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China: Christians and democrats forced to take sides · Global Voices
John Kennedy

A small decision in a complicated affair which sent ripples all throughout China's social activist community has now bounced back through the blogsphere (via BBS’ first, of course). The facts are being still hammered out, but when three Chinese Christians—one being prominent legal scholar and veteran blogger Wang Yi—in attendance of the Freedom in China Summit 2006 in Washington, D.C. decided to bar fellow attendee and prominent civil rights activist Guo Feixiong from joining them in a meeting with American president George W. Bush, a crack started to run down between the middle of China's two largest forces for social and political change: Christians and democrats.
EastSouthWestNorth superblogger Roland Soong's near-instantaneous translations aside, while the discussion at Wang Yi's own blog paints a clearer picture of the raging debate currently taking place, Sina blogger Wu Zuolai started first:
像布什总统那样可怜余杰
不同政见是一个国家的宝贵财富、精神资源，执政党的方针政策经过不同的声音而获得批评，只有经过批评并经得起反对，这样的政策才会更为科学更为合理，能不能爱护、同情余 杰这样的持不同政见的弱者，是我们这个社会是不是走向民主和谐社会的界标。
我们这个社会日益没有信仰，余 杰与王怡信仰基 督教是一件大好事，信仰使人向善，信仰使人活得有价值，有目标，一部分人信仰上帝并不妨碍另一部分人信仰共产主义，政府的底线是任何信仰不能妨碍社会其它人生活，不得以暴力方式推翻政府，中国开放基督教对中国人民与中国民间精神生态具有无可估量的价值。
和谐社会讲自我心灵和谐，基督教可以满足。
和谐社会讲信仰自由，讲各种宗教间的和谐，我们应该尊重余杰的选择。
信仰上帝使人与人之间平等博爱，信仰上帝使社会人生更加充实和谐。
没有信仰的民族永远是可怜卑微的民族，余杰很可怜，我们也一样可怜，我们漂在漫漫人生的旅途上，找不到精神归宿，我们只有寻找金钱与权力来填充空虚的内心，可无论填充多少，我们的灵魂还是空空荡荡。
当我们仰望上天，当我们信仰上帝，我们会被自己内心神性所感动，我们发现我们与神在一起，我们无所畏惧，我们拥有内心的充实，我们的灵魂有了真正的皈依。
中国政府要像布什总统那样可怜余杰。
我们要像余杰那样，可怜我们自己。
And the comments:
既然要做马丁路德金干吗要到国外去呢?,,,也许中国的民众更需要他,一个人应该为了实现自己的理想不惜牺牲一切的,,,
也许,宗教对余杰而言，只不过是一件临时借来的外衣罢了,,,
中国有希望,因为有很多余杰正在成长,呵呵
吴同志呀你怎么会对共产党说包容不同政见者呢？你也就是鲁迅，谭嗣同而已，你永远不是毛泽东，毛有一名言，“枪杆子里面出政权”你有这胆吗，为天下人争民主。也许和毛一样权力都会到你的手上的，这是中国文化的结晶
For the first week and a half following the meeting with president Bush, no mention of the growing controversy was seen on Wang Yi's blog, so readers started commenting in his most recent and unrelated post, the text of a speech titled ‘The Civil Rights Movement and the Gradual Increase of Non-violent Protest‘:
以前在国内和海外我都接触到一些民运人士，我有一个很大的体会，就是他们为什么会坚持到现在呢，因为在其中很多人那里恨可能是比一种爱更持久的力量。就是恨共产党，恨使很多人坚持到现在。当然不是所有的。一个政治反对派，他的灵魂的轴心却是围绕着共产党转的。除了这个，他没有更高的盼望，更高的荣耀。如果他明天早上起来突然不恨共产党了，他会就说算了，还是过点小日子算了。甚至还可能陷入更大的虚无感。这是很可悲的，支持他走得更远的力量是怨恨和苦毒，而不是相反的力量。
郭飞雄未见小布什一事现在网上传的沸沸扬扬，希望王怡先生能在合适的时机出来解释一下，以正视听。
真正做民运的，须具备王先生一般的思想和见地，否则我们的将来还会走和现政权一样的道路
王老师，我历来认为，“文如其人”的要求过于苛刻，甚至有不人道的嫌疑。这次你们的美国之行意义有多重大，我不得而知，但是，期间的“四缺一”事件的确是一家欢乐万家愁的事后结论。
达袼说得好， 我也希望你能在合适的时机出来解释一下，以正视听。
支持郭先生，不当人家的棋子 ！
如果白宫邀请名单确实有郭兄，而王兄你们真以退团做威胁排斥郭兄的话，那么我感觉：其一：你们过分看重布什接见给大陆基督教会的支持作用，其二：你们过分估计郭出席接见可能带来的信息混淆或者担心由此引发的政治冲突。也许我讲的不对，但感觉你们有把信仰当策略之嫌。
王的态度还是诚恳的。事件的脉络也很清楚了。1，拒绝郭飞雄不是布什的决定，而是余王傅等人作出的。2，作出这一决定的理由是观点与行为之间的差异，差异最终决定了剥夺郭的权利。事实已清楚，人们的猜测被证实，留下的是沉重的思考：爱上帝的人可以宽容的对待自己的敌人，为何不能宽容的对待持不同政见者？
看完了余高王主郭的全部内容，知道了事情的前因后果，感觉王先生还是欠妥！中国不只是一个基督徒的中国，为了一部分人的利益，却牺牲大多数人的利益，真的为你们的用心？
说白了，就是怕担更多的风险，或者说为某些团体带来更多风险！
看到大家就这个事情争论，很难过。这说明我们在一些常识问题上没有取得共识。
我个人支持余、王的做法。因为我相信在宗教的层面来工作，可能更有价值。郭的维权行动的确让人尊重，但他的结构里面有一些东西是有问题的，给人一种喧嚣、愤怒、仇恨满怀的感觉，缺少宽容精神。
王余两先生做法不妥，应该向郭律师诚挚道歉
On May 22, two weeks after the meeting and a time when the debate had grown too large to ignore, Wang uploaded a post entitled ‘A Letter of Apology to Mr. Yang Maodong: My Stance on the Mainland Civil Rights Movement,’ the contents of which had been erased. Wang later posted his letter and stance deep inside the comments and you can read both below:
致杨茂东先生的致歉信：附《我对大陆维权运动的立场》
怎么又删了啊？
我们又不是傻子，还不至于什么都辨别不了吧。
什么地方有链接啊
王怡致杨茂东（郭飞熊）先生的公开信
尊敬的杨茂东（郭飞熊）先生：
您好。5月8日中午，我与傅牧师一道，在对华援助协会的办公室告诉你我和余杰的决定，我们二人不愿与你一起前往白宫参加与布什总统的会面。做这个决定对我是困难的，但也是坚决的。我完全理解这件事对于你个人的伤害。也愿意在此公开的向你诚恳地表示歉意。我愿意为此决定负担舆论和道义上的一切指责。
我们交往已经数年。2002年你请我去四川遂宁作步云乡长直选的田野调查，后因为我们对直选的看法迥异，我拒绝了对选举进行宣传推广的出版计划。这件事得到了你的谅解。在这件事上你对我学术与政治立场的尊敬，使我一直对你保持敬意，也由此将你视为同道的朋友。在你的小说《李世民》中，你的一些想法和政治理想，开始使我产生距离。2005年你组织反日游行，撰文抨击焦国标等。你的民主理想中所蕴含的某种民族主义与孙文主义情结开始使我忧虑。你在被羁押中的绝食行动令人尊敬，但这一事件本身我是坚决反对的。我和余杰也曾劝说与你合作的主内弟兄，与你的道路保持距离。但在太石村事件中，你的勇敢和担当，重新赢得了我极高的敬意。你在出狱后所说的“不流血、非暴力和无敌人”，几乎令我彻底改变了对你的看法。
2005年你组织反日游行，撰文抨击焦国标等。你的民主理想中所蕴含的某种民族主义与孙文主义情结开始使我忧虑。你在被羁押中的绝食行动令人尊敬，但这一事件本身我是坚决反对的。我和余杰也曾劝说与你合作的主内弟兄，与你的道路保持距离。但在太石村事件中，你的勇敢和担当，重新赢得了我极高的敬意。你在出狱后所说的“不流血、非暴力和无敌人”，几乎令我彻底改变了对你的看法。
这一次来美国，参加“中国的宗教自由与法治”研讨会，这是傅牧师的邀请函所载明的主题。傅牧师的对华援助协会长期以来关注家庭教会的维权和中国的宗教自由。尽管因为所谓“政治化”被一些教会疏离，但海内外大多数基督徒和广泛的维权人士都尊敬和感谢他的工作。如我曾参与辩护和调查的蔡卓华案和华南教会案，都和对华援助协会的长期关注和支持有莫大关系。我和余杰来到华盛顿后，才知道你也与会。尽管略有诧异，因为你并未参与过教会的信仰维权。但我们理解是负责安排的主内弟兄希望帮助你出来走走。我在第一天也向你表示我的个人意见，希望你能在美国多呆一段，多看多听，少表态。不过在后来几天的行程中，我们对你的一些言行产生了负面的评价。对你和我们的主内弟兄对局势的盲目判断，对某些想法的固执和膨胀，以及在与美国国会及其他部门交往中的措词和态度，产生了极度反感。在此过程中，作为你的朋友，我没有主动与你进行推心置腹的交流，尽到我对你的负担。这是这段时间来我对你感到亏欠的地方。也对我们最后的决裂负有极大的责任。
5月7日下午在米德兰的教会，我们约傅牧师谈话，交流了对你的看法。提出既然会议已经结束，希望他不再以对华援助协会的名义，为你安排任何的见面或其他机会。我们认为因你在维权运动的作为而受到的广泛尊敬，你会得到各种机会。但我们认为教会维权机构不适宜再介入其中。这样的建议出于我们作为基督徒对于教会的一种责任感。就是教会的维权要谨守圣经的教导，不怕“政治化”又要反对“政治化”，不能介入任何政治反抗运动。傅牧师同意我们的看法，告诉我们你已决定在8日下午离开米德兰去纽约。我们认为此事已经结束。我们的追求不尽相同，但我们彼此的关系得以保全。
但5月8日傅牧师忽然宣布布什将会见我们四人的消息，我们才知道傅牧师和米德兰的牧师联盟一直在为这样的会面努力。这是我们事先完全不曾知情的。当你在午餐酒会上讲话，宣布这是美国总统近十年来第一次决定接见“中国民运人士”。我和余杰交流意见后，作出了这个决定，如果你去，我们二人选择退出。我们不能接受这样一个捆绑的见面，我们必须对这一会面之于国内教会及其傅牧师所在机构的影响负责。我们也感到必须结束这一次会议安排的错误。这件事的严重性远远超过我们个人的荣誉和得失，这也是我们和三位牧师需要单独在一起祷告，所要仰望和寻求合一的内容。后来我下楼找到李柏光，告诉他我们的意见。请他自己决定是与你一道去白宫，或者认同我们的意见。柏光表示他会祷告，并一切听从傅牧师的安排。如你所知，傅牧师的决定是向白宫说明你的情况，请你退出并请求你的谅解。这一决定是在我和余杰坚持退出的情形下作出的，理应由我们负担这一决定对你的伤害。
这些情况本来是我打算在当日一一向你说明并请你谅解的。但当你得知这一情形下，当场翻脸，拒绝与我交谈，并请我出去。我感到没有办法与你交流。因此只是借与国内弟兄通电话，间接向你表达了一些想法。并表示希望通过其他的渠道而不是傅牧师的渠道去为你安排这样的机会，随后你在震怒中所透露的一些信息令我更加震惊，也坚定了拒绝与你一道去白宫的决定。不但作为基督徒，家庭教会的维权既有寻求政治公义的一面，也有顺服掌权者的一面。我们不能把这样的追求与你指称的“中国民运”并列起来。而且作为维权人士，我们也绝不能为我们所不能认同的维权运动的某种危险的趋势背书。
从你所透露的细节，我才发现直到获知白宫见面的消息之前，我和余杰、柏光才是一直被蒙在鼓里的人。在我看来这真是神的奇妙，进白宫的三位基督徒是事先什么都不知道的人，知道和筹划的人却一个都没去成。谋略，谋略，中国的自由民主靠的是谋略吗？信仰自由靠的是谋略吗？在我看来，靠的是对上帝之爱与公义的仰望，在非基督徒的秋风兄看来，靠的是道德力量的积累。这件事最后的结果，无论见面或者不见面，都不是出于人的手，而是出于上帝的手。我请求你的原谅，也期望你能在这件事上看见人的作为的有限与落空。我也希望我的弟兄能在这件事看见自己凡事陷在谋略之中的危险，回到对上帝的单纯的信靠上。
我们都知道，在你的努力下，美国的国安会在会面前对此事作了调查和评估，也作出了他们自己的决定。没有人能替白宫决定总统见什么人，但我和余杰可以决定自己是否退出。这一决定不受任何人所谓投票和民主的制约。我们的退出被理解为伤害你利益的一种威胁，并在事实上导致了你失去这一机会。这一次会议安排的某种错误，最后以我们扭转这一错误并因此对你造成伤害的方式结束。我在此向你表示我的歉意。并且我对你的某些评价和观察也有可能是片面和苛刻的，如果今后证明我错了，我将再次向你致歉。但当我和余杰一致认为与你一道见布什的后果可能更严重时，我们很高兴选择了目前的结果。
我想假如各种分歧和安排能够在事先被讨论，就不会导致最后这样尖锐的分裂。所以我的一贯看法，谋略就是地狱，无论对基督徒还是非基督徒来说，有所为有所不为，是非的界限都是最简单的。出自道德，不出自权谋，出自敬畏，不出自血勇。希望你能接受这句话。我们三人作为参与维权活动的基督徒，与布什的这次见面，本可有双重的理解、意义和推动。但你的公开信，将教会维权与维权运动的民运化的分歧，以公开决裂的形式表达了出来。也将保守派的维权运动与激进派的维权运动的分歧显明了出来。几天来我一直在想，感谢这封信，这也是神在此事上一直掌权的美意。分歧的公开不一定就是坏事，民主化需要的不是无原则的统一战线，而是彼此客气的市场细分。之前我在此事上的态度是默然不语，不愿对你和其他人有所批评。但几天来我考虑再三，决定写这封信，既在此事的后果上向你道歉，也同时叙述事实和我个人对你的偏见，表明我的反对立场。
道不同不想为谋。但我在心里仍将你视为一个朋友，如我这次对你说的，我对政治事务不感兴趣，但我和无数人一样，期望看到真正的民主政治家的出现。当某种现实的民主政治的梦想来到时，我乐意将自己作为一个知识分子的名誉和努力，为那些值得尊敬的民主政治家背书。但在今天，我们要走的路是如此不同。我真诚的希望这一次分裂以我的道歉结束，然后各自努力，彼此尊重，彼此祝福。因为不相为谋不等于相互怨恨。在纽约，曾有朋友出面邀请你与我一起聚餐，化解冲突。我去了，期望能有一个向你当面道歉的机会，可惜你不愿来。5月8日后，我们曾多次在一起为你祷告，求神平息你的愤怒。我也会继续为你祷告。如果这一次的事情将使你远离了上帝，求神将这罪归在我的身上。我作出了这一不后悔的决定，也背上了这一个十字架。在你未曾成为我的主内弟兄之前，我将恒切为你祷告。
与你持不同政见的朋友：
王怡
我想基督徒都能理解王先生的用心，很赞同你们拒绝一同的会见，因为如果那样，会给人以很不好的信息。属主的人，明白这件事对于中国教会的风险，也明白神的美意与保守。至于不明白的人，只好任他们误会了。
王怡越来越虚假了。
越来越虚伪了
王先生的道歉虽然比余杰好得多，但大家还是不满意，去看看自由中国等较自由的论坛，对他们的批评要炸锅了！
鄙人以为这一事件没有对错，却有伤害。个人认为源于不当的安排，可惜援助会请了不能共存的两组人，所以伤害在所难免。这是一个不幸的alternative，不是郭伤害王余就是相反。最终结果是白宫认同王余的理由在站了他们一边。王余选择亏欠郭而不亏欠上帝，白宫选择王余而不选择郭。
The flood of comments which continue pouring in from both sides give a clear illustration of the many issues currently being faced by the two most vocal social and political groups in Chinese society today, the collective members of the Communist Party of China aside.


text:
China: Complainers’ blog birthday · Global Voices
John Kennedy

One of China's hottest English-language blogs TalkTalkChina is now one year old.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: John Kennedy


text:
China: Migrant laborer shortage · Global Voices
John Kennedy

The change of the labor market is one of the subjects China-based blogger-correspondent Fons Tuinstra tracks regularly at China Herald, and a post today looks at a newly-released study which offers, if not new insights, at least a wealth of useful demographics.


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Colombia: Revolutionary Baby Delivered by Military · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Commenting on an incredible story found in Colombia's daily paper El Tiempo Boz asks “What sort of country is that child being born into? There are reasons for both hope and despair within that story.”

author: David Sasaki


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DRC: arrest of mercenaries · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Congo Girl reports on the arrest of 32 mercenaries reportedly planning to overthrow the government of the DRC.…Some think the whole thing is a joke whilst others believe the arrested were employed by a security company as a cover for the attempted coup.

author: Sokari Ekine


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East Timor:  Gunfire and Memories of National Day · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

tumbleweed in timor lorosae hears gunfire in East Timor and it reminds her of National Day celebrations in her native Singapore. “Instead of feeling terrified, I thought of how this crackling reminds me of joyous occasions. Probably the only time a normal Singaporean (read non-soldier or police) hears or sees this sort of pyrotechnic action is during our National Day Parade when we're treated to a spectacular ear-deafening fireworks show, with colourful patterns exploding into the skies – swirls, bright pinpricks, and even smiley faces. This loud crackling is synonmous with joy and celebration, not fear and anguish as it usually is in other parts of the world.”

author: Preetam Rai


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El Salvador: Violence, Economics · Global Voices
David Sasaki

The blog of “El Salvador/CNY Companion Diocese” reports that there were twenty two murders in El Salvador just on Sunday and Monday of this week. “The government claims to have deterred violence in many different locations. The numbers don't support their assertion.” Tim Muth posts an excerpt of the IMF's most recent report on the state of El Salvador's economy.


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Ghana: Social living and cultural change · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Koranteng's Toli begins part 9 of his “Things Fall Apart” series – here he looks at “social living” in Ghana (Africa) …”I put this entry under the banner of social living is that this theme is something I want to investigate further filtered through the lens of Ghana, Africa, literature, movies, history, technology etc. There is a long tradition of cultural interpretation at work and I've barely scratched the surface. And what are the effective strategies in this debate? Some cultures seem to do better than others, why is that? And what can we learn?”


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Global Voices podcasting update · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Over the past several months, the Global Voices team has been grappling with the idea of podcasting and how best to showcase the splendid variety of material being produced by podcasters throughout the world. After numerous stops and starts, we decided to settle, as least for the time being, on what is perhaps the most obvious format — a magazine- or roundup-style show featuring podcast excerpts from around the world: in other words, the audio equivalent of the Global Voices web site. The first of these shows appeared on May 24, and the plan, at least initially, is for one to be released every two weeks.
By having called this show “The Global Voices Podcast #1”, we’ve come to realise that we may be obscuring the fact that several excellent “Global Voices podcasts” have appeared previous to this one, beginning with a Skypecast (which in those days simply meant an interview recorded using the VoIP application Skype) with Indian ethnographer and blogger Dina Mehta released way back in May 2005. Among the podcasts published on Global Voices over the past year have been Skype interviews with Chinese blogger Isaac Mao, Iranian blogger/podcaster Mr. Behi and Lebanese blogger “Lebanon.Profile”; audio dispatches from Accra, Ghana by Andy Carvin; and book reviews by Kamla Bhatt, who has also published interviews with GV regional editor Neha Viswanathan and author Eduardo Avila, and has others in the works. (A complete list of all the Global Voices podcasts published to date is available at this page).
In acknowledgement of this, we've decided to rename the magazine-style podcast “The Global Voices Show“. We also encourage all who produce podcasts for Global Voices to make use of the new podcast badge, which you can find here.
As with all things Global Voices, “The Global Voices Show” is a work in progress and involves balancing the needs, desires and points of view of the people involved in the Global Voices project. Over the next few weeks, we'll be dealing with matters such as how best to present non-English language material and developing a directory of podcasts. Once we achieve critical mass, we may even consider doing region-specific roundup shows.
We're also on the constant lookout for show suggestions, so if you're aware of any great podcasts you believe are worth showcasing, please send us a note through the contact link on the web site.
A few people have also asked about a podcasts-only feed: here it is. You can also find it at the top of the Global Voices Online – Podcasts page, along with direct subscription links for iTunes and Odeo.

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Grazing Elephants · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Elephants Nasalot, in north western Kenya
In the maps Nasalot seems inconsequential, a mere footnote…..Nasalot is a big empty question mark of scrub, howling dust devils and towering termite mounds, which marks the borders of South Turkana with West Pokot and Uganda . Nobody ever comes here.
Photo by Ashok of unganisha.org


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Haiti: Personal geography · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

After discussing geography with some of the Haitians in his community, Troy, a US missionary working in rural Haiti, concludes — in what is certainly an over-generalization — that “in the Haitian experience, geography seems to consist of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Miami, New York, Toronto, and Boston – in that order. These are the places flights to/from Haiti travel (and where Haitian immigrants have settled), so therefore they are all that exist. Except for Japan, which produces the best “machines” – as vehicles are called here.” To help his friends gain a better understanding of geography, Troy enlists the help of Google Maps.


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Hong Kong: World Cup fever · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Can't avoid it, football fever has hit Hong Kong blogs. In case you have missed it, though, Simon at Simon World just might infect you with his post ‘In Case World Cup Fever Is Transmissible.’


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Hungary: Pension System Imminent Collapse · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Paul of Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar writes about the gloomy prospects of Hungarian pension system: “Without mass immigration of workers or a raising of the retirement age, the Hungarian pension system will, in all probability, collapse within the next 15 years.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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India: Caste and Census · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Nanopolitan wonders why caste is not included in the demographic data collected for the Indian census. “In a caste-agnostic India, ‘caste’ would just be another dimension of one's identity, without any connotations of hierarchy.”

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Indonesia: Weakening Currency · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Yosef Ardi at Indonesia Today discusses the reasons for the fall of Indonesian Rupaiah.


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Jamaica: Motorcycle bandits · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Illegally-imported high-powered motorcycles are one of the latest additions to the arsenal of Jamaica's criminals, says Scratchie: “We tend to find ways to beat the systems here so of course importation rules are no exception. According to last night's news report the bikes are sent in barrels in pieces and then reassembled when they get to their destination. Papers are then “worked up” for them.”


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Japan: Bloggers Association? · Global Voices
Ching Chiao

Daphne joined a blogger meet-up last week in Tokyo and learned about a fake blogger association funded by tax revenue from Japanese Government, for the retired officials. Daphne posts a write-up to the “Japan Bloggers” mailing list. Aki also writes about this meet-up.

author: Ching Chiao


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Kyrgyzstan: Citizenship & Civility · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Students in Kyrgyzstan write about citizenship and civility.

author: Nathan Hamm


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Kyrgyzstan: HIPC · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Kyrgyz students call for their country not to join the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.


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Malaysia: Electricity Rates · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

CompetitiveMalaysia is surprised that Malaysia's electricity rates are higher than Taiwan's. “If such a high cost country in Taiwan able to keep their electricity rate low. There is no reason that Malaysia, a petroleum production country unable to do that.”


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Martinique: French Black Presidential Candidate Stephane Pocrain · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Le Blog de [Moi] on Stephane Pocrain's candidacy for the 2007 French Presidential Election (Fr): “Yet another candidacy from the left. Ex- Green Party spokesperson and founding member of the Representative Council of Black Associations of France (CRAN), Stephane Pocrain enters the dance. His program? First and foremost, equality and training for youth.”

author: Alice Backer


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Mongolia: Mining Issues · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Chris of For Optimists and Philosophers writes about mining issues in Mongolia.


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Mongolia: Parliamentary Walkout · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Luke Distelhorst reports on the walkout from parliament of Mongolia's Democratic Party over the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party efforts to delay by-elections for a seat formerly held by a Democratic Party member.


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Musings from Nigerian Blogs · Global Voices
Imnakoya

Corruption in the Nigerian Society
Exodus muses on corruption, one of the major problems of the Nigerian society: “I have struggled to understand the phenomenon of corruption and how it became so deeply embedded in our society”, the author states.
“Don’t get me wrong – I believe some form of corruption exists in EVERY society, but I happen to be a Nigerian. So, home is my first port of call. I’m sometimes so upset about the “blatantness” (if there is such a word) of corruption in Nigeria. I was pretty miffed last week when our litigation clerk said a typist in the court refused to type a record of proceedings because he gave her only 400 naira as “thank-you-in-advance”. I was so upset. This had occurred before and I personally went to her to inquire. She said: “Don’t mind your clerk. So, he looked at me from up to down and gave me just N200?”
On Sino-Nigerian Trade
Molara Wood publishes a letter written to the Chinese president during his visit to Nigeria. The letter was written by some Nigerian writers ‘in different parts of the world’.
“In the wake of your two-day visit to Nigeria, we the undersigned Nigerian writers could not but draw your attention to and deplore some of the practices of the Chinese government. China is emerging as another economic and political superpower whose foreign policy will bear a vast influence in world affairs. It very unlikely that a government that is repressive at home would have a foreign policy that differs from what it espouses and offers at home…”
Still on the China,  Black Looks discusses that incursion of China into Nigeria and Africa, stating: “The West has not given up on Africa but its a hard battle when countries such as Britain insist on conditions like ending corruption and good governance in return for their aid. On the other hand China doesnt offer aid – she invests or rather buys and of course asks no questions. Why should they afterall they have an appalling human rights and corruption record themselves.  So on the one hand you have Brown Bono et al with their paternalistic lecturing and threats of bread and water punishment.  On the other you have China’s free for all bulk purchase sell and buy anything with no conditions attached.  There must be a third way”
Economics, Electric Power and Governance
“Despite debt relief, poor nations back in the red“,  states Africa Unchained. “The report by the Washington-based Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) says that in half the countries that received debt relief under the programme known as the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, debt has in fact climbed back up to where it was before the debt relief plan….”
Deni Africa- a new blog created to stimulate the private sector and the African economies announces  that the “privatization of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) formerly National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), might have gone into limbo as it was learnt that a powerful cabal consisting of top government officials in the Ministry of Power and Steel and collaborators in the company were frustrating its sale to the private sector. NEPA, now PHCN, arguably received more funds from the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, since its inception in May 1999, than any single government enterprise, yet power supply has remained abysmal, in what has come be seen as, a conspiracy between government officials and generator dealers.”
According to Chippla's Weblog the Nigerian foreign reserve is expected to hit $50 billion by the end of 2006, the author wonders  if the Nigerian government should go on saving, “despite the poor infrastructure on the ground or is it about time it adopted a more radical approach to infrastructure decay?”
“…The time has come for the Nigerian government to dip a little bit into its forgiven currency reserve for the benefit of electricity generation. This may not be the classical textbook way of dealing with this issue but face it, imagine the number of homegrown startup companies one would find in Nigeria if an infrastructure such as stable electricity were guaranteed. And that's not even up to a tip of the iceberg!”
Nigerian Patriotism, Unity, and Political Rhetorics
Just Thots by a Naijaman rants about Nigerian patriotism and cohesion in a post titled: “ ‘One Nigeria’” as a paradox”, here is an excerpt:
“Nigeria is indeed not a nation, it's people do not behave as nigerians. Indeed the people care nothing for nigeria, they do not respect it neither do they love it. Citizenship and patriotism has lost its meaning in “one nigeria. Nigerians would rather be caught with a US flag than the green-white-green, millions of nigerians are fans of arsenal-till-i-die yet have no idea about the local soccer team in their local government. The average Nigerian kid with no knowledge of Nigeria's history can boldly tell you all the hottest night clubs in NY despite having never been there. In “one nigeria”, nothing belongs to the people. Public property is no man's property and thus can be vandalized at will. We do not care for our landscape, we don't like our schools, we hate our leaders and most of us would rather sleep at home than go out and vote or for census.”
The blog Exodus also has a posting themed along a similar topic: “What is Nigeria? Exploring questions of ethnicity and national unity”
In a post titled: Too many aspirants dying to rule in Nigeria The Blog- Akin,  in response to a topic on NaijaBlog dealing with possible candidates for the presidency of Nigeria states:
“In my humble opinion, I am getting fed up of people who try to express their earnest desire to lead their people through words of martyrdom. It is part of the martyrdom rhetoric used by President Obasanjo in his inauspicious quest for a third term to finish what he has not started to properly to date. Just because you are ready to die for your country does not make you any more earnest or more patriotic than those who are want to preserve their lives in service of their country…”
Unwanted Pregnancy and Adoption Services
The Kids’ Doc in Jos writes about Pro-Life Evangel, a program that offers “free pregnancy testing, counseling and pastoral care, adoption services, support of the new mother and baby with supplies and clothes, housing for needy mothers and post-abortion counseling” in the Jos metrpolitan area of Nigeria.
“Wednesday morning we got a wake-up call: a baby had been born Tuesday night, we could come and get her any time…  Baby Tina is the thirteenth baby to arrive in this world with the help of the crisis pregnancy program at Evangel Hospital, called Pro-Life Evangel. The program was started in November 2004 by Bill and Dorothy Ardill, after seeing many, many women coming to Evangel asking for abortions while we had little to offer besides some counseling. We were not doing abortions, but we did not have a lot to offer these women, either. Many were willing to have their babies, but were pressured by their families and even churches, perhaps indirectly, to “solve the problem…The program has just purchased a home where some of the young women can stay for a time, it’s called the Miriam House…”

author: Imnakoya


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Myanmar: Democracy in Myanmar · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Nyein Chan Yar's blog points to an article by a veteran Burmese journalist. The article titled “The Burmese People can't wait much longer” urges the “nonaligned intermediaries” that have economic leverage over Myanmar (Russia, China and India) to apply pressure on the ruling regime to loosen its grip on power.


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New Caledonia: Holidays Not Necessarily Days Off · Global Voices
Alice Backer

Notre vie a Noumea explains that although today was a holiday in New Caledonia, she did not take the day off. You see (Fr) “In New Caledonia, holidays are not necessarily days off. The employer can ask employees to come to work anyway. Every industry has 6 to 7 days off a year.” The blogger implies that this system departs from the metropolitan French way of handling holidays.


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Poland: The Pope’s Visit · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Kinuk reports on the Pope's visit to Poland: “Civil servants have been given Friday off, at least in Warsaw. Schools have had to cancel lessons. There is a complete ban on alcohol sales in the whole of Warsaw. Nudie and sexy ads are banned from television. It’s all gone a little bit crazy.”


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Puerto Rico: Independence cretinism · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Gil the Jenius defends his right to describe as “cretins” those who consider “El Grito de Lares”, a revolt which took place in 1868, as an important event in the Puerto Rico's movement towards independence.


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Russia: Ad Agency’s Owner Advertises Himself · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Konstantin Dlutskiy of Russian Marketing Blog writes about a new entertainment for Smolensk residents: they are making bets on whether the guy who put billboads of himself all over town manages to win his wife back this way.


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Russia: Putin Helps WWII Veteran · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Yuri Mamchur of Russia Blog writes about a Russian WWII veteran from Voronezh who had been left without his veteran's pension by the local government, until the TV – and Vladimir Putin himself – interfered.


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Russia: Relations with Sweden · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Vilhelm Konnander writes about a diplomatic dispute between Russia and Sweden, and the past and the future of the relationship between the two countries.


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Senegal: Immigration as colonization · Global Voices
Alice Backer

“No Sarkozy! Immigration does not come from a vacuum,” says (Fr)  Semett in a post on French interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy's immigration policies. “With centuries of merciless exploitation of subsaharan countries and a continuous transfer of their riches to the North, it is logical that the disinherited masses from Africa turn to Europe to recapture their goods (…) The colonization of Europe is imminent.”


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Serbia & Montenegro: Life After Referendum · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eric Gordy of East Ethnia writes on what to expect now that the referendum in Montenegro has taken place: “There is the possibility that I may arrive to one country and leave from another. The independence referendum in Montenegro appears to have succeeded, just barely, in one of those underwhelming results that lends itself to multiple interpretations.”


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South Africa: Names · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Lavina Live has a new look blog and writes about  naming protocols  in South Africa


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South Asia: Homosexuality and Islam · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

How does one place sexuality within the larger framework of faith? Morofilm points to a film ‘Name of Allah’ which “With unprecedented access and depth, gay Muslim filmmaker Parvez Sharma brings to light the hidden lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Muslims and goes where the silence has been loudest in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt and Bangladesh, as well as in Turkey, France, India, South Africa, the United States, and the United Kingdom.”


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Sri Lanka: Da Vince Code Banned · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Da Vinci Code has been banned in Sri Lanka. Deane's Dimension on the issue – “On a more personal note, I, myself being a practicing catholic don’t think anything depicted in the movie (or the book) will change my prospective on the religion I was brought up on. The fact that Jesus could have been married and had children with Mary Magdalene is irrelevant to the philosophy of Christianity I believe in.”


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Sri Lanka: M.I.A not welcome in the US · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

London rapper M.I.A who is of Sri Lankan origin, and sprinkles her lyrics with quite a few political statements has been denied a visa by the US. Moju on why this could be and what it implies for making political statements about the LTTE.


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Taiwan: Can’t stop blogging · Global Voices
John Kennedy

“[T]he Net has taken over my life,” decided prominent English-language The View from Taiwan blogger Michael Turton last Sunday, “and I need to regain control. So expect a drastic drop in posting.” The drop didn't last long as there is a long, new post today.


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Thailand: Thailand Floods · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Bhojman at Meanderings blog is talking about early flooding in Thailand this year.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Environmental conference · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Taran Rampersad reports on a visit to an environmental conference in Trinidad, where he hears some disturbing rumours, and asks a few pointed questions.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Germany 2006’s media darlings · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

They've appeared in Esquire magazine, several television and print ads and one of them's writing a column for the UK Guardian — the media cannot seem to get enough of the Soca Warriors, Trinidad & Tobago's football team. Stacy-Marie Ishmael at the Trinidad & Tobago World Cup Blog rounds up the extra-curricular activities of one of the most mediagenic sides in the 2006 World Cup.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Minty messages · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

Elspeth Duncan contemplates the charms of Trinidad and Tobago's iconic KC Dinner Mints, known for the “often grammatically challenged love messages” on their wrappers. (Among the messages Elspeth recalls seeing are “A women in love” and “True love never die”). To satisfy her curiosity about the circumstances of their composition,  Elspeth telephones the KC factory for more information. . . .


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Uganda: Journey into Sunset · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Black Star Journal points to a “rare” article in the US media on northern Uganda and on a documentary “Journey into Sunset”


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Ukraine: New Parliament’s First Day · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

LEvko of Foreign Notes writes about the first day of the newly-elected Ukrainian parliament.


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Ukraine, Russia: Financial Aid for Mothers · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

As Vladimir Putin promises to increase financial aid to Russia's new mothers in order to change the demographic situation for the better, Scott W. Clark of Foreign Notes points out that in Ukraine, the significantly increased payments have not led to a baby boom.


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Venezuela: Raiding ULA and Featuring Bolivarian University · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Oil Wars recommends an article in the Washington Post about Venezuela's new, free Bolivarian University. Both Daniel Duquenal and Miguel Octavio say that the Venezuelan National Guard illegally raided University of Los Andes.


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Zimbabwe: Arrest of WOZA members · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

This is Zimbabwe reports on the arrest of 4 women members of WOZA on Monday by Zimbabwean security forces.


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Zimbabwe: Militarization of Agriculture · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Enough is Enough comments on Zimbabwean government's attempts to militarize the country's  agricultural sector which he says is failing.  He adds that Zimbabweans live in fear but we should not mistake that for passiveness or ignorance.


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African Refugees in Australia · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Enough is Enough is a drama  ” on the implications of the family law for the new migrants and refugees.” The play is supported by the African Communities Council in Australia and the Legal Services Commission of South Australia – from African Refugees.


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Afrobarometer: measuring change in Africa · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

African Unchained points to  the “Afrobarometer” an independent,nonpartisan research project that measures the social and political and economic atmosphere in Africa


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Arabisc: Arabic Bloggers Ken · Global Voices
Haitham Sabbah

From Egypt… Malek who was scheduled to be free few days ago is now officially free. He just made his first post, titled: Free Morning. Malek writes:
تم الافراج عني اليوم في حوالي الساعه الرابعه والنصف من قسم ترحيلات الخليفه
لحد دلؤتي مقريتش حاجه اتكتبت عني بس بجد شكرا جدا لكل واحد كتب عني حاجه او وقف معايا في اللي انا كنت فيه
حرجع اكتب بالتفصيل قريب
I was released today at around four thirty
Until now, I haven't read anything written about me, but seriously, thanks very much to all who wrote or stood by my side
I'll continue writing soon
Speaking of Egyptian bloggers and the recent reaction of mainstream media, Al Jazeera Network yesterday aired a documentary program about bloggers in the Arab world and focused on Egyptian bloggers. Malek, Alaa and many other bloggers stories were covered. Viewers of the documentary said it was great and will be aired again twice tomorrow.
Bent Mesreya asked her parents to watch the documentary. She wrote about their reaction. She said:
Along the same line of support for the detained bloggers, few Egyptian bloggers are organizing a live music concert; “Sing, Baheya”:
غنّى يا بهية.. حفل ينظمه عدد من المدونين المصريين
تضامنا مع زملائنا المدونين المعتقلين وتكريما لمن تم فك سراحهم
غنّى يا بهية.. حفل موسيقى، مسرحى سيقام فى نقابة الصحفيين
نعلن الآن.. عن مرحلة التنظيم للحفل.. شاركونا فى الإعداد.. على من يرغب فى المشاركة لتنظيم الحفل مراسلتنا على
eheaam@gmail.com
فى موعد أقصاه 10 مساءا – الجمعة 26 مايو 2006
The Ghanne Ya Baheya (Sing, Baheya), bloggers (organizers) are welcoming any help. Among these bloggers are, 30 February, Taranim, Seeking Freedom, Ayoub El Masry, Bent Masreya, Tagreba and Shaimaa.
In Kuwait… Following last couple of weeks parliamentary unrest and following the conflict between the Government and large portion of the parliament member regarding the “election zones” law; Kuwait Emir dissolved the Parliament and called for new parliamentary elections by end of June 2006.
The new elections campaign started immediately after the Emir announcement, so did the local newspapers start reporting events and public meetings around the Emirate. However, some bloggers are critical about what pro-government newspapers are showing on their pages.
Jandeef, cut and pasted and then abrogated some photos to prove them fake. The photos that were published by Al-Watan newspaper shows the “Blue-Ribbon” gathering. They are the supporters of the Government proposal for the new “election zones” law. The opponent group is the “Orange-Ribbon” group, which Jandeef seems to be supporting.
Jandeef then writes:
In Lebanon… It was the week of celebrating the anniversary of liberation from the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon.
Watani, in support for the “resistance” (a term usually used to describe the Lebanese Hezbollah fighters) writes:
To Saudi Arabia… On reading and censorship… Tech2click asks, “With the internet betweens our hands, do we still don’t read?” While Saad writes about the brutality of the media censorship.
So, Tech2Click writes about reading online:
Saad has another type of problem with reading. He is complaining about the Media's official type of censorship. He goes far into calling them ignorant. He writes:
هذا بالضبط ما حدث معي قبل أيام عندما اشتريت مجلة “الإسلام اليوم” العدد رقم (18) حيث تم تمزيق بعض الصفحات الداخلية بشكل يدوي شوهـ المجلة ودل على أن من قام بهذا العمل لا يمت للعقل بصلة. كما ذكرت في بداية المقال بأنني لا أمانع حذف ما يخالف قوانين وزارة الإعلام ، لكن هذا الأسلوب لا يرضاه أحد ، بل أنه يدل على إستحقار وأستخفاف بعقل القاريء ، توجد طرق أخرى يمكن حذف الصفحات بها بدون أن يعرف القاريء عنها إما بقطعها بشكل جيد أو منظم على الأقل.
هذا الحدث ذكرني بما كان يحدث قديماً على القناة الثانية للتلفزيون السعودي ، حيث كان يعرض الفيلم وهو مليء بالمشاهد الغير لائقة والتي بالطبع يتم حذفها جميعاً وهذا الحذف يؤثر على قصة الفيلم حيث تفوتك أشياء كثيرة من أحداث الفيلم المترابطة وبالتالي تكون ضائع وسط الفيلم ولا تدري إلا والفلم قد انتهى ثم تتسائل مالذي حدث وماذا حدث لكذا وكذا .. السؤال الذي يطرح نفسه لماذا تم شراء الفيلم من الأساس ونصف الفيلم تقريباً غير صالح للعرض وسيتم حذفه! .. هذه الحادثة تكررت مع أكثر من فيلم ومسلسل لم أفهم بعضها حتى الآن.
That was exactly what happened to me a few days ago when I purchased “Islam Today” magazine, where some pages were torn by hand, which distorted the magazine and demonstrated that the work is far from rational mind. As I mentioned before, I do not mind deleting material that contravenes the laws of the Ministry of Information, but this methods are not a satisfactory one, rather, it mocks reader's mind. There are other ways to do this without readers can come to know about, or well structured methods at least.
This event reminded me of what used to happen at Saudi TV Channel 2, where a film with a lot indecent scene of course will be deleted, but the deletion affects the story of the film until the film's events become irrelevant and thus the film end while you wonder what happened to this in that part of the story … The question arises: why the film was purchased at first place if nearly half of the film is unsuitable and will be deleted? This incident repeated with in so many films and I still don't understand them.

author: Haitham Sabbah


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Argentina, Chile: El Chaltén · Global Voices
David Sasaki

“Just when you thought nationalism had nothing good to offer the world, along comes a wonder like El Chaltén. A town with no conceivable economic or geographic purpose other than sticking it to the nearby Chileans, El Chaltén (Spanish for The Chaltén) is an accidental hikers’ paradise in what used to be one of the most inaccessible parts of southern Patagonia.” Maciej Ceglowski describes the mountainous border region between Chile and Argentina with typical skillfulness.


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Argentina: The 25th of May · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Yesterday was Día de la Patria in Argentina, which From Bmore to BA explains commemorates the end of Spanish rule. Jeff Barry describes the rally held in the Plaza de Mayo as “clearly a pro-Kirchner political rally paid for by the government” and even remarks that “according to the news, these bus trips for yesterday’s event were subsidized by the government.” Conservative blogger Rubén Benedetti takes a stab [ES] at Kirchner's call for “more plurality in Argentine politics. Javier has a thorough review of the day [ES] from all over Argentina's blogosphere. Lovers Go Home offers up the Argentine National Hymn for download to commemorate the day and Martin Varsavsky says [ES] that good old Peronism has returned to the Plaza de Mayo.


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Armenia: A1 Denied Frequency · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Onnik Krikorian says that the popular A1 has been again denied a broadcast frequency, a decision Onnik says is “yet another blow to press freedom” in Armenia.


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Aruba: This week in politics · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Aruba Girl summarises a busy week in Aruban politics: a member of parliament from the opposition AVP resigned, the justice minister said he would resign next year, and then the government announced that import duties on many goods would be doubled or tripled. “Now that … our national debt is reaching dangerously high proportions, that the private sector grew with a very anemic 1.6% in five years, now the government wants to introduce measures that will increase the higher cost of [living] and worsen our tourist market position.”

author: Nicholas Laughlin


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Bangladesh: Update on Garment Industry Riots · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Rezwan has a very comprehensive post on the Garment Industry Riots – tracing the reasons why it started and links to various sources that have insights and resources on the issue.


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Barbados: Barbados Labour Party starts blog · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) has started a blog, notes Titilayo; she wonders “how much of the impetus … came from the establishment and growing popularity of Barbados Free Press”. Meanwhile, Barbados Free Press itself compares the web presences of the country's three main political parties, and asks why the BLP site “displays photos of Barbados citizens who are only of one specific race”.


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Belarus: Russian Ambassador on Pipeline · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

TOL's Belarus Blog writes about an interview with the Russian ambassador published in the Belarusian edition of a Russian paper: according to him, “Russia […] is firmly determined to take away the gas pipe (Beltransgaz) from Belarusans and have it under Gazprom’s control.”


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Bermuda: Breaking news: gay rights amendment defeated · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Bermudan MP Renee Webb's private member's bill proposing the amendment of the Human Rights Code to include sexual orientation has just been defeated in the House of Assembly, reports Christian S. Dunleavy. “The Bill was defeated in committee, therefore there was no formal vote in the House and therefore — no names. Profiles in courage indeed.” Yesterday, A Limey in Bermuda had attempted to contact all the MPs and find out how they planned to vote. “Don’t be a coward and absent yourself from the vote,” he appealed. This afternoon the Limey reports on the sequence of events inside the House of Assembly: “The difference between a committee vote and a vote in the House seemed pretty academic … it was all the MPs who were present that were voting. Unfortunately some … were in the back room listening to the debate on the radio when the committee vote was moved. As a result, they did not participate in the vote.”


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Bermuda: Drag queen defies parade ban · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

“Local drag artist Mark Anderson joined Bermuda's Heritage Day parade [on Wednesday 24 May] despite a Government prohibition,” reports A Limey in Bermuda. “Good for him…. Mr. Anderson is a gay Bermudian and homosexuals are as much a part of Bermudian society as majorettes and the Bermuda Regiment.” Christian S. Dunleavy agrees, and rejects the government's argument that a drag queen doesn't “reflect Bermuda's heritage or our ‘social and cultural mores’.”


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China: Merchant life · Global Voices
John Kennedy

A post today on Raymond Zhou's Not only movies blog looks at the lives of the largest group of foreigners in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou's expatriate community: African and Arab traders.


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China: Photos of churches · Global Voices
John Kennedy

For a country ruled by Communists, China has its fair share of churches—eleven in the Southern Chinese city of Guangzhou alone, as photoblogged today at Frances D'Ath's Supernaut:
“Guangzhou is home to at least eleven notable historic churches, built between 1850 and the early 20th century, but of these, 石室圣心教堂 or Sacred Heart Cathedral is a geographic anachronism, as strange as finding a Ziggurat in St Kilda. Compared to the other churches, all of modest size and understated, being organic parts of their districts, 石室 is a monstrous, colonial behemoth that would not be intimidated next to any overwrought flexing of religious catechism on the alluvial banks of the Limmat.


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China: Technorati learns Chinese · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Welcome news on Danwei today of Technorati's announcement of a partnership with public relations firm Edelman which will see an increase of the blog aggregator's services to include five new languages. While Chinese is one of the languages on the list, a focus on mainland users brings with it some problems, writes Danwei blogger Jeremy Goldkorn:
“Technorati‘s website is blocked in China, so they will have to come up with a new solution for the PRC if this new product is based on data from their public access blog search engine.”


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Czech Republic: Trying to Fix a Gas Heater · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Dana of My Czech Republic Blog reproduces an exasperating phone conversation about a heater that seemed to be broken.


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DRC: Coup Attempts and More Questions on the Upcoming Elections · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Joseph Kabila, the founder of the PPRD (the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy), has overseen an interim administration established by the 2002 peace agreement.  The Democratic Republic of the Congo's first post-conflict presidential elections are set to be held on July 30th after months of postponements.  A number of opposition bloggers are voicing concerns about the integrity of these elections, citing what they see as the systematic surveillance and detention of certain members of the opposition parties, the subversion of election law, and interference in the election by foreign governments, namely Belgium.
In his blog, Le Blog du Congolais, Anthony Katombe writes that several candidates for president are being surveilled and their homes surrounded by police, a practice described as (Fr) “Stalinist.” Valentin Mubake, president of the national council of the UDPS, has been placed under house arrest with his wife and children, and refused the right to attend mass.
Katombe, writing for the Prince du Fleuve de Congo, reports on the (Fr) “kidnapping” of Kutino Fernando, pastor of the Army of Victory Church and founder of “Save the Congo” by the police.  Katombe doubts the veracity of claims made by Kimbembe Mazunga, governor of Kinshasa, that Kutino's sermons incited hatred and violence and that military equipment and weapons were found at Kurtino's church.  Katombe notes that Kimbembe (Fr) “specified neither the type of arms [found] nor their quantity.”
32 foreign “mercenaries” working for Omega, a private security agency contracted by Doctor Oscar Kashala, a wealthy, US-based “self-made man” and candidate for president (Salon), were arrested in Kinshasa for allegedly plotting to overthrow Joseph Kabila's government.  Those arrested – 12 South Africans, 10 Nigerias and 3 Americans – were said to be armed and recently arrived from Iraq.
Congo Girl  reporting on the same story quotes a Roman Catholic priest as saying:
A Roman Catholic priest thinks the charge is laughable in a country that has over 16,000 UN troops, which will, incidentally, be augmented with another 1500 from the European Union.  But some think that employment of 16 of these people…by a security company in Matadi and several others as interpreters for a mining company [was a] cover for their real objective
Katombe suggests that the alleged coup attempt, whose mission the government claims was to (Fr) “overthrow the country's political institutions and destablize the electoral process…for the benefit of a presidential candidate,” is being used by the government to justify its surveillance of opposition candidates.
Philippe Lomboto Liondjo at Prince du Fleuve Congo claims that among many other irregularities, two Congolese (one of them a member of the pro-government PPRD party, another of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC)) who have acquired Belgian citizenship are running for deputy positions.  He explains that according to Articles 10 and 102 of the Constitution and Article 102 of the election law, Congolese nationality is 1) exclusive and cannot be held concurrently with any other nationality and 2) a requirement for running for elective office.
All of these actions by the government, characterized by many opposition bloggers as a systematic attempt to undermine the democratic process, leads Le Blog du Congolais to conclude:
La coïncidence, la fréquence et la rapidité avec lesquelles se produisent les actes de violence perpétrés par les forces de l’ordre constituent une grave escalade de la  répression et donne aux observateurs, l’impression que le PPRD, faute d’un discours politique cohérent et en l’absence d’un bilan social défendable, à opté pour le maintien d’un climat de terreur maximale qui rappelle les temps du règne de Mobutu de très triste mémoire.
A number of opposition bloggers have strongly criticized what they see as Belgium's interference in the DRC's internal affairs and its support of the ruling government.  They are particularly critical of Louis Michel, a Belgian politican who is currently the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid.
Katombe, who notes Michel is himself a descendent of Leopold II, architect of Belgian colonization of the Congo writes:
Dans la rue, à Kinshasa, lorsqu’il est posé aux congolais la question de savoir qui dirige le pays, univoque, la réponse tombe : ‘‘Louis Michel’’. Comment s’en étonner lorsque l’arrière petit-fils de Léopold II de très triste mémoire se prononce à chaque étape du processus et réussit toujours à faire prévaloir ses thèses?
Le rénouveau congolais posts an open letter from Banyingela Kasonga, a candidate for president of the APE party, and addressed to top officials in the Belgian government that denounces an (Fr) “orchestrated campaign” by certain Belgian political figures, led by Louis Michel, and with the support of the French language press, to support Kabila's candidacy for reelection.
Two thousand (Fr) “armed European missionaries” are being deployed for the presidential election, Musengeshi Katata reports in his blog, Forum Réalisance.  This is in addition to the 17,000 foreign soldiers of Chinese, Nepalese, Pakistani and Senegalese origin that are already stationed throughout the DRC.  Katata sees this force as an encroachment of the Congo's sovereignty, and wonders if despite intention its intended purpose – to provide support for the election – might not end up intimidating people.
In the same post, Katata also wonders what legitimacy the Germans have to come to the Congo to “play the role of defenders of liberty and human rights” when in their own country, racially-motivated crime and neo-nazism is on the rise.  Their motive?   The maintenance of neocolonial hegemony:
La conclusion est alors toute simple : ils veulent défendre leur mainmise sur les matières premières dont le Congo regorge. Rien de plus. Ils veulent garder le droit de porter des diamants des congolais en les achetant à vil prix pendant que les congolais eux-mêmes mourraient de faim. Ils veulent jouir du cuivre, du cobalt, de l´or, du coltan…et bien d´autres encore. Le sort des congolais leur importait peu, sinon, pourquoi n´acceptaient-ils pas un partenariat équidistant et réciproque ? Pourquoi se contentaient-ils de fermer leurs frontières, de repousser les immigrants désespérés tout en empêchant sournoisement l´économie africaine de se développer ; c´est à dire de donner du travail et des revenus aux leurs?
Also on the topic of minerals, Le Prince du Fleuve Congo reposts and open letter from Robert Crem, former head of Gecamine, a state-owned mining company which is alarmed by the sudden sale of 300 billion dollars in mineral reserves by the state, especially given that the Congo’ s production of minerals has (Fr) “almost fallen to zero.”   Given what it will take to rebuild the Congolese economy, Crem calls the government's descision:
la plus grande escroquerie des temps modernes, engendrant un génocide permanent  pour les prochaines décennies
These opposition bloggers all stress that the future of the Congolese people hinges on the upcoming elections.  Philippe Lomboto Liondjo at Prince du Fleuve Congo writes:
…ces premières élections sont bien trop importantes pour l'avenir de notre pays et, donc, nous ne pouvons pas accepter qu'elles soient baclées aussi grossièrement, aussi outrageusement imparfaites et au final, totalement dénuées de la moindre parcelle de crédibilité.
Diaspora: Protests Against Louis Michel and the Treatment of Undocumented Congolese in Beligum
UDPS Liege, the blog of the Liege, Belgium branch of the UDPS, a major DRC opposition party, and Le Renouveau Congolais write about demonstrations held last week in Liege to protest Belgian immigration policies and the explusion of Congolese migrants of Belgium in collaboration with the Congolese government,  as well as Louis Michel and Belgian support for what one commenter calls the (Fr) “democratic farce” at play in the Congo.  A large demostration is also planned in Brussels for June 30th – election day.
Kim Gjerstad, a Candadian “Ex-UN Worker now working to save trees and animals” in the Congo, shares some of his basic observations of Congolese culture, including pics and “how to eat” instructions for foufou, a staple dish found throughout Africa that is usually made of cassava, and the best way to greet a stranger on the streets of Kinshasa (completely with an animated photograph): “raise your eyebrows quickly.  Keep it Cool.”

author: Jennifer Brea


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East Timor: More Violence · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Factions continue to fight with each other in East Timor . The blogger at Diligence, in his post titled Another Bad Day, mentions this incident that took place on Thursday, 25th May
The UN released details of the casualties from an encounter between FDTL soldiers and the police after army soldiers attacked the police headquarters :
“As the unarmed police were being escorted out, army soldiers opened fire on them killing nine and wounding 27 others, including two UN police advisers,” Dujarric said.
This is just after the UN police attached to the local police had brokered a deal to lay down weapons and leave the building.
The wounded police were taken to the UN compound where blogger Tumbleweed  was helping out
In the clinic, there was no time to feel fear or sadness. We just tried to see how we could help, with instructions from the (thankfully) many doctors working in the UN system. I put on gloves and tried to clean some wounds, bandage some, and comfort others – holding their hands and talking to them, trying to reassure them. I don't think I was ‘feeling’ anything at that moment. NONE of us did, we just did what was necessary.
They managed to save some of the wounded but some were not lucky. Tumbleweed writes
Earlier when the first wounded policeman was carried in with four bullet wounds on his chest, (this was just outside where everyone had gathered), it really was an emotional scene. my tears just kept rolling down, and i kept saying ‘Hail Marys’ and ‘Our Fathers’ to calm myself down. My heart bled for the women and children who would lose their fathers today. I cried out to the Lord to put sense back into these men's minds. Today is the DAY OF OBLIGATION for the Ascension of the Lord! This is all so wrong.
The police man died.
NO ONE should die this way.
i'm not bothering to say what actually happened today cos even if i do, it doesn't make sense. war fare makes no sense. We should simply ban guns around the world.
Pray for peace my friends, if you're reading


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Ethiopia: Building firewalls · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Satisfy My Soul comments on the alleged blocking of blogspot by the Ethiopian government…”In any case, now that it’s official that bloggers (and now chatters) have been added to EPRDF’s long list of “enemies of the constitution”, what’s to stop them from rounding us up (of course, those of us blogging form mother land)? What are the chances that the fact I can post this entry with out a problem but can’t read blogger blogs is a trap?”


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India: Art and Fear · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The proposed exhibition of MF Husain's paintings in London has caused a security fear. Pickled Politics on the threats of fundamentalists. The comments space yields an interesting debate and discussion.


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India: Office 2007 · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Kingsley takes a closer look at Office 2007 and comments on User Interface, features and quirks.


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Indonesia: Using Religion for Violence · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Unspun explains why it is both heartening and depressing at the same time to see Indonesia's major Muslim organisation asking the president to crack down on thugs who use religion to justify violence.


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Iran: Bribing System · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Karmand writes about bribing system in Iran. This blogger says if you are an employee either you get bribe or you keep silence about it. Blogger adds in country everybody is in competition to become rich and there is no rule in this competition (Persian). According to blogger humanity & dignity are the words that make laughed people. The blogger says not only as employee you get bribe but you should bribe your boss to get promotion.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Free Mana Blog! · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Free Mana (Persian) is a new blog which reports all news about arrested cartoonist, Mana Neyestani.
Mana drew the cartoon which provoked riots among Azeri community.


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Iran: Syriana in Iran! · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Hanif Mazroi, Iran based blogger & journalist, says George Clooney's Syriana was broadcasted on Iranian Channel 3. Mazroi, who had already seen movie in English version, adds  that in Persian version, dialogues have been changed so much that we thought Clooney and others are playing a new  script written by Islamic Republic (Persian).


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Jamaica: Family history and chicken soup · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Geoffrey Philp reminisces about Struie, the small village in Westmoreland, Jamaica, where his mother grew up, and provides a “Jamaican-Miami” version of a traditional family recipe for cold-curing chicken soup.


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Kazakhstan: Education Spending · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Ben Paarmann notes that Kazakhstan plans to boost its spending on education.


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Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome · Global Voices
Salam Adil

There is a new government and this historic event has raised more than a ripple in the Iraqi blogs, but, actually, not much more than that. And in this week snapshot of life in Iraq blogs I will show what has been diverting bloggers attention. From high jinks to the the absolute pits of despair, its all here.
If you read no other post this week read this
Meemo, the Baghdad beat blogger is back with a vengeance and his latest post is a stream of conscience which swings wildly..
from the heavy subject of death threats from ‘holy worriers'(sic):
like over addorra there's only one rule which is follow the holy mother f***er worriers rules or you will get killed, you know cut your head, it’s awesome way to die, meet someone up there in hell or heaven, is that a way to make people religious, lead them to the GOD path, to the heavens door, to the prophet restaurant up in heaven, I guess that’s how they gonna push people out of the religion
to politics:
I guess [the “new leaders”] forgot something which is the united states invaded Iraq for freedom and democracy but right now I can't see any of these 2 things, I just can see death and more red lines we should not cross, you know about 75% of Iraqis saying what's going on now is all because of the Americans and British troops, I'm kind of agree with that 'cause they let bunch of stupid suckers to control Iraq
to the complexities of having long hair:
I really don’t know how girls can live with their hair, it’s a full time job, you know I use 2 different kinds of shampoos, hair conditioner, and something called Cosmal cure to make the hair I don't know what, that’s when I wash it, but when I want to go out it takes me about 30 minutes to make my hair looks like humans hair, use hair gel and wax, and after all this shit I wear a hat, if I don’t use anything for ma hair and don’t comb it ma head will be like a big black ball, believe me it’s the most horrible hair you will see in your life, the good thing is I use ma sister hair stuff
And if you need some advice… “I should give you the weekly advice but I didn’t find any advice for today, I think you can live for the whole week without my advice so I gutta go”
What you will not be seeing on TV
Baghdad is falling to insurgents and militias one neighborhood at a time yet little is being said in the media. It is these groups who are dictating the law on the streets. The punishment for disobeying is being beaten or worse.
It started last week when bloggers reported leaflets being thrown in the streets ordering people on how to behave in public. Now this has spread across several districts. Meemo, gives a full report. In Mansour it is a simple sign saying “my dear sister cover your hair 'cause that will protect you from the monsters” but as he says it varies by what force operates in each district:
“[In the districts of] al-ghzalya, al-3amrya, and 7ay al-jame3a, there are some new rules … the rules are:
Women should not drive cars.
It's not allowed for girls to wear any kind of pants (jeans, baggy, short) and the penalty for the one who wear any kind of pants will be breaking her legs.
its not allowed for girls to walk in the street with uncovered hair or the penalty for the one who don’t wear scarf over hair will be cut her hair (bald head)”.
Ishtar compares the present day to the lawless times just after the end of the war in 2003. “Now, after three years, and with all this pompous talk we hear by the Iraqi government and US administration about the increasing number of the Iraqi security forces… I found myself doing the same stories.” She explains: “if you tour Baghdad’s neighborhoods, you will find 90% of them are blocked by trees trunks, barrels and big stones and men are guarding them with their private guns … I found myself doing the same story about women who are threatened and killed just because they do not wear hijab or they drive cars.”
She also reports who is behind some of these killings. Gunmen driving in a car shot eight kids for wearing short pants.. “By chance a patrol for keeping order forces were passing by and saw the massacre and chased the cars, one of the “Opel” car was captured and for the surprise of the forces, when they took off their kufyias, they found that they were all between 14-16 year.”
Nibras Kazimi gives happy talking American officials a reality check: “Central Baghdad’s Dawoodi neighborhood is now part of an Islamist “regime” that issues fatwas banning salads, fatwas that frightened people are following to the letter. See, apparently cucumbers are males while tomatoes are females, and mixing them up leads to the Devil. Dawoodi is the doorstep to Mansour, and Mansour is the doorstep to Harithiya, which in turn is the doorstep to the Green Zone.”
Oh, and by the way, there is a new government
It took them time and one blogger had almost given up hope, but the comments eventually came rolling in about the new Iraqi government.
Ishtar is encouraged by Maliki's emphsis on national reconciliation but “Mr.Malki killed it in its bed when he insisted on keeping former minister of Interior ”Jabbur Solagh” in the new government”. She also says that Sunnis are already speaking of this as his fatal mistake.
Eye Raki gives a run-down of the cabinet and points to the fact that “there are of course some very pointless and stupid ministries that were set up for the sole purpose of satisfying a group or party that will have complained of being left out”. And Iraq the Model gives an extensive review and ends by saying: “Yes, it does not meet our ambitions but also our ambitions have no limits.” But later Mohammed sees some positive signs:
“apparently the competition among politicians to prove competence and win trust in addition to the lessons learned from the previous stage is pushing the new leaders to pick a new course with less emotional speech-making and more pragmatic thinking. Officials now realize that they did not inherit their seats from their fathers and that there are other people waiting for them to make the slightest mistake to expose them and discredit them.”
The Iraqi oil minster will have his work cut out. Zappy used Google Earth to measure three petrol queues:
Mustansiriyah length of queue approx 3,480 Meters / 3m (approx. length of car) = 1160 cars
Al Sadoon queue length approx 1140 meters /3m (approx. length of car) = 380 cars
And the Oscar goes to Al Khilani Pump Station, Queue length is 5230 meters /3m (approx. length of car) = 1743 cars!!!
Obviously we have a fuel shortage
And he warns, “If you have stopped the black market, then you’ll find that you just made your first mistake.”
Nibras Kazimi makes a good point “Anyone casting doubts on Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki’s efforts to run Iraq will be labeled as “embittered”, “unfair” or “hasty”; for the man rightly deserves a grace period.” He then goes on to promptly pour doubt upon doubt. Well, who says bloggers are not embittered, hasty and unfair!
For my part? if I have nothing positive say then I am not going to say it.
The depths of despair
There is no lament sad enough to describe the following set of posts. If, like me, you hate to read depressing material scroll down to the next section.
You know things are bad when Iraq the Model starts talking of the hardship faced by Iraqis and the dilemma of whether to stay or leave Iraq:
The other day I was with some friends at home and the subject eventually surfaced “let's just wait for another six months, I'm sure things will improve by then” one friend said and I nodded in agreement “I'm not willing to take the risk, what if I get killed or kidnapped tomorrow or next month!? I'm leaving Iraq to live somewhere else until I believe it's safe to return, we live only once guys!” and I nodded in agreement too.
Both opinions make a lot of sense and I could never say the first friend was a coward since he's still living through what I and the other friend are living through.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and so do many people but they wonder if the tunnel is going to collapse before we reach its end.
Chikitita is one of those leaving Iraq and she grieves for the memories she has lost. “Now all that's left for me is the polluted air which cannot be captured in snapshots or saved in jars. And even that I know I should leave behind, for my life must start across the borders, where I'll have to go with the flow and pretend that I won't miss what's within these dotted lines I've always called home.” she writes.
Iraq sweet Iraq describes a tragedy of murder and kidnappings that befell his neighborhood: “when it gets too sad, even if it is true with no fiction involved , it gets ..what is the word .. ridiculous ? no I wouldn’t say that, it gets unbelievable, you can not believe that things like that can actually happen in real life, so dark and miserable; just like an Indian film, too many tears to be true. What happened a few weeks ago was something like that…” read on if you dare.
Baghdad Treasure lost a beloved neighbor in a recent explosion. He writes:
“It was so hard to see her dead. She was a kind woman. I just saw her few days ago when I was with her son. My heart is full of sorrow and pain. …
I can’t even think of any hope at the meantime. It is only despair that hovers over us. It seems it is going to stick with us. I don’t know why we have to live like this. Why do I have to wake up everyday on sounds of explosions and shootings? Why do I have to be afraid all the time, why do I have to sleep and wake up with a tear in my eyes? why why why? I don’t want democracy and freedom. I want to live. I just want to live. These two damn words brought only destructions. They never brought hope. It is only death and death and death.”
And finally
ChildrenVoiceIraq describes a game Iraqi children play when the rains come late.
it starts with one kid (his age 12-14 has to be boy) he is going to be leader for group; the leader prepares every thing necessary for them, leader bring bags and makes flag and pots…
When every thing is prepared leader starts to go out and yell slogans (slogans; ask God and pleasing God to send rain) every kid in neighborhood joins with him to make group and they walk yelling after the leader (kids age 6-14 boys and girls), kids stop in front of each house to collect rice, vegetable oil, Burghul (Burghul is food made of wheat) salt, bread and everything helps them to cook…
When the kids collect enough stuff to make enough food for kids they walk directly to the nearest graveyard to cook and pray for God to send rain, after everything is cooked the leader puts it in small dishes and hands out for kids around him then kids dump the remained on graves to be food for homeless dogs and birds (kids believe after dogs and birds eat this food will pray to send rain).
Finally after they are done kids come back home waiting rain in home when it rains during or after their operation kids became very happy and dance.
And Nibras is up to some high jinks outing a prominent Iraqi politician for being corrupt, a CIA asset and cheating the CIA of the $100,000 it gave him to bribe other Iraqis. Nibras is not naming names but giving us a riddle. He is someone who:
“has risen to even more prominence as a member of the newly unfurled Maliki cabinet … he played a very prominent role in advising current US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad as to how to go about thwarting Ja’afari’s bid for the PM slot and staffing the Maliki government…. Journalists tend to find this politician charming and gregarious and he is often quoted as an authoritative and objective figure on Iraqi affairs. His connections to US intelligence have never been published before.”
Any Takers?

author: Salam Adil


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Latin America: Poll Numbers · Global Voices
David Sasaki

As consistent as the sunrise, Boz has this week's Friday poll numbers.


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Lesotho: News roundup · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Sotho has a roundup of news from Lesotho for the month of May.


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Malaysia: Corruption in High Places · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Bridget in Malaysia talks about Malaysian politicians and their confidence in running scams. She gives a recent example of a member of parliament who asked the Malaysian Customs to “close one eye” and let in an illegal consignment of logs from Indonesia to Malaysia


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Martinique: Stabbing over 10 Euros · Global Voices
Alice Backer

“Yet another tragedy in Fort-de-France! [Martinique's capital]” says (Fr) Bien Vu. “Two  20-year olds get in a fight over a debt! Of 10 Euros! The borrower did not hesitate to pull a knife and stab the [lender] several times. End result, the young man has been in the coma for 24 hours. (…) These are really rough times.”


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Mexico: “Friki” · Global Voices
David Sasaki

“Friki [ES],” defined by Wikipedia as someone interested in or obsessed by a topic, is a must-know word for the reader of Spanish-language blogs. As Eduardo Arcos points out [ES], it's also one of the most searched for words on Technorati. And who is the friki of the year?


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Mongolia: Textile Export Drop · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

neweurasia reports that Mongolia's textile exports to the United States have suffered tremendously since quotas on textiles were lifted in 2005.


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Mongolia: Windfall Profits Tax · Global Voices
Nathan Hamm

Luke Distelhorst reports that Mongolia's controversial windfall profits tax on mining is now law and he carries the reaction from Ivanhoe Mines, a major investor in the country's mining sector.


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Nepal: Peace Talks · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Consultations, negotiation and a code of conduct may show the way forward for peace in Nepal says Bahas. “Members of the government and Maoist negotiation teams have agreed to a 25-point code of conduct late Friday to be observed by both the sides during the period of ceasefire.The talks ended at 10:15 p.m. after more than six hours of closed-door negotiations between the two parties at Gokarna Forest Golf Resort in Kathmandu.”


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Nepal: Secularism and Religion · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

With Nepal deciding to go secular – what does it mean in terms of intersecting interests of religion and politics? Further, what role does India play in all this at Nepali Netbook.


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Nigeria: Cyber crime pays · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Jangbalajugbu-Homeland Stories writes that cyber crime really does pay in Nigeria….”We have wasted a lot of time. This is the time to take action against Cybercrime. From Government to individual citizens. What we see today is that foreign news correspondents who are short of stories to publish on Africa now cook up stories about what we are not. And yet, we simply keep quiet”.


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North Korea: Foreign bureau opens · Global Voices
John Kennedy

International news agency Associated Press has opened a bureau in the North Korean capitol of Pyongyang, blogs Asiapundit‘s myrick, making it the third to do so after China's Xinhua and Russia's Tass:
“It will be interesting to see what sort of copy the local staff will produce for AP. But as this is a country that jails cheerleaders, AsiaPundit is not expecting it to be be of much news value.”


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Peru: Cucho La Rosa’s New Restaurant · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Peru Food describes the new restaurant in Pachacámac village by renowned chef Cucho La Rosa.


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Philippines: Ethical Question · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Blogging Bugs has stopped asking students studying accounting a particular ethical question because she fears the answer might be something she may not want to hear.


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Philippines: Wickedly Sweet Filipino · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The blogger at Manilastreetwalker introduces “wickedly-sweet”  Filipinos he encounters in his travels in Spain.


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Public Schools students coordinate Strike by fotoblogs · Global Voices
Rosario Lizana

More than 40,000 public school students  (and now some private (ES) as well) have participated in mobilizations all over Chile in the last weeks. They are asking for free public transportation, free entrance exams, a revision of full time school classes, and the detraction of the Organic Law of Education.  The entrance exams/a> (ES) cost US $40 per student (the minimum wage is US $240 a month). In some public schools there is not sufficient infrastructure to have dining halls for a full time classes and the Organic Law of Education (ES) is from 1980. They goverment has made changes to this law in 1990, but the general vision hasn’t changed that much.
They participate through marches, protests, and by occupying public schools, colleges and universities. They are also holding conversation workshops and coordinating with the mayor of each area.  And also … by web sites, blogs and fotoblogs. It’s amazing that while authorities were asking how to coordinate nationally, they forgot to check the web. The pro-active student group has more or less 6.000 people and is located in the capital, Santiago.
One of the most traditional public schools, “Instituto Nacional” – more than 12 presidents of Chile have studied over there, last one was Ricardo Lagos- has its website . Another is José Victorino Las Tarrias’ fotoblog  (ES). , Liceo 1 Javiera Carrera (ES), Liceo de Aplicación's blog and fotoblog (ES), Barros Borgoño (ES) . Most use nicknames to refer to the name of the school such as “Carmelianas” (ES) , for example.
They post about the last information, convocation of strike, meeting and events, and also…a competition with all of the public schools fotoblogs in the list to vote for the best one. New leaders are emerging in this groups that in other situations, would probably be weighed down by bureaucracy, and blogs have become a window to make leaders grow and others students participate, sending photos, comments, voting and also emails.
Now, the major plan of the students is to hold a national strike on May 30th. They will not march, the idea is to have peaceful meetings among students. The right wing has taken advantage of this situation to criticize Michelle Bachelet's governance. The Education Minister is working now with parliaments from the left and right wing to agree on the best solution to resolve the demands of the students.

author: Rosario Lizana


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Romania: Sarmalele Reci · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Romerican writes about a Romanian band called Sarmalele Reci: “Sarmale is a traditional Romanian dish. Basically, it’s rice, pork, and spice rolled into cabbage leaves and baked. We can haggle over recipe details another day. Sarmalele is the articulated plural form of sarmale, yet they are pronounced the same way. Reci is the word for cold, when speaking about inanimate objects. The band’s name translates as “the cold sarmale (plural)” which, of course, no one would want since sarmalele should be hot.”


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Russia: Ethnic Uzbek in Moscow · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Moscow-based LJ user gr_s (Grigoriy Sapov) hitched a cab and ended up having a conversation with the driver, an ethnic Uzbek (RUS):
An Uzbek Driver
Yesterday. The driver is elderly, respectable, speaks without an accent:
***
The conversation began when we were getting out to the embankment through Neopalimovskie Lanes.
- Take these garbage containers. Recently, in Grokholskiy, in the backyard, I found a Singer sewing machine standing next to a container like this. Someone put it out there and, interestingly, attached a hand-written note: “In working order.” I loaded it into the car – my personal car has seats that can be lowered, so it fit. Took it to my son – my middle son runs a small metal repairs shop, and one more son has chosen our ancestors’ way – he sews footwear, bags, and works with leather in general. So they cleaned it, installed an electric engine. It works well, sews through leather alright. And it says on it that it was made in 1928, by the way.
***
I have six children. Four sons, two daughters. The oldest one is in Malaysia, plays football. He was here in winter – bought us an apartment, two rooms in Mitino. At school my sons attended (and the youngest one attends still), they asked me at a parents’ meeting to talk about how I'm raising my sons so that they don't drink and don't swallow some crap. Maybe, they say, this is because you're an Uzbek, not a Russian person. I replied to them that even though I am an Uzbek, I spent 20 years serving in the Soviet Army. So my answer about sons is simple: [I beat them]. They said, How terrible, and didn't allow their children to play with mine. Now three of my sons have been long out of school, almost all their classmates have become drunks, some are drug addicts. There was a boy, everyone praised him for good grades, and he is serving his second sentence now. So it turns out that I was raising my sons the right way. And their way was wrong.
***
My wife says that the mother of our daughter's friend called and asked:
- Is it true that your husband sells kvas [fermented non-alcoholic drink]?
– No, it's not true. Who told you this nonsense?
– Your son, when they had a written survey, responded to the question on the parents’ work with “father sells kvas, and my daughter saw it.
I ask him in the evening:
- Timurchik, why did you write that I sell kvas?
– If I wrote that you are a driver for a Western company, and if I mentioned what car you're driving, they'd jump on you, and would extort money and gifts from you, the way they do with other parents who earn well.
***
- Do you speak Uzbek or Russian ay home?
– Well, our children live here, go to school here. I send them to their grandmother for the summer, to Andijon, they get the language back and by the end of the summer can say everything in Uzbek, and they understand everything. Here in Moscow, they, of course, speak Russian with each other, and my wife and I speak Uzbek. That, we speak both at home.
***
- I've got give education to one son and marry my daughters, and that's it.
– Is it important for you that they marry Uzbeks?
– (Thinks, roughly from Borodinsky Bridge to Novoarbatskiy Bridge) Yes, it is important.
– Why?
– It won't work for them otherwise. It won't be a family for them, it'll be nothing but misery. (Fell silent again, as we were driving past the White House.) Strange things are taking place. I think that Russians have won such wars, and in general, they are a kind, open-minded people. And on TV they are being told to attack other peoples. It shouldn't be this way.


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Russia: Protest Over a Federal Police Unit in Chechnya · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

David McDuff of A Step At A Time translates an article about a recent protest in Grozny, where about 30 local residents accused of a federal police unit of human right violations and demanded its removal from Chechnya. Prime minister Ramzan Kadyrov wants the same, only for a different reason.


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Serbia & Montenegro: Belgrade Pictures · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

annabengan of Tirana-based annasblog posts photos from her recent trip to Belgrade: “We went to Serbia a week end to visit Belgrade. Cheap tickets from Tirana, leaving early Saturday morning and coming back late Monday night (May 1st).”


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Serbia & Montenegro: Kosovo Documentaries · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Mat Savelli of Roma Roma notes two documentaries on Kosovo, one of which is a must-see: “Easily the best documentary produced on ex-Yugo that I have ever seen, the film covered the issue from a broader regional perspective, i.e. correctly.”


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Somalia: Appeal by Women · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Marians Blog posts an appeal made by Somali women in 2004 – reminding us once again of the impact of conflict on women and the role women play in nation building but still remain disenfrancised.


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South AFrica: CD/DVD piracy · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Singing South Africanness comments on the rampant DVD and CD piracy that takes place in South Africa and asks why the original disks are so expensive and beyond the means of most SA…”if some people can produce pirated CDs and DVDs at such low prices, why can't the originators of these products.”


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South Africa: Jazz · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Afrofunkycool has a short piece on South African Jazz from Abdullah Ibrahim to Bheki mseleku


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Sudan: UN Assessement in Darfur · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The Sudanese Thinker reports that Sudan has finally agreed to a UN Assessment Mission to go to Darfur


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Taiwan: China threat growing · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Although no clear timeline has been set by Beijing, an invasion of Taiwan is not a matter of ‘if,’ says political analyst-blogger Confidential Reporter at China Confidential, but when:
“Notice we said ‘when,’ not if, because it is becoming increasingly clear that unless Taipei eventually, well, surrenders to Beijing, there will be a war in the Taiwan Strait.
“This is not inside information. On the contrary–officials in Beijing are disturbingly open about their government's intention to finally finish off a bitter rival, whose de facto independence since 1949 has been seen as a humiliating, festering sore on the hide of an awakening dragon.”

author: John Kennedy


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Taiwan: Ten years of democracy · Global Voices
John Kennedy

A post earlier this week commemorates what Politics from Taiwan blogger David sees as ten years of democracy on the island off China's eastern coast:
“By my reckoning, today marks the 10th anniversary of Taiwan's democracy. On 20th May 1996 Lee Teng-hui gave this speech at his inauguration. The election (two months previously) was the first time that Taiwan's president had been democratically elected. Of course, there was some democracy before this—there had been increasingly democratic elections for the legislature and the national assembly in the years before it, but this marked the final point when Taiwan could finally call itself a democratic country.”


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The garments industry riots in Bangladesh · Global Voices
Rezwan

The readymade Garments Industry is the key export earning sector for Bangladesh, which brings to this developing country $6 billion yearly revenue. The industry has over 4,000 export oriented factories and thousands more small scale sub-contractors which employ nearly three million workers most of whom are women (80%).
All hell broke loose last weekend as a riot broke out in and around the capital Dhaka city when a garments worker was shot in Savar, an industrial zone 30km away from Dhaka as police was trying to control the angry protesters. The death sparked more violence as thousands of garments workers took to the streets in Savar, creating chaos and huge traffic deadlocks around the capital. A section of 800-1000 violent protesters with sticks lead by motorcycle processions resorted to widespread damage of vehicles, attacked about 300 garments factories, and torched many of them. Widespread lootings were also reported and finally extra security forces were deployed to prevent this from going further.
From the Washington post: “One thing I can say that we love our machines because they feed us and protect us from starvation. How can one with a sane heart destroy them?” – female worker Masuda Begum.
The Bangladeshi bloggers had different opinions on this issue. Change Bangladesh Blog wonders are Bangladeshis stupid enough to kill the duck laying golden egg?
In Suchinta blog there is one video clip from the ATN News on the attack on Garments Industries, which provides visuals of the rioting and the views of the owners and the government. Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the owner’s association claimed “This is part of a conspiracy to ruin the nation's economy.” They and the government are pointing to political manipulation citing that almost all protesters were men while the majority of the workers in the industry are women.
Shafiur shades a light that there is no one union, one industry scenario here. The workers unions fall in line behind party politics and no doubt they can easily be exploited by the confrontational political parties. Like some parties were dumb enough to blame neighboring India behind this. All these beating around the bush neglect the prime issue, the exploitation of the workers. He also blames the Garments owners for demanding the use of force to deal with the issue.
Rumi of Drishtipat supports the workers cause but is troubled with the anarchy the protests produced.
Journalist Tasneem Khalil points to the fact that the workers are deprived from fair wage, fair working hour arrangements, weekly holiday, maternity leave etc. The monthly minimum wage for Bangladesh’s garment workers was some $33 ten years ago, but that came down to $16 in real value due to devaluation of Bangladesh Taka against dollar. The labor organizations are pressing for increasing the workers’ minimum monthly wages to Tk 3,000 (18 cents an hour). Owners of RMG factories have subverted a government plan to fix a minimum national wage for workers in the private sector and continue to pay one of the lowest remuneration packages in the world.
In my opinion, it is true that currently the wages are low but this small wages are also blessings for most of the workers as they would have no option to fall victim to more abuse as housemaids if there were no garments factory jobs. Using this leverage, the owners have been able to continue the slavery and exploitation. Its a pity that the government failed to uphold the rights of the workers by ignoring the minimum wages demand. The other political parties are also guilty to the same extent as they also do not fight for these causes. In reality, Bangladeshi politics are held ransom by leaders, who do not stem from the workers community but are wealthy entrepreneurs.
The exploitation issue actually starts with the globalization and the growing competition.
‘Dateline NBC’ investigates: In Bangladesh, a female worker, Masuma gets more like 17 cents for sewing as much as 80 stripes on pants in an hour, a perfectly legal wage, and more than many Bangladeshis like her earn. But she can barely live with that wages. If she was paid 25 cents an hour instead of 17, a 50 percent raise, she could lead what she considers a decent life. When a Walmart customer in US was asked in front of Masuma, whether she would by the pant (selling price $12.84) if it was 8 cents more, she declined. One Bangladeshi garments executive claims: A few years back, I told Wal-Mart, “Give me one cents more a piece, one cent. I will use that money for these poor people.’ Wal-Mart’s reply was, ‘No, give us two cents less.’ However consumers in the global economy seem to have no objection to Wal-Mart CEO’s $27,207,799 pa salary for encouraging such exploitation.
Actually the Bangladeshi entrepreneurs have also little option and are forced to keep the wages low in order to survive. It is like the master-slavery chain. Whether we accept it or not, we all are chained humans, there is a master above us and we are a master of someone. And the exploitation continues. The truth is no hero or revolution is going to break the chain saving us anytime soon.

author: Rezwan


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Trinidad and Tobago: Government not promoting local technology · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

“The one thing that is being wasted in this country more than money is the minds of our young people,” argues aka_lol of Trinidad and Tobago's Initiative Against Crime. “There has never been a government in our history who promoted local technology beyond their lips…. This country will continue to see a brain drain of its best minds because it has not figured how to create wealth, but only how to drill for it and pollute with it.”


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Ukraine: Books on Ukraine · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Dan McMinn of Orange Ukraine has started a Ukrainian book section of his blog: “[…] a list of good (or at least popular) reading material about Ukraine or involving Ukraine. The section includes a number of useful links and things for each book, and categorizes the books a number of ways, but is only six books large at present. Of course I intend to increase it whenever I hear about books to add.” Suggestions are welcome.


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Vietnam: Visiting Saigon · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

The blogger at Vietnamese God  visits Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and compares it to Hanoi – the city where he lives. “Each time I come here it brings me a different feeling. It seems always new and things are changing very quickly which is good. I love wandering around the old part of Saigon and walking down to the zoo where I can see lots of beautiful old French style buildings and old trees along the street.”


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West Indies: Cricket victory over India · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Today Trinidad and Tobago hosted the fourth match in the current West Indies vs India One Day International cricket series. Francomenz didn't make it to the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain to watch the match, but she followed it on the radio. “Too exciting!!!” she wrote when West Indies captain Brian Lara made a half century. When Lara was caught out, she wondered if she'd jinxed him. But in the end the West Indies won the match and the series; Francomenz explained just why this victory is so important.


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Zambia: violence against women · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Zambian blog, Real Life of a Journalist writes on “the undeniable fear of men by women“Men that inflict suffering through pain or other forms of abuse on women only show their level of fear of womens power over them. Most abusers are cowards and liars, wanting to project an image to the world but still knowing the truth.”

author: Sokari Ekine


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Zimbabwe: Mutambara · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

Cry My Beloved Zimbabwe comments on the MDC faction led by Mutambara who he sees as a ” an over-ambitious, opportunist. When he was recently interviewed on SW Radio Africa he failed to answer where he was for the six years since MDC's formation to suddenly surface and think he is better because of his professorship”


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Zimbabwe: UK Asylum seekers · Global Voices
Sokari Ekine

The Bearded Man reports on the Zimbabwean asylum ruling in the UK...”According to Home Office figures on Tuesday, Zimbabwean asylum-seeker numbers jumped 96 percent to 755 from January to March against the previous three months.”


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Guatemala: Video of Hurricane Stan and the Weekend’s Orange Alert · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Patrick of the Guatemala Solidarity Network Blog has posted a 13 minute video of “what it was like in Panajachel when Stan struck last year.” In a followup post, he quotes a recent report that cited “current concerns include that the planting of this year's crops will be affected by lack of suitable drained land for this purpose.” On an unfortunate cue, Rob Mercatante writes that President Oscar Berger has called a state of orange alert [ES] as the country braces for approaching heavy rains.

author: David Sasaki


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Indonesia: Earthquake in Java · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Fatih Sayud has a post on the earthquake in Indonesia. The 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit Java island just after dawn and caused the death of around 3000 people.

author: Preetam Rai


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Turkey is Typing…. · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

It has been a busy week, news wise in Turkey, the continuing dialouge about the Islamic fundamentalist who killed a Turkish judge (reported on GV last week) and the fire at the Istanbul airport has been foremost in the news….but the bloggers seemed to be fairly quiet this week (..that or I am becoming way too dependent on my RSS feeds and need to reach outside of my box).  So I thought that I would ramble a bit and tell you about some of my favorite Turkish blogs out there.
ISBN 976-08-06 is written in Turkish, but with the high volume of art videos and project links that this site puts up, language should never be an issue.  Along the same vein as ISBN, visit Buzdolap (refridgerator in Turkish), again this site is in Turkish but the nature of the project makes itself fairly clear.  One of my favorite food blogs is Yogurt Land, which has posts in English and Turkish.  Other good food blog sites are Zen in the Kitchen and Portakal Agaci.
Of course if you want the master list of Turkish blogs, the place to go is Blog Kardesligi, recently featured/interviewed by Turk CNN as shown on Metroblogging Istanbul. Till next week…

author: Deborah Ann Dilley


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What Salvadoran bloggers are saying — violence and generals · Global Voices
Tim Muth

The high levels of violence in the country continue without solutions.  Much of the violence is tied to gang activity.  Blogger Hunnapuh notes that pressured by the business sector, which fears that foreign investment will avoid a country with high levels of violence, president Tony Saca has finally recognized that the situation is not improving.  Long forgotten is his campaign promise to make El Salvador the safest country in Central America (currently it has the highest murder rate).
Ligia at Que Joder writes about the violence that:
The police don't have a formula to stop this, nor the psychologists, nor the family.  Firm hands, helping hands, workshops, talks about values — these interventions don't work because the causes are not the same or simple.  For the moment, that's all we know.
Meanwhile, El Visitador is incredulous that the left-wing opposition FMLN wants to change the government's current anti-poverty program, Solidarity Net, so that funds go to municipalities to use as they wish.  The FMLN is also blocking approval of international loans necessary for the improvements in health and education infrastructure that are part of solidarity Net. The opposition party wants improvements in pensions and minimum wage in return for its vote on the loans.
El Salvador's minister of defense, General Otto Romero, was recently interviewed in the Salvadoran press where he was asked about the possibility of opening the archives of the Salvadoran military to provide information about the assassination of archbishop Oscar Romero and other crimes of the Salvadoran civil war which ended in 1992.  For the general, however, the idea of declassification of military archives is taboo.  Soy Salvadoreño comments on the general's paternalistic attitude displayed in the interview.  The general's view that the government knows best whether or not the population can handle the truth earns the scorn of that blogger.  Aldebaran at Enfrentamientos comments that Salvadorans don't want to know the historical truth to harass the government, but to make it possible that psychic wounds which are still open and sore, might find cleansing and healing.
Photo Blogs
Hunnapuh has images from the tradition-filled town of Panchimalco and of the flowers of El Salvador.  Salvador Canjura also has pictures from Panchimalco's festivals and the dance of the Moors and the Christians.  David Mejia at SV Days continues his regular posts featuring the sights and scenery of El Salvador.  NeoSlv has added pictures to his photoblog from around San Salvador.

author: Tim Muth