Latest News

America started to contact the Nepal's Maoist government though they called them terrorist few years back. Nepal blog Reports.

News says that Bangladesh has the drafts ready for a truth commission. Another process by which the current government try to make their stay steady.

It was probably yesterday that i heard that the Rohinga refugees of Myanmar were given voting rights. Another news says, "Myanmar refugees in Bangladesh say won't return".

Communist party membership no longer a fireable offence in California

Guardian reports:

The California Senate yesterday passed legislation that would delete membership in the Communist party as a reason for firing a public employee, a Cold War-era prohibition intended to root out communists.

Democratic Senator Alan Lowenthal called communism a "failed system," and said his bill - Senate Bill 1322 - was intended to protect "the constitutional freedoms that we have fought so valiantly for," including freedom of political affiliation.

California is the only state that allows public employees to be dismissed for membership in a political party.

In addition, current law requires that any organisation that applies to use a public school facility can be asked to sign a statement that "the applicant is not a communist action organisation or a communist front".

"SB 1322 seeks to protect the rights of free speech and political affiliation by repealing the no-longer necessary statute from the books," Lowenthal said.

The bill, he said, would "still allow employees to be fired for any activity to overthrow the state or federal government".

The legislation, which will now be considered by the assembly, was approved on a 24-15 vote, with Democrats in support and Republicans opposed.

Republican senator Jeff Denham warned: "the Communist party is not a dead organisation ... and [is] actively repressing human beings in Cuba and China in brutal ways.

"The state has every right to hold school employees accountable for their political standing, especially if that employee belongs to an organisation that favours the violent overthrow of the government," Denham said during the debate on the bill.

Denham said that it's also "reasonable that use of public school property should be limited to groups who support our democracy and do not advocate the overthrow of government by force, violence or other possible means."

But Lowenthal argued, "the communist party does not advocate the overthrow of the U.S. government.

"This is a very conservative bill," he said. "[It] says we must uphold the constitution."

The legislature cannot repeal California's loyalty oath, which was added to the state constitution by voters in 1952, but its current use was debated yesterday.

The oath requires public employees in California to swear to "defend" the US and California constitutions "against all enemies, foreign and domestic".

The law is sporadically enforced, but since the end of the Cold War some potential employees - including Quakers and Jehovah's Witnesses - have declined to sign the pledge over religious or political issues.

In a recent high-profile case, California State University, Fullerton, cancelled the appointment of an American Studies lecturer after she declined to sign the oath.

Problems in Nepal

If elections are the way to measure popularity then Maoists are the largest in Nepal. But the recent conditions in Nepal are serious and the party has a lots of challenges to follow:

"CPN-Maoist activists of Rautahat district today burnt down the effigy of party Chairman Prachanda and demanded for his resignation in protests of the inclusion of no nominees from the district by the party leadership in the closed list for proportional representation system. This is the first incident of open protests against Maoist Chairman Prachanda by activist from his own party. The activists have also alleged that non-Madhesis have been nominated in the Madhesi quotas in the party’s closed list. They claimed that the PR list submitted by the party has emphasized on the hilly region and demanded the party’s central committee to amend the list. The activists have also burnt down the effigy of lawmaker Prabhu Sah. The Maoist became the largest political party in the recent CA elections"


"the power! It changes people, makes people and breaks people. Most people that is, and Maoists are included. It appears that there is a serious power struggle going on within the Maoist party. Baburam Bhattarai versus supporters of Prachanda, the chairman. Today’s op-ed article in Kantipur daily by Bishwodeep Pandey, personal secretary of Baburam Bhattarai, brings the feud to the public. The article, in Nepali, titled “Baburam a New Pushpalal?” refers to the latest verbal attacks against Baburam by some “opportunist elements inside and outside the party.”Click here to read the article in Nepali. Click here to read as it appeared in the newspaper’s page."

Link to United we blog, nepal

A Comedian’s Perspective on Pakistan

Kalsoom reports an interview of a pakistani comedian who is trying to send messeges via satire. The name of that man is Saad Haroon.

"...In any country, satire is a very powerful tool used to convey social and political messeges and Pakistan is no different. Recently, with the advent of so many new channels and the freedom given to the media, people have seen a new wave of political satire shows that always prove to be the most popular on television. And even when the media was not free, satire shows like ‘ 50/50′ would always find a way to convey their messages whilst working under strict censorship laws..."

The Politics of Cluster Bombs

Asia Times Online reports :

" .... Nang Wan lies in a hospital bed in this remote area's provincial hospital, her body covered in small black wounds. The 35-year-old woman was digging a shallow drainage ditch around her house on April 16 when her world exploded.

Her youngest, five-year-old, son was killed instantly in the blast. Her other two young children are in the room across the hall, with shrapnel wounds to their bodies and faces. Their injuries are tragically common in this northern province of Laos, a legacy of the country's war with the United States.

During the US's so-called "Secret War" in Laos, which spanned from 1964-1973, the US military dropped more than 2.4 million tons of bombs on the country, including around 270 million cluster bomb sub-munitions..."

Photography: Saiful Haque Omi

A photography exhibition started from yesterday at the Drik gallery(dhanmondi Rd 27). It would remain open from 3-8 pm till 10th of May. The show titles "Partnership in Practice".

Back to his earlier works, I found some today from Zahid sir's table. "Heroes never die:; Political Violence in Bangladesh 1989-2005".

Link to the Daily Star Forum link that I found later > link