New bills being proposed by the UPA government smacks of attempts to clamp down on democratic processes and transparency that enables these processes. It attempts to sustain the conditions that breed corruption. For all of Dr. Manmohan Singh's 'clean' image, the government must be called on abetting corruption. 

While the Right to Information has been one of the strongest laws empowering democracy in India, it faces serious threats - especially from the government.

This is an urgent call to all democrats and responsible citizens to register their protest to the government of India for not having taken into consideration widespread demands since 2005 by independent legal experts, human rights defenders and secular activists for a much needed proper legislation on Communal Violence. Despite repeated efforts from civil society groups seeking specific changes in the proposed communal violence, the government has turned a deaf ear.

On one hand, Saudi Arabia rolls out the red carpet for the Indian PM. On the other hand it continues to patronise extremist militants in Pakistan. Is the Indian effort at better relationships with Saudi Arabia strategic or futile? Article by Tanveer Jafri.

Various civic society groups in India are opposing the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill - it places the liability of a nuclear accident on the tax-payers; private vendors who built it go free.

A new bill by the Indian Government attempts to scuttle RTI.

Shirish Khare believes that the current approach by Mumbai administrators with regards to shantytowns in the city could in fact result in increasing number of communities living in slum conditions.  Translated from the original article in Hindi.

After several years, a land mark judgment has come in favor of slum dwellers. A pro poor judgment has been delivered by the judiciary on the basis of existing legislation and policies, which were denied to them earlier in several cases. A note my Ramendra from Delhi Shramik Sangathan.

A resolution with specific demands for greater accountability and transparency in judicial processes and actions of judges was passed by the campaign at the 3rd convention held at Teen Murti Bhavan, New Delhi.

EU nations have decided to suspend Sri Lanka's preferential trade status because of the island's human rights record and will make the formal move later this month, officials said Friday. This is an AFP article listed here.

With the government on the verge of a decision allowing Monsanto's btBrinjal, farmer groups, environmental groups and numerous civil society groups around the country is warning of major environmental, health and livelihoods crisis.

Sri Lankan Muslim civil society groups, who were first displaced from northern regions almost 20 years ago by LTTE forces are concerned that the government has yet to recognize their rights to return and develop programs to help them return to their homes.

"With the availability of already trained local force and large number of sympathizers of Jihad, Pakistani Kashmir is a soft and easy zone for terrorist operations for Taliban" writes Zafar Iqbal.

Satish Shetty - an RTI activist who had been actively using the law to bring to light numerous cases of corruption had requested police protection since he had been receiving threats. He was murdered. Commodore Lokesh Batra writes that whistleblower protection must become part of the law.

Participate in the Public Consultation on Bt Brinjal to be held by Shri. Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests (i/c) on Saturday, 23rd January 2010, 10.30 am - 2.00 pm at Good Shepherd Auditorium, Prof. Ashirvatham Circle, Residency Road - Museum Road Junction, Opposite St.Joseph's PU College, Bangalore 560 025

If nothing else, the cap and trade strategy for climate change might at least give us our next bubble.

While few support groups continue to call for more democratic processes to prevail, the governments continue their offensive in Chattisgarh that have violated fundamental rights and derailed democratic processes. Within this context, perhaps a way out?

While reporting on the recent elections - a first - in the Gilgit Baltistan region of Pakistan (in an attempt to bring democratic processes to this region), Zafar Iqbal asks whether this is truly a dawn of a new democracy or a continuing of a flawed political process.

Tanveer Jafri expresses concerns about the rising regional sentiments.

Civic society groups in Mumbai organized a public tribunal to expose the conditions in which members of the tribes that had been categorized as 'criminal' continue to live. While the Government of India had 'denotified' the criminal status of these tribes, they continue to be stigmatized by communities as well as by government agencies.

Hussain Bux Mallah writes about the recent rulings by the democratically restored judiciary in Pakistan and wonders whether the rulings abet and strengthen the growing non-democratic forces.

Alban Toppo - a fresh lawyer from a tribal family - recently got the taste of law enforcing agents in the Indian democracy. For asking questions about rights. Is the police overstepping?

With the conclusion of the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change, with policy papers out, with accusation and recriminations about which delegates hijacked the conference or which ones messed it up, it is perhaps time to take a step back and provoke a broader discussion on climate change.

The current situation in Dantewada - the scene of Naxal and Salwa Judum driven violence - demands greater involvement of civic society groups. The direction of democratic India depends on how this crisis is resolved.

In a note acquired through RTI, the Indian Ambassador to US writes to the Principal Secretary in India about a list of companies that have paid bribes to the Indian bureaucracy.

Over 200 people rallied at Cubbon Park on Monday, 30th November 2009, to voice their outrage at the proposed plan by Karnataka Horticulture Minister Umesh Katti to restrict access to Cubbon Park and Lalbagh by imposing mandatory ID cards for anyone who wishes to enter in the mornings and evenings.

Let me share with you Prashant Rangnekar’s report in the Sunday Express (8th Nov) headlined: Goa bombers tried to leave Muslim imprint. Javed Naqwi writes.

Employing a highly illegal policy, the Government of Karnataka intends to restrict entry to Bangalore's heritage Cubbon Park and Lalbagh only to electronic ID wielding folks. ESG writes about the implications of such a policy and the undemocratic nature of the process.

A team of civic society leaders finds deteriorating democratic conditions in Manipur with increased state repression and human rights violations by state forces further alienating people of the state.

India has taken a regressive step of excluding metro projects from public discussion and Environment Impact Assessment. This further hinders transparent decision making compliant with public consultation. We need a bigger debate on this - a campaign led by numerous civic groups is asking for a discussion on this.

Zafar Iqbal writes about the implications of self-rule in Gilgit Baltistan. The enforcement of self rule regulations in Northern Areas and other current Pakistani measures are a visible sign that Kashmir and Kashmiri people are no more in Islamabad’s policies and priorities like the previous decades.

CBI's report (and its selective media leaks) about the Shopian rape cases have not only been viewed skeptically in Kashmir but has also strengthened feelings among residents that justice cannot be expected. Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal reports.

What necessitated Pakistan to give ‘greater political autonomy’ to Northern Areas, when such a move was urgently needed in Balochistan, where normal life is almost paralyzed after recent surge in violence and instability? Mazhar Iqbal writes.

Maharastra is the first state to recognize the right of tribals over the forests. The government recently accepted the claims of two villages in managing their forests. This article was published in Down To Earth.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the UPA's flagship anti-poverty scheme, has come to be wracked by corruption which sabotaged similar measures in the past.

New Age, Bangladesh, in an editorial, argues that despite demand for explanation by the high court, the government has not taken any action; thus it is upto Bangladeshi society to pressure the government to ensure that encounters come to an end.

New Age, Bangladesh, in an editorial, argues that despite demand for explanation by the high court, the government has not taken any action; thus it is upto Bangladeshi society to pressure the government to ensure that encounters come to an end.

Recently, Iranian authorities have shut down the office of the Association of Iranian Journalists (AoIJ) and arrested three more journalists, raising the number of imprisoned journalists to 37 which is the largest in the world. Zafar Iqbal describes the repressive media policies and its impact.

Bangladeshi police attacked a large rally protesting the government's decision to to award three blocks to two IOCs with a provision allowing them to export up to 80 per cent of gas. Over 50 people were injured.

Bangladesh will ask India for trade facilitation measures to reduce ballooning trade gap with New Delhi while foreign ministers of two countries will meet in the Indian capital on September 8, foreign ministry officials said. Raheed Ejaz's article in New Age on Dipu Moni - S. M. Krishna meet on September 8th.

Channel 4 News shows footage claimed to show Sri Lankan forces executing Tamils earlier this year. Jonathan Miller reports.

In an article published in Tehelka, Manshi Asher asks who really benefits from the Land Acquisition Act and the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act.

The Indian government’s recent decisionto go ahead with the plan of constructing a dam at Tipaimukh on the river Barak has touched off intense debates, both in Bangladesh and India, on its merit. Dr M Monirul Qader Mirza debunks the Indian government’s argument in favour of the Tipaimukh project in an essay serialised in three parts.

Tehelka magazine published a photo-essay showing an encounter.

Salam Dharejo writes about the state of thousands of Bugti people who have been displaced by state violence from their own homes, transformed from a vibrant community to 'refugees' in their own land. First published by Newsline in Pakistan.

The collapse of the coffer dam for the 330 MW Alaknanda Hydro Power Project does not come as a surprise to serious observers of Uttarakhand’s hydropower development programme.

In a historic judgment, the Delhi High Court amended section 377 of the IPC on 2^nd July, 2009. It decriminalised adult consensual sexual activity. Rushalini Rajkumar writes.

Without constructive policies for all, Sri Lankan peace will not last. Ali Ismail writes in the Asia Pacific Times.

It tooks four decades for justice to be done and implemented. Land usurped from Dalits was finally returned as a result of continued pressure leading to action by the administration.

Foreign Ministers of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in Phuket, Thailand. On the same day, ASEAN adopted the Terms of Reference (ToR) for a new ASEAN Intergovernmental
Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). There are concerns about this body and its role in human rights.  An ACHR Review.

Rahman’s case is one of the latest in a growing number of cases – 29, at last count – in which British intelligence services have been accused of colluding in the torture of British nationals and residents: Rangzieb Ahmed, Salahuddin Amin, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Rashid Rauf by the ISI, Binyam Mohamed in Morocco, Alam Ghafoor in Dubai, and Azhar Khan in Egypt. Rahman’s case provides the clearest indication so far, of torture outsourced, writes Rahnuma Ahmed

Sri Lankan government is now increasingly aware of armed Muslim groups and are concerned that these groups might replace LTTE. Forces are now being mobilized to end activities of these armed groups.

Tufail Ahmad writes that public opinion and increasingly, official statements in Pakistan, point to India's water policies on the Indus and its key tributaries as the reason for increasing water problems in Pakistan. Numerous writers and officials in Pakistan believe it could lead to war.

Bangladesh High Court responds to public interest litigations and asks the government to explain why 'crossfire killings' should not be illegal.

An expert committee appointed to advise on the planning and implementation of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project has termed it as a sophisticated land grab.

The shattered hopes of one and half million Kashmiris living in the earth-quake affected areas have again lifted by the heartening news of a recent agreement signed between China and Pakistan in order to reconstruct and rehabilitate three major cities of Pakistan controlled Kashmir.

Despite constitutional direction and rights of arestees, torture by security agencies in Bangladesh is a reality. With a private member bill at the Bangladesh Parliament to guarantee rights of those arrested, citizens are appealing for due process by security agencies. An ACHR report.

Describing the life and views of an editor, Zafar Iqbal explains how journalists cope with permanent fear and threats of security agencies and Taliban in war -crippled Pakistan. 

A report prepared by Asian Center for Human Rights lists at least 1184 people killed in police custody in India during an 8 year period  between April 2001 to Mar 2009 with police not following court guidelines.

While the monsoons are at the doorsteps of Mumbai, the residents of Netajinagar are out looking for another place to live. Shirish Khare writes on the heartless police action perpetrated by the state on slum dwellers.

The new UPA government is making another attempt to dilute this act. The implications of the amendments planned will be significant, taking away from the ability of people to monitor government processes as well as protecting corrupt practices by ministers and administrators.

This article by Kanak Mani Dixit discusses the follies and faults of the Nepali government, the brazen attempt by the Maoists to "capture the state" and the problems of the opposition.

M. C. Raj writes on the capacity and the need for dialectic democracy within formal communities and instruments of the state.

With alleged ongoing activity by Maoists groups and a major security thrust by State forces, reports tell of violence affecting people in Lalgarh.

In a recent presentation to Asians in New York, M. J. Akbar talked about the difficulty in relating Islam and the West - one a religion, the other a region. An article by Tufail Ahmad, first posted in Henry Jackson Society.

Villagers who escaped the Maoist-Salwa Judum conflict return to their homes after three years - and still face unjust conditions. By Javed Iqbal.

This article by Rahnuma Ahmed (which first appeared in the New Age) presents evidence the crisis in Pakistan may be driven by US interests beyond protecting Pakistan from Talibanization and the ending of terrorism. Is this conspiracy theory or are there bothersome truths?

K. S. Venkataraman writes that while the LTTE is not there now, there is much to be learned for peace to be established in Sri Lanka

Dr Rahul Pandey analyzes the Indian elections,looking at the forces at work that lead to the current coalition as well as the issues that await the next government.

Once again high drama ended with a whimper in Pakistan, our alter ego and bete noire. The Zardari-Nawaz Sharif duel camouflages yet another sordid deal between the US and  Pakistan's military top brass. The latter are on the way to brokering a deal between the new US regime and the Taliban, the "moderate" Taliban as Obama calls them to save his face. Dipanjan Rai Chaudhuri writes.

Thousands of Mumbaikars - including many who live in slums - registered their protest against Mumbai Metro Phase II, which threatens to be a land grab effort like Maytas project in Hyderabad.

Giving the example of Hind Motors, where the number of jobs have been halved in the last ten years and the sites of their factories look desolate, Prof Dipanjan Rai Chaudhuri posits that Singur would have been no different.

A District Magistrate's Court in Sri Lanka has found systemic lack of infrastructure in camps where internally displaced refugees are being kept resulting in starvation and death of people.

The fall of large swathes of territory in Pakistan’s lawless north-west to the marauding Taliban, who, through an agreement reached with the Pakistani authorities, are now forcibly imposing what they regard as shariah laws in the region, has added a new dimension to the convoluted politics of Pakistan, making that country’s problems even more intractable.

While welcoming the Government’s initiative to resettle Musali Division in Mannar District, we the undersigned civil society groups call upon the Government to take effective measures to ensure that all communities originating from the area, be they Tamils or Muslims should be resettled together so as to promote coexistence.

The UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, in a statement to the UN Security Council stated that more than 50,000 people stuck in the crisis zone in the Sri Lanka conflict are having to bear well beyond what is expected from humans, with dire situation of food, medicine and constant threat from LTTE and the Government forces.

While the Sri Lankan forces announce that they will stop using heavy artillery, Tamil civilians trapped in the combat area - over 100,000 people - face a bloodbath.

The history - in Bangladesh - of the military as a wielder of political power, as a usurper of political power is real and cannot be wished away. Rahnuma Ahmed writes.

According to an estimate, about 3.5 lakhs persons across 21 districts have been displaced and have lost their occupation since the SEZs came up. According to a study by the Indian Community Welfare Organization, 10 lakh persons were displaced due to SEZs in 2002, 25 per cent were from Dalit families. An article in Express Buzz.

Rights activists, civil society members and political alliance on Saturday demanded independent inquiry into the custodial deaths of the Bangladesh Rifles members.

In Chhatisgarh's Durg district, there is no shortage of farmers who have taken their lives - the district ranks second in the state on this count. But equally, there is no shortage of those who don't see these suicides. Shubhranshu Choudhary reports.

Shirish Khare writes that cities have become alike - unidentifiable from each other. Just like the houses that the 40 thieves found when the came to visit Ali Baba. And policies that draw up such uniform plans also unsettle the lives of millions in these cities.

The Durbar Hall photographs seem to have distracted public attention away from the deaths of several BDR soldiers. According to Amnesty International, there are credible reasons to think that four of these deaths were caused by torture. Surely, the timing of the release of these photographs, like the surfacing of many other events and innuendoes, is a mere coincidence? Rahnuma Ahmed wonders

How does the media in Chhattisgarh report the conflict between the Naxalites and the Salwa Judum, or the conflict between local communities and corporations? Quite simply, it doesn’t. The pressures on journalists in Chhattisgarh are unique. They are paid not to report stories that are critical of the powers-that-be, whether they are industrial lobbies or state authorities. Shubhranshu Choudhary writes. This was first published at InfoChangeIndia.

March 8, 2009: As the world is celebrating international women’s day 2009 on the theme “Women and men united to end violence against women and girls”, we the undersigned civil society organisations from Sri Lanka wish to highlight and express our deep concern at the increasing vulnerability of women, especially those living in the conflict affected areas to violence and brutality in the context of the ongoing conflict between the government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and increasing militarization and societal violence in Sri Lanka.

Rahnuma Ahmed reflects on the complicated story unfolding about the BDR rebellion in Bangladesh. Photos by DrikNews.

The struggle for independence in India was primarily about access to democratic spaces for all who are citizens of the country. That democratic space is embodied by 'of the people, by the people, for the people'. And yet, it is access to that very space that governments in India – both central and state – have continued to erode.

So far the US has blocked Bangladesh's attempts for increased market access there at the global trade forum and instead divided the least developed countries successfully gaining support from the African LDCs.

Articulating Ethics and Politics: A Leftist Engagement With The Present: By Qadri Ismail, who says that peace in Sri Lanka can only come with justice for the Tamils and the Muslims.

The Jamia Teachers' Solidarity group present a report based on citizen investigation, public hearings and published reports on the 'encounter' at Batla House in Delhi, pointing to the number of unresolved questions.

While the Lankan government has stopped access to all information, writers and journalists who fear for their lives weigh in on the ongoing crisis in Sri Lanka. From the globalpost.com

Tribal rights activists Dayamani Barla said that the land given to ArcellorMittal was tribal land used by communities for their living or livelihood since 1932.

With little real news from Sri Lanka about civilians in the region of war, the global community is trying to piece together bits and pieces. Those bits tell a story of horror for communities who have already been subjected to decades of violence. 

The idea of a South Asian Anti-Terror Force has been floated. There are questions about the feasibility of its implementation. Even more troubling are the concerns that such an idea raise.

The administration seems to harrass and oppress anyone who questions its actions or policies. The case of Shamim Modi is another example of such an attitude.

The Asian Center for Human Rights reports on the silence from Human Rights Council on Gaza and on Sri Lanka. Ironically, it was the Sri Lankan ambassador who highlighted the silence on Gaza.

Rahul Lahoti critiques the inadequacy of various indices used by government and international bodies, listing and enumerating the implications of the use of such indices on those who are poor as well as on policy making while also recommending a more holistic measure of poverty for the purposes of policy making.

A milestone was achieved recently in the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in Uttar Pradesh. The UP govt. approved payment of unemployment benefits of almost Rs. 15 Lakhs to 826 families in 20 villages of Mishrikh and Pisawa blocks of
Sitapur district.

A review of Bangladesh's report on its human rights situations does not reflect serious concerns. An ACHR report

PVCHR provides information about atrocious act of police committed in Dharkar locality of Hukulganj under jurisdiction of police station Cantt, Varanasi.

The situation for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable civilians trapped in the Vanni war zone is becoming increasingly dangerous. Both the government and the LTTE need to take urgent action to prevent large-scale civilian deaths. Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Lasantha Wickramatunga, a key journalist and editor of Sri Lanka's Sunday Leader who was at the fore front of holding all governments and parties accountable to transparency and democratic values in Sri Lanka was assasinated. This is a letter he wrote, anticipating his own assasination, and asked to be published afterwards.

Qadri Ismail's article, in an abridged version, first appeared in The Morning Leader. Even as the LTTE is pushed back by military forces, atrocities on the population increases.

Charging the Government of India with not keeping its solemn commitment to keep the River Bhagirathi alive in its pristine stretch from Gangotri to Uttarkashi, Dr. G.D. Agrawal has resumed his fast-unto-death from Makar Sankranti Day, Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009.

Residents lived in the shanty town for five generations, surviving by scavenging recyclable materials from a local dump and taking odd jobs. Now a court has decided to clear the area without giving them a hearing.

Leading up to the Commonwealth games, the government of Delhi has razed hundreds of homes.

While the western media has presented a one-sided view of Israel's offensive, ground realities suggest a completely destroyed society within Gaza. Rahnuma Ahmed's article first appeared in New Age.

On 4th January, 2009, representatives of different sectors of Unorganized sector workers from slums of Mumbai including domestic workers, construction workers, skilled labourers, boot polish workers, and others assembled for a Panel Discussion on the recently introduced Unorganized Sector Worker's Social Security Bill 2008.

Shahidul Alam's notes on the Bangladeshi election as well as his questions about the landslide victory for Awami League.

Sandeep Pandey writes about the ongoing hunger strike by women in Manipur demanding repeal of AFSPA.

On the eve of the 122nd formation day of the Congress party, the government coming to power in the names of the poor and the dalits-marginalized, demolished Bhimrao Bada an 80 years old (4 generations) a slum community.

On many levels, 'Jashn-e-Azadi," Sanjay Kak's 139-minute documentary on Kashmir, is likely to be a difficult film to sit through for Indian viewers, but that's all the more reason to watch it. Article by India-West reporter Ashwaque Swapan.

The Orissa government has begun a systematic campaign to brand dissenters of its policies as maoists and execute arbitrary arrests.

D. Bandyopadhyay revisits the bad policies surrounding the Singur Project and estimates the cost to the public for this communist misadventure. The author was the Secretary to the Government of India, Ministries of Finance (Revenue) and Rural Development, and the Executive Director, Asian Development Bank, Manila.

"Tragically, it does not seem that even a beginning will be made to get to the root of the problem of terror." An EPW editorial.

The campaign to save Chalakkudy River in Kerala and stop the proposal to build the Athirappilly Hydro Electric Plant has now passed 300 days. The proposed HEP and the dam will affect the biodiversity of the river valley as well as the lives and livelihoods of communities based on the River.

Arundhati Roy writes on the implications of the recent attacks in Mumbai and the policy choices that face us.

Dr Pugazhendi is a physician in Kalpakkam who has been working there for more than a dozen years. While treating people in villages around the nuclear facility, he has come to conclude that people are somehow affected by the processes inside the nuclear plant. After all, how else can he explain high incidence of cases among people in these communities with cancers, multiple myelomas, mutation in fingers, for example.  An Indian Express article.

Though leprosy is an old disease that is 100% curable by medicines, there are over 600 leprosy villages in southern provinces of China housing over 40,000 ex-leprosy patients. Japanese artist Kosuke Okahara presents "Leprosy in China" at the Chobi Mela.

Yogi Sikand describes LET and its motivation in bringing terror to Mumbai while also listing other groups with similar interests.

Dibyajyoti Ghosh writes that the struggles in Singur and Nandigram are not over. And that the country needs to evolve a more inclusive discussion on development, its impact and its gains.

The arrest of a serving army officer in connection with a terrorist attack targeting the Muslim community is a matter of deep concern. Col (retd.) Pavan Nair opines that the 'secularness' of the Indian Army may be under threat.

No longer can the Sangh Parivar and BJP ever disown its role in terrorism. The involvement of affiliated organizations in bomb blasts against citizens of its own country, with standing army officer involved in training these organizations on bomb making leaves the government with questions to be answered. This article by Kavita Krishnan was first published in countercurrents.org

A Bangladeshi government leaning to fundamentalism is planning on dismantling all public statues - or 'idols'. While symbolic, this also points to a dangerous direction in Bangladesh. Rahnuma Ahmed reports.

A note on the continuing struggle of bonded laourers, their release and rehabilitation continues and they have now begun to ask for justice. Yet much remains to be done. Note based on filings by GRDO, Hyderabad, Sindh.

An ACHR report presents why India must take a more active interest in the conflict in Sri Lanka, how it can pressure Sri Lanka to recognize human rights and the importance of multi-lateralism.

Dr Mubashir Hasan's article is based on his remarks on August 25, 2006, at a conference in Srinagar organized by the Institute of Social Sciences on "Indian Federalism at Work" talks about the power of bureaucracy in India and Pakistan.

The Orissa government arrested Abhay Sahoo, president of a local group opposting POSCO's attempts to take over land in Orissa. He was arrested while undergoing treatment in ahospital in Paradeep.

Sunil Kumar, editor of Daily Chattisgarh, Raipur, India talks about Salwa Judum, and the role of governmental and non-governmental organizations in Chattisgarh as tribals continue to be massacred.

Shahbaz Ahmed was arrested in connection with the blasts in Jaipur. A PUCH-PUHR team in Lucknow finds significant holes in police claims.

Sixteen-year- old Shahnaz knew nothing about the Right To Information (RTI) Act till a few months ago, but today she is grateful for the three-year-old law that helped her secure admission in a government school. An IANS article.

The near-deafening silence of Bangladeshi human rights organisations and activists on the national ID card issue, is remarkable. I wonder why? Are their campaigns waged aganist 'locals' only — the neighbourhood bully, the local rapist, the village acid-thrower? Do they shy away when human rights violations are caused by 'big' actors? Does speaking out against Big Brother's `war on terror' fall outside the prescribed terms of reference? Rahnuma Ahmed and Shahidul Alam

Based on information that he has received, Dr. Sandeep Pandey writes that an encounter has been planned by the UP police to show that they are no less effective.

Human Rights Watch letter to Bangladesh: Stop Denying Killings and Torture, Address Rights Abuses and Hold Security Forces to Account

A fact finding team of eminent academics and lawyers has found numerous flaws in the encounter theory that led to the death of a Delhi police personnel. Given the tradition of fake encounters by Indian police, it is necessary that an independent investigation review what really happened. 

Yogi Sikand presents numerous cases of extreme torture by the state and of harrassment of muslim men by police.

A report of rising military activity in Vanni, Vavuniya, Sri Lanka may be a pointer of things to come. It certainly has impacted life of communities already disturbed by decades of civil war.

After the rats, goats, sheep and cows, it is now the turn of Indians. In a few months from now, if the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) of India has its way, the first genetically modified food crop - Bt Brinjal - will be on your table.Devinder Sharma notes the impact of Bt Brinjal making its way into Indian homes.

Ajit Sahi, a journalist with the weekly Tehelka, recently created a storm with his investigation of cases of scores of innocent Muslims languishing in jails falsely accused by the police of being members of the outlawed Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and of being behind a string of bomb blasts and other terror acts across India.

Human rights groups calls for end to communal terror in Odisha. Citizen groups call on the President.

Local communities of fisherfolk, small and marginal farmers, dalit farm labourers and adivasis are opposing the set up of SEZs abd the development of the Coastal Industial Corridor in AP.

The story of policy redrafts in Bangladesh aimed to provide easy deals for foreign investors coming to mine. Tanim Ahmed writes for the NewAge.

The Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace passed a resolution opposing the nuclear deal pointing out that it would affect development of truly sustainable energy alternatives while affecting the local environment and the political milieu of South Asian

A first hand look at implementation of government plans by an IT expert spending a month on Rural Information Centers in UP.

Many Kashmiri Muslims vociferously insist that the demand for independence of Kashmir has nothing to do with religion. Yogi Sikand critiques that position.

The violence that is rapidly engulfing large parts of Jammu and Kashmir, set off by a controversial government decision to grant a tract of land to a temple trust in Kashmir, threatens to totally disrupt the already tenuous inter-communal relations in the region. Yogi Sikand writes.

The National Right to Employment Guarantee Scheme was planned to be a support for rural poor. It aims to provide a minimum of 100 days employment to an individual from each family in districts where the program has been implemented. The reality shows that it is far from true. This note is sent by Nandlal Master based on the work of Lok Samiti

172 days of 'Walk Your Talk' campaign begun by Bhopalis affected by Union Carbide's accident (and the continuing mess within the plant site) on February 20th, 2008 finally yielded results with Ram Vilas Paswan, Minister of Chemicals, Fertilizers and Steel making a statement that action would be taken.

In reality, the Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh left the people of Baghmara in a double-bind: they wanted relief from the Sarbahara reign of terror, but eventually found that they had unwittingly sanctioned the creation of another monster whose tactics were the same, though convened under a different banner, writes Mahtab Haider in an article published in New Age

A cleric's dubious arrest over the Ahmedabad blasts is just the tip. A three-month investigation by Ajit Sahi exposes the random targeting of Muslims by the police. An article in Tehelka.

The Andhra Pradesh government has forcibly acquired land allotted to landless Dalits for an SEZ, reports Mansi Asher. The article was first published in Tehelka.

India has again requested for transit access through Bangladesh that will allow easier access to the Seven Sister states from the rest of India. Bangladesh can potentially gain economically from such a deal - political realities however present barriers. Tanim Ahmed, New Age - July 24, 2008.

When examining any issue in Northeast India, it’s impossible to divorce it from the hegemonic presence of Indian state as well as the numerous resulting conflicts representing aspirations of a nationalist and sub-nationalist nature. Sriram Ananthanarayanan writes.

Medha Patkar anguishes about the horse trading and denigration of democracy we see leading to the vote on the nuclear deal and argues that it is time to truly bring back democracy of representation.

Does India need another biotech regulatory body? If so, how should it be structured? Why can the current body - Genetic Engineering Approval Committee - not set its house in order and address health and environmental concerns? Krishan Bir Chaudhary writes.

Many legal experts in Bangladesh are opposed to the anti-terror ordinance fearing that it will be used vindictively and victimize innocent people. Ashutosh Sarkar writes in the Daily Star.

Central Chronicle reports that steelmakers POSCO and Mittal - having signed MoUs with Govt of Orissa - are having a tough time finding the required land.

People in Chattisgarh continue to bear the brunt of violence by the state

Adivasi communities in Maharashtra on dharna to protest displacement. A note from Pratibha Shinde.

Activists opposed to construction of Posco steel plant in Orissa's Jagatsinghpur district Thursday claimed to have found a cache of arms in a school building, and alleged the weapons were kept by the steel plant supporters to attack them. An IANS report.

Last month the Salwa Judum completed three years in Chhattisgarh. An article by Shubhranshu Choudhary - from rediff.

I received an email from Jayne Bigelsen of the New York City Bar Association announcing that Aitzaz Ahsan, a prominent leader of the Pakistani lawyers who have played a significant role in ensuring the life of democratic institutions in the recent past, was to speak at the NYCBA.

The Indian Government is denying basic human rights to the children of Bhopal, the survivors of the world’s worst industrial disaster and among the worst of corporate crimes.

A major power struggle occurred in the military quarters recently. A silent coup d'état is in progress in Bangladesh. The article first published in countercurrents.

Reporters Without Borders is outraged by the murder of Paranirupasingam Devakumar, a television reporter of Tamil origin, who was hacked to death yesterday evening as he was returning to his home a few kilometres outside the northern city of Jaffna. A friend who was with him was also killed in the attack.

The recent demand of the Gujjars to be classified as SC from OBC raises dynamics of economic opportunities versus caste hierarchies. S. Mohammaed Irshad, a research scholar in economics writes.

The Union government by delaying the announcement of minimum support prices (MSPs) for Kharif (summer) crops has done great injustice to millions of farmers in the country. Monsoon rains have arrived in time and the farmers have begun sowing operations. A note from Bharat Krishak Samaj.

A ten day fast has commenced to protest against draconian laws and demand release of Dr. Binayar Sen, Ajay TG and others. More than 60 organizations from more than 25 states of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UK, USA, and other nations have endorsed the campaign. Some of these organizations are listed below:

Human Rights Organization Masum under attack for coordinating "People's Tribunal on Torture" - a report from Sanhati

A silent demonstration is planned on Tuesday to express solidarity with Kumar Ketkar and with journalists of Ahmedabad Times.

The popular Indian tourist city Jaipur was hit with a series of bomb blasts on Tuesday resulting in over 80 people dead. Outside of the troubled regions of Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East, this is the tenth terror bombing in India targeting civilians since 2005. A note by Kashif-ul-Huda.

Bangladeshi government considers labor changes to access ADB loans. The government may retrench more than 550 workers at the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation to get access to the lending by the Asian Development Bank, said sources in the industries ministry.

As Prof. Agrawal takes on his fast-unto-death to protest the destruction of River Ganga by badly thought out projects undertaken by the central and state governments, we present a vignette of the man and his mission.

The recent events of bonded workers in Sindh present the unwillingness of Pakistani administration to recognize the plight of slave labor and provide justice to them.

The Orissa government’s agreement with Vedanta Alumina to allow mining of bauxite deposits in the Niyamgiri hills, the home of the Dongaria Kondha tribe, is an example of how corporate interests backed by state support are trampling on tribal livelihoods and threatening an ecologically rich and important region. A report by Geetanjoy Sahu published by CISED.

Manas Ghosh writes in the Doinik Statesman, revisiting the massacre of 8 in Shuchpur by CPI(M) cadre and the continued intervention by the CPI(M) led government that has continued to subvert and slow down the process of justice, despite orders from the courts.

A book by Sanjay Upadhya provides a perspective of Nepal-India relationship. A review by Umesh Verma.

The politics of votebanks and reservations rears its ugly head in the Gujjar demand for reservations - it will have implications across India. An ACHR report.

Bharatiya Krishak Samaj has concluded that the modified farm loan waiver package does not address the needs of small and marginalized farmers, especially in dry land areas.

Rape and abduction of women in the east go unnoticed. ........Just before Batti MC election over 20 women were raped by STF in Akkaraipattu. Below incident happened on day of the PC election.  Election monitoring bodies have not considered these as election related violence leave alone any other action by the civil society groups.  By JamilaNajimuddin

When I packed my sleeping bag that early morning before sunrise for this long journey, I placed a white (khatak) scarf at the alter of His Holiness and said I have decided, whatever happens, I will make my way through.

“We have broken the backbone of the inhabitants of Nandigram. There will be no further resistance there”: Lakshman Seth, CPI(M) member of parliament, to the Chief Minister of West Bengal  as reported in Doinik Satesman, Kolkata, of 27 April 2008

In the context of current discussions on the rights of Tibetans and the role of the Chinese State, Dipanjan Rai Chaudhuri presents a brief history of Tibet

The lawyers begin their protest movement against emergency laws and the Supreme Court judgment on the issue of bail

Yogi Sikand explores the subtext of the sloganeering in Kashmir.

A coalition of Indian organizations is calling citizens and groups to join in protest against The Land Acquisition (Amendment) Act, 2007 and The Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill, 2007 which will affect the rights of those displaced by adhoc non-democratic government processes.

Mansi Asher discusses the laws and rights of access to forests that the Government of Orissa ignores and continues to violate in attempting to 'clear the land of people' in setting up POSCO. The article was first published in infochange.

POSCO not driven by philanthropy but shrewd planning to compensate displaced farmers. Authors believe that an economic scam in the making

The government of Bangladesh and Tata have agreed to restart talks over the Indian conglomerate's stalled US$3 billion, power, steel and fertilizer investment proposal. A Daily Star Report

Though much has been written about the POSCO deal with the Government of Orissa (GOO), this article attempts to provide a holistic analysis of the deal. While the GOO ostensibly fights opposition to this project from human rights activists and environmentalists, is there a gargantuan economic scam playing out? Parts of this published in Seoul Times

Recently, the chief adviser, in the light of accusations of poor food distribution, said shortages occur even in countries which have elected governments. Of course they do. That is not the point. The new system of corruption is individualistic, sector-oriented, and technocrat-elitist. It is not tied to constituencies and vote banks which have a nationwide spread, albeit with party lines of exclusion and inclusion. It does not encompass. Its reach is limited. Most are left out, writes Rahnuma Ahmed*.

Civil society groups have stepped forward to end the quagmire in Manipur, wrest the initiative for future policies from armed actors (belonging to the State and other groups) by increase democratic participation as well as creation of awareness of the situation across India. An invitation.

Angered by government support for the POSCO steel plant, hundreds of protestors stormed police barricades in Orissa’s Dhinkia. An eye-witness account by MANSHI ASHER. First published in Tehelka.

The Dstrict Magistrate of Varanasi, Bina Kumari Mina, has initiated an investigation into the role of the Coke Bottling Plant in Mehdiganj on the drop in local water levels and high incidence of toxic chemicals around the plant site.

While the UPA government in India declared an end to the Prevention of Terrorism Act(POTA), it has used draconian amendments of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (ULAPA) to crack down on dissent within civic society, arresting judges, social activitists and political dissenters.

Why did students write on blank answer- scripts "Save BESU from becoming a Nandigram"? Students complain that CPM cadre and goons are targetting students inside the campus to join the student wing of CPM, or else.

Human rights is the last resort of the hopeless. Its liberal advocates don’t see it that way. They find it heroic, the foundation of a new international order that will, when established universally, guarantee secure lives for everyone, everywhere – from Tibet to Timbuktu. But would the subaltern, the oppressed – the target of human rights – necessarily agree?

To understand the efficacy of various social welfare policies, Arundhati Dhuru analyzes how these policies affect the lives of one of the most socially, politically and economically marginalized communities in UP - the musahars.

An editorial in Bangladesh's New Age questions the country's national security plan, the process of formulation, the lack of democracy and accountability and the influence of military institution and foreign agencies.

interview with Radio Gwank Balochistan - Advocate Shaker Bibi Baloch - Chairman of Baloch Women Panel - has demanded to Pakistani Government and the whole world community, that coming election in Balochistanon should be held on the basis of " right of self-determination".... as to enable Balochs to decide their own future destiny.

The proposal for a chemical hub at Nandigram, in West Midnapur district was aborted due to an unprecedented  revolt encompassing  most sectors of Civil Society.  The West Bengal Government has now zeroed in on Nayachar, an island that emerged from the sea in the nineteen thirties in the offshore region of the Bay as an alternative. First Published in The Statesman, Feb 12th, 08

Asian Center for Human Rights analyzes the land acquisition and rehabilitation laws and its impact on communities in India.

Maharashtra Legislative Assemble passes bill on people's participation through formation of Area Sabhas

It was a medieval idea that pain had to be inflicted on the body for truth to pour out. The purpose of modern torture is different. To instil fear. To crush political dissent. To wreak havoc and destroy lives. Often performed out of sheer habit. To assert supremacy. To possess nations. To build empires anew, writes Rahnuma Ahmed, NewAge, February 18, 2008. www.newagebd.com

The human rights situation in the country has degraded to critical levels during the last year. The Asian Legal Resource Center has therefore focussed here on the gravest ongoing problems, which include: the collapse of the rule of law, torture and killings by the police, forced disappearances, the Constitutional crisis and the compromised Attorney General’s position.

The prolonged State of Emergency is resulting in widespread violations of human rights

Though much has been written about the POSCO deal with the Government of Orissa (GOO), this article attempts to provide a holistic analysis of the deal. While the GOO ostensibly fights opposition to this project from human rights activists and environmentalists, is there a gargantuan economic scam playing out? Parts of this published in Seoul Times

Asian Center for Human Rights points to irregularities in the process of arrest and justice for Sheikh Hasina.

The Asian Center for Human Rights reports on the impact of governance by the army in Pakistan.

About 20 persons, including 11 schoolchildren, have been reported killed and a similar number wounded by the blast of a claymore mine on Tuesday as they travelled in a school bus on Mannar’s Madhu Road in the LTTE-controlled area on their way to school.

The 39-page report, "The Torture of Tasneem Khalil: How the Bangladesh Military Abuses Its Power Under the State of Emergency," graphically details Khalil's 22-hour ordeal in May 2007 in Bangladesh's clandestine detention and torture system – a setup  well known to the government, ordinary Bangladeshis, Dhaka's donors, and diplomatic community

Irshad Mohammaed writes that perhapsneo-liberalism is a good way to distract from the impact of communal policies - and vice versa.

Sherry Rehman, an official of Benazir Bhutto's PPP reviews Bhutto's book - "Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West"

The people of Pakistan generally perceive the military to be the ruler of Pakistan. The perception is only partially true. Nonetheless, this perception damages the image of the armed forces. An article by Dr. Mubashir Hasan (Dawn, Jan 15).

The increased use of force in suppression of demands by locals in Jagatshighpur, Orissa with respect to concerns about the setting up of POSCO is concerning to many citizens of India.

On 23 January 2008, India's Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh reviewed the implementation of recommendations made by the Roundtable Conference on Jammu and Kashmir. A relief package for Kashmiri Pandits [1] has been proposed and is expected to be implemented. Asian Center for Human Rights on the state of internally displaced people in India.

This is an abridged version of a lecture delivered by Arundhati Roy in Istanbul on January 18, 2008, to commemorate the first anniversary of the assassination of Hrant Dink, editor of the Turkish-Armenian paper, Agos.

The military-controlled interim government's recent move to curb the democratic rights of indigenous communities, as reported in New Age on Saturday, comes as yet another distressing sign of the heavy handed and chauvinistic attitude that this government espouses in relation to rights of ethnic minorities. From the editorial in New Age.

The smile would warm the cockles of your heart. Especially if you were a CIA agent. This was exactly what was wanted. Happy obedient leaders. Democracy simply got in the way. Karzai, Musharraf, Fakhruddin. The new alliance. One new poodle.

The state machinery of Andhra Pradesh is using all avenues to put down opposition of local farming communities and acquire land for the proposed SEZ in Kakinada.

Bhutan conducted its first successful elections after 100 years of democracy. But a sixth of the population - that lives in refugee camps in Nepal - was debarred. To read the Hindi translation, click here.

A year  of military rule in Bangladesh and the hypocrisy of western democracies are part of what Moneeza Hossain discusses. This article from Bangladesh WatchDog.

President Musharraf should step down before the 8 January polls. But since that seems unlikely, Pakistan’s citizens and the international community must force him to make the elections free and fair. Prof. A.H. Nayyar and Prof Zia Mian's article was first published in the Himal Magazine.

First published in The Independent, Tariq Ali - Pakistan born writer and commentator - says "It (Pakistan) deserves better than this grotesque feudal charade".

Pressure has been mounting against the detention of Dr Binayak Sen in Chattisgarh with swelling number of people demanding unconditional and immediate release of Sen.

Shahidul Alam writes about the assasination of Benazir Bhutto and the political trajectory of Pakistan.

The National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy of 2007 notified on 31 October 2007 fails to address the key issues relating to the booming of conflicts: forcible acquisition of lands. An Asian Center for Human Rights Report.

Both Congress and the BJP invoked Gandhi during election campaigns in Gujarat. What did it realy mean? Tridip Suhrud writes in the Indian Express

Tasneem Khalil translates a report from Bangladeshi newspaper  Amader Shomoy that is perhaps a mouthpiece of the military, pointing out that Religiously following the blueprint by his Pakistani mentor, the Bangladeshi army chief, General Moeen U Ahmed, also plans to edit the country's constitution in order to establish total military control over the parliament and the government.

As a result of an initiative instituted by women’s groups, women’s organizations and individuals, an eleven member women’s team of concerned citizens from Kolkata comprising teachers, social activists, researchers and students visited Nandigram, on November 24, 2007.

Continued awareness efforts and Right to Information Camps in Kanpur have helped increase citizen awareness of government roles and have helped increase accountability of government officials.

I have been to Gujarat for the third time this year for my studies and work. Every time I have returned with a new experience. New dimensions get added to my database which I have gathered by reading and talking to others. Nasiruddin Haider Khan writes.

Both former Prime Ministers Nawaz Shariff and Benazir Bhutto have been trying to cobble up a pro-democracy alliance and win the ensuing January 2008 elections. But the true voices of democracy – the embattled judges, lawyers, journalists and human rights activists – have been sidelined. On 30 November 2007, Bhutto unveiled the Pakistan Peoples Party’s elections manifesto. She has nothing to offer in terms of governance except replacing the General. An Asian Center for Human Rights note.

An overview of Tibetan Alternative - a newsmagazine launched to discuss various questions of Tibetan Independence. We present some articles

Sandeep Dasverma writes why the current mining deals with POSCO, Tata, Jindal et al do not even make any economic sense and presents an alternative strategy.

This article by Dr. Sandeep Pandey was published in two parts in The Statesman, India, on 2 and 3 December 2007.

Chengara speaks to India through the Chengara Pledge (given below), which thousands of people, in struggle for the last 120 days in Chengara Harrison Malayalam Estate, (also called as Laha Estate) seeking ownership of cultivable land to all 5,000 struggling families. Land struggle in Chengara, Pathnamtitta district, Kerala by landless Dalits and Adviasis (as well as scores of families from OBC communities, Muslims etc) from all parts of Kerala, started on 4 August 2007.

Reports coming from Orissa tell us of police and goons of the state government attacking a non-violent demostration against POSCO takeover with bombs and further intimidation of the demosntrators.

With the caretaker government in Bangladesh making new rules for voter registration, there is fear among the paharis in the Chittagong Hill Tracts that they will be left without voting rights. A review from Bangla Word Press.

The government has initiated the process of formulating the second version of the lender-driven poverty reduction strategy paper to be effective from fiscal year 2008-09 on expiry of the current development document at the end of the current fiscal.

As CPI(M) would have liked, a petition (perhaps initiated by Prof Vijay Prashad) has signatories such as Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Walden Bello and Tariq Ali asking Bengal and India to not make an issue of the atrocities of the CPI(M) government in Bengal so that the left unity is not broken. Prof. Dipanjan Raichaudhuri and Kunal Chattopadhyay respond as also a broad community of other Indians identifying with the left.

When Bangladeshi newspaper New Age was planning on publishing certain photographs, they were gently 'reminded' by the government that they should not be doing that.

Citizen's groups have been apalled by Brinda Karat's call for more violence against political adversaries. Other groups have called for expression of support for people of Nandigram from civic society across India.

Farooq Tariq. general secretary of the Labour Party Pakistan has been in hiding since the emergency began. On the 14th day of his hiding, he attended a meeting when Ms Bhutto met with other leaders of civil society. A report from Farooq Tariq.

In an article that first appeared in counterpunch, B. R. Gowani writes a letter to Bhutto asking questions about her credentials to lead Pakistan to democracy.

The alleged gang rape committed by the Greyhounds personnel on eleven tribal women of Vakapalli village on 20^th August, 2007 has drawn  nationwide attention due to the relentless struggle for justice to the rape victims by various  women’s’, people’s,and rights’ organisations of Vishakhapatnam and Adivasi Aikya Porata Samithi (comprising of political parties and tribal organizations) of Paderu agency area.

"Why I think leasing out any mines at this time without linking it to ad valerom, International Market price is a give away, a loot and a scam rolled into one?" - Sandeep Dasverma, who once worked as an engineer in Orissa, writes on the scam with POSCO.

Indian lawyers, advocates and judges are endorsing support for Pakistani lawyers in their fight against the power grab by General Musharraf.

Non-violence was challenged by violence when CPM supporters unleashed an unprecedented human massacre to repress the voices of people who are asserting their rights over their lands and villages.

The former Pakistani captain and now political leader, Imran Khan, goes on the offensive against General Musharraf's obvious attempt to hang on to power and urging Pakistanis to demand democracy for themselves.

Following imposition of emergency of Pakistan, members of various civic society groups and political opponents have been arrested. In many cases, no charges have been filed. Groups around the world have expressed solidarity with community groups opposing the emergency.

With martial law in Pakistan, there have been widespread arrests and civil society institutions have been either marginalized or suspended - all in the name of strengthening a future democratic Pakistan. Geo News Headlines provide a snapshot.

Sri Lanka has imposed a ban on reporting of troop deployments and proposed military operations and arms procurement as a new chapter in a long running civil war deepens. Reprinted from a Reuters report.

The army chief, General Moeen U Ahmed, has made several important statements while talking to reporters at the Bangladesh High Commission in London on Tuesday. A Bangladeshi democracy watchgroup analyzes the implications.

Gujarat Pogrom of 2002: Five years on The Truth Uncovered by an undercover media investigation. The Tehelka Files - an extensive review.

Haider Nizamani's article on the carnage in Karachi during Bhutto's political carnival, our learnings and its implications, was first published in The Dawn. This site reproduces the text.

Md Habibur Rehman, convener of a Kolkata based organization on minority rights believes that there is enough legal reason for the Supreme Court to prevent Modi from running for elections. (He also thinks that ironically, the Gujarat Congress is unwilling to go down that path.)

Along with local organizations, Asha Ashram co-organized RTI Camps in Kanpur in UP and Tamulpur, Baksa, in Assam.

Despite a plethora of condemnation, adverse criticism and serious concern expressed by international human rights bodies against human rights violations in the military occupied Tamil habitats, the report for the month of September 2007 compared to the month before, presents a very grim picture of the various types of violations all of which have a cumulative impact on a people already affected by two decades of civil war.

Revisiting the protests against Sonia Gandhi outside the UN, Sandip Dasverma writes: A question often bothers my mind: Are we are becoming a shallow and mean people? Or we are just allowing such people to represent us by default?

Haider K. Nizamani writes about the deal that allows Benazir Bhutto to return to Pakistan. While it is called National Reconciliation Ordinance, it is neither national nor is their any openness that allows for transparent reconciliation - it is another effort by the ruling elite in Pakistan to arrange things for their own benefit.

Various groups in Burma are asking neighbours - especially China, India and Thailand - to stop business as usual with the military regime in Burma.

Reports from Bangladesh tell about Bangladeshi Army and Bangladeshi Telecom employees identifying and searching internet users, setting up ''traffic scanners' to identify broadband users, forcing ISPs to reveal passwords, and misbehaving with users.

About fifteen thousand tribal people have participated in Surat rally demanding for the implementation of ‘Forest Act, 2006’ recently enacted by Indian parliament and simultaneously opposing their eviction by Gujarat government from their land, which is in possession since long.

With the 4th day of the People's Tribunal on World Bank coming to an end, officials of the World Bank decided to stay away saying that they were not accountable to this forum.

This week Buddhist monks and nuns in Burma began marching and chanting prayers to call for democracy. The protests spread and hundreds of thousands of Burmese people joined in -- they've been brutally attacked by the Burmese military regime, but still the protests are spreading.

Civil Liberty groups in Hyderabad have evidence that Hyderabad police has been picking up Muslim youth and torturing them and intimidating them while asking question unrelated to the bomb blasts.

Governments oft-repeated mantra for ensuring food security and well being of the farmers has turned out to be a lip service – only to gain political mileage. It's real intention is clear – to benefit big corporate houses and multinational corporations at the expense of farmers.

Sherry Rehman, Pakistani Member of National Assembly questions the general's strategies and reports increasing chaos in Pakistan.

A young man married a young woman in Kolkata. He happened to be middle class Muslim; she a very rich Hindu. Days later they intimidated by senior officers of the Kolkata police on multiple occasions. And then, days after he wrote to the human rights commission claiming intimidation, he was found dead - the Kolkata police claiming a suicide.

While the Bangladeshi dictatorship has lifted its ban on televised talk shows, it has set up guidelines within which the television media must operate. Bangladeshis oppose these guidelines and demand that the government respect the independence of the media. This article first appeared in the New Age.

Communities in Surat District have reported a new round of organized violence against minorities. A committee that visited the sites of violence ask whether this is connected with upcoming elections.

The Independent Peoples Tribunal on the World Bank Group in India got underway at New Delhi today at a packed auditorium at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

More than 250 forest officials and local police along with talluka magistrate (Mamledar) armed with weapons entered into the cultivated forest land in Ummarpada talluka of district Surat, on 5^th September and destroyed about 200 acres out of three thousand acres of standing crops belonging to Adivasis.

Rights activists across the world today kicked off a five-day demonstration in support of the movement in Manipur for the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers Act) and hunger striker Irom Sharmila - The Telegraph reported.

On 6 September 2007, Home Minister of Nepal and senior leader of the Nepali Congress, Krishna Prasad Situala publicly confirmed the Nepali Congress' decision to support the Maoists' principle demand to declare Nepal as a Republic. This article by Asian Center for Human Rights

During last one month, hundreds of poor Adivasis in Rayagada,Koraput and Kalahandi districts of Orissa have died due to “consumption of contaminated water and rotten food” and “ hunger and severe food insecurity ”.

Amna Mirza reviews the book Indian Judiciary and Politics - a Changing Landscape. Edited by B. D. Dua, M. P. Singh and Rekha Saxena, the book presents the attempt by the judiciary to address the incompetencies of the legislative and executive and the reaction by the executive and the legislative bracnhes of the Indian state.

26 August 2007 will mark the first anniversary of the memorable mass  resistance waged collectively by all people, - young and old, men and women, Bangalees and aboriginals against the infamous Phulbari Coal Project characterized by fraudulence and rule-bashing designed to plunder natural resources under people's ownership, simultaneously causing devastation of human life and environment.

Amna Mirza, a guest lecturer at the Department of Political Science at Zakir Hussain College in Delhi University writes about the contradictions that beleaguer India's future.

Lok Sangharsh Morcha organized a state convention of tribal communities of Gujarat at Ahmedabad. The convention pledged that the struggle for land and democratic rights in Gujarat will continue

Prof. Dipanjan Rai Chaudhuri writes that nuclear energy is not a long term feasible energy source for India and argues that the Indo-US Nuclear deal is perpetuating this hoax. Prof. Rai Chaudhuri (now retired) is the former head of physics department at Presidency College, Kolkatta and has been active in civil rights movements in West Bengal for over two decades.

A multi-million dollar project to build a huge statue of Buddha and develop Kasya (the site where the Buddha spent his last days) as a tourist site threatens to displace 700 families from 600 acres of cultivable land.

It has been a year of violence in Sri Lanka after the failed peace efforts. Here are some stories of people affected by the violence - not stories of the government or the factions of LTTE.

India continues to support the military junta in Burma with hopes of business contracts and resolution of border issues - none of these have materialized. An ACHR report.

Shahidul Alam writes about the oppression by the dictatorial military government that has taken power in Bangladesh.

The findings of a survey conducted in 100 villages of Orissa’s 6 districts have revealed that out of Rs 733 crore spent under NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) in Orissa during 2006-7, more than Rs 500 crore has been siphoned and misappropriated by the government officials of implementing agencies.

It is now almost five months since Irom Sharmila returned to Imphal on 5th March 2007, to continue her hunger fast against the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The situation continues to be grim - both for Sharmila as well for all those suffering under the prolonged implication of AFSPA.

Video footage seems to implicate UP police in a fake encounter and extra-judicial killing of a petty criminal. Other similar cases and pleas from these cases suggest that fake encounters by UP police, with involvement of senior officers, may be more prevalent. Article by Shahira Naim from Lucknow.

On the 60th Anniversary of Pakistan's Independence, Prof Zia Mian writes on the aspirations of Pakistan and its future.

A bridge collapses in Minneapolis. A dam collapses in Rajasthan. How two democracies react gives us an insight to these democracies.

The National Alliance of People’s Movements, a network of over two hundred people’s movements in India working for social and economic justice, believes that the India-US nuclear deal has grave consequences for India’s national security and sovereignty, for India’s relations with its neighbours, for India’s economy, for the health of its people and for the state of its environment.

During these recent months, reports suggest that the state and the military in Sri Lanka is actively engineering opinions and demographics through blatant oppression.

Noted Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jahangir Monday urged India and other democracies to support the lawyers' movement for the restoration of democracy in the neighbouring country.

Local communities are opposing a set of hydel projects planned in Sikkim that threatens homes, livelihoods and the local economies. Not surprisingly, though, the government continues without taking into account people's concerns. We are requesting readers to to ask the government to change its re-evaluate its processes.

The CID (Crime) on 17th July filed a chargesheet in the metropolitan court against 13 police officials accused in the fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Shaikh and disappearance of his wife Kausar Bi.

Dipanjan Rai Chaudhuri critiques Prof Sen's interview to The Telegraph arguing that his trickle down theories have been proved unfeasible time and and again and his suggestions that people should leave farming and move to industries (like in the west) by pointing out that there are few jobs in the industrial sector. He finally wonders whether Prof Sen is finding ways to defend the CPI(M) in Bengal!

In the more than one year of its existence, the commission found 96 cases where PIO had illegally denied information. Despite pompous pronouncements of Rs 25,000 penalties against errant PIOs, not one errant PIO has been fined till date. A Hindustan Times article.

Seventeen farmers and activists from twenty four villages in Raigad District of Maharashtra have gone on indefinite fast since 19 July 2007. This is a symbolic non-violent struggle against the unabated land acquisition by the Reliance group for their 10,000-hectare-plus Maha-Mumbai SEZ (special economic zone).

The government of Maharashtra plans to redevelop Dharavi, the so called largest slum of Asia, spread across more than 500 acres of land. Simpreet Singh analyzes the impact of these plans on the local economy worth Rs 4000 crores annually, on the local communities and asks who might gain.

The storming of Islamabad's Lal Masjid mosqueis over. Prof Pervez Hoodbhoy asks why this came to pass and whether the government and the larger society has learnt it lesson or will more such incidences follow.

Dr Anand Kumar writes in the South Asia Analysis Group about the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Bangladesh and the marginalization of minority groups.

Besides tens of thousands of Army Men working in government-owned airline and other government-owned industries here's list of Army Officers in Civilian Govt. Departments and Government owned industries and civilian institutions of Pakistan including Universities. Pakistan should be called "Army Inc."

One of the basic causes of over-fishing in the fishing grounds of Pakistan is the open access policy with no clear cutting fishing rights to the indeginous fisherfolk communities. As a result millions of non-fisher communities and businessmen have jumped in the sector.

In 2001, Dow Chemical bought Union Carbide for $9.3 billion, despite this, Dow has refused to accept moral responsibility or be held accountable for the Bhopal gas tragedy.

Security forces handed over four bodies to staff at Kanthale Hospital claiming these were LTTE cadre killed in an ambush on June 28^th. However, it seems that the facts were quite different.

Ayesha Siddiqa’s book “Military Incorporated: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy” is not only a brave work that provides a first in depth look at the monopolization of sectors of Pakistani economy by the military but also presents us with much learning regarding scenarios in South Asia and the impact of eroding civic society participation.

Students of JNU have been involved in protests against the violation of minimum wages of workers on the campus. Some of the leading activists of that movement including three of the JNU Students' Union office bearers are currently facing a crackdown by the JNU Administration.

The National Right to Employment Guarantee Act is close to completing its first year. While numerous government and other policy groups will probably be analyzing the successes and failures of the Act and how it could be rolled out to other states, another discussion is also necessary – what is the role and the impact of such government run programs in empowering citizens in a democracy.

A coalition of Tamils and Muslims in eastern Srilankan district of Ampara is organizing to highlight government policies meant to redefine gerographies and demographics of that region. This would be a dangerous precedence in the Sri Lankan conflict and would impact these minority communities ability to socially and politically organize, even their economic existence.

A vast amount of literature has been generated on the Chernobyl accident in April 1986. What lessons can we draw from the causes and sequences of the accident, the health and environmental consequences and what implications does the accident have for nuclear reactor safety and the future of atomic energy? This article by Dr. M. V. Ramana was first published in the EPW.

With the ongoing chaos in Pakistan, another dimension has been the role of the MQM. In his blog, iFaqeer presents some perspectives of this role and its context within Pakistan and specifically, Karachi.

S Mohammed Irshad writes from Kerala describing the erosion of credibility of the state judiciary owing to a series of questionable and what seem like unjust verdicts.

Three citizens of New Delhi plan to present a Public Interest Litigation demanding that the government act to proactively increase transparency and engender a greater environment of participative democracy by changing nomenclature of public functioning.

A Hindustan Times report suggests that the Sri Lankan government is trying to set up SEZs in certain areas where civil war has thrown out thousands of Tamils. Opportunistic efficiency at its best?

Ayesha Siddiqa's new book on the Military Inc in Pakistan presents details of how Pakistan's military has built up a huge commercial empire. The Hindu editorializes why this will only make it more difficult to dislodge the military from power.

A passport held by former Tibetan minister marked by the government of Tibet and recognized by 7 countries is proof of Tibet's nationhood. It is on display at the ongoing conference on Free Tibet.

240 projects were undertaken under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, in Simdega District, Bano Block in Jharkhand. An indication of the progress under this scheme: 205 projects are on hold. An AID India Report.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan is being tested again as it reviews the legality of a fresh round of measures by the Pakistani General/President aimed at restricting the media, and limiting criticism of the dictatorship that is facing immense opposition following the suspension of the Chief Justice. A report by the Asian Center for Human Rights.

Rohtas Singh from Haryana dared to question the high-handedness of police officials. He was later arrested, beaten up and jailed. He was found dead in the lock up. Asian Center for Human Rights presents evidence of torture. Police claims suicide. The complete report can be read at the ACHR Website

Are these desperate times for Musharraf? What is behind the promulgation of the draconian new PEMRA ordinance attempting to gag the media? Will the crisis that began in Islamabad on March 9, and that reached a tragic crescendo in Karachi on May 12, find a resolution in London, where Imran Khan is bringing charges of terrorism against MQM chief Altaf Hussain? How do expat Pakistanis in the US respond to these events? The Pak|Cast team brings the passion of the Pakistani diaspora and the diversity of its views to the table, carrying forward a conversation begun in email by Beena Sarwar, Nasir Aziz, Danial Noorani and others.
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Various civic society and human rights groups write to Sri Lankan President Rajapakse to stop government orders forcing all Tamils in Colombo lodges to leave Colombo, on the pretext that they had 'no valid reason' to stay.

On Sunday June 3rd, 2007, Pakistani Americans and their friends will hold a rally for the democracy and justice in Pakistan. The rally is planned outside the White House.

The US-India Agricultural Knowledge Initiative agreement on agriculture will cast a demonising spell over the country and is bound to cause large scale plunder of the agro-rural society and definitely tend to capitalize on our living, life pattern, culture and social norms.

Shahidul Alam presents the poets call for freedom in his blog - and the caricature of that poetry by the current Bangladeshi administration.

Dr. Binayak Sen was produced today in the court of the Additional CJM at Raipur along with the co-accused, Mr. Pyush Guha. Dr. Sen was sent on judicial remand to Raipur Central Jail until 5^th June, 2007.

The human rights situation in Sri Lanka deteriorated dramatically. Unlawful killings, recruitment of child soldiers, abductions, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations and war crimes increased.

LTTE is making preparations for a large-scale attack on Sri Lankan military detachments, according to several informed sources in the Vanni.

Even twenty years after the sordid Hashimpura massacre in Uttar Pradesh, in which Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel allegedly gunned down over 40 people on 22 May 1987 (all muslim), justice remains still out of sight.

Two key organizations representing the fishermen community have condemned the appointment of a retired army officer as general manager of Fishermen Cooperative Society (FCS) and termed it illegal and in violation of bylaws of the society.

Peace Mumbai - a peace initiative from India sent representatives to Sri Lanka in October 2006. This report presents their findings.

Prof Hoodbhoy hold Musharraf responsible for the carnage in Karachi - and while protestors were being killed, the General was presenting a show of strength. Is he a President of the people of Pakistan?

Asad Faizi updates the judicial crisis; Nasir Aziz, Ethan Casey and Asad Faizi respond to questions from master's candidate Naveed Malik at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, on the role of the media in Pakistan and particularly the "what-if" of how the current situation might have played out differently; Professor Saadia Toor of the City University of New York raises questions about NGOs and the World Bank that are pertinent in Pakistan and worldwide.
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On the eve on the election results in UP, Indian Express journalist Tarannum Manjul spoke with Arundhati Dhuru (Supreme Court Appointed Adviser on Right to Food) on hunger in the state.

The Rural Development Department of the Andhra Pradesh Government is conducting Social Audit of the Andhra Pradesh Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme being implemented under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act which came into force from February 2, 2006.

"India has developed an installed capacity of 5,340 MW from wind power just over the last decade compared to 3580 MW from nuclear power developed over the last five decades." Dr Sandeep Pandey writes about the ironies of nuclear power after a visit to Koodankulam.

A team from the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and the International Movement Against Racism and Discrimination visited the Trincomalee District from April 23 to 27 2007 to assess the humanitarian and human rights situation. Their report is attached.

All of us, who are concerned about the poor, need to analyse why more than a year after the beginning of the NREGA, people have not received more than 15 days wages on an average. Vidhya Das - Advisor, Supreme Court Commission on Right to Food - further adds: we need to collectively question the government which brings out reports of utilisation of more than Rs.7.3crores, and prides itself on being the  first state in NREGA implementation.

The shining image of the Tatas is being increasingly questioned. The latest report of the International Campaign for Justice for Bhopal provides frightening details of the corporate crimes committed by one of India’s biggest business houses.

In the last week, three senior police officers in Gujarat have been arrested for the death of one man in a fake encounter. Media analysts suspect that officials higher up were probably also involved.

Following a blueprint of their Pakistani counterparts, the Bangladeshi military is forcing political leaders into exile. On the other hand, the US government, while claiming goals of democracy in Iran, Iraq, etc, stays quite vis-a-vis Bangladesh.

National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights argue that inspite of decades of planning and sizeable financial allocation since independence, very little of these programs reach Dalit communities.

Six civilians died and 33 got injured on the 23^rd April 2007 attack on a public bus going from Mannar to Colombo. Eight injured persons are in critical condition. This is the third such attack on a passenger bus within this month and the second attack that targeted Mannar public transport service.

In Orissa and in Madhya Pradesh, state forces are being used to perpetrate violence against communities opposing government policies. Is this becoming a norm? Its time to call and ask the governments what they are thinking!

The Bangladeshi military (Interim) Government seems to be following Musharraf's path - sending the leaders of political parties into exile.

The West needs to engage with the growth of Indian Muslims, says Tufail Ahmed, a British journalist of Indian origin and an Associate of the American Enterprise Institute, Washington DC.

Former Canadian Secretary of State and MP Hon David Kilgour in Mumbai to present an investiagtive report on China's seamy side on human rights.

Disappearances and extra judicial killings have become routine in Sri Lanka. Over the last twelve months more than 1000 civilians, mostly Tamils, have disappeared. Most of these enforced disappearances are extortion related abductions and now it has become a part of Sri Lanka’s war industry. Activists fear that the actual numbers of abductions are higher than reported since many have negotiated on their own and got themselves released after paying handsome ransoms.

As a blogger, you don't often to write to a specific audience and to the tight requirements of an editor. But when the current crisis (or are there now two, no, three of them?) in Pakistan started about the Chief Justice being dismissed, I had done a post about the situation. Here is a blog from iFaqeer.

Numerous human rights organizations have expressed concern at the deployment of force against farmers and tribal communities facing displacement in Orissa. A report by Amnesty International follows. Please petition the Orissa Chief Minister to respect human rights.

Some Bangladeshi observers are drawing similarity between Pakistan politics and Bangladeshi affairs where Pakistan's two mainstream leaders, Bhutto and Sharif, were forced to stay overseas  - to enable the military government make a "new beginning" in the country's bodypolitik post 9/11.

Following the judicial crisin in Pakistan, Pak|Cast convened a roundtable of Seattle-based Pakistanis, representing a range of views as diverse as Pakistani society itself. The roundtable participants were Terry Minhas, Sam Chughtai, and Shahab Ahmed. Terry Minhas called the current crisis a turning point in Pakistani history and the beginning of the end of President Musharraf's rule; Sam Chughtai asserted his hope that Musharraf will remain in power another 10 years.
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Madhulika writes about a protest in rural Rajasthan against corruption by government agencies and contractors implementing the Prime Ministers Village Road Program and the National Right to Employment Guarantee Act where rural workers are not being paid minimum wages and numerous clauses are being flouted. A follow up to earlier events.

Amnesty has launched a campaign to address the human rights abuses related to the conflict in Sri Lanka in order to get international human rights monitors on the ground. The campaign will focus the Cricket World Cup in the West India which ends on April

Workers, farmers, fisherfolk, women, representatives of tribal and dalit communities and displaced people came to Delhi in mid March to hold the "People's Parliament" and to present to the members of the Indian Parliament their concerns and grievances. They were beaten up by police while policy makers ignored them. Now they present their note vis-a-vis the direction that India should take.

Asian Center for Human Rights wonders why the suspension of the right to habeas corpus, the arrest of about 100,000 persons and killing of dozens of innocent persons and suspects in Bangladesh has not received wider international focus and condemnation. <

Narmada water project leaves drought-prone areas thirsty while water is diverted to industries in Kutch. Ironically, the express purpose of the Sardar Sarover Project was to get water to people in Kutch. This is an Indian Express article.

Peasant and Workers gathered in Hyderabad to demand pro-people policies from their government

Mumbai’s Urdu Times Daily report alleges police conspiracy to trap Muslims through planting weapons

The folks who are cheering over the Indo-U.S. accord on civil nuclear cooperation live a world away from Jadugoda, the Jharkhand village where India’s uranium mine is situated,writes Sunita Dubey. This article was published in Siliconeer Magazine

Democracy is about the ability to expressing dissenting opinions. Yet, the government of the largest democracy, yet again, beats up non-violent dissenters seeking to present their opinions to the planning commission. Ask the government to respect democratic processes.

Nasir Aziz, Ethan Casey and Asad Faizi discuss a challenge in the Supreme Court to MMA MNAs' educational qualifications, the US military's attempts to recruit Muslim soldiers, President Musharraf's annoyance at US claims that Pakistan is doing too little about a Taliban resurgence, and flak Jimmy Carter is catching for using the word "apartheid" in his new book about Palestine. In a new "Readings" feature, Ethan Casey recommends a forthrightly critical article critiquing US smugness by the venerable American political columnist William Pfaff.
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A growing community is opposing the government's plans to build another nuclear plant. With the government continuing with its plans, without acknowledging local concerns, things seem to be moving to a head.

"Nandigram did not surprise me. I was anguished and angry but not surprised. I had heard the story of Alipurduar from Jugal Kishore Raybir." This article by Yogendra Yadav first appeared in the Indian Express.

The protracted armed conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has drastically escalated since the beginning of 2006. An estimated 4,000 people have since been killed and over 275,000 internally displaced in that period. This is in addition to more than 500,000 uprooted earlier in the conflict and by the tsunami of December 2004.

A discussion by Nausherwan Lahori, Khalid R Hasan and Haroon Rashid, as well as an extended comment from Islamabad-based law lecturer Ghazala Minallah, whose father, Safdar Shah, went into exile after refusing to vote with the Supreme Court majority that sentenced Z.A. Bhutto to hang. "Today I am reminded of that black period in our judicial history," she says. "Once again our Constitution has been abused and so has our judiciary, and we as a nation are at a cross-roads just as our judiciary is.". For more Pakcast discussions, click here.
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World Sindhi Institute in Washington DC is organizing a discussion forum on Lahore Resoution Day (March 23rd) to talk about oppression by the Pakistani State.

The report of the All Party Representative Committee on constitutional reform and the establishment of the commission of inquiry to investigate human rights violations offer a glimmer of hope in Sri Lanka. Ahilan Kadirgamar reports.

As more and more communities wake up to their traditional rights and human rights — both of which are being threatened by modern development projects — the world witnesses a rise in the number of democratic resistances. Governments will ignore these resistances and demands at their own peril.

Madhulika writes about a protest in rural Rajasthan against corruption by government agencies and contractors implementing the Prime Ministers Village Road Program and the National Right to Employment Guarantee Act where rural workers are not being paid minimum wages and numerous clauses are being flouted.

A list of people injured, killed, abducted or murdered in Mannar, Sri Lanka, as a result of the ongoing conflict, in the last year.

Dr Jayaprakash Narayan, national coordinator of Loksatta, reviews the Union Budget of India, 2007.

In an article in Outlook India, Sandeep Pandey writes: The country's deeply-flawed development plans can be rejected by the poor

In an earlier article we had described the deceitful ways of the government in hoodwinking people in Koodankulam about the proposed Nuclear plant. As more deceit unfolds, the people of the area have started a rights based people's campaign.

When the BPO call centers are buzzing with businesses in Gurgoan and Banglore, one new call center is humbly set out to create a revolution -- in a place which will probably come last to your mind in IT hotlist -- Patna.

Keith Snodgrass of the University of Washington's Jackson School of International Studies joins Nasir Aziz, Ethan Casey and Asad Faizi to discuss a possible new five-year term for President Musharraf and other issues facing Pakistan in 2007. For more Pakcast discussions, click here.
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Much is being made in India of the letter written by the UPA chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi to Shri Manmohan Singh regarding the major news of Walmart entering India in partnership with Indian industrialists without a footprint in retail.

When World Bank loans earmarked for local labor and livelihoods are being siphoned off by corrupt bureaucrats and contractors, for example with the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, the people of Chittoragarh have decided that perhaps Gandhigiri may be the way to address their concerns.

In the last three days, nine more farmers have committed suicide in Vidarbha. This brings the number of suicides in six districts of Vidarbha to 1000 – after the visit by the PM and an announcement of a special package of Rs 3750 Crores on July 1^st, 2006.

Asian Human Rights Center presented a note from Balochistan about hundreds of political and human rights activists who are missing. While this note is dated (Nov 2006), it is still relevant since many of these activists are still missing and such actions by the government have become the norm even while it continues to talk about peace and human rights with international agencies.

In the first week of October 2006, the enquiry committee constituted by Commissioners of Supreme Court to investigate the Hunger and Malnutrition deaths, while their visit to the villages of Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh found four children in Ranipur village – Bansi, Sonu, Sukhlal and Kiran – as severely malnourished.

Members of the Environment Impact Assessment Task Force, charged with making changes to EIA by the Planning Commission resigned over the unwillingness by the task force to hold public hearings. These members have now presented a public document for discussion.

Rehman Faiz, Lahore based president of Amnesty International Pakistan, writes about the direction of Pakistani policies with respect to minorities and human rights. This article was published in Countercurrents.

Local communities have decried the role of Sri Lankan Security forces in the cold blooded murder of Rev.Nallathamby Gnanaseelan, Pastor of Tamil Mission Church Jaffna. One among numerous killings in NE Sri Lanka every day, it seems to be a ploy to terrorize the community.

While it makes only a small dent, the Women's Protection Bill (WPB) casts the first stone at undoing  the many  draconian laws invented by Ziaul Haq. It took 27 long years, five governments and seven years for the incumbents to even begin the undoing process. Clearly in the business of law, demolition is far more cumbersome  than construction. 

On 10^th January, activists including Medha Patkar, were arrested in the most undemocratic fashion and, were detained at the Salt Lake Stadium of Kolkata as they were about to leave the place where she was staying and proceed towards Singur.

The Pakcast crew of Nasir Aziz and Ethan Casey join Human rights advocate Therese Caouette, who has worked with refugees in Thailand and Pakistan, for a lively discussion of refugee issues, including their impact on host societies. Ambreen Ali contributes a podlumn on Domestic Violence in South Asian Communities. For more Pakcast discussions, click here.
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According to the Naxal Conflict in 2006 released to the media by Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR), 749 persons were killed in the Naxalite conflict in India in 2006. On the other hand, the government strategy of Salwa Judum, in fact, makes resolution of the conflict more difficult.  The full report is available at the ACHR Website

What is it like to be a modern-day Indian prince? Devinder Sharma and Bhaskar Goswami explain how the laws of the land are being redefined to bring in the reality of the royal tag for the rich and beautiful. This article was published on ZNet.

Through many real stories, M. R. Narayan Swamy, with Indo-Asian News Service, provides a glimpse of the war that ravages Sri Lanka.

Are India’s economic policies taking the country further from what was envisioned by the constitution? The SEZ Act 2005 certainly suggests this.

The 2nd January 2007 marked the first anniversary of the Kalinganagar massacre in Orissa. Kalinganagar is one of the clearest examples of brutal abuse of power by the State agencies. After one year, justice, compensation and a sound policy on rehabilitation elude the displaced in Orissa as it does in The Displaced India. The  Asian Center for Human Rights remembers.

With an increasing trend in hate crimes against Muslims in the US, representatives of the community and government officials met to discuss these trends and define Islamophobia. An Article by Muqtedar Khan follows.

A report released by a committee of Singur-based organisations investigating the Singur unrest in West Bengal over a land deal between the government and Tata Motors has revealed that the government's claim of most of the land being waste was utterly false.

Coming to the run up to the elections - and the ensuing violence and chaos, a letter from Bangladesh demands better governance and public accountability of its politicians.

Various civil society activists and academics organized a discussion of the ‘Armed Forces Special Power’s Act’ at Jantar Mantar on December 23^rd, 2006. Meanwhile, Shramila Irome, who has been on hunger strike against this Act was shifted to the ICU of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on 20^th December.

Social audits being conducted around the country are playing an important role in creating awareness about government programs and rights that people have, highlighting corruption and inefficiencies in the bureaucracy and holding the bureaucracy accountable.

Mariana Baabar writes in The Outlook: "Rescripting history is Musharraf's homage to 'secular' Jinnah"

Police fired on protesters rallying against the setting up of the Karcham Wangtu hydro electric project in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. We are requesting your expression of solidarity with the Karcham Wangtu Sangharsh Samiti and the Himalayan Policy Campaign Committee, demanding justice from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

On his blog, Sandip Dasverma points out that the Orissa government has set up an MoU that sells Orissa's Iron Ore at 0.57 cents/tonne while world market prices are $44/tonne for fines and $76/tonne for pellets and increasing. Is the Orissa government merely incompetent or is there more than meets the eye?

Members of the Indigeneous People's Center for Policy and Human Rights in the North East write about violations of public hearing and other democratic processes and state violence against peaceful opposition of the Tipaimukh Project on the Barak River.

Medha Patkar writes about Singur, about the half lies and cover-up of the Left government, about CPI(M) cadre intimidating villagers, all to help develop people of Bengal.

Sagar Shabnam writes for the Women's Features Service finds that uterus cancer has affected many in Bangladesh and that grassroots level awareness may be the most effective way of saving lives.

Police fired on protesters rallying against the setting up of the Karcham Wangtu hydro electric project in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. Same action, another location.

On 15 November 2006, while visiting the trouble torn areas of Amravati city of Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Mr.R.R. Patil informed that the Maharashtra State Government was considering the proposal of arming the Dalits in villages where they are in minority to protect themselves from the attacks of the upper castes.

A report from the audit of NREGA work in Gosani block of Gajapati district in Orissa is presented. The workshop was conducted by AID Rural Technology Center, Orissa.

A fast track court of Judge Brijmohan Gupta has dropped all charges filed against Nandlal, Shivlal, Rajesh Gupta and Laxman Rathore – members of Lok Samiti and residents of Mehndiganj – that were filed by the government and Coke after the mass rally outside the Mehndiganj plant in 2004.

In the last few years, like any other party, the Communist parties have made obvious their two-faced nature as well – their sanctimonious sloganeering and their actions in power.

As he completes his first year as President, Mahinda Rajapakse has taken the country back to its bad and dangerous past that many of us thought ended for good in 1994.

"Gandhigiri" brings together the country for the cause of farmers. Candlelight vigils being organised across the country.

The NREGA Act 2005 guarantees “legal right of a hundred days of wage employment in a financial year to adult members of a rural household who demand employment & are willing to do unskilled manual work”. This is a report from the 4th people's audit on NREGA organized in India. One key finding - only 7 women were employed!

The Indian Government has gone on offensive against Tibetan groups in India, fearful of Tibetan protests against Chinese repression in Tibet during  Chinese President Hu Jintao's India visit.

Our identities are often tied to our histories; but perhaps those of various agencies of the Government of India are exceptions. Trends in their policies present us with some clues, perhaps.

While LTTE has been known to recruit children to serve in the armed conflict, a new UN report has also charged the Sri Lankan government of engaging in similar practices.

A growing Indian population residing outside India has been increasingly active in influencing Indian economics, politics and social situations. In this context, it is important to analyze the impact of dual citizenship of this population - as has been suggested - on the Indian democracy.

With elections approaching, minorities in Bangladesh face violence as they have in past elections. Asian Center for Human Rights reports.

In a recently published report, HRW has held the Sri Lankan government and LTTE responsible for major human rights violations since 2002. It has also presented recommendations in numerous areas to limit suffering and violence to bystanders and communities around conflict zones. It seems unlikely that this report will change much of anything, though.

Support Sharmila Irom, Repeal Armed Forces Special Powers Act, Restore Right to Life

The Coalition of Tamils and Muslims for Peace and Coexistence describes the state of civilians in Muttur, and while pointing out that the state as well as the rebel forces have failed the people, request the world to listen to their stories.

Somnath’s article on the question of development (in the context of another landgrab in Singur) that remains undebated in the media was published in The Statesman

Rather than efforts to improve public school infrastructure, school vouchers are being touted as the solution to poor quality of education by World Bank, sections of the US government and now the Indian government. Raghav Kaushik analyzes these claims.

Papia Sarkar, an environmentalist and social organizer working with national and international NGOs raises the question of language

The Ministry of Rural Development has introduced a draft rehab policy (NRP) 2006 on their website for comments while providing seven days for comments on such a critical policy and that too by only making it accessible on the website. This is incompetence at best, gross negligence and manipulation at its worst.

In a rare case, the Information Commission has slapped the wrists of the Tamil Nadu Public Authority Department for failing to provide information about Public Information Officers.

Despite widespread protest, a fraudulent public hearing organized by the Orissa State Pollution Control Board took place at Tikri on Tuesday, Oct 17, which addressed the expansion of the illegal mining and refinery project owned by Utkal Alumina International Limited (UAIL), a joint venture of Hindalco (Aditya Birla group) and Alcan (Canadian aluminium giant), in the 5th Schedule areas of Baphlimali and Doragurha in Rayagada district, Orissa.

iFaqeer writes on Benazir Bhutto's visit to the Bay Area, on Imran Khan's politics and political processes and on other Pakistani idols.

In the month of July 2006, the Indian Government brought an amendment in the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 banning the employment of children under 14 years of age as domestic servants or servants or in dhabas, restaurants, hotels, motels, teashops, resorts, spas or in other recreational centres, effective from 10 October 2006. Bachpan Bachao Andolan now starts a campaign to help implement this.

With a public hearing for extension of UAIL planned in an atmosphere of intimidation, where dissent is impossible, human rights groups are writing to executive, judicial and legislative heads of the Indian governance for intervention.

An estimated 20,000 small farmers and other food producers in Singur (West Bengal, India) will be evicted on September 27, 2006 by the Left Front West Bengal government. In the name of "development", their 1,253 fertile lands will be given to Tata Motors, a giant Indian company. We urge you to support the struggle of Singur people to keep their land. Please sign on to the petition letter online: http://www.foodsov.org/html/takeaction05.htm

The Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of India, Wajahat Habibullah, has reportedly told Indian Express that he believes that penalizing RTI officers will not get them to do their duty – that ahimsa towards the officers would help spread RTI.

The SouthAsian spoke with Hasil Bizenjo, a leader of the Balochistan Nationalist Movement, on the situation in Balochistan, the events leading to the murder of Nawab Bugti by the Pakistani government and the lack of international solidarity.

Irom Sharmila, a Manipuri woman fasting in Delhi has brought focus on to the heniousness and the implications of this Act that has allowed soliders perpetrate excesses under the guise of protection of  national interests.

Arvind Kejriwal, 2006 Magsasay Awardee for "activating the right to information movement at the grassroots" speaks about various aspects of clean governance via Right to Information.

A fiasco was arranged by the authorities in the name of a public hearing - a necessary component of setting up a new plant - for the proposed nuclear plants in Koodankulam, leading to the question whether the government is truly honest and sincere about the needs of the people.

Anna Hazare now has undertaken a march through rural Maharashtra from 14^th September 2006 to 9^th November 2006 to present to people the context of the Right to Information Act and how it can empower our citizens. His message is presented for our readers.

50000 farmers challenge Maharashtra Government, and corporations against proposed establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) near Mumbai even as Pune trade unions oppose this plan.

As the Right to Water March goes through its third week, there has been huge support in the heartland of Northern India. The march has already passed through 7 communities in the neighborhood of bottling plants and these communities - schools and colleges, village sabhas, small town meetings - have expressed solidarity through signature campaigns and return invitations to the marchers. Under pressure from these communities, CPCB has agreed to investigate pollution dumping by Coke at its Mehdiganj plant.

Citizen groups protest the violence against Muslims in the ongoing civil strife in Sri Lanka. And yet, the international peace monitors and media have largely ignored this aspect of the violence in Sri Lanka - not that other aspects of violence are being resolved either.

The SouthAsian spoke with Ashoka Fellow Lenin Raghuvanshi about the problem and he speaks at length about the effect of WTO and the collapse of the weaving and handloom industry, the feudal system of contracting labor, of their efforts to build a democratic capitalist model and of preventing communalization. You can listen to the interview here.

This government came to power with a mandate to be more sensitive to people’s needs after the ironic India Shining campaign by BJP. The ironies continue with some of the most anti-people policies being promulgated by them.

University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna), Sri Lanka (UTHR(J)), present a report on The wider implications of the Human Rights and Humanitarian crisis in Jaffna. The entire report, released on 14^th September 2006, is carried here.

The Center for Science and Environment have been targeted by the Coke and Pepsi and then by the Indian Government. We present this editorial by Sunita Narain that was first published in Down To Earth, CSE’s periodical on environmental issues in India.

Hingoli, one of the most backward districts in Marathwada region of Maharashtra, is witnessing a great step forward as people are holding the inefficient and corrupt local government accountable during last four months.

While the Sri Lankan government has presented that Mutur is cleared for displaced muslims who have moved back, various sources in Sri Lanka suggest that the displaced communities are being forced back into Mutur as part its propaganda.

In an interview with Nandlal on the first day of the Jal Adhikar (Right to Water) Yatra, we learn about the goals of the yatra, the importance to right to water and evidence of Coke's role in the rapidly dropping water levels in Mehdiganj.

"I have lost a son, maybe I'll lose another, but I won't let them setup a coalmine here." To Tahmina Begum who had lost her son Toriqul to police bullets, her land was also her family.

• Environmental Laws Changed to Suit Industry; People Not Consulted 
• Disastrous EIA Notification Likely to be Announced Soon 
• Call Environment Minister A. Raja (91 11 23010468, 23010764)
• Mail MoEF at envisect@nic.in asap and express your strong concerns about this secretive and fastrack move
• Sign the Petition opposing this ad hoc amendment

The Jal Adhikar (Right to Water) Yatra that makes its way through communities in UP, MP and Rajasthan that are demanding respite from privatization of water, its indiscriminate overuse by for profit agencies and falling of water tables.

Veerendra Kumar, Member of Parliament from Kerala presents an open letter questioning the government's position vis-a-vis Coke and Pepsi, the content in their beverages and policies relating to them.

The battle for Muttur is apparently over. As the state media proclaims “Government in Full Control of Muttur.”

Sandip Dasverma argues that freedom in India is a falsity for most and unless some serious changes are made, will perhaps remain that way.

Civic society groups have presented a stark report on Sri Lankans displaced from Trincomalee by the new round of violence.

This article by Qadri Ismail, published in Tamilweek.com, while honoring one who was committed to peace in Sri Lanka - peace not defined by absence of killings but also inclusive of exploitation, intimidation and intimidation - also points of much of what the peace process is missing.

Pakistani government reported that tribal leader Nawab Akbar Bugti has been killed in a battle between tribal militants and government forces in Balochistan province.

Habib ur Rehman, of the Association of Indian Minorities explores methods of minority representation in other democracies around the world and makes a case for such representation in India.

What makes submergence, water logging and flash floods so different from floods? A simple pointer that while the former results from ill-advised decisions taken by individuals, who remain shielded by a system that is shrouded under the culture of secrecy, the latter has been a natural phenomenon just like rainfall.

The government dropped the Right to Education bill. Where was the vehemence?

Under pressure from citizens all over the country, the UPA government has decided not to introduce any amendment to RTI during this session.

Mismanagement and negligent operations of the large reservoirs on Tapi, Narmada, Kirshna, Godavari, Mahi and Sabarmati Rivers have created man made disaster in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Requesting financial contributions to support civic society led national awareness campaign against the amendment to constrain our Right to Information. Please click here to donate. 6% of our target has been raised at this point.

In Pakistan 800-1000 people belonging to different sections 'are disappeared by various state apparatus'.

With sections of Gujarat and Maharashtra under heavy floods, panic at the release of overful dams is being replaced by anger at the ineffectiveness and callousness of government agencies.

Various media reports – as yet unconfirmed by official sources – suggest that the Maharastra government has passed a policy requiring police to probe all Muslims traveling abroad.

The continuing violence between LTTE and the Sri Lankan Military has affected the Muslim population in Muttur, a town now occupied by LTTE.

The Indian Government's recent decision to drop the long pending Right to Education Bill (RTE) and pass it on to the State Governments as a model bill, is a completely outrageous decision ignoring not only a fundamental right but also the genuine expectations of each and every citizen.

Communities around the nation have joined hands in opposing the amendment to the Right to Information. We are asking you to take small steps that can strengthen the freedom of India.

Visting Hardoi, Sitapur, Unnao, Chandauli, Varanasi and Sultanpur during the ongoing 1^st to 15^th July, 2006, RTI campaign, which has now become popular as ‘Use RTI : Don’t Pay Bribe’ national campaign, one finds that the officials are quite reluctant to see the Right to Information Act, 2005, implemented in its true spirit. Sandeep Pandey reports from UP.

Do you remember being filled with pride when people praise India for being the largest functioning democracy in the world?
Do you remember hanging your head in shame when people ridicule India's reputation as one of the most corrupt nations?

If you answered yes to one or both of the above questions, then you should ACT NOW.

The Pakistani government cracked down on Power Loom workers and unions in Toba Tek Singh who were striking to demand raises in pays so that their pays were the same as workers in Faisabad. 27 workers were arrested.

Bhaskar Save - from Kalpavruksh - writes to M. S. Swaminathan, the 'father' of the Green Revolution in India and the current chairman of the National Commission ON Farmers regarding the severe implications of the ongoing policies on agriculture.

A letter from Devinder Sharma, Food and Trade Policy Analyst, to the Prime Minister of India demanding a thorough review of agro policies, especially vis-a-vis GM crops, in the context of farmers' suicides in India.

Various citizen groups and civic society leaders have expressed disappointment at the attempted amendment to limit file notings from RTI disclosures.

The government – and the Supreme Court case vis-à-vis foreign funds of NBA – has raised an important issue. What are the implications of foreign funds and how does the Indian State see this?

While the Pakistani President talks about peace with India on one hand, peace activists working on Indo-Pak peace are under threat. One activist – Asif Baladi – has been kidnapped by ISI.

Numerous civic society groups are concerned about the impact of implementation strategy of Trade-Related aspects of Intellectual Property rights (TRIPS) in India. A petition is being presented to the PM of India to analyze these concerns.

Adivasis of the Hoshangabad district in Madhya Pradesh have been fighting for their right to a dignified life. This struggle has now reached a critical juncture where your support is required.

The Government of India plans to introduce an amendment to the RTI that will exempt file notings and cabinet papers from disclosure under the Right to Information Act 2005. This is the second attempt to do so; the earlier attempt in Dec 2005 was scuttled under protests from citizens of India.

Sandip Dasverma presents a satire on Narendra Modi's bid to fish in the troubled waters of Mumbai bomb blasts.

Since the first of July, a concerted effort by Civic Society Organizations, Non Government Organizations, individuals and a prominent TV news channel - NDTV and leading national newspapers are coming together to launch a national campaign

Habib ur Rehman, of the Association of Indian Minorities presents a note on the dynamics of minorities in the electoral process presenting the 2006 West Bengal Elections as a case study.

This is the keynote address given at the World Peace Forum in Vancouver, on June 25, 2006 by Prof Emeritus Hari P. Sharma, Simon Fraser University.

A National Consultation on Development and Displacement – Priorities and Strategy’ was held at Gandhi Bhavan, Bhopal on July 7-8^th, 2006.  About 75 participants from all over the country participated in the event.

The Government of India is considering an industry proposal requesting processes of self-certification vis-à-vis industries adhering to laws of the land. Is this appropriate?

Sanjay Sangvai writes about the enormous subsidies given to industries as part of special economic zones and analyses the impact of these zones that are allowed to function outside environmental and labour laws of the country.

We would like to tell you that as a result of continuous massive campaigning conducted by PVCHR in the support weavers of Varanasi ultimately State Government of UP and Central Government got awakened and took notice to the poor and hunger stricken community of weavers of the country.

The recent firing in Kalinga Nagar, Jajpur, Orissa, India - is a symptom of a disease that is plaguing the development process in Orissa (handled by Govt. of Orissa (GOO)), not the disease itself.

The Right to Information Act comes into force all over the country on October 12. Citizens should make use of it to ensure transparency and help good governance triumph.

Medha Patkar, today, addressed the press for a conference on the cases of malnutrition found among the displaced people of Mandala, Mankhurd.

On 19 June 2006 law-enforcing agencies used force in Karachi against the fisher folk community, demanding the abolishment of contract system in fisheries.

Mr. Santhosh Patel, a staff member of People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), was illegally arrested on 7 June 2006 when he met with the District Magistrate Mr. Rajiv Agarwal along with other villagers from Belwa village to lodge complaints of corruption and other discriminatory practices of public officers responsible for Belwa village.

Shubranshu Choudhary writes about the situation in Bodlapur, UP where government inaction has villagers in a bind with increasing influence of Naxalites.

The lives of over a million weavers of the famous Banarasi Saris are at risk as a result of insensitive policies vis-à-vis the WTO.

Zulfiqar Halepoto writes about Jirgas conducted by political leaders inspite of courts declaring it illegal and requests people to write to Chief Justice of Pakistan.

Ravishankar Arunachalam, a former faculty at IIT Madras and social activist follows up his first article (see below) with more evidence of its success.

A civic society group finds that law and ordered in Dantewara district of Chhattisgarh State, in the midst of Maoist attacks, has been outsourced to local criminal elements called 'Salwa Judum' which is not accountable to any democratic process or bureaucracy.

Following our discussions on reservations , we forward an Dr. S. P. Udayakumar, the former director of Institute of Race and Poverty at University of Minnesota and the Managing Trustee of South Asian Community Centre for Education and Research Trust, Nagercoil, India, who writes that reservation policies require serious revision. His article appeared in the Indian National Daily – The Hindu.

Following the burning and demolition of the Mandala slums, National Alliance of People’s Movements, India, at a press release on 26th May, challenged the Government of Maharastra to prove its changing statistics.

Ethan Casey suggests that tourism in Pakistan might do wonders to its image.

Two Bajarang Dal Activists killed while making a bomb. Ram Puniyani writes about the inaction of the administration and the absence of any media coverage of the event and its significance.

Empower, a civic society group based in TN, is using a rule from 1961 to ask more voters to go to the election booth, even if they just want to reject all candidates.

The reservation issue in fashion again and many suggest that it is merely political manipulation, vote bank scheming before the elections. There are, perhaps, serious questions that we – as a nation – must think about. Questions that have impact beyond ourselves, our families but on the fabric of a democratic nation.

A brutal demolition drive was undertaken in which local authorities have destroyed 5,000 houses in Mandala, Mankurd in Mumbai, and set fire to an entire slum on 9 May 2006.

Dr Manzur Ejaz, a physician of Pakistani origin, writes on the dictatorship that ails Pakistan.

There is growing violence against women in Sri Lanka – especially those who are working with NGOs. Threats have been issued by various agencies of LTTE.

Despite with per capita food production 5 times and milk production 4 times more of national average, Punjab’s Public Health System is in disarray. Public Health Centers do not carry even Paracetamol – a common drug for fever. Ravinder Singh prefaces an article from Frontline.

In Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh, 1600 sheep died after grazing for 7 days in a BT cotton field after the crop was harvested. The symptoms did not correlate to any of the diseases occurred during the season.

About a 1000 people from 20 panchayats came to Varanasi in carts, in tractors and in trucks � to publicly present their stories to the Food Commission set up by the Supreme Court and demand justice. They were stories of pain, of deception, of a callous corrupt oppressive system. But this was also a story of democracy.

A new survey in India has found genetically engineered cotton (Bt Cotton) is causing negative health effects among farm workers. The survey, covering six villages, reported. All the evidence gathered during the investigation shows that Bt has been causing skin, upper respiratory tract and eye allergies among persons exposed to cotton.

This question of alternative comes up with every discussion - on dams, on the recent nuclear energy discussions, on interlinking of rivers. It is an important question and must be addressed. Here is one opinion.

The Pol Kholo Yatara was an attempt to unravel the truth about the status of rehabilitation of lakhs of people, adivasis, non adivasis, farmers, fishermen etc. affected by the Sardar Sarovar Dam. The yatra was a tour of 12 villages in Dhar, Khargone, Barwani, Jhabua districts in Madhya Pradesh and Nandurbar district in Maharashtra, where the participants met with thousands of villagers from almost 100 villages. It began from Indore on the 25th of April 06 and concluded on the night of 28th April 06.

On the 4th anniversary of the Plachimada People�s Struggle, a community seminar including the adivasis of the affected areas came up with a water policy that would address the needs of people. Ajayan, the convener of Plachimada Solidarity Committee presents the resolution.

Kanak Mani Dixit, Editor Himal South Asian and Publisher Himalmedia, has been detained since April 8th in Kathmandu with a host of other professionals for defying curfew to press for democratic rights in Nepal. He remains in detention still. This column was smuggled out of jail.

With the India investing its future in the Nuclear deal, based on the premise that nuclear energy will solve India’s growing energy wants, it is important that there be greater public debate vis-à-vis the feasibility of nuclear energy and the implications of energy policy beholden to nuclear energy.

D.B.S. Jeyaraj reports from Sri Lanka on a fresh round of violence that has affected the Trincomalee area.

From April 1, 2006, the Government of India, through the Directorate of Health Services has announced the Tobacco Control ACT coming into effect.

Sandeep Pandey writes about the problems with the Indo-US nuclear deal – its implications in India and internationally. This article first appeared in The News International

Moving back to the USA after 13 years, columnist and author Ethan Casey revisits the concept of America. This column is reproduced with his permission from his blog.

Ethan Casey writes about the apparent censorship of Pakistani Blogs by the Pakistani government. This article also appeared in the Jang, Pakistan.

The 2 day old hunger strike has now been called off after the district officials started processes to meet some of the demands of the local communities.

Two envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Mr. Lodi G. Gyaltsen and Mr. Kelsang Gyaltsen, returned to India on 23 February from talks with the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party.

Villagers of Hardoi District who have been staging a sit-in at Sandila since February 7th, 2006 have decided to now convert it into a hunger strike.

Ashish Tripathi wrote about his experiences while volunteering in rural Uttar Pradesh, asking why the growing economic development in India is so different from the grim realities of Bharat

Geeta Menon and Stree Jagruti Samiti surveyed domestic workers and employers to come up with report on terms of employment for domestic workers. We present recommendations from their report.

Vidhya, with Agragamee, points out that “It is ironic that a Chief Minister, whose administration murders tribal people at the drop of a hat should inaugurate a 'tribal fair' less than one month after the most heinous of such acts”.

Public Interest Groups walk into Tata Steel office in Bangalore
risking arrest and submit representation

Independent Media consisting of a group of social activists in Orissa have presented what they say are the voices from the tribal communities while demanding that the mainstream media also present the concerns of the people. This report was sent by Nachiketa.

Pervez Hoodbhoy writes about their relief effort in areas in Pakistan affected by the massive Earthquake.

One Year after the Royal Coup in Nepal, Nepalese expatriates plan and pro democracy groups plan a Global Action for Nepal on Feb 1

Externalities have been viewed as a necessary evil in the path of economic development. Friends, in response to an earlier article, have said so with a caveat that we need to be mindful of the externalities.

Another round of violence has been unleashed by royal forces in Nepal against pro-democracy Nepalis. Canadian Network for Democratic Nepal (www.pdfnepal.com) – made of many Nepali expatriates – condemns this crackdown.

Shreen Saroor, working with relief and rehabilitation groups in Sri Lanka, analyzes what went wrong with the government policies and the rehab plans.

Chandar Kolhi alias Javed Shaikh was recently rescued from bonded labour by rights activists in district Thatta Sindh. He was bonded by a landlord named Luqman Palari for Rs. 200 (about 3 US $). He worked for two years without any payment.

On 12th January, 2006, more than 200 residents, primarily women, from Gummidipoondi and neighbouring areas physically entered and stopped work at the project site of Tamilnadu Waste Management Ltd (TNWML)’s hazardous waste landfill and incinerator.

People's Vigilance Committee for Human Rights, Uttar Pradesh, India & Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong, reports from a People's tribunal on starvation in eastern Uttar Pradesh

The illusion that planners, policy makers and donors have perpetuated over the last ten years is that Bharat (rural) needs India(urban). Bharat has given subsidised water, food, labour, raw materials to India. At the expense of Bharat, India has developed enormously. This article first appeared in DNAIndia and is written by the founder of barefoot college.

We, 200 members of people's organizations, faith-based communities and social movements, representing all continents of the world from 29 countries, who have met in Hong Kong from December 9 to 11, 2005, to assess and protest the impact of the policies of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the world's poor and to make recommendations to address the hardships that the WTO has created, offer this statement.

We, 200 participants from 29 countries and different religious faiths, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, who have met at Wu Kai Sha, Hong Kong, from 9-10 December 2005 to protest the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and to work towards a vision on “Globalising Economic Justice and Social Sustainability”, address the following message to the faith communities of the world:

After the separation of Bangladesh and Pakistan, hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis in Bangladesh, who did not speak Bangla, were targeted. These people are called Biharis. Pakistan accepted only a small portion of them as citizens. Estimated 250,000 have been living as stateless people in camps in Bangladesh for more than a quarter of a century. There are estimated 100,000 living in Pakistan who are not recognized as citizens of Pakistan.

A Communal Violence bill has been tabled as a response to the killings in Gujarat of over 3000 people. While the bill does present a response to the need for accountability in governance, it lacks the wherewithal to enforce political will.

Javed Soz Halai reports on the conditions of honor killing in Sindh.

We are yearning for foreign direct investment – FDI – and bending over backwards to attract it. We have changed laws – banking laws, regulations on farming, trade laws and domestic finance regulations – to attract companies. Which company would we rate the best?

What is POSCO taking away as part of this MoU, what are the people of Orissa getting in return and what is the Indian government getting? And why has the state government been stingy with information?

Externalities are usually costs of production that companies do not pay for by dumping the costs on the larger society. With the Indian government obliging, guess who is paying for these profits.

Saurav Ganguly’s exclusion from the Indian team has higher priority in the Indian media and among our political leadership than India’s position on the WTO agreements, electoral finances and corruption or farmer’s issues. Go figure.

With the upcoming WTO meeting in Hong-Kong, civic society groups are increasingly demanding public debates on the official position, democratic processes and rejection of WTO.

The draft text, that will form the basis of negotiations at the 6th WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong, is now available online. A critique of the text is also available.

The passport used by former Chief of the Finance Department of the Government of Tibet, Tsepon Shakabpa Wangchuk Dedhen during independent Tibet, has been recovered after many years of its missing, and now safely presented to His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama on March 29, 2004. The passport had received recognition from about seven countries in 1948 when the Tibetan Minister travelled abroad showing more evidence to the historical nationhood of Tibet.

The Seattle City Council http://www.thesouthasian.org/blog/archives/2005/images/bhopal_proclamation.pdf > proclaimed today that December 3, 2005 will be observed as Bhopal Remembrance Day. The date marks the 21 st anniversary of the world's worst industrial disaster: a chemical leak at a Union Carbide facility in Bhopal , India.

The murder of Manjunath Shanmugam who canceled a petrol pump licence to a dealer engaging in corrupt practices has drawn the ire of various civic society groups. Pressure is being built to have the administration proactive root corruption through increased transparency.

In this article that first appeared in December 2005, Issues in Secular Politics, Ram Puniyani, long time secularist and advocate of communal harmony describes how religious tolerance is being bandied by interested parties to justify oppression of religious minorities.

A summary of an extensive report on the causes and action with respect to the communal riots in Mau.

A federation of tribal and forest community organisations from ten states in the Indian Union have formed a campaign for Survival and Dignity by presenting their claims for Forest Rights. C. R. Bijoy forwards an update on these demands.

International Crises Group releases report holding that Pakistan's military government rigged local elections in August and October 2005 to weaken further the mainstream opposition parties and lay the ground for its supporters to dominate forthcoming parliamentary elections.

Food irradiation is another tool to increase corporate control and monopoly over the world’s food supply, thus exacerbating the already unsustainable global food and agriculture trading system that prioritizes profits over people. Global Agriculture groups are calling for a global ban on food irradiation.

The employment guarantee bill, passed by the Lok Sabha in August 2005 guarantees employment for one hundred days every year to every rural household, at minimum wage. The act is a significant one �with the government for the first time acknowledging that it has responsibility towards providing some measure of employment protection to the citizens.

Gopal Krishnan writes about the Supreme Court order on the effect of subsidies to Waste to Energy units and their effect on waste management.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has proposed an Amendment to the Environmental Impact Assessment that does away with all reasonable checks by which communities could hold industrial units accountable for their impact on the local community.

China announced last month that their dearest "development" project for the Golmud-Lhasa railway tracks has been complete and by next year trains would ply on this 1,000 km railway track and would connect Tibetan capital Lhasa with Beijing.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was passed in August this year with the purpose of guaranteeing employment to every rural household in India for at least one hundred days in every financial year. In a multi-part series, Ranjana Ghosh presents a review of the historic Act.

Members of a group working to rescue under-aged sex workers, a group with local and international credibility built over years of action, is now hiding from police, after leading a raid that rescued over 17 under-aged girls from a prostitution ring. What happened?

Over a million slave laborers in Pakistan have been dehumanized, oppressed and denied basic rights by a vicious coalition of feudal landlords (zamindars), a military regime and political interests. One local group trying to rescue them and help with rehabilitation has decided to provide some faces to these numbers.

Highlighting the bonded labor issue Green Rural Development Organization had planned a 12 day (1st March to 12th March 2005) long march from Jhudo to Hyderabad Press club. A gathering of more than 20,000 people from different districts of Sindh, Pakistan joined in the final phase of long march from Fateh Chowk to press club Hyderabad. This article highlights the activities of the marchers from 7th March to 12th March.

On October 17 2005, twelve countries in Asia launched the Peoples' Caravan for Justice and Sovereignty in protest against the December 14-18, WTO Hong Kong Ministerial 2005.

One of the greatest strengths of India is its democracy. However, while hundreds are detained, their democratic rights taken away and their voices rendered mute by arms of the state, democracy itself lies threatened. In this context, it is important to hear Geelani’s critique India’s statist institutions on the day he was declared not guilty.

Kashmir worst hit region with over 21000 casualties already reported -
Wide swathes of destruction - Many towns and villages wiped out -
Hundreds and thousands of people still waiting for rescue and food.

Groups working on the Indian side of the LOC in Kashmir are beginning to report back. They all share one opinion – the situation is bad.

An expatriate Nepali organization, Canadian Network for Democratic Nepal, has given a call to Nepali expatriates living abroad to stop sending money to Nepal for a year. “Let us not allow the brutal royal regime to survive on our hard earned money”, it pleads.

In late September Nandlal Prasad, a community activist from Mehdiganj, near Varansi, who has been raising community issues regarding the depletion of water in the area owing to the bottling plant of Coke and toxic dumping in the area by the plant, was denied renewal of his passport.

In an article in the Indian Express, Maja Daruwala argues that the fate of the new Right to Information Act, 2005, may turn out to be much like that of many a girl child in India — damned at birth. Hardly has the law been born than the government who parented it is working hard to strangle its unwanted child.

People's assemblies in Pakistani villages, organized by Action Aid Pakistan, serve as an important forum for people to gather and discuss their problems within the community and with government stake holders and find ways and means to resolve these issues. Javed Soz Halai from Green Rural Development Organization (Action Aid partner) reports about one such people's assembly organized in September 2005, at Khairpur district in Sindh.

Environment Impact Assessment laws have been one safeguard that has sometimes worked for people. Now, in an amendment, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) seeks to end the efficacy of EIA.

“What about the women regularly abused in the countryside by landlords and powerful elements of the rural bureaucracy? What about the small girls brought to a Karachi hospital recently who were found to have been brutally assaulted? Did they go through rape to get a Canadian visa or Canadian citizenship? And if conditions in the country are so bad that to leave it, women are ready to go to the extent of concocting stories of being dishonored, then too we should be prepared to shed tears if we have any”, an editorial in Dawn asked off its readers.

When Katrina hit the Gulf states in the USA, media showed scenes of looting and desperation and was quick to say that these were scenes seen in the third world. Actually, there may be much to learn from the third world with regards the rebuilding process.

First By the Floods, Then By Martial Law.
First published in CounterPunch here is another perspective of the heroes of the Katrina floods.

Teesta Setalvad’s note written on September 7th, 2005 addressed to CABE critiques its processes and its recommendations.

Ever since the tsunami killer waves pounded the coast of Tamil Nadu on December 26, 2004, local communities and concerned citizens have asked the government questions regarding the affect of the Tsunami on the nuclear plant in Kalpakkam. Udaykumar says that the government has maintained an eerie silence while circumstantial evidence suggests accidents may have occurred.

While there have been few systematic studies, reports and investigations – whatever few have been put together – show that violence against girls is quite pervasive in our class rooms and that it is affecting quality of education and the number of girls in education institutions in India.

Dear President Kalam
I was very disappointed with your address to the nation. Even at the risk of sounding frivolous, I have to say that it read more like a proposal for the Department of Science and Technology rather than a vision for the nation.

Many Serious Questions, One Devious Answer: S. P. Udayakumar wrote about the effect of the Tsunami of the Nuclear Power facilities in India pointing out how they were not as safe as they were made out to be and that there were major holes in the stories presented by the Indian government. In the first part, he presented a mock interview with the administration.

On 11th August, a peoples assembly on the issues and problems of rural workers was organized by Green Rural Development Organization(GRDO)in Hyderabad, Sindh.

As the floods waters recede, the Maharashtra government has embarked on a new method for provision of relief. It attacks with lathis and sticks people who are rebuilding their hutments and snatches relief provisions that have been collected.

Dr Shershah Syed, an Associate Professor of ob-gyn and Secretary General of the Pakistan Medical Association, in a free wheeling conversation on Women’s Rights in Pakistan.

India has reinstated a ban on non-iodized salt in the country as of this past May of 2005. There seems to be enough evidence presented by both sides of this debate suggesting that the ban – and advocacy against it – may be politically driven and not just based on data.

Dr Durga Pokhrel talks about the current state of Nepal pointing at the frustration of choices where none of the conflicting parties represents a large section of the country’s population.

The recent incident in Gurgaon, where police and local administration beat up hundreds of workers, is more evidence of the role the government sees for itself vis-à-vis protection of rights of labor in India. It forces the question - whose interests does the Government of India truly represent?

ETC Group today releases a new 48-page report on the geopolitics of nanotechnology. NanoGeoPolitics, offers an in-depth survey of the current state of nanotechnology policy debates ranging from regulatory initiatives to social dialogues and from G8 statements to CSO activism (civil society). ETC describes three main approaches being adopted by nano players: the so-called optimists, realists, and skeptics.

When legislators and representatives in the Maharashtra State Assembly were debating the bill banning dancing girls in bars, they were supposedly doing this to protect the dignity of women and for the welfare of women. However, some citizens groups (listed below) who observed the discussions reported quite differently.

As India goes through economic reform, we continue to see improving economic indices. And yet, the condition of farmers continues to worsen. For a variety of reasons – from the perspective of nation building as well as considerations of rights and justice – it is important to analyze the impact of these trends.

IOC recently communicated to Dow that the technology purchase deal has been cancelled after IOC found that critical submissions made by Dow as part of contract negotiations were false. In their response to IOC, Dow officials have alleged that the cancellation of the deal has caused a loss of 1.5 million US dollars. The Indian government is yet to communicate its final decision on this matter.

While the governments in South Asia have largely turned a blind eye to dumping of waste – and have even encouraged the process for short term gains – it is the courts that have been proactively involved in protecting the people.

The speech by the Indian Prime Minister at a function in Oxford told us much about him. About his economics, his politics and his understanding of Swaraj.

As India goes through economic reform, and as our centers of growth – large cities – continue to be aggressively developed, there are 600 million farmers who are cut off from this process of growth and, some argue, even being severely affected by this process of ‘development’.

Who is the Indian farmer? And how has she/he been affected by the processes of economic liberalization and ‘development’?

Allahabad, 25 June: The "Rozgar Adhikar Yatra" launched from Delhi on 13 May, reached Allahabad today after a hectic journey of more than 4,000 kms through ten states. The Right to Employment Campaign files this report.

The right to information movement which began in December 2002 with active support of Asha Ashram in Hardoi District and was initially dismissed by politicians and administration has now acquired legitimacy with the administration deciding that it will require all Village Panchayats to get their accounts audited by a Chartered Accountant.

Dumping of global trash in South Asia has gone up in the last decade. There has also been a concurrent increase in dumping of technologies, processes and products that are difficult or have environmental problems.

In the last couple of weeks, the Rozgar Adhikar Yatra travelled through Bihar and U. P., using public debates and conversations with various sections of our communities to discuss the need for minimum wage employment programs for the economic sustenance of India.

The number of cancer patients is rising alarmingly among the villagers in two districts in Punjab. Is the use of chemical fertilisers the cause? The Statesman carried an article based on an investigation by a Centre for Science and Environment team.

In the last decade, South Asia in general and India, specifically, has become the major dumping ground for hazardous wastes from a large number of countries in North America and Europe. The first in this series looks at the diversity of waste that flows into India.

In this third article in the series, Sarika Jain argues that interlinking of rivers is not economically viable and in fact raises numerous socio-political and environmental problems.

Over a dozen communities have been directly affected by the activities of bottling plants owned by Coca Cola India. Water quality has degraded, toxic waste has been dumped, land has been illegally occupied, people protesting these activities in a non-violent fashion in public spaces have been beaten up and allegedly bribes have been paid.

The turnaround of justice in the rape of Mukhtaran Mai has forced its government and its citizens to ask tough questions of themselves. The future will wait to see if they choose to acknowledge those questions or whether they will ignore them.

Sindhi is bestowed with naturally rich fishing waters. According to government estimates there are 1209 fishing waters in whole of Sindhi. Millions of fisherfolk draw their livelihood from these fishing grounds, including inland lakes,ponds,depressions and river Indus.

What is the role of the various arms of our government? Is it to protect the interest of the people of our country, or are their other interests that concern it? And when its interests become unclear, is it not the right of its citizens to ask questions and expect answers?The second article in this series presents a story showing the government’s acknowledgement for agrarian issues and farmers’ concerns. This story was presented by Dr Sunilam, MLA from Multai, Madhya Pradesh.

Demanding Employment Guarantee and Minimum Wages (www.rightofoodindia.org)

June 12th, 2005 is World Day against Child Labour, with this year's focus being on children working in mines and quarries.

We demand that the Government of India take the following steps immediately to get children out of mines and back into safe, nurturing environments

Police attacked the Rozgar Adhikar Yatra at Balrampur, Madhya Pradesh, severely injuring numerous citizens of local communities as well as members of the campaign. This eyewitness account by Reetika Khera, a PhD student at the Delhi School of Economics, was first published at www.righttofoodindia.org

Under the banner of Peoples� Action for Employment Guarantee � a coalition of around 100 organizations and movements � a national �Rozgar Adhikar Yatra� was launched from New Delhi on 13 May 2005.
Reported by Mumbai.indymedia.org

What is the role of the various arms of our government? Is it to protect the interest of the people of our country, or are their other interests that concern it? And when its interests become unclear, is it not the right of its citizens to ask questions and expect answers? The first article in this series reviews the role of the government and the administration in a people’s campaign against the exploitation by Coca Cola in Varanasi.

Dry Canals. In March. And summer has yet to begin.
Farmers committing suicide.
Not a description of what you might expect of Punjab. And yet, that is the truth.

While victims of the tidal wave is Sri Lanka are still struggling to re-establish their livelihoods and homes, government entities, international agencies and financial institutions are trying to sneak in programs that were rejected during the last elections.

A Coastal Yatra to protest the lack of people’s voices and recognition of their concerns, as well as corruption during rehabilitation, is being organized starting from Vedaranyam on May 21,2005 and ending with a demonstration in Chennai on May 30,2005.

CHENNAI, May 9, 2005 -- The air in Cuddalore SIPCOT chemical industrial estate is still not fit to breathe, concluded "Gas Trouble II: Air Quality Status and Assessment of TNPCB's Compliance to Supreme Court Monitoring Committee Order," a new report prepared by the SIPCOT Area Community Environmental Monitors (SACEM).

Government relief programs continue to be tied by corruption and lack of democracy while international agencies and governments are meeting to sneak in their selfish agenda. Meanwhile, the voices and concerns of those affected are do not inform the rehabilitation plans. This is a report from India.

In the early days of April 2005, the Maharashtra State Assembly passed a law whereby agrarian families with more that two children would have to pay 50% more for the price of water. The state Assemblies of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have also considered similar bills.

With a reduction in over 50 million farmers between the 1990 and 2000 census, you have to ask – where did these farmers and their families go?

“Brand India” is fast becoming a mantra that is claimed as the benchmark for development in India. With economists, bureaucrats, policy-makers, industrialists, and even the media jumping on to the bandwagon, with “Brand India” becoming the ethos of the upwardly mobile middle class, it is imperative that the implications of such branding be critically analyzed.

With a new Amendment on decentralization of power being planned, one has to ask what happened to the old plans made through the 73rd and 74th Amendment to the Constitution of India.

150,000 Bhopalis are sick and suffering from Carbide’s chemicals. Yet many illnesses remain medical mysteries: doctors don’t know how to treat them.
Call the Indian Government TODAY. Demand a National Commission on Bhopal.

The maelstrom surrounding Mr. Narendra Modi’s trip to the USA has finally subsided and the vehemence at the visa being refused, as well as the jubilation over the same, have lost some of their edge.

In addition to domestic laws, India is a party to numerous international human rights conventions and is thus legally bound by them. An extensive review is presented by the Human Rights Watch report on bonded labor in India.

In the last year, it has become aptly clear like never before that the choice before the Indian voter has become the case of Twiddle Dee Dee and Twiddle Dee Dum. On most political or even issues concerning rights and justice, there seems to be little to differentiate between the two.

The miserable condition of prisoners detained under the Foreign Act (Pakistan) demanded serious attention as scores of Indian prisoners are locked up in different central jails of Balochistan. SEHER, a Pakistani organization based in Quetta, has responded to the needs of these prisoners.

In this mutli-part series, Sanat Mohanty discusses why we have to look for alternatives and what kinds of alternatives we should look for. This ninth piece of the series explores alternatives of nonviolence.

A freewheeling interview with Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi on women in Iran, Islam, human rights, terrorism and the USA. This interview was conducted for The Progressive.

It is quite simple to create slum dwellers. Governments and policy makers have known the recipe for quite a few centuries now.

The central government in India is approving construction projects in areas where the adivasi and other indigenous people live.

Slums.

We city dwellers have quite strong opinions about them.

There is no one way in which children are bonded, no one story that includes the pain, the suffering and the exploitation. Each community, each family that is tied to bonded labor has its own problems.

In a state with large number of landless people and very low indices of literacy, health, or gender equality, it is noteworthy that large scale land grabbing by the local land mafia has gone virtually unchallenged by the state government. Magsasay Award winner, Sandeep Pandey, describes the situation.

In this mutli-part series, Sanat Mohanty discusses why we have to look for alternatives and what kinds of alternatives we should look for. This eighth piece of the series presents the problems with revolutions.

The first issue of the journal Education Review, looks at the gender biases that affect education of the girl child in India. This is an excerpt from an article in the journal.

In India.

Really.

In this mutli-part series, Sanat Mohanty discusses why we have to look for alternatives and what kinds of alternatives we should look for. This seventh piece of the series presents the problems with the trickle down theory and the efficiency of free markets.

Following the stories of slum demolitions, Dilip D’Souza invites those with who think that is the best to meet those whose house were demolished.

A Global Day of Action is being organized on Feb 26, 2005 to protest the Patents Amendment bill that is currently under consideration by Indian parliament. Please support and participate!

Major human rights violations continue with the declaration of emergency in Nepal. Various governments as well as international agencies have said that the democracy must be re-established in Nepal.

Numerous Nepalis around the world have been dismayed by another attempt to scuttle democracy in Nepal. The South Asian reports on protests from Nepalis in Vancouver and presents their perspective.

In this mutli-part series, Sanat Mohanty discusses why we have to look for alternatives and what kinds of alternatives we should look for. This sixth piece of the series presents the unclaimed externalities of development.

In this mutli-part series, Sanat Mohanty discusses why we have to look for alternatives and what kinds of alternatives we should look for. This fifth piece of the series questions the broadly held assumptions of development.

Mohammad Shehzad talks about the new attempt by the NWFP government to further constrain rights of women.

This is the last of a series written by Dilip D’Souza on his blogsite and published here with his permission. In this series he describes the reality of people living in slums, slums being demolished.

It is usually assumed that the minority communities are at risk of being targeted by religious fundamentalists. In fact, majority communities are as much at risk and must proactively resist religious fundamentalist groups and their policies, argues Sanat Mohanty

In this mutli-part series, Sanat Mohanty discusses why we have to look for alternatives and what kinds of alternatives we should look for. This fourth piece of the series briefly describes Capitalism, Communism and their relationship to Free Markets in a broad fashion.

“Is this the future of 'Moderate' Islam in Asia?”, asks Farish A. Noor.

This is the third of a series written by Dilip D’Souza on his blogsite and published here with his permission. In this series he describes the reality of people living in slums, slums being demolished.

In this mutli-part series, Sanat Mohanty discusses why we have to look for alternatives and what kinds of alternatives we should look for. In this third piece of the series, we analyze the concept of ‘Survival of the Fittest’ and its application to evolving societies.

This is a first of a series written by Dilip D’Souza on his blogsite and published here with his permission. In this series he describes the reality of people living in slums, slums being demolished.

In this mutli-part series, Sanat Mohanty discusses why we have to look for alternatives and what kinds of alternatives we should look for. In this second piece of the series, the focus is on understanding fundamentalism.

This is a first of a series written by Dilip D’Souza on his blogsite and published here with his permission. In this series he describes the reality of people living in slums, slums being demolished.

As per the requirements of the World Trade Organization treaties on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights, commonly called TRIPS, as of January 1st, India is required to amend its Patent Laws to provide for a TRIPS compliant regime. The final amendment of the Patents Laws, as per the provisions of TRIPS, will be promulgated in India through an ordinance starting January 26th, 2005.

In a series of discussions,questions of alternatives are placed before the readers of The South Asian. The first part of this series asks why this discussion is even relevant.

A note from the blogsite of Dilip D'Souza, presented here with his permission.

Reports of abuse of Tsunami victims have presented a sordid hue to the relief efforts in Sri Lanka.

Sitara Shreen has been a grassroots worker and organizer in Sri Lanka for many years. She was living in Minneapolis in 2004 but rushed back to Sri Lanka after the Tsunami. We will put up some of her notes about the situation on the ground.

S. P. Udayakumar writes with pain and anguish at the non-performance of the government and the bureaucracy.

Mahangu, a freelance journalist based in Sri Lanka writes that although the private sector, churches, temples, media organisations and individual citizens have risen to meet the needs of the day, the Government seems to be sleeping.

The civil unrest and ongoing war between LTTE and the Sri Lankan government has affected relief efforts in Sri Lanka. Reports from Sri Lanka are largely about damages in the South and South East. It is only after four days of the calamity that we have received our first reports from the East and North East. Images show stark emptiness, an absence of people.

Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) presented a study showing that over 11000 lives have been claimed by nine years of insurgency in Nepal.

A brief review of the current energy situation in India and a short note on the lack of vision for energy sustainability in times of aggressive global energy politics.

Sixteen tribals, mostly women, critically injured. Massive lathicharge on adivasis.
Tense standoff between agitated tribals and police in Kashipur.

On this 20th anniversary of Bhopal, there is another kind of destruction that we must turn our attention to � the extensive pumping out of millions of liters of water from hundreds of sites around the world, primarily by Coca Cola and Pepsi.

Abdul Hamid Khan, Chairman of Balawaristan National Front presents a peace proposal for J&K to the heads of India and Pakistan from Gilgit Baltistan

On the morning of 23rd November, 2004, at the city hall, Minneapolis, Corporate Accountability International (CAI) held a press conference highlighting the unethical behavior of the Atlanta based Coca Cola. It cited numerous instances where Coke has been draining out the water table in communities that are having trouble accessing clean drinking water.

The arrest of the Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Muth on 12th November has become a controversial issue – perhaps it was always going to be one.

Hindutva is based on a certain definition of the Hindu identity and is developed through certain premises of historical events. The question of identity is raised in this critique of Savarkar’s thesis.

The process of peace has become a multi-million dollar industry.

Indian and Pakistani fishermen, invariably straying into each others territorial waters are regularly arrested and imprisoned. While this issue has constantly been raised in so called confidence building talks between the two countries, it has yet to be resolved.

On Oct. 26, Pakistani lawmakers took a significant step in protecting the rights of women when the lower house of Pakistan’s Parliament passed legislation that would recommend imprisonment of seven years to life for honor killings, and the death penalty in extreme cases.

On the 12th of June, 2004, the Action Group of Physicians of South Asia (APSA) organized and sponsored a seminar on the “Prospects of Democracy in Pakistan”.

On October 31st, 2003, the first Women's Party of India was formed. The party, founded by activist Varsha Kale, this party contested 9 seats in the Maharastra State Elections.

In a rather unfortunate turn of events, the Union Minister for NRI Affairs of the Government of India, Mr. Jagdish Tytler, defamed and threatened Harvinder Singh Phoolka, a prominent human rights activist and advocate of the Supreme Court of India, who has fought tirelessly to seek justice for victims of the November 1984 riots.

Dr. Syed Ehtisham writes about the politics and the history of Bangladesh and its relationship to the stateless people in Bangladesh.

Preparatory efforts for the peace march from New Delhi to Multan have begun in earnest.

There are over 200000 people living in Bangladesh today who are not part of any nation. They used to belong to Pakistan before Bangladesh was formed and were residents of what is now Bangladesh.

The recent week-long blockade of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu by the rebels of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), marks yet another crisis point for the Himalayan kingdom.

The Central Advisory Board of Education was reconstituted after about ten years, when the mission of this group was first diluted and later allowed to dissipate. The meeting occurred over two days and included participation of thirty two nominated members from civil society, state level ministers or secretaries connected to education as well as the Minister of Human Rights and Development, Shri Arjun Singh.

In the run up to this elections that is being touted as a possible turning point in US and world history, it is likely that nothing will change unless numerous democratic process that have fallen into desuetude be revived and strengthened.

Water companies, on the other hand, argue that the process efficiencies associated with private enterprise will lower the cost of delivering water to the public, and therefore make water more affordable to the urban poor.

South Asian American Voting Youth, a new national non-profit, aims to change those statistics

The greatest relative differences between actual and expected stops and searches for Blacks were found in suburban cities and central cities other than Minneapolis.

Linguistic and cultural similarities also do not seem to have induced efforts to ensure equal treatment of the country's Hindu minority.

Is this a priority for Assam? No doubt, any flood alleviation project will be of some benefit.

Three months after the Dragon King lifted the TV ban, thousands signed up for cable service that provides 46 channels of round-the-clock entertainment.

On current issues in India, Mr. Singh reiterated that the strength of the country is its unity.

Justin Podur interviews Zia Mian.

Conventional wisdom has it that the results of the recent parliamentary elections in Pakistan have been a setback for President Musharraf. Is that really so?