This week's headlines in The SouthAsian 

Details at : http://www.thesouthasian.org

Sri Lankan Soldiers Kill Civilians, Government Covers Up

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

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/sri_lankan_soldiers_kill_civil_1.html

JNU Administration Encouraging Corruption!

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.   

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/jnu_administration_encouraging.html

Military Inc and the Death of Civic Society

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.   

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/military_inc_and_the_death_of_1.html

Is NREGA Empowering
 Communities?

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.   

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/is_nrega_empowering_communitie_1.html

Pakistani Fisherfolk Losing Access to Livelihoods

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.

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/pakistani_fisherfolk_losing_ac.html

Dow Distances from Bhopal Gas Tragedy

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.

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/dow_distances_from_bhopal_gas_1.html

Is the Government Redefining Eastern Sri Lanka?

A coalition of Tamils and Muslims in eastern Srilankan district of Ampara is organizing to highlight government policies meant to redefine geographies 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. 

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/is_the_government_redefining_e.html

Twenty Years after Chernobyl

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. 

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/twenty_years_after_chernobyl_1.html

Discussions on MQM

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. 

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/more_discussions_on_mqm.html

Kerala Judiciary Losing Credibility?

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. 

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/kerala_judiciary_losing_credib_1.html

PIL Demands Transparency Beyond RTI

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. 

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/pil_demands_transparency_beyon.html

Resettlement in Trincomalee Banned

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? 

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/resettlement_in_trincomalee_ba_1.html

The Big Business of Military Inc in Pakistan

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. 

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/the_big_business_of_military_i.html

The State of Writing in Pakistan

The Dawn carried an article by Khawaja Mustafa describing the sorry state writing and publishing in Pakistan. 

http://www.thesouthasian.org/archives/2007/the_state_of_writing_in_pakist_1.html

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I cannot hope to work towards equality and justice, towards non violence, till I stop dominating other opinions, other voices.