Separatists Hack Yemen News Agency Site

Southern separatists hacked the website of Yemen's official Saba news agency on Saturday, posting a portrait of Ali Salem al-Baid, the prominent exiled south Yemen leader.

The home page of the sabanews.net website was replaced by one showing flags of South Yemen and messages glorifying the former country, which merged with the north in 1990.

"We will stamp on all those who ignore the people of the south," said one message, while others threatened to hack or even bring down other websites of the central government in Sanaa.

Baid, who was vice president of Yemen when he declared independence in 1994, went into exile two months later when northern troops entered Aden.

Many residents of south Yemen, which was independent from 1967 when the British withdrew until it was united with the north in 1990, complain of discrimination by the Sanaa government in the distribution of resources.