Category Archives: Asia

Lost Tribes and Human Nature

Posted on 27 June 2011 by Robert

These uncontacted tribes are the nearest thing we habe to a tabula rasa, a mind unpolluted by the sensibilities and preconceptions of our infinitely connected world. And, untrained and unprepared for the moment, they win it. Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Film, History | 1 Comment

Where is Prageeth?

Posted on 9 May 2011 by Robert

While the world turns and changes; while we thrill at global events; for some, life is in stasis. Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Literature, Sri Lanka | Leave a comment

The Chilling Effect of Rarely Used Laws

Posted on 4 January 2011 by Robert

You don’t actually need to charge someone under a particular law, for that law to have a horrible chilling effect. Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Human Rights, Religion, Terrorism | Leave a comment

Lui Xiaobo Goes Viral

Posted on 10 December 2010 by Robert

Lui Xiaobo is locked up. Please disseminate his voice widely. Continue reading →

Posted in China, Human Rights | Leave a comment

Censorship in India

Posted on 26 October 2010 by Robert

It is interesting how authors are elevated to positions of moral authority in society.  This is the reason they become particular targets for censorship when they stray from the socially conservative orthodoxy. Two stories of writers being censored in India … Continue reading →

Posted in India | 8 Comments

Ebenezer and the Salvation of Debbie Draupati

Posted on 14 October 2010 by Robert

My election day story about a blogger and some supernatural goings on received mixed reviews.  Some saw it as failed satire, while others enjoyed the ambiguity.  It features a character I had previously put at the centre of a couple … Continue reading →

Posted in India, Internet Philosophy | 1 Comment

Hindi versus English

Posted on 4 October 2010 by Robert

However, what really puzzled me was the interviewer, who jumped between Hindi and English with no apparent pattern – some clauses in one language, some in another. What’s going on there? Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Multiculturalism | Leave a comment

Anti-Bribes

Posted on 1 July 2010 by Robert

The Afghani policeman paying ‘anti-bribes’ reminds me of the Indian Zero Rupee bank-note. Continue reading →

Posted in India, Law and Order | Leave a comment

Another Demo for Aung San Suu Kyi

Posted on 18 June 2010 by Robert

Photos of the demo at the Burmese Embassy Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Human Rights, London | Leave a comment

64 words for Aung San Suu Kyi

Posted on 27 May 2009 by Robert

I didn’t know that Salman Rushdie and Aung San Suu Kyi shared a birthday: On this day, my birthday and yours, I always remember your long ordeal and silently applaud your endurance. This year, silence is impossible. It is not … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Human Rights, Liberal Conspiracy | 5 Comments