Recent reports indicate the growing tension that surround the Thai-Cambodian border dispute centered around the temple of Preah Vihear. A closed-door meeting will be held to explain the situation and Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thailand Prime minister seems assured that they can explain how the standoff was the cause of Cambodia and that all of Cambodia's claims are "wrong".
These disputes over borders are responsible for four days of violence around the area earlier in this month and while Cambodia is appealing for an intervention via a third country, Thailand is leaning more towards placing Cambodia in an unfavorable light through it's case evidence(media reports, pictures).
Link to the article:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_634524.html
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Peace Talks to Commence with Communist Party in the Philippines
The Communist party of the Philippines(CPP), has caused a number of problems for the Philippine government since it's founding in 1968. Peace talks between the party and the Philippine government and set to take place in Norway proceeding years and years of disagreements and confrontations.
Alexander Padilla, a chief government negotiator, says that 'Our most optimistic projection is that... substantive agreements can be reached in 18 months' time and peace achievable in three years,'. These talks seem to look promising, but the CCP, just a few days after these talks were scheduled, an attack was mounted on a town in Northern Philippines with communist rebels responsible.
Link to article:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_634513.html
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Deforestation at Large in Malaysia
Recent reports by a research group called Wetlands International have confirmed a substantial deforestation rate in Malaysian forests, reportedly at a rate almost three times faster than the rest of Asia.
The actual numbers indicate that in Sarawak, the largest Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, about ten percent of the forested are uprooted annually over a five year period. A parallel range of years for the rest of Asia shows a 2.8 percent deforestation rate. Taken all together, approximately 353,000 hectares of rain forest land was deforested within these last five years alone.
These recent studies may very well indicate and correlate with a higher demand for palm oil, a product produced largely in Malaysia and neighboring Indonesia and made largely from the stripped forests.
Link to article:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_630609.html
The actual numbers indicate that in Sarawak, the largest Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, about ten percent of the forested are uprooted annually over a five year period. A parallel range of years for the rest of Asia shows a 2.8 percent deforestation rate. Taken all together, approximately 353,000 hectares of rain forest land was deforested within these last five years alone.
These recent studies may very well indicate and correlate with a higher demand for palm oil, a product produced largely in Malaysia and neighboring Indonesia and made largely from the stripped forests.
Link to article:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_630609.html
Aung San Suu Kyi in Support of Egyptian Protesters
"We're all with you": These were the words of Aung San Suu Kyi, a recently freed, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and an icon for Democracy in Burma. These words were in response to the growing situation in Egypt involving one of the largest displays of protest in the nation's history.
Issues involved in the protests include but are not limited to police brutality, low minimum wages, inflation, and the lack of free speech and elections. Suu Kyi supports the efforts of these protesters seeking a better Egypt and comments that people "have much better means of getting in touch with each other and arranging mass public demonstrations such as they have done in Egypt".
World views on the situation have been mixed but hopefully a peaceful solution can be found.
Link to article:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_630684.html
Issues involved in the protests include but are not limited to police brutality, low minimum wages, inflation, and the lack of free speech and elections. Suu Kyi supports the efforts of these protesters seeking a better Egypt and comments that people "have much better means of getting in touch with each other and arranging mass public demonstrations such as they have done in Egypt".
World views on the situation have been mixed but hopefully a peaceful solution can be found.
Link to article:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_630684.html
Poh Chen Shui CAUGHT in Fiji Bank Fraud
Recently, a Singaporean businessman by the name of Poh Chen Shui was caught for engaging in a bank fraud that's worth was 50 million Euros(Equivalent to over 80 million U.S. dollars)
What happened is that Shui went to Fiji and started up a business back in January of 2009 with two Fji natives: Rajnesh Singh and Atunaisa Veitata. The trio called this company Full Creations Investments Ltd. A forged bank draft with the worth of 50 million Euros was then deposited by Veitata in an attempt at easy money but was discovered by the bank to be fake.
Reports indicate that Rajnesh Singh was using this forgery in an attempt to buy several acres of land belonging to an Anglican Church.
Link to article:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_631859.html
What happened is that Shui went to Fiji and started up a business back in January of 2009 with two Fji natives: Rajnesh Singh and Atunaisa Veitata. The trio called this company Full Creations Investments Ltd. A forged bank draft with the worth of 50 million Euros was then deposited by Veitata in an attempt at easy money but was discovered by the bank to be fake.
Reports indicate that Rajnesh Singh was using this forgery in an attempt to buy several acres of land belonging to an Anglican Church.
Link to article:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_631859.html
Vang Pao's Appeals for Arlington Burial Denied
Vang Pao, a general in Laos, was recently denied burial at the famous Arlington Cemetery where many heroes had been buried in the past, including the Kennedy's, other former presidents and military leaders.
Vang Pao has recently passed away at the age of 81 after having served for the Royal Lao Army from the 1940's up to 1975. Based on the pre-established conditions of burial at Arlington Cemetery as described by the Federal Code of Regulations, there is no rule specifically preventing Pao's burial there.
The committee organizing the funeral wanted to do it in a traditional Hmong style alongside burial with honors at Arlington but were unfortunately denied. Pao's dedicated supporters and followers are currently appealing to U.S. President Barack Obama to potentially overturn this decision.
Link to article:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_631917.html
Picture of Vang Pao:
http://riverdaughter.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/vangpao.png
Vang Pao has recently passed away at the age of 81 after having served for the Royal Lao Army from the 1940's up to 1975. Based on the pre-established conditions of burial at Arlington Cemetery as described by the Federal Code of Regulations, there is no rule specifically preventing Pao's burial there.
The committee organizing the funeral wanted to do it in a traditional Hmong style alongside burial with honors at Arlington but were unfortunately denied. Pao's dedicated supporters and followers are currently appealing to U.S. President Barack Obama to potentially overturn this decision.
Link to article:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_631917.html
Picture of Vang Pao:
http://riverdaughter.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/vangpao.png
Continued Border Disputes Between Cambodia and Thailand
Recently, a third day of fighting has broken out between the two neighboring Southeast Asian nations Cambodia and Thailand. Despite a cease fire, deployed troops continue to ravish the disputed border situated around the Preah Vihear Temple.
The temple itself was began in the 9th century as a tribute to Shiva. It is situated in the Phnom Troap mountain ranges in Northern Cambodia.
A world court ruling back in 1962 confirmed that the site belongs to Cambodia but this claim has been disputed by many Thai people. This was not the first act of violence in this border dispute, perhaps the first and most famous of these modern day confrontations began in 2008 labeled as the "Cambodian-Thai Stand-Off".
Link to article:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_631864.html
Map of Cambodia-Thailand:
http://www.search-internetmarketing.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/fe36d_CambodiaThailandBorder.jpg
The temple itself was began in the 9th century as a tribute to Shiva. It is situated in the Phnom Troap mountain ranges in Northern Cambodia.
A world court ruling back in 1962 confirmed that the site belongs to Cambodia but this claim has been disputed by many Thai people. This was not the first act of violence in this border dispute, perhaps the first and most famous of these modern day confrontations began in 2008 labeled as the "Cambodian-Thai Stand-Off".
Link to article:
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_631864.html
Map of Cambodia-Thailand:
http://www.search-internetmarketing.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/fe36d_CambodiaThailandBorder.jpg
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