Archive of South Asia Citizens Wire

  • "All those who want a dialogue with the Taliban should go to hell"

    by Farhat Taj, 30 January 2009

    The News, January 23, 2009
    Some weeks ago I was with a family in the NWFP. The family had staying with them many relatives from a Taliban-occupied tribal area. I asked one of the relatives his views on a dialogue with the Taliban. We were talking in Pashto, but the young man’s prompt reaction came in English: "Dialogue? Taliban? My foot!" Then he returned to Pashto. "All those who want a dialogue with the Taliban should go to hell. No dialogue with the Taliban. The army must kill them all. (…)

  • Sylhet in the Partition of India

    by Nabanipa Bhattacharjee, 30 January 2009

    It is important to examine the reasons for the near absence of Sylhet in Partition studies prior to an engagement with the event itself, or its consequences, of which, one, for instance, is the making of an Indian Sylheti identity in contemporary India.

  • The Chin People of Burma: Unsafe in Burma, Unprotected in India

    by sacw.net, 30 January 2009

    In this 93-page report, Human Rights Watch documents a wide range of human rights abuses carried out by the Burmese army and government officials. The abuses include forced labor, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, religious repression and other restrictions on fundamental freedoms. In Mizoram state, India, Chin people remain at risk of discrimination and abuse by local Mizo groups and local authorities, and of being forced back across the border into Burma.

  • India citizens voices in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka

    by Saheli, 30 January 2009

    Protest against Human rights violations in Sri Lanka and the violent curbing of the freedom of press
    Following the brutal attacks and murders of media persons in Sri Lanka in the past fortnight alone, there have been a number of protests in Sri Lanka and around the world.
    This protest is to come together in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka to raise our voices against the violation of Human Rights in Sri Lanka and the brutal curbing of the freedom of press. This is to protest the (…)

  • Sri Lanka: Diaspora Organizations Demand GOSL and LTTE Act Immediately to Prevent Humanitarian Catastrophe

    by Sri Lanka Democracy Forum, 30 January 2009

    We, the signatories of this statement, strongly condemn both the
    Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
    (LTTE) for their callous disregard for the safety and welfare of civilians
    trapped in the crossfire in Mullaitivu. We demand the GOSL and the LTTE
    immediately prioritise the safety of these quarter million civilians to
    prevent the humanitarian catastrophe that has begun to unfold in northern
    Sri Lanka.

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