Farmers file FR against drought relief only for Monaragala

September 15, 2014

The All-Island Farmers Federation (AIFF) today (15) filed a petition at the Supreme Court seeking an order to pressure the authorities to provide Rs 2,500 as relief for drought affected people in the island nation, which is currently being suggested to provide only for the Monaragala district.

The petitioners argued that the Fundamental Rights (FR) of the drought affected people have been violated with the authorities have allocated money exclusively for the Monaragala district. The petition has named a group of people including the Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Development as respondents in the case.

Last week the government had halted the programme, which provides drought affected people in the Monaragala District with Rs 2,500, due to a request made by the Election Commissioner. The Commissioner citied it as an obstruction for a free and fair election as the province preparing for polls in next week.

However, the Supreme Court gave the green light for the recommencing of the program, and instructed the government to carry it out without any political interference, on 12 Sept. 

While instructing that the relief distribution be carried out without any political interference, the SC also informed the Monaragala District Secretary to avoid involving any candidates or political party representatives in the process.

Sri Lanka's asylum seeker expulsion plans to be challenged in Supreme Court

Posted Sat at 9:40pmSat 13 Sep 2014, 9:40pm

PHOTO: An asylum seeker in Sri Lanka covers her face. (AFP)

Sri Lankan rights activists have gone to the country's highest court in a bid to stop the government deporting Afghan, Iranian and Pakistani asylum seekers.

Lawyer Lakshan Dias said six human rights defenders have petitioned the Supreme Court to challenge the expulsions, which are being carried out despite Sri Lanka being warned it is in breach of its international obligations.

"The case is coming up on September 29," Mr Dias said.

"We feel that some of the people who are being sent back face real danger. They have life-threatening conditions if they go back. That is why local rights defenders decided to file this case."

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in a statement on Friday urged Sri Lanka to stop arrests and deportations of those who have filed refugee claims with the agency's Colombo offices and sought access to those already detained.

Sri Lanka's Court of Appeal, which is one step lower than the Supreme Court, earlier this month overturned an order suspending the deportations and cleared the way for the authorities to continue expulsions.

The UNHCR said Colombo had initially responded to its appeals and released 71 Pakistanis and two Iranians earlier this month, but 102 people - 38 Pakistanis and 64 Afghans - remained in custody and fresh arrests were taking place.

Between September 3 and 11, 62 Pakistanis and three Iranians had been arrested and 40 of them had already been deported, the UNHCR said.

The refugee agency has maintained the deportations go against the principle of no forced return, or non-refoulement, enshrined in international law.

The agency has also noted that returning an individual to a country where they face the risk of torture was prohibited under the UN's Convention Against Torture, which Sri Lanka has ratified.

Hundreds of Pakistani Christians and Afghans fleeing persecution in their countries have been arriving in Sri Lanka seeking UNHCR protection.

Sri Lanka earlier defended the action taken against the asylum seekers and said that a state's responsibility to international obligations had to be "nuanced and balanced in the context of domestic compulsions".

Sri Lanka's foreign ministry also accused the UNHCR of processing asylum claims too slowly, and of not taking responsibility for repatriating those whose refugee claims were rejected.

AFP

Canada slams door on Govt. officials

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Two senior Sri Lankan Government officials nominated to attend an international conference in Canada have been denied visas to enter that country. The two were to travel to Canada for the International Prison Conference from September 7 to 14, but could not make it due to the visa denial. The two Prisons Department officers who were denied visas are Industrial and Skills Development Commissioner Tissa Jayasinghe and Welikada Prison Superintendent Emil Ranjan, Prison Department spokesman H.M.P.N. Upuldeniya said.

Eighteen countries were attending the conference but Sri Lanka could not send a representative due to this issue, he said. An appeal was made after the first visa denial but that too was rejected, he said. The spokesman said he believed the reason for the denial was Canada’s perception that prison officials were involved in rights violations.
Last year the conference was held in India and one Sri Lankan representative attended.

Ebola: Dabiri Bemoans Stigmatisation of Nigerians in Diaspora

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa at the weekend decried the stigmatisation of Nigerians in the Diaspora due to the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

Hon Dabiri-Erewa made this known in a statement, noting that the stigmatisation of Nigerians travelling abroad due to Ebola “is one which must be addressed instantly before it spirals out of control.”

According to her, our citizens continue to witness in great measure the ills of this disease, chief among is the stigmatization of Nigerian internationally due to EVD.

She explained that in many instances, there “are hardly any medical checks, tests, verification or otherwise to ascertain the condition of our citizens.

“Our citizens are mainly harassed and unfairly treated for the fact that they are Nigerians, and in some case sent back from the airport. This act is very predatory and must be checked immediately.”

She cited the example of Mr. Adeseye Adeyemi, a Nigerian who decided to wed his Sri Lankan heartthrob in Sri Lanka, with his family in attendance.
She added that Adeyemi’s tale of joy was unduly turned “to sadness by the terrible treatment received from the Sri Lankan authorities.”

She said all family members “were quarantined in the airport lobby for about 18 hours with no access to food or water, not even toilet facilities were granted causing the children present to answer the call of nature in that state and the family ultimately deported (with no single medical check) after the prolonged wait.

“This unfair treatment is for no other reason than the fact that these individuals are proud holders of the Nigerian passport. This sort of behavior is highly discriminatory and is a clear violation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

China and Modi’s relationship building with Japan

Hariharan's Intelligence blog

Col R Hariharan

[This article written on September 4 was updated on September 13, 2014.]

Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Japan probably achieved less than what India desired, it did achieve handsome results.  Japan promised $ 34-billion investment in India in the next five years. Though the much awaited India-Japan civilian nuclear deal did not come through, the two leaders agreed to accelerate talks on a nuclear energy pact.[i] Both the countries have already agreed upon strengthening their strategic cooperation which would be intensified now. 

But more than all these, Modi made a mark in Japan more strongly than any of his predecessors had done. It went well beyond the warm personal equation he enjoys with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He put through a well orchestrated programme to appeal to all sections of Japanese society.  Overall, the visit was a success as it has paved way for speeding up multifaceted cooperation between the two Asian powers. and it was uncannily timed before China’s President Xi Jinping’s visit to India.

 Even though Indian TV scribes were debating Modi’s 100 days performance rather than analysing the strategic implications of  his visit to Japan, China was paying close attention to it. And they had every reason to be concerned if we go by the outpouring of articles on the visit in China’s media.

China’s ‘scant comfort’ with Modi-Abe bonhomie seen during the visit probably led the Global Times’s to call its editorial as “Modi-Abe intimacy brings scant comfort.”[ii][ii] The Communist Party web magazine’s editorial apparently tried to read between the lines in Modi’s call on both the countries to strengthen strategic cooperation to promote peace and prosperity in Asia and counter an expansionist mind-set.  

However, the trigger for the Communist Party magazine’s irritation was perhaps Modi’s remarks while addressing the business leaders in Tokyo. Modi had said: “Everywhere around us, we see an 18th century expansionist mind-set: encroaching on another country, intruding in others’ waters, invading other countries and capturing territory.” 

Referring to the remarks the editorial added: “Japanese and Western public opinion views his remarks as a clear reference to China, although he did not mention China by name. This interpretation made some sense because Modi is more intimate to Tokyo emotionally. Therefore it is perhaps a fact that he embraces some nationalist sentiments against China.” And probably this is what makes China very uncomfortable with Modi. 

The Global Times tried to rationalise the advantage of India’s relations with China by saying, “The increasing intimacy between Tokyo and New Delhi will bring at most psychological comfort to the two countries. What is involved in China-India relations denotes much more than the display of the blossoming personal friendship between Modi and Abe. After all, Japan is located far from India. Abe’s harangue on the Indo-Pacific concept makes Indians comfortable.”

It reminded that it was South Asia “where New Delhi has to make its presence felt. However, China is a neighbour it can’t move away from. Sino-Indian ties can in no way be counterbalanced by the Japan-India friendship….Both as new emerging countries and members of BRICS, China and India have plenty of interests in common. Geopolitical competition is not the most important thing for the two countries, at least at present (emphasis added).” 

Such comments in the op-ed showed China’s difficulty in coming to terms with Modi’s readiness to improve India’s relations with China to do business while showing equal keenness to improve strategic cooperation with Japan. This is compounded by Modi inviting Japanese investments in infrastructure, particularly railways, and manufacturing industries many of which would be in direct competition with China’s trade and investment interests in India. And more than these, Japan’s readiness to ease export restrictions to allow Japanese defence firms to participate in India’s huge weapons market is an offer that China cannot match.

The irony of Prime Minister Modi’s trip to Japan was it coincided with the 69^th anniversary of Japanese surrender celebrated with all pomp and show in China.Even as Modi was completing his five-day visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping addressing symposium on the occasion urged Japan “to admit and reflect on its history of militarist aggression.” At the same time he sounded an ominous warning to Japan: “With the utmost resolution and effort, we will join with people all over the world to safeguard the victory in the Chinese Peoples’ War of Resistance against Japanese aggression and the world war against fascism.”

With the battle lines drawn between China and Japan, both Prime Minister Modi and  President Xi will be a little cautious while discussing each other’s strategic concerns when they meet for formal talks for the first time in the next few days. While Modi has to keep in mind the fractious Sino-Japanese relations, Xi will have the more difficult task to soft sell China’s rapidly escalating involvement in strategic cooperation with Pakistan.

Chinese analyst Liu Zongyi writing in the Global Times aptly summed up Modi’s dilemma: “Modi’s biggest challenge is to kick start a lagging economy. India needs Japan’s investment and technology, but it also needs economic cooperation with China.” [iii]

And Global Times editorial advice: “Maintaining strategic independence is India’s diplomatic tradition. It’s also in the Indian interest to be a balancer in the international system,” is probably more apt for China. It is not exactly known for balancing its international relations with nuance.[iv] 

One of the key objectives of President Xi’s talks with Modi will be to wean away India from the lure of Japan. So it is not surprising Beijing is holding out a carrot of $ 100 billion Chinese investment in India. And the huge delegation of leading lights of Chinese business and five major banks accompanying the Chinese President underscores President Xi’s serious efforts to win over Modi.[v]

But the reported Chinese troops’ intrusion into Indian territory in Ladakh (in Demchok sector) on September 11, even in the midst of all media hype on Xi’s visit, exposes the soft underbelly of India-China relations. And this is where Japan has an edge over China in dealing with India.

[Col R Hariharan, a retired Military Intelligence specialist on South Asia  is associated with the Chennai Centre for China Studies and the South Asia Analysis Group. E-Mail: haridirect@gmail.com   Blog: http://col.hariharan.info]  

Notes 

---

---

[i] PTI/BBC September 1, 2014, Abe’s gift to Modi: Japan pledges $33.8 bn for Indian infra projects, http://firstbiz.firstpost.com

 

[ii] Global Times, Editorial, Modi-Abe intimacy brings scant comfort, September 2, 2014 www.globaltimes.cn

 

[iii] Global Times September 1, 2014, Modi knows China relations more important in long run,www.globaltimes.cn  

[iv] Global Time, Editorial ibid September 2, 2014 www.globaltimes.cn

[v] ‘China to invest $100 billion in India over 5 years’, September 13, 2014 Times of India, Mumbaihttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com  

Posted Yesterday by R. Hariharan

Secretary-General’s Message on International Day of Democracy 2014

on September 14, 2014 in News for Youth, News Stories, Speeches on Youth

Voting in Haiti”s Presidential Elections. UN Photo/Logan Abassi

15 September 2014 – As we observe this year’s International Day of Democracy, the world seems more turbulent than ever. In many regions and in many ways, the values of the United Nations, including some of the most fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the UN Charter, are being tested and challenged.

Recent outbreaks of violence reinforce a truth we have seen time and again: that where societies are not inclusive, and where governments are not responsive and accountable, peace, equality and shared prosperity cannot take hold. We need to do more to empower individuals, focusing on the billions of people who are underprivileged, marginalized, jobless, hopeless and understandably frustrated. We need to ensure they are heard and can take an active part in their future.

That is why my message today goes out to those who will be at the forefront of the world beyond 2015, and who by nature are at a turning point in their own lives: young people. One person out of five today is between the ages of 15 and 24. Never before has the transition from youth to adulthood been so weighed by challenges, yet so blessed by opportunities. You have powers to network that would have been unimaginable when the United Nations was founded nearly 70 years ago. You are connecting about issues that matter. Injustice. Discrimination. Human rights abuses. The discourse of hate. The need for human solidarity.

I call on members of the largest generation of youth in history to confront challenges and consider what you can do to resolve them. To take control of your destiny and translate your dreams into a better future for all. To contribute to building stronger and better democratic societies. To work together, to use your creative thinking, to become architects of a future that leaves no one behind. To help set our world on course for a better future.

On this International Day of Democracy, I call on young people everywhere to lead a major push for inclusive democracy around the world.

For more on news and events related to International Democracy Day, visit their website.

Right-wing Chile congressman arrested for dictatorship-era killings

SEP 11, 2014 

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Forty-one years to the day after General Augusto Pinochet seized power in a military coup in Chile, a right-wing legislator was arrested on Thursday for alleged involvement in the killing of three activists during the 17-year Pinochet dictatorship.

Congressman Rosauro Martinez of the centre-right Renovacion Nacional party was arrested in the southern city of Valdivia in connection with the 1981 murder of the activists, who were opposed to the dictatorship, said Judge Emma Diaz Yevenes, who is in charge of the case.

Martinez, who had already been stripped of his congressional immunity, posted bail of 200,000 pesos (203 pounds).

Prosecutors allege Martinez, an army captain at the time, and three soldiers accompanying him fired on a house where the activists were hiding, killing all three.

"Chile needs more truth and more justice so we never live the horror of dictatorship again," government spokesman Alvaro Elizalde said after a ceremony in Santiago commemorating the 41st anniversary of the Sept. 11, 1973 coup.

Pinochet died in 2006 at the age of 91. He never faced a full trial for crimes committed during his 1973-90 rule, during which an estimated 3,000 people were kidnapped and killed or disappeared, and 28,000 were tortured.

(Reporting by Anthony Esposito. Additional reporting by Erik Lopez; Editing by Peter Galloway)

Six killed in Ukraine's Donetsk, ceasefire under strain

A Ukrainian serviceman stands guard in Volnovaha, Donetsk region, September 11, 2014.

Mon Sep 15, 2014

(Reuters) - Six people were killed in shelling in Ukraine's rebel-held city of Donetsk on Sunday, municipal authorities said on Monday, putting further strain on a 10-day ceasefire between government forces and Russian-backed separatists.

A monitoring team from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said it was also shelled twice in the city on Sunday despite the ceasefire, which has brought some respite in a conflict that has killed more than 3,000.

Separately, military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said in Kiev there had been some deaths among Ukrainian troops over the weekend, although he did not provide details, and said 73 soldiers had been freed in an exchange with the rebels.

The truce started on Sept. 5 and has been broadly holding despite sporadic violations which both sides blame on the other.

On Saturday there was particularly heavy fighting around Donetsk airport, which remains under government control.

The rebels' main leader in Donetsk on Monday accused Ukrainian forces of violating the truce repeatedly and suggested it could not hold much longer.

"I do not see the sense in (further) consultations. There have to be measures which must first be undertaken and then consultations can take place," Alexander Zakharchenko told reporters in Donetsk.

"There is no ceasefire. There is no exchange of prisoners ...," he said.

Government forces last month had been tightening their grip on Donetsk, a major industrial hub with a pre-war population of about one million. But they then suffered serious losses east of the city and in the south-east, with Kiev accusing Russia of directly intervening to support the rebels.

Russia denies charges that it has sent troops into Ukraine and that it has also been arming the rebels.

The ceasefire deal was negotiated by envoys from Ukraine, Russia, the separatists and the OSCE.

Donetsk city council said two northern districts of the city were shelled on Sunday, damaging homes and public buildings. "As a result of the shelling, six civilians were killed and 15 people were wounded by shrapnel to varying degrees," it said.

An OSCE statement said four shells had exploded about 200 metres (655 feet) from a monitoring team which had driven in marked vehicles to a Donetsk market place where there had been earlier reports of shelling.

After the team moved to a new location, another mortar shell exploded nearby and the team pulled out of the area.

None of the OSCE team was injured, though the statement said the monitors had seen the body of a woman lying in the street.

"All six colleagues were able to get back to base, but both vehicles were badly damaged," spokesman Michael Bociurkiw said. "We regard this as a very serious incident. It's the first time our vehicles have taken fire," he told Reuters.

Bociurkiw could not say who was responsible and there was nothing to suggest the monitors had been deliberately targeted. "It all points to the fragility of the ceasefire," he said.

(Additional reporting by Anton Zverev in Donetsk and Pavel Polityuk in Kiev; Writing by Richard Balmforth; Editing by Crispian Balmer)

World leaders vow to use 'whatever means necessary' to defeat Isis threat

Crisis meeting in Paris comes as France begins reconnaissance flights over Iraq and UK edges closer to military action

Iraq's President Fouad Massoum talks with Saudi Arabian foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal and Iraqi foreign minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari at the International Conference on Peace and Security in Iraq in Paris. Photograph: Pool/Reuters

Kim Willsher in Paris, Rowena Mason, Ian Black and Martin Chulov

Monday 15 September 2014 

Leaders and diplomats from more than 30 countries have pledged to use "whatever means necessary" including military action to defeat the global threat of Islamic State (Isis), after a crisis meeting in Paris.

World Leaders Vow to Use 'Whatever Means Necessary' to Defeat Isis Threat by Thavam

Canada becomes interesting! Thanks to Scotland’s #indyref

Monday 15 Sep 2014

As a rule, the UK does not take much notice of Canada. If fact, they ought to put up a sign at Heathrow arrivals saying, ‘not particularly interested in Canadians here’.  It would save a bit of heartache.

I have experienced it first-hand. The first time I left Canada on a UK-bound flight , I thought I was “coming home” – after all, both countries have plenty in common. Canada deploys the Queen as head of state and borrows the Westminster-style parliamentary system and England’s common-law. Plus, there is all that colonial history to chat about.

Upon my arrival I realized I had got it wrong. People kept asking me what part of ‘Canaydia’ I was from. Once in a while, the call went up for a skill-testing game of “name five famous Canadians” which was proof – if proof was needed – that Canada did not really register.

It comes as a pleasant surprise then to see recent Canadian political history being widely discussed in Briton. Analysts and others, seeking a guide to the Scottish referendum, have discovered in Canada’s existential crisis of the 1980’s and 1990’s a handy point of comparison.

The majority French-speaking province of Quebec held two votes on independence from the rest of Canada. In both polls, the “nons” beat “ouis” although the pro-Canada side only just squeaked it in the 1995 vote.

Nevertheless, Quebec’s flirtation with separation has changed Canadian politics and offers the UK much by means of example​.

First, the threat of separation never really ends. In Quebec, the separatist ‘Parti Quebecois’ is responsible for the first two referendums. After the 1995 poll, support for sovereignty fell away but if popular opinion swings back, the party will hold a third.

Canadians call it the ‘neverendum’.

Likewise in Scotland, the threat of another vote will hang over all dealings between the SNP and Westminster even if Alex Salmond says Thursday’s vote is a “once in a lifetime event.”

Second, the Quebec question was used by the leaders of all Canadian provinces to demand more powers from the federal government. Provincial premiers said they wanted to bringing power “closer to the people” while critics called it an exercise in “empire-building”.

In the event of negotiations over “devolution-max” in Scotland (or any other form of devolution), expect the SNP to bargain hard.

Third, party loyalties go out the window. In Canada regional politicians frequently ‘knock the feds’ (or the central government) because it is politically expedient to do so. It does not matter if, say, the Liberal Party is in charge of both the provincial and the federal government.

In the same way, expect a Labour government in Scotland to aggressively ‘protect’ Scotland’s interests, even if Labour is in power at Westminster.

Fourth, businesses and investors will move, regardless of what happens in the referendum. Canada’s biggest companies reacted to the threat of Quebec independence by heading down the highway to neighbouring Ontario.

They thought the political uncertainty was bad for business. If the Canadian example holds true in Scotland, companies and prospective investors have already booked the moving vans.

Fifth, expect a vigorous discussion after the Scottish referendum about the sort of majority that is required to break away from the United Kingdom.

In Canada, the federal government passed a law after the 1995 poll, saying it was too big a decision to be decided by 50 per cent plus one (a simple majority). Instead, independence had to be approved by a ‘clear majority’ – although that has never been accepted by the Parti Quebecois.

So there you have it. Canada has made itself useful, which is a whole lot better than being ignored.

Follow @c4sparks on Twitter.

- See more at: http://blogs.channel4.com/world-news-blog/canada-interesting-scottish-referendum/28027#sthash.GxrB2EGO.dpuf

Antique Typewriters on the Come Back!

Wayne Pierce-Sep-13-2014

I still have a manual Smith Corona typewriter and I don’t know how I ever had the strength in my fingers to produce anything on that machine.

(EUGENE, Ore. ) - Hang onto your old typewriters because they are coming back. After whistle blower Edward Snowden leaked information about the NSA’s massive spying program, computer users worldwide were faced with the dilemma of knowing that everything they did on the Internet was an open book and being monitored by the US government.

Assuming American leaders are capable of being embarrassed, most embarrassing for Obama was when Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel learned that the US government had been tapping her cell phone conversations for six years. Other government leaders joined in this outcry against the NSA’s spying on them and their governments.

In one of her responses about US government spying, Chancellor Merkel told the world that her secret service people were returning to the use of manual typewriters for communication.

Antique Typewriters on the Come Back! by Thavam

Thai media’s naming of Koh Tao murder victims a serious breach of ethics

Thai officers walk near the bodies of two British tourists Monday after they were found on a beach in Koh Tao. Pic: AP.

By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices Sep 15, 2014

Two British tourists were found dead on the southern Thai island of Koh Tao on Monday morning. Local police say that their bodies were naked, with severe wounds to their heads and a blood-stained hoe was found next to them on a rocky beach. The victims are believed to be a 24-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman. The UK Foreign Service is “urgently” investigating and there were unconfirmed reports that the island was temporarily put on ‘lockdown’.

By Monday afternoon the names of the two victims were known by the media. At this point the manner in which the story was covered by Thai media and international media became distinctly different. Western media, as a rule, will not publish names of deceased until next of kin have been informed. Today, many Thai media outlets chose to reveal more information about the victims, including their full names and, in at least one case, publishing their passport pictures. (European tabloids aren’t above breaking these ethical rules on occasion, but it’s not standard practice.)

Among the offenders are the websites of the English language The Nation and ThaiPBS English; and the Thai language Post Today, Thai Rath, Krungthep Turakijand ASTV/Manager, with the latter even showing the victims’ passport photos. As of writing and to the knowledge of the author, the only Thai media outlets that explicitly stated they were not going to reveal their names are Bangkok Post and Khaosod English. Asian Correspondent is also withholding their names and we will also not link to any sources pointing to that.

Revealing victims names a severe breach of journalistic ethics as the identities of crime victims (and survivors alike) are supposed to be protected from public disclosure at least until their next-of-kin are notified. The reasons for this should be self-evident. For next-of-kin to learn of the loss of a loved on a foreign news website is almost unthinkable.

Even worse: Volunteer EMTs working for a local charity specializing in recovering bodies have posted photos of the victims on the organization’s Facebook profile, which have been widely shared already. Due to the uncensored, gruesome nature of the content we will also not link to that.

It seems that most Thai media outlets have learned nothing about how to deal with the private information of crime victims. In early 2013, we reported on the Thai media’s failure not to publicize the name of gang-rape survivor, with one outlet even showing her full student ID. Back then Mark Kent, the British Ambassador to Thailand, told Asian Correspondentthat media and authorities “need to respect victim confidentiality, especially for serious crimes and incidents.”

Another infamous case of insensitive handling was the coverage of an ethnic Karen girl that was kidnapped, tortured and practically held as a slave by a Thai couple in Kamphaeng Phet province. Local police stripped her naked in front of the press in order to show her scars, the result of years of torture. (See previous coverage here and here. Note: the girl is now cared for in a shelter and has been recently awarded $143,000 compensation, but her abusers are still at large to this day!)

It seems the insensitivity of the Thai media and police continues unabated. It’s not necessarily a malicious disregard for privacy on the part of the media, but a mind-numbingly ad-verbatim approach to reporting that includes citing every single bit of information that the authorities have given to them (who have also failed to protect the victims’ identity).

What is severely lacking in many Thai newsrooms is more sensitive judgment by the reporters and their editors, especially when it comes to reporting about crime – the victims deserve better.

________________________
About the author:
Saksith Saiyasombut blogs extensively about Thai politics and current affairs since 2010 and works as an international freelance broadcast journalist. Read his full bio on about.me/saksith.