Stories about South Asia from August, 2009
Pakistan: Baitullah Mehsud's Spokesman Captured
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.
Bhutan: Boost For The Media
Tshering Tobgay, the leader of the opposition in Bhutanese parliament and a blogger, informs about two good news for the Bhutanese journalists: 1) The King has ordered to “strengthen media agencies so that they may carry out their duties, without fear or favour, in the interest of democracy” and 2)...
Sri Lanka: Images Of The Flood In An IDP Camp
Groundviews posts pictures of the flooding in Menik Camp and updates on the increasingly desperate situation for the IDPs.
India: Media And Shahrukh Khan's Detention
Did the Indian media overreact on the news of Bollywood Actor Shahrukh Khan's detention in the US? Harini Calamur at POV opines: “I wonder how much airtime was spent on this – and to the exclusion of what? [..] On the day Shahrukh Khan got detained for two hours [..]...
Sri Lanka: From The Blogosphere
London, Lanka and Drums posts a roundup of some latest updates from the Sri Lankan blogosphere.
Pakistan: Independence Day Celebrations
This year, Pakistani bloggers had launched their special campaigns to celebrate the 62nd Independence Day of Pakistan on the 14th of August. Using blog posts and Twitter messages they reflect their thoughts on this special day.
India: Shahrukh Khan Detained At An US Airport
Aaman Lamba at Desicritics reacts on the detention of the Bollywood celebrity Shahrukh Khan at Newark Airport by the US Immigration Dept.: “There is a natural query on whether this may have any relationship to traveling while brown, or while Muslim, for that matter. Were Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt...
Sri Lanka: Blogs Only Source Of Information From IDP Camps
Committee To Protect Bloggers quotes an Amnesty International report, which says that anonymous blog entries are the only source of information from IDP camps where: “attacks on journalists, relentless intimidation, and government-imposed restrictions on reporting threaten freedom of expression in Sri Lanka and jeopardize the safety and dignity of civilians...
Sri Lanka: Flood In IDP Camps
GroundViews informs that “torrential rains in Vavuniya throughout the day have severely affected IDPs interned in Menik Camp, particularly in Zone 3 and Zone 4.” See Vidura's Twitter messages http://twitter.com/apelankawe for updates from the ground.
India: Swine Flu Vs. Other Diseases
Nita at A wide angle view of India discusses whether Swine Flu is more dangerous than other types of influenza or seasonal flu or not.
India: Internet And Confidence
Arunn at Unruled Notebook tells why writing Science in the internet is a waste of time in India's context: “Indian public doesn’t have high confidence on the information they receive from the internet.”
Pakistan: What Is There To Celebrate?
Today is the 62nd Independence Day of Pakistan. Raza Rumi at Jahane Rumi posts his reflections on celebrating the day.
Bangladesh: Krishna Janmashtami Parade
Sadiq Alam at Inspirations and Creative Thoughts writes about the Janmashtami Parade in Dhaka, which is celebrated to mark the birthday of Lord Krishna: “(the) most striking feature of Janmashtami Parade is the custom of dressing up as Krishna, Radha and other characters from the life of Krishna.”
India: Swine Flu Scare
In India, the Swine flu deaths rose to twenty from ten in a matter of a couple of days. But panic is spreading more than the virus itself.
Sri Lanka: A Grieving Mother Blogs To Find Her Son
Rajeewa Mallawarachchi is a school teacher in Sri Lanka. A couple of months ago her estranged husband had abducted her six year old son violating a Court order issued regarding the custody of the child. The grieving mother resorts to Blog to disseminate news to find her son as the...
Nepal: Delays In Child Adoption Process
ABC blog discloses a letter from an adoptive parent expecting a baby from Nepal, which cites the unnecessary delay and corruption in getting the permission from the “Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare”.
India: Hit By Swine Flu
As the number of deaths from Swine Flu in India crossed 20, fear has crept in among the inhabitants of the Maharashtra state. The South Asia blog opines that: “if this kind of situation continues then many people would become afraid and it will hurt the Indian economy a lot.”
Bangladesh: Stigmatizing Homosexuals
Ashok Deb at LGBTI Bangladesh shares an email from a gay activist where he told how he was physically abused by his homophobic family members. He went to the police but they refused to file his complaint.
India: How To Close Conversations
Venkatesh Rao at Ribbonfarm.com writes about manipulative ways to close IM/chat and email conversations and the psychology behind these tricks.
Pakistan: A Step In The Right Direction
Last week Pakistan's National Assembly passed a bill to outlaw domestic violence, which aims to stem domestic violence by requiring speedy criminal trials and taking a number of measures to protect the women. Bloggers weigh in on this historical bill.
Sri Lanka: Peaceful Elections
Some are framing the results recent council elections in Northern Sri Lanka as as a victory for LTTE supporters or loss for the government. However, Indi.ca opines that: “Having elections at all is a victory against the Tigers. [..] As long as people are voting and not killing each other...