Fifteen more days left in the year, this is a selection of some of the most under-reported if not unreported stories of 2009 – ignored or not covered or noted in the margin by the international media. This is not definitive by any means, and our intention in launching this blog with this post is not to present an exhaustive list. What other stories need to be highlighted in this list? Please leave a comment and let us know and we will update the list, based on the discussion thread.

1. The Chagossians/Diego Garcia: Forcibly evicted from their homeland by the United Kingdom to make room for one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, Chagossian refugees in Mauritius are still fighting for their right to return home.

2. Sahrawi struggle for freedom: The Moroccan occupation colonisation of Western Sahara continues. 1975-2009: A shameful story of how the international community failed the people under siege in the last colony of Africa.

3. Hmong refugees/Thailand: Hidden behind barbed wires, as Médecins Sans Frontières describes: Plight of Hmong refugees held in detention camp in northern Thailand ignored amid ongoing deportations to Laos.

4. Chechnya: “A fear-crippled region.”