Bangladesh’s government votes to allow garment workers to form trade unions without approval from their bosses. [The Guardian] Rios Montt is found guilty of genocide in Guatemala and sentenced to 80 years in prison. [Huffington Post] Over 5,000 refugees displaced by violence in Myanmar have been evacuated to higher ground in preparation for Cyclone Mahasen. [...]
Tag Archives: Burma
Signs of the NY Times: Myanmar hangs in the balance. Syrian refugees. African self-reliance. The end of Fayyadism.
Op-Ed contributor Aung Zaw, founding editor of the Irrawaddy Publishing Group, is warning his home country of Myanmar that a precious opportunity may soon be lost. The two-year old democracy is struggling for its acceptance in the greater community of nations, yet recent examples of religious and racial discrimination and violence, along with government in-fighting, [...]
Press Review: Burma Police allow violent riots against minorities & Executions on the rise in Taiwan
A video of riots in Burma shows police standing by as Buddhist rioters violently attack minority Muslims. [BBC] Human rights activists in Taiwan express horror at the government’s increasing use of the death penalty in recent months. [BBC] At least 185 people are dead after fighting between the Nigerian government and Islamist extremists in the [...]
Press Review: Deadly pollution in India & Burmese activists fight against copper mine
Burmese activists fighting to close a copper mine responsible for extreme pollution and social problems are furious over Aung San Suu Kyi’s show of support for the mining company. [The Guardian] Pollution caused by India’s coal-fired power plants is responsible for 120,000 deaths each year according to a new study by Greenpeace. [The Guardian] A [...]
Burma der zwei Geschwindigkeiten
Über die Flüchtlingstragödie um die muslimischen Rohingya hinaus gefährdet der Konflikt im Kachin-Staat im Norden Burmas den demokratischen Aufbruch des Landes. Nach einem 17 Jahre anhaltenden Waffenstillstand waren im Juni 2011 Kämpfe ausgebrochen, als Regierungstruppen eine Offensive gegen die Kachin gestartet hatten. Seit Jahresbeginn hat sich der Krieg weiter verschärft. Ulrich Delius, Asien-Referent der Gesellschaft für [...]
Mit jedem Flüchtlingsboot steigt der Druck auf Burmas Regierung
Vor 30 Jahren wurden die Rohingya in Burma entrechtet und gelten seitdem als Ausländer im eigenen Land. Schutzlos sind sie staatlicher Willkür und öffentlichen Anfeindungen ausgesetzt. Seit Juni 2012 gab es, auch von Seiten des burmesischen Militärs, blutige Übergriffe auf diese Minderheit. Wir haben mit Ulrich Delius, dem Afrika/Asien-Experten der Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker, über [...]
Press Review: Land grabs in Burma & Diplomacy hindering help for Syrian refugees
Western leaders encourage investment in Burma, while the Burmese government routinely seizes land from its citizens to sell to foreign investors. [Washington Post] Diplomacy by wealthy nations and inefficient methods of aid agencies are effectively stopping relief efforts to Syrian refugees. [The Economist] Big oil companies looking for oil in risky areas of the Arctic [...]
Press Review: Labor unions at Foxconn & Forcing Uganda’s gay population into exile
Contract manufacturer Foxconn will hold labor union elections for its Chinese factory employees. [CNN] Uganda’s gay population will be forced into exile if lawmakers pass a new law that would make homosexuality a capital offense. [The Guardian] The Burmese government and Kachin rebels start peace talks in China. [The Guardian] Questions arise about the ability [...]
Press Review: Health crisis in Fallujah & Violence in Burma escalates
A health crisis in Fallujah fails to get press coverage in the United States despite the high probability that it can be traced back to the US military. [The Guardian] While former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo awaits trial in the Hague, exiled members of his government are accused of illegally detaining and torturing hundreds [...]
Press Review: Flooding in Chad adds to food insecurity & UN compiles Syria war crimes list
Spikes in food prices could be lowered by 35% if the UK were to remove government biofuel mandates. [The Guardian] A report by Human Rights Watch that documents extrajudicial executions has been added to the UN’s list of war crimes in Syria. [BBC] After a severe drought that lead to food insecurity, flooding in Chad [...]
Farmers continue protests against Myanmar copper mine
In recently reformed Myanmar, hundreds of farmers are making use of their newly gained rights. For days, some 300-600 farmers have been protesting a Chinese co-owned copper mine in the northern Sagaing division. Just a year ago, before President Shein’s government decided to allow peaceful protests, public demonstrations were unthinkable in Myanmar. Farmers in four [...]
Press Review: Emergency air drops to South Sudan & Extreme flooding in Burma
For the first time since 2009, the World Food Programme is using emergency air drops—this time to combat a major crisis in South Sudan, where one-third of the children at its overcrowded refugee camps are malnourished. [NPR] Astonishing photographs show the destruction underway in China, where coal mines and power plants are threatening the northern [...]
