The stories came at a cost

A key part of their work was ensuring safe communication between Chinese citizens and Western press at a time when reporters from Western countries were under close surveillance in China. “Reporters have been followed by Chinese agents so closely to the degree that it interfered with their personal lives,” Cheng said. They got in touch with reporters from major media such as Time Magazine, BBC, Washington Post, the Associated Press, and Wall Street Journal. Some traveled to China specifically to report on the persecution, while most were working from their Beijing bureaus. There is a special public security bureau, the 13th Bureau, which looks over the security of hotels and other places where foreign journalists may go. Reporters were often followed. Their phones were bugged. When a foreign journalist checks into a hotel, one of the first things the receptionist does is call the security bureau to let them know the journalist has arrived. Yu helped foreign journalists download the encryption files. Ian Johnson from the Wall Street Journal had his file split into 30 separate parts. Their main communication with the reporters was via encrypted email. They did speak on the China Crew Visa application form phone at times but they changed SIM cards often. They would always switch to a new SIM card 30 minutes before a phone call occurred. They would always secure two safe meeting locations. Wang would visit each location several times before a meeting occurred. The first location would be one that allowed those inside to look out and see who was approaching—McDonald’s restaurants worked well, for instance. This location was a checkpoint to determine if the journalist was followed, and by how many. They would tell the journalist to not buy any food and go straight to the second floor. If someone followed him straight upstairs, it was a red flag. The journalist would not speak to or meet anyone from the team. They observed the people who came and looked inside the restaurant and didn’t go in—another red flag. They observed those who entered after the journalist did. The team would make China Business Visa application an on-the-spot decision whether to abort the meeting or go forward. A taxi would take the journalist to a spot where he could shake off any tail. For instance, it might take him to a road with a median that would prevent a U-turn. Beneath the road would be a pedestrian underpass. The journalist would alight from the taxi and quickly walk down and through the underpass. A following car could not drive to the opposite side of the road to observe the journalist. The underpass would lead to a narrow alley that a car could not drive through. At the end of the alley a pre-arranged taxi would be waiting. The journalist would hop in the taxi and be gone before any tail could follow him. The chances of them getting caught and arrested were high. There were times when one reporter was followed by as many as six groups of agents. Yet in two years, Yu helped arrange interviews between Falun Gong practitioners and a dozen reporters. Around 20 persecuted practitioners were interviewed. The journalist and the interviewees were kept safe every time.

Federal judge issues scathing order highlighting DHS’s criminal activity

The order was issued one day after he sentenced Mirtha Nava-Martinez to 10 months in prison for transporting an illegal alien child within the United States for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain. On May 18, Nava-Martinez, a resident alien and admitted human trafficker, was arrested at the Brownsville, Texas/Matamoros, Mexico Bridge checkpoint while trying to smuggle a child, Y.P.S., into the United States using a birth certificate that belonged to one of her daughters. The conspiracy was initiated when Patricia Elizabeth Salmeron Santos, who is residing illegally in the United States, solicited human traffickers to smuggle her daughter “Y.P.S.” from El Salvador to Virginia. Salmeron Santos, who applied for a tourist visa in 2000 but was turned down, subsequently China Business Visa application form entered the United States illegally and currently resides in Virginia. Salmeron Santos admitted to hiring alien smugglers for $8,500 to transport her child from El Salvador to Virginia and paid $6,000 in advance. That criminal conspiracy was temporarily interrupted when Nava-Martinez was arrested. However, Hanen pointed out, “Despite this setback, the goal of the conspiracy was successfully completed thanks to the actions of the United States government,” and said his court was quite concerned with DHS’ policy “of completing the criminal mission of individuals who are violating the border security of the United States.” Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stopped Nava-Martinez at the border inspection point, where she was arrested, the child was taken into custody and DHS officials were notified Salmeron Santos instigated the illegal conduct. Hanen stated, “Yet, instead of arresting Salmeron Santos for instigating the conspiracy to violate China Visa Services our border security laws, the DHS delivered the child to her – thus successfully completing the mission of the criminal conspiracy. It did not arrest her. It did not prosecute her. It did not even initiate deportation proceedings for her. This DHS policy is a dangerous course of action.” Because the government’s actions were not performed in connection with a sting operation or controlled delivery situation, Hanen stated DHS was actually assisting the criminal conspiracy in achieving its illegal goals instead of enforcing our border security laws. In fact, he said DHS’ actions were in furtherance of Y.P.S.’s illegal presence in the United States by completing the mission of the conspiracy initiated by Salmeron Santos. Hanen said, “In summary, instead of enforcing the laws of the United States, the government took direct steps to help the individuals who violated it. A private citizen would and should be prosecuted for this conduct.”

Puppy Doe suspect may have stolen from elderly woman

The man accused of torturing Puppy Doe, the pit bull whose brutal abuse has garnered worldwide attention, is being held without bail and may face additional charges for allegedly taking at least $50,000 from an elderly woman he was living with in Quincy. Radoslaw Czerkawski, 32, formerly of Quincy, was arraigned Thursday in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham with dozens of Puppy Doe supporters in attendance. Before the arraignment, the group held signs and called for tougher penalties against animal abusers during a makeshift rally in front of the courthouse. One woman was escorted out of the courtroom after she said "He's a scumbag. He should die in jail." The audience erupted in applause when the judge announced Czerkawski would be held without bail. Czerkawski, a native of Poland who is in the U.S. on an expired tourist visa, pleaded innoncent china visa requirements houston to 12 counts of animal cruelty and one charge of misleading police in the case involving Puppy Doe, the name given to the abused pit bull found in Quincy on Aug. 31. The dog had to be destroyed because of her injuries. The judge ordered Czerkawski held without bail because, if he made bail, she said he would likely be deported to Poland by federal officials and would never stand trial in Massachusetts. Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Tracy Cusick said Czerkawski may be charged for stealing from an elderly Quincy woman he was supposed to be caring for. Cusick said Czerkawski brought the elderly woman, also a native of Poland, to the bank and deposited $100,000 of her money into a shared account. She said he transferred $50,000 of that money into his own account, and also took control china tourist visa application of savings bonds under the woman's name. The woman, in her 90s, died in late August around the same time Puppy Doe was found on Carroll's Lane in Quincy. Police said the woman died of natural causes. Czerkawski, who was previously being held on $500,000 cash bail, faces up to five years in prison on each animal cruelty charge. Investigators said Czerkawski repeatedly abused Puppy Doe, a female dog that was about 1 years old, while he was serving as a caretaker for the elderly woman on Whitwell Street in Quincy. The woman's family had hired Czerkawski to care for her, police said. Investigators said the dog was kept in a small, constrictive living space, was starved and suffered a myriad of injuries including dislocated limbs, bone fractures, a split tongue and a stab wound. Czerkawski was arrested Oct. 28 in Connecticut after Quincy police tracked several leads tracing Puppy Doe's past owners. One of the dog's original owners named her "Kiya," police said.

Afghan interpreters plead for US visas

After a five-year wait, Mohamed Janis Shinwari is relieved to be in the United States, safe from the threats of the Taliban.

But as a former interpreter for US troops in Afghanistan, Shinwari fears for the lives of his colleagues back home, who are desperately trying to secure US visas.

“I am very worried for my friends. They have no protection,” Shinwari said.

“Now I want the US government to pay attention and work hard to get those other interpreters from Afghanistan to the United States,” he said.

“If they get caught by the Taliban, they are going to get killed.”

The 36-year-old Shinwari along with his wife and two children now live in the Washington suburbs. He might never have secured a visa without the relentless effort of a US soldier, Matt Zeller, who became his close friend.

Zeller is fiercely loyal to Shinwari because the Afghan came to his aid at a dire moment on the battlefield, gunning down two Taliban insurgents who were closing in for the kill.

“I was pinned down and I thought, this is it, I am going to die on this hillside, probably by a Taliban bullet,” Zeller said. “He saved my life.”

Zeller hardly knew Shinwari, but after that life-saving moment, he became fast friends with the Afghan.

At the end of Zeller’s tour in December 2008, he promised Shinwari, whom he calls his “brother,” that he would get him and his family a visa to live in the United States.

“I just didn’t think it would take five years,” said Zeller, sitting next to his former translator on a sofa in his apartment in northern Virginia.

When Shinwari’s visa application stalled, Zeller drummed up media coverage, contacted members of Congress and organised an online petition that attracted tens of thousands of signatures.

Shinwari had to submit to two lie detector tests, and lawmakers made phone calls to senior government officials to break the logjam over his case.

“I wasn’t going to resign him to getting beheaded in front of his family and tortured and killed,” said Zeller, now a captain in the Army reserves. “I couldn’t live with that.”

While the Army officer persuaded lawmakers and news media to focus on his interpreter’s plight, thousands of other interpreters who risked their lives for American troops are still in peril, Zeller said.

With US forces now withdrawing and conducting few patrols, Eshan’s translation work has dried up and his application for a visa seems to be moving in slow motion, despite reference letters from Americans he worked with.

Vietnam's failure to act on its rhetoric

Vietnam's failure to act on its rhetoric about simplifying its visa procedures, including those relating to visa-on-arrival, will see it fall further behind its neighbors in wooing visitors, a business grouping has warned.The Vietnam Business Forum, a consortium of international and local business associations and chambers of commerce, said in its annual report released last week that there has been "no progress" in ushering in a transparent,application for china visa in houston open, and effective visa-on-arrival system."It has been noted the 'visa-on-arrival' area at the airport provides no clear information on the necessary forms, policies, or fees; little English is spoken; and there is no queuing/numbering system in place," the report said.

This is in contrast to most other Southeast Asian countries, which have efficient visa-on-arrival systems that make it easy for tourists to plan their trips.For Vietnam, tourists have to apply for their visas weeks in advance, send their passports to the Vietnamese embassies or go online for letters to confirm their visas will be issued on arrival, and then end up waiting for a long time after arriving in the country."With the exception of Myanmar, Vietnam is the only country in Southeast Asia where visitors from major tourist nations … still have to go through a pre-approval process before traveling," the report said.Tourists also complain that when they go to Cambodia or Laos, they can simply turn up and pay US$25 on arrival while Vietnam charges almost double at $45 for a 30-day or 90-day single entry visa, the most expensive in the region.

But, admit experts and tourists, while visa fees are an issue they do not deter many people from coming. What does put off people is the lack of a true visa-on-arrival system as found in Cambodia or Thailand."So we consider that Vietnam is an exception rather than the rule and that its current visa policy is deterring foreign visitors rather than encouraging them," Kenneth Atkinson,china travel visa in houston head of the grouping's Working Group for Hospitality and Tourism, told Vietweek.At a biannual meeting with the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) last June, Vietnamese officials had promised several major improvements to the visa system.

Turkey Take Step Toward Visa-free Travel

The European Union took steps on Wednesday towards lifting visa requirements for Turkish citizens, in a move underscoring a new thaw in relations between Ankara and the 28-member bloc.The two sides agreed to sign an agreement allowing EU governments to send back illegal immigrants crossing into Europe from Turkey. In return, the EU agreed to enter into official discussions on how the current requirement for a visa when travelling to Europe could be dropped.Turkey, a candidate for EU membership, lies on a major route for illegal migration into Europe from Africa and the Middle East.But talks on the "readmission agreement" to send back illegal immigrants have been stalled for years, largely due to Turkish distrust over the EU's willingness to ease visa rules.

"The agreement creates sustainable momentum in our relations that should first of all have the positive impact of putting accession talks back on track," EU enlargement commission Stefan Fuele told reporters.In another sign of improved relations, Turkey and the EU began a new round of membership talks last month. Talks had been delayed by the bloc in protests over a Turkish crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.Turkey began negotiations to join the EU in 2005, 18 years after applying. But a series of political obstacles, notably over the divided island of Cyprus, and resistance to Turkish membership in Germany and France, have slowed progress.

Turkish citizens have taken a step closer to visa-free travel to the EU, officials from the European Commission and the Turkish government said on Wednesday.Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu told reporters in Brussels will sign a agreement on December the 16th.He said the deal marked a "historic day for Turkish people, for the EU and for the process of Turkish integration.""After long efforts by Turkish and European authorities, today we agreed to start, to launch visa liberalisation dialogue and also to sign readmission agreement," Ankara's top diplomat said.In return, Ankara will be expected to sign a deal that will allow EU governments to send back illegal immigrants crossing into Europe from Turkey.

Under the temporary protection visas promised by the Coalition

Scott Morrison says his decision to leave asylum seekers already in Australia on indefinite bridging visas without work rights will leave them worse off but was necessary to get around parliament's refusal to reintroduce Howard era-style temporary protection visas."We have shut the permanent protection visa shop," the immigration minister told a Canberra press conference."The door has been sealed shut … the prime minister and I made it clear that under no circumstances will this government provide permanent protection visas to people who arrive illegally by boat. You must be consistent when it comes to border protection."The practice of the previous government was to keep that shop open."Morrison confirmed he had issued a legislative instrument to cap permanent protection visas for this financial year at the number already issued, and said he would also stop any more of the asylum seekers already in Australia having their claims processed.

Under the temporary protection visas promised by the Coalition apply for china visa in houston– but disallowed this week by Labor and the Greens in the Senate – asylum seekers would receive full unemployment benefits under requirements that they take part in work-for-the-dole style programs, and would be allowed to seek paid employment.Under the bridging visas introduced by the former Labor government, which will now be continued indefinitely for all asylum seekers in Australia, they receive 89% of the dole and are not allowed to seek work. Under the Coalition, work-for-the-dole will also apply.Morrison said this meant the tactics of Labor and the Greens would save the government money,china tourist visa application form because few of the asylum seekers would gain work and the benefits available under bridging visas were cheaper.

The explanatory memorandum published late on Tuesday night with the ministerial decision say: "The instrument is exempt from disallowance and therefore a human rights statement of compatibility is not required."Morrison said the government was "well advanced" in implementing his pre-election promise to introduce "behavioural protocols" for asylum seekers on bridging visas, and had been liaising with state police so they knew where the asylum seekers were living.

There was just one very odd moment

Bennett added: "There was just one very odd moment when an officer I had deployed with called me to his office and said: 'This will never work out, what do you think you are doing.' All I could think of to say to him was 'I love him, we love each other.'"Karim was approved for a visa online on 1 April this year. "I was crying, I couldn't breathe, when I heard," Bennett said. But when Karim went to pick it up at the US embassy in Kabul, he was told there had been a mistake with the online status for a batch of visas, and that his was still being processed.Karin and Bennett both admit to feeling nervous about meeting again after so long, but both are convinced that a relationship kept alive by phones and internet can last in real life too.

"Everything changes in three years, but when you come to love, it doesn't change," Karim said. "I knew the visa would take a long time and tried to tell her, but because it was her first experience of this she thought it wouldn't be more than six months."Bennett and Rollins share the stress of waiting for any updates on the immigration process on Facebook pages dotted with photographs and links to news stories about other interpreters hoping for a visa, a forum for applicants in limbo, and articles about the perilous situation of some who have been refused.The US has promised a special visa programme for Afghan interpreters who took on jobs for its military that exposed them to bombings and battles at work and retaliation at home if what they did for a living was revealed.

But hundreds of applicants have been waiting for years, and a growing number say they have been turned down because the US state department believes there is no serious threat against their lives.One picture from this autumn shows a young Afghan, smiling with other interpreters in US military uniform. News had just filtered through that he had been killed while off-duty.Karim and Zia's cases are unusual because they are applying for fiance or spouse visas. But both have the same years of service and testimonials to their bravery and loyalty as the other applicants – and the same agonising wait."There must be some reason why we have to be apart for so long," Rollins said. "Everything else has been so perfect, and then the visa is just not happening. I just have to remember that it is going to work out in the end."