders reacted by saying that he thinks there is a need in the political debate to stress the advancing Islamization of the The Netherlands and the West.
www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article523848.ece/Rechter_uitlatingen_Wilders_toelaatbaar?service=Print

Mosque Chairman Tells School Kids "Non-Believers are Dogs"

Children from the Amsterdam multi-cultural elementary school De Horizon visit various religious institutions. At the El Mouchidine mosque the 10-year olds were told by the chairman of the mosque that non-believers are dogs. The school has sent a letter to the parents of the children saying that this is unacceptable.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3737855/_Moskee_noemt_ongelovigen__honden___.html?p=3,1

Regional Youth Care Center Allows Minor Girls to have Sex with Adult Males

The regional youth care office of Drenthe allows minor girls placed in foster families to have a sexual relationship with adult males, even if the biological parents of the girl disagree. The youth care office is afraid that otherwise the girls may run away. Such relationships are against the law, but the head of the youth care office thinks that one has to go according to feelings.
www.elsevier.nl/nieuws/nederland/artikel/asp/artnr/200429/index.html

Amsterdam Police Makes Racist Jokes and Remarks

The Free University has undertaken a study of the integrity of the Amsterdam police. One-third of police employees claim that racist remarks and jokes are heard from time to time among staff. Twelve percent say that there is sexual intimidation as well. www.parool.nl/nieuws/2008/APR/03/ams1.html

Twenty Thousand Pakistanis Demonstrate against “Fitna”

About 20,000 people demonstrated in Karachi last Sunday against the “Fitna” movie and the Danish caricatures. The protest rally was organized by the fundamentalist party Jamaat-i-Islami. Party leader Munawar Hussain said that Pakistan should break off diplomatic relations with the Netherlands and Denmark.
www.trouw.nl/hetnieuws/nederland/article959705.ece/Duizenden_op_de_been_tegen_anti-Koranfilm

Supporters of New Party in Favor of Death Penalty

Former Liberal Minister Rita Verdonk, has founded a new party called “Proud of the Netherlands” (TON). According to current polls, the party will receive 25 of the 150 seats in Parliament. Verdonk has said that she will consult her voters on the party’s political positions. A poll showed that 57% of her supporters favor of reinstating the death penalty for crimes such as murder, rape and terrorism. It also showed that 89% of her potential voters want to forbid wearing the burka on the street (as against 71% of all Dutchmen), and 80% of her supporters say that no new mosques should be allowed to be built in the Netherlands.
www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article523464.ece/Doodstraf%2C_boerkaverbod_en_veel_asfalt?source=rss

Malaysian Supermarket Chain Boycotts Dutch Products

Mydin Mohamed Holdings, a large Malaysian supermarket chain, has called for a boycott of Dutch products, because of Geert Wilders movie “Fitna.” All Dutch products in the supermarkets will carry a red label to warn shoppers of their origin.
www.parool.nl/nieuws/2008/APR/01/o7.html