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Chile: Homeless in Santiago · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

As in many cities around the world, in Santiago, Chile, the cold winter months are a trying and dangerous time for the homeless.
Alejandro Rustom, a contributor at the citizen photojournalism website Demotix, exposes the reality of the homeless in the Chilean capital and highlights how a group of citizens are trying to help.
Alejandro writes:
In the Franklin District in Santiago de Chile, there are groups of people living on the streets that don't have the chance to live under a decent roof. They make their way on the edges of society.
A group of Teachers, Students and Parents of Teresian College, has organized groups to visit these people, to deliver food and clothing. Nestor Chavez Guerra Professor and leader of the school's pastoral thinks the most important thing is to listen to their problems and needs in order to provide more help at every visit.
“A homeless woman sits on a bench in a park.” Photo by Alejandro Rustom, copyright Demotix.
“A homeless man smiles.” Photo by Alejandro Rustom, copyright Demotix.
Rustom shows how some of Santiago's homeless try to make a living:
“Maria, an indigent who makes a living selling coffee, tea and buns.” Photo by Alejandro Rustom, copyright Demotix.
“A homeless man who makes a living collecting paper.” Photo by Alejandro Rustom, copyright Demotix.
He also photographs their sleeping arrangements and their efforts to shelter from the cold:
“A homeless man sleeps on the ground with his dogs.” Photo by Alejandro Rustom, copyright Demotix.
“An urban dwelling made from discarded materials and found furniture.” Photo by Alejandro Rustom, copyright Demotix.
Finally, Rustom captures how a group of citizens are trying to make a difference in the lives of Santiago's homeless:
“A girl offers food to a homeless.” Photo by Alejandro Rustom, copyright Demotix.
You can see more photos in Rustom's two-part series about the homeless in Santiago: Chilean homeless make their way on the street – Santiago, and In pictures: Homeless Chileans get by during the night


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China: How Myanmar’s Opening Up Differs · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Just back from the Myanmar Investment Summit in Yangon, as the country continues rapid opening to foreign capital, China Law Blog‘s Steve Dickinson contrasts Myanmar's economic globalization efforts with China's own process of opening up.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: John Kennedy


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China: Sparking the ‘Exile is Not Freedom’ Debate · Global Voices
Violeta Camarasa

This post is part of our International Relations & Security coverage.
On 27 April, 2012 blind Chinese lawyer and activist, Chen Guangcheng, escaped from a remote village surrounded by security forces in the middle of the night. International media widely covered the story, and the events turned out to be a diplomatic headache for both the Chinese and American governments, which were getting ready for their annual summit in Beijing.
Since Chen ran towards freedom, it made sense that he sought refuge at the American Embassy. While at the embassy, however, Chen made a surprising statement: he did not want to leave China, nor did he want asylum. If Chen was a headache for the US, so was the US for Chen.
Chen Guangcheng: “Premier Wen, I have three requests!”
Uncle Sam: “Wait, wait! Give me a promise!”
Wen Jiabao: “Trust me! Fairness and justice are more glorious than the sun.”
‘More Glorious than the Sun’ by Hexie Farm's Crazy Crab for China Digital Times.
Debate sparks
Chen’s case has reignited a discussion about the pros and cons of exile that has been going on since the aftermath of the Tiannamen protests: Will Chen lose support and influence if he leaves China? And will the government let him come back after flirting with the US?
When he escaped, Chen was an internationally well-known activist. More importantly, he was kind of a hero [en, zh] in the eyes of civic-minded Chinese social media enthusiasts. Despite censorship, comments [en, zh] on Chen flooded both global and Chinese social media.
Support at stake
Roy Berman, from the Mutantfrog blog, argues:
But while it does seem likely that Chen has widespread support, I wonder what good that will do for him in America, other than provide a comfortable life for him and his family. For example, look at how much support the dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei received after his own unjust arrest. […] But how contingent is that support on the fact that he is staying to fight? […]
It is hard to imagine how Chen Guangcheng, whose activism so far has largely taken the form of legal action […], would be able to continue his activism in any substantial way after reaching NYU.
M-Bone replies:
Another question is: “Would he even be allowed to do anything ‘hands on’ in China at this point?”
Chen has been performing a delicate balancing act, to be considered a legal citizen in China while [still] ensuring his safety. Awkward as it may look, Chen asked the Chinese government to investigate the “illegal harm” local officials had infringed on him.  Along the same lines, he accepted a legitimate way out when he realized neither him nor his family would be safe in China: leaving for a while to study at the US, “just like any other Chinese citizen,” as the government stated.
Tom, from the Seeing Red in China blog, writes:
Chen Guangcheng would never call himself a dissident; he might hesitate to even describe himself an activist. […] he is a man who simply thinks that the laws on paper should be enforced.
The government's promise
The Sinocism blog discusses Chen's studying abroad option:
This outcome appears to be the best one possible under the current circumstances, and probably the preferred (or orchestrated?) one for the Chinese government, as nothing seems to hasten a Chinese dissident’s descent into irrelevancy faster than an exile abroad.
Actually, Chen’s credibility may have been already damaged by his decision to seek refuge at the US Embassy. Official media, as if to counter support showed on social media, have been attacking him. The Global Times wrote:
Unfortunately, when trying to attract the international spotlight by being violently against the government, Chen became a political pawn and was used as a tool to work against China's political system by some Western forces.
Chen, however, seems to believe the government’s promises:
Let's not make assumptions. I think we can see that the central government is letting me go to the U.S. to study. That is unprecedented, regardless of what they did in the past. As long as they're beginning to move in the right direction, we should [encourage] it.
Whether the Chinese government will allow Chen to come back or not, remains to be seen. As Chinese dissident in exile Yang Jianli states, “exile is not freedom. For Chen, as for myself, the true flight to freedom will be made with a return ticket home.”

author: Violeta Camarasa


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Colombia: One Night in a Cell · Global Voices
Julián Ortega Martínez

In his blog La Ventana, Juan Batallas publishes a two-part post about one night he spent in a cell at an “immediate reaction unit” (unidad de reacción inmediata, URI, set up by the Attorney General's Office [es]). In the first part [es] he tells the story of his confinement and the people he met there, while in the second part [es] he explains and gives details about his arrest (for possession of a small dose of marijuana).

author: Julián Ortega Martínez


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Global: The World Talks Back to Nick Kristof · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Over the past few weeks, New York Times journalist Nick Kristof has found himself in a bit of hot water with the blogosphere over two of his recent columns: the first, a piece entitled “In Iran, They Want Fun Fun Fun” (June 21, 2012) and the second, “Africa on the Rise” (July 1, 2012). What the two pieces have in common is their attempt to show, respectively, Iranians and Africans as being “just like us.” In the case of Iran, that means portraying young Iranians as fun-loving people who–like most of the world–do things like have sex and use drugs. In the case of Africa, Kristof's goal seems to be to show the economic opportunities that await foreign companies.
Kristof's approach to journalism was a subject that came up in several circles at the recent Global Voices Summit in Nairobi and is also currently a hot topic in the blogosphere. Here are a few different takes that illustrate why Kristof's work is so hotly debated.
Iran
“Farrah Joon” is a popular Iranian-American blogger who runs the blog Sex and Fessenjoon, described as “shamelessly pushing boundaries” by sharing lived experiences. After picking apart some of Kristof's claims about Iranians and their sexual and other habits, she writes:
Iranians shouldn’t be KNOWN because they like to party and have sex (ahem… like the REST of the world), they should be known for constantly trying to push past the limitations of their government. They should be known for the beautiful culture that they have kept alive despite what the hardliners do to prevent them from celebrating and basking in its beauty.
Richard Jeffrey Newman, in the US, sees value for American audiences in Kristof's reporting, writing:
I’m glad to see reporting coming out of Iran … that is based on a journalist’s first-hand encounters with ordinary Iranians. It’s not just that it’s important for readers in the United States to discover that–gasp!–Iranians are indeed ordinary people, essentially no different than we are; it’s also that this kind of coverage seems to me a fundamental sign of respect.
KABOBfest blogger Sana Saeed chose the route of parody (from the perspective of a Muslim visitor to the US), writing a piece entitled “In the US, they want fun fun fun.” A sampling:
My road trip across America leaves me convinced that change will come here, too, if we just have the patience to not disrupt the subterranean forces at work: dwindling education, an expanding gap between the rich and the poor, growing economic frustration, government intrusion and monopoly on information. My hunch is that if there is no war between the US and the Muslim world — which would probably strengthen our own struggles — hard-liners will go the way of Clinton, and the US will end up looking something like Canada during the Harper era: same dogma, broken teeth.
Kansastan! went a similar route, publishing “In America, they want values, values, values.” One sentence sums it up:
You wouldn’t think that a native Middle Easterner like myself could be made to blush in New York, but I was taken aback by how many Americans were not having sex constantly with anyone in any place.
Finally, Nima Shirazi (@WideAsleepNima) criticized Kristof's entire premise, tweeting:
For @NickKristof, bad part of an illegal, immoral Israel attack on Iran is it “might well help the ayatollahs,” not that Iranians would die.
Africa
Kristof's writing about Africa has previously been criticized by several writers and journalists, from Teju Cole–who says that Kristof's activism-journalism and “good heart” do not always allow him to “think constellationally”–to Elliott Prasse-Freeman, who writes eloquently of Kristof's “anti-politics.” More recently, Hamid Dabashi wrote a biting critique of Kristof in Al Jazeera, claiming Kristof relies too heavily on outdated and orientalist clichés.
Now, in response to Kristof's recent article, bloggers from Africa and all over the world are weighing in.
First, Ugandan entrepreneur Teddy Ruge tweeted in response to Kristof's column, sparking Atlantic journalist Max Fisher to ask: “how should the media cover Africa”? Ruge first tweeted:
Those at the microphone telling Africa's story, too vested in their stayed narrative to adapt to a changing continent, risk being obsolete
He adds:
What's really rising in Africa is a bigger chorus of voices set to obfuscate the need for a singularly-focused Western narrator
And concludes:
Part of the reason am advocating for balanced narrative on Africa is because messaging like this is far too dominant:
Image by Twitter user @tmsruge
Sarah Leonard, an editor for The New Inquiry, quipped:
“Africa isn’t just a place for safaris or humanitarian aid. It’s also a place to make money.” Nick Kristof, truly a columnist for our times.
Academic Kathryn Mathers writes:
[Kristof's] use of travel writing about Africa not only evokes the heyday of eighteenth and nineteenth century explorations, but models similar appropriations of African landscapes while reducing African people to backdrops in the adventures and discoveries of Western travelers. The frontiers and new challenges of science and biology were often the mechanisms that made it possible for colonial explorers to depoliticize and secularize their encounters with African people. Today, as so starkly illustrated by Kristof’s and his companions’ writing, this same depoliticizing process is effectively managed by a relentless focus on humanitarian interventions and the challenges facing Americans who want to do good in Africa. He, therefore, frequently finds himself defending his stories about humanitarian interventions against readers’ criticisms of their costs and compromises…
Graduate student @ArriannaMarie felt that Kristof deserves some blame for Americans’ perceptions of Africa:
“GENERATIONS of Americans have learned to pity Africa.” Yes, Mr Kristof, through representations disseminated by people such as yourself
@Abena_Serwaa, who tweets from Ghana and the Netherlands, seems to have a bit of sympathy for Kristof:
It doesn't matter what Nick Kristof said about Africa/Africa rising/Africa falling….I have a feeling he would have been lambasted anyway.
Marc Bellemare, a blogger and assistant professor, thinks Kristof is the wrong target. He says “don't hate the player, hate the game,” writing:
[I think] the Kristof bashing is unjustified. Instead of criticizing Kristof for his writing, criticize those who enable it.
The New York Times is in the business of selling newspapers. Space in the New York Times‘ editorial pages comes at a premium. Don’t think for a second that the New York Times would publish Kristof’s columns in its editorial pages if they didn’t correspond exactly to what the New York Times‘ readership wants from a foreign correspondent.
These controversies surrounding Nick Kristof remind me of when my folks rant about oil companies raising gas prices before the start of a long weekend. I never fail to remind them that if they’re seeing such high prices, it’s because other consumers are willing to pay such high prices.
After all the controversy, @sassynct might sum it up best:
So I'm not the only one who thinks Nick Kristof is condescending.

author: Jillian C. York


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India, Pakistan: Working Towards Thawing the Siachen Conflict?  · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

This post is part of our International Relations & Security coverage.
On April 7, 2012, a deadly avalanche hit a Pakistani military camp in the Gayatri Sector, 30km west of the Siachen glacier, killing over 130 people, most of them military personnel. The scale of the tragedy once again brought into focus a long-standing conflict between India and Pakistan over Siachen, often referred to as “the world's highest battlefield.”
Pakistan Army rescue operation at the world's highest border in Siachen. Photo by Mohsin Hassan © Copyright Demotix (April 8, 2012)
The frozen conflict
Since 1984, armies of both countries have engaged in military conflicts at altitudes as high as 22,000ft above sea level, at temperatures that plunge below -60 degrees centigrade. A ceasefire was agreed upon in 2003 but the conflict continues to this day, forcing both countries to deploy troops and run manned military camps/ stations in this completely inhospitable terrain. While some critics have called this a futile war, other analysts have stressed the strategic importance of this area in the geopolitics of both nations.
Avalanche near the Siachen glacier. Screenshot of a YouTube video posted by zubahan136
Off and on, both sides have expressed desire to disengage and withdraw troops from the Siachen outposts. However, after the Kargil war of 1999, which saw infiltration from the Pakistan side into the Indian side of the LOC, India hardened its stand and decided against withdrawal of troops unless Pakistan agreed to sign off on the AGPL (Actual Ground Position Line) which would map the current positions of troops/outposts.
India's worry was that unless this was done, Pakistan would perhaps commit cartographic transgressions again. Furthermore, India is also worried about becoming vulnerable to possible incursions by China and therefore hesitant to give up her tactical advantage of controlling the Saltoro Ridge.
Stalled demilitarization talks
In June 2005, the Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, during a visit to the Siachen base camp at Parthapur, addressed the troops and said that it was time to make Siachen ‘a symbol of peace’ through peaceful negotiations, though he also asserted that there would be no re-drawing of boundaries as a result. While quite a few rounds of talks have taken place between both nations since then, not much progress has been made towards conflict resolution.
The recent tragedy of the avalanche has led the authorities in Pakistan to press for demilitarization of the area by pointing out the human cost and financial burden that maintaining these manned outposts were causing both countries.
Rafeel Wasif, a Pakistani blogger writes:
When a bomb explodes, all we ask for is the death toll; we feel a bit of remorse, discuss it, and that more or less sums up our debate. Whatever this may be, a gift or curse of humanity – we forget all with time and move on to another day. But today, this time around, I am not going to just forget. Why were our soldiers there in the first place? Why do we continue to invest so heavily in protecting a block of snow, with no human inhabitation, except the soldiers who so precariously guard it against foreign intruders?
Once more, talks are on between both countries, though the Indian Defence Minister, A.K Antony has already cautioned against expecting any “dramatic” breakthrough unless Pakistan acquiesced to the ‘authentication, delineation and demarcation’ of the respective troop positions on the Saltoro Ridge. Disappointment has also been expressed from the Pakistani side regarding the futility of these talks.
At pkarticleshub.com, Pakistani columnist and blogger Nazia Nazar talks about what she feels is holding back both sides from reaching a workable solution:
The answer is simple. The atmosphere of propaganda and distrust being the root cause of this issue is consistently hampering its amicable resolution. Unfortunately, the people in India take it as a symbol of Indian pride and gallantry while in Pakistan it is considered the fallout of Indian aggression, which should be retaliated in equal measure.
Building trust
Nevertheless, the fact that both sides have agreed to continue the dialogue in a cordial atmosphere is seen as a step in the right direction in the realm of bilateral ties and cross-border relations. At Youth Ki Awaaz, Indian blogger Shashank Bhashkar offers some suggestions regarding what could be a possible way forward. He writes:
A border can be created along the current LOC and surveillance cameras can be set up to monitor infiltration activities. Both sides can keep their armies in such a position that they can be quickly deployed whenever the other side breaches the agreement. Having cameras will also account for documented proof for the International communities. The need of the hour is to display trust from both sides and come to a reasonable conclusion so that no more valuable human life is lost.
The next round of talks, between the Foreign Secretaries of both countries, is set for July 4th-5th. The ministerial level discussions are likely to take place in August. However, it remains to be seen if both sides continue to stick to their respective arguments – if they do, Siachen will remain a trigger for interstate conflict between India and Pakistan and the stalemate will continue. The challenge will be to find a way out of this and work towards a mutually acceptable solution to this icy conflict.

author: Aparna Ray


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Peru: What They Didn’t Tell You About Afro-Peruvians · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

On June 8, the cultural event What they didn't tell you about Afro-Peruvians [es] took place at the National Afro-Peruvian Museum [es].  The event was organized by the Young Afro-Peruvian Association Makungu for Development [es], as part of the Afro-Peruvian culture month. The objective of the event was to make the Afro-Peruvian culture and history visible. According to the description of the event:
se celebra en el marco del día de la cultura afroperuana con el objetivo de presentar datos, hechos y personajes de la historia afroperuana que han impactado de una u otra manera en los diferentes ámbitos de desarrollo del país. Aportes invisibilizados por siglos, y que ahora los peruanos podremos conocer.
What they didn't tell you about Afro-Peruvians
The event had several parts. The first one was a tour of the museum where different posters were displayed with photographs, data, and information about rather unknown events in the Afro-Peruvian history. These are some of them:
El 7 de junio de 1880, Alfredo Maldonado Arias (1864-1880), un niño afroperuano de 16 años, realizó un acto heroico en la Batalla de Arica. Fue él quien en los minutos finales de la Batalla, incendió deliberadamente el polvorín de las baterías de cañones y causó una explosión que mató a un número indeterminado de enemigos y a él mismo.
“Su suerte heroica no ha sido revelada por los historiadores oficiales e increíblemente no la incluyen entre los niños héroes peruanos de la guerra del guano y el salitre que lanzó Chile contra sus vecinos de Perú y Bolivia para apoderarse de sus yacimientos salitreros y guaneros”. Diario La Razón.
On June 7, 1880, Alfredo Maldonado Arias (1864-1880), a 16-year-old Afro-Peruvian boy did something heroic in the Arica Battle. During the final minutes of the battle, he deliberately set fire to the storehouse where the batteries of cannons were kept, causing an explosion that killed a great number of enemies and himself.
“His heroic story has not been revealed by official historians and it is hard to believe it is not among the stories of heroic Peruvian children of the War of the Pacific, in which Chile fought against Peru and Bolivia to get hold of nitrate and guano deposits.” La Razón Newspaper.
El protomédico José Manuel Valdez (1767-1843). Fue hijo de una esclava liberta y de un español. Ser médico estaba prohibido para los afroperuanos, pero debido a sus grandes condiciones, en 1896, el rey Carlos IV de España, le otorga la dispensa de color para ser admitido en la Universidad de San Marcos. Fue catedrático y protomédico de la Escuela de Medicina de San Fernando, además de teólogo, filósofo, escritor, firmante del Acta de la Independencia y parlamentario.
José Gil de Castro (1785-1841). Pintor reconocido, fue hijo de esclavos, pero nació libre. Es considerado el principal cronista visual durante el periodo de tránsito de la colonia a la república. En Chile una importante plaza lleva su nombre en reconocimiento a su labor patriótica, en Argentina también es muy conocido, sin embargo en nuestro país su aporte no es difundido.
After the tour, the hostess talked about how the idea for the event came up and other Afro-Peruvian matters. In this video I captured part of what was said:
After the presentation of the documentary Negro soy, made by Eshe Lewis, the guests of Honor were supposed to give their speeches, but this was not possible due to technical failures. For this reason, after halfway through the video, the guests were allowed to address the public. Here we can watch a trailer of the documentary:
As for the guests, the first one to talk was Mr. Augusto Zavala, head of the museum. Then, Néstor Valdivia, associate researcher of GRADE (Group for the Analysis of Development) and a specialist in discrimination and exclusion of the indigenous and Afro-Peruvian population, commented and reflected on the Afro-Peruvian contribution, which is little known and has not been researched in depth. Here is a track with most of his comments and the information he presented.
Néstor Valdivia and some information about the Afro-Peruvian culture and history[es] by Juan Arellano 6 [es].
After that, it was the turn of Susana Matute, professor at San Martin de Porres University (USMP) and member of the Ethnic Development Center (CEDET). She discussed the problems of being a black person in Peru. Here is an excerpt of her comments and observations.
Susana Matute on being an Afro-Peruvian [es] by Juan Arellano 6 [es]
Later, there was a social gathering where people could taste some delicious hors d’oeuvres and enjoy music from Karolinativa [es]. You can watch more videos from the event here [es], here [es], and here [es].
Peru: The Festival of the Peruvian Cajon
Peru: Afro-Peruvian Christmas Music
Peru: The Preference for Afro-Peruvians at Funeral Services

author: Juan Arellano


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Singapore: Church Scandal Sparks Dissent  · Global Voices
Kirsten Han

Five executive members of Singapore's City Harvest Church – including founder pastor Kong Hee – were arrested and charged with criminal breach of trust. City Harvest Church, which boasts the largest congregation of 33,000 people in Singapore, practices tithing: its members donate 10 percent of their income to the church. Pastor Kong Hee, in a video clip of his preaching, refers to the amount of money donated to the church as a measure of devotion to God:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PFL-C2Lsaig
Investigators allege that the Church has misused up to S$50 million, and that a portion of it was used to fund the pop music career of Kong's wife Sun Ho, who has had some success singing Mandarin and English songs in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States.
City Harvest Church launched The Crossover Project in 2002, with the idea that Sun Ho's secular music would reach out to non-Christians and bring them to the church. After news of the arrests emerged, attention was drawn towards Ho's music and her YouTube videos gained thousands of new hits.
One of the most viewed videos was a track Ho recorded with Wyclef Jean and Elephant Man, entitled ‘China Wine':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4Ya3Hqu_-cg
Ho's music was criticised by some for not reflecting Christian values and being in bad taste. Michelle from syntaxfree writes about the inappropriateness of ‘China Wine':
Out of the clusterfuck of nonsequiturs that make up this song, the biggest one may be why the hell a Singaporean is calling herself “Geisha” to sing a song about how much “we” in “China” love to dutty wine. Perhaps Sun hit her head after being slain in the Spirit one day and it affected her geographical knowledge.
The song also attracted comments on Twitter such as this one:
@desdcool: Just watched ‘China Wine'…Hahah…Oh my! We're pushing piousness to a whole new level aren't we. http://bit.ly/LB0mZG  #CHC.
Critics have also hit out at the Church after local media reported that Kong Hee and Sun Ho are currently living in a high-market bungalow in Sentosa Cove, worth a hefty S$9.3 million. While working on her career in the US, Sun Ho lived in a house in the Hollywood Hills where the rent was about USD20,000 a month.
Abraham writes to Singapore Hall of Shame, questioning Kong Hee and Sun Ho's sources of income:
Pastor Kong Hee and his wife stay in a $10mil Sentosa apartment, drives expensive cars, wears high fashion, got capital to run high-end boutiques and live like multi-millionaires. Sun burnt tens of millions in Hollywood trying to launch her Geisha image. Even if they did not misused church funds like their fervent supporters would like to believe…where did they get the rest of the money from? Drop from the sky?
However, members of City Harvest Church also took to social media to voice their support and faith in their church leaders. Daphne Ling at Mother, Inc. reaffirms her trust in her church:
I have absolute trust in the fact that none of the money was embezzled for personal gain. I believe in the Crossover Project and there was certainly no intent to deceive, as had been alleged. Pastor Kong and all the other 4 individuals on trial have not breached the trust of the church members.
I make no apologies for giving every dollar that we gave and we will continue to do so knowing that the funds will not be misused.
City Harvest Church is my family. It has been for the last 15 years and I don’t think anything will ever change that.
Ed at Ed Unloaded refutes claims that the congregation was coerced into giving money to the church:
Some people have the impression that CHC is all about money, where members get brain-washed into giving and pledging loyalty to the church. Well, I’m a committed CHC member and my family & friends who are not from CHC know that I’m a regular guy, of sound mind and not hypnotized. I have my share of opinions and make decisions based on my faith and convictions.
I made numerous monetary contributions to the church, and I fully believe in the church’s vision and cause. To me, it is a worthy investment, and I wasn’t coerced or forced to give, and I definitely have no regrets giving. The fruits of my giving are seen in the thousands of lives changed and impacted by the ministry of CHC.
The Church has also responded to the allegations, saying that the Crossover Project is a mission fundamental to the church and its congregation, and that the board has acted in accordance to government codes.

author: Kirsten Han


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South Korea: Odd Sexual Harassment Ruling Gets Mocked Online · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

A local court’s ruling in a sexual harassment case has stirred up numerous jokes and sarcastic comments [ko] amongst South Koreans on Twitter.
A female sales clerk working at a golf shop, filed a sexual harassment charge against a male customer, claiming that he touched and poked her ‘breast area’ with his finger against her will. Judge Kim in the Daegu District Court dropped the case [ko] on July 3, 2012, saying ‘the area the victim reported being poked was near her collarbone and is not actually a “sexually sensitive area” such as the bosom.’
A woman wears a t-shirt against sexual violence during a slutwalk march in London, United Kingdom. Photo by Alex Milan Tracy, copyright (c) Demotix (11/06/2011)
Kim Nam-Hoon (@namhoon) an influential tweep in South Korea  [ko] received countless comments mocking the court’s decision after he tweeted:
판사가 이젠 성감대까지 감별
Twitter user @taek2_j responded with this snarky comment [ko]:
쇄골 아래는 성감대가 아니었군요! 판사님이 성감대까지 정해주시다니 친절도 하셔라.
@please_be_happy tweeted [ko]:
성추행을 당한 사람이 느껴야만 성추행으로 인정된다는건가? 미친거 아냐?
@dreamer_sun added [ko]:
모르긴해도 저부위가 판사의 성감대는 아닌걸로.
This joke [ko] by @Ex_armydoc has been retweeted more than 640 times:
한국 법정에서 공식적으로 쇄골 밑은 성감대가 아니라고 판결했습니다. 이제부터 쇄골 밑에서 느끼시는 분들은 불법을 자행하고 계신 것이니 가까운 파출소나 경찰서에 신고하여 주시기 바랍니다.
Some net users, however, argued [ko] that some media coverage has been exaggerated and misleading. However @aqua7414 clarified [ko] a simple ground rule in ruling a sexual harassment case.
언제부터 성감대를 법으로 정했냐? 신체접촉이 불쾌했다면 그게 성추행이지. 그럼 발에 집착하고 손에집착하는 사람들..아동성범죄 저지르는 놈들 다 무죄겠네? 아이가 성감대가 있을리 없잖아? 법원은 뇌를 들고 출근해라!

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Tajikistan: Facebook Users Discuss Presidential Elections · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

In about a year from now, voters in Tajikistan will go to the polls to elect a president for the next seven years. The Kimiyoi Saodat blog summarizes [tj] a recent Facebook discussion on the next year's elections where opposition groups will have to challenge the incumbent president seeking another term in office.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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Tajikistan: Global Voices Puts Spotlight on Dushanbe Zoo · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Our recent update on an American student's impression of the Dushanbe Zoo has generated a passionate discussion on ‘Platforma’, a 5,400-odd-member Tajik community on Facebook. A Dushanbe-based newspaper has now published an interview [ru] with the zoo's director who responds to questions asked by Facebook users.


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A Weak African Union for 53 Member States · Global Voices
Julie Owono

This post is part of our International Relations & Security coverage.
Equatoguinean Teodoro President Obiang and African Union Chairman Jean Ping at the African Union Summit in Malabo. Photo from Embassy of Equatorial Guinea
2011 was a tumultuous year for the African continent with revolutions, attempted coups and violent political crises. Unfortunately the union of 53 African states that has as its mission to help strengthen regional peace and development has proved its own shortcomings in dealing with these situations.
The African Union, created in 1999 after the dissolution of the Organisation of the African Unity, was unable to solve the Côte d'Ivoire post-electoral crisis, offered late support to popular movements of the Arab Spring, and its position on Libya was primarily determined by the late Colonel Gaddafi's influence on the organisation.
All this has led many African citizens to distrust whether the Union is really able to fulfill its mission [fr]. This much is clear studying critical blogs from commentators across the region. On the blog Cry Me An Onion, Patrick-Bernard is unequivocal in his post “Let's Get Rid Of The African Union“:
In light of the events in Tunisia, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Somalia, Kenya, Madagascar, RDC, Libya and many more in Africa an institution that should be boycotted and toppled down to the ground is the African Union. The embarrassing Ali Baba gang of 53 thieves is useless in solving any or all the conflicts in Africa or finding any unifying consensus. (…)
In the unfolding crisis in Mali, the organisation currently appears to be faring no batter. Although worrying reports are coming from the Northern part of the country, now ruled by Islamist group Ansar Dine, the African Union failed to mobilise the United Nations Security Council to back a military intervention with troops from the countries of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS). On a France-based blog of a Touareg association,  Temoust.org [fr], it is explained:
(…) sur le dossier du Mali, les arguments avancés par Ramtane Lamamra (photo), le Commissaire de l’Union africaine pour la paix et la sécurité, pour un soutien de l’ONU à une intervention militaire dans ce pays n’ont pas convaincu les 15 membres du Conseil de sécurité. (…) L’UA reste très imprécise ; combien de soldats seront envoyés sur place, à combien se chiffre cette opération, quelle sera la mission de cette force militaire ?
Limited Means
In spite of this assessment, it is important for the 1 billion inhabitants of the 53 African member states to be represented and see their interests protected by a strong, inclusive regional organisation, in a globalised world. Such ambition requires means which the organisation currently lacks.
In 2012, the budget proposal presented by the African Union Commission reached $274 million USD. It is a pittance compared to the 147 billion EUR of the European Union. Moreover, even such a budget is likely not to be secured by the organisation, since only 5 among the 53 member states [fr] actually pay their annual contributions (Libya, Egypt, South Africa, Algeria and Nigeria).
Furthermore, according to African Union Chairman Jean Ping himself in 2010, 77%  [fr] of the operational budget, which serves to implement and sustain programs such as military force deployments, come from foreign counterparts, like the European Union. Knowing this one can understands how limited the pan-African organisation's breathing space is.
As the continent continues to suffer from strife, it appears unlikely in spite of noble goals that the African Union will offer much respite.

author: Julie Owono


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Afghanistan: High School Student Discovers Math Formula  · Global Voices
Omid Bidar

If you are not used to reading success stories about education in Afghanistan, this one is for a change. On 30 June, 2012 the Center of Science in Kabul announced that Khalilullah Yaqubi, a high school student from Ghazni province, had independently discovered a mathematical formula that can be used to solve ‘second-degree quadratic equations with one unknown’. Khalilullah is an eleventh-grade student at the Al-Beruni High School in Nawabad, on the outskirts of the city of Ghazni.
Speaking about the formula, Khalilullah says:
I have not seen this formula before in any book. Neither I have used any source, nor cheated from Internet. This is all my efforts. Through this formula we can solve the problems of degree of equations (sic).
Some Twitter users have welcomed the news as an indication of improvements in the Afghan education sector. Mulex, for example, has tweeted:
Wow! Amazing news from Afghanistan. Sign of progress in their education system.
Another Twitter user, Jasur Ashurov (‘A settled nomad from Central Asia’), wrote:
You don't always get positive news from #Afghanistan. This why I've been so happy to read this.
Rephrasing a Russian scientist and poet, he added [ru]:
…и может собственных Ньютонов и быстрых разумом Платонов земля афганская рожать…
The student's success particularly stands out against the background of the difficult situation confronting the school sector in Ghazni province. Members and sympathizers of the Taliban had closed many schools in the province. Recently, however, around 400 residents of one of the province's districts turned against the fundamentalist group and succeeded in reopening 81 out of the 83 schools in the area.
Overall, there have been improvements in Afghanistan's education sector since the ousting of the Taliban in 2001. Some 5,000 schools have been built (pdf) across the country since 2003. Yet, many of these schools still lack modern teaching facilities and face a shortage of qualified teachers. Besides, many schools for girls have recently been attacked by fundamentalists who oppose education for females in the country.
On the Outlook Afghanistan, Dilawar Sherzai describes the education system in Afghanistan as follows:
Our country Afghanistan is one of the countries where proper attention has not been paid to education sector. One of the basic reasons has been the continuous instability overwhelming the society. The wars and conflicts – national, regional and international – that have been using Afghan land as their theater have made the development in social and educational fields suffocate to a large extent. Starting from Soviet invasion in 1979, one can count myriads of tussles and disturbances hampering the establishment of satisfactory education system. The problems, more basic in nature, have been the focal point of people's concentration rather than the education system.
Despite all these difficulties, many Afghans succeed in becoming educated, sometimes even self-educated. In December 2011, another talented resident of Ghazni, without any special training or tools, flew an aircraft he had built from bits of rickshaw and a secondhand Toyota car in his garden.
Alexander Sodiqov has contributed to this post.

author: Omid Bidar


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China: NIMBY Protest Escalated to Bloody in Western China · Global Voices
Gloria Wong

Protesters gathered in the small city of Shifang in Sichuan Province on Monday to voice opposition to a planned molybdenum copper plant. The protest finally evolved into a bloody clash between local residents and police force. Beijing Cream and Tea Leaf Nation have posted photos showing tearful and bloodied civilians confronted with ranks of police. However, while more pictures began to circulate around, truth began to blur. Offbeat China explained more murky details given the evidence from Sina Weibo.

author: Gloria Wong


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Colombia: Outrage at Celebrity for Mocking Fat Women · Global Voices
Julián Ortega Martínez

A column [es] written by TV celebrity Alejandra Azcárate [es] for women's magazine Aló, where she writes tongue-in-cheek about “the 7 advantages of being [a] fat [woman]”, prompted harsh reactions in Colombian social media this week. Blog posts parodying [es] the ‘7 advantages‘ [es] format or replying [es]to her text [es] have appeared [es], as well as an internet meme [es]. The magazine apologised [es] but Ms Azcárate said in a radio interview [es] that she won't retract [es].


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Cuba: Kiss-in for Diversity and Equality · Global Voices
Elaine Díaz

[All links lead to Spanish language pages, except when otherwise noted.]
“Come with something red and kiss someone, because all forms of love are important!”  This was the announcement given last Thursday June 28 by the Arcoiris Project, a Cuban group that defines themselves as an “independent and anti-capitalist LGBT collective,” which is demanding that homosexual parents be legally recognized and transsexuality not be considered a disease, among other requests.
The invitation for the “Kiss-in for Diversity and Equality” near the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana, repeated by several blogs, proposed:
Es 28 de junio: nuestros besos serán homenaje a quienes murieron y mueren por el odio a lo diferente. Nuestros besos son el voto porque un día el 17 de mayo y el 28 de junio ya no signifiquen nada.
The demonstration, which managed to bring together more than 20 people, commemorated the anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots in New York in 1969, which sparked the civil rights movement in the LGBT community and marked the date that would become the Gay Pride Day.
Kiss-in for Diversity and Equality in Havana, Cuba. (Photo: Courtesy of Jorge Luis Baños)
According to the organizers:
Besarse es una muestra de cariño cotidiana, pero para muchos ojos constituye escándalo público si ocurre entre personas no heterosexuales. Al besarnos todos y todas, por amor o fraternidad, ejercitamos nuestra igualdad ciudadana y ponemos en evidencia los dobles raseros morales que generan la homofobia, el sexismo, las lógicas discriminatorias que marcan las raíces de nuestra cultura y debemos cambiar.
Concerning the challenges of repeating such initiatives among the public in Cuba, the Cuban blogger Yasmín Silvia stated:
¡Por supuesto que el resultado fue excelente! Había gente que no era del Observatorio Crítico, ni de Bloggers Cuba, y sumamos más de veinte. Esa modesta cantidad se logró a través de mensajes de texto, correos electrónicos, invitaciones de FB y llamadas por teléfono. Se logró saltando sobre el obstinado silencio institucional que no puede —¿por naturaleza o falta de deseos?— reconocer que las sexualidades no son monopolio del Estado, sino tema que corresponde a la sociedad toda (…) La cosa perturbadora está en quienes sabían y no fueron.

author: Elaine Díaz


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Egypt: Protest Sends Message Against Sexual Harassment · Global Voices
Ahmed Awadalla

In Egypt, sexual harassment is a serious problem, and one which more and more Egyptians are speaking out against. A protest was held in Cairo's Nasr City on July 4 by young Egyptians, both male and female, in order to send a message against harassment.
Since the revolution took place, Egyptians both online and offline have been standing up against sexual harassment and gender-based violence. In June a march against sexual harassment was attacked. Nevertheless, initiatives to combat harassment continue.
The aim of the July 4 protest was to take a stand against sexual harassment and to demand safe streets for all. Maged Tawfiles was there and took the following photos (all images reproduced with permission):
“My freedom is my dignity”
“An Egyptian woman has the right to walk freely”
“I don't want to hate being a girl”
“I wish you would stop looking at my body”
“I want to ride a bike without being harassed”
“I don't harass so that my sister won't be harassed”
“Control yourself, not my clothes”
“The street is not yours, my freedom is not yours”

author: Ahmed Awadalla


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Israel: Defense Budget Vs. Social Justice  · Global Voices
Elizabeth Tsurkov

This post is part of our International Relations & Security coverage.
One of the major results of the social justice protests in Israel in the last year has been a renewed debate about the budgetary priorities of the state. The social justice movement (also known as #j14) demanded a more equal distribution of wealth in Israel, including funneling a greater share of the budget to welfare services for the population such as subsidizes housing, free education, and better medical services, at the expense of current budgetary priorities – namely, the defense budget which always keeps rising.
Blogger Tomer Israeli [he] explained the logic shared by many #j14 protesters:
Blogger Ziv Turner [he] blasted the current Israeli government for managing to simultaneously collect heavy taxes from the population that struggles to make ends meet, while increasing the deficit and not providing the population with adequate services. He writes:
Cartoon of The Defense Budget by Amitai Sandy. Used with permission. Text from right-to-left: A-You, B-Me, C-the next war.
Writing in the blog +972 Magazine, Timna Axel discussed the influence of the defense budget and the occupation of the Palestinian territories on social inequality in Israel:
And then there is the slashing of social expenditures in the budget, which during the second Intifadah totaled NIS 65 billion, while the defense budget increased by NIS 15 billion. Cuts to child allowances and unemployment pay have caused a consistent rise in the poverty rate, and government income transfers designed to combat it make an even smaller dent in poverty now than they did in the 1980s. The report quotes economist Momi Dahan, who writes that “an in-depth analysis of the factors causing Israel to have more poor than any other developed country cannot overlook the fact that Israel spends seven percent of its GDP on defense, compared with 1.5 percent on average in the other developed countries.”
Blogger Yuval Ron [he] on the other hand, saw the settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as a way to decrease the defense budget, writing:

author: Elizabeth Tsurkov


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Jamaica: Pardon Garvey  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Geoffrey Philp is a member of the diaspora agitating for the exoneration of Jamaican national hero, Marcus Garvey.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Koumintang Army in Thailand · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Ian Manley interviews a veteran of Kuomintang’s 93rd Division which left China in 1950 to settle in Burma and then finally in Thailand. The interview sheds light to the history of China's ‘forgotten army’ which continued to fight in other countries for several decades.

author: Mong Palatino


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Mali: Worldwide Inactivity Over Destruction of Timbuktu Shrines · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

June 30, 2012, will go down in history as one of the most devastating dates for Mali and for its cultural heritage. In reaction to UNESCO placing Timbuktu on the List of World Heritage in Danger, the Islamists of Ansar Dine (one of the armed groups controlling northern Mali) set about demolishing the shrines of Muslim saints in the city of Timbuktu.
On June 30, saharamedias.net wrote [fr]:
Les combattants du mouvement ont détruit des mausolées construits comme étant les tombeaux de savants et saints jouissant d’une grande estime au sein des populations de la ville historique, avec comme objectif d’ôter toute trace permettant de déterminer l’emplacement de ces lieux.
A correspondent for saharamedias.net who witnessed the attacks [fr], reported on the fanaticism surrounding this sacrilege:
Les démolitions avaient un caractère particulier. Un homme qui remercie Dieu après avoir détruit un tombeau plus protubérant que les autres ; un autre qui loue Allah de leur avoir accordé toutes ses victoires et de leur avoir permis d’appliquer Sa Loi sur terre’ ; Un troisième qui savoure la victoire et souhaite qu’il en soit ainsi dans tous les pays du monde musulman.
Even if the destruction of the tomb of Saint Sidi Mahmoud Ben Amar, which took place on May 4, is what is occupying much of the conversation, there is no doubt as to the fate of the 15 other sites. Indeed, according to Sanda Ould Boumama (spokesperson for Ansar Dine in Timbuktu) in a post [fr] on senego.com:
Ansar Edine va détruire aujourd’hui tous les mausolée de la ville. Tous les mausolées sans exception
Maghreb Emergent tries to find an explanation [fr] for the Islamists’ furious attacks against sites representing the collective memory of the people of Mali and their contributions to the world’s cultural heritage:
Outre les mosquées, le site classé compte 16 cimetières et mausolées qui étaient des composantes essentielles du système religieux dans la mesure où, selon la croyance populaire, ils étaient le rempart qui protégeait la ville de tous les dangers
‘Centre de recherches historiques ahmed baba’ (CEDRHAB) is a research center that aims to protect Timbuktu's historic sites. By upyernoz on FlikR. License CC-BY
There were many reactions on the blogosphere.
On the portal of French daily newspaper, lemonde.fr, various contributors commented on the story including Michèle Faudrin, who opined in an article [fr]:
Les islamistes ont détruit plusieurs monuments…autodafé ! Entre eux et nous un fossé ; Ils sont intolérants, nous nous efforçons d'être tolérants. Ils ne tolèrent pas notre tolérance, nous ne tolérons pas leur intolérance.
Commenting on an article published on tempsreel.nouvelobs.com, nouen marie-claude expressed her fears [fr]:
Quelle tristesse ! On ne peut plus trouver de mots pour qualifier un tel délire ! ……Ils sont déjà en Afghanistan , en Syrie , un peu partout en Afrique ….ils me font penser aux nazis qui ont commencé ..par brûler des livres …….L'Europe a un incendie en face de ses côtes méditerranéennes….allumé par des inquisiteurs au 21 ème siècle ….Horrifiée et inquiète !
Reacting to the same article, Kangoo Durant wrote [fr]:
ils se dissent agir au nom de DIEU, ils ont vu DIEU ces malades???? Faudrait leur dire que DIEU bâti, il ne démolit pas des lieux saints lui étant destinés. Mais avant toute chose, ce sont des lieux de l'histoire humaine, avec des âmes!
Ahmed Mouhlay thinks [fr]:
A ce niveau, on quitte le domaine de la croyance/religion pour entrer dans celui de la psychiatrie. Une opération “de force” contre ces gens-là ne serait pas une guerre, mais une thérapie.
Marc Esnoult believes [fr]:
Nouvel Afghanistan, mais plus près. Nous ne comprenons pas bien cette histoire de saints musulmans rejetés par les islamistes extrémistes; peut-être représentation interdite par la charia; c'était plus net en Afghanistan quand les statues préislamiques ont été détruites par les talibans. Il serait étonnant qu'il n'y ait pas là-bas des camps d'entrainement type Al qaida.
On Twitter, @Toshikoshi commenting on a post published by slateafrique.com thinks [fr]:
@Toshikoshi: Un véritable génocide culturel s'est opéré à #Tombouctou -http://goo.gl/XKRzX
Twitter user  @hdstanton1 concludes:
@hdstanton1: Tombouctou Au delà de la destruction des mausolées, les islamistes veulent montrer qu'ils détruiront toute civilisat° étrangère à leur dogme.”
C'est d'autant plus révoltant que le gouvernement malien ne peut rien pour lutter efficacement contre ces intrus, sachant que la seule solution pour les éradiquer est une lutte armée sans merci. On ne négocie pas avec avec des terroristes on les élimine physiquement purement et simplement. Vivement une intervention musclée pour que ces régions redeviennent libres.
Temoust.org, thinks [fr]:
Pour tout cela, la situation désastreuse que vit Tombouctou n’est pas qu’une affaire interne au Mali. Elle intéresse l’humanité entière car cette fois, il ne s’agit pas de chasser un dictateur, mais bien d’effacer la trace d’une humanité entière, sa mémoire, ses rites, ses traditions, ses langues et, bien sûr, l’enjeu, la mort d’une des villes dont les mausolées et les demeures d’hommes et de femmes s’ouvrent sur le désert.
While Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO, expresses  her distress and dismay, the Islamists continue their attacks and force people to submit to Sharia [Islamic law], all the while being reinforced by the arrival of new troops. The site malikounda.com reported [fr] the arrival in Timbuktu of about 30 Algerian jihadists on June 29.
The first crimes provoked a violent reaction [fr] with protests in the streets and clashes with the terrorists. This time, unfortunately, people living in terror and reduced to silence may not find leaders who will drive them to new protests.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Moldova vs. Moldova: Who is the Winner? · Global Voices
Diana Lungu

On June 28, 1940, Moldova was overrun by the Soviet troops, after it had been given up by Romania. The Soviet Union quickly added it to its territory. What followed were many years of repression under the Soviet Empire. Although undeniable, this fact is still often disputed today: was it liberation or occupation?
Nowadays, June 28 still sparks controversies in the society, with protests and controversial declarations re-occurring every year around the sensitive historical dates. This year was no exception. Protests from both sides took place in Moldova’s capital, Chișinău.
One group, comprised of several political parties and NGOs, gathered in front of the Russian Embassy, to protest against 72 years of the Soviet occupation and demanding the withdrawal of the Russian army from the territory of the Republic of Moldova. The signs they carried, among other things, read, “200 years of occupation – enough” and “We ask for the liquidation of the consequences of the Hitler-Stalin Pact.” The crowd also chanted, “Out, out with the Russian army!” and “Romania, unification!”.
On the opposite side, representatives of the League of Russian Youth and the political movement “Patriots of Moldova” were quoted by the local media as “celebrating 72 years of liberation from the yoke of the royal Romanian occupants.”
In Romania's capital, București, hundreds of people kneeled to commemorate June 28, 1940. Photo by www.basarabia91.net, used with permission.
The street war of declarations was taken to the blogosphere as well.
Valeriu Munteanu wrote [ro]:
Unfortunately, through KGB methods, the occupants managed throughout the years to mutilate the souls and the thinking of thousands of Moldovans, managed to teach them to aversely fight against their own co-nationals and to say loudly: “We were not occupied in 1940, but freed, we thank the Soviet tank and the freight that took our grandparents to Siberia”.
He concluded [ro]:
The occupants, greedy for foreign land, do not let us breathe freely, do not allow us, not even after 70 years after the 1940 occupation, to live the life the way we want to.
On the opposite side, Nicolae Pascaru asked [ro]:
Did the Russians invade us or did the Romanians betray us?
He answered his own question by saying that the Romanians were traitors and they remain traitors.
Blogger Radu Marian is tired of these discussions in the blogosphere. He mentioned [ro] the case of www.vox.publika.md, a platform for commentaries, blogs and opinions, where, according to him, 80 percent of the content was “focused on a discussion without any sense, between two camps of clowns,” where one side believes that “Moldova is the great nation of the humankind” and the other one “is endlessly blabbering utopias about the great Unification between Moldova and Romania.”
Andrian Buligari, on the other hand, commenting on articles about ethnic divisions, wrote [ro]:
Citizens of [the Republic of Moldova] need to be educated, they need to be educated less in extremist, nationalist, Romanophobe or Russophobe directions, on the contrary, they need to be educated in the spirit of patriotism, tolerance, common sense and mutual respect.
Irina Burac brought into attention [ro] the fact that the victims of political repressions in Moldova were confronted with problems even in their own country:
Even in their native country, the victims of political repressions are deprived of compassion, understanding and recognition of their suffering.
According to her, “the special Law on rehabilitation of politically repressed victims, nr.1225 from 08.12.1992, contains a number of contradictory dispositions, which complicate even further the situation of the victims of political repressions”.
Max Ciudin shared the same concerns and mentioned that “the war started by [the Soviets] in today’s territory of the Republic of Moldova on June 28, 1940, is not over yet”:
No matter how cowardly the people who are ruling the country today would be, ignoring own history, the history seen not necessarily from the perspective of the entire Romanian nation, but from the perspective of the piece of the Moldovan land that they disrespect, denying it its suffering brought by the Russian occupiers, this only gives them “the rulers” and the entire state a note of illegitimacy.
The author believes this illegitimacy will continue to mark Moldova's existence for a long time.

author: Diana Lungu


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Philippine Flood Hazard Map · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Philippine Flood Hazard Map identifies the flooded areas in different parts of the Philippines.


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Philippines: ‘Save Bondoc Peninsula’ Campaign · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Human rights advocates and various people’s organizations are using the internet to expose massive rights violation in Bondoc Peninsula, Quezon in northern Philippines. In particular, they are demanding the immediate removal of military troops in the province.
Gathered together under the Save Bondoc Peninsula Movement, various groups conducted a Peace Caravan and Mercy Mission in the Bondoc Peninsula from June 25 to July 2 to document human rights abuses and to give relief operations, medical and psychosocial assistance, among others.
The Save Bondoc Peninsula Movement has put up the blog savebondocpeninsula.wordpress.com and also maintains online presence in social network site Facebook to disseminate updates about these efforts.
Starting March of this year, intense military operations have been conducted by government forces in Bondoc Peninsula where eight battalions (roughly 4,000 troops) of the Philippine Army are deployed in little more than twenty two towns.
The poster reads: Oust the Fascist Military in Quezon Province. Stop human rights violations.
Human rights advocates have observed that such heavy concentration of troops “is unheard of in the province even during the dark years of Martial Law” under the Marcos military dictatorship.
According to activists, Bondoc Peninsula immediately became the site of a string of enforced disappearances, intimidation, harassment and illegal detention of civilians, indiscriminate bombings and strafing of civilian communities, traumatization of children.
One of the more curious cases involves the case of youth activist Franklin Barrera, Jr. who was abducted and tortured by alleged military agents on June 7. He escaped a day later and was able to recount his ordeals to human rights alliance Karapatan.
But Barrera was abducted again on June 10 only to be surfaced and was presented to the mass media by the military’s 85th Infrantry Battalion. Barrera recanted his previous revelations and instead claimed that he himself and his fellow activists are all communist rebels. This is a video of his statement before his second abduction:
The week-long caravan and mercy mission itself became a target of military harassment. According to the organizers, army check points and nail spikes strewn on the road delayed the caravan’s convoy while the residents of Bondoc Peninsula were warned by military men against joining the mission.
Human rights groups said that like previous counterinsurgency plans, the Noynoy Aquino administration’s Oplan Bayanihan still make no distinctions between civilian dissenters and armed rebels. Instead of ensuring peace and development, military units illegally deployed in civilian communities commit various abuses.
According to the Save Bondoc Peninsula Movement, the intense militarization of the province can be attributed to the area’s being rich in mineral resources and its being Quezon’s agricultural center.
Thousands of hectares of land are hideously concentrated in the hands of a few landlords most especially in the towns of San Francisco, San Andres, San Narciso and Mulanay, leaving most land tillers landless and at the mercy of prominent land owners.
The towns Tagkawayan, Buenavista and San Andres on the other hand have very rich deposits of gold and other minerals.
Projects of both public and private sectors are focused in South Quezon and Bondoc Peninsula.  Some of these are bio-diesel plant in the town of Gumaca, Mirant powerplant  Extension in Pagbilao,  Ogdel Bechtel Coal Fire Thermal Powerplant Extension in Atimonan, and the construction of a big dam in Macalelon.
Massive military presence is said to be a measure aimed at quelling peasant unrest against landlord and big business interests in the area.
The military has denied that it's violating human rights in the province. It said that its presence in rural communities is important to preserve peace and order and to prevent rebels from spreading violence and committing crimes. The Philippines is facing one of the longest communist insurgencies in the world.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Portugal: Citizens Audit of Public Debt Still Without Answers · Global Voices
Júlio do Carmo Gomes

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis
Ever since Portugal's previous government and the troika (EU, ECB and IMF) signed the “memorandum of understanding,” in May 2011, the country social problems have intensified: rights of workers have been withdrawn, wages have decreased and budget cuts to social assistance or public health programs have  essentially defaced the welfare state.
The austerity measures defined in the agreement and put in to practice by the current government – a coalition between right wing liberals and conservatives – not only leaves deep scars of social regression but also leaves people unable to shake off the economic crisis. The recession of the Portuguese economy (a decline of 3.3% is expected this year, a figure that only Greece in the European economic space shares), or the rampant unemployment of the last few months (official numbers from March show that the unemployment rate has surpassed 15%, reaching 35% in youth), are facts which discredit the solutions recommended by the drastic austerity measures that plague European countries.
Until debt tear us apart. Urban art by maismenos.net in Lisbon. Photo by Miguel Manso (used with permission)
In response to the IMF “bailout,” the central issue that has been raised by those critical of neoliberal policies, is public debt: its contestation, legitimacy and legality. Moreover, questions have been raised on the political and social implications of allocating the responsibility of paying a debt which resulted from the decisions of the governing elite and their financial interests to all citizens.
The “large nebula” of the audit
In the summer of 2011, a group started preparing a citizen audit for the Portuguese public debt. The Iniciativa por uma Auditoria Cidadã (IAC, Initiative for a Citizen Audit) [pt] brought together economists, former journalists, unionists, politicians and left wing researchers, and was propelled by M12M (March 12 Movement) [pt], an activist platform born out of the mobilization for the protest of the Scraping-by Generation. IAC was publicly launched on November 15, with the task of independently evaluating  public accounts – the kind of campaign that has been spreading all around Europe.
Poster from the Iniciativa por Uma Auditoria Cidadã à Dívida Pública shared on Facebook (public domain)
However, the technical issues that the public debt as well as the “bailout” itself raise, may lead the common citizen under a “large nebula,” quoting the expression used by someone who intervened in a public session of IAC in June, 2012, in Coimbra. Luís Fernandes from the blog Questões Nacionais (National Issues) reported [pt] on the session, highlighting a question raised by one participant who addressed the panelists: “Do you have numbers?” The answer came from the researcher and economist José Castro Caldas:
Sabemos que, pelos dados disponíveis, a dívida andará pelos 200 mil milhões. Ou seja, cerca de 110 por cento do PIB. Depois existe a dívida privada. Esta, foram os bancos que a contraíram. Os países da UE fizeram um pacto de sangue para que nenhum banco vá à falência. Em Portugal, tivemos de assumir a dívida de um pequeno banco [BPN, Banco Português de Negócios, nacionalizado em Novembro de 2008 e vendido ao BIC em Julho de 2011]; outro [BCP, Banco Comercial Português], como era demasiado grande, não deixaram.
Going against the temptation of falling into the technical perspective that makes one lose sight of the eminently political matter of the debt, the “bailout” and the mass imposition of an European program of austerity in the long term, Rui Viana Pereira from the blog CADPP calls attention to the real issues while criticizing IAC itself:
Os documentos de trabalho e as intervenções nas reuniões revelaram objectivamente que as pessoas mais influentes no estabelecimento duma linha de pensamento e acção não tinham (e creio que ainda hoje continuam a não ter) uma noção aproximada do que seja uma auditoria cidadã, confundindo-a com um processo de auditoria técnica, contabilística, economicista, levada a cabo por técnicos, apenas diferindo duma empresa de auditoria técnica pelo facto de não serem principescamente pagos e não terem um cartão de livre acesso aos documentos do Estado.
According to the blogger and former member of IAC, the initiative is oriented by the goal of seeking to restructure the debt, while refusing to either totally or partially suspend it. However, this thesis was unequivocally stressed by Éric Toussaint [pt], president of the Committee for the Nullification of the Third World Debt. To get out of the debt, “it is necessary to ‘break with the troika’ and make it ‘renegotiate the debt.'” Although the Belgian political scientist and university professor had participated in the preparatory works of the IAC, it was found that this course of action did not work.
Graffiti in a street of Lisbon “Escape from the system” – the caption reads “Man looking for money for the ticket”. Photo by Trois Têtes (TT) on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
A more sustained critical vision [pt] about the auditing process has been developed by the economist Vítor Lima, on the blog Grazia Tanta [pt]. Comparing the cases of Ecuador [pt], Iceland and Greece, he argues:
sem um movimento social que alicerce a recusa do pagamento da dívida como base para a sua contestação em termos técnicos, das partes válidas e das vigarices, qualquer auditoria será feita nos termos e com as conclusões que o corrupto poder político em Portugal entender.
The pessimism of several bloggers [pt] concerning the methods adopted for the citizen audit harden the problem of how to deal with a collectivized public debt whose consequences reach more recently the middle class, but especially the underprivileged classes.
Meanwhile at the end of March, the Ministry of Finance announced that the consulting firm Ernst & Young had been chosen to audit the public-private partnerships (PPP) foreseen by the financial assistance program signed with the troika. In May, IAC asked the Attorney General's Office to cancel [pt] the contract with the company, considering that there is a “flagrant conflict of interests”, as records show that Ernst & Young provides services to companies which are involved in several PPP to be audited.
Although the audit is just staring, Rui Viana's statement on Cadpp seems to be set in stone [pt]:
Continua a ser um mistério absoluto para as pessoas interessadas na questão, para a comunicação social e para a sociedade em geral, e até para a generalidade dos participantes e subscritores da iniciativa, o que estará a passar-se dentro da comissão de auditoria cidadã, o que estará ela a fazer à porta fechada, ou mesmo se alguma coisa se passará; ou se terá sido morta e enterrada sem declaração pública de óbito.
This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis

author: Júlio do Carmo Gomes


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South Korea: President’s Brother Questioned in Corruption Probe · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Following bribery allegations, the South Korean President's brother Lee Sang-deuk was questioned by authorities in a bank graft probe. Almost immediately, South Koreans took their speculation online, with some strongly suggesting that the President himself could be deeply involved in the corruption cases, alluding that his brother might be a scapegoat in a wider scandal.
On 3 July, 2012, the South Korean Prosecutor's Office summoned Lee Sang-deuk, the elder brother of current President Lee Myung-bak, to investigate allegations that Lee received about 700 million Korean Won (USD 605,800) in kickbacks from two bankers to help their troubled banks stay afloat and to use his political influence to curb any investigations into their entities.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak waving at his inauguration. Image by Flickr user hojusaram, (CC BY SA 2.0)
Many questioned where the chain of corruption conveniently ends: at Lee himself, who already faces several charges against him, including receiving illegal political funds from major corporations since his bother's inauguration. As soon as the news broke, many net users started calling him the ‘Tail,’ playing off the the fact that a lizard can cut its own tail to escape, when in danger or under threat, but the lizard itself remains intact, ready to grow a new tail. [note: South Koreans often use the word ‘the Body’ to describe the powers that actual control things behind the scene, as opposed to the ‘Tail’ which can be abandoned and sacrificed to protect the main body.]
Twitter user @pjmin1220 wrote [ko]:
이상득 검찰출두. 꼬리자르기 시작 되었다. 뭘 하더라도 국민은 알고 있다 그대들의 꼼수를.
@jazzsonp piled on [ko] by tweeting:
비리가 발각되면, 바로 꼬리자르고, ‘전비서관’ , ‘전의원’, ‘전당원’ 이라고 호칭하는 새누리당/청와대에서, 이상득 ‘전의원'을 이명박의 ‘전형’ 이라고 습관적으로 부를 수도.
Lee further set off a firestorm of rage with his denial and unrepentant attitude. @sidagaso mocked [ko] Lee Sang-Deuk's remarks on the bribe:
이상득 “부정한 돈은 받지 않았다.” 돈은 원래 깨끗한 거야 돈이 무슨 죄가 있어 너같은 넘이 받으니까 부정해지는 거야
@duo280 tweeted [ko]:
안 들키면 무조건 부인, 들키면 그냥 주는 돈만 받았다(대가성 없다)고 오리발[…]
@gnedrop added sarcastically [ko]:
이명박씨의 형 이상득씨는 저축은행으로부터 몇억을 “댓가없이” 받았답니다. 언제부터 저축은행이 노인복지 사업을 겸했나요? 대단해요. 몇 억씩 뿌리고. 이런 복지국가라면 정말 빨리 노인이 되고 싶네요.
Twitter user @hyimang lashed out[ko] at the Lee family's immorality:
이상득과 그의 패밀리들은 안하무인의 독선과,후안무치의 파렴치와,혹세무민의 착취와,견강부회의 위선을 극명하게 보여준다.우리들이 버려야 할 악덕들을 패키지로 보유하고 있다.”그게 어때서?”로 요약되는 그들의 태생적 도덕 불감증은 치유불능이다.
Many suspected Lee Sang-deuk's allegations would be directly linked to his brother, the President, and went further suggesting that Lee is just a political scapegoat to cover up bigger allegations. @kjoseph_jun called out [ko] for wider investigation:
이상득 수사는 이상득 개인으로 그칠 일이 아니라, 이명박 정권의 비리 부패 부정 전반에 대한 심판으로 이어져야 한다. 권력을 잡은 것이 아니라 이권을 잡은 자들에 대한 철저한 응징이 요구된다.
On South Korea's biggest political forum, Daum Agora, a web page [ko] was launched to start a discussion about this allegation, where  net user ROKA wrote:
오래전 아고라에 어떤분이 올린 글이 생각나내 임기내에 형이 다 뒤집어쓰고 들어갈거라고… 점쟁이도 아니고 참 대단해.
Net users also urged the Prosecutor's Office to delve deeper and more thoroughly. Another net user ANDY wrote on the same page:
땅에 떨어진 검찰 위상 이번 기회에 조금이라도 만회하길 바랍니다. 또 어떤 궤변이 나올지 궁금하기도 하지만…
Twitter user @21gree raised suspicions [ko] with some evidence:
이상득이 저축은행 회장들에게 돈받은 시점이 2007년 대선 때이고 중간소개자들도 캠프 핵심인물이었던 정두언과 김덕룡이라는데도 검찰은 ‘현금 사용처를 밝히기 어렵다'며 MB 대선자금 수사는 피한다고 한다. 하기야 검숭이[검사들]에게 뭘 기대하랴.


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Trinidad & Tobago: On the Exam Results Leak · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Eternal Pantomime blogs about the leak of the Secondary Entrance Assessment examination results here and here.


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Trinidad & Tobago: The Art of Cooking  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Dawtah connects the dots for young Caribbean girls between cooking and independence.


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Africans in China about China in Africa · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Tom from Seeing Red in China has two interesting posts about the perception of Africans in China on China's presence in Africa. The second post is a follow-up discussion by his friends from Zambia, Zimbabwe and Ghana.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Cement Cones to Drive Away Homeless People · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

China Hush translates a local investigative report about the design of cement cones under the highway bridges in Guangzhou. It is obvious that the purpose of the cones is to drive away homeless people, yet no government department has admitted the responsibility so far.


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China: Happy Birthday Secretary Bo · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Former Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai had been forced to step down early this year as a result of the fled of city police chief Wang Lijun into the U.S consulate. In early July, his followers expressed their support by writing anonymously birthday greeting around the city. (via China Digital Times)


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Greece: Attack on Athens Microsoft Headquarters · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

On June 27, 2012, arsonists attacked Microsoft's headquarters in Athens, Greece. On Athens Indymedia, a group took responsibility [el] for the attack as an “act of war against suspicious silence and general captivity”. Greek-American startup entrepreneur Eric Thanopoulos-Parks reacted [el] on Facebook: “In its offices, Microsoft incubates Greek startup companies, unsupported at this moment. […] We were holding our meetings there, sharing experiences, trying to have a progress and make things better. For the stupid ones: Congratulations, probably you made Greece poorer”.

author: Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni


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Guatemala: Wave of Attacks Against Female Activists · Global Voices
Renata Avila

The intensity of violence against female activists is on the rise in Guatemala. Lolita Chavez, member of the K’iche’ People’s Council, was attacked by armed men who attempted to lynch her as she was returning home after a peaceful protest against abusive extractive practices and projects affecting the environment. Photojournalist James Rodriguez from Mimundo.org explains:
During the morning of the 4th, roughly 400 residents of Quiché, along with members of the CPK, carried out a peaceful protest denouncing local mayor Estuardo Castro’s continuous arrogance and his lack of respect for the people’s refusal to sell their lands to transnational corporations, as proved during the 2010 community consultation.
As the protesters passed the community of Xetinap Quinto, a group of men armed with machetes, sticks and knives intercepted members of the CPK and proceeded to chase and beat several of them. These armed men were particularly interested in recognized leader Lolita Chávez, as they called out her name, chased her, and did manage to injure her, but not seriously. Lolita received cuts and bruises but managed to escape. Nevertheless, three other women were hospitalized due to injuries.
Lolita Chavez by James Rodriguez from MiMundo.org, used with permission
Two weeks ago, in an area close to Guatemala City, Yolanda Oquelí Veliz, a human rights lawyer and leader of a movement against the expansion of mining activities, was also attacked when returning from a pacific protest. The blog FrontlineDefenders reports:
Yolanda is a woman human rights defender in San Jose de Gulfo who is a community leader resisting the Exmigua mine. From everything we've heard, from all sides, mining of minerals such as gold and silver, sand and alloys is a huge issue in Guatemala. Generally the community affected is not consulted. No objective information or public process of consultation takes place to allay fears about damage to the environment; whether the rivers will be polluted; whether the forests will be felled and thus their water supply compromised; and also, what will happen after the mining licence expires and the environment needs to be repaired and rebuilt.
Yolanda Veliz, by James Rodriguez from MiMundo.org, used with permission.
They add:
Yoly (as she wrote her name) has a history of intimidation because of her work. Her lawyer (pro bono) has lodged roughly 10 complaints through the legal process. She has been tear-gassed; graffiti had been written on her walls and threats against her and her children have been significant. Despite this, the Government to date has been mute.
Different networks issued Urgent Actions but the Government has not responded with the requested protection for the activists. Furthermore, civil society has been extremely quiet about the crimes.
Lolita Chavez, by James Rodriguez from MiMundo.org, used with permission.
The defenselessness of citizens directly affected by transnational energy and extractive companies is more visible than ever. However, the apathy shown by media and educated civil society in Guatemala is a sign of the normalization of violence. Traditional media, which labels most acts of dissent as “terrorism,” has given more coverage to arguments in favor of these foreign investments, ignoring the danger faced by activists and citizens who oppose them.
The growing number of attacked human rights defenders, both in urban and rural areas, has been met with silence, rather than adequate responses, from the authorities.

author: Renata Avila


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Pakistan: Women’s Rights Activist Killed · Global Voices
Kumail Ahmed

Fareeda Kokikhel Afridi, a prominent and tireless activist from Jamrud was shot dead in cold blood by armed gunmen. She was the head of a women's rights NGO, SAWERA (Society for Appraisal & Women Empowerment in Rural Areas)  that strives for the betterment of local women in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan.  According to local newspapers, Fareeda was shot dead just a kilometre away from her home. She was travelling to her office in Peshawar, while four gunmen killed her along the way. In all likelihood this killing was executed by Taliban who have killed another prominent Human rights activist Zarteef Afridi on 8th of December 2011.
source: http://sawerapk.org
Fareeda graduated from the Allama Iqbal Open University with a Master degree in gender issues. She with her sisiter, Noor Afridi, co-founded an organization with the goal of improving the female literacy rate and women empowerment.  SAWERA is a voluntary based, non-profit organization working for the accomplishment of these goals.
It was a radical move in a culture where women are often forced to live within the confines of their homes. In tribal and religious societies, women are not allowed to participate in the mainstream. Men force them to strictly wear the veil, which reduces human interaction.  As women are sidelined, education becomes a much sought dream that is never attained.
25-year-old Fareeda knew about these challenges when she founded SAWERA in 2004. She wasn't against tribal value; rather only wanted to raise the standard of living in her area.
The HRCP (Human Rights Commission of Pakistan) has strongly condemned this brutal act. HRCP commented:
“It is a matter of grave concern that the risks facing human rights defenders and those working to ameliorate the lot of marginalized segments remain very high across the country”.
The End Violence Against Women/Girl alliance in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA also condemned the murder.
Tribal NGOs Consortium also severely condemned her assassination. A press release issued by the organisation said:
“We the participants of civil society organizations in Peshawar strongly condemn this tragic death and vow to raise our voice against this tyranny and brutality at the hands of anti state elements who have been given free hand to kill people of civil society.”
Netizens have also condemned this incident. Although the issue has not been highlighted on twitter, comments on news articles and other social media sources reveal  reactions to this horrendous act.
Usman comments:
Along with her, a part of Pakistan’s soul also died.
Charnushah says:
It is so tragic. It seems that with the arrival of these beasts called Taliban we Pakhtuns have also forgot our glorious traditions of Pakhtoonwali as well. So sad
Shakeela khan writes:
Ms. Afridi was a ray of hope and an example of bravery and courage for all the women and especially of FATA. Her sudden and brutal killing is indeed a great loss for us and a discouragement for all those who worked for the development and empowerment of the marginalized people especially women.
Shaad Begum — a women's rights activist who recently received an international award for her work in the field of women's education and health — sees no hope in future. In an interview to VOA urdu [ur], she says:
“مجھے نہیں لگتا کہ اس طرح کی صورت حال میں اب فاٹا (وفاق کے زیرِ انتظام قبائلی علاقوں) کی کوئی لڑکی کام کرنے کے لیے تیار ہو گی۔”
The government needs to work for the protection of such inspirational women. As more human rights activists get killed, the militants are winning more space to preach their irrational ideology.  Hafeez comments:
“The only way to encourage such women/men working for upliftment of lives in dangerous areas is for the government to bestow some medal of honor and money to the family. Such workers are our assets.”
Fareed Afridi will always remain a shining example for all activists around the world her her daring stance. Here is to hoping that her work will be continued by others.

author: Kumail Ahmed


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Palestine: Documentary About Arafat’s Death Prompts Questions · Global Voices
Ola Anan

On 3 July, 2012 the news channel Al Jazeera broadcast a documentary that investigated the mysterious death of Palestinian president Yasser Arafat. He died in Paris on 11 November, 2004 and the documentary alleges that rather than dying of natural causes, Arafat was poisoned with polonium.
Both during and after the airing of the documentary, many Palestinian Twitter users tweeted their thoughts and reactions regarding the evidence presented in it. The majority were not surprised by the allegations that Arafat was poisoned, something that has long been claimed by many. However the allegation that polonium was used was a new detail.
Twitter user This Is Gaza tweeted:
Yasser Arafat at the World Economic Forum in Davos, January 2001. Image by Remy Steinegger (CC BY-SA 2.0).
And I commented:
Many Palestinians questioned why the documentary was being broadcast now, and resorted to conspiracy theories as an explanation. Twitter user Majd responded:
Yasser Arafat's mausoleum. Image by Mary-Katherine Ream (CC BY-NC 2.0).
Nour Abed did not hide her bad opinion of Al Jazeera and the media in general, but she did praise it for the documetary:
Diana Alzeer was looking forward to even more answers:
@ManaraRam: The next question I want an answer for is “Who killed Arafat?”
Ismaeil Mohaisen tweeted some accusations against the Palestinian Authority:

In a similar vein, Rami Khrais tweeted:
The documentary ended with Yasser Arafat's widow Suha Arafat requesting that the Palestinian Authority exhume her late husband’s body so the investigation could be continued. President Mahmoud Abbas made a statement saying that the Palestinian Authority “saw no reason” why the body should not be exhumed. We are now waiting to see what will happen next.

author: Ola Anan


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Few Surprises in East Timor Parliamentary Elections · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

65 seats. 18 parties. 647,814 voters.
These are some of the important numbers when East Timor conducted its parliamentary elections on July 7, 2012. This is the third election this year since the presidential race took place over two rounds on March 17 and April 16, 2012.
La'o Hamutuk provides the unofficial results of the elections and the number of seats that winning parties will receive:
According to preliminary complete results from STAE, here's how the 65 seats will be assigned in Timor-Leste's next Parliament, using a 3% Threshold and the D'Hondt method for seat allocation:
CNRT: 30
Fretilin: 25
Partido Democratico: 8
Frente-Mudanca: 2
If the final counting increases KHUNTO's vote by more than 200, they'll pass the threshold and get two seats, which will come from CNRT and Fretilin.
Timor-Leste's law says that parties getting less than 3% of the valid vote are not included in the seat allocation.
CNRT is the administration party while the main opposition is Fretilin. The Lost Boy reviews the results and their political implications:
Voter turnout was about 75% (74.78% to be exact based on above figures).
The parties Ramos-Horta campaigned for did worse in this election than the last one.
We're going to have five more years of a Gusmao-led coalition government, which means five years of big spending on infrastructure projects and suchlike.
The author also notes the lack of coverage from the international media
So there was an election in Timor-Leste today, not that you'd have noticed because it got very little attention in the international press.
This is the election that matters, the one that's going to define the next few years in Timor-Leste, but apparently three votes in the same year is enough to turn off most news outlets.
But despite a rather uninspiring effort by the international media, an election was held and people did vote.
Ballot boxes in East Timor. Photo from IRIglobal
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems monitored the presidential elections early this year and listed some of the irregularities which hopefully were already addressed prior to the parliamentary elections this weekend:
During the two rounds of presidential elections held in March and April 2012, irregularities arose. Some areas of the country experienced a shortage of ballot papers due to an underestimation of voter turnout. Additionally, poor weather spoiled some ballot papers and complicated logistical arrangements. There were also instances reported regarding the quality of indelible ink and voters using camera phones to photograph marked ballots.
Voters were also required to vote in the sucos (local areas) in which they registered, which led some voters to incur significant costs
East Timor and Indonesia Action Network worked with some international observers in monitoring the outcome of the elections
What are we expecting to see? What are we watching for? What are we hoping for?
Starting with the last question – we're hoping, above all, for “free, fair and transparent” – the watchwords of a democratic election process.
To observe how:
- Citizens rights to free and secure elections are guaranteed. The State has a duty to ensure elections run well.
– The entitlement to live in peace is safeguarded.
– The people or voters are free to exercise their rights.
Election observation is, above all, accompaniment. We watch. We take note. We report. We do not intervene. We hope that our presence will serve as a measure of protection (if it's needed) but, more importantly, as a quiet sign of solidarity.
The hashtags #eleisaun2012 and #timorelections were used to cover the elections. Here are some reactions:
@yatespj big stories out of #eleisaun2012 is demise of smaller parties – and also that PD didn't capitalise on this like CNRT & FRETILIN did.
@georgedarroch With Euro & #Eleisaun2012 campaigns over, it's going to be rather quiet. No more 6am fireworks, revving bikes, trucks of excited teens.
@ReesEdward confirm Xanana mixed with oil/gas money a more powerful political force than FRETILIN. Alkatiri's political career over?


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Hong Kong: New “Red” Elementary School Curriculum Flames Concern · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Under pressure from mainland China, Hong Kong's elementary schools have to start a new curriculum on “national education.” Recently revealed, its module on the “China model” is full of political propaganda, such as the claim that one party dictatorship is more effective than any other democratic political system.
The curriculum on national education is a government funded project contracted to the National Education Service Center under the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers [a pro-China teacher's Union] and the center has received more than HKD30 millions [equivalent to USD4 millions] over the past 4 years for curriculum development and related activities. The actual writing of the teaching manuals has been subcontracted to the Advanced Institute for Contemporary China Studies under the Hong Kong Baptist University.
The cover page of the teaching manual on China Model. Image by Apple Daily News. Permission for non-commercial use.
Outraged by the brainwashing nature of the curriculum, an online signature campaign has been launched to protest against the Baptist University. The protest statement says [zh]:
《中國模式國情專題教學手冊》內容偏頗，一面倒歌頌內地政制以及中國共產黨。我們認為，身為一所肩負香港學術發展責任的大學，應該客觀中立，並從正反兩面審視內地政治，而非濫用大學研究資金完成政治目的。
這書由政府部門資助編製，將來要用作教授中小學生，他們未必有足夠能力判斷本書內容，這本刊物的政治取態將非常關鍵，影響廣大學子對內地的批判思考。然而研究所卻運用「浸會大學」數十年來的學術誠信，編寫出如此偏頗的刊物，所長並公開表明拒絕收回刊物以及改變書內的析述角度，我們表示非常失望。
The content of “Pedagogy on China model” is very biased. It praises the political system in mainland China and the Chinese Communist Party. We believe that as a university that is responsible for our academic development, it should be more objective in presenting the pros and cons of the political system in China, rather than using a public research fund to accomplish its political mission.The set of curriculum is funded by the government for teaching our primary and secondary school children. They are too young to develop their judgement on the content. Its political stand would affect the critical thinking of our pupils toward mainland China. The project has made use of the Baptist University's academic credential [to establish its authority]. We are very disappointed that such biased curriculum has been published and that the head of the Institute has refused to correct the mistake and rewrite the content.
The Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ union [zh] also made a public statement against the brain-washing teaching methods, demanding[zh] the Education Bureau make a public announcement that the curriculum is not suitable for educational use. The union has a detailed analysis of the brainwashing nature of the content:
教學手冊中，以「進步、無私與團結的執政集團」去形容現時的中國政府，並認為其特性為：確保施政穩定、確保國土完整、提升國內各族人民及海外華人的向心力、保留中華民族傳統等(p.10)，並認為這是社會科學所言的理想型(ideal type) (p.11)。以上遣詞用字，充滿對現政權的阿諛，卻隱藏了連現政府也公開承認的制度問題（如官員監察不足）、貪污腐化問題、內部矛盾問題（如薄熙來事件）等。
另一方面，教材卻偏頗片面地抹黑美國的多黨制民主制度，以「政黨惡鬥，人民當災」作為標題(p.10)，指多黨政治帶來經濟損失，卻隻字不提人民普及參與政治的優點。如此扭曲事實，偏離主流觀點的論述，實屬可恥。
教材採用大量內地官方樣板式相片及描述作插圖，如胡錦濤考察農村的照片，以「反映中央領導人重視人民、以人為本的執政理念」為題；三峽移民則以樂團奏樂「歡送」庫區移民，並以「最終取得成功」作為結論；而汶川地震則以軍隊救災作為唯一的輔助照片等等，在在反映教材宣揚服膺強權管治，漠視大量弱勢群眾被忽略被壓迫的現實，如大量農民生活困苦、三峽移民補償被侵吞、汶川地震揭發的豆腐渣工程等等。
從手冊的參考書目可見(p.34)，19份參考資料中，有18份都是內地書目，當中完全沒有香港及海外學者的論著，反映教學手冊的取材及學理基礎非常偏頗及薄弱。然而手冊完全沒有列出作者或編輯人員名單，只指出由浸會大學當代中國研究中心編製，但綜觀參考書目全是內地資料，教材內的論調非常內地化，有理由相信教材是由內地人士編撰。在學生、教師及公眾廣泛關注國民教育會否被「染紅」之時，教育局必須向公眾澄清教材的真正編撰人的身份。
In the past few days, student activist group, Scholarism, has been following the new head of Education Bureau Eddie Ng Hak Kim [zh], to express their anger towards the national education's agenda. Below is a “wanted” poster of Eddie Ng created by Scholarism in Facebook [zh]:
Wanted: Eddie Ng. Image by Scholarism on their facebook page.
A comment under the poster says [zh]:
這就是香港的”反殖民”運動. 香港於十九、二十世紀多次出現反殖民運動, 包括1925-1926 的省港大罷工、大罷市、大罷貨、大罷課.
新殖民地宗主 PRC, 你現在明白到香港人是不會接受硬鎖方法了嗎？
請繼續用CEPA”挺港、送禮”的大話吧, 愚蠢的港人會比較 buy 這一套洗腦方法.


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Indonesia: Copyright Law Review · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Ario Tamat reviews Indonesia's revised Copyright Law which was passed in 2002.


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Indonesia: Lobby Power of Tobacco Firms · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Elizabeth Pisani writes about the lobby power of tobacco companies in Indonesia and the prospects of introducing legislation and programs that would curb smoking in the country


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Kenya: Call for Unity Amid Terror Attacks · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Only few days before the opening of GV2012 in Nairobi, Kenya experienced bloody blasts and kidnapping in Mombasa and in the town of Garissa. A blast hit a nightclub on 24 June killing 3 people, just a day after the US embassy warned Kenyan authorities of an imminent attack in the city. The crowd had gathered at the club to watch the Euro 2012 quarter-final between England and Italy.
Beegeagle quotes an eyewitness:
“I had just arrived and was having a drink as I waited for the football match to begin, then I heard an explosion, and another and another. I went down on my belly. Then I saw a car speed off and bodies lying all over,” said Muthoni.
On 1 July, in the Kenyan town of Garissa masked attackers killed 17 people and wounded 45 in a gun and grenades attacks on two churches. This town is being used by Kenyan army as a base for operations against al-Qaida-linked insurgents in Somalia.
In a post reproduced on Sahara Reporters, James Macharia noted
Although a majority of Kenyans are Christian, Garissa is more heavily Muslim. The town of around 150,000, a market centre for the trade in camels, donkeys, goats and cattle, is largely populated by ethnic Somalis.
The town of Garissa in North Eastern Province of Kenya. Photo released under Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) by  Wikipedia author Chking2.
Francis Njuguna wrote on CatholicPhilly:
The simultaneous attacks on Our Lady of Consolation Cathedral and the Protestant Africa Inland Church in the northern town of Garissa were the most recent in a series of incidents since Kenyan troops were sent into Somalia in October to crush al-Shabaab militants.
In another bloody attack at the Dabaab Refugee Camp, four foreign aid workers from Canada, Norway, the Philippines and Pakistan were seized and their Kenyan driver killed by suspected Al-Shabaab militants. Combined actions by Somali national army and Kenyan military them rescued after 3 days of captivity.
Protests and online reactions have been furious, condemning the attacks, calling for national unity online and organizing actions to counter future attacks. An article on the website nation.co.ke of the main Kenya newspaper generated many comments from netizens:
Ahmed Mohamed wrote:
This is a dark day for Kenya. These cowards want to create civil war; they have already destroyed their own country by this means. Let’s not allow them to insight hate between us. Muslims and Christians have been living side by side for centuries with harmony and we will live like this forever. Their coward act will not have effect to our nation.
For Michelline Ntara Kenya government should help refugee camps in Kenya:
…. However, its the high time Kenya evaluated her hospitality principles. The KDF have helped to restore peace in many areas inside Somalia. The refugee camps in Kenya Somalia border should now be closed and those people helped to go back to their country. Most probably, these attackers are performing their cowardly acts from those camps and then crawl back there afterwards. Even if our security forces try their best to get these criminals, its hard to fight an enemy within.
Triple A wrote:
Dear Nation,it's time we all start calling this attacks for what they are……Terrorist attacks. By calling them church attacks,it could mean just about anything while we all know that some radical elements linked to Alshabab is behind this. kenyans are paying a high price over years of ignorance…we all knew that there were radical elements in our country and we chose to stay silent…..but we can no longer continue with this ostrich strategy. The first step is for us to call this attacks for what they are Terrorist attacks
Another reader, Mohamed Abdi asked:
10.20 Am? that was broad daylight. Something is not adding up here, where was the security personnel, the Army, the Police, the Ap's? How can two or three gunmen do such act with impunity at 10.Am when Garissa has thousands of security personell? It was much easier to cordon the area and flash out those culprits. Once again the security personnel failed the innocent Kenyans who pay them their hard earned taxes. its really shame!
Mazzaroth Darkman wrote:
NSIS must tell Kenyans who is throwing grenades into churches and crusades, if it is a shadowy element of Kenya's politics we want to know – if it is Al shabab then Military Intelligence have to wake up, deploy undercover Agents in the same dark corners from Kismayu to Eastleigh and terminate with extreme prejudice…let us stop playing nice. This was never going to be a regular military campaign
A Muslim NGO offered to help secure churches:
Further more, it is even our duty as Muslims to guard and protect all innocent life, including those in Churches. We implore on brothers to spread our messages and encourage a resistance among us Muslims who will apprehend those who claim to be Muslims but are simply workers of the devil, and perpetrate these atrocities.
The information was reproduced by the bog My Joy Online, receiving a comment from John Mensah, who said :
Talk about peaceful co-existence. This should be a model for all. Even the intent is praise worthy.
However, the perpetrators of these acts of terror seem not to be paying much attention to these reactions:
Kenyan police has on Thursday reportedly arrested a man with two grenades as he tried to sneak into an Agricultural Show Ground in Nakuru, just moments before Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki arrived at the scene.
In the meantime, investigations are continuing and eighty-three people have been arrested in a massive security swoop launched after Sunday's twin attacks in Garissa churches.