South Asia Citizens Web

As thousands representing a cross-section of peoples’ movements from around the globe protest on the streets of London against the G-20 Summit, one is reminded of a time a few decades ago when the idea of peoples’ movement was in its infancy. The more obvious solidarity was of the ‘working class’. One could not have imagined this kind of pan-continental ‘front’, comprising over 150 unions, environmental and feminist groups, gay rights activists and similar micro-movements from across the (…)

With the military defeat of the LTTE imminent, the terrible plight of civilians in the Vanni has attracted worldwide concern and sympathy, and rightly so. While the circumstances are completely different, the civilian death toll in the Vanni over the past few months (over 2700) is already triple the number of civilians killed in the Gaza massacre of December-January, and is still mounting. The thousands who suffer serious injuries are further victimised by the delay or lack of medical (…)

Press Statement by Arundhati Roy
Issued at the Raipur Satyagraha for the Release of Dr Binayak Sen April 6, 2009 / Raipur, Chattisgarh
Dr Binayak Sen has been in prison for 22 months, arrested under one of India’s most draconian laws, the Chattisgarh Special Public Security Act. This Act has such a vague, diffused definition of ’Unlawful Activity’ that it renders every person guilty unless he or she can prove their innocence. Dr Sen’s bail application was dismissed twice, both times at (…)

The Art of Not Writing
March 31, 2009 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. I was in Bhairamgarh to cover a Salwa Judum (…)