Daily Archives: July 7, 2017

We dont normally associate online sports coverage with pushing the boundaries of multimedia fiction, but Voxs SB Nation blog dropped a fascinating, mind-bending treat on the internet last night, in the form of Jon Bois speculative 17776, or What Football Will Look Like In The Future. Consisting (so far) of scrolling text interludes interspersed with pictures and video, Bois serial story is still in progress, but seems largely concerned with the why of sports. That is, given the massive resources, time, and information at our disposal (not to mention those available to our descendants), why does communal game-playing still hold such an important place in society? To say more would be to risk spoilers on a truly innovative piece of work, so if youve got an hour to spend thinking about football, consciousness, hope, despair, and the absolutely staggering amount of creative latitude SB Nation apparently allows its premiere writers, you can start the story right here.

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The future of football is post-human despair (and fascinating sports meta-fiction) - A.V. Club

Activists of Amnesty International demonstrate to show their support with the Syrian people at the Fontaine des Innocentes in Paris May 29, 2012.. (photo credit:REUTERS)

Amnesty International and Bahraini democracy advocates based in Britain and the US are concerned for the safety of a prominent woman human rights activist arrested in Bahrain on Monday after she tweeted criticism of the king.

Ebtisam al-Saeghs arrest came weeks after she was beaten and sexually assaulted by members of the National Security Agency during a previous arrest, according to Amnesty International. She was warned then to stop her human rights activities, which included documenting police abuses in connection with the killing in May of five peaceful demonstrators in shootings that were condemned as unlawful by UN human rights experts. Her whereabouts are unknown and the fear is she will face the same or worse treatment this time.

The Bahraini authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Ebtisam al-Saegh, whose only crime is speaking up against a government committed to crushing all forms of dissent. We are deeply concerned about Ebtisams well-being, said Samah Hadid, director for Amnesty International campaigns in the Middle East.

We fear she is at high risk of torture as long as she remains in custody, Hadid added.

Saeghs renewed arrest is part of a crackdown on Bahraini civil society and human rights activists that has drawn international condemnation. Human rights groups allege that Bahrain has moved from arresting and/or banning the travel of rights activists to torturing them in a bid to silence them.

On Monday, Saegh tweeted about the ill treatment of women at the hands of the National Security Agency, writing that the king, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, was responsible for their actions. At 11:45 that night her house was raided by masked officers in civilian clothing carrying body and head cameras, Amnesty said. Around 25 officers claiming to belong to the Criminal Investigation Directorate arrived at her house in five civilian cars and a minibus, it said. No warrant for her arrest was presented.

In response to written questions from The Jerusalem Post, the press office of Bahrains embassy in London wrote that Bahrain is firmly committed to the protection and safeguarding of human rights and has oversight bodies to safeguard them and independently investigate violations.

Allegations such as the ones raised are taken very seriously and it is within the mandate of both the National Institution for Human Rights and the Ombudsmans Office to examine complaints when received in order to take all necessary measures to promote and defend fundamental freedoms in the Kingdom of Bahrain. At the time of writing the embassy is not aware of any complaint lodged with the oversight bodies mentioned above, the press office said.

The embassy did not answer a question on where Saegh is being held, instead referring the Post to the National Institution for Human Rights in Manama, which did not respond to an email query.

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Fears mount for detained Bahraini human rights activist - The Jerusalem Post

Some migrant workers made a statement this week on Thai social media. Many shared photos posing with their passports, ID cards and even employment documents festooned about their bodies.

Some strung their documents into necklaces. One man tied a few ID cards to his forehead. Another attached every document he had to his back to show he works in Thailand legally.

It was their immediate response to the government's issuance of an emergency decree on migrant labour management on June 23. With its "harsh" penalties on the recruitment of undocumented migrant workers, the decree was supposed to be "strong medicine" to battle human trafficking.

Paritta Wangkiat is a reporter, Bangkok Post.

Unfortunately, this medicine has instead triggered fear among many small- and medium-size business operators who depend on migrant labour. It also panicked migrant workers who flocked to the borders to get out of Thailand.

But will the new law solve the chronic problems of human trafficking and the corrupt bureaucratic system of migrant labour management as intended?

As of May, according to the Department of Employment, over 1.26 million documented migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar were in Thailand. It's estimated that undocumented migrants number one to two million.

The figures seem to have alarmed many Thais who hold traditional views of migrants as a national security threat or a burden on public resources. Those from Myanmar are even classified in the historical context of being viewed as descendants of "the enemy" of old Siam.

These perceptions reflect deeply rooted nationalism among many Thais who believe the presence of "too many foreigners" poses a threat to our nation which "has never been colonised".

Migrant workers are often seen as separate to Thai society. As a result, some people think it is okay to limit their rights or even punish and exploit them.

Interviewing many migrant workers over the past few years, I found similar stories of them being smuggled and exploited through many corrupt systems in Thailand. They shared backgrounds of being abused and exploited by brokers. They had to pay bribes and be temporarily kept in dark, locked rooms being being taken to their employers.

There are also many stories of illegal brokers and smugglers who brought workers to Thailand against their will.

Many were trafficked in harsh conditions in fishing boats, helping to bring seafood to our dining tables and our export markets. Sadly, they ended up abused, tortured and even killed on these boats.

Only rarely do we hear about brokers and smugglers being arrested. In 2015, after authorities discovered trafficking camps in Thailand's southern provinces, a high-ranking military officer was among 103 civil servants and civilians arrested for suspected involvement in trafficking Rohingya refugees.

Even as this and other cases prove the Thai bureaucratic system is corrupt, migrant workers are still seen as criminals rather than victims. This notion is reflected in the new decree, now suspended for six months.

Unregistered migrant workers who are not victims of human trafficking, will face a maximum of five years in prison and/or a fine of 2,000 to 100,000 baht under the decree. Those who are found taking a job, working in a location or with an employer different to what is stated in their work permits will be fined up to 100,000 baht. These penalties will only push more migrants into underground work and exploitation.

But brokers or smugglers who run trafficking rings face a maximum of six months' imprisonment and/or a maximum fine of 100,000 baht.

Employers will be fined from 400,000 to 800,000 baht for each unregistered migrant worker they hire. No jail terms for them. No penalty is prescribed for corrupt officials.

This shows that lawmakers overlooked or rejected the fact that human trafficking involves corruption within the Thai bureaucracy and among influential people. The law bypasses the need for human rights to protect trafficking victims.

It does not recognise the importance of migrant workers who help drive the Thai economy and take on jobs that Thais won't do.

The government must promote the contribution of migrant workers to the economy and bring them into the legal employment system by making registration an open, year-round and uncomplicated option.

It is the government's job to ensure they are protected.

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Law makes a mockery of human rights - Bangkok Post

DO WE have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost? President Trump asked during his speech in Warsaw on Thursday. Thats an important question, and so is this: Which values is he summoning us to defend?

There were encouraging elements in his address suggesting that he was referring to the universal values that America celebrated earlier this week, on the anniversary of its declaration of independence. Repeatedly, Mr. Trump invoked the parallel Polish and American devotion to freedom. He spoke of Americas commitment to your security and your place in a strong and democratic Europe. Unlike during his first trip to Europe as president, he embraced NATOs Article 5, which binds the United States and its allies to treat an attack on one as an attack on all.

Mr. Trump warned against powers that use propaganda, financial crimes and cyberwarfare against the United States and its allies and, in case that wasnt clear enough, explicitly warned Russia to cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere and its support for hostile regimes, including Syria and Iran. He assured his audience, We treasure the rule of law and protect the right to free speech and free expression.

Yet elements of his address left doubt as to whether Mr. Trump views such values as truly universal. The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive, he said. If by the West he means anyone embracing the values of human rights, freedom and the dignity of every individual, he may be right. But those are hardly the property of the United States and Europe. They are treasured by the ailing Liu Xiaobo in China, by bloggers fighting for freedom in Uganda and by legislators fighting off the Maduro regimes thugs in Venezuela. They belong to people of all colors, all sexual orientations and all or no religion. When Mr. Trump urges us all to fight like the Poles, for family, for freedom, for country and for God, does all truly mean all?

Perhaps what gives the most doubt is that he celebrated the right to free speech and free expression without mentioning that the government welcoming him has worked worryingly to narrow those freedoms, along with the independence of its judiciary and without mentioning that, at home, Mr. Trump himself has been far from a tribune of the free press. Above all, he said, we value the dignity of every human life, protect the rights of every person and share the hope of every soul to live in freedom. Many people will cheer those words and will watch to see how his administration lives up to them in its interactions with Saudi Arabia and China, Russia and Egypt, and at home.

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Trump wants us to defend 'our values.' Which ones? - Washington Post