Ghana official takes tour of local adoptive homes

Submitted by the Tribune on August 12, 2009 - 7:33am. News

Mark Reimers

Tribune reporter

Cody, adopted by Sam and Maria Hansen-Quine of Lynden, meets Ebenezer

Expressindia » Story Adoption irregularities: Preet Mandir denies charges; hearing on Sept 24 Font Size -A +A Nisha Nambiar Posted: Sep 12, 2009 at 0134 hrs IST Print Email To Editor Post Comments Most Read Articles Related Articles Jet strike off, sacked pilots back on boardI am with Percept, IOS can do what it wants:...China objects to Dalai visit to Arunachal Pr...India run out of steam, lost top spotMamata flags off 2 new trains, takes a dig a...Get news on the go with Valley’s SMS network Pune The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) wants to re-investigate the case against Pune-based adoption agency Preet Mandir. Two years ago it gave a clean chit to the agency. Till now it has cleared the agency of irregularities in foreign adoptions twice. Preet Mandir authorities, however, maintain that the allegations are baseless and have said it will respond after the CBI files an affidavit for re-investigation. “We have been given the clean chit twice. We will wait for the affidavit to be filed by the CBI and we we will reply once we get a copy of the affidavit,” said spokesperson of Preet Mandir Y V Krishnamurthy. On Thursday, the CBI told the Bombay High Court that they would submit a fresh report after another probe as they felt that their earlier inquiries on the adoption agency were ‘incomplete.’ The next hearing is on September 24. The CBI gave a clean chit in October 2007 and in July last year the High Court gave a nod to foreign adoptions. Additional solicitor general Darius Khambatta said there was a need for further investigation. The division bench of Justice Bilal Nazki and Justice A R Joshi asked the CBI to file an affidavit stating that they require further investigation. The CBI admitted there were “defeats and lapses” in the earlier investigation reports. Anjali Pawar Kate, director of Sakhi, a Pune-based child rights organisation, and Advait Foundation, another NGO, had filed the writ petition against the adoption agency in 2007. In 2007, the court had issued a stay on foreign adoption activities and had demanded a CBI inquiry. The stay was lifted after the CBI gave a clean chit in October 2007. Kate said she was happy that the case has been taken up again. At present, the agency is engaged in both domestic and foreign adoptions as they have been issued fresh licences. The domestic licence was renewed in July 2007 and is valid till September 2010 while the licence for foreign adoptions was renewed last year and is valid till 2011.

Mendoza podría volverse punto de venta de bebés

08:30 | MENDOZA | La cercanía de nuestra provincia con Chile sería propicia para el tráfico ilegal, informó el titular de la Fundación Adoptar. Escuchá el audio.

Detuvieron a un supuesto "doctor" y a un policía por la venta de bebés

12 DE AGOSTO DE 2009

Ruiz explica la situación de Mendoza

Council of Ministers approves draft law to legalise, regulate international adoptions

TUESDAY, 11 AUGUST 2009 15:01 VONG SOKHENG

Photo by: Sovan Philong

Children at the Light House Orphanage watch television on Monday. The Council of Ministers has approved a draft law that would legalise international adoptions.

WORKING WITH ORPHANS

Authorities return Ukrainian sisters to program

Explore Park developer Larry Vander Maten said he had agreed to adopt the three orphans or change their visa status.

By Jorge Valencia

981-3340

A custody dispute involving Explore Park developer Larry Vander Maten and three Ukrainian sisters intensified Thursday afternoon when authorities removed the children from the builder's Florida mansion.

Elton John says wants to adopt Ukrainian baby Sat Sep 12, 2009 12:23pm EDT Email | Print | Share | Reprints | Single Page [-] Text [+] 1 of 3Full Size Featured Broker sponsored link DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - British singer Elton John, visiting Ukraine with his AIDS charity foundation, said on Saturday he wanted to adopt a 14-month-old boy from an orphanage in the east of the country. Ukraine has the fastest rising HIV rates in Europe. Two years ago the singer gave a free concert on the main square in Kiev attended by tens of thousands people to raise awareness of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS. Elton John's AIDS Foundation collaborates with the Ukrainian Anti-AIDS Foundation of Olena Franchuk, daughter of former President Leonid Kuchma. He performed 'Circle of Life' for children at the orphanage -- some there because their parents had died of AIDS. Later he and partner David Furnish, who had a 14-month boy called Lev on his knee, were asked whether they thought of adopting. "David and I have always talked about adoption," Elton John replied. "David always wanted to adopt a child and I always said 'no' because I am 62 and I think because of the traveling I do and the life I have, maybe it wouldn't be fair for the child." "But having seen Lev today, I would love to adopt him. I don't know how we do that but he has stolen my heart. And he has stolen David's heart and it would be wonderful if we can have a home. I've changed my mind today," he said. John said the death of his long-term keyboardist, Guy Babylon, had also helped change his mind. "Last week I lost one of my best friends ... It broke my heart because he was such a genius and so young and has two wonderful children. What better opportunity to replace someone I lost than to replace him with someone I can give a future to." (Reporting by Sergei Karazy; writing by Sabina Zawadzki)

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wachten op intake

10-8-2009

Vanmorgen even met St. Afrika gebeld. Ze zijn vandaag terug van vakantie dus ik dacht dat het wel moeizaam zou zijn om ze te pakken te krijgen... niets was minder waar. Er werd opgenomen na 1x overgaan, dus ik had meteen ook de juiste persoon te pakken.

We hebben in het verleden doorgegeven dat we rustig aan willen doen.. dat is inmiddels veranderd, we willen gewoon door. We hebben geen haast maar de rem hoeft er ook niet meer op.

Er werd verteld wat we al wisten.. het gaat allemaal moeizaam in Kenia. Daardoor mogen er nog geen nieuwe dossiers opgestuurd worden naar Kenia. We zullen dus nog even moeten wachten met de intake. We staan als 6e op de wachtlijst en zoals het er nu voor staat hopen we dat we in oktober aan de beurt zullen zijn voor de intake. We gaan het meemaken.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/08/09/2003450714

Criminal Investigation Bureau busts smugglers

STAFF WRITER
Sunday, Aug 09, 2009, Page 3

The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) yesterday said it had broken up a human-trafficking ring that used the passports of Taiwanese Aboriginal children to smuggle Chinese minors into France.

In June, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) made a similar breakthrough involving another group that used the same method to traffic Chinese youths to the US.

The CIB yesterday said it received a tip that a man surnamed Liao (?) and the criminal group he headed had successfully smuggled Chinese minors to the US several times.

After the US strengthened its visa application policy last month by requiring that all persons under the age of 14 go to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) for a face-to-face visa interview, the group shifted its operations to France, the bureau said.

The CIB said the traffickers would pay anywhere between NT$5,000 to NT$10,000 for the personal information of Aboriginal children in Hualien and would then use the documents to apply for authentic Republic of China (ROC) passports and foreign visas.

Currently, the Bureau of Consular Affairs does not require people to apply for a passport in person.

After obtaining an ROC passport and a visa to a third country, the traffickers would bring the travel documents to Hong Kong to meet up with Chinese counterparts who brought minors from China. Together, the children and their escorts would fly to either the US, France, Mexico or other countries from Hong Kong using the passports.

The CIB said the crime syndicates had bought the personal information of 45 Aboriginal children and trafficked 37 Chinese minors to the US and other countries.

The crime ring earns US$70,000 for each child it smuggles. The CIB estimated that Liao’s group had made a profit of more than NT$80 million (US$2.4 million).

Together with Hualien police, the CIB arrested members of the group at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Thursday. Police also found the members had a large quantity of fraudulent passports and counterfeit NIA immigration custom stamps.

The 2009 annual Trafficking in Persons report published in June by the US Department of Homeland Security said that Taiwan remained a Tier 2 country.

Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan all received the same ranking, while China has stayed on the Tier 2 watch list for five years running.