our tube zoo

This site is worth a look if only for the pointless love of Londoner mischief- making, wry humour, too-much- time-on- their-hands, mad art, happy paranoid, cosmopolitan spirit of it all. Do collect the set.

Sacred Media Cow

From Somnath over on on "Sacred Media Cow" [SACREDMEDIACOW is an independent postgraduate collective on Indian media research and production at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London]:

Oh Calcutta

Published by Somnath Batabyal February 26th, 2007 in Som's Blog.

Folks, been away from active blogging for a while. Apologies. The PhD writing and thinking alongwith other activities been taking its toll. Hopefully back now.

My thesis concerns itself with two urban news centres, Calcutta (I still cant bear to do away with the colonial imageries) and Mumbai. Been reading a bit about both the cities lately and a book by John Hutnyk called The Rumour of Calcutta is a quite fascinating account of the city and deconstructs the myths around this “city of extremes” created through the views and notions of representations, from foreign travellers on missions of mercy staying at a cheap tourist lodge to travel guides, books and films.

I have also been logging how the media in recent times has been portraying the city. By all accounts, Calcutta has finally come of age. It is the city on the mend. The government is being applauded, the Chief Minister felicitated. Right wing Conservative Shekhar Gupta in Indian Express speaks and applauds the Indian Left and its erudition, the Politburo and its concerns. Sagarika Ghose cant stop gushing in her interview with Buddha Babu. Protests by “nay sayers” are brushed aside as the crumbling city wakes up to a new dawn. These are not my metaphors. So what’s going on.

It is very much like the errant child who has come home. Give it it’s just rewards, bring it into the fold, hand out the sops and make sure it feels welcome. The media house, the corporate entities cant stop falling over each other to felicitate Buddhadev Bhattacharya’s “coming to sense” wisdom and merging Calcutta with the other metros; long live the Left, so long as it can be managed.

Tian Chua & others under attack in Malaysia

Tian Chua is under attack from the Malaysian Government yet again (yawn - the regularity of the Malaysian Police State's efforts to silence Tian just confirms his name as a sign of integrity that will not disappear). We can add this to a list of ongoing dodgy dealings on the part of the Cabal that rules the penninsula - Tian was previously a high profile internee under the Internal Security Act, which I wrote about here, and is of course not alone. On this new outrage see here, but also here for another Malaysian quibble I have. What are they playing at with these draconian laws and what not? - seems like Malaysian Police are trying their darndest to be as stupid as American, British or Australian ones, but with a twist.

Urgent appeal updates: 5 February 2007

Drop Charges against Four, Declassify Toll Agreements and Repeal the OSA

Tian Chua’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) office in Brickfields had been raided by two policemen at 3.05pm today, 5 February 2007, after questioning at the Bukit Aman police headquarters this morning. Tian Chua, together with three others – Dr. Hatta Ramli, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and Ronnie Liu – had earlier been summoned by the police to report to the police headquarters in Bukit Aman at 10am, 5 January 2007 for investigations after they had disclosed a toll concession agreement in early January 2007.

When asked for a warrant at Tian Chua’s Brickfields office, the police informed that none was needed to search under the Official Secrets Act (OSA). As of 3.57pm, the police had also arrived at Tian Chua’s house in Sentul.

We urge you to write and register your strongest protests to the following (see below) on these demands:

1) Drop all pending charges and state harrasment against the four politicians for revealing the toll documents.
2) Declassify all toll agreements between the government and toll concessionaires.
3) Repeal the Official Secrets Act (OSA).
4) Implement a Freedom of Information Act, and recognise the right to access information in Malaysia, especially in matters of public interest.


Please convey your concerns to:

Prime Minister’s Office
Prime Minister: Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Add: Federal Government Administration Center, Bangunan Perdana Putra, 62502 Putrajaya
Tel: 03 8888 8000; Fax: 03 8888 3444

Ministry of Works
Minister: Dato’ Seri Samy Vellu
Add: Tingkat 4, Blok B, Kompleks Kerja Raya, Jalan Sultan Salahuddin, 50580 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2711 1100; Fax: 03 2711 6564

National Human Rights Commission (Suhakam)
Chairman: Tan Sri Abu Talib
Add: Tingkat 29, Menara Tun Razak, Jalan Raja Laut, 50350 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2612 5600; Fax: 03 26125620
Email: admin@suhakam.org.my ; humanrights@suhakam.org.my

Inspector-General of Police
IGP: Tan Sri Musa Hassan
Add: Ibu Pejabat Polis, Bukit Aman, 50560 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2262 6015; Fax: 03 2272 5613
Email: rmp@rmp.gov.my

Attorney-General of Malaysia
Attorney General’s Chambers of Malaysia
Add: Level 1-8 Block C3, Parcel C, Federal Government Administrative Canter, 62512 Putrajaya
Tel: 03 8885 5000; Fax: 03 8888 9362
Email: pro@agc.gov.my

_____________________________________________________


More Information:

SUARA RAKYAT MALAYSIA
Address: 433A, Jalan 5/46, Gasing Indah, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Telephone: +6 03 7784 3525 Fax: +6 03 7784 3526
Email: suaram@suaram.net Web: www.suaram.net