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China: Web mobilizes to help Yushu earthquake victims · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Details have been limited but not scarce following the 7.1 magnitude earthquake which struck Qinghai province at 7:49 am Wednesday; in addition to 400 confirmed deaths, at least 10,000 others were injured.
Reportedly, more than 25 aftershocks continued to hit the already devastated area throughout the day, including one of magnitude 6.3 at 9:25 am.
Media both in Qinghai and nationwide were quick to report on relief efforts and saw major Internet news portals such as Netease providing ongoing coverage, with Tencent seeming to have the most current information with its growing page of live updates. Phone companies have pledged to keep mobile service running regardless of any unpaid balance. With Hu Jintao still in America, Vice Premier Hui Liangyu was early at the scene to command efforts.
Relief work is being hampered by the remote location and high altitude of the epicenter, currently also experiencing sandstorms and below-zero weather; army officials have been frank about the challenges faced by rescue efforts due to lack of appropriate equipment in the area, with local police stating that while people are still alive in the rubble, they will have to be dug out by hand.
At least one school dormitory collapsed during the quake, killing 56 children; another school in Yushu collapsed, trapping 30 students who still stood chance of being rescued according to one Sina news report. A spokesperson for the Red Cross Society of China has said that 70% of schools in the area have collapsed.
Twitter user Foxmuldery made some grim predictions of what the official narrative will look like:
推测青海地震事后处理：1，不存在豆腐渣；2，受灾群众情绪稳定；3，省外媒体不得入内采访；4，统一用新华社通稿；5，死亡名单不公布；6问责豆腐渣的人士被颠覆国家政权；7，专家再次解释地震不能预测；8，3月专家表示不会出现破坏性地震的新闻报道被消失。
Columnist and Twitter addict Lian Yue has been looking deeper, noting a promise made by Premier Wen Jiabao during his work report to the 2009 NPC that schools from across the country would be inspected and safety standards enforced, and finding that 15878 individual buildings belonging to the more than 8000 schools in Qinghai province underwent safety appraisals, the results of which were released last October.
Twitter user nwau looks even closer still, at Qinghai government school building safety working group reports, the Yushu government's official response measures in cases of emergency situations, and wonders about the fate of schools in the area which began construction last summer.
Leading up to midnight Wednesday, reports came that several dozen mainstream media reporters en route to Yushu were stuck at Wuhan's Tianhe Airport, coming at the same time as news that checkpoints have been set up as far away as 80 km from Yushu, a mainly ethnic Tibetan area, and that journalists specifically are already being refused entry into the quake zone.
While this seems to contradict a call for “all-out efforts” put out by both Wen Jiabao and Hu Jintao, it's not the only sign that harkens back to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake; not long after Qinghai Vice Governor Jidi Majia put out a call for stronger “proper” guidance of public opinion, journalists on Twitter and other microblogs began reporting that a blackout had been issued regarding news of the quake barring out-of-province media from entering the area or conducting interviews.
At the same time, however, Baidu's Qinghai section reopened at just after 12 pm on Wednesday following its closure on March 18, 2008, although earlier in the morning some had observed Baidu to be blocking any searches for information regarding Qinghai.
A Twitter account was set up which is posting all messages or reports sent to a designated phone number that was spread widely around today, and others began aggregating tweets with various details of latest developments. Threads on different BBSes and blogs began collecting first-hand photos from Yushu, and a number of people began organizing their plans to travel to Yushu through the use of tools like Twitter.
Knee-jerk travel or reporting bans weren't about to stop China's NGOs from organizing, however. The China International Search & Rescue Team (中国国际救援队), for one, not only has its own blog but is also actively updating accounts on microblog platforms at Sohu and Sina. Donation calls and bank account and contact numbers were being tweeted around, with others choosing to make a less disorganized contribution and some even urging the public to forward donations directly to the Yushu county government…
Spontaneous efforts to organize have appeared on major BBS site Tianya, where pages had also been set up to help collect donations.
As was seen during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, web companies have offered to contribute financially as well; Tencent, for example, with a pledge of RMB2 million and a form encouraging its users to donate. China's religious communities are also going online to raise donations and support for relief efforts.


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Colombia: Mockus-Fajardo Alliance for Presidential Elections · Global Voices
Lully Posada

Colombian Presidential candidate Antanas Mockus, of the Green Party [es], sealed an alliance with the Medellín's ex-Mayor, Sergio Fajardo, who will be his Vice-Presidential running mate for the May 30, 2010 elections. Both men were mayors of Colombian's two largest cities, Bogotá and Medellín, respectively. Many Colombians believe that they led transparent administrations during their time as Mayors.
This alliance has been met with approval by many Colombians, as demonstrated in opinion polls. However, the virtual world in blogs is also not alien from this. Here are some reflections on how this alliance is seen online.
Photo of Antanas Mockus by Gó Me Z and used unde a Creative Commons license.
To begin, Álvaro Ramírez in the digital magazine EquinoXio [es] writes about the importance of working as a team:
La renuncia que ha hecho Fajardo a su ambición individual de ser presidente ahora, es significativa porque revela con mayor claridad el revolcón que está transformando a estos ex-alcaldes en políticos cada vez más sagaces e inteligentes. Entendieron que sin estructuras sólidas, sin organizar a sus seguidores y sin tomarse el tiempo y el esfuerzo de construir movimientos políticos y partidos con perfiles ideológicos coherentes, no era posible hacer los cambios profundos que Colombia necesita.
Juanita León from the site La Silla Vacía [es] provides an analysis of the upturn that will benefit the supporters in the Mockus campaign and reiterates the identification of the 2 sides because there are no marked ideological differences:
Antanas Mockus y Sergio Fajardo tienen muchas afinidades: ambos son matemáticos, fueron alcaldes exitosos, creen en la importancia de la transparencia de los medios para conseguir los fines en la política. Pero tienen menos complementariedades.
The Koestler collective blog, Reflexiones Desde Lebrija [es] is pleased with this alliance, but at the same time launches criticism at the manipulation that is being seen in the polls that are taking place in Colombia:
Un claro ejemplo es el de Datexco, que repitió la encuesta… hasta que aparecía ganándola Juan Manuel Santos.
Sí: es que definitivamente hasta en eso se tiene que engañar a la gente. Porque la encuesta de Datexco la ganó Mockus, pero había que ocultarlo al pueblo.
A clear example is that Datexco, which repeated the survey… until it showed that (candidate) Juan Manuel Santos was winning.
Yes: they definitely do this to trick the people. Because in the Datexco survey, Mockus won, but they wanted to hide the result from the people.
Earlier in 2010, Mockus announced that he has Parkinson's Disease, an illness that he says he is controlling with medication and which is in its early stages. However, some opponents have been drawing a lot of attention to his illness. Víctor Solano in his blog ¿Comunicación? [es] analyzes the news that the journalists from the Caracol station [es] wanted to handle in detriment to Mockus’ image, coinciding with the avalanche of supporters of the alliance led by Mockus, and questioned:
Sinceramente me sentí muy triste, no tanto por la salud del candidato porque sé que Mockus es fuerte, gallardo, honesto y porque con medicación podrá atenuar los efectos de su padecimiento; me sentí triste al ver que tengo colegas en la radio que atentan contra la dignidad de los candidatos, que buscan los presuntos talones de Aquiles en la necesidad de menoscabar a las personas y no a los hechos.
Superuser in the blog Tu Web Florida [es] analyzes the pros and cons of this alliance. However, he concludes its favorability in the end:
Hay quienes interpretan eso como una debilidad a la hora de administrar un país, pues las funciones son más complejas. Por ejemplo, la política de relaciones exteriores es de manejo exclusivo del Gobierno central; la actuación del Presidente y del Banco de la República es determinante en la economía; a esto se suma que la seguridad y la defensa de la nación son del fuero del más alto nivel del Ejecutivo. En otras palabras, una cosa es administrar una ciudad y otra un país.
Sin embargo, las ciudades en las que fueron alcaldes Mockus y Fajardo son las más importantes del país, y en buena medida, sus administraciones representan desafíos debido a la complejidad de sus problemas.
Some people interpret this as a weakness when administering a country, because the functions are more complex. For example, foreign relations politics are exclusively handled by the central government; the roles of the President and the Bank of the Republic are crucial in the economy, to this one adds security and national defense are under the jurisdiction of the highest levels of the Executive Branch. In other words, one thing is administering a city, an another thing is administering a country.
However, the cities of which Mockus and Fajardo were the mayors, are the largest in the country, and largely present challenges to their administrations due to the complexity of their problems.
In the social networks, this alliance has been receiving a lot of support from its followers who form different groups. Among the most representative, is the one on Facebook titled “Antanas Mockus and Sergio Fajardo for the Presidency of the Republic [es]” with has more than 65,000 followers.  The site is managed by volunteers supporting the virtual campaign. Two comments appear on the site, one in favor of Mockus and the other against:
Juan Daniel Cruz Podríamos ahorrarnos 60.000 millones de pesos: lo que vale la segunda, si elegimos a Antanas en primera vuelta. Pongamos esta información en el estado de Facebook este sábado 17 de Abril, tener el mejor presidente nos sale muy económico, igual que la campaña que manejo durante su candidatura, manifestémonos y apoyemos esta campaña el 17 de abril.
Aragon de gondor. nadie habla del contrato de Mockus, en su primera alcaldía con Ica de México para repavimentar la malla vial de Bogotá. No se ejecutó ni el 40% hoy no se ha recuperado el dinero del distrito, sigue el pleito y el experto estadista, de candidato a la presidencia….ver más ilusos.
Juan Daniel Cruz: We can save 60,000 million pesos: which is what a runoff election costs, if we elect Antanas in the first round. Let's put this information as a Facebook status on April 17, to have the best president comes out very economical, as is the campaign that has been managed during the campaign, let's state and support this campaign on April 17.
Aragon de Gondor: No one talks about with Mockus’ contract with Ica of Mexico during his first term as Mayor. The contract was to re-pave Bogota's road network. Not even 40% was implemented and the money from the district has not been recovered, the fight continues and the expert statesman, from candidate to the presidency…see more delusions.
Even though many Colombian bloggers are in favor of this alliance, there are some exceptions such as Saúl Hernández, who published in his blog Opinet [es], and which also appeared in El Tiempo.  On his personal blog, he had to close comments because the supporters of Mockus-Fajardo responded in large numbers responding to Hernández’ harsh criticism of the Colombian youth for supporting the campaign, calling them immature:
Esos inconformes, entre ellos muchos jóvenes con su típica inmadurez política, buscan algo peor que el mesianismo y el caudillismo que tanto critican, como son las salidas utópicas. Buscan el Obama colombiano que acabe con la corrupción, la pobreza, la violencia, el desempleo y la ignorancia; que legalice las drogas, que haga las paces con Chávez, que haga el intercambio humanitario, firme la paz con las guerrillas y logre otras enormidades de ese calibre.
Jorge Luis Rocha, 19 years-old, is very enthusiastic, something that is reflected in many of Colombia's youth about this alliance. He writes in his blog CP ¡Cuántas Palabras! [es]:
Por estas pocas razones (comentemos muchas más!) la unión Fajardo-Mockus da aires de esperanza para vivir en otra Colombia y sentirse (personalmente, por primera vez) orgulloso de esta tierra. No sería raro que, como Barack Obama, Mockus gane inesperadamente la presidencia en Colombia. Tenemos con qué ganar. Tenemos monopolizados las redes sociales, trabajamos con bajo perfil, le hacemos ver otras cosas a la gente… somos activos. Somos activos en medio de otros políticos que se dedican a darle largas a peleas mediáticas infantiles. Sé, y tengo la ilusión, de que a partir del segundo semestre de 2010 habrá un presidente no conservador, no Uribista, sino independiente.
Finally, the two candidates have not invested much in this campaign, and have attempted to take full advantage of the virtual media. The volunteer organizers of this campaign have been sending emails with the phrase, “Under the Motto – Unity Makes Us Stronger, the 2 Ex-Mayors announce key points in the campaign will be citizen culture, education, and dignity for life in the rural areas.”
The campaign for presidential elections will become more competitive and interesting, and there are hopes that there will be a lot of citizen participation for exercising their right at the ballot box on May 30.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Lully Posada


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Cuba: Groundbreaker · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

For Havana Times, Yusimi Rodriguez interviews “the first black model in Cuba.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Dominica: Heritage Site  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“A luxuriant natural tropical forest in harmony with volcanic features of high scenic appeal and scientific interest” is how Dominica Weekly describes the country's Morne Trois Pitons National Park, the first designated UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Caribbean.


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Haiti: Controversial Statistics  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Haitian Blogger contends that, contrary to some mainstream media messages, “Haiti does NOT have the ‘worst HIV infection rate in the region’.”


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India: ‘The First Cry’ Blog Contest · Global Voices
Rezwan

Chennai Moms.com has announced a blogging competition to celebrate International Mother's Day in May. The contest has been named as “The First Cry”, which will choose the best from mothers’ blog posts describing their first baby birth experience.

author: Rezwan


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Iran: Has blogging become less popular since the election? · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Eleven Iranian bloggers and media professionals representing different parts of the political spectrum have answered a questionnaire about the changing dynamics of Iranian citizen media since the election.
Before the June 2009  presidential election the most dynamic pillars of citizen media in Iran were YouTube and blogs. The election and the crisis that followed introduced Facebook and Twitter as two new primary channels of online citizen expression. For a short time during the election, the Iranian government blocked access to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and several other websites. Some, including one leading Islamist blogger [fa], called it a miscalculated strategy that helped the Iranian opposition dominate in the virtual realm. Despite the regime's attempts to filter social media websites, they became a powerful communication platform for the Green Movement.
So did the Iranian presidential election change the dynamics of citizen media tools and channels? Are Facebook and Twitter the dominant players? Are blogs gradually become a second hand channel for sharing ideas? What are the channels political activists use the most?
I asked one leading Islamist blogger; three Green bloggers; one leading environmentalist blogger; five media people; and one active blogger, to participate in a short multiple-choice survey. A group of eleven netizens could never represent the entire Iranian blogosphere, but it is a small step to gain insight.
1-Which are the sites you visit frequently since the presidential election?
Facebook was the favorite with six points, Twtter is at the bottom with one point. Blogs got two points and FriendFeed and YouTube three each.
2-In your opinion which sites do political and civil society activists use?
Blogs are still king with six points, Facebook gets three points, you Tube two points, FriendFeed one, Twitter got zero, and None gets one point.
Six of our netizens believe the importance of the blogs after the presidential election did not diminish, two think blogs became more important, and three believe their importance was diminished.
Of the latter group, two think that blogs became less important because of Facebook's growing popularity, and one thinks the reason is that bloggers became less active.
3-What is/are the site/s you prefer to discuss your favorite topics:
Blogs are mentioned 4 times, Facebook, 6 times, FriendFeed 3 times and Twitter one time.
In sum, reading this survey shows that after presidential election Iranian netizens have gone more visual and that Facebook has become a place to be for many of them including political leaders. The survey also shows that the so-called ‘twitter revolution’ (at least for our 11 participants) may have been more a phenomenon of western media than one of lasting consequence in the Iranian virtual world. Blogs still remain a valuable place but are losing the ground to the newcomers. Probably there is one certainty that after presidential election, nothing remained the same in Iranian community, the virtual as well as physical one.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Japan: The Nikkei stops free links · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Andy in Tokyo wrote a post [en] on the Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei Shimbun's new policy, according to which “linking to any of its articles – and even its home page – now requires a written application.”

author: Scilla Alecci


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Maldives: The Upcoming Akon Gig  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Light After Dark reports that US R&B singer Akon will perform in the Maldives on the 23rd of April. The Maldivian Facebook Community has set up a group called “we support Akon live in maldives” (997 Member) and to counter it there is a group Called “we DONT support Akon live in maldives” (1,644 Members).


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Pakistan: First Female Cartoonist · Global Voices
Rezwan

Faisal Kapadia at Deadpan Thoughts interviews Nigar, Pakistan's first female cartoonist.


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Panama: Writers Association at Buenos Aires Book Fair · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The blog Panamanian Writers [es] details the participation of the Panama Writers Association in the International Book Fair in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Plagiarism in Chinese Academia · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

C Custer from ChinaGeek discusses a recent debate on plagiarism in Chinese academia. Wang Hui, a public intellectual leader in the “New Left” movement, is charged by Nanjing University literature professor Wang Binbin regarding the missing of proper citation in Wang's dissertation on Lu Xun.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Poland: Controversy Over Polish President’s Burial Location · Global Voices
Sylwia Presley

Today's announcement that the Polish presidential couple killed in the tragic aircraft accident over Smolensk last Saturday would be buried on Sunday at 2PM in Krakow‘s Wawel Castle raised a lot of controversy.
Lech Kaczyński's family was given a choice of three burial locations: the Wawel Castle in Krakow, as well as St. John's Cathedral and the Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw. Stanisław Dziwisz, the Cardinal Archbishop of Krakow, announced [PL] today that they had decided in favor of Wawel, and this announcement later sparked a series of public protests.
Some 400 protesters gathered [PL] in front of the Metropolitan Curia of Krakow tonight to voice their concerns: the authorities’ failure to consult with the nation; the fact that Wawel is a resting place of kings, military leaders, representatives of the Polish literature and other historical personalities considered heroes of the nation; the fact that none of the spouses of the heroes resting there had been buried along with them. The protest was organized through several Facebook groups, such as this one (currently 2,143 fans), this (23,369 fans) and this (11,782 members). Nearly 1,400 people have signed this online petition [PL] related to the protest as well. The scale of the protest on Facebook did not go unnoticed in the Polish mainstream media [PL].
To understand the sentiments of the protesters, let's look at some of their posts on Facebook. Maciej Sadkowski expresses the dominant opinion of one of the groups opposing the decision [PL]:
A definite NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Gabi Wielesik points out [PL]:
Not only that suddenly the person everyone laughed at suddenly becomes a national hero, now this…paranoia…maybe we should bury  [Gosiewski], [Szmajdziński] and others in Wawel, too? they died [in the plane crash] as well…
Paula Rettinger believes [PL] that the president's place is in Warsaw:
I protest against the burial of [Lech Kaczyński] in Wawel. Brother of my grandfather died in Katyń. As well as my mother's uncle. The topic is close to my heart. The only reason to call Kaczyński a hero is his accidental death. It's an irresponsible, foolish decision taken under the pressure of a constant propaganda flow of condolences to the deceased couple. The Warsaw Cathedral is a necropolis for presidents, and it is where the president should rest.
Izabela Wójcik refers [PL] to the image of Poland abroad:
I also oppose it, as all my friends I've talked to. But it is not only our internal matter because now the entire world will see how after a short period of unity the Polish nation divides and argues again. Try to look at this image: the cortege with guests from all around the world and a demonstration in the back of it. How will it look like to the world? Why multiply conflicts with decisions of this type? Eh…
Piotr Tomula points out [PL] the past sentiments of the Kaczyński family towards Krakow:
He did not receive the honorable citizenship of Krakow, so now his brother pushes him in through the back door for even more, this is exactly how the duckies [a slang word for Kaczyński brothers, derivative of the word ‘kaczka’ – ‘a duck’], NO HONOR, only VANITY…
Kuba Bielecki speaks [PL] with irony:
If my family decides where we should be buried, I will tell my brother that I want it to be Wawel, but hand in hand with Sobieski, well actually Mickiewicz would satisfy me, too.
Agata Kol is one of the few voices [PL] supporting the decision, though:
Kaczyński was a head of state, just as kings from the Piast or Jagello dynasties. He was also chosen democratically.
Gazeta.pl posts a survey [PL] on the topic, asking the public for their opinions. Here are the current results (as of 11PM):
What do you think of the plans to bury Kaczyński in Wawel?
63% Should be buried in Warsaw
26% Brilliant, is is exactly his place
11% It does not matter, his family should decide
Piotr Kowalczyk's tweet [PL] sums up the general direction of the discussions:
Wawel will not unite the Poles, but divide them.

author: Sylwia Presley


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Russia: New Book About Livejournal Announced · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Russian magazine “Ogonyok” published an interview with Andrey Podshibyakin, a former executive editor of Livejournal. Podshibyakin tells about his new book “Po-zhivomu: 1999-2009. Livejournal in Russia.” The book covers a decade in the history of this popular blogging platform in Russia.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Thailand: Last images from camera of slain reporter · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Reuters uploaded photos from the camera of its slain photographer Hiro Muramoto who was covering the Red Shirt protest in Thailand. An investigation is ongoing about how the crackdown on the protest became violent last Saturday.

author: Mong Palatino


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Thailand: Soldier’s story of violent clash · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Prachatai has published the account of an anonymous soldier about the violent crackdown of the Red Shirt protest last Saturday which resulted in 21 deaths.


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Uruguay: New Holiday Commemorates Charrúa Massacre · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

For the first time in Uruguay, the country commemorated the “Day of the Charrúa Nation and the Indigenous Identity.” April 11, 2010, marked 179 years of what some Uruguayans call a massacre, and others a genocide of the Charrúa people in Salisipuedes [es] (“Salisipuedes” translated to English means “get out if you can”). During the carnage which took place on April 11, 1831, 40 Charrúas were killed and 300 taken as prisoners; it was the first president of Uruguay, Fructuoso Rivera, who perpetrated the ordeal, as the blog Nordeste Montevideo [es] explains. The post goes on to detail the aftermath of the massacre:
Los prisioneros son trasladados a Montevideo en condiciones infrahumanas; los hacen caminar días y días hasta la capital. Los hombres encarcelados, vendidos o muertos después del cautiverio; mujeres y niños entregados como servidores a las familias patricias de Montevideo
Photo representing a colonizer and a Charrúa. Uploaded by Flickr user aramolara, and used under a Creative Commons license
The law that made this day of remembrance a reality was passed last year, and as Mario Delgado Gerez from La República [es] explains, it recognizes the fight of the Charrúas against the imperial powers that tried to conquer the land Uruguayans now call home:
La aprobación de la flamante Ley que declara al 11 de abril de cada año “Día de la Nación Charrúa y la identidad indígena” se convierte además de un reconocimiento histórico a los hechos sucedidos en 1831, en un acto de justicia póstuma para los que generosamente ofrecieron su vida por nuestra tierra, libertad y dignidad en una resistencia de más de 300 años contra los imperios invasores de la época.
The blog Abrecabezas [es] posted the aforementioned article from La República and received some comments regarding this new law.
One of the comments came from a user from the blog Nuevo Espacio en Lavalleja [es]:
Me alegro enormemente que se haya recoonocido ofialmente ese genocidio, para cambiar realmente debemos saber qué es lo que hay que cambiar; y sin duda alguna, tener presente estas barbaridades, nos ayuda en ese sentido.
On the Facebook page Nación Charrúa [es]  (Charrúa Nation) Dana Nunñez, among others, commented on the issue:
Los cambios si no nacen de cada uno de los Uruguayos y Uruguayas no vale la pena ser impuestos. Creo que es parte de la dignidad CHARRUA tener lo que se les ha negado pero por derecho y esto tenemos que reconocerlo. Son nuestras RAICES y es el único legado que hay que defender.
A Charrúa. Photo uploaded by Flickr user Eduardo Amorim and used under a Creative Commons license.
Some Charrúas still live in Uruguay. They try to maintain their traditions amidst a country they criticize for not only killing them, but also for forgetting them.
A Charrúa family tells their story of facing discrimination for something as simple as registering the names for their two sons. This Charrúa family submitted an indigenous name for their son -Itanú, which means “rock heartbeat”– for his birth records, but the official rejected the name saying that it failed to show the gender of the baby. They left the registration office with a warning that if they didn’t register their son in 10 days, a name would be selected at random for him.
In a letter published by the blog El Muerto [es], the family speaks of the discrimination they face as Charrúas living in a country that they feel has forsaken them:
En el Uruguay en que vivimos actualmente, late la discriminación y la xenofobia. Pero aún es más increíble y no deja de asombrar la desmemoria. Porque olvidamos todo muy fácilmente, pues así como olvidamos horrores y terrores de nuestra historia más reciente olvidamos injusticias más antiguas. Olvidamos que el mismo estado uruguayo en su estado fundacional comete el primer acto de terrorismo de Estado, comete genocidio para con el Pueblo Charrúa, comete etnocidio, linguicidio y culturicidio.
The letter is signed by “Itanú, Yrupé, Jasymimbí, Evelyn y Tacuabé.
Comunidad Charrúa Basqüadé Inchalá” (Charrúa Community Basqüadé Inchalá).
Susana Andrade wrote an opinion piece in the digital newspaper Diario Uruguay [es], remembering the genocide and tying it to the story of Itanú. Echoing what others have said on the Nación Charrúa Facebook page, she explains that even if the law were to change and allow parents to name their child as they pleased, there needs to be a more profound change in the minds and feelings of the general population:
Al parecer se buscaría modificar la ley que deja a la valoración -subjetiva inevitablemente- del funcionario de turno, si los nombres propuestos por los responsables del niño o niña que se va a anotar, son “correctos o incorrectos”. De todas formas y para mal, el sentimiento racista no ha cambiado mucho en los corazones y en las mentes de cierta parte de la población. En tanto esto no suceda, es al cuete legislar si no nace el respeto desde la barriga.
Apparently it is being sought to modify the law so that it would leave up to judgment –subjective inevitably— of the official on duty, if the names proposed by the adults responsible for the boy or girl that is being registered, are “correct or incorrect.” In any case and in a bad way, the racist sentiment hasn’t changed much in the hearts and minds of a certain part of the population. Until this change doesn’t happen, it is useless to legislate if the change is not born from the inside.
The term “Charrúa” is widely used as a nickname for the national soccer team, and the saying “garra charrúa” is used to denote braveness, strength and persistence; but to many, their knowledge about this indigenous community does not go further than what these popular names refer to. Without a doubt, this new holiday will raise awareness and educate Uruguayans about the Charrúa indigenous community and the heritage they represent to the country. Uruguayans concerned about the Charrúa and those who support the new law commemorating April 11 as the “Day of the Charrúa Nation and the Indigenous Identity” think this law is a small but significant step; to them, complete success will only be achieved once every Uruguayan proudly accepts and embraces their indigenous heritage.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Azerbaijan: Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli update · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines says that the local media in Azerbaijan reports that imprisoned video blogging youth activists Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli have been moved to separate prisons for reasons unknown.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bangladesh: Images Of Pahela Boishakh · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ershad Ahmed at Dhaka Photo blog shares some colorful pictures of Pahela Boishakh – Bengali new year (1417) festivities. Expat blogger Paagli Didi, the Fulbright Scholar has more pictures.


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Barbados: Black, from an Island · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados’ Gallimaufry and Repeating Islands refer to a piece by Maxine Williams, which deals with the “black island identity”.


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China: Propaganda order Google calendar · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Chinese journalists have over the past two years become more open about discussing news blackout orders received from propaganda departments. Those on Twitter have recently begun posting the contents of these orders to a shared Google calendar which can be found here.

author: John Kennedy


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Haiti: Goal of NGOs · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Haitian Blogger agrees that the goals of non-governmental organisations in Haiti should be “to put themselves out of business.”


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India: First Bengali Cinema Available At iTunes · Global Voices
Rezwan

Muhammad at Cadet College Blog is excited to report that Suman Ghosh's Dwando (2009) created history by being the first Bengali Cinema available for rent at iTunes.


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Japan: New Hires Seen Around Town · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

New hires that started their jobs on April 1st “reminds me of baby penguins standing around waiting for their masters to bring them scraps of food…”, says The Adventures of a Foreign Salaryman in Tokyo.

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Japan: The enigma of Japanese intellectuals · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Ken Mogi shares his thoughts on “The enigma of Japanese intellectuals“: “Although it is sometimes a dirty word, I consider myself as “a kind of” intellectual. “


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Japan: Toilet terror · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Pink tectacle has a collection of pictures on legendary ghost Hanako-san, a spooky young girl that haunts school restrooms across Japan.


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Pakistan: A Mysterious Plane in Karachi · Global Voices
Rezwan

Teeth Maestro questions “what’s a Meridian Jet doing in Karachi?” Similar planes have been used in ‘rendition’ program “in which the CIA uses private aircraft to ferry prisoners to various countries.”


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Pakistan: Abbotabad Riots · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kalsoom at CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan writes about the recent riots in Pakistan which claimed at least seven lives: “mobs in Haripur, Mansehra, and Abbottabad (in Hazara) blocked roads, chanted slogans, and burned tires — all in the name of a name”.


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Slogans do no honor to China’s miners  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Qian Gang from China Media Project comments on the propaganda campaign regarding the rescue of 153 Miners in Shanxi.


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Sri Lanka: A Predictable Election · Global Voices
Rezwan

On 8th of April 14 million Sri Lankan voters were poised to vote in the parliamentary election to elect a new government. Nalaka Gunawardene at Groundviews writes:
The election campaigns for the past many weeks have seen the usual glut of rhetoric and promises. Our endlessly bickering political parties rarely agree on anything, so it’s refreshing to see a broad consensus on what this election is fundamentally about: future prosperity.
The election saw a low turnout (apprx. 55%), much lower than for the presidential polls in January (apprx. 75%). There are reports that thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) were denied from voting in the North. The reason for low voter turn out was contributed by the fact that many from the Tamil minority abstained from voting.
The parliamentary election was marred by violence as several incidents were reported during the day. The Center For Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) informs that there were 84 major incidents on Election day and it lists details of 13 such reported incidents.  Votes in 18 polling booths will be retaken on April 20th. CMEV also mapped the incidents for better navigation:
Serendipity shares frustrations regarding the election process, which is not about manifestos but abuse of power and wealth to get elected:
It is a very sad time indeed in our Serendipitous Isle, for ‘Good Governance’ that we hold a General Election, where no one knows what the individual parties stand for, and which if truth be told, the Governing Alliance did not even bother to publish a manifesto, being confident that they will win.
The election therefore has been reduced to one of people, with all ‘Media Advertising’ as well as posters and cutouts concentrating merely on individuals to be elected to represent a district.
Individuals therefore have had to raise funds, use public resources unashamedly, a perfect example being the foreign minister using the resources of his ministry to plug himself as the savior of SL, and somehow fight to get the preferences. You judge whether he deserves to win.
The blogger ends with a hope:
I hope common sense will prevail, and I pray the voter will remember not to vote for the person who bought his last meal, but the person who best can represent his or her interests in Parliament for six long years and not defect to another party!!!!
A concerned citizen at Groundviews calls this a pseudo democracy in Sri Lanka. The democracy and politics is not oriented to the rural people, who are forced to remain poverty stricken, marginalized and politically ill informed to exercise their democratic rights:
It is no secret that poverty and ignorance is a politically expedient condition, as in feudal times, to keep the masses in a state of subservience. By not playing a proactive role in advocacy and awareness building among the vast majority of rural polity who live in enforced ignorance, the moderates of this country have failed to uphold democracy. [..]
The current regime appears to be following in the footsteps of totalitarian regimes such as Burma, Iran, Libya, Russia and China who have taken advantage of similar conditions of rural poverty and ignorance in brain washing a captive polity in order to hold the nation in thrall. [..]
A politically passive and impoverished Sri Lankan polity has steadily paved the way, under consecutive regimes, towards a state of totalitarianism which has borne a despotic regime which recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible.
The results were expected as the incumbent United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) is ahead with 117 seats (60% vote) and the close competitor is the opposition United National Front (UNF) with 46 seats and 30% vote. UPFA is expected to win at least half of the 45 results, which are yet to be declared. UNF has been demoralized by the arrest of its presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka and their popularity is waning.
The results also showed that the Tamils have less confidence in the majority Sinhalese government, reports Journalists For Democracy In Sri Lanka:
The president had campaigned in the Tamil heartland of Jaffna and Wanni with promises of billions of dollars to rebuild the regions worst affected by the long war with the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
But his party failed to win a single Tamil district, with Tamil voters instead electing 12 MPs from the moderate Tamil National Alliance, which wants greater autonomy for the Tamil minority.
Lanka Rising posts a critical analysis of the results of the election. The blog also lists the ten top priorities of the Sri Lankan Government which includes “ensure law and order and equal opportunities for all”. However, without successfully engaging more and more Tamil minorities in active politics the goal will remain illusive and the divide will not be mended.


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Sudan Elections 2010: The good, the bad and the ugly · Global Voices
Mahid (Sudanese Guardian)

On April 11, 2010 citizens in Sudan went to the polls for the first time in 24 years. A whole generation that was born, raised, educated and graduated under one totalitarian government rule has been able to cast their vote.
Sudanese elections would pave the road for a 2011 South Sudan referendum, which might change the geographic boundaries of the largest country in Africa forever.
Please join me in finding out what is happening in the Sudan from bloggers in Sudan and the Diaspora.
Writing in her blog post Observing Sudan's elections, Fatma Naib says:
The process was supposed to start from 0800am Mecca time. I arrived at a polling station in central Khartoum, where voting began more than an hour late.
But the delay did little to dim the fervour of several 60-year-old women, who were waiting eagerly for the voting process to start.
I asked some of them of how they felt. Khadija, 63, said that she was excited and this is her “right” as a Sudanese. I noticed that there were a lot of older women and soldiers who came early to cast their vote.
While at the polling station, she noted that there were not many young Sudanese in the 18-35 age group:
I didn't see many young Sudanese in the 18-35 age group. Perhaps this will change in the coming days.
The process was observed by local and international observers. The Carter Center was there and Jimmy Carter, the former US president, came to watch the process unfold. When asked about what he thought of the polling procedures, he said that everything seemed “orderly”.
A member of “Girifna” group (which means We Are Fed Up or  Disgusted) states: “I voted for the first time in my life yesterday in the first Sudanese elections in 24 years”:
I voted for the first time in my life yesterday in the first Sudanese elections in 24 years. The first vote I ever cast was in an election that is rigged and predetermined. I debated whether I should even cast it because all the opposition candidates had pulled out, and there was so much evidence of foul play during the registration period and leading up to the elections, that it seemed pointless. I voted anyway, partly because my candidate was still on the ballot despite having pulled out, and because I wanted to exercise my right to vote against President Bashir and the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).
Girifna calls for Observer Missions to stop lending  credibility to Sudan’s Elections:
International observer missions have so far been subject to severe government intimidation. The Sudanese government harshly criticized the Carter Center after publication of its report on March 17, 2010 which detailed significant violations in the elections process throughout all stages including fraud and repression of speech and other freedoms. The report also described the uneven playing field for political parties and unequal access to media suggesting technical advises to enable National Election Commission (NEC) to handle the electoral process.  Since then the Sudanese government has on multiple occasions threatened all international observer groups more broadly.  On March 22President Omar al Bashir publicly threatened to cut off the noses and fingers of internationals who “intervene in internal affairs” and endorsed any delay of elections. He repeated this threat on April 5 in Jazeera State. Threats to international actors who intervene to oppose any postponement of the poll—such as for example, the United States Special Envoy— are conspicuously absent.
In the same article, the group argues that international observers are undermining local observers:
This silent acquiescence by international observer missions in the face of increasing repression also undermines the attempts of local domestic observers to monitor the process. Today, for example, a number of local organisations, all of which have been internationally recognized as independent civil society experts, were summarily informed they would not be permitted to participate as election monitors by the NEC. The NEC refused to provide either a copy of this determination in writing or reasons for the decision. The silence is contributing to the climate of fear and insecurity which is unfolding around the elections, adding to both the apprehension and probability of violence and greater repression.
The Sudan Tribune is of the opinion that the presence of international observers in Sudan serve the interest of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).
BlackKush concludes that the whole process is turning out to be a sham:
If the elctions are not going to be free and fare in the North, how will it be in the South? Is it not the same elections, same ballots and same NEC? When there are no explanations, the conspiracy theories abound and I like what I hear, because it goes with what I believe a long time ago that it is going to happen: that SPLM is handing Northern Sudan to NCP and NCP is handing Southern Sudan to the SPLM. That will be the results of the elections, each ensuring their grip in power. And the oppositions parties, they can go to hell.
The opposition have already sensed this and said the SPLM cut a deal with NCP. Are they right? Maybe. Bashir has threatened to postpone the crucial referrundum in the South in 2011 if SPLM withdraw completely from the elections aor asked for delays. For the SPLM, 2011 is much more important than the elections.
Finally, Sudan Thinker questions the role of the United States of America in this historic elections:
why do the US envoy to Sudan and Jimmy Carter seem to express a rather optimistic, albeit cautious views about the event? Well, to answer that, one first needs to notice that the US administration took a position contrary to that of the opposition parties in Sudan.
While many in the opposition wanted the elections to be postponed, the US pressed that they should continue on time, regardless of boycotts and threats of more boycotts by the opposition. This is because America views the historic event within the bigger and more important context in which it is happening: the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which has milestones and a timeline designed to lead to the Southern Sudan referendum in January 2011.

author: Mahid (Sudanese Guardian)


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Honorable Mention for Threatened Voices at Journalism Fest in Italy · Global Voices
Bernardo Parrella

Threatened Voices has received an Honorable Mention in the first Digital Heretics journalism award, established at the upcoming International journalism festival in Perugia, Italy (April 21-25). The project coordinator and GV author Sami Ben Gharbia, will be rewarded with a Kodak Zi8 videocamera during a special event with guest speakers Koro Castellano  (editor elMundo.es) and Marco Pancini (Google Italy director). The other Honorable Mentions are The Berlin Project, in.fondo.al.mar, and Omofobia Capitale, while the first place award is a tie between After Jugo – Sarajevo the life of a generation, by Marco Pavan, and ELEVEN Catania, inchiesta collettiva a 11 voci, by the University of Catania. [via Beatrice Borgato].

author: Bernardo Parrella


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Afghanistan: Forgotten Hindus and Sikhs · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Afghanistan is home to many ethnicities and religions, including small communities of Hindus and Sikhs, Nick Fielding says and tells some facts about the history and culture of these groups.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Afghanistan: Grapples with drug problem · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nasim Fekrat says that there are more than two million drug users in the country, and this number has doubled over the past two years.


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Afghanistan: The insurgency leader speaks up · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding reviews the rare interview with Sirajuddin Haqqani, commander of Taliban forces in Paktia, Khost and Paktika (Afghanistan).


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Bahamas: Animal Rights  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Sidney Sweeting at Weblog Bahamas is appalled at the way in which some of his compatriots treat animals.


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Bangladesh: Best Weblog Bengali At The BOBs · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ali Mahmed (Shuvo) won the best weblog Bengali award at the BOBs – Deutsche Welle Best Of The Blogs Award.


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Best of Blog Awards 2010: And the Winners are… · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

The BOBs have been decided!
The sixth annual Deutsche Welle Best of Blogs (BOBs) Awards have come to a close, and the Global Voices community is celebrating the winners. This year, a number of blogs created by or contributed to by GVers were nominated (as Diego Casaes highlighted), and GV's very own Amira Al Hussaini and Claire Ulrich both served on the international jury.
So what are the best blogs?  Crisis crowdsourcing innovator Ushahidi (on which GVer Juliana Rotich works) took the top spot in this year's contest with the Best Weblog jury award, while Jordanian blogger Osama Romoh took the People's Choice for Best Weblog.
The other major awards went to:
Best Weblog: Ushahidi (Jury), Osama Romoh (People's Choice)
Best Podcast: Cajun French Language Tutorials Podcast (Jury), Radio Kalu (People's Choice)
Best Videoblog:  Мистер Фриман – Mr. Free Man  Best Videoblog (Jury), Malviviendo (People's Choice)
Reporters Without Borders Award: We are Journalists (Jury), Holom Akhdar (People's Choice)
Blogwurst Award: Blogs do Alem and Wake Up Mr. Green (Jury), Ibda3at (People's Choice)
Special Topic Award (Climate Change): Coluna Zero (Jury), Ecoplaneta (People's Choice)
The jury and voters also awarded the best blogs in each of 11 languages, including a new language added this year:
Bengali: Ali Mahmed's blog (Jury and People's Choice)
And the Best Blog in English…
Hisham Khribchi and Jillian York, both Global Voices Authors, were honored with both the People's Choice and Jury Awards for their website, Talk Morocco, in the Best English Blog category. The site aims to encourage conversation amongst different factions of the Moroccan blogosphere and counts numerous bloggers, journalists, and human rights activists among its contributors.
Congratulations to all the winners!
Talk Morocco is announced the winner at RePublica conference in Berlin, photo by Sami be Gharbia

author: Solana Larsen


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China: 3D newspaper · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Joel Martinsen from DANWEI introduces the first 3D newspapers in China, the Shiyan Evening News.


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China: Remember Hu Yaobang · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

C Custer from ChinaGeek translates a People Daily editorial written by China’s Premier, Wen Jiabao on the then-General Secretary of the CCP Hu Yaobang. Hu's death in 1989 is directly related to the 1989 democracy movement in Beijing.


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China: Yunnan Lake destroyed for luxurious houses · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

PH from Veggie Discourse translated a China Youth Daily report about the reclamation of Lover's Lake in Dali for building luxurious houses.


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Colombia: Recovering traditions and culture of the Senu people · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Nuevos Decimeros logo
Through short videos, the indigenous people of the Senu tribes in Colombia have been interviewing members of their community and capturing stories on food: the traditions, the recipes and the meaning behind what and how they eat. In three different communities, a team of audiovisual trainers has been teaching the Senu how to use cameras, write stories and tell their tales, and 3 documentary videos are the result.
The Nuevos Decimeros (New Storytellers) is a project operated by Juliana Paniagua and Otrocuento, an independent film group who train, investigate and develop audiovisual material. The project is sponsored by the Government's National Audiovisual Plan, whose goal is to bring Colombians closer to audiovisual culture and appreciation through creation.
In the Nuevos Decimeros Vimeo channel they have uploaded not only the short documentaries themselves, but also behind the scenes footage of the workshops.
The documentary made by the people of the indigenous community of La 18th in Zaragoza, Antioquia was based on their interests as a community. In their blog, the trainers explain:
Los de La 18 rastrearon el mito del Yacabó, un pájaro símbolo de creciente y muerte para los indígenas Senú, además narraron la preparación del “Moncholo” uno de los principales alimentos de la comunidad, y de la “Chicha de Masato”, una bebida tradicional.
The people of Puerto Belgica spoke about food starting with the land:  from the family plot where food is planted as a indigenous tradition to the conservation of fertile earth as a way to subsist not only physically but also as a culture.
In Puerto Claver, of El Bagre, Antioquia, the community team focused the documentary on the arrival of the first indigenous groups to the area and inquired about how the food traditions. The people speak of the importance of growing their own food including rice, string beans and corn, and how the corn they use is the traditional varieties, not the engineered “federated” corn. They do mention how some traditions are being replaced, including food, construction styles and the traditional doctors who use plants for healing and how they are trying to get their people to continue in the Senu way, not to loose what makes them indigenous people.
In this short photo-video a group illustrates the process by which rice is grown, harvested and prepared to eat in the community of  Puerto Belgica :
In Puerto Belgica there was also  a lot of community interest, specially among kids and youth, so they separated into many different teams to produce content and the previous video was an example. Following is the behind the scenes footage of the short documentary's production:
The documentaries were shown to the communities, who took the opportunity to share their experiences of the process with other participants, and you can see the pictures here. The documentaries will be touring the city of Medellin, Colombia and will be making their rounds in the national film competitions.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Cuba: Testimony  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Uncommon Sense reports that a Cuban prisoner of conscience has testified about “the tortures suffered by fellow political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo between when he was imprisoned in April 2003 and when he died on Feb. 23 of this year”, a development which the blogger calls “an important part of the record in what should be an ongoing effort to achieve justice for Zapata.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Georgia, Russia, Poland: Imedi-TV’s Kaczynski Controversy · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Giorgi Kvelashvili of Jamestown Foundation Blog writes that the fake news broadcast aired by a Georgian TV channel on March 15 did not contain mentions of Lech Kaczynski's death in a plane crash – even though some recent Russian media reports claim otherwise.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Guyana: Write Good  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

What is “good” writing? Signifyin’ Guyana has a few thoughts on the subject.


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Haiti: Back to School  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“You could see some parents crying by the streets watching other neighborhood kids leaving for class; their kids had gone to school once, on January 12th, and never came back”: For Inside Disaster, Emmanuel Midi reports on back to school time in Haiti.


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India: Web Only TV Ads · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bhtanaturally analyzes that the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket is helping web-only TV ads take shape in India.

author: Rezwan


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Jamaica: Crime Stats · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Since the start of the year, some 463 persons have been murdered”: YardFlex.com laments the escalating Jamaican crime rate.


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Japan: Diet Session Snapshot · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

A photo of members from the newly formed political party Sunrise Party of Japan nodding off has been making the rounds in the 2channel boards and Twittersphere. The party name can also be translated as “Stand Up, Japan! Party”, causing many a joke.


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Kazakhstan: Birds, Polish tragedy and Governance · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Discussions of the Kazakhstani bloggers this week were centered around three topics, all related to the deep-rooted problems of governance in the country.
SLAUGHTER OF THE BIRDS
Carcass-bride was one of the first to write [ru] about the incident on the Kazakhstan-Russia border and customs. An Uzbek citizen was trying to import 71 goldfinches from Russia to Uzbekistan. According to the rules, he had to pay for veterinary checkup of the birds, but the price of examination was too high for him. The customs control service withdrew the birds and… burnt them alive as counterfeit articles.
Pycm opines [ru]:
Customs and veterinary control in Kazakhstan is a narrow-minded monster, which don’t use the rudiments of their brains’ gray substance. I watched the report on a television together with my daughter and could not to explain her anything. […] I am not a great animal rights activist, but was it so difficult to apply some creativity in dealing with the living things?
Kobima is also condemning the shocking administrative decision [ru]:
When a living being is intentionally destroyed (no matter if it’s a human or an animal), this is called sadism. The Chikatilo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Chikatilo) stage is pretty much around there.
ACTIVE PESSIMISM
In another – Western – part of Kazakhstan (Mangistau province), more than 1,000 workers of OzenMunaiGas, a subsidiary of the national oil-an-gas company KazMunaiGas, went on strike to protest pay cuts. They demanded nationalization of their enterprise, stop mass sackings and guarantee the payment of wages. Several weeks of passive, though tense, opposition resulted in talks with the administration and satisfaction of most part of the workers’ demands. A-Strekoza writes about her trip to Jana-Ozen, an epicenter of the strike [ru]:
All hotels in Jana-Ozen are stuffed with police and internal security forces […] Oilmen are harsh people. They go on a rally wordless – stand, smoke and nibble sunflower seeds. They want all their bosses to be sacked and salaries to be increased. Policemen sit in the hotels and don’t show up. In order to put them in action, two things are to be done by the protesters. First is to move the rally from the bus station to the square near the local administration. Second is to put forward the political demands. […] The authorities try to “take them by starvation” – workers don’t work, managers ask them to cease the strike, officials watch.
“Kazakhstan is a country of active pessimism”, says izhanov [ru] and explains the logic of the last years:
Once the middle class started emerging, it was killed by the mortgage crisis. Now the people pay out their credits for the flats, which were not built. The distributive model of economy works, but the initiative is punishable – nobody wants anything [creative]. Intelligent people cannot apply their skills. Those who managed to make a little fortune now eat away the savings. Those who have none are just waiting.
Megakhuimyak is traditionally more harshly outspoken [ru]:
The society doe not need intellect. We have built a perfect society of consumption.
THIS IS NOT POLAND
The tragic death of the Polish higher officials in a plane crash a week ago has been also reflected in the Kazakh blogosphere – from the Kazakh perspective:
“Poland is in mourning and grief, but there is no panic. Here is an abstract question – what would have happened if the same happened with the Kazakhstani leaders? I think, there would have been harsh fight for power with unpredictable consequences. I hope such tragedy would never happen here”, Lord-Fame says [ru].
Ehot also sees such imaginary scenario as the interim result of the independence [ru]:
The incident with the Polish plane pretty accurately shows that after 20 years of being a “young and growing democracy”, the Republic of Kazakhstan would have hardly preserve political and economic stability – or even the territorial integrity – in case of similar loss.


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Kazakhstan: Internet Users Love Opera · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

KZBlog informs that Opera 10 is the most popular browser in Kazakhstan. As journalists allege, this might be due to the feature which compresses web pages on a remote server. While this feature is meant to speed up browsing, it also means that the it allows to access banned websites.


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Kazakhstan: Long-Awaited Almaty Metro · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Michael Hancock tells about the project of long-promised metro system in Almaty, the biggest city in Kazakhstan. It is currently nearing completion, voices concerns over seismic activeness of the region and viability of the new metro.


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Kazakhstan: Nazarbayev on a visit to Washington, D.C. · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

KZBlog analyzes the visit of Kazakhstan president Nazarbayev to the United States, his high-level meetings and topics discussed.


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Kyrgyzstan: President Bakiev fled, resigned · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Michael Hancock describes the details surrounding the escape and resignation of ousted Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiev.


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Kyrgyzstan: Resignation faxed · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Kyrgyz blogger writes about the details of the resignation of ousted Kyrgyz president Bakiev. The author also attaches scans of the resignation fax from the former head of the state, as well as its translation.


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Kyrgyzstan: Social Media Matters · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Sarah Kendzior analyzes the role of new media in the popular uprising in Kyrgyzstan.


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Malawi: Madonna and the Girls Academy · Global Voices
Victor Kaonga

Pop star Madonna shares her motivation to help Malawian girls: Having lost my mother at such a young age, I felt a close connection to these children. Their stories had touched my own. In a country of 14 million, a staggering one million children have been left alone with the responsibility of raising each other.”

author: Victor Kaonga


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Mongolia: Earthquake in Ulaanbaatar · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Radigan Neuhalfen writes a story about the most recent earthquake in Ulaan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia, and also provides a background of seismic research in this country.


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Pakistan: Investigation Report On Benazir Bhutto’s assassination · Global Voices
Rezwan

“This is what we paid US$20 million for???” comments Cafe Pyala after watching the media presentation by the UN Commission investigating Pakistan's ex-prime minister and PPP chairman Benazir Bhutto's assassination.


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Sudan: Using the web to promote fair elections, justice and democracy · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

As we are waiting for final results of the historic elections in Sudan, let's look at organizations and movements using the web in different ways to campaign for justice, freedom and democracy in Sudan.
Sudan Sham Elections 2010 is a network committed to sustained action for peace in Sudan.
The network says, “An indicted war criminal, responsible for millions of deaths, will never be a legitimate leader”:
We are regular citizens around the 50 United States and DC, standing with the people of Sudan—the marginalized, the disenfranchised, and the brutally oppressed—in demanding truth and strength.  An indicted war criminal, responsible for millions of deaths, will never be a legitimate leader.
This is Sudan Sham Elections 2010 Twitter page.
Sudan Sham Elections 2010 has launched a new phase of its campaign called i On Sudan:
iOnSudan is a platform that gathers and disseminates reports from different sources, including general users, reporters known to iOnSudan, and reputable news organizations.  iOnSudan cannot verify that any one report is completely reliable or accurate.  The importance of this platform comes from the picture that is painted from the accumulated reports over time and space.  As iOnSudan grows and develops, we hope that strong relationships are created between reporters, advocates, and the iOnSudan Network as a whole, so that accuracy and reliability can be better ensured.
i On Sudan connect reports of violence, abuses, and other events to advocacy activities in the United States and around the world.
People living in Sudan have a chance of becoming an iOnSudan Reporter:
- Do you live in Sudan?
– Do you have regular communication with Sudanese?
– Are you a Sudan based civil society organization?
– Are you part of an international NGO?
iOnSudan relies on reports submitted by anyone with relevant
information relating to Sudan. By submitting reports from you or your organization, you will be helping to create awareness around the world about current events in Sudan.  You will be helping to raise local voices and empowering advocates to mobilize to action.
i On Sudan has been using Ushahidi to allow citizens to send election related reports. Sudan VoteMonitor has also been collecting reports via SMS and email and display them on a map.
i On Sudan is also on Twitter and Facebook.
Save Darfuris a coalition that raises awareness and speals the truth to power on behalf of the people in Darfur. Save Darfur has an election page and a blog.
Robert Lawrence has an election roundup on the blog:
On the last of five days of polling in Sudan, reports from across the country continued to document technical problems, electoral irregularities, and unfortunately violence and intimidation.
News was dominated by reports that nine members of Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir’s National Congress Party (NCP) were killed in South Sudan three days ago. The NCP blamed the Sudan People’s Liberation Army – but SPLA leaders denied the violence was coordinated and described the incident as an isolated, individual crime by one of its soldiers. In other news, the youth movement Girifna reported on its website that two of its members had been detained in Khartoum yesterday. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on the Sudanese authorities to immediately drop criminal charges against prominent journalist and opposition party member Al-Haj Ali Warrag. Authorities charged Warrag on Sunday with “waging war against the state” in connection with an article that he published on April 6.
Here is another roundup of day three of voting by Robert Lawrence:
Day three of voting continued much as that of the first two days. As noted yesterday, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) extended voting an extra two days so polls will now close on Thursday, April 15. There were continued reports of serious flaws in the balloting process, particularly as it relates to the voter registers, where many voters are finding it difficult to locate which polling place they are registered at. This appears to be particularly true in South Sudan, where by some estimates, some polling locations have had less than ten percent turnout. According to one report by Reuters, at one polling station in the southern town of Torit, there were 1,323 registered voters, but only 29 (or 2%) successfully made it to the poll on the first day.
Opposition leaders such as Sadiq al-Mahdi, of the Umma party described “what is happening now [as] … chaos,” and stated that the election has turned from a celebration into a funeral. Along the same lines, Yasir Arman, who withdrew as the presidential candidate of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) called for the dissolution of the NEC citing “huge mistakes.”
Sudan365 is a movement that was launched on 9 January 2010. It is a movement for a brighter future of the people of Sudan.  It was formed 365 days from when a referendum is due to be held to determine the future of South Sudan.
Sudan365 interviews Alsarah, a Sudanese born singer, songwriter and ethnomusicologist. Alsarah has reworked a song about voting in Sudan.
You can join the group on Facebook.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Tajikistan: The scandalous lawsuit backpedaled · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Alpharabius keeps an eye on the developments around a multimillion lawsuit that had been launched by the three judges against 3 leading independent newspapers in Tajikistan. The judges have offered the defendants talks to finish what they describe as “the unprecedented and widespread media campaign against the whole justice system”.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Election Date Announced  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The upcoming general election date has been announced, according to Trinidad and Tobago News Blog.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Under Warranty?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

KnowTnT.com has some news for the Minister of Culture when it comes to the “design flaws” in the newly completed National Academy of the Performing Arts building: “If the builders have to make changes to the design…these are not covered by any warranty.  They will have to be paid for by our taxes – on top of what's been paid already.”


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Turkmenistan: Healthcare system in shadow of secrecy · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Turkmenistan’s healthcare system is decrepit but veiled in totalitarian secrecy, says a report by humanitarian organization MSF.  “Trying to scare off criticism by baring its teeth will not save our government from decline,” writes neweurasia’s Annasoltan.


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USA: Lesbian Student Sent to “Fake Prom” in Mississippi · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

A LOL cat shared by Feministing blog
Constance McMillen is an 18-year old Mississippi girl who, like many American teenagers, was looking forward to attending her high school prom this year.  McMillen, a lesbian, planned to attend the prom with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. Her school, however, decided that both were forbidden.
McMillen contacted the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who sent her school district a demand letter.  The school responded by canceling the planned April 2 prom rather than bowing to the ACLU's demands, releasing a statement on March 10 that said: “Due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events, the Itawamba County School District has decided to not host a prom at Itawamba Agricultural High School this year.”
Lesbian blogger Navy Wife wrote about her own experiences with prom, relating them to her current experience of being the “closeted” wife of a Navy officer:
While I would typically rant about her school board, I only feel Hope.   Constance provides Hope in this crazy country that is denying us the  right to marry, serve openly in our military, share benefits with our  spouse, adopt children.  Constance, at such a young age, chose to be who  she is, without fear of judgment.  She gives me Hope that in the near  future we will live in a world where everyone can go to prom with  who they like, dressed how they like.
I wish I could boldly stand up like her.  For now, I will smile on the  elliptical knowing that this young woman is out there, changing the  world for us all.  And I'll turn up my iPod and rock out, surrounded by  all of the military personnel who assume I'm just another Navy Wife.
With the help of the ACLU, McMillen took the issue to court.  On March 23, a Mississippi judge determined that the school had violated McMillen's rights, but would not force the school to reinstate its prom.
When the school-sponsored prom was canceled, a group of parents and private citizens offered to hold an alternative early April prom.  McMillen, however, was given a false address and arrived at a fake prom attended by only a few students. The rest of the school partied at the real prom.
Plenty of bloggers agreed with the exclusion of McMillen, while many others showed an outpouring of support for her rights.  Joe. My. God., winner of an LGBT blog award, was among the first bloggers to share the news of the fake prom, stating:
Constance McMillen has  confirmed that a large fancy secret prom took place across town  while she and special needs students attended what they were told was  the “official” prom.
Marriage Tales, a blogger who says that she rarely discusses politics, shares an open letter to the parents and administrators who tricked McMillen:
I hope that one day you realize that instead of being the norm and taking the evil and hateful action you did, you had the chance to stand up for someone and make a difference and be the change.  Instead you will grow up and maybe one day tell your kids that yes you went to prom like everyone else does in high school and you may or may not remember what you wore or what you did or who you went with and it won't be anything special.  But you could have grown up and told your kids that you stood up for someone, someone who had the courage to be herself, even though it was different, and stand up for her rights.  You could have been that person, taught your future kids that lesson, instead of being the person to lie, blend in with the crowd and refuse to stand up for someone else.  Congratulations.
Pam's House Blend, another award-winning blog in the LGBT blogosphere, calls McMillen a hero, but wonders if she'd be better off leaving her small town and invites readers to chime in.
In another, related post, the blogger shares photos that attendees of the straights-only prom posted on Facebook and Flickr.
On March 24, Feministing blog linked to a CNN story reporting that lesbian talk show host Ellen DeGeneres helped arrange a scholarship for McMillen from digital media company Tonic.com. The author of Silence is Betrayal: A Feminist Blog wonders how so many people could have plotted against McMillen:
A Facebook parody group called “Constance quit yer cryin” has been created to support and share news of McMillen's plight. One member of the group shared news of a more hopeful sort: Constance McMillen has been chosen as the grand marshal of the NYC  Pride Parade on June 27, 2010.  According to the same article, she has also been invited to attend a lesbian-only prom in San Francisco later this year.

author: Jillian C. York


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Cameroon: E-Government for Southern Nations · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Hervé Djia reflects on how governments could use information technology to simplify a multitude of  administrative procedures and improve public services (fr).

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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China: Premier Wen remembers Hu Yaobang · Global Voices
Don Weinland

In an open letter published Thursday in the People’s Daily, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao recalled an enlightening journey with purged and disgraced former Premier Hu Yaobang.  The letter commemorates the 21 anniversary of his death.
The letter not only symbolizes affection and respect for Hu, but stands as a clear reminder to a young generation of Chinese leaders not to lose touch with the people and the conditions of the country on the most fundamental level.
Great detail into Hu’s rural surveying techniques is expounded by Wen in his letter.  The letter describes a trip to the southwestern city of Xingyi the two leaders took together in early 1986.  A continual emphasis is put on Hu’s adamant connection with the common people as a method of accurate governance.
Hu was relieved of his premiership in Jan. 1987 during a cycle of inflation and unrest in the infant years of opening and reform.  Conservative leaders such as Chen Yun and Deng Liqun saw Hu’s economic liberalism as a threat to the very ideology that legitimized the party.
Hu’s death on April 15, 1989 led to mass mourning and protest, eventually resulting in the Tiananmen Square Protests.  Although a champion of the people, Hu has long since been associated with the party’s greatest loss of face since the Cultural Revolution.
Wen’s letter has received an awesome response from the people.  The New York Times reports upwards of 20,000 online responses to the letter within a day of publication.
Blogger Yao Keming reveals the significance of the letter in today’s China.
难得在公开的报纸上，读到领导人写的这样质朴、情真、意浓的好文章 … 文章一开头，就将人吸引住了。
It’s hard to read such a simple, meaningful, and genuine article written by an official in an open newspaper.
Within the echelons of the Chinese government and party bureaucracy, Wen has often been received as a leader uniquely in touch with the common people.  In a response to his letter, a blogger by the name of ‘Freedom’ echoes this sentiment.
人民日报就是中国政治的风向标，温家宝作为亲民的政治领袖，在各届领导人中尤为突出，特别是在汶川地震的时候，特别是在贵州抗旱的现场，特别是在苦难人民的身旁。
China Daily is a wind vane of Chinese politics.  As a personable political leader Wen Jiabao is remarkable among all classes of leaders, especially during the Wenchuan [Sichuan] Earthquake, especially during the current Guizhou drought, and especially at the side of the people in distress.
Yet Premier Wen’s letter is less a personal reflection on days past and more a wake-up call to the growing estrangement between leadership and common people.   The practice of editorializing through publications such as the People’s Daily is as old as the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.
In fact much of the turmoil that led to Hu’s purge was reflected in editorials published in the People’s Daily, the Beijing Daily, and Xinhua News in the closing months of 1986.  In 1992 editorials published under the auspices of Deng Xiaoping in the People’s Daily served to remind President Jiang Zemin of the semi-retired leader’s continued hold on power.
Blogger Mo Ce considers the message conveyed in Wen’s letter.
深入群众，是我党的主要工作方法之一，如果我们整天坐在办公室里听取汇报，很多情况可能不是真实的，甚至是假的。
Being deeply involved with the people is one of our party’s main methods of operation.  If we sit all day in an office listening to reports, many of the situations might not be real, or even fake.
Mo Ce quotes the closing of Wen’s letter.
通读温家宝总理回忆胡耀邦同志的西南行，归结到一句话，就是领导干部“要经常到群众中去，到基层去，进行调查研究，考察访问，密切上级与下级、领导机关同广大人民群众之间的联系。只有这样，才能形成一种好的风气，产生巨大的精神力量，有助于实现正确的领导，减少领导工作的失误，提高干部的素质，促进干部特别是年轻干部健康成长。”
After reading Premier Wen Jiabao’s recollection of Hu Yaobang’s journey in the southwest, I conclude with a few sentences, which are that leaders “must often go among the people, go to the basic level and conduct investigations and research, observation and interview, and make intimate relationships between upper and lower level, between leadership structure and the vast masses.  Only in this way can a good atmosphere be formed, creating a great strength in character, aiding the realization of accurate leadership, reducing leadership work errors, raising leadership quality, and expediting the healthy growth of leaders—especially young leaders.”

author: Don Weinland


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Did internal wounds kill the Fiji Times  · Global Voices
Michael Hartsell

Many prognosticators worry about how Fiji's proposed media ownership law will affect the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fiji Times. But a former staffer said in Cafe Pacific both foreign and local management are to blame for the paper's fall.

author: Michael Hartsell


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Global Voices makes list of ‘subversive’ blogs · Global Voices
Michael Hartsell

Fiji Today reports that Fiji's government has created a list of “subversive” blogs (Fiji Today's term) that government workers should not access at work. The report is unsubstantiated. However, “FijiToday questions how  Babasiga, Crosbie Walsh, Globalvoicesonline or the Fiji Labor Party could be considered subversive.”


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Guinea: Thierno Siré Diallo on Hunger Strike · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Guinée50 wonders whether Thierno Siré Diallo hunger strike to raise awareness for all the Guineans who disappeared in the past 40 years is helping the reconciliation process or not (fr).


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Laos: Song contest in honor of Ho Chi Minh · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A song contest was launched in Laos to honor the 120th birth anniversary of Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh

author: Mong Palatino


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Lebanon: Hamra’s graffiti and posters · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“While walking in Hamra, the graffiti and what people post on the walls can’t but grab your attention! I took the photos below in a less than a 15 minutes walk there,” writes Rami alongside the photos he took.

author: Moussa Bashir


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Poland: Social Network Criticized for ‘Black Ribbon’ Gifting Option  · Global Voices
Sylwia Presley

The majority of trending discussions this week in Poland evolves around last Saturday's crash of the Polish plane in Russia. One of the most popular discussions [PL] on Wykop, a Polish bookmarking engine, is the new gifting option that Nasza-Klasa social network has introduced: black ribbons.
A screenshot example, originally posted on Yfrog, has had nearly 80,000 views already:
"Congratulations to Nasza-Klasa on their ambitions"
Nasza-Klasa has also created an account dedicated to updates related to the tragedy [PL]:
"Information about the catastrophe in Smolensk"
Both actions have generated various reactions from the public. Most reactions are negative.
Mazaq‘s reaction is harsh [PL]:
Police should take care of this and close this foolish portal.
TomaszMazowiecki refers to the commercial nature of these changes [PL]:
Just to earn money, regardless of the means, […] no matter how… just to earn money, a big chunk of it.
Szykago also criticises the idea [PL]:
I saw it earlier. Administrators of nasza-klasa have gone too far. And those presents with a black ribbon –  a disgrace. Just to earn money on something that can be described as a national tragedy. I hope they will pay for it. It's simply a joke.
GrubyKociol states [PL]:
Administrators went too far, but users are not any better. A MILLION of ribbons, candles. Why the f*** do you need it all? You want to show the world how sad you are? Pathetic.
Some, like dulek, do not mind the idea of a news updates page, still disliking the new presents [PL]:
Well those presents are stupid, but the idea of a news channel itself, as for me, is ok…
Ryu, however, is one of the few who welcomes the idea of black ribbons [PL]:
I used to laugh at those black ribbons all the time, but today somehow….For god's sake, we put some kind of a band on our arm, if we cannot simply wear black, so why would we not mark our profiles with something on the Internet? Internet is (more or less) our second life in a way, so it must be normal that we want to express the same as we do in real life.
When Nasza-Klasa took on board the criticism a day later and gave up on the black ribbon presents, Maras2003 noted [PL]:
NK has now changed their approach – one cannot add presents to the profile, but the whole profile works like RSS feed with the newest updates on catastrophe. Bravo! Could you not do this from the very beginning though?!
Ag_ points out [PL]:
There is a Facebook profile named “Smolensk catastrophe – all information.” As far as I understand, it's a way to provide updates to people, but somehow it feels stupid to click ‘become a fan’ :/
Kukaszd sums it all up [PL]:
I think that everyone should express their feelings, including sadness, individually. Somehow we seem to perceive commercialism as bad, and nonetheless we all support it. It would be ideal if everyone acted selflessly.

author: Sylwia Presley


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Rwanda: Rwanda suspends newspapers · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Jason links to a few stories of interest from Rwanda and D.R of Congo: “* Rwanda suspends two newspapers critical of the government for six months, meaning they won't be able to cover the election campaigns – Texas in Africa isn't happy. * An excellent interview of Congolese academic Jean Omasombo in La Libre Belgique on the future of democracy in the Congo and decentralization.”


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South Africa: MTN South African Music Awards 2010 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Swazibella writes about MTN South African Music Awards 2010: “Friday the 16th of April saw Sun City's Royal Ballroom play host to some of South Africa's most slick and glamorous artists, producers and record industry reps for the MTN Gala Awards.”


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South Africa: Ticketing woes as 2010 World Cup approaches  · Global Voices
Richard Wanjohi

As FIFA World Cup 2010 approaches, FIFA has launched its final ticket drive targeting South African and indeed world football fans as the biggest sporting event lands on the ‘Cape of Good Hope’. Initial estimates for sales target at least 500,000 to be churned out through the retail outlets and other easy-to-reach areas.
As reported by White Cottage Blog, the first day was characterized by chaos and even one fan lost their life after collapsing while queuing to purchase a ticket:
The first day of the last phase of ticket sales for the World Cup has resulted in chaos, with queues at sales points, one soccer fan dying of a heart attack in the queue, and the FNB system being off-line.
The blog also notes that:
…greedy and opportunistic “speculators” bought tickets, with the aim of reselling them, at a profit one would assume, and have now discovered, even though it was clearly stipulated during the purchase process, that one cannot resell them, as the ID number of the ticket purchasers are printed on the tickets. This means that sellers of tickets cannot even give them away for free!
The Soccerphile Blog gave a more personal account:
After being told by FIFA that there were tickets for all games, people who had been queuing from 	0700 finally got to the counter at around 1400 to be told that only Category 1 tickets were available for some games
The 5th Official has this to say about the ticket sales as they got underway:
A total of 1610 tickets were sold to 310 customers nationally at the Ticketing Centres within the 	first hour after they opened at 9am this morning, with 2166 tickets also sold to 470 fans at FNB 	branches. The integrated Ticketing System, which manages all sales channels experienced huge 	countrywide demand; as a result experiencing some delays initially in the processing of ticket orders.
The Worldbbnews.com, managed to get the Chief Executive Danny Jordaan who sought to clear the air about the chaos:
Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the World Cup organising committee, shrugged off the 	complaints: “It happens when you use technology. The moment you want not to have a glitch, you have a glitch. We printed tickets this morning and it was working perfectly. Then when you come and the cameras are here, somehow the machine gets shy and it doesn’t happen. But I’m happy it’s back online.”
Danny Jordaan said this to a British journalist:
I don’t think you understand chaos. It seems you have never been with football fans buying tickets. The experience today is exactly the same as buying a Manchester United or Arsenal ticket.…
In Pretoria, An American in Pretoriahad this to say:
I drove across Pretoria today. One of the robots was out and traffic was nightmarish. When I 	finally arrived at my destination there were throngs of people standing in a queue that snaked through two shopping malls – twisting, turning, suffocating any empty space in a two-block radius…World Cup tickets were available for public sale. The crowd was so thick I couldn't leave or go anywhere, so I sat in a cafe for three hours.
The World Soccer Blog says that South Africans do not seem to be interested in buying the tickets:
Over 500,000 tickets went on sale in SA over the counter in the final phase. Organizers are 	confronted with the Herculean task of selling these in the next two months or risk seeing sparsely 	attended matches. Ticket sales have been brisk in the USA, flat in Europe, and in Japan and generally in Asia, they have been disappointing.
But there are indications that South Africans themselves are not coming out in droves to buy. The danger is the lower profile matches involving nations like New Zealand, Slovenia, Algeria, and Greece. The SA government is also resorting to waiving visa fees at the point of entry in a bid to attract more World Cup fans. They are also setting up fast track channels to expedite visa processing.

author: Richard Wanjohi


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Sudan: Elections and its implications for Darfur · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Enough Team discusses the implications of Sudan's elections for Darfur: “The results of Sudan’s elections will have a large impact on the many challenges still standing between the country and peace. Outstanding provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (the treaty that ended the North-South civil war) and questions relating to the South’s independence vote aside…”


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Sudan:  Women’s Votes · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Alex de Waal discusses wome's votes in Sudan: “Without doubt, the statistics of Sudan’s elections will be pored over and debated at length, and the interpretation of every figure will be open to dispute. But there seems to be one consistent feature across the country. Women were the majority of the voters.”


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Thailand: Bangkok taxi in museum · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Dale uploads a photo of a cross-section of a Bangkok taxi which is on display in the Museum of Siam


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Thailand, Myanmar: See Mon Market · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Hungry Guide from Thailand visited the See Mon Market and blogged about the various Burmese food items and other products for sale in the market


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Vietnam: Texting while driving · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

TW doesn't think that the danger of texting while driving in Vietnam is a pandemic threat and asserts that other traffic safety issues must be given more discussion.


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Vietnam: Work permit for foreigners · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Thomas Wanhoff complains about the difficulty of requesting a work permit for foreigners in Vietnam


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Bhutan: South Asian Leaders Meet For SAARC Summit · Global Voices
Sonam Ongmo

The best from SAARC Photography Pool In Flickr. Image by Flickr User Samih (iZZo). CC By
Thimphu, the small capital of Bhutan is in a flurry of activity, gearing up for the upcoming SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Summit which will take place at the end of April (28-29). This is the first time that Bhutan is hosting the Summit having passed the opportunity three times in the past because of a lack of infrastructure.
However, the country is extremely proud that it will be hosting it this year, a year which coincides with the Silver Jubilee of the Regional Association. The SAARC, the most important regional alliance, was established when its Charter was adopted on December 8, 1985 and now have Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal,  Pakistan and Sri Lanka as member nations. Bhutanese newspapers report that 450 delegates from these countries and about 150 journalists are expected to attend and cover the summit and international observers from China, Japan, the European Union, Republic of Korea, USA, Australia, Mauritius and Iran will also attend.
Firoz at The South Asia blog informs:
The official website of the Sixteenth SAARC Summit has been created to share information related to the Summit and to facilitate various logistical arrangements.
Leaders of eight South Asian nations will gather in the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu and chart out a roadmap for conserving environment to face the climate change, poverty alleviation, promoting cooperation in hardcore economic areas and curbing terrorism.
The Maldivian blog Maldives Live quoted Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes as saying that Bangladesh and the Maldives are two countries most vulnerable to changing climate.
Quoting environment scientists, he said the Maldives will lose its existence with the rise of sea level while Bangladesh will lose 20 percent of its low lying areas in the Bay, which will displace 25 million people.
He said SAARC council of ministers meeting in Thimpu will finalize a declaration on the climate change.
Besides, the summit is expected to sign agreement on trade and services, rapid response to natural disaster and cooperation in environment and South Asian Development Fund.
It is also being speculated that Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and his Pakistani counterpart, Yousuf Raza Gilani, may take this opportunity to meet on the side to talk in detail about counter-terrorism in the two countries, even though the Hindustan Times has informed that the two leaders will not be meeting.
Blogger Ani at Taragana  said:
If the leaders meet, it would be their first meeting since the dialogue in Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt in July last year. The Indo-Pak composite talks were stalled following the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Even though the foreign secretaries of both the countries met on February 25 in New Delhi, the deliberations failed to yield any substantial result with India pressing hard on its demand for Islamabad to do more against terror networks flourishing on its soil.
Ejaz Ghani, Economic Advisor in South Asia region at the World Bank, emphasizes in a blog-post that the key to political stability and poverty alleviation in South Asia is to deal with the terrorism and internal conflicts:
South Asian governments have taken a variety of different approaches to counter terrorism. Reviewing these approaches in the South Asian and global context, it appears that the armed forces or local militias have not been especially effective in combating terrorism. [..]
Regional cross-border cooperation is an essential part of any counterinsurgency strategy. Considerable potential exists for regional cooperation in reducing conflict, but this has been an underutilized strategy in combating terrorism in South Asia.
Regarding the Bhutanese Refugee issue Bhutanese dissident Adhikari says on his blog:
Nepal has better opportunity to raise the issue during the SAARC summit scheduled for April last in Thimphu.
While all countries want to take this opportunity to iron out their regional differences  there is optimism that regional politics will not overshadow common concerns like poverty alleviation, promoting economic cooperation and climate change.

author: Sonam Ongmo


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China: Verdict announced in Fujian Three netizen trial · Global Voices
John Kennedy

After 57 depositions, initial handling as a state secret case, ten months and three days in court, sentences were handed down Friday to the Fujian Three; aside from being the only prosecutions resulting from the alleged rape and murder of Yan Xiaoling (严晓玲) at the hands of police, also remarkable about this trial was the number of people who rallied in protest outside the courthouse Friday.
Lawyer for one of the defendants, Liu Xiaoyuan (刘晓原), updated his blog [zh] soon after the trial ended:
正如我所预料的，今天庭审中作了当庭宣判，但出乎预料的是，罪名竟然又由诬告陷害罪变回了诽谤罪。范燕琼被判有期徒刑两年，游精佑被判处有期徒刑一年，吴华英被判处有期徒刑一年。
今天围观人群上千人，网民们既理性又激动。今天的庭审，也让我见证了司法的黑暗。
More than a thousand people gathered outside today, netizens were both level-headed and excited. In court today, I also witnessed the dark side to the legal system.
Leading up to Friday's trial day, it was reported that Lin Xiuying, mother of the deceased, had been offered money and a house in exchange for keeping quiet; according to Liu, attempts to call Lin as a witness were met with the court's refusal. The night before the trial, Lin along with several others connected to the case, was detained by police; Friday morning she somehow managed to free herself and joined the crowd gathered outside the courthouse where an attempt by authorities to whisk her off in a van was stifled by onlookers.
Unremarkable about this case, writes former CCP Central Party School director Du Guang (杜光) in a guest post on Liu's blog, is how it fits within the larger ongoing trend of cracking down on rights activists:
原来范、吴、游等人都是维权运动的积极分子。范燕琼的女儿说她母亲经常同情弱者，帮别人写文章写状子，曾因维权和筹备成立社会团体，多次遭到抓捕、抄家，甚至长期羁押。我从范燕琼的博客“神州有泪”上看到，就在她被捕前的一个多月时间里，她就写了七八篇维权和纪念“liu四”的文章。6月6日她前往武夷山看望维权朋友，还受到便衣跟踪偷拍。这次她在网上披露林秀英的口述材料，引起海内外的强烈反应，接着又著文揭露官方恐吓林秀英，成为被拘捕的直接原因。游精佑是毕业于西南交通大学的桥梁工程师，同事们反映他工作出色、技术精湛，为人谦虚，责任心强；在出色完成本职工作的同时，他多年来致力于帮助弱者维权，因此曾多次受到警方的传讯、警告。这次被捕是因为他根据范燕琼的文章，为林秀英制作了“自说自话”的视频，在网上广为传播。吴华英更是亲身体会蒙受冤案的痛苦，她弟弟吴昌龙因2001年6月24日发生在福清市纪委门口的爆炸案被羁押判刑，进入二审后以事实不清、证据不足，迄今没有结案。在几次审理中，吴昌龙和其他当事人都否认涉嫌犯罪，且指控侦查期间遭到刑讯逼供，所有律师也为他们作无罪辩护，但都无济于事。八年多来，吴华英四处奔走，上访申诉，因此多次被行政拘留。所以她对林秀英特别同情，为她制作了录音录像，并且发到网上。
我从这些材料里领悟到，范燕琼等被拘捕，不仅仅是因为替林秀英鸣不平。他们多年来的维权活动，早就使他们成为官方的眼中之钉，为林秀英鸣冤，只不过是压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草。所以，这个“诬告陷害”案的实质，不在于严晓玲的死因和某些干部被“诬陷”，而是官方对维权运动的打压。
Notices were reportedly sent out to Chinese media, banning them from reporting on the trial, although some in southern Guangdong province carried the story.
Liu also notes that while Xinhua alone was allowed into the courtroom on Friday, even reporting the official side to the story was enough to get the article harmonized.
Nonetheless, it seems the trial generated enough interest that the #fjwangmin Fujian netizen hashtag topped Google China's list of search keywords yesterday and for Han Han to even write about the case, which became a topic for discussion itself. Han's post has been deleted, but a copy is still up on Liu's blog. In his somewhat flippant tone, Han goes to the heart of the matter in the Yan Xiaoling case and many others like it, why holding secret autopsies or denying them altogether can lead to mass incidents and damage government credibility:
主人公突然死了，家属怀疑是被轮奸致死，提出尸检，尸检的结果是主人公自顾自病死，并非强奸致死。家属怀疑警方包庇罪犯，提出还要尸检，但是相关部门并不配合。家属的情绪很不稳定。三位维权人士听闻此事，以死者是被强奸至死的观点，的将此事件做成了视频和文章，转发到国内外论坛。当地公安召开新闻发布会，强调死者是自然病死，随后，参与制作视频发帖等人当地公安机关逮捕，其中主要负责的三人，二审被判有期徒刑一年到两年。
事情大致上就是这样的，就案情本身，关键是死者到底是怎么死的，这个我不知道，我也没有证据，所以无法站在维权者或者政府的任何一方说事。政府认为，只要他们宣布了，这就叫证据，维权者认为，只要他们调查了，这也是证据。这件事情我并不了解，在其他众多的维权事件中，政府一定全错么，不一定，维权者一定全对么，也不一定。但是为什么政府永远表现出全错的态势呢？
其实很多事情其实都是当地政府自己弄大的。如果他是真的自身突发疾病死亡，那么便让有公信力的地方来尸检，说服家属便是。很多网友说，政府急需成立廉政公署，来树立公信力，我认为廉政公署没有用，香港很少发生腐败事件，其实并不是拥有了廉政公署这四个字，而是因为廉政公署是独立的这三个字。我认为，大陆现在的国情是不适合成立一个独立的类似廉政公署的机构的，如果一成立然后来真的，那几乎所有公务员及其亲属都嗖一下不见了。但是，大陆最最急需成立的一个部门乃是独立的“尸检部”，这个尸检部必须拥有向廉政公署一样的独立性和公信力，必要的时候做到电视直播尸检。仔细回想中国近几年发生的公众事件，有多少是因为尸检而生。尸检部是维护社会稳定的重要部门，因为现在的尸检结果，无论是真的假的，老百姓都不相信。排除这件事情，虽然我认为，很可能不少的尸检结果是正确的，但老百姓的怀疑也不是错误的。一个喜欢先定性再定罪的政府，其绝招也很容易被老百姓学去，所以说，我们要原谅老百姓动不动就认为自己的亲人是被人害死，而罪犯是被政府包庇了，尸检是被政府操纵了。因为在这个社会里，你不讲证据，那我也不讲证据，你不透明，我就猜测，我一猜测，你就说我诽谤，我再追究，你就说这是国家机密，我一闹大，你就……你就……你就反而省事了，什么事情都不用做了，自然会有相关部门通知新闻部门这事情不准报道。但是，这一切埋下的都是仇恨的种子。
所以说，对于地方政府，这事情其实一开始就很好解决，绝对公正的尸检，如果真的是病死，说服家属，如果真的是被杀的，捉拿凶手。退一步讲，这个事情完全可以放到台面上，公开的去说清楚，大家拿各自的证据来说事，但官方是从来不屑于这么做的，他们认为这样降低了他们的威信。而且我们的官方永远是一开口就置自己于不利，你从来看不到他们坦诚的用我们人类正常交流的语言说话的时刻，永远用没有人性的官腔去对抗老百姓的哭诉。听音乐的朋友都知道，唱腔是多么的重要，一个你讨厌的唱腔，唱什么歌都是错的。
现在，那位女孩子是怎么死的已经不重要了，更重要的是那三位维权者的判决。至于诽谤罪，看来是非判不可了。类似的罪名不能从法律上去诠释，而是要从人情世故上去找结果。因为面子对于政府是很重要的，人家都关了你这么长时间了，尤其是因为这个理由，现在把你放出来，你法院是能得到喝彩，但是人家公安以后怎么混，都在一个县城里，抬头不见低头见，办公室不见桑拿见的，这见面了还怎么相处。其实这么多年，大家都误会了人民法院的意思，人民法院并不是指属于人民的并为人民服务的法院，而是指只负责解决人民与人民之间的矛盾的法院。
这三位替他人维权的网友，被判了一年到两年以后，很多网友认为，这件事情代表了互联网的黑暗时期将要到来，代表了维权人士将要遭到打击报复，代表了网络的监督将要受到取缔和法办，代表了言论自由的彻底消失，我认为其实这些都不是，小小的一个县城的公检法，你不能把人家想的那么深邃，其实这件事情只代表了一个意义，传达了一个讯息，那就是——让你见识见识我的厉害。
是的，让你见识见识我的厉害。我们见识了，我们都很害怕，但是我们也不知道，你们都在害怕些什么。
The netizens who traveled to protest the trial came prepared to blog it, uploading a steady stream of video clips, audio tweets and photos while several hundred police kept them cordoned off at a distance from the courthouse; here are a few of the photos, the first two taken by citizen journalist Tiger Temple and the remainder posted anonymously:
Lin Xiuying, mother of the deceased
Lawyer for the defendants, Liu Xiaoyuan
Crowd gathered outside the courthouse
Three daughters of each of the three defendants, Lin Jingyi, You Yujing and Du Mei
Related:
Lin Jingyi's blog post [zh] about proceedings of the netizen trial: http://liu6465.fyfz.cn/art/610530.htm

author: John Kennedy