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Massive Credit Card Data Theft Hits 20 Million South Koreans  · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Image by Flickr user Don Hankins (CC BY 2.0)
An unprecedented large-scale theft of customer data in South Korea has affected 20 million people, or about two-fifths of the country's entire population.
The data was lifted by a consultant working for a personal credit rating firm, Korea Credit Bureau, who accessed the user databases of three major credit card companies and sold the information to phone marketing companies.
The dimension [ko] of the confidential information stolen is truly terrifying: Not only basic information such as name, phone number and social security number were taken, but also critical data that could lead to serious abuses, such as credit card expiration date, annual income, residential status, credit limit, credit history and credit records. In some cases, as many as 21 kinds of personal information were stolen.
Right after the news broke, furious customers not only flocked [ko] to the card companies’ local stores, but shared via Twitter a very long list of their stolen personal data, followed by sarcastic comments and downright curses aimed at the firms and authorities:
이름 주민번호 카드번호 자택전화 자택주소 핸드폰 직장주소 직위 직장명 직장년소득 자가 전세 월세여부 비밀번호암호 질문 카드한도 타사카드정보 신용평점 결재계좌은행명 계좌번호 이런 유출인데 cvc 비번은 안털렸으니 걱정말라니 저 입을 찢으라
— 양선주 (@londongirl2008) January 20, 2014
Name, social security number, card number, home phone, home address, cell phone number, work address, work position, work place official name, residential status, password question, credit card limit, info of credit card by other firms, credit rating, bank account linked to the card… This kind of info was stolen. But still they say don't worry because at least the CVC (Card Verification Code) number was not stolen. I just want to punch them in the mouth.
@_2on_:성명 주민번호 휴대전화 자택전화 자택주소 직장정보 카드번호 유효기간 카드정보 결제정보 신용한도 연소득 이메일 직장번호 직장주소[…] 비번도 알려줘라
@_2on_: My name, social security number, cell phone number, home phone and address, work place info, card number, expiration data, card info, card payment info, credit limit, annual income, email, work number, work address have been stolen[…] Why don't you just give away my password as well?
Authorities try to assuage public anger by stressing that the breach has not yet lead [ko] to any real abuses, and several days later, released a package of counter measures [ko], which included more severe punishments placed on the affected firms (suspension of business and higher fines); limitations on financial firms from collecting unnecessary customer information and trading it to a third party; an extension of card customer service hours; and a five-year limit on storing previous customer data. The card companies vow to offer full compensation for the losses and reissue new cards upon request. Not many are satisfied.
신용카드 정보 유출 안된 사람 찾는게 쉬울 정도입니다. 카드 재발급이 가장 안전한 방법이라면 사용자의 요청이 있으면 재발급할게 아니라 카드사가 나서서 전면 재발급해줘야 합니다.
— 이창호 (@changho15) January 19, 2014
They need to know that is is much easier now to find someone whose info has not been stolen. Reissuing credit cards upon quest? If that is the most effective way, then they should replace every customers’ cards, not just someone who requests it.
The most unpopular measure regulators announced was creating an additional step in the identification process, meaning more hassle for customers:
유출은 기업이 하고, 불편은 고객이 지라는 이상한 발상. RT @tebica: 개인 정보 유출 종합대책 발표 중 “카드번호 결제 시 추가 본인 확인 절차 도입” 때문에 벌벌벌 떨고있습니다
— 이인묵(LEE Inmook) (@redsox_cs) January 22, 2014
It is the companies who leaked the info, but it is the customers who have to bear with the inconvenience caused by the incident. What weird logic. RT @tebica: Authorities are now announcing comprehensive measures against the personal information breach and one of their measures, “adoption of one more identification step when making credit card transactions”, makes people shudder.
It is not the first data theft of a national scale, but is certainly one of the largest. Many called for more fundamental measures. Twitter user @leesns tweeted:
개인정보 유출 사건이 벌써 몇 번인가? 현행 주민번호 더 이상 개인 식별의 기능을 하지 못하고 범죄 악용될 알리바이를 만들어 주었다. 주민번호 제도 완전 폐지하든가 완전 다시 짜야 한다. 신용카드 전부 재발급하고 수집정보 거래 금지해야 한다. — 이창수(법인권사회연구소) (@leesns) January 20, 2014
How many times have we seen thefts of personal information? The current social security number system no longer works effectively in identifying users, but instead has became a tool that can easily be abused by criminals. We should either revamp or scrap the social security number system. And re-issue every credit card and stop firms from trading collected customers’ info.


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Minister Stabbed to Death by Mob as Violence Escalates in Central African Republic · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Several sources report that a Muslim minister was attacked and killed with knives by mob in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR) today (24/01). This recent twitter update by Peter Bouckaert, Emergency Director at Human Rights Watch confirms the identity of the minister:
x-Patasse Min of Health welcomed and hosted Seleka when they entered #Bangui, was attacked w machetes today and died from wounds.
— Peter Bouckaert (@bouckap) January 24, 2014
The conflict between Séléka and anti-balakas in CAR has already forced the displacement of more than 1 million people.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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“Real Patriots Choose Patriotic Names” in Tajikistan · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

In the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan, a person's name is no longer a private matter. The country's authorities insist that a name is also an indication of the degree of patriotism of its bearer.
Slavic-style surnames
When the Soviet union disintegrated in 1991, the majority of people in Tajikistan had Slavic-style surnames ending in “ov” and “ev” (or “ova” and “eva”) and patronymics ending in “ovich” and “evich” (or “ovna” and “evna”). In 2007, however, in an attempt to emphasize a break with the Russian cultural dominance, Tajikistan's president Emomali Sharipovich Rahmonov dropped the patronymic and the “ov” from the end of his surname, becoming Emomali Rahmon. He also urged the country's parents to register their children with “proper” Tajik names. Many officials followed Rahmon's suit, dropping patronymics and Slavic endings from their last names.
Many Tajiks who dropped Slavic-style endings from their surnames in passports have now gone back to those surnames. Wikimedia Commons image.
Many ordinary Tajiks, however, have been reluctant to part with the Slavic-style surnames. Some people did not see the need to change their names. Others felt that changing a name required too much bureaucratic hassle and under-the-table payments.
Besides, many of those who dropped their surname endings soon regretted doing so. One to 1.5 million Tajiks work in Russia, sending home money that is essential for keeping at least half of the country's population out of poverty. As competition for vital jobs in Russia increased and harassment from police and immigration officials became a norm, Tajik workers did not fail to notice that those of them who kept the Slavic “ov” endings were treated better [ru] than those who changed their names. This prompted [tj] many Tajiks to go back to their Slavic-sounding names.
“Unpatriotic” surnames
It appears that the Tajiks’ unwillingness to embrace the “authentic” national surnames continues to worry the authorities. In a recent report, Tajikistan's Prosecutor General Sherkhon Salimzoda claimed [tj] that people's reluctance to drop Slavic endings in their surnames demonstrated “low levels of national consciousness and patriotism”. Salimzoda's report, published in the official government newspaper Jumhuriyat on January 18, notes that during the past three years, more than 500 students in three Dushanbe-based universities went back to Slavic-style surnames, while only two students chose to drop Slavic-sounding names. It is worth noting that Salimzoda himself was known as Salimov before be changed his surname in 2007.
The official's statement caused a stir among the country's social media users. Most netizens felt that Salimzoda went too far by suggesting that a surname cleansed of an “alien” ending is a sign of patriotism. Blogger Rishdor wrote [ru]:
Кто-то может ему наконец объяснить чем именно должен заниматься прокурор и чем он не должен заниматься? Вообще куда эти чиновники лезут? Как называть детей это решают родители и семья. У государства никто не спрашивает. Они итак все на свете регулируют. Может еще издадут приказ со списком патриотичных имен из которых родители должны выбирать? Не будет такого никогда. Выбирать имя себе и ребенку это наше право.
Если ты поменял свое имя и стал вместо Салимов Салимзода то это не значит что ты стал патриотом. С чего ты взял что условный Салимов или даже Иванов не может быть больше патриотом, чем Салимзода? Фамилия не показатель ничего. Поставь себе фамилию хотя Хайям хоть Рудаки хоть Сомони от этого ты как человек не изменишься. Дерьмо остается дерьмом даже без окончания “-ов”.
Will someone please clarify for him [Salimzoda] what a prosecutor's job is and what he should not get involved in? What are these officials trying to mess with anyway? It is up to parents and families to decide how they name children. Nobody asks the state for advice on this. They regulate everything anyway. Would they perhaps issue a decree listing all patriotic names that parents must choose from? This will never happen. It is our right to choose names for ourselves and our children.
Changing your name from Salimov to Salimzoda does not make you a patriot. What makes you think that someone named Salimov or even Ivanov cannot be a truer patriot than someone named Salimzoda? A surname does not really indicate anything. You can change your surname to Khayam [Persian scholar and poet] or Rudaki [Tajik-Persian poet] or Somoni [founder of the first Tajik empire] but this will not change you as a human being. Shit remains shit even without an “ov” ending.
Many Internet users were surprised by the fact that the statement came from an official whose responsibilities have little to do with naming. In the comments section on ozodi.org, Rustam asked [tj]:
Прокурори генерали ба номгузори чи кор дошта бошад ??? Охир ин ба салохияти прокурор ягон рабте надорад ку ? Ва баъдан бигзор хар фард чи тавре, ки ба худаш махкул аст хамон тарз номгузори намояд, чаро мо ба кори шахсии у дахолат кунем?..
What does the prosecutor general have to do with naming??? This matter is totally unrelated to his scope of work, isn't it? Besides, every individual can choose whatever name he or she likes. Why should we interfere with an individual's private matter?..
Meanwhile, many netizens appeared to sympathize with the official's dislike of “alien”-sounding surnames. Responding to Rishdor, Kholiknazar opined [tj]:
гапатон дуруст аст, ин кор кори прокурор нест. лекин ман уро мефахмам, у гами миллатамон аст. мо иван нестем ва худо хохад хеч вакт иван намешавем. номхои кухнаву зебо дорем, ва бояд аз ин номхо истифода барем, на аз номхои рус. фамилия хам айнан хамин тавр. точике ки худашро ихтиром мекунад ва аз таърихи хазорсолаи миллатамон фахр мекунад фамилияи ки буи рус дорад намегирад.
Your are right, it is not a prosecutor's job [to be concerned with naming practices]. However, I understand him. He is worried about our nation. We are not Ivans [a common Russian name] and, god willing, we will never become Ivans. We have ancient and beautiful names of our own, and we should use these names rather than the Russian ones. The same applies to surnames. A self-respecting Tajik who is proud of our thousand-years-long history will not carry a surname that has a Russian smell.
Naimjon added [tj]:
Ватандустони асил номхои ватандустона интихоб мекунанд.
Real patriots choose patriotic names.
And on ozodi.org, D. Dovudi suggested [tj]:
Бояд Конун дар бораи номгузори бароварда шавад, ки барои хамаи навтавалудшудагон хатми бошад. Меъерхои номгузори муайан карда шаванд, онхо бояд точики бошанд ва пасовандхои ов ва вич конунан манъ карда шаванд. Ин ягона рохи чори кардани номгузории точики аст.
They should write a naming law which would be mandatory for all newborns. They should design naming standards based on Tajik names and prohibit the endings “ov” and “vich”, This is the only way to put in place a system of Tajik naming.
The discussion about “proper” naming practices continues on two popular news websites, news.tj [ru] and ozodi.org (here and here) [tj]. It reflects larger debates within the country about what an “authentic” Tajik national culture should look like and what it means to be Tajik in general. Some Tajiks believe that the country should make a clear break with the Soviet past and its Russian-influenced culture, including by returning to a Persian alphabet and cleansing the Tajik language of all “impurities” adopted during the Soviet period. Others suggest that the country should keep the elements of Soviet or Russian culture that characterize the modern Tajik nation. There are also many other nuanced opinions about what a new Tajikistan should look like. These opinions often surface in social media discussions about holidays (both old and new), monuments, history, and national symbols.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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‘Steamed Buns Store’ Song in Ode to Chinese President Xi Jinping · Global Voices
Abby Liu

A song praising Chinese president Xi Jinping’s everyman behavior has been composed in ode to his appearance at a small Beijing eatery late last year. The song will be officially released after the Spring Festival. Offbeat China has translated the lyrics:
(accompaniment) Steamed buns store, steamed buns store
(solo) Here’s the story: A few days before the New Year
I walked into the steamed buns store for lunch
As I was lining up, somebody came in behind me
Look at him, with his robust figure, imposing bearing and ruddy appearance
Hey! Why does he look so familiar?
Surprised, the waiter headed forward
“Please take a seat, sir. I will bring anything you want to eat.”
The man smiled, and waved him off,
He stayed in line behind me, the last one in line
He ordered a set meal. It was only 21 yuan
Pork steamed buns, together with vegetables and pork liver stew
He stood in line with us. He paid for the meal himself
With both hands carrying the tray, he walked towards me
(accompaniment) Where did he sit?
(solo) Oh! Hey! Everybody! Everybody! What a coincidence! He sat right beside me!
He enjoyed his meal, even laughed and chatted with us
I hastily took out my phone to take pictures of people posing next to him
I hurried to Weibo to upload the pictures
The story went viral and netizens rushed to comment
Uncle Xi, warm-hearted man of the people,  the “president combo” is now famous
Uncle Xi, warm-hearted man of the people, our incidental encounter at the steamed bun store
Has warmed the hearts of the people in this harsh winter!
Has warmed the hearts of the people in this harsh winter!

author: Abby Liu


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Trinidad & Tobago: Crime Fighting?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Yes, the Government is on the crime busting trail again. But, as always, it depends on your definition of ‘crime.’
Wired868 tackles, tongue firmly in cheek, the government's pushing of the Bail Amendment Bill, insinuating that in political speak, there are criminals and ‘criminals’.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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VIDEO: Memories of the Violent Eviction of Brazil’s Pinheirinho Community · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Screenshot of SomosTodosOFilme.com website
Two years after the violent eviction of the Pinheirinho community in the city of São José dos Campos in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, a short documentary “Somos Todos“(We Are All), which collects testimonies from activists involved with the cause and victims of the episode, has been released online. The eviction became known as the Massacre of Pinheirinho.
The synopsis of the film on YouTube reads:
Eram seis horas da manhã, em janeiro de 2012, quando oito mil pessoas, assustadas, começaram a chorar. Pinheirinho dali em diante não seria mais o lar que construíram há cerca de oito anos. Somos Todos dá rosto aos Pinheirenses e voz a dor de quem até hoje espera solução para uma reintegração de posse repleta de contradições judiciais e humanas.
It was six o'clock in the morning, in January 2012, when 8,000 people, frightened, began to cry. Pinheirinho henceforth would no longer be home of those who built it eight years ago. Somos Todos gives a face to the Pinheirenses and gives a voice to the pain of those who today are still waiting for a solution to the repossession, which was full of legal and human contradictions.
The documentary was screened in Recife one year after the eviction in January 2013, and has won awards at several festivals, including Visões Periférias (Peripheral Visions) in Rio de Janeiro in the Imaginary Borders category and the Porta Curtas jury. “Somos Todos” can now be viewed in full on YouTube or on the website of the project.
According to the film's directors and producers, Bruna Monteiro and Nathália Dielú:
Sobre nós, muito mudou depois do Pinheirinho. Crescemos tanto depois de ouvir os pinheirenses, depois de sentí-los. Hoje, olhamos para o lado com muito mais força, muito mais vontade de transformar. Olhamos também para as nossas lutas pessoais de um jeito diferente, mais maduro. As casas do Pinheirinho foram destruídas. Os sonhos dos Pinheirenses, não. E para que haveríamos de nos emudecer, se os sonhos, tão grandes, transformam a vida, o mundo? Nós, Bruna Monteiro e Nathália e Dielú, escrevemos cada um dos textos que vocês acabaram de ler. Nós, fizemos as entrevistas nos abrigos, na associação. Nós seguimos nessa direção pelo simples e enorme desejo de fazê-lo nos acompanhar. Não só no Pinheirinho de São José dos Campos, mas nos tantos que estão muito perto dos nossos olhos. Nós só conseguimos porque pessoas especiais nos ajudaram nessa missão. Esse site é resultado de um sonho, o de inspirar pessoas, o de lembrar o Pinheirinho como um episódio triste, que não pode ser abandonado. Nem por você, nem por nós.
About us, much has changed after Pinheirinho. We grew so much after hearing from the Pinheirenses, after we felt them. Today, we look to our surroundings with more strength, with more willingness to transform. We also look at our personal struggles in a different, more mature way. The houses at Pinheirinho were destroyed. The dreams of the Pinheirenses were not. And why should we mute ourselves if big dreams change lives, change the world? We, Bruna Monteiro and Nathália Dielú, wrote each of the texts you just read. We did interviews in shelters, at the association. We follow this direction because of the simple and overwhelming desire to make it follow us. Not only in Pinheirinho in São José dos Campos, but in the many that are very close to our eyes. We only succeeded because special people helped us in this mission. This website is the result of a dream, one to inspire people, to remember Pinheirinho as a sad episode that cannot be abandoned. Not by you, not by us.
Take a look at the teaser trailer below:
Also check out Global Voices coverage of the eviction:
22 Jan, 2012 – Brazil: Occupation dwellers surprised by violent illegal eviction
25 Jan, 2012 – Brazil: “Massacre of Pinheirinho” Causes an Uproar
27 Jan, 2012 – Brazil: Military Police Asks “Understanding” on Pinheirinho Eviction by E-mail
27 Jan, 2012 – Brazil: A View from Aboard on Pinheirinho Eviction
03 Feb, 2012 – Brazil: Pinheirinho Videos ‘Cover-Up’ Leads Activist to Hunger Strike
10 Feb, 2012 – Brazil: “We Are All Pinheirinho” Spreads Around the World
22 Feb, 2012 – Brazil: “Massacre of Pinheirinho”, One Month Later
22 Feb, 2012 – Brazil: Global Act “We Are All Pinheirinho”
19 Mar, 2012 – Brazil: Should Pinheirinho Eviction go to the International Criminal Court?
25 Jan, 2013 – Brazil: Families Evicted from Pinheirinho Still Without a Proper Home
28 Jan, 2013 – Brazil: “Massacre of Pinheirinho”, One Year Later

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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What is Happening in South Sudan? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Rachel Hamada asks, “What is happening in South Sudan?”:
Much blood has been spilt across South Sudan in the last weeks. But no ink has been spilt yet in Addis Ababa. Talks are still taking place amongst South Sudan’s proxy powerbrokers and officials, who have moved around the city as discussions have dragged on with no concrete resolution, just a supposed agreement with no signatures.
She also discusses why the voices of South Sudanese journalists are not heard:
In the meantime, it’s important to look at WHY South Sudanese journalists’ voices are not getting out there.
Imagine you’re a South Sudanese journalist. Due to historic events and capacity, formal journalism training is still relatively rare. So you’re playing catch-up on that front. Next up, resources. Foreign journalists have expenses, they have transport, they have good equipment. Local journalists often don’t have access to all of these resources.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Xinjiang Cuisine: 5 Must-Eat Foods · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

“Far West China” introduced you to five must eat food in Xinjiang and taught you how to order them. This one is DaPanji, meaning big bowl of chicken.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Zhihu: A New Space for Questions and Discussion in China · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Since China's crackdown on the most popular social media Sina Weibo, a new online platform Zhihu has become popular among public intellectuals as a space for rich discussion. Similar to Quora.com, Zhihu allows Chinese web users to post questions, with the best responses upvoted by others. It is free from government censorship, at least for now. TeaLeafNation has more details.


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Bloggers from Angola and Mozambique Release Hip-Hop Mix Tape · Global Voices
Buala - culturas africanas contemporâneas

[The full version of this interview was originally published on 9 January 2014 on the contemporary African cultures website Buala.]
“Submundo Luso vs 12transfusons” is a new mix tape that features rappers from Angola, Mozambique, Brazil and Portugal. Released on New Year’s Eve after five months of preparation, the project brought together hip-hop promoters from the blogs Submundo Luso [pt] in Mozambique and 12transfusons [pt] in Angola. The two met online and the former invited the latter to collaborate.
In this interview for the blog Underground Lusófono [pt], Astérix o Néfilim (Astérix the Giant, in English), a rapper, producer and manager at 12transfusons, talks about the effort, which counted the participation of artists from all over the globe and is now available as a free download. He also shares his views on the artistic scene in Cabinda – a tiny province in the north of Angola – and the challenges caused by such isolation.
Underground Lusófono (UL): How did you get this project up and running?
The Submundo Luso vs 12transfusons Mixtape is available for Free Downloadon on the blogs Submundo Luso and 12transfusons.
Astérix o Néfilim (AN): Passou por selecionarmos os artistas de acordo os objectivos. Neste projecto procuramos trazer as raízes de hip-hop e procuramos fazer algo um pouco fora do normal, é como um “back in the days”. Normalmente os promotores trabalham com artistas de renome e nós procuramos juntar um pouco de tudo, desde a velha à nova escola, e tentamos dar primazia também ao rap feminino, artistas no anonimato e os que já estão na ribalta do hip-hop lusófono.
Astérix o Néfilim (AN): It came about by choosing artists that suited our aims. We wanted to bring back the roots of hip-hop and to do something a little bit different, a bit “old school”. Normally promoters work with renowned artists, but we wanted to bring together a little bit of everything, from the old school to the new. We also tried to give priority to female rappers and unknown artists, alongside those who have already made a name for themselves in Portuguese-language rap.
AN: Mediante sugestão de todo elenco da 12transfusons e Submundo Luso. Trabalhamos juntos nisso, tínhamos uma lista de artistas, contactámo-los directamente embora não tenhamos propriamente todos os artistas que pretendíamos.
AN: That came after hearing the suggestions of everyone involved at 12transfusons and Submundo Luso. We worked together on this, we had a list of artists, we contacted them directly, although we didn’t get all of the artists we wanted.
AN: Em 2011 lançámos a Mixtape 12transfusons Ed. 2011 com o mesmo propósito, e já tínhamos trabalhado com alguns, é o caso do AKAM-M, MAC D –O- MURMURYO e o ALKAPPA (que foi convidado também a participar mas não pôde).
Devo dizer que não tem sido nada fácil trabalhar com mc's, é uma luta constante. Há quem ignore simplesmente porque não acredita no nosso trabalho, há quem ainda subestime e pense que não cairia bem na sua imagem, outros aceitam participar teoricamente mas, no fim, acabam desistindo. Há ainda aqueles que fazem jus à definição de RAF-TAG “Hip-hopcritas” porque nas letras dizem ser verdadeiros, juram humildade, lealdade, que fazem o rap por amor à cultura e que dão tudo pelo rap (estes são os mais arrogantes) mas não aceitam.
Nós somos produtoras independentes, tudo que temos feito até hoje é fruto dos nossos bolsos, sem apoio nenhum. Apesar de tudo devo reconhecer o esforço, o tempo, dedicação, disponibilidade e empenho de alguns artistas, em especial Khris Mc, IKONOKLASTA, AKAM-47 da Poltersonnik, REDGOVEM, KARDINAL MC, Mona Dya Kidi e muito mais, ao pessoal da 12transfusons com destaque para Absinto e Tecla 6/4, ao pessoal de Moçambique, Brasil e Portugal.
AN: In 2011, we released “Mixtape 12transfusons Ed. 2011″ with the same aim, and we had already worked with a few of the artists. This was the case with AKAM-M, MAC D O MURMURYO and ALKAPPA (who was invited to take part but couldn’t).
I’ve got to say that it hasn’t been easy working with MCs, and it’s a constant battle. There are ones that took no notice because they didn’t believe in our work. There are ones that underestimated us and thought what we were doing wouldn’t go mesh well with their image. Others agreed to take part but ended up dropping out. Then there ones that prove RAF-TAG’s “Hip-hopcrites” idea right – the ones that say in their lyrics they are keeping it real, and swear that they are loyal, that they make rap music out of love for the culture and that they do everything for rap (these are the most arrogant ones), but they don’t want to take part.
We are independent producers. Everything that we’ve done up till now we’ve paid for without any help. Despite that, I want to make a shout-out for the effort, time, dedication and hard work of some artists like Khris Mc, IKONOKLASTA, AKAM-47 from Poltersonnik, REDGOVEM, KARDINAL MC Mona Dya Kidi and many other. Also to the staff at 12transfusons with a special shout-out to Absinto and Tecla 6/4 and everyone in Mozambique, Brazil and Portugal.
The Submundo Luso vs 12transfusons mixtape was launched on 12tonline.blogspot.com, Submundoluso.blogspot.com, and other hip-hop blogs. The album is not-for-profit and available completely free of charge.
AN: Olha, o feedback está sendo melhor do que eu pessoalmente esperava, todos os dias recebo elogios, palavras de encorajamento e felicitações pelo trabalho bem feito. E este é sem dúvida o nosso maior reembolso pela inteira dedicação neste trabalho.
AN: Listen, the response we’ve had has been better than I was personally hoping for. Every day I get compliments, words of encouragement, and congratulations on a job well done. And this, without doubt, is the greatest reward for all our dedication.
AN: A 12transfusons é uma produtora independente que actua no mercado de Cabinda desde 2010, tem vindo a colocar no mercado diversas obras discográficas, realizado diversos shows e demais actividades em prol do hip-hop. É composto por: Astérix o Néfilim (C.E.O), Tecla 6/4(produtor), Sacerdote, Rezo-Luto, 02K63, Absinto (designer) e Akônituz e Vars (Produtor) sendo que estes últimos representam os interesses da produtora na capital. O Absinto e Akônituz formam o grupo Artigo 9.0, e todos juntos representamos o colectivo denominado LETAL.
AN: 12transfusons is an independent production company and has been around in Cabinda since 2010. It has put out various albums, put on various shows and other activities to do with hip-hop. In the group are Astérix the Giant (CEO), Tecla 6/4 (producer), Sacerdote, Rezo-Luto, 02K63, Absinto (designer) and Akônituz e Vars (producer). These last guys are the ones that represent production in the capital. Absinto and Akônituz were part of the group Artigo 9.0 and together we are the collective LETAL.
AN: Seria falso se dissesse que estamos bem porque estamos mesmo mal, ainda há muito a fazer para que o pessoal aceite de bom grado a nossa cultura e tente desviar as atenções para o nosso lado.
Em Cabinda não é só o rap que está em péssimas condições, reflecte-se em todos os estilos musicais, desde o kuduro, kizomba, semba, kintueni e mayeye. Na verdade há pouca divulgação da música feita em Cabinda, temos uma secretaria provincial da cultura fictícia e comunicação social inexistente. Nada justifica que, numa província com artistas de talento, saiam dois álbuns num ano e que as poucas rádios que temos se recusem a apoiar iniciativas como as nossas e demais personalidades interessadas.
Voltando para o rap, este é o menos solicitado nas atividades e comícios governamentais mas é o que mais dá voz em termos de presença musical graças ao esforço de todos os companheiros de luta como: Cabmusic, hip-hop de gavetas, agora a Miller Team e não só. A cada dia que passa surgem novas propostas, novos mc´s e produtoras interessados em dar mais vida ao movimento. Fico feliz com isto.
AN: I would be lying if I said that things are good because they really aren’t and there is still a lot of work to do so that people accept our culture and pay it more attention.
In Cabinda, it’s not only rap that’s finding it tough. The situation is reflected in all musical styles, everything from kuduro, kizomba and samba to kintueni and mayeye. The truth is that the music being made in Cambinda doesn’t get promoted. We have a completely non-existent culture secretary with next to no social communication. Nothing justifies the fact that in a province with so many talented artists only two albums a year get released and there are only a few radio stations that support projects like ours.
Returning to rap, this is the least requested for governmental events and rallies, even though it is what represents people the most. This is thanks to the efforts of all of the comrades in arms such as Cabmusic and Miller Team, among others. Each day that goes by there are new ideas coming up, new MCs and producers interested in giving the movement more life. This makes me very happy.
UL:
AN: Em primeiro lugar valorizando a nossa música. É preciso acostumar as pessoas a ouvirem as nossas músicas, o povo de Cabinda é conhecido como “fidalgo” que não gosta de comparecer nos shows, nem comprar CDs. Nós temos de incentiva-los a irem aos nossos concertos, a comprarem os nossos CDs e não devemos actuar isoladamente.
A Secretaria Provincial da Cultura também deve desempenhar este papel com a comunicação social, neste caso as rádios e TVs (embora Cabinda não tenha nenhuma estação televisiva pública nem privada) de modo a tentar reverter esse quadro, talvez criar programas que ajudassem a promover a música local, apoio aos músicos, deixar de convidar os músicos apenas em campanhas partidárias e actividades governamentais, e que o caché dos músicos locais seja igual ao dos músicos que vêm de Luanda ou de outro ponto do mundo, para que estes se sintam valorizados. Um canal televisivo local ajudaria na promoção da imagem dos artistas no seio do enclave e não só. Na verdade Cabinda carece de rádios e televisões privadas que diversifiquem a rotina das informações. Enquanto isso não acontece continuamos aqui. conhecemos a luta e seguiremos firmes e fortes.
AN: Firstly, valuing our music. It’s important to get people used to hearing our music. The people of Cabinda are known as “prudes” and for not going to shows or buying albums. We have to encourage them to go to our concerts and to buy our CDs. But we can’t act alone.
The culture secretary for this province needs to play this role through social communication, in this case radio stations and TV channels – even though Cabinda doesn’t have any television stations, neither public nor private – in an attempt to reverse the situation. Perhaps create programs that help promote local music, support for musicians, stop inviting musicians only for political campaigns and governmental events. The fee for local musicians should be the same as for musicians that come from Luanda or from any other part of the world so that they feel valued. A local television station would help promote the image of local artists. The truth is, Cabinda lacks private radio and television stations that can mix things up and break the routine of local news. While this isn’t happening, we will continue here. We know what our battle is and we will continue to stand firm.
UL:
AN: 12transfusons não pára, tenho uma equipe fantástica que gosta de trabalhar e está sempre disposta a sujar as mãos. Depois desta mixtape lançaremos o Ruaportagem do grupo Artigo 9.0, um Ep que temos vindo a trabalhar e que só esse ano finalmente vamos poder metê-lo nas ruas, esperamos que seja bem recebido porque estamos a depositar aqui as nossas energias.
AN: 12transfusons doesn’t stop. I have a fantastic team that loves working and is always willing to get its hands dirty. After this mixtape we’re going to launch Ruaportagem [a play on the words “street” and “report”] from the group Artigo 9.0, which is an EP that we have been working on and only this year finally able to get it out on the streets. We hope people are going to like it because we’re putting a lot of energy into it.
AN: É uma abordagem das ruas, os problemas da população, o modo de vida dos cidadãos, as diferentes maneiras de encarar e sobreviver, os sacrifícios do dia-dia, é um olho das câmara nas ruas de Luanda, e toda a sociedade envolvente.
AN: It’s a way of looking at how thing are on the street, the problems people have, the different ways of surviving, and the daily sacrifices people make.


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“Find and Support all the Mandelas in the Villages” for Reconciliation in the Central African Republic  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Residents of Bangui were asked about the current escalation of violence in the Central African Republic. Here are some of their thoughts as collected by ATD Fourth World :
Muslim and Christian leaders try to lead reconciliation in CAR crisis via @faitreligieux1
It’s a question of dialogue, because there are two parties, the Seleka and the Anti-balaka. If there isn’t dialogue, it will get worse. It’s become a question between Christians and Muslims, and that requires working from the heart, forgiveness, patience, so that there is no more hate.
A huge reconciliation won’t do anything. What we need is to find and support all those Mandelas in the villages
Respect things, people, without trampling on the rights of others.
We need forgiveness. The radio says it too, it’s their slogan. We have to bring people to love each other again.


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Protest Against Rape : WordToon by Subhendu Sarkar · Global Voices
Rezwan

In India women often fall prey to sex crimes where police fail to take proper action. Subhendu Sarkar, an artist from Kolkata created cartoons from words (see Youtube video) in an workshop called “wordtoon” urging everybody to protest against rape.

author: Rezwan


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Saving Elephants in Laos · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Laos was once called the ‘land of a million elephants’ but today elephant population has been reduced to several hundreds because of poaching and illegal ivory trade. Some are dying because of overwork in logging areas.
Photo from Facebook page of Elephant Conservation Center
It is estimated that wild elephants number around 300 to 600:
Scattered in small fragmented herds, population numbers of wild elephants are believed to be around 300-600. Like many other countries, wild elephants in Laos are threatened by problems caused by humans. This includes deforestation, poaching, expansion of human settlement and human-elephant conflict.
Meanwhile, there are around 420 captive elephants:
Sadly captive elephant populations are in decline. Only an approximate 420 remain in Laos. The new millennium has bought with it the burden of financial gain, with mahouts (elephant owner) having to work their elephants seven days a week to earn a living. Elephants are mainly employed in the logging industry, a very hard and dangerous job. Male elephants are too tired and busy to reproduce and can even die from logging accidents.
Fortunately, there is a growing awareness about the need to protect the elephants in the country. One of the groups spearheading this advocacy is the Elephant Conservation Center:
Elephant Conservation Center differentiates itself from elephant tourist camps by being a haven for elephant reproduction, lactation, convalescence and disease diagnosis. Do NOT expect to see package tours riding these elephants all day long!
It is also the first elephant hospital in Laos as well as serving as an ecotourism camp. It provides technical and livelihood assistance to elephant owners or mahout who depend on the elephants for their daily income.
The center is also a sanctuary for rescued elephants. They were able to rescue a young elephant which they named Noy. After a few years, the elephant will pick his new name through a process described by head veterinarian Emmanuelle Chave:
At three years old, elephants are trained by their future mahout, to respond different cues, in order to work with humans. A shaman organizes this important journey, where the elephant leaves the forest world for the human world. At the end of the training, the young elephant is offered three sugarcanes, on which are written names. The name on the first sugarcane he picks up will be his.
Brita visited the center and recognized its role in protecting the welfare of elephants:
The Elephant Conservation Center is probably one of the few places you can visit where it’s not about elephants adapting to people’s schedules and needs but where people adapt to the rhythm and needs of the elephants
I am very picky when it comes to choosing an Elephant “place” as there are far too many all over the world which treat their elephants badly and which just means moving from one horrible life (=logging) to another (= bad treatment for tourism purposes).
jo ebisujima also visited the center and learned that putting chairs on the back of an elephant is painful for the animal:
One of the important things that were learnt was that the chairs that are used for carry people and luggage on an elephants back (hawdah) really isn't good for them. This is due to the shape of the bones…It is more comfortable for the elephant to be ridden without any kind of saddle and sat on their neck.

author: Mong Palatino


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Super Bowls: Olympic Toilet Humor · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

“Sochi: if we are going to sh*t ourselves, might as well make it pretty.” Anonymous image distributed online.
Early this week, as all eyes were on the growing Ukrainian protests and photographs of barricades, BBC's Steve Rosenberg tweeted a different sort of picture, writing:
Seeing double in the Gentlemen's Loo at the Olympic Biathlon Centre #Sochi pic.twitter.com/a1HoilU9zn
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) January 20, 2014
The photograph of the two toilets, extremely close together and lacking any sort of barrier, was retweeted over 1,000 times, and caused much hilarity on the RuNet, becoming another symbol of the preparations for the Sochi games, which are seen by many as inept and corrupt. Did someone “economize” on building cabins? Or does the problem lie in deficient planning? Then there is the association between the games and Russia's worsening treatment of homosexuals, which led one blogger to tweet:
В ответ на критику России за ущемление прав сексменьшинств в олимпийском Сочи построен первый в мире гей-туалет
— Дядюшка Шу (@Shulz) January 20, 2014
As a response to criticism of Russia for infringing on the rights of sexual minorities, Olympic Sochi gets the first ever gay toilet
Most of the jokes were visual, however. Arguably, the funniest was this tasteful mashup of the subject with the “red pill, blue pill” scene from The Matrix:
“Make your choice, Neo” Anonymous image distributed online.
Other approaches were also funny, if a bit heavy-handed. There was the transparently political jokes about the Putin and Medvedev political “tandem”:
Dual leaders for dual toilets. Anonymous image distributed online.
And a sports reference:
Biathlon target practice? Anonymous image distributed online.
The Sochi public relations team obviously could not leave this without comment, and so, Elena Greenberg, one of the team members, made a post [ru] on her Facebook account explaining that in reality Russian Olympic prep was not quite so bad. Greenberg wrote that the bathroom in question was in process of being turned into a storage closet, and the toilets were in fact about to be removed. Allegedly, the toilet cabins were already taken down when Rosenberg took his fateful picture. Greenberg posted a photograph of another bathroom, ostensibly in the same building, which looks completely normal:
According to Greenberg this is a bathroom one floor down from the “tandem” toilets.
Turning a bathroom into storage is a slightly odd explanation, but reasonable to anyone who has had experience with Soviet and post-Soviet public spaces. Of course, not everyone believed Greenberg. The were the standard accusations [ru] that the explanation was made up after the fact — as a way to “cover up” the toilet scandal. Others [ru] called attention to the fact that the bathroom has one one toilet paper dispenser (even though there are markings on the right wall where presumably there was another one at some point). Others still said [ru] that if situation did indeed play out like Greenberg says it did, its even worse — because it means that poor planning resulted in an extra bathroom.
Are the “toilet-gate” conspiracy theorists correct in their paranoia? Does it even matter if they aren't? The prevailing narrative of the Sochi games is already one of bureaucratic ineptitude — it will take a truly stellar performance during the Olympics to buck it.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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The Biggest Indian Blogging Conference In February 2014 · Global Voices
Rezwan

The WIN – Blogadda conference will take place in Mumbai on February 9, 2014. This conference is claimed to be the the biggest offline Indian blogger conference where  a mix of Bloggers, Industry Specialists & Influencers will talk about how blogging today has grown to be an optimum platform for expression.


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Things I Love About South Sudan · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Despite the human misery and the hardships the South Sudanese people have to face as fighting continues in the world's newest nation, South Sudanese and friends of South Sudan have taken to Twitter to share their love of the country with the hashtag #ThingILoveaboutSouthSudan.
South Sudan has been at war since December 16, 2013 after an attempted coup by soldiers loyal to former vice-president Riek Machar.
A South Sudanese girl at independence festivities
Public domain image – original by Jonathan Morgenstein/USAID on flickr
Here is what people love about South Sudan:
when my "all-season" airstrip (one of the better ones in the region) became a lake. #thingsiloveaboutSouthSudan pic.twitter.com/x51DeBicf7
— viadya (@viadya) January 16, 2014
The horns on their cows #ThingsILoveAboutSouthSudan (unoriginal I know, but seriously, they're amazing) pic.twitter.com/iYCcok7aOo
— John Fenning (@berniefenning) January 15, 2014
This girl who greets me with "Morning! Morning!" no matter the time of day. #thingsiloveaboutSouthSudan #SouthSudan pic.twitter.com/afe7rD55B3
— Ryan Musser (@gringo_loco) January 15, 2014
Cows w horns shaped like lyres. Trees w bark the colour of koi. Scrabble set made of matchboxes  #thingsiloveaboutSouthSudan
— Stephanie Nolen (@snolen) January 12, 2014
The 64 tribes. #ThingsILoveAboutSouthSudan
— Waging Peace.  (@modernemeid) January 18, 2014
Appreciation of height. Tall=graceful. Anyone under 5'10 is short (myself included). #thingsiloveaboutSouthSudan pic.twitter.com/Wkk3fYPh7N
— Aguil Lual Blunt (@AguilB) January 15, 2014
#thingsiloveaboutsouthsudan The entire village comes out when you get a flat tire. pic.twitter.com/Q8SB70tluY
— James Turitto (@Sunday_Jimmy) January 15, 2014
#ThingsILoveAboutSouthSudan: Moving house pic.twitter.com/cQgm15GlU0
— Jonah Leff (@jonahleff) January 17, 2014
This guy who likes his office chair so much he rides it to and from work #ThingsILoveAboutSouthSudan pic.twitter.com/PGAUDZtSyY
— John Fenning (@berniefenning) January 15, 2014
#thingsiloveaboutsouthsudan boon (coffee) made with spices, boiled on charcoal, with 4 spoonfuls of sugar! pic.twitter.com/DiDPVN3tB4
— Sarah Will (@willowwistful) January 11, 2014
#ThingsIloveaboutSouthSudan The Greeting gesture- stretching out one's hand and touching the other persons shoulder. Unique
— Hashim Wasswa M (@Hashim11) January 12, 2014
#ThingsILoveAboutSouthSudan Traditional costumes!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/T4qJrBnsNv
— إيڤا (@Evalopa) January 11, 2014
#thingsiloveaboutSouthSudan: Not asking for my name (but rather giving me a new one) http://t.co/mLMWCB0Jyb
— Pernille Bærendtsen (@Dunia_Duara) January 11, 2014
#thingsiloveaboutSouthSudan: The most graceful, elegant, beautiful and strongest women on the planet. #SouthSudan women hold up the sky.
— South Sudan Analyst (@SouthSudanPatri) January 11, 2014
#ThingsIloveaboutSouthSudan My Yei family {home for 7yrs} million star nights, tall grass in the wind, a regal people who rise again & again
— michele perry (@micheleperry) January 14, 2014
The modern rural Dinka male embrace of pink feather earrings. #thingsiloveaboutSouthSudan
— Ian Cox (@IanECox) January 11, 2014


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‘AFTER 25 Conference’: Tokyo and Berlin Discuss Creative Culture · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

As Berlin and Tokyo mark 20 years of friendship as sister cities, representatives of two creative industries, including Chairman of the Club Commission of Berlin Marc Wohlrabe and Takahiro Saito, a lawyer and member of Let's Dance, a consortium that fights against Japan's dance regulations, will come together for the AFTER 25 conference on March 1, 2014 in Tokyo to discuss how creative culture can contribute to the socio-economic development of both cities:
After the fall of the Berlin wall, extreme social, cultural and economic changes transformed the city into a unique playground. Today, 25 years later, it attracts creatives, tech startups, social entrepreneurs, and investors from all over the world.
Berlin recognized its creative sub-cultures as part of its identity and history, which now act as key drivers for tourism and economy. This transformed Berlin into a unique, successful city demonstrating how supporting creativity can grow into key economic and social factors fueling innovation and growth.
This dramatic yet positive change that Berlin went through leads us to the question: what role can Tokyo’s creative cultures play in laying the foundations for the city’s next phase? How can we paint a brighter future by aligning the creative potential of these two cities?

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Bangladesh Gets Its First LGBT Magazine, ‘Roopbaan’ · Global Voices
Pantha Rahman Reza

A group of volunteers have launched Bangladesh's first magazine aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues hoping to promote greater acceptance of the community, who face widespread discrimination in the the Muslim-majority country.
The 56-page magazine is named after the Bengali folk character Roopbaan, who symbolizes the power of love. The quarterly magazine, whose publishers wish to remain anonymous, will not be available on street newsstands, for fear of inflaming tensions and sparking a backlash against the gay community.
Cover of Roopbaan, Bangladesh's first LGBT magazine. Used with permission.
Many online users have welcomed the launch, though some have received adverse reaction to their positive comments. Nowmee Shehab commented on the newspaper The Daily Star's Facebook page:
wow feeling so proud and such a sense of community through this. I am very encouraged by the brave people who put the magazine together. For those who are making religious comments- leave the judgement to God, because God is all about love and acceptance towards people who are different from you. Hopefully we can move towards a secular world where all religions are accepted and no one religion is privileged over another.
Diaspora Bangladeshi Twitter user Traveller 23 (@Traveller_23) was happy to see that the magazine's arrival has picked up media coverage:
Great to see #LGBTQ magazine #Roopbaan launched in #Bangladesh + glad that the story has been picked up by media http://t.co/XjYinYGKK3
— Traveller_23 (@Traveller_23) January 19, 2014
Robert W. Gibson, the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh (@HCRobertGibson), was present at the launch. He was pleased to support this initiative:
Pleased to help launch #Roopbaan #Bangladesh‘s first magazine aimed at #LGBT community. Am 3rd from right. pic.twitter.com/NoyMTZLIz2
— Robert Gibson (@HCRobertGibson) January 19, 2014
Feminist writer Taslima Nasrin (@taslimanasreen) congratulated the initiative:
“@shriishyam: First magazine for LGBT community #Roopbaan launched in Bangladesh. What is your views regarding this?” Hearty congratulations
— taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) January 20, 2014
Emas Jubaer added:
Great, news! Finally Bangladesh is prospering. I had to leave Bangladesh for being gay, now I feel like going back and do[ing] something there. People who are arguing on this topic have no idea what is being a GAY like. They even don't know what is the word GAY means.
Philosopher and activist Rainer Ebert sent a video celebrating the launch of Roopbaan:
Bangladesh is the country with the second largest Muslim population, and homosexuality is considered to be a sin. The colonial era British anti-sodomy law punishes gay sex with fines and ten years to life in jail. Abdullah Al Galib criticized this publication:
homosexuality is a mental disease which one creates within himself. in the name of freedom they are destroying our society. well am not recognizing them for sure.
More information on the magazine can be found on its Facebook page.

author: Pantha Rahman Reza


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Brazil’s Evolving Relationship With Refugees  · Global Voices
Richard de Araújo

Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan, November 2012. Photo from UNHCR on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Despite the sparse knowledge of the Brazilian population on the issue of refugees, the question of war is always present. It will astonish no one to say that we live in an era of generalised conflict around the world. In contrast to the two Great Wars of the last century, in which blocs of countries confronted each other generating mass displacements of populations, today we see numerous conflicts scattered all over the globe.
But to what extent can conflicts in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East affect societies to whom these problems are distant and alien? The answer to this question can be found with refugees and immigrants, who end up the responsibility of nations other than those from where they originated.
Fleeing war and poverty
Refugee and immigrant: two terms which are generally confused. The difference between them is basically juridical. For refugee, we quote here the definition used by Brazil's National Committee for Refugees (CONARE) [pt], linked to the Ministry of Justice in Brazil:
Será reconhecido como refugiado todo indivíduo que:
I – devido a fundados temores de perseguição por motivos de raça, religião, nacionalidade, grupo social ou opiniões políticas encontre-se fora de seu país de nacionalidade e não possa ou não queira acolher-se à proteção de tal país;
II – não tendo nacionalidade e estando fora do país onde antes teve sua residência habitual, não possa ou não queira regressar a ele, em função das circunstâncias descritas no inciso anterior;
III – devido a grave e generalizada violação de direitos humanos, é obrigado a deixar seu país de nacionalidade para buscar refúgio em outro país.
A refugee is a person who:
I – finds themselves outside of their country of nationality as a result of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a social group and who cannot or does not wish to seek protection from that country;
II – is without nationality and is outside of their country of previous habitual residence, and cannot or does not wish to return to this country as a result of the circumstances described in the previous section;
III – as a result of serious and widespread human rights violations, is forced to leave their country of nationality to seek refuge in another country.
“One refugee without hope is too many”. Campaign image from World Refugee Day (20 June 2011). Photo from the United Nations – Armenia on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
The blog Citizenship and Professionality [pt] gives an idea of how citizens, in this case Portuguese, understand immigration and emigration, explained here by readers Helder Monteiro and Helder Ribeiro:
A emigração é o acto e o fenómeno espontâneo de deixar o seu local de residência para um país estrangeiro.
A imigração é o movimento de entrada, permanente ou temporário e com a intenção de trabalho e/ou residência, de pessoas ou populações, de um país para outro. A imigração em geral ocorre por iniciativa pessoal, pela busca de melhores condições financeiras.
Emigration is the spontaneous act and phenomenon of leaving one's place of residence for a foreign country.
Immigration is the inward movement of people or populations from one country to another, permanently or temporarily, with the intention of working or residing. Immigration generally occurs by individual initiative, as a result of a search for better economic conditions.
In the case of Brazil, as in other countries, it is the Constitution [pt] which defines the legal status of foreigners who become Brazilian. Chapter III “On Nationality” clearly defines who has the right to naturalisation: “Foreigners of any nationality, resident in the Federal Republic of Brazil for more than 15 consecutive years and without criminal convictions, on the condition that they request Brazilian nationality”.
Therefore, superficially speaking, whereas refugees are forced to leave their countries as a result of conflict and persecution, emigrants leave voluntarily in search of more favourable working conditions to support their families. Examining the issue in more depth, the juridical question presents itself in the following manner: refugees have their status determined initially by the United Nations, whose asylum request is then judged by the receiving country; yet immigrants are subject solely to the laws of the country which receives them, without external interference.
Refugees in Brazil: number and profile
Flight, Milan Dusek. Art and Refuge in Brazil: a celebration of the 150th anniversary of Fridtjof Nansen. Image shared by UNHCR on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, at the end of 2012 there were around 15.4 million refugees in the world. Of this number, Brazil was providing refuge to around 4,656 at the end of 2013 [pt]. This number is alarmingly small in comparison with the country which takes in the highest number of refugees, Pakistan, with around 1.6 million people.
However, although the numbers themselves are still small, proportionally speaking the number of refugees practically tripled from 2012 to 2013, from 199 authorisations to 649, according to an article re-published on the blog ‘Lajes do Cabugi’ [pt].
This is the result of external pressure placed on Brazil by NGOs, and even other countries, which demand that the discourse portraying the country as a third-world nation – with insurmountable internal problems to worry about – should be abandoned. For this reason and others, a national debate on making the laws governing this issue more flexible arose last year. In the same vein, since the number of people displaced by conflicts around the world has practically doubled since 1990, the country has assumed more external responsibilities and has consequently received more refugees.
The most striking example is that of Syrians who seek asylum in Brazil. Given the bloody civil war in Syria, the Brazilian government recently announced a plan to grant special “humanitarian visas” for Syrian nationals who seek refuge in Brazil – the first initiative of its kind in Latin America – which will be more quickly delivered than the usual waiting time for this kind of document. Moreover, the humanitarian visas can be extended to relatives of the refugee who are living in countries that neighbour Syria.
The blog “O Estrangeiro” (The Foreigner) [pt] describes the evolution in numbers of Syrian refugees in Brazil:
O Brasil tem sido um destino cada vez mais recorrente dos cidadãos sírios que tentam escapar da guerra civil que abala o país há mais de dois anos, agravada pela possível intervenção militar dos Estados Unidos. Desde o início dos conflitos, em março de 2011, o número de refugiados sírios no Brasil saltou 15 vezes: foi de 17 para 261. Eles já correspondem a 6% do total de refugiados no país.
Brazil has become an increasingly recurrent destination for Syrian citizens trying to escape the civil war which has hit the country for over two years, aggravated by possible military intervention by the United States. Since the beginning of the conflict in March 2011, the number of Syrian refugees in Brazil increased 15 times over: from 17 to 261. They already comprise 6 percent of the total number of refugees in the country.
Remaking Brazil's image in the eyes of the world
Brazil's ambitions to become a member of the UN Security Council, along with an increase in its participation in global governance, have given rise to an unavoidable dilemma: passivity without risk or taking responsibility for issues which were unfamiliar to the country until recently. This new positioning implies an increase in the number of troops sent abroad on missions under the mandate of the UN and participation in organisations such as the advisory body of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), to which the country awaits its admission once a donation of 6.5 million US dollars has been ratified.
The debate on refugees in Brazil promises to be exciting. It will bring foreign refugees face to face with Brazilian refugees. Yes, they do exist: They are the inhabitants of the slums known as “favelas” subjected to the violence of drug traffickers and corrupt police, and migrants from the poorest states in the country who accept jobs akin to slavery in the larger cities to escape the absolute misery of their villages, among others. Both realities have much in common, and if they were observed closely by the congress members, they would notice that in many corners of Brazil the situation is very similar to that experienced by the people of Palestine or South Sudan.

author: Richard de Araújo


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China Sentences Citizens’ Movement Icon Xu Zhiyong to Four Years in Prison · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A number of people expressed their support for Xu Zhiyong outside a Beijing court early 26 January 2014. Photo from Zhu Chengzhi's Twitter.
Xu Zhiyong, a prominent Chinese citizens’ rights activist and an icon for the New Citizens’ Movement, was sentenced to four years in prison by a Beijing court on 26 January 2014 for disrupting public order related to two small demonstrations for equal education rights in 2012 and 2013.
His arrest and imprisonment is part of a crackdown by new Chinese Communist Party leadership under President Xi Jinping against political liberals who have been trying to advocate for constitutional reform to protect individual citizens’ rights. More political liberals will be put on trial in coming weeks.
To defend himself against the political prosecution, Xu wrote a long court statement on 22 January to explain his political beliefs and practices, in particular related to the New Citizens’ Movement which has been a main target of suppression since early 2013.
Xu explained the spirit of New Citizens’ Movement in the opening of his statement:
新公民運動倡導每個中國人堂堂正正做公民，把公民身份當真。我們是公民，是國家的主人，不是臣民，順民，草民，暴民；把公民的權利當真，那些寫在《世界人權宣言》和中國憲法裡的選舉權、言論自由、信仰自由等神聖的權利不能永遠是一張白條；把公民的責任當真，中國是我們每個人的中國，良心正義的底線在我們每個人的腳下，電要我們每個人去堅守；新公民運動倡導自由，公義，愛的新公民精神。
The New Citizens’ Movement urges every Chinese to become an upright citizen, to believe in and enact their citizen identity. We are citizens and the masters of the country, we are not the empire's subjects, nor their obedient servants, nor the rights-deprived grassroots, nor rioters. We have to enact our citizen rights. Those sacred rights including election rights, freedom of speech and religion written in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Chinese Constitution cannot remain an IOU. We have to enact our citizen responsibility. China belongs to every Chinese person. The baseline of conscience and justice is where we stand and we have to stand firm to protect [our values]. The New Citizens’ Movement advocates the citizen spirit of freedom, justice and love.
Peaceful gatherings or disruption of public order?
The two incidents that were referred to by authorities as disruptions of public order took place on 5 July 2012 and 28 February 2013, when Xu and other activists gathered to pressure education authorities for equal schooling opportunities for migrant workers’ children.
In China, because migrant workers do not have household registration in cities, their children couldn't enter local schools and many of them were deprived of education opportunities. The New Citizens’ Movement's campaign for equal education began in 2009 with demonstration aimed at education authorities in Beijing, and the following year, authorities granted permission to Beijing schools to admit migrant students.
The second stage of the campaign was to press the Ministry of Education to change its policy and allow migrant students to take university entrance examination according to their schools’ locations. The ministry agreed to introduce a set of new policies by mid-2012, and a small protest was organized on 5 July 2012 to follow up on the promise, which was fulfilled by the end of 2012.
But Beijing was not covered in the new policy guidelines. To press Beijing authorities to adopt the new policy, another small protest was staged outside the office of the Beijing Education Committee on 28 February 2013.
Xu explained why the two demonstrations did not disturb public order:
7.5 和 2.28請願，我們去的是教育部門，是公民到國家機關表達訴求，我們去的不是法律意義上的公共場所。刑法對公共場所界定得很清楚，是除國家機關、社會單位、公共道路之外的公共空間…
We were petitioning outside the education authority on 5 July 2012 and 28 February 2013 as citizens. The organizations are government-related authorities, not public spaces in a legal sense. According to the penal code, the buildings of government authority, collective units, highways and roads are not considered public space…
Many Chinese human rights observers believe that the two occasions are pretext for China to suppress the New Citizens’ movement, which has been vocal in putting forward citizen agendas for social and political reforms, such as pushing for officials to disclose their properties and advocating constitutionalism, a political stand that brought Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo an 11-years prison sentence in 2008. Similar to Liu Xiaobo, Xu's New Citizens’ Movement also stressed the peaceful transformation of the political system in China:
你們不用恐懼新公民運動，我們是新時代的公民，理念上，徹底告別了敵人、江山、推翻、打倒的專制意識，堅守自由，公義，愛的信仰，行為上徹底告別陰謀，暴力等野蠻模式，以和平改良方式推動社會進步，在陽光下健康成長。公民群體的使命不是作為反對黨存在，雖然建立憲政民主，是未來中國實現政治文明的必然趨勢。我們的使命，是和中國所有進步人士一道，共同推動中國實現政治文明轉型。
Don't be afraid of the New Citizens’ Movement. We are citizens of the new era. We say farewell to enemies and authoritative ideas such as the “emperor's landscape”, “overthrow”, “take over”. We believe in freedom, justice and love. We give up brutal actions such as “conspiracy”, “violence” and uphold peaceful and transformative acts to push for social progress under the Sun. The mission of citizens’ groups are unlike opposition parties. We believe constitutional democracy is the ultimate means to the future of a civilized polity and our mission is to promote the political transformation of China with other progressive sectors.
The four-year sentence has caught many by surprise. Liu Xiaoyuan, a Chinese human rights lawyer, expressed his frustration about the harsh reality for political moderates in China on popular microblogging website Sina Weibo:
有消息称，许志永被判四年刑期。这完全出乎我的预料。虽然我知道会被判，但没想到会被重判。仔细想一下，在一个不讲法治的国家，这样的判罪量刑，其实不足为怪了！
— 刘晓原律师 (@liu_xiaoyuan) January 26, 2014
Sources say Xu Zhiyong was sentenced to four years in prison. This is much more than I predicted. I know that imprisonment was inevitable, but this is a heavy sentence. On second thought, in a country where there is no rule of law, such a heavy sentence is not that surprising.
“没有敌人”的刘晓波，被以政治类罪名判刑11年；“非暴力不合作”的许志永，被以妨害社会秩序管理类罪名判刑4年，说明了什么？
— 刘晓原律师 (@liu_xiaoyuan) January 26, 2014
Liu Xiaobo, who does not have any enemies, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for political charges. Xu Zhiyong, who advocates for non-violent acts of civil disobedience was sentenced to four years in prison for disrupting public order. What does this tell us?
Teng Biao, another prominent human rights lawyer, believed the people's struggle will never cease:
对许志永博士判刑4年，是对法治的践踏和对公民的挑衅。必须给国保公检法和背后的黑手记上一笔! 监狱从来不会压灭人民反抗的意志，而是更加点燃人们战斗的激情。
— 滕彪 (@tengbiao) January 26, 2014
The four-year sentence of Dr. Xu Zhiyong treads on law and citizens. The public security organs, the procuratorial organs, the court and the authorities behind the scene had to be responsible for this. Prison will not destroy the people's will to resist, but will light up the people's passion to fight.
【良心犯，一个都太多】许志永博士的重要性会慢慢显示出来。未来几年，当局压制民间会越来越严厉，民间反抗也会越来越活跃。冲突增加难以避免。入狱的良心犯、政治犯、维权者会越来越多。但我们可以输很多次，他们只能输一次。
— 滕彪 (@tengbiao) January 26, 2014
[One political prisoner is too many] The important role of Dr. Xu Zhiyong will manifest itself slowly. In the near future, authorities’ suppression of civil society will be more heavy-handed, but there will be more grassroots resistance. There will be more and more conflicts and more political activists, citizen rights activists and people with a conscience put in jail. We can lose our battles many times, but it takes only one battle to beat them.


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Chinese-Style ‘Tiger’ Parenting Triggers Complaints Among Younger Generation · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Chinese parenting style is often described as “controlling”. This parenting style, also referred to as a “tiger parenting”, has gained special attention since the release of the book “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” in 2011.
Recently, one graduate's resentment that his parents forced him to give up a job has resonated among China’s younger generation online, who shared the same frustration over their parents’ outdated attitudes and strict parenting style in everything from education and hobbies to career and marriage.
Beijing University graduate Wang Xiao was forced to give up a decent job he had found after graduation because his parents thought the job was not within “the system”, meaning it doesn't belong to state-owned enterprises or is related to the government, thus lacking in security. Like most Chinese parents born in the 1950s and 60s who experienced the more difficult times of Chinese history, they still value stability and social security more than anything else.
However, the generation born after 1985 has a completely different mindset, setting up parents and children for conflict. For example, earlier this month, a Chinese mom bought a entire page of advertising in the Chinese Melbourne Daily to beg her son to come home for the New Year after her repeated attempts to force her son into marriage had scared him away.
Wang Xiao's story went viral on popular microblogging site Sina Weibo, and has become the most discussed topic of January 24, 2014. Many complained online about the lack of understanding and overwhelming control of their own parents.
Photo from Sina Weibo
User “Alpaca” analyzed the changing attitude towards careers among the two generations:
两代人所处的社会环境形成对择业的不同需求，在我们父辈择业的时代，温饱几乎是主旋律，所以稳定的经济来源也就是“铁饭碗”之说随之而来。对于当代毕业生温饱并不是眼前手头必须要解决的问题，他们更多将就业在一定程度上理想化并上升到精神需求
Different social environments have led to different ideas about careers. In the era of our fathers, food and clothing were the main theme, so a stable source of income was the “iron rice bowl”. For contemporary graduates, food and clothing are not necessarily the main concern; for them, a job also involves a kind of idealism and spiritual needs.
Netizen “shishang zuidade xingfu shianjing” summed up typical Chinese-style parenting:
1、过分溺爱 2、心灵施暴，扼杀独立人格的树立。3、物质刺激 4、动辄体罚 5、朝令夕改 6、精神方面孩子是家长最熟悉的陌生人。 7、事业，孩子沦为家长实现未泯理想的工具。8、道德家长和学校一起空白。9、生活近乎泛滥的物质。10、性教育，孩子顺利成长的绊脚石。
1. spoiling children, 2. spiritual violence to stifle independent personality growth, 3. material incentives, 4. physical punishment, 5. constant change of mind, 6. parents are children’s most familiar strangers spiritually, 7. children become parents’ tool to realize their own unfinished career dreams, 8. lack of moral education, 9. too much materialism, 10. Lack of sex education becomes the stumbling stone in children’s growth.
“Xinyan zewuyan” wrote:
在子女幼年时抹杀童真，青春期抹杀浪漫，青年时扼杀斗志。
[They] kill innocence during children's’ childhoods, kill our romance during adolescence and kill our will during our youth.
Another user quoted Chinese writer and blogger Han Han:
很多家长不许学生谈恋爱， 甚至读大学还有很多家长反对，但大学一毕业，所有家长都希望马上从天掉下来一个各方面都很优秀而且最好有一套房子的人和自己儿女恋爱，而且要结婚。想的很美啊
Many parents don’t allow their children to go on dates. Even during college, many parents oppose to it, but once you graduate, all parents want someone to date and marry their children immediately, someone who’s good at everything and better have an apartment. How beautiful.
“Que” lamented：
家长习惯性的干预孩子的思想、学习、工作、甚至是婚姻，他们从来不愿意用心读懂孩子的想法，不懂的尊重孩子的决定，他们的潜意识一直认为他们可以支配孩子的一切！可悲的是，这样的思想还会一代一代的传承下去。。。
Parents are used to the idea of intervention with children, in their study, work, or even marriage. They never read their children's minds, or respect their children's decisions, they always think they can dominate everything about their children. Sadly, this kind of thinking will be passed down from generation to generation.
Another user stressed the dangerous quality most Chinese parents value in their children:
中国孩子最坏的“优点”就是听话，上学听爸妈话、工作听爸妈话、找男朋友听爸妈话、结婚生孩子听爸妈话，爸妈们的最高褒奖就是“谁谁谁家孩子就是听话”。如果爸妈不在了，孩子们该听谁的话？“听话”就好比邪教思想，甚至更可怕。
Chinese children’s worst “advantage” is obedience, listening to parents at school, then work, then marriage. Parents’ highest praise is that “so and so’s child is obedient. “If parents are gone, who is there to listen to? “Obedient” is even more frightening than a cult.
One netizen saw hope in the younger generation:
由于父母所处的时代，他们的思想已经根深蒂固，可能很难改变，但愿我们为人父为人母的时候能避免重蹈覆辙，给孩子们一个自主自由发展的空间。
Perhaps it's difficult to change the way our parents think because of their experiences, but hopefully one day when we become parents, we will avoid the same mistakes and our children will enjoy more independence and freedom.
An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated the title of Amy Chua's 2011 book. The correct title is “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”. Thanks to commenter joel_bee for the correction.


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Cries of Discrimination as Israel Detains Undocumented African Immigrants · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Screenshot of African immigrant demonstrators in Tel-Aviv via Zahi Shaked on YouTube
About 30,000 undocumented Africans living in Israel [fr] mounted a three-day strike and a series of protests backed by human rights defenders in early January against an act that allows Israeli authorities to place undocumented immigrants in detention without any trial nor case review for up to a year.
Aside from the new law, approved on December 10, 2013, protesters denounced the refusal of Israeli authorities to consider their applications for refugee status as well as the detention of hundreds of them. The video below highlights the scale of events and presents protesters demands:
The Holot detention centre in the Negev desert, near the border between Israel and Egypt, already has received numerous inmates since December 2013.
The site irinnews.org offered an idea of the centre's capacity:
Holot can house 3,300 migrants and is set to expand, eventually reaching a capacity of between 6,000 and 9,000 people, according to Yitzhak Aharonovitch, Israel's Public Security Minister.
The anti-undocumented African feeling has reached alarming levels, fed by hate speech, such as the “Le sentiment” video published by Djemila Yamina. The video shows Israeli citizens stating in a public gathering that undocumented immigrants are “psychopaths, scum and manure that need to be expelled from our country”
Elsewhere, minority extremist groups have attacked immigrants. In Israel, the government and the judiciary systems are taking an active part. Previously in July 2012, Allain Jules condemned [fr] on his blog:
Ce qui se passe en Israël actuellement est indigne. Entre un ministre qui demande que les clandestins soient simplement assassinés, puisqu’il recommande qu’on tire sur eux au moment où ils tenteront de franchir les frontières, un autre qui parle du risque d’impureté future de l’État d’Israël qui doit garder son caractère juif
What is going on in Israel is shameful. Between a minister demanding that undocumented immigrants are simply assassinated, suggesting we shoot at them at the very moment they try to cross the borders, and another minister that talks about the risks of impurity for the future state of Israel that must retain its Jewish character
Racism was apparent even before the new law. On July 18, 2013, Darfuri asylum-seeker and actor, Babaker (Babi) Ibrahim was arrested simply for not having a receipt for his bicycle.
Jean Shaoul explained [fr] the reality for asylum seekers in Israel on his blog cameroonvoice.com:
En vertu de la loi israélienne, il est interdit aux immigrés de travailler tant qu'ils ne sont pas enregistrés comme demandeurs d'asile. Ce qui leur est pratiquement impossible. En effet, selon l’agence des Nations unies pour les réfugiés, alors que le taux de reconnaissance national moyen des demandeurs d’asile est de 39 pour cent, en Israël ce taux est inférieur à 1 pour cent. En Israël, la plupart des demandeurs d’asile sont des Erythréens et des Soudanais qui connaissent un taux de reconnaissance international moyen de 84 pour cent et de 64 pour cent respectivement.
By virtue of the Israeli law, work is prohibited for immigrants as long as they are not registered as asylum seekers. Which is virtually impossible for them. In effect, according to United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), while the national average recognition rate for asylum seekers is 39 percent, in Israel this rate is lower than 1 percent. In Israel, the majority of asylum claimants are Eritreans and Sudanese, that have an international recognition rate of 84 percent and 64 percent respectively.
In a post published on a Mediapart blog, JOSEPH AKOUISSONNE [fr] wrote:
Ce racisme est incompréhensible de la part d’un peuple qui a souffert de l’abjection nazie, avec sa cohorte d'actes odieux visant à l'extermination des juifs. Pourtant, c'était bien Madame Golda Meir qui proclamait que  : « …les Africains et le peuple juif partagent des points communs. Ils ont été victimes de l’histoire : morts dans les camps de concentration ou réduits en esclavage… » Dans les années 1960, l'état d'Israël avait tissé des liens très forts avec le continent noir. Des étudiants africains étaient accueillis dans les kibboutz. Inversement, nombreux étaient les Israéliens qui allaient en Afrique pour soutenir le développement des états fraîchement indépendants. Il faut aussi rappeler le combat des juifs sud-africains, aux côtés de Nelson Mandela dans sa lutte contre l’apartheid. Sans oublier ceux qui s’engagèrent avec les militants des Droits Civiques aux États-Unis.
This racism is incomprehensible coming from people who have suffered under the Nazis, with its cohort of heinous acts aimed at Jewish extermination. Nevertheless, it was Golda Meir who proclaimed that:  “… Africans and Jews share common points. They have been victims of history, who died in concentration camps or have been enslaved… “. In the 1960s, the Israeli State forged strong links with the African continent. African students were welcomed into the kibbutz. Vice versa, there were plenty of Israelis who were involved in supporting the development of the newly enacted independent states. It is worth mentioning too the struggle of South African Jews alongside Nelson Mandela in the strife against apartheid. Not to forget those who engaged with the Civil Rights activists in the United States.
What is it about illegal immigration that provokes so much hatred in Israel? In response, JOL Press site presents figures [fr] from the Freedom 4 Refugees Association:
“Environ 50 000 demandeurs d'asile et réfugiés africains vivent aujourd’hui en Israël. Nous avons fui la persécution, les forces militaires, la dictature, les guerres civiles et le génocide. Au lieu d'être traités comme des réfugiés par le gouvernement d'Israël, nous sommes traités comme des criminels » explique Freedom4Refugees. “Nous réclamons l’abrogation de la loi, la fin des arrestations, et la libération de tous les demandeurs d'asile et les réfugiés emprisonnés”, ont encore déclaré les réfugiés dans une pétition relayée par l’association Freedom4Refugees. Principalement d'origine soudanaise, sud-soudanaise et érythréenne, les manifestants demandent également que les demandes d'asile soient effectuées de “manière individuelle, équitable et transparente “.
“Approximately 50,000 asylum seekers live currently in Israel. We fled persecution, military forces, dictatorship, civil wars and genocide. Instead of being treated as refugees by the government of Israel, we are being dealt with as criminals,” explained Freedom4Refugees. “We demand that the law be revoked, the end of arrests, and the release of all asylum seekers and refugees imprisoned,” the refugees declared in a petition communicated by the Freedom4Refugees Association. Mainly Sudanese, South Sudanese and Eritrean demonstrators further demand that asylum applications are made “in an individual, fair and transparent way”.
Al Monitor website noted the discriminatory character of measures taken against African immigrants:
At the same time, however, there are some 93,000 “tourists without valid visas” in Israel, about half of them from the former Soviet Union. Needless to say, the government is not building special detainment centers for them. The number of people requesting asylum is also significantly lower than the number of legal guest workers in Israel (approximately 70,000), much to the relief of those companies that arrange to bring them to the country and employ them.
There has been striking indifference at an international level. In an article published on Rue89, Renée Greusard disclosed everyday racism against Israel's black population:
Quand nous abordons ce sujet ensemble, David Sheen, le journaliste américain, pèse ses mots et parle plus lentement :
“Le niveau de racisme actuel en Israël, il peut être comparé à ce qu’on a connu dans d’autres pays occidentaux, il y a cinquante, soixante ans. Les gens se font insulter dans la rue. Souvent, quand les Noirs entrent dans les bus, les gens se bouchent le nez, bloquent les places à côté d’eux, ouvrent les fenêtres, pestent : “Ah ! Mais on n’a pas besoin de tous ces Noirs !”
Dans les autres pays, les gens sont gênés par leurs pensées racistes. Ils ne les disent pas en public. Là, non. C’est un racisme assuré, et dont les gens sont fiers. “
When we address this issue together, American journalist David Sheen weighs his words and talks slowly:
“The current level of racism in Israel can be compared to what has been experienced in other Western countries 50, 60 years ago. People are insulted in the streets. Often when blacks board buses, people would plug their noses and block the seats near them, opening the windows while ranting ‘Ah! But we don't need all these blacks!’
In other countries, people are embarrassed by their racist thoughts. They do not divulge them in public. Here, not quite. They are confident and proud on their racism.”
These anti-black sentiments can be observed even from the comments published on blogs and online media such as  lemonde.fr, seneweb.com and tempsreel.nouvelobs.com.
These types of comments frequently arouse passions on both sides of the issue. An article by Jack Guez on Yahoo News has received 2,410 comments, and many of these comments have in turn attracted plenty of “likes”. The comment below has received 82 favourable opinions:
Saudi Arabia expelled 200,000 Africans a few weeks ago!
The death of Ariel Sharon brought the protests and strike to a temporary halt for a few days. However, the struggle of the undocumented migrants in Israel continues. After marching outside the offices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as well as other foreign embassies in Tel-Aviv, protesters have held demonstrations in front of The Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, the government continues to herald sluggish proposals.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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East Timor’s Rising Budget for ‘Public Transfers’ · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The La’o Hamutuk NGO is concerned that the East Timor government is alloting more funds for so-called ‘public transfers’ which lacks transparent mechanisms:
In recent years, Timor-Leste has spent about 20% of its state budget on “Public Transfers” – payments of money to individuals or institutions which are not controlled by contracts, tenders or other procurement processes and which often leave no paper trail.


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Four Biggest Misconceptions About #Euromaidan Protests in Ukraine  · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

Ucrainica Marginalis published an overview of the four largest misconceptions about #Euromaidan, written by scholars Sofiya Grachova & Stephen A. Walsh. What this overview points out is the vast gap between how international media and outside spectators view what is happening and the message that Ukrainians involved in Euromaidan protests are trying to get across to their government and the world.
Listed as the largest misconceptions are:
Misconception #1: Ukraine is divided between east and west.
Misconception #2: Ukrainian protests are about joining the EU.
Misconception #3: Protest forces in Ukraine are dominated by the far right.
Misconception #4: The protests should cease immediately and give way to negotiations between the regime and the leaders of opposition political parties.

author: Tetyana Bohdanova


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Independent Ukrainian Filmmakers Create #Euromaidan Documentaries · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

In Ukraine, several filmmakers united to produce a video chronology of the events that came to be known as the Euromaidan protests. “BABYLON'13”, named after a bar in which the filmmakers came up with the idea for the project, is a collection of short documentaries reflecting the development of the mass protests and particular incidents during the rallies.
A screenshot from one of the short documentaries about #EuroMaidan on YouTube.
The films are available on the project's Facebook page “Babylon'13” and YouTube channel “BABYLON'13” with English subtitles.


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Indonesia Apology Urged Over Massacre of a Million Citizens in 1965 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Human rights groups Tapol and East Timor and Indonesia Action Network have launched a campaign called ‘Say Sorry for '65’ addressed to the Indonesian government in relation to the reported killing of a million citizens during the anti-communist campaign of the government in the 1960s:
In 1965/66, up to a million Indonesians were massacred by the military, paramilitary and civilian mobs. Hundreds of thousands more were injured, disappeared, raped and imprisoned without trial. The United States and the United Kingdom secretly welcomed and supported the killings.
For fifty years the victims have been asking for justice and for the government to Say Sorry for ‘65, but Indonesia denies these crimes even happened.


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Online Mapping of Spreading Unrest After Killing of Protesters in Ukraine · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

This post is part of our Special Coverage Ukraine's #Euromaidan Protests.
On January 22, 2014, during a fourth consecutive day of violent clashes between Euromaidan protesters in Kyiv and police, two protesters were reported dead with the death toll rising to at least five in the past several days. After this news, mass anti-government protests erupted in several regions of Ukraine and began to spread quickly through the country.
Peaceful protests that began on November 21, 2013, as a mass outcry against the decision of the Ukrainian government to cease talks about a historically significant agreement with the EU, have been dubbed by many international mainstream outlets as “pro-EU” or even “anti-Russian” while the participants of Euromaidan protests have been struggling for weeks now to explain to the world that their reasons for taking to the streets run far deeper than that. A recent study by two independent scholars calls this one of the “four biggest misconceptions about Euromaidan”.
Peaceful rallies have lasted for two months when the violent clashes with police broke out on the 19th of January, following the adoption of the set of repressive laws  by the Parliament of Ukraine. Duirng the protests, Internet users have set up social media pages, blogs and news aggregation to gather and confirm information about what is happening on the ground during the many rallies organized throughout the country every day. Teams of translators have also banded together to bring up-to-date daily news about the protests, directly from the protesters to a wider international audience on Facebook and other networks. Global Voices covered the importance of the Internet and the Euromaidan movement's use of it in an earlier post in December 2013:
Facebook and Twitter soon became the key platforms for coordinating protest activities and sharing information. The now official EuroMaidan Facebook page [uk] set a new record in Ukraine [uk], having accumulated 76,000 likes in just the first eight days of its existence. The page is used to inform protesters about urgent news and issues, discuss plans of future actions, warn against using violence, share advice on how to deal with police forces, and much more. It has currently reached over 141,000 likes and over 167,700 interactions. An English-language page Euromaidan has also been set up, along with regional pages like Euromaidan Lviv [uk].
Once the protests have spread through the country, the list of demands that included resignation of the national government and the President, in some regions has been expaned to include calls for banning the ruling Party of Regions and the Communist party, which has been supportive of President Yanukovych. The process has begun in Western  Ukraine, where the protesters took over regional state administration buildings, in some cases forcing local governor to resign [uk] and announcing the creation of an alternative government.
As of January 26, 2014, the new governments have already been set up in Lviv, Ternopil and Volyn regions. In Rivne, the city policemen have resigned en masse [uk] thus refusing to take action against the protesters. From the Western regions the unrest quickly spread to Central and Southern Ukraine.
With many conflicting reports coming from the regions, a Kyiv-based journalist Sergii Gorbachov has begun creating maps that show the latest developments and publishing them on his Facebook page. He bases his conclusions on media reports as well as comments and updates from other social media users.
The maps demonstrate that in just four days, the protests have spread from five to twenty three regions [ru, uk, en], which undermines a popular misconception about the existence of “very strong” regional divide in Ukraine.
A map of political situation in Ukraine's regions as of 3:50 pm, January 26, 2013.  Created by Sergii Gorbachov
As of January 26, the maps also reflect in which regions local authorities have recognized alternative governments created by the protesters.
This post was updated on January 27, 2014 at 1530 GMT to include more links and information about online mapping and usage of Internet tools during Euromaidan protests.


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Outdoor Air pollution in Bhopal  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Proloy Bagchi reports that outdoor air pollution in Bhopal, the capital of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, has risen to an alarming proportion mainly from the emission of the transports. The blogger slams at the inaction of the state government and stresses the importance of reducing this pollution. According to WHO outdoor pollution causes cancer, more so than passive smoking.


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Pig Photos Censored in Malaysia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

We know that it is forbidden for Muslims to eat pork; but can they look at pigs?
A local printing company in Malaysia believes it is also haram for Muslims to see the pictures of pigs that is why it unilaterally decided to blacken out the snouts of pigs in two photos that appeared in the January 22, 2014 edition of the International New York Times.
The photos accompanied an article titled “Demand grows for pigs raised outside”.
A spokesman for the KHL Printing Co said that it has been their practice to cover ‘banned’ images in the Muslim-majority nation such as nudity, smoking and firearms. But the Malaysian government denied that it has a regulation that prohibits the publishing of images of pigs. The New York Times is also unaware about the decision to blacken out the photos.
The controversial ‘blacked out’ photo that appeared on the Malaysian edition of the New York Times. Photo from website of The Malaysian Insider
Malaysians reacted humorously to the issue but many were also dismayed. anak1malaysia is worried that children in the future may not be able to know what a pig looks like:
I can foresee in the not too distant future, people would not know how a pig look like. And that would be dangerous if our muslim small kids may happen to cuddle a little cute piglet unknowingly because he/she has not seen one before even in their school text book.
Shawn Tan thinks this is a negative impact of self-censorship:
This is the culture of self-censorship because nobody wants to get into any trouble. Businesses especially, will try to avoid any mess. Play it safe.
Mediha reminded the printing company that it is not haram to see pigs:
It is not haram to see pigs. It is just haram to eat it, and need to purify if touched. Duh.
we are getting overly sensitive? wats next? the word pig? http://t.co/W6ilntvTjg
— saroki (@saroki19) January 22, 2014
This is not the first time that an image was blackened out in the paper. Kilgore remembered how an article about a ‘kissing protest’ in Chile was given a similar ‘black out’ treatment:
Previously, the New York Times did a story on Chilean students’ ‘kissing protest’. These same people censored the picture by painstakingly pasting black boxes over thousands of students’ mouths as they simultaneously kissed.
Malaysian public saved again. Taxpayers’ money well-spent.