Stories about War & Conflict from April, 2009
Sri Lanka: Living In Fear
Indi.ca sheds a light on the lives of Tamils in Colombo as some of them are living in fear of being arrested for questioning without prior charges. The bloggers comments: “Perhaps this is necessary in the short-term (this being my lifetime) but it’s important to remember that this is a...
India: The Maoists-Naxalites And The Threat To Democracy
On 16th of April, 2009, just as the Indian elections began, the Maoists attacked police and poll booths in Latehar district of the eastern state of Jharkhand in India. Words From Solitude provides background of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and its factions and the naxalite movement to understand...
Israel: Praying for War No More
Israeli blogger David Bogner of Treppenwitz reflects on the nation's Day of Remembrance. “Israel’s national anthem… is called ‘HaTikva’- literally, ‘The Hope’… The words speak about 2000 years of longing to live as a free nation in our homeland. As an Israeli, and as a father, I can’t promise… but...
Pakistan: Pak Voices
Pak Voices is a crisis reporting tool for Pakistan based on the Ushahidi engine. The website is mapping the recent unrest in Karachi city. “Submitted incidents will appear online [pending approval]” reports Dr. Awab in his twitter account.
Georgia: Alternative Eurovision
Following the scandal surrounding Georgia's aborted attempt to enter a song mocking the former Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in the Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Moscow, This is Tbilisi Calling says that the country will instead hold its own alternative international song contest.
Pakistan: This Is Not Islam
Pakistani blogger Faisal K. at Deadpan Thoughts questioned an enlightened scholar of Islam to confirm that what the Talibans are preaching is “hardly the Islam brought by the Quran and taught by the Prophet through his teachings.”
The Conflict In Sri Lanka And The Indian Elections
Madhu at Indian Election 2009 blog comments: “Tamil Nadu elections have been hijacked by the conflict in Sri lanka, all the political parties raise this issue and only this issue.” The blog also reports that the hunger strike of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr. Karunanidhi was an alleged ploy...
Armenia: Shooting the Messenger
Security, in the Caucasus and beyond…. comments on the tendency for nationalist voices in Armenia and the Diaspora to shoot down any proposals intended to promote peace and reconciliation with Turkey by discrediting them and preventing any open discussion or independent thought.
Thailand: Southern militants launch attacks
Eleven attacks by separatists in southern Thailand were launched last Sunday. A blogger criticizes the lack of in-depth coverage by the local media
Armenia: Joke of the Day
Unzipped says joke of the day in Armenia is news that the Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) are now calling themselves an opposition political party. Having left the ruling coalition government yesterday in protest at talk of possible reconciliation between estranged neighbors Armenia and Turkey, the blog says that...
Venezuela: How Children Show Their Community Through Photography II
Children can often be the most vulnerable members of refugee communities. The group Ancla2 is working to provide more opportunities to these children through a photography and creative writing workshop in a community called El Nula along the Venezuelan-Colombian border teaching them how to appreciate the details of daily life and to communicate that through images and text.
Palestine: Reading Anna in the Middle East
Palestinian-American Sarah, at Reflections of a Cultural Mutt, attends the book signing of Anna Baltzer, the author of Anna in the Middle East and shares her reflections: “It was such a powerful presentation, and so refreshing to hear someone non-Arab speak so passionately about the injustice and oppression of another...
China: Brutal film on brutal history
Lu Chuan‘s retelling of the Nanking Massacre, City of Life and Death, is in theaters now; according to the people at China Film Journal, “it's a hard, brutal film to watch.” Bullogger blogger Garbled Text won't be [zh] going to see it, lacking trust in Lu following mistreatment of animals...
Afghanistan: Bombings in Kandahar
Joshua Foust reports that three suicide bombers have struck the provincial governor’s compound in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
U.K.: London Armenian commemorative march
Unzipped posts photos of yesterday's commemorative march held on the occasion of the 94th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Palestine: Blog About Palestine Day on May 15
Palestinian blogger Za3tar invites bloggers to the second annual “Blog About Palestine Day” on May 15, which marks the 61st anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba – the beginning of the Palestinian plight and suffering.
Russia: CTO in Chechnya's Four Districts
A Step At A Time reports that counter-terrorist operation restrictions have been re-introduced in four districts of Chechnya.
Armenia: Debate over campaign promise overshadows 94th anniversary of WWI killings
Yesterday marked the 94th anniversary of the massacre and deportation of as many as 1.5 million ethnic Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. Bloggers react to a statement made by U.S. President Barack Obama marking the occasion, but which avoided directly referring to the WWI events as genocide.
Kosovo: The Language Issue
The Unforgiving Minute writes about “the language issue” in Kosovo.
Pakistan: An Open Letter To The President
Pakistani blog Deadpan Thoughts posts an open letter to the President of Pakistan on the recent SWAT Taliban deal: “My Dear President, Kindly review your decision – think for the stability of Pakistan in the long run and revoke this deal which is bound to fail – show some courage...
Nepal: A Failed Coup?
The conflict started last year when the politicians in Nepal started debating the integration of the former Maoist guerrillas, popularly known as People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into the country’s national army (NA). It was predicted then that the process could affect the structure and stability of the national army. Dr....
