NVA in Asia/ S. Asia- 2009 February 27

Monday, 09 March 2009

Pakistan: Opposition leader ban sparks protests
By: CNN, February 26, 2009
Supporters of Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz Sharif took to the streets Thursday, burning cars and damaging shops, after the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that he and his brother cannot hold elected office.
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China rights 'worsened', says US
By: BBC News, February 26, 2009
China's human rights record worsened in some areas in 2008, the US state department concluded in its annual report on rights around the world. The report accused China of harassing dissidents and increasing its repression of ethnic minorities.
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Tibet: Another year of the Iron Fist
By: The Economist, February 26, 2009
As Tibetans, around the world this week marked the advent of the new year of the Earth Ox, many did so in a spirit of mourning rather than jubilation. The festival fell just before a bloodstained anniversary season: 50 years since the Chinese suppression of an uprising that saw the Dalai Lama, their spiritual leader, flee into exile in India with some 100,000 followers.
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Tibetans greet New Year in solemn opposition
By: Edward Wong, IHT, February 25, 2009
Snow fell across this mountain valley as red-robed monks in a prayer hall beat drums and chanted in tantric harmony, a seemingly auspicious start to Losar, the Tibetan New Year. But a monk watching the ritual on Wednesday morning made it clear: This was a ceremony of mourning, not celebration.
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India: Kashmir strike to protest killing
By: Altaf Hussain, BBC News, February 25, 2009
A total shutdown is being observed in Indian-administered Kashmir to protest against the weekend killings of two Muslim men allegedly by Indian troops. Shops and banks in all parts of Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley are closed and traffic has been suspended.
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China: Car set on fire in apparent protest
By: Michael Wines, NY Times, February 25, 2009
Three people apparently using an incendiary device set themselves and their car on fire on Wednesday as police officers approached them at a prominent street crossing in central Beijing. The motive was unclear, but officials said in a written statement that the three apparently had come from outside the Chinese capital "to appeal for personal issues."
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Activists demand intensified global pressure on Burma
By: Solomon, Mizzima, February 25, 2009
Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners in Burma (AAPP-B), urged the international community on Tuesday, to assert more pressure on Burma's ruling junta to release all political prisoners. The AAPP-B, formed with Burmese activists and former political prisoners, on Tuesday said, the international community should not be full of praise and be satisfied with the Burmese junta's release of a few political prisoners, but should intensify pressure on the junta.
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Challenging human rights in Burma
By: Mizzima News, February 25, 2009
The United Nations Human Rights expert Tomas Ojea Quintana, who recently concluded a six-day visit to Burma, said the release of 24 political prisoners along with over 6,000 other prisoners is not enough to dub it as a significant improvement in human rights.
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Clampdown in Tibet
By: Radio Free Asia, February 24, 2009
Chinese authorities in Tibetan-populated regions have stepped up travel restrictions in the wake of a series of Tibetan protests and ahead of several politically sensitive dates. Foreign tourists are being warned against traveling to Tibetan regions of Sichuan, while foreign journalists are currently barred from entering the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.
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The true heroes of democracy were the people of the Maldives, says British Foreign Minister
By: Dhivehi Observer, February 24, 2009
Vice President Dr. Mohamed Waheed has met with The Rt. Hon Lord Mark Malloch Brown, Minister for Africa, Asia and the United Nations at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Monday.
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Thailand: Protesters surround offices of Prime Minister
By: Reuters, February 24, 2009
Thousands of protesters surrounded the Thai prime minister's office Tuesday, demanding that Parliament be dissolved and calling for new elections. The protest by demonstrators from the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, which is allied with Thaksin Shinawatra, the exiled former prime minister, came three days before Thailand is to host the annual summit meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
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