By Kalinga Seneviratne This article is the 23rd in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. BANGKOK (IDN) – A recent conference at Thammasat University in Bangkok brought together Indian and Southeast Asian scholars to discuss re-building cultural links along two major rivers in Asia – the Ganges […]
SE Asia’s ‘Environmental’ Monks Need International Support
By Kalinga Seneviratne This article is the 22nd in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. BANGKOK (IDN) – A 76-year old Buddhist monk living on his own in his forest monastery in North-eastern Thailand has appealed for international help after receiving death threats from illegal loggers according […]
UAE Lauded for Enhancing Access to Justice for Foreign Workers
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA (IDN) – Labour law experts have praised the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for launching an initiative to facilitate access to justice for foreign workers, and expressed the hope that this initiative would be replicated by the other five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. In […]
A New Book Shows Ways to ‘Decolonize’ the Minds of Asian Communicators
By Kannan Salazar Mindful Communication for Sustainable Development: Perspectives from AsiaEdited by: Kalinga Seneviratne – Lecturer, Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. February 2018 | 372 pages | SAGE Publications Pvt. Ltd. Electronic version: £38.00https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/mindful-communication-for-sustainable-development/book261649 BANGKOK (IDN) – The book tries to wean away the reader from the old paradigm of development communication, which […]
Economic Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region and the One Belt One Road Initiative: A Threat or an Opportunity?
Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona The writer is former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations and former Foreign Secretary. – The Editor COLOMBO (IDN) – The Indian Ocean region is experiencing a fondly anticipated luxury. Almost every one of the economies of the region is expanding at a rate that gives hope […]
Why Eye Care is Important – for Bangladesh and Other Countries
By Naimul Haq DHAKA (IDN) – John Bob Ranck, also known as Bob, Chief Executive Officer and President at Orbis International, recently visited Bangladesh on a special mission. He travelled to some of the hospitals where Orbis as a partner has been supporting Bangladesh’s efforts in addressing avoidable blindness. Bob, a retired United States Air […]
Sri Lankan Academics Abroad Condemn Violence Against Muslim Community
By Shanta Roy NEW YORK (IDN) – A group of Sri Lankan academics teaching in educational institutions abroad – and numbering about 50 – has written to condemn ongoing violence against Sri Lanka’s Muslim community, especially the “brutal attacks” perpetrated early March. In a letter published by ‘Groundviews‘, they say: “We are outraged that the […]
Sri Lanka’s Extremists Find a New Enemy
Viewpoint by Dr Farah Mihlar* LONDON (IDN) – After fiercely quelling a three-decade armed conflict fought mainly on ethnic grounds, majoritarian politics in Sri Lanka has found a new enemy – the country’s nine percent Muslim community. In the worst outbreak of violence against Muslims in recent years, Sinhalese-Buddhist mobs were on the rampage earller […]
The Timing of ‘Communal’ Violence in Sri Lanka Raises Questions
By Kalinga Seneviratne This article is the 21st in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. BANGKOK (IDN) – The damage has already been done. Buddhists are accused of Islamaphobic communal attacks in Sri Lanka and tourists are cancelling their trips to the country as the international media […]
Mixed Reactions To Inter-Korean Accord
By Yonhap News Agency This report was carried by the South Korean news agency on March 6 (local time: 23.38) and is being reproduced to give a glimpse into how the current development on the Korean peninsula is viewed in the Republic of Korea. – The Editor SEOUL (IDN-INPS) – South Korean political parties on […]