17 March 2006

Stories from 17 March 2006

  17 March 2006

Mirwais at Afghan Reality says that the donor agenda for Afghanistan is neglecting pressing needs of most Afghans.

Armenia: Cops at Work

  17 March 2006

ArmYouth Blog reports that pay increases for police that went into effect last year might actually be having the intended, positive effect of reducing corruption.

Kyrgyzstan: Aksy

  17 March 2006

Today is the anniversary of the 2002 killing of 6 protesters in the Aksy region of Kyrgyzstan's Jalalabad province. neweurasia has a post commemorating the anniversary.

Belarus: Balloon Revolution

  17 March 2006

“[…] Good psychological weapon against the troops” – in order to show the regime they are not terrorists, everyone should come to the rally in Minsk with a toy balloon, suggests LJ user eugene_exe (BEL). Any color would do, but blue is preferable.

China: “Blog-gate” in the Bath-house

  17 March 2006

Shanghai businessmen are rediscovering the delights of the bathhouse as a venue for business bonding, reports Bingfeng Teahouse, who finds a strange angle on the Massage Milk hoax as reported in the Taiwan media.

North Korea: American defector in Japan

  17 March 2006

OhmyNews! runs an in-depth interview with U.S. Army deserter Charles Jenkins, now living on Sado Island after spending four decades in North Korea. “My life is not worth five cents, I know that,” he tells reporter David McNeill. “I don't think they have the nerve to come and get me,...

China: Zhao Yan released

  17 March 2006

Angry Chinese Blogger is surprised at the release of former New York Times researcher Zhao Yan, ahead of the visit to the United States by Chinese President Hu Jintao. He goes into the story in detail, with plenty of background information.

South Korea: Shamrocks and kimchi

  17 March 2006

The Asia Pages, who identifies herself as Korean-Irish-American in honor of St. Patrick's Day, makes a striking case for similarities between Irish and Korean men, particularly the inhabitants of Busan. “They'll both make a bee-line for the alcohol, swear their heads off, all the while talking in loud, obnoxious voices....

Belarus: Backlash Against Opposition; Test for Europe

  17 March 2006

br23 blog and Andrei Khrapavitski both report on the continuing repressions against opposition activists in Belarus. One of Andrei's friends got expelled from the university, another got arrested. Andrei also cites an International Herald Tribune opinion piece by Georgia's president Mikhail Saakashvili: Belarus election is going to “be the most...

Belarus: Intimidation Campaign

  17 March 2006

Belarusian KGB chief said going out into the street on Sunday would be qualified as terrorism and those caught would face tough sentences, including capital punishment, reports br23 blog: “[…] My dad called me tonight and said: “Your sister is going out on March, 19. I heard on TV today...

Guyana: PR journalists

  17 March 2006

Guyana 360 expresses concern over journalists who lend their services as PR personnel for political parties.

Serbia & Montenegro: Eurovision Conflict

  17 March 2006

Ed at Balkan Baby writes that Serbia and Montenegro seriously disagree on who should represent their country at this year's Eurovision Song Contest: No Name, a Montenegrin boy-band, or a Serbian band called Flamingoes? “Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic said that this music competition had caused ‘much more excitement last...

Japan: Mind your language

  17 March 2006

Japundit‘s post on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's reprimand of a lawmaker for using English financial terms in the course of a parliamentary session sparks further debate in the comments section.

China: Missing AIDS activist

  17 March 2006

Zeng Jinyan, the wife of Chinese AIDS activist Hu Jia, is blogging about her attempts to find her husband (ZH), who disappeared a month ago. She attempts to file a complaint, as provided for in Chinese law, of unlawful detention against the police, who have been stonewalling her since he...

Indonesia: Potemkin Harvest

  17 March 2006

Sarapan Ekonomi comments on local farmers on Buru Island being prevented from harvesting their rice until the President of Indonesia shows up for “Great Harvest Day.”