2 August 2007

IS MALAYSIA AN ISLAMIC COUNTRY ?

I have been very shocked to read that 2 weeks ago, the vice Prime Minister Najib Razak that "Islam is the official religion and we are an Islamic State"

First : that is wrong. Malaysia is officially a secular contry.

Second : In a country where 40 % of the population are not muslims, why to hurt or to provoque them ?

The UMNO has to remind that it is the Chinese businessmen that save Malaysia economy after the 1997-1998 crisis and also that it is their Chinese partner MCA who, in the 1999 national election saved UMNO (after the inside UNMO crisis about Anwar Ibrahim expulsion)

MCA (the Chinese party allied to UNMO) reaction has been very shy? They could pay that in the next general elections
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IG28Ae01.html

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/opinion/ 2007/July/opinion_July93.xml&section=opinion&col=




Post edited by: Jacques, at: 2007/08/02 17:10

Post edited by: Jacques, at: 2007/08/02 17:13<br><br>Post edited by: Jacques, at: 2007/08/02 17:20

8 August 2007

So today ASEAN IS 40 YEARS OLD

Ten years ago, the anniversary was celebrated in Kuala Lumpur and the then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahammad Mahathir wanted the three missing Southeast Asia countries to join the Association for this opportunity : Mynmar, Laos and Cambodge.

In 1967, the non-aligned Burma refused to join the founding meeting by the first five members (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines) because they were too closed with the USA. Brunei, at that time was not yet a souverain country.

In 1997, against the US and EU wish who are partners of Asean but apply sanctions against the military junta, Mynmar was invited to join, so was also Laos. Just Cambodia failed to join because a coup lead by Husen against the First Prime Minister Rannaridh. Cambodia joined two years later.

1997, has been also the year when started the financial crisis which affected so much Southeast Asia. Asean members din't try to solve the problem in concertation. It was everyone for itself and for the first time the 1976 declaration, critics where exchanged between members. The direct foreign investments in the Asean countries fled to Northeast Asia.

The problem of what Asean has to be is not realy solved and the recover of a strong economy is search in a way called Asean + 3 (China, Korea, Japan). Another problem is the big disparities between the member-states.

Herre is a non optimist declaration by the Singaporian Prime Minister
http://www.asianewsnet.net/news.php?aid=11501 <br><br>Post edited by: Jacques, at: 2007/08/08 16:12

10 August 2007

Just a technical test, read below

15 August 2007

INDIA AND PAKISTAN

These two countries, yesterday for Pakistan and today for India, have celebrate their 60 years of independence.

They had stormy relations. They knew three wars (two for Kashmir and one in 1971 when India helped Bangladesh to get its independence).

After the first two wars, Kashmir was divised in two parts, one on Pasistan side and the other remaining to India, separated by a Line of Control. In 1989 started the Indian Kashmir uprising with the support of the Pakistan Kashmiris.

Worse, in 1998, India, immediatly followed by Pakistan, tested its first nuclear bomb. The word was very worry. So, under the pressure of the USA, the two Prime Ministers, Atal Behari Vajpayee and Navaz Shari met in Lahore for an historic summit in February 1999. It was also the symbolic oppportunity for the opening of the first bus line between the rwo countries.

Infortunatly, in May a short new war started because the Pakistanese Army was helping the Indian Kashemiris to take and keep positions on the Indian side of the Control Line, in Kargill area. Under the pressure of Bill Clinton, Navaz Sharif ordered the Pakistanese to withdraw to the Pakistanese side of the line. That provoked tensions between Navaz Sharif and Army commander General Musharraf and the conclusion was the military coup of 19 October 1999.

For the US, at that time, Pakistan was the black sheep. It was responsible the the Kargill war. It was the support of the Taliban and internationa islamist terrorists had their sanctuary their. In addition, democracy had been supressed. It's why, when Bill Clinton visited South Asia in 2000, he snubed Pakistan.

After the Al Qaida attack against the US, George W Bush asked the cooperation of Pakistan for fighting Ben Laden and the Talibans who protected him. If Musharraf had refused, he could be considered as an accomplice of Al Qaida and also leave the way to an alliance between USA and India. The worse for Pakistan.

On July 2001, an summit between Vajpayee and Musharraf gave few results, but on 5 January 2004, at a meeting of the Saarc, India for the first agreed to have talks on Kashmir question. Since, the tensions between the two countries have slow down, but with no progress.

17 August 2007

Thank you for the more than 1000 who have agreed to see my &quot;Eye on Asia&quot;

Today is the INDEPENDENCE DAY IN INDONESIA

Indonesia has a particular situation among the ex-colonized countries. For what I know, it is the only one country who cebrated its independence at a date that is not the one of the Independence granted by the colonial puissance.
Two days after the Japananese capitulation who occupied Indonesia, Sukarno unitarely proclamed, on 17th August 1945, the Republic of Indonesia and himsef as the president. But the Dutchs wanted to recover their colony ang fighted for that.

In fact, it is only, under the strong pressure of the United State, that on 2 november 1949 was signed the accord for Independence and that on 27 december that the queen Juliana officialy transfered the sovereinty to the United States of Indonesia.

21 August 2007

ON THE MALDIVES AND ITS PRESIDENT

On 19 August, The Maldivians were called, by a referendum to choice between a presidencial regime or a parliamentary one. Their president, Maumoon Gayoom (70 years old) was trongly supporting the first option. That the way he is leading his country for 29 years, been the most long time leader in Asia.

Since he became president in 1978, the second one after the establishing of Republic in 1968 when Ibrahim Nasir deposed the Sultan, three years after the full independance from the British, Gayoom leads his country
with an iron wist. His power was just threathened by a coup attempt involving Sri Lankan mercenaries but quickly repressed by an Indian military intervention.

For the foreigners, the Maldives, with their 1200 tiny coral islands, the most of them uninhabited, is the heaven for diving and sunning. They don't see the nature of the regime. They just could be obliged to leave at the airport the non-muslim religious symbols as statues of Bouddha they purchased in Sri Lanka, the first step of their trip. They don't see how the opposition has always been repressed.

However, The Maldives, and his 300,000 inhabitants is a moderate muslim country, during the first Irak war, in 1991, he belonged to the 30 countries coalition against Sadam Hussein and he authorised the US and
French military planes to refuel on his airport, a thing denied by the Sri Lankan gouvernement.

Here is the country profile of the Maldives http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/country_profiles/1166511.stm

A short history of the Maldives http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/country_profiles/1166518.stm

A 2003 profile of Maumoon Gayoom http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3140826.stm

Post edited by: Jacques, at: 2007/08/21 18:08<br><br>Post edited by: Jacques, at: 2007/08/21 18:14

28 August 2007

I am sorry to have not given my opinion on Asia events this last days, I was so busy preparing the new forum

&quot;On that day&quot; starting tomorrow.

WHAT THE NEXT TO THAILAND ?

So, after approving the new constitution, the Thailand people will, on december 23 elect a new parliament,

but what will be the change ?

Thaksin is allways strong in the countryside and specialy in the northeast of the country. His ex-Thai Rak

Thai members of the parliament will challenge again under another party name.

And what will be the Army role in the future, particulary the one of general Sonthi ?

31 August 2007

MALAYSIA

So Malaysia is 50 years old, but what kind of country is it ?

Dispite the Malays are only 65 per cent of the population they keep for themselve alll the polical, army and administrative power. As in islamic countries a Muslim cannot change of religion

According to the old New Economic Policy, the chinese strong minority is forbidden to have a politic role even if they are the main actors of the economic succes of that country.

Long time Dr Mahathir Prime Minister was very anti-Occident and anti-semitic oriented. His choised successor and current Prime Minister Baddawi is more flexible but Malaysia missed the opportunity to have a genuine reformist leader : Anwar Ibrahim <br><br>Post edited by: Jacques, at: 2007/08/31 05:35

1st September 2007

NGO ENGAGING GOVERNMENTS AGAINTS THEIR WILL

At last, the South Korean hostages in Afghanistan have been freed except two males who have been killed by the Taleban.

But, for their freedom, Seoul has been obliged to declare the withdraw of its soldier from Afghanistan before the end of the year and probably to pay a 2 million USD ransom, plus the diplomatic raw with the Afghan government.

NGO have to be aware that by sending member in risky areas, they endanger the life of their volonters, but they could also involve their country authorities

It is specialy criminal to send christian oriented NGO members in countries where there are islamist insurgents, they automatically become the main target of this insurgents.

Here two other comments http://www.eitb24.com/noticia/en/B24_63732 http://www.asianewsnet.net/editorial.php?aid=11993

Post edited by: Jacques, at: 2007/09/01 16:47

Post edited by: Jacques, at: 2007/09/01 16:57

Post edited by: Jacques, at: 2007/09/02 10:38<br><br>Post edited by: Jacques, at: 2007/09/02 11:57

3 september 2007


ON CHINA MILITATY EXPENDITURES TRANSPARENCY

So, China has announced that she will take steps to increase the transpaency of its military expenditures and its arm sales by reporting to the United Nations.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6974797.stm

But, for all the Asia defence watchers China usualy official defence expenditures are between 2 and more generaly 3 times more than the official claim.

Can we think that with UN China will be more honest than before ?