· June, 2009

Stories about Humanitarian Response from June, 2009

Israel/Palestine: Human Rights Activist Reports on Mission

Reporting from Israel, human rights activist Rae Abileah reflects on her recent Gaza solidarity mission. “It felt really powerful to be taking a stand against occupation in this very tangible way.” She adds, “While I know that we enjoy the privileges of these fun-filled actions, there is an ever-present awareness...

Metropolis TV and Hivos: Independent People Videos

  23 June 2009

Metropolis TV is a Hivos and VPRO TV project based in the Netherlands, which brings together film-makers and civil video journalists from all over the world to record and transmit different aspects of life and culture in their homeland. Following, a few videos selected and played on the Netherlands TV station VPRO forWorld Humanist Day around a specific subject: to recognize individuals who live under the ideal of independence and being in control of their own lives.

China: Mass incident sparked by a dead body

  21 June 2009

A Chinese Google doc has been set up to collect the most up-to-date information about the Shishou riot in China's Hubei province, which has seen tens of thousands of locals rallying on the street to protect the body of a young man who died under suspicious circumstances.

Sri Lanka: Words & Images From IDP Camps

  12 June 2009

The Humanitarian Chronicle publishes a report from an anonymous writer who visited some camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in northern Sri Lanka. Accompanying with these pictures the author portrays the grief and lack of hope of the IDPs.

Pakistan: Mayhem in Peshawar

  11 June 2009

Peshawar is the capital of the North-West Frontier Province and the administrative center for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. It is located on the edge of the Khyber Pass near the Afghan border. It is the commercial, economic, political and cultural hub of the Pashtuns in Pakistan and acts...

Bangladesh: Helping The Cyclone Aila Victims

  11 June 2009

The Humanitarian Chronicle posts a personal journal of Nancy E. Smith of Humedica Bangladesh Team who describes the relief efforts conducted towards the Cyclone Aila victims in Southern Bangladesh. More images can be found in another post.

Pakistan: The Human Rights Commission Of Pakistan On IDPs

  9 June 2009

Teeth Mastro discusses about a recent report on the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Pakistan titled “A tragedy of errors and Cover-ups:The IDPs and outcome of military actions in FATA and Malakand Division”. The Human Rights Commission Of Pakistan published the report.

Myanmar: 64 Words for Aung San Suu Kyi

  5 June 2009

Do you want to show support for Myanmar opposition leader and global democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi? A new website was launched where anyone from around the world can leave a 64-word message of solidarity for imprisoned leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The website 64forSuu.org is named as such to mark Suu Kyi’s 64th birthday on June 19.

China: Dog massacre

  5 June 2009

A county, Yangxian, in Shaanxi province killed every single dog there on 31 of May. ChinaSMACK translated the brief story and netizen comments from MOP.

India: Do Not Evict The Chakmas

  5 June 2009

Paritosh Chakma at Musings of a Chakma draws attention to the fact that in Mizoram state of India the land of many Chakma indigenous population have been acquired by the government to make way to border fencing along the Mizoram-Bangladesh border. “There is no plan to rehabilitate the displaced Chakmas...

Sri Lanka: A Suppressed Nation

  4 June 2009

Access to many Sri Lankan IDP camps are still limited to the international journalists and aid workers and the information are suppressed. So it is hard to hear the voices from these IDP camps. Regini David, a human rights, women and workers' rights activist, has been working with vulnerable people for the past 23 years. In her blog, ‘Unheard Voices‘, she has started writing about the very unheard voices from Sri Lanka, voices of the people she worked with.

Brazil: Land reform or deforestation boost for the Amazon?

  4 June 2009

Brazilian president Lula da Silva has a controversial bill that will legitimize land-grabbing in the Amazon prior to 2004 on his hands. Will the law help the forest escape further deforestation or is it going to benefit land owners only, and be the last straw for an Amazon rain forest already on its way to destruction?

Pakistan: The Plight Of The IDPs

  2 June 2009

Deadpan Thoughts writes about the plights of the IDPs of Swat Valley region in Pakistan: “Only about 300,000 people have been provided shelter in the camps set up by the UNHCR and Pakistan’s government. This is hardly 10% of the total number of displaced people.”