Dear Nalaka Bhai,
Greetings from Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication(BNNRC).
Thank you very much for your nice mail regarding Better Governance: The Biggest Lesson of 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.
 
By the way we would like to join TVE Asia Pacific. What can we do in this matter.
With best wishes and Solidarity,

Bazlu
_______________________
AHM. Bazlur Rahman-S21BR
Chief Executive Officer
Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication(BNNRC)
&
Member, Strategy Council
UN-Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN GAID)
 
House: 13/1, Road:2, Shaymoli, Dhaka-1207
Post Box: 5095, Dhaka 1205 Bangladesh
 
Phone: 88-02-9130750, 88-02-9138501
01711881647 Fax: 88-02-9138501-105
 
E-mail: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask]
www.bnnrc.net
----- Original Message -----
From: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">Nalaka Gunawardene, TVE Asia Pacific
To: [log in to unmask] href="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2009 10:50 AM
Subject: Better Governance: The Biggest Lesson of 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

Apologies for any cross-posting...

Dear friends,

On 26 December 2009, we mark the fifth anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, one of the biggest and deadliest disasters in history. It left a trail of destruction across South and Southeast Asia, killing over 225,000 and shattering the lives of millions more.

Journalists, professionally trained to hastily produce ‘first drafts of history’, found it a bit like being close to a huge tapestry still being woven: we all absorbed parts of the unfolding complexity. We reported or analysed those elements that held our interest. But we were too close, and too overwhelmed, for much perspective. Five years on, we can ‘zoom out’ more easily to see the bigger picture. When I do, one overarching factor stands out as the most important and lasting lesson of the tsunami: the need for better governance.

That is the thrust of my latest op ed essay, which is being published this weekend in Asian/global websites and newspapers. The links so far are listed at: http://movingimages.wordpress.com/2009/12/26/asian-tsunami5-its-governance-stupid/

Here are my other blog posts in recent days which reflect on the tsunami experience in one way or another:

Looking back at Asian Tsunami of 2004…and media response
http://movingimages.wordpress.com/2009/12/25/looking-back-at-asian-tsunami-of-2004-and-media-response/

Asian Tsunami+5: Revisiting child survivor Heshani Hewavitharana of Sri Lanka...
http://movingimages.wordpress.com/2009/12/25/tsunami5-revisiting-heshani-hewavitharana/

Ahead of tsunami, journalist foresaw coastal disaster in Sri Lanka: “A Catastrophe Waiting to Happen”
http://movingimages.wordpress.com/2009/12/24/journalist-cautioned-coastal-disaster-in-sri-lanka-a-catastrophe-waiting-to-happen/

Children of Tsunami: No more tears...
http://movingimages.wordpress.com/2009/12/23/children-of-tsunami-no-more-tears/

A Lasting Wave: Looking back at Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2004 (inspired by Newsweek interview)
http://movingimages.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/a-lasting-wave-looking-back-at-indian-ocean-tsunami-of-december-2004/

As we bow our heads in memory of all who perished and suffered in the tsunami, the words of Spanish philosopher and poet George Santayana reverberate in my mind: “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

I wish you safe, relaxing and reflective holidays.

Warmly,


Nalaka

...................................................................
Nalaka Gunawardene
Director/CEO - TVE Asia Pacific
9/3, Gemunu Mawatha, Nawala Road, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka.
T: +94 11 4412 195; F: +94 11 4403 443; E: [log in to unmask]
www.tveap.org | www.savingtheplanet.tv
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