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Deadly Factory Fire in Bangladesh Raises Questions of Worker Exploitation · Global Voices
Rezwan

A tragic fire that killed more than 110 garments workers at Tazreen Fashions Ltd's nine story building in Nischintapur, Ashulia (near the Capital Dhaka), has raised many questions. Although the factory had a total of 335 fire extinguishers and 300 trained employees to fight fire in emergency situations, there was no visible efforts to douse the flames. The fire alarm went off at the right time but witnesses claimed that a number of doors were locked by the management preventing the workers from escaping.
Bangladesh has more than 4,000 ready-made clothing factories, which account for more than three-quarters of the countries export revenue. The world’s third-largest garments export industry employs more than 3 million workers, 90% of whom are women.
Over two decades these garment factories have contributed to changing the role of poor Bangladeshi women, whose primary mode of employment used to be as housemaids. Although the cost of labor is low Vikas Bajaj wrote in the New York Times about the positive impact this industry has had on families and off-springs of these newly empowered female workers.
As a developing country Bangladesh is under close scrutiny by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and Corporate Social Responsibility Stakeholders regarding compliance. In the past five years both CSR experts and buyers report improved labor and social compliance standards. But there are still some areas of compliance that needs further improvement. The government has been stringent on eradicating child labor and increased fire safety measures but some entrepreneurs are more keen on profit rather than improving working conditions.
As the images of burnt bodies emerged in social media and in TV broadcasts, many people were shocked and outraged. Thousands of angry garments workers protested today (Monday) demanding justice and better working conditions. Many netizens vented their rage in Facebook, blogs and other social media outlets asking many questions.
The factory destroyed by fire killing more than 100 workers. Image by Ibrahim. Copyright Demotix (25/11/2012)
Rahnuma Ahmed writes:
Fifty-nine of the 111, which means more than half, were burnt beyond recognition. I heard a firefighter say on television, the bodies had been reduced to a skeleton.
She quotes Abir Abdullah, a photographer:
It was difficult for me to take the photograph, disfigured still beautiful, with a small ornament visible on her destroyed nose. I felt sad to take the photo [but] at the same time I felt grief and anger inside me [I still took it wanting] to show [everyone] the gruesome portrait to [make them] understand and make the world realize, how much importance they get when dead but nothing when alive.
Seeker writes:
Fire victim cries after seeing her relative who died in the garment factory fire. Image by Rehman Asad. Copyright Demotix (25/11/2012)
Dr Kamal Hossain, a prominent lawyer and politician commented that the lives lost in Ashulia Fire Tragedy is life lost to greed, profit. He termed these deaths as evidence of life’s worthlessness on the face of commodity and business aspirations. Shocking – yes, truly shocking that this is the case in 21 Century Bangladesh. But it’s a sad reality.
Also theories emerged as to whether this incident was a deliberate act of arson. A female worker was nabbed today in a nearby garments factory trying to arson it. She confessed to police [bn] that she was paid Taka 20,000 ($250) for this crime. The Prime Minister said at the parliament that the fire was pre-planned and interlinked with several violent incidents taking place in the country lately.
But Rahnuma Ahmed lashes at all these theories and explanations:
The problem, say BGMEA leaders, is the rush, the panic. The problem, they say, is mid-level management. The problem, they say, is the short circuit. [..]
“Mid-level management” is an easy cop-out, it seeks to prevent questions being raised as to precisely why people who are callous and indifferent, who treat workers like cattle, who cuss and swear at them, who lock exits, who tell the workers to get back to work when a fire breaks out, are hired in the first place. The answer is ugly. To rake in more and ever-more profits.
The stairs to the exit and the one to the storehouse were side by side, a flagrant violation of rules. As I watched BGMEA leaders blame the fire brigade for having issued safety licences, blame the factory inspector, I wondered how could they not just break down and cry? Is it because they are scared of being implicated? The “brave entrepreneur” story is a capitalist myth.
The government has declared compensations for the victims and the nation will observe a day of mourning. It also vowed to shut the factories which do not have sufficient fire escape installations. However Kuloda Roy [bn] blames the government and political parties of the country for ignoring the issue of improving the working conditions of the workers. He also blames civil societies:
মানবাধিকার সংস্থাগুলো, তোমরা কয়টা ঘটনার মনিটরিং বজায় রেখেছ? কয়টার জন্য দায়ী ব্যক্তিদের শাস্তি বিধানে মামলা করেছ? বা করার ব্যবস্থা নিয়েছ? এনজিওগণ শুধু সুদ-আসলের কিস্তি আদায় করা ছাড়া নাগরিকের জন্য কী করছ?
Human Rights Organizations, how many monitoring have you done? How many law suits have you filed against the accused? Or at least have tried? What have you NGOs done for the citizens except micro-loans business?
The civil society and activists have called a protest tomorrow at 3PM in the capital Dhaka.
Shahidul Alam translates the poster above:
Protest called: Outside National Museum on 27th November 2012 at 3:00 pm
They locked me
They burnt me alive
I don’t want any more press statements
Why is the factory a prison
I do not accept having to work under lockup conditions
I DO NOT!
We demand a real investigation, justice and punishment of those responsible
We want the guarantee of natural deaths
Join the Protest Rally at 3 pm, Tuesday, 27 November 2012 outside the National Museum, Shahbagh, Dhaka
Writers-artists-teachers-cultural-political activists-citizens


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India: Wither Glass Bangles? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Glass Bangles. Image by Anuradha Shankar. Used with permission.
“Bangles are considered auspicious, and at one time, it was considered inauspicious for a woman not to wear bangles,” writes Anuradha Shankar at ‘A Wandering Mind’. She notes that glass bangles for daily wear are becoming less popular in megacities like Mumbai, but are still adored in small towns or in rural areas of India.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Rezwan


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Indigenous Organization Denounces Brazil at the UN · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) denounces [pt] human rights abuses against the indigenous populations in an open-letter [pt] to the United Nations. Among several issues, APIB calls the attention to the Guarani-Kaiowa genocide, the mining projects on indigenous lands and the illegal constructions in the Amazon rainforest – such as the Belo Monte dam -, and the lack of education and healthcare.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Israelis React to Barak’s Retirement from Politics · Global Voices
Elizabeth Tsurkov

Israel's Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, who previously served as Israel's Prime Minister (1999-2001) and IDF Chief of Staff (1991-1995), made a surprise announcement in a press conference today, saying he will be retiring from politics to spend more time with his family. Barak will continue to serve as Israel's Minister of Defense until the next government is formed following the January 2013 elections. This is Barak's second announcement of retirement from politics, the first one coming in 2001 after his defeat in the 2001 general elections.
Barak's popularity has significantly diminished in recent years, after he split from the Labor Party, which he headed, to form a new party, HaAtzmaut. The split insured that Barak could stay in Netanyahu's government after most of the Labor's Member of Knesset (the legislature of Israel) wanted to quit the government. Prior to Barak's announcement, his party, which has five MKs who all split from the Labor Party, was hovering around the 2 per cent election threshold.
Dudi Rosenthal joked on Twitter about Barak's dwindling popularity and options:
המוזיקה נפסקה, כולם מיהרו לתפוס כיסאות ורק אהוד ברק ממשיך לרוץ מסביב כמו מפגר
@DudiRosenthal: The music stopped and everyone rushed to grab a seat, and only Ehud Barak is still running around like an idiot.
Israeli law dictates that at least a third of a party's MKs need to split from their party to be able to form a new party. Barak managed to convince four Labor MKs to split with him (the Labor had 13 seats), but today's announcement ensures that his new HaAtzmaut party now has little to no chance of getting elected.
Israeli journalist Dimi Reider commented:
@dimireider: What a wonderful “F**k You, you're on your own” to the invertebrates who joined him in the Atzmaut farce
Since Barak split the Labor party, which currently has only eight MKs left, the party has been gaining popularity in the polls. Gil Gangnam Klein quipped:
באתי, הרסתי כל מפלגה שיכלתי, פרשתי. #אהוד.ברק.אוטוביוגרפיה
@Garkler: I came, I destroyed every party I could, I retired. #EhudBarakAutobiography
Leftist meme-creator, John Brown, doctored the image of US President Nixon after he resigned in disgrace:
During the Press conference, Barak cited the lack of passion for politics as one reason he's retiring. Noa Mashiah tweeted about this:
כשברק אומר שהפוליטיקה לא היתה אצלו מושא תשוקה, זיינת אותנו בלי חשק?
@mashiahno: When Barak says that politics has never been his desire, [does that mean] you f**ked us without passion?
Jonathan joked on Twitter:
אתם סתם קטנוניים ומתעלמים מכל הדברים הטובים שברק עשה. הייתי מפרט, אבל כבר כתבתי את זה בשירות המיקרו-בלוגינג המתחרה שמגביל סטטוסים לאפס תווים
@CatRobotIL: You're just being petty and ignore all the good things Barak has done. I would elaborate, but I already wrote about it in a competing micro-blogging service that limits updates to zero characters.
Some netizens wrote about Barak's role in commanding over the recent Pillar of Defense Operation in Gaza.
Blogger Ido Kenan wrote:
אז עמוד ענן היה מתנת פרידה? איזה חמודוש, לא היית צריך!
So Pillar of Defense was a going away present? What a cutie, you really shouldn't have
Leftist activist Shachat B. Cotani wrote:
להתראות ותודה על המתים
So long and thanks for the dead
Leading migrant rights lawyer, Yadin Elam, posted Barak's recent campaign poster, which states that “we need a responsible adult here”, and ridiculed it by quoting the lyrics of a famous Zohar Argov song:
אז כבר לא צריך כאן מבוגר אחראי? נישאר יתומים?
בדד? בלי עתיד, בלי תקווה, בלי חלום?
So we no longer need a responsible adult here? We will be orphaned? Alone? Without a future, without hope, without a dream?
Assaf Appelboim tweeted:
מכירים את זה שאחרי הרבה זמן פורשים בשיא? אז ברק, רק ההיפך.
@Appelboy7: You know when after a long time people quit while they're ahead? Well Barak [did] just the opposite.
Dkapuchino mocked Barak's lavish lifestyle in tweeting:
זה השלב שהוא פורש לנהל חיים צנועים בבקתה הצנועה שלו במגדל גינדי?
@dkapuchino: Is this the part when he retires to lead a modest life in his modest hut in the Gindi Towers? [Barak's pricey place of residence]

author: Elizabeth Tsurkov


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Ivorian and Russian Bloggers Make Light of the Electoral Fiasco for the Presidency of the French Conservative Party   · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Ivorians should abstain from bombing the Head Quarters of the UMP (The main Conservative Party) in France and help them move forward with the recount.
Notre Vision in Côte d'Ivoire draws a humourous parallel [fr] between the fiasco during the latest election [fr] to select the new leader of the UMP party in France and the post-electoral crisis in Côte d'Ivoire in 2010-11. La Voix de Russie in Russia cheekily observes that France might need some election observers from China or Russia [fr] to make sure there are no fraud during the next electoral process.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Korean Pop Singer PSY to Perform in China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Mainland Chinese will be soon to see the first performance of Korean pop star PSY in China, which will be hosted by Hunan T.V. Beijing Cream has the story.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Legal Framework in Madagascar Not Adequate for Size of New Gold Mines · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Total Bemolanga Watch reports that [fr] awyers in Madagascar estimated that the legal framework of the mining code was not conceived to apply to the shear size of the new gold mining exploitations [mg] that have been developping in Ambatondrazaka, Madagascar. The World Bank and the IMF have just implemented a new fund to help developing countries better negotiate mining contracts for their natural ressources.


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Mauritania: “Knowledge for All” Campaign to Collect 30,000 Books  · Global Voices
أحمد جدو

A group of Mauritanian activists initiated a Facebook campaign entitled “Knowledge for all” [ar], which aiming to gather 30,000 books before Mauritania's Independence day [Nov 28] and hand them to the National Library. The campaign was met by great enthusiasm from Mauritanian intellectuals and figures, who praised the campaign and and donated many books. Hussein Ould Mohammed Omar blogged about the initiative [ar]:
The group started their campaign by a Facebook announcement on the page dedicated for the event for those who would like to donate books. After that they suggested visiting important figures in the culture sector. The group members were leading the campaign by donating old books themselves. The Egyptian Cultural Center, which is an active cultural party in Mauritania, also contributed by donating some of their special magazines.

author: أحمد جدو


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Mauritanians Protest French Interference  · Global Voices
أحمد جدو

Photo of the protest posted on Facebook by one of the organizers
The coordination of Mauritanian Opposition held a massive rally on Wednesday [November 21] asking France to stop interfering in the country's politics.  The protesters also reiterated their demands to end the military regime in Mauritania.
Mejdi Ahmed attended the rally and tweeted:
@mejdmr: فعلا مسيرة المعارضة والمهرجان اليوم كانا ناجحين حاشدين كبيرين و سيكون لهما ما بعدهما،، النضال مستمر #موريتانيا
@mejdmr: Indeed, opposition march and today's festival were successful in attracting many people … they will have an impact later on. The Struggle Continues # Mauritania


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Mumbai Terrorist Executed in India, But Will it Bring Peace? · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

This post is part of our International Relations & Security coverage.
Mumbai marked first anniversary of 26/11 attacks (Nov 26, 2009) by Vinit Gupta © Demotix.
On November 21, 2012 Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, a Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba militant and the only terrorist to be captured alive following the 2008 attack on Mumbai, was executed. The execution came after Indian President Pranab Mukherjee rejected a plea for mercy by the 25 year-old Kasab, a move that marked the end of a lengthy judicial process.
As soon as news broke about the hanging, online reactions poured in fast and furious. The news also rekindled debate about the death penalty in India and whether it was likely to deter or provoke future terrorist attacks.
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET), who rose to greater prominence after the Mumbai attack, immediately threatened that there would be more attacks. Pakistan’s Taliban also vowed to attack Indian targets.
B. Raman, a former Indian bureaucrat, commented on the dangers in his blog:
Our security agencies must have examined the likelihood of retaliation by jihadi terrorists in Pakistan and India and strengthened security precautions to prevent retaliatory attacks. The LET and the organisations associated with it would want a quick retaliation. A retaliation without at least some preparation may be difficult in Indian territory outside Jammu and Kashmir (…) Strengthening physical security in [Jammu and Kashmir] and Afghanistan should receive the highest priority. The other area requiring attention would be the Indian High Commission in Islamabad which could become the target of attack.
Among Indian citizens, emotions ran high upon hearing the news. Like many of those directly affected by the 2008 tragedy, blogger Matangi Mawley (who lost an uncle during the attack) wrote:
Kudos to the officials for carrying out the execution quietly, thank you President Pranab for being decisive and thank you India- finally the victims get some kind of justice! Remembering my beloved maternal uncle, Shri. P.K. Gopalakrishnan, who lost his life on the fateful day- 26/11
Similar sentiments were expressed on Twitter as many felt that justice, though delayed, had been served as far as Kasab was concerned. Some also expressed relief that the Indian government, which had spent millions keeping Kasab in their custody, would be spared any further expense of public funds. The drawn out process was noted by many, but there was also praise for the upholding of the judicial system.
Nandita Saikia (@nsaikia): India didn’t simply spend on ‘keeping Kasab alive’; it spent on due process and upholding its own law. The expenditure was non-negotiable.
Not everyone who lost loved ones during the 2008 Mumbai attacks found solace (or reason to rejoice) in the death of Kasab. Ashish Chowdhry, who lost his sister and brother-in-law in the tragedy, tweeted:
Ashish Chowdhry (@AshishChowdhry): Why should I rejoice Kasab’s death? I will rejoice when …innocent children will stop being taught to kill in the name of God…
There were also reflections on how Kasab, being a foot soldier, was perhaps easier to convict while the mastermind(s) behind the attacks continue to evade justice.
Laughing Gas (@waatho): Ajmal Kasab was a mere foot soldier. Very little satisfaction or comfort in knowing that a pawn has been removed from the board.
Vishal Dadlani (@Vishal): Don’t be fooled or distracted by the death of Kasab. Be sad that we haven’t been able to get the real masterminds. Or sort ourselves out.
The hanging brought to the fore the debate around the death penalty – a timely discussion, given that the United Nations General Assembly recently approved a draft resolution in favor of abolishing the death penalty worldwide. While 110 nations voted in favor, India and Pakistan were among the 39 countries that voted against the resolution. Netizen Oculus Dada tweeted about the timing of the vote:
Oculus Dada (@daddy_san): FYI, 12 hours ago, India voted against a UN General Assembly resolution banning the death penalty. Now we know why. #Kasab
Many other bloggers expressed their feelings regarding the death penalty via posts and tweets. Some were at a loss for alternative solutions to dealing with Kasab in spite of having reservations about the death penalty. Others favored imprisonment and a life sentence.
As for the long term effects of Kasab’s execution, there is no unanimity. The Christian Science Monitor says it is unlikely to impact the India-Pakistan peace process, while Deutsche Welle argues the opposite. In a guest post on Kafila, Indian blogger Yug Mohit Chaudhry discussed ‘the power of mercy’ in the context of Kasab’s hanging. Echoing the least optimistic voices, he writes:
Executing Kasab in the name of the Indian people will only feed a base instinct for retribution that will make our society more blood-thirsty, vengeful and violent. It will not contribute to our safety or well-being in any way.
This post and its translations to Spanish, Arabic and French were commissioned by the International Security Network (ISN) as part of a partnership to seek out citizen voices on international relations and security issues worldwide. This post was first published on the ISN blog, see similar stories here.

author: Aparna Ray


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Waving Banners “Help Us Please,” Russian Prisoners Revolt  · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Over the weekend at a prison in Kopeysk, just outside the city of Chelyabinsk, roughly 250 inmates began a protest atop one of the complex's buildings, waving banners [ru] that begged “help us please” and complained of torture and extortion. Penal Colony 6 (known simply as “shestyorka”) has a history of prison abuse, and even Chelyabinsk Governor Mikhail Yurevich recently blamed [ru] the region's prison system for causing “an enormous number of suicides.” Described in the Russian media and blogosphere as a “bunt” (an uprising), Kopeysk's inmates have by all accounts refrained from actual violence. Instead, they have merely refused to come down from the roof of one of the prison's buildings. Many inmates have also declared a hunger strike.
Blogging for the online project Gulagu.net [ru] (“no to the Gulag”), Oksana Trufanova has reported from the ground in Kopeysk. (Trufanova coordinates the Chelyabinsk chapter of “Russkii Verdikt,” a nationalist organization dedicated to defending Russians charged with racist extremism.) Her first post [ru] about the prison story, published November 24, has almost 900 comments at this moment. Since then, Trufanova has documented skirmishes between anti-riot police and prisoners’ relatives outside the prison gates. She herself sustained an injury [ru] on Saturday, claiming that guards attacked her and a group of other civilians without provocation. Several videos circulating on YouTube (see below) feature men with bleeding head wounds, apparently the result of clashes with law enforcement, after venturing too close to the prison's entrance. In one video, viewers can see a car with a window shield nearly smashed through by police batons.
http://youtu.be/iJ6-5QjNkgY
LiveJournal user Oleg Lurie has blogged several times about the situation in Kopeysk, also posting [ru] YouTube interviews with three past prisoners, each of whom claims to have been tortured during his incarceration in the Chelyabinsk oblast. Lurie has also criticized the work of Alexey Sevastianov, the regional government's human rights ombudsman. “Some ‘human rights defenders’ […] are trying to present [these skirmishes between police and prisoners’ relatives] as the planned act of malicious troublemakers,” Lurie complained on November 25.
Angering many, Sevastianov has endorsed [ru] police reports that the crowd outside the prison attacked guards with snowballs, bottles, and iron pipes. Chelyabinsk's human rights czar also disappointed many of the inmates’ supporters when he examined [ru] “Prisoner Georgii D” (whose rumored beating was key in instigating the current unrest) and declared that the inmate's body showed no signs of injury.
Screenshot of injured civilian outside Kopeysk prison gates, YouTube, video by parvidos, 25 November 2012.
Russian Twitter users have adopted the hashtag #ИК6бунт (“penal colony 6 bunt”) to mark posts about the Kopeysk uprising. In Moscow, a protest took place earlier today in support of the Chelyabinsk prisoners and “against torture in Russian jails.” (On Facebook and VKontakte, roughly 175 people RSVP'd to attend.) In advance of the demonstration, oppositionist Ilya Klishin mused on Facebook [ru] about the story's media coverage:
Обсуждения бунта в колонии Копейска (правильнее говорить акции неповиновения) обнажили ключевую, в общем-то, проблему. Мы остаемся кастовым, сословным, классовым обществом, наполовину архаичным, наполовину постмодернистским. И идея всеобщих гражданских прав для нас все еще остается революционной.
The discussion about the bunt in the [prison] colony in Kopeysk (it's more accurate to call it an act of disobedience) has laid bare a rather key problem: we've remained a caste-, class- society, half archaic and half postmodern. And the idea of universal civil rights is still a revolutionary one for us.
Writing on Facebook [ru], Grigory Melkonyants, the deputy director of Golos (an opposition-leaning election-monitoring organization), published a news story [ru] from the Chelyabinsk prison system's website, announcing that Penal Colony 6 had acquired a 3D flat screen television just days before the uprising. “This is the f—ing end,” Melkonyants joked, before adding, “File this under ‘a parallel reality.'”
While most reports now indicate that the crowd outside Penal Colony 6 has dwindled, some relatives are trying — and occasionally succeeding — to penetrate the prison walls. Identifying herself to journalists [ru] as a sister of one of the protesting inmates, Olga Belousova is one example of someone who snuck past guards and reached her brother inside. While this no doubt was a great emotional high for the Belousovs, the fact that civilians are indeed infiltrating the prison does complicate the narrative now popular among netizens that despotic police are arbitrarily and unnecessarily using violence against a law-abiding congregation of concerned kith and kin.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Scenes from Malaysia’s ‘Green Walk’ · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Malaysia’s ‘Green Walk’ started with 70 participants on November 13 in Kuantan. After 13 days and 300 kilometers of walking across the country, the march ended in the country’s capital which was participated and supported by more than 15,000 people. The ‘long march’ was organized by the Himpunan Hijau group to protest the construction of the Lynas Advanced Material Plant in Gebeng, Pahang.
The proposed plant is expected to be the world’s largest rare earths refinery. But residents and environmentalists have long opposed the project because of its possible detrimental impact on the health, safety, and environment of the community. Early this month, Malaysia’s High Court has rejected petitions to stop the building of the plant which led various groups and individuals to organize the ‘Green Walk’.
Part of the plan is to present the group’s demands to the Parliament and the Prime Minister when the delegation reaches Kuala Lumpur. But the marchers were prevented by the police from getting near the government building. The crowd peacefully dispersed on Monday morning.
Marchers assemble at Dataran Merdeka. Photo from Twitter of @szeming87
The Malaysiakini team provided updates of the march during the weekend:
4.20pm – Jalan TAR – There is a bit of rain here but the crowd is growing exponentially. Latest estimate: 10,000.
4:53pm- Dataran Merdeka – The crowd is swelled to well over 15,000 now and they are currently grouped up near the northern most tip of Dataran Merdeka
Tan Kai Swee witnessed the spontaneous support given by ordinary Malaysians to the marchers:
Evidently, the Green Walk has taken on a life of its own.
The Green Walk has been well received by villages and towns along the 300km route.  Malaysians from many other parts of the country are also participating in the walk.  Many just came to provide financial and logistics support for the participants.
And a hero’s welcome greeted the leaders of the action in Dataran Merdeka:
After 14 days of walking,  at an average of 25 kilometres per day, rain or shine and sleeping wherever the Malaysian public is kind enough to accomodate,  the 300km Green Walk finally reach within metres of the Dataran Merdeka.
On this final day of the walk, 20,000 people turned up at Dataran Merdeka to give Wong Tack, the leader of the 300km Green Walk a hero’s welcome.
Below is a video testimony of some participants of the march:
HeeJW, who joined and blogged the march, gave Global Voices the permission to republish photos of the Green Walk.
Green Walk participants gather at a temple. Photo from the blog of HeeJW
Marchers cross Karak Highway, one of the highest accident prone highways in the country. Photo from the blog of HeeJW
The ‘long march’ from Kuantan to Kuala Lumpur. Photo from the blog of HeeJW
The rain didn't prevent the marchers from reaching Mentakab town. Photo from the blog of HeeJW
Green Walk assembly. Photo from Facebook page of the organizer
Through the hashtags #greenwalk and #himpunanhijau, Malaysian netizens reacted to the Green Walk:

@szeming87 Everybody blame #Greenwalk causing traffic jam this morning. C'mon, the congested cause by gov block the merdeka square, not the people!

@danleemz Anyone saw any news of #greenwalk #himpunanhijau on tv news now? I did nt see any. Just because it was peaceful they didnt report it?

@sicfallacy If u said that e numbers joining ur #GreenWalk represent majority, then I'm afraid that we will have Kpop artist as our PM in the future.

@seademon #GreenWalk idiots coordinate using mobile phones and computers laden with rare earth metals

@j_rubis Turnout at #GreenWalk was awesome. Nice to see so many families. Glad I could make it. Managed to catch them at Taman Melewar too last nite.
@VersedAnggerik Remember Mahatma Ghandi abd his Salt March? The #GreenWalk is exactly that. We are peacefully protesting against environmental injustices.

@JustineMeiErn So much respect for #GreenWalk peeps who've been on foot for more than a week. Even kids & elderly. Welcome them 4pm at Dataran Merdeka!

@anonVG So just because some opposition politicians joined/support #HimpunanHijau, it makes the entire cause invalid?
@edmundbon The police behaved well today. No police to control traffic (ought not be the case) but better>stopping walkers.

author: Mong Palatino


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The Plights Of The Stateless Chakmas of Arunachal Pradesh · Global Voices
Rezwan

Paritosh Chakma recently visited Chakma villages in Papumpare district of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh and wrote about their plights. Thousands of Chakma refugees were transferred to the Chakma Settlement Areas in this region during 1964-69 and most of them still remain stateless.


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Top Russian Journalist, Oleg Kashin, Fired from Print Newspaper, Moves to Online Journal · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Earlier today, Kommersant newspaper announced that it has fired columnist Oleg Kashin, one of Russia's best known journalists. In comments to Lenta.ru, Kommersant's chief editor, Mikhail Mikhailin, explained [ru] that Kashin's output has slipped in previous months, becoming too little to sustain his employment. Other sources indicate that Kashin's decision to join [ru] the political opposition's Coordinating Council represented a conflict of interest for Kommersant.
Though Kashin appears to have agreed to a severance package that forbids him from commenting on his dismissal, his Facebook page [ru] has become a pinboard for messages of moral support. Leaving Kommersant, Kashin will transition full-time to Openspace.ru, where he has been publishing articles [ru] since July 2012. This marks the journalist's increasingly online orientation, which underscores the digital demographic to whom he best appeals.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Alternate Highway Proposal · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Environmental activist Wayne Kublalsingh, who is currently on a hunger strike, explains the alternate proposal for the Debe to Mon Desir section of the San Fernando to Point Fortin Highway in a new video.

author: Matthew Hunte


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Yemen: Ashoura Celebration in Sanaa Attacked · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

November 24th is Ashoura Day, and it is a day that is commemorated in the Muslim world by both the Sunni and Shite sects. However, in Yemen, it was a tragic day as four people were killed and more than a dozen were wounded in an explosion that targeted a Shiite Ashoura Celebration in the capital Sanaa. This was the first sectarian bombing that occurs in Sanaa, an alarming development with the clear aim to fuel sectarianism in Yemen. Many netizens in Yemen condemned the attack and tweeted statements that rejected sectarianism.
Mai Saleh tweeted in disbelief:
@A4Mai: An attack targeting a Shiite Ashoura celebration kills 4 in #Sanaa. Are we sure this is #Yemen?
Sarah Jamal tweeted:
@Sarah_Sanaa: For the first time in Sanaa.. A bombing that targets Shiite ceremonies.. #Yemen
Adam Baron, a foreign journalist based in Yemen, noted:
@Adammbaron: believe there have been attacks on houthi ashura commemorations in #yemen (farther north) before, but todays is the first in sanaa.
He added:
@Adammbaron: Justice & Building Party has issued a strong condemnation of todays attack in sanaa. Has an other party done so? #Yemen alwfaqnews.net/Detail.aspx?…
Atiaf Alwazir tweeted:
@womanfromyemen: bombing in #Sanaa today targeted ppl commemorating Ashoura, killed 3 & injured 5 marebpress.net/news_details… No to sectarianism #Yemen
Sarah Jamal tweeted the names of the victims of the attack along with a video:
@Sarah_Sanaa:video showing Yahya Al Kohlani, Abdulmalek Al Makhathi &Ibrahim Al Ghorbani all died in explosion #Ashoura #Yemen youtube.com/watch?v=eES_c3D…
The video of the aftermath of the attack was posted to YouTube by YouthStandYEMEN (graphic)
Blogger Afrah Nasser updated the death toll:
@AfrahNasser: The death toll rises to 4 killed people in today's attack during the Ashoura commemoration. RIP! #Yemen
She also posted the story on her blog:
@AfrahNasser: New blogpost: “Three Killed During the Commemoration of the Holy #Ashoura Day in #Yemen” afrahnasser.blogspot.se/201… #rejectsectarianism
Iona Craig, one of the oldest and top foreign journalists based in Yemen, tweets:
@ionacraig: Attacking Houthis in Sana'a. Not the kind of progression Yemen needs.
Finally Atiaf Alwazir warned:
@womanfromyemen: There are groups who have an interest in pushing sectarianism in #Yemen – let's not fall in that trap!
Sectarianism has often been used as a policy to divide and concur and many Yemenis do not want to fall into that trap nor see their country, which is already divided on the political level, be prey to such aims or be part of any proxy war. Nobody who really loves Yemen would want it to turn into another Lebanon or Iraq.

author: Noon Arabia


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99 Trees from Famed Avenue of the Baobabs in Madagascar Burnt Down  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Avenue of the Baobabs near Morondava, Madagascar by Gavinevans on Wikipedia CC license-BY-2.0. 99 Baobabs are reported burnt down (see next photo)
Photo of Burnt Baobabs by Njiva Tahiry via Twitter.
ONG Fanamby reports that 99 newly planted Baobab trees were burnt down [fr] last saturday by wild fires. The Avenue of the Baobabs is one of Madagascar most visited site and classified as a national monument.


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Bermuda: Elections & Social Media  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Social media is providing  lots of undercurrents to the 2012 Bermuda election.
Vexed Bermoothes explains.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Candidates Gear up for Ecuador’s 2013 Presidential Election  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

While the reelection of [President] Rafael Correa may seem to be a foregone conclusion, the eight candidates competing for the office point to the ongoing fragmented and volatile nature of Ecuadorian politics.
Marc Becker writes about Ecuador's upcoming presidential elections scheduled for February 17, 2013. Read more of his analysis on Upside Down world.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Mistresses – China’s New Corruption Warriors · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A key consensus reached during the 18th National Congress of Chinese Communist Party in early November 2012, was the battle against corruption. In the past week, two corruption cases have been exposed, not by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CCP), but by the mistresses or second wives of the corrupted officials.
Two recent sex scandals
The first case involves a district official in Chongqing Municipality, Lei Zhengfu, who was sacked on November 23, after he was confirmed as the man featuring in a sex video taken by his mistress and exposed online by Beijing micro-blogger Ji Xuguang (紀許光).
Wang uploaded her press card in Weibo to prove that she is determined to expose the corruption case with her real identity.
The second case involves a CCP member and civil servant in Heilongjiang, Sun Dejiang (孫德江), exposed by the reporter Wang Dechun (王德春), the victim of Sun's sexual coercion. The case is now under investigation.
The fact that a large number of corruption cases in China have been exposed through sex videotapes by mistresses or second wives and netizens’ collective human flesh search efforts, have prompted a lot of discussion online.
Some praise the mistresses for standing up against corruption, whilst some criticize the CCP and the government for not taking the leading role to fight corruption.
Co-relation between mistress and corruption
Blogger and news commentator, Feng Qingyang, wrote a recent post [zh] about the background of the phenomena:
不得不承认，这些年来二奶成了腐败分子的“克星”。到目前为止，由二奶牵出的贪官可以说是无计其数或者说是99%的贪官都有二奶。数据表明，在广州、深圳、珠海公布的官员贪污受贿案件中，包养“二奶”的甚至几乎达到了100％。这让人们看出，在中国官场，已经活跃着一支浩浩荡荡的队伍，情妇，已经形成了一支反腐“义勇军”。
We have to admit that in all these years, the second wives have become the deadly weapon against corrupt officials. So far numerous corruption cases have been exposed by second wives. Or we can say that 99% of the corrupt officials have second wives. Statistics show that among the corruption cases from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, 100% have second wives. So the army of mistress and second wives has a lot of potential in fighting against corruption in China.
二奶能反腐，关键在于腐败官员的罪恶行径，了解最深、摸得最透的莫过于情妇、二奶。一旦反目成仇，撕咬起来，一定是句句不空，口口致命，一句一个事实，一口一个铁证，想赖都赖不掉。这也充分印证了“堡垒往往是从内部攻破的”这一真理。
The reason why the second wives are powerful in anti-corruption is because they have witnessed and therefore understood their sin. Once their relationship with the officials ended badly, they are in control of very solid evidence of the officials’ corruption. The situation is like the [ancient Greek] city of Troy – an internal battle is best to attack a castle.
如今养情人包二奶已成为时尚和贪官最大的爱好。“一个情人没有是废物，两三个情人是人物，五六个情人是动物”。老百姓以生动简练的语言，这样形象地描述他们的生活状态：“早上围着轮子转（下乡），中午围着盘子转（接待），下午围着桌子转（麻将），晚上围着裙子转（跳舞）”。“吸烟基本靠送，喝酒基本靠贡，工资基本不动（奖金就够了），老婆基本不用（二奶专门伺候）”。“官场男人三大喜事：升官、发财、死老婆”。个中奥妙，人尽皆知。
Having mistresses and second wives has become a habit and fashion amongst corrupt officials. “Only losers do not have mistresses, key figures have 2-3 mistresses, animals have 5-6 mistresses.” Ordinary people have captured the lifestyle of corrupt officials in simple fashion saying: “In the morning busy with the wheels (going to the outskirt of the city for work), at noon time busy with the dishes (reception), in the afternoon busy with the table (playing mahjong], at night busy with skirts (dancing).” “Cigarette is gift, wine is tribute, salary unspent (bonus is enough for daily expenditure), wife is of no use (as they have second wife).” “Three happy moments among government officials: promotion, unexpected wealth, dead wife”. Everyone knows the implications of the jokes.
Quite a number of micro-bloggers echoed Feng's observation, for example Disappointed table lamp [zh] said:
失望的台灯：有的是自己老婆举报，有的是情人举报。二奶反腐，情人反腐，几乎成为了监督权力的另外一种格外有趣的，有力的模式。
Some are exposed by the second wife, some by the mistress. Anti-corruption through second wife and mistress have become a very powerful and interesting model in monitoring the authorities.
What about woman's dignity?
On the other hand, news commentator Wang Pang [zh] pointed out that the discussion about anti-corruption mistresses is a further victimization of the women who have been sexually abused by corrupted officials:
评论员王攀：把女人逼成二奶，把二奶逼成尖兵。做官员的情妇，女人失去一次做人的尊严；二奶反腐，女人又失去一次做人的尊严。假如官员财产公开，官员不会找二奶，反腐也不用靠二奶，女人就不必两次失去做人的尊严。难道官员财产公开比牺牲人的尊严还重要吗？让人民过上有尊严的生活，不妨从官员财产公开做起。
The women were forced into second wives and now they are forced into the position of ground army. They have lost their dignity once by being a mistress, and now they lose it again. If all the government officials disclose their property and wealth, they won't be able to coerce women into being second wives and we don't need to depend on second wives to fight corruption. Women don't need to lose their dignity twice. What's more important of people's dignity? If we are to let people live in dignity, the government officials should disclose their property for public monitor.
Looking for big brother also complained [zh] about the missing CCP effort in leading the anti-corruption campaign:
有事找大哥V：继小偷反腐、日记反腐、二奶反腐、妓女反腐、微博反腐、建筑商反腐，就是不见有关部门反腐！
We have anti-corruption thief, diary, second wife, prostitute, Weibo, construction companies… but yet to see relevant sector [CCP] fighting against corruption.


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Ecuador Commemorates the International Day Against Gender Violence · Global Voices
Gina Yauri

Every year on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999, is commemorated. Thousands of netizens have remembered this day, sharing information and reactions against this social issue that women live with throughout the world.
In Ecuador, various events [es] transpired. Daily newspaper El Mercurio [es] reported that in Quito, Ecuador's capital, a convoy of cyclists assembled itself in commemoration of the day.
El Mercurio also shared the following statistics: “According to research carried out in 2010 by the Transition Committee for the Council of Women and Gender Equality, 93.8% of all homicides in Ecuador are femicides (murders of women) or are suspected to be such. Additionally, 66% of all femicides were committed by the victims’ partners or ex-partners.”
Loja's Commission for Women and Family Life [es] organized a cultural event dedicated to “No violence,” with performances by local and national artists:
Cultural event in Loja, Ecuador. Photo shared on Facebook by Loja's Commissioner for Family Life.
Janina Mendoza (@janimendoza12) [es] shared a photo of the march that took place in Guayaquil against the mistreatment of women:
“No to violence” parade in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Photo shared by Twitter user @janimendoza12
Others, like Assemblywoman Gina Godoy (@GinaGodoyAndrad) [es], posted information about gender violence in Ecuador:
@GinaGodoyAndrad: Ecuador segun encuestas d INEC [Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo] 6 d cada 10 mujeres han vivido algun tipo d violencia (fisica, psicologica, sexual) di NO a la VIOLENCIA
@GinaGodoyAndrad: In Ecuador, according to surveys from INEC (National Institute of Statistics and the Census), 6 out of 10 women have suffered some type of violence (physical, psychological, sexual) say NO to VIOLENCE
On her blog Lunas Azules [es], Silvana Tapia, a lawyer from Cuenca, published a post entitled “Education, Gender Roles and Violence.” [es] In the post, Silvana presents the reality of a justice system that fails to grant the protection necessary to women that report abuse:
El juez, el fiscal, el policía que intervinieron en el proceso y que tenían la obligación de protegerla, tienen incorporados a su cosmovisión una serie de mitos y prejuicios machistas que no se ven mal en el medio social, sino que más bien son el estándar: el policía piensa que “seguramente ella se lo buscó, debe haber sido una mala mujer”; el fiscal quizá imaginó que “hay mujeres que se autolesionan para meter en problemas a sus maridos”; el juez comentó con su colega en algún momento: “eso es lo que sucede cuando las mujeres se salen de la casa y no se dedican al hogar”.
The judge, the district attorney, the police — all of whom intervened in the process and were obligated to protect her — have a series of myths and macho prejudices incorporated into their perspectives on the world that are not viewed poorly by society, but rather are the standard: the police think that “surely she asked for it, she must have been a bad woman,” the district attorney perhaps imagined that “there are women that self-harm to get their husbands into trouble,” the judge commented to his colleague at one point that “this is what happens when women leave the house and do not dedicate themselves to the home.”
Silvana continues, analyzing the education that law students receive in Ecuador:
En las facultades de Derecho del país, no se prepara a los estudiantes con una visión incluyente de la sociedad. Se da poco espacio o hasta se evita discutir problemas críticos como la penalización del aborto, el matrimonio y la adopción LGBTI, y la violencia de género oculta en nuestras actividades más cotidianas, incluso ejercida desde el propio profesor, aquél que mira lascivamente a la estudiante que se ha presentado al examen con minifalda, porque sabe que eso apuntalará su calificación; y lo que es peor, está contenta de ser vista como un objeto, no cree contar con otras herramientas, le han enseñado que ese es su destino
The country's law schools do not prepare students with an inclusive vision of society. Little to no attention is given to discussing critical problems such as the criminalization of abortion [es], LGBTI marriage and adoption [es], and the gender violence hidden beneath our most daily activities, even exhibited by the very professor who leers at the female student that arrived to take an exam in a miniskirt because she knows that this will affect her grade; and what is worse is that she is content with being objectified, she does not think to count on other tools because she has been taught that this is her destiny
The author later concludes with, among other things, the hope that one day things will change for the better:
Quizá algún día dejemos de ver como el “curso natural de las cosas” a la historia de esa chica que destacó en sus estudios, que tenía un enamorado con el que a veces discutía y con el que después se casó, un marido que la llamó “mujer desnaturalizada” cuando quiso volver al trabajo después de su licencia por maternidad, que se burló de ella cuando propuso estudiar un posgrado, que le levantó la voz una noche porque la sopa estaba fría y finalmente la golpeó sin piedad y delante de los hijos porque le vio sonreírle a un viejo amigo del colegio en alguna fiesta.
Maybe one day we will stop seeing it as “nature's course” when we hear stories of a girl who excelled in her studies, who had a boyfriend with whom she sometimes argued and who she later married, a husband who called her an “unnatural woman” when she wanted to return to work after being on maternity leave, who made fun of her when she came to him with the idea of pursuing her masters degree, who raised his voice at her one night when the soup was cold and finally hit her mercilessly in front of their children because he saw her smile at an old friend from high school at a party.
“Love is not violence: don't stay silent” Photo by Gina Yauri

author: Gina Yauri


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Guyana: Remembering Angela Cropper · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Without destroying a single rainforest tree, she cut a path for we Caribbean women to follow.
A touching tribute to the late Angela Cropper, by Guyana-Gyal.


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Homs: A Revolutionary Syrian City in Ruins  · Global Voices
Rami Alhames

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12
Among the many Syrian cities and towns making news headlines today is Homs, a city which dates back to 2300BC. The colossal damage months of shelling has done can be seen in the destruction of historic buildings and architecture, hundreds of thousands of refugees and thousands of martyrs.
Homs in history
The 4,300 years old (the earliest settlement 2300 BC) Homs, historically known as Emesa (an assemblage of the locally revered sun god), is the third largest city in Syria and is a sister of Belo Horizonte city in Brazil. Homs has a list of historic landmarks, such as the mosque Khalid ibn al-Walid, roofed souks, and contains world heritage sites such as the Krak des Chevaliers and the Citadel of Salah Ed-Din, one of the most important preserved medieval castles in the world.
Few people might know that the Holy Belt of Saint Mary is within the treasures of Um al-Zennar Church while the 5th-century Church of Saint Elian, contains his own tomb.
The Damage of (Um Al-Zennar) Saint Mary Church of the Holy Belt in Homs, Syria. Source: Archaeo life Blog.
Historically, Homs was a city of funny and weird mysteries. In December 1260, Hulagu was defeated at the First Battle of Homs. The Mongols did not enter the city of Homs, unlike other Syrian cities and other cities in the East, while there is a myth saying that scorpions can't live in Homs due to high rate of mercury in its soil. Orontes River which passes the city is the only river that runs from the south northwards while its streets are almost free of beggars, actually due to the efforts of the good people and effective social services run by the community.
A rare video of the Syrian city of Homs shared by IBN HOMS on Youtube, marks the images between 1880 and 1950.
Homs under attack
Although the city had given Syria three of its presidents, from Atassi family, and is the hometown of Assad´s family wife (Alakhras), “Homsi” protesters were among the first Syrians to take to streets in thousands to protest against the Syrian regime. Ever since, the city have been suffering from heavy shelling for months despite a call to Save Syria's threatened heritage sites, including the historic district of Bab Al Dreib. YouTube user Saif Hurria reports about [English] the collapsed buildings and the massive destruction in Jourat alshiah neighborhood.
On tumblr, salt-and-filfil posted a photograph which compares Jourat alshiah neighborhood between 1930-2012.
Homs city before Assad, 1930- Homs city after Assad, 2012. Source: salt-and-filfil on Tumblr.
Also, SyriaAustraliaTv reported (subtitled in English) the destruction of the buildings in AlQusour neighborhood on 11 October 2012.
And another video by the same user SyriaAustraliaTv demonstrates the colossal destruction caused by one rocket on October 7, 2012.
Martyrs and refugees
According to Shaam News Network S.N.N, Homs had more than 7,208 martyrs and most of its inhabitants fled their homes as part of 2 million refugees. Thousands of Syrian refugee children who are at serious risk from freezing temperatures, as winter sets in the Middle East, are being supported by Save the Children organization which is:
Providing the basics they need, like food and blankets and offering programs to help them cope with tragedy. But the numbers of children escaping the violence are rising every day and we’re facing a refugee crisis which is set to get worse. Please donate today. Together, we can help many more Syrian refugee children deal with what they've been through, rebuild their lives and recover from the scars of a brutal war.
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12

author: Rami Alhames


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Iran: Reflections on Gaza and Israel · Global Voices
Arseh Sevom

Originally published at Arseh Sevom by Peyman Majidzadeh
“First Aid” © Alessandra Blasi, taken in Tel Aviv in October 2011. Used with permission.
Whose War is It?
Supporting Palestinians is a foreign policy priority for Iran according to the spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Ramin Mehmanparast. He says it is the duty of Islamic countries to support Palestinians in Gaza and offer humanitarian aid.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrollah emphasized the point saying [fa]:
“Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah will not abandon Gaza and its people. Just as we were with them over the past several years we will continue to stand by them. This is our religious and moral and humanitarian obligation.”
Many wonder if Iran’s policy is genuine support of “the people” or a ploy to shift the narrative away from their flailing policy in Syria. Is providing Hamas with weapons a solution leading to ceasefire or conflict escalation? The fact of the matter is that innocent people are getting killed on both sides.
Iranian blogger Kamangir writes:
“He who fires a missile bears full responsibility. Children and adults are at the other end of the missile. The missile striker is a criminal regardless of whether it kills anyone or not.”
Iran’s official stance against Zionism dates back to August 1979 when in solidarity with Palestinians, Ayatollah Khomeini declared the liberation of Jerusalem a religious duty to all Muslims. This pro-Palestinian day of protest, known as Quds Day, is annually sponsored, commemorated, and organized by the Iranian government on the last Friday of Ramadan. Quds Day has now expanded to many other countries as well and has become a symbol of solidarity with Palestinians under occupation. Although millions of Iranians attend this parade annually, the authenticity and voluntary participation of them is in question [fa].
Three years ago, protests after the disputed presidential election not only criticized the suppression of rights at home but Iran's interventions abroad. Demonstrators chanted: “No to Gaza. No to Lebanon. My life only for Iran.” The chant was widely criticized and willfully misunderstood by Iranian authorities at the time. It reflects a demand from civil society for government accountability and a criticism of its policy to poke its nose into the affairs of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Anyone who does not side with the Iranian government’s policy is considered pro-Zionist. Condemning Hamas publicly means becoming a target. The Office for Consolidating Unity [Daftar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat], an Iranian student organization, became a victim of this policy because of its stance against both Hamas and Israel in the previous Gaza war and was called “Radio Israel” by Kayhan, the most conservative newspaper in Iran and one affiliated with the office of the Supreme Leader.
On Zamaneh Tribune, the author of the post Palestine is not our problem! [fa] writes:
“There are people who claim to be the public’s voice and believe that the issue of Palestine is our problem and our relations with the rest of the world are viewed through that prism. Whoever disagrees with them is [accused of] being fascist or racist.”
Despite the tortured politics there is support for Palestinians in the Iranian community. This image shows a demonstration in front of Israel’s consulate in New York which was attended by members of the group Havaar, which opposes war, sanctions, and state repression.
Photo courtesy of Havaar: the Iranian initiative against war, sanctions, and state repression
In a post called Palestine’s Bloody Wound, Mikhak [fa] makes an argument in support of the Palestinian people, saying:
“The correct position to take in the Palestine issue is undoubtedly to support Palestinians. Not supporting Gazans because Hamas is ruling them or because they elected Hamas someday is like agreeing that we deserve to suffer because of the cruelty of the Islamic Republic [of Iran].”
The author goes on to denounce Hamas ideology while supporting the Palestinians.

author: Arseh Sevom


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Macedonia: 7th Critical Mass Biking in Skopje on Wednesday · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Promotional banner for Critical Mass #7: ‘The Streets are for Bikes, Too’
The 7th Critical Mass [mk] group cycling will take place on the streets of Skopje on November 28 (Wednesday) starting at 5:30 pm, organized via #КМ7 hashtag and the FB event [mk].

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Only Citizens Fall in Iraq’s Car Bombings  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Around 29 people were killed and 126 injured in eight car bombings in Iraq today [Nov 27, 2012]. Iraqi blogger Wamith comments [ar]:
@wamith: Many citizens fall but no one from the government falls in the Iraq bombings

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Photos From Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

A freelance photographer Takashi Ozaki published photos from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Image by OZAKI TAKASHI , (CC BY-NC-ND 2.1) taken on October 12, 2012
The plant was the scene of a nuclear disaster following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. More photos are available on fotgazet.com [ja], an online magazine by Japan Visual Journalists Association.

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Protests Put an End to Chris Brown’s Guyana Gig  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Just over a month ago, Guyanese bloggers were voicing their displeasure over talk of a Chris Brown concert in the country's capital city that was allegedly being supported by the government. Much of the controversy was linked to the singer's 2009 assault of then-girlfriend, Barbadian-born singer Rihanna and the message that his notoriety could send in a country with a high incidence of domestic violence.
Chris Brown in concert, image by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer
It now appears as if their concern has been registered: two Guyanese bloggers are reporting that the Chris Brown concert has been cancelled. A few days ago, Guyana-Gyal said:
I read it online last night, Chris Brown cancel he show here because o’ protests against what he do to Rihanna in '09.
She went on to explain that “the protests send a strong and sad message about domestic violence here”, but wondered whether the message was reaching those who needed to hear it the most:
The men and the women who need the help most, the ones who need therapy, they gon hear?
And what about political violence, when women get beat-up then, in me lovely native land, and women groups stay silent? What kinda message that is sending out?
Yesterday, livingguyana confirmed reports of the show's cancellation by quoting an article in the Huffington Post:
Organizers say American R&B star Chris Brown has canceled a stadium concert in Guyana after local protests over his 2009 beating of then-girlfriend Rihanna.
Brown was billed to headline a Dec. 26 show. But he drew the ire of women's rights groups and opposition lawmakers who said Brown would not be welcome in Guyana three years after his assault of Barbadian superstar Rihanna.
Concert promoter Hits & Jams Entertainment said Thursday that Brown backed out, citing discomfort with the protests.
Reactions were coming in on Twitter under the hashtags #chrisbrown #guyana, with one user, @beckyrachael posting a photo of a news item related to the concert's cancellation – the headline reads:
Guyanese women send Chris Brown a message: Don't come here – Rihanna might forgive, but Guyana doesn't.


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Tahrir Square: Unleashing Egyptian Creativity  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Sheikh Rihan mural around Tahrir Square. Photograph by Mosaab Elshamy, used under (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
On Twitter, Mosa'ab Elshamy shares two photographs of murals he took around Tahrir Square, the epi-centre of Egypt's protests. He comments:
@mosaaberizing: Actually, can't remember anything unleashing so much creativity as the walls around Tahrir did: http://flic.kr/p/bCB1Pv  & http://flic.kr/p/bpEeq9


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Ukrainian Football Fans Rally in Support of the Pavlichenko Family · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

On Sunday, November 25, over 4,000 football fans organized a demonstration in Kyiv, demanding the release of the Pavlichenko family [uk].
Dmytro Pavlichenko and his son Serhiy, fans of FC Dynamo Kyiv [uk], were found guilty of the murder of a Kyiv Shevchenko District Court Judge Serhiy Zubkov. In the past few months, Ukrainian and European fans have organized [uk] a series of unprecedented actions in their support.
Ukrainian football fans demand freedom for the Pavlichenko family during the Nov. 25 rally in Kyiv. Photo by Sergii Kharchenko, copyright © Demotix (25/11/2012).
The Pavlichenko case
Prior to the murder of the judge, the father of the Pavlichenko family, Dmytro, had been involved in a court case against a Dutch construction company that planned to build new real estate in place of his family’s house in Kyiv. Although a legal owner of his house, Dmytro was charged with illegal construction of additional accommodation. Eventually, he lost the case, and the Pavlichenko family was forcefully evicted from their home shortly before the New Year’s Eve of 2011. The court decision was passed [uk] by Judge Serhiy Zubkov.
In March 2011, Judge Zubkov was found dead in his apartment building. Shortly after the incident, Dmytro Pavlichenko and his son Serhiy were accused of the judge’s murder. Despite mostly circumstantial evidence [uk], both were found guilty. Dmytro Pavlichenko was sentenced to life in prison, while his son got a 13-year prison sentence.
Reactions
The case received unprecedented publicity due to activism of football fans who united to demand justice for the Pavlichenko family.
A special website – TheyAreNotKillers.com [uk, ru, en] – was set up. Below is the background story from the website, told from the point of view of Dmytro Pavlichenko's youngest son, Ivan (in Ukrainian, with subtitles available for Bulgarian, Croatian, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish):
Over 90 actions in support of the Pavlichenkos were carried out by football fans in more than a dozen countries.
Activists also created special groups on a popular social networks Vkontakte (here and here [ru], with over 14,000 members total), and on Facebook (Freedom Pavlichenko [en, ru, uk]).
LiveJournal user alex-serdyuk expressed [ru] a common sentiment:
Украинское правосудие в действии. У семьи обирают квартиру в пользу непонятной фирмы, глава семьи — Дмитрий Павличенко — не сдается, созывает пресс–конференции, обратился с просьбой к Президенту Украины наказать коррумпированных чиновников и вернуть принадлежащее ему жилье. В марте 2011–го года судья Шевченковского районного суда Сергей Зубков, вынесший вердикт об отчуждении квартиры у семьи Павличенко, был найден мертвым в подъезде своего дома. […] Буквально через два дня киевлянина Дмитрия Павличенко и его сына Сергея арестовали по подозрению в убийстве судьи. Старшему Павличенко дали пожизненное, младшему — 13 лет лишения свободы. Причем свидетели их не узнали, улик прямых нет, у Дмитрия Павличенко есть алиби.
Ukrainian justice system in action. A family has their apartment taken away for the benefit of some shady firm; the head of the family – Dmytro Pavlichenko – does not give up, he organizes press-conferences, calls on the President of Ukraine to punish the corrupt authorities and return his rightly-owned home. In March of 2011, Shevchenkivsky District Court Judge Serhiy Zubkov, who passed a verdict of expropriating Pavlichenko’s apartment, is murdered in his residential building. […] Just two days later, Kyiv residents Dmytro and Serhiy Pavlychenko are arrested as murder suspects. Pavlichenko Sr. receives a life sentence and Pavlichenko Jr. – 13 years. And the witnesses did not recognize them, there is no direct evidence, Dmytro Pavlichenko has an alibi.
The November 25 protest
On November 25, supporters of the Pavlichenkos organized their biggest action to date – a march of thousands of people through the center of Kyiv (photos, video). The action was supported by the Belarusian [ru] and Russian [ru] football fans.
LiveJournal user from Lviv, r_drogobych, explains [uk]:
Не одній сотні невинних людей наша гнила феміда вже поламала життя, і за них, в кращому разі крім родичів, не має кому вступитись. Даний випадок трохи вирізняється з переліку інших оскільки молодший Павличенко являється футбольним фанатом і вболівав за столичне Динамо. З моменту ув'язнення Павличенків до СІЗО фанати ДК почали звертату увагу громадськості на цю справу. Малювались банери, влаштовувались акції, писалось в інтернеті. Але з огляду на відсутність доказів вини Павличенків, і навіть навпаки наявності доказів зворотнього (свідок який бачив вбивцю впритул не впізнав жодного Павличенка) якось сподівались, що суд винесе виправдальний вирок, або хоча б відправить справу на дорослідування. Але зараз, коли вже останні ілюзії про якусь справедливість в цій країні розвіялись, акції в підтримку Павличенків переходять в наступну фазу. […]
Our rotten femida [Themis, justice] has broken the lives of hundreds of innocent people. At best, they have had only their relatives to stand by their side. This case is a little different because the younger Pavlichenko is a football fan and supports the capital’s [football club] Dynamo. From the moment of the Pavlichenkos’ [preliminary arrest], Dynamo Kyiv’s fans have been drawing the public attention to the case. [They] made banners, organized actions, wrote [about it] online. Taking into account the absence of evidence of the Pavlichenkos’ guilt and, instead, an abundance of proofs of their innocence […] everybody hoped for their acquittal or at least that the court would send the case back for additional investigation. But now, as the last illusions of having at least some justice in this country have been dispelled, the actions in support of the Pavlichenkos have entered their next phase. […]
Ukrainian football fans march in Kyiv on Nov. 25, demanding justice for the Pavlichenko family. Photo by Sergii Kharchenko, copyright © Demotix (25/11/2012).
The event was widely covered by the Ukrainain mainstream and social media. Facebook user Vitaliy Umanets, along with over 200 other users, shared this photo from the march and wrote [uk]:
Надія Є! Молодь вийшла на захист Павличенків!
There is hope! Young people have come out to defend the Pavlichenkos!
Journalist and blogger Ihor Lutsenko also regarded [uk] the event positively and placed it within the new possible trend for civic activism:
Між тим марш на захист Павличенків – найбільша з часів Майдану непартійна акція, чим можна пишатися. […]
Це прогрес, цивілізаційний прогрес країни.
[…]
Успіх тих, хто боровся проти Ахметова, і можливий успіх тих, хто зараз бореться за Павличенків, може, чого доброго, задати політичну моду в країні. Громадяни захопляться організацією масових акцій, почнуть гуртуватися і тисячами виходити на вулиці – о жах! – втративши свою зневіру у публічні акції, перетворяться на… європейців!
In the meantime, the march in defense of the Pavlichenko family is the largest non-partisan action since Maidan [the Orange Revolution], and this is something to be proud of. […]
It is progress, civilizational progress of [our] country.
[…]
The success of those who have fought against [the destruction of historical Andriivsky Uzviz street in Kyiv] and the possible success of those who are now fighting for the Pavlichenkos, might, after all, set a new political trend in the country. The citizens will get a taste for organizing mass actions, will unite and go onto the streets in thousands and – how terrible! – lose their disappointment in public actions and turn into… Europeans!

author: Tetyana Bohdanova


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Why Are Government Jobs in China So Popular? · Global Voices
Abby Liu

On Nov 25, 2012, about 1.12 million Chinese sat the National Public Servant Exam, an increase of 150,000 from last year, according to a State Administration of Civil Service official. Most candidates are university students; they are competing for about 20,000 government vacancies.
More than 1.5 million people registered to take the exam, South China Morning Post reported – a record – and more than 30 times the number sitting the exam a decade ago.
The annual National Public Servant Exam includes an aptitude test and a written policy essay, and those who pass the written exam will have to pass a tough interview process before they can get a government job.
Thousands of college graduates flock to take the civil servant exam in China. Screen capture of CCTV news feature.
Enthusiasm towards the exam has also triggered heated discussion in Chinese social media and blogospheres where netizens explore the deeper reason behind its popularity. Many say it is an indicator of heavy government corruption where a civil servant with even an average salary can enjoy a good life due to the position’s special benefits and power. Others mention negative attitudes in society towards private companies and entrepreneurship.
Below are some selected quotes from Weibo, China's version of Twitter [zh]:
The Corruption of the System
河南大学民生学院官方微博：普京曾说过：一个国家报考公务员的热度，代表了这个国家的腐败程度。
Henan University Official Weibo: Putin once said: ‘The popularity of a country’s government jobs indicates how corrupt the country is. ‘
Ma：恨贪官，又拚命报考公务员；骂垄断，又削减脑袋往高薪单位钻；讥讽不正之风，自己办事却忙找关系。总之，愤怒，不是因为觉得不公平，而是觉得自己处在不公平中的不利位置，不是想消灭这种不公平，而是想让自己处在不公平中的有利位置。这种骨子里的自私，才真正应该反思。
Ma: We hate corrupt officials, yet we desperately apply for the position as civil servants; we curse monopoly, yet we try every way possible to join the well-paid state enterprises; we make fun of the hidden rules in society, yet we are busy looking for guanxi [personal connections]. This makes me angry, not because I think that is not fair, but because when we are in a disadvantaged position, we are not trying to eliminate the inequality, but trying to gain a favorable position in the unfair system. Such selfishness deserves our reflection.
白岩松评国考热：人人争当公仆 它可能不是仆人
CCTV host Bai Yansong indirectly provokes thoughts: “When everyone wants to be a ‘civil servant,’ it probably is not a servant after all.”
The Worries of Private Companies
主时：如果一个国家的优秀人才都想去挤公务员这条桥，那说明体制已经有很大问题了。国外是一流人才经商，二流的才去从政。说明要不就是经商不好赚钱，要不就是体制很好养人.
Zhushi: If many outstanding talents in a country all try so hard to seek government jobs, that means there’s a big problem with the system. In foreign countries, usually first-rate talents become entrepreneurs, the second-rate talents work for the government. This indicates that in China, either it’s hard to make money at private companies or it’s really easy to make money as a government employee.
曲敬东：说明两个问题：1、公务员群体的独特价值已经形成超强影响力；2、中国经济已经到了最坏时期，民营经济地位低下。物极必反，否极泰来。有远见的年轻人应该看到市场经济的繁荣时代即将到来，贪官污吏的好日子已快到尽头。
Qu Jindong: It indicates two problems: first, the special value of civil servants has formed a surpassing influence. Second, the Chinese economy has reached its worst period: private companies have a lower status. However, once things are at their worst, the situation has to improve. Thoughtful young people should see the power of the market-oriented economy; the days of corrupt officials will quickly come to an end.
CEO of dhgate.com, Wang Shutong felt sad about situation:
无论是年轻人还是家长，都把体制等同于安全感，纷纷向体制内寻找安全感。多年前被抛弃的陈旧观念，如今又被捡了回来。而若干年后价值回归时，今天这些期待旱涝保收、向体制要一生安全的年轻人，多半会成为最悲催的一族。有媒体问我一些关于国考热的问题，我不是社会学家，只是从企业家和过来人的角度，感到既无奈又有些悲哀。如果年轻一代纷纷走向国考这一独木桥，怎么指望优秀人才正常流向民营企业、创业企业呢？
Both young people and parents think the system provides a sense of security. These outdated concepts were abandoned years ago, but now they’re coming back. Years later, those young people who pursue lifelong security will probably become the saddest and most pathetic group. The media asked me what I thought about the popularity of government jobs in China, I'm not a sociologist, but as an entrepreneur and someone who has some experience, I feel helpless and quite sad to hear the news. If the younger generation all seek to pass along this “single-plank bridge” [i.e. government jobs], how do we expect talented people to flow to private enterprises and start-ups?
Famous commentator Shi Shusi echoed with Wang:
如果不能彻底转变政府职能，真正依法行政，公务员靠权力寻租获得的政策红利就永远不能消失，成为国考热的直接动因。假如这些决定中国最关键的职位最终都落在好逸恶劳的功利之徒手里，只会加速权力运行的恶性循环。即使最优秀的官场人才，在现行体制下，也会努力将自己塑造成溜须拍马、内心贪婪的恶官。
西方国家的年轻人纷纷涌向企业，远离体制，创造社会财富；中国的年轻人却挤破头涌向政府，挤进体制，觊觎社会财富。于是，西方国家把企业做大了，国民富裕了；而中国把政府做大了，当官的都富裕了。“国考热”高烧不退背后，折射的是公务员收入分配的优越性，一些人挤过独木桥为人民服务是假，为自己升官发财才真，本该消灭的“灰色收入”却成了吸引千军万马的原动力。七成人认为“有钱不如有权”则凸显官本位思想严重。改变人人争当仆人的“不正常状态”，需要更透明公开的选拔和更公平正义的分配机制。
If we cannot completely change the way the government functions and adhere to the rule of law, civil servants will always abuse power for their own benefits, which is the direct cause of popularity of the exam. If these most critical government positions fall to those who always seek their own interests, it will only accelerate the vicious cycle of the abuse of power. Even the most outstanding talents under the current system will end up becoming sycophants and greedy officials.
Young people in Western countries flock to the enterprises to create social wealth; China's young people squeeze into the government to covet social wealth. When enterprises become bigger in the West, the country becomes rich; in China, the government becomes rich. The exam fever indicates the superiority of the civil servants’ income distribution. They are not here to serve people, but for their own career and fortune. “Gray income” is the motivation and the mighty force behind the millions of exam-takers. People’s perception that “power is more important than money” indicates serious social problems. We need to be more transparent and open in their selection and more fair and just in the distribution of income.

author: Abby Liu


text:
A Glimpse of the Human Moment of Chinese Leaders · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Premier Wen Jiabao (left) and President Hu Jintao (right) sharing a laugh following a day’s work at the recent 18th Party Congress
A Chinese micro-blogger, Wang Dongdong tweeted the above image on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter on November 23, which has been retweeted over 103,000 times. The blogger [zh] said,
I really like this picture. Why doesn’t our media give us more images of leaders like this one, instead of always making them look so old-fashioned?
Tealeafnation has picked up the story.


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Angola’s Sophisticated Censorship · Global Voices
Madalena Sampaio

[All links lead to Portuguese language pages, except when otherwise noted.]
Angola celebrated the 37th anniversary of its independence on November 11, 2012. But, in reality, how independent is the country nowadays? In terms of media and social communication, for instance, the reality is disturbing and, according to specialists, the censorship in Angola is becoming more sophisticated.
One of the recent episodes of censorship occurred on October 27, 2012, when the newspaper Semanário Angolense was withdrawn from the printing press by the company Media Investe. The reason was the publication of almost an entire speech by the president of the opposition party UNITA [en], Isaías Samakuva, in which he was being highly critical about the state of the nation. Maka Angola published it first:
A  empresa proprietária, controlada por altas figuras dos Serviços de Segurança e Informação do Estado (SINSE), retirou os exemplares impressos do jornal para serem queimados. Maka Angola obteve uma cópia digital do jornal censurado, cujas páginas 8, 9 e 10 reproduzem, com tratamento gráfico, o discurso de Samakuva, de 23 de Outubro.
Copy of the cover of the censored Semanário Angolense. The speech given by Samakuva on October 23 is reproduced on pages 8, 9 and 10.
The speech of the leader of Angola's largest opposition party- the full version was made available online by Maka Angola [pdf]- criticised the fact that the Angolan President, José Eduardo dos Santos, has not made the speech on the state of the nation at the opening of third Legislature, as laid down in the Constitution. Instead, the Angolan Head of State asked that copies of his inauguration speech be distributed to the members of parliament on September 26. The move was widely criticised by the opposition and by various sectors of society.
In an interview with DW, the Angolan human rights activist and founder of Maka Angola, Rafael Marques, says that this is “another way to control the information that circulates” in the country:
O presidente da UNITA fez um discurso bastante contundente que teve grande aceitação na sociedade (…). Daí a necessidade de ter que garantir que o discurso de Isaías Samakuva não tenha ampla circulação. Ele está a circular apenas na internet e, como é do conhecimento geral, Luanda e o país sofrem uma grave crise de abastecimento de eletricidade. Logo muito poucas pessoas têm acesso à internet e os jornais são mais lidos, porque um jornal pode ser lido por várias pessoas. Agora também os jornais privados são controlados pelo aparelho de segurança e neste caso houve uma falha dos censores, mas mesmo assim ainda foram a tempo de ir buscar os jornais da impressão diretamente para a queima.
On its website, the Union of Angolan Journalists (SJA) regrets that “incidents” like this are no news in the panorama of “press freedom” in Angola:
Este tipo de atentados começou verificar-se desde a altura, já lá vão mais de dois anos, em que alguns semanários luandenses começaram a ser comprados por empresas sem rosto, tendo neste âmbito mudado de proprietários o “Semanário Angolense”, a “A Capital” e o “Novo Jornal”. Do ponto de vista editorial, “A Capital” foi até agora a publicação que mais foi violentada/censurada pelos seus novos proprietários, por razões claramente políticas e relacionadas com a sua discordância no tocante a determinadas matérias desfavoráveis aos interesses do actual poder político.
The case of the Semanário Angolense generated numerous comments on social networks. On October 29, 2012, Joana Clementina commented on Facebook:
Tanto barulho porquê? O Semanário em questão tem um dono e cabe a ele decidir o que vai para a rua. Se o problema é o discurso do man samas [Isaías Samakuva], a Rádio Despertar pode passar sempre que quiser e diga-se que a Despertar tem maior audiência em relação ao Angolense. No big deal. Ficaria feliz se vocês apontassem soluções para o problema da luz e água. O Semanário Angolense nem está ao alcance do bolso do cidadão comum, uma minoria é que o lê.
Shortly after, Mingiedy Mia Loa responded directly to the comment:
Joana Clementina: independentemente do dono, existe o Conselho Nacional de Comunicação Social e cabe a este órgão regular e fiscalizar a linha editorial dos órgãos de comunicação social, sejam eles privadas ou publicas, e por outra a Constituição de Angola não prevê censuras em matérias jornalísticas no seu capitulo de liberdades de expressão…
On October 31, Maurilio Luiele also wrote on Facebook:
O facto é que a constituição consagra a liberdade de imprensa e ipsis factus proíbe a censura. Se isso não é censura então é o quê? O que está em causa é a violação da Constituição, e pior ainda, a forma sistemática e leviana como se ultraja a Lei em Angola. Sempre me faço a seguinte pergunta: se a lei não é a baliza e livre arbitrio prevalece onde fica o Estado Democrático de Direito? Onde está a PGR para defender a legalidade?
As SJA indicates, quoting the current legislation (Law no. 7/06 from May 15, 2006 [pdf, pt]), the attack on the freedom of press happens when:
[…] aquele que fora dos casos previstos na lei impedir ou perturbar a composição, impressão, distribuição e livre circulação de publicações periódicas, impedir ou perturbar a emissão de programas de radiodifusão e televisão, apreender ou danificar quaisquer materiais necessários ao exercício da actividade jornalística.
“Should the freedom of each individual not be respected?” questions the researcher Eugenio Costa Almeida in an opinion piece on the subject, published in the Angolan weekly Novo Jornal, on November 2:
A ser verdade esta eventual atitude, deram mostras de não respeitar a liberdade de cada um. A liberdade de quem escreveu, a liberdade de quem produziu e, mais grave ainda porque a condiciona, a liberdade de escolha do leitor. Porque os jornais, a comunicação social, só existe porque há leitores, ouvintes e telespectadores que lêem, ouve, ou vêem as notícias e as opiniões emitidas para, posteriormente, terem a liberdade de as apreciar, citar ou questionar e criticar as mesmas e delas tirarem as ilações possíveis.
“Samakuva: Where's my speech?” Picture shared on the Facebook profile of Kissonde Project.
Episodes like this are proof that the Angolan “lapis azul” (blue pencil- a symbol of censorship) is taking on new dimensions, with propaganda and censorship increasingly restricting press freedom. The Angolan model of censorship is even “more sophisticated than the Chinese”, argues the Angolan analyst Nelson Pestana in an interview with DW:
O modelo de censura chinês é assumido como um dos mecanismos do partido. Em Angola não. O discurso de legitimação passa pela ideia de democracia, pela ideia de pluralismo. Não é um órgão exterior que impede o jornal de circular é o próprio dono do jornal que decide que desta vez não circula. Só que o dono do jornal faz parte do grupo do poder e por isso é evidentemente um mecanismo de censura e de controlo da opinião pública nacional.
“None of the countries of the PALOP [African Countries of Official Portuguese Language] has the means of pressure that Angola has”, criticised the Portuguese journalist Pedro Rosa Mendes in an interview in February this year, shortly after the radio programme he worked with (Este tempo, broadcast on the public radio Antena 1) had been suspended after the broadcast of an opinion piece [en] which criticised the Angolan government:
É óbvio, para toda a gente que não queira ser ingénua, que muita da pressão que Angola pode fazer já funciona por si. É uma espécie de diplomacia paralela e de pressão tácita.
This post was proofread in English by Georgi McCarthy.

author: Madalena Sampaio


text:
Anti-mining Protesters Converge in Greece’s Second Largest City · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

More than 6,500 protesters from around Northern Greece converged in Thessaloniki on Saturday, November 24, 2012 to warn the inhabitants of Greece's second largest city about the environmental fallout caused by gold mining.
Thessaloniki-based independent media collective Alterthess, as well as the Vancouver Media Collective posted photos and videos (see above) of the event. Monthly protest-promenades, often met with police brutality, are organized by Hellenic Mining Watch activists in the primeval forest of Skouries, which is threatened by mining operations conducted by a subsidiary of the Vancouver-based Eldorado Gold company. Photojournalist Alexandros Michailidis posted more photos of the protest on Demotix.
Screenshot from protest video. Thessaloniki, Greece.

author: Asteris Masouras


text:
Are Zambia’s Miners Paying More in Taxes than Mining Companies? · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

A podcast (Taxcast) by Tax Justice Network titled Zambian miners paying more tax than mining company has been posted online claiming that miners are paying more in income tax than mines are paying in corporation tax.
A Centre for Trade Policy and Development official, Saviour Mwambwa, claims that one mining company cost the Zambian government an equivalent of £50m in unpaid taxes over one period of time, more money than the British government gave the country in aid.
Map of Zambia showing the copper mining area in Zambia. Image released by Wikipedia user Acntx under Creative Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Said Mwambwa in the podcast:
The company that we have been following alone, just one company, over a period of two years, we believe not less than £50m (US$80m) was lost by the government of Zambia by that company avoiding to pay taxes… That is more than the British government gave to Zambia in aid over the same period.
Mwambwa reasons:
Most countries including Zambia would not actually need aid if companies were paying the kind of taxes they ought to pay. So it is also in the best interest of European countries and European citizens to make sure that their governments are doing everything possible they can if Europe is serious about its rhetoric against corruption, they should fight things like tax avoidance.
An Action Aid official is quoted in the same podcast as saying:
These are mines owned by major multi-national companies. They are making large amounts of money for shareholders in Switzerland and UK. Because they are able to shift their profits out of Zambia and elsewhere before they get taxed, often benefiting from the secrecy of tax havens as they do it…
Earlier in the podcast, a mining expert and former Zambian government minister, Dr Mathias Mpande, said:
They economist say this [Zambia] is the 10th fastest growing economy but this is the poorest country after Niger… The social indicators in Zambia are very poor. We have to create enough capital which we can invest in public utilities and services. See the amount of wealth that Sweden and Norway have created out of mining? That is where we should be going.
Introducing the podcast, Tax Research UK writes:
Have you heard about the miners in Zambia who pay more tax than the multi-national mining company they work for?
How do these corporations get away with it? And how does it affect life for ordinary Zambians?
This is a special report from the Taxcast, the monthly 15 minute podcast from the Tax Justice Network.
The Tax Justice Network is an independent organisation launched in the British Houses of Parliament in 2003. Their coalition of researchers and activists support transparency and openness around tax issues in developing countries arguing that tax havens cause poverty:
The Tax Justice Network promotes transparency in international finance and opposes secrecy. We support a level playing field on tax and we oppose loopholes and distortions in tax and regulation, and the abuses that flow from them. We promote tax compliance and we oppose tax evasion, tax avoidance, and all the mechanisms that enable owners and controllers of wealth to escape their responsibilities to the societies on which they and their wealth depend. Tax havens, or secrecy jurisdictions as we prefer to call them, lie at the centre of our concerns, and we oppose them.
This podcast comes on the heels of a documentary Zambia: Good Copper, Bad Copper which appeared on YouTube early this year.

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Captivated by Japan’s ‘Daidougei’ – Street Performance Art · Global Voices
Mari Wakimoto

“Daidougei” is a type of street performance in Japan. “Daido” means big street and “Gei” means performance. Ironically, because of restrictions under Japan's Road Traffic Law [ja] and regulations by local authorities, it is not free to perform on the street. Special permission is needed to perform Daidougei.
Various ideas were introduced to support street performers recently; the Tokyo Metropolitan Government created a program [ja] to give performers a license to perform on the street approved by the government. In Kanagawa prefecture, volunteers organize “Noge-Daidougei Festival” twice a year to revitalize the area by using street performance [ja]. However some people say that these methods are not enough.
When asked what was the hardest thing that he had experienced, a performer Thankyou Tezuka answered ” It’s that we are not allowed to perform on the street freely under the Road Traffic Law, regulation and so on.” [ja]
A blogger Taiki [ja] writes about legal restrictions on street performance:
日本には素晴らしいパフォーマーが多くいますが、彼らの活躍する「場」や「風土」、「文化」が日本にはまだ定着していません。
彼らはそういった場を求め、海外へ出ていってしまいます。更に言ってしまえば、海外に出ていけるパフォーマーはまだいい方で、自分の生活や金銭的な問題から才能を発揮できずに終わってしまうパフォーマーがほとんどでしょう。
Although there are many great performers in Japan, the environment for street performance; the“place”, the “climate” and the “culture” are not firmly established. They often go abroad in search of such an environment. Performers who can go abroad are better off. Others might be forced to retire without doing justice to their ability because of financial difficulities.
One amateur photographer, charmed by the art of Daidogei street performance, has spent years taking photos of it. His name is Akira. His blog is titled “All I take is Daidogei photos, I myself don’t know why I am so obsessed.”[ja]
He described it was his encounter with a performer “Gilyak Amagasaki” [ja] that made him start taking photos of “Daigougei“.
ギリヤーク尼ヶ崎さんは、舞踏によって人間の情念や力、悲しみを表現する大道芸人。
雪の降る街中で踊る彼との出会いがきっかけで、ボクは様々な大道芸人を撮るようになりました。昔はともに日本中を旅しています。阪神大震災直後の被災地にも行きました。
その生き様と考え方。ボクにとって心の師匠です。
“Gilyak Amagasaki” is a performer who expresses pathos, energy and sorrow through dance. I saw him dancing in a snowy street and from there, started taking photos of various performers. I used to travel with them and also went to the disaster area right after the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995. His way of living and thinking really inspire me. He’s my master.
Here are his photos that show his empathy for performers. (Photos used with permission from Akira.)
“Gilyak Amagasaki” in “The Osaka performance” at Namba, Amerikamura
“GchocoMarble” at “Come on! Daidougei for everyone at Ikebukuro”
“Meriko” at festival of Sugiyama Shrine in Kawasaki
“Daichi” at “Street Corner Art in Ochanomizu art picnic”
“HANAMERI” at “Toyohashi Art Festival”
“Thankyou Tezuka” in “Daidougei Festival in Chiba 2012″
“Taiheiyou” at “Daidougei Festival in Asakusa rokku”
You can find more photos in Akira's Facebook photo album.[ja] He gave this explanation [ja] for making the album:
I hope my photos make people want to go out and see Daigougei. I would be happy if I can give them such a chance.
Did his hope reach you?

author: Mari Wakimoto


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China: Top 10 horrible figures of 2012? · Global Voices
Abby Liu

This week, Chinese internet users come up with their own list of the “10 Most Horrid People of 2012.” The list was shared on Sina Weibo by “Weekly Commentary” [zh]  (每周评论), but was deleted on Nov 26. China Media Project translated the deleted post.


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China: Model Sentenced for Posing in a Police Uniform · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A model who posted a risque photo of herself in a police uniform was sentenced to 9 months in jail and one-year probation upon court review. Beijing Cream believes that the punishment is more about her mentioning “government leaders” in her micro-blog attached to the picture:
I am under great pressure working as a police officer in my hometown. I have to attend dinner parties with government leaders all day long. ‘Police Beauty’ is simply a nickname.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China’s “Great Global Thinkers” for 2012 · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Samuel Wade from China Digital Times introduced the six Chinese civil society leaders – Chen Guangcheng, Ai Weiwei, Yu Jianrong, Ma Jun, Wang Jisi, Kai-fu Lee – who are listed in the Foreign Policy's 2012 Great Global Thinkers.


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Côte d’Ivoire: Online Campaign Says No to Holding Multiple Public Offices · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

[All links forward to french articles unless otherwise stated]
Ivorian bloggers have initiated a campaign for a real public debate on the issue of parliamentarians simultaneously holding multiple elected offices in Côte d'Ivoire. Tired of seeing parliamentarians also being mayors or presidents of a General Council [a regional political body], these netizens are using social media and organizing a petition to call upon Ivorian political leaders to renounce multiple offices.
Ils étaient Ministres, puis ils sont devenus en plus députés et maintenant ils veulent aussi devenir Maires, Présidents de Conseil Général… On s'est battu aussi contre ce genre de choses alors disons haut et Fort NON AUX CUMULARDS
They were ministers, then they became members of parliament and now they also want to be come Mayors, Presidents of the General Council… We fought against this sort of thing also so let's say it loud and strong: NO TO MULTIPLE OFFICES
“No to multiple offices” poster published by Elie Nguan on his facebook page with his permission
Ngouan clarifies, nevertheless, that he is far from being opposed to the government of President Alassane Ouattara – but that it is time to deliver the changes that were promised:
En temps de guerre, d'attaques, de tentatives de déstabilisation du pays je serai le 1er à défendre le régime de Ouattara, qui est le symbole de la victoire de la démocratie sur la dictature. Mais en temps de stabilité j'attaquerai avec la même énergie ce régime. Je ne cesserai de le critiquer pour qu'il donne aux ivoiriens ce qu'il leur a promis c'est à dire le changement. Je sais que le PR peut réaliser énormément de bonnes choses pour ce pays c'est pourquoi je ne cesserai de lui demander toujours plus, toujours mieux [..] Ouattara, tu es donc prévenu toutes les erreurs et fautes de toi et ton gouvernement seront sévèrement sanctionnés. Sache que vous êtes très attendus sur le sujet du cumul excessif de postes et de mandats.
In a time of war, of attacks, of attempts to destabilize the country, I would be the first to defend the Ouattara regime, which is a symbol of the victory of democracy over dictatorship. But during stable periods I will attack this regime with the same energy. I will not cease to criticize it so that it gives Ivorians what it promised them – that is, change. I know that the president can do a a great deal of good for this country and that is why I will not cease to ask him for still more, for still better [..] Ouattara, you have thus been warned all your faults and errors, as well as those of your government, will be severely punished. Know that much is expected of you on the issue of multiple public office and appointment-holders.
The netizens have also launched a petition to make politicians more sensitive to the issue. On Twitter, the hashtag #nonaucumul has been adopted by several Ivorian Twitter users to explain why multiple office-holding is harmful to the nation's future:
@Lord225: On ne construit pa une nation forte en confiant tous les aspects de son developpement a un cercle restreint de personne #civ2010 #nonaucumul
@Lord225: One does not build a strong nation by granting responsbility for all apsects of its development to an exclusive circle #civ2010 #nonaucumul
@sanders225: Si tu es député, laisse un autre être maire. Vas pas lui barrer la route #nonaucumul
@sanders225: If you are a member of parliament, let someone else be mayor. Don't go blocking his path #nonaucumul
Thomas Kobenan Tah, a leader of the PDCI [Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire], explains his position on the issue and why it is important not to permit parliamentarians to hold multiple offices – particularly in the Ivorian context:
Si nous faisons en sorte à plus apparenter les gouvernances de nos Etats à une délibération collective qui implique aussi les individus sans engagement dans l’un quelconque des trois pouvoirs (le Législatif, le Judiciaire et l’Exécutif) et à imposer des règles sur les pratiques politiques de campagne (y compris les précampagnes) avec des possibilités équitables de compétitionner lors des joutes électorales, plus elle deviendra juste et recommandable à des républiques comme les nôtres. Avons-nous d’autre choix que celui-là pour prévenir nos interminables crises, conflits et violences de tous ordres, nos insatiables désirs de vengeance, etc. ?
If we strive to make the governance of our state institutions more akin to a process of collective deliberation that is inclusive of people who are not officially engaged in any of the three formal branches (legislative, judicial or executive) and to impose rules on the conduct of political campaigns (including pre-selection campaigns) with equitable opportunities for contending electoral contests, the more our system will be fair and commendable to republics like ours. Do we have any other choice for ending our endless crises, conflicts and violence of all kinds, our insatiable desire for revenge, etc.. ?
Current government leaders have engaged in dialogue with the netizens, notably on twitter. Minister Alain Lobognon explains why it is sometimes necessary for a parliamentarian to hold multiple offices:
@alainlobog: #nonaucumul @LaLegende77 @sanders225 Que répondre aux appels de mon Peuple? Dire NON et me griller politiquement? Dire OUI et vous subir?
@alainlobog: #nonaucumul @LaLegende77 @sanders225 How should I respond to the calls of my people? Say NO and roast put myself politically? Say YES and suffer your anger?
he adds:
@alainlobog: Vous préférez que mon adversaire politique gagne et m'empêche d'organiser mes meetings? @fielanord @sanders225 “C'est interdit!”
@alainlobog: Would you prefer for my political opponents to win and to stop me from organizing my meetings? @fielanord @sanders225 “It's forbidden!”
Guillame Soro, current president of the national assembly and former prime minister, also thinks that the issue is more complex than it seems and should not be treated simplistically:
@GuillaumeKSoro: Ne soyons pas dogmatique sur la question.
@GuillaumeKSoro: Let's not be dogmatic about this issue.
Even so, Minister Lobognon, like Guillaume Soro, has given assurances that he will not seek to simultaneously take up multiple elected offices – already one small victory for this nascent citizen movement.

author: Rakotomalala