· March, 2011

Stories about Protest from March, 2011

China: The Interrogation (A Tale of AI and Revolution)

  31 March 2011

Stainless Steel Mouse, aka Liu Di, has seen many of her peers arrested or disappeared over the past several weeks. Looking at the unusual way in which China's failed Jasmine Revolution began, she has imagined a scenario which mixes fact with fiction.

Tensions Between Korea and Japan Intensified Over Territorial Conflict

  31 March 2011

South Koreans have expressed deep regret over the Japanese government’s decision to endorse middle school textbooks that defined Dokdo island as part of its territory. Reflecting people's anger, Korea's power Twitterer and bestselling novelist, Lee Oi-soo (@oisoo) harshly condemned [ko] Japanese government for approving the new textbooks.

Taiwan: Nuclear Waste on Orchid Island

  31 March 2011

In 1974, the Taiwan Atomic Energy Council decided to store nuclear waste on Taiwan's Orchid Island, where the indigenous Tao people have lived for generations. More than twenty years have passed, the radioactive waste barrels have eroded with rust and it seems that no one is ready to take care of the problem.

Colombia: Indigenous Communities Protect their Food Security

  31 March 2011

Indigenous communities in Colombia are taking steps to protect their food security. Not only are they educating their communities to eat what they grow on their vegetable gardens instead of buying expensive food brought from outside but they are also protesting new laws and regulations limiting their access to milk.

China: Disappearance of human rights activists

  30 March 2011

As the world’s attention is focusing on the Middle East and North Africa, crackdown on human rights activists in China is continuing unabated following online calls for ‘Jasmine Revolution’. C. Custer at ChinaGeeks documented a list of people who have disappeared last month, and Geng He, wife of missing lawyer...

Serbia: Gaddafi's Cyber Army Oppose Rebels and NATO

  30 March 2011

A Facebook page entitled "Support for Muammar al-Gaddafi from the people of Serbia" has become a show of support for the controversial Libyan leader, with over 62,500 members. Libyan opposition activists have also reported cyber attacks on opposition websites coming from Serbia. Sasa Milosevic reports on the online support for Muammar al-Gaddafi in Serbia.

Bolivia’s Conflicting Stance With the USA on Coca Chewing

  29 March 2011

The 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs ordered the elimination of chewing coca leaves within 25 years of the treaty going into effect. Bolivia has again resurfaced as a proponent to eliminate this UN ban. The US moved to block Bolivia’s request, further citing that an amendment to the article shows Bolivia’s lack of cooperation in the fight against the drug trade.

Honduras: Teacher Protests Continue

  29 March 2011

Hemispheric Brief reports: “Teacher protests continued in Honduras Monday, despite a threat from President Pepe Lobo that his government would begin suspending, without pay, those who did not return to their classrooms this week. […] The protests, triggered by six months of unpaid wages to Honduran teachers, are now entering...

Côte d'Ivoire: Where is Gbagbo's General, Philippe Magou?

  29 March 2011

Monday March 14, 2011, was a busy day in Côte d'Ivoire. After violence this past weekend in the Abobo district of southerly economic capital Abidjan, Ivorians in the city were woken up by Kalashnikovs and heavy artillery. For a few days now, the rumors in Abidjan have been growing as to Ivorian army General Philippe Mangou's responsibility in this crisis.

Iran: “I am Comodo hacker”

Iranian hacker claimed responsibility over an attack on Comodo, a Jersey City, N.J.-based company that issues digital SSL certificates used by websites to validate their identity to visitors. The hacker wrote “I have no relation to Iranian Cyber Army.”

Syria: Complexity Behind the Protests

Unrest in Syria enters its second week, as anti-government protests continue in their bid to oust President Bashar al-Assad. Whilst it may seem that the unrest in Syria is a natural progression of the Arab revolution spreading throughout the region, there are unique dynamics in Syria that distinguish it from other Arab states.

Taiwan: Anti-Nuclear Protesters’ Lonely Quest

  29 March 2011

A fourth nuclear power plant is currently under construction in Taiwan, in Gongliao town, just 40 km away from the capital Taipei. In 1988, eight years after the Taiwan Power Company first decided to build the plant, locals in Gongliao held the first meeting of what became their anti-nuclear organization. In...

Swaziland: Anger at revolution snub

  28 March 2011

The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) has criticized the reporting of the proposed ‘uprising’ against the government on 12 April 2011 by the Times of Swaziland: “In particular, it takes issue with comments attributed to Dr Judy Smith Hohn of the Institute for Security Studies, in South Africa.”

El Salvador: Online and Street Protests During Obama's Visit

  28 March 2011

Tim in Tim's El Salvador Blog reports that, “not everyone was happy to see Barack Obama on Salvadoran soil. Protesters in the streets of San Salvador and in cyberspace raised their voices against a variety of aspects of US policy impacting this tiny country in Central America.”

Puerto Rico: Documentary on the UPR

  28 March 2011

The art blog The Fractal [es] features Osvaldo Budet's documentary “More than 800 Reasons” on the student strike at the University of Puerto Rico. The title refers to the protest against the imposition of an $800 special tuition fee.