· August, 2009

Stories about War & Conflict from August, 2009

Sri Lanka: Let The IDPs Go

  31 August 2009

Indrajit Samarajiva at Indi.ca visits a Sri Lankan IDP camp and shares his observations: “Everyone just wants to go home, or at least to stay with relatives. They don’t need charity anymore, they need the freedom to rebuild their lives with dignity.

Myanmar: Tension in the Sino-Burmese border

  31 August 2009

ESWN collects news reports on the military conflict between the Burmese government and the Kokang Ceasefire Group near the Sino-Burmese border. The situation has been getting worse in the past few days and thousands of Burmese refugees fled to China. Last Friday, a bomb fired across the border killed one...

East Timor: “Happy Day” of freedom vote

  30 August 2009

Timorese bloggers have celebrated the 10th anniversary of the popular referendum which led to the territory's formal independence. One commemorates the "happy day", another recalls his determination to drive out the Indonesian military occupiers, and yet another uses the day to question the current moment in Timor.

Japan: We will not forget Hiroshima and Nagasaki

  30 August 2009

64 years ago, on the 6th and the 9th of August, atomic bombs were dropped by the U.S. forces on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Over 200,000 people died and every year, ceremonies are held to commemorate those victims and to remind humanity of the horrors of war and of the use...

Sudan: Promoting peace in Sudan

  28 August 2009

Laura discusses peace efforts in Sudan: “In the three days since the Sudan Now initiative launched, we’ve seen a number of bloggers and journalists qualify their reports of activist frustration by noting that the Obama administration has indeed been active in trying to address the multiple crises in Sudan”

Japan: Marines and Okinawa

  28 August 2009

Peter Ennis at NBR Forum explains [en] the “role” of the U.S. Marines in Okinawa. “The US Marines are so heavily based on Okinawa for one reason:Budget. Japan picks up most of the bill. War plans for the Korean Peninsula virtually do not include the US Marines.” [via Tobias Harris,...

Sri Lanka: Video Evidence Of Extra-Judicial Killings Sparks Debate

  27 August 2009

Prathapa Madhav posts the controversial video clip which was first uploaded in YouTube by the Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) and was subsequently removed by YouTube for violating the terms of use. The gruesome video evidences the way extra-judicial killings were executed by the Sri Lanka’s army during...

Sri Lanka: Citizen Media Contest

  25 August 2009

Sri Lankan citizen journalism initiative Groundviews announced a new competition “aimed at encouraging more citizen journalism on two vital issues confronting polity and society in post-war Sri Lanka – the conditions facing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and growing reports of Police brutality”, informs ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) blog.

Azerbaijan: Eurovision scandal continues

  22 August 2009

Despite attempts by the authorities to downplay the incident, news that the names and addresses of 43 citizens who voted for the Armenian entry in this year's Eurovision Song Contest had been obtained by police in Azerbaijan continues to send out shock waves through the Internet.

Palestine: Gaza's Culture Of Resistance

The first feature film produced by Hamas had its premiere in Gaza on August 1, part of an attempt by the movement to win support through cultural initiatives, building a "culture of resistance". In the same week, a play about filmmaking opened in Gaza. Bloggers have attended both, and give us their opinions.

Mauritania: A New Era?

  20 August 2009

Following a coup d'état a year ago, the election of the coup's leader, General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, to the presidency, and the country's first-ever suicide bombing in early August, Mauritania continues to experience massive changes.

Azerbaijan: Nationalism

  19 August 2009

The Poor Mouth comments on the latest scandal surrounding Armenia and Azerbaijan in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. The blog says that the interrogation of at least one Azeri who voted for the Armenian entry reminds it why nationalism should be loathed.

Pakistan: Say No To Drone Attacks

  18 August 2009

Ziyad Faisal at Pak Tea House builds his logic against the US drone attacks on Pakistani civilians: “Isn’t it abundantly clear that US drone attacks are merely providing the Al-Qaeda militants and Taliban with a wonderful propaganda opportunity, to recruit yet more people using the destruction from US attacks as...

Pakistan: Baitullah Mehsud's Spokesman Captured

  18 August 2009

Kalsoom at CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan informs that Maulvi Umar, the spokesman of the Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud has been captured by Pakistan’s Frontier Corps and he acknowledged the death of Baitullah Mehsud.