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Israel: Palestinian Youth Orchestra Disbanded for Israeli Performance · Global Voices
Maya Norton

In honor of Good Deeds Day in Israel, a Palestinian youth orchestra performed for a group of Holocaust survivors. Known as the “Strings of Freedom,” the group was composed of 13 children, ages 11 to 18, from the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.
CK of Jewlicious relays:
The 13 member orchestra performed an Arabic song, “We sing for peace,” followed by two musical pieces with violins and Arabic drums. Sweet, right?
But not so fast. Upon learning of the event, Jenin officials immediately disbanded the orchestra, and banned its leader and the event organizer from the city. Adnan Hindi (alternately identified as Adnan al-Hinda), director of the Popular Committee for Services in Jenin, called the orchestra's performance:
[A] “dangerous matter” with “suspicious elements… seeking to impact the national culture of the young generation and cast doubt about the heroism and resistance of the residents of the camp during the Israeli invasion in April 2002.”
Simply Jews reflects:
“So what is the crime perpetrated by the youngsters? It appears that the presence of a few Holocaust survivors in the audience was interpreted as a ‘political event.”
Concluding:
“”Yeah… if you feel the peace in the Middle East in your waters, better send your waters in for an analysis. Sad.”
News sources are now reporting that both the audience and their young performers had a degree of ignorance about the event. Jenin parents only knew that their children were performing in Israel; the youth did not know who comprised their audience; and the Israeli audience did not know their performers were from Jenin.
According to the Jerusalem Post:
“The youths said their conductor, Wafa Younis, 50, of the Arab village of Ara in the Triangle, tried to explain to them who the elderly people at the event were, but chaos on the bus prevented them from listening.”
Jenin parents said that if they had known about their children's destination– the Holocaust Survivor's Center in the city of Holon– they would not have granted permission for them to participate.
Jenin activist Ramzi Fayad condemned the event, declaring:
“There can be no normalization while Israel is continuing to perpetrate massacres against our people.”
Dion Nissenbaum of Checkpoint Jerusalem sheds light on the situation for those unfamiliar with regional intricacies. He elaborates :
“Jenin… was the scene of one of the most politically-explosive Israeli military operations of the second Palestinian uprising.”
Adnan Hindi emphasizes:
“The Holocaust happened, but we are facing a similar massacre by the Jews themselves… We lost our land, and we were forced to flee and we've lived in refugee camps for the past 50 years.”
Perhaps the most interesting figure in this story is not the young Palestinian musicians with their peace music, nor the audience of Israeli Jewish Holocaust survivors, but the orchestra conductor herself, Ms. Wafa Younis. Younis, whose Jenin apartment is now boarded and barred from entrance, asserts:
“They want to destroy this group… It's a shame, it's a tragedy. What did these poor, elderly people do wrong? What did these children do wrong?”
Good Deeds Day, the context of this conflict, was founded by Israeli billionairess Shari Arison in partnership with the nonprofit organization Ruach Tova in order to encourage Israelis to volunteer their time and energies toward helping the community. CEO Rafi Elul explains:
“The idea is that any one can get up in the morning and ask himself ‘what can I do for my neighbor, to help a new immigrant, to help Israeli society as a whole?’… We aim to increase the national level of volunteering, and to show that not only those with means can help others.”
Elul adds:
“Every one of you can be a part of a day that is all good, a day when thousands of people will open up their hearts to the needs of others and will try to help them even just a little bit.”
One has to wonder what would have happened if everyone involved had had informed consent? What could have gone differently to enable a successful interaction? Readers, let's hear your thoughts.

author: Maya Norton


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Israel: Political History of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu · Global Voices
Maya Norton

False Dichotomies blogger, Alex Stein reflects on the political history of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who took his oath of office today. Netanyahu served his first term as prime minister from 1996– 1999.

source: news-globalvoices

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


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Israel: Searching for a Peace Prophet in Palestine · Global Voices
Maya Norton

“If Palestinians adopted a Gandhian nonviolent strategy, could they reshape the entire conflict with Israel and finally realize a two-state solution?” asks Israeli journalist Gershom Gorenberg in an entry entitled, “The Missing Mahatma: Searching for a Palestinian Ghandi.”


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Israel: Survey Finds Happiness Linked to Wealth, Immigration · Global Voices
Maya Norton

A survey conducted by the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies found that wealth, marriage, and immigration to Israel were the greatest indicators of happiness. Immigrants who arrived in Israel voluntarily, specifically those from Western countries, were found to be 13.5% happier than native born Israelis, Israelity reports.


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Jamaica: G20 Priorities · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica Salt thinks that “the vulnerability of JA’s economy” will probably be “very low down on the list of priorities” at the G20 summit.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.A.: Focus on Obama · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp posts another poem for Barack Obama, while in Trinidad and Tobago, Media Watch applauds the BBC‘s coverage of Obama's arrival for the G20 Summit and says that local media should take a cue from its foreign counterparts to improve their coverage of the upcoming Summit of the Americas.


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Japan: A food tale · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Greenz.jp, a bilingual internet media source “dedicated to promoting a green economy and a sustainable society”, presents the illustrated book Tabemonogatari (たべものがたり, lit. A food tale). The book is part of the project Think the Earth and it explains the importance of food and many allied and concerning issues through photos and images.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Malaysia’s New Prime Minister · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The soon to be 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia is Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Many writers have expressed concern that Najib's ascendancy will “steer Malaysia back to authoritarianism.”

author: Mong Palatino


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Palestine: Children’s Festival in Gaza · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Laila El-Haddad reports that a Children's Festival will be held in Gaza from 5 to 9 April.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Palestine: Farmers Shot At · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

In Gaza, Lebanese activist Natalie Abou Shakra reports: “The farmers told us that during their harvesting on the field yesterday and the day before that, they had been shot at and were obliged to stop working and leave… to be shot at as one ploughs their lentils on their fields.. “


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Palestine: New Gazan Blogger · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

In Gaza a new blogger introduces himself: “Hello, my name is Omar Ghraieb and I am proud to be Palestinian. I currently live in Gaza which I am sure alot of you have heard of…I want to share with you what I have witnessed, seen, lived, felt, done and went thru during this catastrophic genocide.”


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Palestine: The Politics of Health · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Louisa Waugh writes at the New Internationalist's Gaza Blog: “Last week the Hamas Government took a political decision that will change the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of people inside Gaza.” Read about the new policy concerning healthcare here.


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Palestine: The Spirit of Resistance · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

In Gaza, activist Eva Bartlett writes: “Less than two months have passed since the end of Israel’s grisly war on Gaza…Yet Palestinians are trying to move on, again, while dealing with a siege…”


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Palestine: The Story of Ahmad · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Ayman Quader in Gaza writes: “It was an ordinary morning December 2008. Children were playing and having fun. They were digging between the rocks to get some space for their childhood. This is the story of Ahmad , a little boy without sin who was killed on that morning.”


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Palestine/Israel: Palestinian Support on U.S. Campuses · Global Voices
Maya Norton

“What is happening on the U.S. campuses is not about supporting the Palestinians as much as it is about promoting hatred for the Jewish state. It is not really about ending the ‘occupation’ as much as it is about ending the existence of Israel,” observes journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, a Muslim Arab, of his U.S. college speaking tour.


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Puerto Rico: Indigenous Summit  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Voice of the Taino People Online reports on the upcoming 3rd Indigenous Leaders Summit of the Americas, to be held in Panama.


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Qatar: A Snow City in the Desert? · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

The Qatar Visitor blog reports today: “The Qatar Supreme Desert Development Council is planning its most ambitious project yet – a snow city to be located in the heart of the Qatar Desert…as the snow will be generated via solar-nuclear energy the project will actually run best in the searing heat of the summer.”


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Russia: Soviet Artifacts · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Photos of some ubiquitous but now pretty much extinct Soviet objects – by LJ user azamat-tseboev (text is in Russian).

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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South Korea: Internet Real Name System · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Matt from Gust of popular feelings reviews the Internet Real Name System at the time when Google decided to adopt the practice in Korea youtube.

author: Oiwan Lam


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South Korea:  Worst-Case Scenario on missile crisis · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Lee Byong-chul from Ohmynews looks into the recent conflict between North and South Korea over missile launch. Lee thinks it's time for South Korea to prepare for the worst case scenario in inter-Korean relations.


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Sri Lanka: Vanni Mercy Mission · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indi.ca comments on the much talked about Vanni Mercy Mission: “These Sri Lankans don’t need politics, they need relief.”

author: Rezwan


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Child Protection  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“If I told you a mother rented her baby,would you believe or say it's just an April Fool's joke?”: From St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Abeni thinks that “it's high time…that we have a Family Services with enough teeth to undertake the serious business of protecting our children.”


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Thailand: Chiang Mai air pollution · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Thousands in Chiang Mai in north Thailand have suffered respiratory infections due to severe air pollution. Even government authorities are advising locals to wear surgical masks.


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The first Brunei Postgraduate Symposium · Global Voices
Noor Hidayah

On Saturday, 21st March 2009, the first Bruneian Postgraduate Symposium (BPS) was held at the Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental African Studies (SOAS), London.  Ranoadidas elaborated on the aim of the symposium:
This academic event aimed at facilitating research discussions between different academic fields and how students feel their research will contribute to our nation’s development.
Photo from Wani Ariffin's Facebook
Also featured during the symposium were the three keynote speakers who were flown from Brunei to attend this event. They comprised of the top university officials in Brunei, namely  Dr Haji Zulkarnain bin Haji Hanafi (Vice-Chancellor of University of Brunei Darussalam), Dr Hj Mohd Yusop bin Hj Awg Damit (Deputy Rector of the Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University) and Dr Hj Supry bin Hj Awg Ladi (Head of Research at the Institue of Brunei Technology)
Ranoadidas also reported:
The keynote speakers delivered impressive speeches in highlighting the importance of research and their current efforts to improve the quality of research in their respective institutions. They were also engaged in a very interesting and stimulating dialogue with members of the audience where significant issues such as data accessibility in Brunei were raised.
Photo from Turquoise and Roses
There were 3 separate panels on that day – education, national identity and public policy. Below are the list of papers presented under each panel:
Education Panel:
Achieving a 30% participation rate to higher education in Brunei Darussalam by 2018: Are there presence of barriers to participate as perceived by Year 11 students? – Julaihi bin Mohamad, MA Policy Studies in Education, University of London
Writing in Brunei primary schools: Literacy in English in relation to cultural capital – Malai Zeiti Bte Sheikh Abdul Hamid, PhD in Education, University of Bath
Inclusive education and educational diversity: a reflection on research in Brunei - Hajah Huraini Bte POKSJDP Haji Hurairah, PhD in Education, University of Oxford
National Identity Panel:
Islam and Democracy: Paradox? - Hazwan Md Jaya, Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS
Feels like home - Dayangku Laila Widari bte Pengiran Bahrin, Diploma School (RIBA Part II), Architectural Association, London.
Understanding the values of art history from a Bruneian perspective - Nuruljannah Binti Hj Mohd Yussof, MA in Art History, University of Wales, Aberystwyth.
Public Policy Panel:
Studies in transport geography – Sabrina Hj Mohd Daud, Dept. of Geography & Environment, LSE.
Evaluation of obesity management in primary care in England using existing survey and GP data, and identifying lessons learnt for the health care system in Brunei Darussalam – Nik Ani Afiqah Hj Mohd Tuah, Dept. of Primary Care & Social Medicine, Diversion of EPHPC, Imperial College of London
The pragmatics and neurotics of moving towards e-public sector - Farihah Hj Mohd Said, MSc Analysis, Design & Management of Information Systems, LSE
Increasing compliance at the workplace with behavioural principles – Noor Hidayah Binti Hj Osman, MSc Behaviour Analysis, Swansea University.
Source:  2009  Bruneian Postgraduate Symposium
A student who offered to report on the event for Brunei Times (one of the local newspaper) recorded the views of some of the participants.
The symposium was an eye-opener for Siti Munawwarah Awang Tarif, who said getting a glimpse of other students’ research work was informative and thought-provoking.
“Seeing other people's work and perspectives in various disciplines opened up ideas for me,” said the Masters in International Health student, and hoped that the symposium would become a regular event.
Hazwan Azri, a PhD student in Chemical Engineering, agreed, but hoped future symposiums would also include research on science and technology.
The symposium provided an oppprtunity for the Bruneian postgraduates to exchange ideas, opinions and concerns amongst eachother.  Some of the frequently raised topics of discussion were on difficulties of accessing resources and data on Brunei for academic research.  Turquoise and Roses wrote on the overall turn out of the event, and conveyed a message from the organising committee:
Overall, the event turned out to be a great success. It received amazing support from the keynote speakers as well as members of the general audience. This collective act of academic exploration highlighted Brunei’s burgeoning intellectual capital and this will be a worthy asset in the course of our nation’s development.
The committee would once again like to thank those who came to support the event and the hope is that next year, the symposium will be bigger and cover a wider range of academic fields.

author: Noor Hidayah


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Trinidad & Tobago: On the Waterfront  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad-based blogger Haveworld posts photos of Port of Spain's newly developed waterfront.


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Ukraine: Presidential Election Rescheduled · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana reports: “In a long anticipated anti-Yushchenko vote, the Verkhovna Rada rescheduled the presidential election to October 25, 2009, almost three months earlier than the previous date, January 17, 2010.” On Twitter, Petro Rondiak adds: “[…] Yushchenko to fight date in constitutional court. […]”


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USA: Do Mormons Want Internet Filtering? · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

News For the Mormon Legal Community posts a discussion on the Mormon church's position (or lack thereof) on Internet filtering.

author: Jillian C. York


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Vietnamese Mail Order Brides in Singapore · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A video documentary exposes that Singapore men could “purchase” Vietnamese brides for S$10,000. Alvin comments: “What’s even more humiliating, the girls were made to visit a clinic in Singapore to get a certificate verifying their virginity before they can be sold.”


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Bahrain: Audience Guidelines · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

After attending a classical music concert Bahraini blogger Hasan has decided to let people know just how they should behave if they go to one.


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Bahrain: Ban On Alcohol Sought · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Bahrain has always been known as one of the most liberal and tolerant of the Gulf states, but in recent years the country's political environment has become increasingly religious, with many members of parliament demanding amongst other things a ban on alcohol. Reacting to this as well as other legislation being introduced, some of Bahrain's bloggers have expressed their disbelief and anger.
The Dude is not amused:
In the next few days, parliament are going to get together to vote on whether alcohol should be banned in all of the Kingdom's restaurants that are not located in hotels. And vote they will, almost certainly in favour of the pointless ban.
The current proposal stems from a relatively recent proposal to ban alcohol in Um Al Hassam [an area of the capital, Manama], because, allegedly, customers of licensed restaurants were getting drunk and disturbing families in the area. Actually, as I recall it, some MP or another said that people were getting drunk and would, y'know, go about trying to get into houses, and y'know, fall asleep on other people’s couches, ‘n stuff. But luckily it hadn’t happened yet, cause them residents were clever enough to, y'know, lock their doors. But it COULD happen.
Hah.
But, not content with merely limiting choice, they want to destroy it altogether.
[…]
How much time is wasted on such pointless endeavours? On April 29th of last year MPs “unanimously demanded a total ban on alcohol in Bahrain. They voted in favour of a parliament-proposed law banning the import, possession, sale or production of alcohol.”
But to become law, the proposal would have to be accepted by the government and the Shura Council. It wasn’t. Why? Because the ban would have far reaching economic effects; effects far to complex for the pure parliamentary minds to comprehend.
aMaL is feeling very pessimistic:
What is happening? Did someone read Nineteen Eighty-Four and thought, “oh, seems like an excellent idea, lets try it here and see if it works!”
Because, the ever-so-concerned parliament is drooling over its proposal to ban alcohol everywhere in the country (they hadn’t succeeded in neither solving poverty nor, their favourite topic, terminating prostitution). What’s next? Covering women up in burqas and public execution of shaved men in football stadiums? What happened to the Island of tolerance and diversity?
Every village in this country has turned into a war zone between frustrated brainwashed youth and savage dramatic gunmen. Walls are covered in black, there are remains of burnt rubber in every corner, speakers are louder than ever and helicopters crackle around day and night, warning those who survived the nineties that they might not be lucky enough to survive this decade. We are constantly in a state of war.
[…]
And, the most disgraceful project out of many, the TRA [Telecommunications Regulatory Authority] is about to issue a law that permits Big Brother to monitor every electronic means of self expression. Great, so now we have the good old fashioned agents on the ground and modern technologically advanced agents in the cyber world.
These are only few of the rotten attempts of surveillance, repression and control. Soon enough we will be witnessing the real, ugly face of the Orwellian nightmare right here in our own country. If we do not wake up and smell the stench, that is.


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Bangladesh: Shadow of Militancy · Global Voices
Rezwan

An Ordinary Citizen is concerned about the signs of militancy activities in Bangladesh.


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Barbados: How Many More?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Last weekend, yet another Barbadian woman lost her life to domestic violence”: Cheese-on-bread! wants to know “how many more women are going to die before the authorities and all of us take this issue of domestic violence seriously.”


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Brazil: Reporting from the G20 Summit in London · Global Voices
Paula Góes

“While G20 leaders chat and take pictures, the photographers and bloggers at the G20 Voice table battle to talk to Bob Geldof”. Rodrigo Alvares has been updating this post at A Nova Corja, the Brazilian blog chosen to cover the G20 Summit, live from London. Follow him on twitter: @novacorja [pt].

author: Paula Góes


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China: Reform the International Monetary System · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Sun bin comments on the reform proposal on the International Monetary System put forward by the head of China Central bank Zhou Xiao Chuan: China can go ahead with this solution alone while persuading G20/IMF/WB to follow suit.


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Colombia: National Police Force has YouTube Channel · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The Colombian Police Force has a new strategy to share the inside workings of their work: a YouTube channel where they are uploading videos showing new technologies they are applying, videos of citizens thanking them for their assistance, new safety campaigns and shots of them in action.
On the following video, they show a foreigner thanking the Police for the immediate assistance when he was mugged in Downtown Medellin:
In this next one, they interview the only female sniper in the Police Force of Colombia:
They even have this clip where the Colombian international award winning singer Juanes thanks them before singing a cappella for the members of the police force.
In this last one, they report on the security measures during the International Development Bank Assembly in the city of Medellin, with helicopters flying over the city enforcing the ground operations. The video shows us a bird's eye view on the city over the most recognizable landmarks:

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Cuba: Supporting Sanchez · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Hopefully, the silly, but dangerous rhetoric will provoke greater scrutiny of the dictatorship, and greater support for Sanchez and the others.  Sanchez is not defenseless. She is guarded by the power – and truth – of her words.  And more importantly, by the attention of the world”: Uncommon Sense shines the spotlight on Havana-based blogger Yoani Sanchez, whom the Cuban authorities have reportedly called a “professional dissident”.


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Dominican Republic: Book Fair  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands Blog notes that among this year’s honorees at the Santo Domingo International Book Fair is “fiction writer and cultural critic José Alcántara Almánzar, who will receive the Dominican Republic’s most prestigious literary award.”


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Egyptian Baha’is under attack · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

Earlier in March, I wrote a post congratulating Baha'is in Egypt when the Supreme Administrative Court removed any grounds for preventing them from receiving proper official identity documents. After a TV appearance Baha'i houses were burnt down in Upper Egypt's governorate – Sohag.
Arabawy called for Solidarity with Sohag’s Bahai’s:
Voice of Egypt wrote
الجميل بقي انه الأخ جمال عبد الرحيم طلع عنده مدونة بينشر فيها سمومه و كتب فيها مقالة بعد الحلقة يكمل فيها شتيمة في البهائين شوية
مستنيين ايه من بلد بينتخب فيها واحد زي جمال عبد الرحيم عضواً في نقابة الصحفيين؟
منستنيين ايه من بلد يحكمها حزب أريفنا كل يوم كلام عن المواطنة و أمين شباب الحزب بيطرد الناس من قرية علشان بيؤمنوا بدين مش عاجبه؟
Egyptian Baha'i wrote:
Suppressed Citizen drafted a reply to the fanatics who who accuse Baha'is of relinquishing Islam:

author: Marwa Rakha


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Egypt’s First Adult Graphic Novel on Trial · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

In April 2008, freedom of speech and creativity in Egypt was hit in its core with the confiscation of Magdy El Shafee's adult graphic novel – Metro.
Culture and Politics in the Arab World reported the incident saying:
The policemen targeted the remaining stock of Metro, a book published a year ago. According to the Egyptian law, an honest citizen had complained against an outrageous publication (using dirty colloquial words says more or less the accusation).
Metro is not an ordinary book. It is the first “graphic novel” in Arabic. Magdy El Shafee spent five years working on that detective story whose main character, Shihab, is a young Egyptian IT engineer who decides to rob a bank. The money being hidden in the subway, the real problem is to find the way out… A question that many Egyptian ask themselves nowadays.
Mohamed El Sharkawy – the publisher – and Magdy El Shafee were subpoenaed to go to court on March 28 and the trial was postponed to April 4.
On his blog, El Sharkawy wrote:
The editors of Words without Borders urged the international community to Say No to Metro Confiscation and Trial:
Shortly after it was published Shafee’s novel was confiscated. He and his publisher are on trial for its distribution. According to the “The Daily News Egypt” “Shafee and El-Sharqawy [Shafee’s publisher] are being charged under article 178 of the Egyptian penal code which criminalizes the printing or distribution of publications which ‘infringe public decency’” which “‘forms part of a bundle of repressive laws that violate rights relating to freedom of expression.’”
They also quoted Madgy El Shafee's petition on Facebook:
Your NO for confiscation is YES for our freedom … is `YES for our solidarity … is NOOOOO for the government prelude of harder stringing of freedom of the art and word, in the press, the satellites, the internet and now the independent publishing houses. We invite you to say: NO for metro confiscation and trial, Support freedom of arts and expression. Metro is considered the first graphic novel in Egypt. written and illustrated by Magdy El Shafee who won the UNESCO gratitude for best African comics 2006 … Egyptian government officials said the book was “harmful to public manners” due to its alleged political and social commentary.
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo) – a pan-Arabic network that promotes freedom of speech has rejected “the confiscation of the novel and considers it a severe violation against the freedom of expression.
With the coming court session next saturday April 4th, HRinfo and 4 human rights organizations announced a new condemnation in March 30th entitled: [Egypt`s Farouk Hosny goes to UNESCO, and Magdy El Shafee goes to the court!! the Author of Egypt`s graphic novel “metro” threatened with 2 years jail sence.] ([in Arabic])
The Comics Reporter, Baroque in Hackney, The Middle East Times, Al Dostoor, Al Badeel, and Youm 7 showed their consolidation with the author and his publisher. The English Pen Worldwide Atlas stated that it is good news that Magdy El Shafee is receiving support from the global blogosphere
Bassem Sharaf wrote:
On March 25, Shaymaa El Gammal celebrated Magdy's Comic Experience in Goethe Institue saying:
On March 28, Shaymaa reported  on the trial and commented:
Daniel named Metro a Damned Book:
Personally, I think that any book has the right to be published even if it was offensive to some people, any writer who has the creativity in him/her should be able to say whatever he/she feels like saying, and the debates between any two groups should take place in more neutral atmosphere than a court.
The freedom of speech in Egypt is not a political concept at all, it's a human right that should be giving to anyone who's asking for it, a right to talk about any subject that any Egyptian can talk about without the fear of being pushed to court, or damned by any group of people, or even the leaders of any religion.
The book might be right in some places and wrong in others, I didn't read it so I wouldn't know, but no person should be banned or attacked because of his/her thoughts or the way it was expressed, and any creative act just be treated gently and with care.
Fantasia's World blogged about Metro in the Dark Ages:
On Facebook


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Fiji’s chief system debated · Global Voices
John Liebhardt

After a local academic argued that Fiji's chiefly system holds back the country's democratic progress because it could allow certain people to grab resources for themselves, Luvei Viti: Children of Fiji counters the organization of chiefs binds society together and offers solutions for handling disputes, especially at the village level.

author: John Liebhardt


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Global Voices partners on G20Voice project · Global Voices
Georgia Popplewell

As part of the G20Voice project, 50 bloggers from around the world have gathered in London to act as our “eyes and ears” as world leaders convened today (April 2) in London for the G20 Summit. The bloggers come “from 22 different countries, and between them represent a global audience of over 14 million readers and online participants.”
Global Voices is pleased to have been a partner on the G20Voice project, along with Oxfam Great Britain, Save the Children, One, and Blue State Digital.
See the G20Voice coverage at http://www.whitebandaction.org/en/g20voice

author: Georgia Popplewell


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Guinea : A Memorial for the Camp Boiro Victims · Global Voices
Suzanne Lehn

Abdoulaye Bah, a Guinean citizen now retired from the UN, lives in Rome and is a volunteer translator for Global voices in French, which he joined out of interest for cyberactivism against human rights violations everywhere, of all kinds. Abdoulaye is also involved in the website and virtual memorial caampboiro.org, created by the “Association of victims of Camp Boiro and of all concentration camps in Guinea”, both founded by Professor Tierno Siradiou Bah, to advocate for the forgotten victims of Sekou Touré's regime in Guinea. Abdoulaye agreed to be interviewed on a very dark and little known episode of Guinean history, a painful subject for him, to give a voice to the thousands who died under tortures in his country and, hopefully, contribute to remembrance and the edification of a real-life memorial in Conakry.
What is  Boiro Camp?
Camp Boiro is the former barracks of the Republican guards in Donka, a suburb of Conakry, Guinea, it became a political prison and torture block from 1958 to 1984. All people accused by the revolutionary regime of Ahmed Sekou Touré, rightly or wrongly, of misdeeds, counter-revolutionary activities, middle-class attitude etc, were locked up and more often than not, executed, after all kinds of humiliation and tortures [Fr] including fatal privation of food and water (a torture called “diète noire” black fast),electroshocks, sexual violences, etc.  According to international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, over 50.000 [Fr] lost their lives in Camp Boiro and similar places in Guinea. Mass graves are still being found  all around Guinea.
Could you please state in which context this took place?
In 1958, the former colonial power, France, held a referendum offering African people a choice between staying within the frame of a French-African Community, or opting for independence. Guinea alone decided for independence at that time, which it got. France retaliated by severing all ties and investments, destroying buildings, and isolating Guinea. The leader of the Guinean splinter group of Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (“African Democratic Rally”), Ahmed Sékou Touré, a former trade unionist,  embodied the African intellectuals and youth's ideals. A national union government was set up. Left wing intellectuals, Guineans from abroad, flocked home, wishing to help the young nation. But very soon the dream became a nightmare.
Sekou Touré set up a pyramidal political system, with a party cell in every village, city area, military barracks, school. Everywhere Guineans were to be found, they had to create one, even abroad. Each and every Guinean citizen was a «party member from birth to death». The whole country turned into a giant prison, called by some media a “Tropical goulag” [Fr]. To get out of Guinea, you needed an exit visa signed by the dictator himself, individually. A militia was created [Fr] and denouncement took hold, even within families.
On which grounds were people arrested and jailed in Camp Boiro ?
Any pretext was good enough to arrest and torture : an identity check while exiting a movie theatre, student protests, having a wife or a villa that appealed to a lord of the regime, etc. Most of the time, you were arrested without reason. In her memoir, «Grain de Sable” , Ms Nadine Barry recalls how she tried with her husband (who died in jail) to hide a bottle-opener whose  handle sported an effigy of General de Gaulle, by burying it in their garden. Unfortunately, the heavy rains of Conakry unearthed it.
Has what went on in Camp Boiro been documented?
Global view of Camp Boiro – the arrow points to the location of the political prison block. Photo campboiro.org
A few books describe the conditions of detention in the camp [Fr]. The new prisoners were « conditionned », left for a few days without food and drink, then tried by the investigation committee. Without knowing for what the committee reproached them, they were asked to give away their accomplices, beaten, tortured with mechanical devices, forced to keep painful positions, cigarette butts were extinguished on their body, etc, until fainting or death. For days, they were asked to confess imaginary crimes : spying for the CIA or the French, receiving bribes, being a “fifth column agent”. As long as the victim did not confess, tortures did not stop. The confessions were then read by the victim on the radio, and were used to give a semblance of rationality for other arrests.
In 1976, Sekou Touré declared war on the Peul ethnic group [Fr], 40% of the nation's population. A brutal repression brought into prisons and graves thousands of innocent people, including the archbishop of Conakry, Mgr Raymond-Marie Tchidimbo [Fr].
An estimated third of the population had left the country when Sékou Touré died in 1984.
You are yourself Peul. How was your family affected by the repression?
One morning, in April 1971, in Rome, I told my wife that I had dreamt of my father being arrested. I didn't attach any importance to this. He never went to school and did not nurture any political ambition. But I had not been living in Guinea under the revolution for ten years. I believed more than ever in our revolution. It was simply unconceivable  for me to think that it could arrest and jail any innocent person. I woke up one day, at the Guinean embassy in Rome, when the ambassador harassed me, calling me “a son of fifth column”.
Only later did I learn that my father had been arrested the very night of my dream, during the compulsory weekly party meeting – if a citizen didn't attend, he was not entitled his food ration.
My father was killed at Camp Boiro, but we do not exactly know when. Most probably during the night of October 17, 1971. He may have been tortured until his spine got broken, and “sacrificed” the same day. Sekou Touré's sorcerer is rumored to have advised the dictator to sacrifice a number of people with light complexion that day. Unfortunately, in Guinea, we Peul people are considered light-skinned.
What became of you and your family ?
My family was ordered to abandon our properties, and left only with what they were wearing. My mama, wanting to take her prayer-mat, was violently hurled in the staircase. Before independence, my father was a wealthy businessman. He had sent his father on a pilgrimage to Mecca and bought his first car (a Citroën sedan) in 1949. He started off by selling salt, which he carried on foot from the coast in the beginning,  and traded it for kinkeliba, a local tea much liked in Guinea. His money and possessions were “nationalized”, by the same people who murdered him. After my father disappeared in Camp Boiro, friends kept clear from our family, for fear of being arrested as accomplices. Only one of my uncle gave the family shelter in his home.
The militia arrested my mama too, charging her with knowing my brother's whereabouts. She was released and she crossed the border with Sierra Leone on foot, risking  her life, to be with him. From there, they had to flee again, to Ivory Coast, as the Sierra Leone regime supported Sekou Touré. We elder children fled the country. That is why today, my sisters and brothers are Canadian, French, American, Austrian, Italian and Senegalese citizens.
Are Guineans aware today of what was going on in Camp Boiro?
Unfortunately, in Guinea, the rightful « duty of memory » is hampered by an information gap. The country lacks education, training facilities. Cyber activism is also very limited, due to poor Internet connexion, electric power shortages, low incomes. Guinean history was falsified by the torturers and nostalgics of the so-called revolution. They praise the dictator's memory, Sekou Touré, who died in 1984 (in Cleveland, USA). His successor, military Chief of staff Lansana Conté, followed his tracks. Up to the death of  Lansana Comté, last Christmas Eve, Sekou Touré's memory was celebrated every year by the government senior officials. The country’s presidential palace is named after him. Sékoutoureya means Sékou Touré's house.
This why the Association des victimes, set up by survivors and children of the victims, works at locating mass graves, returning the remains to their families, rehabilitating the victims, claiming possessions seized by the State. Our aim is to turn the Camp Boiro into a Memorial (for some photos of the camp, taken in 1999, see here) dedicated to the memory of the victims, especially the cabine technique  “technical booth” where inmates were tortured, and the “Death's head”, where they were executed.
Since President Comté died, another coup has taken place in Guinea.
A bloodless military coup, this time, which brought to the presidency Captain Moussa Dadis Camara. He is educated, he was trained in a democratic country, and he is young enough not to be involved with former regimes. Our hopes for justice got a strong boost on March 24th, when the new President officially received members of our association in Conakry. The meeting was broadcast  on national TV. During this meeting, President Dadis Camara asked forgiveness from the members of our Association and revealed that his own father was among the victims. While an encouraging development, however, this is only a first step in a longer process to reach national reconciliation.
Interview carried out on March 27.

author: Suzanne Lehn


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Guyana: Apology Owed  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana 360 links to a mainstream media report confirming that a government minister suggested that former First Lady Janet Jagan should receive an apology for “heinous acts perpetrated against her…in the wake of the December 1997 polls.”


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Hong Kong and the Philippines: The War at Home · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chan Hau-man re-posts Chip Tsao's controversial article “The War at Home” at inmediahk.net and invited readers to judge the article. Her opinion is that the article was a satire.


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India: Every Day We Observe Earth Hour · Global Voices
Rezwan

View of My World comments on the observation of Earth Hour in India: “Bangalore, and large parts of India, have been observing earth hour / earth day / earth night for many many years now. Even this morning there was no power supply to my home between 9 AM – 11 AM.”


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Indian General Elections and Nepal · Global Voices
Bhumika Ghimire

For centuries, India and Nepal have shared a very close relationship. Geographic proximity supplemented by cultural and religious similarity have helped the two neighbors remain friendly.
Now winds of change have swept Kathmandu and New Delhi is not too thrilled about it. After the Maoists came to power, Indian press and political circle are busy discussing the “dangers” of Red Nepal and the issue is being debated during India’s general elections campaign. In Nepal the discussion is picking up too.
Next month India will hold Lok Sabha election. Tarun Vijay at Rediff.com discusses the effect on India‘s large Hindu population of once Hindu Nepal being declared secular under the Maoist leadership. He puts the change and the security threat posed by Pakistan and Bangladesh to India on a same plate.
“And we are increasingly surrounded by a Nepal, once a Hindu nation and now a threat for Hindu survival.
We have a Pakistan and Bangladesh that have bled us continuously for the last three decades of intermittent terror wars — Khalistan, Operation Topac, the jihad in Kashmir and the ignominious forced exodus of Kashmiri Hindus.
We have lost more than 60,000 Indians in terror attacks directly sponsored and encouraged by Pakistan — whether its army or Inter Services Intelligence or the sheepish conspiratorial silence of their leaders, only the naive would make a difference and absolve the culprits.”
Vijay, who is very close to Hindu nationalist party Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) represents a section of Indian media which has been very focused on the religion and culture aspect of Maoist rule in Nepal. In this particular article, he asks the readers to:
“Hence choose those who choose India as their life-force and not just a platform for money making and dying like dirt. The choice is yours to practice in the coming elections.”
From the article it is fairly clear that he wants a new government that will be more proactive on Nepal and be ready to intervene if necessary.
On the Nepali press side, India’s new government’s foreign policy is a big issue. At KantipurOnline, Bhim Prasad Bhurtel discusses India’s growing interest in limiting China’s growing influence in Nepal.
“There is an exaggerated and irrational demonizing of and paranoia about Nepal’s engagement with China in India’s foreign policy establishment. India itself is strengthening its relationship with China. However, why is India so cautious about Nepal’s move to strengthen its relationship with China?”
He also points towards the opportunity India has to have a balanced playing field with China, with Nepal’s help.
“Nepal offers greater opportunities to play China off against India being the hyphen between India and China. The open border and deep cultural and religious ties with Nepal are undeniable, but it is time to rescind such relics as the Indo-Nepalese treaty of 1950 which makes it clear that India has legitimate security interests and it is also determined to protect the same.”
Bhurtel, executive director of the Nepal South Asia Centre, Kathmandu, a South Asian think tank, presents a view echoed by significant number of Nepalese who don’t want India to be suspicious of Nepal’s new relationship with China.
At Telegraph Nepal, N.P. Upadhyaya presents a more combative attitude towards India’s apparent “big brother” attitude towards Nepal. He mentions new extradition treaty between Nepal and India, which the current Indian government is in a hurry to sign could turn into a big foreign policy issue during the election campaign, considering its controversial clause.
“The Extradition Treaty which India wants signed by Nepal government have some clauses and articles which allows the Indian establishment any third country national deportation to India from Nepal whom she considers that his or her continued presence in Nepal may have an impact on her security situation.
Any third country national thus should have to be deported to India by Nepal if India wanted his or her deportation. The Target could well be first the Pakistanis and then the Chinese which may encompass later the Europeans and Americans.”

author: Bhumika Ghimire


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Israel: Teen Killed, Child Hurt in Terror Attack · Global Voices
Maya Norton

Breaking news in Israel– Two boys were attacked with an ax yesterday (April 2) in the West Bank community of Bat Ayin. Thirteen year old Shlomo Nativ (may his memory be a blessing) died from his injuries, while 7 year old Yair Gamliel was rushed to the hospital with a fractured skull.  The incident, deemed to be a terrorist attack, lead the Israel Defense Forces to the nearby town of Khirbet Safa, where the attacker is believed to be hiding. In the Jewish tradition of burying the dead, Nativ's funeral was held in the same evening.
YNetNews reports:
According to eyewitness reports, the terrorist fled the scene after running wild and attacking passersby. Residents alerted the security forces to the scene. The mayor of Gush Etzion Regional Council said that Bat Ayin's local security watch squad shot at the terrorist who carried out the attack, but that the terrorist managed to get away.
“The terrorist came in with an axe and injured two boys from Bat Ayin,” said Mayor Shaul Goldstein… “It is clear that the terrorist came in with the intention of murdering and terrorizing. The only way he could have come in was through infiltration.
The Jewish Chronicle elaborates with further details from an eye witness account:
A local resident, named only as Avinoam, described how he seized the axe from the attacker’s hands but could not stop him escaping. He said the man chanted “I will kill, I will kill” while they grappled. “He had a longing for murder in his eyes, the struggle lasted several minutes,” he added.
The Jewish Chronicle explains that Shlomo Nativ's parents were among the founders of Bat Ayin, while Yair Gamliel's father is currently serving time in prison for planning a terror attack against a girls school in East Jerusalem in 2002. The Palestinian Telegraph notes that the name of the group that planned the attack was the Bat Ayin Militia. Insufficient information exists about the circumstances of the attack to posit whether Nativ and Gamliel were specifically targeted.
The Palestinian Telegraph also comments:
The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, praised the attack. In a statement the group said it “congratulates this heroic attack that comes as a normal response to the Israeli assaults against Palestinians, to Netanyahu, and to threats to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
On Twitter and their blogs, Israelis were quick to respond.
Jameel of the Muquata is keeping a running timeline of the events as they unfold, from the time the attack was reported at 12:15 pm until 4:30 pm, shortly before the funeral. He includes the news that a Hezbollah rocket fell in northern Israel today, which is notable, but seemingly unrelated.
Israellycool's daily timeline notes:
4:02 pm: Today's terror victim Shlomo Nativ. May G-d avenge his blood.
4:57PM: Here is how the palestinian Ma’an News has reported today’s terror attack resulting in the murder of a 16-year-old boy and serious injuring of a 7-year-old: Israeli settler killed in apparent West Bank ax attack; Israeli forces overrun nearby villages
6:10PM: Here’s how CNN has reported today’s axe-attack murder of 13-year-old Shlomo Nativ and injuring of 13-year-old Yair Gamliel. [Large blank space] Yep. Nada. Zilch.
On Treppenwitz, guest author Zahava references the Passover seder in which Jews dip bitter herbs in salt water to remember the tears from “when we were slaves in Egypt.” She writes:
….there is at least one family who will not need the Seder salt water for dipping their bitter herb to symbolize the tears of our ancestors… I can taste my own bitter tears as I type. I can barely see the screen as my heart and soul cry out in pain and in anger. ברוך דיין אמת [Baruch dayan emet: Blessed is the one, true judge].
A family in a neighboring yishuv [community] will have the unbearable task of burying their 13-year old son sometime today… May Hashem [G-D] comfort this family. May He grant a full recovery to the 7-year old.
Ruti Mizrachi of Ki Yachol Nuchal! posts Shlomo Nativ's photo, as almost every blogger has done, and echoes:
Shlomo Nativ, Hy”d [Hashem Yikom Damo: G-D will avenge his blood]. Age 14. Dani is 14. Noam is 14. There are no words. If there were, “peace” would not be one of them.
In a post entitled, “Why I Love Being a Mother,” A Mother in Israel's Hannah Katsman's number one point is that motherhood creates instant bonds, but adds:
I can't let this post go by without mentioning the gruesome murder of an innocent child. Fear of terror attacks and the need for our sons to serve in the army give Israeli mothers an added dimension to bonding that I wish didn't exist.
A Soldier's Mom reflects that as her son is an officer who has a soldier in his unit from Bat Ayin, where the attack took place, it is practically a given that his soldier and the boys’ families will know each other. In her comments section, three bloggers respond.
Ye'he Sh'mey Raba Mevorach, a mother of five, writes:
I was also kind of wondering what kind of person attacks two children with an axe. On the other hand, since they draft children of these ages into their fight, perhaps they don't see our children as … children.
RangersGirl responds:
Oh wow. How terribly sad. Murdering innocent children in this way (in any way)is not holy — its 100% evil. When things like that happen here in the US, it isn't terrorism, its just a crazy person who had become so filled up with evil and a horrible act was how it was ‘let out’.
And ProphetJoe concludes:
Here in America, we rarely call anything “terrorism”, but then again we don't have Canadian or Mexican extremists teaching their kids to wear suicide belts and kill Americans! Thoughts and prayers to those suffering…
A Palestinian terror group known as the Martyrs of Imad Mughniyeh have claimed credit for the incident. Mughniyeh, a senior member of Hezbollah, was killed by a car bomb in February. He is thought to be responsible for the murder or kidnappings of over 400 people.
More information will unfold in the course of the search for the missing murderer.

author: Maya Norton


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Lion Poisoning causes FMC to Withdraw Furadan from Kenya Market · Global Voices
Samuel Maina

One of the lions poisoned in 2008
The American chemical manufacturer, FMC, has withdrawn the pesticide, Furadan, from the Kenyan market after CBS News aired a documentary on '60 Minutes’. The documentary depicts how Furadan has become the preferred product for herders who poison lions suspected of killing livestock in and around the Masai Mara National Reserve.
Dr Paula Kahumbu has the entire press release on The Baraza Blog, and Martin Odino serializes the use of Furadan to kill all sorts of wildlife in his blog Stop Wildlife Poisoning on WildlifeDirect.org
FMC issued a statement on 29 March 2009 condemning the reported misuse of this highly potent agricultural pesticide as depicted in the documentary.
FMC strongly condemns the use of its products to kill wildlife and is very concerned about these allegations
In the press statement, FMC reports that it has taken several actions to curb the abuse of Furadan in Kenya including:

author: Samuel Maina


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Madagascar: Security forces harass bloggers and twitterers · Global Voices
Mialy Andriamananjara

Opponents to the Haute Autorite de la Transition (High Authority for the Transition) have been holding daily demonstrations in the Malagasy capital since March 21, 2009.  Last Saturday's protest was harshly repressed by the security forces, and resulted in at least 34 injured people, including children. During the protest, a young man, dubbed Razily by Malagasy Internet users, held a flag proudly and courageously marched towards security forces. The security forces fired at him, but despite their bullets, he kept marching, holding the flag high and finally got so close to them, they threw him in their pick up truck, all the while beating him up and then throwing the Malagasy flag on the ground. Internet users still do not know what happened to him.
Razily's arrest – courtesy of radotiana.blaogy.com
The HAT is now de facto leading Madagascar, since the former President Marc Ravalomanana opted not to resign but has instead transferred power to a military Directorate. Under duress , (the details can be witnessed on a youtube.com video and the American ambassador bears witness to the events, as he was also threatened with weapons pointed at him ), the Directorate then transferred power to the HAT. The HAT has since been duly recognized as a legal authority by Madagascar's Haute Cour Constitutionnelle de Justice which is responsible of making sure that the laws of land and the constitution are being respected in Madagascar.
No countries have so far recognized the HAT and its new President, Andry Rajoelina, the youngest African president ever, who under the Malagasy constitution, is still six years too young to even be on a Presidential election ballot ! And the former Malagasy President, Marc Ravalomanana, barely escaped from his Palace and is now seeking refuge in South Africa and Swaziland.
The Southern African Development Community and the African Union , while harboring themselves some countries that are no slouches in the antidemocratic and human rights violations department, have taken the stand that they will not tolerate putsches amongst their members and have not only banned Madagascar from their midst but are also considering sanctions.
Many western countries such as Norway and the United States have stopped aid to Madagascar and concerns have been raised on how the poverty stricken country which relies on aid for 80% of its budget will manage to hold its head above water, although the HAT has now declared its intentions on selling Ravalomanana's private jet recently purchased $60 million Air Force One/Two jet to replenish its coffers, at least in the short term. France which was accused by some as having, if not engineered the coup, then at the very least of supporting it, has been doing some amends of its own, saying now that it still considered Ravalomanana as Madagascar's President according to the constitution.
Such is the mind boggling and categorization defying political crisis that bloggers and twitterers are striving to report on. Online content about the crisis have been plentiful and have attracted international attention. Our colleague, Lova Rakotomalala, has been the subject of a Wall Street Journal article and a CNN interview for his dedication to relaying and translating Madagascar based twitterers’ contributions. Another blogger, Solofo Rafeno, has been invited to a debate hosted by France24 News.
There are however some alarming developments that could hinder Malagasy twitterers and bloggers’ reporting in the future. One website, Topmada.com, reports on March 30 that :
“20:00 – La police et les militaires ont arrêté certains journalistes et photographes pour les forcer à effacer leurs photos”
This information is confirmed by twitterers. Twitterer Thierry_ratsiz was held and forced to delete his pictures by the security forces.
thierry_ratsiz: #madagascar Ils m'ont juste prie de ne pas prendre photos (d'eux!!) et effacer photos, peur de photos diffuses sur internet!!
thierry_ratsiz: hola, interpele par les gendarmes pour avoir ete surpris en prenant des photos… :/ #madagascar
R1lita and Pakysse experienced the same thing as reported:
TRT @r1lita: @pakysse, other twitterer in #Madagascar, was also ordered to delete the photos he took in Antaninarina by police earlier.
But the most scary incident was reported by Avylavitra, one of the bloggers who has the most prolifically covered the crisis. He writes :
“Nahazendana ny maro ny zavatra nitranga teto satria tsy nanmpoizina velively: nisy iray tamin’ireo miaramila avy tao amin’ny RM1 izay nivoaka teo amin’ny arabe no tonga dia nanondro basy AHY no sady niteny hoe:
Miala any ny mpanaogazety, Tsy mila mpanao gazety eto. Miala sao tifiriko eo an.
Tsy nahita izay hatao aho no sady nanangana fotsiny ny karatra niantona tety ambozoko. Eo ambony Scooter aho amin’io raha mandeha an-tongotra kosa ny maro tamin’ireo mpanao gazety sy mpaka sary maro namana teny an-kianja mafana teny. Rehefa hitany fa tsy nihetsika aho no sady mbola nanangana ny karatra tety an-tanako, dia vao mainka niakatra ny feon’ilay ranamana. Tsy haiko na mpifehy ao amin’io toby io ilay zalahy iny, na iza. Fa ny fihetsika nataony aloha no niarahana nahita.
Nisy tamin’ireo mpanao gazety sasany no nihiaka niteny azy nanontany hoe :
Fa hatramin’ny oviana ny mpanao gazety no tsy mahazo maka sary sy manao ny asany. Sa efa niova indray koa ny lalàna?
Namaly ranamana no sady efa nikendry ny lohako. Ny elanelan’ny trotoir roa no manasaraka anay amin’io fotoana io. Hoy indrindra izy:
Rehefa hoe tsy mila mpanao gazety eto dia tsy mila, miala hoy aho sao tifiriko eo. Tifiriko ialahy an!’
Fahatsiarovana sady tsara no ratsy ho ahy iny ry zalahy namana. Kanefa tsy mba voatahiriko an-tsary, fa dia ny nanodina ny Scooter sy ny nidina ambanimbany namonjy ireo mpanao gazety sy mpaka sary sasany no nataoko sisa.
Koa miangavy anareo izay nahazo sary an’iny ’scène’ iny aho, tena miangavy. Mba omeo sary hotehiriziko, na farafaharatsiny, mba omeo rohy hahafahako mijery azy.
Enga anie ka ho anatra ho an’ireo miaramila rehetra ny namoahako ity lahatsoratro ity, fa aleo hivoaka ny marina sy ny nisy. Izay rahateo no ezahako ijoroana hatrany amin’ity GazetyAdaladala ity. “
mydago.com has a humorous take on this turn of events :
“Mais que peut internet contre des armes à feux ? Contre des lacrymogènes ? Contre des militaires en pick up et brodequins ? Et fusils ? Rien ! Mais absolument rien ! Alors quel est le problème ? Et puis Madagascar est une île. Laissez donc tranquille cette île. C’est bien une île. Il y a la mer autour. Et la prochaine terre est loin. Cà permet de tout cacher. Les violence, les excès, et tout. La dictature même. Les dictatures.
Mais aujourd’hui, plus rien ne va. Quand on fait un coup d’état, les militaires ne peuvent plus faire leur travail normalement comme avant. Les jeunes d’aujourd’hui sont intenables. Ils sont extrêmement ennuyeux !!! Ils prennent des photos et des vidéos. Ensuite ils les transmettent par internet à des sites. Qui ensuite les publient dans le monde entier. Ah, ils sont vraiment ennuyeux ces jeunes d’aujourd’hui. Il n’y a plus de valeurs. Ils ne respectent plus la force ! La force militaire !”
This post also appeared on Global Voices Advocacy

author: Mialy Andriamananjara


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Mexico: Next US Ambassador Speculation · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Ana Maria Salazar writes about US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Mexico and speculation on the next US ambassador and what it might mean for relations between the two countries.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Puerto Rico, Cuba: Artist to be Honoured · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Puerto Rican artist Antonio Martorell will receive the Haydee Santamaría Medal for his artistic production through the last five decades”: Repeating Islands Blog has the details.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Qatar: Understanding Qatari Men · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

The Gulf state of Qatar has a population of approximately one million people, the majority of whom are not Qatari citizens. It seems that many who have come to work in Qatar have the perception that Qataris are aloof; some recent blog posts aim to dispel the myth that it is difficult to get to know Qatari men in particular.
"Proud". Photo by Mohammed Nairooz.
Yousra Abdelaal, a British resident of Qatar, has written a post called The Truth About Qatari Men at Qatar Visitor:
Many expatriates have misconceptions about Qatari men. They think they are unapproachable, do not like to talk or to open up, and that socializing with them is a no-no. Many fellow expatriates have told me that when they see Qatari men in their thowbs and ghetras, that they feel that their traditional dress is somehow a barrier between them as nationals and the expatriates as foreigners. […] The truth is, most Qatari men are approachable, and when you talk to them, they do respond and do open up. […] The typical Qatari man to expatriates wears designer sunglasses, carries a designer pen in his thowb chest pocket, and has the latest mobile and a flashy car or Landcruiser. This image makes us assume that he is rich and leads a luxurious and easy life. While there are many wealthy Qataris out there, the majority are just like us. Many Qatari men actually struggle financially. Many of their flashy cars they took out on a loan from the bank and some of those designer glasses and pens are not genuine. The exterior image they present of perfection is due to a mentality that Qatari men have installed in themselves and amongst themselves: it is all about masculinity and prestige and each Qatari man looks to and to some extent mentally scrutinizes the other, just like women do, hence each Qatari man is self-conscious of how he walks, how neatly pressed his thowb is, what car he drives and even how precisely his beard is trimmed. We wrongly assume that most Qatari men live off their families’ wealth and spend their lives racing in their cars and sitting around in coffee shops. Yes, a minority does, but the majority carries many responsibilities on their shoulders. […] So, my advice to any expatriate is to break down those barriers and get to know real Qatari men.
Qatari man holding car key. Photo by 'Bntal3nabi.
Kei, a Qatari, writes at Mr Q that he notices a difference in the way people deal with him if he is wearing traditional dress:
Here’s kind of a sad thought, the thobe is such a great piece of clothing, it’s woven and cut in such a way that it keeps you cool by circulating air and due to it’s material and colour (usually white) it blocks heat from the sun. As I was thinking about the thobe I started to think about the advantages and disadvantages that it held at a social level. I notice that if I’m wearing a thobe, some people treat me nicer in stores, in other stores they’ll assume I’m rich and bump up the price.  Why is that? That’s discrimination in its purest form. […] In particular, I noted that when I’m wearing a thobe and in the elevator, expats are less likely to say ‘good morning’ to me than if I’m in a suit (which I also wear). […] It could be paranoia or a coincidence, it could be that I’m vigilant, but trust me I don’t look menacing and usually smile and always say Salam when entering an area. […] Solution? More expats need to wear the thobe so that the line between Qataris and non-Qataris is blurred. We do after all live in a country which I’m proud to say is becoming more International and globally tolerant (I hope). Oh and for those who are actually thinking of getting a thobe, do it! Qataris will be happy at the fact that expats are adopting their culture and you’ll feel much more comfortable too!

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Russia: Lenin Statue Bombed in St. Petersburg · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

What one saw in this April 1 post (RUS) by LJ user drugoi looked like an April Fool's Day joke at first – a Photoshop prank, most likely: a photo of a statue of Vladimir Lenin in St. Petersburg, the Bolshevik leader's back to the Finland Train Station, with a huge hole torn in the lower part of his bronze overcoat. But the photo was taken by AP's Dmitry Lovetsky, and there were more available, from other sources (RUS), taken from different vantage points, so it must have been for real. And it was.
LJ user drugoi posted this comment to the photo:
What's humbly called “the back” in news agencies’ reports is actually [Lenin's butt]. I don't think anyone will outdo the [St. Petersburgers’ joke] today.
The post has generated nearly 800 comments thus far; below are some of them.
vad_nes:
[…] Do you consider vandalism a joke?
drugoi:
The monument by the train station is vandalism. :-)
[…]
Yet another “volodka” [a short and playful – or, in this context, disrespectful – form of “Vladimir”], there are thousands of them all over Russia. One more, one fewer.
vad_nes:
[…] First of all, the monument was erected at the time when there were no “thousands” of others whatsoever. This is one of the first and the best monuments to, as you say, “Volodka,” and, unlike thousands of inferior copies, it is really a serious work of art created by world-renowned masters. [Vladimir Shchuko and Vladimir Gelfreikh] have also worked on the building of the [Lenin Library in Moscow], for example. Shall we [bomb] that as well? Why feel sorry for totalitarian art.
drugoi:
[…] It's not me who's saying this, it's a professional term used by painters/sculptors of that period. They've [littered] everything with these “volodkas,” squeezed the image of the “genius of all progressive humankind” wherever they could. And I know well how it was all done, better than you do. […]
vad_nes:
[…] “That period,” as far as I understand, is the 1920s, when the monument was erected, isn't it? I doubt you know those years well, better than I do.
But I'm not going to argue, it doesn't seem worth it. It's just amusing when someone who is not silly in general does not see the difference between [sculptors producing low-quality] “volodkas” – who have indeed littered the whole country – and the masters of architecture.
drugoi:
[…] Of course, not. I spent much time around the people who worked in the [monumental style] in the 1950s and later. [Makes no difference], absolutely. A whole army [of such artists] fed off “volodkas” for decades. […] The masters, they also needed to feed themselves. And the blast, of course, is vandalism. But it was just too funny, and [I don't feel sorry for the monument at all.] […]
***
kaspar_hauser:
It's idiotic, of course, to consider vandalism funny, but in general I now feel somewhat sorry for you, because of your defectiveness.
krywal:
It is defective to love Lenin.
***
ales_wyr:
According to this logic, the whole city of [St. Petersburg, formerly Leningrad], beginning from its construction, is “vandalism.” It stands on [human] bones. Alas, everything is so intertwined here… Yes, the Bolsheviks were treading on graves more furiously and shamelessly, but they weren't the first ones in this city… I can't think any kind thoughts about perpetuating [Lenin's memory], but explosions – it's their [the Bolsheviks’] method […]. And there is nothing to be happy about. :(
This being April 1 (known as the Day of Laughter in this part of the world) – and despite the fact that the repairs of the monument might cost (RUS) St. Petersburg from 6 to 8 million rubles (from $177,000 to $236,000) – many bloggers chose to abstain from overly serious discussions of the incident. LJ user fildz, for example, re-posted the AP photo from LJ user drugoi‘s blog and held a Best Caption contest (RUS). Here are some of the entries:
annamasterova:
The window into Russia [refers to Peter the Great‘s “Window into Europe”]
stcatharine:
Avrora strikes back [refers to the symbol of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, the Aurora Cruiser]
alber:
The revolutionary energy of the masses has found a way out
theophil:
[…] On April 1, [St. Petersburgers] go for below-the-belt jokes

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Sri Lanka: National Flag And Minorities · Global Voices
Rezwan

Lionel Bopage at Groundviews comments: “The National Flag of Sri Lanka represents the country and her heritage, but is also a rallying device that integrates the races within a majority and minority design framework.”

author: Rezwan


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Sudan: Surviving without the help of NGOs · Global Voices
Gabriel Borges

On March 4th, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan. In retaliation, 13 NGO’s were banished from the country the day after, a number that rose to 16 within the week. As a result, a handful of projects have halted operations: those offering drinkable water supply, food distribution, health care and teaching systems among others.
Consequently, many Sudanese people were forced to leave the country, seeking asylum abroad. Victor Angelo [pt] was in Goz Beida camp, 200 kilometers south east of Abeche, in Chad, and from there he sent some pictures and reported on attacks by the Jenjawid, or “men on horses”, a militia allegedly paid by the Sudanese government.
Ouvir atentamente. Refugiado sudanês com quem me encontrei hoje em Goz Beida, 200 quilómetros a Sudeste de Abeche, durante a visita que Bernard Kouchner, Alain Le Roy  e eu fizemos ‘a localidade
As consequências da expulsão de 13 ONGs do Sudão sobre os parentes destes homens foi um dos temas que mais preocupou a assembleia. Que vai acontecer aos familiares que ainda se encontram no Darfur e que dependiam das ONGs humanitárias no que respeita a necessidades básicas, como água, alimentação , saúde e escolas?
A sina do Presidente Al-Bashir atraiu as atenções de todos. Os refugiados apoiam freneticamente a decisão do Tribunal Penal Internacional.
Vítima de ataque dos cavaleiros Jenjawid, aliados armados e organizados sob a forma de milícias, do Presidente do Sudão. Certos Jenjawid, palavra local que inicialmente queria dizer “homem a cavalo”, tornaram-se os principais actores dos crimes de guerra.
People from the Abeche region have been treated by doctors from Médecins Sans Frontièress. Despite being a well-known NGO, MSF is one of those banished from Sudan. The refugee camp was perhaps the most sensitive place of those where it worked. In Kalma, located in the South of the Darfur region, the 6 kilometer square camp holds 100,000 people living in “houses” made of wood, plastic and anything that can be used as protection against the high temperatures during the day and the low temperatures at night.
In the Kalma camp, MSF used to run a basic health care clinic, a women’s health unit, and an outreach department, where they saw between 200 and 300 patients on a daily basis (Monday to Monday) in the out-patient department and 200 in the women’s health unit. The team was made up of both foreigners and Sudanese people, and now just the Sudanese employees remain at work. However, according Lydia Geirsdottir, former supervisor of the camp, among those who stayed “there are only two MSF-trained medical staff able to treat basic health problems and the supplies will run out quickly”. Cíntia Rojo [pt], who became aware of the news through the NGO website, comments:
“Darfur concentra a crise humanitária de maior proporção na atualidade. Ou seja, um lugar onde vida e morte são separadas por uma tênue divisa. Desnutrição, doenças, violência.  Os conflitos em Darfur se tornaram quase que crônicos e, como tudo que se prolonga, acabou caindo no “esquecimento” da comunidade internacional. A saída dessas ONG´s acarretou consequências graves para a população sudanesa pois grande parte dos projetos sociais vigentes na região eram patrocinados por essas entidades.
Darfur on March 5 – see an info graphic on the left showing a description of the population range affected after the NGO ban: 4.7 million people, the centre served by NGOs, and the 13 banned NGOs: Action Contre la Faim; Solidarité; Save the Children (UK and US) Médecins Sans Frontièress (NL&FR); CARE International; Oxfam; Mercy Corps; International Rescue Committee; Norwegian Refugee Council; CHF and PADCO. Material distributed by ReliefWeb. Click on the picture to maximize.
Save the Children had been operating in Sudan for over 20 years, and for the last 6 had worked with war refugees in Darfur and South Kordofan, a region which saw the return of more than 50,000 adults and children in  2008, and where an emergency unit used to be located. According to Charles MacCormack, the NGO President, the withdrawl of the Save the Children, “poses a serious threat to the well being of more than 1 million children and family members whom the two agencies have been supporting in West Darfur, North Kordofan, South Kordofan and Red Sea States and communities in Abyei and near Khartoum”.
Among other projects, Save the Children dealt with food distribution (3,583 tons of food in 44 locations), water and sanitation (448 points of water and 177 water pumps, which supply about 201,500 people) primary health, agriculture as well as construction and teacher training.
CARE had been operating for 28 years in the country and was also expelled, reportedly has halted all activities and had part of its equipment seized by the Sudanese government, including computers, cars and houses. CARE worked in the fields of agriculture, water, basic sanitation as well as education and health. The Norwegian Refugee Council reports that not only was their equipment seized by the government but their employees were arrested and suffered aggression. OXFAM had been in Sudan for 26 years and worked directly with 600,000 Sudanese people, it has also been forced to leave the country and is now waiting to return.
The atmosphere in Darfur is tense, according to AK. from the Forsudan blog:
“The reaction in Khartoum by the government was almost instantaneous. After speaking with some relatives in Sudan, the situation seems normal and as one of my cousins put it, ‘business is as usual.’ People were expecting there to be a coordinated attack by the Darfuri rebel group Justice and Equality Movement, similar to the one that occurred back in May 2008. People also expected for general violence to breakout, but none of the sort has happened. That being said, people are very tense on the ground and anxious for what is to come. I think people are worried most about the implications on the North-South peace agreement (CPA) and the reaction of the southern government. Here are the positions of Sudanese most prominent political parties. Also, the government has kicked out several international NGOs, among them are OXFAM, Care, and Doctors without Borders.”
The forecast made by the majority of NGOs is that a disaster will happen in the refugee centres, and that an estimated 4.7 million people will be affected, of whom an exodus of 2.7 million is expected. What’s more, 1.5 million need some medical help, 1.1 million do not have food to eat and a million do not have access to water (data from OCHA). In addition,  there is a meningitis outbreak and “no treatment available in the camp, no one to refer patients to the hospital in Nyala, and no mass vaccination. It means that people may die”, reports Lydia Geirsdottir (MSF).
Because of this, Lise Grande, the UN’s Deputy Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Southern Sudan said: “One of the things that those assessments will look at is possible migration flows”. There are more than 100,000 people vulnerable as a result of the upsurge of LRA attacks including over 36,000 internally displaced people who fled their homes in South Sudan, and more than 16,000 refugees from the DRC. “An additional 50,000 people in host communities … are reported to be vulnerable and need humanitarian assistance,” said Grande.
Migration has already started, and some reports have already started to appear via blogs. The sudan-blog reports the reconstruction of a new camp of refugees in Chad, a neighboring country, which expects to attend to about 6,000 refugees.

author: Gabriel Borges


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Taiwan: Police Hassle Political Blogger Meeting · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Michael Turton from the View from Taiwan translated a local report on police interruption of a Democratic Progressive Party affiliated blogger Meeting.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Africa: Africa’s relevance on the global scene · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Daudi Were blogs from the G20 Summit discussing Africa's relevance on the global scene: “On the global scene African countries have very little influence, even less power and no force at all (except against other African countries).”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Africa: Bob Geldof and two African bloggers · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Two African bloggers, Sokari Ekine and Daudi Were, were interviewed together with Bob Geldoft on the under representation of Africa at the  G20 summit.


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Africa: On the nakedness of Africans · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“On the nakedness of Africans” is a piece written by Zunguzungu, “If clothing is an index of “culture,” then it is clear that African culture sucks. But even authentic nakedness, as it happens, has political consequences that don’t work out well for the Africans.”


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Armenia-Azerbaijan: Online peace building · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Writing on the Frontline Club, Global Voices Online's Caucasus editor comments on the role social networking sites and blogs could play in continuing efforts to resolve the frozen conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: The great outdoors · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Scary Azeri in Suburbs continues to examine the differences between life in Azerbaijan and life in England. This time round, the blog comments on the different approaches taken to the great outdoors.


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Bangladesh: Plagiarism Of Blogger’s Contents · Global Voices
Rezwan

Another case of plagiarism of a blogger's work by a journalist/columnist has been exposed. Mash reports with proof that one columnist, who claims to be Sunita Paul from India and writes on Bangladesh issues, has plagiarized contents from his blog.


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Bermuda, Curacao: G20 on Offshores · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Vexed Bermoothes has been following the G20 Summit and notes that “Bermuda is on the greylist of 39 ‘jurisdictions that have committed to the internationally agreed tax standard, but have not yet substantially implemented'”, while Karel's Legal Blog is pleased that “The Netherlands Antilles and Aruba do not appear on the OECD blacklist of international tax havens”.


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Bermuda: Power to the People  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

When it comes to the proposed congestion tax, Bermuda's 21 Square thinks the best approach is to “let the people decide.”


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Bhutan, Nepal: On Marriage Of Frogs and Rain  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Coincidence or supernatural? Freedom in Bhutan is amazed by the news that two traditional marriage ceremonies of frogs were held in southern Bhutan and central Nepal with prayers to the rain God to end the prolonged drought and it rained after a few days in both the places.


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Brunei joins Earth Hour for the first time · Global Voices
Noor Hidayah

In 2004 Brunei ranked 6th in the world for Carbon Dioxide Emission per capita. Brunei also ranked 3rd for largest passenger vehicles per 1,000 population ratio at almost 550. In addition, the United Nations Development Programme Annual Human Development Report last year listed Brunei to have a considerably high per capita consumption of energy, which was 8,842 kilowatt-hours of electricity per person. Thus, it was deemed most appropriate when Brunei decided to participate during the  Earth Hour last March 28. It was Brunei's first time to join the event.
During the Friday sermon that was delivered prior to Earth Hour, the imam talked about the ecology and the need to protect it. In Brunei all the Friday sermons are the same in all masajid. Brunei Resources blogged about the sermon:
The Imam at the Kilanas Mosque struggled to read today's sermon. It must have been written in jawi and full on modern words. Today's sermon was about the ecology. I think many in the mosque must have raised eyebrows today when they left the mosque. It is not often to hear about the ecology being mentioned in Friday's sermon. But nevertheless, it is indeed interesting to hear about the ecology and the environment. We all have to be aware of the need to save the ecology and the environment.
A number of bloggers shared their enthusiasm on Brunei's participation in Earth Hour, and urged others to play their part. Aryati munirah expressed the significance of taking part in the cause:
…alone we might not leave an impact over all the pollution and global warming etc. but as a whole, I’m sure we could freaking well change, at least, something.
aish. i dont understand…how some people are so ignorant about these things. junyan was complaining to me that ‘our hometown’ …was brightly lit! the whole time! :( *sighs* people, do your part…
Unfortunately, some of the popular areas around Brunei such as Gadong and Bandar Seri Begawan were seen to be brightly lit as mentioned by Haady:
Earth Hour Day is today so we went to Gadong to see what's up. We went there around 6pm and waited for 2 hours! Nothing happened. Gadong wasn't even dark as expected! A little maybe but it was not enough! So we went to check out Bandar. Bandar too didn't blackout. But there is one cafe which supported the Earth Hour Day. It's Coffeebean! I am so proud of Coffeebean for contributing in the event. Fathul said he's proud to work at Coffeebean! Hahaha. I think Brunei is not that supportive. Come on! It is just for an hour. Why is that so hard?
Coffee Bean in Bandar Seri Begawa. Photo from Haady
Teo jokingly suggested that the Electrical Services should cut off everybody's electricity supply for an hour, but was afraid that this would enrage the community:
We in Brunei, maybe a tiny country, but we can show the world that we can do something. Then, mayb the perception that people of Brunei live on pokok will be banished. Many have seen ads of this program on astro channels, but inda tahu what is that. Some are suggesting that inda payah voluntary participation, tutup aje karan 1hr, tapi ini bakal mengundang kemarahan!
Save earth was bothered on how one of the leading hotels in Brunei was unaware of the environmental effects of burning 4000 candles. In a forum, the blogger wrote:
Recently our country took part in the annual international earth hour event and there is one thing in particular that bothers me…Does burning 4000 candles for the event at the empire hotel actually help our earth?
burning just 1 candle especially ones made from paraffin wax actually do more harm by producing 10 times more greenhouse emission compared to turning on electrical lights. Imagine burning 4000 of these candles?
if we think that turning off the lights and lighting up thousands of candles will help change the climate, well think again. we actually do more harm.
Put science, rationality and education first. The actual idea of the earth hour event is to turn off the lights thus saving electrical energy in the process. Also, it is unnecessary to turn Earth hour into a trendy political event.
The Earth hour’s organizer actually advised not to burn candles for the event for the sake of the climate. Hopefully our country realize this the next time we participate.
Empire Hotel on Earth Day. Taken from MrPatchiomie
Empire Hotel on Earth Day. Taken from MrPatchiomie
Brunei Resources gathered that amongst other things, one of the main aims of Earth Hour is to spread awareness on the importance of energy saving and caring for Earth:
From what I have read, the one hour switch off does not exactly save energy. But it is to raise awareness about the need for everyone to be aware of just how much we used up energy.
According to August 13th, awareness definitely reached her young ones:
What can one hour of darkness achieve, cynics ask.
A lot, I say.
At 8.28 pm it was really heartening to see my young babyfruits (nephews and nieces, aged 7 to 16) storm into the kitchen demanding all the lights to be switched off for the hour. Imagine that! Now, that kind of awareness in the young is just priceless.

author: Noor Hidayah


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Cambodia: Preah Vihear frontline · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Andy Brouwer visited the Cambodia side of the disputed Preah Vihear territory. He posted pictures of soldiers guarding the border.

author: Mong Palatino


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Chile: Talca Mayor Orders Removal of Sidewalk Vendors · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In Chile, Maulee.cl [es] writes about the protest against the mayor of Talca who ordered that sidewalk vendors be removed from the area surrounding the bus terminal.


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China: China-France communiqué and G20, a glorious defeat? · Global Voices
Bob Chen

Chinese president Hu Jintao and French leader Sarkozy met ahead of the G2O summit on 1 April to repair the ties damaged since last year, when the torch relay was disrupted in Paris and President Sarkozy met with the Dalai Lama in spite of China's opposition.
China and France unveiled a press communique simultaneously  after the meeting, in which France stated that it ‘reaffirms its adherence to the one-China policy and the position that Tibet is an integral part of the Chinese territory’, so that  “France refuses to support any form for ‘Tibet independence'”.
China appreciated France's stance on the issue and in the G20one day later the host, British premier Gordon Brown seemed to recognize the repaired friendship and assigned Hu Jintao a seat right next to Sarkozy at the formal banquet.
The rift between China and France started since last year when France failed to prevent the Tibetan dissidents from spoiling the torch relay in Paris, a ceremony viewed by many Chinese as showing that China's honor as a great power was restored. The China-France controversy escalated when Sarkozy met with the Dalai Lama more than once and peaked when Chinese citizens voluntarily boycotted the French goods and enterprises in China.
The Chinese administration echoed their dissatisfaction by suspending some business deals with France. Premier Wen even avoided France deliberately at his diplomatic visit to Europe in February.
Now, everything seems to have been changed  with the global economic downturn in which China prevails with her ongoing growth and huge market. The western world conceded. Criticisms on Beijing died down and France gave up.  Is it so?
The Chinese blogsphere and internet, however, show their disappointment at the communique.
yun3578ufolala, posting on the popular online bulletin board Tianya, thought the statement was acutally a French ploy:
看似法国向中国低头认错，问题来了，以前从未有任何国家作出类似的表态，要表也是表台湾，说明台湾确实存在地位未定的问题（就国际社会的立场来看），所以我们要求别人承认。但西藏跟台湾完全不一样，一是西藏一直处于大陆的主权范围，二是西藏从未有单独的对外外交关系。和尚是以个人的身份（顶多是个宗教领袖）在外与人打交道，主要目的是让政治实体（特别是有国际影响力的如五常和欧盟）承认其政治地位，造成西藏问题国际化和西藏地位未定论。
那么让我们来看看，法国这样一表态，在国际社会的眼里，西藏的地位开始慢慢向台湾问题靠拢了
Thus with such maneuvering the status of Tibet is gradually becoming seen as that of another Taiwan.
Pages of replies followed the post. inzaghile agreed on the point, saying
以后的国际事务中西藏问题又成了别人的一个砝码!!!
SpEedBaBy thought CCP should have done better:
个人也觉得吃亏了…….
tg脑子进水了,自己家的事情,老是和人家联合公报个p……
真他妈有病…..自己的老婆,儿子都要人家认定…不知道怎么想的….
直接让其道歉才是真的……
水寨头目 thought it was not all a concession and had no binding power
从公报字面看，法国以后该见老和尚还会见，没有什么约束，因为傻上次见秃，也没说支持藏独，只说关注人权啊自由啊民主啊什么。
风马云旗 parodied a row of statements:
我重申一个中国….承认北京是中国的一部分
我重申一个中国….承认天津是中国的一部分
我重申一个中国….承认上海是中国的一部分
我重申一个中国….承认河北是中国的一部分
我重申一个中国….承认山东是中国的一部分
我重申一个中国….承认山西是中国的一部分
我重申一个中国….承认河南是中国的一部分
我重申一个中国….承认辽宁是中国的一部分
我重申一个中国….承认内蒙是中国的一部分
我重申一个中国….承认新疆是中国的一部分
huangdiany concludes
法国棋高一着成功将西藏问题台湾化
The G20 meeting came right after the meeting. Though Chinese netizens commonly think it as but a G2 meeting in which only China and America matter, pessimistic voices and worries are not absent. 統一口徑 supposed that Chinese should be more realistic:
G20不是北京奧運
要知道，G20裏除了中國，還有韓國，還有印度，還有墨西哥，還有土耳其等等。在G20裏，中國隻是其中一員。就像我們早期處理國際關系堅持的原則，這個世界不是美國的，也不是蘇聯的。同樣，即便中國現在成了世界第三大經濟體，這個世界也不隻是中國的。
對中國來說，對過去取得的經濟成就沾沾自喜是可恥的，因爲它迄今仍是一個鉗制言論、沒有新聞自由的國家，仍是世界上貧富懸殊最大的國家，仍是一個封建特權思想濃厚的國家。中國在經濟上已步入世界前列，但卻與民主政治和現代文明相去甚遠。
對于普通中國人來說，我們迫切需要的不是一個在國際上動辄展示自己“不高興”的中國政府，不是一個在世界各地一擲千金博取“中國有錢了”奉承的中國政府，我們今天需要的是一個懂得自我約束、自我檢讨的負責任的政府，一個真正接受最高立法機構和公民監督的理性政府，這個政府真正相信并懂得，現代民主政府的惟一合法基礎來自選舉産生它的公民。
Post edited by Bob Guy

author: Bob Chen


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China: Yang Jia’s Mother’s Story · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ChinaGeeks translated in part Yang Jia's mother, Wang Jingmei's account of the judicial process of Yang Jia's cop murder case and how she was put into a psychiatric hospital and released only to see her son's execution.


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Cuba: Full Circle  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuba's Generation Y says that “without the statement made by the Tenth Havana Biennial Organizing Committee about what happened Sunday at the Wilfredo Lam Center, the performance of Tania Bruguera wouldn’t have been complete.”


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Cuba, U.S.A.: New Policy?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

For Havana Times, Circles Robinson reports that “with the clock ticking away before the April 17-19 Americas Summit, U.S. Sen. Richard G. Lugar continues to push President Obama to do what he offered in his campaign and more regarding a new Cuba policy.”


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D.R of Congo: The Kinshasa Symphonic Orchestra · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

David Sasaki writes a post about the Kinshasa Symphonic Orchestra saying, “This is exactly what I mean when I talk about art for the sake of art.”


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Egypt: Baha’is attacks spark outcry  · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

On April 2, several human rights organizations headed to the public prosecutor in solidarity with the Baha'is who were assaulted in Sohag after a journalist called them reverts and urged people to kill them.
The Arabist commented on the incident saying:
I wanted to mention it yesterday when the story broke, but there has been a nasty attack against a Ba’hai community near Sohag in Upper Egypt. The incident appears to have been sparked by the appearance of a local community leader on TV, where he was attacked by a hack for the state newspaper al-Gomhouriya, who called for him to be killed. The same pathetic hack later praised the attacks on the Ba’hais in an article, showing how deeply xenophobic, sectarian, ultra-Salafist thinking has permeated state institutions. This man should be fired and put on trial for inciting violence (Egypt has no law against religious incitation, something I’ve long thought they should implement and use against any intolerance and particularly Islamists who advocated takfir).
He then shared a Press release from the Egyptian human rights groups who demand the prosecution of those who provoked the assaults; The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Hisham Mubarak Law Center, El-Nadim Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, and The Associationfor Freedom of Thought and Expression:
“The heinous and unprecedented attacks on Baha’i Egyptians are a crime against all Egyptians,“ the rights organizations said. “We shall never allow the perpetrators of these crimes to benefit from the same climate of impunity that has marred the government’s response to sectarian violence against Egyptians Copts over the last four decades.”
The six rights organizations demanded that:
the Public Prosecutor question Gamal Abd al-Rahim regarding his incitement to violence against Baha’is in both the television program and his published article, pursuant to Articles 171 and 172 of the Penal Code, which address public incitement to felonies and misdemeanors. Consistent with the organizations’ principled opposition to the imprisonment for publication offences, the groups’ complaint excluded Article 98(f) of the Penal Code, which stipulates mandatory imprisonment for “anyone who exploits religion to promote extremist ideas with the intent of inciting civil strife and damaging national unity,” and Article 176 of the Penal Code, which also stipulates mandatory imprisonment for anyone who “incites to discrimination against a group of people on the basis of race, origin, language, religion, or belief when such incitement disrupts public peace.”
Moreover, the rights organizations called on:
the board of Egypt’s national Press Syndicate to take immediate action against Gamal Abd al-Rahim, particularly since he occupies a seat on the board, regarding his violation of the Syndicate’s Code of Ethics, which states that journalists have an obligation “to refrain in their writings from joining racist or bigoted advocacy or advocacy that involves contempt or disdain of religions, aspersions cast on the faith of others, or incitement to discrimination against or contempt for any group of society.”
On Facebook, a group has been created in support of Baha'is, another group calls for the cancellation of the religious status from the Egyptian ID, and a third Facebook group  for the prosecution of Gamal Abd al-Rahim:

author: Marwa Rakha


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Fighting erupts again on Preah Vihear border · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A border clash took place between Thai and Cambodian soldiers on the disputed Preah Vihear territory. The fighting took place days before the Thai-Cambodia Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary was scheduled to meet.


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Haiti: What the G20 Should Do  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Dying in Haiti republishes a letter that a friend wrote to The Washington Post about “what the G-20 can do for Haiti.”


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Jamaica: Marley’s Life  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaican diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp poses five questions to the author of a new book about reggae icon Bob Marley.


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Liberia: New Liberian Movie: Guided Destiny · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Liberian blogger Nat writes about a new Liberian film, Guided Destiny (the “Godfather” of Liberian movies).


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Liberia: Photos of the day · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Scarlett Lion posts photos of the day from Liberia.


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Malaysia: Twitter page of new Prime Minister  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Malaysia's new Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Razak has a Twitter account. Check also his website for the links to his Flickr and YouTube sites.