Month: January 2023

Australia, Heritage and History, Human Rights, Indigenous People, RacismLeave a comment

Heated Debate on Giving a Constitutional Voice to Indigenous Australians

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By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — Each year on January 26, Australians celebrate “Australia Day”, a national holiday that marks the day Captain Arthur Phillip sailed into Sydney Cove in 1788, planted the Union Jack and proclaimed the continent for the British Crown. Later it was enshrined in the Australian constitution that it was “terra nullius” (unoccupied land). But Australia’s Indigenous People claim otherwise, and they have protested in growing numbers in recent decades, calling it the “Invasion Day”. Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), Theatre Director David Berthold noted that Australia is the only nation on the planet … Continue reading Heated Debate on Giving a Constitutional Voice to Indigenous Australians

Australia, Rise of Asia, TravelLeave a comment

Australia May Not Like China But Likes Chinese Tourists

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By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — In April 2020, the then Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the origins of Covid-19, which riled the Chinese leadership. China rapidly imposed sanctions on Australian imports, especially on the lucrative barley, wine and wheat trade. They also started looking for new iron ore suppliers, an export to China that has helped Australia’s economic boom in the past three decades. Another area where the Australian economy benefited from China’s rise was the tourism and tertiary education sector. Before the pandemic, in 2018, according to Australian official statistics, there were … Continue reading Australia May Not Like China But Likes Chinese Tourists

Buddhist Issues, Politics and Democracy, ReligionLeave a comment

Will Tibetans’ ‘middle way’ China approach preserve peace in Himalayan region?

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The Dalai Lama’s ‘middle way’– not going to extremes – does not demand independence from Chinese rule but urges a high degree of autonomy The 87-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader is regarded as a separatist by Beijing, which strongly opposes international engagement with him by Kalinga Seneviratne Published: 12:00pm, 9 Jan, 2023 By South China Morning Post https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3205819/will-tibetans-middle-way-china-approach-preserve-peace-himalayan-region?fbclid=IwAR096Nde-B-sUgSRMnm14kyqL_ZPJ4bm7ieRniK3yz3J8zNa2h47qBU3sVs Continue reading Will Tibetans’ ‘middle way’ China approach preserve peace in Himalayan region?

Buddhist Issues, ReligionLeave a comment

Ageing Dalai Lama Attracts Huge Crowds to Buddhist Sacred Site

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By Kalinga Seneviratne This article is the 51st in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, the flagship agency of the Non-profit International Press Syndicate.  BODHGAYA, India (IDN) — The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, has just concluded a three-day speaking engagement here at Bodhgaya, known as the ‘land of enlightenment’ that has attracted over 100,000 mainly Tibetans from across the world. This huge response surprised the organizers, as the event coincided with the Indian media talking about a new wave of Covid sweeping the country. Covid was far from the mind of pilgrims and devotees—even … Continue reading Ageing Dalai Lama Attracts Huge Crowds to Buddhist Sacred Site