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Guatemala: The Murder of Father Rosebaugh in the Ixcán  · Global Voices
Renata Avila

One week after the murder of Rodrigo Rosemberg and the infamous video, as well as the subsequent protests dubbed the “white tsunami,” another violent murder took place in El Ixcán, Guatemala. Armed men intercepted the car carrying 5 missionaries on their way to a meeting. Shots rang out and a Congolese priest, the Rev. Jean Claude Nowama was seriously injured and a priest from the United States, the Rev. Lawrence Rosebaugh was killed.  The incident brought an end to the life of Rosebaugh, who is best remembered as a champion of non-violence and peace during his years serving in Latin America.
Photo of Father Lawrence Rosebaugh and used with permission by Pastoral Social del Ixcán
Fellow priest from the same order and blogger, Joaquín Martínez Vega of Postulación General OMI [es] remembers Rosebaugh:
Ironías de la Vida: el P. Lorenzo Rosebagh, OMI, que siempre caminaba a pie o en bicicleta (incluso desde Estados Unidos a Brasil) para ir al encuentro de sus predilectos: los niños de la calle y los afectados por el Sida, fue asesinado en un coche. Iba al volante de una furgoneta, con cuatro misioneros más que acudían a una reunión con sus hermanos, los oblatos de la Delegación de Guatemala.
Life is ironic: during his life, P. Lorenzo Rosebagh, OMI, who always walked or rode on a bicycle (even from the United States to Brazil) in order to to reach his favorite groups to work with: street children and AIDS patients, was murdered driving a car. He was driving a van, traveling together with four other missionaries, to attend a meeting with their peers, the OMI from the Guatemalan delegation.
Father Lawrence Rosebaugh and used with permission from the Arca community.
Rosebaugh has been described as “A friend of the poor” by the blog of the Arca community in Spain. During his 74 years on the earth, he had protested against the Vietnam War and advocated for the less fortunate during the civil war in El Salvador. In addition, he protested against nuclear weapons, against the School of the Americas, and had landed in prison several times because of his pacific resistance. He chose to return and work with the poor in “El Ixcán” in Guatemala. In his autobiography he wrote:
De vuelta a los Estados Unidos, después de haber estado con los pobres y haber experimentado sus condiciones de vida, me siento como pez fuera del agua. Suspiro por el día en que pueda volver a Guatemala.
Back in the United States, after being with the poor and experiencing their life conditions, I feel like a fish out of water. I dream of the day that I can return to Guatemala.
The Ixcán Region by Turn the City and used under a Creative Commons license. http://www.flickr.com/photos/smilegonesour/2869466038/
The community of Playa Grande Ixcán located in El Quiché, which Rosebaugh chose to work with is often complex and dangerous. However, its landscape is beautiful and its people are welcoming, but have had a difficult history during the armed conflict.  Many of the communities that live there belong to different ethnic groups, and each has a different meaning for the name of their region based on the language, as explained by the blog Seguimiento Consultas [es]:
Para los kaqchikeles el termino Ixcán significa Mujer Serpiente o Madre Serpiente, haciendo referencia a la forma de serpiente que toma el río Chixoy y el río Ixcán en su trayectoria por el Municipio y dentro del territorio mexicano. En el idioma Canjob'al, Ixcán significa tierra de muchos relámpagos y muchas lluvias, seguramente haciendo referencia a esta característica del Municipio sobre todo en el inicio de la época de lluvias.
For the Cakchiquel the term “Ixcán” means Serpent Woman or Serpent Mother, and it refers to the shape of Chixoy River and Ixcan River in their paths across the village and inside Mexican territory. In Q´anjob´al language, it means the land of thunder, since electrical storms are characteristic of the village during the rainy season.
This area was hit hard during the Civil War.  Ten years ago, the United Nations Comission declared that the State had committed crimes against humanity [es] in the Ixcán area and that those responsible should be prosecuted. Many of these crimes were committed against members of the Catholic Church.
James Rodríguez of Mi Mundo explains about the Catholic Church's historical presence in this region and the communities’ resistance against State-sponsored repression:
During the mid 1960's, several government and church-sponsored programs were developed in order to colonize the densely forested region of Ixcan. Covered by a thick jungle, Ixcan is located on the northern third of the department of Quiche, bordering with Chiapas, Mexico. During the beginning of the 1970's, the efforts to populate the region gave birth to the five communities that together once formed the Great Ixcan Co-Op of Various Services: Mayalan, Xalbal, Pueblo Nuevo, Cuarto Pueblo, and finally Los Angeles. “In 1975,” however, “a gradual process of militarization spread across Ixcan, which coincided with the beginning of activities by the Poor Peoples Guerilla Army (EGP) in the region.”
In 1982 the repression [by the army] against the communities in Ixcan rises massively in scale due to the new counterinsurgency policy implemented by the military. Known as the Scorched Earth campaign, the new strategy dictates the complete extermination and destruction of entire communities so as to defeat the guerrilla [by wiping out what was perceived to be their base structures]. It is under this new policy that the Cuarto Pueblo massacres take place, surely the ones with the most historical impact in Ixcan.”
The Catholic Church has played a protagonist role throughout Ixcan’s history: during the 1960’s and 70’s, several of the colonization programs were sponsored by it. In addition, thanks to the support of Monsignor Julio Cabrera, previous Bishop of Quiché, a loan from CARITAS was granted which allowed the community to buy the former San Isidro Ranch in 1996, known today as the Community Primavera del Ixcan.
Now years later, another type of crime is responsible for the death of Father Lawrence, in what is being described as a robbery or carjacking. Eight other people were murdered in the same area in less than a month, according to Combate Virtual [es], a blog that republished a communique from the Guatemalan Syndicate Union of Workers that is demanding justice for these recent deaths.

author: Renata Avila


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Guyana: Blog Ranking  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

When it comes to rating blogs, Signifyin’ Guyana maintains that “stats shouldn't count.  Content should”, adding: “Those of us who remain entrenched in old notions of hierarchy are being defeated by this and other new media every day.  Hooray!”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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India: First Female Speaker Of Parliament · Global Voices
Rezwan

Aparajita reports that senior Congress leader Meira Kumar created history today by taking oath as India’s first female speaker of the Lok Sabha. This election proves that: “women are becoming more powerful day by day. Instead of being dominated by others they are going to dominate the country in the near future,” she notes.

author: Rezwan


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Iran:Nieman Foundation Reports on Election   · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Several journalists write in Nieman Reports about the challenges they and bloggers confront in gathering and distributing news and information about Iran and its people.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:Presidential election debates · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Amin Sabeti, Iran based blogger, reports on Friend Feed about Iranian presidential election debates minute by minute.


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Japan: Akira Kurosawa Digital Archive · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Johnny at Spoon & Tamago excitedly introduces a digital archive of film director Akira Kurosasawa from Ryukoku University: “Consisting of over 20,000 photographs, manuscripts, notes and other artifacts, this is easily the most extensive database of memorabilia related to the director and his work, as well as a fascinating look behind the scenes.” The archive site is in Japanese but click around on the links on the left panel to see the images. (01.-11. is Rashomon)

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Japan: JActionScripters · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Flash developer extraodonaire Takayuki Fukatsu has set up JActionScripters, a group blog that covers the Japanese Flash scene in English. “More than 20 Japanese flash coders share the blog/ You will be junkie for this crazy Japanese Flash news”


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Kenya: Distilling water from volcanic steam vents · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A story about harvesting water from volcanic steam vents: “A unique water harvesting method has been devised in the drought ridden crater of Mt. Suswa, which is dotted with continuously puffing scorching steam vents.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Niger: Widespread opposition to president’s bid to extend rule · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

Tensions are on the rise in Niger as President Mamadou Tandja moves forward with a referendum that, if passed, would allow the 71 year-old leader to modify the constitution and extend his 10-year rule.
Mamadou Tandja, President of Niger since 1999, wants to amend the constitution so he can stay in office.
Last week, Tandja dissolved the National Assembly following a ruling by Niger's constitutional court that holding such a referendum would be a breach of his oath of office, and thus illegal. Monday, a demonstration in Niamey, the capital, turned violent when security forces fired tear gas on protestors, while in Dosso, 140 km to the west, protesters set fire to vehicles.  An array of opposition parties, unions and NGOs have announced massive demonstrations and strikes for June 7th.
It was difficult to find citizen media, blogs, or online forums within Niger discussing the referendum, however bloggers in neighboring countries like Burkina Faso and Chad are closely watching as events unfold.
tchad futur writes:
Ces derniers temps, dans la plupart des pays d'Afrique, les modifications constitutionnelles sont à la mode, se  réalisent malgré l'opposition des sensibilités socio-politiques et au gré des dirigeants.
Le Niger, pays qui a donné l'exemple d'une bonne léçon de la démocratie avec  la réalisation de sa première alternance politique et démocratique, est  happé par ces révisons constitutionnelles au nez et à la barbe de l'opinion internationale.
In most African countries, constitutional modifications have become the fashion, for the pleasure of the leaders, in spite of opposition from socio-political elements.
Niger, a country that, with the realization of its first democratic  handover, has become an example of democracy, is mired by these constitutional revisions, right under the nose of international opinion.
So far, Libyan president Moummar Kadhafi is the only head of state to publicly support the referendum.  Both the US and Canada have spoken out against it.  tchad futur predicts France will stay quiet given the uranium deal the French company AREVA signed with Niger in January.
En Afrique, les révisions constitutionnelles ne font pas avec la volonté du peuple mais au gré des puissances étrangères, dont les intérêts doivent être garantis au détriment des valeurs démocratiques ou des droits de l'homme baffoués.
In Africa, constitutional amendments do not happen with the will of the people, but rather at the pleasure of foreign powers, whose interests must be protected, to the detriment of democratic values and human rights.
On Burkinabe news site LeFaso.net, Alain Saint Robespierre writes about Niger's “Constitutional Coup d'Etat”:
Dans cet imbroglio politique, une chose est néanmoins sûre : l’homme fort de Niamey ne reculera devient rien ni personne pour faire aboutir le projet de prolongation de son mandat à la tête du pays. Et là, pas du tout. Pour tous ceux qui croyaient le chef de l’Etat nigérien capable de faire machine arrière dans sa volonté de prolonger, au mépris de la loi, son bail présidentiel, l’heure est à la désillusion.
Nonetheless, in this political imbroglio, one this is sure: the strong man of Niamey will not retreat for anything or anyone in order to realize his plan to prolong his mandate at the head of the country.  For all those who believed the Nigerian commander-in-chief capable of moving backward in order to extend , at the expense of the law, his presidential lease, we are in the hour of disillusion.
In response, a reader named koudka writes:
Pauvre de nous africains ! il faut que ça change. le peuple nigérien ne mérite pas cela. quand je pense que il y en des chefs d’état qui estiment que leur pays ne sera rien sans eux alors que depuis longtemps qu’ils sont chefs rien n’a été fait.  j’ai envis de changer de planête tout simplement…
We poor Africans!  This has to change.  The Nigerien people don't deserve this.  When I think that there are heads of state who believe their country will be nothing without them, while in all the time they have been head of state, they have done nothing.  Quite simply, I want to change the world…
Laye, referring to former president Ibrahim Bare Mainassa‘s assassination, thinks Tandja is playing with fire, and ignoring history:
Comme quelqu’un qui m’a devancé l’a déjà dit, il y en a qui ont oublié ce que c’est que le Wankage. Et c’est clair qu’il y aura coup d’Etat au Niger, et très clair que Tandja sera tué. De tte façon il ne mérite pas mieux.
As someone noted before me, some have forgotten Wanke.  It's clear there will be a coup d'Etat in Niger, and that Tandja will be killed.  At any rate, he doesn't deserve any better.
And applauds those who are standing up to Tandja:
Bravo à l’Assemblée Nationale Nigérienne, à Mahamane Ousmane, à la Cour Constitutionnelle, au Président Guermakoye, à …, aux Nigériens !
Bravo to the Nigerien National Assembly, to Mahamane Ousame, to the Constitutional Court, to President Guermakoye, to…to the Nigeriens!
Traps:
Mr Tandja , ce qu’on a pas pu faire en dix ans on le fera jamais en deux ou trois ans . Il etait temps pour toi de t’en aller. Tu as insulte la democratie africaine. Mr Tandja tu aurais du donner le bon exemple a tes freres acrochards de pouvoir. Tandja . Vas t’en . Aller ouste .
Mr. Tandja, what you could not do in ten years, you will never do in two or three.  It is time for you to go.  You insult African democracy.  Mr. Tandja, you should have been a good example to your brothers holding onto power.  Tandja, get out of here.  Off you go.

author: Jennifer Brea


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Palestine: Israeli Soldiers Hand Children to Settlers · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Joy, a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams in the West Bank, describes the most horrifying situation she says she has witnessed: “Three boys were taken by the Israeli army and handed over to a group of masked settlers who insulted and beat them.”

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Palestine: The Future Of Gaza? · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

A foreign NGO worker in Gaza writing at The Ugliest Faces of Humanity tells us what many Gazans think their fate will be: “The moment Egypt opens up the border, over 40% of the population will leave, and only Hamas members will remain. Then Israel will launch another more aggressive attack and wipe out the Gaza Strip.”


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Russia: Blog Roundups · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The latest Russia Blog Roundup and the latest New Russia Blog review – at Siberian Light.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Erzya+Moksha=Mordvin Language? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia writes about possible consequences of the attempts to create “on the foundation of two separate languages, Erzya and Moksha, a single Mordvin literary language.”


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Russia: Gastarbeiters’ Incomes Down · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“Gastarbeiters in the Russian Federation are sending approximately 50 percent less money back to their homelands in the CIS than they did six months ago,” Window on Eurasia reports.


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Russia, U.S.: “Pravda on the Potomac” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The latest review of the Washington Post's Russia coverage – “Pravda on the Potomac” – at The Ivanov Report.


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Rwanda: Kagame buys copies of Dead Aid for entire cabinet · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The president of Rwanda seems to like a new book by Dambisa Moyo, Dead Aid: “Kagame bought copies of Dead Aid for his entire cabinet. Do Kenyan cabinet members even read (lets not get into the President)?”


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South Africa: Tag cloud of Zuma’s first State of the Nation speech · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

SentientBeing creates a tag cloud of South Africa's president first State of the Nation address: “If you, like me, lack both the time and the inclination to read through and decipher the speech, have a look at the tag cloud we've created of the entire address using Wordle. The full speech can be found here on the Government website.”


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Sri Lanka: More Journalists Harassed · Global Voices
Rezwan

Chitrangi informs that the Sri Lankan police arrested and interrogated another journalist who provided the initial information about journalist Poddala Jayantha’s abduction.


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Sri Lanka: Politics of Humanitarianism · Global Voices
Rezwan

Darini Rajasingham Senanayake at Groundviews discusses the aid game and the politics of humanitarianism is Sri Lanka's context.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Post It · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The Postmistress seems destined to be no longer a person in our neighbourhood,” laments Abeni, blogging from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.


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Swaziland: Prominent Human Rights Lawyer Arrested · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Prominent human rights lawyer in Swaziland has been arrested: “Proving that Mswati can give Mugabe a run for his money, prominent Swazi human rights lawyer, Thulani Maseko has been arrested and detained. Initially, charged under the Suppression of Terrorism Act, which at least would have provided an opportunity to challenge the legality of that Act, Thulani is now being charged under the Sedition Act.”


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Taiwan: Hiking to Jialuo Lake · Global Voices
David Reid

Jialuo Lake is at 2,300 metres altitude in the mountains of Northern Taiwan. Stu Dawson and Neil Wade blogged about hiking to the lake with many photos revealing the beauty of the area.

author: David Reid


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Tanzanian blogger faces jail term over manipulated photographic images · Global Voices
J. Nambiza Tungaraza

The Nairobi Chronicle reports that a Tanzanian blogger faces jail after publishing manipulated photographic images depicting Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete engaging in lewd sex acts.
According to Habari Leo , a Tanzanian newspaper[sw] the country’s police are seeking help from Interpol in tracing the owners and publishers of the blog.
Ze utamu (www.zeutamu.com), probably Tanzania's most controversial blog, came to the limelight by publishing a mixture of Tanzanian Diaspora gossip, nude and sex photographs of well known people as well as name-and-shaming articles. While it attracted many readers, the blog has also attracted criticism.
Some bloggers are of the opinion that the authorities did not care when posts about ordinary citizens were  posted at ze utamu.  A comment from a blog post at Watanzania Oslo blog that posted the Habari Leo article about the police hunt for ze utamu blog owners says:
Mtandao huu wa ze utamu umkuwepo kwa muda mrefu sana na watu wengi wasio na hatia (raia wa kawaida) wamedhalilishwa sana kupitia mtandao huo kwa picha zao kuwekwa bila ridhaa yao. nyingi ya hizo picha ni za utupu na hata zile ambazo siyo za utupu ziliwekwa bila ridhaa ya wahusika. hivi kuwekwa picha ya rais Kikwete ndo kile chombo kinachojifanya cha usalama kinakurupuka kuwasaka wenye mtandao? […]unafiki mkubwa na ufisadi aina nyingine huu. kudhalilishwa ni kudhalilishwa, ama iwe ni raia tu, kiongozi wa kawaida na hata rais.
That point was also raised by Happy Katabazi :
… wiki hii katika mtandao wa www.zeutamu.com mtandao ambao umejipambanua kwa ajili ya kupachika picha za utupu za watu wa kada zote na wanaotembelea mtandao huo huchangia mawazo yanayohusu maisha binafsi ya faragha za watu…
Na wakati mtandao huo ukiendelea kujipambanua mamlaka husika zimekuwa zikiukenulia meno mtandao huu hadi wiki hii ulipotundika picha ya kumdhalilisha rais wetu, ndipo mtandao huo umedhibitiwa kwani hivi sasa hata ukiufungua haufunguki.
During the heyday of ze utamu some bloggers started campaigns to stop the blog,  like the Anti-utamu [sw].
As the police search continues and  despite having many readers before its disappearance, bloggers and readers who have openly come out to support Ze Utamu owners can hardly be found – at least at the time of writing this post.

author: J. Nambiza Tungaraza


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Trinidad & Tobago: Having Fun  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“There are little things I do, or don’t do, which make me feel better about myself.  I hope doing these things would lead to happiness, fun, and less traffic”: Trinidad and Toabgo's This Beach Called Life explains.


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Ukraine: PRiBYuT · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana explains “the master plan about to be implemented by opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych (PRU) and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT)”: “Imagine Obama and McCain had chosen not to run. Imagine that, instead, they had agreed to rewrite the Constitution and appoint each other president and vice president, respectively. Imagine, also, that they had bribed Congress by extending its term to 2014.”


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Ukraine, Turkey: Sex Tourism · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Turkish Invasion writes about Turkish sex tourism (aka “morale tour for business partners”) in Ukraine.


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Africa: Interested in African Wildlife? Ask Erin · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ask Erin is a blog by Erin Keyes of African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) where she gives AWF supporters a forum for asking questions about African wildlife and AWF’s work in Africa.


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Arab World: What are Arabs waiting for?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Two bloggers on either side of the Arab world are mulling over the condition of Arabs, from the ocean to the gulf. One asks how long we will sit back for while other countries continue to build up and develop their arsenals and weapon stocks – and another wonders why Saudi Arabia doesn't have its own space programme.
Algerian blogger Bilad Talisman [Ar] wonders why Arabs are bystanders in the current “missiles” war:
From Saudi Arabia, American Bedu, an American married to a Saudi, asks why Saudi Arabia hasn't embarked on its own space programme:
I am curious why a rich country like Saudi Arabia has not chosen to have its own indigenous space program, instead depending on reliance and collaboration with allies? To date only one Saudi national has made it into space, Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud.
[…]
So why do you think Saudi Arabia with its resources and abilities has chosen not to have an indigenous space program of its own? I asked one Saudi for his take on this subject. His response was “Saudis can’t drive on the roads yet so how do you expect them to navigate space?” (of course that was said in jest but does make one wonder…

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Bahrain: Blogging Questions  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Redbelt is questioning the direction his blog is taking.”But I can't help to feel that … This blog is pointless…I have been thinking about making this an Arabic speaking blog. If this blog is to make a real impact, it should speak to the masses. Theme? I think I'd still stick with logic,” he thinks aloud.


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Bahrain: Fighting Fat at 40  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

CoolRed38, from Bahrain, started a new blog entitled Fighting the Fat at 40.


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Bahrain: On Saudi Arabia’s Corporal Punishment · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif comments on corporal punishment in neighbouring Saudi Arabia. “You do bad bad stuff in Saudi and you’re a foreigner, you get your ‘ead chopped off,” he warns.


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Bangladesh: Unicode Font In Bangla Newspapers · Global Voices
Rezwan

m@q at Here I am is frustrated reading the Bangla online newspapers, because most of them do not publish in the universal unicode compliant font and you have to install their fonts first to read them.


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Brazil: Land reform or deforestation boost for the Amazon? · Global Voices
Thiana Biondo

National land will be donated to Brazilians in a program called ‘Terra Legal’ (Legal Land), a package of measures to boost the government-backed redistribution of land and to establish rules for those who have lived and cultivated national land without being its legal owners.
The bill passed through Brazil's Chamber of Deputies last month and was approved in the Senate last night. It now heads for the President's signature. If approved, the move will grant land title to 300,000 properties illegally established across some 600,000 square kilometres of protected Amazon forest.
The rules set by Provisory Measure (MP) number 458, signed by Brazilian President Lula da Silva in February 2009, target mainly areas of the so called Legal Amazon – Brazil's largest socio-geographic area – raising major concerns and coming in for significant criticism from different groups within society.
On one hand, government members say that the project is going to help the forest out of deforestation; on the other hand environmentalists argue it is going to benefit land owners only, and that it will be the last straw for an Amazon rain forest already on its way to destruction.
Ana Cotta/Used with permission
Ana Cotta/Used with permission
Ana Cotta/Used with permission. A series of photos titled: "The beginning, the middle and the end"
Provisory Measure 458 allows the Government to transfer, without official bidding, up to 1.5 thousand hectares of its properties to settlers of the Legal Amazon areas. In a report published on Amazonia [pt], a website specialized in forest matters, Flávio Bonanome points out some problems:
Contrariando as últimas declarações polêmicas do Ministro do Meio Ambiente, Carlos Minc, que colocou a Medida Provisória 458 como uma “Vitória Ambientalista”, o especialista em ocupação humana e conflitos agrários na Amazônia e professor do Departamento de Geografia da Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Ariovaldo Umbelino de Oliveira, criticou a medida e afirmou que “A MP fere o princípio constitucional de função social da terra” (…)
Durante sua exposição, que durou cerca de 30 minutos, Oliveira criticou também os projetos fundiários do governo na Amazônia Legal.  “O Estado não deveria alimentar assentamentos na Amazônia.  Não há esta necessidade.  O problema é que o Estado não criou mecanismos para regular suas próprias terras.  Estão ao sabor das elites”, afirmou o pesquisador.
During his presentation, which lasted 30 minutes, Oliveira also criticised the Legal Amazon, the government land program. “The State should not encourage settlements in the Amazon. There is no need for this. The problem is that the State has not created mechanisms to rule its own lands. It has been up to the elite to decide”, said the researcher.
Ana Cotta/Used with permission
For some analysts, the main problem with the law is that it does not differentiate between those who want to work on the land; settling down and moving in with their families – typically low profile rural workers such as “posseiros” (peasant squatters); and those who only want to speculate on the land, getting as many plots as they can and then selling them at high prices. There are also  “grileiros“, land-grabbers who make use of violence in order to not be informed against when breaking laws.
Former Environment Minister (2004-2008) and PT Party Senator for the Brazilian state of Acre, Marina Silva has written articles and voiced her concerns in an interview for Notícias da Amazonia [Amazonia News, pt] which has been reproduced on some blogs. She says:
Primeiro, dificilmente a pessoa vai declarar que a posse é ilegal, que a ocupação não foi mansa e pacífica. Outro aspecto é que, para passar a terra pública para um particular, há dois requisitos constitucionais: quando se trata de altíssima relevância social e quando cumpre com a função social da terra. Os que entraram ilegalmente e usaram violência não cumprem a função social, e quem tem posses e não há nenhum problema social a ser atendido também não cumpre esse preceito.
Além disso, foi estabelecido que, após três anos, pode haver a venda da propriedade. Isso cria uma espécie de processo de enxugar gelo. Quem assegura que ele não vai grilar nova terra para, daqui a alguns anos, outra MP legalizar o acesso novamente?
Furthermore, it has been established that after three years, the land can be sold. This creates a law with no practical effects. Who can be sure that those who benefit are not going to sell (“grilar”) the land they receive, and then, in a few years, another law will legalize it?
Marina Silva continues in the same article:
Quem estuda a situação fundiária sabe que, no caso da Amazônia, em menos de dez anos a terra é novamente concentrada nas mãos de poucos. Há um processo muito grande de concentração, até mesmo em projetos de assentamento. E também sabemos que há a figura do laranja, que divide uma propriedade com o cunhado, com o vaqueiro…
Ana Cotta/Used with permission
The Provisory Measure has been modified and approved by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The  MP will still need Lula da Silva's approval or veto. As it is now, MP 458 modifies the legislation governing 64.7 million hectares in the Legal Amazon throughout 436 municipalities. Currently, the government will give ownership to others using the following criteria of land dimension: donating for up to 100 hectares; selling at a symbolic price for 101 to 400 hectares; and areas of between 401 and 1500 hectares will be on sale according to market price, with up to 20 year debt payoff.
Ironically, Katia Abreu was the  Senator appointed to lead the MP through the Congress. She is the leader of the rural group, which deals with land owner and farmers’ interests in the Senate. Elected by the State of Tocantins for the DEM Party, Abreu wants to increase the size of land that one person will be able to claim through MP 458, a move that has been criticized by many bloggers, such as Cândido Neto [pt]:
Aliás, a MP é problemática desde a origem. Afinal, a legislação agrária já permitia regularização de áreas até 500 hectares individualmente e outras formas de destinação com áreas maiores para populações tradicionais na Amazônia.
O aumento no tamanho de área visa atender unicamente ao setor ruralista e de grileiros, aliados do governo federal. Aliás, esta tal “regularização fundiária” nasceu com o ministro Mangabeira Unger, foi aplaudida por Carlos Minc e teve no MDA as piores idéias como a dispensa de vistorias, os títulos gratuitos e o fim das licitações em áreas de até 15 módulos. (…)
Agora, Kátia Abreu já fala em estender a área para 2,5 hectares, e ainda tornar a terra no preço “exeqüível”. São todas medidas absurdas, do começo ao fim.
The increase in the size of land only aims to meet “grileiros” and the rural sector's demands, both of them allies of the Federal Government. Actually, it was the Strategic Affairs Minister Roberto Mangabeira Unger who came up with this ‘land reform’ idea, which has been acclaimed by current Environment Minister Carlos Minc and received its worst suggestions from the Agrarian Development Ministry such as the exemption of official inspection, land donations and an end to the need for bidding on areas up to 1.5 thousands  hectares. […]
Now, Kátia Abreu is talking about increasing the mark area to 2.5 thousand of hectares, as well as making the land prices ‘undermost’. They are all absurd measures from beginning to end.
For the blogger from Azul Marinho com Pequi [pt] blog, Senator Abreu's ideas are harmful:
A senadora pelo Tocantins: Kátia Abreu do DEM mau assumiu a relatoria da MP 458 no senado é já inicia manobras no sentido de entregar as terras da amazônia ao agronegócio e ao capital internacional, ou seja aos grileiros das terra federais!!
There is another MP – number 452 – which has been worrying the Brazilian society because it declares that there will be no need for previous  environmental assessment or official environmental inspection before the construction of roads through areas in the Legal Amazon. Both MPs (458 and 452) are part of Lula da Silva's Growth Acceleration Program (known as PAC).
A group of non governmental organizations and artists have created a manifesto called Amazônia Para Sempre [Amazonia Forever, pt], in which they appeal to the Senators not to approve these  MPs. Through their website they are calling Brazilian people to sign the manifesto to be sent to the Senators by e-mail. So far, 1 million people have signed the petition.
Cândido Neto‘s [pt] concludes that, should the package of rules make it into law, the following will have happened:
Inverte-se a prioridade de destinação de terras públicas que é pela ordem deve ser terras indígenas, unidades de conservação e assentamentos rurais.
Ana Cotta/Used with permission

author: Thiana Biondo


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Canada, Russia: Mikhail Lennikov’s Case · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Robert Amsterdam's Blog – on Mikhail Lennikov's Canada deportation case.


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China: Why blocking popular social websites? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

TechXav gave three main reasons explaining why the Chinese government decided to block popular social websites: competitions, sensitive contents and national security.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Cuba, USA: OAS Says “Yes” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

After 47 years, the Organization of American States has lifted its ban on Cuba's admission to the group, with most member states restoring ties with the island nation.  The United States, which still maintains a trade embargo against Cuba, was the notable exception, as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham-Clinton advocated for democratic and human rights reforms in Cuba as pre-requisites to the island's readmission.  But the opinions of other hemispheric leaders, some of which were previewed at the recent 5th Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, won out.  Cuba is free to be part of the OAS – despite its leadership's statements suggesting that it has no interest in returning.  A few bloggers are making their feelings known…
Circles Robinson, writing for Havana Times, says:
Hillary Clinton left San Pedro de Sula, Honduras for Egypt on Tuesday wondering whether her lobbying effort on behalf of the Obama administration to keep Cuba suspended from the Organization of American States (OAS) would work. It didn’t.
The message from Honduras was that there is no reason to keep Cuba out, leaving it up to the government of Raul Castro to decide when and whether the island chooses to resume active membership.
In a related matter, El Salvador restored diplomatic relations with the Cuba on Monday, leaving the US as the only country in the Western Hemisphere without normal ties with the Caribbean island.
The Cuban Triangle quotes the full text of the adopted OAS resolution, while Along the Malecon gives a comprehensive overview of the positions of different member states.  Quoting Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, who commented, “The Cold War has ended this day in San Pedro Sula. We begin a new era of fraternity and tolerance”, the blogger quips:
If there is a new era of brotherhood, I'm not so sure it's reached every corner of Washington – or South Florida.
As if to confirm his suspicions, diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense has the last word:
The OAS readmits Cuba…and yet all those Cubans whose names are on the right sidebar of this blog remain in prison.
As a region, Latin America has made tremendous strides towards democracy over the past couple of years. Only one country – Cuba, which for much of its Castro-era history has tried to undermine its neighbors – is ruled by an unelected dictatorship, when that sort of tyranny used to be more of the norm in the hemisphere.
But with its decision Wednesday to readmit Cuba, the Organization of American States betrayed those in their respective countries who sacrificed so much to accomplish that progress towards democracy.
There's a lot of change, some of it maybe warranted, in how the world, including the United States, is dealing with Cuba. But until there is change in Cuba, and by Cuba, it all rings quite hollow and smells quite awful.
The OAS’ open door may still prove to be a moot point: it all depends on whether or not Cuba chooses to walk through it.


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Dominica: Going Green?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“It’s obvious that business as usual, handouts as usual and corruption as usual in our nature isle is not getting us where we want to go”: Dominica Weekly sees merit in talk of a “green economy” for the island.


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D.R. of Congo: First field visit after the war · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Makambo shares his thoughts on his first field visit after the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “The eastern DRC near Virunga National Park went through some rough times due to the recent war.  Consequently, field visits have been very limited. I am happy that I can now travel again in this region, which is slowly building its own peace.”


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Fiji: Five taxicab conversations · Global Voices
Michael Hartsell

Most taxi drivers in Suva, Fiji are quiet and uneventful.  Every so often, however, you'll run into the driver who is the anti-barman, reports Paradise Fiji Blog. Instead of listening to your problems, these drivers are full of opinions and stories. Here lie five topics you'll most likely hear in a cab in Fiji.

author: Michael Hartsell


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India: Reaction To The Obama Speech To The Muslim World · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sujatha at Blogpourri comments on US president Barack Obama's speech to the Muslim World in Cairo University today: “the speech is most definitely worth a read and worth sharing with our children.”


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Israel: Obama focused on things with unite, not divide  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Writing at Jewlicious, Dahlia reacts to Obama's speech in Cairo saying: “In his speech, he focused on the things which unite, rather than divide.”


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Jamaica, Barbados: H1N1 Cases  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica's Girl With a Purpose and Barbados’ Cheese-on-bread! and Bajan Dream Diary report on the islands’ first cases of the H1N1 virus.


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Jordan: Air France Tragedy and the Bermuda Triangle  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian Hareega is outraged with the conspiracy theories being discussed in Arabic Press over the Air France plane crash. “I don't know much about flying routes, but I'm sure a plane flying from Rio de Janero directly to Paris can never pass through Bermuda triangle!! Also, some Arabs need to learn how to shut the f— up,” he notes.


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Jordan: Angry at Commercial Shoot  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The Black Iris, from Jordan, is angry that permission was given to film a commercial on a busy road, during rush hour. “Who in their right mind allowed an advertising company to shoot a commercial for at least two hours on one of the busiest traffic circles in the entire country and in the morning of a busy workday!?” he asks.


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Jordan: Reactions to Obama’s Speech  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian Ali Dahmash posts reactions of friends and colleagues from around the Middle East to US President Barack Obama's policy address in Cairo.


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Jordan: SMS Updates on Obama’s Cairo Speech  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Following US President Barack Obama's visit to Egypt today? Jordanian blogger Ali Dahmash provides links on how receive SMS updates on Obama's historic speech. Details are available here.


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Kenya: Kenyan photographer banned on Facebook for “controversial” statements · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kenyan photographer is banned from Facebook because of statements calling for political change: “Commenting on the issue he said, “I was removed from Facebook due to controversial updates calling for political change and the youth to stop hero worshiping tribal leaders who have messed up our country.” One of his last comments before his profile was deleted was “Kenyans elect criminals to parliament all you need is money to get elected.” He had over 1,500 friends.”


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Liberia: Connecting Liberian at home and abroad · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Shelby writes about a news website called Ceasefire Liberia where Liberians at home and in the diaspora can connect with each other.


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Liberia: Miss Grand Bass County wins Miss Liberia 2009 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nat blogs about Miss Liberia 200: “The long-delayed and much awaited Miss Liberia 2009 Pageant was finally staged Saturday night, May 9, 2009 at the historic Centennial Memorial Pavilion in Monrovia (at an unusual venue) with Miss Grand Bassa County (Shu-rina Wiah) being named the Queen that will ably represent the nation’s image at the upcoming Miss World Beauty Pageant…”


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Myanmar: Collapse of an Ancient Pagoda · Global Voices
tan

An ancient pagoda collapsed while it was going under renovation, killing at least 5 people, injuring many workers and pilgrims.
Collapsed Danoke Pagoda (from New Era Journal)
The 180-foot Danoke Pagoda is situated in Dala Township, which is across the Yangon River, in Yangon Division. The pagoda was originally damaged during Cyclone Nargis, so it had been going under renovation.
Just on May 7th, 2009, there had been an umbrella-hoisting ceremony at Danoke Pagoda, which was attended by military leader Senior General Than Shwe's wife.
The New Era Journal reported:
An old woman who lives in Danoke Village near the pagoda said, “What happened was around 2pm, the hti-taw (ornamental finial of the pagoda) collapsed first, yet there was no strong wind blowing. At that time, the renovation team on scaffolding tried to adjust the collapsed hti-taw again. About 10 minutes later, I heard a roar and the whole top part of the pagoda collapsed, raising dust and everything turned black. I was lucky, but one of my sons who was working injured his skull, and another son had a bruise on his shoulder and a backache.”
Eyewitnesses said there were about 100 people at the pagoda at that time, including the pagoda renovation team, and those who volunteers at the pagoda on Saturday and Sunday. Among them were navy officers who were volunteering at the pagoda, and many of them were also injured.
An eyewitness said to New Era Journal:
“The pagoda was going through its final stage, ready to be covered with gold leaf, so there were a lot of people on the scaffolding. So it was difficult to jump down and escape. There are at least 50 people still trapped under the rubble. About 50 injured were carried off as in-patients to hospitals.”
A red-cross volunteer at the scene said:
“So far, there have been 5 deaths. The bodies have already been carried out. There are still people who are buried and we're trying to save them.”
The above quotes from New Era Journal article were translation done by the author. The original article was written in Burmese language.

author: tan


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Pakistan: The Realities Of The War With Taliban · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sana Saleem at Mystified Justice comments on Pakistan's ongoing war with Taliban: “the war must go on till we rid ourselves from the insurgency that has cost us much more than human lives. Regardless of what must be done I find myself dumbfounded at the things at stake.”


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Russia: Google Squared Declares Medvedev Dead · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Profy reports that “[a]ccording to Google Squared, [president] Medvedev presumably died on the 20th of May when a famous Russian actor actually died so the search engine grabbed the mistake from all the publication that covered the actor’s death along with the fact that Medvedev commiserated on his death […].”


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Russia: “Lenin’s Suit” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog writes about the routine of getting Lenin dressed and preserved, 85 years since his death.


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Russia: “Letters from Russia” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A report on daily life in the Western Urals city of Izhevsk – at OpenDemocracy.net.


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Russia: The Programmer’s Day · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Profy writes about the initiative to add yet another official state holiday to the Russian calendar: the Programmer’s Day.


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Russia: Tornado Near Moscow · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Photos and video of yesterday's tornado near Moscow – at LJ user bukvalno‘s blog (RUS).


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Sri Lanka: A Suppressed Nation · Global Voices
Mathy Kandasamy

According to channel 4 approximately 20,000 people have been killed in the final battle between LTTE and Sri Lankan army. There are reports that from more than 300,000 IDPs ‘13,000 people are missing from their camps in Sri Lanka‘. Innercitypress, an UN watchdog, comments that this information is being downplayed by UN.
‘Aid workers forced to leave Sri Lanka under strict new visa rules‘ says a Timesonline report dated June 3, 2009. While access to many IDP camps are still not possible for the international journalists and aid workers, and the information are being suppressed, it is hard to hear the voices from these IDP camps.
IDP Camps in Sri Lanka, Image by Foreign and Commonwealth Office, used under a Creative Commons License
Regini David, a human rights, women and workers’ rights activist, has been working with vulnerable people for the past 23 years. In her blog, ‘Unheard Voices‘, she has started writing about the very unheard voices from Sri Lanka, voices of the people she worked with. Her extensive experience includes her work in ‘Poorani Women's Centre’, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. She chronicles one of her personal experiences in ‘Our lost dark nights of war in Sri Lanka: Women and rape‘.
One day Pat Ready and I went to the army camp and informed Captain George that we are a non-violent group and his soldiers should not come to our centre, especially inside without permission. Pat told him that she will be traveling to Colombo and asked him to tell his army to not to come to our centre or frighten the women who are living there. She informed him that if proper action is not taken, she would report to the International Community. He agreed and came to see and toured the centre.
The day Pat left, Captain George came to our doors at late night, drunk with his gun slung over his shoulder. We had hired a new administrator from Jaffna University.  As soon as we saw Army Captain and his gun, many women and my sisters who came to visit the centre on that day and my grandmother hide themselves under the bed and in rooms. The administrator and two other women tried to talk to him while the Tamil armed group who came with him waited outside. I hid myself behind the front door. The administrator started to talk. George was asking all the questions as he pretended not to know any information about the centre. He requested her to take him to show the place that we are going to use for nursery which was filled with bushes and was dark. The administrator started to shake and cry but her feet were moving. I know why he asked her and what he wanted. I came out and said “Hi Captain George! Why do you want to see again. You came here before and were informed that you and your group cannot come here. Why are you here?” He was startled to see me there. He said that he was just checking to see if we are all safe. I said if there were any problem, we would inform and requested him to leave. He  left. Even though I was so terrified and shaking, I had to do this to save our sisters and me. I felt very strong at that time even though I did not belong to the same status as Dr.Rajini and Pat and was very young at that time. I spoke out for the first time against an army and have never seen even my mother or neighbours challenge the army.
That night, we slept in one of our neighbor’s house. The old woman had asthma. So many boots walked in the SARUHUKAL (dry leaves) and kicked Poorani’s doors throughout the night. The sound squeezed our hearts. The old women, our neighbour’s asthma started acting up  and she could not breath. She was making so much noise, we had to hold her mouth and block her breathing on and off to save all of us. That night our eyes did not close. I can not explain the fear and sorrow till the boots and the smell left us that morning.
She continued:
We learnt when we hide we get assaulted, so we decided to stay together but they the terrifying men selected us by the look of our body and asked to go to the rooms for check up  with them. With their gun inside our mouth they tested if our breast are bombs or if we carry guns in our vagina. Our voice were blocked inside the gun barrel stuck inside mouth. Our body become the frozen ice as blood became frozen inside our body as our eyes were looking for help. There is no rule or hands to wipe our tears of blood. We let our entire body to be frozen.   There are so many tests happened to my friends and sisters like this but we keep quite and only told our mothers.
Worse is that these women will continue to be affected by their experiences, says Regini:
It did not stop. We, as women carry the dirt feeling and effect with us everywhere we go. I have counseled many women who do not want to let their husbands touch  their bodies. And their voice is again buried within themselves as they were afraid that they would be abandoned by their husbands and society.
Washinton Post's Emily Wax wrote ‘Privacy Goes Public in Sri Lanka – During Military Checks, Modesty Is a Casualty‘ in March, 2009 confirming about these violations in the name of control. Alex Crawford of Sky News, UK wrote of ‘Claims Of Abuse In Sri Lankan Refugee Camps‘ on May 21, 2009 with an accompanying video.
Regini David, in her post titled ‘Buried for years in our backyards: Stories of Rape, Hunger, and Death from SriLankan Tamil Women‘ talks about her personal experience in a camp in the childhood and how these stories are buried:
I became an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) when I was just 13 years old. Our house was bombed out. We did not know where to go. We ran and ran. The stench of corpses was everywhere. They were not just dead bodies. They were my uncles, sisters, friends and neighbours.
[..]
The Sri Lankan Government told the world that my uncles are safe… The Sri Lankan government told the world that my sisters did not get raped. They told the world that it was not true. But the truth is they are all gone.
Our stories are buried in our backyards, but our nights are full of these stories.
Protesting the silence of international community Britain's Tim Martin, a former aid worker has been on a hunger strike for the past 15 days in London, which has gone almost unreported in the mainstream media.
The war has ended but threats to free speech still persist in Sri Lanka. A reputed journalist Sunanda Deshapriya quotes ‘Reporters Sans Frontiers’ in his post titled ‘Journalists trying to cover fate of Tamils threatened, obstructed- RSF‘. Meanwhile, J.S. Tissainayagam, mentioned by President Obama in a statement released on May 1, 2009 in honor of World Press Freedom Day still languishes in jail.
Another Sri Lanka journalist, ‘a Sinhalese this time was attacked‘ says CPJ – Committee to Protect Journalists. A Sri Lankan rights group had also received some threats the day after the journalist was attacked. ‘Stark warnings for those seen traitors in Sri Lanka‘ says Reuters.
Innercitypress ‘reports that‘ UN was unhappy with the reporting on Sri Lanka by the press, particularly Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and Inner City Press and planned to take actions.
So do all these impact on the normalization of the situation? Udara Soysa comments that the Sri Lankan Govt's conduct on IDPs will determine the future Sinhala-Tamil relationship‘.

author: Mathy Kandasamy


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Sri Lanka: A Virtual Eelam For Tamils · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indi.ca informs that “TamilNet is calling for a virtual reality Eelam for the Tamils, independent of any land” and comments whether this is logical in any way.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Mas’ 2009 · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Much like other carnival festivities in the Caribbean, Vincy Mas is a celebration of African culture, European tradition, and Caribbean folklore”: Repeating Islands blogs about upcoming Carnival celebrations in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.


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The right to know in Fiji  · Global Voices
Michael Hartsell

Jonathan, the writer of the blog Oceanic: User Experiences from the South Pacific reports on a consumer complaint against his Fiji-based advertising agency stating that his advert for a local ISP attempts to benefit from the Swine Flu epidemic (now called H1N1) by misleading consumers into thinking internet service “is like a prescription drug.” He wonders how people can protest against his work, while much of the local media prints “sensationalist” and “inaccurate” headlines about the flu scare.


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Translator of the week: Carolina Chandra Rumuat · Global Voices
Claire Ulrich

Carolina Chandra Rumuat is spinning a new planet in the Global Voices-Lingua galaxy of languages: Global Voices in Bahasa Indonesia. Say what? In Bahasa Indonesia, the official language of no less than 237 million Indonesians. In truly globalized fashion, Carolina from Indonesia translates and nurtures the brand new Lingua website all the way from… Morocco!
Carolina Chandra Rumuat
Carolina, the West is practically clueless about your native language. What should we know ?
There are 700 or so languages in Indonesia, almost all of them living, spoken languages. In 1928, Indonesia declared Bahasa Indonesia the national language, the language of unity for everyone in this archipelagic country. Indonesian – or Bahasa Indonesia – is the fourth most spoken language in the world
How do you fit in this vast, very diverse, young country ?
In Indonesia, I'm considered three parts minority — well, at least, I was during President Suharto's New Order era: I'm a Christian Protestant, not a Muslim, I am half Chinese, and I'm a woman. I was very close to my Chinese maternal grandparents who practically raised me. Thanks to them, I learned the importance of knowledge, and that some virtues simply stand the test of time. Like, that you should be there for those in need, and be responsive to those under oppression. My grandparents are very Chinese, but luckily their life virtues didn't come solely from the Little Red Book. Sure, hard work is something they stressed, but so was the virtue of a quiet mind (a.k.a patience) I'm a nerdy type and I don't let my passions turn lukewarm. I found writing addictive. It's not just an outlet, it brings me joy. After college, I worked as a news writer in Jakarta, then as assistant journalist in a foreign news agency in Bali.
From Bali to Casablanca, Morocco…What happened ?
In Bali, I met and fell in love with my soulmate. After a while, we had to come to terms with the fact that his business needs him to be in Morocco. Since neither of us wanted to part, I simplified the decision-making process and came with him to Morocco.
Besides this, I also learned that the media is changing quickly. Online media is no longer an alternative: it is the future. I have mixed feelings about this, but one of the good points is that at least we can spare the forests. I'm an impulsive blogger, at Between Birth and Burial, and I have huge interest in new media.
How and when did you get acquainted with Global Voices ?
My fiancé first showed me Global Voices sometime last year. I read the website and without even reading the manifesto, I knew that Global Voices embodies one of those “changes” of dynamism in online journalism. Without a second thought, I bombarded Leonard and Portnoy, heads of the Lingua project, with email pleas. I wanted to be involved because I know that Indonesians’ interest in reading is low. I think that, perhaps, if news is published in their native language, their interest in international issues will grow.
President Suharto's era caused people to curb their curiosity, and now is a good time to fix that — Indonesia is one of the world's youngest democracies. That's why I sincerely feel that people should be better informed about their rights, including freedom of speech. My first translation appeared in December 2008, a few days after I officially joined. Lingua is a good platform because it encourages people not to keep their troubles to themselves, it helps them realize that in some ways our lives are amalgamated with the rest of the world, even though we speak different languages.
How did Carolina from Indonesia adapt to Morocco?
Culture shock made me slow in socializing. I landed a job about 2 months ago in an Internet start up. It allows me to learn new things about myself and how to manage people despite our cultural differences. The bright side of my job is that it allows me to meet new people and see how they see live.
Casablanca reminds me a lot of Jakarta. Big and still growing, with a cosmopolitan charm that lures people from smaller cities to try their luck here. It also has a lot of contradictions. We can see women in burqas waiting at a bus stop next to a girl wearing a miniskirt and fishnet stockings. The biggest mosque in Maghreb is only a stone's throw away from the nightlife district, which I find interesting. I haven't had much chance to travel around the country yet. The Moroccans I know say that Casablanca is not Morocco. But so far, I think Morocco is a charming country. It's not the easiest country to live in for most Asians (including myself), but all experiences are valuable. It gives me lots of material for my blog.
Please introduce us to your first volunteer translators!
Global Voices in Bahasa Indonesia currently has 4 active translators including myself. Galuh Tahtya is one of my college buddies. After moving to Casablanca, we started to swap news, and one day I told her about the Lingua project. She decided to join.
Then came Ivan Lanin, the director of Wikimedia Indonesia, who also showed interest in volunteering. We found Oktavia Sidharta through Portnoy of Global Voices in Chinese, while our latest addition, Juliana Harsianti, is also an acquaintance of mine back in Jakarta. She is currently studying in Oslo, Norway with a scholarship laureate in online media.
Global Voices in Indonesian is still a baby but we hope that it will grow as big as Global Voices in French or in Spanish. I have some plans I wish to implement soon. I want to introduce Global Voices’ mission to Indonesian young minds, especially those living on the island of Bali. I also wants to get in touch with my school and bring the Lingua project to their attention. I wish to share the beauty of volunteering with youth and the Indonesian public in general. Global Voices in Indonesian is taking it one step at a time, and it's truly a labor of love.
Global Voices in Bahasa Indonesia has a Facebook page!

author: Claire Ulrich


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Ukraine: Eyewitness Accounts of Crimean Tatar Deportation · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

J. Otto Pohl links to the witness accounts of the Crimean Tatar deportations posted on the The International Committee for Crimea site.


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USA: Journalists to Stand Trial in North Korea · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

On June 4, two American journalists will stand trial in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) for illegal entry into the country.  The two women, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, both Asian-American journalists with Current TV, were detained on March 17, but despite the fame of Ling's sister (Lisa Ling, special correspondent for the National Geographic Channel, Oprah, and CNN), little attention has been paid by the mainstream media to the two women, partly due to the sensitive diplomatic situation.
But on the eve of their trial, the blogosphere is abuzz with talk of the journalists’ fate.  U.S.-based blogger Angry Asian Man has the scoop on where to find more information on Ling and Lee:
Now more than ever, it's extremely important that people are made aware of Euna Lee and Laura Ling's situation. To learn more, visit this Facebook group, which is being regularly updated with information on what you can do to help. Spread the word. Free Euna and Laura!
Brenna Hamilton, who blogs at The Art School Girl of Doom Rides Again, pleads with readers to show support for Ling and Lee:
To show my support as a long-time friend of the family, I ask you to join me in my efforts to secure Laura and Euna’s immediate release. Due to the sensitive international diplomatic ramifications, the families have refrained from speakaing publicly on the situation.
The blogger lists a number of ways to get involved, and adds:
Whatever you do, please be positive in expressing your support. It's doesn't help Laura and Euna’s cause to engage in negative speech or activities, so I will no longer be constructing L'il Kim™ effigies and/or partaking in my infamous Photoshop defacing antics. The singular goal of everyone involved is the immediate and safe return of the two terribly missed journalists.
One of several bloggers on the Korean-American group blog Kimchi Mamas expressed her thoughts as to why the journalists’ story has garnered so little attention in the mainstream media:
I know that a lot of us have been watching the news since Euna Lee and Laura Ling were captured, wondering why there haven't been substantial news reports on their plight. Yes, we understood that it's a sensitive situation, that North Korea is unpredictable and that there were surely efforts going on behind the scenes. But as news reports about an American ship captain captured by pirates and then dramatically rescued and then more recently the flurry of news surrounding Roxana Saberi's trial, conviction, appeal and release, the silence around Euna and Laura weighed heavily on my mind.
Several Facebook groups call for support for Laura Ling and Euna Lee
In addition to the blog posts, numerous groups have popped up on Facebook to express solidarity with Ling and Lee, including this one and this one.  A petition has also been initiated.
Despite the outpouring of support, the media surmises that Lee and Ling will likely face harsh punishment.  The New York Times states that the two women could face years in a labor camp; the LA Times suggests that such a sentence could be for up to 15 years.
For more information and updates on Euna Lee and Laura Ling, visit the Committee to Protect Journalists, where, on the recently updated article, one concerned citizen expressed the reason support of the two journalists is so critical:
Of course high risk journalism has high risk consequences. This is all the more reason that we should support Ms.Ling and Ms.Lee, and other journalists who take great personal risks to provide information to the public.
There are brave voices of activists and writers who speak from within the borders of their nations. There are also brave international journalists who bring information to the world. Both should be defended by those of us living in comfort,safety and peace.

author: Jillian C. York


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U.S. Virgin Islands: Mild Season? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

News of St. John links to a report which suggests that “the hurricane season which began Monday may be quite mild in the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Vietnam: Saigon Digital Marketing Conference · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

David provides a good overview of the recently held Saigon Digital Marketing conference in Vietnam. Check in particular the highly informative paper of Ralf Matthaes on Internet and Media Shifts in Vietnam.

author: Mong Palatino


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Bahrain: Photos from the Museum  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Urang Awak, who is based in Bahrain, visits the Bahrain National Museum and posts those photographs of headstones from the ancient Dilmun Era.


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Barbados: Multiculturalism  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Ultimately, both the concern that multiculturalism damages a political landscape and the concern that multiculturalism leads to volatile social conditions boil down to the question of integration”: Zak Rose, guest blogging at Bajan Dream Diary, examines whether immigration fears in Barbados are a self-fulfilling prophesy.


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Bosnia & Herzegovina: Savo Heleta’s “Not My Turn to Die” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Greater Surbiton reviews Savo Heleta's “Not My Turn to Die: Memoirs of a Broken Childhood in Bosnia.”


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China: Dog massacre · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A county, Yangxian, in Shaanxi province killed every single dog there on 31 of May. ChinaSMACK translated the brief story and netizen comments from MOP.


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Cuba: Thanks, but no thanks  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Generation Y considers the lifting of the long-standing OAS ban on Cuba to be “like another hand offered, a new door opened, only to face the Cuban government’s unwillingness to accept it.”


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Czech Republic: Day Trips from Prague · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Journeys of Captain Oddsocks reviews some of the best day trips from Prague.


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Czech Republic: Entropa · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

CzechFolks.com reports that Entropa will be on display in the Czech Republic from June 12 through January 2010.


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Czech Republic: Susan Boyle in Prague · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Czech Daily Word reports that Susan Boyle “will visit Prague in late June/early July to record her album – with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra.”


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Egypt: Role of Translation in Social Web Projects  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

George Weyman, from the Meedan blog, continues to discuss the role of translation in social web projects.


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Ghana: Speculation, excitement and hopes over Obama’s visit · Global Voices
Gayle Pescud

Just over six months since a change in Ghana’s administration following peaceful elections in December 2008 and, coincidentally, six months since the highly-publicised change in the US administration, the President of the USA, Barack Obama, will touch down in Ghana for two days in early July on his first official visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office.
The announcement, made in May, caused great excitement among Ghanaians at every level of society. From street traders, to young urban professionals, to the newly elected Members of Parliament, the chatter was all about one thing. All Africa quoted a car mechanic, Mr Henry Boahene, of Accra, as saying,
I will not work that weekend and I’ll do all that it takes to be among the crowd to wave at his motorcade — for me, that alone is fulfilling.
But, across the continent Africans have been asking, “Why Ghana?” Many commentators are suggesting that the choice to visit Ghana first is an explicit endorsement of the nation's recent peaceful elections and that the USA values peace and democracy above personal affiliations and more powerful nations.
In Notes from Atlanta, Nigerian blogger Farooq Kperogi, writes:
Pundits familiar with the politics and symbolism of American foreign presidential visits posit that Obama’s choice of Ghana as the first country to visit in black Africa could very well be a signal of the tenor of his relationship with Africa, about which he is yet to articulate a well-defined foreign policy.
It will be defined, they say, by a show of enthusiastic approval for countries that are adjudged to be making noticeably measurable progress towards democracy and good governance and of “tough love” to those countries, such as Nigeria and Kenya, that are adjudged as squandering their potential and being mired in the mud of corruption and inept leadership.
And he quotes the White House in a statement that underlines most commentators’ thoughts:
The president and Mrs. Obama look forward to strengthening the U.S. relationship with one of our most trusted partners in sub-Saharan Africa, and to highlighting the critical role that sound governance and civil society play in promoting lasting development,” the White House said in a written statement.
Unsurprisingly, many suggest that Ghana’s oil discoveries will be on the agenda. Amedor of All Voices asks,
Is it for a mere visit or for America's gain especially in our newly found oil?
Whilst modest in world terms at an estimated 600 million barrels, production will begin in 2010 and revenue to the Ghanaian government is expected to exceed $1 billion annually.
A rather more optimistic Elizabeth Dickinson of the “Foreign Policy” blog  asks,
Wouldn't it be nice to buy oil from a country with a relatively clean record in human rights, governance, and economic management? That's a far cry fro the United States's third-largest current supplier, Nigeria, just next door. Of course, there are worries that Ghana could fall into the same rent-collecting state model, but it seems determined to resist that slip. And maybe that would be a good topic for Obama to pointedly discuss while visiting.
One would expect the President to raise this issue. Even a perfunctory glance of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index in any year  shows a strong correlation between corruption, conflict and oil rich developing nations such as Chad, Sudan, Nigeria and Angola.
Certainly bilateral trade, whether obtaining a share of oil production or other goods and services, will be on the agenda. And Ghanaians, like much of Africa, would prefer trade over aid. The Ghanaian foreign ministry was quoted in All Africa:
We should try to push ideas to get the international institutions to modify their conditions and processes in our favour so that we can trade, rather than always asking for aid.
The ministry must presume that the USA possesses the clout and motivation to influence those institutions. Trade or aid? Either way, how an enhanced bilateral relationship with the USA may transform living standards for the average Ghanaian earning less than $2 a day, well, only time will tell. Certainly peace and good governance—before and after oil starts flowing—must prevail no matter who buys the oil.

author: Gayle Pescud


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India: Do Not Evict The Chakmas · Global Voices
Rezwan

Paritosh Chakma at Musings of a Chakma draws attention to the fact that in Mizoram state of India the land of many Chakma indigenous population have been acquired by the government to make way to border fencing along the Mizoram-Bangladesh border. “There is no plan to rehabilitate the displaced Chakmas who form about half of the state’s Chakma population,” informs the blogger.

author: Rezwan


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India: Liberalizing The Education Sector · Global Voices
Rezwan

While discussing the recent increase of attacks on Indian students in Australia, Atanu Dey opines that the Indian Education sector should be liberalized, so that the Indian students do not have to go abroad for higher studies.


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Iran:Interactive blogosphere · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Harvard's Berkman Center's Internet and Democracy Project presents an interactive Iranian blogoshere map.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Israel/Palestine: Commemorating the Nakba and Debating Loyalty · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

May 15 is Nakba Day, when Palestinians commemorate the creation of Israel and subsequent Palestinian displacement and dispossession. Shortly after the day this year, a controversial piece of legislation was proposed in the Knesset banning commemoration of the Nakba. Two other bills were recently proposed, one introducing a pledge of allegiance to Israel as a Jewish state, and another criminalising public denial of Israel as a Jewish state. While the “loyalty law” has been rejected, and the Nakba bill has  been amended, the fact that the bills were introduced at all has prompted debate and protest.
It’s me has been contemplating the annual Nakba commemorations:
Total silence.
Reacting to the “loyalty law”, The Other Door has written a sarcastic post in the personae of various Palestinian citizens of Israel:

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Jamaica: High Teen Pregnancy and Sexual Violence Rates · Global Voices
Juhie Bhatia

Despite increased awareness of contraception, adolescent pregnancy continues to be a major health problem in Jamaica with 35 percent of Jamaican women having their first pregnancy by age 19. Most of these pregnancies are not planned.
In a study  released in March, 94 percent of the pregnant teens interviewed said that their pregnancies were unintended. The same study showed high rates of sexual violence among pregnant and non-pregnant teens. It found that almost  half of the 15- to 17-year-old female teens in Kingston, Jamaica, who were interviewed reported experiencing sexual coercion or violence. One-third of these teens said that they had been persuaded or forced to participate in their first sexual experience.
Besides forced sex, UNICEF attributes high teen pregnancy rates in Jamaica to factors such as a low rate of contraceptive use, an early age for sexual initiation, exchanging sex for resources, and poor access to information and skills on safe and responsible sex.
Thinkbass describes this scene she witnessed when working as an intern in a hospital in St. Catherine, Jamaica. She says:
“On a duty night it is a norm for me to see two or three incomplete miscarriages (we do not like the term abortions anymore)…The majority are under 30 years of age with a few being over 40 and an alarming number being under 21 years. The shocking nature of the problem is best understood in short anecdotes.
Age 16 Problem: Incomplete miscarriage
Alarming feature (AF): Asketh the stupid doctor (me) ‘What’s the name of the partner (baby father)?’ A dumb stare then a mumbled ‘Zingy’. I sigh and drop the pen. ‘What’s his real name?’ She looks at me then turns to her mother for help…The mother asks me to wait while she goes outside to ascertain the man’s name. Yes, you understood correctly. She does not even know this man’s name! She has been offering him her young body and his name she does not know. He is at least 30.”
Sasha D., responding to a Jamaica Gleaner blog post, shares her own story of being a pregnant teen. She says the only thing that saved her was her mother:
“At age 17, fresh out of High School, innocent to the world and ignorant of men, I found myself pregnant after partying for one single night. Boyfriend, who had been only just that, took advantage of the fact that he was leaving the island, and I was too drunk to say no! And so after 2 minutes…perhaps seconds..of ruckus…that’s exactly what it was I think….I became pregnant.
Who did I turn to? Mom! Mom was hurt, upset, angry, mad, ashamed even….but she locked it all in, and stood by me….every step of the way. And because of that I got the courage, the inspiration to move on ahead after the baby was born. I went back to school, graduated from college, and went on to University. What if Mom had turned me out? Where would I have gone? What would I have become?”
Sasha D.'s story is apparently not the norm. Only 34 percent of adolescent mothers return to school after giving birth in Jamaica. The March study adds  that adolescent pregnancy also contributes to increased maternal and child morbidity and mortality, and a decreased likelihood of mom becoming gainfully employed.
Bob, also responding to the Jamaica Gleaner blog post, proposes one solution to help bring down teen pregnancy rates. He says:
“Most Jamaican parents are so ashamed of their body parts, and their sexuality that they cant discuss sex with their young teenage daughters. And they don’t know that by doing so it will come to bite them in the butt. when you don’t teach your kids how can you blame them?…i urge parent to start teaching their girl children about sex at age 10.”
Others argue that Jamaica's abortion laws need to be loosened, so women and teenage girls have access to safe and legal abortions. A blog post on The Perception and Self-Perception of Women and Their Effects on Health Globally elaborates on these laws:
“Abortion in Jamaica is still a federal crime except in some cases, (governed by an ambiguous “common law”),“(i) significant fetal abnormality; (ii) where pregnancy would represent a threat to the welfare or health of the mother and (iii) in cases where pregnancy is an outcome of rape or incest;” however, as of 2004, the third leading cause of maternal mortality in Jamaica was unsafe abortions.”
Jamaican Gordon Swaby blogs about his belief that abortion should be legalized in Jamaica. He says:
“Who the hell decides what i can and cannot do with an unborn child, it’s rubbish i tell you. So many children are being born in unprepared and immature families. These idiots prefer a child to be born and end up on the streets because their parents could not take care of them, and it’s not like the state has an effective system in place to take care of these children…if they are going to make the decision not to legalize abortion in Jamaica, don’t do it on a religious basis, do it on a logical one.”
Other solutions the study suggests to combat teen pregnancy include encouraging adolescents to delay when they first have sex and discouraging multiple partnerships. It also says that gender-based violence needs to be addressed at the community level.
Thinkbass adds that women and girls also need to start respecting themselves. She says:
“There are many pregnant teenagers with their soon to be 30 year old grandmothers. There are many women on their fifth or more pregnancy and desirous of more – cause ‘di man wan’ more. A few HIV positive mothers NOT in their first pregnancy (one was in her ninth). And I am amused. For in the last hours they are all screaming and calling to God for help. One even asking what she did to deserve this! But never once have I heard any of them scream: ‘Never again. Ah doan want no more.’
When did our women become receptacles, dumping grounds for men’s sperms? When was it legalised for us to insult our bodies with effluence? When did we decide it was ‘ok’ for us to torture our flowers at young ages with penises too brutal and babies too big? When did men rule our bodies? How is it that what they want is gospel even if it means our death?”
Photo of Jamaican Girls by marco annunziata on Flickr.

author: Juhie Bhatia


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Jamaica: One Love  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“For the four days that I was in Treasure Beach for Calabash 09, I saw two Jamaicas”: Litblogger Geoffrey Philp explains that he would “like to return to a place that doesn’t have 1,611 murders in one year. I don’t want two Jamaicas. I’d just like a Jamaica of One Love.”


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Jamaica: Valuing Treasures  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica's Snailwriter notices that construction on the Treasure Beach canal has stopped: “Of course, it ‘stopped’ after the National Works Agency…had finished what they intended to do in this Phase One, had packed up their bulldozers and headed off to seek other funding to complete the destruction.”


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Japan: Female Internet user · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fumi Yamazaki from What's happening in Japan right now? blogs a research finding on websites that have higher percentage of female users with 20-34 years of age. The result is “communication sites”, “online shopping sites” and “gourmet sites”.


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Kazakhstan: “Statistical Error”, a new corruption scandal · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Yesterday the Kazakhstani court  sanctioned the arrest  of Nurman Bayanov, the Deputy Chairman of the Statistics Agency on charges of misappropriation of the funds, assigned to the national census  [ru]:
“There was total of $7.6 million allocated for the census. As a result of investigation it was determined that in fact only $2.2 million were spent for this purpose.  The remaining funds were plundered”.
Furthermore, another Deputy Chairman of the Statistics Agency and two prominent businessmen – one of them, Serik Turzhanov, is the Vice-President of Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a well-known public person – were arrested too as accomplices.
On this subject Megakhuimyak wonders   [ru]:
If out of $7.6 million allocated for the country population count there were $5.4 million stolen, how would the measurement error change (usually it is around 2-3%)?
This news wasn’t a surprise for pycm [ru]:
Well, it could be expected, taking into account the way how poorly the census was held this year.
He also recollects:
Besides, we are 72 years away from 1937 [the peak of J. Stalin repressions]. 72 is six multiplied by twelve. Isn't there some mystical recurrence and regularity?
Dass  noted that [ru]:
When a top-ranking official in our country is accused of corruption, abuse of power, theft etc., some people automatically start assuming that this person is a political prisoner. They think: “Why is it exactly this man, who has got targeted, if everybody there [in power] do the same?”. It is no wonder that from this point of view any real anti-corruption action would be perceived as redistribution of assets or crackdown on dissent.
At the same time thousand-pa  pessimistically notes [ru]:
The state machine's entire mechanism is now involved in repressions, and any hint of misdoing is considered as a “Hunt!” signal. And once “Hunt!” has been said, nothing can stop executors from punishing the object. The power punishes as enthusiastically, as it plunders the budget. What else can you expect from the country where “law and order” is just a fig-leaf that covers huge interests of a small group of majors?
Also posted on neweurasia

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Macedonia: Facebook Ads Survey · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

GV Author Filip Stojanovski has surveyed some 450 Facebook users from Macedonia on whether they are clicking on the ads placed on Facebook by Macedonian companies and posted the results of the survey on his blog, Razvigor :-).

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Malaysia-Indonesia border dispute · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Tension rose when Indonesia accused Malaysia of sending naval battleships in Ambalat, a maritime area which both Indonesia and Malaysia claim as their territory.


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Middle East: Bloggers React to Obama’s Address   · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From being described as the “self-appointed world leader” to questioning his choice of speech venue to choosing to turn a deaf ear to his speech, blogs across the Middle East are reacting to US President Barack Obama's policy speech on the Middle East just delivered in Cairo, Egypt.
After listening to the speech, Stiletos in the Sand, an American based in Saudi Arabia, writes:
54 minutes and 22 seconds .. of my life I can never get back. Speech in Cairo by the jeja is here in four separate parts. Really no reason for any other leaders of the world to continue ruling their own little domains. The jeja seems to have it all under control and will be the first, self-appointed, world leader from hereon out. Oh, sure. He says everything he has aspirations for, that he thinks can be achieved in the world, will need to be done “together.” Don't believe him for one single skinny second. If his lips are moving, he is lying. Hoo Boy.
Syrian Khaldoun Jarbou too wasn't impressed but writes:
I don’t see any thing new in Obama’s speech, more than that, anyone who kept up with his campaign he/she will notes that this speech is a collection of what he had said before in his way to the White House, but how ever I have liked his choosing of some words. I mean in that Violence and Extremist instead of Terrorism and Terrorist.
Bahraini Mahmood Al Yousif wonders out aloud on the speech venue:
I keep asking myself why did Obama choose the most repressive regimes in the Middle East to honour not only with his presence, but also to use as a launchpad for his Utopian vision of a peaceful and democratic Middle East? A vision that will continue to remain as illusive as a desert mirage for us Middle Eastners.
Then I try to select an alternate of the 22 Arab countries where he could have used instead, but I fail to find a single one which could be worthy of such an occasion.
On the speech itself, Al Yousif adds:
Regardless, he touched the perennial issues; Palestine through to women’s rights, freedom of expression to democratic governments and of course the rejection of terrorism and freedom of belief. Points which generally have been raised by every single American president – and world leader for that matter – albeit without such eloquence and empathy – but so far without any concrete steps to see through their resolutions. Somehow a “shared interest” creeps in and all those promises get shelved or forgotten to be revived upon a new ascension to a throne.
Writing at Mideast Youth, fellow Bahraini Esra'a explains why she did not tune into the speech:
As an Arab and a Muslim, there was nothing much I can benefit from what Obama has to say. I’m so tired of these tedious speeches and words and praises and promises that no one, including the target audience, ever lives up to. Despite not watching this speech due to lack of interest, I sat down on Twitter and was franly disgusted at the hype, the way people were mindlessly cheering his words on, as if they don’t understand the sources of our issues to begin with. Suddenly Obama was here to “fix things,” while reducing our problems to the size of a footnote.
I support Obama, at least in comparison to his war-mongering colleagues. But we don’t need his leadership, or anyone else’s for that matter.
In Israel, writing at South Jerusalem Gresghom Gorenberg notes how the speech has changed history:
Barack Obama likes to change what history means, and that’s a very good thing.
Today, for instance, marks 42 years since the Six-Day War began. Ever since then, the term “June 4 lines” has referred to the  on-the-ground border between Israel and its Arab neighbors on the eve of the war – not the lines marked on maps, but the lines marked by forward military positions. On the Syrian front, for instance, the actual positions lined up with neither the pre-1948 international border between Palestine and Syria, nor with the 1949 armistice agreements. The small distances on the ground make for big problems in peace negotiations.
As of yesterday, however, June 4 means something entirely different. It now refers to the day on which Barack Obama chose to speak in Cairo. “June 4 lines” henceforth mean the line of thinking that the president laid out for reconciliation between the U.S. and the Muslim world, and along the way, between Israel and the Palestinians.
On the speech, Gorenberg writes:
His message to us was very, very basic Obama: First, I acknowledge your history. Second, it’s time each of you recognize the other’s side history, that you stop thinking that somehow by admitting the other’s side suffering you’ll erase your own. And now that you’ve acknowledged history, stop holding on to it as if electricity were running through it, as if your hand can’t let go. Move forward. Turn history into history – the text explaining how we got here – and stop treating it as an ever-repeating present.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Myanmar: “No toilet paper but unity!” · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The popularity of social network sites is increasing in Myanmar. Some are using the sites to express their views about Myanmar society. In Toilet Wall, the slogan is “No toilet paper but unity!” It is a parody of official slogans calling for unity.


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Myanmar: 64 Words for Aung San Suu Kyi · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Do you want to show support for Myanmar opposition leader and global democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi? A new website was launched last week where anyone from around the world can leave a 64-word message of solidarity for imprisoned leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The website 64forSuu.org is named as such to mark Suu Kyi’s 64th birthday on June 19.
Supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi can leave and view video, text, twitter and picture messages on the website. A sample of 64-word message of support:
“Nineteen years ago, the Burmese people chose Aung San Suu Kyi as their next leader. For most of those 19 years she has been kept under house arrest by the military junta that runs the country. We must not stand by as she is silenced again. Now is the time for the international community to speak with one voice: Free Aung San Suu Kyi.”
This brief statement was signed by many personalities and other famous names which included George Clooney, Sec. Madeleine Albright, Drew Barrymore, David Beckham, Bono, Matthew Broderick, Sandra Bullock, John Cusack, Matt Damon, Robert De Niro, Václav Havel, Helen Hunt, Anjelica Huston, Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Kidman, Ashton Kutcher, Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Naomi Watts.
Twitter is an integral part of the campaign:
It is the first political campaign to use twitter with an integrated website to harness the reach and influence of some of the world’s most influential celebrities. Through replies and re-tweets, the campaign message reached an estimated 5 million people through Twitter alone in its first five days.
One of those who tweeted support for Aung San Suu Kyi was Yoko Ono. The website launching was deemed successful as global leaders sent their statements of support for Aung San Suu Kyi.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is also a supporter of Aung San Suu Kyi. Check out his message on YouTube:
Brown’s 64 words of support:
“I add my voice to the growing chorus of those demanding your release. For too long the world has failed to act in the face of this intolerable injustice. That is now changing. The clamour for your release is growing across Europe, Asia, and the entire world. We must do all we can to make this Birthday the last you spend without your freedom.”
Many Southeast Asians also expressed support for Aung San Suu Kyi. From Erich Jao of the Philippines:
The free people of the world support your cause and the nobility of your sacrifice to further the freedom of Myanmar. Let this year be the last time you breathe the air of oppression and tyranny. Evil shall never thrive in light and let the world cast the spot light of truth upon your fight and let it not be delayed in acting swiftly!
Monika Neff from Malaysia left this message
Dear Aung San Suu Kyi Happy birthday,what you are doing for the People of Burma makes you a hero besides others who sacrificed their lives for their people,like Nelson Mandela and Ghandi.people like you are only a few,all we can do is show our support like this.We love you Suu Kyi,one day Burma will be free and it will be because of your sacrifice!
Margaret Posnett from Cambodia texted this message on the website
Picture message sent by a supporter from Thailand
I have alwys been in awe of your patience and wisdom. I pray that you will have the strength to continue to be a pillar of justice for Burma and us all. God Bless You.
64forSuu is also on Facebook. Are you ready with your 64 words of support for Aung San Suu Kyi?


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Pakistan: Sania Saeed And The Bloggers · Global Voices
Rezwan

Some Pakistani bloggers (including Global Voices Pakistan Author Sana Saleem) met with renowned theater activist Sania Saeed to talk about her recent play Main Adakara Banun Gi. Read details about this in Jehan Ara's In The Line Of Wire.


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Peru: Clashes Break Out in the Amazon Region · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.
The continuing tense situation in the Amazon Region of Peru has taken a turn for the worst and has become unbearable in city of Bagua. Reports coming from that area are truly alarming: RPP says: Emergency in Bagua: Police are killed and residents destroy buildings [es]. El Comercio reported that demonstrators burned government buildings [es], as well as the Apra political party headquarters in Bagua Grande. There are no official reports of deaths of indigenous residents, but SERVINDI does mention: Peru: 20 Awajún-Wampis indigenous die during conflicts in Bagua [es].
Photo of Conflict in Bagua by TV Cultura and used under Creative Commons license. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tvcultura/3597959493/
These protests are a continuation of the demands from indigenous communities, who are concerned that the government will take away their lands that are believed to be rich in minerals and oil.  As a result, more than 2,000 indigenous residents have been blockading the highway in the area of Devil's Curve in Bagua Grande for the past week and a half, according to Enlace Nacional [es]. As a result, supplies have been running out in the area.
One of the indigenous leaders of the protest group, Alberto Pizango, called a press conference and stated that the Peruvian government has committed genocide with the murder of his indigenous brothers and sisters.  Bloggers and twitterers from across the country are quite concerned and have been tuning in to the recent developments.
Many twitterers are following along to reports from the area, and providing their own opinions about the situation using the hashtag #Bagua:
Jonathan Sanchez @Maskus:
Pizango no quiere responder por los policias muertos ni la quema de locales #bagua
@xaxo6v:
#Bagua recuerdan lo que sucedió cuando sacaron a invasores de los bosques de pomac? será que hay “infiltrados”? o policia solo dispara?
Javier Vargas @javier_vargas:
Si los nativos no están armados, ¿quién mató a los policiías? @Peru21pe #Bagua
@elguillle:
Para Alan lo de #Bagua es pura manipulación de los enemigos extranjeros del país. “Quieren ver al Perú arrodillado” Alan dixit
Miguel Angel Tavera pe1us0:
Ya no hay medicamentos en el hospital, falta de sangre y muchas necesidades más, necesitan mucha ayuda en Bagua Grande.
In the blogosphere,  Isabel of Las Burbujas Recargadas [es] writes:
Esto va a acabar mal. De hecho, ya está yendo bastante mal. Entre Brack, que ya se vendió descaradamente, y Pizango, a quien no le importa mandar a su gente a que la maten mientras él se esconde haciéndose el interesante, no veo ninguna remota posibilidad de entendimiento. Mientras, ¿alguien se preocupa por algo más importante que la politiquería y el dinero, o sea, por LAS VIDAS de los nativos y de sus familias? Claro que tienen derecho a protestar y defenderse, pero cerrando caminos y sitiando a poblaciones urbanas (como Yurimaguas), no se van a ganar el apoyo de nadie. Lo único que van a ganar es el odio y la marginación de parte de sus propios paisanos: están acentuando la división nativos-mestizos,
This will end badly. In fact, it is already going pretty badly. Between (Environmental Minister Antonio) Brack, who has already sold out, and (indigenous leader) Pizango, who does not mind sending his people off to be killed, while he hides, I do not see any remote chance of understanding. Meanwhile, does anyone care about anything more important than politics and money or for the lives of the indigenous and their families? Of course, they have the right to protest and defend themselves, but by blocking roads and placing urban populations under siege (such as  Yurimaguas), they are not going to win the support of anyone. The only thing that will gain is the hatred and marginalization from their own countrymen: they are deepening the divide between indigenous and mestizos
Paco Bardales of Diario de Iqt [es] compiles a list of links and will continue to update his blog:
Desafortunado o no, el conflicto amazónico ha tomado un cariz trágico y sangriento. Los sucesos de Bagua han desbordado, mucho más allá de lo permitido. Hasta el momento, el enfrentamiento entre habitantes de la zona y miembros de la Policía, en la llamada Curva del Diablo (luego de que se quemara la gobernación del lugar), están dejando un saldo no confirmado aún de 28 civiles muertos y 10 policías.
In addition to the conflicts in Bagua Grande, clashes are taking place in Jaén in the department of Cajamarca. Several twitterers have been posting news heard on the radio.  With the seriousness of the situation, many Peruvians are wondering what will happen next.
This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.

author: Juan Arellano


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Peru: Death Toll Rises From Clashes in Jungle Region · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Isabel from Las Burbujas Recargadas [es] is concerned and angry about the recent developments in Peru's northern jungle where the death toll increases from clashes between indigenous communities and the police.


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Poland: “20 Years Later” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Polandian re-visits and photographs locations depicted in Krzysztof Kieślowski’s work.


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Poland: Fall of Communism Anniversary · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

the POLSKI blog, the beatroot, and Travels Without My Spaniel write about the 20th anniversary of the collapse of communism in Poland.


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Poland: Signs for Tourists · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Polandian believes that “[v]isitors to Poland could use a few official warning signs to help them cope”: “Here are twelve signs I would like to see put up at strategic locations around Poland’s tourist spots.”


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Russia: Life in Lipetsk · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A letter on the daily life in Lipetsk – at OpenDemocracy.net.


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Russia: Teenager Dies While Shooting Horror Video · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Profy writes about the death of a teenager who was shooting a horror video for a Russian video portal: “The 16-year old boy from a small Russian town supposedly wanted to get his share of online fame so he wanted to shoot a video for RuTube featuring a scene of the guy hanging himself -without actually hanging himself, of course. Since he was both the director and the actor of the small movie, no one could help him when he fell off the chair and actually hang himself.”


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Singapore: Sex trafficking on the rise · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

There appears to be a rise of sex trafficking in Singapore. New Mandala received a comment from a reader who accuses the police and other Singapore authorities of protecting sex traffickers and brothel owners.


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Syria: FC Barcelona Vs Manchester United  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Syrian blogger Abu Fares states his loves and hates, which include football teams FC Barcelona and Manchester United respectively.


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Syria: Introducing Sockington  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Syrian A Jar of Juice discovers the most popular cat on Twitter – Sockington – and shares his discovery.


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Thailand: On David Carradine’s death · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Thailand Jumped the Shark has an advice to family and friends of the late Hollywood actor David Carradine: “…whatever you do, don't ever trust the Thai police or the Thai media to get to the bottom of the truth. I wouldn't trust the US embassy staff either. Get your own forensic expert to Bangkok as soon as possible to examine the body.”