Archive of South Asia Citizens Wire

  • Meeto Memorial Award for Young South Asians

    by Anhad, Sangat, 10 October 2009

    Meeto Memorial Award for Young South Asians
    Celebrating Social Committment
    ANHAD, Sangat
    and
    India Habitat Centre
    invite you to the inaugural presentation of the AWARD
    on
    Wednesday, 14 October, 2009
    at 7 pm
    at the Stein Auditorium,
    India Habitat Centre,
    – Lodi Road, New Delhi
    __3__
    Introduction of the Award
    – Shabnam Hashmi
    About Meeto (Kamaljit Bhasin-Malik)
    Roo Jhala and Syeda Hameed
    A few words
    from Meeto’s mother, Kamla Bhasin
    Bina Kak
    Songs of (…)

  • Repressive Indian State vs. Brutal Maoist Insurgency: Call for Peace and Sanity

    by EKTA, 10 October 2009

    EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity), Mumbai expresses its sense of horror at the reported move of the Government of India, in collaboration with the respective state governments, to launch a large-scale armed offensive against Maoist insurgents in eastern and central India.
    Such an operation cannot but result in huge "collateral" damages to the local populace, mainly indigenous people steeped deep in appalling poverty.
    It also finds it particularly disturbing that the insurgents, in turn, have in the recent days accelerated their killing spree.

  • India: Call for Action in Support of Irom sharmila

    by Insaf, 10 October 2009

    On 2 November 2009, Manipur poet and activist Irom Sharmila, will enter the 10th year of her hunger strike demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). On the occasion of her struggle entering the tenth year, they are poised to celebrate her resilience as a "Festival of Hope, Justice and Peace". We the following organisations are convinced that Sharmila’s struggle is not just to defend the human rights in Manipur, but in reality it is reshaping the very foundations of democracy in India.

  • India: Confronting ’Guns of Peace’ - Bastar faces its worst crisis

    by Himanshu Kumar, 10 October 2009

    The State wants tribals to help it in restoring peace – but when did
    the State believe that peace was possible without justice or that
    tribals could make peace with guns firing around them – does the State
    believe that tribals will confront its guns of peace without first
    arming themselves in their self-defence ? And what peace is the State
    talking of restoring – had it wanted peace it would have allowed
    rehabilitation, it would have allowed the nation to know the truth of
    Bastar, it would have respected its laws and would have adhered to the
    democratic governance systems it has put in place ??

  • Nokia SEZ: Public Price of Success

    by Madhumita Dutta, 10 October 2009

    The government claims that the special economic zones will bring in investment, increase exports and economic activity, and create employment. The Nokia Telecom SEZ near Chennai is often held up as a stellar success of such claims. A closer look at the figures indicates that Nokia’s investment is almost entirely paid for by public subsidy, much of the production is sold domestically, employment generation is below projections and workers are short-changed.

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