Stories from 6 December 2007
India: Still 1992
a reader's words reminds us of the events of 6 Dec 1992, when a mosque was demolished by fundamentalists, and on how things haven't really changed.
Sri Lanka: Sign Language Dictionary
Found in Ceylon on “Sri Lanka’s first-ever conversational sign language dictionary, with more than 350 illustrated signs categorized by topic area..”
Sri Lanka: Cost of a humanitarian operation
groundviews on the civilian cost of a humanitarian operation by the Sri Lankan armed forces.
Bangladesh: A cyclone and its aftermath
Shawn, a Canadian in Bangladesh has accounts of the devastation caused by Cyclone Sidr.
Kazakhstan: Exxon Plays Its Game in Kashagan Controversy
Steve LeVine says that by being the lone holdout on a settlement in Kazakhstan's Kashagan oilfield, Exxon is continuing its own trend of going against the tide around the world.
Cambodia: Survey Results
According to a recent survey, Cambodians feel that the high price of gas is the biggest impediment in Cambodia's growth.
Indonesia: Things Indonesian
Indcoup looks at 10 seemingly Indonesian things/cultural artifacts/food etc. and traces their origins.
Indonesia: Air Safety
Martin looks at Indonesian air carrier's safety rankings.
Israel: Hanukkah, festival of light and cultural wars
Hanukkah an all-time favorite Jewish holiday, has interesting historical value dealing with issues relevant to Israeli culture and sense of identity. Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the ancient Israelites over the Greeks in a series of battles taking place around the year 165 BC. The battles were not about territory nor resources, but dealt with freedom; the right to practice religion and follow the Jewish faith. Gilad Lotan shows us how the struggle continues today.
Japan: Mutant Frog on Sasagawa
Adamu at Mutant Frog Travelogue writes about Ryoichi Sasakawa, the (now deceased) Japanese right-wing philanthropist and war profiteer once quoted as claiming to be “the world's wealthiest fascist”.
China: Citizen Reporter Interrogated by Police
Zoula was interrogated by police in his trip to Liaoning reporting on the ant farmer issue. He blogs the details of the police interrogation (zh).
Korea: Wetland and Politics
A wetland in Korea will disappear due to money and politics. Saemangeum (pronounced “say-man-gum”) is a 40,100 ha construction project on the west coast of South Korea. It is the world’s largest “reclamation,”… Vast bird-rich tidal-flats and sea-shallows are being replaced by land and a huge freshwater reservoir, both still...
Japan: What Was Big? 2007: East VS. West
Mari Kanazawa summarized the “What was Big in 2007″ ranking in terms of East VS. West framework done by a SMBC (a bank).
Kyrgyzstan: Opposition Activists Attacked
The Azamat Report says that impunity is the reason of blatant violant attacks on the activists from Atameken, SDPK, Asaba parties by unknown people ahead of the December 16 vote.
Kazakhstan: Reviewing Poverty
Marat posts a brief analytical overview of the level of poverty in the regions of Kazakhstan, and concludes that the worst potential social destabilizing factor is that there are lots of poor people in petro-regions.
Kyrgyzstan: Santa's new home
CXW reports on a Swedish consulting company’s conclusion that Santa Claus should move to Kyrgyzstan in order to be able to – mathematically and practically – visit all kids on Earth overnight.
Tajikistan: Labor migrants as a political tool
Vadim reports that Tajik labor migrants have become a serious leverage in the hands of Russia against Tajik government, while the “presence of Tajik migrant workers in Russia remains a sensitive issue for both sides”.
Afghanistan: Leaked map has got more no-go zones for aid missions
Carl Robichaud reacts on the recent article in The Times with the leaked information about new map for aid missions in Afghanistan. According to this UN map, almost half of Afghanistan is now too dangerous for aid workers to operate in.
Aghanistan: Taliban's Shallow Promise of Justice
Afghanistanica comments on the IWPR article, which is suggesting that some people are looking to the Taliban’s parallel justice system for help with their grievances. The blog insists that the Taliban’s promise of justice is shallow: while the current justice system in Afghanistan is indeed wretched, the Taliban justice system...
Kazakhstan: Do Kazakh Politics Coincide with OSCE Standards?
The main issue on the local blogosphere’s agenda are politics again – Kazakhstan with its controversial, more and more Soviet-alike political system and continuously poor human rights record, has won the top post in the Europe’s leading democracy promoting institution, OSCE. There are many speculations concerning the so-called “autocrats’ club...
China: Internet censorship on trial, day two
Is publicly notarized proof that your internet service provider has blocked your company website strong enough to seek damages? Just a week after National Legal System Propaganda Day, Shanghai-based IT blogger Du “Yetaai” Dongjin will have his second day in court where it is expected the defendant, China Telecom, will...
