24 April 2012

Stories from 24 April 2012

Sri Lanka: Monks Demand Demolition of a Mosque

  24 April 2012

Last Friday around 2,000 Buddhist monks and local residents staged a violent protest in Dambulla town in Sri Lanka demanding that a mosque along with a Hindu temple situated in an area designated as a Buddhist sacred zone be demolished.

Ecuador: Refugee Women and Girls Turning to Sex Work

  24 April 2012

A video documentary examines the situation with Colombian women who had to migrate across the border into Ecuador due to violence. In many cases, without being able to gain legal employment, the women and their underage daughters find themselves turning to sex-work to make a living.

Sri Lanka: Death Of Witness In Police Custody

  24 April 2012

Serendipity reports that Chandraisiri Dassanayake (42), a main witness in a human rights violation case against the Wadduwa Police, was arrested for possession of Ganja on April 15th 2012 and later died in a cell in the Wadduwa police station in the western coast of Sri Lanka.

Zambia: Former VP's Death Highlights State of Local Hospitals

  24 April 2012

Immediate past Vice President of the former ruling MMD government George Kunda died on 16 April 2012 at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in the capital, Lusaka. Despite mourning his death, netizens seized the opportunity to criticize the current status of health care in Zambia and highlight the need for reform.

Botswana: Botswana Forerunner for MDG7

  24 April 2012

Edmund Smith-Asante observes that Botswana is the only African country most likely to approach the MDG7 (achieving universal access to water by 2015): “Botswana currently experiences 89 under-five sanitation-related deaths yearly, the lowest on the African continent, saves 14 under-five lives annually with its current rate of investment in the...

Trinidad & Tobago: Gas Revenues

  24 April 2012

Accountant/Consultant Derren Joseph shares the contents of an email he received which is concerned with the level of Trinidad & Tobago's gas revenue: “This gas is the property of EVERY CITIZEN of Trinidad and Tobago and we deserve to understand why any of our gas is being sold at a...

Malaysia: Occupy Dataran Merdeka and Education Protests

  24 April 2012

The April 28 Bersih 3.0 sit-down protest is expected to be the major political event of the month in Malaysia but students and Occupy activists have already put forward their demands ahead of time. Students marched in the streets against the 'anti-poor' student loan program while activists launched the Occupy Dataran movement to 'reclaim' democracy in the country

Mexico: Journalists Speak Up in Documentary ‘Forced Silence’

  24 April 2012

Artículo 19, an organization that defends the right to freedom of expression, launched the documentary "Forced Silence, the State Accomplice to Violence against Journalists." The documentary recounts testimonies from journalists, as well as relatives of journalists who have been assassinated or have disappeared.

Portugal: Citizens Prepare Peaceful Protests for April 25

  24 April 2012

Though peaceful protests are scheduled for April 25 throughout Portugal (a national holiday that marks the end of dictatorship in 1974), mainstream media reported [pt] that “police prepares zero tolerance”. For Miguel Cardima from the blog Arrastão, the news intends [pt] to “insufflate fear” and to “justify violence in anticipation”. In...

Georgia: Concerns over Lazika development

  24 April 2012

Writing on The PIK.TV blog, the channel's English-language editor, Tbilisi-based Nicholas Alan Clayton, comments on plans to construct a new city in Georgia. With little transparency in planning the Lazika development, recently referred to as an ‘instant city in a swamp’ by the New York Times, the blog says that...

Malaysia Prepares for Bersih 3.0 Sit-Down Protest

  24 April 2012

The Malaysia election reform movement Bersih (Clean) has organized a Bersih 3.0 Duduk Bantah (sit-in protest) on April 28 at Dataran Merdeka. It's the same group which gathered more than 50,000 people in Kuala Lumpur last year in protest against the 'undemocratic' electoral exercise in the country