Tag Archives: labour

Victims plumb depths of misery in quest of a better future in region

Special Report CHAIYAKORN BAI-NGERN, THACHAYAN WAHARAK SPECIAL TO THE NATION June 28, 2012 1:00 am

they list Vietnam as the biggest source in the Mekong region as a transit point and destination for human trafficking, both for sex and labour exploitation.

More than 500,000 Vietnamese work in foreign countries and some 180,000 Laotians work illegally in Thailand, according to the Thai government.

World Vision says 44 per cent of Laotian families have no idea where their children go to for work. Of those who return home, 13 per cent claimed they were raped.

Singapore – one of many destinations for human traffickers – has no effective anti-human-trafficking laws.

Few Malaysians are trafficked to countries such as Singapore, China and Japan, but trafficking of foreigners within Malaysia is rife.

Human-trafficking sources reported there are more than 100,000 immigrants working in the Thai fishing industry. Job placement agencies estimate that illegal workers generate more than Bt50 billion in revenue for the sector.

Migrant workers have left their countries either voluntarily or by being duped to escape a life without hope. many decided to leave home in quest of a better future, meaning a more comfortable and successful life, often described as possessing as many materials as friends or others do.

For instance, Ni, a 20-year-old Laotian woman, recalled how she started life in Thailand as a domestic maid and ended up as a prostitute at a karaoke shop in a central province of Thailand.

she said she paid Bt30,000 to an agency in Sawannaket province of Laos to work as a maid in Bangkok tending to children for a monthly salary of Bt5,000, but her life was a misery. “I had to send money home every month and had only B500 left for my own upkeep. Work was awfully exhausting so I called up my friend,” she said.

The friend led her to work as a waitress in a Nonthaburi restaurant at the same salary as a maid, but she got lots of tips from clients. “Life was a bit better because what I had to do was just dress up and talk to customers and I had to learn to drink liquor,” she said.

Ni’s earnings could not match her spending after having lived beyond her means. Clothes, mobile phones, even plastic surgery plunged her deep into debt. when she could not send money home, she decided to enter the sex industry.

“In the beginning having sex with five men per day was an ordeal. I needed drugs and alcohol to give me the guts,” she said.

she receives about Bt800 from each client she sleeps with, which means over Bt4,000 per day, excluding what the shop earns.

While Ni may be endangering her life by exposing herself to risk of contracting Aids, Molui Sengko, a 20-year-old Burmese, risks being killed and dumped into the sea working in the fishing industry.

He was duped by an agency that promised him a construction job in Thailand. After having paid them Bt15,000, he was forced to work for nine months on a fishing boat before being rescued by police.

“I and 13 others thought we would never have the chance to see land again. Life in the boat was a living hell. we were beaten to work non-stop. no time even to eat. they threatened to throw us into the sea if we stopped working,” he said.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is opening a battlefront against human traffickers in the Mekong region.

In Thailand, the UNODC signed an agreement with the Central Investigation Bureau to suppress sexual-related crimes before the Asean Economic Community takes effect in 2015.

The UNODC has supported the Thai police to adopt the concept of community policing, which has proved a |success.

Victims plumb depths of misery in quest of a better future in region

Challenges of maternal fistula

PREGNANCY is supposed to be a life fulfilling event which results in a healthy baby and a proud mother.

But sadly this is not always the case, especially if they are poor, illiterate and live in rural areas, far from health posts.

According to the latest statistics, Zambia has a maternal mortality rate of 591 per 100,000 live births.

In a series of stories, the Times will explore maternal mortality in Zambia and the efforts being made to ensure that women do not suffer harm or die through child birth.

The most common and devastating type of genital fistula is obstetric fistula, a hole in the birth canal usually caused by prolonged obstructed labour.

It is a totally preventable complication of labour which can be avoided by delaying the age of first pregnancy, stopping harmful traditional practices, and timely access to obstetric care.

It results in nearly all cases in the death of the baby and leaves the woman suffering from health problems, including chronic incontinence, shame and social segregation.

Namasiku Kamuya lived with the debilitating burden of obstetric fistula for six years, when her rectum ruptured during the delivery of her first baby.

No amount of antibiotics could cure the uncontrolled leaking of urine and faecal matter, nor the stench she emitted.

Living in the remote village of Kulatembo in Southern Province, 21-year-old Kamuya said access to health care is almost impossible, so throughout her pregnancy she was attended to by a traditional birth attendant (TBA).

Kamuya represents many economically disadvantaged young women in rural areas, who are not able to make appropriate birth choices such as where to deliver and what type of birth to opt for.

These women, whose birth choices are determined by relatives, often end up being attended to by TBA’s, who lack the necessary skill to determine or identify possible complications that could lead to difficult child birth.

University Teaching Hospital (UTH) managing director, Lackson Kasonka, a gynecologist said poverty is a major underlying factor which explains the increased numbers of women suffering from fistula.

“This condition mainly affects young women, who are voiceless and their child birth choices are dictated to them by their immediate family members, and because of this, many of the child births cases are difficult births, resulting in fistula, due to unskilled domestic conditions under which these women give birth,” he said.

Dr Kasonka said 66 per cent of child births are still attended to by unskilled TBAs and this has contributed to the incidences of fistula.

He cited Luapula Province as having the most cases, probably because of its proximity to neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which lacks health care services.

Explaining how TBA’s do more harm than good in child birth, Dr Kasonka said traditionally, these women’s main focus is on achieving a delivery, whether the baby or mother survives.

The more pregnancies they achieved, the greater their reputation and of course there was always the monetary benefit – a chicken, a goat, chitenge or actual cash.

This, Dr Kasonka said is a great motivation. “As medical personnel we have a credo that the sun should never rise and set on a woman in labour. But midwives will leave a woman in labour for days just so that they can deliver a baby dead or alive and safeguard their reputation.”

TBAs are prone to administering herbs to enhance labour without knowing the effects of prolonged (obstructed) labour.

The baby would have long died due to pressure and suffocation and is then expelled out of the birth canal forcefully, causing rapture of either the bladder or rectum, and in some extreme cases, both.

The forceful expulsion of the baby is done without consideration of what in medical terms is referred to as the ‘push factor’ or passage (birth canal) is adequate or not.Dr Kasonka, said as much as the job carried out by TBA’s was complementary to the country’s health care system; they (TBA’s) did not have the necessary skill and capacity to pre-determine difficult labour cases, which resulted in complications such as fistula.

The age at which women give birth pre disposes them to fistula. Some girls get pregnant in their early teens, when their bodies are not ready for child birth which causes pressure on their narrow and undeveloped pelvis.

This is true for a 15-year-old given Nabulanda who developed fistula after a three day labour for her first child.

Living in a remote village in the Luapula Province, Nabulanda said she went into labour while at a fishing camp and a TBA was called.

Her bladder was so badly ruptured that she had to have three operations.

“The nurses have told me that my pelvis was to small and I should have had a caesarean but when I was delivering the TBA told me to continue pushing and even started slapping me.”

The loss of their baby and the resultant fistula is the beginning of a life of stigma and discrimination, being abandoned by husbands and family, because of the inability to control the passing of urine and stool.

The stench is overwhelming and many women are moved into separate quarters where they are left to their own devises.

While fistula is not fatal, it causes other conditions like depression and infections which could become fatal.

Fistula can only be reversed by cosmetic surgery, which entails placing back the tissues, which may have been displaced due to the rapture of either the rectum or the bladder.

While the solutions appear simple, women face many hurdles in seeing treatment. First is the lack of access to information.

Kamuya said her younger sister heard about fistula operations on radio Liseli. Nabulanda said she heard about it through a neighbour who was visiting from Lusaka. both say it was pure chance that they were able to access treatment.

There is also a lack of trained physicians trained in fistula repair. In Zambia, Dr Kasonka is the single most qualified fistula surgeon and is training a group of doctors to perform the surgery.

There is also not a standard training manual until last month when UNFPA launched its manual, for healthcare providers from low-and middle-income countries involved in the prevention and management of fistula.

Its purpose is to enable dedicated physicians to acquire the knowledge, skills and professionalism needed to prevent obstetric fistulae and provide proper surgical, medical and psychosocial care to women who have incurred fistulae, whether during childbirth or because of inflicted trauma.

Dr Kasonka the country’s only obstetric and gynecologist who specialises in surgical operations to reverse the effects of fistula said it is important for women who have experienced fistula repairs to ensure that their next pregnancy is delivered in a health institution, as chances of requiring a caesarian section may be higher.

He is training a team of doctors to assist in the operations who have been going around the country, to the provincial hospitals where he operates on an average of 40 women per week.

“The response to these operation we carry out in different parts of the country have been mixed because most them believe there is little or nothing that can be done to correct their situation, while others who are optimists, would come in numbers to get some help.

But even those who doubt that anything can be done, still come in large numbers, just to see if their beliefs can be proven wrong,” he said.

<a href="http://www.times.co.zm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=708:challenges-of-maternal-fistula&catid=71:health&Itemid=115tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.times.co.zm/index.php?option=com_content”>Challenges of maternal fistula

Christchurch quake: Friday morning as it happened

Send information and pics to news@tvnz.co.nz orcall 0800 886397. Official missing people hotline: 0800 RED CROSS,0800 733 276. Overseas: +64 7 850 2199  Friday afternoon/evening as it happened 11.40am: Inspector Mark Harrison, head of theFamily Liaison Team, says additional police staff have been broughtin to be a point of contact for families. he is urging tourists andvisitors to ring home to reassure family overseas even if they arenot in Christchurch.

Daily briefings are being held with families of the missingto give them direct updates about what’s going on. Dailybriefings are being held with families of the missing to give themdirect updates about what’s going on and to pass on importantinformation. he said it is a “personal and private time for many ofthese people”.

11.30am: Labour’s Christchurch Central MPBrendon Burns says politicians have to respond as TeamCanterbury on this and September 4 was only an entree towhat’s happened. he says saving heritage buildings is no longer theissue and many will have to be taken down.

We will have to build strong buildings and buildings withbeauty to make sure they still bring their own character to thisbeautiful city of ours, says Burns. Many heritage buildings havegone says Burns who is even questioning whether the cathedralcan be rebuilt. “This is bigger than anything our nation has everfaced.”

11.15am: Greg O’Connor from the PoliceAssociation says they are throwing all their resources behindthe whole effort to get the situation under control.

11.12am: Roger Sutton from Orion says they areaiming to have 80% of the power back on tonight. Hesays damage to the 66,000 volt underground cable networkout of the Bromley substation is a major issue. he saysthey are building an emergency 3km overhead line from Bromleythrough to Brighton from scratch.

11.05am: Canterbury District Health Board CEODavid Meates says the needs of the community don’t stop while we’redealing with this event. he says the primary focus is around publichealth such as boiling water and keeping safe at home.

“We don’t want an outbreak of gastro diseases that wouldput significant extra strain on services.” GP practices are back up to about 70% capacity and Meates saysthey should be the first port of call for people. he is urgingthem not to sit at home letting conditions get worse or fretting.Health officials are concerned about any frail andelderly people in residential care centres. More are likely tohave to be transferred to other South Island locations. Hospital facilities are running for people needing urgentcare. The emergency department is back to “almostnormal”. Many intensive care patients have been transferred tomaintain capacity in Canterbury to deal with further trauma.

Outpatients and scheduled operations have been cancelled. Healthofficials are looking at alternativesfor non-deferrable treatment such as cancer.

10.55am: Cliff said the 113 bodies inthe morgue are being treated with dignity and respect.

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10.53am: Superintendent Dave Cliff says peopleare sneaking into cordoned off areas thinking they are clever.”Frankly it’s stupid and ridiculous.”

He says rescuers are at risk from falling masonry and one personhit this morning was saved by his helmet. Police are rampingup reassurance patrols around the city. Police are againurging people not to travel unless it is absolutely necessary.Cliff says essential services into the city are being heldup by traffic congestion.

10.47am: Bob Parker says they are concentratingon supplying medical facilites and pharmacies. Medical centresare running as normal. Underground power supplies are shattered,Parker says.

10.43am: Civil Defence director JohnHamilton says Christchurch will not run out of fuel or food. Hesays the rain is expected to ease but it will still be cool withtemperatures of only 11 degrees at times. he says this ischallenging for people whose houses have been damaged. he saystheir focus is primarily on the urban search and rescuemission and the welfare and wellbeing of people.

10.33am: The Australian Prime Minister istelling her citizens that if they want to help us they shouldcome here on holiday. Julia Gillard says she’s sure Australianswill want to keep supporting new Zealanders and that includestaking their holiday dollars across the Tasman.

10.30am: stories of price gouging are beginningto emerge. Facebook has anecdotal evidence of hikes forbottled water, and other essentials. one person says they werecharged $15 for a two litre bottle of milk.

10.29am: Army engineers have established twowater production facilities. The equipment in new Brighton is areverse osmosis system that can produce potable water fromsaltwater sources. It can produce 2000 litres of fresh waterper hour.

10.27am: Part of the Japan Cup rugby final,being played this weekend, will be devoted to the victims ofChristchurch’s earthquake, the Japan Rugby Union says. “Japan Rugbyhas a strong bond with new Zealand and we feel the deepestsympathy  for the families and friends of the earthquakevictims,” chairman Nobby Mashimo said.

10.20am: The public is being urged not to moveroad barriers and other traffic management on city streets. Reportshave been received about people removing trafficmanagement signs at the Spencerville Road bridge. Officials say thebarriers are in place to protect public safety in quake damagedareas and moving the signs could cause public safetyissues.

10.00am: The Census will not go ahead on March8. The last time this happened was during World War II in 1941. Itwas also cancelled after the 1931 earthquake in Napier. “This is not the time to go door to door asking new Zealanders forinformation when they’re dealing with the aftermath of theearthquake,” Williamson said. there has been extensive damage to Statistics new Zealandbuildings with significant impacts on census staff. Williamson said no decision has been made on future dates. “We willnow investigate the feasibility of alternative options,” Bascandsaid.

To recap: 10am – seismologists say the quake is behaving as it shouldand aftershocks will decrease over time – the Wizard has had enough and has left the city – Kiwi troops in Afghanistan have sent messages of support – no shortage of fuel – Red Cross staff will be going door-to-door today to check onpeople in the suburbs – St John is taking patients to locations outside ofChristchurch – The main sewer trunks are seriously munted, says Bob Parker – Christchurch airport is fully operational

9.59am: Pacifica Shipping says two coastalcargo ships are on their way from Auckland to Canterbury with largevolumes of food, water and emergency supplies.

9.57am: The Reserve Bank has posted a map ofoperational bank ATM machines on its website.

9.55am: Red tape means this week’s Lottojackpot can’t be donated to quake relief. A LotteriesCommission spokeswoman says legally they can’t divert the prizepool, but they are working out other ways to help.

9.43am: Christchurch airport is fullyoperational. Air new Zealand and Qantas will be supplying morewide-bodied aircraft to help clear backlogs from Christchurchairport today. Airport CEO Jim Boult says Air NZ is putting ontwo 747 and a 777. Qantas is bringing over two 737-800aircraft with police and rescue personnel on board.

9.40am: “The main sewer trunks are seriouslymunted,” says Parker. He says 70 properties in residentialareas have been red stickered, many in Lyttelton.

9.35am: Bob Parker says there will be upto 600 search and rescue people on the ground by this evening andthey still hope to find people alive.  He isreiterating people need to take care of themselves. “We can’tcontrol the weather but you can control your own exposure to theseconditions.”

9.27am: St John continuesto transport patients to locations outside ofChristchurch including Auckland, Hamilton and Rotorua. Theemergency ambulance communications centre in Christchurch remainsclosed. All South Island calls are being handled by Christchurchstaff who have relocated to the communication centre inAuckland.

9.20am: Red Cross staff will be goingdoor-to-door today to check on people in the suburbs.Spokesman David Neal says staff will now be putting theirenergy into Project Suburbs. he says there are a lot of people whoare alone and isolated in their homes.

9.15am: The 111 system is fully operational andthe Fire Service is ready to respond despite the lackof reticulated water. “We’re well resourced and have morepeople here than we’ve ever had,” Ditmar says. 

9.10am: Area Commander Ross Ditmar from theFire Service says his crews are still fully in search and rescuemode. he expects the  grid search to be completed thismorning. Ditmar says the rain isn’t all bad and actually reducesthe dust. he says management always knows where people are andthe service operates under strict safety guidelines. 

8.49am: Loose and insecure masonry is tobe removed from the damaged Christchurch Cathedral to enableUSAR teams to safely search for bodies through the rubble.

8.47am: GNS seismologist Caroline Ashendon saysthe quake is behaving as it should at this stage and aftershockswill decrease over time. but she says there will be more maginitude4 and 5 quakes. Experts hope to put out a forecast of what can beexpected over the next few weeks but they can’t forecast whenanother big one is coming.

8.40am: Oil companies are urging people not topanic and stock up on petrol because there is no shortage ofsupply.

8.38am: Chief coroner Neil McLeanbelieves today is the day that the real pressure starts fromfamilies wanting their loved ones returned. He says the workis complicated by their Christchurch office being knockedout. Specialists have been brought in to help.

8.36am: Kiwi troops in Afghanistan have sentmessages of support to Christchurch.

8.32am: Prince Philip has signed a book ofcondolences at NZ House in London.

8.31am: Contact Energy has put aside up to $2million to help customers experiencing hardship following the quake. The fund will be targeted at Contact’s Christchurchcustomers who have been impacted by the earthquake and have troublepaying their energy bill.

8.28am: Even the Christchurch Wizard isleaving. he says he’s had enough – and he’s gone.

8.24am The new Zealand and Australiancricketers will wear black arm bands and have a minutessilence ahead of tonight’s World Cup cricket match in Nagpur.Australian skipper Ricky Ponting says they share in new Zealand’sgrief.

8.15am: Heatley says once people startreturning to the city there will be a demand for accommodation andpeople will need somewhere to live while their houses are beingbuilt. Temporary accommodation such as modular homes will beerected around Canterbury. “We want to get ahead of the game,” saysHeatley.

To recap 8.00am – concern as wet, cold weather forecast – tough and quick decisions to be made about damagedbuildings. – 103 confirmed dead; 228 missing; 70 live rescues; five bodiesrecovered overnight. – more than 90% of the CBD has been checked and assessed – Defence Force personnel are supporting the three services withpatrols, engineers and medics. – Prime Minister John Key is in Wellington today, planningahead – Housing NZ’s help line has received over 1800 calls offeringshort term accommodation

8.00am: Housing Minister Phil Heatley saysHousing new Zealand’s help line has received over 1800 callsoffering short term accommodation. he said Housing NZ ismaking sure there is co-ordination matching offers with need. Onceoffers are registered staff are making sure everyone concernedknows what is involved. for the long term, Housing new Zealand willmanage leases for the owner.

7.45am: Prime Minister John Key is inWellington today. he said government needs to think through whatthis all means. People will be running out of money and 50,000people normally work in the CBD cordon.

He said Christchurch is facing a significant rebuild and it willbe some time before the land can be strengthened. Kay saidyesterday’s CEO meeting was one of “absolute determination”. Key has heaped praise on the overseas response, saying the helphas been amazing. he says offers of help are still coming in andany money goes to the people of Canterbury through the Red Cross orMayoral Fund. Other offers of equipment and personnel are beingaccepted where there is the need. there is no upside to a disasterlike this but our first instincts tell us to rally round and helpeach other and that applies in other countries says Key.

He says the focus needs to be on restoring the core services ofwater, power and sewerage even if the repairs are temporary. Keywants to see the children back to school so they canhave a sense of normality back in their lives.

7.38am: Sergeant Gary Manch says army andpolice are manning cordons around Sumner where residents from ninestreets were evacuated overnight. Police are asking people tostay away from the unstable cliffs. he says the odrsdonsclearly marked please bear with us cordons there for safetyreasonjs only really need people to be co-operative fantasticeffort goping on in Christchurcvh if people havent been affectedplease stay away from damage zones power being restored slowlywater statiosn available

7.35am: Brownlee praises theworkers ”down in the ditches” restoring theinfrastructure.

7.33am: Brownlee says many of the heritagebuildings have killed people and there will be consequencesfrom this event. “Lets get things safe, we need to build for thenew environment.”

7.30am: Earthquake Response Minister Gerry Brownlee says it is still a civil defenceresponse emergency and people have to go through the grief andmourning. “All of us in Canterbury will know someone who has lostsomeone.” we are very very shaken and traumatised by the events ofthe last couple of days. “To get over it, you’ve got to gothrough it.”

7.25am: International teams are working welltogether and there are no language difficulties. Support isavailable at the airport and at operational sites, Brown says. Hesays the US team has aririved with 80 people and 40 tonnes ofequipment. The UK team is due this morning with two tonnes ofequipment. “Whatever mother nature throws at us, we’re there tocontinue the work,” says Brown.

7.20am: Brown says they have had to holdback around the Grand Chancellor because of the danger fromaftershocks. Team briefings this morning will look at managingassessment around the Chancellor. Rescuers are focused on the jpbthey’re trained for. USAR teams are working 12 hour shifts and arein for the long haul “to do this job on behalf of the people of NewZealand”.

7.14am: USAR co-ordinator Mitchell Brown sayssearchers are always positive and looking for anypossibility of life but as time goes by “we’re doing thetragic job of retrieving bodies”.

7.10am: Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Harper saysthe military is safeguarding the city cordon. he said they arebeing helped by Singaporean troops who were in Burnham when thequake hit. they are easing the pressure, says Harper. Defencepersonnel are supporting the three services with patrols, engineersand medics. “It’s a national emergency and the powers that be willdecide where we are needed.” 

7.00am: Jim Stuart-Black from Urban Search andRescue (USAR) said there have been no rescues overnight butthey are still conducting searches. The city has been putinto a quadrant which is broken down into search sectors. Morethan 90% of the CBD has been checked. Stuart-Black says theyare now assessing Sunmer and Lyttelton. Searchers are beingassisted by 20-25 dogs on the ground. Stuart-Black says thelistening devices are extremely sensitive and at times they need toswitch off all machinery and equipment and listen for the faintestsounds.

6.59am: Police are focused on trying to getfamilies of victims back together, as well as keeping them more upto speed about what is going on. “We are having daily contact andneed to increase that further – it’s a huge group and they’remourning,” says Gibson. he is calling for patience and trust.”We’re working as quickly as we can to return their loved ones tothem.”

6.56am: Police are concerned about peopleposing as rescuers. Gibson says more officers are coming in to helpand some will be deployed into suburbs. People are still beingurged to keep off the roads.

6.53am: Parker says the morale of rescuers isstrong. “These are highly trained professionals.” he says peopleare getting more and more tired and it helps him personally to havea focus. “Working on stuff helps put other things to one side.”Cantabrians need to prepare for the realisation they will know manyof the victims.

6.40am: Superintendent Russell Gibson says theyare quietly working through the list of the missing and some mayalready be in the temporary mortuary. he expects the names of someof the deceased to trickle out today.

6.35am: Parker says they are going to haveto be pretty hard nosed about public safety going forward and theremay be some tough and quick decisions to be made about damagedbuildings. “We may need to level whole blocks.”

6.29am: People are being urged to keep theirproperties as secure as possible. “There will be people out therefor whom this is just an opportunity,” Parker warns. “They justhave greed and need and that’s a sad reality.”

6.28am: Officials are going door to doortoday to check on residents. Parker said neighbours must helpeach other and people have to work together. “It’snot just the guys in the orange jackets.” Food and water isgetting into areas but Parker is very concernedthat not everyone has been checked.

6.23am: Mayor Bob Parker is worried about theweather, particularly for those without power.

6.22am: Searchers are now going into alleywaysand checking rubble where people may have been going back andforwards for lunch.

6.21am: Where toilets are working, use andflush them, then check to see the waste is going away.If not ring the council so they know where the problems are.200 portable toilets have been distributed.

6.20am: 20,131 calls have been made tohelplines.

6.18am: 452 people in five active welfarecentres, many people are self evacuating.

6.16am: 594 patients have been through theEmergency Department – 164 admitted, 11 in intensive care; a fieldhospital is being set up and will be operational by lunchtime; 2000people have been treated at other medical facilities

6.13am: 10 international teams are on theground, 559 search and rescue teams operational; 10 personnelhave arrived from China; the US team is due at lunch time.

6.11am: 103 now confirmed dead by police -4 names released; 228 missing; 70 live rescues; five bodiesrecovered from the CBD  overnight. 

6.10am: Civil Defence Minister John Carter saysthe rescuers are doing an “amazing outstanding job”, workingevery hour they can, as rapidly as they can. “They areheroes.”

5:35am More water should be available inChristchurch today. Federated Farmers has arranged another 335,000litres of water although it does not know exactly where the waterwill be delivered. The majority will be distributed to schools. Thecouncil says the army has desalination plants processing 5000litres of water an hour in Lyttelton and in new Brighton from 7amthis morning. The Bromley Waste Water Treatment Plant is nowoperational. 5:20am Cordons in the city remain tight with aChancery Lane building being demolished last night. Securitas Houseon the corner of Gloucester Street and Madras Street is now causingconcern and the Grand Chancellor Hotel remains unstable, policesay. 5:02am The Sallies are boosting their presence inthe quake zone. a further 50 Salvation Army staff will be arrivingtoday and staff are providing up to 2000 meals a day. LyndonBuckingham says after damage to its offices in the city, aheadquarters has been set up in Sydenham. he says at the same timeas trying to meet people’s needs, they’re still in the process ofgetting the Salvation Army operations going again. 4:36am Police have issued a warning over peopleposing as bogus officials. Police said today people posing as EQCstaff members have been going door-to-door asking questions aboutelectronic equipment inside the houses, and also people in highvisibility vests have been seen on propertiesbut disappear quickly when they realise they have beenspotted. Also, at least two Australians have presenting themselves to thefire service as USAR or Disaster Victim Identification staff.Police say locals should be cautious and careful as all legitimateofficials will have ID and be happy to show it. Supt Russell Gibsonsaid: “Whether the goal for these people is for criminal reasons orout of ghoulish curiosity it is not acceptable. 4:14am an American USAR team has arrived inChristchurch and been met by the US Ambassador David Heubner. Ateam from the UK is also en route and will join those fromAustralia, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and China already here. Oncethey arrive there will be nearly 700 experts and volunteersworking on the rescue operation. 3:58am Coroner Sue Johnson says she is hopeful ofreleasing two more victims’ names this morning. she says their mainconcern is getting the right body back to the right family – andthat may take some time. 3:15am British Foreign Office confirmed twoBritons among those killed in quake. 3:00am Recap The death toll has risen to 102 and police havereleased the names of four victims. Twelve streets have been evacuated from the suburb ofRedcliffs. Police and urban search and rescue (USAR) continue a rescue andrecovery mission at CBD sites with international teams helping inseveral locations. TV ONE’s live coverage resumes with Breakfast at 6am NZT. this willalso be available on a live stream.

2:53am in an official release, Beijing says 20Chinese students are among those thought to be trapped in the quakerubble. “With respect to the reports of trapped Chinese students there, weare very concerned and our embassy in new Zealand is quicklychecking the situation,” foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu toldreporters on Thursday. “We have urged the new Zealand side to rescue the Chinese studentsthere,” Ma said in reports on Chinese China CentralTelevision. 2:29am Quake victims will be honoured during roundtwo of Super Rugby, SANZAR says. it announced this morning that allgames will observe a minute’s silence before kick-off and playerswill wear black and red arm-bands to acknowledge those affected inChristchurch. “Flags at all of the stadiums hosting Super Rugby games thisweekend will be flown at half-mast while broadcast partners acrossthe three countries will also show their support during games bypromoting the Red Cross website where people can donate to theappeal.” SANZAR said. during the first game of the round on Friday evening between theHighlanders and Chiefs at Carisbrook in Dunedin, the Salvation Armywill hold a food collection before the game and the Red Cross willalso take up a collection. 1:50am Council says three-quarters of homes inChristchurch now have power and 40% have water. Also, fuel is nowin constant supply and there is no need for panic buying. 1:16am five aftershocks measuring over 3 on the Richter scalehave been felt in the last two hours.

Day three: As it happened is available here.

Are you in Christchurch? Send us your information andpics to news@tvnz.co.nz or call0800 886397. Leave your messages on the messageboard below. Quake appeals have been launched – find out more here . 

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Castor Oil to Induce and how can you tell if its contractions or just the laxative making me hurt?

Im overdue,and would like what have happened to woman that took castor oil when prego. Does it cause major runs? Upset tummy? How can you tell if its the oil making your bowels contract or actual labor? How much did you take? Im seriously overdue and willing to try anything.

Do not take castor oil! It is bad for you and bad for the baby. Just do lots of walking and have sex. The baby will come when its ready. If you are more then a week overdue, ask the doctor to induce you.

Castor Oil just makes you sick and increases the chances of your baby having a bowel movement inside you – which can be life threatening to the baby.
There is nothing you can do to try and start labour other than being induced by your doctor WITH MEDICATION !

2 Tablespoons. but, I have heard that it doesnt allways work and you will just be sick, or that you will be in labor but feeling like crap.
Major runs.
I would try nipple stimulation for a few hours (it really does work as it lets out hormones)
Good luck!
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Yes it cause all that, have you tried sex, cause semen is the best thing to induce labor. but other than that walking. but your baby has a mind of its own and he/she is gonna come when the time is right. Trust me I tried everything in the world to induce myself and the one thing that worked……..SEX!!! That sounds crazy but it does work.

well what i did was take not even a tblsp of the castor oil and i mixed it in some juice and drunk it fast with a straw. i did this around 8pm and started having mild contractions around 10pm, and got to the hospital,they had me walk for about 30 minutes and while i was walking my water broke. the castor oil really worked! but it only takes alittle bit. after i took it i tried to have a bowel movement and barely went.it didnt upset my stomach.The castor oil was my mothers idea,its a old tyme remedy

I wouldn't do it. not only is the stuff horrible, most women have a hard time even getting it down, but everyone I have known or heard about says all it does is cause really bad cramps and diarrhea and even vomiting. even if you would happen to cramp yourself into contractions, you don't want a case of the poops when you go into labor. What a mess that would be! It can also dehydrate you and make you very weak for labor. It is controversial bc some say that is can cause the baby to pass it's first bowel movement in the womb, and that can be very dangerous to baby. Your baby will come when it is ready. Until then just try to be patient. If your Dr thinks you need induced, they will do it in a safe way. Best Wishes!!

Nipple stimulation does have a great potential of working. Squeeze and gently roll your nipple and areola between your fingers. do this as often as you can. It can cause your uterus to contract. Just like after you have your baby. when your baby nurses your uterus contracts. Oxytocin, a hormone that causes contractions, is released in the body when the breasts are stimulated. after the baby is born, this release is important for the involution (returning to pre-pregnancy size) of the uterus. in labor, the release can be used to stimulate longer or stronger contractions.

Some sample nipple stimulation techniques:
When trying to induce labor or speed up a prolonged early labor, have the mother go about her regular activities. Set a timer to go off every hour. when the timer indicates, have the mother stimulate one breast for 5 minutes, then continue with her normal activities.

If the mother is anxious for labor to begin, combine the effects of natural nipple stimulation with the natural prostaglandin released in semen by encouraging the mother and her partner to engage in intercourse.

Sympathy at the being overdue!

My first was overdue by 6 days and this one is currently 2 days over. when were u due?

Please don't try caster oil as it has been proven to dehydrate baby and mum and has an increased risk of complications.

Castor Oil to Induce and how can you tell if its contractions or just the laxative making me hurt?