Raisa Wickrematunge

PANEL DISCUSSION: Southasia’s youthquakes - on #GenZprotests in #Nepal, #Bangladesh and #lka. Co-hosted by @romangtm.bsky.social and peace activist Harsh Mander. Sign up to register: bit.ly/4nI9Vsr

The Maldives' media control bill, Nepal appoints new energy, finance ministers , India-Pakistan hostility around Asia Cup and more in this edition of Southasia Weekly, out now! bit.ly/HimalNewsletters

Nepal has seen mass uprisings in 1990 and 2006. Yet despite calls for political reform, the governments that followed failed to follow through on their promises.

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Nepal’s K P Oli government has murdered 19 people This story first appeared in Kalam Weekly. It has been republished with updates and edits. Monday, 8 September, started out optimistic. A Gen Z protest against

#KPSharmaOli's government has killed 19 protestors in a single day after security forces opened fire at youth protests against nepotism and corruption. This is the largest single-day death toll from any public protest in #Nepal's history, writes Pranaya Rana

A string of natural disasters leaves Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India reeling.

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With looming Trump tariffs, India is being forced to recalibrate relations with China – and Beijing has gained more bargaining power.

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Climate refugees from Bangladesh face a political storm in India Bangladeshi climate migrants face political storm in India

Bangladeshi climate migrants fleeing natural disasters and poverty are met with anti-immigrant rhetoric from BJP and the Hindu right. @soulrestless.bsky.social and Kanika Gupta write

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Bihar's electoral roll revision is puzzling, as the Elections Commission had already accepted the rolls for 2024 polls. Reports suggest this could expand to other states like West Bengal. Read more in Southasia Weekly: bit.ly/HimalNewsletters

Languages and labour on tea estates in South India and Sri Lanka: Part 2 Languages and labour on tea estates in South India and Sri Lanka: Part 2

The tea estates of South India and Sri Lanka are more than just agricultural or economic sites. They are key historical locations where trade, colonial expansion and labour exploitation converge @avtansa.bsky.social writes

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At least 20 mass grave sites have been excavated across Sri Lanka, but forensic investigations have been marred by political interference. Families remain sceptical that there will be meaningful answers. Learn more in Southasia Weekly: bit.ly/HimalNewsletters

Twenty years without justice for murdered journalist Taraki Sivaram in Sri Lanka Sri Lankan journalists are calling on the government to expedite stalled investigations into the unsolved abduction and murder of Tamil journalist Dharmeratnam “Taraki” Sivaram

Despite promising leads in the case, key suspects were eventually released on bail due to insufficient evidence, after which Sivaram's case has languished unresolved. Letchumanan Thevathiran writes:

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Southasia braces for Israel-Iran war, Pakistan army chief's warm welcome in Washington, India illegally deports Muslims at gunpoint and more in Southasia Weekly: bit.ly/HimalNewsletters

Will there finally be justice for Sri Lankan journalist Keith Noyahr? Will there finally be justice for Sri Lankan journalist Keith Noyahr?

On 22 May 2008, Noyahr was abducted and brutally tortured by individuals who could not tolerate his fearless and incisive reporting. Shivanthi Fernando writes:

The obstacles that students in Dungarpur's tribal community in India face are central to "Are you going to school today?", Streaming June 2-9. Sign up: bit.ly/ScreenSoutha...

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India's brutal crackdown disproportionately affects Adivasis caught between the state and the Maoists. Our top story in Southasia Weekly, out now: bit.ly/HimalNewsletters

Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an Ashoka University professor, was arrested for a social media post which asked for the protection of victims of mob-lynching and bulldozer demolitions after the Pahalgam attacks.

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🏅🎉 Himal was chosen as a finalist for the 2025 Global Shining Light Awards by the Global Investigative Journalism Network (@gijn.org‬ ) — the prize that honors watchdog journalism in developing or transitioning countries carried out under threat, or in perilous conditions.

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On 12 May, Bangladesh's Election Commission barred the Awami League from contesting in upcoming national elections.

Read about the Awami League ban in the latest edition of Southasia Weekly, out now: bit.ly/HimalNewsletters

Kashmiris opposed the Pahalgam attack yet still face the brunt of the fallout Kashmiris opposed the Pahalgam attack yet still face the brunt of the fallout

Kashmiris opposed the Pahalgam attack yet still face the brunt of the fallout

@AuqibJaveed writes:

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Communal hatred and censorship amid India-Pakistan tensions, Bangladesh former prime minister Khaleda Zia's return to Dhaka and more in Southasia Weekly, out now: bit.ly/HimalNewslet...

One monk’s lonely battle against Sinhala-Buddhist extremism in Sri Lanka One monk’s battle against extremist Buddhism in Sri Lanka

When I pressed him further on the Tamil question, it became clear that Dhammananda’s views, for as much as they depart from those of many Sinhalese, do not always align with the Tamil perspective. Jeevan Ravindran writes:

🎉 It's Himal's 38th birthday this May 🎂 and we’re looking for 38 new supporters. For just USD 5 per month, you can be one of 38 special people who step up to help secure the future of independent journalism in Southasia. Click here: buff.ly/3NHN6O1

How one village forged its own recovery after Nepal’s 2015 earthquake How one village forged its own recovery after Nepal’s 2015 earthquake

The newly rebuilt Langtang village, after Nepal’s 2015 earthquake. Residents of Langtang fought to return to their homeplace, and rebuilt it themselves when government aid was slow to arrive. Eileen McDougall writes: buff.ly/UvZPAgo.

On 24 April, at least 26 people were killed after gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists in Pahalgam, in India-administered Kashmir.

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This week, the Maldives ratified a bill that barred Israeli passport holders from entering the country.

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Women bear the brunt of extreme heat in Sri Lanka’s war-torn North This story was produced with support from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.  TEMPERATURES ARE RISING again. In the first-ever women-run cashew processin

Women bear the brunt of extreme heat in Sri Lanka’s war-torn North, Amita Arudpragasam writes

In southern Sri Lanka, employees of a garment factory protested after they were told their annual bonus would not be granted due to US tariffs.

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A fire at the residence of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma has sparked controversy after a large sum of cash was discovered in an outhouse attached to the premises.

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Anatomy of a murder investigation – the Lasantha Wickrematunge case The delays, denials and obfuscations in the investigation into the Sri Lankan editor’s murder reveals continued impunity around the killing of journalists in Sri Lanka

"I believe that the system of political patronage that has covered up past violence in #SriLanka remains very much alive."
@raisalw.bsky.social wrote about the Lasantha Wickramatunge case in Jan 2025
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Ranil Wickremesinghe in the hot seat over Batalanda torture site WHEN WE STARTED getting messages that the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) website was not working, in the wake of an Al Jazeera interview with th

Why I confronted Ranil Wickremesinghe with the Batalanda Commission report during his Al Jazeera interview – and why #SriLanka must face up to the torture, disappearances and human rights abuses of the 1980s JVP insurrection.

Frances Harrison writes: