UCA News / by Joseph Masilamany
As International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples passes quietly, their struggles across Asia remain anything but silent
Juliana Jazlin Ismail walked 190 kilometers. For her, an Indigenous person from Peninsular Malaysia, the journey was more than a physical test. It became an act of witness — a reminder that for many Indigenous peoples in the region, the struggle for recognition, land and dignity remains a long and difficult journey.
Her story belongs in the same conversation as two men from different parts of Asia: Malaysian land-rights activist Bill Kayong and Indian Jesuit Father Stan Swamy.
Read more
Also read/watch:
▪ A Documentary Film on Stan Swamy – A Caged Bird Can Still Sing
hindi / en | 21:40min | 2025
By Karwan e Mohabbat
This short documentary revisits the life and work of Father Stan Swamy, the Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist who spent decades standing with Adivasi communities in Jharkhand. Arrested under draconian anti-terror laws and denied timely medical care, Stan died in custody on 5 July 2021. Through conversations with his friends and colleagues, and using Stan’s own archival footage and recordings, we reflect on his unwavering commitment to justice and begin to understand why he was targeted by the state. This is both a tribute and a reminder of the forces that criminalise dissent and silence those who speak for the most marginalised.
Watch video
▪ I am not a Silent Spectator – Why Truth has become so bitter, Dissent so intolarable, Justice so out of reach – An Autobiographical Fragment, Memory and Reflection
Edition: Aug 2021
Publisher: Indian Social Institute, Bangalore
Language: English
Paperback: 149 pages
‘Why truth has become so bitter, dissent so intolerable, justice so out of reach?’ because truth has become very bitter to those in power and position, dissent, so unpalatable to the ruling elite, justice, so out of reach to the powerless, marginalised, deprived people. Yet, truth must be spoken, right to dissent must be upheld, and justice must reach the doorsteps of the poor. I am not a silent spectator. This booklet is not my autobiography. It is rather a collation of some glimpses/episodes from my life that somehow made a difference for me, and possibly for my confrères, colleagues and the people with whom I have shared my life.
Access a free PDF copy of the book here
▪ Deprived of rights over natural resources, impoverished Adivasis get prison a study of Undertrials in Jharkhand (Sanhati / by Bagaicha Research Team / Dec 2015)
