Don't worry, we won't be staying long.
"Syria's forces tighten grip at border; Flow of refugees to Turkey all but halts amid siege" July 01, 2011|By Diaa Hadid, Associated Press
BEIRUT - Syrian Army forces spread through a restive mountainous area near the Turkish border yesterday as the death toll from a two-day military siege rose to 19 people, according to activists and a witness.
The action by Syrian troops in the northwestern area of Jabal al-Zawiya appeared to be aimed at preventing residents from fleeing to Turkey, where more than 10,000 Syrians have already taken shelter in refugee camps, activists say. The refugees have been a source of deep embarrassment to Damascus, one of the most tightly controlled regimes in the Middle East.
"They fear there will be sympathy for the people who are fleeing, and they are frightened that this will cause international pressure to mount on the regime," said Mustafa Osso, a prominent human rights activist in Syria.
Only five Syrians made it across the border yesterday, the lowest number in days, Turkish officials said. Over the past week, more than 10,000 Syrians rushed across, fleeing their army's violent crackdown against demonstrators....
Related: Destabilizing Syria
That's what it is doing all right.
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"Protesters fill Syria's streets; 14 are killed; Assad security forces, military stretched thin" July 02, 2011|By Bassem Mroue, Associated Press
BEIRUT - Hundreds of thousands of protesters flooded cities around Syria yesterday in what activists described as the largest outpouring against the regime of President Bashar Assad and a powerful message of the opposition's resolve. At least 14 people were killed in various clashes, activists said.
The demonstrations, flaring in dozens of places at the same time, further strained the resources of Assad's security forces and military as they also try to choke off a refugee wave into Turkey.
The centerpiece of the latest protests, the central city of Hama, brings further complications for the government. Security forces moved outside Hama in early June after shootings that left 65 people dead. Now the streets appear fully under the sway of the opposition, with an estimated 300,000 gathering in the central square, activists said.
Crowd estimates and other details cannot be independently verified. The Syrian government has banned most foreign media from the country and has restricted coverage.
But the protest surge appeared to dwarf recent weeks as Assad's forces tried to wear down the opposition with relentless force....
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"Governor fired after massive protest is held in city" July 03, 2011|By Diaa Hadid, Associated Press
BEIRUT - President Bashar Assad of Syria dismissed the governor of the key central city of Hama yesterday, apparently in political payback after hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the largest demonstration yet against Assad's authoritarian regime.
The move, announced by the state-run news agency SANA, was seen by antigovernment activists as the latest attempt by Assad to weed out potential weak links in his ruling system and possibly signaling a renewed crackdown on the city.
SANA's report gave no reason for the firing of Governor Ahmed Abdul-Aziz a day after an estimated 300,000 people joined an antigovernment rally in Hama, according to activists and YouTube videos of the event - marking the largest single turnout since the uprising began in March.
Crowd estimates and other details in Syria cannot be independently verified. The Syrian government has banned most foreign media from the country and restricted coverage.
The surprising, massive outpouring in Hama could give renewed momentum to the antigovernment uprising in Syria, which had settled into a cycle of protests and retreat in recent weeks....
So I'm getting slant for coverage on Syria?
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"Syrian forces carried out arrests yesterday in the western city of Hama, an opposition stronghold, amid the sound of heavy gunfire, an antigovernment activist said.
The arrests came two days after some 300,000 protesters gathered in Hama in the largest demonstration yet in a three-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad.
Yesterday’s arrests took place near Hama’s sports stadium, said Lebanon-based Syrian activist Rami Nakhleh, who coordinates information from a loose network of activists in Syria. Nakhleh said he knew of five arrests so far, but he believes more were taken into custody.
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"Olympic boxer among wounded as Syrian forces sweep into cities" July 05, 2011|By Bassem Mroue, Associated Press
BEIRUT - Syrian security forces opened fire yesterday in a restive central city, injuring an Olympic boxing champion and at least 20 others as President Bashar Assad’s regime swept through several cities and towns to crush a prodemocracy uprising, activists said....
The shooting happened as Syrian troops and tanks sealed off Hama and blocked the roads leading in, an apparent attempt to crush growing dissent there and retake the city one month after security forces withdrew. About 300,000 protesters held huge protests against the regime in Hama last week, a sign the city was spiraling out of government control.
“There is some kind of a siege on the city. They are closing all roads leading to Hama,’’ said Mustafa Osso, a Syria-based rights activist....
Also yesterday, activists said Syrian security forces opened fire on people fleeing to neighboring Turkey, wounding a mother and her young son.
Omar Idilbi, a spokesman for the Local Coordination Committees, which track the protests in Syria, said the shots were fired in Idlib province, near the Turkish border.
About 60 people made it across, but authorities detained several others, he said, citing witnesses on the ground.
Thousands of Syrians have already taken shelter in refugee camps in Turkey, a source of deep embarrassment to Damascus.
That's the last mention of them in my Globe.
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