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April 10th, 2008
Stories
Egypt: The Story of Sounilla
· 23:38
Little did American student Sounilla know what he was walking into when he saw two students from his university standing in the middle of a Cairo Square and decided to walk towards them, pointing his camera in their direction. Out of nowhere, the security forces pounces on them, snatching them from the square, into a car and the threat of possible jail.
Egyptian blogger Ahmed (Ar) tells us the story of Sounilla, a 23-year-old student from New York, in Egypt to study Arabic poetry at the American University in Cairo.
Ahmed writes:
سونيلا شاب أمريكي من أصل هندي،يحمل ذراعه وشما واضحا يحمل كلمتي “لتعيش الانتفاضة”.. ذهب صبيحة يوم الاضراب للجامعة الامريكية لمتابعة محاضراته ،وبينما هو في طريقه للجامعة عبر ميدان التحرير وجد زميلتيه سارة عبد الرازق وسارة اسماعيل تقفان وسط الميدان وتزدردان خبزا رديئا من الذي تنتجه مخابز الحكومة المصرية،ثم تلقيانه علي الارض كنوع من الاحتجاج،توجه سونيلا بكاميرته الديجيتال نحو زميلتيه ليتقط صورة فوتوغرافية،فانقضت عليه قوات الأمن واقتادته نحو ميكروباص علي ناصية شارع طلعت حرب.
في الثانية عشر والنصف ظهرا تحركت السيارة الميكروباص وتجولت بهم حواليَ القاهرة مارا بشارع صلاح سالم والدراسة،وحين احتج سونيلا موضحا :”أنا أمريكي”..رد عليه الضابط “اخرس”!
حاول سونيلا الاتصال بالسفارة الامريكية ومديرة برنامج المنحة التي يدرس بموجبها في مركز دراسات اللغة العربية في الجامعة الامريكية،توالت الاتصالات وأبلغه موظف بالسفارة :”أرجوك ابتعد عن التحرير الاوضاع غير مستقرة بالمرة”.
يقول سونيلا:”جن جنون الضابط حين علم برغبتي في الاتصال بسفارة بلادي وقال لي سألقيك من علي الكوبري إذا فعلت هذا”.Sounilla, an American citizen of Indian origin, has a obvious tattoo on his arm which reads ‘Love Live the Intifada.' On the morning of the April 6 strike, he was on his way to the American University in Cairo to attend his classes. While crossing the Tahrir Square, he saw his colleagues Sara Abd El Razak, and Sara Ismail, standing in the middle of the square throwing bad bread, baked in the National Egyptian Bakeries. So Sounilla walked towards his colleagues with a digital camera to take a photograph. Suddenly, the Security forces came and arrested him, dragging him into a small microbus at the corner of the near by Square of Tala’at Harb.
At midday, the microbus started moving down different streets. Sounilla told the officer on the bus: “I am American,” to which the officer replied: “Shut up!” Sounilla then tried calling the American Embassy, and the fellowships officer of his Arabic language studies scholarship, but an employee at the Embassy said: “Please get away from Tahrir Square, the situation is very volatile there.”
The police officer was enraged when he knew and warned Sounilla saying: “I will throw you off the bridge if you called the Embassy.”
يضيف سونيلا : اشتبك معي أحد الضباط بينما يستجوبني ويطالبني بذكر بياناتي،وعمد الي استفزازي أكثر من مرة،قال الضابط :لم تشارك في مثل هذه الأعمال..إنت مالك؟ فقلت له :حكومتكم سيئة وتظلم الناس..فرد الضابط حانقا :لا تقل هذا الكلام..الحكومة جيدة..فنظر له سونيلا وقال :لا تنتسي أنك من الشعب ولست من الحكومة!
فصمت الضابط،يقول سونيلا:”سكت الضابط العنيف ولم يرد علي بينما لمحت علي الشرطي الذي أخذ بياناتي أمارات التعاطف..لكن علي أية حال تم حرماني من كاميرتي الديجيتال التي التقطت بها الصور”.
هدد أحد الضباط المشرفين علي عملية الاختطاف سونيلا بالقاءه في الصحراء،بينما وعد إحدي النساء بتوصيلها الي منزلها،يقول سونيلا :”ما يحد ث يشي أن الحكومة مضطربة ومرتبكة جدا وتحاول عبر هوس أمني بغيض السيطرة علي مقاليد الامور بأي ثمن”.Sounilla adds than one officer assaulted during the investigations, and continued to intimidate him more than once. The officer asked him: “Why do you take part in such events.. what is your business?” I replied: “Your government is bad and is unjust towards people.” The officer replied angrily: “Don’t say such words, the government is not bad..” So Sounilla told him: “You are from the people, not the government!”
The harsh officer was silent, while the other kinder officer showed some sympathy. Then then confiscated Sounilla's camera, the one he took pictures with. One officer threatened him to throw him to the desert, while he promised a woman there to drive her home. Sounilla added: “What happened shows a disturbed government, very disturbed that it tried through its security mania to control everything at any cost.”
Ahmed continues:
كان سونيلا مرهقا وجائعا للغاية حين التقيناه لكنه كان مقتنعا بما يفعل بصورة تثير الدهشة،علق سونيلا :”لقد شاركت في تظاهرات في الولايات المتحدة،لكن الذي حدث هنا في القاهرة هو اختطاف رخيص علي طريقة العصابات ولايمت بصلة لجهاز شرطة يفترض أنه يحمي الناس”.
تركوا سونيلا في حوالي الثانية ظهرا وحين حاول أخذ أرقام السيارة الميكروباص التي اختطفته،لكن الضباط نزلوا وهددوه وتوعدوه،قال لهم سونيلا :”إذا أردتم القاء القبض علينا فاقبضوا..لكن لا تخطفونا علي طريقة العصابات”
Sounilla was exhausted and hungry when we met him, but he commented: “I took part in many demonstrations back in the United States, but what happened in Cairo is cheap kidnapping the gangsters' way and has nothing to do with a Police system that is supposed to keep people safe.”
They released Sounilla at around 2 o’clock, and when he tried to take the number of the car, the officers threatened him again, so he finally told them: “If you want to arrest us, then do that. Just don't kidnap us like gangsters.”
Photo credit: Mohamed Ali El Dien
1 comment · »»Colombia: 60th Anniversary of the Murder of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán
· 21:57
Cross-posted at equinoXio english edition
Colombian legendary actor Edgardo Román, impersonating Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, as he did in the 1980’s TV miniseries Gaitán, during the commemorative acts in Bogotá. Mr Román’s resemblance with Mr Gaitán is striking. Photo by Victor Solano and used with permission.
Many Colombians believe that if charismatic Colombian Liberal Party leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán had not been shot and killed on April 9, 1948, at 13:05, in front of the Agustín Nieto building, where his lawyer’s office was located (today the Bank of the Republic building), he would have become President of Colombia in 1950, and maybe the fate of this troubled South American country would have been quite different.
The local blogosphere also remembered this important day. The political blog Colombia Hoy [es] says:
Lo realmente importante del 9 de abril de 1948 son los eventos que se desencadenan a partir de ese momento. Y, más aún, las implicaciones que ese hecho tiene sobre nuestra vida presente. Para decirlo de una manera breve: Gaitán fue la oportunidad más próxima que han tenido los sectores marginados de llevar a la presidencia a una persona que representara genuinamente sus intereses. (…) Era, en cualquier caso, una figura incómoda para las élites políticas tradicionales y, sin duda, un obstáculo para los planes de ordenamiento político continental. (…) El mensaje político de reivindicación de los intereses de los marginados sigue vigente en un país donde cerca de la mitad de su población se encuentra bajo la línea de pobreza y donde se encuentra uno de los peores indicadores de distribución de la riqueza del mundo. Desde 1948 no hemos tenido un solo presidente por fuera del modelo liberal-conservador, que represente intereses diferentes a los de las élites tradicionales asociadas al capital transnacional o, más recientemente, a la mafia.
The truly important thing that took place on April 9, 1948 is the events which were unleashed since that moment. And, furthermore, the implications that the event has had over our current life. To say it briefly: Gaitán was the closest chance the marginalized society had to take to the Presidency, a person who genuinely represented their interests. (…) He was, in any case, a figure uncomfortable for the traditional political elites and, undoubtedly, for the plans of continental political order. (…) The political message vindicating the interests of the marginalized people is still valid in a country where around half of its population lives below the poverty line and where one of the worst indicators of wealth distribution in the world is found. Since 1948 we have not had a president outside the Liberal-Conservative (parties) model, who represents interest outside the ones of the traditional elites associated to the transnational capital or, more recently, the mafia.
As most Colombians know, Gaitán’s murder unleashed several riots that day and during the weekend, known as the Bogotazo. Miguel Carrillo, from Populachero [es] questions the way some people mark this "revolution":
¿Cuál es el mito del bogotazo? ¿estamos realmente “celebrando” la destrucción de una ciudad? Desde siempre nos dicen que en el 9 de Abril empezó la violencia que nos agobia en este momento. Que cómodo. Me niego a pensar que exista un solo colombiano que se coma todavía ese cuento. (…) Muchos dirán que recordar el bogotazo y vanagloriarlo es una forma de recordar que los profundos problemas sociales que existían en ese tiempo todavía no se han resuelto. Yo digo que es lo contrario. Porque decir “eso fue desde el bogotazo” es una forma de cortar la dolorosa y necesaria discusión de que carajos fue lo que salió mal en este país.
What is the myth of El Bogotazo? Are we really "celebrating" the destruction of a entire city? Since the year, we are told that on April 9, the violence which wears us down started. It’s so comfortable. I refuse to believe there is still a single Colombian who buys that story (…) A lot of people will say that remembering El Bogotazo and boasting about it is a way to remember that our deep social issues that existed at the time haven’t been solved yet. I say it’s exactly the opposite, because saying "that was since the Bogotazo" is a way to cut the painful, necessary discussion about what the hell went wrong in this country.
Lines before Populachero wonders why there are not T-shirts carrying Gaitán’s image as there are all kinds of memorabilia with Ernesto Che Guevara’s face.
American Blaine Sheldon at Ojo gringo remarks about the Semana magazine website’s multimedia special on El Bogotazo, and leaves his two cents:
This anniversary comes as a timely reminder that these tensions still carry overtones that echo deeply in contemporary Colombian society. The dichotomies of class and political orientation remain today just as real sixty years in passing. Even so, the history plays out as much in its epic nature as its conspiracy. To this day it is not known whether the would-be assassin, Juan Roa Sierra, actually perpetrated the incident, or whether he was merely a scapegoat beaten to his death by those thirsty for vengeance. Every crisis charges a pariah, but perhaps as evidence enough today in Colombia, this zeal often perpetuates tomorrow’s conflict.
Personally, I recommend the weekly newspaper El Espectador’s website multimedia special, featuring articles, audios, pictures, context information, and video excerpts from a Caracol TV / The History Channel co-production which premiered Wednesday night.
One of the pages of 1949 graphical novel La gran mancha roja, which provides the Conservative Party’s view on El Bogotazo. Mr Gaitán is shown at the first and the third frames. Photo provided by Juglar del Zipa.
At Juglar del Zipa [es], Miguel Olaya shares with us La gran mancha roja ("The big red stain"), a 1949 graphical novel, presumably written by “a militant of the Conservative Party who mantains that Gaitán’s murder was the result of a communist conspiracy against the Pan-American Conference” [which was being held at Bogotá at the time of the crime and ended with the creation of the Organization of American States] “and, of course, the institutions of the Republic and the party"”, which was ruling the country at the time, with art by R. Scandoglio.
A small crowd gathers around a flower arrangement with the image of political leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, murdered on 9 April 1948, during the commemorative acts in the 60th anniversary of the crime. Photo by Victor Solano and used with permission.
Finally, journalist and blogger Víctor Solano [es] attended the commemorative acts held downtown Bogotá on Wednesday, taking pictures, videos, and sharing with out his impressions of what happened:
Hoy, varios de los seguidores del caudillo levantaron sus puños para lanzar vivas y emular el tono grandilocuente y por supuesto demagógico del máximo líder natural del ‘trapo rojo’ en los años cincuenta […] Seguí en el sitio otros 20 minutos más y así tuve la oportunidad de ver a algunos estudiantes realizaron un performance en el que representaron a Gaitán y su Marcha del Silencio, ante la mirada desconcertada de los transeúntes. […] Ya saliendo del lugar, luego de haber completado cerca de 40 minutos allí […] veo a Edgardo Román, uno de esos actores de teatro que parecería que no fueron formados sino forjados en el más rudo de los fuegos.
Today, several of the supporters of the Colombian caudillo raised their fists to cheer and emulate the grandiloquent and, of course, demagogic tone of the chief leader of the ‘red cloth’ in the 1950s […] I remained there another for 20 minutes, so I had a chance to see a performance by some college students, where they represented Gaitán and his Silent March, before the disconcerted look of the peasants. […] When I was leaving the place, after having completed 40 minutes there […] I could see Edgardo Román, one of those theatre actors who seems to have not been "raised" but "forged" on the toughest of fires.
1 comment · »»Palestine: Deir Yassin, Commemorated 60 Times Over 
· 21:16
April 9 marked the massacre of Deir Yassin, where an estimated 100 Palestinians were killed in the early morning hours, by commandos of the Irgun (headed by Menachem Begin) and the Stern Gang. Bloggers commemorate the tragedy 60 years later.
Palestinian Haitham Sabbah links to DeirYassin site and writes:
Early in the morning of April 9, 1948, commandos of the Irgun (headed by Menachem Begin) and the Stern Gang attacked Deir Yassin, a village with about 750 Palestinian residents. The village lay outside of the area to be assigned by the United Nations to the Jewish State; it had a peaceful reputation. But it was located on high ground in the corridor between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Deir Yassin was slated for occupation under Plan Dalet and the mainstream Jewish defense force, the Haganah, authorized the irregular terrorist forces of the Irgun and the Stern Gang to perform the takeover.
In all over 100 men, women, and children were systematically murdered. Fifty-three orphaned children were literally dumped along the wall of the Old City, where they were found by Miss Hind Husseini and brought behind the American Colony Hotel to her home, which was to become the Dar El-Tifl El-Arabi orphanage.
Sabbah also links to for the Institute for Middle East Understanding website, which has more information about the massacre.
Attending The World sheds light on the political reasons behind the massacre, quoting Menachem Begin, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the first Likud Prime Minister of Israel:
“Deir Yassin massacre was not only necessary, but without it the state of Israel could not have emerged” said Menachem Begin.
The blogger also publishes a testimony by former Haganah officer, Col. Meir Pa’el, upon his retirement from the Israeli army in 1972:
“In the exchange that followed four [Irgun] men were killed and a dozen were wounded … by noon time the battle was over and the shooting had ceased. Although there was calm, the village had not yet surrendered. The Irgun and LEHI men came out of hiding and began to `clean’ the houses. They shot whoever they saw, women and children included, the commanders did not try to stop the massacre …. I pleaded with the commander to order his men to cease fire, but to no avail. In the meantime, 25 Arabs had been loaded on a truck and driven through Mahne Yehuda and Zichron Yousef (like prisoners in a Roman `March of Triumph’). At the end of the drive, they were taken to the quarry between Deir Yasin and Giv’at Shaul, and murdered in cold blood … The commanders also declined when asked to take their men and bury the 254 Arab bodies. This unpleasant task was performed by two Gadna units brought to the village from Jerusalem.”
In Al- Falastiniya's post, I am Dier Yassin, she asserts that Deir Yassin is more than a “death toll”:
we are so much more than a death toll or a simple story to be told in order to conjure up pity.
i walked home tonight and realized that the streets were not full of blood. i claimed the sidewalk as my own; no one stopped to question me. i walked, and i realized i was perhaps too lucky. “deir yassin, deir yassin, have you heard of what happened at deir yassin? do you want to end up like those of deir yassin?” i have never had to answer this question. i have never had to flee for my life. i have never heard the sound of a gunshot… the sadness is not mine alone- it was not mine originally, i simply inherited it.
Otto's Random Thoughts, Carousel and MyDD link to South African Minister of Intelligence, Ronnie Kasrils' article on the Electronic Intifada site.
We also have a post from John Hilley, who argues how Deir Yassin massacre has been omitted in the western media:
9 April 2008 marked the terrible events of Deir Yassin, sixty years after 254 of the village's Palestinian men, women and children were massacred by Zionist forces.
You didn't hear anything about it on the BBC. You didn't see any recognition of it by the US, EU and other ‘civilized' Western governments. And you certainly won't find any message of regret over it from a state which has sought to bury the truth of this and multiple other atrocities with all those murdered Palestinians.
For Israel, its allies and their media stenographers, Deir Yassin doesn't merit special commemoration. It's just a name, a village, a place, a painful memory still firmly fixed in Palestinian consciousness.
Finally, Free the Detainees shares with us scenes from New York commemorating the Deir Yassin massacre here.
All photos are courtesy of Deir Yassine site.
3 comments · »»China: A True Nightmare on April Fool's Day
· 19:56
In spite of the occupants' outcry, about 1000 security guards and 20 policemen escorting two diggers intruded into a commodity housing district named Li Shui Jing Yuan in Chongqing, the largest of China's four provincial-level municipalities, to forcibly carried out the developer's reconstruction plan which was officially supported by the local government, causing a serious bloodshed conflict. Some residents recorded the whole event and exposed it on some popular Chinese BBSs, trying to call the attention of the public to the vicious incident which just occurred on April Fool's Day.
The copy of the occupant's report on ifeng.com:
作者:浪子－－ 发表于 2008-4-2 11:19
2008年4月1日上午9：00左右，共有约1000余名身穿保安制服和20余名未佩戴警号但身着警服的一干人员，大摇大摆强行进入小区，在小区篮球场周围搭起简易围墙，并站成一排，挡住了小区各个出口，阻止业主通过。紧接着两辆大型黄色挖掘机迅速撞破了小区围墙，开进了小区篮球场开始疯狂挖掘，不到1小时，篮球场周边的树木遭连根拔起，篮球场设施和周遭围墙完全毁损，小区的美丽的一角瞬间沦为一片废墟。由于是工作日，小区只有少数老人在家，目睹这前所未见的惊人一幕，惊骇之余只有暗自垂泪。有年轻女业主一名上午10：00左右开车回到小区，路过野蛮施工场地，刚想询问，便被上述人员强行拖出车外、抓住头发、劈头盖脸一顿毒打，随即便被拖上了一辆警车带离了现场。
当晚20：00左右，又有约40名身着警服的人员闯入小区，见人就打，扬言要给小区业主一些教训，接连打伤了5人，并抓走了3人。5位受伤的业主头面部和身体均有不同程度的挫伤，特别头面部伤口流血不止，被紧急送往医院救治.小区有位女性业主刚才在维权时被车撞伤，躺在地上，车主对伤者不闻不问，却蛮横地想打我们的其他业主，站在一旁的警察们却无动于衷，打110现在已没有任何作用，根本不出警，我们的业主一个接一个地受伤，被抓的业主也音信全无，丽水人现在只有靠自己，靠大家精诚团结才能保护自己的家园，保护自己的合法权益！才能不会让丽水人再受伤！
从事情发生至今，我们一直想取得媒体的支持，把整个事情摊在阳光底下。然而，在联系了重庆日报、重庆时报、重庆地产杂志、重庆市电视台等多家媒体后，要么得到的回音是：上面有规定，这事不能报，要么根本就杳无音讯。只有一家门户网站记者前来采访，并把采访的事实制作成了一部约7分钟的短片发布在互联网上。
小区的业主通过市长公开电话和市长空开信箱发送信息，想把事实向政府部门陈述，然而，有如石沉大海，根本就没有回音。
今天由于事出紧急，小区业主急拨110求救，110答复：开发商是在执行政府的命令。
我们不相信，我们已经安居了4年的家，会在一个上午就被人用推土机肆无忌惮地挖得满目疮痍、围墙尽毁；我们不相信，警察也会同开发商的打手站在一起，毒打手无寸铁而且完全无辜的百姓；我们不相信，身在一个民主法制的国家，守法公民居然连自身的合法财产都无法守护，仅凭政府官员的一纸批文、一笔签字就可以毫不费力的拿走！我们不相信，今天的我们还能相信谁……？
Author:Idler－－ Posted on 2008-4-2 11:19
About 9:00a.m. on April 1st, 2008, there were approximately 1000 men dressed in the security guard uniforms and 20 policemen without wearing the number badges that made a forcible entry into the residential quarter, setting up temporary fences, lining up and blocking exits to prevented the residents passing through. Close behind were two large yellow diggers which immediately crushed the enclosing walls of the residential quarter and broke into the basketball court to start crazy digging. Less than 1 hour, the trees around the court were uprooted while all the basketball facilities and the walls around were totally destroyed. Part of the beautiful residential quarter was instantly falling into ruin.
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Since it was the workday, only a few old residents staying at home witnessed the awfully startling scenes; besides astonishment, they could only suffer quietly. A young lady living in the residential quarter passed the barbarous construction site as she drove home at 10:00 a.m.. She was forcibly pulled out of the car, grabbed by the hair and received savage beating from those security guards when she just wanted to ask for some information. Then the lady was taken away by a police car.
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In addition, 40 staff dressed in police uniforms broke into the quarter at about 20:00p.m. and beat anyone they met, threatening to give the occupants of the quarter a lesson. As a result, 5 people got wounded and another 3 were arrested. With different bruises on the body, especially the injuries to the face and head, which were bleeding badly, the 5 injured people were rushed to the hospital. Another female occupant was run down by a car just now when she protested to safeguard the rights. The driver not only left the injured lady on the road, but also intended to hurt other residents while the policemen was just standing nearby, showing no emotion. We called 110(the emergency telephone number), but they would not step in to stop the violence. We are being hurt one by one and still haven't received any news from the arrested neighbors. Now Li Shui People can only depend on ourselves; only unity in good faith can protect our home and legitimate rights and interests, and prevent us from harming again！
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We have been trying to get the media's support since the incident happened, hoping that the whole thing can be widely exposed to the public. However, after contacting with Chongqing Daily, Chongqing Times, Chongqing Real Estate and Chongqing TV station, the answers were either “the authorities have ordered no one can report this” or simply no reply at all. Only one reporter from a portal website came to cover the events and make the gathering material a 7-minute short video and publish it on the Internet.
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The occupants of the quarter tried to report the truth to the government through the mayor's public telephone and mail box, but it's just like a stone dropped into the sea, no response at all.
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Because it's an emergency, the occupants immediately dial 110 to ask for help, but the 110 replied: the developer is executing the government's order.
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We can't believe, our cozy home where we have been living for 4 years can be brazenly spoiled by the diggers over one morning, leaving a trail of destruction and completely destroyed walls; we can't believe, the policemen could stand with the developer's goons, cruelly beating the unarmed and totally innocent residents; we can't believe, in a democratic country under the rule of law, the law-abiding citizens even can't protect their own legitimate property, which can be handily snatched away by an official document! We can't believe, whom we can still believe in…?
The intentional violence reported by the occupants living in Li Shui Residential quarter was promptly spread among the netizens and almost all the people were greatly shocked by the bloody scenes. Nevertheless, such negative influence which were obviously derogate from the harmonious principles, were subsequently restricted by the Internet regulators. Many BBSs canceled all the posts related to the reports about Li Shui Residential quarter or turned down new comments on the events so that the relevant posts could be rapidly out of the first page, and the only video report made by the mentioned professional journalist was removed, either. (In fact, the journalist only published the video in a personal blog) Even so, the people living in or near Li Shui residential quarter still persisted in publishing information on the situation through some relatively freer sites like ifeng, mop and daqi.com.
Part of the continuous coverage on ifeng.com:
作者:qq822 发表于 2008-4-2 23:59
今天（４月２日）白天又有几个业主被抓，而且是刑警，想给业主安上袭警的罪名．昨晚的冲突就是这伙强盗设置的圈套，他们是想把业主与开发商之间冲突转变成业主与警察之间的，从而找借口抓人镇压，以掩盖官商勾结的内幕．当时发生冲突的时候明明只有业主与开发商的保安（其实就是打手），何来的公务人员？而且就算马上给这些打手换上警服（他们上次就干过），可怎么业主受伤的照片有，而现场那些狂照相的公务人员（只准他们照相，业主照相一律要收缴，不从就要被打被抓，这些照片就可看出拍摄的艰难）却没有拍到一张所谓＂公务人员＂受伤的照片，连医院的照片都没有？连证据都没有就来抓人，在直辖市竟会发生这等无法无天之事，真是黑暗。
Author:qq822 Posted on 2008-4-2 23:59
Today(April 2) several other people are arrested by the criminal policemen who apparently planed to pin the crime of assaulting police officer on our occupants. The conflict last night is just a put-up job made by those muggers; they want to provoke the conflict between the occupants and police, so that they can find excuse to crackdown the protest to cover the inside stories that the officials are conspiring with the developer. Clearly, the occupants only had a clash with developer's security guards(thugs in fact); when did the officials engage? Even if they let those thugs put on the police uniforms (they had done it last time), why are there only pictures of the injured occupants? Why don't those officials present at that time take any pictures of the so called wounded “public servants”, even not in the hospital?(only the government officials are allowed to take pictures. Any photos taken by the residents are forced to be confiscated and anyone refuse to do so will be beaten or arrested. You may directly see how hard to take pictures through those photos above) The authorities can arrest people without any evidence; how did such lawless thing happen in a municipality? How dark it is!
作者:qq822 发表于 2008-4-3 11:30
现在连在受伤业主就医的医院（重庆医科大学附属医院）都有便衣和开发商的打手监视，去看望受伤都要冒被打被抓的危险，连送医疗费去都很困难．
Author:qq822 Posted on 2008-4-3 11:30
Now even the hospital（the Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University)where the injured occupants receive treatment is under surveillance of the plainclothes police and developer's thugs. People who go to visit the injured neighbors may also be arrested or beaten. It's even hard to send money for the injuries' medical fees.
作者:走走看看1 发表于 2008-4-3 17:20
重庆丽水菁苑事件最新进展20080403
1.关于伤者：从事件发生以来，小区被打伤的业主很多，包括很多年轻女性。有少数业主伤情较重，已经送往了重庆医科大学第一附属医院急诊科。据悉目前还有5人在院，他们当中2名头部外伤（皮肤撕裂及脑震荡），1名颅脑硬膜外血肿，2名胸壁外伤。据称上面打了招呼，只要不出现病情加重危及生命的，决不允许办理住院手续，只能放在急诊科留观。另有当晚自发集合来看望伤者的小区业主也遭到监控在急诊科的警察的毒打，并被强行带走了数人。由于无法探视，目前伤者情况未知。2.关于警察和保安：自4月1日以来，每天从上午8：30到晚上22：00左右，都会有超过200人、身着警服的警员和约300人、身着保安制服的保安人员，以及数十辆警车黑压压集结在丽水菁苑小区后门施工工地一带，手拿防暴盾、皮鞭和警棍，场面颇为壮观！而且每晚都有一辆警车和少量警员通宵值班。据参与警员讲，他们并非谢家湾街道警察，而是从九龙坡各个片区召集而来的，保安是从保安公司请的，值班采取轮班制。至于来此的目的“自己也不清楚，好像主要是震慑业主以免妨碍开发商施工”。当问及他们对此事件有何看法时，回答“只知道是开发商要占用别人的绿地用来盖房子，绿地哪里有商品房赚钱？我们只是按照上面命令做事”。路人都可以看到，因为小区已经没有敢于主动站出来的业主，绝大部分警员表情都非常漠然，甚至有些无聊，坐着或是站着闲聊，部分警员正在警车内打扑克牌娱乐。
3.关于抓走的业主代表：从4月1日发生冲突至今，已有近20多名业主被刑警带走传唤。已知的有杨姓老先生、冉姓男青年、刘姓男青年、王姓女士等等。据某位业主透露，家人在被带走时自己只在电话里听到“家里有人闯进来了……”就再也没有说话，只得赶紧赶回小区调出监控录像，方知家人已经被一群人秘密抓走，手机再也无法打通，通宵都没有任何消息。直至今日上午，一户业主通过多方关系才从九龙坡区看守所得到消息：家人因为妨碍执行公务而被刑事拘留，让家人带生活用品过去但不让见面，不让打电话，还要拘留多久不清楚。更多的业主还在等待失踪者的消息。
4.关于丽水菁苑小区：自4月1日后，业主不能去关心探望受伤的邻居，一个又一个的业主被抓……据悉一些前期参与维权的业主们都害怕开发商报复，不敢回家过夜了……晚上有三组安置在高处的高亮度探照灯，明晃晃直射小区内部，有如纳粹的集中营。
Author:Walk and see1 Posted on 2008-4-3 17:20
The latest information of the Chongqing Li Shui Jing Yuan event 20080403
1. About the injuries: Since the event happened, many occupants have been beaten, including a number of young ladies. Some people who are seriously hurt have been sent to the emergency room of Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University. It's learned that there are still 5 people receiving treatment there; 2 of them is with head injuries(skin avulsion and cerebral concussion), 1 with hematoma outside the dura mater and the other 2 with trauma of chest wall. Allegedly the authorities have issued orders on the sly that the hospital can only leave the injured occupants in the emergency room and no one should hospitalize them unless they are in danger of losing their life. Besides, the occupants who spontaneously went to visit the injuries on that night were also clobbered by the monitoring policemen and some of them were forcibly taken away. Because it's not allowed to visit the injured occupants, their conditions are still unclear.
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2. About the police and security guards: Since April 1, everyday from 8:30a.m. to 22:00 p.m., there will be about 300 security guards and more than 200 policemen with riot shields, whips, batons and a dozen of police cars concentrating at the back gate of Li Shui Jing Yuan residential quarter where the construction site is located and every night there is a police car and some policemen patrolling around the quarter. According to the police officers involved, they are actually not working this area(Xiejiawan Avenue), but brought up from different parts of Jiulongpo District; and the security guards working by shifts are employed from the security company. As to why they are summoned here, the police themselves “are also not very clear. the task seems to be facing the occupants down so that the developer can build construction without any hindrance.” When we asked their thoughts on the matter, the police said, “just know the developer is going to occupy others' green area to build houses. The commodity house is much more lucrative than the green area, isn't it? We are just at the beck and call of the authorities.” Obviously, because no occupant dare step forward to protest again, most of the policemen look very indifferent, even a little bored, chatting with each other or playing cards in the cars.
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3. About the arrested occupants: Since the conflict in April 1, more than 20 occupants have been arrested or cited by the police. They are old Mr. Yang, Mr. Ran, Mr. Liu, Ms. Wang and so on. One of the occupants revealed, while his family was being seized he only heard “Someone's breaking in…” on the phone and then not a word was spoken, so he hastened back to the residential quarter to check the Monitoring videos, finding his family had been secretly taken away by a group of people; and over the whole night, he couldn't get through to any of his family's cellphone. Until this morning, one of the occupants through many connections finally learned something from the detention house of Jiulongpo District: His family were arrested for obstructing the officials in the course of their duty. The occupant was allowed to bring some daily necessities to his family without meeting and calling them. No one knows how long the custody will last. Many more occupants are still waiting for the news from the missing persons.
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4. About Li Shui Jing Yuan Residential Quarter: Since April 1, occupants are not allowed to visit the injured neighbors while more and more people are arrested…it's said afraid of the developer's retaliation, some occupants who stood forward to protect the rights during the early period dare not stay over at home… at night three searchlights set on the heights throw out powerful beams over the residential quarter, which makes the district like a Nazi concentration camp.
作者:qq822 发表于 2008-4-3 20:01
现场场面
Author:qq822 Posted on 2008-4-3 20:01
on the scene
作者:qq822 发表于 2008-4-3 20:03
现场场面2
Author:qq822 Posted on 2008-4-3 20:01
on the scene 2
作者:qq822 发表于 2008-4-3 20:06
现场场面3
Author:qq822 Posted on 2008-4-3 20:06
on the scene 3
作者:qq822 发表于 2008-4-3 20:06
现场场面4
Author:qq822 Posted on 2008-4-3 20:06
on the scene 4
作者:致命一招 发表于 2008-4-4 12:00
4.1回放:小区内拉起警戒线,业主不能进入
Author:A stroke that causes death Posted on 2008-4-4 12:00
Review of 4.1:the security cordon is put in the residential quarter, preventing any occupants from entering.
作者:致命一招 发表于 2008-4-4 12:59
4.1回放:庞大的保安队伍要吃饭了
Author:A stroke that causes death Posted on 2008-4-4 12:59
Review of 4.1: The large hoards of security guards are going to have lunch.
作者:致命一招 发表于 2008-4-4 13:14
4.1回放:撤出的保安来到小区外的大街上,部分已领到饭(白饭盒)
Author:A stroke that causes death Posted on 2008-4-4 13:14
Review of 4.1: The security guards pull out to the road outside the residential quarter while part of them have gotten the meals(white lunch box).
作者:致命一招 发表于 2008-4-4 13:22
4.1回放:撤出的保安穿过大街向小区后门方向聚集
Author:A stroke that causes death Posted on 2008-4-4 13:22
Review of 4.1: The security guards pulled out cross the road, marching toward the back gate of the residential quarter.
作者:陈冠希和女伴 发表于 2008-4-7 15:31
看看探照灯！
Author:Edison Chen and his female companion Posted on 2008-4-7 15:31
Look at the searchlight!
Global Voices in Spanish and Canal Solidario
· 17:48
Readers of Global Voices in Spanish and Canal Solidario will have recently noticed a small widget showing on both webpages. The one on Global Voices in Spanish displays the latest articles from Canal Solidario. The gadget that appears in Canal Solidario feeds readers all new posts on Global Voices in Spanish.
This partnership allows more people to have access to both websites and the chance to be informed about subjects related to activism and the international blogosphere.
So, what is Canal Solidario? Let's hear it in their own words:
Canal Solidario-One World is a media project that has offered access to news and resources about solidarity, cooperation, peace, human rights and social dialogue through the internet since 1999. It is promoted by the Fundación Chandra, with the support of Fundación Un Sol Món de Catalunya.
The Canal Solidario-One World project is developed by a team of journalists committed to the idea of media as the engine of change towards a more inclusive and free society. Canal Solidario-One World belongs to the OneWorld international network, with 11 local branches all over the world and more than 1,700 subsidiary organizations.
It is worth mentioning that Canal Solidario has very interesting sections such as the Entrevistas (Interviews) with people who play an active part in social movements and other areas of similar interest, La Lupa de los Conflictos (The magnifying glass of conflicts) that analyses controversial subjects, and the Blogosfera (Blogosphere), where posts from the international blogosphere are outlined on a weekly basis.
We are certain this partnership between websites will benefit readers who will see their information and reading options increased in this way.
0 comments · »»Armenia: President Inaugurated, Deaths Observed… and a Balloon Festival
· 16:25
Depending on the political orientation of bloggers, the most important event to take place in Yerevan yesterday was debatable. Certainly, as Anush at The Armenian Patchwork explains, there was plenty to see and do, although like others, another event was foremost in her mind.
Many things happened yesterday. Among those probably the most important was Serzh Sargsyan’s inauguration. For a lot of people though the important was that 40 days have passed since the deaths of 1 March riots.
While people lay flowers at the Myasnikyan monument, close to which the riots began, one could hear Jazz music coming from the Republic Square, where a balloon festival was going to happen later on.
Regardless, with the area around the Yerevan Opera in almost total lock down, prime minister Serge Sargsyan was inaugurated as president in a ceremony and military parade that few citizens could get close to. Instead, most were only only able to cover protests by the opposition rather then the grand inauguration ceremony itself.
Raffi N at Life in Armenia noticed the extra security on the streets.
Today was the official swearing in of Mr. Serge Sarksian as the new President of the Republic of Armenia. It really felt like an important event because ALL the streets were blocked… lots of police escorts…
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Photos: © Artur Papyan / The Armenian Observer blog 2008
Global Voices Online Caucasus Editor and photojournalist Onnik Krikorian reports how he was prevented from photographing the inauguration ceremony, despite showing a press pass and the fact that the event was held in a public area. Even so, if there was no opportunity to cover the day's events there, he says that other possibilities existed.
Prevented from covering that event, as was the case for almost every other photographer in Yerevan, there was always the opposition memorial to the eight killed during post-election clashes on 1 March occurring adjacent to the French Embassy. Somewhat unfortunately for Sargsyan, not only did 9 April mark the day of the start of his presidency, but it was also the traditionally observed 40th day after the deaths.
Photo © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2008
Ogostos (RU) looked at the moral aspect of holding a lavish inauguration ceremony while so many people were mourning the death of their relatives 40 days after the 1 March riots while Ahousekeeper (AM) was amazed at just how shortsighted the Armenian authorities were.
Although the two events were tragically coincidental and the inauguration date dictated by the constitution, the blog says that it was inappropriate to a) hold it on the 40th day after the deaths (the traditional day of mourning in Armenia), b) to block the Republic Square, the Opera and several other streets making many citizens, regardless of their political orientation, curse the authorities, and c) stage “stupid” events in Republic Square, which “Levon supporters will try to interfere with.” Veteran journalist and analyst Mark Grigorian (RU), however, says that the protests are not likely to affect the situation because the fact is that Serge Sargsyan is now the President of Armenia.
It is natural, that celebrations are held on the day of president's inauguration.
It is also quite frequent, that the opposition uses that day to stage protest actions and bring to the attention of the international community the problems of the country.
All of this happened today in Armenia. News agencies are reporting, that protest actions took place also outside of Armenia.
Nevertheless, Ter-Petrossian activist Bekaisa (RU) reports that there were eight small simultaneous protest actions staged in Yerevan in front of the Constitutional Court, Central Electoral Commission, OSCE office in Yerevan, European Union, General Prosecutor's Office, and the Embassies of the U.S., Russia, and France. There were also other protests in the regions of Armenia as well as outside the Embassies of the Republic of Armenia in Russia and Ukraine.
Ahousekeeper also reports that supporters of opposition candidate Levon Ter-Petrossian attempted to disrupt the balloon festival staged in Republic square later the same evening, but were prevented from doing so by police forces who quickly rounded them up. The Blue Sky Festival did take place, and The Armenian Patchwork has photos to prove it.
Photo © Anush Babajanyan, Armenian Patchwork 2008
And while Akunamatata_ser (RU) rejoices and greets the first day of a new president coming to power as well as the start of the regime with an uncertain present and future built on fear and blood, Nazarian (AM) pays tribute to the seven civilians and one policeman who died 40 days earlier. Notes From Hairenik contemplates the new president's chances of bringing change to Armenia:
President Sargsyan has a lot to do in a short amount of time. He has to win over the confidence of the vast number of citizens who have no faith in him whatsoever and who regard him as being a petty oligarchic-tyrant.
[…]
[…] he has to prove that he can surpass in leaps and bounds everyone’s expectations and, most noteworthy, ensure that the downtrodden — namely those living in far-off rural parts of Armenia—start living better, fruitful lives. […] Cracking down on corruption is something that is high on most everyone’s list of things for him to do. […]
However, the F5 blog (AM) is more skeptical. The new president won't be able to change anything, it speculates, while Unzipped considers it hard to believe that Serge Sargsyan will be able to stay in power for long:
You just can’t stick to the power relying on a physical force. Well, you may for a while, but only for a while. No lasting solution could be based on force and violence. There is no alternative to democracy in Armenia.
Some bloggers are more pragmatic though. Martuni or Bust!!!, for example, is sure of the opposite:
1 comment · »»Though there are still many unanswered questions regarding the legitimacy of the election which landed him the post of President and the events that followed that he was directly behind, I really believe that as usual and in a very short period of time, most will forget what happened and it will be business as usual.
Bulgaria, Macedonia: Blog Wars Over History
· 15:37
The relations between Bulgaria and Macedonia are no less complex and incomprehensible than those between Greece and Macedonia, although lately the former get less media exposure than the latter. The main problem between Sofia and Skopje is, once again, history.
To Bulgarians, the Macedonians were part of the Bulgarian nation until the beginning of the 20th century, when a large part of Macedonia fell under Serbian domination after the Balkan wars. Then, due to Serbia’s policy in the region and the doctrine of Macedonism, changes in the mindset of the local population occurred, leading to the forming of the Macedonian nation. The Comintern and Stalin’s stance on the issue also contributed to this result.
Macedonians, on the other hand, consider themselves an entirely separate nation, heir to an ancient people. They accuse their Bulgarian neighbours of having been an occupation power in their land and claim that Sofia is trying to appropriate parts of the history of Macedonia, like, for instance, King Samuil, St. Kliment Okhridski, the revolutionary Gotze Delchev, etc.
Bulgarians address similar accusations to Macedonia.
Contention is even further exacerbated by fears on the part of Macedonia that Sofia seeks to “assimilate” the Macedonians, while Bulgarians suspect their neighbours in seeking to annex Pirin region, which is part of the so-called Greater Macedonia.
All these contradictions have spilled over into the virtual space and sparked a permanent “war” over history between Bulgarian and Macedonian bloggers – a war that often exceeds the rules of “bon ton.” And the Bulgarian blogosphere, too, is debating the question of what should be Bulgaria's attitude towards Macedonia.
Blogger Peter Stoykov writes (BUL):
Some arguments about whether Macedonia is or has been part of Bulgaria, whether there exist a Macedonian language, nationality, the Macedonian question, and Bulgarian national interest in Macedonia… Historians, politicians and, most of all, internet morons are competing in speaking nonsense on the issue, as though their lives depend on that.
[…]
Is Macedonia Bulgarian?
No, it is not Bulgarian, it’s Macedonian. And I will tell you why, but I will first look back in time. In 2001, a regular census took place in Australia. Precisely then a Star Wars episode was released and as you know, there are many people crazy about this film. So, in the “Ethnicity” box in the census questionnaire some wisecracks wrote “Jedi”… […] What does this have to do with Macedonia? If Macedonians want to call themselves Macedonians, they have an indisputable right to do so.
[…]
So, what shall we do with the Macedonian question?
As a matter of fact, I am even glad that Macedonia is not part of Bulgaria and that a number of years ago it was torn away from Bulgaria and given over to Yugoslavia. Bulgaria, as our politicians have always been happy to say, “is a focus of stability on the Balkans” – unrest is boiling around us, there were fights and fission in Yugoslavia, Kosovo has been on the table, the Greeks fought with the Turks over Cyprus, Turks are fighting the Kurds, they have even crossed over the border into Iraq, five years ago Albanians made something which was very close to a revolution in Macedonia, fire was exchanged there.
If Macedonia were part of Bulgaria, we would be part of this madness.
Another renowned blogger, Peter Dobrev, responds (BUL):
“Macedonia is the cradle of the Bulgarian national spirit. And even if it is to become its grave, we will never give up the fight for its liberation.” This was the title with which the then large-circulation Outro newspaper appeared on the eve of the Balkan war. This used to be the dominant opinion until 1944 (when the communists took the power in Bulgaria). Today, however, regardless of the fact that Bulgaria in theory should have left the ideological constructs of totalitarianism, the memory of Macedonia has faded so much that it turns into polar extremes.
[…]
No wonder then that blogger Peter Stoykov thinks that there is no Macedonian question, that Macedonia is Macedonian, and whoever says the opposite is “an internet moron.”
[…]
Everybody has a God-given right of self-determination – as a Jedi, Eskimo or Macedonian. When, however, it’s a matter of general national significance, of causes that have cost the lives of thousands and matters that have changed the fate of a half of a people, it’s good to speak with a little understanding and knowledge. It’s necessary to separate personal opinion from the objective historical fact…
[…]
Just as everybody knows today that Alexander the Great was a Greek, so it is indisputable that all leaders of the Macedonian organisations after 1878 (the year of the Berlin congress and the subsequent liberation/emancipation of Bulgaria) were Bulgarians. These leaders, as well as the people as a whole, have always spoken of themselves as Bulgarians, and they have been seen as such by the foreign observers. All foreign observers, even the Serbian ones.
These two opinions sum up the main social attitudes in relation to Macedonia. The majority of Bulgarians have no claims to its neighbour, nor do they want to interfere in its domestic affairs, but many are irritated by the Macedonian blackmail to give up a part of their history and want the historic truth established. Similar voices are heard in Macedonia.
In the thick of one of the battles between Bulgarian and Macedonian bloggers, Macedonian blogger Ivica Anteski wrote in his ANTIblog (MKD):
If the Bulgarian and the Macedonian “truths” do not coincide, this means that they are not true (or at least one of them). Simple logic. And in court, when two eyewitnesses make contradicting testimonies, the case is solved by means of a confrontation. But historians don’t want to confront each other. It’s more likely that we, bloggers, slaughter ourselves first on the internet, than see the experts surpass the contentions through the power of arguments.
[…]
Scholars, historians, philologists, academics, Slavic studies experts (Macedonian and Bulgarian)!!! Sit down together and tell us where the problem is. Reach an understanding! Forget that you are Macedonian or Bulgarian – scholars have no nationality. The truth and the facts are their nationality. Clear out the problems.
In such an atmosphere, on March 31, several days before the NATO summit in Bucharest, Sofia-based Manfred Woerner Foundation and the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria introduced a brochure titled “Bulgarian Policies on the Republic of Macedonia,” which was written by a group of Bulgarian history, Balkan studies and diplomacy scholars.
Image: komitata.blogspot.com (CC 3.0)
The purpose of the publication is to be used in the process of defining Bulgaria's Macedonia-related policies. Blogger Konstantin Pavlov, who attended the presentation, published the following report (BUL):
The Republic of Macedonia is about to join the EU and NATO. When exactly this will happen is not clear yet. The problem lies in the fact that, on the basis of the argument between Greece and Macedonia, the majority of independent politicians and observers take the side of Macedonia, without giving it much thought. (David against Goliath). And although the argument over the name elicits sympathy for Macedonia, the arguments that are being used – ancient Macedonia, that has survived down to the present day, the “autochtonal” Macedonian population, having been “enslaved” and “assimilated” by its bad neighbours, including the “bad Bulgarians,” gains ground with the people who sympathize with Macedonia. Those sympathies might lead to extremely negative consequences for Bulgaria, like, for example, “giving up” [May 24 as a national holiday] […]. It seems the book on the subject is not bad (I had no nerve to read it) and, unfortunately, is written in a complex, pseudo-scientific language with the purposes not all too clear. The result is nearly contrary to the objective sought – to write a clear, concise and unequivocally logical (right, winning) policy of the Bulgarian state towards the challenges coming from Macedonia. Well, it has not been achieved very well.
Having read the book and Pavlov’s report, Macedonian blogger Volan wrote (MKD):
The desire of Bulgarian politics – one people – two nations – is clearly discernible…
It is clear that the problems between Skopje and Sofia cannot be solved until the Balkan approach to history as property is not given up, and as long as it is being divided to “mine” and “yours” – in this case, into “Macedonian” and “Bulgarian.”
30 comments · »»Bangladesh: Hidden Hunger
· 07:56
Unheard Voices Blog quotes UNDP which hit the panic button for Bangladesh last month:
Skyrocketing oil prices have driven up the cost of food worldwide, but their impact has been particularly dire in Bangladesh, where almost half of the 145 million people live on less than one dollar a day.
For those who do not know, the staple food of Bangladesh is rice and the price of this commodity has almost doubled than what it was about a year and a half ago. And the poor in this populous country have been hardest hit.
WFP has warned:
The rising prices of food items, especially rice, may cause political instability in the country since poorer households spend up to 80 percent of their income on food.
Himu quotes a newspaper article which shows how many poor Bangladeshis even the middle class are barely making ends meet. The people are not well and you can hear their plights and anger echoing in blogs, media everywhere.
Rumi Ahmed of In the Middle of Nowhere questions about famine in his post “is it here”. Posting photo of a skinny man who is presumably a drug addict he writes:
“The vulnerable groups are usually the homeless, the poorest of the poor of the society. And among them the first to fall through the safety net are the mentally-physically disabled persons, drug addicts, the elderly and the children. It has been many years I last saw a skeleton image of a Bangladeshi citizen.
News reports of hunger death started appearing scattered in our print media. This report [bn] confirms several hunger deaths. ”
Even the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management confirmed that no famine but a hidden hunger persists in the country.
Meanwhile Bangladesh's military chief’s remark encouraging eating potato instead of rice got bloggers reacting strongly. Shafiur has even posted recipes of mashed potatoes in response to his remark.
The reasons for this impending disaster are manifold. Bangladesh had a bad year in natural disaster in 2007. With a prolonged flood and the devastation of cyclone Sidr left its own rice production much lower than usual. There is a new government which did not have the experience in predicting the shortage and piling up sufficient stock although they were warned. Now the shortage in supply is effecting more on price. The government controlled food distribution centers were abolished some years ago with the pressure of World Bank and IMF. Now with no such wide scale distribution arm the government is not being able to keep the prices down with a small number of rationing booths.
Subinoy Mustofi, an blogger and an economist by profession describes [bn] why the price of rice has raised so much in his post in Bangla Blog Na Bola Kotha.
* Recent natural disasters in major rice producing countries hampered production
* The rice growing fields have decreased
* More demands from developing nations like India and China
So more demand and short supply has raised the price in the world market to a twenty years high.
Because of the rising price major rice producing countries like Vietnam, Egypt and India has decreased export and concentrated on keeping price in grip in domestic market. Neighboring India which is the largest suppliers of rice to Bangladesh set an import price of 1200USD per ton, a price almost three times high than 6 months ago. Moreover the food reserves all over the world is all time low.
Jyoti claims in Unheard Voices:
The chart below shows that taka depreciated by around 20 paisa against the rupee since the beginning of 2007.
In addition to the global factors (see here) and the natural disasters, this depreciation alone could have sent our food market into a frenzy.
Subinoy Mustofi also shows [bn] that because of inflation the purchasing power (real income) of the poor in Bangladesh has gone down 5% although there is an overall GDP growth of 5%.
The situation is likely to persist in the near future. A Financial Times article on the March 28, 2008 reveals:
Rice prices jumped 30 per cent to an all-time high on Thursday, raising fears of fresh outbreaks of social unrest across Asia where the grain is a staple food for more than 2.5bn people.
Now the question is how to tackle the situation. Famous writer Anisul Haque quotes Indian noble laureate Amarta Sen in Bangla Blog Na Bola Kotha:
Famines are easy to prevent if there is a serious effort to do so, and a democratic government, facing elections and criticisms from opposition parties and independent newspapers, cannot help but make such an effort.
In a recent BBC debate (in Bangla) among politicians and general people the participants have echoed this and commented that Bangladesh needs to be back in the road of democracy really quickly.
An ordinary citizen reports that the government is introducing widespread employment opportunity for the poor people – a 10 million Taka project till April to enable the poor to have the purchasing power matching the price hike.
The Government hopes that a bumper Boro crop awaits and will be in market by end of this month to ease rice prices down. This news and the recent imports of rice from India at government level has apparently caused the price rises to cease but people fear will that be enough to minimize the hidden hunger?
1 comment · »»Kuwait and April Fool's Day
· 02:07
April 1 ushers in a flurry of posts, which leave readers and bloggers alike thinking whether what they are reading is right or wrong.
Here are a few posts from Kuwait about the day:
How i hate that day! its nerve wrecking if u ask me. And i always end up being the fool somehow (Which worsens the day if that’s possible).
I’m not getting pranked or anything but the internet just sucks for a whole week afterward. You don’t know what the hell is real or not!
I can't believe it's “April Fool's Day” already. I remember the dinner I had at new year's eve, it feels like yesterday. Days pass so fast, it's scary!
This is the day of the year I really hate. The day where you go to read the news, and go elsewhere to read if what you read was true
Picture Credit : Intlxpatr
0 comments · »»Morocco: Prison Break
· 01:02
On Monday, April 7, nine men convicted of involvement in the 2003 suicide bombings in Casablanca went missing from a Kenitra prison. Prisoner rights advocacy group Ennassir said that the escape coincided with the beginning of a hunger strike by about 1,000 prisoners across Morocco. A search is underway, but the prisoners have yet to be found.
A Moro in America shared an analysis of prison breaks as related to terror convicts and said:
- Kenitra's prison is notorious for being the scene of previous prison breaks. Nino, a Ceuta-based drug lord, managed last year to buy his way out of the infamous prison. None of the prison guards was suspended or punished after the Spaniard's evaded.
- Back to this weekend's evasion,Coincidently, the dog of the prison's director , along with its cage, were removed few days ago from the prison. According to Almassae daily , the tunnel's end was right where the dog's cage used to be.
- So far in the history of Moroccan jails , two types of prisoners have managed to evade — the Al-Qadea members and the drug dealers. The common denominators amongst the two is that they both belong to cash-rich powerful rings. The prison guards can be easily coerced because not only they are underpaid, but they also work in a very corrupt environment where only money and bribes rule. It's the culture of prisons in Morocco, just like it is the case with prisons in developing nations.
Madame Monet is amused by the similarities between this incident and the popular television program of the same name:
2 comments · »»In a real-life prison break, nine convicted terrorists who escaped yesterday from a prison in Kenitra. Apparently, just as in the real-life WWII movie, they tunneled out using a teaspoon! They were convicted of involvement in the wave of 2003 Casablanca bombings. Police seem to be manning the checkpoints all over Morocco. I think the prisoners must have been watching Prison Break, one of the most popular shows in Morocco. Too bad the guards must not have been watching it!
Links for Roundups
Middle East & North Africa
Naseem Tarawnah, from Jordan, uncovers the story behind those detained by the Jordanian Intelligence, on behalf of the CIA, after the September 11 attacks.
Americas
Luciano Tourn from Un Argentino en MIT [es] provides his thoughts on the Latin American Conference held at his school, and he was also the president of the organizing committee.
Middle East & North Africa
“So I used to step on the colored tiles… and count. Yes! I would count how many of each colored tile did I step on using each leg. The main issue here is that I have to, eventually, step on an equal amount of the colored tiles using both my legs,” Kinan from Jar of Juice, on his Colored Tile Complex.
Middle East & North Africa
From Syria, Razan Al Ghazzawi links to popular Egyptian blogs and other online tools, discussing the current worker's riots, strike and unrest in the country.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Dibussi Tande posts the text of the draft bill to amend the constitution of Cameroon: “Bill No. 819/PJL/AN To Amend and supplement some provisions of Law No. 96/6 of 18 January 1996 to amend the Constitution of 2 June 1972″
Sub-Saharan Africa
Bankelele writes about