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Bulgaria: Statehood in Crisis · Global Voices
Yavor Mihaylov

In early April, a crisis that had broken out as a result of the exposed corruption in the circles of the interior ministry, exacerbated even further. The public was outraged by the fact that the interior minister Rumen Petkov had meetings with the Galevi brothers, who are allegedly among the biggest mafia bosses in Bulgaria. Secret services’ records of conversations between alleged traffickers, in which minister Petkov is referred to under the nickname of the Match Lighter, emerged.
As minister Petkov was unwilling to resign, a blogger started a short story contest, asking contributors to describe a scenario that would end in the minister’s resignation. On April Fool’s Day, the most popular joke was that Rumen Petkov has indeed tendered his resignation. The teasing made people laugh and made them feel nervous, as they all were in tense expectation of what was going to happen. The Bulgarian blogosphere was full of photos and collages of parodies of the official.
Change your Match Lighter
* 166 is the phone number of the police
Pictures: http://ntpavlov.blogspot.com/ СС 2.5
An electronic petition for Petkov's resignation was also started (BUL). An anonymous blog – entitled “The best from Rumen Petkov” (BUL) and “devoted to his outrages” – appeared.
It turned out that Petkov was not the only Bulgarian cabinet minister to have met with the Galevi brothers, who were under police surveillance. Health minister Radoslav Gaydarski had also had such meetings. In this connection Delyan Delchev writes (BUL):
A cabinet minister, deputies and a president of state, along with a bunch of journalists, attorneys of prosecution and the former mayor of the town (of Dupnic) […] qualified the Galevis as the businessmen “operatively interesting” [to the secret services]. The whole scenario around them is very interesting, starting from their being part of the ministry of interior structure. The chief secretary of the Bulgarian interior ministry has fallen, the minister is in a precarious position, the EU's funding has been suspended, and there are calls for investigation into the abuses of the State Agency for National Security (because it is not under the jurisdiction of the same minister).
One would think that this should make their lives more difficult… but it looks like a PR campaign is underway, a campaign that makes them not only “operatively interesting,” but also a couple of Very Important People to the people and the state.
[…]
And today we were told that the health minister had met with these “operatively interesting” businessmen in the presence of a mayor who was elected in an interesting manner, to promise a privatization of the hospital in the style of the Union of Democratic Forces’ management-employee buyout companies (RMDs) (do you remember this ultra unsuccessful method of privatization without money, which led to no successful privatization deal, just a free retreat of the state from its own assets, resold by a small camarilla, close to power, at a big profit), only this time it will be called something different, as the name RMD has negative connotations, who knows why.
One day [president of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso] in person will meet them, negotiate and promise things to them, ‘cos, it seems, meeting the prime minister is a waste of time. These legitimate businessmen will then officially represent the state power.
The situation became even more intense when on April 5 president Georgi Parvanov defended minister Rumen Petkov before the media.
Radan Kanev writes in his blog, The Notes of the Reformist (BUL):
President Parvanov undertook a huge responsibility when he said:
“I know minister Petkov well and I know that he has the qualities, has the will power and he has shown, on the basis of the balance that the parliament will probably draw up, that he is able to carry out this reform [in the Ministry of the Interior].”
It is well known that Parvanov knows Rumen Petkov well. It is normal to know the chief of your election campaign. The opposite would be a surprise. It is customary to support the person who secured your election to the highest office in the state. It is understandable to take sides in an acute conflict between two wings in your own party. Especially if you are publicly known initially as a product, and then as a guarding angel, of one of the wings… And so, at least as it meets the eye, it is expected of the president to take a stand and take responsibility, regardless of how rarely he does that in principle.
And still, I doubt that Mr. Parvanov is aware of the meaning of his act. Living into his part of an untouchable political macho, he could not make a sound judgment in how crucial a moment he decided to take a side, or whose side he was taking.
For the first time for the past 20 years, the facts that were the holy of holies of the perestroika and the transition are publicly commented on:
The production and the traffic of drugs, the trade, the import and illegal traffic in excise goods were a business preserve of the Bulgarian state at least from the mid-80s (if not earlier). Whole departments in the secret services and the interior ministry used to devote their patriotic efforts to this illegal or semi-legal business, up to their ears in dirty contacts with mafias from all over the world. It is from these departments where the “moutri” of the transition come, this is where the origins of the “fat cats” in grey suits could be traced back to. It was a public secret that an enormous part of the “godfathers” of transition continued to work for the services into the “new” times, that they were recruited in order to preserve close links of subordination. […] Now everybody is talking out loud about the Galevis and Aleksey Petrov [a former member of SOBT, the Bulgarian special counterterrorism unit. After he left SOBT, Petrov was allegedly close to the mob. He was also the person who organized the meeting between the Galevis and the minister]. There is no difference.
Or briefly – for the first time it is openly said in the media that the dirty business of the secret services has never been privatized. It is in the “banned list” or precisely – the dirty business of the red mafia is “exclusive state property.” And the “exclusive state property is not for sale.” It is only lent on concessions. The titular holder remains the state through the interior ministry services, and the clauses are secret – a trade secret of the mafia. The concessionaires came and went (usually with their feet foreward), but the Contract was still in force, along with the secret of the trinity: state security–organized crime–ministry of the interior. A public secret, but still a secret.
Today the secret is gone. The ugly truth is before our eyes and it is so important that each public position measures up to it. One either supports the “operatively interesting” or is on the side of the operatively uninteresting. You either stand behind your sponsors or in front of the people who voted for you. You are either “a president of all Bulgarians” or “a president of the Galevi brothers.”
On April 7 Bulgaria was in shock as within less than 48 hours two murders were committed. The first victim was Borislav Georgiev, a director of AtomEnergoRemont, one of the major Bulgarian energy companies, and the other – Georgi Stoev, a former gangster, who, after retiring from the criminal groups, began writing books about the connections of the mafia to the power in Bulgaria. Suspicions arose that Stoev was murdered because he had information about Petkov’s connections with another alleged mafia boss – Mladen Mihalev-Madjo.
Delyan Delchev comments (BUL):
The murders have started.
It is interesting when “operatively interesting” businessmen begin meeting practically every member of the cabinet, the European Commission scolds us, and our guys look around startled, waiting to see if the whole thing will settle down within 3 days (10 days actually), and, naturally, the murders start, two within two days, and interesting at that. A person, involved in the energy dealings and a writer involved with the mob were shot down within a space of less than 24 hours. From the interior ministry and the cabinet there flew a comment, like an answer to a question, when the Bulgarian soldiers will be withdrawn from Iraq. One cannot help but think whether the two murders happen to be politically related. Somebody inciting them to destabilize the government. Or take advantage from the weakness of the government, in order to do it. Or just wipe out eyewitnesses and clear the way for new legitimate businessmen?
Ivan Bedrov adds (BUL):
“April 7, little before noon – the press center of the interior ministry announced a forthcoming media conference for the new identity documents. The last sentence informs briefly that minister Rumen Petkov will attend.”
April 7, a little after noon, the press center informs about the passports, but says nothing about the minister.
What could the reason be? The minister simply did not show up.
And what happened in the meanwhile? Nothing much. Just that Georgi Stoev, who has been writing for months stories about the crimes of Mladen Mihalev-Madjo, was shot in the head. And neither the ministry, nor the prosecution did anything.
There seems to be “heat” at the ministry, huh?
Veni G draws a parallel with the days of the murdered prime minister   Andrey Lukanov (BUL):
Georgi Stoev’s murder reminded me of something I would rather like to forget. Younger people don’t know and the older don’t remember, but at the end of 1995 I publicly attacked the bright personality of Andrey Lukanov. In an interview for Free Europe I said that this person blackmailed me with a record of service and threatened me with an assault. I also said that he was the father of the “moutri” mob groups, of the bat-wielders. The “Great.” The future champion for truth Koritarov [a renowned TV journalist] censured my interview (it was on tape) and attributed that to the fact that he had no arguments to support my claims. Georgi Stoev brought the connection between BSP and the (organised) crime to light. And he got shot. Guess who did that? It’s not difficult. After Stoev’s disclosures about Gen. Lyuben Gocev, the latter said between his teeth “let him take his disclosures in the grave.” Well, the general’s order was obeyed. And me, generals, what do you plan for me?” [Gocev is a retired Secret Service general, who is, according to the murdered Stoev, the “eminence grise” of the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party and its connection with the mafia. Gocev was a minister of foreign affairs in the 1990s.]
The scandal spilled beyond the Bulgarian boundaries and attracted the attention of the European media.
In this connection Realpolitik writes (BUL):
To support our statements that Rumen Petkov is dangerous to the national security, in the foreign media and then in the Bulgarian ones, there appeared the information that, according to data from DANS (the National Security Agency), substantial profit has been made from (illegal) drug trafficking, and part of the money has been used to finance Hizbullah, Islamic Jihad and the Christian militias. The biggest quantity of illegal drugs has been exported via the border checkpoints Kapitan Andreevo, Lesovo and Kalotina. The illegal business revenues have been laundered through a chain of bureaux de change at home or international money transfer offices. The sharp drop in the number of arrests, related to the production of synthetic drugs, has been attributed in the report to a leak in the interior ministry.
However, despite popular pressure, minister Petkov was still unwilling to resign. He declared that he would sue the media and the German investigative journalist Juergen Roth for libel. On April 6, the parliamentary internal order and security commission approved its report on the case, in which it notes that the meetings of Rumen Petkov with the Galevis were illegal, but did not recommend a replacement of the minister. And at the meeting of the ruling coalition (between BSP  , MRF  and NMSP ) it was decided that there would be no reshuffles in the interior ministry. Petkov himself said that he would resign, only not under “media pressure” but when decided. The people could not believe it and were in dismay at what was happening.
Radan Kanev writes (BUL):
The tripartite coalition was prone in front of Petkov, thus taking full responsibility for his outrageous actions. The question is WHY? And the answer is simple […] – because Rumen Petkov is an election campaigner and a treasurer to the BSP and president […] Parvanov. Because the head of state – a champion and father of the coalition – has already taken the responsibility for the actions of his associate.
In his blog, Konstantin Pavlov comments on the information published in the media (BUL):
“He [Rumen Petkov] did not do operative doings with the Galevis. He was rather accosting them in connection to forthcoming elections. There is no other reason that could make him meet (them), because he is not a fool. He knows that such a meeting could never remain secret.”
This can be read in an article in the Vseki Den publication. In fact, it looks like it was all about the commonplace vote-buying :). Relax, everybody, he wasn’t selling drugs in a kindergarten, right?  And why this modesty – “for elections.” Let him tell which elections we are talking about here. Could not these be the elections for a “social welfare president” (Parvanov’s campaign slogan).
In protest, many bloggers placed a red dot on their blogs, symbolizing a red traffic light to the developments in the country.
The protest slogan: “Red light for the mafia in the country”
Thanks to the bloggers’ efforts, the public was informed about the protest on April 11, organized by Civil Initiative Justice under the slogan “The people against the mafia.”
Pictures: Konstantin Pavlov CC 3.0
During the event, the organizers took a stand against the use of the protest for political ends and declared themselves against all public officials connected with the mafia. The demonstration was not numerous, which testifies to what extent people have lost faith. Although unhappy with the situation, they see no alternatives and trust no more promises. The opposition is weak and divided, and in the past the accusations Rumen Petkov faces today had been directed at its own leaders.
In this connection Veni G writes(BUL):
“At yesterday’s protest against the mafia state there hardly came some 200 people. Several tens of thousands turn out at similar protest in Spain. If we divide 500,000 – okay, let’s say 200,000 – by 200 the result will be the years it will take to for us to mature to measure up to the civil conscience of the Spaniards. Too long? A whole generation was sacrificed for the transition [in 1989], now it turns out that the next to generations are losers as well. Huh?”
And just as we were expecting that the things are to go from bad to worse, the news broke that on April 13 Rumen Petkov resigned. No kidding this time.
Borislav Tsekov thinks (BUL) that the reason for this is the “pressure, exerted by Simeon Saxecoburggotski and NMSP on [the prime minister] Stanishev and [MRF leader] Dogan to remove the leadership of the ministry with mafia ties.”
Probably the fact that during the last no-confidence vote on April 11, NMSP abstained and did not support its coalition partners, really has something to do with the withdrawal of the minister. NMSP indeed lost a lot in terms of voters’ support, after entering the power with MRF and BSP and is now trying to recover at least some of its former positions. However, even Petkov’s resignation cannot make people believe that the situation will change in Bulgaria.
Nikolay Pavlov writes in his blog Black station (BUL):
These days there is mayhem in the blogosphere: every other post is “Rumen Petkov resigned,” “The Match Lighter in gone,” toasts, enthusiasm. If extraterrestrials had landed in front of the National Palace of Culture, they would not have received so much attention. Well, I am not going to write about that. I see no point. I am more interested in where we have brought ourselves to, when the replacement of a totally failed minister (a totally routine procedure in the civilised world) should be welcomed in our country as the resurrection of Christ. To what extent have we accepted lawlessness and political impertinence as normal and unavoidable, that a belated denouement elated us so much.
Hurray, at last one of them got what he deserved, he got stuck in shit up to the ears and he had “his resignation tendered.” He would never do that himself, not without “an offer he can’t help but accept.” Do you remember “The Godfather”? If you don’t remember it, then you surely remember another Rumen – Rumen Ovcharov [the former minister of economy and energy, who also resigned after a political scandal]. The poor soul was first reduced in rank to a chairman of a parliamentary commission, and then was appointed to “finish through” “BulgarTabak” [Bulgaria's largest tobacco company]. The Match Lighter is no less “Rumen” than Rumen Ovcharov, you can be sure. He sure sold his head dearly.
As the journalist Todor Tokin said last night on Boyko Stankushev’s show – “a communist never resigns; he is transferred to a new position.” Nothing new under the sun. It’s only the code names that change in an unyielding operatively interesting scheme.”
His words turned out to be prophetical. A few days later Rumen Petkov was appointed to “be responsible for the personnel restructuring that is to take place in the government.”
Ivan Bedrov comments (BUL):
Now everybody who previously did not know that at Pozitano (BSP headquarters) Rumen Petkov is known as “the Boss,” surely knows who is at the head of the red parade. And if he finds some time to spare after the meetings with the Galevis or Madjo, he might give some attention to Sergey. And do a bit of cabinet reshuffling for him.”
The subsequent comments on the cabinet reshuffle are not favourable at all. Ivan Bedrov notes (BUL): “The prime minister did not even try to rearrange the graveyard. He just replaced the carnations with chrysanthemums.”
Meanwhile, the “minister's resignation” short story contest has ended. Ninety-four stories were submitted. The strangest thing is that in the winning story (BUL) Rumen Petkov does not resign, although everyone pleads with him to do that. And Peyo notes (BUL) that “nobody's imagination can match the reality.”
In a poll published on his blog, Ivan Bedrov asks: “How will things (in Bulgaria) get right?” The largest group of respondents (35 percent) are of the opinion that “things are not going to get right.”
And Konstantin Pavlov writes in another post (BUL):
“I am more and more in favor of the URGENT ABOLITION of the nation state as an institution that protects my interest…”

author: Yavor Mihaylov


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Central Asia: A Chessboard and Player in the New Great Game · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Laurence reviews a book by Rein Müllerson titled “Central Asia–A Chessboard and Player in the New Great Game”, calling it an outstanding analysis of the significance of Central Asia to geopolitical games in the 21st Century.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Adil Nurmakov


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China: Chang Ping Removed from Office · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chang Ping, the deputy editor of Southern Metropolitan Daily, has been removed from Office because of his commentary in FT calling for freedom of press after the Tibet riot. Youfish said that we must thank Chang Ping for his insistence to speak rationally [zh].

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: KFC Congee · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fons Tuinstra blogs about a new local dish, Pi-dan Congee, introduced by KFC in China.


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China: Kriti Temple Destroyed  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Woser posted pictures of Kriti Temple, a Tibetan temple in Szechuan province. All paintings with Dalai Lama's face were destroyed [zh].


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China: Visa Confusion · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

One Eyed Panda gives an update about the issuing of China multiple visa during the Olympic period. DANWEI provides a background for the visa confusion.


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China: Visiting Hu Jia · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Zeng Jinyin finally managed to visit Hu Jia, her husband and a dissent bloggers sentenced to 3.5 years imprisonment under the charge of sedition of state power [zh]


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Cuba: Do You Compute?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Computers are now on sale in Havana and Cuba-Blog is surprised that people are actually buying them: “The goods are there but are still beyond the reach of the vast majority of citizens.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Global Voices is seeking to hire a Public Health Editor · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Global Voices is seeking to hire a Public Health Editor.
THE JOB: The Public Health Editor will be responsible for writing weekly articles which cover the latest discussions and topics related to public health and human rights in the developing world from citizen media like blogs, podcasts, and video-blogs. S/he will work closely with the rest of the Global Voices editorial staff (managing, regional and language editors), and will also be expected to attend regular online editorial meetings.
As GV is a virtual organization, the Public Health Editor will not be expected to relocate. Regular access to high-speed internet connectivity will, however, be a key factor in being able to carry out this job.
The position involves:
This is a part-time position with modest compensation, for somebody who is passionate about helping to amplify the voices of health activists concerned with human rights from the developing world. It is also a great opportunity to become involved with a global community of bloggers who are working on the cutting edge of citizens’ media.
THE REQUIREMENTS: Our ideal candidate has an international outlook and solid experience both in citizen media and public health. Solid English-language writing editing skills are a must, and a strong familiarity with the current tools, web sites and trends in citizen media worldwide is important. Familiarity with the regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia is particularly desirable. S/he has the ability to work independently and responsibly with only remote supervision.
Ideally, s/he will have the ability to read and write well in at least one language other than English and have a working knowledge of other languages. Preference will be given to candidates from outside the United States and Western Europe.
To apply, please send your CV and a letter of interest to outreach@globalvoicesonline.org. The application deadline is Saturday May 24, 2008.

author: David Sasaki


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Guatemala: Remembering Bishop Gerardi and His Report “Never Again!” · Global Voices
Renata Avila

“Knowing the truth is painful, but it is a highly liberating action“
– Bishop Juan Gerardi on April 24, 1998
Ten years ago, Bishop Juan Gerardi released a report called “Guatemala, Never Again!,” which contained powerful testimonies of those forever affected by the armed conflict in Guatemala.  The report provided graphic details and specific names of those who committed these crimes, and as a result, ultimately cost Bishop Gerardi his life.  He was killed approximately 50 hours after the release of the report.  A decade later, Guatemalan bloggers remember the man who brought much of what was happening in the war into the public consciousness.
The murder was particularly brutal, as he was beaten to death with a concrete slab in front of his place of residence  Even though some accomplices were brought to justice, it is believed that more are at large. Most believe that it the crime was directly related to the report compiled by the project Recovery of Historical Memory (REMHI) of the Catholic Church.
Photo by James Rodriguez of Mi Mundo [es] and used with permission.
The blog Cerigua [es] published a letter where the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) demands the capture of others involved in the murder of the Bishop, while The Dominon blogger provides information on some of the memorial events:
Cardinal Rodolfo Quezada Toruño gave a powerful sermon in memory of Gerardi in the Cathedral in Guatemala City. He received an extended round of applause when he stated that “the Catholic Church will not stop demanding that the case of Bishop Gerardi be clarified, until we know who was responsible for doing what.”
Former journalist and professor Ana María Rodas, blogging at La Columna de Ana [es] remembers the day when the report was released:
El 24 de abril de 1998 salí de la Iglesia Catedral luego de haber asistido a la ceremonia donde la Oficina de Derechos Humanos del Arzobispado había dado a conocer a grandes rasgos los resultados de sus investigaciones sobre las atrocidades cometidas durante la guerra sucia en Guatemala. A grandes rasgos, digo, porque en un par de horas no se podía conocer todo lo que contienen los cuatro los libros con los hallazgos del Obispo y de sus colaboradores, el REHMI. El aire de la tarde era suave y sentí que por primera vez en muchos años, podía respirar libremente. Desde el atrio vi hacia el parque central…..  y lloré en paz. Mis muertos, nuestros muertos, podían comenzar a descansar en paz.
On April 24, 1998 I left the Cathedral after attending the ceremony where the Office of Human Rights of the Church explained briefly the result of the report on the attrocities perpetrated during the dirty war in Guatemala.  I say briefly because in a couple of hours one cannot learn all the findings of the Bishop and their collaborators in the REMHI (the report). The breeze in the afternoon was mild and I felt that for the first time in many years I was able to breathe freely again. From he atrium, I was able to see the central park … and I finally cried. My deaths, our deaths will finally rest in peace”,
Following the murder, the attention on the report's findings was now focused on the crime. The process of finding the killers became a national story, and much of it became a controversy.  A book that investigates some of the games of covering the truth was written by Francisco Goldman called “The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop?” The book is reviewed by the Guatemala Solidarity Network blog:
Goldman's book was an impulse buy. Reviewed somewhere on the Guardian's website, it was, apparently, an important book that Salman Rushdie rated. And it was set it Guatemala. Part of the world I've long felt an emotional affinity to. I knew Goldman was writing about a political murder, but that was about it. From the elaborate description of scene and event at the start to the release of the conclusion I was fixed on it. It's a slow meticulous story, and engrossing purely as an account of detective determination. That pace gives you time to think about meaning and motivation, and to see at work the forces that have shaped Guatemalan history, and the history of much of the Americas, first as individual acts of almost mundane brutality, then as orchestrated oppression.
Guatemalan bloggers remember that the essence of such remarkable man, who was to speak for those without a voice, for the people who suffered directly the effects of a cruel armed conflict.  In the war, children were murdered or forced to enter the war as child soldiers.  Much of this has been forgotten by society, and blogger Hunapu e Ixbalanque [es] writes about this phenomenon in Gerardi Against Amnesia:
Monseñor Gerardi dió su vida por que se conociera la historia que hasta hoy en día aún es desconocida por la mayoría de guatemaltecos. Su enemigo mayor fué la amnesia colectiva, una de las peores formas de injusticia. De ahí que para honrar la memoria de Monseñor Gerardi lo menos que podemos hacer los guatemaltecos es leer el Informe REHMI.
Monseñor Gerardi gave his life to communicate the history that today is still unknown by almost all guatemalans. His greatest enemy is the collective amnesia, one of the worst expressions of unfairness. So, to honor the memory of Monseñor Gerardi we Guatemalans at least must read the REHMI Report [es].
Expressed by an abstract of a poem by blogger Biblioteca del Grillo [es]
Querías “construir un país otro”/ soñabas una nueva Verapaz. “La construcción del Reino tiene riesgos”, lo sabías muy bien, pero vivías los derechos humanos como sueños divinos; con tu sed de justicia verdadera; en tu opción por las víctimas, que son también los pobres
You wanted to build a new country, you were dreaming with a New Verapaz. The construction of a Kingdom has riskes, and you knew it well, but you lived human rights as divine dreams, thirsty for real justice, you chose to fight for the poor victims
There are many sources where you can listen to the testimonies of the survivors, one is “Para nunca olvidar” (To Never Forget) where teachers from other countries can download the tesitmonies for use in their classrooms.
Photo by James Rodriguez of Mi Mundo [es] and used with permission.
Blogger Diario Paranoico gets to the point, the message of the Bishop:
Es sorprendente el alcance que ha tenido la guerra, incluso en nuestros días. En nuestro ADN, se ha inyectado el cromosoma del miedo y del silencio. Nadie está interesado en conocer su historia; miles de jóvenes y adultos se preguntan ahora quién fue ese tío desaparecido al que no conocieron y sus padres no se han atrevido a contar su historia. Huérfanos que no saben dónde está su familia…
It is surprising how the war affected us, even now. It is inside our DNA, it is the cromosome of fear and of silence. No one cares, no one wants to learn more about their history, thousands of youth and adults wonder about their disappeared uncle or the relative that the parents never talk about. Orphans that do not know where their family is buried…

author: Renata Avila


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Hong Kong: Minimum Allowable Wage for foreign maids · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Filipino blogger Kapet's Yosi clarifies the myth that the foreign maid's salary in Hong Kong is one of the highest in the world. Many Filipinos are domestic helpers in Hong Kong.

author: Mong Palatino


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Jamaica: The Right Answer  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Francis Wade says that there are four types of information available in Jamaica – and only one of them counts.


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Japan: Common Web TV Standard · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Serkan at Tokyotronic reports on news that a common Web TV standard will be rolled out in Japan as early as next year. Companies involved in the move, such as Sony and Matsushita on the hardware side and acTVila on the Internet service provider side, are attempting to come to an agreement by next month.

author: Chris Salzberg


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Japan: Global Article 9 Conference · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Martin J Frid from Kurashi blogs about the Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War. Here is the conference's opening anime and Nobel Peace Price winner Mairead Corrigan Maguire's speech.


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Korea: Chinese students fear for safety after torch relay violence · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Last week someone left a comment on a GVO post, something to the effect of ‘the whole world hates the Chinese people now’ and for a lot of people in (and outside) China, it sure is looking difficult to even be Chinese these days.
Following the violence in Seoul during the Olympic torch relay there last week, a lot of Chinese fenqing types are for the most part just seeing what they want to see in how their generation and China is now being perceived abroad, and not only on anti-CNN.com.
At least these militant patriotic voices are still getting the most play online. The ‘River Crab Goes Ashore’ blogger has been posting recently on the themes of Olympic nationalism and China's image, and on May 2 reposted a piece that has been making the rounds on the internet, apparently written by a female student now in Korea, ‘Chinese exchange students cry foul: The Koreans have gone crazy!’ as well as the accompanying YouTube short:
我们是27号当天参加迎接圣火的在韩留学生，我们和所有的中国留学生一样，是为了我们伟大的祖国，为了支持北京奥运而自发的组织前往迎接奥运圣火。然而我们的好意和爱国心被韩国的媒体抹煞，被他们曲解，这几天看到这些主流媒体的报道，我们每个在韩留学生的心都被伤透了，我们坚强的想着我们的祖国，我们的政府一定会还给我们公道。我们看着电视新闻里的报道画面，我们的学生挥舞着国旗，大声的呐喊“中国加油北京加油奥运加油”而播音员的解释却是中国留学生在恶意示威。说是中国大使馆纠集动员留学生示威闹事，甚至还说大使馆一个月前就给留学生准备了棍子等凶器。对，那天是有学生和不良分子起了冲突，但试问，当时的情况下哪个有血有肉的中国人可以视若无睹，圣火传递一路坎坷，出了那么多的事情，我们的学生被打伤，国旗、火炬被抢，如今来到了最后一个资本主义国家韩国，那些不良分子手持凶器就在留学生面前挑衅，而最终这些凶器却被报道成留学生所持有，他们采访不良分子，控诉留学生如何殴打他们，嘴里说着流利的韩语，却硬说自己只是来韩观光客，但韩国人就相信。
韩国网上贴出了留学生联合会干部的照片、学校、学科、年龄甚至手机号码，这些学生会代表的人身安全受到巨大威胁。不光是他们，从昨天周一开始，普通中国留学生们在学校、外面和打工的地方都受到了不同程度的威胁，在我们家附近对我很好的大妈，往常看到我就会亲切的拉着我问东问西，今天我跟她打招呼，她竟然立刻把头偏向一边。我一起住的朋友眼眶泛红的回来，一问才知道，她在回来的地铁上，只是拿着书翻译上课资料的，坐在她旁边的韩国男学生看到她在查中文，立刻就问”너 중국인요?”（你是中国人吗？）朋友问怎么了，他立刻就说“ 중국개새끼（中国狗杂种）”朋友问他”우리 처음 만나서 왜 나쁜 말이 했어요?（我们第一次见为什么要骂人？）”谁知那胖子竟然说 “중국사람이 다 개새기요（中国人全都是狗杂种） “朋友气不过立刻说”너 개새끼잖아（你才是）”，没想到周围的几个韩国人竟然全冲着我朋友围过来，并且七嘴八舌的说“原来就说中国人劣等今天一看果然没素质”，弄得她一个女孩子只能车一停也不管是哪站立刻就跑下车。　　这样的事情这两天发生很多，问问周边的朋友，大部分都或多或少的遇到过，现在我们不敢单独出门，不敢太晚回来，一个人时甚至不敢用中文讲电话，我们晚上在外面吃饭时说中文，周围的韩国人竟然几乎都不吃饭拿异样的眼光瞪着我们，就连住在一层楼的韩国大学生都敢占着厕所不给我们用。在韩国两年来，从来没碰到过这样的事情，早就知道看到的都是道貌岸然，但没想到，一夜之间全还原了真面目。想告诉在国内的同胞真相，也感叹国内的朋友竟然大部分都不知道韩国出了这样的事，不知道韩国媒体甚至比CNN的报道更加恶劣，矛头直指驻韩大使馆和中国政府。今天韩国著名的Naver网站上，首页头条就标出他们总理的话：”中国人暴力示威是从侧面损伤韩国人的自尊“同时韩国媒体还指出，韩国民众现在对中国人暴力事件的愤怒没有丝毫减少，要求抓出捣乱分子交由司法处理。天哪，这到底是个什么地方，我们未来的情况到底会怎样，我们不敢跟国内的家人说，怕他们会担心，只有互相安慰互相告诫千万不要单独出门，甚至商量好把手机的快捷键设置成好朋友的电话，万一出事立刻能拨出求救，因为我们连警察也不相信。
请你们给我们加油，给我们支持吧，有祖国和政府在，我们一定什么都不怕，也请你们转告自己在韩国的家人朋友，一定要注意安全啊。
在首尔，27的奥运圣火虽然传递过去了,可是韩国国内却一片对中国的讨伐声.
主要是针对所谓的中国留学生27号的”暴力示威”. 国人都知道,这是夸大其辞的东西. 当然我们的留学生中那天是出现了不够聪明的举动,也许是因为爱国激情的膨胀,有部分学生对ZD分子动了拳头.就是因为这个,给韩国媒体一个盼望已久的反华机会。还有，现场那些ZD分子，自己带来了改锥，扳手，石块等凶器，卻对着镜头说是中国学生袭击他们。最近，韩国新闻中不断播出那些“暴力镜头”和一些所谓的凶器证据，然后说我们的暴力严重影响了韩国国民的爱国自尊心。现在，韩国政府居然要求中国就此道歉。
In Seoul, even though the torch relay finished on the 27th, here all of Korea is still crusading against China.
It's mainly being aimed at Chinese students’ so-called “violent demonstrations” on the 27th. We all know this is being exaggerated. Of course we exchange students didn't make the smartest moves that day; maybe because patriotic fervor was surging, some students raised their fists toward the Free Tibetters. It was this that gave Korean media the chance they've long been waiting for, to turn anti-China. Also, the Free Tibetters who were there brought screwdrivers, wrenches, bricks and other weapons with them, then turned to the camera and said it was Chinese students who were attacking them. Recently, Korean news has been repeatedly showing these “violent shots” and so-called proof of weapons, and then saying our violence has seriously impacted the Korean people's patriotic pride. Now, the Korean government has gone so far as to demand China apologize for this.
媒体，政府是一片讨伐的声音，韩国人民当然也对中国人的憎恨到达了极限。他们已经在网上公布了那天带头“闹事”的中国学生的姓名，学校，电话号码等资料。据说，很多中国学生现在手机都不敢开，因为总有人会打恐吓电话，或是乱骂。我们现在晚上都不敢出门，因为很难保证路上遇见韩国人，会挨打什么的。
前一阵子就有韩国学生嘴里喊着“打的就是中国人”而故意把清州一个中国学生给打了。现在27号这么一闹，中国留学生在韩国真是处境太危险了。因为韩国人不像西方人那样，懂得人权，平等什么的，他们其实就是随便动拳头的莽夫。比如，在美国的中国人可以去CNN门口示威，只要有分寸，是合法的，美国人也不能怎么样。可是在韩国，这不可能。他们会野蛮的动用武力。27号，我们学校一个学生只是在ZD份子面前举起了国旗，就被警察当作闹事者制服了。所以，我们在韩国不能像在美国或者别的国家那样自由的争取权利和尊重。
现在，韩国警方已经把几个留学生带走了，好像说要严惩。各个学校的学生会长和一些留学生负责人也遭到人生安全的恐吓。韩国人说要让中国人看看，他们也不是好惹的。还有人悬赏捉住我们带头的那几个留学生。我们只是出来留学的人，平时在韩国受尽他们的鄙视和侮辱不说，就算是支援圣火传递的那一天，表达自己的爱国情绪，到最后都是这样的结果。这么一来，中国学生在韩国，只能越来越危险，越来越没有地位。
Just a while back Korean students kept saying “it's the Chinese who are beating people”, but then went out themselves and beat up one Chinese student in Cheongju. Since the ruckus on the 27th, Chinese exchange students in Korea are in a really dangerous spot. Koreans aren't like Westerners, who understand what human rights and equality, etc. are. Koreans are actually just boors who will strike out at any time. For example, Chinese in the US can go demonstrate at CNN's front door, and as long as it stays within limits it's legal, and Americans can't do anything about it. But in Korea, this would be impossible. They would barbarically turn to violence. On the 27th, one student from our campus only so much as raised a flag in front of one Free Tibetter and was then held down by police, saying s/he was an instigator. This is why we here in Korea can't freely fight for our rights or respect like those in America or other countries.
Now, Korean police have already taken away several exchange students, who it looks like are going to be penalized. Every student society president at every campus and several exchange student organizers have all received threats to their safety. Koreans are saying they're going to show the Chinese people that they are not to be messed around with. Then there are people putting out rewards for whoever catches the few of us who organized this. We're just here as exchange students. Most of the time when we're faced with discrimination and insults from the Koreans, we keep quiet, and now because of that one day we went to show our support for the Sacred Torch Relay, and express our patriotic sentiments, this is how it turns out. If things go on as they are, Chinese students in Korea will only be in more and more danger, with less and less to hold onto.
我是女生，也许还稍微好一点。我想提醒在韩国所有的留学生们，尤其是男生。在晚上或者是中国人少的地方，一定要保护自己的安全，不要随便的和韩国人发生冲突，否则，受伤害的只有我们。韩国的中国大使馆门口现在已经每天都被韩国示威的人们包围了。使馆的人们也很危险。但是，中国一定不能道歉。我们正当爱国，我们没有错，凭什么道歉？？？？大使馆要是不能保护留学生的安全，以后还有谁敢在国外爱国？？？
（PS:今天看到咱们在海外求学的同胞被韩国人打破头的照片，才明白真相，韩国媒体真他妈的比CNN还要CNN！！！那个畜生不如的混蛋不抢我国旗，撕我国旗，我们在海外求学的同胞怎么可能去和他冲突！！靠！！这世界还有没公道！！！）
(PS: Today I saw the pictures of our compatriots studying abroad after having been beaten by the Koreans, and then I understood the truth. Korean media, you're more fracking CNN than CNN itself!!! If those SOB beasts hadn't gone grabbing at our flags, ripping our flags, then our compatriots studying overseas wouldn't have clashed with them!! Frack!! Is there no justice on this earth??!)
——————————————————
在Youtube上引起轰动的一段中国留学生殴打韩国抗议者视频：
发表时间：2008-05-2
本文链接：中国留韩学生喊冤:韩国人疯了！(视频)
关键字：留学生, 韩国, 视频, 殴打
申明：除注明外均为原创,若需转载或引用，请注明来自河蟹上岸和原文链接.
And a portion of the comments on River Crab‘s post:
1.
yesdo 2008-05-2, 8:28 am
脑残狼孩
2.
sttony 2008-05-2, 9:32 am
如果突然有一天韩国的上万大学生突然在北京示威游行，并且对占少数的中国示威者施加暴力。我们对韩国人的影响将会如何？不过这个假设的前提条件不成立，在北京示威游行是不可能通过“有关部门”批准的。
3.
xxoo 2008-05-2, 9:35 am
难以用语言形容
4.
路过 2008-05-2, 9:36 am
没救了
5.
夜彷徨 2008-05-2, 10:24 am
首先27日在韩国的圣火传递过程 在国内报道了吗
为什么几天后才浮出水面
在终点的宾馆里 确实有国人动手打人 还被人拍下证据了就不要不承认 那是在韩国 有韩国的法规 韩国*文明用语*也要有他自己的威信 不可能欺负到自己头上了还憋屈着
这事闹大了会不会再来个抵制韩国货……
PS：韩国的朋友要小心了 注意安全；有国外媒体职责中国没有道歉（不过貌似说要去看望）；韩国好像没有直播那天的圣火传递
媒体都有自己的立场 同一个事实报道不同的侧面而已 不是全世界的电视台都为中国服务 报道些你看不顺眼的就抗议是很不明智的
PS: Korean friends, be careful. Watch your safety. Foreign media are blaming China for not apologizing (though it seems they've said this will be looked into); Korea I think didn't do a live broadcast of that day's torch relay.
Media all have their own positions; one truthful report has different sides to it, that's all. It's not like the whole world's television stations exist to serve China. To protest something just because you don't like the look of it isn't very bright.
6.
警惕 2008-05-2, 10:39 am
你们活该！说什么韩国是资本主义国家，一看就是被洗脑的一群！中国是什么样的国家？自己国家一大堆问题你们敢出来游行吗？跑到别的国家去游行又不知道理性的表达自己的意见，别人发表不同意见，你们像当年的红卫兵一样上去暴打，目无人家的法律，现在尝到滋味了，像文革是一样，无脑子的青年人是被zg利用够了就抛弃的一群，还是去向你们的主子求救吧，看他们会救你们？！
7.
朝南生 2008-05-2, 10:56 am
视频刚开始的部分能够听见一个人理性的声音——不要打人
之后就是一群人在打人后吼出的爱国的声音——道歉
———————————
额滴亲娘啊！那些举着国旗的就是我传说中的同胞吗？
8.
呦 2008-05-2, 11:03 am
楼上说得好！
不知道那些留学生们，有几个是完完全全的评自己的学习成绩出国留学的？！
不知道那些留学生们，有多少父母是官员阶层（以为人民服务的名义敛财阶层）？又有多少父母是富甲一方（官商勾结聚财阶层）？还有多少背后有着丰富着社会背景（狗仗人势阶层）？？
留学生中，有没有父母是贫下中农的？有没有父母是下岗职工的？！哪一个留学生涯，不是靠钱堆砌起来的？！
中国腐败的官员草菅人命的时候，他们怎么没有*文明用语*？城管打死人像打死一条狗一样随意，怎么没有见他们抗议抵制？！！
这些留学生们，倒地是什么样的一群人？？？！！
Of these exchange students, how many come from poor farmer families? Do any of them have parents laid-off or unemployed?! Which of these students won't have a career path paved with cash?!
While China's corrupt officials go trampling over lives, where is their “diplomatic language”? The Chengguan beat people to death like they're dogs, and with impunity, so why don't we see them protesting or boycotting then?!!
These overseas students, just what kind of a bunch of people are they???!!
9.
poshi 2008-05-2, 11:22 am
不说谁对谁错了，就觉得那些韩国人变脸怎么这么快，太让人心酸了。
而且…如果说中国人要冷静，那种情况下能冷静吗？那些韩国人直接说你们中国人是杂种，说完了还要说你讲话没素质，如果你是李小龙你把他打扒了还更说不清楚了，人家就说你是暴民。那我们要怎么做？人家指着你的头说你国家的人都是杂种，要怎么冷静？
10.
poshi 2008-05-2, 11:44 am
楼上有些人显然很冷静呀，觉得爱国就是因为共+产+党吗？那你不爱国你又是什么党？虽然说他们很不冷静，那你又何必这样呢？当事人跟旁观者是不一样的，你别忘了你是旁观者，就算你怎么说他们，你只是一个坐在旁边看热闹的人而已！
11.
死的蚊 2008-05-2, 12:20 pm
韩国人疯了？还是那群“中国留学生”疯了？！！
Coming next, voice-of-a-sensible-part-of-his-generation blogger He Caitou's response to Chinese college students in Korea's cry for help..

author: John Kennedy


text:
Kuwait: Election’s Poll · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Kuwait, Hilaliya posts a poll for his readers on their expectations for the incoming parliamentary elections on May 17.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Kuwait: Gearing Up for Elections  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Kuwait, Hilaliya describes the local scene ahead of the May 17 Parliamentary elections in his country. “Is the Kuwaiti electorate mad enough to make a real difference on May 17th?” he asks.


text:
Kyrgyzstan: One-Sided Media  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Azamat Report shares his impressions from the state media's one-sided coverage of the recent opposition's convention and posts some quotes from the international organizations’ reports on media freedom in Kyrgyzstan.


text:
Macedonia: Sakura – Cherry Blossom Celebration in Skopje · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Even though very few ethnic Japanese live in the Republic of Macedonia, many locals took part in the second annual celebration of Sakura – the festival of cherry blossoms in Macedonia's capital, Skopje. Organizers of the festivals included martial arts dojos and some prominent bloggers who recently started a collaborative blog, Japan@mk [MKD], and initiated spreading the word through the Macedonian blogosphere.
The festival took place on April 12, on a street lined with Japanese cherry trees in full bloom, next to Skopje's main square. The program consisted of martial arts demonstrations, reciting of haiku in Macedonian language, accompanied by music played on Japanese flute, making of origami, writing the names of participants in Japanese calligraphy, and tasting healthy products made of Japanese fungi.
Thanks to the social networking within the community, dozens of bloggers used the event to socialize, including several who came from other cities. Some of them, like Bi, Volan, Strumjan, and neW1, posted extensive photo-galleries afterwards, while others wrote posts with most favorable impressions. Nadezna and HibernusCorvus, posted their reasons why they didn't attend.
Bi, one of the organizers and an Iaidō practitioner, wrote [MKD] about her insider experience:
The origami were quite successful, and were done in three booths… [for samurai hats, cranes, and cats]. The kids were very happy, and many of them took their samurai hats to Nahomi [Japanese lady who did calligraphy] to write their names in Japanese.
Nahomi got genuine Macedonian experience because the audience did not allow her to catch her breath. They crowded around her, handing papers under her nose to write their names in Japanese, without any order. They even overturned her ink. She was confused because the people could not form a line, but accepted all requests with grace and impeccable manners…
The haiku turned out great, and the three guests read poetry by classic Japanese masters and by Macedonian poets. Some in the audience turned a deaf ear on this, and complained of boredom… Other audience members provided an unpleasant experience of rude curiosity, by grabbing and even drawing the swords and the bokken from the participants’ hands…
I hope next year we'll have an even more interesting and more beautiful program, with more elements, and the city will help with more than just providing space, and the consulate will provide more than just moral support. We had great time anyway, even when the uncultured mishaps mentioned above are taken into account :)
[…]

author: Filip Stojanovski


text:
Myanmar: Unprecedented cyclone disaster · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar last weekend which devastated five regions. State-run media reported that more than 22,000 people are found dead with another 41,000 missing. Hundreds of thousands are now homeless.
Bangkok Pundit comments on the soaring number of casualties:
“It was 351 then 4,000, then 10,000. Now, even state media are reporting 22,000 dead and 41,000 missing. By the time this is all over, a death toll of over 100,000 is not improbable. The Burmese government can't handle the situation on their own.”
Indeed, the death toll could still rise. The Irrawaddy explains:
“Witnesses who have managed to get out of Laputta Township in the Irrawaddy Delta have told The Irrawaddy that 22 villages were completely destroyed and that the death toll could be much higher. A local source from Laputta Township estimated a total of 60,000 people could have been killed by the cyclone. This estimate could not be independently confirmed.”
Rule of Lords gathers eyewitness accounts of the disaster:
“Some were killed by flying trees, some from exposure to the cold, some died when they had gathered to shelter from the storms in monasteries and they collapsed.
“The sea rose by around 5 feet and swamped the town at the time of the storm, causing most of the damage and sweeping away small homes and buildings.
“There was water, rain and wind. The shore road was submerged and on the high ground the water was at knee level. The whole town was underwater. There were heavy waves all over, and water snakes. Some died from the snakes.
“Local people in Rangoon and monks have cleared roads themselves due to the lack of authorities. The clearing has been done by a system of “self reliance” according to one participant. People are also sharing small quantities of water and other essentials among themselves to get through this period.”
Myat Thura narrates how his family and neighbors are coping with the tragedy:
“I tried to call my home in Yangon since Saturday morning. Until Friday evening, I could still call my home. My father told me that the wind was blowing heavily, but the situation was still OK. The next morning when I tried to call my home, the lines are already down. I tried the whole Saturday but I could not get through. Sunday morning, still no phone contact.
“My flat was in the top floor, so I was quite worried. There are two or three roofs blown away, and all the satellite dishes destroyed, but apart from that, the building is intact. Water was pouring into the house and my family had to move things into the rooms where it was dry.
“Electricity was cut off but, thanks to one of our neighbors who has an electric generator, we could pump water to our room. For those without any generator, water is a big problem. There is still no relief effort from the government agencies, and people are cleaning the roads by themselves.
“Prices of food had risen and the price of building materials has doubled. A few shops opened and many shoppers are trying to buy things. Some super markets opened today, and they have to limit the number of shoppers into the supermarket.
“My friend said it would be very difficult to restore the city into its previous condition, especially electricity and telecommunication as it will cost millions of dollars to repair the entire infrastructure.”
Fear from Freedom issues an appeal to the ruling Junta:
“Many now live in monasteries in cities in delta area since their villages are gone and their paddy fields are flooded. Who can help who when every family is struggling for survival. While the people in the city struggle with what they have to repair the roofs of their houses and store some water and rice for the expected shortage, the homeless villagers will become beggars till they can go back to their lands and rebuild their villages.
“The military has their soldiers to help the cities but they will not have cash nor goods and tools to help rebuild the victims. I hope they allow the international organization to help these people. They do not have any resources and expertise for this kind of disaster.”
The cyclone also destroyed a prison camp where many political prisoners are held. Assistance Association for Political Prisoners drafts this statement narrating how more than 30 prisoners were killed during a riot last weekend:
“The storm also hit Insein prison in Rangoon. As a result of strong winds, many zinc roofs atop of Insein prison were torn off, one after another.
“Due to the destruction in one area of the prison, over 1,500 prisoners were forced to congregate inside prison hall no. 1. No one was allowed to seek safety, and they were locked inside the hall until the next morning May 3, 2008. Prisoners were wet, cold and hungry as well as angry. Even though prisoners requested prison guards open the doors and move them to safety, the authorities ignored their request. Some prisoners started shouting demands, and some set fire to the prison hall. The fire burnt down the hall, and a riot situation ensued in the prison.
“In order to control the situation, prison guards opened fire on the prisoners. In addition, soldiers and riot police were called in. They opened fire on prisoners in the area. 36 prisoners were killed instantly and around 70 were injured.
“The authorities are to blame for this situation. As soon as the storm hit, they should have moved the prisoners to safety. Their mismanagement of the situation led to prisoners rioting. We condemn their violent response, which led to the needless deaths of 36 prisoners.”
KyiMayKaung uploads a letter from Sophie Lwin of the Burma Global Action Network:
“On Wednesday night NASA predicted that Typhoon Nargis would hit Burma, yet the regime did nothing…It is criminal that the regime didn't warn the people that the typhoon was coming.”
Agam's Gecko also condemns the military:
“The massive scale of the disaster has finally prompted the military regime to accept outside assistance, an about-face that alone demonstrates how dire the situation is. Very few soldiers have been spotted lately doing any of the recovery work, although state television did show a couple of uniforms pulling branches around. Monks and other citizens have organized themselves, and seem to be doing most of it.”
Myo Kyaw Htun gathers news reports about the disaster. Burmese Gold Bull and Singeo upload maps illustrating satellite-detected flood waters over the affected regions.
The Acorn on the difficulties of delivering aid to Myanmar:
“The tricky business of delivering aid to victims of a natural disaster who are also victims of a repressive regime. A closed regime. Media controls. A category 4 cyclone. Damaged infrastructure. Broken communication links. Death toll first in the hundreds, rapidly upped to the tens of thousands.
“It’s highly likely that the Burmese junta can’t cope with the disaster. Worse, its isolation is making a bad situation much worse. The international response is hobbled by the lack of communication channels, common frameworks and operating procedures.”
nofearSIngapore asserts its time for action, not politics:
“Fellow human beings are suffering in a fellow ASEAN country. Another father, brother, sister or child is now waiting for desperate aid from us. This is not the time for politics-it is the time for action.”
jg69 echoes the sentiments of many bloggers around the world:
“Not only do the people in Burma have to put up with a military dictatorship, they also have to contend with natural disasters like cyclone Nargis.
“To the Burmese people, even though it might seem a small and empty gesture, nevertheless, please accept my truly heartfelt condolences to what you have been going through for decades and what you're going through now.”
Related article: Myanmar: The Perfect Storm


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On Somalis in the new Kenyan cabinet · Global Voices
Abdurahman Warsame

What issues are dominating the Somali blogosphere? Let's take a quick tour: Kenya-Somali writes about the new Kenyan cabinet and the Somali representation in it:
It's good to see many Somalis who are serving in the Grand Coalition. Mr. Yussuf Haji as Defence Minister, Elmi as Minister for Northern Kenya & Arid Lands, Aden Sugow Assistant Minister of Public Works while Farah Maalim serves as a deputy Speaker. A Mr. Mohamud of Mandera also serves as an Assistant Minister.
Royal Somali comments on a Youtube video showing a brave, young Somali girl speaking out  against generalizations about Muslims:
Somali young Girl talks at the Melbourne Speakers Forum about people generalizing about Muslims, the twin towers, and the concept of Jihad, the greater struggle with the "NAFS" or the SELF. Melbourne speakers Forums is just similar to speakers corner in Hyde Park London, Vancouver speaker's corner.
Native Female attends the wedding of fello belogger White African, she writes:
Highlight of the week was going to White African’s wedding party. It was beautiful…..mashaAllah. I enjoyed myself immensely and the bride looked gorgeous……mashaAllah. It was a chance for me to meet the gang. It has been a while since we were all under the same roof at the same time. Made some new friends. Picked up some new dance moves. And all this while looking hot (hey….I gotta stroke the ego….I need it lol)
East African Philosopher considers cities to study a semester in:
I have been thinking about spending a semester in Cairo, Egypt for a while now, not because I have romantic ideas about Egypt but rather it is a place that I can relate to a “little” bit in terms of culture and closeness to my native home. It also helps that I have friends and distant family members living there. Plus I’m learning Arabic and what place is better than that? Yes, Damascus is also an excellent choice too.
But back to Cairo. The other day I read this article in the New York TImes that talks about a recent scientific study of “noisiest” cities in the world and Cairo was the unparalleled champion of the noisiest city in the world at 85 decimals on an average day – that is, as the study suggests, a jackhammer at full power running 3 feet away from a human being from 7am to 10pm at night. Seriously. Yet this is only an “average” day. I wonder what an above average day sounds like in Cairo. Perhaps two jackhammers?
Somali poems have many forms, Shafi describes one form performed as part of wedding ceremonies called Gaaf (usually performed in the 7th day after the actual wedding):
Once the drumming starts and the Gaaf is initiated, silence fills the air. Every ear is tuned towards the person reciting the poetry or singing, in order to assess and judge the worth of his/her words. Addressing everyone present, the young girl starts the ceremony with these lines:
Hoobe hobaala hoobala hoobalow
Ee hoobe hobaala hoobalayey hadaba
Salaamu calaykum safiya iyo daahirow
Salaama calaykum safkan meesha joogayow
Salaama calaykum soomaaliyey dhamaan
Ee hoobe hobaala hoobalayey hadaba
Peace be upon you O’ Safiya and Daahir
Peace be upon you O’ who have assembled here
Peace be upon you Somalis in your entirety

author: Abdurahman Warsame


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Pakistan: Alternatives to the Madrassa · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

CHUP! on a newspaper report on the trend of Turkish schools in Pakistan offering an alternative to Madrassa education.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Pakistan: The food crisis and worse · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

All Things Pakistan voices concern – “the food crisis comes hand in hand with an energy crisis and in an environment already rife with political uncertainty and extremist threats.” and calls it a dangerous mix.


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Palestine: Moroccan Neighbourhood in Jerusalem  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Palestine, Roba (Ar) writes about the Moroccan neighbourhood in Jerusalem.


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Russia: A Dystopian Novel · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia writes about a newly-published dystopian novel about Russia: “In the space of ‘a few years,’ the novel continues, ‘the Ukrainian rulers cut the population of Moscow to two million,’ thus ending Russia’s existence as a state and that city as its most important expression and organizer.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Anniversary of Karachay Return From Deportation · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia writes about an anniversary of the Karachay people's return from deportation.


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Russia: Countdown to “Coronation” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

As president Putin prepares to step down, Sean's Russia Blog writes about what may await the Russian political establishment.


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Russia: Gazprom’s Stasi Connection · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Robert Amsterdam writes about “the Stasi connection to Gazprom.”


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Russia: Ingushetia and Free Speech · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia reports: “The current drive by Ingushetia President Murat Zyazikov to shut down an independent website there through the use of the Soviet-era practice of legal analogy and a post-Soviet Russian pattern of defining almost any criticism of officials as extremism, will, if it proves successful, likely be a model for a Moscow drive to rein in the last free media space there.”


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Russia: Novosibirsk Signs; Tomsk NKVD Museum · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Josefina of Russian Blog posts pictures of signs in Novosibirsk – here and here, and writes about the NKVD Museum in Tomsk.


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Russia: Relations With the West · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Valery Dzutsev posts his emails to a colleague, in which he discusses “contemporary political issues in regard to Russia-West relations” – here, here, here, and here.


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Russia: “Russia – A Sovereign Democracy?” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Vilhelm Konnander posts an abstract of his report “on the state of democracy in Russia.”


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Russia: Shapovalova at GUM · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog writes more on the Nashi's own fashion designer and her store at GUM: “[Antonina Shapovalova's] Nashi connections, which of course mean government connections, has landed her a rent free space among stores like Dior, Calvin Klein, Zara, Levi’s and other international designers.”


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Russia: “The March, Sort Of” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Russian opposition was to hold a protest rally on May 6 in Moscow, on the eve of Dmitry Medvedev‘s inauguration as president Vladimir Putin‘s replacement, but city officials refused to allow it – and leaders of the oppositional coalition, the Other Russia, ended up canceling the Dissenters’ March at the last minute. Dozens of protesters were detained by police anyway.
LJ user drugoi, a top-ranking Russian blogger, posted photos as well as this description (RUS) of “the march, sort of”:
[photo]
This evening, by the monument to Griboedov at Chistye Prudy, 4,625 journalists and 8,416 policemen were waiting for the participants of the Dissenters’ March, who, however, showed up from the opposite direction.
[photo]
A small group of 15-20 people gathered at Pokrovka and moved along Chistye Prudy towards the subway station, accompanied by a few photographers and cameramen.
[photo]
The police saw the group from afar and stopped it near the monument to a Kazakh [folk singer]. Just as I heard “grrrr… self-control and calmness… grhm-hm-gr…” coming through static noise from one riot cop's walkie-talkie, the opposition [protester] walking down the path were attacked from all sides.
[more photos and text]
LJ user kozenko posted an epitaph (RUS) to the Other Russia:
There was no Dissenters’ March. The leaders vanished, and the activists carried out several small-scale and brief public disturbances in the city.
Well, the Other Russia, congratulations on your demise. Last year, it was fun with you, and even interesting. And at the start it even seemed that there was a future. But the finale turned out to be – forgive me – boring and embarrassing.
Amen.
Here is one exchange from the comment section to this post:
marchenk:
This post sounds like something written by an offended and disappointed viewer. As if you had bought tickets for this show. And the troupe ran away with you money. :)
kozenko:
This posts sounds like something written by an offended and disappointed person. Very disappointed, because none of the politicians in this country represents his interests. […]


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Russia: Victory Day in 2005 (And Now) · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scraps of Moscow posts pictures from the 2005 Victory Day parade preparations and writes: “Hard to believe it has been three years since Moscow marked the 60th anniversary of the victory in WWII with a parade of military equipment from wartime days. Somehow that seemed like a much more endearing and appropriate approach to the celebration than the display of modern military might that is planned for this year.”


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Russia: Victory Day Magazine Covers · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Victory Day in Soviet magazine covers – at Scraps of Moscow, here and here.


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Russia: Victory Day Preparations · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Two-Zero writes about preparations for the May 9 parade in Moscow.


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South Africa: Standard Bank talks to bloggers · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The Standard Bank in South Africa responds to online comments: “So, I was really happy to see that not only did Standard Bank fix the problem quickly, but their Head of Online Banking and Communication Channels, Itai Maunga, is engaging with social media channels like Muti, and with bloggers, like me:)”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Soviet History: “Agitation Trials” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog comments on the article about Soviet “agitation trials,” which appeared in the Russian-language weekly Kommersant-Vlast – and was translated into English at Robert Amsterdam's blog.


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Sri Lanka: Banning independent media? · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Free Media Sri Lanka reports – “Defence Secretary calls journalists ‘traitors’ and calls for ban on independent media”.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Student Action  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As tuition fees go up at private tertiary institutions in Trinidad and Tobago, students at one school take action, prompting Ramblings and Reason to comment: “That such a routine exercise of civic responsibility is not the norm is scary.  My enduring hope is that our university students will escape this aspect of our culture.”


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Ukraine, Russia: Gas Market News · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Kremlin, Inc writes, among other things, about “the entry of Gazprom’s fully-owned subsidiary into Ukraine’s gas market.”


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Zimbabwe: Hey there! Mugabe is using Twitter · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Online political jokes: So, Mugabe is twittering!: “meetings, meetings, meetings. very boring. 12:03 PM April 04, 2008 from web
Ooooo, nervous morning. Sending the wife shopping. She is getting on my nerves. Thinking of shutting the electricity down for laughs. 09:21 AM April 01, 2008 from web”


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Zimbabwe: Using New Technologies to Fight for Democracy · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

In countries such as Zimbabwe where media freedom is extremely restricted, new technologies have become powerful tools for political campaigning, communication, advocacy and mobilisation.
Since Robert Mugabe turned the country into a dictatorship, bloggers and civic organisations have resorted to using new tools and applications such as blogs, Flickr, Facebook, SMS, YouTube and mashups to fight for democracy, media freedom and good governance.
SMS
If you are in Zimbabwe and your phone rings, you might be receiving news headline from SW Radio, election update from Kubatana.net or a political joke about Robert Mugabe. Widespread mobile phone access in Africa has made SMS a powerful and useful tool for activists.
Zimbabweans are using SMS to send each other political jokes. Comrade Fatso writes about this particular use of SMS:
Anyone know someone with a truck? There's a guy wanting to move all his stuff from State House to Zvimba. The jokes spread as text messages refer to our aged dictator relocating to his rural home. People really do believe this is a general election – because our generals decide who gets elected. Another joke walking the streets of Harare is that the only difference between an election and an erection is that you can't rig the latter.
The UK-based SW Radio uses SMS to send news headlines to mobile phones:
We now have an SMS news headline service sent to mobile phones.
If you have a friend or relative in Zimbabwe who would like to receive this service please email their mobile phone number to: talk@swradioafrica.com
Kubatana, an online community of Zimbabwean activists, uses FrontlineSMS  to send election news to their SMS subscribers and facilitate conversations:
Join the Kubatana SMS Subscriber list!
Kubatana uses a variety of technologies to communicate with Zimbabweans – SMS is one of them. We send out notifications of public events, inspiring quotations, selected comments from current and past articles and statements and we convert some of our web site content into thought provoking tasty 160 character messages.
What we really value is getting to know what you think, and to facilitate this you can respond to any SMS we send out. Democracy is a two way thang!
Often we take some of what you say and share it on the Kubatana Blog Site so that more people benefit from the conversation.
Let's get together, and message together.
The organisation has also used FrontlineSMS to run its campaign, “What we want in Zimbabwe?” The organisation posts messages from subscribers on Kubatana blog so that more people can benefit:
In addition to inviting email contributions, we also asked our many SMS subscribers what a new Zimbabwe looks like to them. Read some of their ideas below, and text your dreams for a new Zimbabwe to +263912452201
Amanda Atwood writes, “Text messages for change”:
As announcements by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission have been trickling out, we’ve been forwarding them to our SMS subscribers, many of whom do not have access to television or radio, or who are hit by Zimbabwe’s persistent electricity shortage.
FrontlineSMS is a text messaging system designed to meet the needs of the non-profit sector. FrontlineSMS was also used by the Nigeria Mobile Election Monitors last year. Ken Banks, the creator of Frontline SMS writes:
Back in the summer of 2006 I was fortunate to spend three weeks in Zimbabwe working with them. A local NGO seeking to promote human rights and good governance, Kubatana were the very first users of FrontlineSMS when it launched back in 2005, starting a trend which has seen the software used for similar activities in a number of other countries around the world. In their own words, FrontlineSMS finally opened up the possibilities for text messaging in their work, and I knew they had plans to use it during the 2008 elections. This is what they've been doing.
Last year, Kubatana sent out an SMS soliciting public opionion about the the Stay Away, which was called by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions. They published some of the reponses on their blog:
In advance of the Stay Away called by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) for Wednesday and Thursday, 19 and 20 September, we at Kubatana sent out a text message and email asking our subscribers what they thought of the stay away, whether their workplace would be participating, and what their friends and neighbours were saying about it.
We were flooded with emails and text messages expressing a range of opinions, from eager support for the stay away and a commitment to stay home even if their work place was open, to others who questioned the usefulness of the tactic or whether it would make any difference on the ground.
Here is just a small sampling of people’s responses:
Don’t think it will be a success. People are tired of stay aways.
———————————
Supporting it, not coming to work, enough is enough.
———————————
Yes and all my friends want to stay away in order to make a statement.
In addition to their SMS service, Kubatana uses listserv, email newsletter and electronic activism campaigns:
Our regular electronic activism campaigns encourage Zimbabweans and other visitors to our web site to mobilise, lobby and advocate. Being involved lessens one’s feeling of despair while helping us to keep inspired.
As Joan Baez said: Action is the antidote to despair.
Our email listserv and regular email newsletters keep thousands of Zimbabweans and regional and international subscribers informed. Kubatana also helps Zimbabwean civil society to strengthen their use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) through email, Internet and motivational training workshops. We often spend a day with a group of information activists teaching them how to use ICTs more effectively either in their organisations, or as individual activists.
Electronic Cards
Sokwanele-Zvakwana is another pro-democracy civic organisation using new media tools to fight for democracy and rule of law. Its website offers free e-cards as part of its non-violent campaigns for change.
Sokwanele's Zimbabwean e-cards can be used, for FREE, to help Zimbabweans campaign for non violent peaceful change in Zimbabwe.
The cards are organised around different themes:
Bob Must Go:
Bob Must Go! It's as simple as that.
Elections and democracy:
Parliamentary and presidential elections are set for 2008. You can get ready and start campaigning using our e-cards. Zimbabweans want elections that are genuinely free and fair, and we want a return to the rule of law, and a life free of violence and intimidation.
Memories of Zimbabwe:
A set of e-cards evoking whimsical and fond memories of our beloved Zimbabwe. Use these for any occasion, or simply to send quick notes to friends and colleagues. Do you have an image that would make a great memory e-card? If you'd like to share your special memory with everyone by turning it into an e-card – contact us and let us know.
Economy e-cards:
Zimbabwe's economy is in free-fall and it's no laughing matter. Spread a bit of cheer by sending a humorous e-card, or send a card to alert someone of the reality of our country's economic state.
They have posted a video of the e-cards on Jumpcut.
Mashup
Sokwanele created a Google map for mapping election rigging using data from their Zimbabwean Election Watch series:
Explore the map and then consider whether elections held in this context can ever be considered ‘free and fair’. Information on how to use the map, the map data limitations, and the background to how we mapped the data is provided below the map. Please visit our Zimbabwe Election Watch section, and explore our database for a comprehensive look at the many ways the articles listed in the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections have been breached by the Zimbabwean government.
YouTube and Flickr
Sokwanele has a channel on the popular video-sharing site, YouTube and a Flickr account. Visit their Album of Terror to see the extent of state brutality against the opposition.
There is a Flickr account with Zimbabwe Playing Cards:
On the outside this looks like an ordinary set of playing cards. But take them out, it is a fantastic political weapon – against hte murderous, corrupt, hypocritical regime of ‘Robber Mugabe’.
Facebook and MySpace
Various groups have established their presence on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. There is “Remove Robert Mugabe from Zimbabwe” group on Facebook:
Creating international awareness of how one man is completely destroying an incredible nation, causing millions to suffer. For everyone who believes Mugabe should no longer be in power.
And “Revive Zimbabwe”:
1.	To Keep the Nation of Zimbabwe strong even without the Boundaries of the Country
2.	Boycott the Hippocracies
3.	Stand together to make the affliction more widely known, in order for the people to be freed, by the notification of others (world publicicty)!
There is also a group supporting Dr. Simba Makoni.
Sokwanele is also on Facebook. A cultural activist network, Magamba!, has a MySpace page where they publish blog posts about the situation in Zimbabwe. The most visible member of the group is Comrade Fatso who keeps a personal blog at Vox.
MAGAMBA! THE CULTURAL ACTIVIST NETWORK is a movement of Zimbabwean spoken word activists and creative rebels who use the word as a weapon.
Mobile Phones
The South African based election result monitoring group, The Independent Result Center, set up a website to publish independent election results. During the elections, their trained agents in Zimbabwe were sending information to South Africa via satellite phones and mobile phones.
This is how their agents obtained information:
In terms of Zimbabwean election law upon closure of the polling station counting must begin immediately, and the result must be displayed outside the polling stations to public view. Candidates and their polling agents should be in attendance during the counting process.
ZimElectionResults.com obtained the results using polling agents who were specially trained to obtain data officially displayed. This information was transmitted to a results centre in South Africa using cellphones and satellite phones to the centre which was manned by call centre operators.
Since election results were displayed publicly, the agents were able to take photos of the actual results:
Polling agents were also equipped with a camera to photograph the actual official results posted by the ZEC. These will be archived on this web site later as forensic evidence. The polling agents also counted the number of people entering each polling station.
Blogs
Immediately after Mugabe started muzzling the media, Zimbabwean bloggers became one of the key sources of information and commentary on the political and economic situation in the country. Visit our Zimbabwe Elections 2008 page for links to posts written by Zimbabwean bloggers.
Online Political Jokes
Robert Mugabe is twittering! He joins the Kenyan President, Mwai Kibaki, on the popular microblogging site, Twitter:
meetings, meetings, meetings. very boring. 12:03 PM April 04, 2008 from web
Ooooo, nervous morning. Sending the wife shopping. She is getting on my nerves. Thinking of shutting the electricity down for laughs. 09:21 AM April 01, 2008 from web
Thinking of live blogging the election results. Good idea? 06:42 PM March 31, 2008 from web
Forcing people to eat election posters. Hey, at least they get fed this week. :) 01:49 PM March 29, 2008 from web
just voted. Guess who I voted for? 01:49 PM March 29, 2008 from web
Zimbabwe Democracy Now has a Zimbabwe Humour page on its website:
A selection of cartoons, movie posters and e-cards about Zimbabwe. These images are presented in the belief that the designers want to reach a wider audience. Thanks to everyone who contributed, you know who you are…


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Zimbabwe: Video: Crisis in Zimbabwe · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Sokwanele posts a video from the Solidarity Peace Trust about the crisis in Zimbabwe.


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Afghanistan: Persian Games · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust opines on the statement made by Richard Boucher, U.S. Assistant SecState for Central and South Asia, concerning the relations between Afghanistan and Iran.


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Africa: Branding guns as roses · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Khadija discusses US military interest in Africa: “According to the US African Command website, Somalia -– invaded by US backed Ethiopian troops in Jan 2007, under the guise of hunting Al–Qaeda –- is in desperate need of assistance.”


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Angola: A tour from Luanda to Bula Atumba · Global Voices
Paula Góes

“For those who have forgotten or those who want to visit Bula Atumba for the first time, I will try to give detailed information and will be available for further clarification”. Mário Almeida [pt] writes a detailed guide for a drive tour in Angola, with maps and pictures, passing through Luanda, Cacuaco, Caxito, Úcua, Piri, Quibaxe, Paredes and Bula Atumba.

author: Paula Góes


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Armenia: Conciliatory Politics · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Armenian Observer posts a roundup of some of the opinions on radical opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrossian's apparently conciliatory 2 May speech. While most blogs consider that the former president's words were indeed more moderate than in the past, whether such an approach represents strength or weakness is open to debate.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Armenia: Global Issues · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Seetizen, the blog of a local youth activist, decries the tendency of Armenians to rally “around whatever looks big and noisy enough.” Instead, it suggests that people put aside partisan party politics to work locally on global issues.


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ASEAN spirit of neighborliness to help Myanmar · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Citizen on Mars says “It is time to apply and put into action the ASEAN spirit of neighborliness and cooperation and help Myanmar get out of this very distressing situation.”


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Azerbaijan: Homophobic Politics · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

After laying the blame for the stabbing of a pro-opposition journalist by his gay lover, Queerty comments on news that the authorities are once again playing the homophobic card in the run-up to the presidential election in Azerbaijan. State TV claims that a leading opposition leader and possible candidate in the October vote is homosexual. Unzipped: Gay Armenia also comments on the news, and says that in a region such as the Caucasus such tactics work every time.


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Bermuda: Free Speech  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As The Association of Caribbean Media Workers publishes its annual “overview of major developments affecting the practice of journalism and freedom of expression in the Caribbean”, Vexed Bermoothes says: “Support for freedom of speech is like being pregnant. You is or you ain’t.”


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Bermuda: Sustainable Development  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As Bermuda is caught between high oil prices and rising food costs, 21 Square says: “Once we've opened our eyes, we can begin striving towards true sustainability.”


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Brunei: Medical education · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Doctors Mess Club reviews the medical training in Brunei


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Cambodia and political blogging · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Blog By Khmer discussed blogging in Cambodia and why most Cambodian bloggers avoid talking about politics.


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China: Baidu Jin Jing · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jake from Shanghaiist explains how nationalist has been spread through portal websites by Baidu Jin Jing logo.


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China: Chinese Style Demonstration · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Liu Xiaoyuan explains why “walking” becomes Chinese style demonstration [zh].


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China: Dialogue or Rebuke? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Woser reposted a discussion threat from kdnet about the dialogue between Dalia Lama's representatives and the United Front Work Department of CPC. Many felt the so-called “dialogue” was more like a “rebuke” [zh].


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China: Wal-Mart Worker Union · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chinese Law Professor noticed some new development of Wal-Mark worker union.


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Cuba: Sanchez Denied “White Card”  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers Babalu, Uncommon Sense and 1Click2Cuba  all report that Havana-based blogger Yoani Sanchez is being denied a travel visa that would have allowed her to accept a top journalism award in Spain.


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Egypt: War on Facebook  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“The Facebook now is the official enemy of state.The blogs are no longer the danger on the State but it is the Facebook,” writes Egyptian blogger Zeinobia.


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Georgia: War with Russia? · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The South Caucasus has always been a volatile and unstable region riven by ethnic conflict  and instability. This has especially been the case since the breakup of the Soviet Union and not least because the region is often considered the gateway between Europe and Central Asia, as well as where the competing interests of the West and Russia collide.
For those readers that have no idea where the Caucasus is, The Reference Frame provides a handy color-coded guide.
Look at the map. Start with the yellow disk, a global perspective. We are discussing the piece of land (blue rectangle) in between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. There are Caucasus Mountains over there as well as many cacophonic pairs of nations. The region is as dangerous for the peace as the Balkans on the opposite side of the Black Sea. […]
This is definitely the case in Georgia where tensions with Russia have increased to the extent that Reuters reports that the battle of words between Tbilisi and Moscow might yet turn into war over the breakaway and defacto independent [Georgian] region of Abkhazia.
The increased tension follows last month's apparent downing of a Georgian drone allegedly by a Russian MiG-29 and reports that Russian troops are being sent to Abkhazia in case of a Georgian attempt to re-take the territory by force. As Hot Air explains, Russia and Georgia are playing brinkmanship again, but this time the consequences are uncertain.
Russia and Georgia have played at brinksmanship for quite a while, and while neither of them would benefit from a war, the tussle over Abkhazia might inadvertently set one in motion. Abkhazia is actually a secondary issue for Russia, although not a false premise for their policy. They see Abkhazia as within their sphere of influence, but Putin really wants an end to NATO expansion at the expense of Russia.
[…]
Both Moscow and Tbilisi are playing hardball over Russian attempts to keep Georgia within its political orbit. It demonstrates that the collapse of the Soviet Union unleashed consequences that have not yet fully played out, and that the “end of history” was anything but. If Putin and his hardliners insist on maintaining a quasi-empire in the breakaway republics, and if the West continues to counter those impulses, a flash point seems almost inevitable.
The Oil and the Glory, the blog of former Wall Street Journal and New York Times journalist Steve Levine who has covered Central Asia and the Caucasus for over a decade, wonders why the situation has emerged now.
What is Russia's move really all about? Surely it's not concern over Abkhaz security — a Georgian military attack in order to bring the region back into the Georgian fold verges on ludicrous, mainly since Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili knows he would lose, either to the Abkhaz themselves or a predictable Russian counter-offensive.
Is Putin simply demonstrating yet again that Russia won't be pushed around? Is he bestowing an image-building conflict on his successor, in the way that Chechnya built up Putin's own nationalist credentials when he took power in 1999 with a popularity rating of 2%?
Others are also asking why the increased tensions are happening, but from a different perspective. TOL Georgia, for example, thinks it is not coincidental that parliamentary elections are due to be held in the former Soviet republic later this month. Tensions with Russia usually result in increased support at home for the Georgian authorities, it says.
If there are elections in Georgia, you may bet some major scandal will take place with Russia — most probably over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia or South Ossetia.
There was a spy scandal before the elections in 2006; then there was President Saakashvili’s brave intervention in a brawl in Gunmukhuri camp and finally now there is the downing of the Georgian drone and Russia’s decision to legalize ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
[…]
It is not to say of course that Russian and Georgian authorities somehow act in accord. No, far from that. Just that Russians are consistently aggressive and if they wanted to see Saakashvili leave Georgia, they would not pitch him the major international incidents right before the elections.
Registan, however, considers that the latest Georgian-Russian spat has more to do with other factors, and not least support from the West for Kosovo's Independence as well as problems with Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
This is probably tied to Georgia’s quest to block Russia’s membership in the WTO. Georgia has suspended its bilateral talks with Russia, which are a condition of Russia’s WTO ascension, on the condition that Moscow halt its growing ties with the separatist governments in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. And now Russia steps forward with talks of Georgia invading Abkhazia.
It’s not that the timing is too convenient, which it is, but that is might not matter. Both Georgia and Russia have a habit of badly overplaying their hand in the battle for sympathetic ears in the West. In this case, Russia has a particularly weak hand—its fondness for separatist movements appears not to extend to either Kosovo, or Chechnya.
Foreign Policy Passport isn't too concerned about the possibility of war between Georgia and Russia, although it does acknowledge that the situation could get out of hand. Indeed, it quotes one Russian commentator: “Recall how World War I began. […] This scenario could be repeated in the Caucasus,” but still concludes that the escalation is likely just belligerent posturing.
Despite the inflammatory rhetoric, it still seems unlikely to me that Georgia would actually go to war with its much larger and militarily superior neighbor. Since Georgia is looking for NATO protection and Russia wants keep Georgia out of NATO at any cost, the war of words seems tailored for an audience in Washington and Brussels. Both sides have a vested interest in the rest of the world perceiving the threat of war as genuine.
In a volatile region such as the South Caucasus where conflict always runs the risk of overspilling into neighboring countries and destabilizing more than just the immediate area, let's hope that remains the case.


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Guyana: Money Trees · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Living Guyana confirms that “The government of Guyana is giving up 988,400 acres of jungle to be cut down by an American company” unless it is compensated by the international community to preserve the trees and adds: “We're seriously torn on this issue.”


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India: Can’t swim in the river · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Despite all the lip service, the river Ganga remains dirty. More at India Travel Blog.


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India: What women wear · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Maami's Weblog comments on the sudden spurt of Indian female actors being criticized for what they wear in Chennai.


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Indonesian blogger in Cebu · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Life is Beautiful, an Indonesian blogger, shares her impressions on her first trip to the Philippines


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Iraq: Stop the massacre in Sadr City… · Global Voices
Salam Adil

… so says Al-Ghad.
In the weeks following the high profile attack on Basra by the Iraqi army and its high profile failure something of a low-level war has been going on across Iraq much behind the scenes of the mainstream media. Yet now the situation seems to be coming to a head.
Al-Ghad issued a statement giving an urgent warning that an imminent massacre of the people of Sadr City is being planned:
The occupiers have decided to implement the Israeli style ghettos of imprisoning people in concrete walls. When this didn’t solve their problem, they came to the idea of mass slaughter of the whole of Sadr-City, using mass bombing, rockets and heavy artillery against a civil population.
Wafaa’ Al-Natheema condemned the attacks against hospitals in Baghdad:
Today the Shu'la hospital in Karkh district was attacked… Historically, I am unaware of military operations targeting civilian hospitals!!…
Who will evacuate the dead bodies and heal the wounded? I really can not keep silent when today my colleague, the journalist, Yasir Shammri described Sadr City Hospital as the hospital of death whose function is just to keep corpses.
While Ladybird reports rumours of plans to use chemical weapons on Sadr City:
I don’t know the truth behind this story … but there are rumors .. that neighborhoods around Sadr-City are being evacuated.
According to al-Badeel al-iraqi, their sources in Sadr-City sent a message saying that the attacking forces are preparing to hit the city with opiate fentanyl non-lethal gas, the same gas the Russians used to attack the rebels in Moscow theater in 2002.
Whatever can be said about the new security plan in Iraq, it has not come without cost. The new Iraqi army can hardly be called non-sectarian. Zeyad posts a video showing Iraqi Security Forces raiding a small town in Iraq in a scene reminiscent of Saddam's violent quelling of an uprising in 1991. He writes:
A massacre that you will not see on CNN, perpetrated by the US-backed “Iraqi security forces” or, more accurately, Badr/SIIC/ Da'wa gangs in uniform and out of uniform… The soldiers are heard spitting out obscenities at the wounded detainees and even at dead bodies. Others are seen dragging another injured detainee, kicking him violently and cursing him before throwing him on a pile of dead bodies…  Those are the “security forces” that our American friends want us to trust and to condemn attacks targeting them.
Raed posts stills from the same video and writes:
The Iraqi police, army, interior ministry forces, and other US backed forces are nothing more than nice titles for militias that happened to be called “governmental”. The Sunnis and Shiites allied with the US get to have their militias treated as “good militias” with governmental titles, but the other Sunnis and Shiites who represent the majority of Iraqis and oppose the occupation are the ones with “bad militias” that are described as terrorists and extremists…
The congress has approved billions of dollars of US-taxpayers money to fund these sectarian militias who are directly responsible of the ethnic and sectarian cleansing that has been taking place in Iraq during the last 5 years.
On a lower level Last of Iraqis has a confrontation with the same kind of soldiers at a checkpoint in Baghdad. He was stopped and nearly arrested. He writes:
During the ordeal many things were running through my head, I was thinking about the previous trouble that I have faced and remembered the comments; that really helped me to be cool, I was thinking about my dead friend; Omar who was killed by the Iraqi army in a situation like mine, he was talking with my other friend on the phone when he reached a checkpoint for the Iraqi army in Harthia neighborhood so he placed the phone aside and my friend could hear everything through the phone…it was so similar to my case but they took him and the next day his dead body was found in a garbage!!!
I know you are bored from the same story being told over and over by me but this is what the ordinary Iraqis go through everyday despite the countless explosions and assassination. That's the army and police that should protect us!! How funny.
These events leaves me with the same questions that Wafaa’ raised:
Aren't these disasters sufficient to move the conscience? What freedom and democracy and what government reform, reconstruction and national unity are those? Will these events move the corrupt political parties to PM Maliki's table? What constitution allows the army to kill people and insults and threatens doctors? Is there any wise man amongst you, deputies and ministers? Where is the Islam of the Islamic parties where is the democracy of the liberal and patriotic parties?

author: Salam Adil


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Japan: Death Penalty Broadcast, 53 Years Later · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

An audio tape recorded 53 years ago of a death penalty execution in Japan, aired by Nippon Cultural Broadcasting on May 6th and and by Asahi television's Super Morning show [ja] on April 29th, has triggered conversations among bloggers about the country's death penalty system. The 50-minute audio footage, which features the last moments of one unnamed death row inmate, is the first of its kind to have ever been released. The airing of the footage comes just as Japan is moving toward the implementation of a citizen judge system, with debate surrounding issues such as the Hikari murder case still ongoing.
At the Happy Road blog (ハッピーロード笑店街), one blogger writes:
やっぱり聞いてしまいました。文化放送は５３年前に執行された死刑の瞬間が録音されたテープを５月６日放送した。テープは大阪拘置所長が、死刑囚の処遇改善などのため１９５５年に録音したもの。約５５分間の番組では、死刑囚の氏名は伏せられいた、執行２日前に面会した姉との会話や絞首刑執行時の音などが約１０分間放送された。　死刑囚は姉に「泣かないで、笑って別れましょう」と語り、執行直前には刑務官と談笑。読経が響く中、刑場の床板が外れる音が放送された。感想は・・・んーだな。　凶悪犯罪が後を絶たない中、死刑廃止を考えさせられる。
Many bloggers objected to what was perceived as a biased presentation by Nippon Cultural Broadcasting. Blogger Moriri writes:
私は死刑賛成とは言いませんが、少なくとも死刑廃止には反対していますので、その考えに立てば今回の文化放送の行う内容では片手落ちであると考えます。なぜならこれは死刑囚が刑を受けて殺されるときの音声しか放送しないからです。これでは明らかに死刑囚寄りの放送内容であって、このような放送を行えば当然ながら「死刑囚が殺されるのは可哀想」という意見を醸成することになるでしょう。しかしこの死刑囚が本当の罪人だとするのであれば、彼が死刑を受けるに至った行為についてもきちんと説明する必要があるでしょう。それが公平な放送、ということになります。
Blogger Takao Yoshiki (高尾善希) meanwhile argues that the blame for the death penalty finally comes back to Japanese citizens through the game of shiri-tori:
尻取り遊びをしてみよう。死刑執行の時の床板は誰が外すのだろう。それは刑務官に決まっている。刑務官はどうして床板を外すのだろう。それは法務大臣から紙が来たからに決まっている。しかしなぜ法務大臣は紙に判をついたのだろう。それは法務大臣になったからである。じゃあなぜ彼は法務大臣の椅子に座っているのだろう。それは国民が選んだからである。そこでこの尻取り遊びは仕舞いになる。つまり床板は廻り廻って国民が外したという理屈になるから、床板を外す状況を国民に向けて放送したとしても何ら差し支えないということになる。この放送についてどのような意見を述べようと自由であり、法務大臣を誰にするかということも、当然自由である。


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Japan: Kite · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Lee from Tokyo Times posted photos of a huge Japanese style kite.


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Kazakhstan: New and Renovated Roads to Be Built · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Adam reports that the Kazakh government will seek investors to build or maintain 1,000 kilometers of roads at a projected cost of $4.5 billion in exchange for operating concessions

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Kyrgyzstan: Women and Men in state bodies · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

GenderStan posts some interesting statistics about the percentage of men and women working at administrative positions in the government of Kyrgyzstan.


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Lebanon: Dangerous Day Ahead · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A few opposition affiliated Lebanese unions are striking today, reports Charles Malek from Lebanon. “The last few times opposition affiliated organizations have protested it has meant attacks on those affiliated with the government and clashes with the Lebanese Army,” he notes.


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Lebanon: Laborer’s Strike  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

I woke up to the sounds coming from the TV screen this morning, as LBC covered the events going on in Beirut's southern suburbs, Mazraa, Barbir and Mar Elias, among other locations, writes Antoun, from Lebanon. Inspired by the political developments, the blogger writes a poem which says: ‘Hundreds of angry Shiite kids,
no older than the age of ten,
are burning thousands of rubber tires
to block the road leading to the airport.
Today is a “Laborer's Strike”.’


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Malaysia: Different types of lecturers · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Kampua Talk describes the different species of lecturers in Malaysian schools


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Myanmar: Will aid really reach the victims? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Tropical Ramblings is reluctant to give money to aid organizations involved in the relief work in Myanmar since he fears the money will not reach the victims


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Nepal: Maoists and Governance · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

blogdai on the Maoists and the government in Nepal. “Maoists can’t govern. They don’t have a plan for governing. They only have an ideolgy—and a failed one at that.”


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Russia: North Caucasus Photos · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Photos from a quick trip through North Caucasus – Makhachkala, Grozny and a few other locations – by LJ user maxialla (text in Russian).