Stories about Refugees from January, 2012
Myanmar (Burma): Betwixt and Between
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Burmese Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi this week addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, urging further support from the international community in Myanmar. Such engagement will be particularly important for refugees and internally displaced people.
Video: Online Media by and for Indigenous People
Intercontinental Cry has a list of 12 recommended films on indigenous issues, some made by indigenous people from Brazil, Australia, Panama, USA, Northern Kenya, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Sierra Leone: Say Grace Before Drowning
Black Looks writes about “Say Grace Before Drowning”, a film by Sierra Leonean/American Nikyatu Jusu: “The film tells the story about a woman’s struggle to overcome the insanity of war as she tries to adjust to a life in exile.”
North Korean Defectors and Their Shattered American Dream
Marmot's Hole blog wrote regarding a news report on the hardships North Korean defectors face in the United States. As of 2011, more than 400 North Korean defectors were living in the United States and there was a surge of defectors after 2004 when US passed the North Korean Human Rights...
North Korea Punishing People Who Did Not Mourn Enough for Kim Jong Il
A news report came out saying North Korean authorities have begun to punish citizens who did not display enough sadness at Kim Jong Il's funeral. Bloggers have already raised suspicions that the hysterical mourning may not be genuine. Net user kmarko posted sample photos of citizens who seem indifferent.
Libya: A Letter from a Woman in Benghazi
A Libyan woman from Benghazi is criticizing her countrymen for marrying non-Libyans after the revolution. She states that Libyan women are not getting rights equal to those granted to men in an open letter posted on Facebook. Mohamed ElGohary provides a translation from Arabic.
South Sudan: Humanitarian Crisis in the World's Newest Country
Less than a year since declaring its independence in July 2011 to become the world's newest country, South Sudan continues to face a humanitarian crisis especially in the wake of recent tribal clashes.
Africa: ICTs for Refugees and Displaced Persons
In Africa and elsewhere, ICTs have become an important tool at times of crisis with technologies such as SMS, VOIP, and mobile phones becoming especially invaluable for refugees and displaced persons.
Southeast Asia: The Great Floods of 2011
Storms battered the Southeast Asian region in 2011 which caused heavy flooding in many countries, displaced thousands of residents and workers, destroyed millions worth of agricultural crops, and killed more than 2,000 people. Global Voices was able to report the impact of some of these flood disasters in the past year.
Kuwait: The Stateless Find A Voice Online
Writing on openDemocracy, Bidoun activist and Global Voices author Mona Kareem, profiled here, says that social media is providing the stateless with a voice online.
Georgia: Return of the Meskhetian Turks
Over 100,000 Muslims were deported from the Meskheti region of Georgia by Joseph Stalin in 1944. Now, more than 60 years later, some are slowly starting to return as part of the country's obligations to the Council of Europe.
