Stories about South Asia from January, 2010
Sri Lanka: ‘Lanka E news’ Banned
Journalists For Democracy In Sri Lanka blog informs that “the office of the ‘Lanka e news’, a prominent news website operating from Sri Lanka, has been sealed off by the authorities. [..] Two days before the elections, another regular contributor to the website, Prageeth Eknalogoda, went missing.”
Pakistan: Depleting Water Resources
Owais Mughal at All Things Pakistan discusses about the depleting water resources of Pakistan and urges the decision makers to “invest in Pakistan’s Water Resources for the stability of the country and the region.”
India: Jaipur Literature Festival
Nilanjana at Akhond of Swat attended the Jaipur Literature Festival and wrote a series of articles on the festival.
Bangladesh: A Trial Ends After 34 Years – Closure At Last?
Bangladesh authorities executed five ex-army officers for their role in the 1975 assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - the country's independence leader and its first President. Bloggers share their reactions on the long awaited trial and the method of punishment.
Sri Lanka: Latest Updates On Twitter
“The short window for freedom of expression is now closed. It is unclear when and to what extent it will open again. #srilanka #lka” reads one Tweet by the Sri Lankan citizen media site Groundviews. Follow the Twitter account of Groundviews for more latest info.
Pakistan: In Search Of A Pakistani Identity
In a recent survey three quarters of Pakistani youth viewed themselves as Muslims first, Pakistani second. Raza Rumi talks about the identity crisis of the Pakistani younger generation, which deviates from the views of the founding father of the nation.
South Asia: The Dream Of Visa-less, Peaceful Coexistence
Pakistani blogger Raza Rumi attended the SAARC folklore festival held in Chandigarh, India and commented: “It will take years, perhaps decades, but the dream for a visa-less, peacefully coexistent countries of South Asia will be realized. We will wait, but not give up.”
India: I want my country back, says Munna
Environmental blogger Hemant Anant Jain aka Munna, writes a thought-provoking post on 26th January, the nation's 61st Republic Day, urging people to look beyond the commercial “growing market” tag and work towards restoring the rich environmental heritage of the amazing country that is India.
Sri Lanka: Presidential Election Results Online
Lanka Libertarian will start to update the district-wise results of today's Sri Lankan presidential election as soon as they are gradually published. The Sri Lankan election department website will update the official results.
India, Pakistan: Rivals Forever
Shakir Lakhani at Chowrangi blog asks “Will Pakistan and India always be rivals?”
Sri Lanka: Election Irregularities
Indrajit Samarajiva at Indi.ca comments that with the presence of election monitors and somewhat independent election commission, rigging elections in Sri Lanka is tough. However: “the main method of influencing elections is intimidation, and that’s what’s going on.” Read his reports on explosions in Jaffna and irregularities in Batticaloa.
Nepal: Renewed Focus On Indo-Nepal Relations
Following two high profile visits from New Delhi-Foreign Minister S.M Krishna and Army Chief Deepak Kapoor, the India Nepal relation is being discussed with renewed vigor in both Indian and Nepali blogs.
Sri Lanka: Political Reporter And Cartoonist Missing In Colombo
Journalists For Democracy In Sri Lanka blog informs that a political reporter and cartoonist is missing in Colombo on the eve of the presidential elections. Prageeth Ekneliyagoda has disappeared yesterday night (24th of January).
Bangladesh: 3rd Person Singular Number
Bangladeshi blogger Muhammad Shihab Jahir at Bioscop reviews Mostafa Sarwar Farooki's critically acclaimed Bangla film 3rd Person Singular Number.
Sri Lankan Presidential Election: Social Media In Election Reporting
In less than 24 hours Sri Lankan voters will start to vote to decide who will be their 6th president. In this roundup we will highlight the use of social media in election reporting and the use of online campaigns by the candidates.
India: The Dak Harkara
There was a time in Indian subcontinent when the Dak Harkaras (Post runners) ran 8-10 miles in each direction and back to carry letters and news. Maddy looks back at the golden age of the only type of postal service available in those days.
No IPL Transmission In Pakistan
Spring Of Autumn reports that the Cable Operators Association of Pakistan will not show any match of Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket because they felt that Pakistani players were deliberately excluded from the tournament.
Interview With Popular Indian Bloggers
Read Blogadda's interview with forty two popular Indian bloggers (Part 1, Part 2). Blogadda is the largest community of bloggers in India.
Sri Lanka: Tamils And Democracy
Lankanyyz at Musings from Toronto explains the reason for the claim that the Tamils in Sri Lanka don't have a voice: “the Tamil population don't have a strong political presence to represent them democratically.”
Democracy And Pakistan
“Is Pakistan ready for democracy?” asks Bilal Qureshi at Pak Tea House.
Bhutan, China: Of Cyber And Border Wars
With quiet diplomacy and tact the tiny Himalayan state Bhutan took on giant China over encroachment and border issues recently. The Bhutanese officials and netizens are usually cautious to protest these issues with China, the powerful neighbor, but some netizens are voicing their dissent anonymously or under pseudonyms.
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