SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 04, 2014 / VOL. 8, ISSUE NO. 40

INSIDESEAW Directory ....................... 2National Review ...................... 2Regional Review ................... 11

2,000 RIEL

Twenty-three refugees from Myanmar who had fled to Thailand ar-rived in Tokyo on Friday evening as the last group to do so under a Japa-nese pilot resettlement program begun in fiscal 2010.

The 23 from five families who mostly belong to the Karen ethnic mi-nority will take Japanese language les-sons and job training while searching for housing and employment.

The resettlement program has failed to meet the annual quota of accepting 30 refugees, with none ar-riving in 2012 and only 86 coming over the entire period of the program, which was extended from three to five years. The government plans to accept Myanmar refugees staying in Malay-sia from next year. The program failed to serve as planned apparently as po-tential participants have little grasp of the terms of the resettlement and the conditions they can expect in Japan, observers say. Promoted by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the third-country resettlement program is designed to help people who have fled their homes to a nearby country reset-tle in a safe third country.

About 120,000 Myanmar refu-gees currently live in refugee camps in Thailand. The Thai junta, which seized power in May in a military coup, has reportedly agreed with Myanmar to send the refugees back but no time-table or other details have been an-nounced. Kyodo

23 Myanmar Refugees Arrive

In Japan On Resettlement

program

www.thesoutheastasiaweekly.com

sßanIy_TUrTsSn_GasIuGaeKñy_Southeast Asia Television

Southeast Asia Television (SEATV) With our digital high transmitter system

(20 kw broadcasting power) we serve the viewers widely around the country & international

24 hours broadcasting

Our three Pillars: Education, Culture & InformationAccuracy, On time, Brief and Fast

CHANNEL 31S O U T H E A S T A S I A T E L E V I S I O N

FOR SPONSORSHIP, PLEASE CONTACTTEL.: 023 995 106

www.seatv.com.khE-mail: tv@seatv.com.kh

Our three Pillars: Education, Culture & InformationAccuracy, On time, Brief and FastFOR SPONSORSHIP, PLEASE CONTACT

TEL.: 023 995 106www.searadio.com.kh

E-mail: radio@searadio.com.kh

Southeast Asia Radio (FM 106 MHz) is broadcasted 24 hours by stereo multiplex 6-band system,

with 10kw broadcasting power with the focus on Education & Entertainment (E & E)

FM 106 MHzS O U T H E A S T A S I A R A D I O

sßanIy_viTüúGasIuGaeKñy_Southeast Asia Radio

Southeast AsiaSoutheast AsiaWeeklyWeekly

TheThe

E d u c a t i o n . c u l t u r E . i n f o r m a t i o n .

CAMBODIA Bay’s Kep is being touted as a destination with star potential as buyers seek out fresh offerings be-yond Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. ICS Travel Group sales.... Page 3

A group of local civil organization this week urged the Australian and Cambodian governments to release information over the refugee deals.

CHRAC continues to ... Page 2

Rights Group Urged Gov-ernments To Release Infor-mation Over Refugee Deals

Cambodia Bay Surfaces As Next Destination To Watch

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha this week urged academics not to just talk about democracy and election among others but to talk about the dark side of...... Page 10

Thai PM Asks Academics To Talk Less On Politics

Although Nguyen Thi Loan has been posted on the website of Miss World 2014 as representing Vietnam in their pageant in London this De-cember, local authorities.... Page 12

Vietnamese Contender For Miss World Not Yet Licensed

Malaysia Arrests 3 ‘Fresh’ ISIS Militants Recruited Via Facebook

STORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 4

PETALING JAYA - They were “fresh” but eager to be militants after being re-cruited via Facebook just three months ago.

Three would-be Malay-

joined ISIS to achieve martyr-dom.

“The police have already identified the recruiter. The suspects are considered still...

sian militants, arrested at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Thursday, were enlisted into the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group by a senior Malaysian

militant who used Facebook to lure members.

The architect and a techni-cian, both 26, and a 42-year-old shopkeeper were part of a wider network, all of whom

Vietnam’s Marine Ecosystems In Danger

STORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 6

Hanoi– Vietnam’s di-verse marine ecosystems are being threatened by human activity and natural disasters, affecting the lives of many people, especially the poor.

The country’s marine ecosystems includes 155,000 hectares of mangroves, 1,300

coral reefs can provide aquatic products worth $10,000.

In the Mekong River Delta, one square kilometer of mangroves can provide 450 kilos of aquatic products. The seaweed ecosystem brings...

square kilometers of coral reefs, 500 square kilometers of lagoons, 16,000 hectares of seaweed and algae ecosys-tems, intertidal areas and estu-aries. The ecosystems provide many important services to people, with 20 million people indirectly influenced by the

services and 8 million poor people living in the ecosys-tems. According to the Centre for Marine Life Conservation and Community Develop-ment, the services of the coral reef ecosystem have an esti-mated total value of $100 mil-lion. One square kilometer of

Cambodian Interior Minister Sar Kheng and visiting Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison sign a Memorandum of Under-standing (MoU) on the settlement of refugees from Australia to Cambodia in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sept. 26, 2014.

Photo: Khem Sovannara

Volume 8, Number 40SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 04, 2014

Publisher:Inn Tong Ann

Acting Managing Editor:Chhorng Long Heng

English Editor:SEAW

Reporters:SEAW

Designer:SEAW

Photographer:Khem Sovannara

Distributors:Chin Roth, Tim Vannak

Printer: ANGKOR THOM Printing House

THE SOUTHEAST ASIA WEEKLYNorthbridge St., Sleng Roloeung village,

Sangkat Teuk Thla, Khan Sen Sok, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.

Tel/Fax: (855) 023 995 108www.thesoutheastasiaweekly.com

To contact the editor:012/069 824 406

longheng7@yahoo.com

Copyright 2010 by

THE SOUTHEAST ASIA WEEKLYAll rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior expressed

permission from the publisher.

Licensed in 2006 by the Ministry of Information.

The Southeast Asia Weekly is a not-for-profit newspaper that is affiliated

with The University of Cambodia. All the content, views and opinions

published pertain strictly to The Southeast Asia Weekly, and in no way reflect the views and policies of

The University of Cambodia.

By fax Or call us at 023 995 106 / 023 995 108

Drop it o� at our o�ce at # Northbridge St., Sleng Roloeung village, Sangkat Teuk Thla, Khan Sen Sok, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.

The Southeast Asia Weekly

SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 04, 2014 / THE SOUTHEAST ASIA WEEKLY2 NATIONAL REVIEW

ADB Provides $ 30 Million Loan To Cambo-dia To Boost Vocational Training

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is extending a $30 million loan for a nation-wide program to raise the quality of technical and voca-tional education and training (TVET) in Cambodia leading to more job opportunities for women and the poor, ADB statement said on Sept 26.

“The TVET system re-mains in its infancy and needs reform and additional invest-ment to address gaps in ac-cess, quality and institutional capacity in order to make a sustained contribution to the development of a skilled work-force,” ADB Principal Educa-tion Specialist, Norman La-Rocque said in the statement.

“ The program will over-haul the existing system to make it more responsive to labor market needs and help provide disadvantaged groups with more opportunities for formal training.”

Specific measures include support for the establishment of a competency-based assess-ment and certification system, including the development of flexible pathways between dif-ferent qualification levels and types of training.The program will also introduce a quality assurance system for TVET institutes and establish an in-structor apprenticeship pro-gram for publicTVET teachers to gain industry experience. Sector skills councils, made up of industry associations and large employers in four priori-ty sectors —construction, auto mechanics, electrical works and manufacturing— will be established to help develop centers of excellence.

The program—which buildson earlier ADB support for basic education and the TVET sector—incorporates a num-ber of innovative features. These include (i) development of a system for the recognition of prior learning, (ii) strate-gies to enhance private sector and employer engagement in TVET, and (iii) strengthening performance-based manage-ment to increase accountabil-ity and the efficiency of TVET resource use.

Many Cambodians, espec-ially the poor and women, cannot take part in the formal TVET system due to low edu-cational attainment and the grade 9 entry requirement for formal training. The program will provide stipends to indi-viduals from poor households identified under a government household support scheme, and to women’s dormitories.A gender action plan establish-ing quotas for females receiv-ing training stipends will also

help increase female enroll-ment andretention in formal TVET programs.

To strengthen governance and management, TVET insti-tute directors will get training and other support for planning, budgeting and other skills. Start-up finance will also be provided to allow TVET in-stitutes to offer courses in construction, auto mechanics, information and communica-tions technology and business at levels 2 to 4 under the Cam-bodian Qualifications Frame-work. ADB’s assistance, from its concessional Asian Devel-opment Fund, includes project and policy-based loans, while the Government of Cambodia will provide cash and in-kind contributions totaling $2.6 million, for a total investment of $32.6 million. The full pro-gram will run for almost 5 years, with an estimated com-pletion date of December 2019.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integra-tion. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region. In 2013, ADB assistance totaled $21.0 bil-lion, including co-financing of $6.6 billion./First Solar Bus Put On Trial

The Phnom Penh Munici-pality this week tested the first solar-charged bus before being put into use along with other public buses in the capital.

The trial, presided over by Phnom Penh Municipal Gov-ernor Pa Socheatevong and Okhna Pung Khieu Se, Direc-tor General of the Overseas Cambodia Investment Corpo-ration (OCIC), started from the Phnom Penh City Hall to the Old Stadium roundabout and went around Wat Phnom historical site before returning to the Phnom Penh City Hall.

This solar bus, which can operate about 16 hours a day and carry up to 23 passengers, will be used for the first line of public bus service, from Kilo-meter No. 9 to Kdey Takoy pa-goda in Khan Chbar Ampov, akp reported./ Traffic Accidents Kill 49 Cambodians During “Pchum Ben” Festival

During the “Pchum Ben” Festival or the Festival for the Dead, from Sept. 20 to 24, traffic accidents killed at least 49 people, up 75 percent, and injured 305 others, up 35 per-cent if compared to the same period of 2013, according to a report from the General Com-missariat of the National Police.

In total, in the five-day holiday, 137 cases of road ac-cidents were recorded, an in-crease by 53 cases or 63 per-cent over the same period last

NATIONAL REVIEWyear, it added. The provinces with the highest record of traf-fic accidents are Pursat, Kan-dal, Prey Veng, and Kampong Thom, pointed out the report.

Excessive speeding and drink driving are the major causes for traffic accidents in Cambodia.akpRights Group Urged Governments To Release Information Over Refugee Deals

A group of local civil or-ganization this week urged the Australian and Cambodian governments to release infor-mation over the refugee deals.

CHRAC continues to call on both the Australian and the Cambodian government to re-lease all relevant information relating to the ‘Cambodian So-lution’ deal and, furthermore, calls on both governments to refrain from any signing of the deal until broad and extensive consultation has been carried out with political and civil so-ciety actors.

CHRAC continues to view this deal as an infringement of the 1951 Refugee Convention as the Australian Govern-ment cannot ensure that, once these refugees reach Cambo-dia, they will be afforded any of the fundamental human rights protection that is taken for granted in Australia. The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC) – a coalition of 21 NGOs working in the promotion Hu-man Rights, Democracy, and Rule of Law in the Kingdom of Cambodia raises grave concerns.

CHRAC is gravely con-cerned that the two gov-ernments will simply push through the deal with no public scrutiny from either country. This is contrary to the funda-mental democratic principles of good governance, respect for rule of law and due pro-cess, according its statement before the government inked the agreement this week./Civil Society Calls For More Information Disclo-sure By Public Institutions

Group of the civil society working on right to know this week urged the public institu-tions to provide more informa-tion. The joint statement was made n 25 sept before Septem-ber 28 marks the 11thanniver-sary of International Right to Know Day. Civil Society also gives recommendations to the 5thGovernment and National Assembly:

Government agencies and bodies shall disclose public in-formation, especially service delivery fees, procedures and times for service delivery.

Institutional capacity buil- ding for public institutions and development of necessary mechanisms to ensure that the Cambodian people can access

all public information. Enact-ment of an A2I law through consultation with and recom-mendations from civil society organizations, especially rec-ommendations related to con-fidentiality of information.

Protection of all citizens who release or disclose truth-ful information or information that serves the public interest.

Promotion of public awareness of Access to Infor-mation and encouragement of citizens accessing public information relevant to their livelihoods. Creation of a bet-ter environment for citizen participation in the process of Cambodian development.

They also urged to pro-mote public access to infor-mation and the enactment of an FOI Law. September 28 marks the 11thanniver-sary of International Right to Know Day. Right to know is identified as fundamental to other human rights. The aim of Right to Know Day is to raise awareness of every individual’s right to access government-held information for the following reasons, but not limited to: the informa-tion has the potential to affect every aspect of people’s lives; people are tax-payers and they want to know their money be-ing transparently spent; people need to know who should be held accountable for decisions made and the implementation of those decisions; they want to ensure that public services are delivered to them transpar-ently and efficiently; for the people to be able to exercise democratic participation ef-fectively, they need all relevant information. Article 19 of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and ex-pression; this right includes the right to hold opinions with-out interference and to seek, receive and impart informa-tion and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.”

In connection to that, Arti-cle 31 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia states “The Kingdom of Cambodia shall recognize and respect human rights as stipulated in the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the covenants and conventions related to hu-man rights, women’s and chil-dren’s rights.”

The International Right to Know Day was established by Access to Information advo-cates from around the globe. It was first celebrated on 28 Sep-tember 2003. To guarantee the people’s right to access infor-mation held by public authori-ties, a strong legal foundation is needed, followed by strict enforcement./

ANGKOR Expeditions is giving travel consultants a new way for customers to view and appreciate the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor Ar-chaeological Park.

The company has recently gained approval from UNES-CO and Apsara Authority, which protects and manages the park, to begin Float Angkor – river rafting and kayaking tours down a 1.7km stretch of river that winds through Angkor.

Paula Harrigan, general manager of Angkor Expedi-tions, which exhibited at PATA for the first time, hopes to begin first tours by early 2015.

“Clients visiting the An-gkor complex start feeling the heat by lunchtime, when they’ve already visited a num-ber of temples and taken 300 photos. This is a great option for them to get a break from the heat. The temples of Angkor are highlights, but there are other aspects of Cambodian culture they can learn to appreciate on the tours,” she said.

This includes learning the importance of water to Angkor culture, as well as opportuni-ties to learn more about the lo-cal flora, fauna, and wildlife through the naturalists-cum-guides attached to each raft, as-pects of the park that are often overlooked. Each raft will hold a maximum of six passengers with groups sent off in 15-min-ute intervals during peak season for a more exclusive and private experience with nature and the sights. Speaking to the Daily, Harrigan said Float Angkor took 18 months to get up and running, and each expedition will last 1.5 hours.

Asked what is next on the agenda for Angkor Expeditions, Harrigan said: “Kayaking, which allows for solo trips and are for people with more experi-ence on the water. In compari-son, rafting is more tame. You can paddle if you want to or simply float along. We’re also looking at doing water sports throughout the country.” TTG DAILY

CAMBODIA Bay’s Kep is being touted as a destination with star potential as buyers seek out fresh offerings beyond Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

ICS Travel Group sales manager, Kanoungnit Thong-punparn, observed growing de-mand from not just Europe and the US, but also an increase in regional business.

Services Excellent Tours Phnom Penh general manager, Hem Chan Piseth, said: “Kep gives tourists another feeling compared to Siem Reap, as well as Sihanoukville (also located in Cambodia Bay), which draws a younger crowd. Kep is for mid-dle-aged to older tourists.”

Calling Cambodia’s coastal destinations “underfocused (on) and underdeveloped”, Angkor Expeditions’ general manager, Paula Harrigan, said: “Siha-noukville is a kind of Vegas by the sea, very racy and vibrant, but Kep is a small town with an unspoiled stretch of beach.

“You can still see the rem-nants of Kep’s past glory in the old villas, of what it was before. It’s now undergoing a renais-sance.” The southern province, popular among Cambodians for its fresh seafood, was a beach town during colonial rule, drawing French residents and elite Cambodians who built beachfront villas. Hem elabo-rated: “You can go cycling, visit waterfalls and nearby islands. There are a lot of French colo-nial buildings and new hotel in-vestments are also coming into Kep...There are nice, almost five-star resorts such as Veranda Natural Resort.” The Phnom Penh-Kep road has also been reconstructed, he pointed out.

Cambodian tourism minis-ter Thong Khon told media at PTM yesterday that the govern-ment is also considering eas-ing visa restrictions for travel-lers heading to Cambodia Bay, which stretches across four provinces. TTG DAILY

THE SOUTHEAST ASIA WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 04, 2014 3 NATIONAL NEWS

the UNHCR, said in a state-ment it was “deeply concerned at the precedent set” by Aus-tralia’s resettlement agreement with Cambodia. “Refugees are persons who are fleeing perse-cution or the life-threatening effects of armed conflict,” UN

High Commissioner for Refu-gees Antonio Guterres said.

“They are entitled to better treatment than being shipped from one country to the next.” Mr Guterres urged Australia to “reconsider its approach” to refugees. NEWS. COM.AU

Touring Angkor Heritage Park On The River

Cambodia Bay Surfaces As Next Destination To Watch

His Majesty Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, and Her Majesty Queen-Moth-er Norodom Monineath Sihan-ouk arrive home this afternoon after spending about a month for a routine medical checkup and a visit in China.

The Cambodian monarchswere warmly welcomed at PhnomPenh International Airport by National Assembly President Samdech Heng Samrin, Prime Minister Samdech Moha Hun Sen, First Vice President of the Senate Mr.Say Chhum, and many other high-ranking of-ficials as well as royal family members, akp reported.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) maintains its Aprilprojection for Cambodia’s eco-nomic growth at 7.0% in 2014, and 7.3% in 2015, says a new report released on Sept 24.

This favorable outlook is supported by the recent eas-ing of political uncertainty that followed last year’s national elections and labor tensions in the garment industry after the minimum monthly wage for garment workers was raised in February this year.

“Cambodia’s economy is expected to remain in good shape over the next two years, reflecting increased political stability and steady macro-economic management that should further lift investors’ confidence,” Jan Hansen, ADB Senior Country Economist for Cambodia said in the media

release. Asian Development Outlook Update 2014 reports exports of garments and foot-wear increasing by 14.5% to $2.8 billion in the first half of 2014, compared with a 17.0% gain during the same period last year, and growth in total merchandise exports moderat-ing to 20.0% from 27.0% over the same time period. Import growth decelerated to 6.7% from 24.7%. Tourist arrivals to Cambodia rose by 5.2% to 2.2 million in January-June, against a 19.1% rise in the year-earlier period. The report notes that growth in credit to the pri-vate sector was 12.0% year on year in June 2014, well below the expansion rate a year earlier.

Inflation is projected to be higher than previously expect-ed, driven by higher food pric-es and a tightening of customs

REFUGEES on Nauru could soon be resettled in im-poverished Cambodia follow-ing a controversial deal with Australia. Immigration Min-ister Scott Morrison signed a memorandum of understand-ing with Cambodian Interior Minister Sar Kheng in Phnom Penh on Friday, to allow refu-gees processed on the Pacific Island of Nauru to resettle in the Asian country. The offer is voluntary and only applies to asylum seekers sent by Aus-tralia to Nauru who have been found to be refugees.

“A number of those found to be in genuine need of protec-tion will now have the opportu-nity and support to re-establish their lives free from persecu-tion,” Mr Morrison said in a statement. “As a party to the Refugees Convention, Cam-bodia, while making countless efforts to develop the country after the civil war, is demon-strating its ability and willing-ness to contribute positively to this humanitarian issue.” The Australian government will give Cambodia $40 million in extra development assistance over the next four years in re-turn. This is in addition to $79

million already provided.Mr Sar Kheng stressed that

Cambodia was a signatory to the United Nations Refugee Convention and other interna-tional refugee protocols.

“Therefore, offering the settlement of refugees is con-sidered a humanitarian activ-ity which will help them start a new life in accordance with Cambodian laws,” he said.

Mr Morrison hopes some can be resettled by the end of this year and is working to en-sure the proper processes are in place. The government isn’t ruling out extending the deal to refugees on Manus Island.

There’s no cap on how many can take up the offer and language training would be part of the resettlement pack-age. The agreement has been criticised by aid and human rights groups as inappropriate, immoral and likely illegal.

There are concerns that Cambodia’s poor human rights record puts any resettled asy-lum seekers at risk and that the poverty-stricken country is ill-equipped to handle them.

Mr Morrison said the ar-rangement “challenged tradi-tional institutional thinking”

duty collections in late 2013 that put some upward pressure on prices of imports. Inflation is expected at 4.4% in 2014, falling to4.0% in 2015. The Update maintains the April forecast for the current account deficit in 2014 at 11.3% of gross domestic product, excluding official transfers. Gross official reserves at midyear were $3.9 billion, covering 3.8 months of imports of goods and services.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integra-tion. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members—48 from the region. In 2013, ADB assistance totaled $21.0 billion, including co-financing of $6.6 billion.

on how to address these issues. “Our aim is to remain posi-

tively focused on delivering a solution, and not be distracted by the negative characterisa-tions that sadly and typically accompanies new initiatives.” Cambodia has high poverty rates and high unemployment but Mr Morrison has said he believes Australia should “give them a go”. About 100 people, including Buddhist monks, protested outside Australia’s embassy in Cambodia against the deal.

Ou Virak, chairman of the nonpartisan Cambodian Cen-tre for Human Rights, said his country “couldn’t give hu-manitarian support even if we wanted to”. “Cambodia is poor as hell. Most of her people do not have access to decent health care, education. Money alone will not able to fix these things for the refugees,” he said in an interview by email with AP.

“I think they will be left in limbo for years.” Australia pays Nauru to house asylum seekers and has a similar deal with Pap-ua New Guinea. Human rights groups have criticised living conditions at the camps.

The UN’s refugee agency,

King And Queen-Mother Return Home From China

Cambodia’s Economic Growth Maintains 7% In 2014: ADB

Refugees In Cambodia By End Of The Year

SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 04, 2014 / THE SOUTHEAST ASIA WEEKLY4INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Philippines’ late Dictator Ferdinand Marcos is Hero?

Vietnam Replacing China To Become Counterfeit Goods Hot Spot

MANILA, Philippines - Shortly before he was sworn in as president in 1998, Joseph Estrada – now Manila mayor – had tried to have the remains of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, former Presi-dent Fidel Ramos disclosed the other day. In early June 1998, a few weeks before Estrada was to be sworn into office, Ramos said he was told that there was digging being done near the ro-tunda at the heroes’ cemetery around which former presidents are buried.

Ramos said he later re-ceived a report from then de-fense secretary Fortunato Abat that the digging was done ap-parently on Estrada’s orders.

“I ordered that it be stopped,” he told STAR edi-tors at the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation office in Makati. “Maybe there was already an agreement (between Estrada and the Marcos fam-ily) to have him buried there,” he added. Estrada could not be reached for comment as of press time. Ramos said he recently visited the Libingan to see where the burial plot reserved

VietNamNet Bridge – Vi-etnam has been warned that Chinese counterfeit goods man- ufacturers are eyeing the coun-try as a potential alternative production site, due to the lower labor costs and more lax exami-nation by importers. Do Thanh Lam, Deputy Head of the Mar-ket Management Agency, an arm of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that counterfeit goods available in the domestic market are either made domes-tically or imported under the mode of CBU (complete built units) or knock-down parts.

“We have found compa-nies which provide counterfeit goods so similar to the au-thentic goods that only the real manufacturers can discover the frauds after applying specific professional measures,” Lam said. A report of the Market Management Agency revealed that 10,500 cases of counterfeit goods production and distribu-tion were found in 2010, for which the violators were forced to pay total fines of VND44.4 billion. These figures rose to 14,000 cases and fines of VND62.01 billion in 2013.

Nguyen Thanh Hong, a senior official of the National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP), commented that as Vi-etnam is the next-door neighbor of China, a “counterfeit goods power”, it is understandable that more and more counterfeit goods have been penetrating

the border gates.Phan Minh Nhut, a high

ranking executive of Nike, not-ed that counterfeit goods manu-facturers tend to relocate their production bases to Vietnam because of the increasingly high labor cost in China.

Besides, China, well known as a counterfeit goods producer and exporter, always sees its export products exam-ined carefully by importers, especially European ones. This has prompted the Chinese man-ufacturers to make products in Vietnam instead of China to avoid such strict examination.

Hong from NOIP cited statistics from US Customs as establishing that of the total counterfeit goods seized in the US every year, 70 percent are from China and one percent from Vietnam.

Therefore, Hong has urged appropriate agencies to “take actions” to prevent Vietnam from following the Chinese way of making counterfeit goods. “Vietnam is a member of the World Trade Organiza-tion (WTO), and it will soon be a member of the Trans Pacific Partnership. Hence Vietnam will have to obey the rules on intellectual property,” Hong said. Observers have noted that some “counterfeit goods vil-lages” are already taking shape in Vietnam. These are the sub-urban areas of Thai Binh, Nam Dinh and Vinh Phuc Provinces,

for him as a former president was located. The place suppos-edly reserved for Marcos was just several meters away, he said. Ramos was Armed Forces vice chief of staff when he and then defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile led some generals and junior officers in breaking away from the Marcos regime and in calling for the strong-man’s resignation.

When Marcos ordered

loyalist officers to attack the mutineers holed up at Camp Aguinaldo on EDSA, Manila archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin appealed on radio to the people to march to the camp to protect Ramos, Enrile and their sup-porters. Estrada, then mayor of San Juan, remained loyal to Marcos. Some two to three million people were said to have heeded the cardinal’s call and filled a long stretch of the

highway outside the camp. The event would be called EDSA people power revolution.

As defections to the camp of the mutineers swelled, Mar-cos and his family fled to Ha-waii on Feb.25, 1986 on a US military aircraft.

He was to remain in exile until his death in September 1989. The debate over whether to allow his remains to be in-terred with honors at the Libin-

gan ng mga Bayani began im-mediately after his death.

Estrada’s declaration of his desire to have Marcos bur-ied and given full honors at the heroes’ cemetery was met with protests even before he assumed office. “We are Chris-tians and we should respect the dead,” he told the media then. Marcos’ preserved remains are in a refrigerated glass casket displayed in a family mauso-leum in Ilocos Norte.

In his recent US trip, President Aquino again spoke against allowing a hero’s burial for Marcos who was widely believed to have ordered the assassination of his father and namesake on Aug.21, 1983.

Aquino had even earlier re-jected a recommendation from Vice President Jejomar Binay that Marcos be buried and giv-en military honors – but in the late president’s home province of Ilocos Norte. An administra-tion ally, Sen. Francis Escudero has also called for a Libingan ng mga Bayani burial for Mar-cos. The senator’s late father, Sorsogon Rep. Salvador Escu-dero III was Marcos’ agricul-ture minister. Philstar

CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 Malaysia Arrests 3...‘fresh’ but willing to join ISIS in their false jihad,” a source said in an interview yesterday.

Police believed the suspects were in contact with other Ma-laysian fighters in Syria.

It is believed the three had met in Klang along with their “handler” several times to plan their impending trip to Syria.

“Police are investigating if the suspects had any plans against Malaysian targets but, so far, there is no such indica-tion,” said the source, adding that the meetings were held at the architect’s house in Klang.

The suspects would use dif-ferent modes of transport and routes to get to the Klang home each time to avoid detection.

Soon after the three were ar-rested, officers from the Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division brought the men to their homes - in Klang, Kota Baru and Arau - where further investigations were car-ried out. “Police seized an ISIS flag and several computers be-longing to the suspects. Inter-views with their family mem-bers showed that they did not

know of the suspects’ activities.“There was, however, a

family which consented to it as they believed he would be fight-ing in a holy war,” the source added. Bukit Aman has been on high alert for Malaysians plan-ning to join ISIS, especially af-ter the United Nations Security Council approved a resolution calling on countries to stem the flow of foreign militants to Iraq and Syria. The recent pledges of allegiance to ISIS by regional terror groups Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) have also led to heightened se-curity at the country’s entry and exit points.

Sources said the Malaysian links to foreign groups in neigh-bouring countries were “quite real” as there were five wanted Malaysian militants who re-ceived training by Abu Sayyaf and were believed to have fled to southern Philippines, a known Abu Sayyaf stronghold.

“Police are investigating if the three suspects had had any weapons training in the country or with Abu Sayyaf in the Phil-ippines. So far, police believe the suspects are not linked to terror groups based in Sabah or

Sarawak, including Darul Islam Sabah,” the source said.

Concerns are also mount-ing that the region’s most wanted terrorist Zulkifli Abdul Khir, also known as Marwan, was last known to be hiding in Mindanao. “Intelligence reports indicate that Marwan has close ties with the Abu Sayyaf. Police believe he is even teaching Abu Sayyaf personnel how to make bombs,” the source said.

Counter-terrorism authori-ties are trying to determine how much influence Marwan had on 22 militants arrested in various states since April 28 and the five on the wanted list now.

Marwan has a RM16 mil-lion (S$6.23 million) bounty on his head issued by the United States Federal Bureau of Inves-tigation. Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said all suspects were detained under the Special Offences (Security Measures) Act 2012. “We will continue to take action against any Malaysian who plans to join ISIS in Syria. We also ask the public to be wary of the ac-tivities of their family members, especially the youth,” he said in a statement. Strait Times

which can provide counterfeit goods in large quantities.

However, Lam noted that the majority of Vietnamese businesses have been uncoop-erative with state agencies in combating counterfeit goods. Only big enterprises or multi-national groups have signed agreements with the agencies on the joint forces to prevent

counterfeit goods.“In some cases, real manu-

facturers don’t want to provide information to appropriate agencies because of concerns about the consequent publicity. The fear that an awareness of counterfeit goods would make consumers turn their backs on their products,” Lam said.

According to Hong, only

490 Vietnamese businesses have registered to join the Ma-drid System, the international system allowing businesses to search and register trademarks in up to 92 countries. This is evidence that intellectual prop-erty rights are not a top priority for Vietnamese businesses for now. VNnet

The ASEAN Economic Community’s Labour Policy Needs Work THE SOUTHEAST ASIA WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 04, 2014 5 OPINION

provide greater mobility un-less they address the domestic rules and regulations of ASE-AN economies. The advent of the AEC will not immediately change the ASEAN labour mar-ket. Over time, economic in-tegration may cause structural changes and with that changes in employment scenarios. But policymakers will have enough transition time to address issues in their domestic economies.

The AEC may result in higher welfare, wages and em-ployment. But it is expected that these benefits will be distributed unevenly among countries, sec-tors and genders. To address this, coordinated and coherent policies will be needed at both regional and national levels to ensure inclusive and fair out-comes. Policymakers should also continue with their efforts to ensure quality education and training in their economies as ASEAN strives to remain com-petitive and to develop itself as a regional production base in the future. Sanchita Basu Das is a Fellow and Lead Researcher in Economic Affairs at the ASEAN Studies Centre, Insti-tute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore.

D riven by the loom-ing 2015 deadline, discussion is heat-ing up about the

impact ASEAN’s Economic Community (AEC) will have on employment. Set to begin on 31 December 2015, the AEC envisions ASEAN as a single market and production base characterised by the free flow of goods, services, investments and the freer flow of capital and skills. Two key factors will af-fect the region’s employment prospects.

First, structural change in the domestic economies of ASEAN’s member countries will impact the labour mar-ket, as trade integration leads member countries to reallocate resources from less productive to more productive economic activities. And some occupa-tions are likely to grow as the ASEAN integration process progresses. This kind of struc-tural change, and changing employment dynamics, has oc-curred in the past. During the last two decades, ASEAN saw a decline in employment in agriculture, which has mainly been compensated by gains in the services sector. Currently,

while agriculture accounts for 40 per cent of total employment, industry accounts for 19 per cent and services 41 per cent. But this regional generalisation masks cross-country variations. Today, agriculture remains the largest employer for Cambo-dia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, while services sector employment plays an important role in Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philip-pines and Indonesia. A recent publication by the International Labour Organization and the Asian Development Bank on six ASEAN countries — Cambo-dia, Indonesia, Laos, the Phil-ippines, Thailand and Vietnam — found that with the AEC in place, jobs in agriculture; trade; transportation; and construction would increase in all six coun-tries by 2025. Vietnam would gain six million additional jobs, Indonesia 1.9 million and Cam-bodia 1.1 million. But, for these economies, job losses would be felt in food processing, private services and mining industries.

Another impact of the AEC on the labour market could also be a shift in demand for par-ticular occupations. The largest absolute demand is likely to be

for low- and medium-skill jobs, though there will also be de-mand for high-skill jobs.

The establishment of Mu-tual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) for professional ser-vices will also affect employ-ment in the region. MRAs will promote the flow of skilled labour. Member states have adopted a framework for MRAs for seven professions — engi-neering, architecture, nursing, accountancy, surveying ser-vices, medicine and dentistry. MRAs will allow each member country to recognise education, experience, licences and certifi-cates granted in other countries. But so far, only the skills of ar-chitects and engineers — who are registered with the profes-sional regulatory body both in their home countries and at the regional level — will receive cross-border recognition.

But with the MRAs, effec-tive movement and the subse-quent benefits will be limited as domestic rules and regulations governing these professions still apply. For example, in Ma-laysia, foreign engineers have to be licensed by the Board of Engineers for specific projects and must be sponsored by the

Malaysian company carrying out the project. The Malaysian company must further demon-strate to the Board of Engineers that they are not able to find a domestic engineer for the job. A foreign engineer in Malaysia must also be a registered engi-neer in his or her home country, have a minimum of 10 years ex-perience and must have a physi-cal presence in Malaysia for at least 180 days in one calendar year. Similarly, for architects to become fully licensed, most countries impose restrictions on residency or nationality. Foreign architects are often allowed to work on a project-based basis and, in most cases, employers have to submit proof that an equivalent national professional is not available for the job. Do-mestic regulations will also lim-it the cross-border movement of nurses. For example, in order for a Filipino nurse to practise in Thailand, the candidate must pass the national licensure exam in Thai. As for the surveying profession, the MRA only pro-vides the enabling framework of broad principles for further bi-lateral and multilateral negotia-tions among ASEAN member states. MRAs will be unable to

In response to the rise in Indonesian and Malaysian fighters joining the extremist Is-lamic State (IS) group, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur have taken action to criminalise member-ship. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the nation’s top Muslim clerical body, also released a statement that it was haram, or forbidden, for Mus-lims to participate in IS activi-ties. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has also issued a strongly worded statement condemning IS for its actions, which ‘run counter to Islamic faith, culture and to common humanity’.

These are positive moves. But they have been inadequate, given the popularisation of IS ideological beliefs via social media. Indonesia, in response to the 2002 Bali bombing, the twin bombing of the Marri-ott and Ritz-Carlton in 2009, and other attacks on Indone-sian soil, adjusted its counter-terrorism strategy. Indonesia has stressed a hard approach to countering the threat of ter-

rorism, primarily through the lens of law enforcement. Over 600 terrorists have been pros-ecuted in the wake of the 2002 Bali bombings. Currently, the Indonesian police are responsi-ble for counterterror operations, particularly the elite counter-terrorism unit, Detachment 88.

But Indonesia’s hard ap-proach has resulted in the growing incidence of terrorist attacks targeted at the police. Allegedly, it has also created convergence between jihadist fighters and religious vigilante groups — such as Jamaah An-sharut Tauhid (JAT) — provid-ing opportunities for the jihadist groups to recruit and enhance their influence in society. Ma-laysia has also stepped up its counterterrorism efforts and ar-rested several individuals amid reports that four new Malaysian militant groups, identified by their acronyms BKAW, BAJ, Dimzia and ADI, are bent on creating a ‘super’ Islamic cali-phate in parts of Southeast Asia, including secular Singapore. So far, the emphasis on hard ap-

proaches to countering terror-ism has brought some success in defeating terrorism and dis-rupting terrorist plots. But the rising influence of social media and the popularisation of IS ideologies through the internet highlights the need for states to be innovative in using modern communications to counter the growing threat of radicalisation.

The exposure of Malay-sians and Indonesians to exter-nal currents of contemporary Muslim socio-political thought — ranging from the moderate-liberal, radical and sectarian — is intensified by social me-dia. Indonesia has the second-largest population of Facebook users and the fourth-largest population of Twitter users in the world. Malaysia has also seen an increase in internet us-ers since 2000, from 21 per cent to 65 per cent in 2012.

Research has shown that young people are at greatest risk of being radicalised by extrem-ist messages. This is particu-larly important because of the use of social media by young

people. The ease and pace of communicating via such social media platforms are what keeps them ‘hooked’. Governments need to drive the online debate to ensure that their message is heard above the extremists’. The use of social media by radi-cal groups to recruit, raise funds and spread propagan-da messages should not be taken lightly. A video by the IS released in July featuring Indonesian fighter Abu Mu-hammad al-Indonesi showed him delivering an impas-sioned appeal to fellow In-donesians to ‘join the ranks’. A number of Indonesian IS

fighters are reportedly also us-ing social networking platforms such as Facebook to recruit fighters. According to Indone-sia’s National Agency for Com-bating Terrorism (BNPT), there are currently 34 Indonesians who have joined the IS group. These numbers do not include Indonesians who have joined other groups in Syria and Iraq in the jihadist cause.

Malaysian authorities say that the IS sympathisers are attracting a small number of Malaysians from a wide variety of backgrounds through social media, particularly Facebook. They have also managed to raise funds through such chan-nels. In early August, photos of a dead 52-year-old jihadist Ma-laysian fighter who was former-ly a member of the Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) were uploaded and circulated via social media and blogs. The former KMM member al-legedly died while defending the town of Arzeh with several other jihadist fighters. The pho-

to was ‘liked’ by thousands of online users.

The primacy of IS theologi-cal arguments feature strongly in the Indonesian militants mo-tivations to fight in Syria. The IS believes that the ‘Final Bat-tle’ against the false prophets will ensue in the ongoing battle in Syria. The activities of Ma-laysian IS supporters on Face-book on the other hand point to a more complex mix of motiva-tions for Malaysians joining the IS, most of which are political, financial or ideological.

The distinct divergences in the causes for motivating these Indonesian and Malaysian fighters to join the IS, as well as the differences in contexts, highlight the need for tailored responses by the state and com-munity in each country.

To date, IS has carried out executions, including behead-ings. In many cases, IS has videotaped the executions and posted them online. There is a need to be discreet in publicis-ing the IS to the larger com-munity without exaggerating or sensationalising the group, so as to deny them the publicity that they seek. Governments, with the help of civil society activ-ists, should partner to channel key messages of religious mod-eration and interfaith tolerance through soft media campaigns. Stefanie Kam Li Yee is an As-sociate Research Fellow at S. Rajaratnam School of Interna-tional Studies.

Robi Sugara is a gradu-ate student pursuing an M.Sc in Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of Inter-national Studies (RSIS), Nan-yang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.

Tokyo Gas & Korea Gas To Make Joint LNG Purchases

Japan Promotes Defen See Quipment To ASEAN Members

Japan Biz Body To Help China Tackle Air Pollution

Japan Takes 11 Medals In Asian Games On Friday

SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 04, 2014 / THE SOUTHEAST ASIA WEEKLY6INTERNATIONAL NEWS

About 200 pro-democracy students forced their way into Hong Kong government head-quarters and scuffled with po-lice on Friday night. Six people, including a student leader, were arrested and at least 16 were in-jured.

The incident took place at a square in the government com-plex. About 5,000 people had gathered in front of the building and staged sit-ins. About 200 protesters scaled 3-meter high fences surrounding the facility late in the evening. They pushed and shoved police officers near where a Chinese national flag was hoisted.

Students and officers con-

tinued facing-off even after the arrests. Thousands of Hong Kong students began a boycott of classes on Monday to protest China’s decision on election re-quirements for choosing the ter-ritory’s top leader.

China’s National People’s Congress Standing Commit-tee decided in August to allow Hong Kong residents to choose their next chief executive in a direct election. But it virtually ruled out the participation of pro-democracy candidates.

A Hong Kong pro-democ-racy group is calling for a major protest rally in the downtown fi-nancial district next Wednesday, a public holiday.

6 Arrested In Hong Kong Student Protest

Police in Malaysia have detained 3 Malaysian men who were allegedly heading to Syria to join the Islamic State militant group. Police say the 2 men in their 20s and one in his 40s were taken into custody on Thursday at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. They say the men were waiting for a flight to Turkey. The country borders Syria.

The 3 are thought to have been recruited through social

media by Malaysians fighting in Syria. Government officials say at least 22 Malaysians have joined the Islamic State mili-tants in Syria. Authorities are trying to track down leaders of a Malaysian group suspected of recruiting.

The chief of the US Pacific Command said on Thursday that about 1,000 people from the Asia-Pacific region may have joined the Islamic State.

Malaysian Police Detain 3 Men Headed To Syria

Tokyo Gas is teaming up with South Korea’s Korea Gas Corporation to bring down the costs of importing liquid natural gas. LNG prices in Asia are said to be much higher than in other regions. Tokyo Gas, Japan’s largest city gas supplier, signed a strategic partnership deal on Wednesday with the world’s largest LNG importer.

The utilities will discuss

joint purchases of LNG and the development of gas fields.

Tokyo Gas imported 12 mil-lion tons of LNG last year, and the South Korean firm bought about 40 million tons. Tokyo Gas executives say the two hope to improve their negoti-ating position and expand the scale of their purchases to bring down costs. Japan has been importing more LNG since the

2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The disaster led to the shutting down of all the nuclear power plants in the country and forced the power companies to rely on gas and coal. Japan is paying higher prices for its gas imports.

Tokyo Electric Power Com-pany and Chubu Electric Power Company are also in talks to im-ports LNG together.

A Japanese company plans to develop an improved method of solar thermal power genera-tion, or using sunlight to create steam for driving turbines. The heat can be stored and used to generate electricity at night or on cloudy days.

Mitsubishi Heavy Indus-tries and Hitachi established Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Sys-tems in Yokohama in February by integrating their thermal

Government officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have inspected defense equipment made by Japanese manufacturers.

Some 20 officials from ASEAN countries on Thursday visited the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, where equipment sup-plied to the Self-Defense Forces

A Japanese business group has signed a memorandum with a Chinese city to help it address air pollution. The delegation from the Japan-China Econom-ic Association signed the deal with Zibo City in Shandong Province on Friday.

Zibo is home to many pet-rochemical plants and air pollu-

Japan won 11 medals on Day 8 of the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea on Fri-day. With 107 medals so far, Ja-

pan has won the second-largest number of medals, following China.

In men’s swimming, Japan

power generation divisions. The firm says it will build a solar thermal power plant at its facto-ry in Yokohama and will begin test runs in 2016. Solar thermal power is considered a more sta-ble source of electricity than so-

lar panels or wind turbines. But the facilities are expensive to build and are not very efficient. The company plans to develop a more effective method of so-lar thermal power generation to reduce costs.

is on display.The event follows the ap-

proval in April of new weap-ons export guidelines in Japan that allow transfer of arms and weapon technology under strict restrictions.

The items on display by 7 Japanese contractors included replicas of armored cars and

landmine removal vehicles, along with motorbikes and par-achutes used by the SDF.

Senior Vice Defense Minis-ter Akira Sato briefed the ASE-AN officials. He said opportuni-ties are growing for Japan and ASEAN countries to strengthen security cooperation under the new guidelines.

tion in the city is getting worse.The association will set up a

group of experts to provide the city with technological support to reduce nitrogen oxide emis-sions. The Japanese side will also introduce companies that have technology and know-how to address air pollution if the Chinese city seeks such help.

The association’s deputy chairman, Masahiro Sakane, said relations between Japan and China are facing difficul-ties, but business leaders can help to overcome the problems one by one. He also said the signing of the memorandum is a good opportunity to improve bilateral ties.

won 3 silver medals, including the men’s 400 meter medley relay race. Kohei Yamamoto earned silver in the 15 hundred meter freestyle event, as did Yasuhiro Koseki in the 50 meter breast stroke.

In women’s events, Sayaka Akase won gold in the 200 me-ter backstroke.

Kanako Watanabe won sil-ver in women’s 200 meter indi-vidual medley race, followed by Miho Teramura, with a bronze medal.

In the women’s 50 meter freestyle event, Miki Uchida captured a silver medal.

Japan also won a gold med-al in the mixed triathlon.

Yasuhiro Ueyama took a bronze medal in the men’s tram-poline event, as did Ayano Kishi in the women’s event.

In the equestrian eventing team, Japan won a silver medal.

Japanese Firm To Build Solar Thermal Power Plant

CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 Vietnam’s marine ...aquatic products and services worth over $20 million, and lagoons can bring $2,000 per hectare.

The ecosystems not only bring economic value, but also help protect the living environ-ment. The coral reefs in the cen-tral region protect the coastline, while the mangroves can reduce the land erosion and protect from typhoons and high tide.

One square meter of sea-weed can create 10 liters of oxygen, helping balance O2 and CO2 in water and reduce green-house effects. Every acre of sea-weed (0.44 hectare) can gener-ate 10 tons of leaves every year.The living mass provides food, habitats and breeding grounds to invertebrates and vertebrate species.Degradation

A survey of the Natural Re-sources and Maritime Environ-ment Institute found that Viet-nam’s maritime ecosystems have been diminishing over the last few decades.

Only one percent of the 1,300 square kilometers of coral reefs along the coastline is in good condition. The coral cov-erage fell sharply by 30 percent in 1993-2004.

Meanwhile, the mangrove ecosystem has shrunk since the

beginning of the 20th century.The survey also found that

the aquatic creature volume caught on every hectare of la-goon fell by 50 percent in com-parison with the last decade. The seaweed cover in Khanh Hoa province has shrunk by 80 hectares per annum.

Increasing human popula-tion, which leads to a higher demand for ecosystem services, has put pressure on the mari-time ecosystems.

In 2000, Vietnam had only 250,000 hectares of shrimp hatchery areas, but the figure soared to 530,000 hectares in 2003. Vietnam is now listed among the countries with the largest shrimp-farming areas in the world.

Human production activi-ties, including natural resource overexploitation, unsustainable aquaculture and industrial pro-duction, and climate change have also been damaging mari-time ecosystems.

The Prime Minister in 2010 approved the maritime protec-tion area (MPA) development program, under which Vietnam would have 16 MPAs with the total area of 169,617 hectares by 2020 and at least 0.24 per-cent of territorial waters belong-ing to MPAs, while 30 percent of every MPA area would be put under strict control. Tin Tuc

The national police counter-terrorism unit.

THE SOUTHEAST ASIA WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 04, 2014 7 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

reat gains have been made in the global effort to achieve the Mil-

lennium Development Goals, known worldwide as the “MDGs,” but with the deadline fast approaching more must be done to fully meet the targets set for 2015 and beyond, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said this week.

In his remarks to a gathering of 300 global leaders convened by the MDG Advocacy Group, Mr. Ban applauded the suc-cesses made so far in pushing forward with the Goals and in having “raised awareness, mo-bilized resources, and helped shape policy.” “The MDGs have transformed the lives of millions of people,” he told del-egates at the gathering, which was held on the margins of the General Assembly’s annual high-level debate.

The meeting, organized by the MDG Advocacy Group, a body of global leaders and eminent personalities assem-bled by the Secretary-General to promote the implementation of the Goals, also marked the release of the Group’s latest report - Accelerating Action: Global Leaders on Challenges

and Opportunities for MDG Achievement - which confirms the strides made so far.

The eight MDGs, agreed by world leaders at a UN summit in 2000, are described as a 15-year roadmap to fight poverty, hunger and disease, protect the environment and expand educa-tion, basic health and women’s empowerment.

According to the new re-port, in fact, the past two dec-ades has seen the likelihood of a child dying before the age of five nearly reduced by half while the maternal mortality ra-tio has dropped by 45 per cent.

At the same time, antiretro-

viral therapy for HIV-infected people has saved an estimated 6.6 million lives and another es-timated 3.3 million people were saved from malaria due to the diffusion of major preventions such as bed nets and treatments. Efforts to fight tuberculosis, meanwhile, have saved an esti-mated 22 million lives.

“Fewer people are in pov-erty. More children are in school. We are making inroads in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis. Families and com-munities have greater access to an improved drinking water source,” the Secretary-General noted. With 462 days remain-

A UNHCR report released this week shows that the num-ber of people seeking refugee status in industrialized countries continued to climb in the first half of 2014, driven by the wars in Syria and Iraq as well as con-flict and instability in Afghani-stan, Eritrea and elsewhere.

UNHCR’s new Asylum Trends report,, which is based on data received from 44 gov-ernments in Europe, North America and parts of the Asia-Pacific, says 330,700 people asked for refugee status in these countries between the start of January and the end of

June, a 24 per cent rise from a year earlier, and slightly higher than in the second half of last year (when there were 328,100 claims). The report warned that, based on historical norms of higher numbers of asylum-seekers in the second half of each year, 2014 could produce as many as 700,000 claims - the highest total for industrialized countries in 20 years and a level not seen since the 1990s conflict in former Yugoslavia.

“We are clearly into an era of growing conflict,” said UN High Commissioner for Refu-gees António Guterres. “The

global humanitarian system is already in great difficulty. The international community needs to prepare their populations for the reality that in the absence of solutions to conflict more and more people are going to need refuge and care in the coming months and years. Unfortunate-ly, it is not clear that the resourc-es and the access to asylum will be available to help them.”

Despite the net overall in-crease in new claims shown in the report, more than two thirds of these were in just six countries - Germany, the United States, France, Sweden, Turkey

a new report by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) partner TRAFFIC.

“This report provides criti-cal insights into often violent and complex trade networks that will help countries target their law enforcement efforts. Wildlife trafficking not only en-dangers rhinos, elephants and many other wildlife species, but also threatens national and international security as well as local livelihoods,” said Eric Postel, assistant administrator at USAID.

The report, Illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn: an assess-ment to improve law enforce-ment, is a key step to achieving USAID’s vision to adapt and deploy a range of development tools and interventions to sig-nificantly reduce illegal wild-life trafficking, USAID said in

a September 22 press release. The report was prepared by the wildlife monitoring network TRAFFIC in partnership with USAID. The assessment uses robust analysis to identify ca-pacity gaps and key interven-tion points in countries combat-ing wildlife trafficking.

Seizure data indicate that “the fundamental trade dy-namic now lies between Africa and Asia,” according to the re-port. In China and Thailand, elephant ivory is fashioned into jewellery and carved into other decorative items, while wealthy consumers in Vietnam use rhino horn as a drug that they mistakenly believe cures hang-overs and detoxifies the body.

Rhinos and elephants are under serious poaching pres-sure throughout Africa, with even previously safe popula-

tions collapsing. Central Afri-ca’s forest elephants have been reduced by an estimated 76 percent over the past 12 years, while in Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve elephant num-bers have fallen from 70,000 in 2007 to only 13,000 by late 2013. A record 1,004 rhinos were poached in 2013 in South Africa alone, a stark contrast to the 13 animals poached there in 2007 before the latest crisis began.

Both rhino horn and ivory trafficking are believed to function as Asian-run, Afri-can-based operations, with the syndicates increasingly relying on sophisticated technology to run their operations. In order to disrupt and apprehend the indi-viduals behind them, the global response needs to be equally so-phisticated, USAID said. Agencies

Rising Refugee Claims From Syria, Iraq And Other Conflict Zones - UNHCR

Illegal Ivory, Rhino Horn Trade Increased By Nearly 300%

ing until the MDG deadline, the report strikes an optimistic note, adding that with many of the Goals already met - includ-ing the reduction of poverty, in-creasing access to clean drink-ing water, improving the lives of slum dwellers, and achieving gender parity in schools - many more targets are also within reach by the end of 2015.

But, Mr. Ban warned, much more remained to be done in or-der to “finish the job.”

“We must do more to fin-ish our targets on hunger and chronic child malnutrition. Faster progress is needed to meet the goals of reducing child

and maternal mortality and to improve access to sanitation,” he continued.

The Secretary-General urged delegates to help focus on what he described as “two criti-cal fronts” in the battle towards realizing the Goals: accelerating progress towards meeting the MDGs and preparing for a post-2015 world.

“We need a strong suc-cessor framework in place,” affirmed Mr. Ban. “Building mechanisms for effective part-nerships and multi-stakeholder accountability will be critical to the success of the post-2015 development agenda.”

Washington, DC — Illegal rhino horn trade has reached the highest levels since the early

1990s, and illegal trade in ivory increased by nearly 300 percent from 1998 to 2011, according to

and Italy. Central Europe, in particular Hungary and Poland, as well as Australia saw declines in the numbers of people asking to be accepted as refugees. Aus-tralia had just 4,600 claims (a 20 per cent fall from a year earlier), while in Poland the number dropped to 3,300 (65 per cent lower) and in Hungary to 4,800 (58 per cent lower).

Overall, Syria was the main country of origin of people seeking asylum with a more than two-fold increase (48,400 claims compared to 18,900 in the same period in 2013). Iraq, where hundreds of thousands

of people have become newly displaced this year, produced 21,300 asylum applications, fol-lowed by Afghanistan (19,300) and Eritrea (18,900).

The number of people ap-plying for refugee status in the 44 industrialized countries cov-ered by the report is just one element in the global picture of forced displacement from wars and conflict. Worldwide, 51.2 million were forcibly displaced as of the end of 2013. Most are either internally displaced with-in their own countries, else are hosted as refugees in states bor-dering onto war zones.UNHCR

G

Hong kong police arrested illegal rhino horns in 2011.

SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 04, 2014/ THE SOUTHEAST ASIA WEEKLY8OPINION

NEW YORK – The Brit-ish artist Damien Hirst once referred to the 2001 attack on New York’s World Trade Cen-ter as “kind of an artwork in its own right. It was wicked, but it was devised in this way for this kind of impact. It was de-vised visually.” Now, 13 years later, Western governments, while able to describe in stra-tegic terms the threat of the Is-lamic State to the Middle East, are still struggling to come to terms with its visual assault in the global media.

Like Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, the Islamic State appears to understand the impact that lurid images of violence can have on the public imagination. The irony, of course, is that the Islamic State’s exploitation of images of “pornographic” violence is at odds with the Islamists’ own condemnations of visual stimu-lation in other areas of life. In-deed, their videos take sensory titillation to its limit. Like an al-gorithm designed to access an adversary’s digital network, the Islamic State’s carefully staged

videos, featuring the beheadings of American and British jour-nalists and aid workers, have penetrated the Western psyche.

That psyche has long been primed to receive shocking im-agery. Now, the electronic me-dia’s weakness for graphic vio-lence has become the Islamic State’s strength.

The visual politics of ter-ror may seem primitive, but its practice can be as sophisticated

as its effects are profound. Like ancient conquerors, who erected new temples on the sites where the vanquished had their own, the destroyers of New York’s Twin Towers used visual ter-ror to strike at the heart of their enemy’s value system. That is what terror aims to do: destabi-lize the foe’s normative reality. Once the security of the familiar world is challenged, and its in-ner sanctums have been invad-

ed and shaken, a space may be cleared for occupation.

Consider, for example, how Indonesia’s Suharto regime, from 1966 to 1998, depicted alleged Communist insurgent savagery, and compelled citi-zens to watch it on television and in theaters. The horrifying images were intended to fo-ment terror. In the face of a gro-tesquely violent enemy, an even more terrifying state apparatus of organized violence emerged. In effect, Suharto’s visual poli-tics of atrocity and terror cre-ated a new reality from the vio-lence and terror associated with the demise of the old.

The same perverse logic is at work in the Islamic State’s viral spectacles. Though the need to confront evil remains as pressing as ever, Western societies’ motivation for doing so may lose clarity. After all, it is one thing to deliberate on the pros and cons of confront-ing external forces of irrational violence; it is something else to

lash out against the producers of brutal, politically charged, and upsetting imagery.

We must therefore ask ourselves what exactly is driv-ing our response to the threats that the Islamic State presents. Distinguishing between in-formation about real national-security concerns and images strategically designed to shock and titillate us will not be easy. But given the stakes, it is un-doubtedly worthwhile.

The visual politics of atroc-ity and terror is only as strong as we imagine it. That is why exorcising its demons will re-quire more than military might. It also will require us to think deeply about the strategic use of violent images in the digital age.

Richard K. Sherwin, Pro-fessor of Law and Director of the Visual Persuasion Proj-ect at New York Law School, is the author of Visualizing Law in the Age of the Digital Baroque: Arabesques & En-tanglements and When Law Goes Pop: The Vanishing Line between Law and Popu-lar Culture.

The Visual Politics of Terror

MADRID – Global trans-formations are nothing new. But, with globalization and technological advancements, the pace and scale of such trans-formations have accelerated considerably. In the coming decades, this trend will only in-tensify – bringing with it signifi-cant potential for instability.

It has been more than 20 years since Saddam Hussein’s Iraq invaded Kuwait, prompt-ing the near-unanimous adop-tion of United Nations Security Council resolutions demanding the withdrawal of Iraqi forces. When Saddam defied the reso-lutions, a 34-country coalition, supporting the United States-led air offensive known as Op-eration Desert Storm, drove his troops out of Kuwait.

That was in 1991, when the Soviet Union’s collapse had left the US as the world’s only su-perpower. But that is no longer the case – a reality that is re-flected in the international com-munity’s muddled responses to similar territorial breaches today. Consider Russia’s inva-sion and annexation of Crimea earlier this year. Though the move clearly violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity, 11 countries

voted against the UN resolu-tion condemning the action, and 58 countries – including all of the non-Western powers – ab-stained. Clearly, the global bal-ance of power has changed.

In international politics, perceptions matter – sometimes even more than reality. The per-ception today is that America’s unipolar moment has come to an end; Europe is on the decline; and a new set of powers is ris-ing, bringing their own unique worldviews to global affairs.

In a sense, this might seem like a good thing. More varied perspectives could enrich mul-tilateral processes and generate more comprehensive solutions to global problems. But this multipolar dynamic also gen-erates instability. Though the world is becoming increasingly interconnected, and challenges are no longer confined to na-tional or even regional borders, major powers are increasingly reluctant to assume global re-sponsibilities. Worse, given their frequent unwillingness to accommodate one another’s in-terests, impasses – even clashes – become likely.

Strong, effective, and in-clusive multilateral institutions

can play a vital role in combat-ing this instability and foster-ing cooperation. But even the best-designed structures can achieve little without the po-litical will to resolve conflicts through dialogue. In order to make progress, countries must learn to defend their principles while respecting those of others – and never to lose sight of their shared interests and objectives.

Without such a unified approach, geopolitical stabil-ity is diminished. For example, Ukraine has been an indepen-dent country since 1991 and is fully integrated into the interna-tional system, having ceded its nuclear weapons in 1994 and presided over three sessions of the UN General Assembly. In failing to craft an adequate re-sponse to the Russian invasion, however, the international com-munity pushed Ukraine toward a dark past. One hopes that the recently concluded Minsk Pro-tocol – which includes 12 provi-sions, including a cease-fire and a program of economic recov-ery – succeeds in resolving the conflict.

In any case, international stability has been compromised – and several more potentially

destabilizing developments are on the horizon. In the de-veloped world, US President Barack Obama’s tenure will soon end. European politics are, too, undergoing a potentially significant transition, with the new European Commission set to commence operations, against a worrying background of rising nationalism in Euro-pean Union member states.

Two leaders who will re-main in power for the fore-seeable future are Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping – both of whose countries have generated instability in their respective regions. Long before Russia invaded Ukraine, China was engaged in territorial dis-putes with several of its neigh-bors, most notably in the East and South China Seas.

Furthermore, Russia and China are pushing back against traditional Western dominance in multilateral institutions. They – along with Brazil, India, and South Africa (the BRICS) – have established their own development bank, motivated partly by the International Mon-etary Fund’s failure to fulfill its 2010 pledge to adjust voting rights to reflect the global bal-ance of economic power. (Until the 2010 G-20 summit where that pledge was made, China had the same voting rights as Belgium.)

All of this uncertainty sur-rounding the world’s emerging and traditional superpowers has impeded efforts to address se-curity challenges in the Middle East, from the enduring Israel-Palestine conflict and the after-math of the Arab Spring to the new and potent threat posed by the Islamic State. Unlike Al Qaeda, the Islamic State is not

a fragmented network of rela-tively small cells; it is a territo-rial entity operating as a pseudo-state in Syrian and Iraqi territory. And the rest of the world does not seem to know how to stop its unrelenting advance.

The US has rushed to form a confusing coalition with nearly 30 countries, including ten Arab states. How the coalition will be organized and what results it will achieve remain to be seen.

Here, the European Union could help. In fact, when the US first employed its so-called “leading from behind” strategy during the 2011 intervention in Libya, European countries were forced to assume greater responsibility.

Instead of viewing that in-tervention as an anomaly, the EU should recognize the need to enhance its role in defend-ing global security – not least to uphold its own interest in a prosperous and stable neighbor-hood. In this sense, the EU’s decision to delay implement-ing its association agreement with Ukraine in order to create space to pursue consensus with Russia is a positive indicator. In a multipolar world, actors with widely divergent worldviews must work together to advance their shared interest in security, stability, and prosperity. It is time for all of the world’s pow-ers to recognize their responsi-bility for making constructive cooperation a reality.

Javier Solana was EU High Representative for For-eign and Security Policy, Sec-retary-General of NATO, and Foreign Minister of Spain. He is currently President of the ESADE Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics and Distinguished Fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Javier Solana

THE SOUTHEAST ASIA WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 04, 2014 9 OPINION

LONDON – China’s annual growth rate has recently increased from below 6% at the start of 2014 to around 7.5% in the second quarter, helped by a series of stealth stimulus measures. But the growth spurt is unlikely to last – and may reverse – as China seeks to control excessive credit expansion. And achieving longer-term sustainable growth will also depend on political factors – particularly the impact of President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption cam-paign, aimed at “purifying” the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Xi’s campaign is being carried out on a scale rarely witnessed in China’s recent history. So far, some 45 senior CCP officials, or “tigers,” have been disciplined or are un-der investigation. Aside from former Chongqing Party boss Bo Xilai, who is now serving a life sentence, Zhou Yong-kang, a former head of internal security and member of the Politburo Standing Committee, and General Xu Caihou, a former vice president of China’s Military Commission, have also been targeted.

More high-profile heads almost certainly will roll. The CCP’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, whose secretary, Wang Qishan, is a Xi ally, is now investi-gating former President Jiang Zemin’s Shanghai network, whose protégés include Bo, Zhou, Xu, his successor Hu Jintao, and Xi himself. Corruption charges have already been brought against people close to Jiang and Hu.

Xi’s campaign is aimed at combating systematic cor-ruption, which he claims is jeopardizing the CCP’s very survival. Even before becoming President, he spoke at length about the Marxist-Leninist concept of “Party pu-rity” in an address to the Central Party School in Beijing in March 2012. The Party, he insisted, can command respect and maintain the legitimacy of its rule only if cadres are obedient, set an example of incorruptibility, and place the nation’s interests above their own. Without a “pure” Party, he said, China’s economic reforms would not succeed.

Two weeks later, Bo was removed from office, mark-ing the start of Xi’s anti-corruption campaign. After becom-ing CCP leader later that year, Xi told a Party meeting in Guangdong that China must heed the lessons of the Soviet Union’s collapse, particularly its failure to maintain Lenin-ist discipline, which had allowed “political rot, ideological heresy, and military disloyalty to undermine the governing party.”

The anti-corruption campaign reflects the CCP’s appar-

Revitalising India’s Manufacturing IndustryIncreasing the GDP growth

rate will be a major task for India’s new government. GDP growth will be critical for eradi-cating poverty and improving the living standards of India’s population. The economy also faces the daunting challenge of providing employment op-portunities to about a million people being added to the job market every month. Rapid ex-pansion of the industrial base of the country through labour in-tensive manufacturing appears to be the perfect solution to the country’s problems.

To make progress on manu-facturing, India must seize the opportunity provided by in-ternational production sharing networks, which have propelled other emerging economies of Asia forward. Today, the share of manufacturing in the GDPs of China, Thailand and Malay-sia is in the range of 25–35 per cent, while in India it is 15 per cent. One advantage of the pro-duction network strategy is that it can deliver growth in manu-facturing relatively speedily.

One of the main reasons for India being an outlier in the development of international production networks is the low stock of forei direct investment

(FDI) in India’s manufacturing sector. After economic reforms India has shed its past ambiva-lent attitude towards FDI, but shortcomings in the investment environment still deter foreign investors. It is imperative that these are addressed.

International production sharing involves large volumes of exports and imports in parts and components and, in some cases, these traverse borders several times. The logistics cost thus becomes the most important element of a coun-try’s investment environment for manufacturing through in-ternational production sharing. And, here, India has been found lacking. It needs to improve its gateway infrastructure by substantially scaling up the ca-pacity of its ports, deepening drafts in harbours and channels, and improving the rail and road connectivity of ports. Equally important, it must improve customs procedures and follow international best practices with respect to the electronic data interchange, risk management system and accredited clients program.

Internal transport infrastruc-ture also needs attention. Traffic congestion in saturated corri-

dors slows freight movement by the railways and affects its reli-ability. Dedicated freight cor-ridors are being constructed in two major segments, but more needs to be done to improve the situation countrywide. The road network is not world class, and access-controlled expressways are virtually absent.

Another major infrastruc-ture deficiency is the lack of assurance regarding uninter-rupted supply of high quality power. Governance is an im-portant issue here, and power theft is sometimes disguised as transmission and distribu-tion losses. The inadequacy of fuel availability for generation has emerged as a critical factor affecting power supply in the country.

The lack of affordable land is another impediment. The re-cently enacted legislation on acquisition and rehabilitation has compounded the problem by raising the price of land steeply and putting formidable procedural hurdles in the way of land acquisition for industrial purposes. Prior consent to land acquisition has to be obtained from 80 per cent of affected families (including agricultural labourers) and a social impact

assessment has to be carried out. At a minimum, these hur-dles need to be alleviated. The Government of India also needs to move quickly towards estab-lishing national manufacturing zones, as announced in the na-tional manufacturing policy, so that investors can get speedy ac-cess to developed land with the internal infrastructure already provided.

Labour laws, too, need a serious review. The laws that make downsizing difficult are not in tune with the globalised world of manufacturing. The emphasis of laws on contract labour should be on regulation rather than abolition: employ-ment on fixed term contracts should be specifically allowed. Trade union legislation needs to be revamped in order to im-prove the process of collective bargaining and promote harmo-ny in industrial relations.

To compete with East Asian countries for FDI inflows, cor-porate tax levels need to be low-ered to 25 per cent. Even more important is the need to impart stability to the taxation regime, renounce retrospective changes, which have vitiated the taxation environment, and bring about greater transparency in imple-

mentation — particularly on transfer pricing.

Multiple taxes, including taxes on inter-state transactions, make India a fragmented mar-ket and impede the free flow of goods within the country. Lack of a simple tax structure with one or two uniform tax rates in-creases the cost of compliance by businesses and is a drag on efficiency. A goods and services tax, which is already in the pipe-line, needs to be introduced as soon as possible. Improvement in the investment environment will stimulate investment in manufacturing not only by mul-tinational corporations but by domestic enterprises as well. International production net-works will gain ground in India through off-shoring as well as outsourcing.

Revitalising the manufac-turing sector will be critical for the Indian government in ensur-ing GDP growth and a better future for the nation.

Anwarul Hoda and Durgesh Kumar Rai are staff members of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) in New Delhi. The views ex-pressed here are not necessar-ily those of ICRIER.

ent determination to rid itself of vested interests. At its 2013 Third Plenum, the CCP announced 60 goals for economic and governance reforms. Many hope that these changes will help the CCP become more effec-tive, strengthen the role of the market, and avoid the so-called middle-income trap that has ensnared many emerging countries.

However, the Party’s rhetoric reveals little about how these goals will be achieved. Indeed, there are worrying signs that the principal architect of the re-form agenda, the respected free-market economist Li Keqiang, is already being sidelined. Xi has blocked or revised many of Li’s initiatives concerning debt management, urbanization, the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone, and reform of local government.

The problem facing the government is how to maintain strong economic growth while pursuing Xi’s anti-corruption campaign. Weaning the economy off state-dominated institutions, shifting the economy away from credit-fueled investment growth, and focusing more on services, innovation, education, and entrepreneurship will take time – and will upset many key people in the process. Given the difficulty of boosting economic activity while confronting po-litical obstacles, a more realistic medium-term fore-cast for annual GDP growth is probably around 4%. But the longer the Party shies away from taking the tougher, reformist road, the greater the risk of an even sharper downturn.

Though Xi’s efforts to clean up the CCP are a welcome development, the Party itself is part of the problem. Substituting one elite for another will do little to eliminate systemic corruption. The true test

of change will be whether the CCP is prepared to sub-ordinate itself to new, inclusive institutional arrange-ments that are conducive to economic transformation.

When the CCP’s Fourth Plenum meets in October to discuss legal reforms, it will likely focus on how to improve the efficiency of the courts and weaken the power of obstructionist local party officials. It will not, however, seek to establish a properly function-ing rule of law. No Party official seriously questions the CCP’s authority over the legal system. Indeed, last year, university lecturers were instructed to avoid classroom discussion of universal values, press free-dom, civil rights, the CCP’s historical errors, crony elites, and judicial independence.

Xi’s remarkable anti-corruption campaign may enhance the Party’s legitimacy, especially in the eyes of China’s rising middle class. The campaign may even improve some aspects of economic and environmental policy. But so long as fundamental weaknesses and contradictions stemming from the CCP’s monopoly on power remain unchallenged, China’s economy will not be able to achieve the long-term growth that its leaders and citizens desire.

George Magnus, an independent economist, consultant, and commentator, is a senior economic adviser at UBS.

SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 04, 2014 / THE SOUTHEAST ASIA WEEKLY10 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Suspected gang members are paraded before cameras by police at Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta. In the 1980s, under Suharto, suspected gangsters were summarily executed at night. (Antara Photo/Wahyu Putro)

ditional markets. And they may not be as “clean” as the two lawyers claimed.

Rahardja, a tenant at Pasar Bulak in Klender, East Jakarta, said a local thug called Fauzi was an unofficial ruler of the market who frequently extorts money from vendors.

“He regularly extorts from us between Rp 50,000 and Rp 200,000,” Rahardja said.

Rahardja said Fauzi had been imprisoned after stabbing a papaya seller to death, after the vendor refused to give him money, in 2007.

Fauzi was released from prison after only two years.

“He was released and is back to ruling this market ever since,” Rahardja said.

Although organized crimi-nal activities have continued to proliferate in the capital, only the West Jakarta Police seem so far to have taken notice, es-tablishing a special Gangster Hunter Team, or TPP.

“With West Jakarta’s rapid-ly growing economic potential, many entrepreneurs have begun to invest in West Jakarta. But the presence of thug groups … annoys business people because they often become targets of extortion,” said Adj. Sr. Comr. Hengki Haryadi, head of the West Jakarta Police’s general crimes unit. Hengki said the TPP consisted of 30 members skilled in undercover surveil-lance and law enforcement, and were familiar with the West Ja-karta scene. In the two years, the squad has arrested 363 alleged gangsters. This led to a “drastic” decline in criminal cases, from more than 30 cases in 2013, to just four cases this year, as of September, Hengki said.

“[This squad] is our way of tackling the gangsters who have continued to develop and grow stronger,” he said. “Repressive measures are needed to pro-vide a deterrent effect on other gangsters [who have not been arrested].”

Organized criminals in West Jakarta often extorted local property businessmen into hir-ing them for security services,

The presence of gang-sters in Jakartans’ everyday life is hardly a fiction lim-

ited only to Indonesian action movies.

From traditional markets to modern businesses, organized crime has taken root, and the authorities, despite the recent crackdowns, still have a long way to go towards eradicating it. A young Jakarta-based law-yer, who prefers to be identified only as A. F., says his job as a business attorney has brought him into contact with a group of gangsters hired by his clients.

The gangsters, the attorney said, have been mostly em-ployed to help his creditor cli-ents collect debts.

“My clients desire to re-solve [debt] disputes imme-diately, considering the large amount of money loaned. This method [deploying gangsters] is the most effective way [to collect debts] and satisfy my clients’ wishes,” he told the Ja-karta Globe recently.

A. F. said gangsters were commonly hired in cases where his client alleges a breach of contract concerning debt set-tlements. Legal experts say this highlights a deeper problem in Indonesian society: lack of trust in institutions to uphold the rule of law, settle disputes in a time-ly manner and enforce judicial decisions. Formal legal proce-dures to retrieve such debts are often convoluted and cost a lot of money, A. F. says, with no guarantee that the money can be immediately retrieved.

He said the employment of gangsters is not against the law, as long as they didn’t harm anyone. In the context of debt collection, gangsters typically coerce targets into discharging their debts by threat or use of force — both of which are il-legal under Article 368 of the Criminal Code, among other statutes. “It should be under-lined that these thugs do not col-lect debts by force, coercion or threats,” A. F. said. “If the debt-ors refuse to pay, these thugs will not hesitate to encamp in

front of their houses. That ac-tion will certainly make debtors stressed and humiliate them be-fore their neighbors, thus forc-ing them to pay the debts.”

The legality of even this modus operandi would seem dubious at best when read against Article 335 of the Crim-inal Code, which bars “offen-sive treatment.”

To create “intimidating ef-fects,” A. F. added, many of the gangsters hired by his clients were well-built physically and had heavy voices, such as an eastern Indonesian man named Noce, whom A. F. knows per-sonally. Noce comes from the Tanimbar Islands, Central Maluku. His “successful” gang-ster life in Jakarta has allowed him to easily recruit younger fellow Tanimbar Islanders to join the thug group he now heads — all of whom currently live in a dormitory in Setiabudi, Central Jakarta.

A. F. said Noce had influ-ential acquaintances, includ-ing lawyers, politicians and businessmen. As long as legal process for debt settlements re-mains complicated and costly, men like Noce and his under-lings will continue to be em-ployed, A. F. said.

R. R., another Jakarta-based lawyer, agreed.

“The bureaucratic settle-ment of debts via the police is very complicated… It often causes only financial losses to my creditor clients,” he said.

R. R. said hiring gangsters was usually the last option after borrowers ignored his clients’ demands for them to pay the debts. He said many gangsters he knew, were in fact mobilized by former members of the mili-tary, including those who have close relations with Indonesian political elites.

Each service call they do for those well-connected clients costs between Rp 15 million and Rp 35 million ($1,250 and $2,900). “The cost depends on the level of difficulty of each in-dividual case,” R. R. said.

Organized criminals are also very active in Jakarta’s tra-

Hengki said, citing the case of Hercules, the infamous “gang-ster king” of Tanah Abang, a major textile trade center in Central Jakarta.

“As in the case of Hercules, because of fear, businessmen usually comply with their ‘of-fers,’ ” Hengki said.

One businessman, for ex-ample, paid Rp 400 million demanded by Hercules, in ex-change for providing “protec-tion” for the businessman’s 6.9 hectare property in Kembangan, West Jakarta.

“Hercules’s henchmen then demanded an additional Rp 250 million. After that, [the busi-nessman] reported the case to police,” Hengki said.

After decades of ruling Ja-karta’s underground unscathed, Hercules was arrested and sen-tenced to three years in jail for money laundering in May.

Hengki said many Jakarta gangsters hid behind organiza-tions such as the Betawi Com-munication Forum (Forkabi), the Red-and-White Army ( Laskar Merah Putih ), the Beta-

wi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) and Pancasila Youth ( Pemuda Pancasila ). Adrianus Meliala, a commissioner at the National Police’s supervisory commis-sion (Kompolnas), said many gangsters had been marginal-ized from society.

“He who was once a no-body and now he has turned into somebody,” Adrianus said.

Over time, gangsters have “professionalized” into busi-nesses such as debt collection and land tenure enforcement.

“Ironically, it can be said that gangsterism has provided many jobs to the communities,” Adrianus, said.

University of Indonesia criminologist Iqraq Sulhin said organized crime is a social issue that requires “social approach-es” that cannot be solved by repressive actions law enforce-ment alone.

“If left unchecked, [organ-ized crime] may lead to a state of the banality of crime, in which people consider the act of gangsters to be legitimate,” Iqra said. Jakarta Globe

Thai Prime Minister Pray-uth Chan-ocha this week urged academics not to just talk about democracy and election among others but to talk about the dark side of politicians, how politi-cians should behave and how the people should vote to pre-vent bad politicians from get-ting elected.

In his weekly speech on Returning Happiness to the Thai People programme, the prime minister said, however, he didn’t mind academics teach or talk politics but it should be done in a way which is provoca-tive or inciting trouble. “We are in the process of reforming the country to get rid of corruption, to bring about true democracy, fairness, non-discrimination and not just election alone – election which will bring in unqualified politicians,” he said.

General Prayuth said he hoped the academics would understand what he was talking about “if they are not biased”. “You claim for democracy sake, you want to teach politics claim-ing that if politics is not taught how can people know politics.

But there tens of thousand ways for politics to be understood. Why not teach the politicians on how they should behave? How the people should choose their representatives?”

The prime minister said he wonder any academics had taught about the negative side of populist policies. “I have never heard they talked about this. They talked about de-mocracy and election and when there was a conflict they could not solve the conflict and, there-fore, they should stop, find other ways to teach their students.

“It is not that a particular institution must teach politics, must be outstanding in politics. No, it isn’t. I figure they should teach the people to be able to get a job, to be good. If they teach politics alone and then there is quarrel, it is pointless,” said the prime minister.

He also warned the media not to oversensationalise or to expand a conflict unintentional-ly as there are some foreign me-dia which will refer to the Thai media to report in a way which is damaging to Thailand. PBS

In Jakarta, Gangs Prosper Where Rule of Law Falters

Thai PM Asks Academics To Talk Less On Politics

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha

THE SOUTHEAST ASIA WEEKLY / SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 04, 2014 11 REGIONAL REVIEW

REGIONAL REVIEWUS Economic Growth Revised Upward To 4.6%

The US economy expanded in the spring of this year. Its gross domestic product grew an annualized 4 point 6 percent. This is up by 0 point 4 percent from last month’s estimate.

The US Commerce Depart-ment on Friday released its re-vised GDP figures for the April to June quarter. The 4 point 6 percent annual growth is the biggest gain since the fourth quarter of 2011. Reasons cited included the pace of growth in business investment at 9 point 7 percent, up 1 point 3 percent from previous estimates.

An increase in housing in-vestments also raised the GDP. This growth was 8 point 8 per-cent, up 1 point 6 percent from earlier estimates.

Exports also rose by 11 point 1 percent, up 1 percent from previous projections.

Consumer spending, which accounts for roughly 70 percent of GDP, was up 2 point 5 per-cent, as predicted.

Market players view the latest results as confirmation that the US economy steadily recovered between spring and summer, after corporate activity and housing investment stalled as a result of the winter’s record cold. Attention is focused on whether the United States will maintain its growth in the third quarter and onwards./Islamic State Threat In Turkey Destabilize Country

Kurds in Turkey clashed with Turkish security forces on Friday as they were trying to help their fellow Kurds in Syria.

Tens of thousands of Kurds in Syria have fled into neigh-boring Turkey to avoid an on-slaught of Islamic State mili-tants. The Sunni insurgents in northern Syria have been gain-ing control of Kurdish villages in recent days and are fast ap-proaching Syria’s border with Turkey.

Some 150 thousand Kurds and other residents have crossed the border into Turkey since September 19th.

Several thousand Turkish Kurds made their way to the border in the town of Suruc to join the Kurds fighting in Syria.

Some threw rocks at secu-rity forces as they attempted to cross the border. Clashes began when Turkish security forces stopped them with water can-nons and tear gas.

Smoke could be seen rising in the area as armored vehicles and ambulances were called in.

Turkey’s government has been strengthening its border patrols after US-led air raids began this week against Islamic State positions in northern Syr-ia. But the country’s security has worsened.

Some 1.5 million Syrians

have fled to Turkey in the past three-and-a-half years, testing the country’s limits./British Parliament Approves Air Raids In Iraq

The British parliament vot-ed in favor of the government’s request to conduct air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq.

The approval on Friday gives the green light to Britain’s military to soon join the US-led campaign.

Before the voting, Prime Minister David Cameron ex-pressed a sense of crisis towards the militant group.

He said that if the threat was left answered, Britain would face a terrorist Caliphate on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Cameron noted that the mil-itants have already murdered a British aid worker and has threatened to take 2 more lives.

He said the threat of extrem-ist beliefs can already be felt in the country, as young Britons have gone to join the fight in the war-torn areas.

Britain has been wary of military intervention in the Middle East since previously fighting a war alongside the United States in Iraq.

The British parliament’s decision to join this campaign comes as the Sunni extremists are seen as posing a direct threat to the British people.

But Cameron is against conducting air raids in Syria. He says he will seek the ap-proval of the parliament should he decide sometime in the fu-ture to take part in a bombing campaign in that country./

Abe Pledges To Contribute To UN Peacekeeping

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has joined world leaders in a joint statement pledging sup-port for the strengthening of UN peacekeeping activities.

Abe attended a peacekeep-ing summit on Friday on the sidelines of the annual UN Gen-eral Assembly in New York.

US Vice President Joe Biden proposed the meeting to discuss issues faced by UN peacekeeping operations. Lead-ers of some 30 countries, in-cluding Pakistan, Bangladesh and Rwanda, also took part.

Abe said that peacekeeping activities continue to increase, while the responsibilities of peacekeepers continue to diver-

sify. He said it is significant that countries that are major contrib-utors to the budget for these op-erations, and nations that are the largest contributors of troops, cooperate with one another.

Abe also said Japan will further commit to future peace-keeping efforts, and contribute to the training of peacekeepers and civilian experts provided by the United Nations.

In the joint statement, par-ticipants assured their support for the necessary assistance needed to undertake UN peace-keeping missions.

They also agreed to support a review of the peacekeeping framework promoted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon./IAEA Adopts Resolution Condemning Pyongyang

The International Atomic Energy Agency has adopted a resolution condemning North Korea’s nuclear development.

IAEA member states unani-mously adopted the resolution on Friday, the final day of the annual general assembly at IAEA headquarters in Vienna.

Sixty countries, including Japan, the United States and South Korea, jointly proposed the resolution.

The UN atomic watchdog says North Korea has shown signs that it has restarted a re-search reactor at the Nyong-byon nuclear complex. Officials say their analysis of satellite im-ages has detected releases of steam and cooling water at the reactor.

The resolution calls on North Korea to halt its nuclear activities, and refrain from con-ducting further nuclear tests.

A US representative said the resolution is intended to send Pyongyang a strong mes-sage that the world body will not overlook North Korea’s nuclear development, which threatens global security.

IAEA inspectors have not set foot in North Korea since they were expelled 5 years ago./4th Russian Female Cos-monaut Arrives At ISS

Russia’s 4th female cosmo-naut has arrived at the Interna-tional Space Station for a 5-and-a-half-month stay.

The Soyuz spacecraft lifted off early on Friday local time from the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan. On board were Elena Serova and 2 other astro-nauts from Russia and the US.

The spaceship docked with the International Space Station after about 6 hours of travel.

The 3 joined American, Russian, and German astro-nauts who are staying at the sta-tion. Serova is Russia’s fourth female cosmonaut following Valentina Tereshkova who was the world’s first woman to travel in a spacecraft during the

Soviet era.This trip is the first in 17

years for a Russian woman cos-monaut. Serova will stay at the International Space Station un-til March next year.

Although the rift between Russia and Western countries is deepening over Ukraine, co-operation related to the Interna-tional Space Station is proceed-ing as planned./

US-led Airstrikes Pound Rebel Strongholds In Syria

US-led nations continued airstrikes on strongholds of the Islamic State militant group and oil-related facilities under its control in Syria on Thursday and Friday. More Syrian citi-zens are reportedly fleeing their homes to avoid the bombing.

A Syrian anti-government group says the attacks targeted militant positions and other sites in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor and the northern province of Hasakah.

The group says an air cam-paign on Thursday night killed 14 Islamic State fighters.

Another anti-government organization says air raids on Deir al-Zor mainly targeted oil-related facilities that finance the militants.

An opposition activist in the northern city of Raqqa, the Islamic State’s main base, told NHK over the phone that 4 rounds of airstrikes were con-ducted in the area on Thursday.

The activist said militants countered the attacks using anti-aircraft artillery and other weapons and that they were dis-persed to avoid damage.

40 percent of the residents of Raqqa have reportedly fled to the suburbs or the Turkish border in fear of airstrikes./G4 Ministers Confirm Joint Effort On UNSC Reform

Japan, Brazil, Germany and India have confirmed they will closely cooperate to seek re-form of the UN Security Coun-cil. The so-called Group of Four nations held a foreign ministe-rial-level meeting in New York on Thursday.

They are all seeking perma-nent membership of the Secu-rity Council.

The foreign ministers, in-cluding Fumio Kishida from Japan, agreed that reform of the UN council is a pressing issue.

They said in a joint state-ment that it has become dif-ficult for the Security Council

to effectively deal with current international challenges.

The structure of the council has barely changed since the founding of the UN, while the number of its members has in-creased significantly.

The ministers agreed on close cooperation so that sub-stantive UNSC reforms will be worked out before the General Assembly next year, the 70th anniversary of the UN’s found-ing. The ministers also reaf-firmed the need to gain the sup-port of UN members in a vote on a draft resolution proposed by the G4. This calls for an in-crease in the number of perma-nent and non-permanent seats on the Security Council.

They confirmed that they will strengthen cooperation with countries, including Afri-can nations, which are eager to reform the council./World Leaders Pledge Aid To Combat Ebola At UN

World leaders have pledged extra aid to help combat the Eb-ola outbreak in West Africa at a UN meeting.

A special summit on Ebola was held at the UN General As-sembly in New York on Thurs-day. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Barack Obama took part, along with leaders of international or-ganizations.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said more than 200 people die of Ebola every day. He urged the international com-munity to unite and take mea-sures to prevent further spread of the disease.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, which has the largest number of Ebola patients, spoke through a video call. The president said children who are bleeding and vomiting are being separated from their parents and parents are not al-lowed to bid farewell to the re-mains of their children.

Johnson Sirleaf called for support from UN member states, saying the spread of Eb-ola threatens people’s standard of living and the economy.

President Obama said Ebola is a potential threat to the world. He said if everyone moves fast, hundreds of thousands of lives can be saved.

The World Bank pledged additional aid to bring the total of its financing to 400 million dollars.

Japan announced 40 mil-lion dollars’ worth of extra aid. Tokyo also plans to provide additional support, including providing medicine for Ebola developed by a Japanese com-pany and dispatching medical workers.

More than 2,900 people have died or are suspected to have died of Ebola in West Af-rican countries./

SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 04, 2014 / THE SOUTHEAST ASIA WEEKLY12 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Growing Number Of Singles In SingaporeSINGAPORE: Singlehood

rates are among the highest for lower-educated Singaporean men in their 30s and 40s, and higher educated women in Sin-gapore, according to the coun-try’s latest Population report released on Thursday (Sep 25). The statistics show a growing number of singles in this coun-try, and when they do marry, it’s at a much later age.

35 per cent of men between the ages of 35 and 39 who had secondary education or less were single in 2013. Compara-tively, only 23 per cent of those with university education were single.

As the men get older, about 28 per cent who had secondary education or less remained sin-gle. Comparatively, only 14 per cent of men between the ages of 40 and 44 who had degrees re-mained single.

In contrast, 26 per cent women between the ages of 35 and 39 who have had university education were single last year. As they hit their early 40s, about 20 per cent remained single.

Observers say these figures are worrying against the back-drop of a shrinking and grey-ing population. “When they get older and they are home alone,

so to speak, it could be a prob-lem because they have no one to take care of them, psychologi-cally and financially,” said Dr Chung Wai-Keung, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Singapore Management Uni-versity.

For less-educated men with lower incomes, this means their CPF savings will also be lower, and this could be a problem if they remain single as they get older, he said. For the women with higher levels of education, “it is less of a problem but it’s still something the Government needs to take care of”.

“In 10 years time, they need to re-evaluate the situation, in response to this increasing rate of singlehood. Definitely they should provide a better public health system. In terms of hous-ing, there maybe housing for single persons,” said Dr Chung.

He also suggested building a community dominated by sin-gle persons and add to it other public service facilities, much like what Hong Kong is doing. Many of the less-educated men tend to turn to foreign brides from developing countries. There were more than 5,000 marriages between Singaporean

men and foreign women last year. Counsellor Willie Chien said such marriages bring their own set of social problems: “We have spouses coming from Thailand, Batam, China and also from Vietnam, Many of these people struggle to find acceptance and support locally. So if that particular person, for whatever reason, is separated from her husband, then she is left all alone to fend for herself.”

The number of women mar-rying foreign spouses is also go-ing up.

There were more than 1,500 marriages involving Singapo-rean brides and foreign grooms last year, nearly double the fig-ure compared to 10 years ago. However, a match-maker Chan-nel NewsAsia spoke to said that marrying someone seen to be less qualified may soon become the norm for women, as attitudes towards finding a life partner changes. Said Ms Anisa Hassan, Managing Direc-tor for the matchmaking service It’s Just Lunch: “It’s natural for women to be looking for an aca-demic equal or somebody who

earns in similar income bracket as them. But their priorities change as they get into their late 30s or 40s. So there is going to be a big reversal in trend, I fore-see.”

In most Asian societies, the man is often seen as the bread-winner of the family and the one in charge, and this is com-pounded by the view that edu-cation, income and prestige are closely intertwined.

Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies Dr Yap Mui Teng believes such perceptions are likely to change when there are more pathways to success.

“I guess this phenomenon will only go away when educa-tion and income and prestige are not so closely tied together, so that males who do not do well academically but are skilled in other ways may be equally well-regarded in society and make equally good incomes,” he said. “This will probably take time. With the rising educational levels in the country, hopefully this will ameliorate the situation somewhat.” - CNA/do

Although Nguyen Thi Loan has been posted on the web-site of Miss World 2014 as representing Vietnam in their pageant in London this December, local authorities say they have not licensed her yet.

Loan was 2nd runner-up in the Miss Ethnic Vietnam 2013 and is managed by Elite Vietnam. However, the Vietnamese Depart-ment of Performing Arts has said that, to date, they have not yet is-sued a license to Loan permitting her to take part in Miss World 2014.

A representative from the department said, on September 25 that they had not yet received any proposal for granting the license from Elite Vietnam.

He added that if the document for the license recommendation is legitimate, the department would be willing to grant the license to Loan according to law.

Mrs. Thuy Nga, director of Elite, said that, because she is currently abroad, so she is unable to provide information about the issue. Nga added, however, that Loan would make a great candidate for the pageant because of her knowledge, composure and appearance.

Loan, 25, born in Thai Binh Province, is 1.76 metres tall. She once won the Miss Sea title, and was in the top five of the Miss Vietnam 2010 pageant. She also ranked third in the Miss Ethnic Vi-etnam beauty contest in 2013.

Her actions to protect the environment and other socially conscious activities have been highly appreciated among her fans. VNNet

MANILA, Philippines – Floyd Mayweather is once again engaging Manny Pacqui-ao, not in the ring but in thrash talking. The brash American took time to take a swipe anew at Pacquiao, this time focusing on the Filipino icon’s financial state and pay-per-view market-ability.

In a post he made on Twitter and Instagram, Mayweather in-cluded three photos of Pacquiao showing him on the canvass during his fourth fight with Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012. Pac-quiao hit the deck twice during that bout, the second one a scary sight as the Filipino southpaw hit the floor face-first and be-came unconscious. “..Miss Pac Man is broke and desperate for a pay day. Your Pay-Per-View numbers are a joke,” May-weather wrote in the caption.

The social media post comes amid renewed clamor for Mayweather to face Pacquiao in a fight seen to be the richest ever in the sport. The World Boxing Council recently declared its support in the megabuck bout,

and Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach called out boxing broad-casters HBO and Showtime to help make the fight happen.

Mayweather holds the re-cord for the most-watched boxing match on PPV, with his 2007 showdown with Oscar Dela Hoya selling 2.4 million units amounting to around $136 million in revenue. It surpassed the previous record of 1.99 mil-lion PPV units sold by the sec-ond bout between Evander Ho-lyfield and Mike Tyson in 1997.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, has seen a decline in his PPV num-bers, especially his fight with Brandon Rios in Macau in Macau in 2013. He is likewise currently dealing with tax is-sues both in the Philippines and in the US, likely the reason for Mayweather mocking him for his purported financial difficul-ties.

Mayweather outpointed Marcos Maidana in their re-match last September 14, while Pacquiao has a fight lined up in Macau this November against Chris Algieri. Philstar

Floyd Mayweather to Manny Pacquiao: You are broke and desper-ate. File photo

Mayweather Blasts ‘Broke, Desperate’ Pacquiao