text:
Fiji’s President voids constitution, calls for elections in five years  · Global Voices
John Liebhardt

Less than 24 hours after a Fiji court declared the country’s military backed government to be unconstitutional, Fiji’s president has voided the country’s constitution, made himself head of state and dismissed the country’s judiciary.
The issue stems from a Thursday, April 9 court ruling stating the military leader Frank Bainimarama came to power illegally in December 2006 when he dissolved Parliament and ousted the government of Laisenia Qarase. Later that day, Bainimarama said he would step down and allow the President to appoint a caretaker government as ordered by the three judges.
Speaking to the nation mid-morning Friday, President Ratu Josefa Iloilo said he was incapable of following the Court of Appeal’s ruling to appoint a caretaker government because the constitution provided him no powers to do so. Because a country cannot survive without a standing government, he said he was forced to take over the government and will appoint an interim Prime Minister in the next few days. In perhaps his biggest surprise, the President said this interim body will rule Fiji until elections can be held in five years time, no later than September 2014.
The reclusive Iloilo said the five-year time frame will allow the new government “to put into place the necessary reforms and processes.” This includes fixing certain elements of the now-abrogated 1997 constitution, including voting reform and most likely deleting the provision that provides paramountcy to interests of the indigenous Fijian community over those of other ethnic communities.
The military backed government of Frank Bainimarama that was ousted in Thursday's ruling spent much of the past year drafting and attempting to implement the People's Charter for Peace, Change and Progress, which the military leader claims will do away with communal based voting (where members of different races vote on separate ballots) in a hope to give more power to political parties that attract support across racial and ethnic lines, hopefully delivering Fiji into a post racial society. Here is a review of an early version of the Charter.
Fiji has endured four military coups since 1987. If one could simply categorize the takeovers, the first three occurred to increase the primacy of indigenous Fijian political rights over other ethnic groups, especially the Indo-Fijians, the descendants of indentured servants brought from India to work on sugar and copra plantations around 100 years ago by the British colonial rulers. The Indo-Fijian community, which once made up nearly two-thirds of the country’s population but now constitutes less than 40 percent, has seen its political power marginalized because those three military interventions dissolved governments lead by Indo-Fijian political parties. However, as a whole, Indo-Fijians continue economic success on the islands.
The now abrogated 1997 Constitution, detractors argue, only codified those nationalist tendencies of certain indigenous Fijian political factions. Crosbie Walsh, a New Zealand academic who spent years working in Fiji, argues against the perceived fairness of that document. The blogger Laminar_Flow claims that by forcing Fiji to offer quick elections with a flawed electoral system, the country will continue to be ruled by flawed governments. (Sorry folks, but I can only find detractors of the former constitution. If you’ve got something nice to say about the 1997 Constitution, please email me or place it in a comment below.)
Bainimarama, Fiji’s military leader, carried out Fiji’s fourth coup in December 2006 ostensibly to right the perceived wrongs of past coups and what he saw as the increasingly nationalist (and racist) tendencies of the government of Laisenia Qarase. The Qarase-led SDL government created a controversial affirmative action program only supporting indigenous Fijians entering business and was accused of attempting to pass a law that could have provided amnesty to some of the perpetrators who carried out Fiji’s 2000 coup.
Bainimarama’s coup was first met with very guarded optimism by some of Fiji’s neighbors and regional political bodies. Bainimarama disarmed criticism when he outlined his prospective reforms and promised members of the regional Pacific Island Forum that elections would be held by March 2009. He soon separated himself from that pledge. Tensions from both sides rose, leading the Forum to demand in January Fiji schedule elections by May First of this year or face expulsion. A few weeks later, the Commonwealth of former British colonies gave notice that if Fiji did not comply with scheduling an election date by September, the country would be forced from that body.  So far, neither body has commented formally on Friday’s developments or the President’s new five-year date for elections.
In his speech Friday, President loilo applauded the Bainimarama-led government’s progress in moving Fiji to become a more equitable country. He said the five-year plan for the new government should be enough time to “to put into place the necessary reforms and processes.” He then pointed out that 64 percent of people in Fiji decided they wanted electoral reforms along with other constitutional changes found with the Bainimarama-backed People's Charter for Peace, Change and Progress.
Early reactions to the President’s speech largely fell along partisan lines. Supporters of the Bainimarama-led government said there was nothing else the President could do but do away with the flawed constitution. Opposition parties reacted with shock. In a side note: The Fiji Times reports that the government will now closely guard media outlets and that police officers have been appointed to the newspaper. So far, there has been no confirmation from other media outlets.
With that, let’s get to the bloggers.
Much talk has taken place in Fiji's blogosphere over Frank Bainimarama's supposed control he has over the country's President. The blog Luvei Viti: Children of Fiji feels this is how the mini-coup took place.
Fiji witnesses another attempt by falied Military Junta, Frank Bainimarama to ochestrate yet again his last ditch to regain Fiji's Political power via the President, the clock ticks and the world watches.
We are not surprised that Bainimarama has again executed a ‘mini coup within a coup’ in order to hang on to power as if it was his dear life. His life on the centre stage almost came to an end but he had his plan B to fall back on. The President who is at the tail end of his Political career is once again signing off letters & making national radio & tv announcements about Fiji state, as dicated from behind the coconut fronds where Bainimarama & his militray junta stand ready with their guns.
Talking Fiji mostly blames the President for his actions.
Did he not consider another option like say FOLLOWING THE BLOODY LAW?
If anything, this recent turn of events has convinced many people in Fiji that this senile old man preteding to be our President must go, as soon as possible!
Whatever happens now, Rt Iloilo will forever be remembered as the man who destroyed our beloved nation.
He was in a unique position (and had the opportunity) to do the right thing and bring our country back to normalcy under democratic rule.
But instead he chose to support an illegal takeover and unlawfully abrogated our supreme law simply because he didn’t like the results of the Court of Appeal judgment delivered yesterday.
Now Fiji can expect further economic sanctions and more hardship and suffering, and for what?
For Raw Fiji News, it's rule of the jungle in Fiji.
The incapable ailing Iloilo has not only abrogated the 1997 Fiji Constitution but in the process has committed treason at its highest order.
His action has proved without doubt that the man is a law onto himself and has no respect whatsoever to the appeals court judgment of yesterday.
It also proves that Iloilo and those around him are very much in the thick of things with Frank’s illegal coup of 2006.
Iloilo couldn’t have whipped this up by himself.
Many peoples intergrity, jobs, money schemes and livelihood was at risk  following the appeals court judgment and it these professional lawbreakers who have masterminded all these for Frank and now Iloilo.
The public knows who they are cause over the last 2 years and 5 months, they have revealed themselves voluntarily by serving under Frank’s illegal regime, accepting appointments given to them by Frank & Co., influence or change the law to legitimize their illegal works or to be openly seen supporting these thugs.
Sai, writing at Fiji Coup 2006, comments on a Fiji Times editorial congratulating Bainimarama's decision to step down after Thursday's court decision, arguing it offers a ‘Ray of Hope’ for democracy in Fiji.
This Fiji Times editorial was clearly hopeful though premature as we now know! The truth was, it was never on the card. Voreqe and his regime will never accept the court ruling as it went against their wishes so no doubt they were always going to manipulate the ailing President to abrogate the Constitution as their last resort of holding on to power and to bring about their illegal and illegitimate designs on the government and people of Fiji. They will soon to be found out just like they have been in the Appeal Court ruling. They may run for now but they will never be able to hide from the glare of the burning desires of the people to live in a country that is governed by those who they elect through a process that is of their choice and not one that is imposed on them. May they fail miserably as they have up to now.
Intelligentsiya wonders how history — and criminal lawyers — will view the President's decision.
May the ICC welcome you with open arms in due course, as well as all those manipulating you.
The meek and resigned act from Bainimarama at his press conference last night was just that. An act. As we've said before they're not ready to let go of their newfound status just yet.
Is it over? Hell to the No. We’re just getting warmed up.
real jack, a forum poster at Fiji Board Exiles, says it's time for the country to start anew.
its the sledgehammer option – that the Constitution be abrogated.
lawyers cannot be seen to be party to abrogating the Constitution. our oath is to uphold it and work within and around it.
but its now been abrogated.
can't do much except hope that everything goes well now – the whole country will have to pull together to make this thing work.
Rt Iloilo made up his mind this morning. its effectively an abrogation of the 1997 Constitution – meaning a coup d'etat has been effected.
its done.
five years is when the elections will be held – but really we are looking at 2020 for those elections – its not going to happen in 2014.
its done. phuck it. the hardcore crew now has its way. a coup d'etat. finito.
as for Qarase and the SDL they are now well and truly finished – and they are going to be buried now – legislation will be passed to outlaw those ethnonationalist parties.
at least its now a TRULY CLEAN SLATE nd no more thinking has to go into the manouverings – nice and clean. start ALL OVER AGAIN.
Alohabula1 remains a bit torn.
The first thing I thought when I heard the verdict last night was the the constitution was going to be abrogated and then Jack gave me hope that there might be another less painful way to make the whole thing go away.
Too bad, I guess everyone got nervous about what could come back at them and bite them through the years with the constitution. It does stop LQ and SDL dead in their tracks. So in essence LQ fight for “democracy” actually put the last nail in the coffin for a while.
However, I am all for everyone being equal, I assume the land rights are still protected, But I have to admit I wish they had worked out the 15 minute prime minister scenario, on the other hand the constitution has had some aspects that have given rise to problems starting to 2000 and then 2006 until now. Ahhhh Fiji, they should have just done it all in Dec 2006, somehow this feels like we have taken a few steps back before Fiji can go forward again. It feels like 1987 again and we all remember how long it took to get the constitution written and back on track. As they say here, not much you can do, just deal with it, and try to go forward or at least keep the snorkel above water.

author: John Liebhardt


text:
Japan: Filipino girl sees her parents deported  · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

All are equal before the law and in Japan, foreigners without a legal permit to stay must leave the country. Deportation is assured for any illegal immigrant.
This is what the Calderons are heading for. Arlan and Sarah Calderon, two Filipino citizens, illegally resident in Japan since the early 90s, will be deported to their home country on the 13th of April. They will be leaving  behind their daughter Noriko, who was born in Japan, can only speak Japanese and has been raised in Japan like any other Japanese girl.
According to the Japanese law in the case of illegal migrants with a child, if the child is a junior high school student and it is established that the two parents have been working regularly for a long time, they can be granted a special stay permit. However, in this case, when Mrs. Calderon was found without a legal visa and arrested, two years ago, Noriko was still a primary school student.
For this reason, the Japanese Ministry of Justice, after having considered the case for a long time, gave the Calderons only two choices: to leave the country with or without Noriko. The parents chose the latter option and Noriko will carry on her life in Japan, living with some relatives, while her parents will be allowed to come and visit her once in a while.
When  the decision was made public, one blogger  personally called the competent authorities to get further information on this case.
おいたんは、東京入国許可局へ直撃電話を掛けて「本当にこれ以上延びないのか、本当にこれが最終結論なのか」という質問を投げました。
・これ以上はもう絶対延びません。
・家族が出した最終結論なのでこれは何があっても曲がりません。
だそうです。やっと終わりが見えてきたようで、おいたんもホッとしました。
Immigration. By flickr user Icars
The  Calderons case in the last months has drawn the attention of the international and national community, as well as of human rights NGO such as Amnesty International.  The decision by the Japanese Ministry of Justice is not beyond criticism from a legal point of view, as it is held to violate the Article 9 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, as many have pointed out insisting on the human side of this matter, which involves a 13 y.o. girl and the forced separation from her parents.
However the sentence seems to be in line with usual policy in Japan, known amongst democratic countries, as one of the least open in matter of immigration. Not a few Japanese nationals, despite being honestly sympathetic to Noriko, do agree  [ja] with the authorities’ final statement, as it emerges from this entry by id: Keibi-in.
不法入国したフィリピン人の両親の間に生まれた女の子について、このところテレビが同情を誘う報道を繰り返しています。
私も心情的には気の毒に思います。
でもくだった処分が間違っているとは思いません。
どんなに冷淡に見えようと、曲げちゃいけない決まり事があります。
この場合がまさにそう。
この例で言えば、このフィリピン人家族に特例を認めた場合、じゃあ他の同じ境遇の人はどうするの？ということになります。
全員に家族ぐるみでの日本滞在を認めるの？と。
[…]
言葉が悪くてすみません。
でも、これに尽きると思います。
女の子に同情的なことを言うなら、マスコミは彼女ひとりでも日本での生活がうまくいくように支えてあげればいいんです。
Of course, the Calderons case is not the first one of its genre. In the past years, in fact, other families composed of foreigners living illegally in Japan have drawn media attention but Japanese reaction was different according to a blogger:
日本人は昔、もっとやさしかった気がする。
いいワルいはともかく、
こういうニュースには皆、もっと右向け右に、
｢お上｣にイジメられてる弱者を何とかしろ、って反応だった。
[…]
まあ今は、そんな余裕を持てないほどの不況なのかも知れないが・・
なんか、テレビのコメンテーターとかにも今回、
｢かわいそうだけど、しょうがない｣
って感じの、クールなスタンスでいてたのが多かった。
いわゆる“いい子ぶりっ子”があまりいなかった。
そんなアピールなどあまり効果のない、
この国は、家族がバラバラになることに慣れた国民性になってしまっているのかも知れないと、ふと思ったりした。
The blogger, further in this post, quotes the comment of prof. Yamada of Chuo University (山田昌弘・中央大学文学部教授), whom he agrees with, and which perfectly sums up the feelings of many bloggers whose posts have been examined for this article.
法律論と感情論の対立であってはならないと思うんです。
違法であったにせよ、日本を選んで来てくれたんですから、
日本がいいと思って来てくれて、
日本がいいと思って暮らしてて、納税もちゃんとしてる。
特に誰にも迷惑をかけてるワケじゃない。
そういう日本を選んで住んでくれてる人を、
大事にするって姿勢を見せたいですよね、日本人としては。
Even if the Calderons overstayed illegally, they chose Japan which they considered a nice place to stay and they lived here and paid the taxes.
Besides, they haven't caused any trouble to anybody.
As a Japanese, I would like to show this as a country which takes into serious consideration such people who choose to live in Japan.
もちろん法律的には、違法だから、
何らかのペナルティーは当然だとは思うんですが、
是非、早く、日本に帰ってこれて、
一緒に暮らせるという道を模索して欲しいですね。

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Scilla Alecci


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Jordan: Community Work Changing Lives · Global Voices
Ebtihal Mahadeen

In a heartwarming story from Jordan, Sha3teely blogs about his local community's efforts to help a visually impaired street vendor.
Here are the main characters:
.
.
And then one day:
Thinking of a way to help Ala':
The story gets better:
The project gets bigger:
…and bigger:
Sha3teely continues:
وصراحة تحول العمل من مجرد دهان جدران إلى تغيير كامل للمحل… وبدأ الشباب بالاتصال بمعارفهم من الحرفيين من حداد ونجّار وكهربائي ودهّين ومعلّم ألمنيوم. وشارك الكثير من الشباب والأصدقاء كل حسب خبرته ومستطاعه.. كما ساهم شباب الحارة وأصدقاء علاء في كثير من الأعمال التي شملت النقل والتنظيف والمساعده وسهروا حتى أوقات متأخرة لإنجاز العمل.
Sha3teely has a video up about the project, directed by Amro:
In concluding his post, Sha3teely says:
جعلتني أدرك هذه التجربة أن بذرة الخير موجودة لدى الجميع، مهما كانت أفكاركهم أو إتجاهاتهم، وأن عمل الخير معدي وقادر على التأثير في الجميع. وأن المجتمع في لحظات الحاجة قادرٌ على التكافل والوقوف في صف واحد من أجل التغيير.

author: Ebtihal Mahadeen


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Korea: Launch of Missile (or Satellite) from North Korea and South Koreans.  · Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

What people expected really happened. North Korea launched their rocket or satellite on the 5th of April, which is tree planting day in South Korea. After the event there have been many opinions and there are netizens who criticize other South Koreas who seemed not to care so much about it, who criticize the representative of the Grand National Party who played golf and didn’t stop even though he heard the news, and who discuss with other netizens how it will affect national security or the economic situation of South Korea.
I introduce how netizens reacted after the news.
1:
북한이 국제사회의 경고에도 불구하고 끝내 장거리 로켓을 발사했다. 이는 한반도의 안보상황에 심각한 위협을 가하는 중대한 범죄 행위라고 할 수 있다. 동북아 군비경쟁이 가속될 것이란 점도 큰 문제이다. 그동안 북한 로켓 발사를 자국의 군사력 증강을 위한 절호의 기회로 간주해 온 일본은 앞으로 보란 듯이 군비 확충에 나설 것이다. 그렇게 되면 중국도 맞대응을 할 것이다. 결국 한반도에 불필요한 군비 경쟁을 불러일으며 한반도 안보에 심각한 위해요소로 작용할 것이다.
또한 북한 미사일의 위협은 긴장감 조성으로 인해서 자친 우리의 원활한 경제활동과 외국의 투자를 줄일 수 있는 위험요소도 빼놓을 수 없다. 그러기에 북한의 신경을 건드리지 말았어야 한다는 주장도 말이 안된다. 칼을 든 강도가 우리를 위협하는데 도데체 언제까지 그 강도에게 돈을 줘 가면서 달래야 하는가. 지나 10년간 돈으로 달래온 결과로 강도는 총을 준비하였다.[…]
In addition, this threat will weaken our economic activities and foreign investments. It is absurd to say that we should not have provoked North Korea. When a robber threatens us with a knife, how long do we have to console the robber with money? During the past 10 years, the robber whom we console with money has prepared guns.[…]
2:
어제 오전 11시 30분경에 북한에서 쏜다 쏜다하던 로켓을 발사했다. 아직까지 미사일이다 위성이다 말도 많고 잘 쐈네 못 쐈네 하는 말 또한 많다. 하지만 확실해진 한가지는 있다.
전쟁이 일어난 것도 모르고 죽을 수 있다는 점이다.
IT 강국이란 말을 많이 들어서일까? 아니면 북한 로켓 발사에 대한 요걱시스템에 대한 믿음 때문일까? 사실 이번 북한 루켓 발사전까지 이런 저런 이유로 “죽는다”라는 생각을 해보진 않았다. 하지만 어제 확실히 알았다. 만약 우리나라의 수도 서울을 향해서 미사일을 발사한다고 할때 우리는 뉴스나 라디오를 통해서 알기 보다는 SF영화처럼 내 머리위로 날아가는 미사일을 보고 먼저 알 것이다.[…]
I can die without knowledge of the beginning of the war.
Maybe I have heard that our place is the IT power country? Or I must have trusted the system to track down North Korean rockets. I haven’t thought about “I will die” due to several reasons until the launch of the rocket from North Korea this time. But I obviously knew yesterday. If they launch toward Seoul, capital of South Korea, I will know what’s happening not after watching news or radio, but after looking at the missle that flies over my head like I saw in SF movies.[…]
3:
북한이 로켓을 드디더 쏘았다. 인공위성이냐 미사일이냐 말들도 많다. 거기에 가세에 북한의 로켓 발사를 무슨 자랑인양 옹호하는 일부 네티즌들까지 생겨났다. 참으로 우려스러운 일이다. 이는 왜곡된 우리의 안보 의식 현주소를 그대로 보여준다고 할 수 있다….일부 네티즌의 섣부른 북한 로켓 옹호 심리도 경계해야 한다. 북한은 물론 화해와 협력해야 할 대상은 맞지만 군사적인  도발까지 용인해야 한다는 것은 결코 아니다. 우리도 통상적인 훈련만 하여도 갖은 비난을 퍼붓고 대화를 단절하는 것이 바로 북한이다. 그런 와중에 로켓 발사라는 카드는 북한의 김정일 정권이 얼마나 이중적인지를 잘 보여주는 예이다. 이를 똑바로 인지하고 화해협력과 군사적 도발을 분리해서 생각할 줄 아는 지혜를 길러야 할 때이다.
4:
지난 4월 5일 식목일, 북한 당국이 인공위성발사를 감행, 주변국 일본을 비롯한 미국은 군사적 긴장감과 경악에 휩싸였다. 그러나 정작 북한과 접한 한국의 국민들은 주말 겸 식목일 나드리로 산과 들을 찾았고, 각 야구경기장에는 관객들이 열광적인 응원전이 펼쳐진 모양이다. TV뉴스에서 이날 각 야구장을 찾은 인파가 8만 관중이라고 하니, 가히 놀랄만한 숫자가 아닌가?
과연 민주주의란 이런 것일까? 이 물음에 야구를 좋아하는 나의 친구는 “그날 야구장을 찾은 8만 관중이 모두 북한의 인공위성발사 여부를 모르는 것도 아니고, 그렇다고 다 알고 있는 것도 아니다. 다만, 그들은 자신들이 할 수 있는 것과 할 수 없는 구분해서 최선을 다하여 자신의 자유를 누리는 것뿐이다.”라고 할 것이다. 나는 이런 친구의 예상된 대답에 절대적으로 동의하며 그것이 민주주의라고 생각한다.
What is democracy? My friend who likes baseball answered, “I don’t think all those 80,000 people didn’t know about what North Korea did. They just distinguish what they can do from what they can’t do and they enjoy their freedom.” I absolutely agree with my friend and I think that it is democracy.

author: Hyejin Kim


text:
Palestine: Art Amongst The Ruins · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

In Gaza, Sharyn Lock writes about art being shown in a destroyed hospital building: “As part of the World Health Day commemorations, three artists are displaying their work in this same building, art that is a response to the Israeli attacks on hospitals and medical workers.”

author: Ayesha Saldanha


text:
Palestine: Dialogue in Gaza · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Gazan blogger Omar Ghraieb recently attended a workshop concerned with dialogue and reconciliation between the Palestinian political factions.


text:
Palestine: Gaza Mom Back in the US  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The saga of Palestinian blogger and mother Laila El-Haddad and her two children has come to a complete circle – she is back in the US, where she started her long trek to Gaza, Palestine, three days earlier, after the Egyptian authorities denied her from reaching home.
The journalist, who blogs at Raising Yousuf and Noor: dairy of a Palestinian mother, flew into the Cairo International Airport, Egypt, where she was hoping to cross the Rafah Crossing, on the Egyptian-Palestinian border, to meet up with her parents in Gaza. The crossing was closed and the Egyptian authorities turned her back – after making her wait and interrogating her for 36 hours.
Writing on her blog, at the beginning of her ordeal, she said:
We have been stuck in Cairo airport for nearly a day now. We are neither being allowed entry or exit by Egyptian authorities, who insist that as long as Rafah Crossing is closed, they are under strict orders not to allow Palestinians in.
This is despite a signed letter of consent I received personally from the Egyptian consul-general in Washington the day of my travel from the US.
To quote the Egyptian officials here in the airport “so sue him”.
Her dilemma was compounded in that her visa to the US had expired – and she had no where to turn to.
At the airport, the tech-savvy blogger, who was travelling with her two American-born children Yousuf and Noor (who is reportedly 15 months old) broadcast her ordeal to the world on Twitter, using an intermittent wi-fi service. Her tweets created an avalanche of queries, with bloggers and Internet surfers across the world retweeting her messages (forwarding her Twitter messages) and reacting to her ordeal on their own blogs and Facebook accounts.
Laila El-Haddad also documented her ordeal – until she was deported back to the US, using flip, a digital camcorder.
At Gazamom, her Twitter account, El Haddad's latest tweets on her experience send chills on the spine.
She reports her return to the US, where US immigration officers were more sympathetic to her plight and couldn't figure out why the Egyptian authorities had prevented her from returning home:
Now that she is back in the US, well-wishers have been busy sending her messages on Twitter. Here's a snap shot of some of the messages:
Palestine: Twittering Gazan Mom Stranded at Cairo Airport Deprted after 36 Hours
Egypt: Stranded Palestinian Mother Tweets Ordeal from Cairo Airport

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Saudi Arabia: Last Rant on G20 Summit   · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudi blogger Saudi Jeans attended the G20 Summit in London, and offers us his “last rant” in this post.


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Thailand: Protesters disrupt ASEAN Summit · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Thousands of opposition Red Shirts in Thailand stormed inside the venue of a major Asian Summit which forced the government to announce the cancellation of the event. The summit gathers leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. The summit was supposed to be held at the Royal Cliff Hotel and Resort in Pattaya
Most of the Red Shirts are loyal to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They want incumbent Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign. They question the legitimacy of the present government which was swept into power last December after a court ruling forced allies of Thaksin to step down.
The cancellation of the summit is a big blow to the government. Many are wondering if this would lead to the disintegration of Abhisit’s government.
Thanong believes the damage of the summit debacle to Abhisit’s government is “irreparable.” He also asks why the police failed to stop the protesters:
How was it possible that we were about to host the Asean Plus Three Summit, at which people around the world would be following closely like the G-20 Summit in London, but there was a breakdown in security measures to protect the summit leaders?
Personal Thailand also blames the failure of the police to engage the Red Shirts:
So why don’t I blame the red shirts? Because you should not declare a state of emergency just because some red shirts wants to protest.
The military and the police should have stopped them before they came to Pattaya, they should have searched their vans for weapons (which they had). If some of the protesters fight arrest them to. The police can not just stand their and do nothing just because they are scared to be transferred if they do something.
Agam's Gecko was watching the TV when the daring action of the protesters was announced:
While I was watching local live coverage between 12 and 1 pm, the scene showed the interior of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort hotel with a scattering of people seeming to be fleeing from something down a broad stairway from a mezzanine level to ground level. Within minutes, hundreds of the red shirted mob flowed like a great red river down the same staircase, wandering around the lobby with raised fists, waving flags, and apparently wondering “What do we do now?”
Nicholas Farrelly at New Mandala sees a pattern in the tactic of protesters:
As a protest tactic the storming of the East Asia Summit venue must rank alongside last year’s week-long siege at Suvarnabhumi Airport for its audacity.  Both episodes show that, at least in the case of Thailand, crowd numbers and commitment can overwhelm the security forces.  Looking at the pictures from the frontline in Pattaya it appears that the police were, with much effort, pushed out of the way.
He was referring to the occupation of Bangkok airports last December by a different set of protesters: the Yellow Shirts. They are anti-Thaksin protesters. When Thaksin’s allies were forced out of power, they ended their protests. Then the pro-Thaksin Red Shirts began organizing street rallies of their own.
Thailand Junkie writes about the deteriorating political situation in Thailand:
Don't know whether to laugh or cry. The cancellation of the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few hours ago is just another indication of the deep malaise that Thailand now finds itself in.
I can't remember any such high level meeting anywhere having to be abandoned due to protesters. The inability of the police to prevent the storming of the hotel is truly shocking….although they are under strict instructions to not provoke violence you would think they could at least manage to hold their ground. Amazing messed-up Thailand.
Red Shirts assemble at Victory Monument. Photo courtesy of Flickr user Y-Not
Via Twitter, the reactions of Bangkok and Pattaya residents over the ongoing political chaos in Thailand:
quikpal: Today Pattaya had light traffic (also on the way from Bkk), except some place with blockades. Few tourists, almost zero Bangkokians!
quikpal: Just come back from Pattaya. Speechless. The crowd was stuck in Royal Cliff from morning till ~3pm. Leaders escaped by boat or helicopters.
thefranz: In South Pattaya now – everything back to normal. No more taxis or red-, blackshirts on the street. Business as usual
abhichartk: Upset with red shirts protestors. thaksin is a mastermind of this , he's a piece of shit
luke_bkk: The #redshirts declare victory? to leave pattaya and head back to bkk. They wont get much of a warm welcome.
Kewrious: Shouldn't curfew have been declared in Pattaya hours ago to save the summit
keikokaneiwa: good job red shirts. u'r proudly ruining thailand. i'm impressed.
xxxdixiechicxxx: da redshirt ppl are real smart they want ppl to join them but they come to pattaya causing madness making us pattaya ppl mad

author: Mong Palatino


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UAE: BarCamp UAE Date Set  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“After the DemoCamps, Tweetups, and Twestival; Dubai will soon be witnessing another interesting event: BarCamp UAE,” writes Mohamed Marwen Meddah of StartUp Arabia, about this May 9 event.


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Argentina: A Wall Separating Two Neighborhoods in Buenos Aires · Global Voices
Jorge Gobbi

The Argentinean county of San Isidro located in the northern part of Grand Buenos Aires started the construction of a wall spanning 16-blocks and measuring 3 meters in height creating a barrier with the neighboring location of San Fernando. According to the authorities in San Isidro, the reason behind the wall is to provide more security to their population, who affirm they're getting robbed by people who then run to the neighboring district.
The beginning of the construction caused several reactions of protest, and groups of neighbors of this county tore down the wall and destroyed many of the concrete blocks that were going to be used. The construction was defended by San Isidro's mayor, Gustavo Posse, after much criticism appeared in the media. Even the president of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, talked about the subject: “The wall is an involution. I am amazed, it's a separatist measure. Instead of separating, we have to build”.
According to Econoblog [es], the request to build the wall “was made by the neighbors of La Horqueta to stop the thieves”, and that “the wall will stop the people from Villa Jardin neighborhood from crossing the streets towards the neighborhood of La Horqueta”. This location is one of the most expensive ones in San Isidro.
At Siete Crisantemos [es] they analyze the results of a survey in La Nacion newspaper, where most voters support the construction of the wall, adding:
Yo no vivo ni en San Isidro ni en San Fernando, y no puedo decir que tan insegura es esa zona en particular; pero ya con lo que es Capital Federal me doy una idea. Sin embargo me parece vergonzoso plantear como solución un muro que en realidad no terminaría de resolver nada, como tampoco lo haría la pena de muerte, pero ese ya es otro tema. Cada vez más escucho en todos lados que este tipo de soluciones son las que realmente podrían ser efectivas, y que ese sea el pensamiento de la mayoría realmente me resulta triste.
At La Runfla [es] they state with irony that we are not talking about the West Bank in Palestine, but two localities in Buenos Aires. At Listao [es], they make fun of the mayor Posse, saying he copied his ideas from Micky Vanilla, a humor character from argentinian actor Diego Capusotto, that “makes pop music just for fun” and in this way tries to disguise the racist contents of his lyrics. Video of Micky Vanilla, with english subtitles
Finally, the Clarin newspaper blog Que Parezca un Accidente [es] reports that the neighbors opposed to the wall tore down what was left leaving behind a project that just spent important public funds, and Alex Piedo sarcastically writes:
Ahí lo tienen. Una simpática construcción, un muro cuyo único fin era mostrar al resto del mundo y sus alrededores, la capacidad y habilidad de los constructores de San Isidro, destruído, derribado, demolido inmediatamente por la desidia de aquellos que se oponen al progreso y al engrandecimiento de la Argentina toda. Un montón de dinero tirado a la basura por la mano de aquellos que se oponen al desafiante reto de la Argentina potencia.

author: Jorge Gobbi


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Bahrain: Celebrating Veganism · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Tasha, an American living in Bahrain who blogs at The Voracious Vegan, is celebrating two years of veganism with a special recipe.


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Bahrain: Unblock Political Websites · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Bahraini blogger Zainab Abdel Amir requests the government to unblock the political websites that are currently banned in the country [Ar].


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Georgia: Civil disobedience · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

As a new wave of anti-government protests continue in Tbilisi, Georgian human rights lawyer Anna Dolidze explains why she believes a campaign of civil disobedience is necessary. In a second entry posted on her Resistance Georgia blog, the former head of the Young Georgian Lawyer's Association comments on last night's clash between demonstrators and employees of the municipal cleaning department.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Georgia: Tbilisi protest update · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Radiobedniereba’s Blog reports on the incident which occurred last night outside the Georgian parliament. The blog says controversy surrounds surveillance camera footage of 50 men destroying computers and sound equipment belonging to the opposition.


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Georgia: Opposition rally attendances wane, tensions increase · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Yesterday, thousands of demonstrators once again rallied in Tbilisi for a third day of protests demanding the resignation of the Georgian president, Mikhail Saakashvili. The Real Clear World blog details the events so far.
Picking up where Moldovan actions left off, mass anti-government protest is taking place in Georgia's capital Tbilisi. […] The protesters gave the president till 4:00pm on April 10 to comply with their demands. Saakashvili did not accept the ultimatum, and expressed his willingness to “dialogue with the opposition”, while confirming that he did not intend to leave his post before the expiration of his official duties.
Opponents of the president blame him for drawing Georgia into armed conflict with Russia last August, as well as the for the loss of break-away provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. […]
Once again, the GIPA Journalism School Blog, a collaborative project between Armenian, Azeri and Georgian journalism students, reports on the latest developments, including news of a second attack on the Why? Public Movement.
No one was hurt in the attack, which occurred on Tabukashvili Street, near the activist group’s office. The group members had earlier in the evening noticed two unfamiliar cars parked near their office. When two of the activists, a male and female, walked to a nearby shop, ten men carrying clubs […] confronted them on the street. They tore the man’s shirt, and tried to grab the girl and put her in the trunk of a car.
[…]
Five minutes later, about eight other Why? Activists were returning to the office, and were also attacked by the same group of men […]. Again, the attackers approached the group with their clubs. But several activists fought with attackers and broke one of their car windows. […]
Another GIPA student at Radiobedniereba’s Blog also reports that another attack came late last night, but this time the target was computers and sound equipment.
Witnesses reported that around 50 men dressed in casual clothes came to Rustaveli Avenue together with a municipal street-cleaning crew  and damaged equipment and and assaulted several people — though no one was hurt — standing  in front of the parliament, said the opposition leaders, at 12:15 a.m. at a press briefing.
Tweets on #tbilisi also carried news of the attack.
CivilGe: Opposition leaders said up to 50 unknown men with batons ‘raided’ and ‘damaged’ equipment in opp. press center outside parliament #tbilisi
[…]
dv0rsky: Police deputy minister claims it was #tbilisi street cleaning service who came in confrontation with opposition
Despite the unprecedented use of Twitter, blogs and the online media to report on the protests in Tbilisi, Ketiebanoidze’s Blog says the situation is very different when it comes to television coverage.
Saturday afternoon, opposition leaders for the third time in four days have gone to the public television station to demand more and better coverage of anti-government protests. […]
[…]
Television news stations in the Soviet Union were considered instruments of the state and mouthpieces of the government, a practice that carries into many former Soviet Republics even today. […]
The Tbilisi Blues comments on yesterday's incident as well, and says that the opposition is also unhappy with foreign journalists covering the protests.
Last night, as the city street cleaners were dispatched to clean up the mess in front of parliament, a scuffle broke out and a group of guys raided the opposition set up and destroyed computers from their press center. The opposition says the government was behind the raid. The government of course denies the accusation. […]
So, it could have been some pro-government thugs being thuggish. […] Yet why would they take a chance and ruin what they have achieved by being non-confrontational?
[…]
Today a local journalist from Rezonansi newspaper asked me if it's true the government is paying my bills for me. I asked her to repeat herself. Somebody had called her paper and said us foreign correspondents are getting a free ride from the government to write bad things about them.
I told her no, that's not true. It is one truth I am absolutely certain of.
Nevertheless, despite dwindling attendances at rallies, the situation appears to becoming more tense, especially now that the opposition has embarked on a campaign of civil disobedience. Natalie5n's Blog reports.
[…] the civility that marked the beginning of anti-government protests on Thursday was gone by Sunday, as about 600-700 protesters gathered again on Rustaveli Avenue in front of Parliament at 3 p.m. Opposition leaders will announce their planes at 4 p.m.
Though opposition leaders had originally announced the pre-Easter holiday […] as a break for protesters, plans changed after an attack on a main opposition protest sight in front of Parliament late Saturday night.
Unfortunately, Guy Degen has left Georgia so it's uncertain whether there will be any more live mobile video reports streamed online, but before he did, the Frontline Club blogger paid a visit to introduce the technology to GIPA students.
More updates will be posted on Global Voices Online as of when, but in the meantime it's worth keeping an eye on the GIPA Journalism School Blog as well as Twitter at #tbilisi.
Coverage of the first and second day of protests is also available on Global Voices Online.


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India: Indiblogger meet 2009 · Global Voices
Rezwan

Delhiphoto posts some pictures of the participants of the NCR IndiBlogger meet 2009 whcih took place recently in Delhi, India. More than 60 bloggers attended the meeting.

author: Rezwan


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Iran: “AP report on Iranian blogs is biased” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Webgardian says that AP (Associated Press) report on Iranian blogs is biased. AP writes that “arrests [of bloggers] started after the election of Ahmadinejad in 2005.” Webgardian writes “if you just google a little bit you will find out with out any investigation that most of the bloggers got ARRESTED BEFORE AHMADINEJAD came to power”.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Mexico: Foreign Artists Commenting on Internal Matters · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

During his last visit to Mexico in March, French musician and activist Manu Chao canceled one of his concerts in the city of Guadalajara because of a rumor of an investigation by the Mexican authorities for his comments on what happened in the Mexican city of Atenco in 2006.
Photo of Manu Chao at press conference in Guadalajara. Taken by Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara and used under a Creative Commons license: http://www.flickr.com/photos/guadalajaracinemafest/3383035071/
According to Mexican newspaper La Jornada [es], the artist used the term “State terrorism” while referring to the civil unrests of San Salvador Atenco that occurred in 2006 in the State of México. Independent commissions found that the police sexually abused over twenty women and caused the death of two persons. The Mexican press reported that the authorities were investigating Manu Chao for violating the Article 33 of the Mexican Constitution, which reads that no foreign visitors should intervene (“inmiscuirse”, roughly translated as “deal”) in political matters of the country.
Last month, another well-known musician Peter Gabriel met with the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, to talk about another sensitive subject such as the hundreds of murders of female factory workers in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.  Gabriel defended Chao [es] and his responsibility to speak about these issues.
Article 33 of the Mexican Constitution is controversial because some see it as an opposition to freedom of speech, as well as its ambiguous text. Pablo Vázquez Ahued comments on his blog that Article 33 “tries to not recognize the supposed unalienable rights of certain human beings” and that   the article is not relevant because of international treaties [es]:
Lo cierto es que todas estas movidas de la prensa y Manu Chao no quedarán más que en el anecdotario de este mes, y serán olvidadas aproximándose mayo. Lo realmente importante es que vuelve a salir a colación la indignidad del artículo 33 constitucional, cuyo segundo párrafo debería ser derogado lo antes posible dado que México ha suscrito tratados internacionales que sencillamente lo niegan, y estos tratados, según cualquier constitucionalista de primer año, tienen el mismo estatus que la Constitución.
Daniel Manrique also comments in his blog Tome Chango su Banana [es] that the government should worry about more important things:
Supongo que el siguiente paso será tener micrófonos en todos los restaurantes porque la política es un tema habitual de conversación y es un hecho que el pobre desempeño histórico del gobierno mexicano, y en particular de  los gobiernos panistas que azotan con el fuete de su incompetencia al país desde el año 2000, siempre deja mucho de qué hablar, y no siempre en los términos más halagadores
I guess the next step will be to have microphones in all restaurants, because politics is a regular topic of conversation and it is a fact that the poor effort of the Mexican government, particularly the strong incompetence of the governments of the Partido Acción Nacional party since the year 2000, always gives people something to talk about, not always in flattering terms.
Blogger Marichuy of Luces y Sombras [es] comments about Article 33, remembering a situation two years ago
Las autoridades gubernamentales mexicanas se distinguen por su doble moral y doble rasero a la hora de aplicar la ley. En 2006, en medio de uno de los procesos electorales más controvertidos de que se tenga memoria, [el expresidente de España] José Ma. Aznar vino a hacer proselitismo electoral a favor de Felipe Calderón, algo que supuestamente contraviene las leyes de este país, diciéndonos abiertamente que debíamos votar por él.
(…)
Y la pregunta para las autoridades:
¿la ley solo se aplica -a su sabio entender, but of course- a quien dice las verdades que no les gustan?
Mexican governmental authorities are known for their double morality and double standards when it comes to applying the law. In 2006, in one of most controversial electoral moments that can be remembered, the former president of Spain José Ma. Aznar came to the country to campaign for Felipe Calderon in the presidential elections, something that goes against the to laws of this country, openly inviting us to vote for Calderon.
And the question for the authorities:
Does law only applies –following your wise calls, but of course– who is to  say the truths that you don’t like?
User Yeyahualtic Metztli comments in a story in La Jornada [es] about the rumor of Manu Chao being expelled from the country:
Si se trata de expulsar, por que no hacerlo con las personas dedicadas al narcotrafico, trata de blancas, sacerdotes pederastas, secuestradores…y de mas malotes?  Pocas son las personas que se ocupan de los problemas sociales de México.
On the other side of the story, Esteban Arce republishes his column for the Mexican newspaper Récord in his blog Yo soy Aquél [es] and questions the right of both artists to comment on the political situation:
Pues ambos [artistas] se animaron a declarar que el caso Atenco era un crimen de Estado. ¡Háganme el favor!, ¿qué saben ellos y qué autoridad tienen para hablar de lo que pase o haya pasado en México cuando en sus países suceden cosas peores? Como si en Francia no discriminaran a los inmigrantes, al grado que repelen las manifestaciones en Saint Denis muy al estilo Atenco y lo hacen varias veces al año; cuando los ingleses, junto con los Estados Unidos, terminaron con el pueblo iraquí, al grado del exterminio total… pero no, prefieren cruzar el océano Atlántico para reclamar causas ya juzgadas en nuestro país en todos los niveles, incluyendo la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación.

author: Issa Villarreal


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Palestine: A Visit To The West Bank · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Intern in Israel has made a trip to the West Bank: “I think what shocked me most was how heavy the Israeli military influence was inside of the West Bank and how large some of the Jewish settlements are. The areas where Palestinians actually have “full” control are very small.”


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Palestine: Jerusalem As Arab Cultural Capital · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Gazan blogger Abu El Sherif has posted a short video [Ar] he made for a programme called Alli Sootak (Speak Up) shown on Palestine TV about choosing Jerusalem as this year's Arab Capital of Culture.


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Palestine: Separated By A Border · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

In Gaza, Lebanese activist Natalie Abou Shakra describes the plight of a family able to see each other only across the border fence separating Gaza and Egypt.


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Predictions and Polls for the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections in India · Global Voices
Gaurav Mishra

The month long general elections to the 15th Lok Sabha in India start from April 16, and there is wide speculation on which party, or coalition, will emerge the winner, when the results are announced on May 16th.
Here is a quick roundup of the pre-election predictions and the discussion around them in the Indian blogosphere.
According to the second Star-Nielsen poll, the Congress will win 155 seats (203 with UPA allies), while the BJP will win 147 seats (191 with NDA allies) (via TOI).
Arun Nehru at the Deccan Chronicle predicts that the Congress will win 157 seats (193 with UPA allies), compared to the 132 seats for the BJP (177 with NDA allies).
The Times of India predicts that the Congress will win 154 seats (198 with UPA allies), while the BJP will win 135 seats (176 with NDA allies).
According to The Week, the Congress will win 144 seats (198 with UPA allies), while the BJP will have to settle at 140 seats (186 with NDA allies).
India Today expects the UPA to win 196-205 seats, far ahead of the 172-181 seats for the NDA.
According to Reuters, the Congress with 139 seats will form the government, beating the BJP, which will win only 129 seats.
DNA predicts that the Congress-led UPA will win 184 seats, against the 177 seats for the BJP-led NDA.
Shreekant Sambrani at Business Standard predicts that BJP will emerge as the biggest party with 137 seats (184 seats with NDA allies), ahead of the Congress, which will win 119 seats (176 seats with UPA allies, including LJP/ RJD).
India TV also predicts that the BJP will emerge as the largest single party with 144 seats (187 seats with NDA allies), ahead of the Congress, which will win 133 seats (178 seats with UPA allies).
According to BJP's own survey, conducted by G V L Narasimha Rao, the BJP will win 160 seats (217 with NDA allies) compared to 135 seats for the Congress (180 with UPA allies) (via TOI).
The numbers for the UPA have come down in recent predictions as analysts aren't counting the numbers for Lalu Prasad’s RJD, Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP or Mulayam Singh’s SP as part of the alliance anymore.
Earlier, in March, the Star-Nielsen poll had predicted that Congress will win 144 seats (257 with UPA allies, including 47 for SP/ RJP/ LJP), compared to the 137 seats for the BJP (184 with NDA allies) (via Reuters).
The CNN-IBN poll had predicted that the Congress-led UPA will win 215-235 seats (including SP/ RJP/ LJP), compared to 165-185 seats for the BJP-led NDA (via Reuters).
In 2004, the UPA had won 234 seats (with 145 seats for the Congress) and the NDA had won 184 seats (with 138 seats for the BJP).
The Outlook Blog written by Sandeep Dougal, by the way, has emerged as my single most useful source of news and opinion on the Indian Lok Sabha elections. This is a great example of the value a traditional news organization can add by linking out to others.
Several Indian bloggers are also posting their own predictions.
Vijay at OffStumped, an overtly pro-BJP blog, predicts that NDA will win 184 seats compared to 108 for UPA.
Blogger Arvind Katoch predicts that UPA will win 230-240 seats where NDA can win 180-200 seats.
Promise of Reason is also doing a series of state-wise pre-poll predictions for the Indian elections.
Rajesh Jain, who is also a part of the Friends of BJP group, has also been sharing his assessment of how the elections might turn out and believes that we will see another election in two years.
It seems that the consensus opinion is that the Congress will emerge as the largest party with 150-160 seats, while the BJP will win 130-140 seats. In any case, fewer parties will ally with the BJP, and it will need 175+ seats to have a stab at building a majority coalition, so we can safely assume that the Congress will be a part of the coalition government. Most observers are predicting that a Congress-led UPA-Left coalition will form the government.

author: Gaurav Mishra


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Serbia: Gypsies’ Houses Torn Down in Belgrade · Global Voices
Sinisa Boljanovic

This July, Belgrade will be the host of the 25th World University Games. Participants will stay in the newly-built University Village. There used to be some 350 Gypsy houses near that place, the majority of which were built illegally 30 years ago. Following an order of the City Department of Inspections, about 50 houses were torn down on April 3. A few dozen children, women, old and sick Gypsies spent the night without shelter.
Gypsies protested and asked city council for other lodging in Belgrade. Instead, the authorities offered them to be moved in temporary containers to Boljevci, a small settlement about 20 kilometers from the center of Belgrade.
But residents of Boljevci protested as well. They didn’t want to give shelter to Gypsies: they threatened that they would set fire to them and their containers.
Because of this, many NGOs, which supported the Gypsies, talked about racism.
Mayor of Belgrade Dragan Đilas said that city authorities would act the same way in the future because everyone who builds house illegally on the city's public land could expect to get a new flat. According to him, these objects have been representing problem since last year because they have been making functioning and development of the city difficult. Mayor also said that these Gypsies would be moved to places from which they had come from to Belgrade. Somewhat later he said that Belgrade’s authorities could only help children and women with forced resettlement, while men would have to find their own way to move.
National television aired a statement by Srdjan Sain, president of the Gypsies’ party:
We are not against sports, but we are against someone using sports for personal interests, tearing down someone else's houses.
He added  that they would not allow the ethnic distance between Gypsies and others to be increased.
According to the Mondo, on Sunday, April 5, representatives of UNHCR in Serbia handed mattresses and blankets to Gypsies from New Belgrade. John Jang, UNHCR’s chief of the Service for Protection of Refugees, said to journalists that the organization has provided about 100 mattresses and blankets for Gypsies who would have to sleep somewhere until an agreement on some permanent solution has been reached with city representatives. Jang said that UNHCR did not expect that Gypsies’ houses would be torn down and that not enough help would be provided, especially because there had been good collaboration with representatives of Belgrade before.
Dorit Nisom, chief of the World Health Organization in Serbia, said that she had been very proud of Serbia because of good attitudes toward Gypsies in the past, but she added that tearing down Gypsies’ houses had a negative effect on the image of the country that presided over the Decade of Gypsies and is organizing the University Games.
Several days later, a group of neo-Nazis attacked Gypsies in New Belgrade.
Dusan Maljkovic wrote about that:
The evening before last night, on the night of April 6-7, at 2:30 am, a group neo-Nazis attacked Gypsies’ settlement located near the shopping mall and market in New Belgrade.
According to eyewitnesses, 20-30 attackers arrived there in two pickup trucks. They were armed with knives and metal bars. Shouting, “We will move you,” they attacked a group of children, women and men who sat on the ground. Several children were injured and one man suffered a serious injury as he was hit with a bottle. Several older people fainted due to fear and panic. Neo-Nazis ran away as some 50 men from the nearby shacks organized to defend the settlement. Five or six policemen who were on duty in the settlement did not react. They said that they had no permission to get involved.
Journalists who had been reporting from the Gypsies’ settlements for the past few days, didn’t report on this incident […].
On her own blog, Jasmina Tesanovic republished an open letter that 43 NGOs sent to the president of the Republic of Serbia, prime minister, vice president of Serbia’s government and the mayor of Belgrade. Here is an excerpt from this letter:
[…] Open or hidden racism toward Gypsies has never been punished up to now. At the same time, from 2000 up to now, forced moving out and tearing down have always been carried out with the help of the police.
Having in mind that Serbia is signatory to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which guarantees the right of housing, including the right for alternative housing in the case of forced resettlement, all 47 families have to be provided with housing without delay. Citizens who will eventually be forced to move out must be taken care of in advance. […]
[…] Signatories of the letter ask the highest-ranked state officials to condemn all statements that violate the basic right to freedom of settlement for the Gypsies. That right is guaranteed by Article 39 of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia. […]
[…] At the same time, the latest announcements by Belgrade’s authorities that it will take care of only women and children, while men would have to find their own way to move, represents a violation of European standards of respect for private and family life and home, which are guaranteed by Article 8 of the European Convention for Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and is confirmed in practice by the European Court for Human Rights. […]

author: Sinisa Boljanovic


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Sri Lanka: Plights Of The IDPs · Global Voices
Rezwan

Laksundara at Groundviews describes the plights of the IDPs (internally displaced persons) who fled their homes during the recent civil war in the Northern areas of Sri Lanka.


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Thailand’s “colored” protesters · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Red shirts. Yellow shirts. Blue Shirts. Pink Shirts. White Shirts. Orange Shirts. Purple Shirts. Black Shirts. Be careful what you wear in Thailand today. Your politics are determined by the color of your shirt. A blogger suggests that tourists should wear floral shirts in Thailand in order not to be identified with any of the political forces here.
The two main conflicting groups are the Yellow Shirts and Red Shirts. The Yellow Shirts belong to the People’s Alliance for Democracy. The Red Shirts are supporters of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship. The Yellow Shirts are consistent critics of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted from power in the 2006 coup. Most of the Red Shirts are supporters of Thaksin.
The Yellow Shirts adopted the color yellow as their protest color in honor of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the most revered figure in Thailand today. But it doesn’t mean the Red Shirts are opposed to the King. It also doesn’t mean that they are leftists. They adopted the color red just to differentiate themselves from the Yellow Shirts.
The Yellow Shirts accused two Prime Ministers last year of being puppets of Thaksin. To force change in government, the Yellow Shirts organized provocative street actions last August. They occupied the Government House for several months. They shut down Bangkok airports last December which crippled travel in the country. The Yellow Shirts agreed to end their protests when a court order disqualified allies of Thaksin from running for public office again. (See Global Voices special page on the protests initiated by the Yellow Shirts).
A few days after the Yellow Shirts declared victory, the Red Shirts began to organize their own street actions. They also occupied the Government House a few weeks ago. They were able to gather tens of thousands of protesters in Bangkok. They were supported by taxi drivers who used their cars to block traffic in Victory Monument, a busy intersection in Bangkok. The Red Shirts succeeded in forcing the cancellation of the ASEAN Summit in Pattaya which embarrassed incumbent Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. There is now a state of emergency in Bangkok, but the Red Shirts are defiant.
Red Shirts display weapons captured from soldiers. Photo from Flickr page of arjin j
Jonny Foreigner notes the similarity of Yellow and Red Shirts:
The Yellow Shirts got what they wanted by causing chaos and closing the national airport so the Reds (significantly made up of a strong presence outside of Bangkok) took this marker and went for the heart of the capital – closing roads and massively inconveniencing the city.
Who are the Red Shirts? What do they want? The Yellow Shirts describe them as ignorant followers of Thaksin. Siam Report read a report which disputes this stereotype:
There are also reports coming out that many Red Shirts are individually well-off, driving their own cars and living in and around the capital. Their demands are for a real democracy and a rooting out of the unelected elements that frequently interfere with the political process. However, they are not interested in a return of Thaksin and do not swear allegiance to him. The Red Shirts can no longer be abused and ridiculed as a monolith of “poor uneducated Thaksin stooges”, as was previously the norm in certain media quarters.
The Yellow Shirts are not active today. But the Red Shirts are being confronted by a different set of “colored” protesters: The Blue Shirts.
The Blue Shirts emerged when the Red Shirts began to mount a serious challenge to the government. First, they said they only wanted to protect public utilities, like the airport. But the Red Shirts soon accused them as being thugs hired by the government. Nirmal Ghosh writes about the confrontation between the Blue Shirts and Red Shirts which may shed light about the real leaders of the Blue Shirts.
In the early morning they (Red Shirts) began marching up the hill to the Royal Cliff Resort, venue of the summit, but came face to face with a few hundred of the pro-government militia, well organized with freshly printed dark blue T-shirts saying ‘Protect the Institution’ – institution being the a reference to the monarchy.
All the blue shirts were armed with sticks, clubs and iron rods.
The face-offs occurred at two locations, each with around 1,000 red shirts against about 150 blue shirts. The men in blue held pictures of the king and queen.
The blue shirted men – clearly a militia – essentially took shelter behind the army, whose officers made no attempt to disarm them.
According to two sources, the blue shirts had been organized by the mayor of Pattaya, who is the son of ‘Kamnan Poh’ – a controversial strongman of the province.
What are the reactions of Thai residents who are not directly involved in the political crisis? When the Red Shirts were leaving the ASEAN Summit venue in Pattaya, a group of people wearing black shirts began throwing stones at them. Who are they?
Some are confronting the protesters. Check this video on how some Red Shirts were driven away by angry pedestrians:
Perhaps the decision of many Thais to wear “neutral” colors can be interpreted as a political statement too. Via Twitter, the other “colored” shirts in Thailand:
sajal: no.. youll get thrashed from both sides… RT @jamiemonk: I am wearing orange shirts from now on.
stickmanbkk: Red shirts, yellow shirts. Im wearing my white shirt!
thaicam: a friend opines: Maybe it's time to combine Red+Yellow and create Purple Shirts who actually rally for the country, not their own ideology.
bangkokpastor: Yellow shirts, red shirts and now blue shirts? before long there will be no way to dress neutral.
Tbarrett: I'm anxious about tomorrow's demonstrations here in Bangkok. Red Shirts! Yellow Shirts! Who's gonna win the Biggest Dumbass award?
gregkjorgensen: Funny how red AND yellow shirts scream for democracy, but are unwilling to accept the results of an election if it doesn't go their way.
PT789: Last time it was the Yellow shirts taking over the city, now it is the red shirts… when will they stop playing this ‘political ping-pong’
There is another option for Thais: wear pink. The Pink Shirts want a political formation based on love. Pop singer Jintara has a music video for the song ‘Mop see chom-poo’ which preaches the doctrine of the Pink Shirts.
Shameless Mack advises tourists to wear only floral shirts in Thailand
Indeed, the situation is becoming more and more unpredictable. The red shirts are able to move their forces from place to place. While the yellow shirts – the ones who closed the airport last November/December – have not yet re-appeared, the emergence of the blue shirts cannot bode well. It is even more troubling that on their very first appearance, the blue shirts provoked violence.
One more thing: Do not go out on the streets wearing solid-colour T-shirts. Yellow and red already indicate political affinity, and now dark blue is another group. Who knows what new colours may become too “hot” to wear tomorrow.
What to do? Pack only floral shirts.
Thumbnail image used from the Flickr page of Y-Not


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Argentina: Mi* Platform for Budding Spanish Speaking Citizen Journalists · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

From Argentina, the Mi * (asterisk)  citizen journalism website has sprouted up, with the intention of becoming the platform for budding Spanish speaking citizen journalists to post their work and receive comments, discuss topics, receive training and share content.  So far citizen journalism workshops have been given in Argentina, Ecuador and Dominican Republic, and citizens from these and other countries have been participating on the site.The previous video shows the opinions of the people who were part of the workshop in Ecuador, and how it will change the way they work. They point out that Mi* provides an excellent platform for them to post relevant content that gets swept to the sidelines on more popular social networking sites.
You can sign up for the virtual or in person workshops on the sidebar of their site.  According to Jacinto Lajas on the blog Citizen Journalism [es]:
Para ello organizan Talleres de Periodismo Ciudadano, ya celebrados en diferentes países, abiertos a todo público y destinados a generar espacios de participación directa de la ciudadanía en los medios de comunicación. Se trata de dotar a los jóvenes de las herramientas disponibles en la comunidad de Mi Asterisco para que puedan dar a conocer sus ideas, plantear problemas y compartir contenidos.
In the following video, participants in the Ecuador workshop are asked what they think the future of newspapers is: they mentioned that going online was a definite step, that online content has made local newspapers reach international audiences and thus has a wider client base. Also that newspapers should try to compete by being more transparent about their biases and making sure information is accurately displayed.On the Mi* site you can create a profile, upload images,  videos, write posts, post events, join groups, open discussions. Some of the most popular groups are the one of “Future Journalists“, “History of the Coup d'etat“, “Colombia, Beloved Homeland” and “No to Police Force's Abuses“.
One of the videos posted on the site by a participant is this one added by Andrea Hernández on an ongoing series on the economy of people who sell stuff informally on the street. On this documentary video, created by cdimarcoa, we see the daily routine of people who make a living selling packaged food and cell phone minutes in the city of Bogotá:

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Bahrain: News At Full Volume · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Bahraini blogger The Dude is not impressed: “If anyone was ever unfortunate enough to stumble upon the Kingdom of Bahrain's official news agency's website, they'd be forgiven for thinking Bahrain was a backward, angry country. Everything, every single release, is IN CAPITAL LETTERS.”


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Bahrain: Signs Of The Times? · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

In Bahrain, Weld El-ma6aba has noticed some signs he thinks are pretty unusual.


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Bangkok protests: Black Songkran · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Songkran, the Thai New Year celebrated from April 13 – 15, is supposed to be a joyous event in Thailand. But this year’s Songkran has been described as the “Black Songkran” in reference to the chaotic and violent confrontation between soldiers and anti-government protesters. Two protesters were killed and more than one hundred were injured during the clash in the streets of Bangkok.
Richard Barrow observes:
This has indeed been a black day for the people of Thailand. Literally, as the black smoke from burning tyres made it look like that the city was on fire. Today should have been a day of joy as people celebrated the start of the traditional Thai new year.
Who started the violence? There are videos, pictures, and anecdotes showing that both sides started the mayhem. For complete listing of pictures and videos of the Red Shirt protesters, check out The Red Shirt Report. Journalist Nirmal Ghosh provides a timeline of the turmoil in Bangkok over the past two days.
The Red Shirts want Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign because they believe he acquired power through illegal means. Many of them are supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The Red Shirts were accused of using urban-style terrorism tactics to control the streets of Bangkok. They burned buses and threw Molotov cocktails against soldiers. On the other hand, soldiers were criticized for open firing against protesters who were unarmed.
Watch these three videos from YouTube showing how protesters took control of tanks which were deployed when a State of Emergency was declared by the government
Meanwhile, the video below is cited by the critics of the Red Shirts as proof that the latter were the first to instigate violence
Exiled scholar Ji Giles Ungpakorn emphasizes that “no government anywhere in the world has the right to use troops to gun down protestors in the streets.” He also adds that the crisis in Thailand is a reflection of the “growing class war” in Thai society:
…for the fourth time in forty years, troops have opened fire on pro-democracy demonstrators in bangkok. each time the aim has been the same: to protect the interests of the conservative elites who have run thailand for the past 70 years.
what we have been seeing in thailand since late 2005, is a growing class war between the poor and the old elites
As expected, the Yellow Shirts interprets the actions of their rivals, the Red Shirts, as part of a sinister plot:
After torpedoing the Asean Summit in Pattaya, the red-shirt anti-government protesters stage urban-style terrorism around key points in Bangkok so that Abhisit is forced to declare a state of emergency. Then the military has to be brought in to quash the red-shirt protesters. When the military suppresses the protests, there will be bloodshed and the situation will spill out of control, creating a state of anarchy.
The group was referring to the Asian Summit which was cancelled after the Red Shirts were able to forcibly enter the summit venue.
Nganadeeleg criticizes both sides: the government and the Red Shirts:
Neither side seems to be able to admit any wrong doing by participants on their own side, and always blame the other side.
To date I have seen no real sign of reasonableness or compromise from either side, both still going for winner take all after more than 3 years of conflict.
It's very frustrating to this observer (who can sympathize with the genuine grievances of both sides).
Despite the deadly clash between the rallyists and soldiers, many parts of Bangkok remained peaceful. Bangkok Pastor observes:
I'm not saying there aren't a lot of “red shirts” and I'm not saying they aren't causing huge disruptions and won't ultimately cause a change of government. But I am saying that there aren't any “red shirts”, soldiers or tanks in my neighborhood. If I wasn't watching the news – I wouldn't know what was going on.
Twitter is a good and reliable source of information about the ongoing protests in Thailand. Via Twitter, the reactions of Bangkok residents on the political crisis.
DanDepew: Red Shirt camps being guarded by “security” w/lead pipes. Burnt buses still blocking intersections. New group “Black Shirts” siding w/troops
pongsathorn: Very sad, Red Shirts shot one local people death a hour ago.
tuangd: damn the protesters ‘red shirts’ you are destroying our country
iamopen: A car is burning in Victory Monument, I see the smoke from my window. The red shirts are moving towards Phya Thai
JediPimmy: Red shirts are Barbarous and disgusting. Such a humiliation of Thailand !!
Thumbnail image used from the Flickr account of candice and jarrett


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Bangladesh: Celebrating Easter · Global Voices
Rezwan

David Adhikary writes about Easter celebrations in Bangladesh: “Easter is considered as the second major festival for the Christians, after Christmas. The non-Christian people have very limited ideas about Easter.”


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Barbados: Sam Lord’s Castle  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Five years ago CLICO Barbados said they would restore Sam Lords Castle as part of a major tourist development”, but the promise has not materialized; bloggers Barbados Free Press and Bajan Dream Diary are disappointed, with the latter adding: “The longer that the Castle remains in ruin will not only be a shame to its legacy…it will also stand as a blight on Clico’s fiscal image at a time when it could ill afford any hint of financial distress.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Caribbean: Easter Traditions  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bloggers from Trinidad and Tobago, St.Vincent and the Grenadines, Haiti and even from the diaspora discuss Caribbean Easter traditions.


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China: Gender Imbalance · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Angry Chinese blogger highlights the gender imbalance problem in China with British Medial Journal report on: “China’s excess males, sex selective abortion, and one child policy: analysis of data from 2005 national census survey“.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Cuba, U.S.A.: “Economic Emigrants” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

From Havana, Generation Y remembers “events such as the Mariel Boatlift”, adding: “Emigration happens more quietly now, in rocky coves where—in the early hours every morning—someone launches themselves into the sea, and in the consulates crammed with people looking for a visa.”


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Ecuador: Creation of New Social Security Bank · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

A draft law to create the Bank of the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (IESS) was signed into law (pdf doc) this past week. The project was approved with 41 votes in favor, six against, three blanks and seven abstentions. With a level of unemployment of 7.3% and underemployment of 48.8%, there are still questions about the rate of contributions towards the Ecuadorian Social Security system.
The new bank backed by President Rafael Correa is facing resistance from the opposition, who are afraid that the workers’ contributions are at risk during this troubled economic climate.  However, Correa dismissed these concerns [es] by explaining that the new Bank is a historic step in the country since the funds were removed from those who had been using it for personal benefit and now the Bank's operations will be social and collaborative in nature, as he explains in the video below. The Bank will be run by five members:  The IESS  Chairman, a representative of the Executive branch chosen by the Board of IESS from a list submitted by the President, a representative of the affiliates, one member of retirees elected through a national competition organized by the National Council of Civic Participation, and a member from the employers.
There is no question that the system needs reform since there were complaints the retirees had lost the benefit of the yearly retirement bonus and about unclear language in employer payment responsibilities [es].
However, even when many agree with President Correa and support reforms that nobody can or wanted to do to the IESS, still some complain for example that retired people has lost a bonus, retiree had conquered in celebration of their national day. Other people in Guayaquil are still confused whether the IESS or the employer should pay the 12 weeks license in accordance to birthday benefits. Law says employers now have to pay in full those benefits, not the old practice where IESS used to pay the 70% and the difference was covered by employers.
Ecuador Rising [es] is hopeful on what this new law will mean for retirees in the country and writes, “There are many cases of retired people that despite having contributed for over 40 years have lower pensions than the minimum salary, and with this law, they will not experience the same situation.”
Dejalo Ser [es] echoes a article appeared in El Universo where his author speaks about the Bancorrea the nickname given (Correa's Bank) and wonders about the oversight of the Bank regardless of his claims that there will be more control:
Bancorrea no rendirá cuentas a nadie sino al Presidente de la República, que controlará un directorio de solo tres miembros. Ni los hermanos Isaías, que también son tres, se atrevieron a tanto.
While in a roundup, La Alharaca [es] lets her readers notice the opinion of recognized politicians like former Vice-President León Roldós, who is credited to say:
El incremento de los años de aportación para recibir una pensión de $ 218 es “un asalto a los fondos del IESS”, y además afecta a los derechos establecidos en la Ley del IESS, donde se señala que para calcular las pensiones se toman en cuenta los sueldos de los cinco años mejor remunerados.
Yet some bloggers like Fatima Efigenia thinks that not all is so bad in the reforms in the Ecuadorian Social Security, and stresses that Ecuadorians should be grateful with government, but hopes that a similar thing does not happen now that the funds are back in the hands of a few:
Antaño, cuando la partidocracia salía en las noches neoliberales de luna llena a comer niños, el estado acostumbraba a meterle la mano a los bolsillos del IESS (o sea, a los bolsillos de los afiliados) para saciar su avaricia. Esto equivalía más o menos a romper el chanchito del hijo para comprar cerveza. Correa puso fin a ese robo execrable y pagó la deuda que el estado mantenía con el IESS. Sin embargo, menos de un año después, juega al agarra lo que puedas con nuestros fondos, para saciar la voracidad del Estado.

author: Milton Ramirez


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Ecuador: The Impact of the Installation Festival for Open-Source Software · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Open-source software enthusiast in Ecuador, Rafael Bonifaz, writes about the impact [es] that the Latin American Installation Festival (FLISOL) has had on his country.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Egypt: April 18 Declared Anti-Harassment Day · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

A Facebook campaign calling for a silent demonstration on April 18 against the harassment of women and girls in Egypt is slowly gathering momentum. The call for allowing Egyptian women to move around in safety in their country, was sparked after blogger Asser Yasser‘s harassers were acquitted.
In her own blog, Asser [Ar] describes what happened to her as follows:
Asser Yasser is an Egyptian female blogger who recently moved to Mokattam area with her family. On her way home, some teenagers in parked cars that reeked of hash used cuss words, followed her, tried to grab her, encircled her with their vehicles, and the poor woman and her niece felt trapped. People looked from their balconies and no one lifted a finger to help her. She called the police from her mobile phone as she stood there in utter terror and shortly after officer Mohab came to her rescue. He was almost run down by the fleeing cars. One guy stayed behind and said that he was not involved and that he was only watching from his car. Asser identified him as one of the harassers and they all went to the station to file a formal report.
In court, the 19-year old harasser was acquitted and Asser decided not to give up; Mohamed Hamdy wrote:
The proposed slogans for the campaign include:
Bloggers were quick to lend their voices to the campaign:
River Nael suggested ink stamps to shame and name harassers:
Having said that, and in light of the growing rates of sexual harassment in Egyptian society, one can devise a remedy that takes advantage of that preoccupation with one's image in the eyes of the community. […] That could be effectively done by stamping sexual harassers on their face with an ink that leaves no permanent marks, quite similar to the blue ink in which voters dip their fingers to avoid double voting. The effect of that ink could last for days or weeks, depending on technical feasibility and the judgment of legislators. It is reasonable to believe that, technically speaking, the mass production of that ink at low costs is not impossible.
To avoid defamation in the eyes of neighbors, work colleagues, relatives and the society at large, stamped harassers may well choose to stay at home until the effect of the ink withers away. This could be a very powerful deterrent.
The Facebook group has so far attracted 573 members.

author: Marwa Rakha


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Egypt: Should rapists be hanged on TV? · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

Between examining the profile of a sexual offender in Egypt and rallying against sexual predators, an Egyptian member of parliament proposed a law that allows broadcasting the hanging of rapists live on television.
Nawara Negm of Tahyyes found the idea appalling:
Nawara makes another point saying:
Currently many girls in Egypt would rather get married to the rapist than live in shame; Hayat wrote:


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Fiji: President gives former PM new five-year mandate  · Global Voices
John Liebhardt

One day after nullifying the constitution and appointing himself head of state, Fiji’s President swore in Commodore Voreqe Frank Bainimarama as the country’s Prime Minister.
It was Bainimarama who stepped down as Prime Minister Thursday, April 9 after a court ruled he had come to power illegally in a December 2006 coup that toppled the government of Laisenia Qarase. That day the judges also directed Fiji’s President Ratu Josefa Iloilo to appoint a caretaker government to lead the country into elections. However, Friday morning the President claimed he could not legally appoint a new government, so he abrogated the country’s constitution, fired the entire judiciary and proclaimed himself head of state. He promised to name a government that will rule until at least September 2014.
After being sworn in, Bainimarama re-appointed his former government, and he will now have executive authority with emergency powers. Bainimarama,who is the head of Fiji's military, said this five-year window will allow his government to modernize the country’s government systems, liberalize the economy and do away with corruption.  Most of all, he’d like to create a post-racial Fiji.
Many countries that were less developed than us only a few decades ago are economically superior to us today. They have far less resources than us, they have much smaller land size than us yet we are nowhere near them.
Why? Because these countries have a national focus. Their politicians have put their respective countries ahead of their personal interests. They have built strong nations on the platform of equal citizenry, good decision making and absence of systemic corruption. They have been united.
I know we all have our different ethnicities, our different cultures and we should, we must, celebrate our diversity and richness. However, at the same time we are all Fijians. We are all equal citizens. We must all be loyal to Fiji; we must be patriotic; we must put Fiji first.
For Discombobulated Bubu, there is irony  this constitutional issue took place over Easter weekend.
If one is looking for any positives, at least the charade and pretenses of the last 2 years have been ripped away from the white tomb stone, and the usurpers, judas's and stool pigeons can no longer hide behind the supposed righteousness of upholding all the right & proper edifices.
To make matters worse we held our collective breath in horror and covered our children's eyes when we saw the parade of rapists of freedom in Fiji at the swearing in ceremony on TV on Easter Saturday.
There was no veidokai [respect] in what they were doing.
Raising their hands and swearing on the holy book – each of them sounded and looked hollow, meaningless, shallow and hypocritical. Like Alice in Wonderland, all of them in a make-believe situation…. nothing real or true in this most sinister and futile of military maneuvers.
“Here we go again,” opines Intelligentsiya.
Well folks we’ve been down this road before. They self-appoint themselves again into seats of power but we knew that they never had the interests of this country at heart. The whispers are that [Former two-time coup leader and also elected Prime Minister Sitiveni]Rabuka will also re-surface as part of their “gang”. It was always about them. Not corruption, not equality, not good governance etc. It was all bullshit.
We now live under martial law no matter how they nice pitch it.
They are monitoring media outlets and are especially singling out foreign correspondents which means they are conscious of the international press they will generate. That means we need to be conscious that a lot of key news will be censored. Let’s hope that this will generate more bloggers as raised voices of dissent against this illegal military regime.
From Soli Vakasama.
The abrogation of the constitution by the sitting president  is high treason.  Its promulgation brings up another whole set of negative , alarming  issues concerning the safety of our people, our way of life and human rights.
Are our laws still in place?
If so, who is upholding them for us.
We can’t have the military or the police acting as caretakers because they are the actual illegal regime that has been confirmed in the court of law on Thursday 9.4.09, so all of them should step down from whatever position they have usurped. In fact they should be herded and locked up, for the interim so there is no dispute about who will be responsible for the next five years in taking the Nation forward.
Iloilos pat on the back for Bhainimaramas ill conceived, illegal takeover of the last 27 months, and frank admission of his admiration for the stupid man and his antics is unbelievable. Whoever writes his speeches needs to be locked up as well.
However, some bloggers feel the court’s decision painted the President into a corner. “Leave aside for the moment  the rights and wrongs of events of Friday 9th April 2009,” writes Crosbie Walsh in Fiji: The Way It Was, Is and Can Be. “[T]he Appeal Court's decision that the President's appointment of the Interim Government in 2007 was unlawful.”
First, what on earth did the court (and Qarase who had challenged the earlier High Court's decision that the Interim Government was lawful) expect?  That an adverse decision would see the President comply with the Appeal Court ruling — which may yet be appealed?  That Bainimarama, the military leaders and the Interim Government would abandon their 2006 takeover objectives and hand everything back to Qarase so that things would be just as they were before, bowing to the racial and religious extremism that had infiltrated the Qarase regime?  Because that is exactly what a new election under the existing undemocratic and racially-skewed communal voting system would produce.
Abandon the work done on the People's Charter and the President's Political Dialogue Forum; a fairer electoral system; provision for tri-lingualism in schools and government offices, that could lead to a more tolerant and inclusive Fiji? Abandon work on the renewal of land leases, the sugar industry, rural infrastructure,  the NLTB, fairer land rent returns to ordinary Fijians, a minimum wage, and the work on poverty reduction that could lead to a fairer, more equitable Fiji? Abandon work (that has proved exceedingly difficult due in part  to the denied absence of overseas forensic accountant experts) to expose corruption and clientism at the highest levels, but which most surely benefits sections of the business and chiefly elite?  Throw two and one-half years’ work, opposed at every turn by Qarase and others who could have cooperated had they really believed in democracy,  into the old Lami rubbish tip?
It wasn’t just the court decision that created the problem, argues New Zealand journalist David Robie in his blog Cafe Pacific. Neighboring governments trying to bully into Fiji holding elections before the proper reforms could be set in place are also to blame.
THE FIGLEAF in Fiji has finally been ripped aside. Now we have an unashamedly naked military dictatorship back in power. Inevitable, of course, given the shortsighted Australian, New Zealand and Forum policies that had boxed an increasingly intransigent regime into a corner. But disappointing given that the recent political dialogue had been providing a glimmer of hope.
The Court of Appeal judgment was the final straw for the regime. The Easter “New Order” imposed by the ailing President Ratu Josefa Iloilo – ie. the regime old order back in a new guise – hasn’t flinched from its mission. Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama still clings to his pledge to change the country’s electoral system away from the flawed race-based system in place since independence (changed after the 1997 Constitution but with no real fundamental difference) and to end corruption.
In an argument on Fiji Board Exiles, real jack argues with fellow poster Gdevreal that while Fiji’s neighbors have reacted angrily to these moves, other of Fiji’s friends have remained calm.
don't worry gdev – the economy is not being destroyed. Fiji will not sink from this thing – we are not Zimbabwe. Australia and New Zealand can mount their sanctions and that would be unfortunate – but Fiji will have to go its own way – now that the way forward is CLEAR and the political issues are CLEARLY determined we can go back to Beijing and put it very clearly that FB's government is the government of the Fiji islands – stability is no longer an issue there because there are no more legal wrnaglings to deal with – and there is no instability.
the only guys talking here are the Kiwi's and Aussies – China hasn't spoken and neither has India nor any of the ASEAN countries. they understand our situation because they have been through similar upheavels throughout their history. its not new. we will have to revitalise and strengthen ties with Malaysia and Singapore – they are the big investors in this country at the moment. the Singaporeans own Denarau – whilst the Malaysians own the Carpenters group.
the only people who are saying this process is illegal are those who had affiliations with the [ruling party deposed in December 2006] SDL – guys who got jobs from the SDL – but thats to be expected – the rest of Fiji, on the other hand, are carrying on withtheir lives – paying their FNPF, paying their taxes, going to work, observing the laws, maintaing the peace – the rule of law is intact – society is functioning as normal. people are carrying on with their day to day lives.
if the Aussies and Kiwi's don't want to work with Fiji towards these reforms then that is unfortunate -but its not going to stop Fiji from having those reforms.
Gdevreal’s response:
Whats the matter Jack, you couldn't live up to your vow to uphold the constitution? You don't understand the role of a Constitution? Do you uphold commitments to anything in life?
First you were going to accept gross conflict of interest by changing the electoral system, voting in whoever, and then having them bless the system which voted them in. Are you too stupid to see the conflict of interest in that? Pathetic. And you call yourself a professional? You sound more like a 3 year old.
Well it does not matter much what your clowns do. I reckon People will just watch with amusement as they waste taxpayer funds doing a charade about a phony election. In the end, the People will take Fiji back and anything they don't like will be reversed. It is just such a horrible waste of time and resources that Fiji can ill afford.
By the way, who appointed Voreqe to play God with the People?
Reforms come from the People, Jack, not demented military leaders. I would imagine Mugabe called his bullshyt “reforms” too. Who asked for it? Who gave that azzhole in uniform a mandate to change anything in Fiji?

author: John Liebhardt