Archive of South Asia Citizens Wire

  • Law suit against recent regulations re TV broadcasts in Sri Lanka

    by The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), 5 November 2008

    The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA)
    CPA challenges validity of recent regulations concerning TV broadcasting in Sri Lanka
    5th November 2008, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) this week filed action in the Supreme Court by way of a fundamental rights petition, challenging the validity of recent regulations concerning television broadcasting.
    The Minister of Mass Media and Information promulgated a new set of regulations on 10th October 2008, cited as the (…)

  • An Appeal for Peace in South Bastar

    by Binayak Sen, 5 November 2008

    Economic & Political Weekly, October 25, 2008
    The present situation in South Bastar is characterised by an infinitude of chronic deprivation, along with a complete absence of political discourse. Instead, we have, on the one hand, the Salwa Judum, which the government dishonestly tries to characterise as a "people’s response to Maoism", and on the other, a purely military engagement between the state-based forces and the Maoists, which acts as a proxy to a political discourse. Both (…)

  • Militarisation or Demilitarisation in Nepal?

    by Rita Manchanda, 5 November 2008

    Inter Press Service, November 5, 2008
    Kathmandu, Nov 5 (IPS) - Fighting a decade long ’People’s War’ for the revolutionary transformation of a feudal monarchy meant that the Maoists had to militarise Nepali society, including women and youth.
    However, even after the Communist Party of Nepal -Maoist (CPN-M) was popularly elected to power, following the April elections to the constituent assembly, it seems reluctant to disband the paramilitary Youth Communist League (YCL).
    Indeed Prime (…)

  • Anatomy of Sangh Parivar

    by Ram Puniyani, 5 November 2008

    The arrest of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in the context of Malegaon blasts of September 29, 2008 has been an important step in the investigation of bomb blasts which have been blowing the social peace and communal amity. Along with her the arrest of army officers, retired and serving, has unfolded the whole new dimension about investigation of acts of terror. The involvement of Bhonsala Military School has also come under the scanner of investigating agencies.
    The Sadhvi has been the (…)

  • A Saffron Terror Network Surfaces

    by Praful Bidwai, 5 November 2008

    With the arrest of "Sadhvi" Pragya Thakur, Sameer Kulkarni and former Major Ramesh Upadhye for the bomb blasts of this past September in Malegaon in Maharashtra and Modasa in Gujarat, the police seem to have unearthed what has all the makings of an organised, well-ramified Hindutva terrorist network. The network may have been involved in numerous other recent bombings outside mosques, whose victims were primarily Muslims. The police are now questioning a serving army officer too for his (…)

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