Global Voices · Citizen media stories from April 2009

April, 2009

Monthly archive · 218 posts

Stories from April, 2009

12 April 2009

Serbia: Gypsies' Houses Torn Down in Belgrade

This July, Belgrade will host the 25th World University Games, whose participants will stay in the newly-built University Village. There used to be some 350 Gypsy houses near that place, but, following an order of the City Department of Inspections, about 50 houses were torn down on April 3. A few dozen children, women, old and sick Gypsies spent the night without shelter, and were later attacked by the neo-Nazis. Sinisa Boljanovic translates bloggers' reactions to the incident and to the measures proposed by Belgrade's city authorities.

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11 April 2009

Thailand: Protesters disrupt ASEAN Summit

Written by Mong Palatino · East Asia

Thousands of opposition Red Shirts in Thailand stormed inside the venue of a major Asian Summit which forced the government to announce the cancellation of the event. Most of the Red Shirts are loyal to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They want incumbent Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign. What are the reactions from Thailand’s blogosphere?

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Fiji's President voids constitution, calls for elections in five years

Written by John Liebhardt · Oceania

Less than 24 hours after a Fiji court declared the country’s military backed government to be unconstitutional, Fiji’s president has voided the country’s constitution, made himself head of state and...

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Japan: Filipino girl sees her parents deported

Written by Scilla Alecci · East Asia

All are equal before the law and in Japan, foreigners without a legal permit to stay must leave the country. Deportation is assured for any illegal immigrant. This is what...

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Korea: Launch of Missile (or Satellite) from North Korea and South Koreans.

Written by Hyejin Kim · East Asia

What people expected really happened. North Korea launched their rocket or satellite on the 5th of April, which is tree planting day in South Korea. After the event there have...

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Jordan: Community Work Changing Lives

Written by Ebtihal Mahadeen · Middle East & North Africa

In a heartwarming story from Jordan, Sha3teely blogs about his local community's efforts to help a visually impaired street vendor. Ebtihal Mahadeen brings us the story.

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Updates from April, 2009

23 April 2009

Sri Lanka

Indi.ca criticizes the international media coverage of the civil war in Sri Lanka: “the ‘International Community’ and international media are far too quick to offer solutions without looking at the situation.” The blogger opines that “the best thing the international community could do is call on the LTTE to surrender and lay down it’s arms.”

• Rezwan

Jamaica

Girl With a Purpose learns that as investigations are launched into the security breach at the Jamaican airport which resulted in a (now resolved) hostage situation, “the persons in charge of security at the airport (MBJ Airports Limited) are telling us - it wasn't them…”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad & Tobago

de cooler : soca news blogs about a new documentary on the life of legendary Trinbagonian singer, Calypso Rose.

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad & Tobago

Trinidadian blogger B.C. Pires says the real reason that the signing ceremony for the recently-concluded Summit of the Americas was important “was to justify the scandalous costs of the Chinese-built Great House…a pity our Big Cheese signed alone; makes that whole firetrucking International Important Monkeys In Jackets Liming Spot seem like a complete waste of time and money”; The Undisputed Truth adds: “I told you so Trinidad.”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuba

“After a week in which President Obama announced new Cuba policy measures and discussed Cuba policy at the Trinidad summit,” The Cuban Triangle asks: “Where do things stand?”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Russia

Blogging Balkanistan writes that Kosovo’s PM Hashim Thaci is planning to join Facebook and that “several leading opposition party candidates already have accounts.” Petro's Jotter explores the Ukrainian political Twitter-sphere, here and here. Siberian Light explains how to connect with Twitter users interested in Russia. Window on Eurasia believes that “the impact of the Internet and its various permutations, such as Facebook and Twitter, on the country is very much a matter of dispute”: “[…] the Internet tends to fragment populations by allowing individuals to get only information that reinforces their own ideas […].”

• Veronica Khokhlova

Brazil: Communities in Rio Blame Olympics for Evictions

Hi Christa, Thank you for sharing the good news. I am glad that at least one battle has been won by...
Help us bring international visibility to this issue. Please read and share the following link regarding Vila Autódromo's recent win...

Very interesting! I had no idea this was going on there as I haven't followed Peru's political situation. You've done...
Interesting indeed. I don't hear much news from Peru so this information was indeed news and something the world community...
Interesting read. Thanks for sharing!