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Homosexuals – The Invisible Minority of Bangladesh · Global Voices
Rezwan

There is an invisible minority in Bangladesh. They are generally underground and their opening up in public is uncommon. For homosexual communities, their sexual orientation makes them criminals in their own country. Besides not being able to exercise their rights, the LGBT community in Bangladesh faces discrimination, verbal abuse, physical abuse and social challenges. The country does not recognize a marriage, civil union or domestic partnership between adults of the same sex.
Tanvir Alam writes:
There is a British colonial law, penal code 377, which prohibits sexual relations between people of the same sex, claiming they are “against the order of nature”. The law has been repealed in the UK. While it is not enforced, it still exists in Bangladesh, and it is difficult to speak out in favour of human rights because of it. [..]
There is a culture of collective denial of the existence of the gay in Bangladesh – a fact attributable to social conservatism. Stigmatization and taboo have made the gay community, in particular, a vulnerable community. Unable to cope with social conditioning, they try to redefine a way of coherence.
This video directed by Tanvir Alim and Arifur Rahman speaks on behalf of the Bangladeshi LGBT population who are almost invisible to the wider society. The interviews tell the story of their plights, belief, emotions and a silent resilience.
When Shawn Ahmed, a Bangladeshi-Canadian blogger, came out of the closet in a series of videos he got negative reactions from the family as documented here. Tonmoy Hasan expresses [bn] fear about his homosexuality in context of the conservative society:
বাংলাদেশের বয়স্ক সমকামীদের জীবন দেখে আমার করুণা হয়। তারা বিয়ে করেছে, তাদের বাচ্চাকাচ্চাও আছে। তারা তাদের অফিসের কিংবা বাসার অবসরটুকু কাজে লাগায় পার্টনার হান্টে। কেউ যদি ইন্টারেস্টেড হয় তাহলে তারা কোন হোটেলে এক ঘণ্টার জন্য রুম ভাড়া করে, সেক্স করে, তারপর যে যার পথে চলে যায়। তাদের অসহায়ত্ব দেখে আমি সিদ্ধান্ত নিয়েছি যদি আমার পুরো জীবনও একা থাকতে হয় তবে তাই সই। কিন্তু এভাবে প্রহসনের মাধ্যমে আমি কিছু মানুষের জীবন ধ্বংস করবো না।
I feel pity for the gay community in Bangladesh. Some are married, they have kids. They spend their leisure time in the hunt for sexual partners. If anybody is interested in them then they hire a room for one hour, have sex and go on to live their separate lives. Seeing all this I have decided if I have to be alone for the whole life (without marrying) so be it. I don't want to destroy some peoples’ lives.
Rainer Ebert posts a number of case studies and writes about a young journalist:
Shakhawat felt romantically attracted towards men for as long as he can remember. Living apart from his family from an early age, he found support in Dhaka’s gay scene. He became a member of Boys of Bangladesh (BoB), a platform for gay men, and learned a great deal about the psychology and politics of sexual orientation. Shakhawat has been in a steady and committed relationship with another man for four years. He wants to stay in Bangladesh to raise awareness for LGB issues.
This is Love. Image by MOKOtheCRazy. CC BY-NC-ND
The internet has been an invaluable source of support and advice, and played a significant role in providing space for homosexuality in Bangladesh. A recent report [bn] explains how homosexual men and women are resorting to different online communities for dating and finding partners. Boys Of Bangladesh, one of the pioneer online gay communities in Bangladesh, describes how the online communities evolved from IRC chatrooms, group mails, forums to Facebook pages. There are also English and Bengali blogs promoting news and views about LGBT rights.
Blogger Avijit Roy published a book in Bengali titled “Homosexuality, A Scientific and Socio-psychological Investigation” and a number of chapters from that book have been published online in different blogs. This is the first book in Bengali to deal with LGBT people and their human rights. The book aims to remove the stereotyping and stigma about the LGBT communities in Bangladesh by explaining what homosexuality is and to address the issue from a human rights perspective.
Sabuzpatra wants [bn] homosexuals in Bangladesh to be legally and socially accepted. The blogger thinks it will contribute in decreasing the growth rate in over-populous Bangladesh. The LGBT rights movement in Bangladesh is growing rapidly and the voices for decriminalization are becoming louder.
However bloggers like Darashiko [bn] are against homosexuality and think people need to know about its negative aspects and the hatred against it should be kept alive.
Blogger Opobak wonders [bn]:
সমকামী মানুষকে যদি আইনী অধিকার প্রদান করা হয় বাংলাদেশে তবে বাংলাদেশের সমাজে কতজন স্বাধীন ভাবে ঘোষণা করবে তারা সমকামী এবং এমন একজন কি পাওয়া যাবে যে এই অধিকার অক্ষুন্ন রাখবার জন্য আদালতে উপস্থিত হবে?
Even if there are legal recognition of homosexuals I wonder how many in Bangladesh can freely declare their orientation and would there be anybody to fight for their rights in the court?

author: Rezwan


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Hong Kong: Law Amended to Hide Company Data  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The revision of company ordinance in Hong Kong will allow corporates to hide significant company data and the public is worried that the decision has been made under the influence of Chinese government. (via Asia Sentinel)

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Oiwan Lam


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Life in between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

This woman was born in Kyrgyzstan. She has a Tajik passport. Yet she doesn't know where exactly she belongs. Image by Gulzhan Turdubayeva, used with permission.
In Central Asia's fertile and overpopulated Ferghana Valley, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have not been able to agree on where exactly the border between the two countries lies. As a result, it is often unclear which citizenship people living in this region hold. Kloop.kg presents a photo essay (with Russian subtitles) which offers an insight into the life of families living in the disputed border area.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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Mexico: Indigenous Long-Distance Runner Wins International Race · Global Voices
Elizabeth Rivera

El blog HuffPost Voces [es] picked up the story of Maria Salome, a tarahumara indigenous woman who easily won the 10 km of the OXXO international half marathon in Chihuaha, Mexico. The remarkable thing about her victory is that she ran wearing her traditional costume, with no running shoes and no preparation from notorious coaches. Maria Salome is a member of a community that is proud of its running tradition, as this video [es] reports.

author: Elizabeth Rivera


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Naming the Victims of the Algerian Hostage Crisis · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

If the press have the energy to expose the names of victims and their pictures, why can't they pour the same energy into covering the information and wisdom that would prevent further tragedies?
A professor of Islamic studies Naito Masanori commented on Twitter [ja] about the press coverage of the Aménas hostage crisis in Algeria where 10 Japanese have allegedly been killed.

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Peace March: ‘Stop Violence in North Myanmar’ · Global Voices
Juan Cebu

On January 21, 2013 a group of 50 peace marchers including monks started their 1,300 km long journey by foot to the Kachin state in the northern part of Myanmar from the former capital city, Yangon. The primary aim of the campaign is to raise awareness and demand a stop to the on-going conflict between government military forces and Kachin Independence Army (KIA). About 25 of the marchers hope to reach their destination, the city of Laiza, where the headquarters of KIA is based, in about two months.
Mya Thien wrote on the blog Luthuorthan [my]:
…the nation and its people have lost so much because of the war that was started over 60 years ago. The war has caused many sufferings; the children, the elders and innocent people being part of the victims are a grim sign for international communities and a setback for our country’s democratic transitions.
Peace Marchers in Yangon. Photo from Facebook of Freedom News Group(Burma)
Yan Naing Tun, one of the organizers of the group said [my]:
we could choose to travel by car or by bicycle; but if we are to achieve peace, we are proving our endurance for it
Although the government has announced unilateral ceasefire last week, Kachins claimed that the fighting has continued. Khon Ja, a Kachin ethnic wrote on his Facebook page:
23 January 2013
Fighting in Hka Ya, between Laja Yang and Laiza continues.
2 Helicopters landed at Lupi, near Pang Wa, close to the Border Mark 5 and Border Mark 6 IDP Camps, dropped Troops and weapons.
Total of 12 villages with 1339 persons trapped in Gaw Gwi vally, the west of Banmaw (the west of Irrawaddy River Bank), and the north of Shwegu.
Padang Hoi also commented on the status:
president thein sein and ye htut announced 18-01-2013 no offensive , so why burma army offensive is continuing in hkayar and with use of at least 7 helicopters at pangwa today.. .what does it mean?…
Refugee Children. Image from the National League for all Burmese Refugees
Renewed violence in 2011 between government forces and rebel groups has displaced more than 90,000 civilians. National League for all Burmese Refugees reported that the Kachin refugee children were unable to access education and had wasted an academic year due to the conflict.
Peace marchers were reportedly blocked by local authorities and by the police for not securing an official permit and for breaking the laws. Aung Min Naing, one of the marchers, had this to say to the authorities:
We are not demonstrating. We are here for the peace for Myanmar people and to stop the war inside the country….. That’s why we didn’t request for official permit; but we have informed and requested help from the respective organizations and the president.

author: Juan Cebu


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Regional Winners of Developing Latin America 2012  · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

With some delay, here comes an update about the regional hackathon, Desarrollando América Latina 2012 [es] (DAL- Developing Latin America), following the winners at the local level, which completed the final round where awarded on a regional level were chosen among the 22 applications that resulted from the winners of the hackathon in each country.
The organization reported [es]:
Tu Huerta
Third place: Your vegetable garden (by RGN) | Uruguay. This application seeks to give an inexperienced person or community the necessary knowledge to create their own orchard and start to plant their own vegetables. The judges considered that the application used open data very well, resolving a specific problem with good development. The project demonstrated a profound and innovative work.
Ideal Factory
Second Place: Ideal Factory (by Blackout) | Bolivia. […] Using records of entities in the chosen area, this application offers imformation similar to that of a FODA [es] analysis (strength, opportunities, weaknesses, threats) from the type of organization that is requested (education, health, police and commerce). […] it is a tool through which an average citizen can support himself and learn about how to make future decisions not only to start a business or oganization, but also to be better informed about his zone.
For the judges, this application has great value for its scalability in other countries (like Chile and Mexico, among others). It also resolves the problem of duplication of work and promotes synergy and colaborations between different actors, fostering the entrepreneurial climate.
Lima I/O
First Place: Lima I/O. The city speaks (by #Rememos (#werow) | Peru . The application consists of a system of devices with environmental sensors that are placed in various parts of the city, that send information through the Internet to a cloud platform, categorizing and geo-referencing what is received.
The judges awarded first place to this aplication for being a great and original idea, using innovative tools in order to achieve a real social impact. They hope to see “Lima I/O. The city speaks” completely implemented in the near future, with the support of an environmental organization to help spread the app and monitor the system annexed mechanisms.
There was also an honorable mention: Elbowing Latin America [es], “a platform where organizations and civil society publish projects and needs, exhibiting open data through CKAN and calling those interested in the areas of technology and design to resolve these projects and needs.
The RSS Technology blog summarizes here [es] the winners:
El galardón lo obtuvo la aplicación peruana “Lima i/o”, una solución basada en Internet de las Cosas para monitorear el estado del medio ambiente en tiempo real. El segundo lugar se lo llevó “Ideal Factory” de Bolivia, que entrega información para nuevas empresas u organizaciones, y el tercer puesto lo obtuvo la aplicación “Tu Huerta”, de Uruguay, que ayuda a comenzar a sembrar vegetales en tu hogar, sin necesidad de tener conocimientos previos.
The first place award was attained by the Peruvian application “Lima I/O,” a solution based on the Internet of Things to monitor the state of the environment in real time. Second place was won by “Ideal Factory” from Bolivia, which delivers information for new businesses and organizations, and third place was obtained by the application “Your Orchard,” from Uruguay, which helps start and plant vegetables in one's home, without needing to have previous knowledge.
About the Hackathon itself, Bárbara Blay, from Global Social Stream comments [es] that “the environment of creation and innovation is widespread, not only promoting the creation of applications for the search of a social solution, but also making a regional and connected atmosphere, accessible by the rest of the citizens, and promoting as such the use of technology for development“. She also adds:
Existen muchos puntos comunes en las problématicas que se han identificado para la búsqueda de soluciones como lo son la falta de información sobre los servicios públicos, y las alternativas a esta deficiencia sería la combinación entre facilitar la información a través de las herramientas numéricas y facilitar la participación y elcrowdsourcing para completar esta información.
There are many common points in the issues that have been identified in the search for solutions, like the lack of information about public services, and the alternatives to this deficiency are the combination of facilitating the information through numeric tools and facilitating participation and crowdsourcing  to achieve this information.
David Sasaki, one of the judges at the regional level, reflects on the past use of the winning application: “But, will gathering data serve in a Court case when the environmental activists demand of the industrial contaminators? And if not, then why are we gathering the data?” He adds then about the purpose of hackathons like this one:
Bringing together diverse actors — including private sector, public sector, activists and technologists — to make sure that there is a purpose behind the data is the model of the “datapalooza,” which White House CTO Todd Park has been evangelizing for the past couple years. The starting assumption isn’t that there is an app or gadget that can fix complex social problems, but rather that there is value in bringing together diverse actors to contemplate the stories and social issues that lie out of plain sight in large datasets.
However he also has certain objections to the model of hackathons:
The optimist in me hopes that at least two or three of them will have a lifespan of more than a year, but the realist in me knows that this is not likely. I have judged over a dozen app contests and I can’t recall a single winning app that I use today.
Boris Krygel, of InSTEDD iLab, one of the participants (and winner) in Argentina, goes a little further and poses a question [es]:
Qué interesante sería organizar una hackathon en la que se destinara un cierto tiempo a testear los prototipos en el mundo real, ¿verdad? Nuestra experiencia nos demuestra que la mayoría de las aplicaciones que se postulan –al menos a nivel latinoamericano– están planteadas desde el punto de vista del que se propuso resolver una cierta problemática, pero carecen de su correlato empírico desde la óptica de quien será el beneficiario final de dicha app. Recordemos que el objetivo de un hacker es resolver un problema de la mejor manera posible con los recursos con los que cuenta y en el exiguo plazo temporal prefijado, asegurándose de que su prototipo verdaderamente funcione.
How interesting would it be to organize a hackathon in which a certain time was determined to test the prototypes in the real world, right? Our experiences show us that the majority of the applications that are nominated – at least at the Latin American level – come from the point of view of resolving a certain issue, but lack an empirical correlation from the view of who would be the final beneficiary of that said app. We remember that the objective of a hacker is to resolve a problem in the best way possible with the resources available and in a temporary, predetermined term, assuring that the prototype truly works.
In line with this tendency to not remain solely in the hackathon and forget the produced applications, the winners of each country will additionally receive cash as seed capital and a month tutorial to imporove their application. The three regional winners of DAL will also receive as an award the support of Movistar Innova, which consists of a tutorial program that gives feedback about the business possibilities of the aplication and evaluates possible links with this.
Finally, I leave you with the presentation of the winning application on the regional level, Lima I/O [es], in Escuelab [es], moments before winning the local level:
Other related posts:
Developing Latin America 2012
What Exactly is a Hackathon? And What is Open Data?
Hackathons in Droves: How is a Hackathon Organised?
¡Desarrollando América Latina se acerca!
Brazil: Rio de Janeiro Demands Better Sanitation
Crowdmapping Water Contamination in Peruvian Indigenous Communities
What is Web Mapping?
Desarrollando América Latina #DAL2012 – Día 1 [es]
Desarrollando América Latina #DAL2012 – Día 2 [es]
Day 1 of Developing Latin America 2012
Day 2 of Developing Latin America 2012

author: Juan Arellano


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Search for Missing Boy Unites Malaysia · Global Voices
Jerrenn Lam

William Yau is a six-year-old Malaysian boy who was left in a car with his siblings while his parents went into an electrical appliances store on January 16. According to reports, his sister Cindy started crying, prompting him to leave the car to look for his parents. He never came back.
On Thursday, January 24, the body of a boy was found in a river. Based on DNA results released on January 28, police have confirmed that it is indeed the body of William.
The search for William was triggered by the media using the NUR Alert and had then spread quickly online, with Malaysians posting banners and pictures on their blogs to help locate him. Everyday people from Eliza Teh, to seasoned journalists like Nuraina Samad and Ahirudin Attan had used their blogs to bring attention to William’s case.
Even now, there has been an outpouring of grief for William’s family on social media.
William Yau posters were shared on various social networking sites. Photo from Facebook of hitz.fm Kuching
Joel recounted how he, too, was separated from his parents when he was a child.
I still remember the incident well; a 5 year old kid in his pajamas, wandering around the former City Square mall in KL (Kuala Lumpur). My parents were doing their shopping at Metrojaya, and I was restless. I walked off to the nearest Toys R’ Us without them knowing and before long, had gotten myself lost. The fact that I'm writing this right now is proof enough that nothing untoward happened to me.
The same cannot be said of little William Yau.
The William Yau case, which has dominated headlines and various social networking sites has come to the worst conclusion possible. Little William's badly decomposed body was found floating in a river in Klang, a week after the news of his disappearance set into motion a huge search for him. I feel a heavy sense of grief weighing down on my person, I feel the pain of little William's family members, the pain of losing someone dear.
Norliza Sani sympathised with William’s parents:
Netizens helped in spreading news about the search for the missing boy. Photo from Tumblr of Made by Malaysians
Parents’ worst nightmare is losing a child. We as parents usually have in mind that we are the ones to go first. I guess we all know that death comes to anybody regardless of age, but no one is prepared when the situation actually happens.
My heart goes to the parent of William Yau. May your child rest in peace.
I have a 6 year old son too, hope who ever did this to your son is caught and receive severe punishment. Malaysia has quite a number of missing children and not even one kidnapper is caught. This is something you need to ponder. It indeed worries and saddens you to think that these criminals are still at large.
Many Malaysians, including celebrities and politicians, took to Twitter to express their grief.
@SheilaMajid We r deeply saddened & share d grief on d demise of William Yau.May God give d family strength to deal with this & may he rest in peace.☹
@WardinaSafiyyah William Yau parents I am so sorry. William Yau Zhen Zhong, went missing since Jan 16. :( Police fished out a 7 yr old body from Sungai Sireh
@joannabessey Heartfelt condolences to William Yau&family.As people of Mlysia&the world, we MUST end this heinous treatment of children+human trafficking
@drchuaSL our deepest condolences to William Yau's family and hope that the abductor/murderer will be arrested as soon as possible.
@j1m0nz Deepest condolences to William Yau family #WilliamYau
Interestingly, as the official post-mortem have not yet been completed, many Malaysians appear to have concluded that it is a crime, calling for the perpetrator(s) to be brought to justice, probably because of the high-profile Nurin Jazlin Jazimin case.
The preliminary post-mortem results were deemed insufficient to determine the cause of death, and the police are not ruling out any theories, including that he fell into the drain or that he was killed then dumped into it. However, they are re-recording statements from key witnesses due to certain inconsistencies.

author: Jerrenn Lam


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Yemen: United Nations Security Council Delegation Visits Sanaa · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

A United Nations Security Council (UNSC) delegation visited Yemen Sunday January 27, 2013, to boost President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi and help push forward national reconciliation talks after preparations over the past few months for a National Dialogue Conference -which would lead to a new constitution and elections in February 2014- faced many challenges.
So much importance and media hype was given to the meeting, yet Yemeni netizens and residents were apprehensive of the traffic that such a meeting would cause.
Journalist Adam Baron tweeted:
@adammbaron
UN Security Council will be meeting in Sanaa tomorrow. my yemeni friends are already complaining about the traffic that will result. #yemen
@adammbaron
new checkpoints related to the UNSC's visit already fueling major gridlock in sanaa. #yemen
On the day of the meeting heightened security measures, checkpoints, road blocks and hovering helicopters paralyzed the capital Sanaa and annoyed it's residents.
Baraa Shaban tweeted complaining:
@BaraaShiban
It took me 40 mins to do the journey that takes me 10 mins everyday, #UNSC visit to #Sanaa #Yemen
@BaraaShiban: #Checkpoints , #Checkpoints #Checkpoints this is insane, we literally can't move … #Yemen
Osamah AlFakih tweeted:
@osamahfakih: Hearing helicopters more than usual for the #UNSC meeting in #Sanaa #Yemen
@osamahfakih
I wish if such security procedures are taken daily for the safety of citizens first not only for the #UNSC meeting in #Sanaa #Yemen #UN
Matthew Russell Lee wondered:
@innercitypress
Will US be pausing drone strikes near Sanaa? http://www.innercitypress.com/sc4yatrips012413.html … MT “@yemen_updates #UNSC meets on Monday in #Yemen”
Will Picard also tweeted:
@YemenPeaceNews
Seriously, what's the point of shutting down a city of 2 million just to have the same pointless meeting you could have in NYC? #Yemen #UNSC
The UN Security Council Delegation press conference after meeting with President Hadi
The UNSC delegation held a private meeting with the Reconciliation Government, National Dialogue Technical Committee, the Military Committee, leaders of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh's General People's Congress, leaders of the Joint Meeting Parties, and the ambassadors of the 10 countries which are sponsors of the Gulf Cooperation Council's initiative.
Simultaneously, thousands of protesters marched in the capital Sanaa demanding that ousted president Saleh be put to trial and demanded freezing of his assets, huge demonstration in Yemen's southern city of Aden were also held demanding secession.
Baraa Shaiban tweeted:
@BaraaShiban:
Youth revolution prepare a mass march right now, parallel of the visit of #UNSC members
Hussain Yafai also tweeted
@crazyyafai:
the chants now in the sqaure in Aden is “we are the decision makers” , referring to the fate of #SouthYemen.
Freelance Journalist Joe Shaffer, based in Yemen, pragmatically tweeted:
@JoeSheffer: The arrival of the UNSC shows that the national dialogue really isn't going well. This kind of shuttle diplomacy is nonsense. #yemen
He added on his blog:
And so unfortunately the grand sum total of the shuttlers’ contribution to the political-process, has been to cause a whole lot of disruption to people in the capital city and little more. In the climate of the madness which surrounded today’s visit, local people in Tahrir Square were being stopped from carrying bags by officers from the Central Security Forces and the number of checkpoints in the city exploded overnight until roads were gridlocked. It’s sure to have contributed to Yemeni people’s spiralling opinion of the outside world.
There is no doubt that Jamal Benomar and the whole of his UN Special delegation team have and continue to work exceptionally hard for the people of Yemen and towards the national dialogue; and the above should not detract from his efforts. Its also fair to say that as an individual Benomar seems both genuine and sincere in his desire to make this peaceful settlement to work.
Others will point out that whilst the dialogue might not be going so well, the fact that the country has not descended anywhere near into a Syria-esque civil war shows that it is has in some ways been a success.
Will Picard added:
@YemenPeaceNews
To mark today's useless UNSC visit to San'a, re-posting my op-ed on the dangers of “checklist diplomacy” in #Yemen: http://bit.ly/11zQ5C3
He wrote:
This checklist diplomacy is out of touch with messy reality, and is ultimately unproductive. In fact, under the guidance of its “Friends,” Yemen could complete each of the items listed above without changing a single aspect of the situation on the ground.
What Yemen needs is not a checklist or a roadmap, but real international engagement based on the very real crises impeding progress toward stability and security.
Ironically the same United Nations Security Council which supported former president Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity and the one candidate presidential election in Yemen, were publicly displaying their support for President Abdu Rabuh Mansour Hadi and the “peaceful transition” in Yemen. Yet, the sanctions against former president Saleh which President Hadi had hoped for were not achieved during their visit. After many threats by the UN to take steps against those who are obstructing the political process, in a press conference after the meetings, the head of the UNSC delegation said that how they would deal with individuals obtructing the GCC initiative will be discussed during the next UNSC meeting in New York. As if Yemen which has been in turmoil for the past two years still had the luxury of time. Needless to say the US drones that had been striking Yemen almost daily since the beginning of the year were not even on the agenda.
There were mixed reactions from Yemenis regarding the visit:
@yemen_updates
#UNSC delegates left #Sanaa after creating: 1- positive momentum for transition process in #Yemen & 2- crazy traffic jam in the city. #FF
@WomanfromYemen
Q: President #Hadi obviously has the support & backing of the international community, what about the “local” community? #Yemen
@ShathaAlHarazi SC & Zaiani who blessed the transition shld explain y we struggle to pass a fair TJ law when Saleh got the Immunity so fast #Yemen
@imothanaYemen: Quite a significant day for Yemen and a couple of very challenging months ahead #Yemen #UNSC
This is a Storify of more reactions to the visit.

author: Noon Arabia


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A Couple’s Civil Marriage Rejected in Lebanon  · Global Voices
Nada

Seen as a potential long-awaited breakthrough, it’s fair to say the union of Kholoud Succarieh and Nidal Darwich on January 17, 2013, was the most celebrated marriage in Lebanon.
In a country where secular marriage is not an option, the couple celebrated what would have been the first civil marriage on the Lebanese soil, had it been recognized by the government. This reignited the debate concerning civil marriage, something many have been demanding for decades.
In Lebanon, civil status is administered by religious authorities. This includes child custody in case of divorce, inheritance, marriage, and complicates unions between members of different religions. For years, members of civil society have been demanding an optional civil marriage to no avail, until Succarieh and Darwich challenged the status quo by arguing that the current legal framework makes civil marriage possible.
The bride and groom base their claim on a provision of Decree number 60 of the 1936 law, which states that Lebanese not belonging to any particular sect fall under a civil family law administrated by the state. After going through an administrative procedure to strike their religious sect off their personal records, the couple did all the necessary paperwork, including publishing a marriage intent and signed all relevant documents with a notary public, then submitted their marriage to the Ministry of Interior pending its official announcement.
The news of their marriage made headlines and was followed by another small leap towards civil marriage: President of the Republic Michel Sleiman repeatedly declared himself in favor of civil marriage. He tweeted:
@SleimanMichel: Some Politicians oppose #civilmarriageleb but that will not change my beliefs nor will it deter me from getting the train on the right track
Those words have been very positively received amongst those who have been waiting to hear them for a long time in Lebanon and abroad.
@Ramez Kozma said:
@RamezKozma: @SleimanMichel Dear president Sleiman: millions & millions of Lebanese immigrants living abroad are proud to have you as their president…
And thoughts from @MyriamSfn
@MyriamSfn: @SleimanMichel Civil marriage isn't an obligation. Those who don't like it can leave the chance for those who do! Its time to have it in Leb
@JadBaroudi tweeted:
@JadBaroudi:You might not wish to practice #CivilMarriageLEB, but it is your duty as a #Lebanese #Citizen to support the right of others to practice it!
Blogger Gino ran a poll asking people if they're for or against civil marriage in Lebanon. 92.51% of his readers were in favor. @MannounM is hoping the time has come
@MannounM: Civil marriage is a fundamental and undeniable right which should be given to the Lebanese. Time for #civilmarriageleb has come!
However, the battle is nowhere near won. The Interior Ministry referred the marriage of Kholoud Succarieh and Nidal Darwich’s to the Justice Ministry who rejected it. In addition, Prime Minister Nagib Mikati declared that there was no need to get into “useless debates” on civil marriage at this point. Like many, blogger Lebanese Voices deplored the fact that civil marriage did not make it on the government’s agenda so far:
(…) a law that allows people to love, mix and decrease sectarianism would confuse the hell of our electoral laws for the government and therefore to protect their majesties parliamentary seats, civil marriage has been scratched of the last meeting and shelved yet again! Because “Mikati [sees] debate on civil marriage useless in face of political paralysis”  and to that i say: Dear @Najib_Mikati, it’s my right to get married in the country that i pay taxes to, not its religious institutes. I’m Lebanese not a Sect.
The idea of a civil marriage was also rejected by many other prominent leaders, including Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Kabbani who issued a fatwa against civil marriage. Reactions were not positive online:
@jeanassy: Not sure if 2013 or 1013! Thanks to Mufti Qabbani! #CivilmarriageLeb Lebanon
and @pamoula’s hopes are not high:
@pamoula: #civilmarriageleb will not happen, religious figures will not allow it, and politicians will never say no to them they need them
Since 2009, the Lebanese have had the option of striking their religion off identity cards. So far in practice this remained a symbolic gesture. However, if the government ever does recognize optional civil marriage, thousands could soon be following suit, and finally be able to get married in Lebanon rather than traveling abroad for a civil ceremony, as many have been doing in recent years (nearby Cyprus being the choice destination). On a broader political and national level, this will also mean that the state will finally recognize its citizens outside the imposed structure of religious belonging. One cannot stress what an important achievement this could be. Or perhaps it would be enough to just quote a sentence read on a banner held by a participants in a demonstration favor of civil marriage: “civil marriage not civil war”.
Those who desire can sign the online petition [ar] demanding civil marriage in Lebanon.

author: Nada


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China: Campaign to Halt the Execution of a Woman Victim of Domestic Violence · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Amnesty International launched a campaign against the execution of a Chinese woman, Li Yan, who shot her husband to death in self-defense. Li had been abused by her husband since they were married in 2009.


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China: Land collapses in Guangzhou · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A 300 sq metres piece of land sank suddenly in Guangzhou Kangwang Road on 28 of January, dragging surrounding buildings underground. The 9 meters deep is near a subway construction site. Shanghaiist has collected a number of photos showing the collapsed site.


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Chinese apologize to Tibetans · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A Facebook Page: Chinese Apologize to Tibetans has been set up by a group of overseas Chinese activists to collect information about the human right situation in Tibet.


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Tibetans Outraged by Chinese TV Drama on Tibet · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

In China, a recently screened TV drama, Tibet's Secret (西藏秘密), caused outrage amongst many Tibetans, critical of the director, Liu Depin, for what they perceive as a distortion of Tibetan culture and religion. Since the drama was broadcast on the state-run China Central Television (CCTV), in early January 2013 via CCTV channel 8 in prime time 7:00pm, the controversy has intensified, and somewhat inevitably, begun to turn political in nature.
The main character in Tibet's Secret, a 46 episode drama, is Tashi, a Tibetan Lama who speaks on behalf of the Tibetan people about the history of Tibet during the period between the 1930-40s, a time before the Chinese Communist Party liberated Tibet. The character of Tashi was himself involved in the overthrow of the rural slavery system in Tibet during that period.
Screen capture from Tibet Secret via Youtube.
While Tibet is an extremely sensitive topic and heavily censored in both online and offline media outlets in China, the CCTV's drama is an important source for Han Chinese to understand the Tibetan history, culture and religion. Indeed, commentaries from entertainment pages in various media outlets have routinely stressed the the drama is an honest representation [zh] of the Tibetan culture and history and that it has won the recognition of Tibetan scholars. Yet, to many Tibetans, the drama is a highly distorted source of insight.
For example @泽仁多真 criticizes [zh]:
从《西藏秘密》这部片子中，会看的人会看出导演对西藏民族文化的无知，和对西藏历史的严重亵渎，其结果就是制造了一部看了让人反胃的电视剧。 对于这种烂片，根本不值得为它浪费口舌。
From the Tibet's Secret Drama, for those who know about Tibet, they would see that the director is ignorant about Tibetan culture and has defamed the Tibetan history. The drama is obnoxious and we should not waste our time and energy on it.
Tsewang Thar believes [zh] that the drama will harm the relations between Han Chinese and Tibetan:
刘德濒，对于西藏你本身没有很深的了解，对于藏族你更没有太大的热爱，对藏文化你却一无所知，西藏秘密从何而来？你的这部电视剧简直是丑化西藏，侮辱藏族，蔑视藏文化的一部烂剧。你是破坏汉藏关系，破坏社会稳定的罪魁祸首！
Liu Depin, you don't have deep understanding of Tibet, you don't love Tibetan and you are ignorant about Tibet culture. What do you know about Tibet's secret? This TV drama is to ridicule Tibet, insult Tibetan and debase Tibetan culture. You are responsible for the destruction of the relation between Han and Tibetan and the stability of the society.
A lengthy article written by a Han Chinese woman has been widely circulated [zh] online, also criticizing the director:
今天我實在是忍不住要發聲，因為我看到劉德瀕導演對於藏族朋友指出電視劇中錯誤和曲解置著罔聞，甚至給藏人扣上「分裂祖國的跳梁小丑們」的帽子，更甚者還要出書，還要拍第二部 […] 我哭了，不知道是因為覺得自己無能為力而悲哀，還是為這個時代悲哀，為看到這部劇而讚精彩的漢族人悲哀 […] 劉德瀕導演所說的分裂祖國的跳梁小丑，其實分裂祖國的並不是提意見的藏族人，而恰恰是不懂得尊重，惹惱藏族人的劉導。
I can't help from voicing out today. Liu Depin is playing dumb to Tibetan friends’ criticisms on all the distortion in the drama. He even labelled them as “clowns who acted stupid to separate the country” and said he would write a book based on the drama and shoot the second series. […] I cried. Not sure if the tears is shed for my being helpless, or for the time that we live in or for those Han Chinese who keep praising the drama […]. Director Liu Depin accused people of being clowns who intend to separate the country, the true separatists are not the Tibetans who criticize the drama, but are the people who have no idea about respect and stirred up anger among Tibetans.
While the director has claimed that he will begin shooting a second series, many netizens have begun spelling out their opposition. @康巴潮人 invites other micro-bloggers [zh] to join the effort in the campaign against the production of a second series:
这部电视剧（西藏秘密） 自从播出后，在藏族文化圈的人分分议论，说这部电视剧不仅是违背历史，不尊重事实，故意丑化藏人和诽谤藏传佛教，真不知这位@刘德濒 导演用意何在，难道他比西藏人还了解西藏历史吗？希望多点尊重事实，尊重宗教，注重民族团结！尊重我们藏族的信仰，反对播出！见者转发！
Soon after the TV drama, Tibet's Secret, was aired, it has become a hot topic among Tibetans, many saying that it is against historical fact and with an intention to defame the Tibetans and their religion. I don't know why director @Liu Depin will produce the drama, does he know more Tibetan history than the Tibetans? Please respect fact, religion and ethnic unity. Respect Tibetan belief and stop airing the drama! please forward this message!
To defend himself against criticism, the director posted a page from a book called “Tibet encounter” (西藏奇遇） and claimed that he referenced the book, which is a 1986 translated version of “Seven Years in Tibet”, the English version of “Sieben Jahre in Tibet” written by Heinrich Harrer. Prominent Tibetan writer Woser decided to cross-check the book page with the original text in Germany and found out that the so-called Chinese translation is a distorted re-writing of the original text:
我正好有朋友在德国，是专攻语言的高手。朋友一听兴致勃勃，立即找到哈勒德文原著，细细一对照，惊诧得几欲拍案而起：“偶滴神啊，土共枪手太不要脸了，竟把‘遗物’全译成了‘粪便’！“
Co-incidentally, I have a friend in Germany who is a language expert. He is very interested to help out. He found the original text written by Heinrich Harrer and cross checked with the Chinese version. He was so astonished and yelled out: “My god! the CCP writer is shameless. The word ‘relics’ has been translated into ‘feces’.
In the Chinese text that Liu read, it said:
几乎所有的阔家富户都珍藏着这种‘灵丹妙药’，他们常常向我展示用丝带缝起来的被视作至宝的十三世达赖的粪便。
Almost every wealthy household in Tibet are in possession of a sacred medicine, they showed me the feces of Dalai Lama 13, preciously sewn in silk bags”.
However, the original text in Germany is: Fast jeder Adelige zeigte mir stolz Reliquien vom 13. Dalai Lama, sorgfältig in kleine Seidensäckchen eingenäht, meaning “Almost every noble proudly showed me relics of Dalai Lama 13, carefully sewn in small silk bags”.
In fact there are many distortions in the translation of “Tibet Encounter” and Liu Depin‘s “Tibet's Secret” is just a further distortion of an already distorted truth.


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Critical Mass: Cycling Through Brazil’s Salvador City · Global Voices
Thiana Biondo

In our attempt to discover the route of Brazilian Critical Masses, we spoke with two organizers of the Salvador Critical Mass [pt] (also known as “Bicicletada”), Roque Júnior and Rosa Ribeiro. Below, you find the second part of the interview, in which we get to know a little more about the city’s policies of urban mobility.
GV: How does the dialogue between the business lobby and citizen lobby – which is also called activism – take place in regards to urban mobility?
RR: In the municipality of Salvador, we do find some councilors/representatives with sympathy towards the cause and we’ve succeeded to have approved, one or two years ago, the law of bicycle mobility in Salvador. However, even though there is some sort of sympathy towards the idea, things rarely go beyond a piece of paper [pt]. (…) At the executive level, there was the “Cidade Bicicleta” (Bicycle City program) [pt], which developed (and even produced a  detailed study) of a system of cycling mobility for the city of Salvador.
Cidade Bicicleta – Mobility for Everyone. Image by SecultBA, Secretariat of Culture of the state of Bahia, on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
[The study] abandons the idea that bicycles are meant for leisure, and that bike lanes should be strictly located along the seashore, and moves ahead – at least in the project – to articulate connections among neighborhoods, from the suburbs to the downtown area. One can only consider bicycles as a means of transportation if one can actually see a system which coherently offers this kind of movement. If nowhere is connected to no place, of course nobody will use it. (…) That’s up to the State Government. The question is, however, that the State can only intervene with the Township’s backing. Although they have a very interesting project, I didn’t see any interest by Jacques Wagner [Governor of the state of Bahia] to implement it, plus there is no written agreement between the Township and the State Government on this.
When the international press arrives to cover the FIFA World Cup, it will say that Salvador has a bike lane. What you have at stake, and it also mobilizes the State sometimes, is the visibility: the construction of a city image, which is fake most of the times. (…) One of the main concerns during 2011 municipal elections in Brazil was the question of overcrowded towns, traffic jams, low quality of urban life, so the issue of urban mobility is fundamental these days. But, at the same time, we see the Federal Government giving full support for the production and sale of cars, all over the country. For example, over the past 10 years of the Lula administration and the current Dilma administration, we have witnessed the number of cars double in the city of Salvador.
Publicity video launched by the State Government of Bahia in 2010
GV: To what extent do cars remain a symbol of status and social upward mobility? How can public space be shared?
RR: Seven years ago, I didn’t have much hope that a transformation of spaces and that of the urban area could occur, due to society’s general lack of political interest. Why? Because that would require a restricted use of cars. This kind of transformation in Brazil doesn’t just lie on the space and physical order – instead it involves a social reorder, the social restructure.
“Respect one less car” – The “pedalada” event in São Paulo, 2010. Photo by Thiago Miranda dos Santos Moreira on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Three years ago, when the middle class began riding bicycles, these probable car owners who are actually choosing bikes as means of transport, I thought to myself: “could things change?”. There is a very strong discourse in favor of bikes. The bike used to be linked to the stigmatized class of the low income population, and now we see a new discourse being born, placing bikes on top of cars as an object of social status. The bicycle is thus associated with a more interesting contemporary lifestyle, together with sustainability and a way of rethinking the city and its social relations, which is so recent I can’t describe… But here’s a reminder. It’s not about possessing, and what a person has. It’s about someone who needs this vehicle to move through town. It’s about the need. The use we make of cars as means of mass transportation in Brazil is absolutely insane.
About the political will to create some kind of transformation, it’s worth mentioning (…) that bikers of São Paulo made all election candidates ride bikes, and succeeded in getting them to sign a letter committing to this model of bikes as means of transportation. I think that São Paulo and Curitiba are cities with social movements that are making a difference today in that regard. (…) And there is a very favorable conjuncture in Brazil’s most mediatized city, Rio de Janeiro, in regards to the interest for bicycles because of urban construction to host the 2014 World Cup games and the 2016 Olympics. Today Rio de Janeiro has the largest cycling infrastructure in Brazil.
GV: In general, many people say they don’t use bicycles as a means of transportation due to lack of safety, violence (robberies) or traffic accidents. How can that be changed?
RJ: The first thing is to make a distinction between perceived insecurity and real insecurity. It seems to me there is a generalized perception of insecurity which contaminates the public. The public space we live in is hierarchical, and, within street hierarchy, the car comes first, pedestrian come last, and the bicycle is sort of in the middle, closest to the pedestrian. One can realize that people feel this disrespect. They will experience this disrespect, or they will visualize it and disrespect, you see? So I believe this turns into a generalized perception, as you can see these situations and you can say “I don’t want to experience, imagine or go through that”. Another thing is generalized fear, which is independent from traffic and present in public spaces. Being in public spaces brings up a series of possibilities outside the realm of security. So there is a fear of conflict in traffic, and fear of robberies.
GV: Do you see a way to reverse this? Any alternatives?
RR: I don’t know about reversion, but I believe that it makes a difference to have an urban infrastructure dedicated to bicycle riders, that actually provides security to them, coherently designed so they can cycle all over town. Many people say “oh, there’s no need for that, only education is necessary, learning to share”. But infrastructure attracts people who would never have the required courage, malice, attention and presence of spirit to face urban traffic. Others say that bike lanes are not meant for those who already ride bikes. They’re not for the sportsperson either. They’re meant for grannies, for children, for a larger public who could be moving around but do not believe in their physical potential to perform such movement. As soon as they start doing it though, they realize it’s very easy. People are stronger than they think.

author: Thiana Biondo


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Google Debuts Crowd Sourced Map on North Korea · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Through Google Maps, with the click of a mouse, you can travel the world; see the most remote places on earth, and even explore Antartica with panoramic imagery. But one place that has always been unavailable, even through Google Maps, is the hermit kingdom: North Korea. This has now changed.
On Jan 29, 2013 Google revealed its new crowd-sourced map of North Korea, just three weeks after Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, visited the country. Google's North Korea map, though it did exist before, was mostly blank. But now, you can see drastic changes in the map (photos of before and after).
Image of North Korean capital in revised Google Map. Screen Captured.
Jayanth Mysore, a senior manager of the Google Map Maker project, wrote about the initiative on the official Google Maps blog. (For the Korean version, click here)
we’re constantly working to add more detailed map data in areas that traditionally have been mostly blank. For a long time, one of the largest places with limited map data has been North Korea[…]To build this map, a community of citizen cartographers came together in Google Map Maker to make their contributions such as adding road names and points of interest.
Instant web reactions have followed. @romanticity wrote [ko]:
북한 구글지도 예전에는 퀄리티가 별로였는데 이젠 상세한 지도까지 서비스되네요 실향민이나 탈북자들 좋으실듯.
North Korea's Google map quality was really poor before, but now they provide a detailed map. It would be useful for defectors and refugees.
@9it added [ko]:
북한 상세 지도 찾아볼 생각은 한번도 안해봤는데, 지금 뒤적거리다보니 뭔가 신기하네요.
I've never even thought of browsing a detailed map of North Korea, but now I am doing it and it feels somehow wonderful and strange.
@leejik wonders about [ko] the significance of such move:
구글지도에 북한 지도가 이제 제대로 뜨기 시작했네요. 이제 개방을 하는건가?
North Korea map appears quite well on Google Maps. Does this signal a start of openness of this nation?
Image of North Korean capital in Google Map Satellite view, Screen captured.
@premist pointed out [ko] the difference of two Korea's map graphic quality:
한국에서는 법 때문에(혹은 구글이 귀찮아서) 안 되는 Google 벡터 지도가 북한 평양에서는 되네요
A Vector map is unavailable in South Korea because of legal issues (or perhaps because Google is too lazy to make one?). But it has now become available in North Korea's Pyongyang.
There are indeed legal restrictions in providing high-resolution map in South Korea. @leftliber is paraniod about [ko] other law, South Korea's notorious National Security law that censors almost anything related to North Korea to the point of jailing a South Korean Twitterer for retweeting North Korean tweets:
오, 구글 지도에 드디어 북한이. 근데 혹 이거 들여다보다가 국가보안법 걸리는 건 아닌가. (이런 걱정을 해야 하다니…)
Oh, North Korea now appears on Google Maps. Is there any chance I may be accused of violating the national security law just because I looked at this map? (Seriously, am I living in a situation where I have to worry about this?)
Some net users, such as @kyeolgun, were rather pessimistic and brought a worrisome, yet valid scenario [ko]:
북한이 구글에 지도데이터를 주기로 했다는 건 기존 군사시설을 대부분 지하화했다는 얘긴가… 무섭군.
North Korea offering map data to Google — does that means that it has already turned most of its military facilities underground? (If it were true), it could be scary.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Google Maps Targets Hermit Kingdom, North Korea · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Google debuted its Google Maps program for one of the world's most secretive countries, North Korea, as part of its crowd sourcing map initiative. North Korea Tech blog posted several pictures of it with some background information.


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Indigenous Xavantes of Marãiwatsédé Fight for the Right to Their Land · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

[This article was originally published in Portuguese on December 12, 2012.]
Having inhabited the Marãiwatsédé territory in the north of the state of Mato Grosso for centuries, natives of the Xavante ethnic group face occupation and threats from farmers who are trying to evict them from their homeland. The land, which was returned to them 14 years ago, has been invaded almost entirely by settlers and landowners. On December 6, 2012, following a Supreme Court decision made on October 17, the justice department in Mato Grosso ordered the delivery of subpoenas for the removal of illegal occupants of ancestral lands. One and a half month after the beginning of the removal, the process is now almost finalized [pt].
Journalist Felipe Milanez, specializing in indigenous matters, wrote [pt]:
O território xavante, chamado Marãiwatséde, está no centro de um eixo de escoamento de soja e gado, onde o governo federal quer asfalta a BR-158. O traçado ficaria fora da reserva, e da Ferrovia Centro-Oeste, que liga as cidades de Campinorte (GO) e Lucas do Rio Verde (MT).
A disputa por este território expõe a dificuldade do governo em controlar os conflitos fundiários na Amazônia. Os pequenos posseiros, tradicionais inimigos dos índios na região, deram lugares aos grandes ruralistas – que se negam a deixar o território. A pressão externa tem provocado divisões internas dos Xavantes, que colocam em risco a vida das principais lideranças.
The Xavante territory, called Marãiwatséde, is in the middle of a trade route for soy and cattle, where the federal government wants to pave the BR-158. The route would be outside the reservation and the Mid-East Pipeline that links the cities of Campinorte (GO) and Lucas do Rio Verde (MT).
The dispute over this territory exposes the difficulty the government has in controlling fundamental conflicts in the Amazon. Small landowners, traditional enemies of the indigenous people of the region, gave places to grand ruralists – who refuse to leave the territory. The external pressure has provoked internal divisions within the Xavantes that endangers the lives of their top leaders.
Xavante Village. Photo by Adriano Gambarini/OPAN, used with permission.
Also, according to Milanez, the problems started in 1966, with the expulsion of the indigenous population of the region, who were transported in FAB (Brazilian Air Force) planes to another Xavante territory 400km away. They became victims of a measles epidemic that killed at least 150 indigenous people which forced the community to spread out into other indigenous territories in a sort of “internal exile in the country”. With the arrival of Ariosto da Riva, an entrepreneur from Sao Paulo who bought the Marãiwatsédé territory, the region has become known as Suiá-Missu, an estate with 1.8 million hectares. The land then passed through the hands of various businesses until the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, when the Italian company who at the time possessed the land – Agip Petrolli – decided to return the land to the indigenous people.
As it turns out, the land was returned only to be invaded by farmers and settlers that have now been expelled by the judicial decision [pt] in favor of the indigenous people. About this process, initiated December 10, Greenpeace reported [pt]:
Este é um momento crucial para a desintrusão da terra dos Xavante, processo liderado pela Funai (Fundação Nacional do Índio) e que conta com respaldo de forças policiais.
This is a crucial moment for the removal of invaders from the Xavante land, a process led by Funai (National Indian Foundation) that depends on support from police forces.
Indigenous Xavantes. Photo by Felipe Milanez, printed with permission.
The trespassing of invading settlers does not come, however, in peaceful form [pt]. Road blocks were constructed by squatters and include threats of violence, as Journalist Andreia Fanzeres (@Andreiafanzeres) tweeted on September 2012:
Jornais de MT noticiam hj que invasores de #maraiwatsede bloquearam BR 158 e só vão sair “qdo a justiça suspender a decisão de retirá-los”
Newspapers in Mato Grosso reported today that tresspassers #maraiwatsede have blocked BR 158 and will only leave “when the judge suspends the decision to remove them”
The NGO Repórter Brasil wrote a long report [pt] which summarizes the situation until mid-December, indicating that “some groups have decided not to comply with the judicial decision and have sought to destabilize the process forcing conflict with troops.”  They also take stock of what happened during the first days of occupation, when “national forces retreated shooting rubber bullets and gas bombs:
Os manifestantes apareceram na Fazenda Jordão, onde a operação teve início, no momento em que as forças de segurança realizavam as primeiras abordagens. Segundo a listagem de propriedades do governo, a propriedade onde a confusão aconteceu pertence a Antonio Mamed Jordão, ex-vice-prefeito de Alto Boa Vista, que detém uma das maiores áreas invadidas dentro da Terra Indígena, um latifúndio com mais de 6 mil hectares. Em 2008, Jordão declarou patrimônio de R$ 4,5 milhões. Além dele, outros políticos donos de extensas porções da terra indígena são, ainda de acordo com as listas oficiais do governo, Mohmad Khalil Zaher, vereador em Rondonópolis (MT), Sebastião Ferreira Prado, Sebastião Ferreira Mendes, entre outros. Os latifundiários, representados pela Confederação Nacional da Agricultura e Pecuária (CNA), reclamam da desintrusão e chegam a questionar se as terras são mesmo indígenas (leia nota divulgada nesta terça-feira, 11).
Protestors appeared on the Jordão farm, where the operation began, at the moment when security forces made their first approach. According to the government listing of properties, the property where the turmoil happened, belongs to Antonio Mamed Jordão, ex-vice-mayor of Alto Boa Vista, who owns one of the largest invaded areas within indigenous land, an estate with more than 6,000 hectares. In 2008, Jordão declared assets of 4.5 million Reais [pt]. In addition to him, other politicians who own extensive portions of indigenous land are, according to official government records, Mohmad Khalil Zaher, city councilman in Rondonópolis (MT), Sebastião Ferreira Prado, and Sebastião Ferreira Mendes, among others. The landowners, represented by the National Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA), complain of the removal and have begun to question if the land is indeed indigenous (read a statement released Thursday, December 11) [pt].
Already during the first attempt at eviction on December 10, National Forces clashed with farmers, leaving many injured.
The former bishop of São Félix do Araguaia, Catalan Dom Pere Casaldàliga (known as Pedro Casaldáliga), who is 84 years-old and suffering from Parkinson's, received death threats for the support he gave to the indigenous people and was forced to be evacuated from his home by federal police in order to guarantee his safety. News regarding threats to the bishop were largely reported by the Spanish [es] and Catalan [ca] media, encountering, in general, silence from the Brazilian media.
Journalist Altamiro Borges explained [pt]:
Segundo o Conselho Indigenista Missionário (Cimi), um grupo de jagunços anunciou abertamente que Dom Casaldáliga “era o problema” da tensa região e que “faria uma visita para ele”. A própria Polícia Federal recomendou a imediata retirada do religioso da cidade devido à vulnerabilidade da humilde residência em que ele vivia há muitos anos. A PF alegou temer por sua segurança, já que a casa nem sequer possui muros e o bispo emérito com a sua saúde debilitada, em decorrência de sofrer do “mal de Parkinson”.
According to the Indigenous Missionary Council (Cimi), a group of gang members announced openly that “they would pay him a visit.” The Federal Police has recommended the immediate removal of the religious man from the city due to the vulnerability of the humble home in which he has lived for many years. The Federal Police claimed to fear for his safety, as the house did not have walls coupled with the former bishop's weakened health as a result of suffering from “Parkinson's Disease”.
The journalist continued explaining that Casaldàliga has a long history of resistance against the Brazilian dictatorship (1964-1985) and support of threatened indigenous groups and the homeless, and is faced once again disdain from those in power for his bravery and courage:
Ele sempre esteve ligado às lutas das camadas mais carentes da sociedade. Com a guinada conservadora no Vaticano a partir dos anos 1990, o bispo emérito sofreu forte pressão da cúpula da Igreja Católica. Em 2005, ele se aposentou, mas continuou residindo em São Félix do Araguaia e participando dos bons combates na região. Dedicava-se, especialmente, à defesa das comunidades indígenas, perseguidas pelos latifundiários.
He has always been linked to the struggles of the poorer classes of society. With the conservative shift in the vatican beginning in the 1990s, the former bishop suffered strong pressure from the top tier of the Catholic church. In 2005, he announced his retirement but continued to live in São Félix do Araguaia participating in the good fight in the region. He dedicated himself, in particular, to the defense of indigenous communities, persecuted by landowners.
Various organizations released a letter [pt] in solidarity with Casaldàliga.
The indigenous land of Marãiwatsédé was sanctioned in 1998 by presidential decree. Since then, various instances of jusice have been won for the indigenous cause that, however are not respected [pt]. About 800 Xavantes occupy 10% of the territory. The remaining 90% is occupied by landowners and squatters.
Cacique Xavante Damião Paridzane. Photo by Felipe Milanez, published with permission.
In a rebellious tone, Journalist Felipe Milanez (@Felipedjeguaka) [pt] tweeted:
Invadem terra indigena, desmatam a Amazonia, ameaçam de morte um Bispo de 84 anos, fazendas com milhares de ha, descumprem ordem judicial!
[They] invade indigneous land, cause deforestation of the Amazon, threaten to kill a 84 years old bishop, farms with thousands of hectares, [they] violate court order!
The Xavante people of Marãiwatsédé published an open letter [pt], signed by chief Damião Paridzane, which explains the situation and asks for respect (excerpts published below):
Nesse território, os ancestrais, nossos bisavós viviam em cima da terra. Esse território é origem do povo de Marãiwatsédé. Nessa terra amada foi criado o povo de Marãiwatsédé.
Agora a desintrusão já começou. Os anciões esperaram muito tempo para tirar os não-índios da terra. Sofreram muito. A vida inteira sofrendo, esperando tirar os fazendeiros grandes.
Quem ocupava a terra eram nossos pais, nossos avós, nossos bisavós, que nasceram aqui, cresceram aqui, fizeram festa para adolescente. Lutaram muito, faziam ritual dentro do território de Marãiwatsédé. Nem fazendeiro e nem posseiro viviam aqui antes de 1960.Quem destruiu, foi o índio ou foi o branco? A gente sabe mesmo, foi o branco que destruiu a floresta, essa não é a nossa vida. Nossa vida é preservar a terra, a natureza, os rios, os lagos. É assim que a gente vive, nosso povo respeita nossa mãe e nossa mãe é a natureza. Esperamos tranqüilos a nossa vitória. Dormimos tranqüilos, sonhamos bonito com a vitória da nossa terra.
Antes da retirada de nossa terra, mataram muitos xavantes. Os fazendeiros daquele tempo é muito bandido. Mataram com tiro. Morreu Tseretemé, Tserenhitomo, Tsitomowê, Pa’rada, Tseredzaró, tudo morto com tiro. Não vamos trair o espírito deles.
Essa terra é nossa origem. Os Xingus também protegiam nossa terra, os antepassados dos Kalapapos eram amigos dos antepassados dos xavantes de Marãiwatsédé.Os animais não podem sofrer mais com tanta destruição da natureza. Quando a terra for devolvida para o nosso povo, a floresta vai viver novamente, vão voltar os animais e plantas. Nossa mãe vai ficar muito forte e muito bonita, como sempre foi. É assim que tem que ser.
In this territory, the ancestors, our great grandfathers lived on the land. This territory is the homeland of the Marãiwatsédé people. On this beloved land the Marãiwatsédé people were born.
Now the invasion has begun. The elders have waited a long time to remove the non-indians from the land. They have suffered a lot. Their whole lives suffering, waiting to remove the Ranchers.
Those who occupied the land were our fathers, our grandfathers, our great grandfathers, that were born here, grew up here, came of age here. They fought a lot, did rituals within the Marãiwatsédé territory. No farmer or settler lived here before 1960. Who destroyed, the indian or the white man. We all know it was the white man that destroyed the forest, this is not our way of life. Our way of life is to preserve the earth, the environment, the rivers, and the lakes. This is the way we live, our people respect our mother and our mother is nature. We wait patiently for our victory.  We sleep peacefully, and have beautiful dreams of the victory of our land.
Before the withdrawal from our land, many Xavantes were killed. The farmers of that time were very villainous. They killed with gunfire. Tseretemé, Tserenhitomo, Tsitomowê, Pa’rada, and Tseredzaró died, all dead from gunfire. We will not betray their spirit.
This land is our origin. The Xingu people also protected our land, the ancestors of the Kalapapos were friends of the ancestors of the Xavantes de Marãiwatsédé. The animals could not suffer more from such destruction of nature. When the land is returned to our people, the forest will live again, the plants and animals will return. Our mother will become very stront and very beautiful, as it always was. This is the way it must be.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Iran’s Newspapers Silent on Mass Arrest of Journalists · Global Voices
Farid

By Mana Neyestani, renowned Iranian cartoonist. Source: Radiozamaneh
The world's leading jailer of journalists has struck again. At least 12 Iranian journalists were arrested by agents of the regime's over the weekend. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published a statement about the mass arrest of journalists, on Monday, January 28, 2013. According to RSF, in a renewed crackdown on news media in the Tehran, plain-clothes intelligence ministry officials yesterday searched the headquarters of four daily newspapers – Etemad, Arman, Shargh and Bahar – and the weekly Asemanand, without any explanation, arrested at least 10 journalists.
Many consider, as The Guardian writes, that “the arrests signal a major escalation in a press crackdown that reflects Iran's zero tolerance for those who work with dissident media or outlets considered hostile to the regime.”
Several Iranian netizens and journalists shared a collage of photos of the jailed journalists, showing their solidarity and urging for them to be freed:
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist, writes in her blog [fa] that we can consider the recent mass arrest as a “early election coup” to intimidate Iranian journalists. The presidential election will be held in June 2013.
She writes:
… there is no news about arrested journalists and attacks on their homes in their own newspapers… Journalists are the easiest targets [in Persian ‘shortest walls’] for rulers who are afraid of their own unfree elections….it seems that in Iran, before any event, journalists get arrested.
Several netizens tweeted about the story and shared links to different media and organizations.
Laleh tweeted:
Supreme leader steps up war on journalists en.rsf.org/iran-supreme-l… #Iran #Iranelection
— Lalehلاله (@Lalehsr) January 28, 2013
Dominque Rodier tweeted
RT @yeganehsalehi: ‘Iran Arrests 11 Journalists on Foreign Media Cooperation Charges’is.gd/TkndfL #iranelection #iran
— Dominique Rodier (@dominiquerdr) January 28, 2013
Persian Banoo tweeted:
Massive Arrests of Journalists in Tehran After Prosecutor Hints“Mouthpiece of Enemy” iranhumanrights.org/2013/01/journa… #Iran #Iranelection
— Persian Banoo (@persianbanoo) January 28, 2013

author: Farid


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Kazakh Quake Sends Tremors through Twitter · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

After an earthquake hit southeastern Kazakhstan yesterday, hundreds of the country's netizens took to Twitter to tell the rest of the world about what they had experienced. Blogger Olzhas Salmurza has collected [ru] the most interesting tweets from all over Kazakhstan. Ravil Abdulov reports [ru] that Twitter has also helped spread rumors about the ‘imminent’ new quake.


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Maxima Zorreguieta, the Argentinian that Will Be Queen Consort of the Netherlands · Global Voices
Laura Schneider

With the news of Queen Beatrix of the Nehterlands abidcating from the throne, the hasthag Máxima Zorreguieta [es] became trending topic on Twitter network. Máxima, born in Argentina and married to Prince Willian Alexander, Prince of Orange-Nassau, would become Queen of the Netherlands.
Photo by Holger Motzkau, taken from Wikimedia Commons with attribution.
Argentinian Twitter users reacted promptly, such as Juan Cruz Maldonado (@Chankra_Lad), who tweeted [es]:
@Chankra_Lad: Máxima Zorreguieta sera la reina de Holanda. Tipico, los argentinos triunfando afuera de Argentina
@Chankra_Lad [es]: Máxima Zorreguieta will be Queen of the Netherlands. It's just typical, Argentinian succeed out of Argentina.
Darío Silva D'Andrea (@DariusBaires), an enthusiast about royalty and its history, according to his profile on Twitter, writes [es]:
@DariusBaires: Los reyes holandeses abdican; los reyes ingleses mueren, los reyes españoles… a ellos los echan.
@DariusBaires [es]: Dutch monarchs abdicate; English monarchs die, Spanish monarchs… those are thrown out.
Federico Croce (@FedericoCroce) doesn't want to miss the Coronation and tweets that he wants to be there. Nonetheless, other Argentinian Twitter users don't agree and prefer not to celebrate Maxima's new investiture, just as Mathias Carnaghi (@MathiasCarnaghi), who writes [es]:
@MathiasCarnaghi: Festejar que Máxima Zorreguieta sea reina es seguir avalando la monarquía en el mundo. Dejen de estar al pedo [de estar ociosos] y gastar la guita de la gente!
@MathiasCarnaghi: To celebrate that Maxima Zorreguieta becomes queen is to keep on supporting monarchy around the world. Stop being lazy and spending people's money!
Also, the hashtag #Holanda [Nehterlands] became local trend.
The wedding of William and Maxima might not have taken place due to the bride's father's prior role in the Argentinian military dictatorship. The blog Comer Viajar Amar [es] writes about this [es]:
El noviazgo con Máxima en 1999 y su boda por amor, que estuvo a punto de frustrarse debido al pasado del padre de la novia, hicieron del príncipe una figura muy popular.
Guillermo y Máxima, la pareja heredera, contrajeron matrimonio en 2002 en la Iglesia Nueva de Ámsterdam. El padre de ella no pudo acudir por el rechazo que creó en la clase política holandesa el hecho de que hubiera ejercido un cargo público durante la última dictadura militar argentina (1976-1983), cuando se desempeñó secretario de Agricultura y Ganadería.
In 1999, Maxima's engagement and her for-love wedding, which almost got wrecked due to past of  the bride's father, made the Prince a very popular figure.
Guillermo y Máxima, the crown couple [es], got married in 2002 at the Nieuw Kerk in Amsterdam. Her father couldn't attend due to the rejection generated amolng the Dutch political class for having had a public post during the last Argentinian military dictatorship (1976-1983), when he was Secretary of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry.
Máxima earned the hearts of the Dutch people, and by April 30, 2013 the future Queen of the Netherlands is expected for her royal investiture.

author: Laura Schneider


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North Korea: A Sign of Change or the Same-Old Rhetoric? · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

This post is part of our International Relations & Security coverage.
Wall painting of the late Kim Il Sung in North Korea. Photo by yeowatzup on Flickr (CC-BY)
Kim Jong-un’s New Year message emphasized, among other issues, the importance of inter-Korean relations. While many observers read this as a signal that North Korea plans to open-up in 2013, some bloggers and defectors beg to differ, claiming that Kim’s message contained the same old rhetoric of the past half century.
The North Korean leader’s message was well-received by some Western and South Korean media outlets. The New York Times, for example, suggested  that Kim’s speech was an ‘overture’ to the South. The paper was particularly intrigued by his comment that the “key to ending the divide of the nation and achieving reunification is to end the situation of confrontation between the North and the South”. Indeed, the same can also be said of Kim’s belief that “a basic precondition to improving North-South relations and advancing national reunification is to honor and implement North-South joint declarations”.
Others dug a little deeper. South Korea’s Unification Ministry blog parsed the statement by keywords [ko] and counted that the word ‘unification’ was used 22 times and often in conjunction with “frequent”. This, the blog concludes, reflects a pattern that has emerged over the past three years that suggests that increasing openness by North Korea is on the horizon.
Many observers were also intrigued by the change in format for the New Year’s message. Instead publishing his statement via the North Korean press – as favored by his late father – Kim emulated his grandfather and gave a televised address. This, suggests the North Korean Leadership Watch blog, adds credibility to arguments that Kim has been trying to emulate Kim il-Sung in order to win wider support among the North Korean population. The founder of North Korea was thought to be widely loved by the population, whereas Kim Jong-il was more feared than respected. Some reports have even speculated [ko] that Kim Jung-un intentionally gained weight and mimicked the way his grandfather walked and clapped.
Many North Korean defectors took a highly skeptical view of Kim’s perceived overtures to the South and the international community. Joo Sung-ha, a former member of the North Korean elite, wrote in his blog [ko] that university students had to memorize the New Year’s speech, an order that prompted him to brand Kim’s message an “unrealistic, piece of crap”.
Joo has also seen and heard these messages before:
All those good words were used in the 2010 New Year’s Editorial which had phrases like “We have to open the road to the development of inter-Korean relationship. We have to advance the reconciliation and collaboration between two nations”, and (based on this editorial) eight North Korea experts wrote a joint report concluding that ‘North Korea has indicated strong willingness to mend inter-Korean relationship and economic collaboration’. However, within less than three months, the Cheonan warship was attacked…and at the year-end, North Korea shelled the Yeonpyeong Island, creating near war-like tension.
(…)
The same pattern emerged in 2006; North Korea claimed in the New Year’s editorial that it would take a practical approach, instead of taking extreme measures. But in October, it had its first nuclear test.
Other bloggers expressed similar opinions. Stephan Haggard from the Peterson Institute for International Economics blog wrote that there was “no hidden message” in Kim’s speech and that the proposed changes to the country’s economic management merely seek to maintain the existing socialist system. Worse still, argues Haggard, is that Pyongyang appears to be offering nothing in return for inter-Korean dialogue:
The speech also closed with a mildly hopeful note. If this is a bid for reciprocity, it should be explored. But what is on the table? With respect to both economics and foreign policy, our slogan comes from Jerry McGuire: “show us the money.”
Kim’s New Year message was also made in the aftermath of the Saenuri Party’s recent electoral victory in the South. The country’s next president, Park Geun-hye is now in the process of distance herself from Lee Myung-bak’s unpopular North Korea policies. Park has promised, for example, to continue humanitarian aid to the North (though she wants to decouple humanitarian aid from politics) and try to hold a summit meeting with Kim Jong-un.
However, many bloggers believe that Park faces a number of challenges. Writing on East Asia Forum, Jeong Lee said:
Her attempt to extend the olive branch to Kim Jong-un may be opposed by hawks within her own ruling party and an international community bent on punishing the DPRK for its successful rocket test.
Yet Jeong Lee also expressed hope that because Park has already visited North Korea and met Kim Jong-il she might hold a more rational view on inter-Korean relations.
This post and its translations to Spanish, Arabic and French were commissioned by the International Security Network (ISN) as part of a partnership to seek out citizen voices on international relations and security issues worldwide. This post was first published on the ISN blog, see similar stories here.


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Spain: Catalonia’s “Declaration of Sovereignty” Translated into 36 Languages · Global Voices
Violeta Camarasa

On January 23, 2013, amid rising tensions with the Spanish government, the regional parliament of Catalonia approved by majority vote a Declaration of Sovereignty [ca] — seen widely as a prelude to a referendum on independence, expected to be held by 2014. Thanks to a diverse team of collaborators, the online Catalan-language publication Vilaweb [ca] has been able to offer the document in thirty-six languages. It is now available in: Afrikaans, English, Arabic, Aragonese, Arpetan, Asturian, Croatian, Danish, Slovenian, Spanish, Esperanto, Basque, French, Galician, Galician-Portuguese, Greek, Hebrew,  Hungarian, Italian, Khmer, Luxembourgish, Dutch, Norwegian, Occitan, Aranese Occitan, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Sardinian, Serbian (in both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets), Swedish, Turkish, Ukranian and Urdu.

author: Violeta Camarasa


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The Big Wet: Northern Australia in Grip of Floods · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

As Queensland rivers burst their banks and northern New South Wales is inundated, Nick Evershed sums up the national feeling in Australia about the latest weather and the climate implications:
@NickEvershed: Australia: if it's not on fire, it's probably underwater.
At the same time bushfires are still out of control in parts of Victoria.
The #bigwet and #qldfloods hashtags are capturing much of the general comment as well as local stories.
ABC News Breakfast quoted a resident from the Lockyer valley, west of Brisbane:
@BreakfastNews : Steve McDermott in the Lockyer Valley: You experience a once in 100 year flood in 2011, you don't expect another one two years later #bigwet
Over 20 people died in the Lockyer area in the 2011 floods.
This video was produced a year a go by the Lockyer Valley Regional Council's official YouTube Channel:
In Brisbane Derek Weeks has been tweeting regularly about the floods:
@derek_weeks: This is where the projected flood maps will be http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/ #qldfloods #bigwet in a ‘short time.
He added a photo soon after:
@derek_weeks: #collegescrossing a few hours ago, only just rebuilt following 2011 #qldfloods #bigwet http://lockerz.com/s/279870176
College Crossing, Queensland. Photo: Derek Weeks tweet
Twitter is not always the best way to get accurate or up-to-date information, especially when communications are down or there’s no power. Jess Faith from far north Queensland is one of many to lose her connection:
@jessfaith89: Hello technology! How I've missed you! #bigwet #qldfloods #Cairns
ABC Wide Bay is one of the national broadcaster's ‘Local Radio’ stations. It was just one of many local ABC radio stations to retweet this gem of imprecision.
@abcwidebay: Gympie river is reported to be looking like it has peaked at 20.3m #bigwet #qldfloods
David Kirkpatrick is only one of many online who have linked the extreme weather to climate change:
@daveyk317: We are hearing the word “Unprecedented” a lot in coverage of the #qldfloods – we will no doubt hear this more as the #ClimateCrisis bites.
Brisbane has a crowdsourced map of flooding, powered by Ushahidi, here: Brisbane Storm and Flood Map.
So far three deaths have been confirmed. This current extreme weather and the resultant floods have many days to go as the massive storm moves south towards Sydney. Currently, the #bigwet tag is being added to every few seconds.

author: Kevin Rennie


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“The Un-European Union” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

GV Author Filip Stojanovski, on his blog Razvigor, has translated into English a mock story [sr] by Njuz.net, “the Serbian equivalent to The Onion,” about the UK striving to join “the Un-European Union”:
The Council of Ministers of the countries of the Un-European Union stated today in Skopje that a long road lies ahead of United Kingdom in order for it to join this international organisation. […]
The Macedonian translation of the story is here.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Bhutan: Security Taken For Granted · Global Voices
Rezwan

According to tourists Bhutan is a safe place. But ShyGuard at Writers Association Of Bhutan warns not to take it for granted. The blogger opines that Bhutanese should be more concerned about own security and be vigilant to stop unwanted incidents.

author: Rezwan


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China: Air Pollution in Major Cities · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jacky Huang from China Hush translated a local media feature on the problem of air pollution in major Chinese cities. According to a report published by National environmental analysis of the People’s Republic of China:
only 1% of China’s 500 largest cities meet the recommended standard set up by WHO. Among the ten most polluted cities in the world, seven are in China.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Colombia: A Long Way to Peace? · Global Voices
Julián Ortega Martínez

This post is part of our International Relations & Security coverage.
Colombian Armed Forces. Photo by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on flickr (CC BY 2.0)
In the early hours of New Year’s Day, the Colombian Armed Forces launched [es] an air strike on a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) camp located near Chigorodó northwestern Colombia. The air strike was called after Elda Ramírez (aka ‘Mayerly’), considered a senior member of the FARC hierarchy, called a man who she believed was a drug dealer interested in buying cocaine. Instead, the dealer turned out to be an undercover police officer, and the consequent air attack claimed the lives of fourteen guerrilla fighters belonging to the FARC’s fifth front.
The air strike also occurred against the backdrop of negotiations between the FARC and Colombian government that have been ongoing since September 2012. To support the peace talks, the FARC announced a ceasefire on November 20. However, Colombia’s armed forces have continued military operations against the organization. On January 20, FARC announced that it had suspended the ceasefire and instead proposed a bilateral truce.
The Colombian government’s attack and the broken ceasefire [es] provoked a variety of response from Colombian bloggers. For instance, a blogger at Colombia Opina celebrated [es] the bombings and explains why the FARC’s fifth front was so dangerous:
El frente 5 de las Farc era una especie de escuela de formación de terroristas. Desde Efraín Guzmán hasta Iván Márquez, y desde la hoy desmovilizada “Karina” hasta el aún alzado en armas alias “Manteco”, han pasado por el 5° frente de las Farc, una estructura guerrillera vieja y belicosa que la madrugada del 31 de diciembre recibió otro golpe por parte de la Fuerza Aérea Colombiana en la “Operación Fortuna”: un bombardeo que dejó al menos 14 bandoleros muertos y devuelve la esperanza de seguridad necesaria a los habitantes de una zona estratégica como es el Eje Bananero, que además linda con el corredor que va desde la Serranía de Abibe y cruza siguiendo la ruta del Río Sucio hasta el Atrato Medio.
FARC's 5th front was some kind of school for terrorists. From Efraín Guzmán [es] to Iván Márquez, and to the now demobilized “Karina” to the still armed rebel [Jhover Man Sánchez Arroyave] aka “Manteco” have all belonged to [this front], an old, belligerent guerrilla structure, which in the early hours of December 31 received another blow by the Colombian Air Forces in ‘Operation Fortune’, a bombing which left at least 14 rebels dead and brings back the hope for security of the inhabitants in the strategic area known as the Banana Axis, which borders a corridor of the Abibe Mountains and crosses through Riosucio river to the middle of Atrato river.
In contrast, Camilo Raigozo criticizes [es] President Santos’ ‘happiness’ with the killing of the guerrilla fighters:
El régimen que encabeza el presidente Santos se ha negado a parar la orgía de sangre y muerte que enluta al pueblo colombiano, al no aceptar una tregua bilateral del fuego, ni siquiera para navidad y año nuevo. La insaciable sed de sangre de quienes detentan el poder lo impide.
The regime headed by President Santos has refused to stop the bloody and deadly orgy which saddens the Colombian people, by not accepting a bilateral ceasefire, not even for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. The insatiable bloodthirst of those in power prevents that.
Horacio Duque, on Tercera Información, wonders [es] if the unilateral ceasefire by FARC has worked:
Tal parece, por los datos que entregan los expertos que hacen un seguimiento detallado de los combates, que en los primeros 30 días el éxito ha sido rotundo. Se pasó de 190 combates y enfrentamientos mensuales a 26, 23 de los cuales tienen su origen en los grupos ajenas a los diálogos de Cuba. (…) Incluso las empresas petroleras y las que explotan minerales han reportado un ambiente de mucho menos hostilidad.
It seems, based on the data delivered by the experts who closely follow these combat operations, that in the first day the success [of the ceasefire] has been resounding. Combat operations and clashes went from 190 to 26 monthly, 23 of them with origin in groups not related to the talks in Cuba (…) Even oil and mining companies have reported a less hostile environment.
Fernando Dorado writes [es] about the convenience of extending the ceasefire:
De mantenerse o alargarse el período del cese de fuegos – más allá de la época navideña y festiva – la guerrilla de las FARC le estaría colocando toda la presión al gobierno de cara a concertar un cese de fuegos bilateral, lo que le daría mayor empuje al proceso de Paz.
If the ceasefire period is kept or extended, beyond the holiday season, FARC guerrillas would be putting all the pressure on the government in order to agree to a bilateral ceasefire, which would make the peace process more convincing.
It seems that the reluctance of the Colombian government to respect the FARC ceasefire is intended to weaken [es] the group both militarily and strategically. In doing so, Bogota anticipate that the FARC will have less space to make demands. during the peace talks. The effectiveness of this strategy will likely be determined over the course of 2013, especially as the November deadline for brokering a peace agreement approaches.
This post and its translations to Spanish, Arabic and French were commissioned by the International Security Network (ISN) as part of a partnership to seek out citizen voices on international relations and security issues worldwide. This post was first published on the ISN blog, see similar stories here.

author: Julián Ortega Martínez


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First International Urdu Bloggers Conference · Global Voices
Rezwan

Mehwish Khan at ProPakistani reports that the first international Urdu bloggers conference was held on January 26, 2013 in Lahore, Pakistan. Over 70 Urdu bloggers from different parts of the country took part in the conference.


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Free Mobile Phones for Nigerian Farmers? · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

At the end of 2012, the Nigerian Ministry of Agriculture made public its plans to provide free mobile phones to rural farmers. According to this report:
Ibukun Idusote, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, was reported as saying that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture would procure ten million mobile phones, worth about N60 billion, from China and the US for free distribution to rural farmers across the country.
This triggered reverberations in the Nigerian blogosphere. Kikiowo Ileowo asks where the government got the statistics – that warrants 10 million mobile phones for 10 million farmers – from:
The question… is where exactly are the 10million farmers? Are they from the army of the unemployed 16, 074, 295 or from the already employed 51, 181, 884. If their answer is the former, what exactly are they producing that Nigeria has not become a hub of everything food?
Now, understand that a large portion of food production in Nigeria is done through mechanized farming which makes use of less manual labour. The ‘farmers’ Mr. President wants to provide handset for are subsistent farmers who produce what they mostly consume in their homes. I have a garden at the back of my house; does that qualify me as a recipient of the ‘Jona-phone'? I see no reason why the president in conjunction with his minister of Agriculture would insult the collective intelligence of Nigerians by playing to the gallery with a noble idea that has revolutionised countries like Uganda, Kenya and India.
There has since been a correction on the real cost of the phones:
…the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, has corrected the report that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, said the phones would be bought by the government at the cost of N60 billion, his explanation that the phones will be supplied to farmers through Public/Private Sector partnership…
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture
Dr Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture rose up in defence of the project. In a press release he says:
When I came on board as minister of agriculture in July of 2011, I found a corrupt and totally inefficient fertilizer sector. The government was spending huge amounts of money on direct procurement and distribution of subsidized fertilizer, but less than 11% of farmers got the fertilizers. Some of the fertilizers paid for by government were never delivered to the warehouses. Some of the fertilizer delivered contained more sand than fertilizer while a large portion of the fertilizer subsidized by government found its way across our borders to neighbouring countries where it was sold at prevailing market prices.
This technology-mediated solution, he asserts, ended the corruption associated with fertilizer distribution:
We ended four decades of corruption in the fertilizer sector within 90 days of my assumption of office as minister. How did we do this? We were able get subsidized high quality fertilizer and seeds to our rural farmers by introducing the GES (Growth Enhancement Support) scheme in April of 2012. The GES scheme delivers inputs (fertilizers and seeds) to farmers directly by using farmers’ cell phones. We created an electronic platform (e-wallet) on which we registered farmers and agro dealers who own shops that sell farm inputs all over the country. To date we have registered 4.2 million farmers and about 900 agro dealers.
The Minister thinks that although many Nigerian farmers are illiterate but are able to use mobile telephones:
Some people think that our farmers are uneducated and cannot use cell phones. The evidence does not support that. Under the GES scheme, we made it possible for farmers to transact business in their own local languages using their cell phones. From data we collected based on farmers’ use of cell phones to access fertilizers and seeds last year, we found that the total number of transactions done by phone with respect to the GES scheme was 4.9 million. Of these, 1.2 million were in English, 620,000 were in Pidgin, 2.2 million were in Hausa, and 854,000 were in Yoruba and 344 were in Igbo. From this data, we have no doubt that our farmers are well able to use cell phones.
Technology, according to the Dr Adesina, aided his judgement that there would be no food crisis after floods swept through some parts of the country:
When the floods occurred, there was panic in the land… I was not moved. We used modern technology to guide our decision. Using remote sensing and satellite imagery, we mapped out the extent of the flood and determined that no more than 1.17% of our total cultivated area was affected by the floods. Our detractors wanted the world to believe the opposite, that food crisis was imminent. They were wrong. Today, five months after the floods, we do not have a food crisis.
Nonetheless, some netizens still have unanswered questions. Olusola Adegbeti asks:
One must then poignantly ask, though it be a rhetorical question, if the purchase and distribution of GSM phones to hundreds of farmers spread across the length and breadth of a country so large as Nigeria is the most critical and challenging of issues bedevilling the Nigerian agricultural sector at the moment? Your guess is as good as mine. Running on the heels of the above, it is convenient to say that one does not need the wisdom of Solomon or the prophetic insight of Isaiah to be led in the direction of the myriad of issues that have since rendered the agricultural sector beggarly, issues such as lack of easy access to land for farming, absence of reliable and corruption-free financial institutions to empower farmers acquire the required modern machinery for mechanised and commercial farming that is usually the backbone of every nation, lack of easy access to requisite technology and agro-chemical support-structure for sustained annual and perennial farming as well as animal husbandry….
The Sun asks if farmers really need new mobile phones, when they already have one or have other sources of information?
The telephone is also clearly not the best way to reach farmers who mostly live in the rural areas. Rural information centres, traditional communication models and the radio are much better channels. There are also many more direct initiatives through which the government can boost agricultural production in the country, than provision of telephones. More importantly, the government does not need to buy telephones for farmers because those among them who could use such phones, already have them.
With handsets selling for as low as between N2000 and N3000 in the country, any farmer that is worth the name can afford to own one, and most likely has one already. If they do not, what the government needs to do is to empower them to be able to afford such a basic tool.
Disu Kimor thinks that it’s another white elephant project:
Such white elephant projects will only reinforce the perception of Nigeria as a laughing stock of the rest of the world where we like to teach the blind sign language. Any developing country such as Nigeria, wishing to develop its agricultural sector will focus direct government intervention to help farmers and boost food production on achieving steady supply of working capital, improve research and development, water supply, ensure low cost of fuel and labour, (corruption-free) subsidy on farming equipment and basic infrastructure.
Disu concludes:
One day, posterity will judge the quangos and political leaders of this country whose main pre-occupation is keeping the country on its knees or embezzle and waste much needed public funds.

author: Nwachukwu Egbunike


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Indonesian Hackers Strike Again · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Several Indonesian websites were hacked by individuals who are supporting Wildan Yani Ashari, the person who was arrested by the police for hacking the website of the Indonesian president. Enricko Lukman translates the message left by the hackers in the defaced websites:
…unlike corrupt officials, hackers shouldn’t be arrested. The hackers only tried to show the weakness in the government’s system so that it can be strengthened against possible future threats

author: Mong Palatino


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Myanmar: Biggest Barcamp in the World  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

At over 6,400 participants on January 19 and 20 this year, BarcampYangon not only dwarfs every barcamp in the region but even exceeds last year’s number by over one thousand attendees. Myanmar is now the envy of every barcamper in Asia.
Anh-Minh Do reviews Barcamp Yangon 2013 in Myanmar.