Global Voices » Disaster

India: Crackdown on Tamil Nadu Anti-Nuclear Plant Protests

Rezwan — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:49:02 +0000

Concerns have been sparked that the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) currently under construction in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, India, may have similar vulnerabilities to the ill-fated Fukushima nuclear power plant of Japan. Activists fear that in the case of an earthquake followed by a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, there could be an accident similar to the radiation leak at the Japanese coastal nuclear plant last year.

Construction started more than a decade ago and KKNPP is expected to be in operation soon. S. P. Udayakumar of the voluntary organisation ‘People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy' (PMANE) lists 13 reasons why the activists and locals do not want the power plant to start. He stress that:

More than 1 million people live within the 30 km radius of the KKNPP which far exceeds the AERB (Atomic Energy Regulatory Board) stipulations. It is quite impossible to evacuate this many people quickly and efficiently in case of a nuclear disaster at Koodankulam.

Protest campaign against Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant. Image courtesy Kracktivist, used with permission.

Protest and arrests

Shedding a light onto the government crackdown on the protesters, Kracktivist cites:

Between 10.9.2011 and 23.12.2011, police had filed 107 FIRs (field investigation reports) against 55795 people and “others,” among whom 6800 have been charged with “sedition” and/ or “waging war against the State.”

In March 2012, police arrested approximately 200 anti-nuclear protesters objecting the resumption of work on one of the two 1 GW (gigawatt=1000 megawatt) reactors, a day after the local government restarted work on the project. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has also been filed against KKNPP at India's Supreme Court. Amnesty International has written a letter to the Prime Minister expressing their dismay on the detainment of the protesters. However, there were also rallies and protests in favor of commissioning the nuclear power plant.

The protests continued as the ‘People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy' (PMANE) recently launched three campaigns against the Kudankulam Nuclear power Plant, reports Kracktivist:

Collection of signatures by villagers who oppose the nuclear plant and surrender of voter identity cards will be observed in 60 villages belonging to three neighboring districts while [a] ‘respect India’ campaign will be observed throughout the country.

On May 9, around 23,000 people belonging to nine villages in Tamil Nadu surrendered their voter identity cards to draw attention to the continuing ignorance of the peaceful protest against the KNPP. The government did not take it lightly; Kracktivist also reported that thousands of police personnel were deployed near Idinthakarai village and a crackdown seemed likely.

According to a press release, “The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) called off the planned event at Idinthakarai on May 10, 2012 as the District authorities have clamped down prohibitory orders such as 144 in and around Kudankulam area”.

Protesters on hunger strike. Image courtesy DiaNuke/Aaam Janata, used with permission.

However, some 9,000 people still participated in a sit in, with several hundred on an indefinite fast. The hunger strike has been going on since last month. DiaNuke/Aam Janata has posted some
pictures from Kudankulam which depicts women on hunger strike and villagers living under constant fear.

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Ms. Jayalalithaa, has vowed that the plant will start to function soon. Anuj Wankhede at DiaNuke invited a debate with Dr. M R Srinivasan, the former chief of India’s Atomic Energy Commission on whether the Kudankulam reactors are really the “safest in the world”, as claimed by the authorities.

The anti-Kudankulam activists are willing to end their protest if the government meets their demands.

Georgia: Five Dead in Flash Flood

Onnik Krikorian — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:07:15 +0000

The Young Georgians posts video of this weekend's flash flood in Tbilisi, Georgia. Five people, including two children, are reported dead.

Paraguay: How the Media Silenced the Chaco

Silvia Viñas — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:42:35 +0000

“The media flew over the drama and didn't land over the human stories that were waiting below.” Carlos Rodriguez from the blog Rescatar [es] writes about the media's lacking coverage of the floods that hit the Paraguayan Chaco.

Armenia: Chaos as Balloons Explode at Election Campaign Rally

Onnik Krikorian — Sat, 05 May 2012 11:30:17 +0000

Disaster struck a parliamentary election campaign rally in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, on Friday 4 May, when a cigarette apparently caused gas-filled balloons to ignite. Reports indicate that over 140 people were injured in the blast.

Held just days before crucial parliamentary elections are due to be held, the event, which also included a concert, was staged by the ruling Republic Party which hopes to maintain its control over the 131 seats in the country's National Assembly.

@Ripsii: Panic @ pre-election concert in Republic Square #Yerevan #Armenia What's happening?

@nhc_no: Gas balloons explode on Republican party rally in Yerevan-144 injured in the cramped Republic Square on last day of campaigning.#armelection

@onewmphoto: Chaotic scenes in Republic Square after balloons explode at a ruling HHK rally and concert http://bit.ly/J7EVMA #armelection

@ERostomashvili: Terrible… 144 people in hospital with burns after #armelection campaign balloons explode in #Yerevan http://bit.ly/Kw3QFU via @onewmphoto

@thisisladychris: @ERostomashvili @onewmphoto :( Sad to hear that. I really like Yerevan. I hope that they have a swift recovery.

@ERostomashvili: @thisisladychris @onewmphoto Let us hope so. At least we know health minister said there were no severe injuries

@onewmphoto: Jesus, which idiot put what gas in those balloons. Photo shows MASSIVE explosion in Republic Sq. http://bit.ly/Km60y4 #armelection #armenia

@unzippedblog: What on earth these balloons were filled in with? #Sad&Angry #Armenia #armelection

@jason_blosser: Ever dependable @Reuters says blast in Armenia caused by helium-filled balloons…except helium is an inert gas! It doesn't explode, folks!

@Phooto: “@Telegraph: 140 people injured when balloons explode at Armenian concert http://tgr.ph/IMSznD” why did they fill balloons with Hydrogen?

@derekarridge: @Phooto @telegraph Perhaps their a bit behind in their science in Armenia?

The following day, given the severity of the incident, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee tweeted that many were also questioning why the rally and concert continued.

@nhc_no: Yerevan back to normal after yesterday's accident, with more than 100 hospitalised and discussions why the concert went on. #armelection

Unzipped also asks some pertinent questions.

My Question No.1:

What on earth these balloons were filled in with?

Unconfirmed reports suggest that instead of helium they were filled in with cheap gas-like substances. I am inclined to believe this version.

My Question No. 2:

Why after such huge incident “concert” continued? And why after such incident Armenia president went on to deliver his planned pre-election speech as if nothing happened?

No, it is NOT always OK to say: “Show must go on”.

[…]

My verdict:

What a blatant disregard to human lives!!
***
I am extremely sad and angry. My thoughts are with injured people…

Later media reports, however, added that the head of the ruling Republican Party, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan, did visit those injured in hospital. But, as the number of those injured reportedly rose to 154, many questions still remain unanswered.

Video Highlights: Syrian Activism, Children's Issues and Dolphin Deaths

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:36:50 +0000

This section aims to showcase interesting and recent posts in Global Voices that show the many ways in which videos are helping people tell stories all around the world. You can follow the activity by regions in our YouTube channel.

Middle East, North Africa:

As part of the special coverage on the Syria Protest 2011/12, these two posts sadly deal with the detention of yet more bloggers and activists.

Syria: Ali Mahmoud Othman, the “Eyes of Baba Amr”, Detained

Video activist Ali Mahmoud Othman, was seized by the Syrian Government. Othman, the head of the media office of Baba Amr, used to be a vegetable vendor who started documenting unrest in Homs when the revolution started, and continued assisting those covering the conflict. His detention is seen as a huge blow to citizen journalism in Syria, and the activists from the Baba Amr office are possibly at risk.

The following video [ar] shows Othman, fondly known as the “eyes of Baba Amr,” telling the world about the suffering of the population of Baba Amr. He talks to the camera without concerns for his identity. He believed his message would be more reliable and reach a wider audience if he showed his face:

Syria: Activist Rima Dali Arrested in Damascus for Calling for End to Killing

From Sunday 8 April, 2012 to Tuesday 10 April, 2012, Rima Dali was detained, Saffana Baqle and Assem Hamsho, who were with her at the time of the arrest, are still missing.

“Stop the killing. We want to build a country for all Syrians.” These were the words on the banner that Rima Dali held in front of the Syrian Parliament in Damascus on Sunday, April 8. Activists say she was arrested right after that. The following video shows Rima bravely holding the banner in front of cars while a group of women applaude [sic] her gesture.

Two other activists, Ali Dahna and Hussam Zein, were arrested 10 April, 2012 for holding the same banner during a sit-in near Qasr el-Adli, in Damascus.

South Asia and East Asia

Videos: Female Gendercide and Infanticide in India and China

In China and India, the strong cultural preference for male children instead of female children has resulted in a gender imbalance, brought on by female infanticide and selective abortions of female fetuses. A wide sample of videos, documentaries and even songs show the different implications of this problem: for the female children who are abandoned, for the women pregnant with female fetuses forced to abort or give the child for adoption, for those women who decide to raise daughters in spite of the cultural and economic hardships attached and for the people and organizations trying to change this phenomenon.

With the tagline of “The three deadliest words in the world”, the “It's a Girl” documentary is one which through interviews and on-location filming is figuring out why 200 million girls are “missing” in India and China, and why there has been no effective actions to this problem.

Latin America

Mexico: Children in Viral Video Shake Up Presidential Campaign

In the presidential race in Mexico, the Uncomfortable Children became viral through a video [es] showing young children inhabiting a city full of crime, violence, corruption, kidnapping and other problems that have become issues for Mexicans while asking for candidates to actually do something to change the situation and guarantee a better future for the children.

Reactions have been varied, between citizens who agree that the situation is unacceptable and is more like reality than people would comfortably admit, to others who would like to know who is behind the making of this video, and who criticize the use of children for this type of political message.

Si éste es el futuro que me espera, no lo quiero. Basta de trabajar para sus partidos y no para nosotros. Basta de arreglar el país “por encimita”. Doña Josefina, don Andrés Manuel, don Enrique, don Gabriel, se acabó el tiempo, México ya tocó fondo. ¿Sólo van a ir por la silla o van a cambiar el futuro de nuestro país?

If that is the future that is waiting for me, I don't want it. Stop working for your parties and not for us. Stop fixing the country superficially. Ms. Josefina, Mr. Andrés Manuel, Mr. Enrique, Mr. Gabriel, time has run out, Mexico has already hit bottom. Are you only gunning for the seat of the presidency or are you going to change the future of our country?

Peru: What Is Killing the Dolphins?

The death of more than 625 dolphins in 135 Km of beach to the North of Peru has made the headlines and has the international community concerned. Evidence seems to link the Sísmica 3D underwater exploration for oil and natural gas to the death of dolphins, due to the damage evidenced in the dead marine mammals which match with acoustic decompression. Dr Newborns, calves, juveniles, lactating females, pregnant females, adult males and female dolphins have all been affected. Links in this post lead to Spanish articles unless otherwise noted.

Dolphin and baby by Vincent Teeuwen CCBy

Hardy Jones, the founder of BlueVoice.org [en], filmmaker and activist for the conservation of marine life, went to Peru to experience Dr. Yaipén-Llanos' primary reports of the 25th March. Already on Peru's northern coast, he tweeted [en] on the 27th March:

Found 615 dead #dolphins on 135 kilometers of beach N of San Jose, Peru. Tragedy unspeakable. Please retweet. This must be investigated.

Meanwhile, environment and fishing ministers met on the 10th April to report on the link between oil exploration and the deaths of the dolphins. They also had to report on the measures being taken to avoid greater environmental impact on marine fauna, now that a report has shown that approximately 20,000 dolphins, as well as other species, are in mortal danger. Inquiries into the use of Sísmica 3d have been planned along the entire Peruvian coastline.

The producer of this video, Hardy Jones, has just returned from video taping the tragic die-off of dolphins along the coast of Peru. BlueVoice, working with the marine mammal rescue team of ORCA Peru, ran 135 kilometers of coast from San Jose north. We counted 615 dead dolphins. Dr. Carlos Yaipen Llanos, director of ORCA, conducted necropsies of several of the dead animals.

Italy: Netizens Ponder the April 2009 L'Aquila Earthquake

Superjules — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:09:05 +0000

[All links lead to Italian language pages, except when otherwise noted]

As still marked by many church clocks and bell towers at the center of L'Aquila [en], at 3:32 am of April 6, 2009, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake broke the silence of the sleeping town and destroyed the lives of many of its inhabitants. To remember the third anniversary of the tragic event, citizens came together in support and remembrance, created numerous web pages for retelling and commenting upon the earthquake and its far-reaching effects.

Church clock stuck at 3:32 am of April 6, 2009 in L'Aquila. Photo by StazioneMIR, under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.5 License

There was no dearth of official visits and commemorations — significant to many was the presence of Fabrizio Barca, the minister of “Coesione territoriale” [the Italian office created in 2011 to coordinate the actions of local governments and support political infrastructure in central-southern Italy], who has shown particular concern for Aquila's situation and to creating transparency in the reconstruction process — amidst great sorrow and grief, demands for justice and for guarantees of reconstruction.

In the last two days, many have shared, above all via Twitter, (#laquila, #terremoto, #laquilapernoi, #6aprile) their memories and reflections, and expressed solidarity with the people of Aquila. Highly referenced in these tweets is a telephone conversation intercepted the day after the earthquake, in which two businessmen joke about the event, looking forward hungrily to the money to be made in rebuilding. In this short video you can hear a excerpt from the conversation.

‏ @ermeneleutico dedicates a few verses to the town:

Buonanotte l'Aquila / riempita di promesse / usata e abbandonata / per meschino interesse

Goodnight L'Aquila / full of promise / used and abandoned / for petty self-interest

While Marta Torres shows her solidarity with the people of the city of L'Aquila and the region of Abruzzo:

Non dimentico mai #laquila, città distrutta il #6aprile. VERGOGNA k sia ancora una città fantasma. Tutti il mio affetto al popolo abruzzese ♥

I will never forget #laquila, destroyed city the #6aprile. SHAME that it is still a ghost town. All of my affection to the people of Abruzzo ♥

@Bebo1936 recounts his experience three years ago:

Tre anni fa ero a scappare per la violenta scossa di #Earthquake all'#aquila #Abruzzo

Three years ago I was trying to escape the violent shaking of the #Earthquake in #aquila #Abruzzo

And @DaniDBJ adds:

L'Italia che quella notte non rideva, oggi non dimentica.. #6april #laquila

Italy did not laugh that night, today it does not forget.. #6april #laquila

Finally, @liv_77 demonstrates how there has not yet been a return to normalcy for the people of L'Aquila:

Da 3 anni, ahimè, guardo il sito di INGV -@INGVterremoti #laquila

For 3 years, alas, I look at the INGV website -@INGVterremoti #laquila

Many initiatives have been launched to safeguard the memory of the event. A video made by Shoot4Change and Anpas collected voices, images and live stories, creating a space for collective sharing and remembering.

Move Productions and Al Jazeera English produced a documentary titled “Ritorno a L'Aquila” (Return to L'Aquila), that was transmitted today by hundreds of web tv channels, coordinated by the Altratv.tv network together with Internet provider Tiscali.

Furthermore, on April 15, the online magazine Wired.it has launched a campaign with the goal of maintaining a high level of attention on L'Aquila emergency in order to discuss publicly the reconstruction projects and the rebirth of the city. To this end, there's also been a barcamp organized in the central Duomo Square. For information and updates on the organization of these events, you can follow the hashtag #occupylaquila on Twitter.

The collective 3:32, put together in the weeks following the earthquake, published on its blog a long reflection on the most relevant events to characterize the past three years in L'Aquila:

Il terremoto del 2009 è stato senza dubbio una catastrofe; e quindi, come qualsiasi catastrofe nella storia dell’evoluzione del mondo, ha distrutto delle cose, delle forme di vita, ma ne ha fatte sorgere delle altre. Anzi, la sfida della ricostruzione è riuscita ad attivare dei processi di incontro e comunicazione tra le persone che prima sembravano impossibili. […] Più che restaurata, o semplicemente ricostruita, la nostra città deve essere rifondata. Battersi per L’Aquila oggi significa in primo luogo opporsi alle speculazioni edilizie e all’ulteriore consumo di suolo e territorio. […] La nostra è certamente una lotta territoriale, con la sua identità e le sue specificità, ma è anche una lotta per un modello complessivo fatto di politica trasparente, di decisioni realmente democratiche e partecipate, di rispetto del patrimonio ambientale e culturale e sviluppo eco-sostenibile.

The 2009 earthquake was without a doubt catastrophic; as with any catastrophe there's ever been, it destroyed many things, it destroyed many living things, but it gave way to new creations. The challenge of reconstruction has activated certain channels of communication that before would have seemed impossible. […] More than restored, or simply reconstructed, our city has to be founded again. To fight for L'Aquila today means, in the first place, to oppose building speculation and the further buying up of land and territory. […] Ours is specifically a territorial dispute, but it is also a fight for a totally transperant political model. A truly participatory model in which real democratic decisions are made, in which our environmental and cultural patrimony is respected and sustained.

L'Aquila still resisting. Photo by Abruzzo Indymedia under a Creative Commons BY-SA 2.5 License

There has been no lack of official voices either, like that of Stefania Pezzopane, councilwoman for culture in L'Aquila, who on the news website Articolo21.org wrote:

Il 6 aprile resta una data diversa dalle altre perché sono passati più di mille giorni e sentiamo sulle nostre vite il peso di una precarietà e di un disorientamento che persistono. La nostra città è ancora deserta, ferita, priva di quella vita pulsante che era, poi, la quotidianità di ciascuno di noi. […] Questo non è un giorno normale proprio perché, a fianco al lutto che è impresso come una ferita nei nostri cuori, ci stupiamo della nostra forza e della speranza che ancora riusciamo a donare allo sguardo con cui cerchiamo di abbracciare il futuro.

April 6 remains a date that is different from all others. Today, more than 1,000 days after that date, we yet feel the weight of persisting unpredictability and disorientation. Our city is still a wasteland, wounded, deprived of its pulse, which beat beneath the daily experience of every one of us. […] This is no normal day precisely because, next to the mourning that is cut like a wound into our hearts, we continually surprise ourselves at our strength and we still manage to look to the future with hope.

Walking about the streets of the city and its surrounding neighborhoods, one realizes that in L'Aquila the trauma is still present and visible, but stronger yet is the resentment of those families who will never see their homes again, of those who feel abandoned and who believe that not enough has been done, that in three years nothing (or almost nothing) has changed: debris and rubble piled on the streets downtown, houses propped-up in makeshift fashion, windowless buildings make up the cityscape awaiting tourists in the medieval jewel of Abruzzo.

Thousands were wounded and 309 people died, many of whom were students from all over Italy who had moved to L'Aquila to attend its university.

The L'Aquila tragedy, as it persisted after the earthquake, did not concern solely the loss of human life during the catastrophic event: there were many judicial inquiries (some still under way) regarding the handling of the emergency, the responsibilty of those companies that chose building materials and designs that were unfit for an earthquake zone (in particular, the construction of public buildings, like student housing, has come under questioning), and regarding lobbyists and other groups interested in receiving a portion of the funds allocated to reconstruction of the city and the entire seismic crater.

After the triple catastrophe (tsunami, earthquake, near nuclear meltdown) that a year ago battered Japan [en], there are many comparisons to be made between Fukushima and L'Aquila, comparisons that underline the differences in ‘approach' between Italian and Japanese scientists when it comes to making previsions for earthquakes based on seismology.

A couple of months after the event, when the media frenzy that brought L'Aquila such (sad) international notoriety had left, the floodlights suddenly turned off. Now, three years after the tragedy, there is still much work to be done before the city and community can return to the actual stability they once knew.

Hashtags to Monitor Indonesia quake

Mong Palatino — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:13:31 +0000

An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.5 hit Indonesia on April 11. The tremors were also felt in Thailand, Malaysia, and Myanmar. A tsunami alert was issued in several countries but it has been lifted already. Netizens use the hashtag #thaiquake, #prayforsumatera, and #prayformalaysia to monitor the quake impact.

Video: Alleged Tsunami Footage after the 11 April Indonesian Quake

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:35:41 +0000

On twitter, a video of a large wave crashing on a beach is making its rounds: some people share it as a video from the 11 April, 2012 Indonesian Quake, and others insist it is 2004 footage rehashed.

Bangladesh: Eviction of Slum in Dhaka Creates Humanitarian Catastrophe

Rezwan — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 22:59:49 +0000

On Wednesday (4th of April, 2012) the dwellers of Karail slum, one of the biggest in the Bangladesh capital, were evicted by the authorities to free Gulshan Lake from land grabbers. The inhabitants were given short notice via miking in the previous day, which many might have missed. Thousands of structures including houses and shops were demolished on less than a day's notice at 80-acre land of BTCL in Karail and other slums in Dhaka. A slum dweller claimed that her 4 year old girl has been missing as soon as bulldozers had hit the shanties.

The Incremental House posted a case study on this expansive slum:

The entire settlement is resistance. It is on someone else’s land. Morphologically, it couldn’t be any more different than the surrounding wealthy estates of Gulshan and Banani. The water bounds is. The inhabitants have set up full formal transportation networks of boats to ferry people to and from their jobs.

[..] It is pretty clearly planned, does that make it a space of resistance? Where does it gets it water and electricity from? The boats scrape the water pipes floating in the water. The pipes tap into the main lines in Banani. Someone is controlling it. Electricity is strung over the water, again tapped into the main line.

Here is a short video (uploaded by lizscarff) showing glimpses of coexistence of rich and poor in the surroundings of Karail slum:

In my Bangla blog I wrote [bn] about the background of the eviction:

গত বছর ২০শে সেপ্টেম্বর রাজউক এরকম স্বল্প নোটিসে আরেকটি উচ্ছেদ অভিযান চালায় সেখানে। পুলিশ আর পাড়ার মাস্তানদের দ্বারা ১২০টিরও বেশী পরিবার উচ্ছেদ করা হলেও পরে তারা আবার এসে বাসা করে। গত ২০০৮ সালে প্রথম পিডাব্লিউডি উচ্ছেদের নোটিশ পাঠালে আইন ও শালিস কেন্দ্র পুনর্বাসন ছাড়া উচ্ছেদ মানবাধিকার লঙ্ঘন এই বলে হাইকোর্টে একটি স্টে অর্ডার নেয়। সেই মামলার বিভিন্ন শুনানীতে পুনর্বাসনের কথা বলা হয় তবে গত জানুয়ারীতে হাইকোর্ট সরকারকে আদেশ দেয় দুই মাসের মধ্যে এই বেদখলকৃত জমি উদ্ধার করতে - তবে সেখানে পুনর্বাসনের কোন কথা বলা হয় নি।

Last year on 20th September RAJUK (housing authority) went for another eviction drive giving short notice. Police and local goons forced 120 families out and destroyed their homes but later they came back. In 2008 PWD (Public Works Department) first sent the eviction letter to the slum dwellers. Ain O Shalish Kendro, an NGO advocated for them and obtained a stay order from the court claiming that without rehabilitation such eviction is a violation of human rights. In different stages of that trial the issue of rehabilitation was discussed at various lengths. But last January the court ordered to free those lands from land-grabbers and award the owners (govt agencies) - but there was no mention of any rehabilitation of the existing dwellers.

করাইল এলাকার এইসব ভূমিহীন বস্তিবাসীর ৩০ ভাগ দিনমুজুর, ২০% রিক্সা-ভ্যান চালায়, ১৮% গার্মেন্টস কর্মী ও ১২% ছোট ব্যবসা করে। তাদের মাসিক আয় ২৫০০-৪৫০০ টাকা এবং স্থানীয় মান্তানদের ৮০ স্কয়ার ফিটের ঘর ভাড়া দিতে হয় ৮০০-১২০০ টাকা।

More than 30 percent of the dwellers of Karail Slum are day labourers, 20 percent rickshaw and van-pullers, 18 percent garments workers and 12 percent small traders. An average family earn only BD Taka 2,500-Tk 4,500 ($30-$52) a month and they have to pay local influentials BS Taka 800 - 1200 ($10-$14) for rent of a 80 square foot illegal shanty house.

Residents of ‘Karail Slum’ take part at a human chain to express their demands. Image by Firoz Ahmed. Copyright Demotix (18/2/2012)

Julkarnain questions [bn] the eviction without any plans to rehabilitate these people:

আমাদের মানবিক বিবেচনা কী দিন দিন হারিয়ে যাচ্ছে? নাকি বিবেচনার গলা টিপে রোবোটিক হয়ে উঠছি প্রতিনিয়ত আমরা? এমনিতেই শহরে প্রচুর ভাসমান লোক এখানে সেখানে বসবাস করে। তার সাথে যদি এরা যুক্ত হয় তাহলে শহরের না কোনও সৌন্দর্য বর্ধন হবে না আইন-শৃংখলা পরিস্থিতির কোনও উন্নয়ন সাধন হবে।

Are we losing our humanity? Or whether we are strangling our power to considerate and are being robotic? The city is filled with landless destitutes. If these people join in the gang of homeless people then the city won't be beautified and the law order situation will deteriorate.

The slum dwellers protested forming a human chain and blocking important roads of the capital creating a chaos in the roads. The traffic was suspended in the Gulshan Mohakhali link road on Wednesday for three hours creating long tails in many roads of the capital.

Twitter users also expressed their opinions.

@nhasan89: I think today is a dark day that will go down in history. The people are being pushed to their absolute limit. #karail #freebangladesh

@EEP_shiree: A devastating eviction in Karail slum on April 4 broke nearly 45,000 houses … what can we do for these urban extreme poor people?

@KorviRakshand: At this moment, thousands of people are homeless and without shelter at the Karail Slum near Banani Lake. http://t.co/LpeAmBnk

Shanty dwellers of Karail Slum take shelter at T&T Colony ground in Gulshan after eviction. Image by Firoz Ahmed (Copyright Demotix 5/4/2012)

@shahanasiddiqui: It's unbelievably dark out - #kaalboishakhi - summer storm. Really worried about the ppl of #karail who are out under the open sky

@mehrabsaurav: Lying in my bed but thinking about the homeless people who were evicted from Karail Slum. I feel helpless, I couldn't be of any help! #Dhaka

@shahanasiddiqui: Hey everyone, @JAAGOFoundation is preparing food for the #karail evictees. help needed with distribution. Pls be there by 12 noon TNT field

@JAAGOFoundation: For the last 36 hours, we have been distributing food to the victims of the Karail Slum Demolition from a small… http://t.co/NarANbkC

Heavy downpour on Friday made the situation worse for the evicted slum dwellers.

Peru: Rains Overflow Rivers and Flood Loreto

Rebecca Knaggs — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 05:17:41 +0000

The rain in Peru has not stopped. Due to the heavy rains during the months of February and March [es] in much of the highlands [es] and Peruvian jungle, now there are floods in the lower parts of Peru, mainly in the regions of Loreto and Ucayali. Several weeks ago, the National Meteorological and Hydrological Service (Senamhi) of Loreto gave warnings [es] of the high levels that the Huallaga, Ucayali, Marañón and Amazon rivers had reached.

And although some authorities had taken [es] measures, it wasn't regarding the expectations of flooding. The Regional President of Loreto only requested [es] a state of emergency when the list of injured persons had reached 40,000. The central government finally declared [es] a state of emergency when the number of people affected rose to 100,000.

The floods have affected [es] the normal development of classes in schools situated in the lower zones of the region. Classrooms have had to be improvised and now take place in local neighbourhoods and residences where the students arrive to class in small boats known as peque-peque. This is shown in the following photo which was shared by Twitter user @PacoBardales [es], and which belongs [es] to reporter David Gonzales. The photograph was taken at the school N·601536, in the country house Nuevo Campeon, Itaya river, Belén.

Fuerte: Así están estudiando los niños en Belén-Iquitos luego de las graves inundaciones http://twitpic.com/931bx2 8:13 AM - 30 Mar 12 via TweetDeck

Strong image: Children in Belen-Iquitos studying during serious flooding in Peru

Flooded school, Belén, Iquitos, Peru

More recent figures have shown [es] that those affected by the floods are somewhere around 200,000 in the Loreto region alone. These figures aren't surprising, given the level that the Amazon river has reached [es] in the last few days, causing many regions of Iquitos to be flooded. The height of the rivers has even surpassed its last record of 118,59 metres above sea level in the year 1986. Such areas are visible as in this photograph, shared by Twitter user Sebastián Faura (@SebastianFaura) [es]:

es necesario declarar el estado de emergencia en la ciudad de Iquitos. http://pic.twitter.com/DNtmALue 10:04 AM - 2 Apr 12 via web

it is necessary to declare a state of emergency in the city of Iquitos.

Iquitos flooded

On the Civil Defense page [es] on Facebook, several pictures of the floods have also been shared. The Diario de IQT blog [es] also shares pictures, while Paco Bardales comments:

En Iquitos han sido los ríos Itaya y Nanay quienes más han generado embates contra las riberas. Las zonas más afectadas han sido las comunidades rurales del distrito de Belén, el barrio, Prolongación Putumayo, Bellavista-Nanay, Av. La Marina, Bellavista-Nanay. Además, se han colocado carpas en primera cuadra de Ricardo Palma para atender a los afectados en Puerto Salaverry, debajo del Boulevard de la ciudad.

In Iquitos, the Itaya and Nanay rivers have been beating against the shores. The more affected regions have been the rural community districts of Belén, Prolongación Putumayo, Bellavista-Nanay, Av. La Marina, Bellavista-Nanay. People from these regions have been putting up tents in the first block of Ricardo Palma in order to assist the injured in Puerto Salaverry, underneath the city's Boulevard.

Flooded neighborhood in Iquitos (Photo: Revista CETA)

Reporter and blogger Ramiro Celis from Loreto writes [es] in his blog Iquitos News about the inefficiency as well as the indifference of the local authorities in Iquitos with regards to preventing these states of emergency that have had to happen over the years:

En época de vaciante caminar por Belén zona baja es una experiencia única. Las casas son de madera y tienen techo de palma. Se ubican a unos metros de la superficie y no gozan de servicios básicos como agua o energía eléctrica de calidad, ya que las conexiones son por pequeños tubos que suben hasta las casas y la electricidad es abastecida por cables que parecen telarañas. […] Aunque su existencia data del siglo pasado, ningún alcalde belenino ha hecho un plan o un proyecto de modernización de esta zona en la que se incluya la construcción de viviendas dignas e incorporación de servicios básicos.

Punchana e Iquitos son los distritos más afectados cuando crecen los ríos y definitivamente se debe pensar o elaborar un proyecto que evite el gasto excesivo de recursos en apoyo a los ciudadanos afectados, ya que, ciertamente, existen alternativas de solución a estos problemas. […] Aunque en algunas jurisdicciones, como en el caso de Punchana, el alcalde manifestó que no era su problema si aquellas personas habían optado por vivir en las zonas periféricas, siendo duramente criticado por los medios y la población en general.

To walk in the lowland area of Belén during the dry season is a unique experience. The houses are made of wood and have roofs of palm leaves. They meet several metres from the surface and the people do not enjoy the basic necessities such as running water or quality electricity. The electrical connections are by small tubes that go up into the houses where the electricity is supplied by cables that resemble spider webs. […] Although its existence has been outdated since the last century, no mayor of Belen has ever made a plan or project of modernization for this region in terms of the construction of decent houses or the need for basic services.

Punchana and Iquitos are the most affected regions when the rivers overflow. Therefore, one must think of a project that, for once and for all, evades the excessive expenditure of resources in support of affected citizens. Certainly, there must exist a solution to these problems. […] However in several jurisdictions such as Punchana, the mayor is being harshly criticized by the media and the population in general for declaring that it isn't his problem if some people have chosen to live in peripheral regions.

While the level of the Amazon River threatens [es] to keep growing, in Iquitos the population is suffering from power outages [es]. Cutting the electricity was a precaution measure in order to avoid possible short circuits that could be caused by the flooding. In addition, some people are becoming alarmed by the the appearance [es] of strange aquatic animals, while others have had to be relocated and are now complaining [es] that they are so far away that they have been forgotten by authorities.

A TV program in Iquitos sent out this information regarding the floods [es]:

Finally, the following video shows various shots taken in the flooded city if Iquitos [es]:

Originally published in the personal blog of Juan Arellano.

Russia: Photos of the Moscow Skyscraper Fire

Veronica Khokhlova — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:20:48 +0000

Some photos [ru] of today's fire at a skyscraper under construction in Moscow: photos by RIA Novosti photographers at LJ user drugoi's blog; LJ user aleshru's ITAR-TASS photos; LJ user sergey_mikheyev's photos; two photos of firefighting helicopters refilling in the Moskva River - by LJ user nl. On Twitter, @ruradioscanner was live-tweeting radio exchanges [ru] of the helicopter pilots.

Mexico: 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles the Country

Elizabeth Rivera — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 02:04:07 +0000

On March 20, 2012, around midday, an earthquake hit the south and central part of Mexico. The quake was felt more intensively in the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Morelos and Mexico City. According to the Mexican National Seismological Service (@SimsologicoMx) [es] the earthquake presented the following characteristics:

SISMO 7.8 Richter 29 km al SUR de OMETEPEC, GRO 20/03/12 12:02:50 Lat 16.42 Lon -98.36 Pf 15 km

EARTHQUAKE 7.8 Richter 29 km SOUTH of OMETEPEC, GRO 03/20/12 12:02:50 Lat 16.42 Lon -98.36 Pf 15 km

The quake caused anguish among a society that is used to earthquakes, but not as strong as this one. In some areas of Mexico City people panicked as citizens waited on the streets to go back to their offices. Since there were power outages in some neighborhoods, people turned to the Internet to contact family members and report the situation on the ground.

Jazmin Fajardo (@jazminfajardo) [es], for example, said:

En la condesa [barrio al centro de la ciudad de méxico] todos afuera de los edificios polvo y olor a gas

In La Condesa (a neighborhood close to downtown Mexico City) everybody is outside the buildings, dust and gas smell

Nayeli Roldán (@nayaroldan) [es] reported that some took refuge at the Zocalo (the square that sits at the heart of Mexico City) of Mexico's capital city:

La gente desalojando los edificios cercanos al Zócalo

People emptying buildings near the Zocalo

User RankiaoRecordsHD shared the following video of the earthquake on YouTube:

Juliana Rincón gathered more citizen videos of the quake at a post for Global Voices.

Amidst the panic, the Twitter account of Walmart Mexico (@WalmartComMx) published:

Ahora sí, pusimos a temblar a las otras tiendas con nuestros precios

This is it, we made other stores shake with our prices

The tweet was erased by the company; however Gavo Ayala (@gavowonka) [es] shared a screenshot where you can read the tweet:

@WalmartComMx Borra su tweet pero aqui el print de pantalla #tembor #temblorDF #temblorMexico http://twitpic.com/8z1f55

@WalmartComMx erases its tweet but here's the screenshot #tembor #temblorDF #temblorMexico http://twitpic.com/8z1f55

The deed generated outrage among the Twitter community who strongly condemned it using the hashtag #OfertasWalmart (Walmart Sales)

In the state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, 25 municipalities reported damages [es], and in the state of Guerrero 800 houses [es] were counted as ruined. Meanwhile in the state of Morelos a church suffered [es] severe destruction.

Despite those damages and some power cuts in Mexico City, the aftermath of the earthquake was significantly less than the disastrous quake of September 19, 1985, after which there were several and serious actions to improve the country's preparation for such events. The efforts seem to have paid off since no casualties have been reported up to the moment this post was published.

The thumbnail image is a screenshot of the video we used in this post.

Mali: Facing Secession and Food Crisis as Elections Loom

Lova Rakotomalala — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:41:09 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage on Refugees.

Coverage of Mali may be absent in the mainstream media, but it is currently facing critical challenges while preparing for the presidential elections on April 29, 2012. After the fall of Gaddafi in Libya, Mali faces the return of Tuareg armed groups posted in Libya, who threaten to seek secession from Mali [fr] for the Azawad territory, or Northern Mali.

The conflict has already forced 195,000 people to flee their homes since mid-January, according to the the United Nations humanitarian office OCHA. Additionally, a food crisis threatens 3 million Malians [fr] because of a prolonged drought in the northern region.

Mali has its hands full with its current domestic issues but it understands that it also needs to take into account regional stability and its neighbors' wishes - Algeria, Niger and Mauritania - when handling the refugee crisis.

Screen shot of a Tuareg rebel via Azawad17Janv2012

Presidential elections in jeopardy

One of the consequences of the refugee crisis was a military mutiny in the northern region on March 20, whose participants threatened to join the Tuareg rebels.

Sandrine Sawadogo explains [fr]:

Alors que le gouvernement malien et les combattants du MNLA se renvoient la balle en s'accusant mutuellement d'être responsables de l'exode de plus de100 000 personnes, les combats font rage autour des derniers campements militaires encore entre les mains de l'armée officielle.

While the Malian government and the MNLA rebels (editor's note: Mouvement National de Liberation de l'Azawad) are blaming each other for the exodus of more than 100 000 people, battles are raging around the last military camps that are still under the control of the national army.

In the following video, some rebels explain why they deserted the Malian army to fight with the Tuareg rebels:

Jeremy Keenan provides more context about the Tuareg rebellion:

After two months of fighting, the Malian army has lost control of most of Azawad, while the number of troops that have either been killed, taken captive or deserted is now thought to be at least 1,000. In a humiliating incident, the army base at Aguelhok was overrun on January 24 when the troops defending it ran out of ammunition.
However, from a strategic point of view, the most significant fighting was at Tessalit. Close to the border with Algeria and with an army base and airport, Tessalit is a strategic town. By March 4, three Malian army units abandoned their attempts to relieve the MNLA siege of the base. A week later, the troops retreated to Algeria, leaving the base and the airport in MNLA control. The number of soldiers killed, taken captive or deserted, along with equipment destroyed or captured in these twin setbacks is thought to be considerable.

He adds:

It is conceivable that further attacks on the highly vulnerable, nomadic civilian population, may bring the rebels to submission, as has been the case in previous Tuareg rebellions. It is also conceivable that the Malian government's undercover militias, ethnic hatred campaigns, military in civilian clothing acting in mobs shouting “death to the Tuaregs” and internet propaganda might succeed in opening cleavages within the complex political, ethnic and social mix that comprises the totality of the Azawad population.
However, the signs are that the rebellion is capable of sustaining itself for much longer, especially if the MNLA receives support from Niger's well-armed and battle-experienced Tuareg, as unverified reports suggest

The prospect of a secession is unacceptable according to Presidential candidate Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and main opponent of presidential incumbent Amadou Toumani Touré (also known as ATT). In a meeting in Kayes, Mali, Keita asserted that Mali is “one and indivisible” as Madiassa Kaba Diakité reports [fr]:

Il a réaffirmé son attachement inébranlable au principe sacro-saint de l’indivisibilité du territoire national et a demandé à tous les Maliens de soutenir le chef de l’Etat, Amadou Toumani Touré, et de rester soudés derrière l’armée malienne pour qu’elle puisse repousser les assaillants afin de rétablir la sécurité et restaurer l’intégrité territoriale du Mali [..] « L’élection du 29 avril est la première des solutions car voter c’est donner une nouvelle chance à la paix », selon IBK. A l’en croire, il sera sans doute difficile de faire voter tous nos compatriotes, notamment ceux refugiés à l’étranger mais voter c’est dire non à la guerre

He reiterated his attachment to the fundamental principle that the national territory is indivisible and asked all Malians to support the head of state Amadou Toumani Touré and the Malian army so that they can repel the attacks and reestablsih peace and the integrity of the Malian territory. […] “The April 29 elections are the primary solution because voting means giving peace a new chance,” according to IBK (Ibrahim Boubacar Keita). Still, it will be difficult to get all Malians to vote, especially those who have been displaced across the borders, but to vote is to say no to war.

A prolonged food crisis

The conflict makes the relief of the food crisis even more challenging. According to UNICEF:

The dry, ‘lean' season in the affected countries is imminent, and will be marked by rising numbers of children in feeding centres who will need life-saving treatment. The agency's Regional Director, David Gressly said: “A multiple disaster is stalking children in the Sahel. Even in a best case scenario we are expecting more than a million children suffering from severe and acute malnutrition to enter feeding centres over the next six months.

On Blogcritics, Aboubacar Guindo, a WFP school feeding officer in Mali is interviewed:

The government through the Early Warning System identified 159 communities that are the most affected by this crisis. To respond to this, WFP elaborated an Emergency Operation (EMOP) with a School Feeding component to avoid important drop-outs that schools used to face in this type of crisis. The EMOP will also include nutrition, food for work, and cash components. [..] In addition to food insecurity, WFP is assessing the needs of the internally displaced due to conflict in the north. This assessment may show in an increase in needs.

The question remains whether the presidential elections will still hold. Gaousso Yah Touré is doubtful [fr]:

le Mali est une grande nation démocratique et la tenue des élections ne doit aucunement le plonger dans le KO. En d’autre terme, la cohésion sociale et la paix doivent être vigoureusement préservées. Cela passe, bien entendu, par le dialogue et la réflexion. Quant à la question de savoir si les élections se tiendront le 29 Avril prochain ou non, une réponse exhaustive ne peut être donnée pour le moment.

Mali is a great democratic nation and elections must not drive the country into chaos. In other words, social cohesion and peace must be protected first and foremost. This must of course come through dialog and exchange. The question remains whether elections will be held on April 29 and at this point, one cannot provide an answer.

This post is part of our special coverage on Refugees.

Mexico: Videos of the 7.8 Earthquake Felt in Mexico

Juliana Rincón Parra — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:19:32 +0000

On 20 March, 2012, an earthquake struck off the coast of Acapulco in Mexico, reportedly between 7.6 and 7.8 on the Richter scale. So far, no casualties have been reported. Following, some videos of how the quake was felt in different regions of the country. All audio is in Spanish.

In Puebla:

El temblor del 20 de marzo del 2012. Intensidad de 7.9 grados en la escala de richter (en el epicentro). Epicentro:Ometepec,estado de Guerrero, Mexico. Hora 12:06 PM, lugar de grabacion: Ciudad de Puebla…

The earthquake on 20 March, 2012. Intensity of 7.9 on the Richter scale (in the epicenter). Epicenter: Ometepec, state of Guerrero, Mexico. Time 12:06 PM, video recorded in: Puebla city…

In Mexico City:

El sismo duro alrededor de 2 minutos y medio. Ya todos en la calle aun nos seguíamos movie do de un lado a otro.

The earthquake lasted around two and a half minutes. Even when we were all on the street we were still swaying from side to side.

Up in an office building in Mexico City:

In front of Tlatelolco square in the middle of the city:

More videos of the Earthquake are being shared through Twitter.

Video: Surfers, Fishermen and Radiation in Post Earthquake Japan

Juliana Rincón Parra — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 01:58:27 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011 and Refugees.

Journalist Lisa Katayama and filmmaker Jason Wishnow are documenting the lives of people dealing with radiation in a post-earthquake Japan. In We Are All Radioactive, they are including 50% footage made by themselves in the areas around Fukushima Power Plant that had a meltdown after the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, and 50% footage made by residents who were given waterproof digital cameras so they could tell their own story on surviving the earthquake and now dealing with radiation. The story comes to us via The Laughing Squid.

Back in March 11, 2011, a 9.0 earthquake off the Pacific Coast off Tohoku struck Japan. This, the strongest ever earthquake recorded to hit Japan, and the subsequent tsunami waves of up to 40.5 meters devastated great parts of the coastal regions of the country and caused the meltdown of nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant, irradiating the neighboring areas including the ocean waters.

Although many areas have been rebuilt and people relocated, others are struggling to return to their lives before the earthquake. For those who live to be in the water, like surfers, or those that live from the water, like fishermen, understanding how their lives may change due to radiation could be the key to their continued wellbeing.

Through crowdfunding platform IndieGoGo, We Are All Radioactive is raising funds to release the different episodes of their web series progressively: as soon as they get enough money for one episode, they release it through their site until they complete all four episodes. Since launching their campaign, they have released the first episode, launched their website on the anniversary of the earthquake on March 11 and on March 21 they will share the second episode of the series on their site.

From their fundraising site blurb:

We Are All Radioactive combines technology, entertainment, and solid investigative journalism to provide answers to fundamental questions about radiation and the complexities of disaster response on both a political and sociological level.

Our footage also touches on the work of Architecture for Humanity, Greenpeace, Surfrider Foundation, and Safecast — all major global non-profits dedicated to helping Japan respectively with post-earthquake reconstruction, human and environmental rights, water safety, and radiation monitoring.

In the first episode of the series we meet transplanted American surfer Autumn, who visited Japan and decided to stay in Sendai. After the earthquake, she teamed up with other local surfers and fishermen to try and figure out how to rebuild lives through work on their beaches and communities.

Updates on how crowdfunding efforts are coming along and new releases are available at the projects Facebook page We Are All Radioactive. Videos and the website are in both Japanese and English, and include information such as a timeline outlining the history of Japan with Nuclear Energy and links to meet the four characters from the series: Autumn from episode 1, surfer Konno, humanitarian worker Kasahara trying to understand the effects of radiation on the community, including the life of his unborn child and an artist collective who are exploring the impacts of the disaster with risky endeavours.

Boat launching ceremony image from We Are All Radioactive Sneak Peek on Facebook Page

This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011 and Refugees.