Here are 3 things happening in Mauritius this week!
1) Mauritian diaspora in Switzerland hold protest in front of the United Nations building regarding the situation in Agalega. Ongoing construction work is fuelling fear that Agalega is being transformed into an Indian military base.
A protest was organised this weekend by Ralliement Citoyen pour la Patrie and Mauritians of The World in Geneva, regarding the ongoing situation in Agalega. The protest was held in Palais des Nations, in front of the United Nations building.
Those protesting were calling for clarity over Agalega- despite continued works on the island, including a 3km airstrip, the agreement between Mauritius and India over Agalega’s use has not been made public.
2) Facebook respond to ICTA’s proposal, stating while they support keeping harmful content offline, parts of the proposed Act “lacked detail”, “does not satisfy international human rights standards” and requested the ICTA to “reconsider” its proposed toolset of monitoring online social media use.
The ICT (Internet and Communications Technologies) Act covers a broad range of topics intended to protect users when online. Most recently, there have been proposed amendments to the Act, which have caused human rights concerns, as they will allow Mauritian authorities to police social media, store important information like passwords for an undisclosed amount of time, and track people using their IP address. To do this, they will develop a ‘toolset’ to track users online, and enforce censorship or legal proceedings against those who breach the Act.
During a month long consultation process, Facebook offered their point of view in a 12 page document, stating while they support keeping harmful content offline, parts of the proposed Act “lacked detail”, “does not satisfy international human rights standards” and requested the ICTA to “reconsider” its proposed toolset.
3) Residents of Sainte Croix take to the streets to protest against the authorities after dirty, “muddy water” flowing from their taps for 2 years.
For 2 years, residents of Sainte Croix have been subjected to dirty, muddy water flowing from their taps for 2 years. Most residents have had to continuously buy bottled water to drink and bathe in. They have alerted authorities on several occasions but are still awaiting a solution.
SOURCES
https://www.lexpress.mu/article/394327/manifestation-geneve-diaspora-mobilise-pour-agalega