Stories about Migration & Immigration from October, 2011
Myanmar Netizens to BBC: Apologize Now
Some Myanmar netizens are asking BBC to apologize for publishing an ‘inaccurate' map of Myanmar's ethnic groups. BBC has already updated the map but netizens still want a formal apology
France: New Visa Restrictions for Foreign University Graduates
France has taken a legal step which makes it more difficult for foreign students who have graduated from French universities to work on French territory and thus change their student visa permit into a working visa. Julie Owono reports on reactions to the new immigration rules.
“Law Without Borders” Between Brazil, Angola and Portugal
Brazilian lawyer and researcher Vanessa Bueno, based in Portugal, launched the blog O Direito Sem Fronteiras (Law Without Borders) [pt] where she gives tips and writes reviews about legal issues, especially for migrants between Portugal, Brazil and Angola. She has also created a group on Facebook aiming to promote debate.
Thailand: Burmese Workers Arrested Outside Flood Zones
Mahn Saimon reports that Burmese workers who are escaping the floods of Thailand are being arrested by Thai police forces for travelling outside of their permitted zones. There are three million Burmese migrants in Thailand which is currently experiencing the worst floods in half a century.
Haiti: Enough of Occupation
The Haitian Blogger has had enough of the United Nations occupation of Haiti, saying: “All Haitian's [sic] will start respecting the U.S. and it's [sic] proxy the UN MINUSTAH military force when they begin to put a value on Haitian life.”
Cuba: Immigration Policy
At Translating Cuba, Jeovany J. Vega blogs about the country's immigration policy, calling it “one of the most traumatic and thorny issues in Cuban society. The twisted mechanisms created to impede the free flow of people, whether to travel or to emigrate, have turned what would normally be one more...
Central America: The Dangerous Journey of Female Migrants
“Every year, thousands of migrants risk their lives on a treacherous journey toward el norte, facing violence, extortion, kidnapping and discrimination. However, female migrants face a heightened risk of exploitation in the form of sexual violence and trafficking at the hands of many groups: criminal gangs, corrupt officials, law enforcement,...
Paraguay: Digital Magazine Focuses on Young Migrants
Juan Carlos Rodríguez from Camino al Paraguay [es] shares the digital version of a magazine that focuses on Paraguayan youth who have left the country.
Zimbabwe: Deportations of Zimbabweans a Political Move
“Mwana washe muranda kumwe” is an old Zimbabwean saying which means that when one is a foreigners they are a nobody in the eyes of the host country and this rings true today as thousands of Zimbabweans face deportation from South Africa back to Zimbabwe.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Question of Race
“I feel that a person loses a bit of who he or she is internally by having to limit themselves by that one word. And it can be quite a burden to live up to. And with the growing group of interracial individuals who identify with more than one group,...
Mexico: Photo Essay on Migration in Oaxaca
Todd Miller, from NACLA's Border Wars blog, posts a photo essay on migration in Oaxaca, where “76% of the […] population lives in poverty.”
USA: Documenting Alabama's Immigration Law
People can submit their reports on the impacts of the Alabama anti-immigration law HB 56 to this crowdsourced and open digital map.
Cuba: New Independent News Agency
Pedazos de La Isla announces the launch of a new independent press agency in Cuba; Uncommon Sense comments: “Cuba's independent journalists…are deserving of respect and admiration because without their reports…from the front lines of the struggle for liberty, the world would know far less about the reality of life on...
Jamaica, U.S.A.: #OccupyTogether Going Global
Diaspora blogger Labrish Jamaica says of the global spread of the Occupy Wall Street phenomenon: “BRILLIANT! May this be the beginning of the end of the immoral, rapacious greed and criminality that has overrun democracy in favor of the 1% plutocratic overlords…”
Azerbaijan: Beautiful, Sophisticated, Democratic, and Tolerant… Just Scary Azeri
Scary Azeri explains that she named her blog as such simply because it rhymed. However, she comments sarcastically, perhaps she would have less detractors if she had named it “A beautiful, sophisticated, not at all corrupt but very democratic, accepting and tolerant Azeri.”
Cuba: Outpouring of Support for Las Damas’ Leader
Over the weekend, the leader of Cuba's Las Damas de Blanco (The Ladies in White), Laura Pollan, fell ill. Bloggers, both on the island and throughout the diaspora, reached out online to offer their support and wishes for Pollan's recovery.
Cuba: Fonseca & Husband Released
Uncommon Sense reports that “almost two weeks after they were arrested, Cuban activists Sara Martha Fonseca and her husband Julio Ignacio Leon were released from jail on Friday.”
Jamaica: Hiding “Behind Blackness”
Under the Saltire Flag shares an interesting perspective on the recent riots in London: “I have no problem accepting that in many areas Britain is blindly racist and must be called out on it. It can be frustraiting to realize that in many instances Jamaica is just as blindly racist...
Curacao: Inadequate Narrative on Slavery
A Netherlands-based Curacaoan blogger shares his impression of the debate on the television series “De Slavernij” (The Slavery): “It seems…that the production team (I’m excluding the historians and experts for now) has put little to no thought in how to structure the complex narratives surrounding the subject of slavery.”
Cameroon: Questions and Doubts Over Upcoming Election
On October 9, Cameroonians will be called on for the sixth time in the country's history to choose a president for the Republic. The election is characterized by the large number of candidates and voters - and by questions about the practices of the commission responsible for organizing elections.
Caribbean: Remembering the Genius of Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs' death has left a gaping hole in the world of technology. Caribbean bloggers took the opportunity to say “thank you” and talk about the role that Jobs - and the company he helped revolutionize - played in their lives.
