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Calls for Strikes in Syria Largely Ignored, Crackdown Continues

   VOA News  May 18, 2011
   Syrian citizens carry their belongings, as they cross the border
   illegally , fleeing from violence the western Syrian village of
   Talkalakh, in the Wadi Khaled area, about one kilometer (0.6 miles)
   from the Lebanon-Syria border, north Lebanon, May 16, 201

Photo: AP

   Syrian citizens carry their belongings, as they cross the border
   illegally , fleeing from violence the western Syrian village of
   Talkalakh, in the Wadi Khaled area, about one kilometer (0.6 miles)
   from the Lebanon-Syria border, north Lebanon, May 16, 2011

   Calls for strikes in Syria were largely ignored Wednesday for fear of
   government retaliation, as Syria's deadly crackdown on the opposition
   intensified across the country.
   Syrian activists called for a nationwide general strike in hopes of
   putting more pressure on the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
   But schools, shops and other businesses stayed open in the capital,
   Damascus, and other cities.
   Residents in Homs and Damascus told reporters they would not strike and
   risk harsh government punishment.
   Meanwhile, witnesses say government troops continued with
   house-to-house raids and shelling in the Damascus suburb of Douma, to
   Nawa in the south and Talkalakh in the west.
   Talkalakh has faced a brutal crackdown during the last few days, and
   activists say security forces there have killed 27 people since last
   week.
   Activists say more than 850 civilians have been killed across the
   country since mid-March when protesters began calling for Assad's
   resignation. Authorities have arrested at least 7,000 people as part of
   the crackdown.
   The Obama administration and the European Union Tuesday vowed to take
   more steps in the coming days to pressure Syria to halt its crackdown.
   U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and European Union foreign
   policy chief Catherine Ashton discussed the situation in Washington.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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