DUKA

Attacked Mumbai hotels reopen Hotel managers have promised stricter security to safeguard against repeat attacks [AFP] Two luxury hotels in Mumbai have re-opened after being damaged in attacks last month that left 164 people dead. The Trident-Oberoi hotel began accepting guests on Sunday morning, while the Taj Mahal hotel group said it would re-open the tower wing of its Taj Palace hotel later in the day. Stricter security will be implemented at the Trident, including the installation of baggage scanners and a new surveillance system, Rattan Keswani, the hotel's president, said. "I think all of us are concerned about a complete deterrent [to any future attacks]," the Press Trust of India news agency quoted him as saying. "We need armed presence, and we are adding to it." The Trident's management said that about 100 of the hotel's 550 rooms had been booked for Sunday, while all four of its restaurants were open. "It is a statement to terrorists that this does not close down business. [Attacks do] not close down hotels," Rick McElrea, a Canadian who lives in Mumbai, said as he visited one of the restaurants for breakfast. "I don't feel any fear. I feel hope. The terrorists failed and Mumbaikars won." Lashkar 'connection' Around 10 armed men stormed the Trident-Oberoi, the Taj Mahal Palace and other Mumbai landmarks on November 26. IN VIDEO Fishermen deaths that led off Mumbai assault The men, alleged to be linked to Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba, battled Indian security forces for three days, leaving the two hotels seriously damaged. Indian intelligence and security services have been criticised for failing to prevent the attacks. New Delhi is calling on Islamabad to take stronger action against those it suspects of planning the raids. Pakistan has cracked down on a Lashkar-linked charity but has declined to extradite any of the arrested suspects, saying India must share intelligence implicating the group. Interpol co-operation The re-opening of the attacked hotels comes a day after Ronald Noble, the head of Interpol, the international police organisation, met P Chidambaram, India's minister of home affairs, to discuss co-ordinating an investigation into the attacks. Interpol has said it is willing to distribute suspects' names, fingerprints, DNA profiles and photographs to police agencies around the world. Washington has also offered its assistance into the investigation. Admiral Timothy Keating, the commander of the US Pacific command, said India had delivered a "calm, measured response" to the Mumbai assault, comparing it to attacks in the US on September 11, 2001. "We are working through the initial parts of a package that ... we would offer to India to help them understand some of the lessons learned that we very painfully learned in the wake of our 11 September attacks - in information sharing, collaboration and co-operation," he said. (Berita ini diambil dari Al Jazeera 23 Disenmber 2008). Source: Agencies ARTICLE TOOLS Email article Print article Send feedback Share article Top News Pakistan military on 'red alert' Palestinians agree to 24-hour lull Belgian king accepts resignations Germany considers Guantanamo intake 'No apology' from Iraq shoe-thrower CENTRAL/S. ASIA News Pakistan military on 'red alert' Nepal 'media under Maoist attack' Attacked Mumbai hotels reopen US to bolster force in Afghanistan LTTE claims Sri Lanka troop deaths Most emailed articles Activists fight female circumcision Somali fighters warn Western powers Cable break disrupts internet Morales urges action over Cuba Pakistan military on 'red alert'