#his stand on rohingya issue

[hyunjoochung]

Raise Three Fingers for Democracy

Exhibition Information Board

Updated on May 4, 2021

Title: Raise Three Fingers for Democracy

An illegitimate takeover

On February 1st, democracy in Myanmar was taken hostage in a brutal coup. The proxy military party won a humiliating 33 of 476 seats in November elections that were declared free and fair by the election commission and international observers. After demands to seize the ballots to recount personally were rejected, they launched their coup in the early hours of the morning, arresting over 200 elected officials returning for parliament, including de-facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Unprecedented nationwide protests broke out in a country still finding its democratic voice after a half-century of repression. A civil disobedience movement (CDM) formed. Doctors, teachers and government employees refused to work, joined by other essential sectors. Peaceful, creative protests filled the streets: families banging pots every night at 8pm, days of silence, highways blocked by 'broken down' cars.

Gradually, and then systematically, this was met with horrible brutality. The same military that perpetrated a genocide against the Rohingya now issued orders to shoot protestors in the head. They raid homes at night, and have arrested over 5,000. They have killed over 700 people, including over 50 children, like 6-year-old Khin Myo Chit, shot in the belly to teach her family a lesson. They have tortured over 20 people to death in custody. The internet has been shut down to all but 0.5% of the population. Media outlets that refuse to publish propaganda have been outlawed.

Freedom of the press (54 words)

This now-illegal newspaper can give you a picture of what is happening right now. It’s journalists continue to report while on the run.

[QR code & Screen set to: Mizzima reporting from a safe house]

To understand the nature of the military and their police stooges, you only need a few entries on the lists of this civil organisation tracking and verifying killings, arrests, indefinite detention and warrants:

[QR code & Screen set to: Link to PDF]

Freedom of expression

But there is still hope. The majority resists. People continue the fight every day. A symbol of hope is #threefingers. Used before in other Asian countries where democracy is under threat (the milk tea countries), it has gained major prominence in Myanmar. A group of Myanmar artists, illustrators and creatives used images of this symbol of resistance from the very first day. Since, you can see it in marches, at funerals, through the prison bars, in messages of defection, in the United Nations General Assembly, and where support can be found. It can be carried with you everywhere, and it can mean everything to those who show it.

These artists who first raised these totems of democracy in Myanmar are now putting out the call for support. Already artists, illustrators and cartoonists from around the world, from the UK to Korea, to Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong and farther have begun to return the call. Now, they need more people to join in. The fall of democracy is a worldwide phenomenon – this is just the latest front. They need YOU to stand for democracy, and help them delegitimise this brutal regime.

At night, after a day of beatings, shootings, horrors, frightened of gunshots and raids, losing hope, the young people continuing this fight can look at these artworks, songs, dances or messages, and see hope, solidarity and others that still believe in what they are risking everything for.

Every #threefingers raised builds awareness and support for human rights, freedom and democracy in Myanmar.

Message from our founder

(VIDEO: “We Will Win” by Latt Thone Chuang)

Quote

“At a very basic level, art plays a very practical role. It gets people energized, it makes people emotional, and it gets people to organise and get things done.

Art helps to frame the direction of the protest movement.

Art can also create hope and resilience. It takes people to another level and can help uplift the mood of the people.

I believe art – in all its forms – can give strength to people.

That’s what art can do.

It’s important to keep creating because you can’t handcuff ideas.

You can’t kill art with bullets.

– Maw Khun Thit, Latt Thone Chaung

Night arrests

At night, gunshots and flashbang explosives can be heard across the town. Security forces raid homes, trying to arrest and intimidate dissenting voices. Having suspended laws requiring warrants to search, they leave family members with no knowledge of the charges, location, or condition of their loved ones. Communities set up unarmed neighbourhood watch groups, local men and women who stayed up all night, banging pots to warn of approaching security forces.

Killing children (104 words)

On 23 March, security forces entered the home of 6-year-old Khin Myo Chit and her family in Mandalay. They asked her father if anyone was hiding in the house, and accused him of lying when he said no. When the girl ran to her father's arms, they shot her. She died before they could reach medics. Her last words were: "I can't father, it's too painful". Her brother was arrested and the family are yet to learn of his charge or whereabouts. Khin Myo Chit is one of over 50 child fatalities. All but one on record was shot.

Ethnic minorities

The coup instigator, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, was found by UN Investigators as the perpetrator the Rohingya genocide and publicly stated he would 'clear up the Bengali problem'. The coup has led to the formation of a National Unity Government of protest leaders, a government that previously had to keep the military on side, and ethnic minorities targeted by the military including the Kachin, Karen and Chin. The Rohingya, the most known of these minorities internationally, are anti-military and are showing the three finger salute themselves.

Targeting poor communities

Since the start of the coup, many noticeable groups have been targeted: elected officials and election monitors, doctors for treating injured protestors, government employees and bank employees for refusing to work. But the violence has been worse in neighbourhoods where poor or factory workers live and work. With the least access to medical or legal help, and the least ability to escape or hide, they continue to risk the most for democracy.

Internet shutdown

Internet and mobile phones were inaccessible to all but the super rich until after 2014. A sim card cost over $3000. Then as democratisation opened up the country, it swelled to over 80% smartphone coverage. Over the last 2 years, Myanmar’s military has conducted the world’s longest internet shutdown over eight townships and a million people in Chin and Rakhine states, to suppress information about its actions there. Now this darkness is returning everywhere: just 0.5% of the population have access to the internet, only then to stop the banking system collapsing. And yet these short years of information have taken root – people know now that they deserve more.

Creative freedom in danger

For fifty years before 2012, art and expression was repressed in Myanmar. It left just one art school, teaching stuffy figurative pastiche. Censorship was visible every day, in newspapers with black bars, banned books, arrests of cartoonists or performers. Art lay dormant, but never died. In 8 short years, expression flourished fearlessly once more. Now over 35 artists, directors and performers have been arrested, and more than 200 are on the run from arrest warrants. Yet, they continue to speak out and use their expression to fight oppression.

Can you help them?

These artists need your words, pictures and actions to amplify their calls. They need you now to fight for democracy under threat in Myanmar and everywhere.

Message of hope

Quote 2 (with Nobel Aung artwork)

“The most inspiring thing has been the unity of people. We all have the same objective. This was apparent since the very first night of the coup. People continue to bang their pots and pans every night at 8 pm to make noise, every day even until now. We are not scared of guns anymore but the military is scared of the noise we make. We give courage and inspiration to each other.”

-Nobel Aung, illustrator and animator

Founder of Raise Three Fingers

Mandatories:

About:

Raise Three Fingers (formerly Art for Freedom MM) is a campaign founded by artists and creatives from Myanmar to bring the global art community together, stand up for democracy and highlight the humanitarian crisis unfolding since the military coup on February 1 2021.

Founders:

Art for Freedom MM

Using Art and Illustration to uphold human rights for Myanmar.

Latt Thone Chaung

We are here to celebrate all forms of creative protests against the military coup in Myanmar.

The Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation (UK)

Home to some of the UK’s finest cartoonists’ talent.

Collaborators:

Fine Acts - A global nonprofit creative studio for social impact

Human Rights Foundation - We partner with world-changing activists in creating innovative solutions to unite the world against tyranny.

Arts Help - Founded on the principle of art making the world a better place, Arts Help is the #1 art publisher, with a community of 2.5 million members.

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Trump Impeachment Acquittal on Track Ahead of Senate Vote (AP) President Donald Trump is on the verge of acquittal by the Senate, an end to only the third presidential impeachment trial in American history but coming at the start of a tumultuous campaign for the White House.

Report: At Least 138 Sent From US to El Salvador Were Killed (AP) At least 138 people deported to El Salvador from the U.S. in recent years were subsequently killed, Human Rights Watch says in a new report that comes as the Trump administration makes it harder for Central Americans to seek refuge here.

Electric dream: Britain to ban new petrol and hybrid cars from 2035 (Reuters) Britain will ban the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars from 2035, five years earlier than planned, in an attempt to reduce air pollution that could herald the end of over a century of reliance on the internal combustion engine.

Air Canada Boeing 767 Returns Safely to Madrid After Engine Issue (Reuters) An Air Canada Boeing 767 with 128 passengers and eight crew returned safely to Madrid’s Barajas airport on Monday after reporting an engine issue and a burst tyre on take-off that forced it to circle for hours to burn fuel before landing.

Italy’s Salvini risks new trial over alleged migrant kidnapping (Reuters) A special tribunal has recommended that far-right League leader Matteo Salvini should stand trial for holding scores of people on board a charity ship last August, in one of his last migrant standoffs as interior minister. In a court document seen by Reuters, magistrates in the Sicilian city of Palermo asked parliament for authorization to continue an investigation into the League leader on suspicion of kidnapping 107 migrants on the Spanish charity boat Open Arms. The migrants remained stranded at sea until prosecutors ordered the seizure of the ship and the evacuation of the people on board.

Migrants, refugees on Greece’s Lesbos chant freedom in second day of protest (Reuters) Hundreds of migrants rallied for a second day on the Greek island of Lesbos on Tuesday to demand the faster processing of asylum requests, while local residents staged a separate protest calling for the camps to close.

Hungarian teachers say new school curriculum pushes nationalist ideology (Reuters) A Hungarian teachers’ union on Tuesday protested against a new school curriculum it says is designed by the ruling Fidesz party to promote its nationalist agenda and curb academic freedoms. Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the leader of Fidesz, has often come under fire from the European Union and human rights groups for a range of policies they say harm democracy and the rule of law in Hungary.

Rohingya refugees go back to school (Foreign Policy) Among a few government proposals for handling the huge population of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh--including repatriation to Myanmar and relocation to an island in the Bay of Bengal--Dhaka recently announced one that has Rohingya feeling hopeful. Last week, officials announced that Bangladesh would provide refugee children access to formal education after warning about the potential for a “lost generation.”

Hong Kong reports virus death as workers strike at hospitals (AP) Hong Kong hospitals cut services as thousands of medical workers went on strike for a second day Tuesday to demand the border with mainland China be shut completely, as a new virus caused its first death in the semi-autonomous territory and authorities feared it was spreading locally. All but two of Hong Kong’s land and sea crossings with the mainland were closed at midnight after more than 2,000 hospital workers went on strike Monday. Hong Kong health authorities reported two additional patients without any known travel to the virus epicenter, bringing the number of locally transmitted cases up to four.

Israel Hits Hamas Targets in Gaza After Renewed Rocket Fire (AP) Israel struck Hamas militant targets in Gaza early Wednesday in response to rocket fire toward Israeli communities overnight, the military said, the latest flare-up following the release of the Trump administration’s Mideast plan, which the Palestinians have fiercely rejected.

Turkey Deploys Extremists to Libya, Local Militias Say (AP) Syrian militants affiliated with groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are currently being sent by Turkey to fight on behalf of the U.N.-supported government in Libya, according to two Libyan militia leaders and a Syrian war monitor.

Malawi’s presidential election annulled (Foreign Policy) Malawi’s constitutional court voided the 2019 elections that would have granted President Peter Mutharika a second term, pointing to widespread electoral tampering, including the use of white out correction fluid to change votes on paper ballots. Judges have ordered that another election be held in the next 150 days.

#headlines #news

[ind-livewire-blog]

Pappu(from CatholicsChristian2JaneudhariShivbhakt2JaliTopidhari)

22 yrs Anti incumbency,Demo/gst,farmer distress, patidar agitation, Dalit issue etc..

Bjp had given Gujarat on platter. But Pappu failed to capitalise on it. Credit goes to 3 idiots for increasing congress’s tally along with above-mentioned issues.

New discovery of India JanuadhariShivBhakt played Caste card/communal card to the hilt. He tried his best to create fissures among Hindu through Caste card.

We must give full credit to Pappu for sticking religiously(Christian) to his Speechwriters/Handlers & stagemanagers.

Pappu should have been taken to task for playing Caste/Communal instead u ppl call it masterstroke. It shows intellectual bankruptcy of u & ur ilk.

Pappu has been in politics for past 13 yrs. but he has nothing to show. had there been someone else in his place he would have been shown the door long back in any other country.

his attendance in parliament is abysmal. when he does go to parliament he is either sleeping or building castle in the air.

he had taken a u-turn as per instructions of his Handlers & stagemanagers & indulged in appeasement of hindus at the expense of muslims. suddenly muslims gone off the radar of INC.

he has visited so many temples in such a short span on the eve of gujarat election than his 13 yrs political career put together.

Soniya G used to take her children for mass in church since their childhood. where ultimately Priyanka vadra met her future husband Robert vadra.

so when u r used to church mass then u r bound to make mistake when u visit a temple. why r u hiding ur religion Pappu.

india is not dharmshala or dumping ground of world. sickulars/libtards/leftards/presititues r against deportation of illegal rohingyas living in india also want india to open its gates for more ilegal rohingyas. charity begins at home. so y not begin from ur homes. start with 1 illegal roginhya family. yesterday ilegal bangladeshis, today rohingyas then tomorrow syrian/yemenis. 

rohingyas r involved in terrorists activities. ARSA is headed by pakistani national with blessing from Pakistans deep state. so you want to bring terrorists in our country. before that kindly surrender your Z plus security.

there are so many muslim countries in the world. why are these countries not sheltering rohingyas. you ppl say india is not safe for muslims than how is india safe for rohingyas?

UPA government claiming in an affidavit before the Supreme Court that Lord Ram did not exist and that the Ramayana has no historical basis, it is clear that the Congress party’s pseudo-secularism has degenerated into sadist-secularism.

what new janeudhariShivbhakt has to say about it. Pappu if you dont believe in our gods then why are u vising hindu temples

 Kapil Sibal, a Congress MP, argued in Supreme Court in the Babri Masjid case. He can argue in court but is it right for him to say postpone hearing till 2019? Why is he linking elections with Ram Mandir. Now, the Congress is linking Ram Mandir with politics,

what new janeudhariShivbhakt has to say about it. Pappu if you dont believe in our gods then why are u vising hindu temples

Why r u against Triple Talaq? Muslim women r not women? Ur double standards stood exposed in Parliament on triple Talaq bill. do you believe in gender equality?

according to you gender equality means women wearing short pants.

you visit JNU (the anti national hub) and show solidarity with anti national elements.

according to you hindu terror is more dangerous than islamic terror. when there no hindu terror.

indian PM sainiko ki khoon ki dalali karta hai. what kind of language. 

according to u those who go to temple tease the ladies.

 ManiShanker Aiyar first from no where invited Mr. Modi to sell tea at Congress Meeting. There after He went to Pakistan and in the press conference he asked the help from Pakistan to overthrow Mr. Modi. I don’t mind if Mr.Modi is dethroned by the regular Indian process but not by someone especially Pakistan’s help.He may have corrected his version afterwards but it shows his intention to dethrone Mr.Modi by any means legal or illegal.I am not adding anything to His ‘neech’ remark but it also shows his hatred for Mr.Modi. so is his statement of apology. Person who has mastered Urdu does not know the meaning of Hindi word ‘neech’?He invites Pakistan officials at his residence. When it becomes public, he negated the event. Nor he or any participant has declared what they discussed. When they are not in the power, what is the use to discuss the official matters secretly? I am still in doubt whether exPM still believes he is holding the power with the help of Mr.Manishanker?There are many doubts about the intentions of Mr.MMSingh who being the Great economist, acted as Puppet in the hand of Gandhis who are under control of the person like Mr.Manishanker Aiyar.Please as the GReat Journalist, please clarify these issues for the sake of General Public or Please declare your Great self as Supporter of all Corruptions and dubious democrats of INC.

what is your stand on this.

during the doklam standoff you were parting with chinese.

The 2008 Mumbai attacks (also referred to as 26/11) were a group of terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamic terrorist organisation based in Pakistan, carried out a series of 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks lasting four days across Mumbai

your own Diggy singh accused RSS of master minding it. is there any lever that you and your ilk can stoop.

whats is your stand on it.

After the Gujarat elections, Pappu may please be addressed respectfully as Pappuji and not called Pappubaba.

https://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/no-free-lunch/the-shameful-secret-dinner-between-congress-and-pakistan/

http://www.businesstoday.in/opinion/fineprint/rohingya-refugee-crisis-india-bengal-rakhine-myanmar-bangladesh-jammu-settlement/story/263586.html

#his stand on rohingya issue

[southeastasianists]

U Kyaw Hla Aung is a well-known lawyer and activist who has been fighting for the rights of the Rohingya ethnic group in Myanmar for decades.

The 78-year Rohingya man was awarded this year's Aurora Prize by the Armenia-based Aurora Humanitarian Initiative for his advocacy of rights for the persecuted mostly Muslim minority.

He donated the $1m he received in prize money to humanitarian organisations providing medical aid and assistance to Rohingya refugees.

Nearly a million Rohingya were forced to take shelter in neighbouring Bangladesh after Myanmar's army, responding to attacks by an armed group, launched a brutal campaign against the minority in the country's western Rakhine state last year.

The Rohingya have faced persecution in Myanmar for decades. The military government, which took power following a coup in 1962, stripped the Rohingya of citizenship in 1982.

Since 2012, following deadly riots between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya, tens of thousands of people from the minority have been forced to live in squalid internment camps.

Hla Aung, who was born in the city of Sittwe in Rakhine state, spent more than 12 years in jail for his political work on behalf of the Rohingya people.

Al Jazeera caught up with the veteran activist in November in the Qatari capital, Doha, where he was invited to attend a global health conference.

Al Jazeera: Why have Rohingya been denied citizenship in Myanmar? What are the criteria for citizenship?

Hla Aung: According to the 1948 citizenship law, a person who lived in Myanmar for 10 years and eight years continuously was eligible for citizenship. They are denying us citizenship since 1982.

A person who shows he owns land, should be accepted as citizen. But that's not happening.

In 1964, Myanmar's ruler General Ne Win nationalised all the shops, farms and companies owned by Indians, Pakistanis and the Chinese. He drove all the foreigners from Myanmar. At that time they didn't drive out the Rohingya people.

Rohingya belong to this land, they were recognised by the previous democratic governments, including under Prime Minister U Nu. But after the military coup [of 1982], they said Muslims were not a people of Myanmar.

My father owned land and I have documents but they [government] do not recognise it. In 1959, the government issued National Registration Cards to all the people, including Muslims. I also got my National Registration Card.

After driving all the Rohingya out they will go after all Muslims from across Burma [Myanmar]. They have a plan to drive out all the Muslims from this land.

Al Jazeera: What do you think about the planned repatriation of Rohingya?Hla Aung: I do not trust Myanmar officials on the repatriation issue because they have not taken action against people who looted Rohingya property and cattle. So how can these people go back? Also, there is no protection [for the returnees] by law or by the government.Al Jazeera: Can you tell us about the situation on the ground for the Rohingya in Myanmar?Hla Aung: The government is biased against Muslims. Earlier, Rohingya people were represented in government departments such as the police, military, administration, education etc.But this has changed over the years.Successive governments have gradually denied Muslims jobs. I worked for a government company for over 20 years. I was jailed for writing a petition to General Ne Win against forced confiscation of lands belonging to Muslims in 1986.

Al Jazeera: You have lived in Rakhine state for more than 70 years. How were relations between Muslims and Buddhists when you were young?

Hla Aung: Before 1960, we lived together, we had very good relations. We could apply for jobs and that's how I was appointed as a stenographer. I got a promotion and faced little discrimination because of being a Muslim. Now, even judges discriminate between Muslims and Buddhists.Al Jazeera: Why do you think there is so much anti-Muslim sentiment in Myanmar?Hla Aung: They say that they are afraid of Muslims because they believe Muslims are spreading in the country.The anti-Rohingya campaign has high-level political backing. But very few people are friendly. Buddhist people hate Muslims. The majority are against Muslims, only a tiny minority want to live together.

Al Jazeera: What are the issues facing the Rohingya community?

Hla Aung: Our people are not well educated. I want to give them education so they can know about their rights. I organise our people to be educated so that they will have courage to fight for their rights. In my opinion, education is the first priority for me.Due to the lack of health facilities 500 to 1,000 will die but without education, the whole community will die within 10 years.

Al Jazeera: Tell us about the education initiatives you have undertaken in Rakhine state?

Hla Aung: We have opened schools and appointed nearly 121 teachers since 2012. We are reaching more than 10,000 students in villages.

Rakhine teachers do not come to Muslim villages. We collect some donations from our people to run the schools. I also approached Nobel laureate Shirin Abadi to help get funds.

I was arrested for my education initiatives. President Thein Sein granted me a pardon after one and a half years in prison. I was released on October 7, 2014.

Al Jazeera: Tell us about the democratic transition project pushed by Thein Sein?

Hla Aung: Thein Sein started the process of driving out Muslims from their land. He is the man behind the anti-Muslim policies.

Al Jazeera: You contested elections in 1990. Why didn't you win?

Hla Aung: I could have won but they didn't allow me. I was a candidate in 1990 parliamentary election. I was the vice president for National Democratic for Human Rights party.

Before the election, the western commander arrested me. I was imprisoned by a court-martial.

Al Jazeera: Tell us about your family.

Hla Aung: My parents were from Mrauk U but I was born in Sittwe during World War II. We fled from one village to the other as the fighting raged. At that time my father was head clerk of the state court. Our house was destroyed by the Japanese army.

In 2012, my house was destroyed by Rakhine terrorists. I have not been able to go back to my own house since then.

I worked for MSF for 14 years until 2012. MSF was kicked out by Rakhine terrorists and the government because the medical charity did not discriminate between Rakhine, Hindu and Muslims.

Al Jazeera: You spent more than a decade in jail. Why?

Hla Aung: I was in jail from 1986 to 1988, another eight years between 1989 and 1997. I was imprisoned for two months in June 2012. My last stint in jail was from July 2013 to October 2014.

The first one was for writing a petition in support of Rohingya farmers. Then I was accused of organising people to set fire to houses. In the 2013 case, I was blamed for stone-throwing incident against government officials.

Al Jazeera: Do you think Myanmar will accept the Rohingya?

Hla Aung: They will never accept us. They deny our existence, they consider us as illegal immigrants.

Al Jazeera: What is the future of the Rohingya people? What are your hopes from the international community?

Hla Aung: The future is dependent on the international community, including the UN. We have to organise the international community to back the Rohingya cause at the UN.

When I went to Armenia to receive the Aurora award, their government assured me that they will help us. I asked them to stand behind Rohingya at the UN.

Al Jazeera: Are the Rohingya facing genocide?

Hla Aung: It is indeed genocide because government does not accept the word Rohingya.

The government is not allowing the investigations of cases from the scene of the crimes. The International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar formed by the UN has not been allowed to enter Myanmar.

#Southeast Asia #Burma #Myanmar #Rohingya People #Kyaw Hla Aung #People

[truevoice]

India-Secularism threat from political masters, white collar Naxals-Terrorists, Mullahs, Foreign-funded NGO’s

India is a secular country, and its Secularism existed since the commencement of “India.” There is no better country on this planet to equate with India Secularism. By definition “Secularism in India means equal treatment of all religions by the state.” India is the only country on this planet earth where one can find survival and free practice of every religion. Nearly 22 national languages and 1,652 mother languages (local languages) spoken in India. Is it not captivating and a unique mannerism of this great nation “India”? Indeed, we are a great nation, and Secularism is entrenched all over India which does not require any proof or justification.

From ancient days to the modern world nothing has changed for ordinary people. However, In the 21st century our political masters, white collar Naxals-Terrorists, Mullahs, Foreign-funded NGO’s and many other individuals and organizations are trying to twist and alter the entire discourse of real Secularism. Well! These forces are trying their best to find the means of their existence and trying to stay relevant.

India is witnessing a new dimension in the Secularism phenomena, i.e., failing to pay attention to a particular religion means there is a threat to Secularism. I ask the question – why someone will ignore Hindus? Why political masters across parties giving no importance to the majority, i.e., Hindu’s? Why are political masters acknowledging, showcasing and celebrating Ed – Iftaar party, Muharram, importance to skullcap and green color? Why degrading saffron color or not recognizing majority populations festivals and rituals? Narratives built green vs. saffron, Narratives built Durga puja vs. Muharram, and yes Narratives are constructed Hindus vs. Muslims. How come one religion can be secular vs. others. It is sad, but narratives are built by shameless politicians, white collar Naxals-Terrorists, Mullahs, Foreign-funded NGO’s that Hindus are not secular or less secular vs. rest of minorities.

It has become routine that our chief minister’s, Prime Minister, President, and many political party leaders organize Iftar party on tax payer’s money but no celebrations for majorities. I am not against religion, but I have a firm view that if there is appeasement of only one religion, then Hindu should stop paying taxes. I believe in “Appeasement for None and Development for all.” Religion is a personal matter of belief, and it cannot be exploited to define India’s Secularism. Government ideal duty is to refrain from the religious issue and must not use tax payer’s money to appease one religion vs. others. The government is for all, not of any particular faith, so it is not appropriate to pay more attention to one specific religion.

It all started since India independence and even before by Nehru, Jinnah and many more. We have congress leaders like Digvijay Singh who praises terrorist Hafiz because he is Muslim and Congress party supports him. Sonia Gandhi cries for Batala House encounter for Muslim appeasement. Owaisi is another Muslim leader who speaks venom against Hindus. Congress party stands with Ishrat Jahan who was a terrorist. In Bihar Laloo Yadav, a convicted politician plays M-Y (Muslim and Yadav) card to appease Muslims. In Utter Pradesh, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav gives a public statement that he feels proud in killing Hindus who were doing Kar Seva. West Bengal Chief Minister banned Durga puja rituals and allowed Muharram to appease Muslims. This list is endless but to name few are like Lawyers like Kapil Sibal and Prashant Bhushan, a judge like Katraju, Maulana like Bukhari, Politicians like Laloo, Kejri, Owaisi and Azam Khan, Students like Khalid, Omar, and Kanhaiya. Professors like Nivedita Menon, NGO’s like Teesta Setalvad and many more, the list is endless.

In Godhra sad incident, hundreds of Hindu and Muslim both killed, but entire political class and foreign-funded NGO’s stood for Muslims because that makes them secular. Across the country, foreign-funded NGO’s are running shops of forceful conversion. If we speak against conversion, then someone like Jhon Dayal runs to America to lodge his complaint. We have seen forceful religion conversion in Kerela and many parts of the country. We have leaders like Mamta, Laloo, Mulayam and Rahul Gandhi who are showing solidity for illegal Rohingyas Muslims because of this suite their narrative of secularism. Lacks of Hindus were butchered and thrown out of Kashmir, but no one stands for them because it does not fit in the political description of secularisms.

Enough is enough and we the people of India must not tolerate idiotic theory and narrative of secularism. We live in a Hindu majority nation, and absolutely no one can dare to teach us dirty tricks of secularism. The fact is that our country filled with white color criminals and that is the biggest threat to our secularism. We the people of India need to wake up against white collar Naxals-criminals-terrorists and must break selective secularisms propagated by many.

I believe in India secularism, i.e., absolutely development for all and appeasement for none.

#secular #india #secularism #whitecolornaxal #hindu #muslim #congress #bjp #mayawati #mamta banerjee #mulayam singh yadav #Lalu Yadav #Arvind Kejriwal #indian #kashmir #godhra #owasi #azam khan #kanhaiya #kanhaiya kumar #nivedita menon #teesta setalvad #prashant bhushan #Katraju #muharram #durgapuja #kapil sibal #Rahul Gandhi #hafiz saeed #kar seva

[revolutionaryeye]

Students protest at University College London over racist eugenics conference

Campaigners on campuses and in communities are organising against racism, says Tomáš Tengely-Evans

Students protesting at UCL on Monday (Pic: Guy Smallman)

Chants of, “Decolonise UCL” and, “End eugenics now” rang out in front of University College London (UCL) on Monday.

Over 100 students, mainly Muslim and black, joined an angry protest after revelations that a UCL professor had hosted a racist conference on eugenics last year.

James Thompson, an honorary senior lecturer, hosted the London Conference on Intelligence.

It was attended by people with links to Nazism including Richard Lynn, who had previously called for the “phasing out” of the “populations of incompetent cultures”.

The university said that it was not aware the conference was taking place and that it would have gone against the government’s Prevent strategy.

Prevent is officially about monitoring all forms of “extremism”, but mainly targets Muslims. Ayo Olatunji, the BME officer at UCL, said, “If it was anything to do with ‘Islamism’, we would have counter terrorism police on campus.”

The odious Toby Young, who was appointed by Tory Jo Johnson to the Office for Students (OfS), was a prominent attendee at the conference. He was forced to resign from the OfS after a backlash against his bigotry.

Mataio, a UCL student, told Socialist Worker, “It really shows that racist ideas are at the heart of the Tory party.

“They are committed to the politics of divide and rule.”

Scandal

The scandal hammers home the need to build a movement against the racism pushed by the Tories and right wing press.

That’s why Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) and Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend) are hosting a national student conference in London on 3 March.

It’s an opportunity to draw together the different fights against racism on campus. Sessions include Fighting Islamophobia and Antisemitism, and Decolonising Our Curriculum. SUTR groups across Britain are also building for rallies in the run-up to national demonstrations against racism in London, Glasgow and Cardiff on 17 March.

In Haringey SUTR supporters joined a welcome party at Wightman Road mosque for 40 Syrian refugee families who’ve moved to the north London borough.

And in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, SUTR hosted a community meal to raise awareness and funds for the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. They also collected for the Calais convoy on 11 February, the day after SUTR trade union conference in London.

Meanwhile in Newham, east London, the calls by schools inspector Ofsted to question girls wearing the hijab in primary schools has led to action by head teachers and governors.

The head of governors at St Stephen’s School has called on the government to ban the hijab nationally for young children.

The school admits there has been a “backlash” against its policy on this and other issues.

The key issues are choice about what children wear, and no encouragement of Islamophobia. The Tories must not legislate in this area further.

Come to the Scottish Stand Up To Racism conference, 3 February in Glasgow. For details see the Facebook event page Source:- https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/45955/Students+protest+at+University+College+London+over+racist+eugenics+conference

#eugenics #racism #UK Politics

[browsingcopy]

Altogether Somewhere: On Growing Roots Amidst Shifting Sands and Moving Landscapes

A response to Charles Lim’s SEA STATE

I come from Singapore, a country plagued with “a history of amnesia,” in the words of poet Alfian Sa’at. One of our national day songs written by Dick Lee titled “Home” contains the line: “I will always recall the city, know every street and shore.” It is odd to sing this knowing that “every street and shore” is constantly shifting—the sounds of construction are pervasive, highways are ever-widening and the sea is constantly being reclaimed.

An oft-told narrative is one of Singapore’s growth from a third-world fishing village to a first-world smart nation within the span of 50 years. A lesser-known story is one of how our total land area has grown from 578 square kilometres in 1819 to 719 square kilometres today. The fact that 25% of our country’s land mass is reclaimed may have astounded German, French and Italian visitors to Charles Lim’s SEA STATE pavilion at the Venice Biennale. But they may be less of a surprise to our neighbours in Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam, whose sands we draw upon in dredges. Where there were fishing villages on stilts on the sea, now stand ports, airports, luxury hotels and casinos, built with sand imported both legally and illegally through smuggling and deals with corrupt officials. Riverbanks collapse, estuaries erode, mangrove wildlife and coastal livelihoods are lost. Yet, the drawing and redrawing of our coastline and skyline continually defer their political and ethical implications on both regional and national levels.

I only became more conscious of these realities when I encountered and engaged with the various phases of SEA STATE through sitting with the work, listening to its lulling siren-like voice, digesting the catalogue and attempting to grasp the rich curatorial and artistic research underpinning the decade-long project over the course of breakfast and dinner conversations with Charles and curator Shabbir Hussein Mustafa. Growing up in Singapore, I was always surrounded by rapid modernisation, the loss of significant cultural and heritage sites, and the strange resurrection of demolished buildings like the National Theatre and old National Library in the form of giant floats paraded at the annual Chingay parade, prolonging a nostalgia that no longer exists in present memory. I find it jarring to imagine a similar fate for architectural landmarks such as Golden Mile Complex and Tower—spaces that are significant and familiar to me, where I’ve built connections and friendships over Thai food and open-air rooftops.

Architect Tan Cheng Siong behind the iconic horseshoe-shaped Pearl Bank apartments recalled what it was like during the early days of Singapore’s post-independence urbanisation: “It was an interesting challenge for young people like us. I can remember thinking ‘very good, we are a free people now.’ But at the start, we were so badly informed and had nothing to hang on to. The neighbours, the community, the streets and the shops all these things were lost in some of the early apartments, but young people like me were rushing to fulfil our ambitions. Our parents were the ones that felt lonely every now and then.” The curved corridors of Pearl Bank were designed as an antidote to this growing loneliness and social dislocation, with kitchens facing inwards to encourage people to invite neighbours in for chicken curry. The physical structures in Singapore barely stay long enough. Pearl Bank is slated to be demolished in 2019. Memories attached to old buildings often exist only as projections of the mind or are glimpsed as superimpositions on current, newer replacements. In Between Stations, writer Boey Kim Cheng laments the loss of old spaces in Singapore’s Central Business District: “But in my mind, both the Arcade and Change Alley form a continuum of light and shade, an interim one that is neither outside nor inside, blurring interior and exterior, time and space, past and present.”

In one edition of OH! Open House, I was standing amongst a group in the garden of somebody’s house in Potong Pasir when ceramic artist Michelle Lim reflected as she shaped mud: “Nowhere is sacred, nowhere is permanent. Nowhere where you can build your stories over and over again.” OH! tells alternative stories of Singapore through art by working with artists to create site-specific works in unconventional locations such as strangers’ homes and under-utilised public spaces. I lived in Potong Pasir when it was under the stronghold of the opposition party. Residents of ground-floor HDB flats took great care in nurturing small gardens—trellises, patios, benches and swings spilled over onto public land. In the years that followed the change in hands during the 2011 General Elections, Potong Pasir’s landscape was no longer stuck in the 1980s and quickly evolved. Sidewalks were built, barricades erected, covered walkways constructed, bridges repainted, roads tarred, street lamps installed and lifts upgraded. For the first time, an NTUC FairPrice supermarket sprouted and POSB bank opened a branch. In describing her former hometown, Lim commented, “It’s changed so much that I wouldn’t even know if I’ve arrived.”

My father grew up in this neighbourhood and often went jogging through the quiet, hilly terrain of tombstones in Bidadari. He knew the dimly-lit streets well enough to walk home with his eyes closed. When my great grandmother passed away at the age of 93, we moved into her house. Like my father, I grew to develop my own memories of this neighbourhood. I learnt that several notable persons from Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Sinhalese communities were interred at Bidadari cemetery. The graves have since been exhumed, slopes flattened, trees uprooted, making way for Housing Development Board (HDB) flats in what is touted as “the new Bishan,” a bustling district which also occupies a plot of land built on a former cemetery. Bidadari, or “angel of paradise” in Malay, is derived from the Sanskrit word “widyadari,” an angelic being in Hindu mythology. It used to house kampong villages, the Japanese-style garden and lake Alkaff Gardens, and the istana or palace of Zubaidah binti Abdullah (née Cecilia Catharina Lange), the Danish second wife of Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor. Later in the OH! tour, as we were traversing through the former Bidadari cemetery at sunset, I smiled to myself when our guide warned us: “Be careful there are a lot of roots.”

How do we begin to unpeel the layers of our histories and uncover the rhizomic roots? Not too long ago Singapore separated from Malaysia, but between the tears and pregnant pauses, it remains to this day an issue that is still not fully talked about. To quote Josephine Chia, author of Kampong Spirit Gotong Royang: Life in Potong Pasir from 1955 to 1965, “The separation from Malaya was traumatic and no one really talks about this. But we had uncles and aunties and cousins who lived across the highway... I’m Peranakan so I had relatives in Penang and Melaka. And suddenly, you couldn’t be friends anymore.” This history is further complicated by the fact that most immigrants are divorced from Java, Sarawak, Yemen, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, Punjab and other places where their ancestors came from.

Separations and traumas on a national scale often have large repercussions on the individual. In talking to a friend from Bayreuth, he described how even today, his parents only go on family holidays in West Germany and avoid the East at all costs. Even though it has been 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the invisible wall lingers on in their minds. Differences in powers, ideologies, religions and races have resulted in crimes against humanity and acts of violence inflicted upon oppressed communities. Although Germany has recognised its role in the Holocaust, it is still coming to terms with the genocide in Namibia. Turkey continually refuses to recognise the Armenian genocide. Malaysia has only just begun a public inquiry into the mass graves of Rohingyas. While underlying traumas exist, they are often buried deep within our national consciousnesses. Yet, we feel their reverberations every day. We are at once connected yet isolated from our past, present and each other.

We all have an innate need for security and belonging. French philosopher Simone Weil once wrote that “to be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognised need of the human soul.” The idea of home may be associated with a permanent residence. However, the reality is landscapes, cultures, lifestyles, populations, borders and national identities sometimes change faster than we can acclimatise. Political systems can disappear overnight. The only method to counteract against collective feelings of uprooting is our individual attempts at rooting, even if they are temporal. I recall our first 12 days in Venice, working almost non-stop from the moment we wake to the moment we sleep. In my journal, I wrote “SEA STATE submerges us in this endless underwater continuum that lingers even as we lie flat in bed. We call it the vaporetto effect, the feeling that you're bobbing on a platform floating on the sea, waiting for a boat to come.” For awhile, that felt like home, truly.

[orbemnews]

Myanmar military occupies hospitals and universities ahead of mass strike In many districts of the biggest city, Yangon, on Saturday and Sunday, witnesses reported sounds of gunfire and stun grenades. Terrified residents watched and filmed as security forces raided residential areas in the city and made several nighttime arrests. Residents told Reuters police fired shots and did not give reasons for the arrests, which continued into the early hours of Sunday. “On the night of his arrest, Khin Maung Latt was tortured to death in his cell,” AAPP said in a news release Sunday. Reports of bruising to Khin Maung Latt’s head and body raised suspicions he had been abused, NLD lawmaker Ba Myo Thein told Reuters. CNN cannot independently verify this reporting and the details surrounding Khin Maung Latt’s death are not immediately clear. Khin Maung Latt had worked as a campaign manager for one of two Muslim lawmakers elected in 2020. Mourners gathered for his funeral on Sunday in Yangon. Hospital occupation fears Over the weekend, Myanmar troops were seen occupying hospitals and universities in Yangon and Mandalay, according to local media Myanmar Now. Activists fear their presence could hinder treatment for wounded protesters or enable arrests. An official at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that at least five hospitals were being occupied Monday. “We have received credible reports of hospitals being occupied in Myanmar today, including at least four hospitals in parts of Yangon and at least one other in Mandalay,” said James Rodehaver, chief of OHCHR’s Myanmar team. “Such activity is completely unacceptable. Hospitals are locations under the protection of international humanitarian law.” On Monday, international group Physicians for Human Rights condemned the “invasion and occupation of public hospitals and wanton excessive force against civilians.” “If it was not obvious before, it is absolutely clear now: the Myanmar military will not stop violating the rights of the people of Myanmar until the international community acts decisively to prevent and account for these outrageous acts,” the group said in a statement. Physicians for Human Rights said the military’s occupation of hospitals was “a violation of international law — which only serves to further undermine a health care system already embattled by the Covid-19 pandemic and by the military’s recent coup d’état.” “This widespread siege of hospitals follows several days of prominent civilian injuries and casualties, and can be interpreted as a direct attempt to impede access to care for civilians,” said a statement from Sandra Mon, of the Center for Public Health and Human Rights at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “It is also a threat to attending medics to warn them against further treating injured protestors. The Myanmar military has impunity despite their intentional acts of nighttime terror. We may be seeing a nationwide upsurge in military retaliation against peaceful protestors and medics in the days to come.” Since the coup, security forces have repeatedly targeted medical workers, many of whom were the first to lead the civil disobedience movement. Last week, police and military personnel were filmed forcing three medical charity workers from their ambulance before brutally beating them with their guns and batons. And there have been cases where hospital staff have gone into hiding after the military demanded wounded protesters be transferred to a military hospital. Myanmar’s police force said security forces are “maintaining” various universities and hospitals throughout the country “for the benefit of the people,” state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar reported. Myanmar labor unions called for a nationwide strike Monday, as part of a civil disobedience campaign against the coup. Eighteen unions of major industries including agriculture, energy, mining, construction, food, and transportation have called for a “full-extended shutdown of Myanmar economy.” “The labor organizations of Myanmar stand united in support of an extended nationwide work stoppage against the military coup and for the future of Myanmar democracy,” a joint statement read. “No one can force any Myanmar citizen to work; we are not slaves to the military junta now and we never shall be.” Meanwhile, women’s groups have called for people to turn out Monday to mark International Women’s Day, and “fly” their Htamains (sarongs) as part of the anti-junta movement. Images showed women marching with their Htamains flying like flags behind them, or hung across streets in front of barricades. As protests continued Monday, at least two people died in the northern city of Myitkyina after police opened fire on protesters, according to Reuters who cited witnesses. Several others were injured in the violence. Weekend of violence The call to strike follows massive protests Sunday that were violently suppressed by the military, according to Myanmar Now. The reports said security forces fired live and rubber bullets in cities around the country, including Mandalay and Nyaung-U — close to the ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage site of Bagan. Myanmar military personnel were filmed beating a man on the streets of Mandalay, and in Nyaung-U, footage obtained by Reuters showed security forces in riot gear with shields marching down the streets firing live and rubber bullets as protesters took cover. Images sourced from local media show the bullets in the hands of protesters that were used against them. Eyewitnesses told CNN that police were also holding small daggers, forcing protesters to disperse. At least 1,790 people have been detained, arrested, charged or sentenced by the military junta since it seized power, according to watchdog group AAPP. AAPP said the junta were “intentionally terrorizing residents with live ammunition in Yangon.” “After brutal crackdowns on peaceful protests yesterday (Saturday) by the police and military, brutal acts continued into the night, raids into residential areas and homes, gunfire, and unlawful search and detentions,” AAPP said. The deadly violence against protesters has drawn hundreds of thousands of people to join demonstrations and civil disobedience campaigns in towns and cities across the country. A handful of those have been police personnel, who have broken ranks to join the protesters. Last week, an official in western Chin state — which borders India and Bangladesh — requested the detention and return of eight police personnel who sought refuge in the Indian state of Mizoram. In the letter to his Indian state counterpart, the deputy commissioner in Myanmar’s Falam District said they should be handed back “in order to uphold friendly relations.” According to a letter obtained by CNN, of the eight officials, four are aged in their twenties. Speaking at a news conference, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Anurag Srivastava said: “As of now, we are ascertaining the facts. We will revert once we have more details.” Srivastava said India is keeping a close eye on the situation in Myanmar. “We are in talks with our partner countries on this. We have said earlier that the issue must be resolved peacefully” he said. Meanwhile, Australia on Monday said it had suspended a bilateral defense cooperation program with the Myanmar military following the coup and the “escalating violence and rising death toll,” Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said. The program was restricted to non-combat areas such as English language training but was criticized by rights groups for engaging with the military despite documented abuses and conflict in ethnic states. Critics also cited the 2017 military offensive against Rohingya civilians in Rakhine state, which forced 740,000 people to flee to neighboring Bangladesh and prompted a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. Payne said in a statement that Australia’s aid program will be re-directed to “the immediate humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable and poor including the Rohingyas and other ethnic minorities.” CNN’s Philip Wang, Zahid Mahmood, Vedika Sud, and Sarah Faidell contributed reporting. Source link Orbem News #Ahead #hospitals #mass #military #Myanmar #occupies #Strike #Universities

[interkomitet]

Myanmar generals tighten grip on power as U.S. threatens sanctions

The party of Myanmar’s detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi called on Tuesday for her immediate release and for the military junta that seized power a day earlier to recognize her victory in an election in November.

The Nobel Peace laureate’s whereabouts remained unknown more than 24 hours after her arrest in a military takeover that derailed Myanmar’s tentative progress towards full democracy.

A senior official from her National League for Democracy (NLD) said on Tuesday he had learned she was in good health and was not being moved from the location where she was being held after the coup against her government.

She was picked up in the capital Naypyidaw on Monday along with dozens of other allies but her exact whereabouts have not been made public.

“There is no plan to move Daw Aung San Su Kyi and Doctor Myo Aung. It’s learned that they are in good health,” NLD official Kyi Toe said in a Facebook post which also referred to one of her allies. An earlier post said she was at her home.

Kyi Toe also said NLD members of parliament detained during the coup were being allowed to leave the quarters where they had been held. Reuters was unable to contact him for more information.

The U.N. Security Council was due to meet later on Tuesday amid calls for a strong global response to the military’s latest seizure of power in a country blighted for decades by army rule.

The United States threatened to reimpose sanctions on the generals who seized power.

The coup followed a landslide win for Suu Kyi’s NLD in an election on Nov. 8, a result the military has refused to accept citing unsubstantiated allegations of fraud.

The army handed power to its commander, General Min Aung Hlaing, and imposed a state of emergency for a year.

Min Aung Hlaing told the first meeting of his new government on Tuesday that it was inevitable the army would have to take power after its protests over alleged election fraud last year.

“Despite the Tatmadaw’s (army) repeated requests, this path was chosen inevitably for the country. Until the next government is formed after the upcoming election, we need to steer the country,” Min Aung Hlaing was quoted as saying by army information service.

The election and fighting COVID-19 were the junta’s priorities, he said. He had earlier promised a free and fair election and a handover of power to the winner, but without giving a timeframe.

The electoral commission has dismissed the fraud claims.

The NLD’s executive committee demanded the release of all detainees “as soon as possible”.

In a post on the Facebook page of senior party official May Win Myint, the committee also called for the military to acknowledge the election results and for the new parliament to be allowed to sit. It had been due to meet on Monday for the first time since the election.

Various activist groups on Tuesday issued a flurry of messages on social media urging civil disobedience.

Suu Kyi, 75, endured about 15 years of house arrest between 1989 and 2010 as she led a democracy movement against the military, which had seized power in a 1962 coup and stamped out all dissent until her party came to power in 2015.

Her international standing as a human rights icon was badly damaged after she failed to stop the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Rohingya Muslims in 2017 and defended the military against accusations of genocide. But she remains hugely popular at home and is revered as the daughter of Myanmar’s independence hero, Aung San.

http://interkomitet.com/press/international-news/myanmar-generals-tighten-grip-on-power-as-u-s-threatens-sanctions/

[southeastasianists]

Why do you speak up for the Rohingya?

We do not see the attacks in August as terrorist attacks, as the government has claimed. The Rohingya people are the most oppressed and unwanted people worldwide. They are now fighting for their freedom – this is what we see.

How can you encourage others inside Myanmar to follow your lead, is that even possible?

People believe that the Rohingya are Bengali intruders who are invading Myanmar… and it is really difficult to convince them otherwise right now. Most liberal voices are getting quieter on this issue. Even civil society leaders and human rights activists are not speaking out and are actually becoming more nationalist. We need to promote the protection of human rights and people need to take a break and reflect on their values.

What do you think of Aung San Suu Kyi’s response?

She has chosen to stand with her own voters. She is contradicting herself. Before she got in power she was seen as a human rights champion. She gave very powerful and colourful speeches. They all contradict with what she is doing right now… It breaks my heart a lot. Her struggle and sacrifices are what inspired me to work for human rights and democracy in Myanmar. We, her followers, feel so lost now. We don’t know what to believe or who to believe – this is what the human rights defenders of Myanmar are feeling like.

How do the international and local media responses differ?

The government doesn’t let in any international or local media to travel freely and go in to get the report. The Burmese media only gets its information from the army; the army is going to be biased. They should let media come in at their own risk like they do in other countries, because… quite a lot of people now are becoming nationalist, so people are biased. It’s very difficult to get the true information on the ground as the government army is controlling everything.

Is the Rohingya situation getting worse?

Yes, it is getting much worse than before.

#Southeast Asia #Burma #Myanmar #Thet Swe Win #Rohingya People