6 October 2012

Stories from 6 October 2012

Bangladesh: Ramu Attacks – A National Shame

  6 October 2012

Recently religious extremists attacked Bangladesh Buddhist temples and households on charges of the desecration of the Quran. People have protested against these attacks all over the country and Facebook, blogs and online media are filled with messages condemning the attack.

Preserving Southeast Asia's Peatlands

  6 October 2012

Peat swamp forests in Southeast Asia cover approximately 35 million hectares in the region. An inter-nation network was set-up to preserve the peatlands which play a ‘critical role in the...

How Indonesia Filters Internet Content

  6 October 2012

Suara Blogger Indonesia explains how the Indonesian government blocks internet content in the country through the help of local Internet Service Providers. Indonesia has one of the most active social...

Turkey: Kurds Respond on Social Networking Sites to AKP Congress

  6 October 2012

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan hailed Turkey as a rising democratic power at the Justice and Development Party (AKP)'s conference last week. But criticism was vibrant on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, accusing the Prime Minister of repressing Kurdish masses while advocating for the freedom of others, such as the Palestinians.

Turkey: Thousands Protest in Istanbul Against War on Syria

  6 October 2012

Turkey's military has attacked Syrian targets in response to the killing of five Turkish civilians by Syrian government forces. In Turkey, the slogan Savasa hayir, which means “no to war,” became top trending topic among Twitter users on Thursday morning. And since the cross-border military action mandate has been approved, social networks have been divided on the issue, creating a firestorm of opinions from activists, pundits and the like.

Tajikistan: Mixed Reactions Over Russian Base Deal

  6 October 2012

Russian President returns from a visit to Tajikistan with a deal that extends Moscow's lease on its military base in the Central Asian country for another three decades. Within Tajikistan, reactions to the arrangement differ from praising the authorities for a "win-win situation" to criticizing them for a "national humiliation".