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English Does not a lesser Malaysian make The Star, Saturday 4 July 2009

I was born 48 years ago and was the last batch to sit for the Lower Certificate of Education (LCE), Malaysian Certificate of Education (MCE) and Higher School Certificate (HSC).
I am a better person today because my parents sent me to an English medium
school despite the many negative remarks from those who just didn’t want to see
progress.
My elder siblings speak perfect English, and so do most of those in that age group too.
Speaking English doesn’t make you less Malay, less Chinese, less Indian or less
Malay­sian for that matter.
It was very depressing when I met many local graduates who had difficulty
expressing themselves in English.
This hinders them in many job and promotion opportunities.
I know they can express themselves better in Malay, or Chinese, or even Tamil,
but in an international arena where English is the required form of communication/language, they lose out.
This is especially so if they want to work and excel in a multinational company.
It would be even better if they could master a few more languages like Mandarin,
Japanese or even Spanish.
I was given an international assignment during the last six years in Shenzhen,
working for an American company because I am able to communicate in English with
foreign customers and visitors.
I regret that I don’t speak Mandarin or Cantonese that will make it even easier to compete here.
Therefore, I hope all the leaders whom we Malaysians entrusted in the last
general election will make the policy change with a clear conscience and open
mind for the future of all Malaysians.
We will be on par with, if not better than, many others if we had stuck to the
LCE, MCE and HSC exams, and continued using English as the medium of instruction in universities.
Another compelling factor to consider is that our Thai, Singaporean, Indian and
Indonesian colleagues have no worry accepting overseas assignments because they
can bring along their families and put their children in international schools.
When they return home at the end of their stint, their children can go to any
school as they still have English medium schools back home.
In the case of Malaysians, putting our kids in international schools back home
will cost a bomb.
As a result, many Malaysians turn down overseas assignments and forgo the opportunities. Some leave behind their families, resulting in lots of family problems.
I believe our education system needs a total revamp right from the pre-school
level.
Our children can focus on English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and Tamil or
Hindi languages as at this age, they can pick up language extremely fast.
Subsequently, we can make English the medium for all subjects, with compulsory
credit hours for Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and Tamil languages.
We need to ensure that future Malaysians are competitive enough to survive
anywhere and that there will be only one Bangsa Malay­sia as everyone
understands everyone’s language to live in harmony and, above all, be respected
internationally.
Otherwise, Malaysians will continue lagging behind as Jaguh Kampung.

Sabarudin,
Shenzhen,
China.

Monopolistic Zionist control Of British Media The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 3 July 2009

I fully support Harry Boniface's expressed concern; here on 2nd July 2009; about Zionist monopolistic ownership and control of media - at least in-so-far as it applies to the UK.
Thus Jewish hands and minds control: BBC-TV; ITV-1&2; Anglia TV; ITN; The London News Network; combined production by - Pinewood-Shepperton Ltd - Henscott plc - Octopus Publishing - Camelot; BBC-Radio; British-Sky-Broadcasting; Sky Global Networks; AOL-Time-Warner; Viacom; Express Newspaper Group; Telegraph Group; and the Daily Mail.
For further details consult the original, informative article; "Near Total Zionist Jewish Control Of The British Media" by Thomas Sparks at:
http://www.sweetliberty.org/issues/shadow/jewishmedia_uk.shtml

Raymond Groves

International media Under Zionist control The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 2 July 2009

It is neither fish nor fowl this relatively new-age hybrid to which we solemnly pay abeyance in its name of 'democracy'.
In its' unadulterated form, i.e. the democratic system of government, that promised such hope through the conduit of universal suffrage, has fallen victim to the equivalent of the Trogan Horse with foreign mercenaries infiltrating - and subverting - the elected functions of most western bureaucracies.
With much national judicial and foreign policy decisions now under their influence, these predatory pilferers have reduced America (in particular) to the status of a debtor nation with its armed forces now the pecunery puppets of foreign carpetbaggers.
America, that has followed (in isolation) its mythical 'yellow brick to ruin' was rudely awakened from its arrogant slumber on September 11 2001 by the devastating attacks on New York's World Trade Centre.
Subsequently, with almost complete Zionist control of the international media, the US public (in particular) has been precluded from even the basic opportunity of reading and/or viewing much alternative public reportage.
Censorship thrives among the international editorial chairs under political presure from the Zionist media barons and effectively stifles any pertinent questioning surrounding the identity of the criminal elements responsible for (arguably) America's most devastating civil disaster.
For readers fortunate enough to enjoy the generous editorial policies of The Southeast Asian Times, may I invite them - in pursuit of credible alternative evidence - to visit web site :
http://zioncrimefactory.wordpress.com/israel=did-911/.
It could be most revealing.

Harry A Boniface,
Currumbin,
Queensland,
Australia

Cooperation with Asean over virus Not withdrawal The Star, Wednesday 1 July 2009

I refer to 'Ministry cancels overseas events' in The Star, June 26.
The decision to temporarily cease Malaysia’s participation in Asean and international sporting events is unnecessary and requires an examination of its implications to regional cooperation.
I commend Malaysia and other South-east Asian nations for effectively preventing
the spread of the A (H1N1) virus.
However, it is precisely for this reason alone that participation in regional and international events should be allowed to go on.
Since its establishment on August 8, 1967, Asean has experienced mixed successes with regional cooperation due to its culture of non-interference and respect for each other’s sovereignty.
Proponents of the regional organisation have long envisioned a greater degree of
cooperation, integration, and socialisation within the Asean member states.
By withdrawing its participation from regional sporting events, Malaysia is
ignoring the potential of Asean in dealing with the outbreak and the opportunity
to bolster the organisation’s credibility and capability of regional autonomy.
Proceeding with regional sporting events while protecting the safety of athletes
will mean the responsibility not only falls on Thailand, but the other nine
Asean members as well.
Such large-scale cooperation will set a precedent for future regional collaboration and demonstrate that Asean is no longer an organisation marred by the selfish national interest of its members.
The compounded effect of political dialogue involved will serve as a vital
confidence-building measure for Asean.
The interdependence caused by geographical proximity and membership in Asean
allows and necessitates mutual support in resolving the outbreak and maintaining
regional stability.
Participation in the Asean university games may appear a small step, but it is
through such small gestures that the possibilities of regional stability and
prosperity emerge.

Daniel Wu,
Gelugor,
Penang,
Malaysia

 

 

West Papuans Still refugees fifty years later The National, Monday 29 June 2009

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) office celebrated the World Refugee Day on Saturday 20 June.
It was a very important day for about 42 million of the world’s refugees who have been thrown out of their own countries for various reasons.
Wherever these people are, last Saturday marked an important day to come
together and share their memories.
UNHCR knows how many refugees there are in Papua New Guinea and where they come from.
Many refugees in Papua New Gguinea who deal with the UNHCR are West Papuans and their history can be traced back to the 1960s.
The children, whose drawings were displayed, are born and educated in Papua New Guinea.
These children and their parents have adapted well into our culture.
We do not have any problem with them.
However, Papua New Guinea and other Melanesian brothers and sisters must not take West Papuans for granted.
They have issues that are unique and I guess the West Papuans communicate
their problems among themselves and through appropriate channels.
They were evicted from their home in Nine-Mile and are struggling to settle elsewhere in Port Moresby.
I call on the UNHCR to deal with West Papuan refugees in collaboration
with the Papua New Guinea and Indonesian governments and find a lasting solution.
They cannot continue to be refugees 50 years after leaving Indonesia.

Nen-akin melma,
ak-kun ere to’o,
Goroka,
Papua New Guinea

Indonesia incapable Of countering Malaysian provocation The Jakarta Post, Sunday 28 June 2009

National security and national prosperity are the twin interests of any nation,
including Indonesia, and national defense readiness is one of the important
elements of any country's national security.
Currently, Indonesian defense readiness is considered poor.
Although there is no definite evidence of a failure in defense readiness, from the military point of view certain inconvenient situations, such as the critical situation in Ambalat, have been perceived as a failure in Indonesian defense readiness.
In the Ambalat case, TNI defense readiness is deemed critical because the TNI is
believed to neither have the strength nor capability to counter the Malaysian
Armed Forces' military provocation against Indonesian sovereignty in the
Indonesian territorial jurisdiction of Ambalat.
Unfortunately, there have also been several shocking military accidents recently, caused by the technical function failure of certain machine parts or the mechanical malfunction of military hardware, resulting in a number of TNI plane and helicopter crashes and the deaths of qualified officers and trained soldiers; these accidents have added to the suspicion of the TNI's weapons systems' lack of readiness
In 2005, an amphibious tank-landing ship with a number of marines onboard,
trapped inside the tanks, was sunk during an amphibious landing exercise held
somewhere off a beach in East Java.
This accident was seriously debated in the House, and House Commission I strongly criticized the frivolous attitude of the government.
The TNI realized many years ago that a huge amount of the country's budget was
needed for the economic development sector, so it fully understands that a
big-number budget has been impossible for defense development program spending in terms of procuring modern weapons systems.
In such a situation, the idea to raise a bill on the mobilization and demobilization of civilian infrastructure for military purposes, such as the means of transportation, is believed to be one of the essential requirements.
This may be the reason for the government's initiative to raise certain defense
regulations, such as the bill on the mobilization and demobilization of civilian
infrastructure for defense purposes in an emergency situation.
But this kind of thinking cannot be easily appreciated by many groups of people influenced by political prejudice and, maybe, lack of understanding.
To solve this inconvenient political situation, it is likely the old system
depending on official documents on the broad outlines of the National Defense
Policies (or the State Policy Guidelines on national defense) will be revived to
neutralize people's suspicions.
Who will compose the framework for our national defense policy?
Based on a presidential decree from the head of state, the People's Consultative Assembly could be appointed the additional job of composing a guideline policy for national defense.
I hope the incoming elected president will understand and be brave enough to
speed up management change in the national defense sector; and I do not believe
the Constitutional Court would reject a presidential decree on this issue,
because I do not think it is against the Constitution.

Lt. Gen. (retired) Soedibyo
Jakarta,
Indonesia

Imelda Marcos jewels Must remain in government custody The Philippine Inquirer, Saturday 27 June 2009

This is a reaction to the news article titled, “Palace: No shady deal over P15-B Imeldific jewelry.” in Philippine Inquirer, 17 June 2009.
First of all, we would like to express our disgust with former first lady Imelda Marcos for having the gall to demand that the P15-billion jewelry collection sequestered from the Marcos family be “returned.”
These jewels are definitely ill-gotten because by no stretch of the imagination could the Marcoses have amassed P15 billion through legal means even during the entire 20 years they were in power.
The jewels must remain in government custody and the proceeds from their sale should be used directly to implement genuine agrarian reform.
Second, though we are glad that the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) said it would fight it out so that the jewels would stay as government property, we wish that it would show the same resolve in returning the more than P130-billion coco levy funds that are due us real small coconut farmers, especially here in Bicol.
We are against any compromise deal with Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, because the coco levy funds are rightfully ours and we should be the ones to benefit from the funds.
Lastly, Malacañang is saying that there is no shady deal between them and the Marcoses, but we all know that former Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez would not have moved to release the jewelry if it had no blessing from the Palace.
It seems that newly appointed Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera is not in the loop yet, so she blocked the order.
The administration is just doing damage control now and is trying to keep the issue under wraps.
What is clear though is that the Marcoses still have considerable clout such that they can bargain with the Arroyo regime, especially now that 2010 is coming.

Felix Paz,
Chair,
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas-Bikol
Barangay Alcala,
Daraga,
Albay,
Philippines

Political snouts-in-troughs Is nothing new The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 26 June 2009

A letter to this column, published on 17th May 2009, explained how many British politicians have illicitly exaggerated their expense claims to increase their personal takings from the taxpayer.
Since then, investigation shows that the problem is even more serious than it was originally thought to have been. In response to a suggestion placed in The Daily Telegraph - that an investigative body should be convened to delve further into the issue - another reader there pointed out that such a body already exists in the form of 'the fraud squad'. Subsequently (or consequently), some MPs are now 'helping police with their enquiries'.
This problem is not a new one.
Thus for example,' it was an affliction very soon after the formation of the Rump Parliament' at the end of the British civil war.
In that respect I was recently sent the following surprisingly relevant quotation, from Oliver Cromwell's address of 20th April 1653 to that 'Commonwealth of England' Parliament:
"It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonoured by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would, like Esau, sell your country for a mess of pottage; and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money; is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? is there one vice you do not possess? ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter’d your conscience for bribes? is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth? ye sordid prostitutes - have you not defil’d this sacred place, and turn’d the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress’d, are yourselves become the greatest grievance.
Your country therefore calls upon me to cleanse this Augean stable, by putting a final period to your iniquitous proceedings in this House; and which by God’s help, and the strength he has given me, I am now come to do; I command ye therefore, upon the peril of your lives, to depart immediately out of this place; go, get you out! Make haste! Ye venal slaves be gone! So! Take away that shining bauble* there, and lock up the doors. In the name of God, go!"

*the "shining bauble" is the 'parliamentary mace' - the symbol of parliament's power.

So, religious fundamentalism has past-served a political need, and, like political corruption, is also therefore nothing new.

Raymond Groves

The problem isn't communism It's how to make capitalism work The Philippine Inquirer, Thursday 25 June 2009

This is a reaction to the news item about the abduction and torture of Melissa Roxas, “Ready to die? torturers told Fil-Am activist,” in Philippine Inquirer, 3 June 2009.
Here is an issue of more significance to the nation than the Hayden-Katrina sex video scandal, and more deserving of follow-up media discourse.
Roxas is a poet, a member of Habi Arts, a cultural organization based in Los Angeles, California.
She is also a scientist, with degrees in BS in Animal Physiology and Neuroscience and BA in Third World Studies from the University of California San Diego.
Roxas narrated her ordeal in her affidavit.
She was abducted on May 19, 2009 in La Paz, Tarlac and was released six days later.
Her abductors, apparently military agents, accused her of being a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines New People’s Army (CPP/NPA).
She was blindfolded and handcuffed, “even in my sleep except for those few times when I was made to take a bath,” she narrated.
Because she asked for a lawyer instead of answering the abductors’ questions, she was punched on the chest and, as she crumpled, was forced up.
She was subjected to this kind of torture repeatedly.
She was choked until she passed out.
She was slapped so hard that she heard ringing in her ears and her jaws felt numb. Her head was held and banged on walls.
Her right shoulder was gripped and pressed so hard that it was dislocated.
At some points, there were men who professed to be “tools of God for making rebels return to the fold” and gave her “lectures on the evils of communism.”
These men came in between torture sessions.
After Roxas and hundreds of other victims, are the torturers and their superiors and patrons closer to a solution?
Definitely not, because they have identified the wrong problem—communism.
The problem in fact is capitalism, or how to make it work.

Juile L Po,
Concerned Artists of the Philippines,
Manila,
Philippines

Chin Peng Not wanted in Malaysia The New Straits Times, Wednesday 24 June 2009

I applaud Zainul Arifin ,"The politics of Chin Peng" in The New Straits Times, June 19 for succinctly putting into perspective the spat over Chin Peng's request to return to Malaysia.
Yes, I, too, would like to know what on earth Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was
thinking when he endorsed the Communist Party of Malaya leader's return.
If it wasn't political opportunism, what was it?
Surely, Anwar was not too young to remember the 12 years of terror the ommunists inflicted upon the hapless populace?
Surely, he was not too young to remember communist-inspired agitation in Chinese schools by students who attacked teachers, smashed furniture and sang communist songs?
Surely, Anwar was not too young to know that during the 12 years of the emergency, more than 12,000 people were killed or went missing, of whom
nearly 3,500 were civilians. Police and military forces lost nearly 2,000
men and another 2,500 suffered injuries.
I am sure Anwar can also remember the time when our first prime minister,
Tunku Abdul Rahman, warned the people against the irreligious communists.
He said the communists had a "godless creed". Tunku expressed confidence,
however, that with the help of religion and men of goodwill, the country
would be rid of this scourge.
I can well remember those dark days. My father was a hospital assistant in
army hospitals where he saw maimed, wounded and dead soldiers, mainly of
the Royal Malay Regiment. In memory of these brave soldiers, a memorial
was unveiled by the king in Port Dickson in 1960.
A check with the New Straits Times' archives will reveal numerous other
cruel and callous acts, all of which can be laid at the doorstep of a
brutal communist campaign.
Chin Peng cannot disclaim responsibility for these atrocities. They were
all committed on his watch. To now allow Chin Peng to return would be to
deny the sacrifices of these brave men in uniform and a travesty of
justice.
Although incapacitated since 1960, the communists only laid down their
arms in 1989, a full 32 years after independence. That immediately
destroys the myth that the communists were freedom fighters. How do you
fight for freedom after freedom was achieved more than three decades
earlier?
Malaysians will forever be grateful to the brave young men of the Royal
Malay Regiment, the Rangers and all other units of the Malaysian armed
forces, as well as the Royal Malaysian Police, for saving the country.

P.M.T.,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia,

 

Papua New Guinea unhappy With distribution of oil revenue The National, Tuesday 23 June 2009

I refer to the letter “Wake up, Kavo” in The National, June 18 by “Papuan
son”.
If the people of Gulf want to see tangible developments in their province, then it is imperative that the Oil and Gas Act is reviewed.
Otherwise, the amount of money the provincial government and landowners will get from the LNG project is minimal.
How much do the people think provincial governments and landowners will get after the 7 percent is divided among so many people?
This is why the call to review the Oil and Gas Act and renegotiation to increase provincial governments’ and landowners’ equity participation is important.
Foreign investors will repatriate the bulk of 80 percent of the revenue generated
from our resources; 7 percent for provincial governments and landowners and the
remainder will be managed by the Brussels-registered company, Kroton Pty
Ltd.
Why do you think our brothers in Southern Highlands are unhappy and want
the deal re-negotiated?
Don’t you agree this is totally absurd for the National Government to allow multi-national corporations to have such a hold over Papua New Guinea resources?
The Act, therefore, protects and serves foreign interests, not Papua New
Guineans.
Resource concerns are considerably important; therefore, every Papua New
Guinean should be alarmed by the Somare Government’s handling of resource
issues.
If we continue to live in ignorance and let leaders to liberally permit depletion of our natural resources, the future generation will encounter increase poverty and hardship.
For Papua New Guineans’ information, governments around the world, whether
developed or developing countries, do not allow foreign corporations to
own more than 50 percent equity, with most countries implementing the maximum
allowable limit of 30 percent.
The reason is simple; the money remains in the country, resulting in economic growth.
In Australia, two of the recent examples were:
British Airways’ attempt to become the majority shareholder of Qantas
was rejected outright by the Australian government and its people because
Qantas is an icon and a national asset where Australians must have majority ownership; and
Chinese company, Chinalco’s recent bid to buy 70 percent of Rio Tinto was also
rejected by the Australian government.
This is because Rio Tinto is an Australian company and any move by Chinalco to buy a majority stake was against Australia’s interest.
There are many other examples I can give.
This shows the Government is selling out Papua New Guinea’s interest to
foreigners.
This is a national disgrace because the Government has failed to protect
the country’s interest and allow foreigners to manipulate our laws.
We have sold too many of our iconic institutions under the banner of privatisation, leaving us without any national assets.

Mava Haropula
Townsville,
Queensland,
Australia

British Broadcasting Corporation Accused of selective reporting in Thailand The Nation, Monday 22 June 2009

As a veteran protester, whenever or wherever civil unrest is put down by security forces, my first instinct is to be on the side of the protesters.
However, four months on and the BBC website still keeps showing videos with
slanted reportage of our civil unrest last April, besides other violent scenes.
The BBC should have long modified its stand and presented the Thai April unrest
as a unique model for the rest of the world in how to contain civil strife, that is, with no live bullets and no fatalities caused by authorities.
How about it, Khun Jonathan Head?
It would be good for both the BBC and your adopted country Thailand.

Sumet Jumsai,
Bangkok,
Thailand

Family first In Papua New Guinea public service The National, Sunday 20 June 2009

The Department of National Planning and Monitoring is the most strategic
Government department that has been mandated to formulate development
policies and programmes for Papua New Guinea.
It is also responsible for the nation’s development budget which is a third of the national budget.
Considering its vital role in the whole Government machinery in service delivery, one of the fundamental building blocks of the department is its staff.
Following the latest restructure of the department, so many unqualified and inexperienced people have been selected by the management.
Many of the recruits are immediate relatives of the current management, which is a total mockery to the Public Service Management Act.
For instance, the wife and three in-laws of one executive were recruited as technical officers.
This is very serious considering the important role the Department of National Planning and Monitoring plays in the development our country.
I call on the National Planning Minister to look into this matter seriously because it will definitely have an impact on the development of Papua New Guinea at a time when our economy is booming.

Whistle blower,
Port Moresby,
Papua New Guinea

One Nation's patriotism Is another Nation's poison The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 20 June 2009

With reference to the letter; reprinted here on 18th June 2009 from the New Straits Times; which extols the singing of National Anthems, I believe any cult of nationalism and patriotism is parochial and two-edged.
Too often fervent nationalism is accompanied by excesses leading to war, and it is ironic to note that each side in a war has its own National Anthem.
There seems to be greater argument towards creating an International Anthem with the aim of promoting accord between nations.
However, there might be so much argument in determining the language of its lyric, and about the style of its melody, that the process of trying to establish it might itself instigate war; and, anyway, the singing of the National Anthem at a football match does not appear to prevent violence between opposing fans.

Raymond Groves

 

You don't have to be a song bird To sing your national anthem The New Straits Times, Friday 18 June 2009

The letter, "It should be sung at all functions" in The New Straits Times, 10 June, on promoting the singing of the national anthem not only during National Day
celebrations but at every function, whether it is held in a school or in the public or private sector, should be given serious thought.
The national anthem is the glue that holds the people together.
It symbolises the identity and sovereignty of the nation.
Every time the national anthem is played, it evokes a flood of patriotic emotions. The national anthem should be accorded respect and honour; everyone should
sing it with pride.
We do not need to be a songbird to sing the national anthem.
As long as we know the lyrics, we should sing it loudly and majestically.
However, it is common to see people shocked or surprised when requested to
sing the national anthem in a public or private function.
Some refuse to even stand and if they get up, they would fidget with their
mobile phones or sneer at their friends.
At a recent theatre show at Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur, there were looks of bewilderment when, before the start of the show, an announcement was made on the public address system to ask the audience to stand and sing the national anthem.
After some hesitation, the crowd got up grudgingly, but many hardly sang
the anthem, though all were Malaysians.
This is a common scenario at football stadiums and concerts.
The crowds feel that it is not the place nor the time to sing the national
anthem and so they are indifferent to it.
People are too casual about the national anthem and do not give it the
respect and honour it deserves.
Schools are the only places where the national anthem can be heard sung
with gusto and pride.
Primary schoolchildren are more vocal than secondary school students in
singing the national anthem, the state anthem and the school song.
Maybe we should take a lesson from European football spectators at their
stadiums on how they pay respect to their national anthem before the start
of the game.
Most of these football fans would be drunk and beer- soaked in the hot
afternoon and yet when called to sing the national anthem, they would sing
it with pride and dignity.
Everyone should sing the national anthem; even ministers should be made to
sing the anthem.

Samuel Yesuiah,
Seremban,
Malaysia

Australians lose On oil agreement with Singapore The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 18 June 2009

I can understand why the election result in Iran culminated in a landslide result for the existing ruling party.
It has been reported that sixty percent of the oil revenue in that country is returned to the people, so why wouldn’t an election result like that be achieved.
Let’s compare that with the oil position in Australia.
Most Australians I feel do not realise Australia is self sufficient in oil.
The difference in our country being our oil costs about three dollars a barrel to produce.
We export it for about ten dollars a barrel and then import the same amount of identical oil and pay at present about seventy dollars a barrel for it.
The amount has been as high as one hundred and forty dollars a barrel.
Under some absolutely stupid arrangement we pay the same amount for the imported oil as Singapore.
If Australians were receiving sixty percent of the revenue we should be getting for our oil the Government that achieved that would be there for ever.

Frank Crichlow,
Carrara,
Queensland
Australia

US Federal Reserve Head of the monetary serpent The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 17 June 2009

On June 11/09, in America, an elderly citizen shot and killed a security guard employed by the Holocaust Museum in Washington.
While the Zionist controlled western media reported him as a 'lone ranger' in the execution of this sad event, it also inferred that he was mentally deranged at the time.
Whether this premature prognosis is found to be correct or not, something has certainly disturbed him and the common denominator would appear to be the activities of the Zionist financial - and other - interests.
Previously declaring a vendetta against the U.S (Zionist controlled) Reserve System ( a private institution which prints U.S money and then lends to government instrumentalities at interest) " he attempted to place its treasonous Federal Reserve Board of Governors under legal, non-violent, citizens arrest".
The pertinent question that now arises is whether this instance is to be seen as an isolated case or ultimately a violent, widely expressed, public resentment against those predominant bankers perceived to be the instigators of the sequence of social/economic disasters that have denied those who produced the wealth of the country a share in the fruits of their labours?
The Federal Reserve System is now internationally identified as 'the head of the monetary serpent' presently crushing the vitality out of the world's productive body
.
Harry A. Boniface
Currumbin,
Queensland,
Australia

Copy of letter to Julia Gillard, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia From Maurice Horsburgh, Queensland, Australia The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 16 June 2009 Sunday, June 14, 2009 The Hon Julia Gillard, Deputy PM PO Box 6022 House of Representatives Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600 I wish to protest in the strongest possible terms at your impending visit, along with the following MPs Mike Kelly, George Brandis, Chris Pyne, Peter Costello and Mark Dreyfus to the Zionist State of Israel. It is unthinkable that any democratically elected member of the Australian Parliament should even contemplate an official visit to a country that uses phosphorus bombs on civilians. Mike Kelly was chief advisor to the now disgraced former Minister of Defence Noel Fitzgibbon and, according to the Australian Jewish News, is married to a relative of the also disgraced former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Is the Zionist motto, “Keep it in the Family?” Modern terrorism and asymmetric threats as we know them today were initiated on the 22 July, 1946 by the "Irgun Zvia Leumi" who bombed the King David Hotel, Jerusalem. For sixty years Israel has continued its reign of terror, assassination, land theft and ethnic cleansing of Palestine. The endless series of peace talks were a complete charade but served their purpose by “sucking in” naïve, un-informed, compliant, morally bankrupt, “brown-nosing” politicians and bureaucrats. Writing in the Australian Jewish News, 10/06/2009 Albert Dadon founder and chairman of the Australia-Israel Cultural Exchange (AICE) said "Criticism is the legitimate right of people living in a democracy," "It is also the legitimate right of Julia Gillard and others in our group, to visit Israel." It may well be your right and that of your fellow travellers to visit the Zionist State of Israel but not at Australian taxpayers’ expense and, if the trip it is paid for by your bosses in Israeli occupied Melbourne, what benefits will ensue? On May 13, 2009 in The Federal Court of Australia The Hon Bruce LANDER sentenced Dr Fredrick Töben an Australian citizen to three months imprisonment for questioning the Holocaust. The charges were brought by a Mr Jeremy Jones of what is becoming affectionately known as the National Australian Zionist Institute, (ADL/B’nai B’rith). So much for Dadon’s claims that, “Criticism is the legitimate right etc.” However, obviously Gentiles need not apply. Criticism of Israel is not limited to Gentiles and Muslims. Quote from Jewish Telegraphic News, London, 16/01/09: MP Kaufman likens Israelis to Nazis. Sir Gerald Kaufman, a veteran Jewish member of Britain's parliament said Thursday, "The current Israeli government ruthlessly and cynically exploits the continuing guilt among gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the Holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians". End quote. I SUPPORT JEWS AGAINST ZIONISM (www.jewsagainstzionism.org) Australia under Zionist Rule see: www.uputoo.com Yours faithfully Maurice Horsburgh 30 Almond Court Palm Beach Qld 4221 Australia

Papua New Guinea Resents government dependence on Australia The National, Monday 15 June 2009

Papua New Guinea became independent 34 years ago and since 1975, it has maintained a close relationship with Australia, which provides annual development
assistance.
As a result, Papua New Guinea has developed a serious dependency syndrome on Australia and other countries which provide funding and technical support in many
areas of national development.
Papua New Guineans resent the fact that its Government is still depending on Australia long after breaking off its colonial ties.
The people blame the country’s problems on the politicians and Australia.
Australia provides Papua New Guinea with an annual grant of over A$380 million to support its national budget as well as in many areas of national development.
The Australian influence can still be seen in our Government, banking and
financial systems, and many State institutions such as the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, Royal PNG Constabulary and the Correctional Services.
Over the years, Australia provided training and technical assistance to the disciplinary forces, especially the Papua New Guinea Defence Force under the defence cooperation programme.
Papua New Guinea’s 34th anniversary should mark an important turning point.
We cannot continue to rely on Australia but chart a new course and stand
on our own feet.
It is time to break clear from Australian aid bondage and start building
bridges with other countries.
For years, Papua New Guinea has been bombarded with political rhetoric and adopted different foreign policy strategies – 'Look North' - northeast Asia – Japan
and China, or aligned more closely with Southeast Asia, and in recent years, ''Look South – but work the Pacific”.
The future for Papua New Guinea lies in going west across the border to our closest land-based neighbour – Indonesia – for a more constructive engagement in
its future development.

Reginald Renagi,
Gabagaba-Kemabolo,
Central province,
Papua New Guinea

Indonesian government asked To invoke nationalism The Jakarta Post, Sunday 14 June 2009

We have watched on TV how Malaysian warships repeatedly entering Indonesian
waters in Ambalat, compelling our naval forces to chase them out.
The incidents have displayed contempt for our military might.
David, Indonesia's bright student, died in Singapore of a mysterious cause
without his death being properly handled legally.
Manohara, married to Kelantan nobility Tengku Fachry, was reportedly tortured by her husband until she returned to Jakarta with the help of FBI.
The efforts of our embassy in Kuala Lumpur should be questioned.
Quite a number of Indonesian female migrant workers have been inhumanly treated
abroad, with a number of them becoming physically handicapped as a result of
their ill-treatment, and some even dying.
The government's concern over this issue should also be questioned.
Our youths have volunteered in the war in Afghanistan and clearly voiced their
stance in defense of Palestine.
Now, as the nation is being held in contempt by others, their voice is not heard. The Minister of Youth should give a voice to those youths.
I am around 80 years old, and in my twenties, I was one of those engaged in the
War of Independence as a member of the student troop in Solo, who managed to
control the city under Maj. Ahmadi.
We really cannot tolerate such developments today and should ask the government act sternly and patriotically to awaken our youths' spirit of nationalism.

R. Soehartono,
Bandung,
Indonesia

The Indonesian furniture industry Has its problems The Jakarta Post, Saturday 13 June 2009

This is a comment on an article entitled 'No furniture recovery yet,' in the
Jakarta Post, June 5.
I was an exporter several years ago.
The problems with the Indonesian furniture industry are:
First, the moisture level in the wood is too high.
When it is exported to dry climate countries, it simply cracks.
No end users want to take it.
If it is dried in kiln, then the local pricing makes it too expensive.
Second, integration with other industries is virtually non-existent, as such we
only find 100 percent wood furniture.
When certain parts or models need to use metal parts, the manufacturer can't get such parts.
Third, opportunistic pricing in the local market.
Local sellers always think you can make huge margin in the overseas market, and they want to have a big cut.
But they don't know that in expensive, low population countries with costly
retail and labor rents, that importers, as wholesalers, and retailers have to
have double margins to survive.
As a rule of thumb, anything a retailer sells in overseas markets for US$4, he
must be able to get in Indonesia for $1.
Even with new models, items can't fetch a high price.
Fourth, poor finishing, both in paint and in upholstery.
Fifth, people are too lazy to think and do things better.
If there is no immediate pay off, they simply prefer to sit on their arches in the front porch.

Kowasky,
Tokyo ,
Japan

Where is the corporate responsibility In Bali ? The Jakarta Post, Friday 12 June 2009

This is a comment on a letter send by Susi Johnston titled 'A plan for Bali is
expected' in the Jakarta Post, June 4.
Let's look at it from a slightly different perspective.
I absolutely agree with what Susi's thought about the central government.
However, it is fair to ask what corporations have done for the Balinese?
They operate big business in Bali and gain profit from them.
And, take less responsibility for the Balinese.
It is important to note that tourism assets in Bali amount to Rp 150 trillion and only 6 percent belong to the Balinese and, interestingly, 20 percent of Balinese people are supposed to live in poverty.
What I think is, if corporations that get the benefits from conducting business in Bali would like to sustain their businesses, it is necessary for them to act more responsibly by initiating the provision of infrastructure, more scholarships and training, especially for small businesses, market access and financial aid, health care and building mutual partnerships with government to achieve sustainable community development as well.
Corporations need to change the paradigm that corporate social responsibility is
a cost, so there is no CSR activity when the economy suffers a crisis.
CSR should be viewed as long-term investment toward corporate and tourism
sustainability itself.

Yusri,
Jakarta,
Indonesia

More provocation in South Thailand By "insurgents" The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 11 June 2009

I have read nothing in media reports that yet allays my own strong suspicion that the acts of violence in South Thailand are perpetrated by highly-trained intruders from outside the region; and that includes the violence reported in the Southeast Asian Times from Bangkok, 10th June.
I fully believe that the violence this week was not perpetrated by the Thai army and neither was it perpetrated by the Moslems of the Province.
I believe it is carried out by militarily-trained, foreign activists/agents travelling in Thailand on tourist visas; who are probably based in a nearby holiday resort; and who renew their visas at distal immigration points such as at the Northern Thai borders - to confuse immigration tracking.
This possibility/probability is based upon some, critical, albeit sophistically-arguably slight, evidence, examined with insight of experience, and it should be investigated by the Thai authorities.
Strictly, the word 'insurgent' is defined as a rebel (from within), and, as such, it is a word (in English anyway), that provides a misleading impression.
There is an inherent semantic ambiguity within the word, much applied by the Bush/Zionist administration propaganda machine, for it carries a misleading suggestion that a "surging-in" (from 'outside') is involved.
When applied to Iraq that carries the unsubstantiated notion that influences from outside Iraq (such as Iran and Al Quaeda), are responsible for problems of violence.
The situation in South Thailand is not at all the same as that in Iraq; for in my opinion, whilst in Iraq outside influences are not so much involved - and were not at all at the outset - in South Thailand it is remotely-foreign groups that are responsible for these barbaric acts.
I envisage those groups having allegiances far removed from the region, and as being committed to discrediting the Moslem world by unjustifiable triggering violent dissent.
By contrast in Iraq violence was more of a civil war based on a religious difference and the historical, unwise creation of an artificial nation.
In summary, I believe the acts were not carried out by 'insurgents' in the strict English meaning of the word 'insurgent, but they are carried out by 'insurgents', used as a neologism, and so in the sense of the acts having been committed by outsiders 'surging-in' from outside.

Raymond Groves

Hamkamrata strategy Not relevant for today's Indonesia The Jakarta Post, Wednesday 10 June 2009

The current Indonesian military strategy is irrelevant and should be changed;
Indonesia must develop a contextual strategy of defense based on our archipelagic state.
The doctrine of the People' Security and Defense System (Hamkamrata) must be
revised to create a modern and more contextual military doctrine with the Navy
and Air Force as its main backbone.
The Hamkamrata strategy was relevant in the past when Indonesia was in a chaotic situation - facing colonialists who wanted to re-enter Indonesia and facing internal problems like rebellions in several regions.
But in this modern era, we face different problems, no longer traditional and conventional warfare and the like.
Indonesia is an archipelagic state, and therefore it is obvious that our country
has to be more focused in developing a stronger Navy and Air Force by allocating
more funds in the state budget for these two forces, of course without ignoring
our Army.
It is not just a necessary, but an urgent, policy for our national defense.
The largest budget is needed to modernize our weaponry - submarines, combat
aircraft, warships etc.
The government has the authority to propose policy for national defense, which
needs to be approved by the House of Representatives, particularly for budgetary
allocation.
Hopefully, the House will approve such a policy because a mandate
has been given to the government to defend our country.
As a great country, Indonesia has to become stronger in military terms so we
will be respected by other countries.

Budiman Daniel
Depok,
West Java
Indonesia

Bali rice wine Killed Rose Johnson The Jakarta Post

Rose Johnson was an incredible artist, loved by her large community of friends
in Phoenix and Bisbee, Arizona.
She made everyone's life a little bit better by her presence - she glowed.
Rose was set to return to her home in Arizona in a few days.
She may have been celebrating the completion of her book with a glass of local rice wine - a book she had gone to Bali to write.
It appears she was murdered by people that intentionally poisoned a local wine -
something they knew would cause death or serious illness, all for a little more
profit.
What are the authorities doing about it?
How responsible are they for her death?
Twenty-three deaths due to intentional poisoning - so far.
While this is not on the scale of the Bali bombings, it is mass murder.
How many more will die?
Have the police been paid off?
Where are the investigations?
It seems there should be a pretty good trail to follow.
Start by looking at the police that have looked the other way, while bootleggers make profits.
And I agree with the comments that making wine illegal or taxed beyond reason
makes no sense.
It only facilitates police corruption, creates an ideal environment for organized crime to flourish and leads to unnecessary deaths of the innocent.
Prohibition in the United States is an excellent example of what alcohol bans
foment.
Human beings have used wine, beer and spirits safely for thousands of years.
A few drink too much, and that is sad, but most of us do just fine with a few glasses of wine.
Alcohol consumption has been part of nearly every culture since the beginning of
civilization - older than Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism or Christianity.
Celebration with wine, beer or spirits and friends is a great part of being alive.
We shouldn't expect or accept that it may kill us because local governments have
created incentives and conditions for criminals to control the alcohol trade.

D. A. Therrien,
Arizona,
USA

The Anti Discrimination League Laws Promote a climate of repression The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 8 June 2009

In Australia, as in the (dis)United States of America, the bulk of the populace deludes itself into believing that the purity of the original democratic ideals remain unsullied, and their civil freedoms to express constructive opinions, unrestrained.
But, like the journey along the "yellow brick road", the ultimate reality, when finally exposed, is proven to be an illicit illusion.
The latest alarming incidence of suppression of free speech in this country has been the arrest and trial of Dr Fredrick Toben, a respected professional political commentator, who has merely made a personal observation as to the veracity of Zionist claims as applied to the Nazi concentration-camp installations and actual numbers of Jews 'processed' during World War 11.
If found guilty, he faces a prison term of some years duration.
Mind you, this law abiding professorial academic has not murdered or assaulted anyone as is the case applying to most of the still free former members of the Bush administration who slaughtered and robbed millions of unarmed innocents.
The draconian measures embodied within the Anti Discrimination League Laws promote a climate of repression as that evidenced in the rigid restraint of 'whistle-blowers' i.e., those courageous individuals who expose malfeasance usually in government who are ultimately bankrupted through endless compromised judicial processes and effectively silenced.
But - and there always appears to be a 'but' - history of imperial repression records the results of these excesses, by the power elite, 'flatter and then fade'.
Now "riding the tiger" of rampant financial ascendency those who currently control this Zionist monetary monolith should be aware (as human nature always dictates) that " the enemies one makes on the way up, one always meets on the way down".

Harry A. Boniface,
Currumbin,
Queensland,
Australia

Indonesia A me, me, me money culture The Jakarta Post, Sunday 7 June 2009

This is a comment on an article titled 'Indonesian too open to foreign culture:
Mega - Pro.' in the Jakarta Post.
As a Westerner coming from a culture with a rich history of thousands of years,
I feel insulted by Megawati and Prabowo's statements.
I agree that many of Indonesia's wealthy elite have abandoned their own national culture and embraced a lifestyle of conspicuous consumerism.
However, this is not a Western phenomenon; it is a human failing that crosses all continents.
By blaming all this on 'the West', they are guilty of blatant racism.
They would do well to take an honest look at the state of the nation's beating heart in 2009.
What we see is a rampant pursuit of material wealth at the expense of culture
and community values; a 'me me me' money culture, where wealth is worshiped, and money buys everything, including respect and fear.
The poor are portrayed as sad objects of pity, worthy only of charity and a feeling of 'ahhhhh, poor things' from the rich.
To lay the blame for this state of affairs on the West is frankly incorrect, and
distracts the people by creating a scapegoat instead of focusing them on the
struggle to rectify the problem itself.
Reading between the lines of the blame game, I believe and hope that the ultimate mission of Megawati and Prabowo is to create a pride and a feeling of community; to raise the identity of 'us' as a nation higher than that of 'me' as an individual; to create a country where the ordinary people are upstanding, proud and valued citizens, the backbone of the nation.
I sincerely wish them success.

Andrew,
Tangerang,
Banten,
Indonesia

Bali and Lombok Are not Kings Cross The Jakarta Post, Saturday 6 June 2009

Ibu Mega and Bapak Prabowo are absolutely right in their analysis of invasion of Indonesian culture by foreigners, mostly Westerners.
Large number of foreigners, Germans, French, English, Australians are using Indonesian girls in Bali, Lombok as their second girl friends, but without getting married.
Some of them have more than one girl during their stay.
They bring these girls to Bars in the evenings almost every day, giving good business to Bars and Clubs, almost every day.
These loyal, faithful husbands, of course bring their real wives and children for holidays to Indonesia during x'mas vacations.
And of course, husbands, wives and children have great parties at the same clubs, the only difference is their Indonesian Girl friends keep away from the Club until the family returns to Australia or whatever country they come from.
These vulgar foreigners have destroyed the beautiful and valuable Indonesian culture and its heritage.
I am sure many foreigners will be greatly upset by this letter, but they know themselves, it is true.
If go to Bali, Jalan Legian at Kuta during day and nights, you can see even foreign girls having more than one Indonesian young men and kissing etc. just by the side of the road.
What a disgusting scenario is this?
Indonesia is not Kings Cross or any other Red Light area.
Even in Western countries, there are clearly demarcated places for certain sexual acts.
But for these foreigners, Indonesian is a heaven for sexual misbehaviour.
These are very bad examples for Indonesian younger generation.
I have no doubt, Ibu Mega as the future President for a full term will stamp out these vulgar acts from Indonesia and bring about the practice of essence of Pancasila throughout this beautiful country.
Dirgahayu Indonesia. Selamat sukses Ibu Mega and Bapak Prabowo.

Don Dissanayake,
Queensland,
Australia.

 

Who were the running dogs In Malaysia's 12-year-emergency ? The Star, Friday 5 May 2009

I refer to CPM violence not stressed in The Star, May 29 in which the
Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim is of
the view that our history books should have more information on the atrocities
committed by the communists.
I do not think that we need to rewrite or add to the history books just to diffuse the current ripples created by Chin Peng’s attempt to come back to Malaysia.
This attempt is a one-off incident that is bound to fade away soon, so it does
not justify adding more pages to history lessons in schools.
History is an interpretation of events and it is best to keep it as objective as
possible.
To load it with details of atrocities would just add emotions at the expense of
objectivity.
No matter how much information we give within the limited texts of history
books, we would not be able to depict the actual scenario of human sufferings.
If the Government wishes to remind the people of the troubled times, it should
continue to use the media to disseminate information of the events that took
place during the Emergency.
Replaying movies like Bukit Kepong may serve its purpose.
Teachers should encourage students to do supplementary reading on this subject.
I am one of those who did not learn much from history lessons.
Yet I formed an opinion looking through the Internet and reading some interesting books by retired police officers and others like The War of the Running Dogs: the Malayan Emergency 1948-1960 by Noel Barber.
It was these sources that gave me a better picture of the atrocities committed
and how people suffered when the whole country lived in constant fear for more
than 12 years of the Emergency.
About 3,000 civilians and an equal number of soldiers and policemen from the
Commonwealth and Malaya died fighting the communists.
It needed a massive conventional and psychological warfare with the cooperation
of all people to bring peace to the nation.
The terror by sabotage, murder and destruction of infrastructure caused by about
12,000 communists united the people and made them take a common stand against
them.
It was a time when people of all races joined the security services like the
Home Guards, with the orang asli becoming trackers or members of Senoi Prak, and resisted an enemy who was disrupting their normal lives.
The sources also provide interesting accounts of valiant Chinese Special Branch
officers who risked their lives by infiltrating communist platoons, and winning
over the communists or eliminating them.
It was also said that the communist’s second in-command was an undercover
Special Branch officer.
The Malayan Special Branch was rated as the best in the world.
These interesting accounts cannot be narrated within the space of school history
books.

Kay Arr,
George Town,
Malaysia

About the retired generals In Indonesia's presidential election The Jakarta Post, Thursday 4 May 2009

There are about 30 retired TNI generals registered to back both Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto (JK-Win) and
Mega-Pro, who will be the opponents of a number of other generals who had backed Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) Democratic Party since the legislative elections held on April 2009.
Most of the generals who back Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto (JK-Win) and Mega-Pro are former army generals who occupied various important jobs all around the country.
The attitudes to back both JK-Win and Mega-Pro of those generals have been attracting many political observers who ask, why don't those general join Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Boediono?
So far, according to various surveys held by several survey organizations, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
is considered the strongest presidential candidate for the July 8 election.
But why don't retired generals support Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono?
Below are possible answers.
First, it was unfortunate that the reformation era has, among others, raised the
idea of abolishing the territorial function of the Armed Forces Academy of the Republic of Indonesia or TNI; many civilian intellectuals thought TNI's territorial doctrine was a part of TNI's dual functions, which allow TNI to play practical politics.
Various retired TNI officers, especially army generals, have not been satisfied with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's leadership performance as the idea of abolishing the TNI's territorial function among the civilians is continuing.
Second, ideologically, various retired TNI officers, mostly generals, have not
been satisfied with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's leadership performance as he has not made significant and militant efforts to revive the Pancasila philosophy in response to the declining attention among the Indonesian people.
Most retired generals have been so concerned that this kind of attitude toward
the Pancasila philosophy will unlikely be recognized by the young Indonesian
generation in 2014, when all of the old Indonesian generation will have left the
national leadership arena.
The President is also head of the state; he is responsible for the protection, maintenance and strength of the Pancasila philosophy as the foundation of the state. But those generals unlikely saw the concrete and firm action of SBY to protect, to maintain and to strengthen the Pancasila ideology.
The third reason is that most of the generals now joining JK-Win and Mega-Pro
are among the army retired generals who, since they were still young lieutenants
freshly graduated from the National Military Academy until their retirement,
they had been living together with the people in the villages, in the
countryside and in the remote rural areas and most of the generals realize that
those people are still living poorly until now and the poverty is still existing
every where in the country.
Direct cash assistance program (BLT) to the poor clearly has not been the proper
solution of this situation; it has been apparently only a means to prevent those
poor people from rebelling.
So the People's Economic Development concept offered by one of the presidential running mates is considered as the pertinent agenda for the people by most of the retired Army generals.
Though those generals have no idea how to join the debate on the neoliberalist
economic development concept today, they realize economic progress now is only
enjoyed by certain groups of people and the poverty is still existing significantly everywhere in our country.
I do not belong to any group, but besides my personal respect to SBY, I also
convey my sympathy and my support to the struggle of those generals.

Soedibyo,
Jakarta,
Indonesia

Don't rely on China For economic recovery The Nation, Wednesday 3 June 2009

Re: Thai stock exchange optimism not grounded in reality, Nation, Monday 1 June.
Kudos to Mr Pridiyathorn Devakula for questioning the belief, rife among both Thai stock exchange investors and the authorities concerned, that the world economy will recover soon.
These optimists should be cautious.
Despite its large consumer base of 3.5 billion people, Asia will remain an export-based machine for the next several years.
China will not be able to bring Asia out of the economic doldrums this time - period.
China saw its early economy recover because it has adopted a timeworn stimulus formula: huge infrastructure spending to provide jobs for its people.
The Asia giant did this in the hope that the US economy will recover soon.
Most of China's manufactured goods are for export and its largest export markets, the US and the EU, are not showing any signs of real recovery.
Some leaders and economists are trying to paint a rosy picture for us all: President Obama talked about "glimmers of hope"; US Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke coined a new phrase when he said he saw the "green shoots" of economic revival already.
Just don't believe them until you see the real thing.

Chavalit Van,
Chiang Mai,
Thailand

Malaysia's loan sharks On the run The Star, Tuesday 2 June 2009

I refer to 'Ah Long on the run' in Sunday Star, May 31.
I like the promise made by the Inspector General of Police to 'hunt them until
we find them'.
Yes, sir, do that.
Some, it appears, have taken the law into their hands.
And this we just cannot allow.
The cases highlighted in the media a few days ago were, to say the least, shocking.
The men were chained like dogs, beaten and forced to survive on bread
and water!
Some debtors even mortgaged their bodies and if that isn’t enough have been
known to pledge their wives and daughters as collateral.
How can they?
Also, to be fair to Ah Long, whoever borrows from them must pay up.
If you are a good paymaster they will not trouble you but if you are not they come down hard
on you!
People must learn to manage their finances and know the dangers and evils of
borrowing.
Don’t borrow for fun.
It isn’t fun anymore.
It can cost you your life!

Bulbir Singh,
Seremban,
Malaysia

North Korea Latest 'editorial threat' The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 1 June 2009

The permanent munitions manufacturing precincts, that by necessity provide the lethal means of aggression and the indiscriminate slaughter of innocents in order to extend the fiscal frontiers of Zionist/US (banking) empires, are never idle.
We must always consider the ramifications of maintaining such enormous, taxpayer subsidised, death dealing complexes; to be constantly aware of the saturating (pro war) propaganda campaigns spewing from the Zionist controlled media: to recognise the spurious fear tactics implemented to condition the populace of a pending ' threat of attack' (remember the bogus 'spin' of 'weapons-of-mass-destruction');
and never forget the blot on our ethical history when we countenanced the murder of hundreds and thousands who died as a consequence of the Christian Zionist alliance of pragmatism and profit.
To be aware that there are women today bearing children, conceived in an environment of love and hope; children destined to die prematurely as a pointless sacrifice to the abject greed and moral decay of the Zionist/Wall Street pyramid promoters and their Washington running dogs.
Searching for another victim on which to distribute US military hardware, North Korea has been selected as the latest 'editorial threat' to our national security, guaranteed to stimulate further lucrative 'defence' contracts and divert public attention from the current cause of the blatant financial perfidy now overwhelming the globe.
But it should remain indellibly etched on the public intellect that, to sustain a viable armaments industry ( particularly as a foreign exchange earner) one must always promote the premise of a ' threat-to-netional-security'.
And, if one can't identify a legitimate menace for the occasion, then one can be readily conjured up from beneath a Zionist controlled media editorial chair.
We are fast approaching the fork-in-the-road-of-destiny and it is, surely, time to alert all and sundry to the profound words of Edmond Burke : 'All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing'.
But, I guess history records that idle habits die hard?

Harry A. Boniface,
Currumbin,
Queensland,
Australia

 

Will the next Indonesian president Strengthen the Navy and Air Force? The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 31 May 2009

The history of why the Army (TNI-AD) is dominant within the Indonesian Military (TNI) can be traced back to the time when Indonesia was fighting for its independence in 1945-1950.
Since at the time the enemy we were facing was on land, rather than offshore, it was logical that it was the land-based force (the Army) which stood in the front line, with support from the militia (Laskar) and people as a whole, against the enemy.
Not to mention the fact that we did not yet have any resources whatsoever to build a Navy and Air Force.
Unfortunately, as time passed and we could not find an enemy on land any more, especially after the large-scale separatist movements in several regions in Indonesia were quelled in the first half of the 1960s, the domination of the Army was maintained.
This became worse when Soeharto took the office in 1968, when he put his most loyal Army officers to work in practically every walk of life in Indonesia, which caused the Army's grip on Indonesia to become even stronger.
Even after the reform era, when the Army was forced to pass power to the civilian government and went back to barracks, it still enjoyed a dominant position in the military.
As evidence, the number of soldiers and the budget for the Army is still the largest, followed by the Navy in second place and the Air Force at the bottom, again despite the fact that Indonesia is an archipelagic country that badly needs a strong Navy and Air Force.
The Army also maintains its territorial commands which have been acting as parallel government agencies, since there are territorial commands at the provincial (Kodam), regency (Korem) and city (Kodim) levels, right down to the village (Koramil) level.
The catastrophe of the Air Force's C-130 Hercules recently, plus the case in Ambalat where the Navy had to intercept a Malaysian Navy ship that was intruding into our territorial waters, plus fish-stealing cases by foreign seafarers in Indonesian seas, or airspace intrusion by foreign jet fighters and civilian aircraft alike, should be a wake-up call for the next President.
He or she should dare to declare, with popular support, that Indonesia is an archipelagic country that needs a strong Navy and Air Force to defend it from intruders.
It would be very difficult for those intruders to try to breach our territorial seas and airspace if we had a modern, efficient and sufficient weaponry system at sea and in the air supported by professional officers, which would function as a strategic deterrent.
Therefore, with the budget of more than Rp 30 trillion (US$2.8 billion), which is already huge, taking into account it constitutes only one grade lower than the budget allocated for education, the next president should prioritize the development of the Navy and Air Force to defend Indonesia's interests, without necessarily increasing the military budget.
But the question is whether the next president will dare to do this, or even want to do this, as he or she will be surrounded by retired army generals who, of course, will not want to see the Army put at priority number three, as it will reduce the number of personnel and their budget.
But if the fact that Indonesia is the biggest archipelagic country on earth, with almost five million square kilometers of territorial waters and 17.000 islands, is taken into account, the next President should not hesitate for a single minute to decide that Indonesia needs a strong Navy and Air Force to defend Indonesia's interests from possible foreign intruders.
Let's see.

Ferry Akbar Pasaribu,
Jakarta,
Indonesia

Too many bus accidents In Malaysia The Star, Saturday 30 May 2009

Consumer Association of Penang refers to a recent news report on the confessions of an express bus driver who had been plying the Kuala Lumpur-Terengganu route for 10 years.
We are deeply concerned to note that bus drivers are taking pil khayal or pil kuda to stay awake and cope with their rigorous driving hours.
Sometimes, the drivers are required to run the return trip almost immediately because no other driver is available.
The required rest periods for these drivers are not enforced.
There are times when a driver has driven up and down the route for three days straight because another driver has called in sick or just did not bother to turn up for work.
The driver is also required to wash and clean his bus in the short period before
the return trip.
He hardly has any time to catch even a nap.
Apparently, log books are doctored by supervisors who do not record the names of the drivers actually doing the trip, but puts in another driver’s name instead
to avoid detection.
The driver admits that the pill has been the doom of many.
His experience is that 'although the eyes are awake, the brain is asleep'.
His perception of space and distance is affected.
Drivers speed because they feel sleepy when they drive slowly.
He blames himself and the other drivers for valuing their allowances more than
the safety of their passengers and other road users.
However, he says that bus companies must also be held responsible for the accidents as they put the lives of drivers and passengers at risk just to maximise profits and minimise costs.
He also points out that enforcement by the Road Transport Department is flawed
because there is a lack of system to trace a driver or a particular bus.
There have been too many bus accidents and fatalities for the situation to be
treated lightly any longer.
After a major tragedy, there is always a hue and cry.
However, no lasting changes are apparent.
Drivers with a list of summonses are still 'on the loose' to create more havoc on public roads.
Consumer Association of Penang calls on the Transport Ministry to act immediately - first to address the problem of drivers having to take on extra long hours without any rest in between.
Regular checks should also be carried out to ensure that drivers are not on
drugs or having a list of summonses or having any other problems that could
affect their performance.
There should be a major review and overhaul of the way bus companies and drivers operate.
Too many lives have already been lost in accidents involving express buses.

S.M. Mohamed Idris,
Consumer Association of Penang,
Penang,
Malaysia

 

Kinta Nature Park in Batu Gajah Another envirnomental disaster The Star, Friday 29 May 2009

My heart sank when I heard about the deteriorating condition of the fireflies at
Kuala Selangor.
It is a national and international treasure that gladdens the heart.
I am writing to alert the authorities of yet another environmental disaster.
I recently visited the Kinta Nature Park in Batu Gajah after a lapse of six
months, and was surprised to see that the park which used to attract water birds
such as herons and egrets to nest has been significantly damaged.
Many trees have died as have many of the aquatic plants leaving the whole park
exposed and barren.
From information available it appears that the bank of the Sungei Kinta had burst and flowed into the park.
However this is not the only degradation.
I saw more than 10 persons fishing in the park - some were using large cast nets!
In addition, sand mining and farming activities around the park seem to have
diminished its size.
Anyone who had visited the park in the past would have been amazed at the beauty and diversity of the birds it once attracted.
It was a great place to bring schoolchildren to learn about our natural heritage.
The Malaysian Nature Society had fought quite hard to get the authorities to
protect this area so as to allow these large water birds a place to breed.
It seems our indifference to environmental issues has again led to the destruction
of another natural heritage.
I hope the authorities can act urgently to preserve what is left.

Dr Amar-Singh Hss,
Ipoh,
Malaysia

Malaysia's one sen coin Could curb inflation News Straits Times, Friday 28 May 2009

The rare use of the one-sen coin is disheartening.
Except for banks, fast food chains, government agencies and a few retail
establishments, this denomination of the Malaysian currency is hardly to be found in circulation.
Sometimes I wonder whether it is useful to continue with the issuance of this coin.
Even places that accept the one-sen coin do it grudgingly.
In the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, the one-sen coin was widely used for
business transactions.
I remember the bus fares for passengers were seven sen and 12 sen.
The public and private sectors should encourage the use of the one sen coin. Goods and services should be priced to support its use.
If the one-sen coin is used on a regular basis, retailers will think carefully before hiking the prices of goods and services.
In the long run, everyone will benefit from the wider usage of the coin.
This will also contribute towards curbing inflation.

James Gonzales,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

 

China not to blame for global financial mess Or discrimination against Mexicans The Star, Thursday 28 May 2009

China seems to be blamed for all the problems in the world.
The most recent example being the A (H1N1) flu.
While there were hundreds of confirmed cases and tens of death caused by the disease in Mexico and there were no known cases of the disease in China, Mexico is reported to have said that the virus came from China.
This was followed by the quarantine issue.
China was accused of discriminating against Mexicans with its strict flu control measures.
WHO resident director in China has given his backing to China with regards to its quarantine measures, saying that other countries are taking similar action like China in The Star, May 6.
So, who is discriminating against whom?
While it is acceptable for other countries to enforce strict quarantine measures, is it unacceptable for China to enforce similar measures?
About six months ago, when the world’s worst financial crisis originated from
the US due to its subprime housing loan and the subsequent housing bubble
leading to the collapse of established banks, insurance companies and other
financial institutions, the finger was again pointed at China.
China was accused of being a currency manipulator and maintaining an
artificially low exchange rate regime.
China’s huge trade surplus and foreign exchange reserves were cited as the cause of the financial tsunami.
The US even blamed the financial crisis on the Chinese population, accusing them
of saving too much and spending too little.
Just as Communism has brought about the collapse of communist economies with too much state control and too little private enterprise, the financial crisis was
of course caused by capitalism and free enterprise carried to the extreme which
resulted in too lax supervision of business enterprises.
One of Confucius’s teachings is to always follow the middle path and avoid
extremism.
Deng Xiao Peng’s socialism with Chinese characteristics is indeed the middle path, a hybrid between socialism and capitalism.
It has worked well for China for the past 30 years and seems to be powering
China into the future.
The West may want to take a leaf out of the Chinese experience.
The middle path or moderation is the way forward and not the blame game.

Tang Heng Long,
Pontian,
Johor Baru,
Malaysia

Australian government told to 'Get back the farm' The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 27 May 2009

Former CEO of Telstra Sol Trujillo made the statement that doing business in Australia is like taking a step back in time.
He made also criticism of not accepting privatisation of companies.
I would like to give Sol a history lesson on Australia.
Our early settlers arrived with a few seeds and not much else yet in just over 100 years Australia had the highest standard of living and Australians still owned Australia.
With privatisation our industries are now over ninety percent foreign owned and our standard of living is now down in the twenties in the world.
Sol was it a step back in time paying you over thirty million dollars in four years? Particularly as Telstra shares have fallen dramatically in that time and that you were involved in two failed Telecommunication companies before coming here.
If it’s not too late the whole attitude of our politicians of both major parties must try and get the farm back and learn that public ownership is not a dirty word.
Telstra a licence to print money, Commonwealth Bank, a net profit of 6 billion in six months last year.
Could have easily financed government borrowings at a low interest rate rather than borrowing from the Wall Street Vultures.
After all it was able to finance world war one at just over half a percent and still made a profit.
The present profit from publicly owned assets previously sold would more than cover any Government debt.
One only has to look at many countries that have borrowed from the world bank and could not keep up with the high interest rates have lost all their publicly owned minerals and other assets and the people are living in poverty.

Frank Crichlow,
Carrara,
Queensland,
Australia

 

Global conglomerates ready to Suck the blood out of Papua New Guinea The National, Wednesday 27 May 2009

As a vivid follower of Papua New Guinea politics, I would like to share an opinion with Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Abal’s call on foreign entrepreneurs or
investors to allow Papua New Guinea-owned businesses to become joint venture partners in any projects in the country.
Please be mindful of the fact that these developers are multi-national investors entering the shores of Papua New Guinea.
They are global conglomerates like Chevron and ExxonMobil.
With the demise of the Soviet Union, some of these companies are pursuing new opportunities emerging in the new republics with agendas of maximising profits.
They have set plans, strategies in their operations and are ready to suck our blood.
I sympathise with the landowners of the multi-billion LNG project; they will definitely miss out on the cake even though the MoA has been signed in Kokopo.
The additional 5 percent increment of equity to landowners is just like the proverbial pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
There is a glaring imbalance right now in our mining and petroleum industry policies with regards to stakeholders and investors.
There are other smaller players, such as Cheetah Oil and so on, involved in some levels of exploration around the country.
InterOil is a recent addition to the scene with a vertically-integrated operation that includes upstream exploration and downstream processing.
By involving these multinational companies, Papua New Guinea has to overhaul its equity and participation policy under the Mining and Petroleum Act.
The role of the Papua New Guinea Government in all mining and petroleum projects is an interesting one.
By law, it is the resource owner, the policymaker, the investor, the perpetrator of environmental destruction and its victim, the judge, juror and prosecutor.
These conflicting roles are counter-productive and the Government needs to
review its role to ensure that it provides good governance and holistic strategies where resource owners benefit the most in a long run.
It is not impossible, there is a way, and we can reach out and mobilise our own resources for the benefit of our nation.
Mining and petroleum exist as enclaves in the national economy with little input and output linkages.
With this understanding, the Government must adopt prudent policies that stimulate economic growth in the mining and petroleum sector.
It must also adopt policies that diversify its revenue base in order to develop a sustainable economy beyond the life of the resource boom.
As the resource owner, the Government must make developers dance to its music.
Although the Government, by law, owns the resources, in practice, it opts
to become an equity partner usually through overseas financing.
This is utter rubbish!
We have been independent for the last 35 years.
We should be funding the projects with our own capital.
If we depend on borrowings, we will continue to stay in debt.
At the end of the project lifetime, there is hardly any money left to meet other socio-economic demands.
Thus, the poor resource owners will sadly return to their gardens to toil and asking “where has all the money gone?”

Mehrra Minne Kipefa,
Obura-Wonenara,
Papua New Guinea

Call for summit on abolishment of nuclear weapons To be held in Hiroshima The Japan Times, Tuesday 26 May 2009

Regarding Masanobu Saito's letter, 'Obama should not visit Hiroshima': I'm rather confused by his logic in Japn Times, 10 May.
We have a saying: 'Seeing is believing.'
If world leaders should take all necessary steps to ban nuclear weapons to save Earth, not only U.S. President Barack Obama but also Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and other world leaders should visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki to witness the real horror of the atomic bombs with their own eyes.
Saito says he doesn't believe that Obama, as the leader of the only country that has used A-bombs in war, should visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Why not?
And why shouldn't this 'delicate' subject be political?
As a holder of the Hiroshima A-bomb victim's health book, he knows the real
effects of the A-bomb.
He should show world leaders what he has suffered.
Nobody can change the fact that America was the first in human history to use A-bombs in war.
Obama doesn't have to apologize for what President Harry Truman did.
But what Obama can and should do is lead the whole world toward the abolition of nuclear weapons to save not only humanity but all other living things on Earth.
I believe a summit meeting on abolishing all nuclear weapons should be held in Hiroshima - under the dark shadow of unimaginable destruction.

Naoshi Koriyama,
Sagamihara,
Kanagawa ,
Japan

 

The US was wealthy When it issued its own Greenback The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 25 May 2009

If you were in a quiz show and were asked a question to win a million dollars and that question was who controls the USA economy.
You would no doubt be rubbing your hands together and thinking I am a millionaire.
You quickly answer by saying, the US Federal Government.
Then when the Quiz Master says incorrect you would protest loudly.
Yes the Federal Government has taxing powers and of the total tax collected in the US fifty cents in every dollar goes to pay interest on money borrowed by the Government from the US Federal Reserve to finance expensive wars etc.
What is the American Federal Reserve?
Most people would say a Government body that issues the currency, wrong again. To get to the real truth ask yourself, always, what religion is President of the US Federal Reserve.
Anglican, Methodist, no, always Jewish.
The US Reserve is a privately owned company controlled by persons of the Jewish Religion in most cases Zionist Jews.
The same could be said about most of the large Wall Street financiers, Goldman Sache, Lehman’s etc.
The greed of all these groups has caused the current financial catastrophe in the US which has spread to most countries.
The word Jewish means a religion not a nationality.
Zionist Jews are not accepted by a large amount of the Jewish population.
There is a strong group called Jews against Zionism who can see the evil of the Zionists.
I hasten to say this letter is not criticising Jews but the Zionists.
The USA can never get out of debt whilst it tolerates the US Federal Reserve.
The US was at its wealthiest when it issued its own currency, the Greenback, but has gone rapidly into debt since allowing the US Federal Reserve to issue its currency.

Frank Crichlow,
Carrara,
Queensland,
Australia

 

Portuguese - Indonesian dictionary Why not? The Jakarta Post, Sunday 24 May 2009

This is a comment on your article on the life of the Tugu people, who are of
Portuguese descents.
My comment may be a bit late as the article was published on 16 November 2008, but it is not too late to comment on the issue.
While it is nice that people in Indonesia like the Tugu can appreciate their
Portuguese heritage, people should not fall into the trap of looking backwards.
Although Indonesia did not have diplomatic relations with Portugal for many
years because of the East Timor issue, it always had diplomatic relations with
Brazil, the largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world.
It is thanks to Brazil that Portuguese is the third most widely spoken Western
language after English and Spanish, with more people in the world speaking it
than French, German and Italian combined.
Sadly, though understandably, what little people in Indonesia hear about the Portuguese language is negative, because of the problems with Timor Leste's language policy.
However, that should not deter anyone in Indonesia from learning Portuguese, any
more than the lack of interest among most Vietnamese in learning French, and the
lack of interest among most Filipinos in learning Spanish deters anyone in
Indonesia from learning those languages.
If the Gramedia book publishing company can find a market for a Swedish-Indonesian dictionary, why not a Portuguese-Indonesian one?
It would be a reminder of how many Portuguese loanwords are commonly used in Indonesian!

Ken Westmoreland,
Jakarta,
Indonesia

Thai PM's of Chinese descent Are proof of assimilation success The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 23 May 2009

I too prefer 'Siam' to 'Thailand' - for phonetic reasons and not for the
other reasons as argued by Prof Charnvit Kasetsiri in Bangkok Post May 17.
I belong to a minority group of Chinese descent, with my Thai citizenship given
to me through birth.
I hardly have any inferiority complex of belonging to a minority group.
As a matter of fact, I'd forgotten that differentiation until I read Prof Charnvit's article.
Because of the success of the assimilation policy of the then premier Field
Marshal Pibulsongkram, I and many other Thais of my type are hardly concerned
with our original race.
Even though Thailand means the Land of the Thai, who are the majority race of
this land, I have not experienced any oppression.
I can wave my identity card and maintain my full citizenship rights just like any Thai who has a full chance of becoming a minister or even a prime minister.
Thailand may denote one race, just like Malaya and later on Malaysia, but in
practical terms all citizens born in Thailand realise their equal opportunities
and they have no axe to grind.
The proof of the pudding is in seeing so many Thai premiers of Chinese descent.
We do not need to change the country's name to harmonise our society.
We need to change many of the rules of the political game and adopt an attitude of fairness and the spirit of sportsmanship.

Songdej Praditsmanont,
Bangkok,
Thailand

US Federal Reserve Proxy for Zionists The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 22 May 2009

I am amazed that the answer and cause to most of the Middle East problems are not obvious to many countries in the West including the US.
The Zionist leader of Israel made the statement recently that the US does not tell Israel what to do; Israel tells the US what to do.
That statement gives us the answer to the turmoil in the Middle East.
Iraq was attacked by the US without any logical reason possibly at the request of Israel.
Iraqis were living in comparative peace.
Sadam Hussein quickly pulled any trouble makers into line.
He certainly would not condone the present turmoil with ethnic groups if he were still in charge.
Not possible any more as he was assassinated by a Kangaroo Court.
Iran, being continually threatened by attack from Israel, if it does not stop its nuclear activities.
Surely with Israel a neighbouring country being allowed to have nuclear weapons Iran no doubt feels it must defend itself.
Last but not least Palestine having to put up with Israel stealing their country they are responding with the very few facilities they have.
This letter is not aimed at Jewish people but the Zionists who control the Western World finances and were the cause of the present world financial collapse.
One of the Rothschild family once made the statement; “Give me the right to issue a countries currency and I do not care who rules that country”.
The Zionists have that right by way of the US Federal Reserve.

Frank Crichlow,
Carrara,
Queensland,
Australia

Papua New Guinea landowners Sign agreements in Australia The National, Friday 21 May 2009

As a young man of this nation, I am frustrated with the way the Government
is mistreating its own people when it comes to benefits sharing agreements.
Landowners are forced to sign the agreements without considering the long-term benefits.
Almost all mining, oil, gas and logging companies operating in the country have not met the people’s needs.
Since many landowners are illiterate, they sign the agreements accepting thousands of kina offered to them.
One good example is the giant Porgera gold mine in Enga province.
The landowners were taken to Australia where they were offered everything
they needed.
And they were told to sign the agreement without considering any sustainable developments in the district and the province.
As a result, there is nothing sustainable in the province and it will be a sad story for the people of Porgera and Enga after mining ceases.
Similar things happened to many other resource hosting provinces in the country.
From past experience, people have learnt about benefits sharing agreements and how they will benefit the people.
In the case of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Southern Highlands, it has not reached a consensus because the Government and resource developers are using the same old carrot trick.
The landowners, local level governments (LLGs) and provincial governments must be given enough equity that will sustain their provinces after non-renewable resources are gone.
The agreement must include provision of sustainable infrastructure services like hospitals, schools, sealed roads, water supply, townships in the area and other basic services.
Leaders must not be carried away.
Think about the future of this nation by making the right decisions because we will reap what is being planted.

Joe Wasia,
Wapenamanda,
Enga,
Papua New Guinea

Hard won freedoms sacrificed On political altar of national security The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 21 May 2009

As entrenched Christian groups preach the untestable hypothesis of Armageddon as 'the end of the world as we know it', a more palpable and perverse form of social disaster is presently unfolding before our very eyes - apparently without critical spiritual comment.
The likes of the choreographed series of world depressions and dispossessions, conflicts and confiscations of the past are again being assembled within a plateau of predatory political power brokers under the auspices of The Global Dominance Group.
http://www.projectcensored.org/downloads/Global_Dominance_Group.pdf
Generally charged with the spearheading of this type of subversive movement, the political Zionist/banking/neocon 'coalition of the willing', together with the unconscionable corporations and ancilliary military provenders plot to become the predomionant forces of world unilateralism as bloody minded US/Zionist political, economic and social emblems as a final solution.
So, is it by coincidence that the pandemic of economic and intellectual poverty and violent death stalks our lands just as reliable research exposes interlocking provate/government collusion of corporate media, pseudo public relations (propaganda) firms, permanent armament manufacturing, prejudiced policy elites together with elected and an appointed bureaucracy stealthily conspiring to suppress many forms of free speech, access to Freedom of Information, freedom of lawful association and movement.
In the name of 'terrorism', these hard won freedoms are being deliberately eroded to be finally sacrificed on the erroneous political altar of " National Security".
In the west, this is undoubtedly the price to be demanded as a consequence of ingrained public acquiescence and apathy.

Harry A. Boniface,
Currumbin,
Queensland,
Australia

Indonesia mayor says no to Christians Australian mayor says no to Muslims The Jakarta Post, Wednesday 20 May 2009

I am writing in response to the mayor of Depok revoking the building permit for
the planned Huria Kristen Batak Protestant (HKBP) church in Depok, West Java after complaints from Muslim residents.
It's sad to see that so-called secular countries around the world share the same
problems of narrow-minded bigots.
Just next door in predominantly, though supposedly nominally, Christian Australia, Muslims regularly have requests for mushollas and mosques turned down.
Only last year, a local council in southwest Sydney voted unanimously against
plans to build a Muslim school in the area, the Mayor insisting the decision was
not racist and based on planning grounds alone.
The area's residents were a little less clear: 'Nothin' racist, just - just all the crime and stuff that the other foreign people bring into the town,' one said. 'My kids can't read Islamic, how are they going to go to that school?' asked another.
The council received 3083 submissions regarding the project - only 43 were in
support of the school.
Furthermore, a small plywood cross reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan was hammered into the ground at the site of the proposed school.
Later on, graffiti appeared stating: 'No Muslim School'.
In the worst incident, two pig heads were impaled on stakes on the grounds, with an Australian flag stretched between.
An appeal against the decision, which is currently before the courts, has now
been attacked by four local Christian ministries, saying that it is 'not
compatible with broader, Australian egalitarian culture.'
I'm reminded of the Christian doctrine: 'Do unto others as you would have them
do unto you.'
Or as Muslims put it: 'That which you want for yourself, seek for mankind.'
Unfortunately, it seems we're still a long way away from both.

Erin M R McMahon,
Jakarta,
Indonesia

Papuans are part and parcel of land Given to Chinese for mining National, Tuesday 19 May 2009

The recent clash between locals and Chinese at the Ramu nickle mine in The
National, May 11 is not a surprise.
There are two main reasons that could have caused the clash.
First, there is no proper MoA between the Government, the landowners and
the company.
What is in place is highly one-sided and in the best interest of the company.
To many landowners, the existing document is nothing more than a one-sided
framework of possession.
This is an injustice.
Second, the conditions under which the nationals are working are arguably
next to human deprivation.
Last year, it was reported local workers were forced to use pit toilets
and sewage problems there were not adequately fixed; and they were given
store goods as fortnight payments instead of cash.
When they were paid cash, it was not as agreed amount but substantially less.
I would like to point out that there are differences in our socio-cultural
underpinnings too.
Apart from obvious differences such as language, beliefs and conduct, the
Chinese are business minded, self-centred and look after themselves while
Papua New Guineans are also business minded but sociable and communal good
come first.
When these two facets come together, there is bound to be eruption.
In the absence of care and diligence by authorities, the continual dealings with the Chinese, as demonstrated, is a time bomb in the making.
The Government cannot blindly, on the urging of the company, arrest or
punish the 'perpetrators'.
It must carefully investigate before doing anything of that sort.
Such clashes will continue to happen in the future as long as our self-interested politicians continue to sign deals without any consideration for the people who are part and parcel of the land.
I hope this incident will make our leaders sit up and make better choices.

Yal Bal,
New South Wales,
Australia

It's ridiculous to sell Australia's profitable assets The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 18 May 2009

I am convinced that both Australian Federal main parties are either incompetent or are told what to do by big business and obey.
Example sale of all our publicly owned assets including, the Peoples Commonwealth Bank that was able to finance world war one at an interest rate of just over half of one percent.
Supply funds to State Governments at an interest rate far less than they were paying for their funds from the US.
We now borrow from the US reserve confetti money printed by the US reserve. Telstra an absolute licence to print money sold off.
Commonwealth Serum Laboratories together with all their world leading patents and many more to numerous to mention here.
Surely it is ridiculous to sell very profitable assets to pay debt.
The profits earned since the sales would more than finance the current financial mess we are in.
The US dollar worth more than the Australian dollar can be only manipulation by the markets as the US is virtually bankrupt.

Frank Crichlow,
Carrara,
Queensland
Australia

About milking tax-paying cows With snouts in troughs The Southeast Asian Times Sunday, 17 May 2009

Just now it is wise to don effective reading-glasses and to consider, more carefully than usual, the small print in the UK press, because the headlines distract.
They are dominated by the issue of the significant number of British Members of Parliament, with snouts in troughs, who have been milking the tax-paying cow by trumping up their expenses.
The British public have been quick to condemn this practice; after all it involves their money; but they are slow in self-criticism; for it was they who elected those disreputable MPs in the first place.
The electorate sometimes appears to vote with its feet or other brainless parts of their anatomy; using criteria that measure candidates in terms of such superficial, conformist acceptableness as marriage with two (but not one or three) lovely children, or the possession of the right shape of facial bones - so, desirable female candidates must be as beautiful as Madonna and the males as handsome as the Chippendales (but definitely not the other way round).
That way successful candidates could readily be used to illustrate party-political posters because they are 'good-looking'; although, as we must realise from life-experience, 'good-looking' is not the same as 'good'.
The public appear to be resistant about avoiding superficial assessments, so an increasing number of cynical wind-blowers (in many meaning of the expression) are elected to office; often being ones who allow 'the tail to wag the dog'.
Still however, in the case of MPs I find it particularly regrettable not only that such blatant dishonesty finds expression, but that it has so often escaped detection for so long.
The uncovering of this corruption is a change from publicising of sexual indiscretions and more pertinent to what we expect of politicians.
It is not my business as to how an MP behaves with his secretary and it seems irrelevant to his work - it might even improve efficiency - yet the press want us to believe that sexual conduct is the corner-stone of 'morality': perhaps their reason is to divert the public's salacious eye away from the snouts are sucking from troughs.
The recent revelations of this corruption serve to explain better how the UK public were led into the Iraq war on a false pretext - ultimately for material gain.
Whilst members of the general public found guilty of fraudulence would face criminal prosecution, many of the guilty MPs are getting away with a backhanded apology, accompanied by lame excuses - such as that their accounting was in error - to explain away such as they been claiming, over years, mortgage repayments on second homes, or to justify why they have been charging the tax-payers for their supply of horse manure (was this for throwing at opposing members?).
Some of them are actually repaying the money they misappropriated - big deal - but with, of course, a smarmy inference they are thereby being upright and honest - in 'correcting their mistake'.
Dare I suggest that hidden within their minds is their belief that the mistake was being caught, and that otherwise their 'mistake' was 'deliberate'?
So, in labouring the point, it is surely more feasible than not to suggest that they would have kept the stolen money had they not been found out.
Some of the claims are so ridiculous that one wonders if the reasons these dishonest 'people' provide are also fraudulent; even indeed whether they actually conceal the costs of, say, financing para-military supporters dressed in yob clothing.
I am hoping the public will take note and will ensure those guilty MPs are never again elected to office.

Raymond Groves

 

Chinese-Indonesians Were there too The Jakarta Post, Saturday 16 May 2009

I applaud the bravery and resolution of Maesy Angelina and Ricky Gunawan for sharing their experience and opinion in their article titled 'Eleven years after the May riot: We have not forgotten', in the Jakarta Post, May 12.
Understandably, it was very difficult for the victims of the riots to stand up, to speak up, and for the media to publish their stories and be willing to confront the truth.
I understand the necessity of reformasi and respect victims of the Trisakti and Semanggi shootings.
But Chinese-Indonesians could not share the pride of students who occupied the Parliament or the joy of citizens who listened to Soeharto's resignation speech, as they had to bury the dead, hide the raped and brace for more chaos.
They had shed so much blood and so many tears, so don't dare to omit them from the history of reformasi.

Mario Rustan,
Bandung,
Indonesia

Coastal communities not represented At Minado World Ocean Conference The Jakarta Post, Friday 15 May 2009

We cannot understand why a contingent of well meaning fishermen from the
Philippines were forced to go home after having staged a peaceful assembly in
solidarity with Indonesian fishers on Malalayang Beach, Manado.
Never have our friends who were part of that delegation experienced political harassment!
Whatever happened to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) slogan 'One Caring and Sharing Community'?
Tambuyog Development Center, an Non Government Organisation (NGO) concerned with the welfare of artisanal fisherfolk in Southeast Asia, is very much concerned about this incident and sees more difficulty in conveying the concerns of artisanal fisherfolk through such undemocratic processes which we have just witnessed.
We have been informed by Riza Damanik, General Secretary of Koalisi Rakyat untuk Keadilan Perikanan - the people's coalition for justice in fisher, - about the
situation in Manado and have been constantly in touch with our colleagues who
are preparing to depart for Manila after being subjected to unnecessary
interrogation at Immigration.
Artisanal fisherfolk have traditionally exercised management and control over marine areas.
This was once called customary rights; others call it territorial use rights.
This reality implies that external intervention agents such as international
conservation Non Government Organisations (NGO) must pay due respect to these community institutions, similar to the concept of prior informed consent.
With this in mind, coastal communities or their representatives must be fully informed of the intention of the Coral Triangle Initiative and should allow them to participate in decision making processes.
We have seen the volunteerism of fisherfolk in guarding marine protected areas.
In some cases, such responsibilities are paid for with their own lives.
We have observed the prevailing framework of habitat management over and above the needs of coastal communities.
How then can the strategies be implemented in the midst of poverty and degradation of coastal resources?
We propose a paradigm shift towards community-based coastal resources management wherein the community are the stewards of nature.
We believe that the development of the capacity of local organizations needs
technical and financial resources to manage the marine resources themselves.
We believe in investing in people: social capital investment above financial
opportunities.
To this end, conservation is not the result of the strategy, but is a function
of capable, responsible and accountable organization.
Without this, coastal communities strategies are bound to fail.
In the advent of what transpired in Manado, it becomes clear to us that this
struggle will be very difficult in the coming years!

Ephraim Patrick T. Batungbacal
Quezon City,
Philippines

See 'Judge refuses to try environmentalists arrested in Manado' in The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 14 May 2009.

Gamba grass grows like wildfire Across Northern Australia The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 14 May 2009

If Top End pastoralists still think their precious cattle fodder import, Gamba Grass, is OK and well controlled, why is it we now have widespread, impenetrable infestations of it, standing as tall and green as fields of sugarcane long after the seasonal, indigenous spear grass has waned to dry, flattened straw?
I was here as a kid in the early 60's, have also been back here for the last 23 years and, whereas hardly a leaf blade of this pest or of Mission Grass was noticeably prominent locally as little as ten years back, the scope and degree of the present infestation I've never seen before, and is totally foreign to the local bushland I'd been familiar with for many years.
When the Gamba and Mission grass finally drys out and burns - always very late into the dry season, when the soil moisture and humidity is extremely low - the usually wind-driven fire is of such heat intensity and duration, it not only kills all tree seedlings that may have managed to germinate that season, but every year leaves even more young gum trees standing as stark, dead poles.
To compound things, it seems that, with every seasonal cycle that passes, the infestation becomes far more consolidated than the year before - and therefore the the intensity of the ensuing burn-off blaze.
This imported pestilence is now doing much damage to our local bushland ecology, with a rate of acceleration that has become alarming to those of us who've been paying any long-term observation, and some sort of serious action is urgently required to begin countering this worsening situation.
I don't know what the ideal course of action might be, but I think a very generous allocation of glyphosate and 'elbow grease' towards a serious spraying effort every growing season would be a good start.
Also, I'm sure many of us in the rural area would cheerfully strap on a knapsack sprayer and pitch in with hitting every established clump and new blade in our immediate radius, if the Lands Dept. cared to leave a few litres of spray-base with all who are willing.

Peter McVean,
11 Mile
Darwin
Northern Territory,
Australia

Catfish and frogs set free On Buddah day New Straits Times, Wednesday 13 May 2009

Buddhists should remember what Buddha said: 'Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense'.
On Sunday morning, I went to catch prawns and small fishes at the Taman Tun Dr Ismail park.
When I arrived, I saw dead catfish floating on the edge of the pond.
Flies were hovering around.
I also saw frogs sitting at the edge of the pond.
Then I remembered that the day before was Wesak.
That evening, as I was taking my afternoon exercise in Paramount Taman Aman, I saw a man releasing fish into the Taman Aman lake.
Some people release animals birds, fish, frogs as an act of giving them freedom, to earn merit in the afterlife.
How did so many catfish die within 24 hours of Wesak?
The simple reason is some people followed a 'good teaching' without thinking of the consequences of their act.
Just as the catfish died for being unable to adjust to the polluted water, how long will the frogs live before suffering the same fate?
Who will clean up the mess and bury the dead catfish?
Next year, I hope, someone will caution the freedom-givers about animals'
inability to adjust to the wild after being in captivity.

Jordan Tan,
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Sorcery flourishing in Papua New Guinea With breakdown of health service The National,Tuesday 12 May 2009

The issue of sorcery will always be prevalent in a Third World society such as Papua New Guinea and is encouraged and perpetuated by poverty, poor levels of education and, most importantly, the breakdown in basic health services from preventative health to emergency care and secondary-tertiary health care.
Most often villagers, block dwellers or squatter inhabitants cannot afford
or access any form of health care for their sick family members usually children and the elderly.
Their first point of call would usually be their village healer for magical or herbal cures. When these fail, they then proceed to the nearest rundown health centre or
aid post for some panadols and penicillin capsules.
By this time the severity of their ailment would have overwhelmed the wretched soul or, if by luck, the sick person is still alive but not cured, the next point of call would be the village 'posinman', again to find out what the spiritual or 'posin' issue was.
And if there were any minute suspicions regarding a possible spell or curse because of a past argument or bad relationship with a neighbour, the psyched-up relatives then proceed to kidnap or attack the 'guilty' and to force a confession through torture before an execution to delete.
This all stems from mass ignorance of disease processes and lack of appropriate
primary health care available overworked health workers, lack or
equipment, medicines and vaccines, etc.
This problem is now systematic and has spread among many ethnic Papua New Guinea groups who see their pre-existing ideas of sorcery as an easy explanation for their illnesses.
A major superstition in the 21st century is AIDS.
Many people, even those living within the periphery of towns and cities, often blame the deaths of AIDS victims on sorcery.
Relatives go out of their way to look for someone to blame; someone to accuse.
Behaviour and attitude change would be difficult here.
Not only do you have to change the grass roots attitudes, you also have to
deal with the law enforcers and educators and their leaders who share the
same belief systems as the sorcery believers.
Legislation alone will be good for a few years before the people would
revert to their old practices.
Legislation, multi-sectoral approach to behavioural change education-informal, Christian programmes, coupled with good marketing strategies and a Government committed to a long-lasting investment in quality formal education and good quality health services along with programmes that trigger significant improvements in the grass roots GDP will change man’s current beliefs.
Most negative issues in this country are inter-related.
You cannot change one without the other.
That is the bottom line.

The bottom line
Australia

The Hindu Kush Himalayas Have always been the Hindu Kush The Jakarta Post, Monday 11 May 2009

The article in The Jakarta Post 1 May 2009 ignores some basic historical
facts and therefore the likely origin of the name 'Hindu Kush' which is mentioned as Hindu killer given to that part of the Himalayan range which borders on the present Pakistan and Afghanistan.
When the Aryans, who incidentally founded the Vedic culture now considered
synonymous with the Hindu religion, settled down on the river plains below the
Himalayan ranges in the Northern parts of what is now called Afghanistan,
Pakistan and India, there were no Muslims and no Afghanis.
The Aryans used the Sanskrit language.
What is now referred to as Afghanistan was largely known as 'Gandhar' from
where the current Afghani province of Kandahar derives its name.
As the Mahabharata epic mentions, when the Pandava, Kaurava clans of Hastinapur dominated the sub-Himalayan region, a Gandhar Princess named Gandhari was accepted in marriage with the Kaurava King Dhritarashtra.
In Sanskrit, the language of the time, kush means a kind of very sharp grass
after which a son of legendary 'Ram' was named, as mentioned in the Ramayana
epic, several centuries before the Mahabharata.
'Hindu Kush' may be thus be a mutated form of the Sanskrit words 'Sindhu Kush'
to denote resemblance of the jagged Himalayan peaks of the Hindu Kush range with sharp grass that can be found along the banks of the Sindhu river or the Indus
which also originates from this part of Himalayas.
The word Hindu itself is based on the river Sindhu.
It is therefore likely that the name Hindu Kush was derived even when there were no Hindus around since the prevalent religion was Vedic, or for that matter the world was yet to come across a Muslim person, because the Muslim religion itself was yet to be formed.
The people of this region, even when they were not Muslim, were indomitable.
The global expansionist wave of Alexander the Great was so strongly resisted by
these people in about 330 BC that Alexander could not progress further
eastward.
The land was then Buddhist for quite some time under the Kushan Kings who were
the Buddhists that built the Great Buddha statues of Bamiyan which were
destroyed by the Taliban.
Continuing internal turmoil divided the region into several smaller kingdoms centered in present Herat, Ghazni, and Kandahar etc. which by themselves were never stable.
The various warlords or satraps controlling different parts of present Afghanistan
were routinely resisting, at different times, the non-Hindu Iranians trying to
expand eastwards, the non-Hindu Mughals trying to expand westwards, the
non-Hindu Russians trying to expand southwards and the non-Hindu British
trying to expand westwards.
The mountain range was all along called Hindu Kush even when the people of the
region were fighting non-Hindus.

C.G. Shekhari Moghe,
Jakarta.
Indonesia

The corrupt do not like Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) The Jakarta Post, Sunday 10 May 2009

Actually people have seen the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is a very powerful organization in eradicating corruption in Indonesia.
Therefore, I doubt it will be affected by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Antasari Azhar's status as a suspect in the Putra Rajawali Banjaran, a pharmaceutical subsidiary of State-owned agricultural, pharmaceutical and trading enterprise (BUMN) director's murder.
However, it seems to me that the case is full of political intrigue.
For instance, how could the Attorney General's Office name him a suspect before the police named him as a suspect and even before the police carried out any
investigation?
It sounds very strange, doesn't it?
We all know corruptors do not like the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)
at all.
They will try hard to defame or set up all credible government law enforcers including the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) so they will lose support from Indonesian public.
But we need the Corruption Eradication Commission ( KPK).
Let's hope the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) can carry out their job to eradicate corruption for the sake of the Indonesian people's prosperity.
Although it is very unfortunate Antasari Azhar has to undergo this situation, I believe the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is professional and must uphold the mandate given by the Indonesian people.
Also let's hope that the police can find the 'real' mastermind behind all this.

Hotib,
Jakarta,
Indonesia

Swiftlet motels Pose health risk The New Straits Times, Saturday 9 May 2009

Many issues about urban swiftlet rearing have been raised but it seems the
authorities are keeping mum about this matter.
In my hometown Muar, I have lost count of the number of 'swiftlet motels'
housed in most shophouses from Jalan Maharani to Jalan Arab.
There are dozens more in Bakri, Sungai Abong, Bentayan and Jalan Salleh on
the outskirts of town.
Apart from the cacophony of the speakers blaring out swiftlet calls, in the wake of the avian flu threat, many readers have voiced their concern about the health risk these 'motels' pose.
Do we need to have an epidemic before action is taken?
Are there local council guidelines on the issuance of permits for the rearing of swiftlets in urban areas?
What is the Health Ministry's stand on this issue?

Chan Wee Siong,
Muar,
Malaysia

What's good for the British gooses Is good for the Australian geese The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 8 May 2009

Whilst listening to a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) article on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News Radio network (Australia) - regarding the growing discontent within the Government of Gordon Brown - I heard it stated that "there exists no formal mechanism in Britain for removing a sitting Prime Minister".
Really?!
Well, if that is so, it appears their Queen enjoys the power to remove one here in our country, but not in her own!
What a travesty!
What was that maxim again, about what's good for the goose - or should that be gooses - as distinct from geese?

Peter McVean,
Darwin,
Northern Territory,
Australia

Medical tourism At the expense of public health The New Straits Times, Friday 8 May 2009

The Consumers Association of Penang and other groups have protested against the Health Ministry's move to allow healthcare services to be promoted to boost the tourism industry.
At the recent Health Systems in Transition workshop, health experts warned
that the quality of healthcare would suffer if medical tourism is allowed to sap medical staff in public hospitals.
Associate Professor Dr Trude Bennet of Chapel Hill University in the US was quoted as saying that 'the glamour and profitability of medical tourism tended to crowd out public health '.
'Government resources such as land, financial subsidies and tax incentives tend to be diverted to start up private facilities with high technology.
Meanwhile, public health services and primary care will be left to
languish.'
University Malaya Medical Centre infectious disease head Prof Dr Adeeba
Kamarulzaman said the lure of medical tourism could lead to a brain drain, resulting in the lack of senior doctors and specialists to mentor younger medical staff.
This would lead to a low quality of staff in the public sector and those who leave for the private sector would also be of low calibre.
Consumer Association of Penang is concerned about the effect the continued emphasis on medical tourism will have on the public.
Government hospitals are understaffed and patients have to endure long waits. These patients have no choice but to seek treatment at private healthcare facilities. This is so even though the charges at these facilities are something they can ill afford.
As patient load and services at private healthcare facilities increase due to aggressive promotion of services, charges for treatment will go up.
The private sector will also have increased needs for medical staff and will attract staff from government hospitals.
At the moment, government hospitals are in no position to match the remunerations offered.
Healthcare should not be treated as a business. Consumer Association of Penang calls on the ministry to halt the practice of encouraging medical tourism.
Greater emphasis should be placed on addressing the shortcomings in the
healthcare system. The needs of local people should come first.
The practice of having private wings in government hospitals should also
be scrapped.

S.M. Mohamed Idris,
For Consumers Association of Penang,
Malaysia

On-line journalism should resist The dangers of excessive media control The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 7 May 2009

Many contributors to this column would agree with the opening remark of Alan Kohler's feature article of 2nd May "Quality journalism will bloom online", where he writes:
"Most of what is called quality journalism is not quality at all - it is leaks planted by vested interests, to journalists who need to stay onside with those interests (politicians, sports administrators, business people etc), or it is plain bias - either from the journalists or the proprietors."
Clearly something is amiss within the collective media, with the rarity of exceptions proving the rule, when there is such a narrow, questionable, pattern of agreement over interpretation of world events.
Some journalists evade the issue by calling themselves "columnists", but for the most part news from presenters is biased - by selection of narrowly imposed interpretation as propaganda; and by suppression of opinions that are contrary to the proprietors' interest and that of the mentioned cartel(s).
The training, vetting, and certification of journalists to index acceptability might in fact be welcomed by the cartel to provide them with opportunity to ensure that 'professional staff' strictly conform to their wishes.
That would serve to increase the influence of the new world order, and democracy would be beaten yet further into obscurity; as the cartel would assert ever-increasing power over government attitudes and policies.
It is said that one knows that fascism has arrived when good men 'give up'.
I can imagine that many would-be journalists have indeed, quite understandably, given up - under the strain of being constantly ignored, or through a pressure to win their livelihood that has corrupted their ideals into a pursuit for money - the "source of all evil".
However this issue is not all about money.
It appears also to be about a pathological desire within this cartel to dominate other people by controlling their lives - certainly not always for the general good.
Objectionably, one element of dispute had been the role of the media over the invention of a crusade against the Moslem world.
In the face of shifting demography and the appeal of actual Islam (which is far from the repulsive image generated by the distorted characature of Islam featured by the cartel), there is panic over possibly involved loss of their control; although such control in philosophical terms can be argued as being valueless in the first place.
Yes the Internet will, and already does, provide a vehicle for expression of otherwise suppressed opinions.
However, the danger remains that the cartel will 'go Internet' with the intention of applying their propaganda machine there.
That is not opening a bag to allow a cat to maraud the pigeons - the cat is already out of the bag.
One way of chipping at the freedom of the Internet is to encourage web-sites that offend a pre-softened public.
Thus there have, at least, been - extreme web-sites that somehow escaped then-existing censorship, and so were seemingly allowed expression perhaps to be used as a thin end of a censorial wedge.
Contrarily there have been totally inoffensive websites expressing views contrary to the new world order that have been shut-down.
There has been expression of unchecked orchestrated personal abuse of those dissenters in chat-rooms who most eloquently express views contrary to the cartel; and uncontrolled hacking of selected individuals pre-targeted by propaganda.
I suggest that condoned excesses within web-sites by some would be used as precedents to more effortlessly assert control in other areas more within the cartel's direct interest.
In my opinion Internet censorship should be resisted where an ultimate, authoritarian abuse of free speech can be suspected.
It seems that amateur journalists are vying with the professionals, because amateurs; in the strict sense of being unpaid - rather than in the stigmatised sense of being incompetent; cannot as easily be corrupted, thereby remaining relatively free from the propaganda of the cartel; though unfortunately not perhaps completely free from probably-related harassments.

Raymond Groves

Papua New Guinea security guard told It's none of your business The National, Wednesday 6 May 2009

I write in response to EM’s letter of Monday, April 20, titled 'Guards and lunatics outside city bank'.
Before I tell the story as it happened, I would like to thank EM for providing details of the incident and also sympathising with the two women involved in the incident.
I am the young woman you referred to in your letter.
The elderly lady who accompanied me and also got punched by the security guard was my 55-year-old mother.
On Thursday, April 16, my mother and I went to confront a young woman - an
employee of ANZ Bank.
Apparently, this woman was having an affair with my younger brother who is
married, with his wife expecting their first child.
While confronting this woman, a security guard intervened.
He told me to leave this woman alone and I responded by telling him to shut up as it was none of his business.
Being the “animal” he was, he ran towards me with an already clenched fist
in the air.
As mentioned in EM’s letter, yes, my mother and I were punched by this security guard but, fortunately, bystanders intervened.
I thank God for the men who all came to our aid, especially the young bloke from the Highlands who made the first move.
Words cannot express how grateful we were at that point.
The young Highlands bloke shouted at the security guard and told him that he should see my mother as his own, and all the other men started shouting the same sentiments as well.
As mentioned in EM’s letter, the security guard chased us out of the premises and kept telling us to stay out or else.
Anyway, we left and returned later with some relatives and a police vehicle had also turned up.
By then, the security manager was there as well.
Ironically, the security manager did not stop to find out what the root of the problem was.
Instead, he walked straight to the policemen and informed them that my mother and I had assaulted his security guard.
How can a man who has been placed in such a position assume that two helpless women had assaulted a man?
Did he ever stop to ask himself why we would be interested in assaulting his officer in the first place?
What was more frustrating was the fact that he called us a 'bunch of idiots' who had caused problems for his security personnel!
The matter has been reported to police and I will be seeking further legal advice.
If I do not do so, other helpless women might be the next victims.
Women should not be treated as second-class citizens in their own country.
There is a lot of public awareness about “violence against women” and men, such as this security guard, should not be allowed to act like animals.
To this security guard, you don’t belong in this era.
I hope you are not doing the same things to your wife or female relatives for that matter.

The fortunate one,
Port Moresby,
Papua New Guinea

Look where the annulment of Pancasila Has left Indonesia The Jakarta Post, Tuesday 5 May 2009

Pancasila, the ideology of the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia with
its five principles, was born on June 1, 1945, proposed by our founding father,
Bung Karno (Sukarno) at the end of the Japanese occupation.
It was included in the preamble of the 1945 Constitution and endorsed by the Independence Preparatory Committee on Aug. 18, 1945.
Along with the time-honored adage Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (unity in diversity) and
the Constitution, Pancasila proved a great guardian of the nation in its struggle and eventual victory over Dutch colonizers wishing to restore their power in the wake of Japan's loss to the Allied Forces.
Defeated by Gen. Sudirman's guerrilla warfare and sustaining their diplomatic
loss in the UN Security Council, the Dutch were forced out of the country in
1949 leaving a time bomb - the Dutch-devised Indonesian United States or Republic Indonesia Serikat (RIS) a federal state in keeping with Dutch ambitions -
and remaining in West Irian now Papua.
Pancasila, however, could promptly get rid of the RIS, a product of the Dutch-
sponsored Round Table Conference in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Later, Bung Karno made a historic appeal to the nation to be united and carry on the
struggle for the liberation of West Irian from Dutch rule.
In 1962, the Dutch were driven out of their last stronghold.
Today, Pancasila has been considerably relegated.
The Soeharto regime utilized Pancasila to strengthen its authoritarian rule and misled the nation in order to serve the neocapitalists.
Allergic to Soeharto, the People's Consultative Assembly under Amien Rais from
the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI) revoked the Assembly's
previous decree on the Pancasila comprehension guide.
Amien even had the idea of turning Indonesia into a federal state.
During the presidency of Habibie, his liberal political system prompted him to
annul the stipulation on Pancasila as the sole principle of every organization.
This revocation gave room to the adoption of other ideologies, particularly
religions-based principles.
And thus Pancasila has since tended to lose its common-platform position in
political life.
It is now our duty to restore Pancasila to its original position by following the motto: 'Religion yes, religious parties no.'

Soeharto Fa Hien
Bandung,
Indonesia

Long way round For an Indonesian village school The Jakarta Post, Monday 4 May 2009

I would like to comment on a letter titled 'Why doesn't Indonesia invest in tourism?' in The Jakarta Post, 24 March and comments posted by a number of leaders .
They are great letters, great comments!
I so agree.
Every time I return from and talk about Indonesia I say:
'No country is more underrated than Indonesia.'
No country needs tourism more than Indonesia.
Radicalism breeds poverty:
Even the most fundamentalist village starts to rethink once tourism pays for their children's education.
There are so many unused paradise-like beaches, diving spots and cultural jewels in Indonesia.
Having a marketing and advertisement background, I recommend:
First, get the World Bank, Internationa Finance Corporation (IFC) Privatkundenbank and Kommunalbank (KFW) Asian Development Bank (ADB) or any other development bank to sponsor an extensive survey: Identify which three regions offer the quickest and best tourism potential and how to start the process.
Second, place a five-year US$20-30 million media campaign with one of the best
European advertising agencies in the league of Saatchi, Ogilvy, Springer, RCSG, Burnett, Public, funded by a development bank.
Third, negotiate exclusive support by 2-3 large airlines to create direct links
from Singapore to chosen locations and use the airline's public relations for advertising.
Fourth, hire a top international advertisement expert.
Fifth, circumvent all ministries and government departments and create a very
small fast-track government agency just for these three tourism projects.
Six, use wind, hydro, solar, biomass and biowaste energy for sustainable tourism
and advertise it as green tourism.
Seventh, create special zones like Langkawi and Batam.
Eighth, once the above starts working, you can invite investors to join.
Ninth, replicate the best model to other regions.
Indonesia will have a great future.
It could happen within anything from five to 50 years.
The only way to do it: Introduce a fast-track agency with special powers and the change will happen within five years.
The same applies for renewable energy.

Henning,
Jakarta,
Indonesia

The question: How to store nuclear waste? Has not been answered The Philippine Inquirer, Sunday 3 May 2009

There is clearly no debate when it comes to the dangers of nuclear waste. However, while Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes does acknowledge
this 'Philippines seeks help on nuclear waste, just in case,' in Philippine Inquirer 27 April 2009, he refuses to admit the fact that nuclear waste is a problem without any solution.
Even more outrageous is how he calls on developed countries to help solve the 'potential problem.'
No country in the world - not even the United States, France or Japan - has figured out what to do with high-level radioactive waste piling up in its backyard. Deadly nuclear waste is currently stored worldwide in interim facilities which frequently encounter accidents, such as the recent one in Tricastin, France in 2008, where radioactive material contaminated two rivers in a populated community.
And while the nuclear industry has plans for underground 'final repositories,' as a 'permanent solution' to the problem of radioactive waste, that’s all they are - plans.
None of them have yet been fully realized due to environment and cost concerns. Long-term nuclear waste storage is also impossible to plan for since the time
frame must consider the 240,000 years it takes for the deadly waste to be considered safe.
Putting this into perspective, humankind has only been on Earth for the last 200,000 years.
Hannes Alfvén, a Swedish scientist known for his non-nuclear stance and who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1970, once said:
'The problem is how to keep radioactive waste in storage until it decays after hundreds of thousands of years. The geologic deposit must be absolutely reliable as the quantities of poison are tremendous. It is very difficult to satisfy these requirements for the simple reason that we have had no practical experience with such a long-term project. Moreover, permanently guarded storage requires a society with unprecedented stability.”
Can anyone guarantee geological and social stability for the next thousand years? Of course not.
Yet this is crucial for nuclear waste storage to be safe.
Given the enormity of the problem of nuclear waste, our advice to
Secretary Reyes is: The best way to solve a potential problem is to prevent it from happening in the first place.
There are better, safer and cheaper ways of producing electricity, namely via renewable energy sources which are abundant in the Philippines.
The Department of Energy should scrap its senseless pursuit of nuclear energy and truly go renewable.

Lea Guerrero,
Media campaigner,
Greenpeace Southeast Asia,
Philippines

Indian Malaysian Community A toothless and boneless six-headed cobra The Star, Saturday 2 May 2009

Malaysians of Indian origin have a population of around two million.
This is very small compared with the other major races.
However, when it comes to political parties, the Indians seem to have more political parties than the others.
Maybe there are too many influential and powerful Indians in Malaysia.
Or maybe there are too many selfish, power-crazed political gamblers and ignorant
leaders.
The following are the political parties dominated by Indian Malay­sians: the
Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), People's Progressive Party (PPP), Indian Progressive Front (IPF), Darja Indera Mahkota Pahang, Malaysian Indian United Party, (DIMP), Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) and now the newcomer
Malaysian Indian Democratic Action Front (Mindraf) founded by former journalist Manuel Lopez.
Apart from PPP, the other parties were established, either directly or indirectly, as a result of the MIC’s leadership crisis.
The leadership crisis in MIC has been there for far too long and I am amazed as to why it is still continuing.
Can somebody do something about it?
In my earlier article, Chronology Of Malaysian Indians, I stated that it is to
the disadvantage of the community for having far too many small political parties. For any matter relating to the small community, surely the authorities and the ruling coalition would not want to waste time discussing and deliberating with more than six different groups representing one small community.
Do not take that I am belittling the capabilities, good intentions, leadership
qualities and the support of each and every leader of those political parties.
It is just that I am frustrated and sad to see the state of Indian Malaysian politics.
Unless something is done, the Indian Malaysian community would be a toothless
and boneless six-headed cobra.

Sritharan Palanisamy,
Johor Baru,
Malaysia

 

Trade sanctions for countries Not under Zionist yoke The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 1 May 2009

The financial and social wreckage that represents today's world economy, did not happen by chance.
The identifyable banking fraternity that has always choreographed the sequence of stock market crashes, subsequent unemployment, recession, depression, dispossession - and wars, continues to infiltrate and dominate the foreign and domestic policies of most governments.
It may be of interest, at this point, to be aware that the tentacles of the Zionist banking collossos reaches into every country's public treasury with the exception of Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Cuba and Libya - and we all 'know' that each of these nations have been branded (coincidentially by the western Zionist controlled media) as rogue states and are suffering the usual fate of political/trade sanctions as are any who fail to yield to the dictates of the oppresive Zionist yoke.
The excellent letter from Hendri Tanjung in The Southeast Asian Times 27 April 2009, offers one line of great perception and significance viz : " Free market forces wreak havoc on people's lives ------".
But, as mentioned above, these crises are deliberately manipulated by the same cabals for the further enrichment and empowerment of their fellow conspiritors. Research would strongly suggest that, in the event of every international economic calamity, the recurring ominous presence of the Zionist House of Rothschild seems to be strategically placed rather than coincidental.
For those readers who would - or should - care to identify the 'architects' of their ongoing suffering ; to " be forewarned, and so be forearmed"; as to their (and their family's future prospects, may I invite them to visit the following websites.
This information exposes the " Head of the Serpent" that, at present, is crushing the life out of the world's economic body.
Please see Part1 :- " http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=4277
and Part 11 :- www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=4276.

Harry A. Boniface,
Currumbin,
Queensland,
Australia

Best that Thai King Rejects Thaksin appeal The Jakarta Post, Thursday 30 April 2009

From videos broadcast live during the protest and riot it was obvious that the
former Thai prime minister Thaksin is behind the movement to overthrow the
present government led by Prime Minister Abhisit.
The world knows that Thaksin has abundant wealth, many accuse him of corruption.
That's why he fled Thailand and is wandering from country to country to seek
political asylum.
He is scared because the Abhisit administration has threatened to bring his corruption to the courts.
So it is natural for Thaksin to fight back.
He possesses everything to reach his goal.
Money and loyal Thai supporters are two strong factors to make his dream
come true.
On the other side we know that Abhisit came to power in the same way.
Yet according to international law, what matters is the recognition from other
United Nations' member countries.
The more countries that recognize the Abhisit government, the more legitimate it will be in the eyes of international community.
Thaksin's effort to mobilize his loyal supporters and his call to storm the
venue of the ASEAN+3 Summit in Pattaya has resulted in humiliation for the
Abhisit administration and Thailand.
Thailand's reputation as a politically stable country is damaged.
Let alone that of the King Bumiphol.
So it will be better for the King to deny Thaksin's appeal for an intervention.
The harsh measures taken by Abhisit to cancel Thaksin's passport and to finally bring him back home for court trial are justified.
The people of Thailand have suffered a lot from Thaksin's aborted coup d'etat.

Dadut Priambodo
Jakarta,
Indonesia

Philippine National Police Work as if in Marcos dictatorship The Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 28 April 2009

The blatant display of arrogance by operatives of the Quezon City Police District in the arrest of Trinidad Etong’s relatives and Ted Failon’s house help only shows the mentality of our police force:
They think they are above the law; even worse, they are the law.
Despite the civilian character of the Philippine National Police, many of our policemen act and behave as if they are the military of the Marcos dictatorship.
It is not surprising then that many of our people no longer trust the police.
Oftentimes, policemen are called or referred to as kotongs (mulcters); protectors of drug and gambling lords; and operators, if not protectors, of nightclubs, video karera and other institutions that undermine peace and order and decency in our country.
There are, of course, efforts to cleanse the image of the police force, but just like corruption in the government, the problem is also deeply rooted and is not easy to address.
It takes political will on the part of the Philippine National Police top brass to cleanse the ranks.
Not one of them, after Director General Panfilo Lacson, has shown the will to
discipline misguided elements of the Philippine National Police.
It’s a pity to see the pictures of policemen employing all the force in arresting crime suspects who are poor and are nobodies in our society, even though the suspects are presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
The world has seen it in the arrest of Failon’s house help and in-laws for the crime of obstruction of justice.
The policemen, their superior said, might just be overzealous in the investigation because the case involves a well-known personality.
I can believe what the superior said if the police had arrested Romulo Neri, Joc-joc Bolante or Jose Miguel Arroyo for obstruction of justice with the same zealousness.
Alas, while our policemen kick and punch poor suspects and perceived administration foes, they salute and bow to law violators from the ruling class.
Citizens expect the police to enforce our laws without fear or favor.
It might be best to remind our police officers that they are the servants, not the masters, of our people.

Carlito D Bisa,
Philippines

Identity cards for foreigners In Japan The Japan Times, Tuesday 28 April 2009

Regarding the article 'Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Slams Strict Bills on Foreign Residents.'
Japan is already the most over-regulated country in the world, and most of its
regulations are never even enforced.
Many of them do not target real trouble spots at all, just soft targets that are convenient for bureaucrats to make themselves look good on paper with meaningless statistics.
The proposed regulations regarding the new identity cards for foreigners are clearly one of the more insidious examples of this trend.
While foreign crime may be significant it is no more so than that of homegrown
gangsters, many of whose misdeeds go unaddressed.
Targeting the entire foreign community with petty regulations and incommensurate penalties shows an anti-foreign sentiment not in keeping with a country that often
prides itself on hosting international events.
After cohosting the FIFA World Cup, Tokyo is now vying to host its second Olympics.
But what, if anything, has Japan learned about internationalism since the first one
nearly a half century ago?
If we are to judge by these latest proposals singling out foreigners for totally unnecessary duress, the answer can only be 'nothing.'
Let's take one example.
Do Japanese motorists risk the wrath of the law if they forget or misplace their driving license?
Of course not.
But if a foreign resident of good standing who has committed no crime does not carry his new ID card for any reason, such as having had it stolen, he or she may be severely punished.
There are already too many regulations in Japan and nobody is really keen on enforcing the few important ones among them.
Any society that so devotes itself to writing rules for their own sake is a paper society lacking humanity.
If Japan doesn't desist from its obsessive ways, there will be no possibility for any U-turn.

David Wood,
Dazaifu,
Fukuoka,
Japan

Islamic Economics The middle road between left and right The Jakarta Post, Monday 27 April 2009

This is a comment on an article titled: 'A comfortable spot between the market
and the state,' in The Jakarta Post, April 22 by Aviliani.
I agree 100 percent with this idea.
It turns out that Keynes' ideas have become less important.
In fact, free market forces wreak havoc on people's lives in times of crisis.
When the financial crisis hit Asia in 1997, Indonesia called the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help.
Then the IMF applied their five formulas: Privatized basic services, independent
central banks, a 'flexible' workforce, low social spending and total free trade.
Instead of getting better results, Indonesia's unemployment rate increased from
4 to 12 percent in 1999.
There are similar experiences in all crisis situations.
The IMF advised Russia to use the 'shock therapy' of the free market to improve its economy.
There was a 50 percent productivity loss, and hunger and starvation on a large scale, in an economy previously able to feed its members.
The promised benefits of free markets never materialized, leaving embarrassed
IMF economists looking for excuses for their failure in Russia.
Similarly, free market forces could not eliminate the huge unemployment in the
world economy for over twenty years following the Great Depression.
Nearly all advanced economies have learned this lesson and are taking steps to
protect their people from the shock of the current economic crisis.
We should follow suit and not let industries collapse and throw large amounts of people out of work in the vain hope that the market will automatically provide new
opportunities.
When the free market is the extreme on the right and communism on the left, we
are searching for the middle road.
What kind of ideology is that?
In my view, the so-called 'Islamic Economics' provides the answer.

Hendri Tanjung
Jakarta,
Indonesia

Australia privides labour For tax-free profiteers The Southeast Asian Times, Sunday 26 April 2009

The Menzies Government passed legislation that allowed foreign companies that paid tax in their own country pay no tax in Australia.
That may have been all right in 1953 when Australian industry was 95 percent Australian owned.
However, at this date Australian Industry is about 95 percent foreign owned.
In fact, most of those foreign companies pay no tax in their own country and none in Australia.
How do they do that?
A company based in another country, being subject to the tax laws of that country and being liable to pay taxes in that base country, for the avoidance of double taxation is not required to pay tax on profits earned here in Australia.
To avoid taxation in their home country the Australian division produces the products here, exports them to a subsidiary (owned by the Parent company) at cost IE.
They declare they make no profit-they sell it for what it cost to produce.
Even smarter than that in most cases the product is sold for a profit through companies that register their 'Headquarters' or subsidiary company in a Tax Free Haven Country avoiding paying any tax whatsoever.
What benefit does Australia get from our resources – we get jobs.
We are the labour for tax-free profits.
They are very clever though.
Now it is claimed that we have a skills shortage here in Australia and we have low cost migrant workers being imported and housed by International Companies. They house them; they feed them and pay their incomes to overseas Employment agencies.
These agencies claim the income of these people as a fee and avoid paying tax here in Australia.
Moreover, you wonder why our taxes increase and our Public Services Decrease

Frank Crichlow,
Carrara,
Queensland,
Australia

The Anti-Defamation League Was established to suppress criticism of Israel The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 25 April 2009

According to reliable sources, The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) was formed in the United States in 1913 by a Jewish Supremist Group officially identified as
'B'nai B'rith' - interpreted as 'Blood of the Chosen'.
Significant?.
This basically innocuous title conceals the ultimate fact that the said movement was not necessarily concerned with the enforcement of the general thrust of the legislation to enshrine in law the protection of all citizens - regardless of race and/or creed - but for the exclusive suppression of any expose or criticism of Israel in general and Zionism in particular.
So successful and dominant has its political influence become that 'Freedom of Speec', in the west, has been basically denied on pain of imprisonment for any infringement.
These conspiritorial cabals that operate virtually beyond the disciplines of any nation's civil law have, through their virtual world monopoly on matters fiscal, choreographed the political subversion of the democratic process, share market crashes and, subsequently, devastating ( but lucrative) wars.
It follows then that, when national media editorial policies are subjected to the 'slanted' dictates of the Zionist (B'nai B'rith) brotherhood, the majority gentile consumer is denied vital information in order to devise a defence to protect his/her civic rights and indigenous resources from the machinations of these monetary marauders.
The dispossession of the western populace is now well under way.
The soup kitchens, to feed the homeless, have already appeared in urban areas.
The treacherous gentile underlings of the ADL ( within the entrenched two-party system) are already ensconced on parliamentary leather, reliably discharging the briefings of their unelected masters.
Consequently, with the introduction of the New World Order almost a fait accompli, the Gnomes of Tel Aviv must be feeling rather smug with themselves following such an easy capture - without a shot having been fired in anger?

Harry A. Boniface,
Currumbin,
Queensland,
Australia

Any-day soon, a release of methane hydrates Could augment an all-time solar emergency The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 24 April 2009

Within the model proposing that Methane, Carbon-dioxide and Water-vapour cause Global Warming, there is allowance for amelioration of methane levels through a mechanism involving upper-atmospheric hydroxyl-radicals.
However, from evidence provided by methane bubbles locked in Arctic ice, since the mid-1800s levels have much increased.
That is usually assumed to be from various human activities, but the skeptics might argue that the ‘hockey-stick’ of methane results from hydrate release with solar-mediated Global Warming.
However, they would need to prove, with real evidence, that such release is, and has been, significant.
The mid-1880s is usually described as ‘the beginning of the industrial era’, but methane from fossil fuels accounts for only 19 percent of total methane output.
The greatest human-mediated source is the 21 percent from cattle-rearing (with the passing of their wind); and a significant amount (12 percent), emanates from rice-paddy that feeds rapidly expanding populations; in both cases from fermentation in hot, wet, anaerobic conditions.
See: http://icp.giss.nasa.gov/education/methane/intro/cycle.html.
It is estimated that natural methane production stands at 25 percent, whilst human activities; all having escalated since the mid 19th Century; account for the remaining 75 percent.
Methane is generally claimed by the green religion to possess 20-30 times the Global Warming capacity of carbon-dioxide, but the main concern here rests in methane-hydrate deposits of continental shelves.
The deposits’ stabilities, from delicate equilibrium, depend upon dampened Global temperature, and quantification suggests that Global Warming (caused by solar-effects and/or greenhouse gases), as a ‘knock-on’, may historically-soon liberate now-locked methane.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane_clathrate
One needs to balance a claim that carbon dioxide from slow degeneration of methane is automatically absorbed by vegetation, by considering reduction in photosynthetic capacity of the biosphere from global deforestation since the 19th Century; especially from destruction of tracts of tropical rainforest with expanding populations.
As to the solar theory of Global Warming, the British Press suddenly alarm us by observing that solar activity is now anomalous (exactly as, 24 years ago, I forecasted it would now be), so another cash-generating disaster-movie is probably in the pipe-line.
They claim a likely imminent repeat of the Carrington event that occurred at a solar peak on 1st September 1859, which nowadays, through a solar storm, would at least cause a ‘meltdown’ of our communication infrastructure.
See: Michael Hanlon, Science Editor, p. 15, Daily Mail; 20th April 2009
Yet enigmatically, the sun is also currently providing an impression that it has ‘gone on strike’; is cooling down.
See: David Derbyshire, p. 27, Daily Mail; p. 27, 22nd April 2009
I believe the cooling is an illusion, for maybe not only are peaks of current solar waves high, but the alternating troughs are low.
Thus it seems likely that the solar cycle is behaving like an approaching tsunami, which, as it closes towards disaster, draws water away from the shore, as if the tide is dramatically receding - before it rapidly strikes with a deep wave.
From personal long-term amateur work, I believe that such a serious phenomenon will probably soon occur; but, rather than it being a repeat of the Carrington phenomenon, it will be from a 934-year, solar, harmonic peak; and its effects may thus be even more catastrophic than the press has so far dared to suggest.
I am hopeful, but not too confident, that the World Bank will already have financed last-minute emergency procedures in preparation for the occasion.
Alternatively they may be offering prayers to their Green God and/or to the Sun – depending at which camp-site bankers sleep.

Raymond Groves

I love Bali Including its dogs The Jakarta Post, Friday 23 April 2009

I am a regular Australian visitor to Bali.
I love Bali and I love the people.
I am very disappointed that the killing of Bali dogs with poison continues unabated. This is horrendously cruel and heartbreaking for anyone to see.
Not only killing stray dogs but also much loved pets, in such a nasty way, is very sad.
This terrible act has been made public in Australia and Australia is horrified.
Hiding these activities from public view will not hide the fact that the violence still occurs.
The torture of any living creature is inhumane.
Cruelty involved with poisoning is not acceptable and the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend a trap-neuter-release scheme combined with rabies vaccination.
Please stop the cruelty to the Bali dogs.

Donna-Lee Houghton,
Denpasar,
Bali

The Sunspot cycle length Does not resolve the Greenhouse Gas dispute The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 23 April 2009

I refer to the letter of 21st April from Leon Ashby, and, for now, restrict comment to the issue of correlations between the solar flare cycle, terrestrial temperature, and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
I here earlier complained about Al Gore (a green convert), misinterpreting what has become known as the 'Al Gore 650,000 year graph'.
My complaint is since shared across the board, because Al Gore’s evidence, with cause and effect inverse to his assumption, suggests the exact opposite to his own conclusion.
He has not only blasted shot-pellets into his own foot, but also peppered the whole green camp, so Al Gore’s unscientific approach to the problem has impeded a balanced search for the truth.
Now, from the opposing camp, there is a problem of a so-far incomplete interpretation for Leon Ashby’s graph, and one needs to further elucidate the following statement from his letter:

“The 300 years of sunspot cycle records show the length of the sunspot cycle correlates with the earths temperature ----- This scientific evidence shows climate change is related to the sun and not CO2 or methane emissions.”

Before I attempt to partway explain the cited correlation, I observe that direct solar-flare “records” have only been taken for 183 years; not 300 years as claimed.
The records were started by Heinrich Schwabe in 1826, and later quantified through use of the 'Zurich sunspot number' devised by Rudolf Wolf.
That explains why the time axis of Leon’s graph spans from 1860 to the present. Were ‘records’ earlier than 1826 involved, they would be proxy-data (and therefore not ‘records’), and so might easily be logically invalid. Leon Ashby’s use of the periods of individual solar flare waves as an index is unconventional.
That does not count against the method as a (novel) scientific tool, but, as he does not make it clear, it must be spelled out that the “correlation” in Leon Ashby’s graph is negative.
Thus, the solar flare duration scale of the left axis is inverted, so both temperature and carbon dioxide levels increase with shorter solar-flare periods.
In trying to explain this, I suggest that the conventional 'Zurich sunspot number' is most probably closely inverse to Leon’s 'Solar cycle length'.
If that is so then both indices would be 'correlated' with temperature and carbon dioxide levels – but in the former case correlation is positive; in the latter, negative.
It could finally then be more confidently stated that, with respect to their effect on earth’s temperature, shorter solar flare phenomena are more intense than longer ones.
This may in itself be very interesting (to me anyway), but for now, and without much more background data, whilst it opens a door towards better analysing the solar-flare phenomenon, the graph appears to offer little towards addressing the problem as to whether or not anthropomorphic gases contribute to global warming.
The illustrated, smooth, carbon-dioxide increase shown on the Leon Ashby graph is arguably a lag effect from long time global-warming augmented by anthropomorphic contributions.
That preliminary interpretation could be more productively examined if all related graphs were scaled and presented as clearly as they are in the interesting one just provided here by Leon Ashby.

Raymond Groves

I wasn't there on that day Says Lapindo drilling supervisor The Jakarta Post, Thursday 23 April 2009

In connection with the news that appeared in The Jakarta Post, on 23 February 2009, entitled 'Police chief puts Lapindo on backburner', in which my name,
Rahenod, is the third on the list of 13 suspects, after the Lapindo general
manager and ex-general manager.
I notice that 'the police planned to drop the case'.
I would like to express my concern for victims of the Lapindo mudflow and
thank the National Police for their good intent to investigate the case.
I also deem it necessary to explain the actual situation related to my presence
on the drilling site at that time.
I was supervising logistical work because my status as drilling supervisor in the Lapindo project was terminated on April 21, 2006 based on a contract between PT Lapindo Brantas Inc. and PT Medisi Citra Nusa, whereas the Lapindo mudflow disaster occurred on May 29, 2006.
In this way I feel that my position is being cornered as one of the suspects in
the mudflow case.
Therefore, I herewith offer a clarification on my standing.

Rahenod,
Jakarta,
Indonesia

Call for Bataan Nuclear Power Plant To come out of mothballs The Philippine Inquirer, Wednesday 22 April 2009

I am just wondering why there was no objection at all from the people and local officials of Bataan, and even from the Church hierarchy, during the construction of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) from 1976 through 1984.
There were some groups that complained about the project’s rigged bidding and overpricing, and the hazards its operation could pose, but nothing came out of their
efforts.
At that time too, the US naval base in Subic, which was very near to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), was still open.
Morong, where the plant is located, was partly occupied by the naval base.
The US naval authorities could have been the first to oppose the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) if they had seen it as an imminent danger to the naval base complex.
The United States is known internationally to be very strict when it comes to the
issuance of environmental clearance for its infrastructures, whether built at home or in foreign countries.
I know for a fact that the residents of Bataan greatly benefited from the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant’s (BNPP) construction; most of the workforce came from
Bataan, and there was so much enthusiasm about how the plant would be of service to them and increase the power supply for Luzon.
Before the plant could operate, the Aquino administration mothballed it.
With $2.3 billion of people’s money spent for the plant, it would be wise to revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).
But first it should be made to comply with all safety requirements and it should be certified safe by the International Atomic Energy Commission.
The plant suffered no serious damage when Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991.
Let us give Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco a chance to prove a very worthy project that our country needs to generate additional supply of electricity.
I also believe that nuclear energy is still the safest to produce.
If the government cannot guarantee the safety of the nuclear plant, we might as well bury it in the sands of Bataan.

Eliseo R. Reblando. MD
Olongapo City,
Philippines

Livestock methane emissions are not guilty Say the Climate Sceptics The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 21 April 2009

Many people believe livestock methane emissions assist CO2 emissions in causing climate change. They are not for three reasons.
Since 1999 Methane levels have not increased in the atmosphere.They have stabilised so methane should not be a concern .
Even if methane levels were increasing, livestock methane emissions are in a closed loop where they break down into CO2 molecules within 10 years which get reabsorbed into plants and which are eaten by stock again.
Again that rules methane out as a worry.
The 300 years of sunspot cycle records show the length of the sunspot cycle correlates with the earths temperature
See attached graph...Open here
This scientific evidence shows climate change is related to the sun and not CO2 or methane emissions.
It should dispel any idea that greenhouse gases are to blame for any variance in the earth temperatures.
The green religion has infected almost all our current politicians.
It has silenced all but a couple of federal climate sceptic politicians.
The good news is that at the next election an upper house climate sceptic voting option will be in place to support livestock farmers with truth in the carbon and methane emissions debate.

Leon Ashby,
President,
The Climate Sceptics,
Mount Gambier,
South Australia

Cull the pirates A job for the Coalition of the Willing The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 21 April 2009

I think the United Nations should immediately sanction a full-on 'Coalition of The Willing/War against Terror' type of operation against the infestation of maritime pirates are now wrecking havoc in some of the world's busiest shipping thoroughfares - particularly around East Africa and Indo-China.
This force could be an amalgamated body of some of the world's foremost equipped and resourced naval forces, with a mission mandate of unrestricted operation within the prescribed areas.
It shouldn't be too hard for an appropriately sized armada to hunt down and 'splash' every last one of these disruptive and costly ratbags, whatever port, bay, river or cove they may be based in or attempt to flee to.
Any country within the prescribed areas who might raise objection or obstruction to such a UN force in carrying out it's mission should be deemed as being an active aider and abettor, immediately be declared as a part of the 'Axis of Piracy', and have the appropriate sanctions and actions implemented against it.
It's very important to make sure that, not only every one of these pestilences are (optimally) given a high-caliber lead-injection, but also that all their high-speed boats, GPS and communications equipment, machine guns, armaments, and all the rest of their very expensive tools of operation are destroyed and left totally US (absolutely FUBAR!).
Moreover, the Intelligence Services should investigate the channels of supply concerning who arm and rearm these cretins and then "give" them an offer they can't refuse!

P.McVean,
Darwin,
Northern Territory,
Australia

Be cautious of bias In assessing ‘separatist movements’ in Eastern Indonesia The Southeast Asian times, Monday 20 April 2009

An albeit- tentative conclusion from Joe Collins’ opened letter to the Australian senate (reproduced here on 18th April), is that the troubles in West Papua are initiated by Indonesian military groups to justify their existence, presence, and livelihood.
However, it is also noted there that responsibility for the related incidents in West Papua is not proven, and the Indonesian government itself attributes the violence to renegade, illegal groups.
Of course, if Australia West Papua Association (AWPA’s) suspicion becomes well-founded, the situation is regrettable, and I believe, anyway, it should become the business of the Indonesian government to more try to divert military activity away from the techniques and work of controlling violence, and more towards helping in disaster relief work:
Indonesia experiences more than its fair share of natural and anthropomorphic disasters and the continuous, nationwide deployment of military units lends itself to this development.
The following points do not categorically deny any assumptions of the Australia West Papua Association (AWPA) but maybe they could be taken on board to balance assessment.
In the past, the Suharto-led, Indonesian government maintained its authority by using many differently composed militia groups to repress miscellaneous anti-government activism across the country. Indonesia still suffers from that legacy, although during the post-reformasi period, the government has progressed in better organising its military units.
Many reports in recent decades, for example by the Laskar Jihad, clearly implicated Suharto-founded, Christian militia, such as the notorious “Yon Gab” or ‘red brigade’, as being responsible for the violence against Moslems that was often otherwise claimed to have been perpetrated by separatist groups.
Such artificially-inspired separatism particularly expresses in Indonesia’s Eastern provinces.
Not only that, but abandoned weapons and other evidence, from scenes; in Maluku and so on; of various anti-Moslem atrocities, are strongly suspected to have originated from outside Indonesia.
That leads to a reasonable conclusion that outside influences try to politically destabilize Indonesia by unwanted interferences ultimately designed to fragment a potentially powerful Moslem state.
Such an objective was inferred as extant when ex-President Bush past-condemned Indonesia for being ‘too big, unwieldy, and unmanageable’.
The statement appeared to conceal a directive, probably originating from his Zionist advisors, to encourage violent, Christian-separatist movements as part of the “crusade” against the Moslem world – a word that President Bush used that inflamed the situation to advantage such his policies. Thus, to encourage division within Indonesia seems to be quite in keeping with the America/Zionist strategy of eroding the infrastructure and stability of potentially-successful, Moslem states - so as to destroy any their hope for material development - despite that the public will for improvement there exists in all respects.
The presence of the US military in the nearby Philippines; along with constantly aggravated and politically manipulated ‘Moslem separatism’ close to Indonesian eastern borders; may also be very much related to the problem being considered by Australia West Papua Association (AWPA)

Raymond Groves

How in Papua New Guinea Did they get into small bussiness The National, Sunday 19 April 2009

I was surprised last Sunday when I went to the Nine-Mile market outside
Port Moresby and saw some Asians renting a semi-permanent building for
tyre services.
In fact, the building was divided into half.
The other side was used for tyre services and the other half was used for selling goods.
How on earth did these foreigners get involved in a simple business activity that any ordinary Papua New Guinean can do, even those without any academic qualifications?
If these foreigners were brought into Papua New Guinea to invest, why didn’t they
venture into some complex business activities that a common person on the
street will look at and admire?
Something must be done quickly to protect business opportunities for our
local people before our vegetable and buai markets are also taken over by
such foreigners.

Ishmael Waim,
Pacific Adventist University
Port Moresby,
Papua New Guinea

Letter to Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs From Australia West Papua Association, Sydney The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 18 April 2009 The Hon Stephen Smith MP Minister for Foreign Affairs Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 16 April 2009 Dear Mr Smith, Since writing to you on the 5 April 2009 concerning the increasing tensions in West Papua, the situation is deteriorating further. On Wednesday the 15 April a policeman was killed and six others wounded when they were ambushed by an unidentified group in Tingginambut in the Puncak Jaya district of West Papua. This incident is the latest in a series of attacks which have occurred in the region. On Tuesday night a room in the office of the Provincial Elections Commission, or KPUD, in Jayapura caught fire. Hasyim Sangaji, a KPUD member, said that although the cause of the fire had not yet been determined, four people who were in the office when the fire began at 10 p.m. said they heard “something that sounded like an explosion before they saw the flames.” There have also been reports concerning a clash in the border area between West Papua and PNG. According to the Post Courier (PNG ) 14/4/09, eleven people were killed “six of them Indonesian soldiers and five pro-West Papuan separatists – in a bloody fight at the border of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea on Easter eve”. AWPA is concerned that a number of these incidents have been instigated by militia groups to give the military an excuse to crack down on so called separatists . While some police officers have tried to blame the recent attacks on the OPM, Free Papua Movement, the National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri was quoted in the Jakarta Post (14 April 2009) as saying “they were merely "a group of armed men violating the laws", and firm action should be taken against them. AWPA is concerned that these incidents have been created by third parties out to distrupt the Presidential election as the Indonesian President’s talk of reform is not welcome by all members of the security forces. It should always be remembered that it is in the interest of the military to provoke conflict in West Papua in order to prove that they are needed to maintain law and order and control so called separatists groups. The Indonesian military receive approximately 30% of their budget from the government and must raise the rest themselves. Much of this is done through illegal means such as illegal logging, mining and offering to provide so called security to international companies such as the Freeport copper and gold mine. AWPA urges you to use your good offices with the Indonesian Government to raise the continuing deteriorating situation in West Papua with the Indonesian President and urge him to in particular to control the security forces in West Papua as a way of avoiding further escalation of the situation and avoiding possible bloodshed. Yours sincerely, Joe Collins Secretary Australia West Papua Association (AWPA), Sydney, Australia

Climate change not caused by greenhouse gases Says, Dr Miklos Zagoni The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 18 April 2009

Hungarian scientist, Dr. Miklos Zagoni, has amazing greenhouse evidence and should be invited to speak to Australias Emissions scheme Senate inquiry.
Dr.Zagoni had a good crowd of 50 people hear his presentation on Greenhouse gases at the University of Newcastle Wednesday 15th April.
Dr Zagoni spoke about how he was a reviewer of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC) 2007 Assessment Report Four and previously accepted Greenhouse gases caused climate change.
The research done by his colleague Dr Ferenc Miskolczi has now radically changed his opinion on the cause of climate change.
The research shows Greenhouse gases cannot be the cause.
The crowd that attended had a number of scientists present.
They had a high regard for the evidence presented.
Noone could fault it.
Dr Zagoni will be appearing in front of a Committee set up by the New Zealand Government on 4th May to revise their emissions trading scheme.
As one of the world`s leading academics on greenhouse gas research he should be invited to speak to the senate inquiry on the emissions trading scheme while he is in Australia.
No scientist in the world has yet written a paper to counter the findings of Dr Miskolczi `s research in the two years since it was published.
This information should be analysed properly by our best beauracrats and scientists so we can determine if an emissions trading scheme will be a waste of money or not.

Leon Ashby,
President,
The Climate Sceptics,
Mt Gambier,
South Australia

 

A verification of the nature Of ‘the Thaksin mob’ The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 17 April 2009

My own outside views about the political situation in Thailand are also accurately put in the letter, reprinted here on 15th April, from Mithun Jung of Katmandu.
Although such as we might be summarily accused of holding views that are not in touch with the real Thailand as experienced by its residents, sometimes outsiders do see things more objectively than those living in the shadow of a direct conflict.
There are many aspects of the Thaksin movement that repel me; for example: the use of a uniform of redshirts as odious symbolism: the reports that these ‘redshirts’ have been attacking Bangkok’s Muslim citizens - reeking of the worst kind of western influence and conflicting with traditional Thai tolerance: their further abandonment of traditional values in favour of shallow western materialism: the fact that Thaksin, as a business magnate clouded by fiscal shadows, can assert any claim he is able to represent the views of Thailand’s poor: and last but not least, the gross violence of the demonstrations of a minority trying to impose themselves on the country; for surely, the torching of buses and throwing fire-bombs at the police are not endearing political strategies.
To me the Thaksin movement is one expression from an aggressive, adverse, western influence that has been insidiously accumulating in Thai society during recent decades.
I hope Thailand manages to repel that influence but at the same time can conserve its more constructive, long-term, western involvements.

Raymond Groves

 

Call for conditions On Malaysian match-making agencies The New Straits Times, Thursday 16 April 2009

I view with concern the plight of Vietnamese bride Ngo Thi Kim who was
rejected by her Malaysian husband within two weeks of marriage, 'Rejected
Vietnamese bride wants to go home' in New Straits Times, April 11.
It is cruel on the part of the husband to treat her in this manner.
He has not only ruined her married life but is also preventing her from leaving
the country by withholding her passport.
People like him tarnish the image of our country.
As with other cases in the past, the authorities must impose stringent conditions on licensed match-making agencies to ensure foreign women are not victimised by
unscrupulous men.
The victim deserves sympathy and help.
Perhaps some non-governmental organisation can assist her.

S. Sundareson,
Petaling Jaya,
Malaysia

Who cares who wins On Bangkok streets The Bankgok Post, Wednesday

We care less which side wins.
Let them fight until any one side is completely wiped out.
No compromise, no cease-fire.
Unless all root or seed of the dispute is destroyed, true and sustainable peace will never come back to this country.

R H Suga,
Lamphun,
Thailand

 

Thaksin mob Has damaged Thai image The Bangkok Post, 15 April 2009

I have been visiting Thailand for nearly 40 years now, since when Thaksin Shinawatra was probably going to school in cropped hair and shorts.
I have been amazed at and even admired the development in your country and its human resources.
Such processes are not perfect anywhere, but you did this while keeping the basic Thai soul and character.
It was therefore painful to see on television the recent scenes in Pattaya, where a mob of some 3,000 red shirts stormed into the hotel building where Asean and other heads of government were to have discussions on responses in Asia to the current global economic crisis.
This pro-Thaksin mob has very seriously damaged the image of Thailand, and insulted the leaders of Asia and the countries they represent.
The police and security services were inept even by Third World standards.
They failed in their duty, as hosts to the visiting leaders; and as Thais to their country.
Both they and the mob seemed to think more about Thaksin than Thailand.
Thaksin is not good for the Thai polity.
While many people like him, many people do not.
He is divisive.
Thailand now needs leaders who can unite, and reflect the spirit of moderation, consensus, self-discipline, restraint and social cohesion that comes from Buddhist dharma and Thai society.
Thailand does not need a demagogue who can manipulate loyalty and emotions from long distance, with billions in shady resources, while dodging the courts of his own country.
Thaksin personifies the new breed of self-centred politicos who are skilful in organising parties and mobilising mobs, and in securing the often simplistic and idiopathic support of Western media and NGOs.
They think that political success and lots of money puts them above the law.
Thailand looks so sadly divided. It is most important to guard the special place and sanctity of what is uniquely Thai, such as the revered monarchy and the special place of Buddhist dharma.
A good Thai will respect foreign guests and leaders, and be polite to visitors.

Mithun Jung,
Kathmandu

Prof Plimer and Dr Miklos Zagoni Challenge climate alarmists The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 15 April 2009

Two Internationally respected scientits are putting up the challenge to those saying CO2 causes Climate Change.
First: Professor Ian Plimers new book, 'Heaven and Earth' Global warming, The missing science, is a huge challenge for people like Australian climatologist,
Dr David Karoly, Australian Climate Change and Water Minister, Penny Wong, Australian Greens Senator for Tasmania, Bob Brown and scientist, Prof Tim Flannery.
It has evidence that natural events unrelated to human activity have always controlled the Earths climate.
This contradicts the green religious assumptions and beliefs of those saying reducing CO2 emissions is vital to save the planet.
This new evidence demands a debate on Australin Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) TV between Professor Plimer and any of the above.
The science needs to be put in the public TV arena and if the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) does not bring us such a debate, it is obviously biased and failing in its charter as an independant reporter.
The second: Scientist Dr Miklos Zagoni
Dr. Miklos Zagoni, Hungarian physicist, reviewer of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007 Assessment Report Four is speaking in Newcastle today Wednesday 15 April at 1pm about how Greenhouse gases cannot cause climate change.
On 4th May, Dr Zagoni will appear in front of a Committee set up by the New Zealand Government to revise their emissions trading scheme.
'I am not sceptic at all', says Dr Zagoni
''I am positively convinced that the anthropogenic global warming theory is wrong. New developments in the physics of greenhouse effect and radiative transfer show that the accepted theory leads to largely exaggerated global warming projections', he says.
The new results were achieved and published in peer-reviewed periodicals by his fellow Hungarian physicist Dr. Ferenc Miskolczi, who has been principal research scientist at National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Langley Research Center in the United States for years.
Dr. Zagoni is to give a series of talks and lectures in Australia including Newcastle and Mt Gambier on 23rd May .
Dr. Miskolczi's new results prove that the accepted theory contradicts fundamental physical principles.
The Earth maintains a controlled greenhouse effect by strict energetic constraints.
Runaway global warming seems physically impossible.

Leon Ashby,
President,
The Climate Sceptics,
Mt Gambier,
South Australia

Tourists to Indonesia Want what they have been promised Jakarta Post, Tuesday 14 April 2009

I cannot see Jakarta becoming a major tourist draw in the foreseeable future, at
least not for western tourists.
Jakarta simply does not have the facilities or the attractions that would interest or satisfy large volumes of visitors from most western countries.
European tourists, for example, are used to most of their major cities being rich in culture and centuries of history.
Just look at cities like London, Paris, Milan, and Madrid.
They are brimming with spectacular buildings, galleries, museums, and theaters. They have world-class stores, the finest restaurants, stunning landmarks, huge expanses of beautiful park lands and entertainment 24 hours a day.
They also have sophisticated infrastructure and public transportation systems that allow visitors to get about easily, quickly, and comfortably.
Comparatively, these cities are people friendly, with wide pavements and many pedestrian only zones.
Through your average western tourist's eyes, Jakarta is messy and uncomfortable.
It is badly organized and poorly maintained, lacking completely in any form of
usable public transportation system that would meet tourism demand.
It has virtually no walkways, pavements or other pedestrian facilities such as public
toilets and rest areas.
There are no obvious parks or open spaces of any significance, and it is unbelievably dirty, congested and heavily polluted.
Features that could attract tourist eyes, such as Jakarta's waterways, are trash
ridden, smelly, and sadly neglected.
The erection of a few monolithic buildings will not fix Jakarta.
Fact!
Malls hold no interest for your average western tourist.
Green open spaces with palm trees and lakes, and easily accessible', well preserved historic buildings.
These, yes.
Malls no.
Maybe one day Jakarta can be an attractive tourist city on par with Singapore, potentially even better if cleverly planned, but today it is at ground zero.
It is chaotic and left wanting by bad planning and development after so many years of neglect.
Those responsible for promoting Indonesian tourism initiatives need to realize that western visitors do not want what they want them to want: fresh vision is required. They want beautiful beaches and wonderful seas, warm evenings and star studded skies, pristine forests and an abundance of wildlife, mountains, lakes and clear, clean rivers.
They also want to experience the diversity of cultures that Indonesia can offer. They want to feel free and relaxed and most importantly, respected and welcome. Finally, they want what they are promised and at a price that represents value for money.
Tourism is far too important for Indonesia to treat it with disrespect and indifference.
If one breaks it down to the bare bones, tourism is a product, the tourist a customer.
Marketing is not just about developing a promotional advertising campaign.
It is about developing a product based on consumer needs.
In the case of Indonesia's tourist potential at the moment, discovering exactly what is the uniqueness available, packaging it well and with good taste and selling that (not some bizarre, fantasy vision) has to be the way forward.
In regard to Indonesia's uniqueness, it is also worth mentioning that it is definitely time to start getting serious about protecting its natural resources:
The forests, wildlife and marine environments seem to be constantly under
threat.
If anybody takes offense at any of these criticisms, I apologize, but before making any acidic statements, perhaps they should reflect on the fact that tourism has the potential to lift many millions of people across Indonesia out of poverty.
On that basis I believe it deserves to be fully and professionally exploited.

Denni Hooping,
Jakarta,
Indonesia

Jail for Garuda pilot Will not fix the problem Jakarta Post, Monday 13 April 2009

Re: Your comments in The Jakarta Post on the two-year jail term punishment of Garuda pilot Muhammad Marwoto Komar for negligence after he crash-landed his plane in 2007 killing 21 people, including five Australians.
If pilot's inability to execute his job is a criminal offense, then the people who were responsible for his training, and the people who deemed him fit to fly, should also be held accountable for the loss of life that resulted.
It's not like the pilot made an individual decision to show up drunk or without enough sleep for his job.
This airline is banned from flying to Europe and North America due to safety concerns.
Holding this one individual accountable, and shipping him off to jail to appease everyone, is just a cover-up for problems that are systemic with this airline.
This pilot's actions are a symptom of the problem.
Fix the problem.
Fix the airline.
Until then, everyone traveling on this airline is rolling the dice, and trying their luck.

Wang Fu,
Jakarta,
Indonesia

Thais have been Thais far longer Than they have been red and yellow The Nation, Sunday 12 April 2009

More than ever, I think what Thais need most nowadays is probably
'moral advice'.
Over the talked, educated or lured into wearing one of the colours.
Many have already been brainwashed by talented speakers.
A few months ago, I was impressed by one of the things Phra Wor Watcharamethi wrote in a magazine.
He said: 'Thais have been Thai for a lot longer, long before we were divided into the reds and the yellows. We have been friends for a longer period than we have been on opposing sides. Why bother with what people from short-lived political parties say to change this precious relationship?'
It is such words of wisdom that are needed from 'religious powers'.
They should be leading us toward right thoughts and right deeds and should be stopping people with substandard morality from sowing seeds of anger.
We need the major pillars in this Kingdom to stand up and support us.

Jarin. P,
Khon Kaen,
Thailand

 

Call for public not to visit zoos Holding illegally acquired wildlife The Star, Friday 11 April 2009

Recent media reports of the rare and endangered birds of paradise have caught
the attention of Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) following publicity on the Bukit
Takal Zoo in Kemaman, Terengganu, and the latest report on these birds exhibited
at Taman Lee Huat in Jitra, Kedah.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is disturbed to learn of the presence of more such birds acquired for display in bird parks and zoos.
Understanding the status of these birds which are endangered and totally
protected in both Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, we are highly intrigued as to
how they made their way into this country.
The bird keeper at Taman Lee Huat said that the birds were acquired from an
Indonesian bird trader five years ago.
It can be easily concluded that these birds were smuggled out since the countries of origin of these birds do not allow trade in them. Indonesia banned the trade in 1990.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) would like to know whether the Wildlife Department is aware that the birds had been brought in by an Indonesian trader at that time, and whether the birds were legally or illegally acquired by the present owners with the necessary import permits.
We also expressed interest in knowing how the birds of paradise were acquired
for the Bukit Takal Zoo in a letter to the Wildlife Department sometime last
week. We are still awaiting their reply.
At the same time, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) encourages the department to investigate all locations of such birds to ensure that they are acquired in a legal manner.
Those who continue to display illegally-acquired wildlife are contributing to the decline of the wild and endangered bird population and this would surely tarnish
Malaysia’s reputation.
Members of the public should also play their part by not visiting zoos with
illegally-acquired wildlife.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) would also like to urge the authorities to act against the illegal trade in
these birds.

S.M. Mohd Idris,
President,
Sahabat Alam Malaysia,
Penang,
Malaysia

Outdated school of painting Designed for colonial Indonesia The Jakarta Post, Friday 10 April 2009

In response to the article by Bruce W. Carpenter titled 'Adolfs: Generic beauty in the Dutch East Indies' published in Jakarta Post, March 29, I would like to refute several of his statements and provide some additional information:
I agree with Carpenter, that compared to other primarily European schools of painting of the period, the so called 'Beautiful Indies Style' was an out-dated school of painting.
The pictures painted in this style, however, capture some people at certain times of their life and are very valuable to them for this reason.
The book Adolfs - the painter of Java and Bali, was primarily written for this target group - collectors of Adolfs' pictures and admirers of his art.
This book also targets people of Indonesian descent in the Netherlands and all over the world and gives them an impression of the former colonial lifestyle of their ancestors, parents and relatives.
The book was intended to provide a complete overview of Adolfs' life and work, including a detailed list of Adolfs' oil-paintings.
This is one of the reasons why the book became so sumptuous an immense tome - as Carpenter calls it
In order to explain the taste of the colonial elite of the former Dutch East Indies, and their suspicion and distaste for Europe's modern art movements, one has to understand the circumstances of their lives.
Far away from Europe these people wanted art made in the Dutch East Indies that reflected their lifestyles, their land and their environment.
I disagree with Carpenter's statements that Adolfs disliked modern styles of art. Adolfs himself occasionally painted in modern styles during his life in Dutch East India and his later life in the Netherlands.
I also disagree with Carpenter's statements about the quality of Adolfs' art.
Adolfs did produce some competent and even good work - as Carpenter himself admits.
His illustrated scenes of daily life, kampungs, cock-fights and landscapes are skillfully portrayed.
Adolfs succeeded in catching the time and life of the former Dutch East India - specifically the rural part of it - in beautiful, colorful and opulent paintings.
Adolfs was a genuinely skillful painter and his experiences as an architect imbued him with a strong sense of color and movement.
Therefore the term 'minor' used by Carpenter can only be related to Adolfs' degree of popularity compared of other painters from the 'Beautiful Indies Style' genre and not by the quality of his art.
To judge Adolfs' art as 'generic fluff 'as Carpenter does in this style seems unfair and improper.
One would have to judge Adolfs in the context of the better known artists of this painting school such as Spies, Hofker, Bonnet and Le Mayeur to reach any fair conclusions.
In closing I argue that the depth of Adolfs' work warranted this book and that commemorating him and his art is important to his admirers.

Ralph Borntraeger,
Jakarta,
Indonesia

Who's who At G-20 and Nato summit The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 9 April 2009

The World Leader's weekend of photo opportunities – oops sorry, G20/NATO meetings - are over and despite the empty rhetoric, the Illuminati have once more 'pulled a fast one'.
As a consequence, millions more will lose their jobs, houses, cars and be lucky to have three meals per day.
Instead of the stimulus package going straight to the ‘Brotherhood of Avarice’ in the ‘Wall Street Temples of Greed’ (remember they were the ‘pick-pockets’ who caused the chaos in the first place) the money was diverted to the International Monetary Fund; same villains, different department.
After the hand-shaking, back-slapping, cheek-kissing and ‘brown-nosing’ there was a call in 20 different languages from the waiting media ‘snappers’ for the delegates to say 'Cheese'.
This resulted in a display of only 19 sets of dentures; Canadian PM Harper was reported 'missing in action'.
Family albums around the world will be greatly enhanced by lots of happy snaps placed next to Auntie Rachael and Uncle Solly.
Before the main event took place, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German President Angela Merkel put on a display for home consumption by playing 'hard to get'.
However, at the arrival of the ‘Masters of the Universe’, knees became weak, and compliance became the order of the day.
A quick glance at the seating plan for the dinner, held at No 10 Downing St., gives an indication of ‘who's who’.
The three most prominent positions were, Dominique Strauss-Kahn International Monetary Fund, Robert Zoellick World Bank and Pascal Lamy World Trade Organisation.
A Google Internet search on these names will enhance ones knowledge of the suppressive aims of the most ardent proponents of the nefarious New World Order.
G20/NATO was nothing more than a massive taxpayer funded ‘gravy train’ full of egotistical attention seekers who believe in their own infallibility, desperately strutting the world stage vying for a place in history.
'Quantitative easing', the bankers new buzz word for printing money - a latter day ‘wheelbarrow’ Weimer Republic syndrome – was the order of the day.
This could lead to a total global collapse of the world’s financial system and there are no prizes for guessing who will be the victims of this debacle.
The final statement by UK PM Gordon Brown that they had reached a 'New World Order' - disorder would be more appropriate – should send a clear message that the Zionist bankers are still in full control.
The whole pathetic rigmarole was repeated, ad nauseam, at the NATO conference.
German host, President Merkel was greatly embarrassed when she was kept waiting as Italy's Silvio Berlusconi made an extended telephone call to Turkey; typical behaviour from a jumped up buffoon with claims to be a world leader.
This conference was also hailed as a 'great success'; Afghanistan was high on the agenda but closer scrutiny will show otherwise.
Despite the fact that most senior military advisors have stated that there is no military solution in this theatre of action, President Obama decided he would send an extra 17,000 troops, which was increased to 22,000.
His head honcho General Marcus B 'Kickass III' then requested a further 10,000 bringing the number to 32,000.
The president demanded that NATO ‘pull its weight’ and contribute a large troop deployment to back America’s phoney 'War on Terror'; the reluctant Europeans only offered a maximum of 5,000 non-combat troops to supervise the up-coming election.
There is now a desperate need to prove that the war has been a success.
So as long as there is, what appears to be, an image of a democratic election and some tin-pot puppet of the US/Israel is elected; everything in the poppy fields will be lovely.

Maurice Horsburgh,
Palm Beach,
Queensland,
Australia

Banks profit from Fractional reserve lending The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 9 April 2009

Surely, it seems time for the Australian Government to regulate the Banks once more.
I say this as they are not passing on the rate cut handed down by the reserve bank The reason given they are now paying a higher rate for borrowed foreign money. That would be fine if they only loaned that money out once but with fancy bookkeeping called fractional reserve lending they actually can loan the borrowed funds up to eighteen times.
In fact, they loan savings bank funds up to 32 times.
In other words loaning money they do not really have.
How else could a bank make five billion dollars net profit in six months pure greed? Come on Prime Minister, demand they pass on the cut or else.

Frank Crichlow,
Carrara,
Queensland
Australia

What is Plan B if CO2 is not cause of climate change The Climate Sceptics ask the Australian government The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 9 April 2009

Our Government has said it trusts the view of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as the basis for bringing in an Emissions trading scheme (ETS), however since the whole IPCC process is not open to proper independant analysis, it is most likely wrong.
For Example,
There is no openness about the formulas used in the (IPCC) computer climate models.
The computer models do not include the negative feedback processes as detailed by Roy Spencers latest climate water vapour research.
The predictions of the worlds temperature for the last 4 years from the models has not occurred and there is no scientist in the world that can demonstrate CO2 is in fact the cause of climate change.
I therefore ask the Federal Government and the opposition "What is the Plan B'' should it become clear within the next ten years that the CO2 scare was grossly exaggerated?
E.g. would they scrap their ETS and if not what would be the justification for
keeping it?

Leon Ashby,
President,
The Climate Sceptics.
Mt Gambier,
South Australia

 

Earth Hour Exposed The New Straits Times, Thursday 9 April 2009

I was incensed at being duped into switching off the lights and spending the dark hours camping in my garden during Earth Hour.
According to Mohd Peter Davis, Earth Hour is fraudulent, immoral and a total farce in The New Straits Times, April 3.
All my life, I believed in 'waste not, want not'.
I stint on food, save on water and inhale only when necessary, all for the sake of conserving the environment for posterity.
Imagine my relief when told what I have been doing is fraudulent, immoral and a total farce.
I am now breaking loose.
I feel no guilt in plundering the Earth, depleting its resources, polluting the environment and poisoning everything along my way.
After all, according to science, destruction of Mother Earth is not man-made but destined by the Earth's polar tilt and other stellar and galactic forces.
Global warmings and coolings have been cyclical ever since the Big Bang, and are beyond the control of any intelligent being.
We mortals, cannot be blamed for accelerating the calamity by a thousand years. Now that scientists have espoused the benefits of more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, by extension, the so-called carbon footprint and carbon trading are also fraudulent, immoral and a total farce.
On the contrary, we should embark on a glorious mission to ramp up carbon dioxide emission.
If carbon dioxide is good for photosynthesis, it is good for vegetation growth. What's good for the goose must be good for the gander.
Sceptics have always dismissed important historical events such as the Holocaust, the moon landing, 9/11, and perhaps, in due course, the feat of our badminton superstar Datuk Lee Chong Wei.
I would have bought the scientists' argument on global warming and carbon
emission if not for the gentle plea from my unborn child.
'Please save the Earth, scientists and all.'

P.Y.G.,
Johor Baru,
Malaysia

Thaksin Shinawatra Thai public enemy Number One The Nation, Wednesday 8 April 2009

Why is the government allowing outlaw Thaksin Shinawatra all the freedom in the world to lead his pack of hooligans to cause chaos, anarchy and more divisions, from abroad?
Why doesn't the government consider this as a threat to national security?
Thaksin is an indicted criminal on the run, but the government is doing nothing to bring him back to serve his sentence.
He still holds a Thai passport and travels freely around the world.
The government's lame excuse that in order to ask for a foreign country's extradition of Thaksin, one needs to know first whether Thaksin is indeed in that country, just does not hold water.
Why can't we send out an all board bulletin to all countries to look out for 'Square Face'.
Afterall, he is Public Enemy No. 1.
Another joke on the government's part that the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry has still yet to determine which satellite Thaksin uses to beam his 'phone in'; therefore the government is unable to block his transmission signal.
Does this mean that this is the very first time that the Thai government has ever considered looking into the satellite media matter?
What happens if we are being attacked by aliens tomorrow?
The government clearly lacks the determination and perhaps ability to tackle the Thaksin problem.
What a shame.

Supreecha. D
Bangkok,
Thailand

Bush should explain 'God made me do it' To War Crimes Tribunal The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 7 April 2009

As a result of its continuing endeavour to introduce US/Christian Zionist type 'democracy' into Iraq the ensuing casualties, including those of women and children, now exceed, in number, one million.
With America now on the cusp of another military defeat, we must not lose sight of the fact that, to achieve the purported 'salvation' of this nation by sheer weight of arms, George W. Bush initially assured his gullible 'bible-belt' supporters that
"God is on our side".
Now, I am - with your permission - about to appeal to any one of your readers to submit a certified eye-witness account that his (Bush's) God did, indeed whisper consent and encouragement into George's ear in order for him to practice murder and mayhem upon the innocent.
Those of us who pursue a regime of rational thought realise, of course, that this claim was - and remains - a despicable political ploy deliberately designed to condition the notionally naive to casually accept the advent of an amoral and illegal war ; to believe that it was, indeed, ordained and blessed by their 'exclusive' compassionate Christian God.
And also remember, the carnage that followed throughoput Iraq as a consequence of the bogus claim of "weapons-of-mass-destruction" was endorsed by the born-again-Christian, former puppet, US President Bush Jr.
Is it possible that he, and his Zionist/neocon cohorts may, some day, be summoned to appear before a War Crimes Tribunal to defend these atrocities as having been condoned by their hypothetical God?
I wonder if former Australian PM Howard and UK's Tony Blair ( another religious convert) - as former enthusiastic members of The-Coalition-of-the-Willing - have ever examined their conscionence and re-considered their heartless collusive involvment and possible consequences of such?

Harry A. Boniface,
Currumbin,
Queensland,
Australia

US allows Israel To produce nuclear weapons The Southeast Asian Times, Tuesday 7 April 2009

I Think President Obama is sincere in his attempt to ban nuclear weapons but unfortunately he has to first get over the legacy he inherited from George Bush who labelled Iran and North Korea the access of evil and Israel threatened to attack Iran as did Bush threaten to attack North Korea.
Until Obama takes a firm hand with Israel naturally, Iran will defend itself by producing nuclear arms as Israel is being allowed to do unhindered.
No doubt, large amounts of the problems in the Middle East are down to the Zionists in Israel who have illegally occupied part of another country.
As well as their associates in Wall Street, causing the financial mess the western world is in at present.
The present Israeli Prime Minister announcing that the US does not tell Israel what to do - Israel tells the US what to do.
I support Jews against Zionism.

Frank Crichlow,
Carrara,
Queensland,
Australia

It is premature For “Skeptics” to speak of Global Cooling The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 6 April 2009

The issue of Global warming is of profound importance, so I concur with Leon Ashby in Southeast Asian Times, 4th April – also 2nd April, when he suggests greater publicised dialogue between ‘greenhouse gassers’ and ‘skeptics'.
That would not really justify public expenditure on bureaucrats who have done no real work on the issue, but it would enable both factions to contribute to the scientific truth.
I also agree with him about the role of Carbon Dioxide being inadequately explained, but greatly disagree with his claim that the planet is cooling, and regard his evidence as being from exceptions that prove the (opposite) rule.
Anybody who does not believe that ice is retreating should take a trip to the Arctic, and they would quickly reverse their opinion.
Also, to judge that the earth is cooling from recent local flooding in Eastern Australia is rather like concluding that the tide is going out from an observation that water is retreating from an incoming wave, just previously broken on the shoreline. Leon Ashby balances his eggs in two baskets.
He claims that global temperature fluctuates from an oscillation in solar/terrestrial
C of G, but on the other he claims it is dependent upon what he calls “the length of the solar flare cycle”.
For the past 200 years the period of the solar flare cycle has remained constant at a little over 11 years; and as far as I can see without any significant drift.
I have always taken current Global Warming as mainly resulting from an increase in the solar flare intensity/frequency, which during the past 50 years has been especially evident.
I believe that a (1000y) peak in this trend will be reached in about 2010-2011 and thereafter will recede.
The predicted subsequent cooling will not be effective right away as effects from the sun are lagged - for example, the world’s oceans represent a huge heat sump, which will maintain global warming influences for a long time - and, the observed significant reduction in ice cover; with loss of reflectivity; is increasing heat adsorbed at the earth’s surface.
That the oceans are indeed warming is well-illustrated by the destructive effects of the increased temperature on marine life (such as corals).
Such an increase releases Carbon Dioxide previously dissolved in the water (Carbon Dioxide solubility is inverse to temperature), and one does wonder how much of the claimed increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases might be from fossil fuel emissions, and how much from release from already warming waters – although proxy factors do suggest that emissions would significantly contribute.

Raymond Groves

Letter to Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs From Australia West Papua Association, Sydney The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 6 April 2009 The Hon Stephen Smith MP Minister for Foreign Affairs Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 5 April 2009 Dear Mr Smith, I am writing to you on behalf of the Australia West Papua Association (Sydney), concerning the dangerously deteriorating situation in West Papua. There have been a large number of rallies in West Papua during the past month with the latest one occurring on Friday the 3rd April in which thousands of West Papuans marched in the towns of Nabire and Wamena. The West Papuan people were calling for a boycott of the coming national election and for independence for West Papua. The rally was also in support of the launch of the group “International Lawyers for West Papua”. There have been a number of arrests in Wamena where three people including one junior high school student were arrested after participating in a rally. Up to fifteen people were also arrested in Waena approximately 15 km from Jayapura after police raided the office of the Papuan Customary Council. They also destroyed equipment during the raid. Those arrested are currently detained at the Jayapura police station where they have not been allowed access to lawyers. Two other West Papuans were also arrested when they arrived in Jayapura from Manokwari. No charge was laid against them but they are been held in the Papua Police headquarters again without being given any access to lawyers. In the Puncak Jaya district there have been a number of attacks on Indonesian security posts, military patrols and the killing of individuals in the district since the beginning of the year. The Indonesian military have responded to these incidents by deploying more troops to the area. The Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Christian Zebua told Antara state news agency “that more soldiers would be deployed to secure areas prone to violence, particularly in Tingginambut in Puncak Jaya Regency”. AWPA believes that it is in the interests of the Indonesian military to provoke conflict in West Papua and every incident cannot be blamed on the OPM. There are also militia groups operating in West Papua and West Papuans have reported that a false OPM has been created by the military to instigate incidents . Prominent West Papuans including a Papuan member of the Indonesian parliament, has called for a different approach instead of the typical military response of more troops to the area. In a report on Radio New Zealand International (30 March) , the West Papua religious leader and academic Father Neles Tebay said “the recent spate of killings in Puncak Jaya regency highlight the urgent need for dialogue between Indonesia and West Papuan representatives” and “that political dimension should be settled. And that political dimension will not settle through deploying more troops, through conducting military operations.” AWPA is concerned that the security forces will use the incidents in the Puncak Jaya regency and the rallies by civil society organizations as an excuse to crack down on those groups the term to be separatists. Amnesty International in its recent report “Indonesia: Jailed for waving a flag: Prisoners of Conscience in Maluku” (released March 200) has noted that “the security police have used Government Regulation No. 77/2007 on the use of regional flags as grounds for arresting and detaining people who are only organizing or taking part in peaceful flag- raising events” and “since the issuing of this government regulation, Amnesty International has recorded a significant increase in the number of people arrested and detained in Papua and Maluku for peacefully expressing their political views”. AWPA urges the Australian Government to raise the deteriorating situation in West Papua with the Indonesian President and urge him to immediately release all those West Papuans arrested for simply taking part in peaceful rallies which is their democratic right release all West Papuan political prisoners as a sign of good faith to the West Papuan people control the security forces in West Papua, urging that the security forces halt their intimidation of peaceful demonstrators as a way of avoiding further escalation of the situation and avoiding possible bloodshed. dialogue with representatives of the West Papuan people to try and solve the many issues of concern in the territory. Yours sincerely Joe Collins Secretary AWPA (Sydney)

 

Ministry of Religious Affairs Best guide for Buddha Bar The Jakarta Post, Sunday 5 April 2009

It is shameful of the Jakarta city administration to issue a license for a bar serving alcohol in an elite residential area, even more so when it is named 'Buddha Bar' which, of course, hurts the feelings of the Buddhist people.
Will the administration give permits for the establishments of an 'Islam Bar' or
a 'Jesus or Christ Bar' or a 'Krishna or Shiva Bar'?
The city administration needs advice from the Ministry of Religious Affairs or
other institutions, as the best guides in these matters.
Most of the comments from Western expatriates do not hold water here; neither are they Buddhist nor do they have any respect for religious sentiment in this country; nor do they understand the Indonesian concept of democracy and 'freedom of expression'.
Our forefathers taught us 'equality and goodness for all'.

Gulzar,
Jakarta,
Indonesia

North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency Should employ Indigenous lawyers The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 4 April 2009

Re: 'Territory indigenous legal service seeks proper funding' in The Southeast Asian Times, Monday 30 March.

I am sad to see the Southeast Asian Times panders to the incompetence of the Aboriginal Legal Service - North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA).
The request for funding belittles the simple fact that NAAJA does not act in either a culturally competent way when dealing with its clients, nor addresses the fundamental issues affecting the clients and the communities they belong too.
The Community Courts is an example.
NAAJA lawyers have not pushed nor assisted the community to address the issues facing them.
Particularly when it comes to breaking the cycle of reoffending.
On this basis alone, where in comparison, most other Australian jurisdictions have community courts, NAAJA shows how it lacks a basic understanding of the needs of the community, and thus shows itself to be incompetent in dealing with cutting edge legal representation for Aboriginal clients.
If you really want to understand the issues facing Aborigines reliant on NAAJA go and speak to them.
Or alternatively read the following report:
http://www.ards.com.au/print/LawBookletWeb.pdf
The idea that funding and case load can be addressed or fixed by increased funding is also a furphy.
If NAAJA was serious about defending and representing Aborigines it would train its lawyers better.
They would also seek funding opportunities to employ Aboriginal lawyers: ie seek Commonwealth funding for Aboriginal positions, and thereby increase legal service personnel numbers.
And most importantly, they would make partnerships with communities and develop funding proposals via community led justice programs.
At the end of the day NAAJA lacks the initiative to make a real difference to Aboriginal people who come into contact with the Criminal Justice system.
Picking up NAAJA statements only serves to disenfranchise the constituents who are voiceless and in doing so provide support to an organisation which continues to flounder when dealing with its core business and objectives.

Brendan V. Loizou,
Barrister-at-Law,
Melbourne,
Australia

 

Head to Head climate debate needed Say the Climate Sceptics The Southeast Asian Times, Saturday 4 April 2009

To give a society confidence it makes the correct decision, public debates between the two sides of an issue should occur.
I wonder where this has happened in the climate change debate?
There is evidence the planet is now cooling, that the ice caps are not melting, and that CO2 does not cause climate change anyway.
There is mounting evidence that climate change is in fact aligned with variations in the distance between the sun and the earth however no national broadcaster is presenting this information.
Australian Climate Change and Water Minister, Penny Wong, should debate a leading climate sceptic to demonstrate which side of the issue has got the facts correct before any trillion dollar Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) spending begins... or has the Australian Broadcasting Coorporation (ABC) and Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) got a bias?

Leon Ashby,
President,
The Climate Sceptics,
Mt Gambier,
South Australia

China ready to give Australia More than Bruce Lee The Southeast Asian Times, Friday 3 April 2009

To whom it may concern:
As the world continues to change at a fast pace, people in Australia should constantly adapt to the changes.
The current economic downturn reveals the greed and corruption in the financial industry.
Therefore, ethics should become the top issue of every country‘s education.
Ethics is the main focus of both Chinese literature and philosophy.
In fact, Chinese literature pursues peace, wisdom, virtue, beauty, and prosperity which can be applied to daily life.
The quality of a nation’s literature relies on how the government treats its writers. The Chinese government had sponsored talented writers from 100 B.C. To 1900 A.D.
It not only provide schools and libraries to educate them, but also offered them government positions.
This unique way to reward writers in the world history made Chinese writers create the best literature and philosophy in the world.
Also China has become an important country in the world community.
The close relationships in this small world force us to demand deep mutual understanding.
However, the Australiann public’s knowledge of Chinese culture is limited to Bruce Lee’s movies and Chinese food such as egg rolls.
Raising the level of understanding of Chinese culture requires access to good translations.
However, there are too few resources and qualified people in this field to meet such an enormous demand.
In order to eliminate distrust and misunderstandings due to cultural differences, help fellow citizens adjust to the fast changing world, and improve their artistic appreciation, it is important for the Australian media to work out a plan to systematically introduce Chinese culture to the Australian public.
L. C. Wang Media Syndicate can help the Australian media fulfill such a mission. Li-Chung Wang has worked with local librarians to translate Chinese poems and literary essays into English for more than ten years.
The poems and essays provide easy access to the beauty of Chinese culture. Please visit http://www.lcwangpress.com.
For a complete list of Chinese poems and essays and the information about how to obtain permission to publish, please send an e-mail to Li-Chung Wang (e-mail address: lcwangpress@yahoo.com).

Sincerely,
Li-Chung Wang
L. C. Wang Media Syndicate
Manhattan,
U. S. A.

Malaysia's taxis One of the world's worst The Star 2 April 2009, Friday 3 April 2009

We refer to 'Losing battle against cabbies' in The Star, March 31.
The fact that Malaysian public transport and in particular Malaysian taxi services is ranked one of the worst, if not the worst, in the world is not without reason.
As Malaysians, we are not only deeply disappointed but ashamed each time a
passenger, be it local or foreigner, makes a complaint against the unethical attitude of a rogue taxi driver, be it overcharging or refusing to go to a certain destination.
We, as Malaysians are certainly entitled to an efficient and reasonably charged
taxi service.
We cannot accept anything less.
To ratify the deplorable situation, we are of the view that the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board must be replaced.
It has proven to be ineffective and a substantial hindrance to the progress of effective public transportation especially provision of taxi services.
We need a public transport commission or even more specific, taxi services
commission.
That commission must have full authority to draft and review policies, and issue and revoke taxi licences.
It must also have authority to review and set taxi fares that are equitable to all stakeholders including taxi operators and passengers.
We strongly believe that there is no room for rogue taxi drivers in the country.
They not only fleece innocent and hapless passengers but also bring much inconvenience and stress to all concerned.
Besides, they also smear the good image of the country.
We hope the Government will act before the situation deteriorates further.

Philip Wong Pak Ming,
President,
Sarawak-Sabah Foochow Association,
Malaysia

Is flooding due to CO2? Ask the Climate Sceptics The Southeast Asian Times, Thursday 2 April 2009

The recent spate of floods at NSW, in North and Central Qld and in Gippsland in recent times contradict the Green belief that more CO2 equals more droughts.
The evidence from 300 years of sunspot observations shows a link between global temperature and the length of the sunspot cycle.
From this evidence we are due for a cooler globe and eventually some floods in the Murray river system..
CO2 has nothing to do with climate - The fluctuating distance between the earth and the sun as demonstrated by the cyclical nature of the Centre of Mass between the sun and the planets appears the best explanation.
There is no need for the CPRS, CO2 was framed.

Leon Ashby,
President,
The Climate Sceptics,
Mt Gambier,
South Australia

The Philippines A typical third world country The Philippine Inquirer, Thursday 2 April 2009

“A nation of cannibals” by Leandro V. Coronel in the Philippine Inquirer, 21 March 2009 is an attempt to show that “corruption in the Republic of the Philippines is a cultural thing.”
In Coronel’s assessment, we as a people are not only corrupt; we are also degenerate.
Colonel’s prescription: a “well-meaning and selfless government.”
Assuming we have really become a nation of cannibals - which I do not grant - I think we are a typical Third World country that obeys World Bank-International Monetary Fund debt conditions - the question is why.
Why have we become a nation of cannibals?
My answer is: For about a century now - from 1909 up to this very day (2009) we have been prisoners of a free trade system in which sovereignty resides in the market, not in the people.
Thus, instead of serving the people, our government acts as an agent of the market
-a market controlled and directed by the WB-IMF in behalf of Wall Street-based transnational corporations.
The WB-IMF debt conditions are superior to the Constitution and limit government action to facilitating and enhancing trade through liberalization, deregulation, privatization and level playing field. Market-directed free trade is at the root of the global economic meltdown oppressing the world today.
Because of free trade as enforced by the WB-IMF, we have not made any progress toward industrialization, which is the key to sustained accumulation of wealth and power in the world. Barred by free trade from industrial development, our energies and talents have been diverted to other “industries”: graft and corruption including “tongpats” [overpricing], influence-peddling and the like, the
underground lottery “jueteng,” drug trafficking, smuggling, etc.
What should we do?
Install, Coronel said, a “well-meaning and selfless government.” A well-meaning and selfless government is important but it is not enough.
A strong sense of nation is essential to make free trade work for the national interest, as happened in China, and South Korea, or to get out of the free-trade
box and relentlessly pursue the national interest, like what America did during its post-independence period.
For a country like the
Philippines - 90 million people and still growing - there is no future without industrialization.
The essential driving force is a strong sense of nation.

Amado Gat Inciong,
Cubao,
Quezon City

America No longer 'land of the free' The Southeast Asian Times, Wednesday 1 April 2009

"Every time we do something you tell me America will do this or that -------- I want to tell you something very clear: Don't worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America and the Americans know it"
Quote - Former Israeli PM and Zionist supremo Ariel Sharon October 03 2001.
See :http://www.rense.com/general43/jwsruess.htm
To identify 'the Americans' in this profound statement , is one to conclude that the meaning involves the pro-Zionist, pro-war and profane traitors operating within the walls of the US Congress? - because the 'man-in-the-street' has absolutely no idea.
The political capture of the American treasury has been made possible via a combination of 'dumbed down' school curricula, censored news items and basic public political naivety of gigantic proportions.
No longer can Americans, with any conviction, boast of their " land of the free, home of the brave".
They are now subservient tenants of a foreign landlord.
As the world's largest debtor nation, the keys of their treasury now reside in Tel Aviv ; the keepers waxing fat on the multi-billions of dollars 'transferred' to Israel on the veritable eve of the global financial crash.
While numbering less than 3 percent of the US population, the political Zionists have brought the most powerful nation on earth to its knees.
By anyone's standards, an alarming but remarkable, achievment.
And who will be next?
Just goes to show what cultivated apathy can (and will) do within any superficial society.

Harry A. Boniface,
Currumbin,
Queensland,
Australia.