BAGHDAD — A wave of deadly attacks rocked at least 13 cities across Iraq on Monday, leaving at least 100 dead and dozens more injured in what officials described as the bloodiest day in the country in two years.
Read full article >>
Jul 23, 2012
At least 100 killed in Iraq in wave of attacks tied to al-Qaeda
At least 100 killed in Iraq in wave of attacks tied to al-Qaeda:
BAGHDAD — A wave of deadly attacks rocked at least 13 cities across Iraq on Monday, leaving at least 100 dead and dozens more injured in what officials described as the bloodiest day in the country in two years.
Read full article >>
BAGHDAD — A wave of deadly attacks rocked at least 13 cities across Iraq on Monday, leaving at least 100 dead and dozens more injured in what officials described as the bloodiest day in the country in two years.
Read full article >>
Syrian rebels still hopeful as government regains initiative in Damascus
Syrian rebels still hopeful as government regains initiative in Damascus:
AL-TAL, Syria — In a valley tucked away behind the mountains just to the north of Damascus, Free Syrian Army rebels are gathering their strength and preparing for what they hope will be a final assault on the capital.
Read full article >>
AL-TAL, Syria — In a valley tucked away behind the mountains just to the north of Damascus, Free Syrian Army rebels are gathering their strength and preparing for what they hope will be a final assault on the capital.
Read full article >>
Indonesia Presses Freeport on Royalties, Stake Sale
Indonesia Presses Freeport on Royalties, Stake Sale: The Indonesian government has asked Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold to reduce its stake in its Indonesian unit through an IPO on the local stock market, and to pay higher royalties on its enormous Grasberg mine.
Syria Says It Has Chemical Weapons
Syria Says It Has Chemical Weapons: The Syrian regime said it had the capability to use its chemical and biological weapons in case of a foreign attack, in its first ever acknowledgment that it possesses weapons of mass destruction.
Companies Court Indonesia's Poor
Companies Court Indonesia's Poor: Many companies are tailoring products to low-income shoppers in nations such as Indonesia as they look for sources of growth. In developing nations, poorer consumers have proven resilient during downturns.
Jailed Radio Station Chief Ill
Jailed Radio Station Chief Ill:
The head of an independent Cambodian radio station arrested a week ago for allegedly spearheading a land uprising has fallen ill in prison, his wife said Monday.
Mam Sonando, the director of Beehive Radio, was moved to a prison clinic for medical treatment on Sunday over a serious flu, wife Den Phanara said as more than 100 activists gathered in Phnom Penh on Monday to pray for his release.
“He has the flu. He couldn’t talk,” she said, adding that he had gotten sick from his cellmates in Phnom Penh’s Prey Sar Prison, where he is awaiting trial on charges of orchestrating a land revolt in Kratie province that triggered a security crackdown and bloody clashes in May.
Den Phanara said the cell where he was being held before being taken to the clinic was narrow and that he had shared it with 15 others.
Mam Sonando, who is in his late 60s and head of the Association for Democrats activist group, was arrested at his home on July 15 after returning from a trip abroad and charged in court the next day.
He has rejected the charges. Lawyers said he faces a lengthy prison term if found guilty.
Human rights groups have protested the arrest, saying it was politically motivated and had dealt a blow to media freedom. They said the authorities were using the outspoken critic as a scapegoat for the country’s explosive land dispute issues.
Prayer ceremony
More than 100 Beehive Radio and Association of Democrats supporters protested Monday in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, calling for Mam Sonando’s release and holding a prayer ceremony for him at the Preah Ang Dongkher statue.
Association of Democrats Secretary General Huon Phannary said supporters across the country have marched and prayed to call for his release.
“We have prayed that the court will seek justice for Mam Sonando regarding the charges against him. We are praying to all the sacred spirits that he will be released,” she said.
Am Sam Ath, a senior investigator for the Cambodian rights group Licadho, said Monday’s prayer ceremony was intended to send a message to the government to reconsider any targeting of Mam Sonando for political reasons.
“This ceremony will allow the court and the government to consider whether they find Mam Sonando guilty of any crime, and if not then the court can drop the charges and release him,” he said.
Prime Minister Hun Sen had last month accused Mam Sonando of leading a "secession" plot and attempting to establish "a state within a state” over a mass land occupation in Kratie’s Chhlong district, where clashes broke out after over 1,000 families in Broma village refused to vacate farmland granted to a developer in a concession for a rubber plantation.
Mam Sonando’s lawyer Sok Sam Oeun said Monday that the radio station chief will not be eligible for a request for bail until he has been held for a month.
He added that Mam Sonando—who has been arrested twice before, for alleged defamation and for giving "false" information that “incited” others to commit crimes—plans to appeal the current charges against him.
Some rights groups said the government delayed his arrest to wait for the conclusion of the high profile annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held in Phnom Penh and attended by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other international dignitaries.
Beehive Radio, which broadcasts on 105 FM in Phnom Penh, is one of few media outlets in the country airing independent news, including coverage of opposition and minority political parties, and carries programming by RFA and Voice of America.
Reported by Uon Chhin and Vichey Ananddh for RFA’s Khmer service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.
The head of an independent Cambodian radio station arrested a week ago for allegedly spearheading a land uprising has fallen ill in prison, his wife said Monday.
Mam Sonando, the director of Beehive Radio, was moved to a prison clinic for medical treatment on Sunday over a serious flu, wife Den Phanara said as more than 100 activists gathered in Phnom Penh on Monday to pray for his release.
“He has the flu. He couldn’t talk,” she said, adding that he had gotten sick from his cellmates in Phnom Penh’s Prey Sar Prison, where he is awaiting trial on charges of orchestrating a land revolt in Kratie province that triggered a security crackdown and bloody clashes in May.
Den Phanara said the cell where he was being held before being taken to the clinic was narrow and that he had shared it with 15 others.
Mam Sonando, who is in his late 60s and head of the Association for Democrats activist group, was arrested at his home on July 15 after returning from a trip abroad and charged in court the next day.
He has rejected the charges. Lawyers said he faces a lengthy prison term if found guilty.
Human rights groups have protested the arrest, saying it was politically motivated and had dealt a blow to media freedom. They said the authorities were using the outspoken critic as a scapegoat for the country’s explosive land dispute issues.
Prayer ceremony
More than 100 Beehive Radio and Association of Democrats supporters protested Monday in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, calling for Mam Sonando’s release and holding a prayer ceremony for him at the Preah Ang Dongkher statue.
Association of Democrats Secretary General Huon Phannary said supporters across the country have marched and prayed to call for his release.
“We have prayed that the court will seek justice for Mam Sonando regarding the charges against him. We are praying to all the sacred spirits that he will be released,” she said.
Am Sam Ath, a senior investigator for the Cambodian rights group Licadho, said Monday’s prayer ceremony was intended to send a message to the government to reconsider any targeting of Mam Sonando for political reasons.
“This ceremony will allow the court and the government to consider whether they find Mam Sonando guilty of any crime, and if not then the court can drop the charges and release him,” he said.
Prime Minister Hun Sen had last month accused Mam Sonando of leading a "secession" plot and attempting to establish "a state within a state” over a mass land occupation in Kratie’s Chhlong district, where clashes broke out after over 1,000 families in Broma village refused to vacate farmland granted to a developer in a concession for a rubber plantation.
Mam Sonando’s lawyer Sok Sam Oeun said Monday that the radio station chief will not be eligible for a request for bail until he has been held for a month.
He added that Mam Sonando—who has been arrested twice before, for alleged defamation and for giving "false" information that “incited” others to commit crimes—plans to appeal the current charges against him.
Some rights groups said the government delayed his arrest to wait for the conclusion of the high profile annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held in Phnom Penh and attended by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other international dignitaries.
Beehive Radio, which broadcasts on 105 FM in Phnom Penh, is one of few media outlets in the country airing independent news, including coverage of opposition and minority political parties, and carries programming by RFA and Voice of America.
Reported by Uon Chhin and Vichey Ananddh for RFA’s Khmer service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.
China Steps Up Curbs on Muslims
China Steps Up Curbs on Muslims:
Chinese authorities in the troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang have imposed curbs on the public observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan among the region's Uyghur ethnic minority, an exile group said on Monday.
The government, which earlier this month stepped up security around the sensitive anniversary of the 2009 ethnic violence between the Uyghurs and the Han Chinese that killed nearly 200 people, has banned any public religious activities by the region's Muslims, according to a spokesman for the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress.
"They have set up Ramadan stability groups in every official department and organization, and they have to select people to serve on them," spokesman Dilxat Raxit said. "Officials from these departments have to go and stay in mosques, so as to carry out personal surveillance work in all localities."
The Muslim holy month devoted to dawn-to-dusk fasting, prayers and good deeds culminates with the three-day holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
Meanwhile, teachers and professors, members of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and other civil servants in Xinjiang are barred from fasting during this year's Ramadan, which began Thursday and ends on Aug. 18, according to Raxit.
"They will be stationed in the mosques round-the-clock during Ramadan," he said. "They will carry out both technological surveillance and personal surveillance."
Tourists banned
An employee who answered the phone at a mosque in the regional capital of Urumqi said tourists would be banned from visiting the city's mosques during the whole of Ramadan, when additional prayers would be held during the fasting hours between sunrise and sunset.
"Yes, that's right," the employee said, when asked if special measures were being taken in the mosque.
"No tourists are being allowed in right now; they can't take part in prayers," the employee said. "We'll see how things go after Ramadan."
In the the southern city of Aksu, police were stepping up searches of local Muslims for "illegal" religious materials deemed extreme or subversive by Beijing, residents said.
"They are quite likely to conduct searches at night," said an employee who answered the phone at an apartment complex in the city. "
Restaurants run by Uyghur Muslims are forbidden to close in daytime during the fasting month, as is the custom in other Islamic regions of the world.
"Fasting is [the Uyghurs'] custom," the employee said. "No-one says they can't fast, but restaurants must remain open as normal."
Ideological meetings
Raxit said that mosques would be required to hold ideological meetings every Friday with Party officials, so as to monitor the mood of local Uyghurs.
A Han Chinese resident of Urumqi surnamed Zhong said he thought the measures were too harsh, however.
"This is definitely wrong," he said. "This is interference in other people's religious traditions."
He said some restaurants in Urumqi did seem to be closing early during the fasting month.
"I went to a Uyghur restaurant [on Sunday] and they only opened from 9 a.m. to 12 noon," Zhong said.
Chinese authorities imposed a security clampdown in major cities in Xinjiang on July 5, the third anniversary of the start of ethnic violence between Uyghurs and Han Chinese in Urumqi that left 197 dead and hundreds more injured, according to official reports.
The authorities had stepped up security searches and police presence in Urumqi.
Terrorism
The regional secretary of the Communist Party Zhang Chunxian, who was appointed as a "new broom" in the wake of the 2009 violence, called on police across the region to step up security measures to prevent a terrorist attack, the region's state-run Xinjiang Daily newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Following the violence, China had ramped up its anti-terrorism campaign in the resource-rich region, where Uyghurs say they are subjected to political control and persecution for seeking meaningful autonomy in their homeland and are denied economic opportunities stemming from Beijing's rapid development.
The WUC has said thousands of Uyghurs, mostly men, went missing in the aftermath of the violence, many of them taken into custody with little or no notice or explanation given to their relatives.
Reported by Hai Nan for RFA's Cantonese service and Qiao Long for the Mandarin service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Chinese authorities in the troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang have imposed curbs on the public observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan among the region's Uyghur ethnic minority, an exile group said on Monday.
The government, which earlier this month stepped up security around the sensitive anniversary of the 2009 ethnic violence between the Uyghurs and the Han Chinese that killed nearly 200 people, has banned any public religious activities by the region's Muslims, according to a spokesman for the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress.
"They have set up Ramadan stability groups in every official department and organization, and they have to select people to serve on them," spokesman Dilxat Raxit said. "Officials from these departments have to go and stay in mosques, so as to carry out personal surveillance work in all localities."
The Muslim holy month devoted to dawn-to-dusk fasting, prayers and good deeds culminates with the three-day holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
Meanwhile, teachers and professors, members of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and other civil servants in Xinjiang are barred from fasting during this year's Ramadan, which began Thursday and ends on Aug. 18, according to Raxit.
"They will be stationed in the mosques round-the-clock during Ramadan," he said. "They will carry out both technological surveillance and personal surveillance."
Tourists banned
An employee who answered the phone at a mosque in the regional capital of Urumqi said tourists would be banned from visiting the city's mosques during the whole of Ramadan, when additional prayers would be held during the fasting hours between sunrise and sunset.
"Yes, that's right," the employee said, when asked if special measures were being taken in the mosque.
"No tourists are being allowed in right now; they can't take part in prayers," the employee said. "We'll see how things go after Ramadan."
In the the southern city of Aksu, police were stepping up searches of local Muslims for "illegal" religious materials deemed extreme or subversive by Beijing, residents said.
"They are quite likely to conduct searches at night," said an employee who answered the phone at an apartment complex in the city. "
Restaurants run by Uyghur Muslims are forbidden to close in daytime during the fasting month, as is the custom in other Islamic regions of the world.
"Fasting is [the Uyghurs'] custom," the employee said. "No-one says they can't fast, but restaurants must remain open as normal."
Ideological meetings
Raxit said that mosques would be required to hold ideological meetings every Friday with Party officials, so as to monitor the mood of local Uyghurs.
A Han Chinese resident of Urumqi surnamed Zhong said he thought the measures were too harsh, however.
"This is definitely wrong," he said. "This is interference in other people's religious traditions."
He said some restaurants in Urumqi did seem to be closing early during the fasting month.
"I went to a Uyghur restaurant [on Sunday] and they only opened from 9 a.m. to 12 noon," Zhong said.
Chinese authorities imposed a security clampdown in major cities in Xinjiang on July 5, the third anniversary of the start of ethnic violence between Uyghurs and Han Chinese in Urumqi that left 197 dead and hundreds more injured, according to official reports.
The authorities had stepped up security searches and police presence in Urumqi.
Terrorism
The regional secretary of the Communist Party Zhang Chunxian, who was appointed as a "new broom" in the wake of the 2009 violence, called on police across the region to step up security measures to prevent a terrorist attack, the region's state-run Xinjiang Daily newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Following the violence, China had ramped up its anti-terrorism campaign in the resource-rich region, where Uyghurs say they are subjected to political control and persecution for seeking meaningful autonomy in their homeland and are denied economic opportunities stemming from Beijing's rapid development.
The WUC has said thousands of Uyghurs, mostly men, went missing in the aftermath of the violence, many of them taken into custody with little or no notice or explanation given to their relatives.
Reported by Hai Nan for RFA's Cantonese service and Qiao Long for the Mandarin service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
SOUTH SUDAN: The biggest threat to a woman’s life
SOUTH SUDAN: The biggest threat to a woman’s life:
 | JUBA, 20 July 2012 (IRIN) - South Sudan has the worst reported maternal mortality rate in the world. “More women die in child birth, per capita, in South Sudan, than in any country in the world,” says Caroline Delany, a health specialist with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in South Sudan which is funding a raft of maternal health programmes. |
MADAGASCAR: Half a million undiagnosed diabetics
MADAGASCAR: Half a million undiagnosed diabetics:
 | TAMATAVE, 20 July 2012 (IRIN) - An estimated one million people in Madagascar are diabetic, but only about half of them know it. Finding the other half presents a major challenge for this large, island nation in which 80 percent of the population live in rural areas where few people have ever heard of this chronic and potentially deadly disease. |
YEMEN: Water fights spark concern over refugee influx
YEMEN: Water fights spark concern over refugee influx:
 | SANA'A, 20 July 2012 (IRIN) - Somali refugee Asmaa Abdullah, 35, and her three children, have been struggling to get water for more than a year in the run-down Safia neighbourhood of the Yemeni capital, Sana'a. |
INDONESIA: Condom controversy continues
INDONESIA: Condom controversy continues:
 | JAKARTA, 20 July 2012 (IRIN) - Rizki, 29, is wooing passers-by outside a bar in a red-light district near Jakarta, the Indonesian capital. In her five years as a commercial sex worker she has always urged clients to use a condom to avoid HIV infection. "About 70 percent of my customers use condoms," she said. "Some men get angry when I ask, but most comply." |
COTE D'IVOIRE: Hard road to reconciliation
COTE D'IVOIRE: Hard road to reconciliation:
 | ABIDJAN, 20 July 2012 (IRIN) - Arbitrary arrests, kidnappings and torture by armed groups and government forces since the end of Côte d'Ivoire's bloody 2010-2011 post-election unrest are stifling national reconciliation and causing fear and mistrust among civilians. |
CLIMATE CHANGE: Himalayan glaciers melting more rapidly
CLIMATE CHANGE: Himalayan glaciers melting more rapidly:
 | JOHANNESBURG, 20 July 2012 (IRIN) - The Himalayan glaciers that feed major south Asian rivers like the Indus, the Brahmaputra and the Ganges are melting more rapidly, reveals a major new study which says that soaring global temperatures are not the only reason. |
Analysis: Bridging the language divide in Sri Lanka
Analysis: Bridging the language divide in Sri Lanka:
 | COLOMBO, 23 July 2012 (IRIN) - Practical efforts to uphold the language rights of millions of ethnic Tamil-speaking Sri Lankans could play a key role in the country's long-term peace and reconciliation. |
Revolution in the Time of Cholera
Revolution in the Time of Cholera:
Quarantined patients in the Manzanillo hospital. Photo: From youtube user CNN.
In Cuba, “official secrecy” is the government’s last resort now that its popular support is dead after five decades of Revolution.
The Cuban State acts with its back to the country, at the margins of world history, and even outside its own laws, with no legal opposition or free press. Those in power control matters of public affairs with the same intensity that they’d use to protect bedroom whispers.
Paradoxically, in practice, politics is privatized in the proletariat paradise. As a result—embarrassing as it is to admit—we Cubans are the last to know how much is going on in Cuba.
This summer, rumors about seasonal maladies mentioned not only the highly dangerous Dengue virus, but also the outbreak of an infection that has not gripped us since the 19th century: cholera.
The cholera epidemic broke out on the eastern side of the Island (the area close to Haiti, where students arrive from). The Manzanillo and Bayamo hospitals there were silently put on medical alert and under military control. Days later, new diarrhea outbreaks appeared in the central provinces, and a quarantine room has now been created as an emergency measure in Havana.
Though the government delayed making a public announcement about the disease for longer than our freelance journalists and international correspondents did, perhaps to avoid scaring away the tourists that sustain our economy, the Ministry of Public Health finally decided to recognize a limited number of cases, including deaths.
No one, except for the official Communist Party, seems to have been authorized to give out information on the emerging epidemic. It is therefore impossible to calculate the level of risk. Asleep within the bubble of media manipulation, the Cuban population is not taking the necessary preventative measures.
Perhaps secrecy brings hypocritical salvation to the hygienic image of the State, but—in addition to being a flagrant human rights violation—their secrecy could end up being a double-edged sword: Who then will pay the price for this criminal irresponsibility?
Translation: Alex Higson
During a Cholera outbreak in Cuba official silence means a public health risk
Quarantined patients in the Manzanillo hospital. Photo: From youtube user CNN.
In Cuba, “official secrecy” is the government’s last resort now that its popular support is dead after five decades of Revolution.
The Cuban State acts with its back to the country, at the margins of world history, and even outside its own laws, with no legal opposition or free press. Those in power control matters of public affairs with the same intensity that they’d use to protect bedroom whispers.
- Is it worth-while to focus on the last images and letters coming from the inside of the last living utopia on Earth? Is Cuba by now a contemporary country or just another old-fashioned delusion in the middle of Nowhere-America? A Cold-War Northtalgia maybe? Can we expect a young Rewwwolution.cu within that Ancien Régime still known as The Revolution? I would like to provoke more questions than answers.
- Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo was born in Havana City and still resides and resists there, working as a free-lance writer, photographer and blogger. He is the author of Boring Home (2009) and is the editor of the independent opinion and literary e-zine Voces.
This summer, rumors about seasonal maladies mentioned not only the highly dangerous Dengue virus, but also the outbreak of an infection that has not gripped us since the 19th century: cholera.
The cholera epidemic broke out on the eastern side of the Island (the area close to Haiti, where students arrive from). The Manzanillo and Bayamo hospitals there were silently put on medical alert and under military control. Days later, new diarrhea outbreaks appeared in the central provinces, and a quarantine room has now been created as an emergency measure in Havana.
Though the government delayed making a public announcement about the disease for longer than our freelance journalists and international correspondents did, perhaps to avoid scaring away the tourists that sustain our economy, the Ministry of Public Health finally decided to recognize a limited number of cases, including deaths.
No one, except for the official Communist Party, seems to have been authorized to give out information on the emerging epidemic. It is therefore impossible to calculate the level of risk. Asleep within the bubble of media manipulation, the Cuban population is not taking the necessary preventative measures.
Perhaps secrecy brings hypocritical salvation to the hygienic image of the State, but—in addition to being a flagrant human rights violation—their secrecy could end up being a double-edged sword: Who then will pay the price for this criminal irresponsibility?
Translation: Alex Higson
Asean’s New Challenges Post-Phnom Penh
Asean’s New Challenges Post-Phnom Penh:
The “Phnom Penh incident,” as it is now known, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. In the weeks since, Asean leaders and all organs of the 45-year-old grouping have been shaken to the core. Questions are being asked: Could the disastrous outcome be avoided? The answer is affirmative but with many caveats.
Indeed, the Asean Secretariat could have saved the faltering creditability of its members, or at the very least the Asean chair, at the Phnom Penh conference if only members appreciated the importance of the Jakarta-based headquarters.
Kavi ChongkittavornLo and behold, they did not know that the under-funded and under-staffed institution is a central mechanism of Asean. If allowed, its chief and staffers can perform summersaults ending deadlocks and tackling biases existing within the organization and the deeply mistrustful psyches of members. After all, the secretary-general and Asean Secretariat have the mandate to mediate as well as perform administrative tasks.
The current chair could easily seek, if he wished, the secretariat’s assistance to find a common ground to end the impasse on the South China Sea and other sensitive issues. Instead, the chair took things in his own hands—nothing wrong with that—and in the process his fingers were bitten and he rid himself of the much-cherished neutrality that was required.
In fact, Dr. Surin Pitsuwan and his staff, who have kept an impartial watch on Asean’s interests, were eager to help. They could have been Asean’s saviors as they understand the Ps and Qs of the bloc’s political games. They are also very familiar with all cross-sector activities and cooperation as well as the organization’s numerous priorities.
Former Thai Foreign Minister Dr. Surin brought with him a unique perspective of the secretariat, which was founded a decade after Asean was formed in 1976. It was planned as a loose organization without any real power simply to coordinate programs and direct paperwork flow from member countries.
Not until 2008 were the secretary-general and secretariat given real power under the charter’s mandate to keep up with challenges. The amount of work that the 76 international staffers have to do is just too overwhelming at present. Just imagine, they have to attend thousands of meetings each year observing, reading and digesting piles of documents and, most importantly, note down members’ dos and don’ts.
Last year, they participated in at least in 1,200 meetings at various levels—nearly three meetings a day. During his five-year tenure, which is ending soon at the end of the year, Surin has travelled massive distances to meet leaders from around the world and take parts in numerous discussions.
His presence has increased the bloc’s international profile and creditability. He knows the pulse of Asean, and its strength and weaknesses. Most importantly, he knows what others expect of Asean.
Since the Phnom Penh incident, the focus of criticism was mostly blamed on the role of the chair. This is a little unfair. Actually, the main culprit was also the lack of clarity of Asean’s rules and procedures and that of the secretariat itself.
Asean leaders have, in fact, taken for granted that their annual conferences would automatically end up with a joint communiqué every time. After all, for the past 45 years, that has been the modus operandi. They have never faced such a humiliation before. The South China Sea is just a small symptom of a bigger disease plaguing Asean that happened to surface at this juncture.
In retrospect, the Asean Secretariat should have played the central role when the members got stuck in their deliberations in the Cambodian capital. Its staffers have the expertise and institutional knowledge that no others have—especially those in rotational chairs and officials involved in the Asean affairs.
There are only 891 days left for the realization of the Asean Community. Time is running out. Member countries have yet to implement the required action plans of the three pillars—political, economic and social.
The roadmap to community-building has already pinpointed a total of 667 action lines. Granted that even if all are fully implemented, it does not mean that the community-building is complete. This is an evolutionary process which has to continue and engage the citizens of Asean.
Seriously, how many countries have really looked into these schemes and worked out systematic implementation of their recommendations ahead of the Asean Community deadline? As the deadline approaches, the project might very well just be an empty promise.
One of the biggest challenges of Asean is not what their leaders want to do but what their citizens are inspired to be. The secretary-general and Asean Secretariat have the duty to turn these inspirations into tangible outcomes. In fact, their leaders come and go but the 600 million Asean citizens will remain the cradle of the whole region.
Asean is a still a top down organization even with the adoption of its charter in 2008. However, of late there have more consultations between the secretariat and stakeholders, which is now becoming indispensable. What virtues do they have if Asean leaders simply do not understand the needs of their own peoples?
For better or for worse, the future of Asean is in their hands. If they are proactive, they will drive the people-centered community-building further. If they are passive, they will be held hostage by their leaders as has been played out at annual conferences.
Asean leaders do not have the capacity to follow or implement the nitty-gritty of bloc projects at regional level. In fact, how many Asean leaders really understand the concept of regionalism that is emerging, for instance?
The Asean charter will be the subject of review next year when Brunei is chairing Asean. The role of the secretary-general and the strengthening of the Asean Secretariat will certainly be at the top of the agenda.
This article first appeared in the Bangkok-based The Nation newspaper. Kavi Chongkittavorn is assistant group editor of Nation Media Group and his views do not necessarily reflect those of The Irrawaddy.
The “Phnom Penh incident,” as it is now known, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. In the weeks since, Asean leaders and all organs of the 45-year-old grouping have been shaken to the core. Questions are being asked: Could the disastrous outcome be avoided? The answer is affirmative but with many caveats.
Indeed, the Asean Secretariat could have saved the faltering creditability of its members, or at the very least the Asean chair, at the Phnom Penh conference if only members appreciated the importance of the Jakarta-based headquarters.
Kavi Chongkittavorn
The current chair could easily seek, if he wished, the secretariat’s assistance to find a common ground to end the impasse on the South China Sea and other sensitive issues. Instead, the chair took things in his own hands—nothing wrong with that—and in the process his fingers were bitten and he rid himself of the much-cherished neutrality that was required.
In fact, Dr. Surin Pitsuwan and his staff, who have kept an impartial watch on Asean’s interests, were eager to help. They could have been Asean’s saviors as they understand the Ps and Qs of the bloc’s political games. They are also very familiar with all cross-sector activities and cooperation as well as the organization’s numerous priorities.
Former Thai Foreign Minister Dr. Surin brought with him a unique perspective of the secretariat, which was founded a decade after Asean was formed in 1976. It was planned as a loose organization without any real power simply to coordinate programs and direct paperwork flow from member countries.
Not until 2008 were the secretary-general and secretariat given real power under the charter’s mandate to keep up with challenges. The amount of work that the 76 international staffers have to do is just too overwhelming at present. Just imagine, they have to attend thousands of meetings each year observing, reading and digesting piles of documents and, most importantly, note down members’ dos and don’ts.
Last year, they participated in at least in 1,200 meetings at various levels—nearly three meetings a day. During his five-year tenure, which is ending soon at the end of the year, Surin has travelled massive distances to meet leaders from around the world and take parts in numerous discussions.
His presence has increased the bloc’s international profile and creditability. He knows the pulse of Asean, and its strength and weaknesses. Most importantly, he knows what others expect of Asean.
Since the Phnom Penh incident, the focus of criticism was mostly blamed on the role of the chair. This is a little unfair. Actually, the main culprit was also the lack of clarity of Asean’s rules and procedures and that of the secretariat itself.
Asean leaders have, in fact, taken for granted that their annual conferences would automatically end up with a joint communiqué every time. After all, for the past 45 years, that has been the modus operandi. They have never faced such a humiliation before. The South China Sea is just a small symptom of a bigger disease plaguing Asean that happened to surface at this juncture.
In retrospect, the Asean Secretariat should have played the central role when the members got stuck in their deliberations in the Cambodian capital. Its staffers have the expertise and institutional knowledge that no others have—especially those in rotational chairs and officials involved in the Asean affairs.
There are only 891 days left for the realization of the Asean Community. Time is running out. Member countries have yet to implement the required action plans of the three pillars—political, economic and social.
The roadmap to community-building has already pinpointed a total of 667 action lines. Granted that even if all are fully implemented, it does not mean that the community-building is complete. This is an evolutionary process which has to continue and engage the citizens of Asean.
Seriously, how many countries have really looked into these schemes and worked out systematic implementation of their recommendations ahead of the Asean Community deadline? As the deadline approaches, the project might very well just be an empty promise.
One of the biggest challenges of Asean is not what their leaders want to do but what their citizens are inspired to be. The secretary-general and Asean Secretariat have the duty to turn these inspirations into tangible outcomes. In fact, their leaders come and go but the 600 million Asean citizens will remain the cradle of the whole region.
Asean is a still a top down organization even with the adoption of its charter in 2008. However, of late there have more consultations between the secretariat and stakeholders, which is now becoming indispensable. What virtues do they have if Asean leaders simply do not understand the needs of their own peoples?
For better or for worse, the future of Asean is in their hands. If they are proactive, they will drive the people-centered community-building further. If they are passive, they will be held hostage by their leaders as has been played out at annual conferences.
Asean leaders do not have the capacity to follow or implement the nitty-gritty of bloc projects at regional level. In fact, how many Asean leaders really understand the concept of regionalism that is emerging, for instance?
The Asean charter will be the subject of review next year when Brunei is chairing Asean. The role of the secretary-general and the strengthening of the Asean Secretariat will certainly be at the top of the agenda.
This article first appeared in the Bangkok-based The Nation newspaper. Kavi Chongkittavorn is assistant group editor of Nation Media Group and his views do not necessarily reflect those of The Irrawaddy.
Thaksin, Anwar & Horta—Reason Over Revenge
Thaksin, Anwar & Horta—Reason Over Revenge:
East Timor President Jose Ramos Horta casts his vote in March during the presidential election in which he lost. (Photo: Reuters)One man barely survived an assassination attempt. Another was severely beaten and imprisoned for six years on spurious charges. The third was ousted from power by a military coup and forced into exile because his opponents could not defeat him democratically.
These three men—Jose Ramos-Horta, the former president of East Timor; Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian opposition leader; and Thailand’s former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra —appeared on the same stage in Jakarta this week for a forum on reconciliation put together by Strategic Review, a quarterly journal of policy and ideas published in Jakarta. It is my pleasure to be associated with Strategic Review and to have had the chance to meet all three of these leaders.
The forum on Tuesday, which was opened with a keynote address by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, made for a stunning photo op of the three invited leaders speaking their minds quite openly during an event that could never happen back home for two of them, Thaksin and Anwar.
Indeed, this was political theater of a very high order. Having been hauled into court repeatedly on the most spurious of sexual charges, Anwar is looking toward a general election later this year as he tries to unseat the coalition that has governed Malaysia since independence.
The billionaire Thaksin is involved in his own high-stakes gambit. With his sister now prime minister, he is betting that he can one day return to Thailand despite the intractable opposition of powerful military and political figures.
But along with Horta, these three men all brought a message of forgiveness to Jakarta. Anwar praised Indonesia for its ability to “not be saddled by the baggage of the past.” He resisted the urge to call for payback and appealed instead for Malaysia to simply allow fair elections as the path to reconciliation.
“I am only able to forgive,” Anwar said from the stage, “and move on. Not necessarily forget, but move on. If you are totally committed to [democracy], you don’t have time for retribution.”
Thaksin spoke of the need for calm in handling the political crisis in his country. “I think we need truth, but the truth must not lead to future conflict,” he said. “We must learn from our past failures, but we also must move on.”
The best example was Ramos-Horta, who has actually done what the other two are so far only talking about. In 2008, while president, he pardoned the men who attacked him. He noted that after the 1999 independence referendum and the bloody withdrawal of the Indonesian military, he and independence fighter Xanana Gusmao made peace with Indonesia a first priority despite calls for an international tribunal to investigate the crimes committed in East Timor. “I said 10 years ago that Indonesians will be the ones who look into their souls and find solutions,” he said, adding that he prefers “restorative justice. Sometimes we have to swallow this desire for retributive justice.”
Outsiders often chafe at the tendency in Southeast Asia to paper over deep-seated conflicts. But the path of reconciliation, as frustrating as it can be, makes sense. Would Indonesia be better off today if there had been a genuine attempt to settle the scores left behind by the New Order era? It is unlikely. Similarly, there is enormous potential for chaos in Burma should popular anger be unleashed against the long-ruling generals. It is to the credit of Aung San Suu Kyi that she is negotiating a way forward.
I hope the message of forgiveness and reason that was expressed on the stage in Jakarta this week will be realized in both Malaysia and Thailand, and that Thaksin and Anwar prove to be men of their word should they rise to power.
It has worked here and in East Timor; it is starting to bear fruit in Burma. In the words of President Yudhoyono during his address to the forum: “There is no peace, no freedom, no stability unless we take out the cancerous seeds of conflict and hatred from our society and replace them with seeds of amity and good will.”
A. Lin Neumann, founding editor of the Jakarta Globe, is the host of the “Insight Indonesia” talk show on BeritaSatu TV. He is also the publisher of Strategic Review.
East Timor President Jose Ramos Horta casts his vote in March during the presidential election in which he lost. (Photo: Reuters)
These three men—Jose Ramos-Horta, the former president of East Timor; Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian opposition leader; and Thailand’s former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra —appeared on the same stage in Jakarta this week for a forum on reconciliation put together by Strategic Review, a quarterly journal of policy and ideas published in Jakarta. It is my pleasure to be associated with Strategic Review and to have had the chance to meet all three of these leaders.
The forum on Tuesday, which was opened with a keynote address by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, made for a stunning photo op of the three invited leaders speaking their minds quite openly during an event that could never happen back home for two of them, Thaksin and Anwar.
Indeed, this was political theater of a very high order. Having been hauled into court repeatedly on the most spurious of sexual charges, Anwar is looking toward a general election later this year as he tries to unseat the coalition that has governed Malaysia since independence.
The billionaire Thaksin is involved in his own high-stakes gambit. With his sister now prime minister, he is betting that he can one day return to Thailand despite the intractable opposition of powerful military and political figures.
But along with Horta, these three men all brought a message of forgiveness to Jakarta. Anwar praised Indonesia for its ability to “not be saddled by the baggage of the past.” He resisted the urge to call for payback and appealed instead for Malaysia to simply allow fair elections as the path to reconciliation.
“I am only able to forgive,” Anwar said from the stage, “and move on. Not necessarily forget, but move on. If you are totally committed to [democracy], you don’t have time for retribution.”
Thaksin spoke of the need for calm in handling the political crisis in his country. “I think we need truth, but the truth must not lead to future conflict,” he said. “We must learn from our past failures, but we also must move on.”
The best example was Ramos-Horta, who has actually done what the other two are so far only talking about. In 2008, while president, he pardoned the men who attacked him. He noted that after the 1999 independence referendum and the bloody withdrawal of the Indonesian military, he and independence fighter Xanana Gusmao made peace with Indonesia a first priority despite calls for an international tribunal to investigate the crimes committed in East Timor. “I said 10 years ago that Indonesians will be the ones who look into their souls and find solutions,” he said, adding that he prefers “restorative justice. Sometimes we have to swallow this desire for retributive justice.”
Outsiders often chafe at the tendency in Southeast Asia to paper over deep-seated conflicts. But the path of reconciliation, as frustrating as it can be, makes sense. Would Indonesia be better off today if there had been a genuine attempt to settle the scores left behind by the New Order era? It is unlikely. Similarly, there is enormous potential for chaos in Burma should popular anger be unleashed against the long-ruling generals. It is to the credit of Aung San Suu Kyi that she is negotiating a way forward.
I hope the message of forgiveness and reason that was expressed on the stage in Jakarta this week will be realized in both Malaysia and Thailand, and that Thaksin and Anwar prove to be men of their word should they rise to power.
It has worked here and in East Timor; it is starting to bear fruit in Burma. In the words of President Yudhoyono during his address to the forum: “There is no peace, no freedom, no stability unless we take out the cancerous seeds of conflict and hatred from our society and replace them with seeds of amity and good will.”
A. Lin Neumann, founding editor of the Jakarta Globe, is the host of the “Insight Indonesia” talk show on BeritaSatu TV. He is also the publisher of Strategic Review.
Jul 22, 2012
Ramadan traditions with a digital twist
Ramadan traditions with a digital twist: Today, more than a billion Muslims around the world begin to observe the holy month of Ramadan, fasting from dawn to sunset. This year, we’re bringing some of the most venerable Ramadan traditions online.
We’re sharing the Islamic prayers live from Mecca on a dedicated YouTube channel. Millions of people from around the world will be able to experience and comment on the event by tuning in via video.
Ramadan is about more than just prayer; it is also a special moment to gather with friends and family. Muslims gather to watch special television shows produced for the holiday and shown only during Ramadan. Often the shows overlap in scheduling. This year, for the first time, YouTube is enabling people to watch their favorite shows anytime, anywhere. A new YouTube Ramadan channel lets viewers see more than 50 premium Ramadan shows the same day they air. In the clip below, famed Syrian actor Jamal Suliman appears in a drama:
Ramadan’s tastiest tradition is the food. After fasting through the day, families gather for evening break-the-fast meals called Iftar. Through Google+ Hangouts, we’re hosting 30 virtual get-togethers in the 30 days of Ramadan, in which celebrity chefs will share their favorite recipes and doctors will give tips on eating healthy.
The hangouts will engage people in subjects far beyond eating. Actors will talk about their favorite Ramadan shows. Poets will discuss literature inspired by the holiday. Religious figures will answer questions. Stay tuned to the Google Arabia page on Google+ for more details and join in.
We hope you enjoy experiencing your favorite Ramadan traditions with a digital twist this year. Ramadan Kareem!
Posted by Maha Abouelenein, Head of Communications Middle East and North Africa
We’re sharing the Islamic prayers live from Mecca on a dedicated YouTube channel. Millions of people from around the world will be able to experience and comment on the event by tuning in via video.
Ramadan is about more than just prayer; it is also a special moment to gather with friends and family. Muslims gather to watch special television shows produced for the holiday and shown only during Ramadan. Often the shows overlap in scheduling. This year, for the first time, YouTube is enabling people to watch their favorite shows anytime, anywhere. A new YouTube Ramadan channel lets viewers see more than 50 premium Ramadan shows the same day they air. In the clip below, famed Syrian actor Jamal Suliman appears in a drama:
Ramadan’s tastiest tradition is the food. After fasting through the day, families gather for evening break-the-fast meals called Iftar. Through Google+ Hangouts, we’re hosting 30 virtual get-togethers in the 30 days of Ramadan, in which celebrity chefs will share their favorite recipes and doctors will give tips on eating healthy.
The hangouts will engage people in subjects far beyond eating. Actors will talk about their favorite Ramadan shows. Poets will discuss literature inspired by the holiday. Religious figures will answer questions. Stay tuned to the Google Arabia page on Google+ for more details and join in.
We hope you enjoy experiencing your favorite Ramadan traditions with a digital twist this year. Ramadan Kareem!
Posted by Maha Abouelenein, Head of Communications Middle East and North Africa
Heavy rainfall leaves many dead in China
Heavy rainfall leaves many dead in China: Heaviest rainfall in 60 years leaves 37 dead in Beijing, as more than 500 flights are cancelled.
Blast hits Egypt gas pipeline
Blast hits Egypt gas pipeline: Attack on Egypt-Israel-Jordan pipeline is the 15th attack since the start of the uprising which toppled Hosni Mubarak.
Saudi Arabia calls for special Islamic summit
Saudi Arabia calls for special Islamic summit: Risks of "sedition" to be addressed at an extraordinary meeting of Muslim leaders called by King Abdullah.
Deadly bomb attacks hit Iraqi towns
Deadly bomb attacks hit Iraqi towns: Authorities say at least 17 people killed in explosions at multiple locations across the country.
This Year’s Ramadan Arrives With a Set of Challenges
This Year’s Ramadan Arrives With a Set of Challenges: The holy month may be more difficult than usual for Muslims because of the season, but uncertainty in the governments of some nations will likely add to the challenge.
Liberal Donors Finding a Home in Elizabeth Warren
Liberal Donors Finding a Home in Elizabeth Warren: Elizabeth Warren’s haul — $24.5 million so far — has already catapulted her to No. 15 on the list of most successful Senate campaign money-raisers in history.
Syrians Find Optimism at a Tent City in Turkey
Syrians Find Optimism at a Tent City in Turkey: In one of nine Turkish-run camps, Syrians cheered by rebels’ gains across the border insist their enemies are weakening and they will be going home.
A Quest to See the City That Tourists So Love
A Quest to See the City That Tourists So Love: The city’s eight million residents and its 50.9 million annual visitors live in different realities; here, a New Yorker’s quest to see Tourists’ New York.
U.S. Expands Drug Fight in Africa
U.S. Expands Drug Fight in Africa: The United States, trying to combat Latin American groups that are using Africa to smuggle cocaine into Europe, has begun training an elite counternarcotics police unit in Ghana.
Changing of the Guard: China’s Communist Elders Take Backroom Intrigue Beachside
Changing of the Guard: China’s Communist Elders Take Backroom Intrigue Beachside: Party elites and their families congregate in the resort of Beidaihe to swim and dine and shape the future of the world’s most populous nation.
U.S. to Focus on Forcibly Toppling Syrian Government
U.S. to Focus on Forcibly Toppling Syrian Government: The United States has for now abandoned efforts for a diplomatic settlement to Syria’s conflict, and instead will add aid for opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.
FiveThirtyEight: Do Presidential Polls Break Toward Challengers?
FiveThirtyEight: Do Presidential Polls Break Toward Challengers?: There are reasons to think that the polls could break toward Mitt Romney, but the evidence argues against it.
For Fliers, Mixing Up La Guardia and J.F.K.
For Fliers, Mixing Up La Guardia and J.F.K.: With three major airports less than 20 miles from Midtown Manhattan, some New Yorkers have found themselves in the exasperating situation of taking a cab to where their planes were not.
Sicily’s Fiscal Problems Threaten to Swamp Italy
Sicily’s Fiscal Problems Threaten to Swamp Italy: As Prime Minister Mario Monti fights to protect Italy from perilous borrowing costs, some fear that Sicily has become “the Greece” of Italy and is at risk of defaulting on its high debts.
The South is the epicenter of new HIV infections in the United States
The South is the epicenter of new HIV infections in the United States:
Afew blocks from the historic downtown, between a boarded-up office building and a vacant lot, sits a compact, one-story brick building with metal bars across the windows, a former doctor’s office that — like so much in this city of 20,000 — has seen better days. There are no signs or logos in front and to the casual passerby the building might look closed or even abandoned.
Read full article >>
Afew blocks from the historic downtown, between a boarded-up office building and a vacant lot, sits a compact, one-story brick building with metal bars across the windows, a former doctor’s office that — like so much in this city of 20,000 — has seen better days. There are no signs or logos in front and to the casual passerby the building might look closed or even abandoned.
Read full article >>
With crackdown, N. Korea puts a hold on defectors
With crackdown, N. Korea puts a hold on defectors:
SEOUL — With tighter border security and harsher punishments for those who cross into China, North Korea has forced a swift and drastic drop-off in defections this year, according to aid groups and South Korean officials.
Read full article >>
SEOUL — With tighter border security and harsher punishments for those who cross into China, North Korea has forced a swift and drastic drop-off in defections this year, according to aid groups and South Korean officials.
Read full article >>
Thousands flee turmoil in Syria
Thousands flee turmoil in Syria:
BEIRUT — As many as 30,000 Syrians may have fled across the border to neighboring Lebanon in the past 48 hours, as intense fighting spread across the Syrian capital of Damascus and attacks spiked in other cities across the country.
Read full article >>
BEIRUT — As many as 30,000 Syrians may have fled across the border to neighboring Lebanon in the past 48 hours, as intense fighting spread across the Syrian capital of Damascus and attacks spiked in other cities across the country.
Read full article >>
Struggle over what to wear in Iran
Struggle over what to wear in Iran:
An annual test of wills between Iran’s morality police and women who dress in ways that are deemed unacceptable has begun in cities across the Islamic republic.
But this year, the stakes are unusually high. As Iranian leaders attempt to deflect the public’s attention from economic woes spurred by crushing foreign sanctions, they risk alienating large segments of a society that is already deeply divided.
Read full article >>
An annual test of wills between Iran’s morality police and women who dress in ways that are deemed unacceptable has begun in cities across the Islamic republic.
But this year, the stakes are unusually high. As Iranian leaders attempt to deflect the public’s attention from economic woes spurred by crushing foreign sanctions, they risk alienating large segments of a society that is already deeply divided.
Read full article >>
Ex-federal official calls U.S. classification system ‘dysfunctional’
Ex-federal official calls U.S. classification system ‘dysfunctional’:
When the government’s espionage case against former National Security Agency official Thomas A. Drake collapsed last year, it meant that a key defense witness didn’t get to take the stand.
The witness, J. William Leonard, the government’s former classification czar, planned to testify about the harm to democracy represented by the case — not from Drake leaking information about a troubled counterterrorism technology program at the NSA, but from what Leonard viewed as the government’s needless classification of information.
Read full article >>
When the government’s espionage case against former National Security Agency official Thomas A. Drake collapsed last year, it meant that a key defense witness didn’t get to take the stand.
The witness, J. William Leonard, the government’s former classification czar, planned to testify about the harm to democracy represented by the case — not from Drake leaking information about a troubled counterterrorism technology program at the NSA, but from what Leonard viewed as the government’s needless classification of information.
Read full article >>
Everything’s different (almost) since last international AIDS conference in U.S.
Everything’s different (almost) since last international AIDS conference in U.S.:
AIDS has killed 35 million people. It’s caused physical pain and mental anguish for many who live with it. It’s created a generation of African orphans. It’s drained untold trillions of dollars from national economies and people’s pockets.
Read full article >>
AIDS has killed 35 million people. It’s caused physical pain and mental anguish for many who live with it. It’s created a generation of African orphans. It’s drained untold trillions of dollars from national economies and people’s pockets.
Read full article >>
Syria’s two largest cities rocked by clashes
Syria’s two largest cities rocked by clashes:
MASNAA, Lebanon — Fierce clashes rocked Damascus and Aleppo, Syria’s two largest cities, on Sunday as the military used helicopters and tanks to fight rebel forces in residential areas, according to opposition groups.
Read full article >>
MASNAA, Lebanon — Fierce clashes rocked Damascus and Aleppo, Syria’s two largest cities, on Sunday as the military used helicopters and tanks to fight rebel forces in residential areas, according to opposition groups.
Read full article >>
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