Maguindanao Massacre in the Phillipines

[the_future_modernes]

Philippines reels from mass killing - 24 Nov 09

Philippines 'witness' recounts killings - 26 Nov 09

The chief suspect in the killing of at least 57 people in the southern Philippines has turned himself in to local authorities.

Andal Ampatuan Jr, a local mayor and member of a powerful political clan in the Maguindanao province, says he surrendered to prove his innocence.

But Aljazeera later spoke to a man who said he was there when the killings happened, and he laid the blame squarely on Ampatuan Jr.

Marga Ortigas reports from Maguindanao.

The Maguindanao Massacre

On 23 November, the wife and two sisters of Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu went to the town of Ampatuan to register him for the 2010 elections for the province of Maguindanao in the Philippines. They were Genalyn Mangudadatu, Vice Mayor Eden Mangudadatu of Mangudadatu town and Bai Farinna Mangudadatu respectively. A recipient of death threats, Esmael Mangudadatu couldn’t register himself for fear of being killed, and the police and the army didn’t grant him protections such that he could. It was thought that women, holding a place of respect, would not be harmed. For extra protection, the three were accompanied by the two female lawyers of the family, Cynthia Oquendo-Ayon and Connie Brizuela, a number of other family members, drivers and supporters and, again for safety, journalists and their assistants. (Apologies, I can’t find a list of all their names. Wikipedia’s partial list of names is the best I can do.) Aquiles Zonio of the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that Eden Mangudadatu was heard to say, ‘This is women power in action. Let’s help our men chart a better future for the province’.MORE

Honduras Update

[the_future_modernes]

When we last left Honduras, there was an agreement signed that Zelaya at least, believed would have led him on a path back to power. The United States helped to scuttle that agreement a day after I posted that:

U.S. State Department Sells Out Honduran Democracy for Senate Confirmations

In one of the lowest points in U.S. diplomatic history, the State Department announced a turnabout in its Honduran policy and stated it will recognize the results of Nov. 29 elections even if held under the military coup.

The new strategy to promote elections without first assuring a return to constitutional order torpedoes the accord that the State Department itself brokered and was signed by President Manuel Zelaya and coup leader Roberto Micheletti on Oct. 29.

On Nov. 4, just days after Secretary of State Clinton anounced a major breakthrough in resolving the Honduran political crisis, Asst. Secretary of State Thomas Shannon stated in an interview with CNN that “the formation of the National Unity Government is apart from the reinstatement of President Zelaya” and that the Honduran Congress will decide when and if Zelaya is reinstated. His surprise declaration scuttled the point of reinstatement in the agreement, leaving the matter up in the air while confirming that the U.S. government will recognize elections anyway.

U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States, Lewis Anselem and Ambassador to Honduras Hugo Llorens confirmed this new position. At the OAS meeting, Anselem, whose disparaging remarks toward Latin American countries have alienated many southern diplomats, criticized the other nations’ refusal to recognize elections staged by a coup regime, “I’ve heard many in this room say that they will not recognize the elections in Honduras… I’m not trying to be a wiseguy, but what does that mean? What does that mean in the real world, not in the world of magical realism?”

Llorens also portrayed the new policy as pragmatism, stating on Nov. 8, “The elections will be part of the reality and will return Honduras to the path of democracy.”

The repeated use of "reality" as the justification for the policy change shows an attempt on the part of the State Department to unilaterally impose a definition of Honduran reality—contrary to its own previous definition and that of the international community. This unilateral diplomacy harks back to Bush foreign policies that many Americans and Latin Americans believed had been thrown out with the incoming Obama administrationHow the fix went down

( Read more... )

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[the_future_modernes]

Catholic church admits child abuse - 27 Nov 09

An Irish government report has criticised Catholic church leaders for covering up decades of widespread sexual abuse of children.

One priest has admitted to abusing more than 100 children.

The report shows that that Irish archbishops were aware of complaints against 46 priests between 1975 and 2004. But, putting the reputation of the Church above the protection of children, they did not report them.

The current archbishop has now pushed the church to admit to it failings and apologise.

Shameful Day for the Irish Catholic Church

Argentine Media Law passes....

[the_future_modernes]

Listening Post - Argentina Media Law - 20 Nov 09

In part 2 of the show we look at a new law in Argentina that looks set to drastically alter the media landscape in the country and force the dominant Grupo Clarin to shed many of its holdings.

Is this a necessary overhaul of archaic rules or simply an attempt by the government of Christina Kirchner to silence its biggest critic.

A more optimistic look from an activist point of view

The 21 Points of the Coalition for Democratic Broadcast Regulation Are Now Law

Thousands of activists from social and political organizations, the two workers' centers of the country, human rights groups, national universities, intellectuals, artists, and journalists that supported the initiative came together in Argentina to the National Congress to join the debate that would end up turning the Audiovisual Communication Services Bill into law.
The vote in question ended in the early hours of the morning but, unlike other occasions, was not characterized by its opacity or lack of public awareness. To the contrary, the topic, which was covered by the media and went through months of discussions in forums and public assemblies organized by Parliament, had an impressive public attendance due to the ferocious campaign against the country's principal newspaper companies. Both those who drove the initiative as well as those who resisted it followed very closely the ratification of a law that was filmed by all TV channels every step of the way.

Success at Last

The law was approved October 10, seven months after President Cristina Fernández introduced the draft, the 18th of last March, for its discussion in public forums prior to its submission to Congress. The official initiative was inspired by the 21 points elaborated by the Coalition for Democratic Broadcast Regulation. Participating in this collective are community radio networks like the Argentine Forum for Community Radio Stations (FARCO) and the Association of Community Radio Broadcasters of Argentina (AMARC); cooperatives; press, TV, actors, and musician unions associated with the Argentine Workers' Center (CTA) and the General Confederation of Labor (CGT); social and human rights organizations; journalists and academics from around the country primarily in the field of communication.
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