Dangers of the Israel-Sri Lanka nexus – Southasia Weekly #87

Last month, as we prepared to fly into Kathmandu, our colleagues from Nepal warned us to prepare for rain, and we packed umbrellas and raincoats. As it happened, we only experienced one evening of heavy rain during our stay. This week, as news updates rolled in about flooding across Nepal and other countries, I recalled how swiftly the alleys in Kathmandu filled with water, receding just as swiftly in a few hours. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case this week. The floodwaters caused heavy damage. 

This week saw 24 people lose their lives while attending a candlelight vigil in Myanmar thanks to a paraglider bomb attack, gun-battles along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and eight people arrested in the Maldives at a protest organised by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, while all eyes were on over 40 vessels who collectively tried to break Israel’s cruel aid blockade on Gaza, with Bangladeshi activist and photographer Shahidul Alam among hundreds of activists detained by Israeli military. While each of these stories will make headlines and front pages, there is often less coverage given to the impacts of climate change, especially in the aftermath of a political and economic crisis. That’s why you should support independent Southasian journalism – so we can keep making these connections and keep the spotlight on underreported issues long after they have faded from headlines. 

This week in Himal

Tisaranee Gunasekara writes about growing Israeli influence and a resurgence of anti-Muslim sentiment in Sri Lanka stoked by pro-Israeli groups and Buddhist extremists, with Muslim activists highlighting Israel’s atrocities in Gaza increasingly targeted by the Sri Lankan state.  

On the Saffron Siege podcast series in collaboration with Karwan-e-Mohabbat, writer Aakar Patel and journalist Rana Ayyub examine with Harsh Mander whether India under Narendra Modi has truly transformed into a Hindu Rashtra. 

Did you miss our recent discussion on Southasia’s Youthquakes in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka? You can now read an edited transcript of the discussion, co-hosted by Himal Editor Roman Gautam and peace activist Harsh Mander here.