It would be helpful if commentators on the troubled Australia-Indonesia relationship could aim for somewhat greater accuracy in their discussion.
For example, if, as the author of this post asserts, Indonesia was colonised for almost 500 years until 1945, presumably ‘occupation by European powers’ began not long after 1445. Even Indonesia’s most imaginative nationalist thinkers, such as Muhammad Yamin, never suggested that the Dutch (or was it the Portuguese?) had seized Indonesia even before Columbus made it to the Western Hemisphere. If they had been there so early, Columbus might have known that he wasn’t sailing towards India.
Australia cut its aid to Indonesia before the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. It was not a response to their deaths. Even Indonesians grasped this and accepted the cut philosophically.
By leaping from the 1966 or 1967 Holt statement to Indonesia’s 1998 democratic transition in a single bound, the author overlooks how often during the New Order the bilateral relationship was not ‘cozy’. The clearest evidence for this is that Soeharto refused to visit Australia after 1975, no matter how regularly Australian prime ministers called on him in Jakarta.
Whatever the findings of the Australia-Indonesia Centre survey, anybody who recalls last year’s Coins for Australia movement formed after Abbott’s clumsy linking of the threat of executions with tsunami aid will doubt that it confirmed Australia’s ‘stellar reputation’ in Indonesia.
Filipinos, as with other Southeast Asians, are found around the world on Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean fishing vessels. most are probably exploited, thus the problem lies with global conventions, and national law enforcement which is very lax, note the horrific human slavery in Thailand recently. The Thai situation was not exposed for 10 years, many turned a blind eye to the situation.
Strongman Duterte has to ask China’s permission for Filipino fishermen to fish in Philippine waters, is there any other leader anywhere who is such a coward? Kills the weak, poor and defenceless and is terrified of guns himself. Bear in mind Duterte’s predecessor did not have to get China’s permission, he stood up for his country and took China to court, and won.
He who lives by the sword…..
President Duterte, whatever else he is, is an interestingly complex character. On drugs his argument, which is at least worth listening to instead of being brushed aside with a few stereotypes, is that drugs are destroying the Philippines and their distributors have to be rooted out, whoever they are, whether drug lords, policemen, politicians or the poor. The sheer number of persons who have, whether out of fear for their lives or not, reported into the police and other agencies as well as the quantities of drugs being seized on a daily basis not only suggests that Duterte’s premise is correct (even if his proceedings may not be) but also indicates what a miserable job his predecessor the highly proclaimed (by outsiders) but in fact ineffectual (at best) Benigno Simeon Aquino III did in this (as in most other) regard. Mayors are already under arrest, so are policemen. However, maybe 2000 people are now dead. Duterte’s policy on drugs raises the everlasting question: how does one balance the eradication of an evil against the opportunities any such eradication offers for the committal of other evils?
But drugs are only one facet of Duterte’s policies in action. Mindanao – Duterte is already making progress in a way the ineptitude of his predecessor (who foolishly ‘made peace’ with one faction which automatically meant he was declaring war on the rival faction in Mindanao) never even envisaged; for the moment at least he has seemingly achieved a degree of balance between the MILF and the MNLF to the point where, as of today, there even appears to be the chance that both might help Duterte to get rid of Abu Sayyaf.
The Moslem issue has been around for almost 500 years in the Philippines. A somewhat less but still chronic problem has been that of the insurgency of the New Peoples’ Army and the Communist Party of the Philippines. Initial talks on this were just held in Oslo. Some progress cannot be ignored especially since Duterte has already made space in his Cabinet for leftists.
On the South China Sea: perhaps even more interesting, because of its potential implications for geopolitics on a much larger scale, is Duterte’s stance vis-a-vis China and the maritime issue. He has stated openly than he will engage in bilateral talks – something the Chinese have been pushing for years and something the US has urged the Philippines not to enter into. Duterte has made a string of unusually public and amiable remarks directly to Beijing’s Ambassador in Manila whilst referring to the US Ambassador as a bakla (queer) son of a whore and John Kerry as stupid….. Only yesterday Pres, Duterte called on the people of China to see the Filipinos as brothers, not enemies. I simply point these facts out and leave you to guess which way these point (and also to guess whether Washington – and Canberra are entirely comfortable with the conclusions they may be coming to). After all close surveillance by the US of the movements of PRC nuclear submarines is one factor behind the ‘freedom of navigation’ visitations to the South China/West Philippine Sea; it is not the only one but it rarely gets a mention.
So do not let the outcomes of Duterte’s drug war divert your attention away from a veritable policy blizzard that he is generating. He is one of the more interesting, not to say action-packed, figures on the regional stage and simply to brush him aside as Too Dirty is to underestimate his significance.
The Malaysia Agreement of 1963 has been abrogated too often by UMNO and it is time for Sarawak and Sabah to leave, and they have the perfect leader to lead a new nation, Baru Bian.
fair article but the arguments are not for the ’20/18 points’ per se – a mere memorandum, but for the Malaysia Agreement 1963 to be respected and central to policies in the country.
VichaiN _ I CLEARLY wrote that TOURISM had been keeping the baht high. I did NOT say that ridiculous line of YOURS : “recent bombings” were “keeping the Thai Baht high”. The fact that you have misread what I wrote indicates that it is YOU, not me, who seems on some “chemical high”, or simply not on Planet Earth.
Four activists and a reporter accused of violating a law passed before the Aug. 7 charter referendum have found an unlikely ally in Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, whose office is tasked with enforcing the law.
“I’m willing to testify to the court that their actions were not wrong,” Somchai said.
“Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, one of the Philippines’ foremost human rights lawyers, says that under Duterte, the country is experiencing a climate of fear worse than the dark days of martial law under late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.”
The dictatorship is more afraid of Thais that oppose its régime peacefully than it is of southern Malays that oppose Thai occupation of their land violently. Why else would it lie, and blame the peaceful Thai opposition (the real Thai patriots) for bombs set off by southern Malays? Like all dictatorships, it’s greatest fear is its own people.
This Shows us, how Afraid the illegal Dictatorial Thai Army Junta is !
To Silence All Citizens who are Critical against them. This is a Strong Violation of Basic and international Human Rights. UN Declaration 19.
Malaysia can learn nothing from Mauritius but a lot from Turkey, since Malaysia has failed to maintain any objective secular institution, and there are many parallels between the Turkish AKP Party and UMNO. Africa is a very poor comparison. Mauritius, for all its problems, is more democratic than Malaysia.
”The utmost that we can do is to show respect to those who’ve died with such a beautiful place.” Youk Chhang (DC-Cam. Exec Dir.)
The utmost that one could do would be to spend Sleuk Rith’s $40 million on legally defending the land titles of peasant farmers from appropriation by corrupt Cambodian officials and rapacious international corporations.
In my opinion food security ranks higher than artistic commemoration.
Unfortunately, in Malaysia the ruling party has corrupted the check and balance systems we started with, by using its majority in Parliament to push through laws and amendments favorable to the ruling elites and resulting in impotence of the judiciary, AG chamber, Police, and other agencies. This leads us to the present problem of IMDB, when the authorities found no wrong doing whereas the foreign countries’ investigators found otherwise, of the trails of wrong doing and brought charges in the courts. It is shameful to say the least.
The same complaints brought out by the opposition and NGO on these wrong doings were brushed aside and charges of sedition and bringing down the government were brought against these people.
A well-written and well-informed piece. Now let’s see if the cost of the Sleuk-Rith Institute can be matched with local or UN funds to improve horrific Cambodian children’s schools and education. Let us also hope Hun Sen does not use this, as he has used everything else in Cambodia, as a vanity item to promote himself, given he has worn at least seven hats in his life, one of them, a very prominent Khmer Rouge cap. In Cambodia, learning will have to begin at the bottom, seeing as how the top believes themselves omniscient and omnipotent (sans traffic tickets; a sure touch of the common Khmer man or woman).
Nice article. Julia. Reading it, one would hope, or at least wish, The Thai Royal society could learn and adapt just a fraction of Cambodia’s efforts for a better future.
However, this dream would come to a stand still within seconds when looking Thailand’s reality into its eyes.
And reality for Thailand is that, while its neighbours place every efforts into moving forwards, Thailand, with a king of Bhumi’s character, will do everything it can to move backwards.
And with Bhumi passing soon, with him will pass Thailand’s truth. Bhumi is Thailand’s last mohican, the last person (oh sorry, he refers to himself as “god” so let’s call this creature god, then, just to follow His commands), who could safe Thailand Asia’s largest genocide, ever, just by speaking the truth about the shooting of his brother, Thailand’s rightful King.
But once a coward, always a coward and thus, thus will never happen. So let’s sit back, and await the sad news, because not one person from all our “powerful” Government criminals have the gut to “speak up and demand” (one other prerequisite for anyone to be allowed to stay alive in this sickening Thai kingdom – Never question or demand something from your Thai god)!
Sad, but that is how things will be. Manufactured by powerful Thai thieves, murderers and plunderers in Thailand over 7 decades ago, already.
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Past friends need to work on their future
It would be helpful if commentators on the troubled Australia-Indonesia relationship could aim for somewhat greater accuracy in their discussion.
For example, if, as the author of this post asserts, Indonesia was colonised for almost 500 years until 1945, presumably ‘occupation by European powers’ began not long after 1445. Even Indonesia’s most imaginative nationalist thinkers, such as Muhammad Yamin, never suggested that the Dutch (or was it the Portuguese?) had seized Indonesia even before Columbus made it to the Western Hemisphere. If they had been there so early, Columbus might have known that he wasn’t sailing towards India.
Australia cut its aid to Indonesia before the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. It was not a response to their deaths. Even Indonesians grasped this and accepted the cut philosophically.
By leaping from the 1966 or 1967 Holt statement to Indonesia’s 1998 democratic transition in a single bound, the author overlooks how often during the New Order the bilateral relationship was not ‘cozy’. The clearest evidence for this is that Soeharto refused to visit Australia after 1975, no matter how regularly Australian prime ministers called on him in Jakarta.
Whatever the findings of the Australia-Indonesia Centre survey, anybody who recalls last year’s Coins for Australia movement formed after Abbott’s clumsy linking of the threat of executions with tsunami aid will doubt that it confirmed Australia’s ‘stellar reputation’ in Indonesia.
No smooth sailing
Filipinos, as with other Southeast Asians, are found around the world on Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean fishing vessels. most are probably exploited, thus the problem lies with global conventions, and national law enforcement which is very lax, note the horrific human slavery in Thailand recently. The Thai situation was not exposed for 10 years, many turned a blind eye to the situation.
Duterte a law unto himself
Strongman Duterte has to ask China’s permission for Filipino fishermen to fish in Philippine waters, is there any other leader anywhere who is such a coward? Kills the weak, poor and defenceless and is terrified of guns himself. Bear in mind Duterte’s predecessor did not have to get China’s permission, he stood up for his country and took China to court, and won.
He who lives by the sword…..
Duterte a law unto himself
President Duterte, whatever else he is, is an interestingly complex character. On drugs his argument, which is at least worth listening to instead of being brushed aside with a few stereotypes, is that drugs are destroying the Philippines and their distributors have to be rooted out, whoever they are, whether drug lords, policemen, politicians or the poor. The sheer number of persons who have, whether out of fear for their lives or not, reported into the police and other agencies as well as the quantities of drugs being seized on a daily basis not only suggests that Duterte’s premise is correct (even if his proceedings may not be) but also indicates what a miserable job his predecessor the highly proclaimed (by outsiders) but in fact ineffectual (at best) Benigno Simeon Aquino III did in this (as in most other) regard. Mayors are already under arrest, so are policemen. However, maybe 2000 people are now dead. Duterte’s policy on drugs raises the everlasting question: how does one balance the eradication of an evil against the opportunities any such eradication offers for the committal of other evils?
But drugs are only one facet of Duterte’s policies in action. Mindanao – Duterte is already making progress in a way the ineptitude of his predecessor (who foolishly ‘made peace’ with one faction which automatically meant he was declaring war on the rival faction in Mindanao) never even envisaged; for the moment at least he has seemingly achieved a degree of balance between the MILF and the MNLF to the point where, as of today, there even appears to be the chance that both might help Duterte to get rid of Abu Sayyaf.
The Moslem issue has been around for almost 500 years in the Philippines. A somewhat less but still chronic problem has been that of the insurgency of the New Peoples’ Army and the Communist Party of the Philippines. Initial talks on this were just held in Oslo. Some progress cannot be ignored especially since Duterte has already made space in his Cabinet for leftists.
On the South China Sea: perhaps even more interesting, because of its potential implications for geopolitics on a much larger scale, is Duterte’s stance vis-a-vis China and the maritime issue. He has stated openly than he will engage in bilateral talks – something the Chinese have been pushing for years and something the US has urged the Philippines not to enter into. Duterte has made a string of unusually public and amiable remarks directly to Beijing’s Ambassador in Manila whilst referring to the US Ambassador as a bakla (queer) son of a whore and John Kerry as stupid….. Only yesterday Pres, Duterte called on the people of China to see the Filipinos as brothers, not enemies. I simply point these facts out and leave you to guess which way these point (and also to guess whether Washington – and Canberra are entirely comfortable with the conclusions they may be coming to). After all close surveillance by the US of the movements of PRC nuclear submarines is one factor behind the ‘freedom of navigation’ visitations to the South China/West Philippine Sea; it is not the only one but it rarely gets a mention.
So do not let the outcomes of Duterte’s drug war divert your attention away from a veritable policy blizzard that he is generating. He is one of the more interesting, not to say action-packed, figures on the regional stage and simply to brush him aside as Too Dirty is to underestimate his significance.
Duterte a law unto himself
Duterte is better than God. As I see it, God had not done a good job at all, neither in th Philippines or elsewhere!
Malaysia the fragile federation
The Malaysia Agreement of 1963 has been abrogated too often by UMNO and it is time for Sarawak and Sabah to leave, and they have the perfect leader to lead a new nation, Baru Bian.
Malaysia the fragile federation
fair article but the arguments are not for the ’20/18 points’ per se – a mere memorandum, but for the Malaysia Agreement 1963 to be respected and central to policies in the country.
A vicious cycle of coups and constitutions
VichaiN _ I CLEARLY wrote that TOURISM had been keeping the baht high. I did NOT say that ridiculous line of YOURS : “recent bombings” were “keeping the Thai Baht high”. The fact that you have misread what I wrote indicates that it is YOU, not me, who seems on some “chemical high”, or simply not on Planet Earth.
Prachatai journalist charged by junta
Four activists and a reporter accused of violating a law passed before the Aug. 7 charter referendum have found an unlikely ally in Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, whose office is tasked with enforcing the law.
“I’m willing to testify to the court that their actions were not wrong,” Somchai said.
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2016/08/30/elections-official-defends-indicted-charter-activists/
now this may get interesting ………………..
Duterte a law unto himself
“Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, one of the Philippines’ foremost human rights lawyers, says that under Duterte, the country is experiencing a climate of fear worse than the dark days of martial law under late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.”
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/28/asia/philippines-voices-drugs-war/index.html
Does Duterte think he is God? I bet he does.
Duterte a law unto himself
With Duterte going after nearly everybody … the man himself could meet an assassin’s bullet anytime. Assassins are everywhere in the Philippines.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37172002
Prachatai journalist charged by junta
The dictatorship is more afraid of Thais that oppose its régime peacefully than it is of southern Malays that oppose Thai occupation of their land violently. Why else would it lie, and blame the peaceful Thai opposition (the real Thai patriots) for bombs set off by southern Malays? Like all dictatorships, it’s greatest fear is its own people.
Prachatai journalist charged by junta
This Shows us, how Afraid the illegal Dictatorial Thai Army Junta is !
To Silence All Citizens who are Critical against them. This is a Strong Violation of Basic and international Human Rights. UN Declaration 19.
The promise and pitfalls of Indonesia’s village law
Jokowi is out of his depth, and I am not sure there is any potential Indonesian leader that wouldn’t be, past and present.
Out of Africa
Malaysia can learn nothing from Mauritius but a lot from Turkey, since Malaysia has failed to maintain any objective secular institution, and there are many parallels between the Turkish AKP Party and UMNO. Africa is a very poor comparison. Mauritius, for all its problems, is more democratic than Malaysia.
A building and brutality
”The utmost that we can do is to show respect to those who’ve died with such a beautiful place.” Youk Chhang (DC-Cam. Exec Dir.)
The utmost that one could do would be to spend Sleuk Rith’s $40 million on legally defending the land titles of peasant farmers from appropriation by corrupt Cambodian officials and rapacious international corporations.
In my opinion food security ranks higher than artistic commemoration.
Out of Africa
Unfortunately, in Malaysia the ruling party has corrupted the check and balance systems we started with, by using its majority in Parliament to push through laws and amendments favorable to the ruling elites and resulting in impotence of the judiciary, AG chamber, Police, and other agencies. This leads us to the present problem of IMDB, when the authorities found no wrong doing whereas the foreign countries’ investigators found otherwise, of the trails of wrong doing and brought charges in the courts. It is shameful to say the least.
The same complaints brought out by the opposition and NGO on these wrong doings were brushed aside and charges of sedition and bringing down the government were brought against these people.
A building and brutality
A well-written and well-informed piece. Now let’s see if the cost of the Sleuk-Rith Institute can be matched with local or UN funds to improve horrific Cambodian children’s schools and education. Let us also hope Hun Sen does not use this, as he has used everything else in Cambodia, as a vanity item to promote himself, given he has worn at least seven hats in his life, one of them, a very prominent Khmer Rouge cap. In Cambodia, learning will have to begin at the bottom, seeing as how the top believes themselves omniscient and omnipotent (sans traffic tickets; a sure touch of the common Khmer man or woman).
A building and brutality
Nice article. Julia. Reading it, one would hope, or at least wish, The Thai Royal society could learn and adapt just a fraction of Cambodia’s efforts for a better future.
However, this dream would come to a stand still within seconds when looking Thailand’s reality into its eyes.
And reality for Thailand is that, while its neighbours place every efforts into moving forwards, Thailand, with a king of Bhumi’s character, will do everything it can to move backwards.
And with Bhumi passing soon, with him will pass Thailand’s truth. Bhumi is Thailand’s last mohican, the last person (oh sorry, he refers to himself as “god” so let’s call this creature god, then, just to follow His commands), who could safe Thailand Asia’s largest genocide, ever, just by speaking the truth about the shooting of his brother, Thailand’s rightful King.
But once a coward, always a coward and thus, thus will never happen. So let’s sit back, and await the sad news, because not one person from all our “powerful” Government criminals have the gut to “speak up and demand” (one other prerequisite for anyone to be allowed to stay alive in this sickening Thai kingdom – Never question or demand something from your Thai god)!
Sad, but that is how things will be. Manufactured by powerful Thai thieves, murderers and plunderers in Thailand over 7 decades ago, already.
Backlash and benevolence in Brunei
Serious debauchery Neptunian? Forgive my ignorance Nep. How does serious debauchery by the Brunei Royals (http://nypost.com/2014/05/10/inside-the-wacky-sex-obsessed-world-of-brunei/) differ from plain-simply-fun debauchery by common people, I must wonder . . .