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Friday's programme

Peter van Dyk | 17:58 UK time, Friday, 8 December 2006

We're on air now and as , we've got a lot to get through. Click here to listen., and let's get going.

First we go to Beirut, where Fazel, Maya and Sadr are among thousands of Lebanese protesting against the government.

Maya said they are protesting so all Lebanese can be involved in the government. "We are living in a democratic country and all Lebanese must have the right to be involved."

Sadr said everything is available in the camp and they can study so they're not leaving until the government leaves.

The protest is damaging the country's economy - the manager of the Virgin Megastore says his shop has been forced to close for a week and can't last much longer.

Fazel said it was up to the government to leave to help the country. Sadr said the government put the country in debt over three decades so the protesters damage is not significant.

Maya said the short-term pain of the protests was better than the long-term problems that come from this government.

"He is losing his business, we are losing our lives" said Fazel.

Mark in Uganda sent in a question by text message:
Is Nasrallah also camping on da Beirut Street? What exactly is he prosiming da protestors if the govt goes?

It's not just Hezbollah, said Maya, it's not just Hassan Nasrallah, there are lots of different Lebanese.

Would the three of them rather see a Hezbollah government?

Maya was adamant - No! They want a government for all Lebanese.

Madeleine asked if the three of them worried that the protests might spark a civil war if there was no change. Sadr said they would never be involved in fighting. Everyone agreed with that.

Bribery

And moving on - is it ever right to pay a bribe?

Rick in the US says he was happy to cough up when he was in India and a police officer said he'd committed a crime that could land him in jail for 10 years. Handing over $1200, he went free.

Albert, Ganta, Liberia
Bribing is one of the corrupt practices that has caused my country to be backward in development. It should not be encouraged.

Kaye in London told how when she worked at a corporate bank a few staff members used to accept bribes to transfer money out of big accounts.

Albert in Paris said that until the end of sanctions in 2000 the only way to do an arms deal was to pay a bribe.

He would have had no qualms about doing what Rick did in India to walk free.

Nirmal, an entrepreuner in India, says she isn't asked to pay bribes because she's a woman, but she knows men have to - it's easier to ask them. It's like a service industry, she says.

Anaj in India said bribery should never be accepted or justified.

He told Nirmal that everyone should be honest in his own sphere.

Nirmal argued that it's the backlog causing the corruption, so if everyone paid extra then some processes could be outsourced and the backlog could be cleared, eliminating the need for bribery.

Neill Stansbury of Transparency International said that corruption is as big a problem in the developed world, but in the developing world it is far more a day-to-day event.

Nirmal agreed, as did Eric in London who said bribery was probably more subtle in the developed world.

Forgiving kidnappers and killers

Last year James Loney, Harmeet Singh Soden and two colleagues were kidnapped in Iraq, where they had been working for Christian Peacemaker Teams. James, Harmeet and Norman Kember were rescued after 118 days, but Tom Fox was killed by the kidnappers.

Richard Wilson - who's sister Charlotte was killed in Burundi six years ago - joined us to say that he completely agreed with their views on the death penalty, and their willingness to forgive, but justice must be separated from revenge.

James said he didn't have a desire for the men to be punished and he thought of justice as a correct relationship between people. Accountability is important and when one person or group harms another person or group.

Richard said the situation in Burundi was for many years one of complete impunity for criminal acts, and as a result there was a devaluation of human life and the bullies and thugs rise to the top. In Iraq, he said, if international standards of justice aren't applied, you face ending up with a society like the Congo where anarchy rules.

I commend your guests for being forgiving to the people who trespassed them but it is important to remember that God does not spare the hand of justice, and people must pay for their wrong doings. - Nacole, Dallas, Texas

You can't let a murderer go just because you've forgiven him,He will do it again.Forgiveness only serves a purpose if the guilty party asks for it. - Ronald, Kampala.

Paul Slattery, a friend of Tom Fox, said he admired James and Harmeet for their ability to forgive.

Walt in California said it was admirable that they forgave the kidnappers but justice was a different matter.

Harmeet said he felt that Tom Fox's murder trial was separate from the kidnapping, and they could not judge whether to bear witness at the trial until they had more information about it.

Anthony in London asked how the pair might feel if the accused were released and then killed a future kidnap victim.

James said that was a false dilemma, but if it happened he would of course feel bad. That satisfied Anthony.

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