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Mali: 100 Sharia Lashes for Unwed Parents in the North    · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

The grip of Islamist group Ansar Dine on northern Mali and their imposition of Islamic law or Sharia has recently been tragically demonstrated in Timbuktu. A couple who had a child out of wedlock, publicly received 100 lashes each [fr].
This video of the sentence being carried out, shared by MaliWeb [fr] on YouTube [WARNING: Graphic content], shocked many Malians and they reacted strongly across social media.
Imposition of Sharia
In Jeune Afrique, Mohamed Ould Baby, one of the town's elected officials, describes the surreal scene of the sentence [fr] which shocked so many residents of Timbuktu:
Sur la place Sankoré de Tombouctou (centre), un homme et une femme ont reçu cent coups de fouet chacun pour avoir eu un enfant hors mariage [..] C'était comme un spectacle, les gens ont regardé ça. J'ai vu les jeunes descendre d'un véhicule sur la place, puis les coups de fouet. C'est la première fois que je vois ça
Frozen by fear
The impact of the scene was heightened by the veiling of the young couple's faces and the absence of any reaction from the spectators, as if they were frozen by fear or disbelief. The young couple were then forced to marry.
Moussa Kaka has seen this phenomenon–this “freezing” of people's reactions–it has affected the population of Gao too [fr]. In Slate Afrique he reports:
Le «calme de la population de Gao.. dans une «ville (qui) semble figée». Ansar Dine et les moudjahidines contrôlent toute la partie conquise. «Ils contrôlent la vie des habitants, ils contrôlent les mosquées, (…) la façon de s’habiller, la façon de vivre…»
In the same article [fr], another person states:
J`ai reçu quarante coups de fouet parce que je fumais et que j`ai continué à fumer après qu`on me l`ait interdit
The imposition of Sharia law in northern Mali [fr] is one of the main objectives of Islamist group Ansar Dine, who took control of Timbuktu [fr] following a shortlived alliance [fr] with the Touareg MNLA movement.
Malijet gives details of other acts of Sharia [fr] which have been implemented in northern Mali:
La semaine dernière, des membres du Mujao avaient brûlé des cartons de cigarettes et fouetté des fumeurs à Bourem, une ville du nord du Mali qu'ils occupent et contrôlent. En mai à Gao, ils avaient empêché des jeunes de jouer au football et de regarder la télévision, ce qui avait provoqué de violentes manifestations anti-islamistes.
Outrage among Malians
Many Malians are outraged by these punishments. But Ansar Dine is not the only group to face the wrath of Internet users. In the comment section of the Malijet news site [fr] where a video of the lashing was posted, Doumbia expresses her shame at the situation:
j'ai honte de l'armée malienne, des chefs d'Etat de la CEDEAO, des hommes politiques maliens…Bref j'ai honte de ma personne face à cette barbarie perpétrée par des violeurs, des assassins des paresseux enemis de l'humanité…Les députés, les ministres des deux mandats d'ATT, les fuillards de l'armée malienne ne valent pas mieux que ces hommes.
Djéné adds [fr]:
C'est à pleurer. Ne nous laissons plus piétiner par ces gens. Regarder bien celui qui frappe et retrouvons le il aura le même sort. Leur mariage forcé est nul ils le feront quand le nord sera libre s'ils le veulent. Jeunes gens vous êtes mes enfants et j'ai honte pour ce pays qui laisse faire ça.
In another post on the same issue commentator Momar calls on the government to take responsibility and intervene [fr]:
Mr. diarra, si vous ne faites pas quelque chose le plus vite possible contre ces barbares, nous allons vous faire partir. Nous souffrons trop dans notre ame et dignité. Mais c'est du jamais vu en afrique. C'est incroyable. Même apres une guerre gagnée contre ces barbares d'autres cieux, ces infamies nous resterons collées dans nos consciences.
But not everyone agrees. Karaski think that Malians have a spiritual choice to make [fr]:
Je n'approuve pas la manière dont ces groupes armés ont atteri dans notre pays, et je pense que si la charia doit être appliqué, ça doit être avec le choix des maliens. Néanmoins disons le : ceci n'est que la pratique de ce qu'Allah nous a ordonné. Et que chacun de nous se dise que s'il reprouve ce chatiment soit parce qu'il le trouve inhumain, moyennageux…et bien qu'il sache que c'est l'Islam même qu'il rejette et par la même occasion doit se poser des questions sur la sincerité de sa foi en Allah et au Coran.
Malien retorts to Karaski with another interpretation of Islam [fr]:
Nous respectons les valeurs humaines et universelles, nous ne commettons pas de viols même si nous ne sommes pas musulmans, nous ne commettons des vols même si nous ne sommes pas musulmans, nous ne sommes pas traficants de drogue, nous me sommes pas non plus de feinéants, nous travaillons et nous vivons de notre labeur. Si l'islam, c'est être comme vous êtes; non nous ne sommes pas musulmans et nous le seront jamais. L'islam que nous connaissons, c'est la paix, le respect de soi et des autres, le respect de la dignité humaine.

author: Rakotomalala


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Morocco: Theater Group Adapts The Vagina Monologues   · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

The association Théâtre Aquarium has begun the representation of the Moroccan adaptation of the play The Vagina Monologues called Le Spectacle Dialy [fr] in Rabat.  Ali Amar opines that the Moroccan version of the play is a breath of fresh air in the current era of religious conservatism.

source: news-globalvoices

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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North Korea: Drawings Of Concentration Camps · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Anthony Tao from Beijing Cream highlighted some drawings by survivors of North Korean concentration and work camps from a Korean forum.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Russia: The War Over World War II · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Last Friday, on June 22, 2012, Russian television channel NTV broadcast a controversial film titled, “I Serve the Soviet Union” [ru]. The screening had been opposed by an array of concerned citizens that included patriotic-minded bloggers and angry letter-writers, who together led the nation's new Minister of Culture, Vladimir Medinsky, into a public dispute with Vladimir Kulistikov, NTV's general director.
The movie, which is based on Leonid Menakar's novel, “Dinner with the Devil,” tells the fictional story of a group of Stalinist political prisoners abandoned at a Soviet labor camp at the outset of World War II, left to be slaughtered by the approaching German invaders. Instead of dying or retreating, the prisoners rally to defeat the Nazis, only to be executed en masse by their Soviet guards, who return at the end of the film.
A woman looks at candles lit at a church in memory of WWII victims, early morning, at the time the Nazis attacked the Soviet Union 70 years ago outside St. Petersburg. 22 June 2011, photo by ELENA IGNATYEVA, copyright © Demotix.
Many opponents of the movie interpreted it to be a work of anti-Soviet or Russophobic agitprop. In advance of the screening, the Ministry of Culture reported that it received over 2,000 angry emails, protesting NTV's plans to air the film. On its website, the Ministry posted [ru] twenty such emails, which conveyed various worries about misinforming the public, betraying the memory of Soviet veterans, and so on.
Baubek Umirbaev, for instance, wrote from Kazakhstan to complain:
[…] показ фильма подобного содержания в такую трагическую дату смещает акценты в понимании молодежной аудиторией подвига народа, замещая его ненавистью к бывшей советской власти.
In Moscow, Danila Zubok took issue with the movie's historical accuracy:
Данная кинолента не имеет ничего общего ни с историческими реалиями того времени, ни какой либо художественной ценности. Более того считаю ее оскорбительной по форме и по содержанию, как для меня и представителей моего поколения, так и для старшего поколения.
Days before NTV's planned telecast, Culture Minister Medinsky published an open letter [ru] to NTV's general director, calling on the station to cancel the broadcast. After assuring Kulistikov that the state respects media outlets’ editorial rights, Medinsky explained:
В то же время я убеждён: свобода творчества должна опираться на уважительное отношение к мнению граждан; необходимо ответственно подходить к темам, вольная интерпретация которых может вызвать раскол в обществе.
One of the first individuals to draw attention to NTV's plan to show “I Serve the Soviet Union” was blogger Anatoly Vasserman [ru], a Moscow-based programmer and military analyst. On June 13, he caught the eye of Viktor Marakhovsky, chief editor of magazine Odnako's blogging project.
The next day, Marakhovsky posted [ru] his own article to Odnako's site, linking to Vasserman's discovery, and urging readers to appeal to the Ministry of Culture to pressure NTV into canceling the telecast.
Marakhovsky hoped to repeat the success of a similar campaign [ru] in early May against another controversial WWII film, “Four Days in May” [en] (which told the story of Soviet and German soldiers joining forces to stop Soviet officers from raping German schoolchildren). In that case, unlike with “I Serve the Soviet Union,” NTV ultimately agreed not to show the film [ru].
In addition to the perceived moral corruption that would result from airing the movie, several bloggers attacked it for historical inaccuracies. LiveJournal user dzecko dissected the geography and chronology of the film, arguing [ru] that, in the initial days of the invasion, Nazi troops never reached the territory that was supposedly the plot's setting. He even linked to research [ru] by human rights group Memorial, commenting, “[this information comes from] Memorial, that is, from a clear-cut anti-Stalinist social organization.”
Perhaps most controversially, dzecko insists that the film is an insult to veterans insofar as Gulag prison guards (members of the NKVD, the predecessor of the KGB) are veterans, too. He writes:
Уже 29 июня 1941 г. по инициативе Сталина и Берия Ставка Главного Командования приняла решение о немедленном формировании из военнослужащих войск НКВД СССР 15 дивизий, из них 10 стрелковых и 5 моторизованных. У меня возникает вопрос в связи с этим, являются ли ветераны НКВД, участвовавшие в боях, и погибавшие за нашу Родину, ветеранами Великой Отечественной? И отсюда второй вопрос, а как они бы восприняли этот фильм? Тем более 22 июня.
Of course, not all Russian bloggers considered the movie to be anti-Soviet. LJ user nektonemo argues [ru] that that film was actually hyper-patriotic, drawing attention to the fact that it depicts political prisoners — ostensibly the group with the most reasons to hate the Soviet state — self-mobilizing to defend the country:
Главная выдумка конечно, супер-патриотичные зеки сражающиеся с “фашистами” =))) Но это тоже, даже наоборот, какая патриотичность показана! Что за годы сов.власти даже уголовники в нее влюбились и за нее умирают! (Чем сов.патриоты недовольны-то?).
Russia's contemporary political context seems to play a particularly significant role in this latest NTV scandal. The film's heroes, the oppressed intellectuals of the early Soviet era, represent the ancestors of today's Russian opposition. While the last Soviet dissident generation (whose survivors include Lyudmila Alexeeva and Aleksandr Podrabinek, among others) is aging and inching toward obsolescence, the new crowd of anti-Kremlin activists utilizes similar pro-democracy rhetoric, also campaigning against a perceived rise of political prisoners in modern Russia.
The parallels to Russia today, with all the heightened scrutiny on the Kremlin's apparently diminishing patience for protesters, inevitably make the state more sensitive to films like “I Serve the Soviet Union.” That phenomenon, however, does not rule out that Medinsky acted on his own, either in the hopes of impressing the Kremlin or better establishing himself in his new post. Indeed, a recent scandal involving a rogue outburst [en] from Russia's chief investigator, Aleksandr Bastrykin, is another example of risky behavior from a high-ranking state official.
Whether these acts are part of a larger plan or individuals’ attempts at populism, Russia's political climate is still settling in the aftermath of Putin's return to the presidency. How stasis will be reestablished — and whether it can — remains an unknown. However the authorities move forward (presuming they can peacefully resolve existing uncertainties), one can expect future appeals to the initiatives of patriotic bloggers.
Particularly on matters related to WWII, there is a readymade contingent of state loyalists, whose devotion to the USSR's military victory (the central justification for Soviet power for nearly four decades) embodies the main pillars of Putin's presidency — that strong leadership is required to steer the country clear of crisis, be it the 1940s, the 1990s, or perhaps even the 2010s.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Singapore: Online Portal Found Posting False Information · Global Voices
Kirsten Han

Singapore Press Holding's citizen journalism portal STOMP has found itself in an embarrassing position after it was discovered that a content producer had posed as an anonymous member of the public to submit false news to the site.
Last week a photo was posted on STOMP by a contributor identified only as ‘wasabi’, showing a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train with its doors wide open. The article alleged that the doors had been open while the train was moving – a serious safety issue. The story was then picked up by tabloid newspaper The New Paper.
SMRT, the company responsible for the MRT service, promptly undertook investigations into the incident, which they claimed to be impossible as the trains all come with safety features preventing them from moving if the doors are open. The contributor ‘wasabi’, identified as STOMP content producer Ms Samantha Francis, turned up to assist SMRT officers in their investigation.
However, both CCTV footage reviewed by SMRT and Ms Francis’ ez-link card showed that she had not been at that particular station the night the photograph was supposed to have been taken. This discovery led Singapore Press Holdings to do its own investigation. Ms Francis eventually admitted that she had not been at that station that night, and had actually found the photograph on Twitter. The original tweet has since been removed.
SPH has apologised to SMRT. Ms Francis was sacked on the same day.
This photograph was uploaded on STOMP last week.
SPH has always made a big deal out of STOMP, marketing it as a “citizen journalism” platform powered by contributions from members of the public. But the site has been rejected by many prominent members of Singapore's online community, and is more known for photos of couples indulging in public displays of affection than for grassroots reporting of local issues.
Lee Kin Mun points out that there is more than one issue at play here:
I am not sure if she was fired because she posted a fake photo, or because she posted it as an anonymous member of the public, or both.
Is it the practise of SPH to allow their staff to post “scoops” as anonymous “STOMPers”. I wonder?
Following the government's persistent efforts to characterise alternative media as being skewed and untrustworthy, this episode has severely undermined their efforts to get Singaporeans to put their faith in the government-linked mainstream media.
Alex Au at Yawning Bread writes that the credibility of the government's pro-mainstream media claims has now been considerably weakened:
Nor is anyone within official circles going to revisit their claims that only SPH (and its twin, government-linked Mediacorp) stands for responsible journalism. But the damage has been done. From now on, anytime the government tries to paint new media as untrustworthy, they’re going to have this incident thrown back at them like so many cream pies. Pflaphtt.
He goes on to question a possible double standard:
Oh, and by the way, why aren’t we hearing anything about damages?  If a blogger had tried to pull the same stunt, would SMRT or any government-linked body not have been quick to send lawyer’s letters and so forth?
Ex-journalist Bertha Henson criticised Ms Francis for her lack of ethics and professionalism:
But the current Stomp case takes the cake. The woman (I would never call her a journalist) was sacked. She conned her editors, posted a picture that she said was from a netizen named wasabi about an opened door at a station she never was at. Then she brazenly tried to tough it out when SMRT came checking. Hey, opened door/moving train…safety issues no? She even stood by her story when her editor asked her about it. It was egg on the face for everyone.
Twitter users have also criticised STOMP and Ms Francis:
@ackabr: Perhaps #SPH should do the right thing and rethink the concept and purpose behind #STOMP.
@woonhian: When you're in a hole, Ms. Samantha Francis, you try to climb out, not dig deeper. (SMRT aren't always the bad guys, you know.)
@liangkaixin: It's not citizen journalism if it's not submitted by random people but erm stolen by ur content producers. #stomp justsaying

author: Kirsten Han


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Sri Lanka: Sustainable Agriculture – Not In Practice · Global Voices
Rezwan

Perceptions argues that there are so many words written about sustainable agriculture and “very little of that comes directly from someone who earns 100% of his income from existing agriculture, sustainable or not”.

author: Rezwan


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Trinidad & Tobago: The Real Political Losers · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad and Tobago bloggers continue their discussion about the government's recent Cabinet reshuffle, suggesting that the real losers in the equation are the citizenry. Wuzdescene likens the move to a game of cards, saying:
So de deck get reshuffle …. an’ ah Jack end up on top …. which didn't really surprise me …. cuz as de Queen of de pack had say …. Jack is ah action man …. and den too …. Jack have experience on all sides of de law …. so …. now dat he in de National Security hot seat …. he good tuh go ….
The Eternal Pantomime, however, is not convinced that the rationale behind the reshuffle bears any resemblance to the skill and fortitude needed to survive a card game like “All Fours”:
I grew up in a house where All-Fours was a serious game. My uncle played tournaments…It was from him I learned to play cards, to understand the signs of the game of All-Fours, and to know that even if I was dealt a weak hand, if my partner had a stronger hand, and we both understood the mechanics of bluffing and kept straight faces, we could come out with solid wins.
Kamla’s much anticipated re-shovelling of the Cabinet yesterday, went far beyond my expectations, and yet fell short of it in some ways. She was right to call it a Cabinet Reconfiguration, because that’s what she did. Kamla took her old cabinet to a joiner and basically asked, ‘How I could make this thing look and function different, without wasting the material?’
She concedes, though, that “the focus of everyone, from layman, to political parties to political gurus, was the appointment of the Minister of National Security”:
Supporters of the party hailed it as a good move, detractors frothed at the mouth, and some dashed off hastily written press releases.  I was more interested in the details of the entire cupboard.
By now we all know who the players are in this NEW CABINET…and that’s what it is. Yes they are still calling themselves the  People’s Partnership, but the 2010 Cabinet and the 2012 Cabinet look very different. It’s almost as if we got a new government, without going to the polls…..that can’t be good, because it means that 2 years and 1 month into office, Kamla and her even larger Small Goal side are starting from scratch.
In the midst of an economic meltdown, spiralling crime rates, rising unemployment, meteoric food prices…..this government that promised to bring change, is attempting to press the re-set button and act like the last two years of misstepping didn’t happen.
She also makes the point that the positive change the People's Partnership government promised on the campaign trail has failed to materialise:
Understand that this Cabinet Re-Shovel comes in under one month since they spent $9m patting themselves on the back for being in power for 2 years and staying stronger than ever. In less than a month of that Eat Ah Food Fete the Partnership was destroyed when the MSJ broke ranks. “>Kamla referred to a depleted treasury, yet, we know that Dookeran came and met a stable economy; just as Devant Maharaj met a Caribbean Airlines that was in the black. We know too that in 2010 she met a crime rate that was lower than what we have right now.  But of course, this government never admits to making a mess of things, just like the last regime.
Understand that this Cabinet Re-Shovel comes in under one month since they spent $9m patting themselves on the back for being in power for 2 years and staying stronger than ever. In less than a month of that Eat Ah Food Fete the Partnership was destroyed when the MSJ broke ranks.  Indeed the four parties that remain don’t like referring to the MSJ anymore because they know that in truth and fact they are no longer the People’s Partnership, but rather a UNC Alliance All Fours Team.
Another point that The Eternal Pantomime takes issue with is corruption (allegations of impropriety in public life have been plaguing Austin “Jack” Warner ever since his stint at FIFA):
We have a high tolerance for corruption in this place, once our pockets not affected directly. Once we benefitting from a corrupt act or a corrupt person, Trinis will more often than not look the other way…and give people a bligh…Jack is beloved in his constituency because he gets things done…temporarily. And Trinis love a quick fix. Long term goals and vision does make them impatient…we like things to happen one time…and see immediate results… So, Kamla, aware of all of this, appoints Warner as Minister of National Security.  Forget the SoE folks….the ultimate weapon in Kamla’s arsenal is about to be deployed.
Unfortunately this appointing of Jack as Security Minister means that the country will suffer in the short and long term. The appointment will further tarnish our international image. Even if Jack makes inroads into crime, it’ll be quick fixes.
Meanwhile, journalist and blogger Lisa Allen-Agostini writes a thoughtful post about one of the Ministers who was fired in the restructuring exercise:
Verna St Rose-Greaves wasn’t the biggest loser in Friday’s Cabinet reshuffle; we were. Fired from the post of Minister of Gender, Youth and Child Development, Verna’s only sin was that she was too committed to serving this country according to her conscience, by seeking to protect our women and children. Instead of being lauded for this, Verna was thrown under the bus by the PP government. Given the choice between the Christian/conservative vote and the smooth introduction of the Gender Policy Verna championed, the PP government chose the votes, going against what its leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar had seemed to stand for before she became Prime Minister.
She continues:
I say without apology that this makes Verna a political martyr to the cowardice of the PP government and its failure to stand for what it seemed to believe in before it formed the government. There are those who feel Verna was fired because of the Cheryl Miller episode. [Blogger Wuzdescene suggests just that, here.] In March Millar was taken from her desk in Verna’s ministry and committed to the mental hospital against Miller’s will. It’s possible this is what led to Verna’s firing. However, it’s more likely that the government saw too many protests against the Gender Policy, and the imaginary LGBT marriage lobby. (Surely it’s imaginary, since most LGBT organisations in the country haven’t said a peep about gay marriage, and have only asked for equal human rights for LGBT folk.) Verna, being Verna, stood up for what she believed in and presented a Gender Policy that wouldn’t embarrass her as a longstanding women’s activist. Would that the PP government had the same courage.
Allen-Agostini leaves her readers with something to think about:
The take-away lesson of Verna’s firing is that conscience and integrity have no place in T&T politics. When you enter the government, leave your conscience at home. Verna’s firing is a loss for the country because it spells out in bold, clear letters to service-minded individuals, ‘Don’t go into politics.’

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Arab World: People With Disabilities Raise Their Voices! · Global Voices
Ahmed Awadalla

An online campaign was recently launched to shed light on the struggle of people with disabilities and their neglected rights. Founder of the campaign, Abdallah AlShalaqi, an activist from Saudi Arabia said in a TV interview that the campaign aims at raising communityвАЩs awareness of the rights of people with disabilities; breaking media silence about it; and giving a message to government officials to take action towards this issue.
People living with disabilities suffer from marginalization and neglect to varying degrees. And those with disabilities have been campaigning for equal citizenship so that they can achieve their full potential. Their struggle focuses on accessibility (the ability to move freely in the surrounding environment), equal opportunities in education, employment, housing and freedom from violence and abuse, which they can be vulnerable to.
The campaign heavily used Twitter as a main platform to raise their voices. Twitter users were asked to reverse their avatars and to use the hashtag #ўДўДўЕЎєўИўВ_Ў≠ўВўИўВ meaning вАЬpeople with disabilities have rightsвАЭ to highlight their cause. A large number of Twitter users joined the campaign. Safar Al Hogbani, a player in the Saudi special needs basketball team, tweeted [ar]:
Sumaya Al Ghamadi shared her experience [ar]:
Twitter user @jessica_2090 blamed society [ar]:
@jessica_2090: вАЂ#ўДўДўЕЎєўИўВ_Ў≠ўВўИўВвАђ ўДЎІ ўКўИЎђЎѓ ЎіЎЃЎµ ўЕЎєўИўВ Ў®ўД ўКўИЎђЎѓ ўЕЎђЎ™ўЕЎє ўКЎєўКўВ
Abo Khaled added [ar]:
Other Twitter users have been campaigning for their rights.  Dr. Sohair Abdel Hafeez, who identifies herself as an Egyptian wife and a mother of five men, two of them are hearing impaired who finished their university education. Following the announcement of Mohamed Morsi as president of Egypt, she tweeted to one of the members of MorsiвАЩs campaign [ar]:
Another prominent user is Mohamed Abu Taleb, a non-sighted person who trains other people with visual impairment on computer skills. Abu Taleb tweets about overcoming his disability [ar]:
@love_life2012: ўИўЕЎє Ў®ЎєЎґ ЎІўДЎ™ЎіЎђўКЎє ўЕўЖ ЎІўДЎ£Ў≥Ў±Ў© ўДўК ўИЎЃЎµўИЎµЎІ ўИЎІўДЎѓўК Ў•Ў≥Ў™ЎЈЎєЎ™ ЎІўЖ ЎІЎ™ЎЇўДЎ® ЎєўДўЙ ўГЎЂўКЎ± ўЕўЖ ЎµЎєўИЎ®ЎІЎ™ ЎІўДЎ•Ў≥Ў™ўВўДЎІўДўКЎ© вАОвАЂ#Ў•ЎєЎІўВЎ©вАђ вАОвАЂ#ўГўБўКўБвАђ
Another blogger living with physical disability after she lost her leg shared her experience with sexual harassment. Randa Aboeldahab¬†[ar] wrote:
ЎІЎЇЎ±Ў® Ў≠ЎІўДЎІЎ™ ЎІўДЎ™Ў≠Ў±Ўі Ў®ЎІўДўЖЎ≥Ў®Ў© ЎѓЎІўКўЕЎІ ўГЎІўЖЎ™ ЎІўДЎ™Ў≠Ў±Ўі Ў®ЎІўДЎєЎ±Ў®ўКЎ© ЎМ ўКЎєўЖўК ЎІўДўЕЎ™Ў≠Ў±Ўі ўГЎІўЖ Ў®ўКЎ≥Ў™ЎєўЕўД ЎєЎ±Ў®ўКЎ™ўЗ ўГЎ£ЎѓЎІЎ© Ў™Ў≠Ў±Ўі ўИўГўЖЎ™ ўБЎІўГЎ±Ў© ЎІўЖўК ЎІўЖЎІ ўДўИЎ≠ЎѓўК ЎІўДўДўК Ў®ўКЎ™ЎєўЕўД ўБўКўЗ ўГЎѓЎІ ЎМ ЎІўГЎ™Ў± ўИЎІўВЎєЎ© ўЕЎі ўЕўЕўГўЖ ЎІўЖЎ≥ЎІўЗЎІ ўДўЕЎІ ўЕЎ±Ў© ўГўЖЎ™ Ў®ЎєЎѓўК ЎІўДЎіЎІЎ±Ўє ўИўГЎІўЖ ўБўК ЎєЎ±Ў®ўКЎ© Ў±ЎІўГўЖЎ© ЎІЎѓЎІўЕ ЎМ Ў®ЎєЎѓўК ўЕўЖ ЎІЎѓЎІўЕўЗЎІ ўДЎІўВўКЎ™ ЎІўДЎ≥ўИЎІўВ ЎЈЎІўДЎє ЎЃЎЈўИЎ© ўИЎЃЎІЎ®ЎЈўЖўК ўВўДЎ™ ЎІўГўКЎѓ ўЕЎі ўВЎІЎµЎѓ ЎМ Ў±ЎђЎєЎ™ ЎІЎєЎѓўК ўЕўЖ ўИЎ±ЎІўЗ Ў±ЎІЎ≠ Ў±ЎІЎђЎє ЎЃЎЈўИЎ© ўДўИЎ±ЎІЎМ ўВўДЎ™ ЎІўГўКЎѓ ўЕЎі ўВЎІЎµЎѓЎМ ўИЎЂЎІўЖўКЎ© Ў±ЎІЎ≠ Ў±ЎІўЕўК ЎђўЕўДЎ© ўЕўЖ ЎІўКЎІўЗўЕ ЎМ ўДЎІўВўКЎ™ ўЖўБЎ≥ўК Ў®ўЕЎ≥ўГ ЎІўДЎєўГЎІЎ≤ ЎІўДўДўК ўБ ЎІўКЎѓўК ўИЎ®ЎЃЎ®ЎЈ Ў®ўЗ ЎІўИўД ўБЎІўЖўИЎ≥ ўБўК ЎІўДЎєЎ±Ў®ўКЎ© ЎМ ўВЎІўД ЎђўЕўДЎ© Ў™ЎІўЖўКЎ© ўЕЎµЎ≠ўИЎ®Ў© Ў®ЎіЎ™ўКўЕЎ© Ў±ўИЎ≠Ў™ ўЖЎІЎ≤ўДЎ© Ўє ЎІўДўБЎІўЖўИЎ≥ ЎІўДЎ™ЎІўЖўК ўИўЗўГЎ∞ЎІ ўДЎ≠Ўѓ ўЕЎІ ЎІЎ™ўЗўЕўЖўК Ў®Ў£ўЖўК ўЕЎђўЖўИўЖЎ© ЎМ ўЕЎ±ЎѓЎ™Ўі ЎЇўКЎ± Ў®ЎґЎ±Ў®Ў© ўВўИўКЎ© ўЕўЖ ЎєЎµЎІўКЎ™ўК ўБўК ўЖЎµ ЎІўДЎ®ЎІЎ® ЎІўДЎіўЕЎІўД ўИЎ±ўИЎ≠Ў™ ўЕЎІЎіўКЎ©
Similar online initiatives also highlight the issues of people with disabilities such as I Am Not Disabled Twitter account and the website Voice of The Disabled, which serves as a media outlet to convey the voices of people with disabilities.

author: Ahmed Awadalla


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Armenia: Online Petition to Support LGBT Rights · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Following the recent firebombing of a gay-friendly bar in Yerevan as well as homophobic comments from government officials and politicians setting the scene for the aggressive disruption of a diversity rally in the Armenian capital two weeks later, Unzipped draws its readers attention to a new online petition calling for the constitutional rights of the country's LGBT community to be respected. The blog says the move is ‘historic’ and notes that it is co-sponsored by many prominent ethnic Armenians such as renowned Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan and American actor Eric Bogosian. The online petition can be signed here.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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China: Guangdong Village Riots over Land Sale · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

China Digital Times translates a Caijing news story about a village riot in Guangdong province against local government's secret land sale deal.


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Japan: Generational Gap of Hope in Tough Economy · Global Voices
Mari Wakimoto

Japan’s younger working generation are leading a very different life from their parents, who prospered in the ‘Bubble Economy’ [en, ja] or temporary boom of the mid-1980s and early 1990s. This generation consumes less, works under stricter conditions, and have less hope in their future.
Throughout the temporary boom, the society was eager to consume day and night, and people worked to make quick money, often skipping on sleep. Real estate, cars and other luxury items flied off shelves; land prices skyrocketed, and the “money management” boom emerged.
After the land market burst [ja] triggered by economic chaos, like many other countries, Japan has been struggling with economic depression, financial problems and an unforeseen future.
Image by Flickr user rmgimages under CC BY-SA 2.0
This blog post [ja] written by neji-ko, translated in its entirety with permission, reminds us of the uneasiness of Japan's younger generation, now in their 20s and 30s, towards their parents generation and the society built by them, during the bubble economy [ja]:
こないだ会社の５０代くらいのオッサンと２７歳の若者と三人で飲みに行ったんですけど、オッサンとのジェネレーションギャップがすごかったです、
そのオッサンは、若い頃は自営で仕事をしていて、そりゃもうブイブイ言わせておったそうです、
数年前にうちの会社に入ったときには、給料明細をみて、「子供の小遣いか！」と思ったそうです、
そんでオッサンが「お前らもこんなチンケな仕事じゃなくて、もっと他にあるだろう」と言うのだけど、２７歳と２９歳の二人は「いやいやいや！」と言う。
オッサンの娘さんがもうすぐ結婚することになって、婚約指輪をもらってきて嬉しそうにつけているけど、オッサンの奥さんはそれを見て、
「あんな小さいダイヤのついた指輪じゃ、かわいそうであたしの結婚指輪なんか見せられないわ」と言うてるそうです、
奥さんは指が隠れるくらいでかいダイヤのついた結婚指輪を買ってもらったんだって。
そのオッサンはたぶんうちの父親と同世代だと思いますが、この、親子の世代間のジェネレーションギャップは、なかなか大変だなあ、と思います。いま５０すぎくらいのオッサンと、いま３０くらいの我々が見ている世界は全然違うのだなあ、と。
Image by Flickr user hatash CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
わたしはいま、正社員で、残業代がついて、しかし残業せずともがんばり次第では定時に帰れて、完全週休二日制、有給休暇有り、そのほかに年間十二日まで有給の休暇が有り、賞与年二回（月給約六か月分相当）、昇給有り、産休・育休取得可能、子供が小さいうちは時短勤務可能、という労働条件で働いているのですが、自分よりも労働条件のよい環境で働いている人が友達とか知り合いに一人もいません。
お給料がよくても労働時間がすごい長いとか、仕事は楽だけど非正規雇用とか、休みがないとか、そんな感じで、自分が一番マシ、と思わざるを得ない、
大企業に勤めるＯＬ、とかならもっと労働条件がいいかもしれないけど、大企業に勤めるＯＬの友達がいないのでわかりません……。
そして、まさかの、国土が放射能汚染されたという現実、
こんな展開は漫画とかでもあまりないんだけど、これでもともと難易度の高かった「子供を生み育てる」という選択肢の難易度が更にパワーアップして、人生全体がハードモードになりすぎている……いま３０くらいの日本人にとっての日本での生活って、生活レベルの向上を志向するどころか、いまの生活が維持できるのかも不明、子供を生んでも健康に育つかも不明、自分が健康に人生を全うできるのかも不明、現実から目を背ける以外にポジティブになれる要素皆無、というのが実際のところなんですけど、そんなもん５０代６０代の世代には実感できるはずないんだなあ、よかったですね、幸せな人生で……。
いまの日本の状況に、あえてポジティブ要素を見出すとすれば、よくわからないけど社会がなんか変わるかもしれない、そういう局面にある、
というのは面白すぎる、あれだけ国策として推進してきた原子力発電事業について、首相が脱原発とか言い出すなんて、思いつきで言っているのだとしても普通ありえなさすぎるし面白すぎる、人生の先行きは暗いけどとりあえずいま目の前で面白いことが起こっている、という点ではわたしの人生は高く評価できるぞ！

author: Mari Wakimoto


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Korean ‘Comfort Women’ Photo Exhibit Sabotaged in Japan · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Ahn Se-Hong, a South Korean photographer was harassed leading up to and during his exhibition in Japan, where he displayed pictures of aging ‘Comfort Women,’ a term used for Korean women that were drafted as sex slaves by the Japanese during World War II. Ahn disclosed that he is facing threats from Japanese right wing groups, who held protests against the photo exhibition.
On his Facebook page [ko] photographer Ahn Se-Hong (ahnsehong) revealed that during his exhibition, he was closely watched, placed under surveillance and his visitors were thoroughly searched by security hired by Nikon, the Japanese camera maker, who also owned the building where the exhibit was on display.
Nikon first refused to sponsor the location and abruptly cancelled the event a month ago. However, Nikon eventually succumbed to the Tokyo District Court order to sponsor the location. News media speculated Nikon's abrupt canceling of the exhibit was an attempt to fend off the controversy and pressure from conservative groups.
The South Korean online space erupted with rage and countless users accused Japanese extremist right-wing groups of not only refusing to admit their war crimes, but attempting to sabotage the art exhibition.
Ahn’s show “Layer by Layer: Korean women left behind in China who were comfort women of the Japanese military,” shows faces of innocent victims who were dragged into inexplicably horrid situations in their teens or early twenties, now wrinkled and crippled. During Japanese colonization, approximately 50,000 to 200,000 Korean women were kidnapped and forced to leave their homes to become military sex slaves. Less than 70 percent of these women managed to return home.
Ahn's Exhibition on Comfort Women. Posted by Ahn on his Facebook. Used with Permission
Ahn wrote [ko] on his Facebook page on June 26, 2012 with the photo above. The post has been shared for over 900 times:
오늘 사진설치를 하기 위해 기쁜 마음으로 니콘살롱에 왔으나. 도착해서 들어가 보니 실상을 달랐습니다. 니콘은 전시장을 빌려주는것 외에 아무것도 안한다고 했지만,외부 언론의 출입 통제및 개인이 사진 찍는 것 조차 못하게 하고 있으며, 심지어는 니콘측 변호사 3명이 저에게 붙어 일거수 일투족을 감시하며, 대화를 엿듣가하면 촬영을 하고 있습니다. 보러올 관객들을 위해 참고 있지만, 일제시대가 따로 없습니다. 니콘은 전시기간 내내 변호사를 상주 시켜 저를 감시하고 꼬투리를 잡아 전시를 중단시킬 계획입니다.
A regular visitor (supposedly Japanese National) being searched by security hired by Nikon upon entering the photo exhibit. Image posted on Ahn's Facebook. Used with Permission.
He added this comment [ko] with the photo above.
이건 분명 인권 침해입니다. 오시는 모든분께 죄송할 따름입니다.
There were small rallies of right-wing groups held in front of the exhibit. Ahn wrote he was expecting such pressure from the start. Last week, Ahn wrote [ko]:
다음주부터 전시에 들어갑니다. 지금 일본에서는 우익들의 강한 반발이 시작 되었습니다. 조심하라는 등 지난번보다 협박의 수위가 높아지고 있습니다.
Another user Ahn Hyun shared [ko] her experience on Ahn's Facebook wall.
건물 입구와 니콘의 홈페에지에는 할머니의 사진전에 관한 정보가 하나도 없습니다. 니콘 살롱 문을 을 여는 순간 니콘 경비원들은 관람자들의 가방을 열어 확인하고, 금속탐지기로 몸을 검사합니다. 오전중에는 여러 우익 단체들이 데모를 하고 전시장으로 찾아와 소란을 피우며 저에게 항의 서한을 전달 하여 했으나 실패하자, 더욱 거세게 소란을 피웁니다. 많은 언론매체가 취재를 위해 왔지만, 니콘의 건물전체 에서의 취재불가라는 이유로 기자와의 대화조차 가로막고 있습니다.결국엔 니콘의 시선을 피해 갤러리 건물을 벗어나는 순간에도 니콘관계자 둘은 건물밖까지 쫒아나와 감시하였습니더. […] 관람객 몇분이 할머니에게 꽃을 가져다 놓았지만, 니콘은 그것 마져 하지 못하게 저지하였고, 좋은일에 쓰라며 주는 기부금도 문제가 된다며 니콘의 변호사가 보관하고 있습니다. – 모든것이 상식밖의 일이고 저의 분노 또한 한계에 다다르는 순간이었습니다.
But there was support from [ko] Japanese citizens:
오늘 셀 수 없을 정도의 많은 분들이 다녀 가셨습니다. […]  저에게 많은 응원을 하시고, 할머니들을 위로하는 일본분들이 많았습니다. 혼란과 뿌듯함이 함께한 하루였습니다. 내일도 우익들의 집회가 예정되어 있습니다. 또 어떠한 난동을 피울지, 니콘의 감시는 어디까지 이어질지, 이 모든것이 할머니를 응원하는 이들을 이길 수 없습니다.
Many users, such as @iron_heel, tweeted [ko] said that they will start boycotting Nikon.
This is not the first time extremist Japanese  right-wing groups have enraged Koreans, Chinese and other Asians, who suffered prior and during the World War II, when Japan colonized Korea and occupied parts of China. On June 21, this Youtube video of some of right-wing members driving a stake into the statue of Comfort Women sparked controversy. They referred to the women as ‘prostitutes’.
These groups are also gathering signatures for a petition [ko] to remove a monument commemorating Comfort Women in the United States, fueling an old animosity between Japan and South Korea once again.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Jordan: Women’s Basic Rights for Dignity and Social Cohesion · Global Voices
Nadine Toukan

Over 200 people created a human chain in the streets of Amman on the afternoon of Monday June 25, 2012, holding signs demonstrating a stand against crimes in the name of honor, harassment, nationality discrimination against children of Jordanian women, and rapists allowed to marry their victims to avoid prosecution.
Amman, June 25, 2012. Human chain for dignity.
Photo by KarmaT.
Your honor is not about me. To each, honor is in the self.
Photo by Andareee.
The human chain demonstration themed زيّي زيّك  (There Is No Difference Between You and Me), included dozens of statements held up confidently demanding change in laws, behavioral change, defining the need for women's rights that impact the cohesion of society as a whole, and asserting a need for urgent and vital transformation in Jordan.
Lead by the grassroots movement Ayna Naqef (Where Do We Stand? a No Honor In Crime campaign), the collaboration included My Mother is Jordanian and Her Nationality is My Right, and Mush Shatara (It's Not Cool), and Against article 308 of the Jordanian Penal Code, as well as concerned independent individuals.
In an organizing note, curator Toleen Touq, who ignited the chain reaction wrote:
We are a group of women and men, some independent, and some from community campaigns, jointly planning for a human chain that aims at a communal refusal of all discriminatory practices against women in Jordan.
My mother is Jordanian, her nationality is my right.
Photo by Frekeeh.
On AndFarAway, Roba Al-Assi blogged:
Let me remind you that in our country, the system legally allows a man to go rape any little girl on the street and then get away with his crime by marrying her.
Let me remind you that in our country, over 112 Jordanian women were brutally murdered by their own families for “honor” in the past 10 years. Of course, our penal law happily condones this.
Let me remind you that in our country, the laws are sexist, unjust, and greedy, so my children cannot take on my nationality just because I happen to be a woman.
Let me remind you that in our country, as women, articles 97, 98, 100, 340, and 345 affect our safety and our well-being in our own country.
Let me remind you that in our country, people have turned the word “honor” into blasphemy.
Rozan Khalifeh of No Honor In Crime talks about the human chain in this AmmonNews video [ar]:
Most of those present here today are young women, men, and older mothers and fathers from all walks of our Jordanian society. We are here to reject actions that harm women, and all laws that discriminate against women. We are all here to support each other and take a stand for the movements that support women's rights. Some passersby have also stopped their cars and joined us in this stand. Our calls to action are related to social behaviors as well as laws. Although some of us belong to initiatives and movements that are independent of each other, we have made a point to join forces on specific efforts, like today's human chain, so as to better serve our goals and strengthen our legal voice towards getting heard in the house of representatives.
More in this video report from AlGhad TV [ar].
Take a look at the photos and slogans Roba compiled on her blog, the No Honor In Crime album and Frekeeh's blog album here.
Don't dump your sexual frustration on me (left).
It's not cool to meow me and ogle me (right).
Photo by Saleh Thaher.

author: Nadine Toukan


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Malaysia Indie Music · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Wknd website features Malaysian indie music and other indie artists in Southeast Asia

author: Mong Palatino


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Paraguay: Reporters Without Borders Concerned About Public Media  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Reporters Without Borders has published a statement saying that their organization, “has every right to be alarmed, as the country’s democracy seems to have been shaken and undermined”, after Fernando Lugo was ousted as President of Paraguay last Friday, June 22.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Puerto Rico: Francheska Duarte’s Case Causes Outrage · Global Voices
Ángel Carrión

[All links lead to sites in Spanish.]
Puerto Rico is in a state of shock after the ruling of a judge from the Superior Court of San Juan in the case of a young woman, Francheska Duarte, who was run over and later abandoned in an emergency medical centre by her ex-boyfriend on December 19, 2011. The young mother was caught between two cars and lost both her legs due to the extent of her injuries.
Nerisvel Durán, the judge presiding over the case, found Francheska's former boyfriend Jorge Ramos guilty only of the less serious misdemeanor of negligent injury and violation of Puerto Rico's traffic laws; the charges of aggravated battery that were brought against him were dismissed. Ramos was also on probation for charges related to drug trafficking. The judge justified his decision by saying that the prosecution failed to prove that Ramos intended to hurt the young woman.
The governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuño, interceded on behalf of Francheska calling for the maximum sentence to be imposed upon the offender, which in this case would be three years’ imprisonment. He said he found the judge's decision strange:
Desgraciadamente, tenemos que respetar el tercer poder, el poder judicial. No quiero que se malinterpreten mis comentarios… pero choca, a base de los hechos que conocemos públicamente, uno esperaría que (la decisión judicial) sea más fuerte.
The general sense of disbelief at the judge's decision can be seen on social networks. Several people have shared news of the judge's shortcomings, and at least two Facebook pages showing support for Francheska Duarte have been launched. Twitter user David Rivera said:
@davidrivera1285: Como la jueza tiene sus piernas pues q se joda!
Kay.Emn directed her frustration at Puerto Rico's judicial system:
@karlivyris: Sistema judicial tan basura
Journalist Benjamín Torres Gotay made the following observation:
@TorresGotay: Miren el caso de Francheska Duarte y pregúntense por qué es que nadie cree nada en este país.
Francheska's case is part of an alarming trend of violence against women in Puerto Rico. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of cases of violence against women. A dramatic example of this was in 2011, the year in which a four-month period saw 16 women killed by their partners, which equalled the total number of murders of women in the entire 2007. Professor Diana Valle Ferrer, in an article published last year in Prensa Comunitaria, says:
Este entramado de violencia ejercido contra las mujeres ha sido reconocido a nivel global como una epidemia o pandemia, y en Puerto Rico como una emergencia social. Tal vez algunas personas piensan que esto es una exageración o una hipérbole pero los números y los hechos no mienten.
It is necessary to add that the Dominican community in Puerto Rico (Francheska is Dominican) has been and continues to be victimised by ethnic violence and discrimination. Puerto Rico's Consul of the Dominican Republic, Maximo Taveras, said that the judge's ruling could be a result of this discrimination:
Este fallo puede ser interpretado como una acción discriminatoria por el origen de la perjudicada, lo que consideramos como un revés y un precedente nefasto para la administración de justicia en Puerto Rico, especialmente en el procesamiento de los casos en que las víctimas son inmigrantes.
The Consul said that he has asked the Attorney General, Guillermo Somoza, to see if there is a way the case can be reviewed. Somoza has affirmed that the case cannot be reviewed because the law prohibits double jeopardy, which is known in legal terms as non bis in idem.
The Dominican community is holding a march scheduled for next July 1 in support of Francheska Duarte and all the survivors of domestic violence and their families. Luis Aguasvivas, one of the coordinators of the march and president of the Dominican Parade in Puerto Rico said:
Necesitamos darle un importante espaldarazo y apoyo como sociedad, a las víctimas y sus familiares, enviarles el mensaje claro de que no están solos, que cada ciudadano de buen corazón estamos con ellos.

author: Ángel Carrión


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Saudi Arabia: Tweeps to Remember Detained Protester · Global Voices
Anas Soliman

Following the overthrow of Tunisian and Egyptian presidents, an anonymous call for a “Day of Rage” in Saudi Arabia on March 11, 2011, was spread.  In response, the government deployed heavy police forces in all major cities to ensure that any protest remains virtual.
Khaled Al-Johani, a 40-something-year-old teacher, was the only video-taped protester on that day (Amnesty International reports that at least four other protesters were arrested on that day for their ‘intention’ to protest).  Al-Johani spoke to a group of journalists who were brought by a Ministry of Culture and Information bus to the place where the protest was planned to happen.  He was arrested on the same day of interview when he returned to his house and continues to be held.
According to @whereiskhaled, he is currently being tried in the Specialized Criminal Court in Jeddah.  The account also reported that he has boycotted phone calls to protest psychosocial torture.
@SaudiDetainees, a Twitter account dedicated for campaigning for Saudis detained arbitrarily, started an online campaign on Monday to support Al-Johani on the hashtag #khalidj.
The campaign received very notable attention.  Below are some tweets from the hashtag.
Saudi 1,200,000-plus-follower cleric, Salman al-Odah, tweeted [ar]:
Dr Madawi Al-Rasheed, a professor of anthropology of religion and well-known critic of the Saudi regime, writes [ar]:
Saudi prominent Islamist reformist Abdullah al-Hamid said [ar]:
Women2Drive famous figure, Manal al-Sharif, tweeted:
And Saudi Twitter user Haytham al-Tayib noted:

author: Anas Soliman


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Saudi Arabia: Will Arwa Baghdadi Have Her Baby in Prison? · Global Voices
Anas Soliman

Pregnant Saudi prisoner Arwa Baghdadi is about to give birth behind bars. In May 2011, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), an independent unlicensed human rights organization, published a formal letter [ar] on behalf of Arwa's mother, Huda al-Ahdl to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution.
Arwa's brother was killed in violent clashes with Saudi security forces in 2011. Following his death, Arwa and her husband, mother, father, sister-in-law, three young children from the family, and a member of their domestic staff were arrested without a warrant.
Arwa Baghdadi, had a one-year-old child when she was arrested and was pregnant. With all other family members behind bars, Arwa took her one-year child to prison with her.
In March, ACPRA reported [ar] that, while pregnant, Arwa had gone on hunger-strike to protest her detainment conditions (including alleged sexual harassment [ar]) and trial procedures.
Saudi journalist Ebtihal Mubarak tweeted [ar]:
Citing Baghdadi's dual citizenship, Mubarak continued by demanding the interference of the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh:
@EbtihalMubarak: Arwa Al-Baghdadi a Saudi/American detainee w/out trial @USEmbassyRiyadh shd interfere & ask #Saudi gov 2 allow birth & recovery in hospital
When the embassy responded to the demands, Mubarak tweeted [ar]:
Mohammad Al-Qahtani, ACPRA co-founder commented [ar]:
Saudi Twitter user, Khaled Aba al-Khiyl, wrote [ar]:
Famous Saudi cleric, Salman al-Odah, tweeted [ar]:
Saudi lawyer and human rights advocate Abdulaziz al-Hussan commented [ar]:
The news finally broke that the ministry of interior had agreed to allow Arwa to stay in the hospital [ar]:
But she noted [ar]:
Update: On Thursday, June 28, Arwa was released to the United Doctors private hospital (photo).


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Singapore Versus Hong Kong · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Singapore Armchair Critic compares the economic, financial, governance, and press freedom indicators of Hong Kong and Singapore. The two cities are the major financial centers of East Asia


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Sri Lanka: State Of The Government Hospitals  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Nanadasiri Wanninayaka writes about the state of the government officials in Sri Lanka.


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Thailand: Amnesty or Reconciliation Bills? · Global Voices
Aim Sinpeng

After more than six years of protracted political conflict, Thai parliamentarians have began drafting several reconciliation bills to promote national unity. There are four versions to the proposed unity bills. Three out of the four were presided over by the largest ruling party, Pheu Thai.
None of the proposed bills included the Democrat Party, the largest opposition, however. Also note that none of the proposed bills mention Article 112 of the penal code, which has been a lingering source of tension. The most important commonality among these proposed bills is the notion of amnesty. While timeframe varies, it's clear that there is political will to give amnesty to individuals, including state officials, who may have violated the laws during the crisis. The proposed amnesty would be far more sweeping than Thailand has seen in decades.
A mob near the Thai Parliament in 2008. Photo from Flickr used under CC License
Given the recent mayhem in parliament, the debate on the bills has been put on hold at least until the next parliamentary session in August. This has ended speculation that the third reading might be called in the House-Senate joint meeting.
The public reaction towards the proposed unity bills have been rather negative. ABAC Poll taken in early June reveals 66% of the respondents do not see a unity bill as a solution to solve the political conflict. The majority of the respondents, more than 88%, would like to see the government plunge into the day-to-day issues such as rising cost of living, rather than focusing their effort on such a bill. Indeed, on average, some 80% of the respondents were unaware of a reconciliation bill. Suan Dusit Poll taken in late May shares similar pessimism.
Online, the proposed bills elicited significant skepticism, if not outright pessimism. On Kapook web board, several netizens saw this as “amnesty bills” and not “reconciliation bills.” Comment # 631 says:
“The name is reconciliation but really who is this bill for? If you did something wrong, then you should be responsible for it. You can't make right the wrong.”
Similarly, Comment # 620 says:
“Now let's go torch the city (again) and perhaps this time we would really become somebody.”
Some people do not think the unity bills go far enough.
“Since the bill is supposed to make amends with those affected by the political crisis, what about the vendors and shop keepers who lost their business as a result of the ongoing demonstrations? Will they get compensated too?” says Comment # 591.
On OkNation, rattiya asks where has all the legal profession gone.
“No reaction is tantamount to an acceptance” (Comment # 9).
On Pantip web board, various netizen tried to understand opposition to the bills, particularly from the Democrat Party. Crimeson Tide claims
“If there is peace in the country, Pheu Thai will be in government for a long time and the Democrats will become a permanent opposition. Why would the Democrats want any peace?”
Mee Panya Kue Awut says:
“There seems to be a lot of vested interest in the bill. Many political elites will reap benefits from this.”
Ying Hua Jai Prachatippatai resigns:
“If you don't want to reconcile, then don't. I just wish the courts would remain impartial and have conscience. There will be many more cases to work on.”
All official drafts can be viewed on-line at the Thai Parliament Information System. Below is an unofficial translation of some of the major components of the proposed bills.
Draft I: proposed by General Sonthi Boonyaratklin (Matubhumi Party) and MPs from Chart Thai Pattana Party, Mahachon Party, Chart Pattana Party, Palangchol Party, New Democrat Party, Pheau Thai Party
 Article 3. Anyone whose actions relating to political protests or political activities between 15 September 2005 and 10 May 2011 that were against the law shall be given amnesty. This applies to both ordinary citizens and state authorities.
 Article 4. Any pending investigation on individuals who meet the criteria of article 3 must cease and anyone who has partially served his/her term will be released immediately.
 Article 5. Any individual who has been affected by the action of individuals, groups or authorities set up by the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRCM) will no longer be considered as an offender. Article 4 will apply to such individual.  Article 6. Voting rights of members of political parties that were dissolved shall be reinstated.
Draft II: proposed by Niyom Worapanya and Pheu Thai MPs
 Article 3. Any individual or groups who were affected by the coup d’état on 19 September 2006 up until the day this legislation is promulgated shall be given amnesty. This includes individuals and state officials who acted on the orders of the CDRCM; individuals whose political rights have been revoked; actions relating to protest or opposition to the CDRCM; actions by independent bodies according to articles 1,2,3 and 4 of the interim 2006 constitution or the 2007 constitution.
Draft III: proposed by Nattawut Saikua and Pheu Thai MPs (Red Shirt version)
 Article 3. Anyone whose actions relating to political protests or political activities between 15 September 2005 and 10 May 2011 that were against the law shall be given amnesty. Any pending investigation on individuals who meet the criteria of Article 3 must cease and anyone who has partially served his/her term will be released immediately. However this article does not apply to terrorist acts or actions aimed to hurt the lives of others.
Draft IV: proposed by Samart Kaewmeechai and Pheu Thai MPs
 Similar to General Sonthi’s draft version

author: Aim Sinpeng


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Uganda: Breaking the Culture of Silence Around Health Rights · Global Voices
James Propa

Medical care is supposed to be free in Uganda. However, there has been a consistent shortage of medicine and health workers in the national health centres.
A video produced by Results for Development, an international non-profit organisation whose mission is to unlock solutions to tough development challenges, was released online recently to encourage Ugandans to break their silence and take control of their health rights.
Introducing the video, Oscar Abello writes:
Uganda has made great strides in the past few years building up the “hardware” of its public distribution system for medicines – central warehouses and staffed distribution points – but the “software” isn’t quite right. Many health centers run out of medicines in the 2-3 months between deliveries, meanwhile central warehouses are chock-full of supplies.
Medicine supply chain problems aren’t news to Uganda’s poor, many of them in remote rural villages, but few channels exist to bring that information to the public officials who are in position to do something about it.
In the video, Dennis Kibira, the medicines advisor at HEPS Uganda, a health consumer organization that helps increase access to essential medicine in Uganda says:
I want to see a country where people do not have to die because they have failed to receive the care that they deserve.
In 2006, three ministers lost their posts after it was reported that they were involved in embezzlement of funds from the health sector. Their cases are still pending in court.
Patients on the floor of Mulago Hospital, the National Referral Hospital. Photo courtesy of williamkituuka.blogspot.com
Rosette Mutambi, the founder and executive director of HEPS Uganda says in the video that health care is supposed to be free in Uganda, but it is not the case at the moment. She adds that the health centres are operating over-capacity and that health workers are over-worked.
Uganda also has experiences power outages or load-shedding, which affects health centres that have no standby generators since some medicine needs refrigeration.
According to Moses Kamabare, the general manager of National Medical Stores, the organisation responsible for the storage and delivery of medicine to health centres, they makes one delivery every two months to all districts. But a health worker on the ground says that the heath centers actually receive medicine once every three months.
Medical Stores iin Uganda are always full, but there are no drugs in the health centers. Some people have to walk more than 10km to these health centers only to find that medicine is not there. This experience is heartbreaking for many people and discourages them from coming back to the centres and seeking medical care.
A lot needs to be done to improve health care in Uganda: faster, more frequent service delivery, an increase in funding, more health centers, higher salaries for health workers, and procurement of equipment for centres.
There is also a challenge of shortage of doctors, some of whom allegedly steal medicine for their private clinics.
But the big question still stands, will this video encourage Ugandans to finally break the silence?

author: James Propa


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China: Support for ObamaCare · Global Voices
John Kennedy

At Tea Leaf Nation, David Wertime looks at reactions to the US Supreme Court's vote yesterday in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). “Evil capitalism. Why can’t Chinese socialism be as evil?” retorts one microblogger.

author: John Kennedy


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Egypt: Assault on Women in Tahrir Square · Global Voices
Ahmed Awadalla

Just as Mohamed Morsi was declared the new president of Egypt, crowds poured into Tahrir Square to celebrate. The square, which was the epi-centre of the Egyptian revolution, was filled with jubilation and chants. Fireworks lit up the sky above, but something darker was happening during those moments of celebration.
Journalist Natasha Smith narrated her ordeal as she suffered mass sexual assault while heading to Tahrir Square to join the celebrations in a post titled “Please God. Please make it stop.”:
Hundreds of men pulled my limbs apart and threw me around. They were scratching and clenching my breasts and forcing their fingers inside me in every possible way. So many men. All I could see was leering faces, more and more faces sneering and jeering as I was tossed around like fresh meat among starving lions.
Women were crying and telling me “this is not Egypt! This is not Islam! Please, please do not think this is what Egypt is!” I reassured her that I knew that was the case, that I loved Egypt and its culture and people, and the innate peacefulness of moderate Islam. She appeared stunned. But I’m not really a vengeful person and I could see through the situation. This vicious act was not representative of the place I had come to know and love.
The post triggered more than 1,000 comments, which ranged from deep praise of Natasha's courage to dismay and denial of her account. The incident is reminiscent of the mass assault on reporter Lara Logan on February 11, right after former president Hosni Mubarak stepped down. What happened to Logan also triggered similar reactions on the blogosphereand mainstream media.
A poster from the Facebook page calling for a protest against sexual harassment on July 4. The Arabic text reads: No to sexual harassment. Take care of her.. protect her
Recently, a march demanding an end to sexual harassment ended with the  mass sexual harassment of the protesters. Rights NGOs warned that the rise of the incidence of sexual violence is an attempt by state forces to intimidate women and limit their participation in public life. Reem Labib, one of the participants in the anti-harassment protest shares her story in a post titled “They were cowards and I shall remain.”:
We all take to the streets in protest demanding freedom, dignity, and equality knowing and accepting the risks, including sexual violence. Being blessed with a healthy and rather sheltered upbringing and environment, the knowledge of the risk and acceptance of it does not prepare you for this, nothing does; this assault is by far the worst violation I ever experienced and I know it will take me some time to heal.
It took a mob maybe a hundred-harasser strong or more to physically overcome me, to scare me, to make me scream, it was not a fair fight; my body was violated and defiled – but they only scratched my shell, they did not break my core, I will not be victimized, and I am not broken.
Meanwhile, activists are organizing for a protest  on July 4 against harassment, demanding safe streets for everyone.


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Georgia: Men Can Wash Their Own Feet · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Making Connections not only posts a recent video by Georgian bloggers against homophobia, but also one calling for gender equality in the South Caucasus country. The blog notes that the second video, featuring Georgian men saying they can wash their own feet, is in response to a comment by the country's religious leader, Catholicos Patriarch Ilia II, declaring that this was the responsibility of women who should stay at home to do so. The Yerevan-based blog hopes that activists in Armenia will follow the example of such online campaigns.


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Mali: Timeline and Video of the War between MLNA and Ansar Dine in Gao · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Weeks removed from striking an alliance to take over the North of Mali, the Tuareg rebel movement MNLA and the Islamist group of Ansar Dine are fighting in the town of Gao, Sila Aksou says. Adam Thiam has the timeline of the conflict [fr] over the control of the Northern part of Mali and a video of some fighting can be found here.  A leader of the MNLA rebels has been airlifted to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso for treatment.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Mexico: Presidential Candidates Wind Up Their Election Campaigns · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

Election day – July 1, 2012 – is approaching: the day on which 79.4 million Mexican citizens will go to the polls to choose their next president, as well as many other public servants including state governors, mayors, senators and deputies.
Josefina Vázquez Mota, Enrique Peña Nieto, Andrés López Obrador and Gabriel Quadri are the four candidates looking to become the next president of the republic.
Their respective election campaigns will draw to a close on Wednesday, June 2, after which all campaign activities on the part of political parties or their candidates are prohibited by law. During the official campaign period (March 30 to June 27), the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), which is the independent constitutional body responsible for organising elections in the country, held two debates between the four candidates. The candidates had the opportunity to lay out their proposals for the general public and were invited to speak on certain topics considered to be of national importance and general interest.
The campaign period was marked by the emergence of a youth movement identified by the tag #YoSoy132 (I am 132), which provided a context for many of those involved to be heard on large-scale traditional media platforms like radio and television. Global Voices has been covering this movement and the broad range of opinion it has generated.
“History is ours, and it is made by the people” Photo by Flickr user jpazkual, licensed
Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 2.0 Genérica (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Citizen campaigns aimed at raising awareness and encouraging people to vote were quick to emerge, and there was no shortage of initiatives supporting or opposing a particular candidate or party. Nevertheless, netizens such as Jonathangar (@Jonas23gar) [es] were also quick to remind people that the ultimate act of participation would be the vote itself and subsequent acceptance of the result:
¡En esta contienda electoral hubo mucha participación ciudadana, me gustaría la misma participación en las urnas, vota y acepta el resultado
Similarly, Miguel Carbonell (@MiguelCarbonell) [es] wrote:
Estamos apenas a una semana de una votación histórica, que definirá nuestro futuro. Hay que participar votando, sin falta.
Diego Valadés (@Dvalades) [es] said the following of the end of the campaign period:
La campaña presidencial termina sin que sepamos qué clase de régimen de gobierno nos espera.
Regarding the ill-feeling and antagonism generated in the country by the political campaigns, Antonio Garci Nieto (@Garcimonero) [es] said the following:
Se acaban las campañas. A ver que otra cosa inventamos ahora para seguir odiandonos los mexicanos.
Other netizens like John M. Ackerman (@JohnMAckerman) [es] have used Twitter to denounce and criticize authority:
Solo 320 de 1,600 candidatos a diputados y senadores de mayoría relativa han entregado CV al IFE. Partidos irresponsables, autoridad omisa
Ileana Fernández [es] from the website Vivir México summed up the context in which campaigning will end and election day will take place by saying the following:
“If you want more gas-guzzlers, more youth unemployment, pitiful wages and “ninis” [young people who neither work nor study], more misery, more corruption and Estela de Luz towers, more FOBAPROA and Pemexgate scandals, and National Action Party looting of Pemex, more educational disasters, another 60,000 deaths, and yet more scandals involving the likes of Moreira, Martha Fox, Diego Fernández, Montiel, Deschamp, Bibriesca, Larrazábal, Elba, etc, etc… Then vote for the criminals you see below!” Photo by J. Tadeo.
Por un lado venimos de una elección, en el 2006, cerrada, en la que muchas personas se quedaron con la impresión de que se cometió fraude. Un Instituto Electoral que se ha desprestigiado y ha perdido la poca confianza que había ganado en años anteriores. La referencia del robo o violación de urnas en otras elecciones; sumado a las prácticas corruptas de campaña que los partidos han mostrado, no lleva a pensar que el 1 de julio se vayan a quedar muy tranquilitos.
Finally, regarding those individuals and organisations that have been encouraging people to issue a null vote in protest, El Blog de Izquierda [es] (The Leftwing Blog) left the following considerations:
Si los anulistas quieren tirar su voto a la basura basados en un falso “sentimiento de superioridad moral” con respecto a los que votan ES SU PROBLEMA. Lo que no se vale es MENTIRLE a la gente para manipularla de esa manera.
Lo curioso es que los anulistas tachan de borregos manipulados a los que sí votan y no pocas veces se sienten moralmente superiores por el hecho de anular su voto (lo cual ya se vio no sirve para nada)…sin embargo, no tienen el menor pudor en lanzar este tipo de mentiras en la red para ver a cuántos ingenuos logran engañar.
No te dejes engañar: VOTO NULO, PROTESTA NULA.
What is curious is that those who vote null tend to label those who do vote as mindless sheep, and more often than not they feel morally superior for voting the way they do (which, as we have already seen, achieves nothing)… nevertheless, they feel no shame in spreading such rubbish online to see how many gullible people they can deceive.
Do not let yourself be deceived: A NULL VOTE is A NULL PROTEST
We will be waiting for the result which will be officially announced after election day on Sunday, July 1.

author: J. Tadeo


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Pakistan: Who Killed Pashto Singer Ghazala Javed? · Global Voices
Kumail Ahmed

Ghazala Javed, a charismatic Pashto singer was killed in the city of Peshawar. During her lifetime, she always defied Taliban pressure to stop singing. According to reports, Ghazala and her father were shot six times outside a beauty salon. The perpetrators successfully ‘fled leaving them in a pool of blood.’ Pakistan's police investigators suspect her ex-husband, who she had filed for divorce from last year, is responsible for the murders. But some speculate otherwise.
Defying the Taliban
Ghazala was born in the Swat valley which fell to Taliban rule in 2007. When Taliban captured her home town, she was forced to migrate 170 kilometers away with her family to the city of Peshawar.
Ghazala Javed singing a Pashto song. Image taken from a Youtube video.
Taliban rule reached its epitome when the Pakistani government was forced to sign a peace agreement with the militant groups Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and  Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammad (TSNM.) The agreement was titled the Nizam-e-Adal (Order of Justice) regulation, and was signed as a cease fire between Sufi Muhammed of TSNM and the government. But TNSM breached the agreement, making an army operation inevitable in the region. It 2009,  the militants were exterminated from  Swat's main town, Mingora, by the Pakistan Army.
Ghazala was a brave women who fought with the traditional and social ethos of her society. She wasn't scared by the Taliban decree banning singers from singing. Fawad Khan aptly comments:
Considering this vile and blind male dominance [in KPK province], Ghazala Javed was a voice to set all these women free and became a hope for every one who wished to pursue their desires.
She frequently travelled to Afghanistan and was highly applauded by Pashto speaking teenagers. A popular Pakistani singer, Bkktayar Khattak calls it a great loss for the future generation:
“Her death is a great loss to Pashto music. She was an inspiration for the fresh batch of singers coming into the Pashto music industry.”
A protest walk was organized by the Tahkleeq Development Foundation (TDF) condemning this horrendous act of terrorism. Arshad Hussain of TDF comments:
“Today artists of this region are again being harassed and scared because the government and human rights organisations have failed to protect the artists. It is an attack on freedom of expressions, and Takhleeq Development Foundation along with its 98 members and other culture organisations and individuals condemn the incident.”
Likewise, Netizens have condemned this act in the strongest tone. Some consider it a move towards greater Talibanization (aggrandizing of  Taliban thoughts) in Pakistan. Rizvi comments:
The same old fanatic repeat of events. Only this time more grueling (sic).
Possible honor killing?
But the confusion remains whether the Taliban or her ex-husband killed her. Ghazala married Jahangir Khan, a businessman, in 2010 but six months later, she discovered that he had another wife, and demanded a divorce. She also said that he tried to stop her from singing. Anwar Shah Sadaf writes:
“here is no any relation of Taliban with this latest murder, she has shouted by her previous Husband , because she left him 7 months ago, by the force of Court…. I am very sorry for her, she was my best for ever i can not forget her…”
Mike Jenkinson believes the Taliban ideology led to her killing:
I remember a piece about a movie maker in Afghanistan and the problems he had with the taliban. Sad to see these narrow minded idiots are willing to kill someone who doesnt agree with them.
Some comment this murder is a result of the prevailing patriarchal mindset. Muhammad Rizwan A says:
She was killed, because she was woman, women has no life in Pakistan, they can not live their life.
God save Pakistani women…
Whatever the reason, the bottom line is that a nightingale has been silenced. She will always be remembered as an endearing voice of our times.

author: Kumail Ahmed


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Yemen: Electricity Woes in Yemen · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.
Electricity, food and water are basic human needs and have been the main demands of the majority of Yemenis long before the revolution started and still continue to be so. Nothing seems to have changed with the overthrow of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and living conditions only seem to get worse under the new National Consensus Government. Most Yemenis are living in dire conditions due to the daily and long hours of electricity cuts that have been affecting most areas of Yemen, from the north to the south.
Yemeni netizens expressed their views about the electricity cuts via Twitter. Those outside Yemen wrote in solidarity while those in Yemen, including, students, journalists and visitors, vented their frustration.
Yemenis outside Yemen
Marwan Almuraisy creatively tweeted:
@almuraisy: If yo.. wa..t to kn..w wha.. ar.. peo..le in #Yemen deman..ing n..w, Ju..t as.. wh..n w..s th.. el..ctr..ci..y ON la..t on..e?
Haitham Al-Shami tweeted:
@HAITHAMshami: Most Tweets about #Yemen are now about electricity, everything else is minor now, Power Outage is a B***h
Sana2 Al-Yemen tweeted:
@Sanasiino: Depriving people of electricity in such conditions is a slow and painful approach to murder. This form of punishment is unacceptable #Yemen
@Sanasiino:Electricity is cut every two hours in Aden #Yemen. Two days ago protests were staged at 4am after people could not stand the overnight heat
@Sanasiino:The issue of electricity NEEDS to be addressed in #Yemen and especially the South where humidity and heat is much more prevalent
Ameera tweeted:
@ameeraymnia: Mom says she has had less than 1 hour of electricity in the past 24 hours #SANAA #YEMEN :(
Abdulla Althawr was proactively planning for a solution to Yemen's electricity problem:
@abdullaht: Already looking up masters in renewable energy to start my solar energy company in Yemen! Lucrative business 4 a country without electricity
Yemenis in Yemen
Activist Atiaf Alwazir shared her agony through her tweets:
@womanfromYemen: today, electricity has been disconnected since the morning. Did something happen to the power lines AGAIN? #YEMEN
@womanfromyemen: we did not have any electricity for the last 24 hours, the only thing the neighbors are talking about today is that. #yemen
@wowanfromyemen: no electricity since yesterday, 6 minutes left on my computer battery & phone is almost dying. so plz excuse me for not responding. #Yemen
@womanfromyemen: how wonderful it feels when the room suddenly lights up b/c electricity is back on, good thing i wasn't asleep yet. #Yemen
@wowmanfromyemen: no way! #electricity just cut off again :( :* .. what was that only 1 hour of power? #Yemen
@womanfromYemen: #Yemen: those in need of regular kidney dialysis have been greatly effected by lack of #electricity in the hospitals.
Atiaf's husband Benjamin Wiacek also tweeted his frustration:
@Nefermaat: no #Electricity since 14h hours (4h total in 3 days) also means food in the freezer is out of use, all melted !! what a waste #Sanaa #Yemen
@Nefermaat:Al-HAMDULILLAH !!!!! #Electricity just turned on !!!! It's 3:49pm now, let's see how long it stays… #Sanaa #Yemen
Abdulrahman Jaber sarcastically echoed:
@ARJaber:1 hour electricity a day … That what time management is all about :p #Yemen
Nadia Daar tweeted:
@nadiadaar: Once again find myself in #Sana'a #Yemen realizing how much i take electricity for granted living in DC.
Maysa AlYemen tweeted:
@MaysaAlYemen: You know a friend is back in #Yemen when he/she starts tweeting about electricity.
Mohammed Al-Asaadi ironically wondered:
@alasaadim:Yemenis: Al Qaida gave town security, at a cost: bit.ly/L0sv86 #Yemen – Can we contract Al #Qaida 2 protect the electricity network?
Alaa Isam also tweeted the same ordeal from Aden:
@AlaaIsam: #Power in #Aden 2 hours On and 2 hours Off #Electricity #SouthYemen #Yemen #yf #hell
Students
Hundreds of students all over Yemen are angered by daily blackouts with only two hours of electricity or less which made them resort to studying in candle light staged protests.
@womanfromyemen: heard this at least 3 times today “how can my kids study for their finals w/out any electricity?” #Yemen
@GhadaYemen: @WomanfromYemen Even before the crisis in #Yemen, we used to have electricity outages before and during final examinations.Stupid government
Afrah Nasser tweeted a video posted by osanboairan which shows the hardship of students studying during power-cuts in Southern Yemen:
@Arfahnasser: High school's students in #Aden study for final exams under streets’ lights due to electricity blackouts in their homz http://youtu.be/HRP82T88sv8
Foreign journalists, expats and visitors
Dana Moss, founding member of the Yemen Peace Project, who is visiting Yemen, tweeted:
@YPPDana: the ppl collectively groan or cheer on the street when the electricity shuts off or teases them by turning on for a few mins #yemen
@YPPDana: Electricity situation here in #yemen definitely the worst we have ever experienced it despite frequent cuts in '09, '10 @YemenPeaceNews
Ferdinand Carvajal, an NGO consultant in Yemen, tweeted:
@CarvajalF: electricity on fr 2hrs, cut as soon as Morsi announced winner in #Egypt election ..bck 2 darkness …#yemen
Journalist Iona Craig tweeted:
@ionacraig: I'm about ready to start fighting for electricity: Three killed in #Yemen in clash over electricity grid: bit.ly/KTLQfK
@ionacraig: No power for 11hrs & counting: MT @Nefermaat: Rain + thunderstorm + no electricity + some work to do + Thursday = ……. ? #Yemen
Journalist Adam Baron tweeted:
@adammbaron: dear electricity: im sorry for anything ive ever done to wrong you, and ill never take you for granted again. please come back to me.
Government Role
Maysa AlYemen tweeted the blame game:
@MaysaAlYemen: Minster of Electricity blames old gov for #poweroutages.Old gov blame new gov for them. And I'm here tweeting this under candle light #Yemen
Human Rights Minister Mrs. Hooria Mashhour tweeted:
@Hooria_Mashhour: organize crimes on attacking oil , gas pipes and electricity lines are ongoing to prevent government from implementing it's plans #yemen
Mohammed Albasha, Yemen Embassy spokesperson in Washington DC, added:
@Yemen411: Finally: #Yemen's Central Military Command will dispatch a multi-unit force to protect the electricity & oil infrastructure
Official updates about the electricity issue
@YemeniPrinz: Yemeni cabinet calls for tribal cooperation to protect electricity lines – Yemen Post: Yemeni cabinet cal… bit.ly/MLuU6V #yemen
@NasserMaweri: #Yemen | Electricity Minister: Sabotage attacks are politically-motivated yemenpost.net/Detail1234567…
@NasserMaweri: FINALLY!!!! Yemen's main Electricity Station Finally Operating yemenpost.net/Detail1234567… #Yemen #Blackout
Final Reactions:
Sam Waddah tweets:
@SamWaddah: Only in #Yemen, basic rights such as Water, electricity, food, health & education have become dreams that people struggle to achieve!
He adds:
@SamWaddah: #Yemen-is rely on themselves for the provision of water, electricity, health, education, and even safety & security! What's the govt for?
Ahmed Khuaga tweeted a rhetorical question:
@ahYemen: if the government can't protect the electricity lines, we don't want this government #Yemen
Finally Atiaf Alwazir suggests the name of Yemen's next weekly Friday protest:
To have a “picture” of how Yemenis used to live before the revolution and why they revolted, read this post by Sam Waddah. Not much has changed since, some Yemenis wonder, and others still hope, that change will happen.
This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

author: Noon Arabia


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Armenia: Intolerant Society · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia posts a video animation produced by the Civilitas organization illustrating how intolerant society in the virtually mono-ethnic Republic of Armenia can be. The blog also notes that according to the data compiled from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC), 94 percent of Armenians do not want to live next to a gay person. That compares to 63 and 50 percent respectively who object to having people of another religion or an unmarried couple as neighbors.


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China:Famous School Teacher Harassed Boys · Global Voices
Gloria Wong

FMN reported that a deputy principal of high school affiliated with East China Normal University has been accused of having harassing his male students at school. Several victims decided to break the silence after 15 years. Official news says Zhang is fired from his position now. Read the full story on Offbeat China.

author: Gloria Wong


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Ecuador: #LoxaEsMas, Ideas that Generate Change · Global Voices
Alison Martinez

All links lead to Spanish-language sites unless otherwise noted
#LoxaEsMas (“Loja is more”) is an initiative that intends to create new ways to report problems in Loja, Ecuador, by using technology as the main tool. This initiative also strives to find practical solutions to improve the city.
Loja [en] is located in the east of the Loja province [en], in the south of Ecuador. It is the capital of the Loja province and canton [en]. With nearly 200,000 inhabitants, the city has a rich tradition in arts, therefore, it is also known as “the Cultural and Musical capital of Ecuador”.
#LoxaEsMas was created because of the people’s resentment at the incapability of the authorities to carry out changes in Loja. Moreover, it is an equal organization in which there is no hierarchy. Thereby, all the people willing to participate in this initiative can do it.
In his personal blog, Carlos Correa, who initiated this idea, asserts:
Ya venía sintiendo dolor por ver a la ciudad retroceder en muchos aspectos. A inicios de este año escribí un post “Piensa Loxa, piensa!” que tuvo un eco moderado en la web, quizá era necesario juntar las chispas aisladas hasta formar una fogata, entonces fue cuando vi en las Redes Sociales una herramienta para ello, para darle un uso más coherente y adecuado al Facebook o a Twitter que simplemente subir las fotos del gatito o de las cervezas de la noche anterior.
With the slogan “Hacking Democracy”, this public-minded group intends to promote citizen participation  with practical alternatives. It wants to reinforce the democracy concept not only with elections that hold every four years, but also with an active and willing participation.
Years ago, it was very difficult to put an idea into practice, gathering people, or advertising. However, nowadays, thanks to Internet, everything is possible in a faster and economic way.
The group aims to promote a different practical activity every month, thereby, it will not only be in Social Networks or Internet, but it will be also acknowledged by people who do not use those technologies.
“Twit Callejero”
The first LoxaEsMas initiative is “Twit Callejero” (Street Tweet), “How do you picture Loxa in 140 characters?” This idea intends to spread citizen voices by using their tweets with their proposals to improve Loja.
There will be a voting process in the LoxaEsMas webpage  which will include all the tweet comments. Twitter users can choose the best five tweets by voting for them with the “Like” button. At the end of the vote, on June 29, the most voted tweets will be printed and posted around the city. Moreover, it is being scheduling a meeting with the Loja mayor, Jorge Bailon, in order to show all participant tweets.
These are some of the tweets that have participated until now:
Pablo Andrés Duque (@pabloaduquec) addresses Loja inhabitants:
Pierde el miedo de exigir a tus representantes [alcalde, concejales] que hagan lo que deben hacer: TRABAJAR. #LoxaEsMás
Cesar Jaramillo (@cesarvolter) writes:
#LoxaEsMás cuando veo la mirada de mis hijos y quiero a travez [sic] del tiempo ver en sus ojos una ciudad digna y sobre todo Feliz
Gianella Carrion (@GianeCarrionS) recognizes Loja's virtues and calls people’s attention on this topic
#LoxaEsMás ciudad cultural, riqueza de nuestro Ecuador, es hora de ponernos la camiseta y luchar por nuestra querida Loja.
For more information about this initiative and tweets like these, you can see the Twit Callejero website. You can also follow them on Twitter (@loxaesmas) .

author: Alison Martinez


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Moldova, Transnistria, Gagauzia: “Get to Know Your Neighbor” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On June 30, young social media activists from the cities of Chișinău and Bălți, and from Transnistria and Gagauzia, are meeting for a “get to know your neighbor” event [ro, ru], to discuss issues relevant for young people who grew up separated by geopolitics and the role of social networks and the Internet in their lives, as well as to brainstorm social initiatives that they could carry out together.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Nigeria: Senate President Challenged to name Boko Haram Sponsors · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Two Northern youth groups on Wednesday criticized the Senate President, David Mark over his recent comments urging northern leaders to check the activities of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, Connected Africa reports.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Russia: A Mobile Service to Connect Passengers & Drivers · Global Voices
Teplitsa

The project Yeehay! was created to connect passengers and drivers. With its help, it is possible to hail a car, offer one's services as a driver, or leave a review about a particular ride. This service not only cuts costs while covering another person's fuel expenses, but it also has a positive impact on any city's ecology.
Yeehay! works in two directions, and information about the service and how it works can be found on the project's website. Yeehay!'s mobile smartphone application enables the service's primary functions. The app is for both passengers and drivers, but users must select one of the two roles each time they launch the program. For now, Yeehay! is only available for iOS, but its creators are currently developing software for Android, as well.
Screenshot of Yeehay!, 25 June 2012.
Instantly after activating the app, it automatically aggregates all necessary information for drivers or passengers. Users must first download Yeehay! and complete its registration process in order to activate. Its creators recommend registering within the application, as it is quicker than doing so on Yeehay!'s website. To register, one must enter his or her mobile number. The main idea behind the application is that a passenger can directly connect with a driver to discuss the conditions of a shared trip. To do this, drivers must provide their contact information.
In turn (to avoid lost missed calls), the projects’ creators added to the application the option to “View Missed Calls” — a feature that archives passengers’ telephone numbers.
Yeehay! allows for passenger-driver, passenger-passenger, and driver-driver communication. The project's developers encourage user feedback and written reviews about the service. Passengers can leave comments about the quality of a particular driver, and drivers can communicate about traffic and road accidents.
Yeehay! also uses location-tracking. After launching the application, it automatically determines the user's precise location. Thus, one group of users receives live data about approaching vehicles, while the other receives information about passengers.
Original [ru]

author: Teplitsa


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Slovakia: Teachers Call for Help in Open Letter to Education Minister · Global Voices
Tibor Blazko

When non-governmental activists visited an elementary school in Šariské Michaľany, north-eastern Slovakia, they found that most of the Romani children were separated in “special” classes. They filed a lawsuit, in which the school was accused of segregating students based on their ethnic origin. The school lost, despite arguments that the children were not divided due to their skin color, but in accordance with their capabilities, to help the ones with poorer results by using individual approach. In reaction, some parents of the children who were doing better decided to move them to a school in a nearby city.
A study conducted among the UK-based children of the Roma migrants from Central and Eastern Europe found that in the new environment children could achieve good results and there was no reason to place them in special classes.
In fact, the idea of “a new environment” has also been considered in Slovakia. However, the proposal of moving children out of their parents’ homes to campuses was rejected as inhuman and is also not supported by parents who are afraid to lose their childcare-related social benefits.
These days, there is much discussion in Slovakia of the open letter [sk] to the minister of education, written by two ordinary elementary school teachers from Dobšiná (or, as they formulate it, from the “Far East” – as opposed to the capital city of Bratislava, located in western Slovakia).
Below is a short excerpt from this letter:
Dear Mr. Minister,
[…] Our letter is just a reaction to the intolerable situation in the Slovak education and the country's dysfunctional, unjust social system. We believe and hope that it will serve as an impulse to review the current situation and position of teachers.
In Bratislava, far from your favorite “marginalized and socially disadvantaged groups,” you have no idea what stalemate we are forced to fight every day. Come for a few days to live with the issues we are dealing with every day. Let's look into our schools, finally meet with the real students and let's sit in the classroom for a few lessons. Instead of empty talk detached from reality, you should get to know the real situation. […]
The greatest difficulties we have with students who are significantly maladjusted socially, they are almost exclusively students of the Romani origin. However, we want to emphasize that this is not about race, skin or the prejudices and reservations against the Roma.
Truants, whose numbers of unexcused absences are abnormally high, are the first problem in our school. Because the relevant authorities and institutions hardly ever penalize students or their guardians, students continue to be absent with impunity and, what's worse, give negative example to other classmates […].
In addition to this, these students are usually aggressive, arrogant, and there are various types of sexual harassment going on not only towards fellow students, but also towards female teachers. […]
Almost all parents are avoiding solving the problems and do not show even the minimal willingness to cooperate with the school. […]
The parents of these children receive financial contributions of €17, paid mostly to a group of maladjusted citizens just for having their children complete basic schooling. […]
School supplies, ordered by the school for these children, are absolutely not valued by the students and are destroyed, broken, torn or monetized in just a couple days. […] Children wear torn, dirty, stinky pieces of clothing, broken shoes, come to school without snacks, have lice and various kinds of skin diseases, and lack the most basic ideas about hygiene! But they always find money for mobile phones, alcohol and cigarettes. […]
The vast majority of children are not trained at all, they have never attended a kindergarten and some do not know the Slovak language at all, they have never picked up a pencil and never drawn, they are unfamiliar with toys, colors, and during the first weeks of their stay with us they are not being taught the first letters, numbers and colors, but are getting familiarized with running water, flushing the toilets […].
Communication with these children is very hard, they understand speech poorly, do not understand what is required, because of their limited vocabulary (and not only in Slovak, but also in the Romani language). […]
We cannot provide them with equal access to education when they do not start at the same “starting point.” […] As a result of the artificial efforts of integration, the clever minority […] drops to the level of the clumsy and integrates with them. […] Deferment of compulsory schooling in these cases resolves absolutely nothing; on the contrary, the child will lose a whole year (because the family will not care about him again). […]
Therefore, do not be surprised that parents of brighter children prefer to enroll their children in schools outside their place of residence […].
Maladjusted fellow citizens quickly become accustomed to the benefits that are offered to them by the state and get used to the idea that everything will be free […]. It's a vicious circle: They are poor because they have no jobs – they have no jobs because they are uneducated – they are uneducated, because they are not interested in education. […]
The number of pregnant schoolgirls in the lower grades grows not only in our schools. […] Again, the result of the poorly adjusted social system and the conscious ignoring of the problem is that the young student girls do not see any problem with their pregnancies – on the contrary, they perceive it as a welcome way of earning money. […] The situation is alarming! […] The officials, instead of imposing penalties, paradoxically even give them advice on what to do to get extra money […].
We have a huge amount of obligations, orders and restrictions for teachers, but any possibility of self-defense or the power to intervene have been taken away. We must do everything, but we can do nothing… […]
Is there anyone who will stand up for us teachers? […] When the teacher's imaginary cup of patience overflows and he raises his voice at the student, he is immediately accused of causing the child mental anguish. […]
We love our work, we've chosen the teaching profession in the belief that we will create a “better world” – but under these circumstances it is not possible. […]
Erika Polgáriová and Eleonóra Liptáková
Roma children in Košice, Slovakia. Photo by JURAJ SUCHARDA, copyright © Demotix (25/05/10).
Miriam Králiková wrote [sk]:
these non-productive individuals, as you call it, should be seen by our society primarily as people with the same rights as everyone else
Zuzana Kolláriková (Mišová) of the Association for Helping People with Mental Disabilities wrote [sk]:
Once they were dropping them off the rock… Is this the approach that you find attractive…? Because after reading your letter, the question arises whether our society needs only the pioneers – the intellectuals…!? Or a clean race with IQ 120 and above? No comment. […]
Anyway, inciting hate against any marginalized group is one of the worst things to do. Why you chose it is a mystery to me.
Below are some comments from the discussion on the blog that published the teachers’ letter.
AdrianVT:
basically anyone who will agree with the authors’ opinions will be labeled as racist
Evička Mierová:
These teachers are definitively not able to cope with their job. I was working as an assistant teacher for Romani children, and children who had a problem taking any exam at all were suddenly able to pass the Slovak language with excellent grades, and math as well – and teachers were shocked. I just cared about them and was not using force but a playful approach.
pegasus76 (in reply):
Dear Evička, do not mix the job of an assistant with the work of a teacher. It's nice that after your care students were able to pass exams with excellent grades. But try to care about students when near you some 25 other “hooligans” are screaming, making fun of you, or, in the best case, ignoring you.
Lianka:
in no case can we blame these children, they are doing and know just what they see at home … but can we blame their parents? … the vast majority of these children have parents who are 20 years old, they have never been working, […] no one will employ them, they have no chance for a normal life
daduli:
I've been teaching for 25 years and I can confirm that it is getting worse and worse every year. Much paperwork, statements, reports and so on. And I'm teaching secondary school, which is more or less selective. I always tell students that when you do not want to be at school and learn, then you can leave any time. But in elementary school you can't kick anyone out.

author: Tibor Blazko