[creative-radio] Who’s Afraid of Amateur Radio? Tsunami’s heroic technology has few backers in Sri Lanka

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Nalaka Gunawardene, TVE Asia Pacific <nalaka@tveap.org>
Date: 2010/1/1
Subject: [communicating-disaster] Who's Afraid of Amateur Radio? Tsunami's
heroic technology has few backers in Sri Lanka
To:

Hi,

Here's wishing you a safe, productive and fulfilling 2010!

On the last day of the old year, my latest op ed essay was published online:
Who's Afraid of Amateur Radio? Tsunami's heroic technology has few backers
in Sri Lanka
http://www.groundviews.org/2009/12/31/who%E2%80%99s-afraid-of-amateur-radio-tsunami%E2%80%99s-heroic-technology-has-few-backers-in-sri-lanka/

Five years ago, in the immediate aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami,
amateur radio helped revive emergency communications with some of the worst
affected locations. The decades old practice was hailed as the 'low tech'
miracle that literally helped save lives. Where electricity and telephone
services ­ both fixed and mobile ­ had been knocked down, amateur radio
enthusiasts (or 'radio hams') restored the first communication links.

Notwithstanding their celebrated role after the tsunami, radio hams have
been sidelined in Sri Lanka. Their very hobby is being frowned upon by the
state on the grounds of…national security. Looking back, it seems like the
public-spirited radio hams were given their 15 minutes of fame and then
soundly ignored. Worse, the short-lived prominence may have attracted new
bureaucratic hurdles.

Full text is found at:
http://www.groundviews.org/2009/12/31/who%E2%80%99s-afraid-of-amateur-radio-tsunami%E2%80%99s-heroic-technology-has-few-backers-in-sri-lanka/

Please feel free to reproduce and/or pass the link around!

With warm regards,

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: nalaka@tveap.org
www.tveap.org | www.savingtheplanet.tv
Online video: http://www.youtube.com/TVEAPfilms
Personal Blog: http://movingimages.wordpress.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NalakaG

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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