200,000 Protest in Japan Ahead of Nuclear Restart | Common Dreams

200,000 Protest in Japan Ahead of Nuclear Restart | Common Dreams
Common Dreams staff, June 29, 2012 by Common Dreams

Hundreds of thousands of protesters showed up at the door of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's residence on Friday, lining the streets of central Tokyo to express outrage over the continued push for nuclear reactor restarts in the country.

Shareholders of Japan's electricity companies voted on Wednesday to reboot nuclear power throughout the nation, despite widespread public opposition.

Noda approved the restarts of two reactors at Kansai Electric's Oi plant on June 16, but his pro-nuclear stance has prompted weekly protests outside of his residence. Friday's protest was perhaps the biggest yet. Organizers estimated the turnout to be over 200,000 people, according to Japan Times.

Japan had shut down the last of its 50 nuclear facilities in early May, following continued public disapproval of nuclear power after last year's disaster in Fukushima, which continues to plague the region with record levels of nuclear radiation.

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Thousands of protesters gathered outside the Japanese prime minister's residence in Tokyo on June 29 (Photo: Kyodo News, via Associated Press)

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The chilling effect: Malaysian move to fight cyber-crime tramples rights of netizens | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent

The chilling effect: Malaysian move to fight cyber-crime tramples rights of netizens | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
Lisa Gardner Jun 29, 2012 

Recent changes to Section 114a of Malaysia’s Evidence Act were introduced, according to the government, to fight cyber-crime. However, critics say the amendments to the law are a fear tactic to silence Malaysia’s netizens and put an end to free political discourse online. We spoke to one of Malaysia’s top media freedom activists to find out more…

Amendments to Malaysian law have rendered the country’s netizens criminally liable for any acts committed under their online  identities. The changes, which also make intermediaries or publishers of material liable, remove the assumption of innocence and threaten political rights, say critics.

The Malaysian government argue that amendments to the country’s Evidence Act are necessary in order to bring about an end to cyber crime in the country.

Under Section 114a of the Act, “any person whose name, photograph or pseudonym appears as producer, owner, host, administrator, editor or sub-editor, or who in any manner facilitates to publish or re-publish the publication is presumed to have published or re-published the contents of the publication unless the contrary is proved.”

However, many fear that a law designed to curb cyber crimes such as fraud and scams will instead lead to a “tremendous chilling effect,” aimed at dampening online political debate in the country. Here, we speak with Jac Sm Kee, co-director of the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) in Malaysia, to discuss the amendments.

Q: What kind of implications does this law hold for internet users in Malaysia? 

The impact of this Amendment is that it will create a tremendous chilling effect on internet users. Whether (it be) ordinary internet users, companies – not just internet service providers and online companies – but also shopkeepers who provide free WiFi in their establishments as part of their business model. Now they are suddenly liable for whatever content passes through them… any kind of content that is deemed seditious or defamatory.

Q: How does the law act to reverse the presumption of innocence?

In Section 114a of the amended law, it says if it has your name, your face, then it is assumed to be you. So if this law is enforced, nobody is going to put anything up in their name, or use their real picture, because they’ll be too afraid to be held liable…

It actually protects hackers. It assumes that if someone hacks into your account, says something under your name, then it’s you – and it’s up to you to prove that it’s not’ you’.

Meanwhile, the majority of Malaysian users are not very tech-savvy. We don’t really know how we’re supposed to prove that we really didn’t do it, when ‘you’, as the government, is telling me that you’re finding it really difficult to prove ‘who-is- who’ in the first place… The police would probably seize your computer, which would make it even more difficult.

If this law is enforced, hypothetically speaking, I wouldn’t even need to hack your account. All I would have to do is create an account in your name and use your photograph – and it is assumed to be you. It is that ridiculously wide-reaching. It is that ridiculously open to abuse. Yes, it affects everyone online – but it could also affect those who don’t even go online, at all…

So now we all exist in a state of presumed illegality, presumed criminality – the onus is now on everybody to prove their own innocence. It will really impact negatively on whether you decide you will go online…  in the first place.

Malaysian media quote de facto law minister Nazri Abdul Aziz as stating:

under the amended Act, we shift the burden to the owner of the laptop or account so that we can get to the source [of the slanderous or seditious comments because] we don’t want [anonymous or pseudonymous] people to slander or threaten others.

In an interview with Al-Jazeera, Sharil Tarmizi of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said:

In terms of the timing… I would say that, to me, it’s happenstance. But we’ve been facing difficulties in bringing people to justice – bringing people to book. Simply because a guy says ‘it wasn’t me’ – a flat denial.

Yet critics such as Ms. Kee would describe these arguments as “ostentatious”, given that:

In terms of the types of computer crimes we have in this country… Most are for economic reasons. Scams, fraud, and so on. Cyber crime, in essence, involves someone hacking into your account, using your devices without permission, or using your service network without your authorization…

The elections in 2008… saw that for the first time the ruling coalition government did not bring in such a large majority as they had been. And a large part of this was due to online spaces, because the internet has become this very vibrant, very democratic space, where public debate takes place, and where a lot of discourse, a lot of information is being shared, because the offline media is so controlled. And that’s possibly being seen as a threat that needs to be reined in before this election.

Because of the fear that is cast, because of the presumption of liability, the main impact of the law casts fear into the minds of internet users. Right now, I find the Malaysian netizens to be quite fearless… (because of) the relative openness of the online space. This is yet another step made in order to cast fear into Malaysia’s vociferous online community.

Q: What impact do you expect this law will have on the practice of journalists, and on the practices of businesses, large and small, which undertake some of their business online?

In Malaysia, we have a practice of a culture of journalism online which is very open, very transparent. (Journalists) have no qualms in using their own names in order to publish something and to talk about particularly difficult issues. If this law were to take effect… It could encourage more journalists to be anonymous, because it comes more worrisome to be personally identifiable on a particular site or in a particular space.

In order for this to be even enforced or operationalized, it’ll take a lot of money. All (online) sites will have to change, they’ll have to ensure their platforms can identify IP addresses, etc. In that way, the law increases surveillance, and narrows expression.

The private sector will be very affected. Google has a particular stake in this issue, since they own so much of the interface of how we use the internet in Malaysia. This law will hold anyone who facilitates the publishing of content liable. It means that if you create something on ‘blogspot’, for example, then not only you as the creator of the page will get into trouble, those who comment will get into trouble, and the person who facilitates your being able to get a blog – i.e. Google – will get into trouble as well. The private sector therefore has a particular stake in ensuring that intermediary liability does not happen.

Q: What will this mean for online social media marketing as we know it, which is built on interactivity – on the communicable space?

If you have a Facebook page and you allow interactions, then you could be held liable. It will really change the characteristics of what you expect the internet to be, and the value that it brings: to individuals, to businesses, and to good governance.

Internet start-ups and SMEs drive the economy of the nation. When the government clamps down on the whole concept of what’s possible, it clamps down on innovation, new ideas, the ability to think outside the box and facilitate a growing market. On one hand, (the government) spent millions of dollars trying to invest in internet infrastructure. On the other, they’re limiting what can be produced. There’s now so many things that people will be afraid to do.

Q: Are there reasons to believe that the Malaysian government may not have a complete understanding of the means by which the internet functions?

In Thailand, for example, we’ve seen ISPs come forward to teach classes to Ministry of Information (MICT) officials, who they believe show a lack of understanding in this area. That, hypothetically speaking, these officials may not appreciate that, in the online sphere, names are no guarantee of identity…
The question of how well-versed the Malaysian Government are in relation to the internet is one that’s been raised in the past. It’s been raised by industry who’ve suggested, ‘if you really knew how the internet worked, you wouldn’t pass a law likemthis.’ I always caution about this.

It is safe to assume that the Malaysian Government is technically, very sophisticated. We are one of the first countries in the world to invest heavily in building ICT infrastructure… in technical exchange, in knowledge-sharing, in getting private sector into the country, in bilateral agreements with different countries around cyber crime enforcement, and the data-sharing that needs to happen…. We hold leadership positions in many institutions in terms of internet regulation and global governance. So not only do we have the infrastructure, the government is well-placed within international institutions and bodies around internet governance issues.

Therefore it’s a dangerous mistake to assume the government doesn’t understand how the internet works, and is passing laws due to a failure of understanding. In fact, I think you really need to understand how the internet works in order to pass a law that seems not to make sense, but has a very real impact.

Manila says Chinese boats back in disputed lagoon | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent

Manila says Chinese boats back in disputed lagoon | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
AP News, Jun 28, 2012

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Chinese fishing boats have returned to a lagoon in a disputed South China Sea shoal despite an agreement to clear the area of all vessels, dashing hopes of an early resolution of a territorial rift with the Philippines, officials in Manila said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Vietnam protested a Chinese state oil company’s invitation for bids for energy development in different area of the South China Sea, adding to concern that tension in the disputed waters could escalate.

Various longstanding disputes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei straddle busy sea lanes that are believed to be rich in oil and gas deposits. Many fear the disputes could spark a violent conflict.

The current standoff between China and the Philippines in the Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines began in April when the Philippines accused Chinese fishermen of poaching in its exclusive economic zone, including the shoal. During the tensions, both sides have sent government ships to the area.

A recent agreement saw both countries withdraw vessels, but the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Raul Hernandez, said six Chinese fishing boats and 17 smaller dinghies were spotted by a Philippine plane inside the lagoon on Monday afternoon. He said five Chinese government ships were sighted outside the lagoon in the vicinity of the shoal.

Hernandez urged China to abide by its commitment in talks aimed at diffusing the rift.
“It is important for parties in negotiations and discussion on any issue to always act in good faith,” he told reporters.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The United States, which says it has a national interest in the maintenance of peace and stability in the South China Sea, urged calm on both sides.

“It’s in the interest of the United States and frankly, we believe, all the players, to see a de-escalation and calming process play out,” Campbell told a seminar at a Washington think tank. He said he was heartened that Manila and Beijing were discussing the issue, and expressed hope for progress in resolving the standoff before an Asian security forum to be held in Cambodia next month where nations will be discussing how to manage the South China Sea disputes.

He warned that the disputes are long-standing and have stirred up nationalist sentiments. He said it was vital to deal with them with “extreme delicacy.”

In Hanoi, Vietnam protested a weekend announcement by the China National Offshore Oil Corp., or CNOOC, that it was opening nine oil and gas lots for international bidders, in areas overlapping with existing Vietnamese exploration blocks.

Vietnam Foreign Ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi said the lots being offered by China lie entirely within Vietnam’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. He said in a statement posted Tuesday on the ministry’s website that China’s move was illegal and the bidding should cease immediately.

PetroVietnam President and CEO Do Van Hau told a news briefing in Hanoi on Wednesday that the Vietnam-owned oil and gas company would go ahead with exploration contracts it signed with foreign oil companies in offshore areas now being offered by the Chinese company to investors.

He urged foreign companies to ignore the Chinese offer.

The exploration areas CNOOC offered to international bidders overlap with the exploration contracts PetroVietnam signed with ExxonMobil, Russia’s Gazprom, India’s ONGC, and PVEP, a PetroVietnam affiliate, he said, adding the foreign companies have been conducting exploration in the area for many years.

Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said it appeared to be the first time since 1992 China has offered blocks for exploration inside disputed waters. She said the move would trigger concern in the U.S. and the region, and did not bode well for the China and Vietnam managing their competing claims.

Glaser said major U.S. companies would think twice about participating in the bidding because of the high potential for some kind of conflict breaking out.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a news conference Wednesday that it was natural for the state oil company to seek bids to explore the areas. Hong said China hopes Vietnam “will not further complicate and aggravate the dispute.”

Update: Thailand Backs Away from NASA Study | Asia Sentinel

Update: Thailand Backs Away from NASA Study | Asia Sentinel
Richard S. Ehrlich, 26 June 2012

Project to study Southeast Asian weather patterns looks dead

Thailand's cabinet Tuesday effectively killed NASA's request for use of U-Tapao naval airbase south of Bangkok for atmospheric studies, referring the plan to a joint parliamentary committee.

NASA, however, earlier said the request for the use of U-Tapao would be withdrawn if the request to use the former Vietnam-era US Air Force base didn't go through by today.

"If we receive approval by June 26, we will be able to proceed with the SEAC4RS (Southeast Asia Composition, Cloud, Climate Coupling Regional Study) campaign," said Hal Maring, NASA's project coordinator. "After that date, we will not have time for the extensive logistical preparations required for a flight campaign of this magnitude," Maring earlier told media in Bangkok.

The opposition Democrat Party led by former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had demanded that the project and another to base humanitarian relief at U-Tapao be discussed in parliament, saying the matter is a national security issue that could affect relations with countries in the region, particularly China, which may regard it as a pretext for US spying.

NASA, however, described the SEAC4RS as beneficial for tracking pollution and weather, including monsoons which determine agricultural production and regional economies but also bring floods which kill hundreds of people in Southeast Asia each year. In particular, Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and parts of Thailand are wreathed in choking smoke from vast seasonal burning of forests in Indonesia.

"NASA has proposed to base the SEAC4RS aircraft in Thailand so that the planes can sample the two big meteorological drivers of the region's atmospheric circulation: the summertime monsoon circulation to the west, and marine convection to the east and south, that can loft emissions into the stratosphere," NASA said on its website.

"There are emissions from big seasonal fires and megacities that are moved around the region by a complex meteorological system," said project leader Brian Toon, chair of the University of Colorado's Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.

"When these chemicals get into the stratosphere, they can affect the whole earth," Toon said.

"Southeast Asia is a complex region influenced by various large emission sources -- fossil fuels, biomass burning, ships, and biogenic emissions among others," wrote Jenny A. Fisher describing how she would work "in the field" during the SEAC4RS project.

"NASA's most complex and ambitious airborne science campaign of the year," as it is called, is sponsored by the Earth Science Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, NASA said. To sample the atmosphere, high-altitude ER-2 aircraft would be supported by G-V and DC-8 flights.

Simultaneously, "an array of sensors, spread across the region at locations on the ground and in the South China Sea, will observe the atmosphere from the bottom up," NASA said.

"With support from the National Science Foundation and the Naval Research Laboratory, the campaign will draw together coordinated observations from NASA satellites, several research aircraft, and an array of sites on the ground and at sea,” the statement continued. “Pending approval of NASA's plans by the government of Thailand, where the flights would originate, SEAC4RS will take to the field in August.”

"The foreign ministry, the armed forces and the council of state are looking at the issue," Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on June 22 after receiving NASA's deadline.

To quell widespread speculation that NASA's project could include a secret, sinister role, Defense Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat said on Friday (June 22), "Trust me, I am not the kind of person who sells the country. It is not anything about military activity."

Some Thai opposition politicians and others suggested NASA's project may displease China, Bangkok's allied northern neighbor, though Beijing has not publicly criticized NASA's plan.

"It is unfortunate that a chance for Thailand and Thai scientists to collaborate with the organization that put men on the moon, and launched the Hubble and Chandra X-ray telescopes into space, has been politicized to the point to where it now looks as if the opportunity might be lost," the Bangkok Post's editorial said on Sunday (June 24).

"Criticism by some in the opposition Democrat Party as well as some academics over the Americans having possible 'hidden agendas', the surrender of Thai sovereignty and the project's potential to upset regional neighbors, namely China," have threatened to block NASA's project, it said.

NASA wants to use Thailand's Naval base at U-Tapao, on the Gulf of Thailand, 90 miles southeast from Bangkok. U-Tapao was among six major air bases used by the U.S. during the 1960s and early 1970s to unleash massive aerial bombardments on Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, killing thousands of people, many of them civilians. The three countries remain crippled by the results of the bombing raids which ended when America lost its wars and local communists won triple victories in 1975.

The following year, Thailand told US forces to leave its bases, though the two nations remain close allies and conduct extensive military training exercises in Thailand each year. The U.S. Air Force used U-Tapao during Iraq and Afghanistan wars, especially for transit and refueling.

Today, some foreign commercial and charter flights also use U-Tapao's airport, though Bangkok has two large international airports.

Parliament's session ended on June 19 and is to reconvene in August, which means it would be too late to approve NASA's project. If NASA's project goes ahead without parliament's approval, the Democrats may try to claim it violates section 190 of Thailand's constitution, and use that issue to destabilize the government.

Some analysts suspect that is the Democrats' real motive, because the party has not declared its outright opposition to NASA's project but are pointing to the constitution to give the impression that the government may be violating the law.

The 2007 constitution's convoluted section 190 says in part that a "treaty" which affects the "security of the country...must be approved by the National Assembly."

In addition, "the Council of Ministers must provide information" to the public about the treaty and consult parliament, it says. "The Council of Ministers must submit the negotiation framework to the National Assembly for approval.”

Perhaps more chilling to the government is the section's clause which says that the legal interpretation about the constitution's position over such an issue "falls within the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court."

Yingluck earlier in June backed off trying to amend the constitution in parliament when the Constitutional Court declared that it had the power to inspect the amendment before it could be voted on in parliament -- and if the government violated the court it could be an illegal act.

During the government's constitutional amendment attempt, some Democrat party politicians disrupted parliament, and the chaos in the chamber stopped the government's effort to debate the issue.

If the Democrat Party convinces the government that the NASA project needs parliament's approval, then the project will be halted.

If Yingluck goes ahead with the project without parliament's approval, then the Democrats may launch a case with the Constitutional Court and hope it rules that her government violated the constitution, though it is unclear if such a case would hold up.

Earlier in June, the Democrats insisted the government was trying to amend the constitution to create a loophole so the prime minister's older brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, could return to Thailand from self-exile abroad, and not serve a two-year prison sentence.

Thaksin was convicted of corruption after the military toppled him as prime minister in a 2006 coup, and later 1.2 billion dollars of his assets were seized in a separate corruption case.

(Richard S. Ehrlich is a Bangkok-based journalist. His websites are http://www.asia-correspondent.110mb.com and http://www.flickr.com/photos/animists/sets)

No Removal of Sanctions, Only Suspension: US | The Irrawaddy Magazine

No Removal of Sanctions, Only Suspension: US | The Irrawaddy Magazine
LALIT K JHA / THE IRRAWADDY, June 27, 2012

Asserting that its policy toward Burma is a “step-by-step” process, the US on Tuesday ruled out complete removal of economic sanctions against this Southeast Asian country, noting that based on the progress made by the new government, it finds it appropriate to only suspend these sanctions.

“This is a step-by-step process, and there’s quite a road to go, as I think our Burmese guests would agree with,” the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, told reporters at her daily news conference where in the audience were some invited guests—a delegation of advisors from the Office of the Presidency in Burma. The delegation is currently visiting the United States at the invitation of the Asia Society and the US Institute of Peace.

“I think, as our Burmese visitors know better than anyone, we have been encouraging the kind of opening and reform that we are now seeing in Burma for many months,” she said.
Referring to a question regarding US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is the first US foreign minister to visit Burma since the 1950s, Nuland responded: “She said then that we would match action with action.

“So as Burma has gone forward with free, fair, parliamentary elections, has taken steps on the border, has begun to talk about opening its economy, we’ve tried to match those steps. We’ve had the naming of an ambassador,” she said.

“We’ve had the beginning of suspension of sanctions. We’re working now on being able to license our companies for investment, for trade, etcetera. But as we’ve said, these are suspensions,” she noted.

“These are not erasing of sanctions because our continued progress is contingent on Burma’s own continued progress in terms of democratic reform, economic opening, peace and security, national reconciliation, and good human rights standards throughout the country,” Nuland said.

Responding to a question on the Rohingya crisis in Burma, the spokesperson said the US has been urging Bangladesh to assume its international responsibilities.

“We have had contacts with both governments. As you know, we have been urging Bangladesh to open its border to treat refugees properly. We’ve been supportive and encouraging of the UN’s Special Envoy, who, I understand, is now … working with the Burmese government, working with the Rohingya to try to have a dialogue about grievances, to try to settle issues peacefully. And also, as I understand it, the UN’s envoy will be traveling to Bangladesh,” she said.

“I think the fact that they [Bangladesh and Burma] are in dialogue with the Burmese is a good thing. But again, we’d like to see that border open,” she said.

Meanwhile the United Nations announced that the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, will witness the signing of an agreement on Thursday in Burma to release children from the country’s armed forces.

The new action plan sets out concrete and time-bound activities to ensure the separation of underage recruits from the army children and to prevent further recruitment. While in Burma, Coomaraswamy will meet with Burmese President Thein Sein, government ministers, UN agencies, civil society and the diplomatic community, a UN spokesman said.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday will hold a full committee confirmation hearing on the nomination of Derek Mitchell as US ambassador to Burma.

Vietnam deputy PM voices commitment to develop nuclear power | Viet Nam News / Asia News Network

Vietnam deputy PM voices commitment to develop nuclear power |  Viet Nam News / Asia News Network
Viet Nam News, June 27, 2012

Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai emphasised yesterday that the country would be consistent in its policy of developing nuclear power for peaceful purposes.

The Prime Minister made the statement at a reception for Denis Flory, deputy general director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who was heading a delegation of overseas experts from the Nuclear Regulatory Co-operation Forum (NRCF) to attend an international seminar in Hanoi.

He said that the country would keep obeying the international convention on nuclear safety and expressed his hope that the IAEA would assist in implementing this.

Flory said the seminar, which drew participation from experts from countries such as Russia, the United States, Japan, France, South Korea and India, aimed to work out solutions on improving the capacity of Vietnam's nuclear regulatory agency to manage and develop the country's nuclear power plants.

At the meeting, the two sides also discussed issues related to safe infrastructure systems for nuclear power programmes.

3 million child labourers toil in the Philippines | Philippine Daily Inquirer / Asia News Network

3 million child labourers toil in the Philippines |  Philippine Daily Inquirer / Asia News Network


Philip C. Tubeza, Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 27, 2012

There are 3 million child labourers toiling in the Philippines and almost all of them are working in hazardous conditions, according to a survey financed by the International Labor Organization (ILO).

The 2011 Survey on Children conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) and released on Tuesday showed that out of the 29.019 million Filipino children aged 5-17 years old, about 18.9 per cent or 5.59 million, were already working.

This is higher than the 4 million Filipino working children registered in a 2001 survey conducted by the ILO and the US Department of Labor.

Of the 5.59 million children at work, 3.028 million were considered as child laborers and 2.993 million were reported to be exposed to hazardous child labour.

“We’re surprised by this … We at the [labour department] reiterate our pledge to do our utmost in making every barangay in the country with high child labour incidence child labour-free,” Labour Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said at the launching in Pasig City of a new campaign to stamp out child labor in the country.

“In carrying out this resolve, we will take it one barangay at a time. We will meet the challenge head-on,” she added.

Baldoz said the government had identified 609 of the country’s poorest municipalities and was targeting 80 barangay (or villages) that had the highest incidence of child labour.

She also pointed out that the survey showed that 69.5 per cent of child laborers, or 2.106 million, were attending school.

Under the law, child labour is defined as any work or economic activity performed by a child that subjects him or her to any form of exploitation, or is harmful to his or her health and safety, or physical, mental, or psycho-social development.

Hazardous child labor refers to employment in industries and occupations designated as hazardous under the country’s occupational safety and health standards.

“We have to get to the root of child labour, which is linked with poverty and lack of decent and productive work,” said ILO country director Lawrence Jeff Johnson.

“While we strive to keep children in school and away from child labour, we need to ensure decent and productive work for parents and basic social protection for families,” Johnson added.

Carmelita Ericta, NSO administrator, said 60 per cent of child labourers in the country were in the agricultural sector.

“There are two boys for every girl, especially in agriculture. In the services sector, there are more girls than boys. Sixty per cent are in agriculture unlike in our Labour Force Survey, which shows that only 30 per cent [of the country’s labour force] is in agriculture,” Ericta said.

“As they grow older, they also tend to drop out of school. With the younger age group, aged 5 to 9 years old, 90 per cent are in school. By the time they reach 15, only half of them are in school,” she said.
“They are working mostly in the farms but some of them work in construction sites. Around 3 per cent are actually in the mines, quarries, or factory sites,” she added.

The regions, which had the highest incidence of child labour, were Central Luzon, Bicol, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Central Visayas, the survey showed.

Ericta said the 2.993 million child labourers exposed to hazardous conditions could include those involved in the worst forms of child labor—sex trade, drug trafficking, other illicit activities, and armed conflict.

“They could be included but they’re not labelled as such. This is because when you ask them where they work, they could say they’re waitresses when they’re actually prostituted children,” Ericta said.

“These [2.993 million] are the ones exposed to chemicals, biological hazards like bacteria that cause diseases or physical hazards,” she added.

The Philippines has pledged to reduce by 75 per cent all worst forms of child labour by 2015, which is anchored on the millennium development goal of achieving universal education.

Ericta also said that the 2001 and 2011 surveys could not be compared because a different methodology was used in the 2001 survey, which involved “more general questions”.

Ericta said the survey was conducted in October 2011 involving 50,000 families across the country.

28 Chinese boats still in Scarborough

28 Chinese boats still in Scarborough
Frances Mangosing, INQUIRER.net, June 26th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—Despite reports that Chinese fishing boats were already withdrawn in the disputed Scarborough Shoal, operational reports from the field said otherwise.

As of Monday afternoon, there were about 28 Chinese fishing and government vessels, 23 of which were inside the shoal, according to the aerial surveillance by an Islander of the Philippine Navy, Admiral Alexander Pama told reporters in a news conference Tuesday.

Pama said that China has maintained five government vessels, three Chinese Maritime Surveillance vessels and two Fisheries and Law Enforcement Command outside the shoal.

Meanwhile, 23 fishing vessels, 17 dinghies or small boats and six Chinese fishing boats remained inside the lagoon.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said despite the pullout of Philippine government vessels, they were still continuously monitoring the area.

“As soon as the weather clears, and there’s a clearance coming from the DOTC,” Gazmin said, when asked if Philippine ships will be sent back to Scarborough.

A fishing ban was still being implemented among Filipino fishermen until the weather improves, he added.

Jordanian journalist, 2 Filipino ‘hostages’ seen in Sulu rebel camps

Jordanian journalist, 2 Filipino ‘hostages’ seen in Sulu rebel camps
Frances Mangosing, INQUIRER.net, June 26th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—Jordanian journalist Baker Abdulla Atyani and two Filipino television crew members who were allegedly abducted by the Abu Sayyaf were seen roaming around rebel camps in Sulu, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Tuesday.

“May mga sightings na gumagala sila (They have been sighted roaming around) from one camp to another… Abu Sayyaf to Moro National Liberation Front camps,” he said, citing field reports he had received from Western Mindanao Command chief Lieutenant General Noel Coballes.

“With that we can easily deduce na ’di sila bihag (that they are not hostages),” he added.
Gazmin said, however, that the military is on standby to move any time should the military be asked to rescue them.

“We know where they are. Pag sinabing (If we’re ordered to) rescue we will do our part,” he said.

Gazmin said the order to rescue Atyani and his team will be given by the crisis management committee headed by Governor Sakur Tan.

Indonesian authorities eye radical students | Asia News Network

Indonesian authorities eye radical students | Asia News Network
The Jakarta Post, June 26, 2012

The Indonesian government is upping the ante in its efforts to protect its citizens studying in the Middle East and Pakistan from falling prey to radical teachings.

The Religious Affairs Ministry and the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) have said that students exposed to extremist teachings might exacerbate the increasing number of incidents involving radicalism and intolerance at home. 

For the last three years, the ministry, for example, has vetted students wishing to study religion abroad by requiring an endorsement from the ministry. 

The endorsement was represented as one of several documents that students were required to submit when applying for a visa from a host nation.

In reality, nations hosting Indonesian students have no mandatory requirements for endorsements from the ministry, and the Indonesian government has no statutory authority over the issuance of foreign visas. 

"Such recommendations are not mandatory for host countries. However, there’s been an understanding between Indonesia and the countries to have such a requirement in order for the visa to be processed smoothly and for us to gather student data," Mastuki HS, the Religious Affairs Ministry’s institutional division chief at the directorate general of Islamic higher education, said yesterday.

Mastuki claimed that the recommendation requirement did not ban study in specific countries, saying that the ministry was on the lookout for radical activities in Yemen, Pakistan and Libya. 

"We want to cut the links between Indonesia and radical groups abroad. If universities are known to have links to radical groups or the countries are experiencing a period of political upheaval, we will deny the recommendation requests and advise the students to go elsewhere," Mastuki said. 

Based on information from the education attaches at Indonesian embassies and consulates, more than 8,000 Indonesians studied in the Middle East and Pakistan as of last year, with the lion’s share studying in Egypt and Yemen, the Education and Culture Ministry said. 

Although Indonesia has not seen any major terrorist attacks since the 2009 bombing of the JW Mariott and Ritz Carlton hotels, radicalism and intolerance have grown. 

Among the examples are the repeated persecution of members of the Ahmadiyah and Shiite minority Muslim sects, the closing of churches in West Java and Aceh of Indonesia and the violence and threats perpetrated by members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) that have gone unanswered by the authorities. 

Further, several high-profile clerics with terrorist ties were exposed to radical groups while they studying overseas. 

BNPT chairman Insp. Gen. (ret.) Ansyaad Mbai said the agency was regularly updated on Indonesian student activities by the nation’s embassies in the Middle East and Pakistan.

Mbai said the agency also cooperated with other nations, including Egypt, India, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, to monitor Indonesian students. 

"We have bilateral joint working groups with those countries. We share intelligence information, conduct joint trainings and other activities," he said. 

According to Mbai, the BNPT has been closely monitoring Indonesian students who joined radical groups overseas after they returned to Indonesia. 

"We will keep an eye on them. We will monitor their activities and their partners here. Should they violate the law, we will not hesitate to detain them," Mbai said.

Pension Giant Dumps $73 Million Caterpillar Stock Over Israel Ties | Common Dreams

Pension Giant Dumps $73 Million Caterpillar Stock Over Israel Ties | Common Dreams
Common Dreams staff, June 23, 2012 by Common Dreams

Pension fund giant TIAA-CREF has removed Caterpillar, Inc. from its Social Choice Funds portfolio. As of May 1, 2012, financial data posted on TIAA-CREF’s website valued Social Choice Funds shares in Caterpillar at $72,943,861. Today it is zero.


“We applaud this decision,” said Rabbi Alissa Wise, Director of Campaigns at Jewish Voice for Peace and National Coordinator of the We Divest Campaign. 

"It’s long past time that TIAA-CREF began living up to its motto of ‘Financial Services for the Greater Good’ when it comes to the people of Israel and Palestine.”

Since 2010, We Divest has been urging TIAA-CREF to drop Caterpillar and other companies profiting from and facilitating Israel’s 45-year-old military occupation and colonization of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip.

“By selling weaponized bulldozers to Israel, Caterpillar is complicit in Israel’s systematic violations of Palestinian human rights,” said Rabbi Wise. “We’re glad to see that the socially responsible investment community appears to be recognizing this and is starting to take appropriate action.”

Caterpillar has come under increasing criticism from human rights organizations in recent years for continuing to supply bulldozers to Israel, which uses them to demolish Palestinian civilian homes and destroy crops and agricultural land in the occupied territories, and to build illegal, Jewish-only settlements on Palestinian land.

In the coming weeks, many will be watching the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly taking place in Pittsburgh, where church commissioners will vote on a motion to divest from Caterpillar and two other companies, Motorola Solutions and Hewlett-Packard, that remain in TIAA-CREF’s Social Choice Funds.

Last month, Friends Fiduciary, a Quaker institution, divested $900,000 worth of shares in Caterpillar stating: “We are uncomfortable defending our position on this stock.”

* * *

Caterpillar D9 model tractors used by the Israeli Defense Forces. (Limor Edri)

* * *

Israel's Ha'aretz reports:

[...] TIAA-CREF’s divestiture amounted to $72 million in funds, dwarfing previous divestitures by liberal religious groups such as Friends Fiduciary, a Quaker group that divested $900,000.

The news of the delisting comes ahead of the biennial general assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), where divestment from Caterpillar and other companies selling products used by the Israeli army, will be considered. [...]

The death in 2003 of Rachel Corrie, an American pro-Palestinian activist, while she was protesting such a demolition in Gaza, helped spur the BDS movement forward. Corrie’s parents and witnesses say she was caught beneath an armored tractor. The army denies fault and maintains she was killed by debris.

MSCI-ESG – ESG stands for Environment, Social or Governance – has as its clients a number of progressive groups that base their investments in part on social justice issues, including care for the environment, the treatment and safety of employees, and involvement in human rights abuses.

MSCI-ESG’s decision, made in February and effective as of March 1, came to light this week because of claims by groups associated with the BDS movement that a decision by TIAA-CREF – a pension fund for teachers and other academics – to divest from Caterpillar was a result of their pressure.

"It’s long past time that TIAA-CREF began living up to its motto of ‘Financial Services for the Greater Good’ when it comes to the people of Israel and Palestine,” Rabbi Alissa Wise, the national coordinator for “We Divest,” a coalition of several groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace, where Wise is director of campaigns. [...]

Rebecca Vilkomerson, the Jewish Voice for Peace spokswoman said she was “confident” that representations by the We Divest coalition and other groups both to MSCI-ESG and to TIAA-CREF played a role.

In any case, she said, activism by groups such as hers has resulted in a “consensus in the human rights community because of its role in human rights abuses in Palestine, Caterpillar is not an ethical actor.”

Pro-Palestinian groups have for a decade campaigned against the sale of the tractors to Israel. Caterpillar sells the tractors to the U.S. military for resale to allies. Caterpillar says it does not determine to which countries the tractors are resold and how they are refitted for military use.

The pro-Palestinian groups, backed by a number of human rights NGOs, say that Israel uses the tractors to destroy Palestinian homes as a means of inhibiting growth and as collective punishment. Israel says the tractors are used to destroy illegal structures, and in Gaza were used until 2005, when Israel pulled out, to destroy tunnels used by terrorists for smuggling purposes.

* * *

And a press release from Jewish Voice for Peace:

TIAA-CREF Drops Caterpillar from Social Choice Funds
Biggest U.S. Victory Yet for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement

June 21, 2012—Over the objection of Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), pension giant TIAA-CREF’s Social Choice Funds have divested from Caterpillar.

Ackerman, the top Democrat on the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, has strongly condemned the TIAA-CREF divestment campaign, calling it “ill-conceived and dangerous.”

Ackerman attacked nearly 200 New York University (NYU) faculty and staff for signing a letter urging TIAA-CREF President/CEO Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., to “divest funds from companies that profit from Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.”

Ackerman remarked, “It would take a great deal of education to rationalize such utter nonsense. But somehow, I feel sure this bunch at NYU will manage it.”

TIAA-CREF ignored Ackerman and did exactly as the NYU faculty asked—divesting more than $72 million of shares in Caterpillar from their social choice funds. Caterpillar shares (NYSE:CAT) are down 1.25% as of 12 p.m. ET today.

TIAA-CREF’s move is yet another sign of surging momentum for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Last month, Friends Fiduciary, a Quaker institution, divested $900,000 worth of shares in Caterpillar stating: “We are uncomfortable defending our position on this stock.”

Ackerman is not alone in fighting TIAA-CREF’s divestment. The Israel Action Network is a $6 million project of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, devoted to undermining divestment campaigns like this one. TIAA-CREF was clearly not convinced by either Ackerman or the Israel Action Network.

“The Israel Action Network is a cynical effort to divide the Jewish community and silence one of the most important moral policy debates in our country,” said Rabbi Alissa Wise, Director of Campaigns at Jewish Voice for Peace and National Coordinator of the We Divest Campaign (www.wedivest.org).

TIAA-CREF had resisted calls for divestment since the We Divest Campaign launched in 2010. The change comes less than a month before TIAA-CREF’s annual meeting, which will take place July 17th in New York.

The We Divest Campaign will continue to urge TIAA-CREF to divest other funds from Caterpillar and to divest from all companies that profit from the Israeli occupation—including Northrop Grumman, Veolia, Elbit, Motorola Solutions, and Hewlett-Packard. The campaign was initiated by Jewish Voice for Peace and now includes six organizations, including the American Friends Service Committee, Adalah-NY, Grassroots International, the US Palestinian Community Network, and the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

Jewish Voice for Peace is a national grassroots peace organization dedicated to promoting a US foreign policy in the Middle East based on peace, democracy, human rights and respect for international law. With over 115,000 online supporters, 35 chapters and a Rabbi's Council, JVP’s board of advisors includes Tony Kushner, Ed Asner, Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky, Eve Ensler and others.

# # #

Philippines opens school on disputed island | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent

Philippines opens school on disputed island | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
AP News Jun 24, 2012

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine official says he has opened a small kindergarten school on a South China Sea island that is also claimed by five other countries.

Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon said Sunday that his aim was to help the 37-hectare (91-acre) island’s civilian community and not to antagonize rival claimant countries. The school was inaugurated without fanfare on June 15 with five students, their parents and a teacher. A Philippine flag fluttered in the breeze in the schoolyard.

The Philippines calls the island Pag-asa — or “hope” in Tagalog. It is guarded by Filipino troops.

It is part of the Spratlys archipelago. China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam also claim the islands.

Vietnam Rejects Chinese Protest over Island Claims | The Irrawaddy Magazine

Vietnam Rejects Chinese Protest over Island Claims | The Irrawaddy Magazine
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, June 22, 2012

HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam has rejected China’s protest over a new Vietnamese law that reasserts territorial claims over two South China Sea island groups China and other countries consider their own.

The Chinese accusations that Vietnam’s law was illegal and invalid were groundless, Foreign Ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi said in a statement posted on the ministry’s website late Thursday.

Vietnam’s National Assembly overwhelmingly passed the new maritime law on Thursday asserting Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Spratlys and Paracels, and Nghi said this was a “normal lawmaking activity” and Chinese opposition to it was regrettable.

China had summoned the Vietnamese ambassador on Thursday to lodge a protest and repeat China’s position that it has sole jurisdiction over the Spratly and Paracel islands.

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and its island groups, and its dispute with Vietnam and other rival claimants occasionally erupts into open confrontation. The islands, many of them occupied by garrisons from the various claimants, sit amid some of the world’s busiest commercial sea lanes, along with rich fishing grounds and potential oil and gas deposits.

Nghi said Vietnam has legal and historical bases to affirm its sovereignty and that Vietnam’s new law will not affect the process seeking a solution to the disputes.

Vietnam also “strongly protested” a step China’s Hainan Province has taken to consolidate its administration over the disputed areas. Chinese officials have said the new entity, Sansha City administration, replaces three separate management offices and is intended to boost development in the Paracels, Spratlys and other areas and better protect Hainan’s marine environment.

Vietnam and China both claim the Paracels. The two countries along with the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim all or parts of the Spratlys which sit on one of the world’s busiest commercial sea lanes and potential oil and gas reserves.

Killings of environmentalists on the rise; 50 killed in Philippines

Killings of environmentalists on the rise; 50 killed in Philippines
Associated Press, June 21st, 2012

BANGKOK—The eulogies called Chut Wutty one of the few remaining activists in Cambodia brave enough to fight massive illegal deforestation by the powerful.

The environmental watchdog was shot by a military policeman in April as he probed logging operations in one of the country’s last great forests.

Nisio Gomes was the chief of a Brazilian tribe struggling to protect its land from ranchers. Masked men gunned him down in November; his body, quickly dragged into a pickup, has not been seen since.

Around the world, sticking up for the environment can be deadly, and it appears to be getting deadlier.

In the Philippines alone, 50 have died defending their ancestral lands from powerful industries.

The dead last year included Rev. Fausto Tentorio, an Italian Catholic priest who fought against mining companies to protect the ancestral lands of the Manobo tribe in Mindanao.
Affectionately known as “Father Pops,” he was buried in a coffin made from a favorite mahogany tree he had planted.

Dramatic rise

People who track killings of environmental activists say the numbers have risen dramatically in the last three years.

Improved reporting may be one reason, they caution, but they also believe the rising death toll is a consequence of intensifying battles over dwindling supplies of natural resources, particularly in Latin America and Asia.

Killings have occurred in at least 34 countries, from Brazil to Egypt, and in both developing and developed nations, according to an Associated Press review of data and interviews.

A report released on Tuesday by the London-based Global Witness said more than 700 people—more than one a week—had died in the decade ending 2011 “defending their human rights or the rights of others related to the environment, specifically land and forests.”
They were killed, the environmental investigation group says, during protests or investigations into mining, logging, intensive agriculture, hydropower dams, urban development and wildlife poaching.

The death toll reached 96 in 2010 and 106 last year, said the report, which was released as world leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro for a conference on sustainable development.
The report’s annual totals for the six prior years range from 37 in 2004 to 64 in 2008.


Dangerous activism

More than three-quarters of the killings that Global Witness tallied were in three South American countries—Brazil, Colombia and Peru. Another 50 deaths occurred in the Philippines. All have bloody land-rights struggles between indigenous groups and powerful industries.

Global Witness’ figures are much higher than those that Bill Kovarik, a communications professor at Virginia’s Radford University, has been compiling since 1996.

He focuses on slayings of environmental leaders and does not include deaths in protests that are counted in the Global Witness report.

But Kovarik, too, has noticed a substantial jump: from eight in 2009 to 11 in 2010 and 28 last year.

“For many years intolerant regimes like Russia and China and military dictatorships tolerated environmental activists. That was the one thing you could do safely, until some crossed into the political area,” Kovarik said. “Now, environmentalism has become a dangerous form of activism, and that is relatively new.”


Unreported killings

Both Kovarik and Global Witness believe even more killings have gone unreported, especially in relatively closed societies in countries such as Burma (Myanmar), Laos and China. Global Witness said there is an “alarming lack of systematic information on killing in many countries and no specialized monitoring at the international level.”

In Thailand, where at least 20 environmental activists have been killed over the past decade, seven hired gunmen were paid $10,000 to kill Thongnak Sawekchinda, a veteran campaigner against polluting, coal-fired factories in his province near Bangkok. Powerful figures believed to have ordered the slaying are yet to be apprehended.

In developing countries, bolder and more numerous activists have come into sharper conflict with governments and their cronies or local and foreign companies, some with low environmental and ethical standards.

These are moving in to “industrialize” areas where rights of the local people are traditional rather than clearly defined by modern laws.

“It is a well-known paradox that many of the world’s poorest countries are home to the resources that drive the global economy. Now, as the race to secure access to these resources intensifies, it is poor people and activists who increasingly find themselves in the firing line,” Global Witness said.

Julian Newman of the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency said the killings would only get worse because one of the key flashpoints—land ownership—ignited powerful passions.

“To people protecting their lands, their forests, it’s very personal, and they suffer when confronted with influential forces who have protection, be it the police in Indonesia or thugs in China,” Newman said.

Targeted assassinations, disappearances followed by confirmed deaths, deaths in custody and during clashes with security forces are being reported.

The killers are often soldiers, police or private security guards acting on behalf of businesses or governments. Credible investigations are rare; convictions more so.

Similarities

“It’s so easy to get someone killed in some of these countries. Decapitate the leader of the movement and then buy off everyone else—that’s standard operating procedure,” said Phil Robertson, Asia deputy director of Human Rights Watch.

The countries where environmental killings are most common share similarities: a powerful few, with strong links to officialdom, and many poor and disenfranchised dependent on land or forests for livelihoods, coupled with strong activist movements which are more likely to report the violence.

According to environmental groups, it is time to build a comprehensive database of such violence and mount unified campaigns.

Burma’s Looming Oil/ Gas Auction Could Pit Energy Giants Against Suu Kyi | The Irrawaddy Magazine

Burma’s Looming Oil/ Gas Auction Could Pit Energy Giants Against Suu Kyi | The Irrawaddy Magazine
SIMON ROUGHNEEN / THE IRRAWADDY , June 21, 2012

RANGOON—With Western sanctions suspended or removed in response to recent government reforms, Burma’s lucrative oil and gas sectors could soon see a rush of bids from Western companies, despite warnings from opposition MP Aung San Suu Kyi about graft in Burma’s state-run energy firms.

The international bidding process for 25 offshore oil and gas blocks will take place “in two or three months time,” according to Aung Kyaw Htoo, the assistant director of the Energy Planning Dept. at the Ministry of Energy.

However the auction could pit Western energy companies against National League for Democracy (NLD) head and de facto parliamentary opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who, though calling for greater Western investment in Burma, last week issued a prohibitive-sounding warning about Burma’s state energy company MOGE, with which Western investors in oil and gas will have to do business in Burma, likely through joint ventures.

Speaking at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) annual conference in Geneva, Suu Kyi said, “The Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise [MOGE] … with which all foreign participation in the energy sector takes place through joint venture arrangements, lacks both transparency and accountability at present.”

Saying that Suu Kyi could try reforming MOGE through Burma’s legislature, some US lawmakers are trying to prevent US companies from investing in Burma’s oil and gas sectors—for now at least—despite the US suspending sanctions on Burma on May 17.
“I urge the [US] administration to refrain from issuing waivers at this time for new US investment in Burma’s oil and gas industry until Aung San Suu Kyi’s concerns with MOGE [Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise] are sufficiently addressed,” said Arizona Republican Senator John McCain last week.

In recent years, Burma’s government has relied heavily on the energy sector for hard cash, funding the country’s army. Investment has come largely from Asian firms, though US-based Chevron and France’s Total have stakes that pre-date sanctions in the Yadana gas project sending gas to Thailand. Competition for Burma’s oil and gas reserves is expected to intensify as foreign companies move in on a sector long closed-off due to Western governments imposing economic restrictions on the Burmese government in response to human rights abuses in Burma.

Asked his views on Aung San Suu Kyi’s comments about MOGE, Aung Kyaw Htoo in turn refused to take the bait, saying, “I am not a mandated person for the Ministry of Energy regarding the political aspect.” He was speaking to around 300 local and foreign business people attending the New Myanmar Investment Summit 2012, organized by Singapore-based CMT and taking place in Rangoon on June 20-21.

“There are quite a number of places both not so explored or unexplored,” said the official who outlined that joint venture opportunities would arise not only in oil and gas extraction, but in related work such as shipping, recruitment and machinery. “There will be opportunities for cooperation across the Myanmar petroleum sector,” he said, using the short form for the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the government’s name for the country.

However, tying in to Suu Kyi’s concerns about MOGE, oil and gas investment in Burma has long been blighted by concerns about human rights abuses and corruption. NGOs allege that unknown billions of dollars in earnings from oil and gas have been siphoned off into foreign banks—a process abetted by Burma’s old dual exchange rate, which meant that the government could downplay real earnings and hide any embezzlement.

But that old dual system has been scrapped, one of numerous key reforms needed to spur economic growth and attract foreign investment. A new foreign investment bill is due to be debated in parliament over the summer and is expected to be passed into law before autumn.

“I think it is going to be finalized next month,” said Than Lwin, the deputy chairman of Burma’s Kanbawza Bank, referring to the draft investment code.

The law, when it comes into being, will be part of Burma President Thein Sein’s “second wave” of reforms which he says will be enacted over the coming year and which the government hopes will triple the size of the country’s economy by 2016.

Part of the plan, it seems, involves a move away from energy-based investment and toward other job-intensive sectors in manufacturing and tourism. Burma’s energy minister Than Htay told the World Economic Forum in Bangkok on June 2 that “the government wants to replace resource-based foreign investment with production based investment,” a plan that Aung San Suu Kyi has since backed in various public addresses during her trip to Europe.

Aquino: Philippines may send ships back to Scarborough

Aquino: Philippines may send ships back to Scarborough
Associated Press, June 20th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino III said Wednesday he would send ships back to a disputed shoal once stormy weather clears, if ships from China have not left the area by then.

Government ships from the two countries have squared off for more than two months at the Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground off the northwestern Philippines claimed by both countries.

The Philippines announced over the weekend it would withdraw its remaining two ships because of bad weather endangering Filipino crewmen, and China later said it would pull out its fishing boats for safety — sparking hopes of an end to the standoff.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa welcomed the actions by China and the Philippines, saying Wednesday that his country has called on both sides “to refrain from further escalating tensions and instead promote peaceful settlement by diplomatic means.”
Aquino, however, said a Philippine plane would check the shoal once the weather improves.

“If there’s a presence in our territorial waters, then we will redeploy,” Aquino told reporters. “But if there is no other presence or other vessels that might impinge on our sovereignty, there’s no need to deploy.”

A storm that has whipped up 16-foot (5-meter) waves continued to lash the area Wednesday. Filipino forecasters said the weather may start to clear by the weekend. Ships and fishing boats have been warned to stay away from the rough seas, they said.

A Philippine government official told The Associated Press that six Chinese government ships and 30 Chinese fishing boats were sighted at Scarborough on Tuesday.

The fishing boats, which had been marooned in the shoal’s sprawling lagoon, may have been stranded by the passing storm and may leave once the weather clears, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing a lack of authority to talk to reporters.

Burmese Mark World Refugee Day | The Irrawaddy Magazine

Burmese Mark World Refugee Day | The Irrawaddy Magazine
COLIN HINSHELWOOD / THE IRRAWADDY, June 20, 2012

“Every minute, eight people around the world are forced to flee their homes due to war and persecution. No one chooses to be a refugee.”

Those were the words of UNHCR’s special envoy Angeline Jolie in a videotaped public statement to mark World Refugee Day 2012 on June 20.

The UN estimates no less than 43 million refugees exist throughout the globe, and Burma accounts for a disproportionately high number: 145,000 registered refugees on Thai soil, and an estimated 500,000 displaced persons within Burma. In addition, some 70,000 people from Burmese refugee camps have been resettled in third countries in recent years.

Most are ethnic Karen, but all the ethnic nationalities of Burma can be found at the nine refugee camps dotted along the Thai-Burmese border. Some are political dissidents; some belong to outlawed groups; many are ex-soldiers; some are landmine victims; a huge percentage are children—a new generation of Burmese growing up in a jungle camp without ever knowing his or her own homeland. With few exceptions, they all share one distinction—they all fled their homes in fear of their lives.

Accepting her belated Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo at the weekend, Burma’s pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi said, “When I met Myanmar migrant workers and refugees during my recent visit to Thailand, many cried out: ‘Don’t forget us!’ They meant: ‘Don’t forget our plight! Don’t forget to do what you can to help us! Don’t forget we also belong to your world!’”

Suu Kyi promised the thousands who turned out to greet her at Mae La refugee camp on June 2 that she would not forget them. In Oslo she called on foreign powers to increase aid to the refugees at the Thai-Burmese border.

“Can we afford to indulge in compassion fatigue?” she asked world leaders. “Is the cost of meeting the needs of refugees greater than the cost that would be consequent on turning an indifferent, if not a blind, eye on their suffering? I appeal to donors the world over to fulfill the needs of these people who are in search, often it must seem to them a vain search, of refuge.”

Following on from Suu Kyi’s speech in Oslo, and coinciding with both World Refugee Day and Suu Kyi’s visit to London, the Burma Campaign UK issued a call to the British government’s Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell urging him to increase funding to the Thailand Burma Border Consortium—the umbrella group that distributes aid to the 145,000 refugees—by 100 percent.

The issue of humanitarian aid to the refugees is one that looms large, and presents a dilemma for foreign governments eager to get involved with the new opportunities they foresee in Burma, while at the same time calling for an end to the civil war and respect for human rights.

Many government donors and INGOs have pulled their funding from the border-based groups and are instead investing in projects that can be coordinated from Rangoon or other sites inside Burma. A recent plan unveiled by the Norwegian government calls for refugees to be repatriated to “model villages.”

Writing in the Bangkok Post on Wednesday, Burmese activist Khin Ohmar questioned the policy. “Myanmar is changing, and change has brought with it talk of refugees returning. However, one should pause for a moment and seriously consider whether the reasons these people fled their country have disappeared? Can they finally find a safe refuge in their homeland?”

The question is clearly rhetorical—war continues in eastern Burma, the land is peppered with landmines, and no one can guarantee that the Burmese military will abandon its systematic policy of grossly abusing ethnic villagers.

On Wednesday, back at Mae La, those same refugees that mobbed Suu Kyi turned out again in their thousands to commemorate World Refugee Day. Many dressed in traditional Karen costume for the event, which included speeches, song and dance, and a football match.

“On 20th June each year, the world is reminded of the plight of refugees,” The Karen Women Organization said in a statement to mark the occasion. “They are encouraged to maintain or increase the humanitarian aid for refugees so that refugees can try to live in dignity.”

In Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, the exile group Women’s League of Burma (WLB) organized a petition signed by 17,063 people from Burma, mostly internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees and migrant workers. In an open letter the WLB said, “At present, we are so worried about the increased number of war refugees in Kachin State, and the fighting continues despite some reforms taking place; now the number has increased to almost 80,000 IDPs.

“In Rakhaing [Arakan] State, there is also a fierce crisis where thousands of people are now refugees; in particular it is women and children who are greatly facing a humanitarian crisis. The government must take full responsibility for the safety, including urgent arrangement on food and shelter for these people.”

The UNHCR would appear to have its hands full at Burma’s borders—its official figures may include the 145,000 registered civilians sheltering at refugee camps, but does not account for the hundreds of thousands of IDPs within Karen, Mon, Shan and now more recently Kachin State.

On World Refugee Day in Shan State, a build-up of troops and the prospect of renewed conflict between the Shan and the Wa armies alerted the Thai army to the high risk of another influx of refugees. In addition, a grave racial conflict may be on the verge of boiling over in western Burma, and access to neighboring Bangladesh is invariably denied to those seeking refuge.

Burma to Free All Political Prisoners: Report | The Irrawaddy Magazine

Burma to Free All Political Prisoners: Report | The Irrawaddy Magazine
YAN NAING HEIN/ THE IRRAWADDY, June 19, 2012

The Burmese government is planning to free all remaining political prisoners by July, claims a senior Naypyidaw insider.

Industry Minister Soe Thane said during a meeting in Oslo, Norway, where opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was speaking that reformist President Thein Sein intends to release all remaining political prisoners next month, reported AFP.

He added that Thien Sein is committed to democracy like Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi.

Soe Thane explained that the government is currently reviewing the issue to ensure violent criminals are not included in release, a point that a leader of the 88 Students Generation group called “controversial.”

Mya Aye, himself a former political prisoner, told The Irrawaddy that, “There is a gray area between political prisoners and violent criminals. For example, many are sentenced by the [Unlawful Association Law] Article 17 (1) and (2) which define contacting unlawful organizations and talking part in their activities.”

He argued that all political prisoners should be released because they were either sentenced under unjust laws like the Electronics Act, or convicted of obsolete offences such as contacting unlawful organizations—many of which are no longer banned.

“Now many changes are taking place such as the suspension of economic sanctions, easing media restrictions and peace talks with ethnic nationalities,” added Mya Aye.

“If the government releases the remaining political prisoners, it will have a huge and positive impact on political and economic reforms and the international response.”

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), a total of 470 political prisoners remain incarcerated across the country. In early 2012, more than 2,000 were released after Thein Sein began engaging in dialogue with democracy icon Suu Kyi.

“If the would-be released prisoners want to join 88 Generations Group, they are more than welcome,” added Mya Aye. “We will work together for a prosperous, democratic country.”

Google releases Transparency Report: Thailand an unknown quantity | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent

Google releases Transparency Report: Thailand an unknown quantity | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education | Asian Correspondent
Siam Voices Jun 19, 2012

By Lisa Gardner

The previous page is sending you to http://www.mict.go.th/. If you do not want to visit that page, you can return to the previous page.

So reads Google’s message of compliance with government requests that certain web pages in Thailand be blocked. Google bucked international trends in 2011 by blocking access to hundreds of web pages at the behest of the Thai Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (MICT).

Earlier today Google released its 2012 Transparency report, which discloses requests the company receives, both from governments and owners of copyright, that certain online material be blocked.

The report states that in 2011, Google received a number of requests from MICT that some 417 “pieces of content”, including YouTube videos, be removed, “because they were mocking or criticizing the king in violation of Thai lèse-majesté laws”.

Of these, Google would restrict complete access to 307 of these “items” – in 110 other cases, “partially” removing access – thereby complying, at least to some degree, with each of MICT’s censorious requests – a 100% strike rate.

While Google “generally rely on courts to decide if a statement is defamatory according to local law,” in Thailand no such court orders were issued.

TRANSPARENCY AND THE INTERNET: Google and Governments

In 2011, Google would receive more than 1,000 such requests from governments and copyright owners across the globe, complying fully or partially with just over half (54%) of them. While the company would not provide exact reasons for the censoring of particular sites, they would briefly outline some of the (at times, quite curious) preoccupations of government censors:

We received a request from the Passport Canada office to remove a YouTube video of a Canadian citizen urinating on his passport and flushing it down the toilet. We did not comply with this request…
We received a request from the Government of Pakistan’s Ministry of Information Technology to remove six YouTube videos that satirized the Pakistan Army and senior politicians. We did not comply with this request.

Meanwhile, in Thailand, the implications are far more sobering. As the Wall Street Journal reports:

In some places, Google complies with laws that would be unthinkable in the U.S. and other countries with free-speech protections. One example is in Thailand, where Google removes YouTube videos that insult the monarchy, a crime under Thai law. Google in the second half restricted or partially restricted all 149 YouTube videos identified by Thai authorities as insulting to the monarchy.
Ms. Chou said Google must comply to continue doing business. “We operate locally there,” she said. “In most of these cases, we have offices in these countries, we have employees in these countries, so we want to be able to respect local law there. That said, we try to limit the amount of censorship that is happening at all times.”
She said Google treats government content-removal requests on a case-by-case basis but uses four broad criteria as guidance. Those include whether a request is sufficiently narrow and whether it cites an applicable local law.

On Google’s own blogsite, Ms. Chou would also note:

…Spanish regulators asked us to remove 270 search results that linked to blogs and articles in newspapers referencing individuals and public figures, including mayors and public prosecutors. In Poland, we received a request from a public institution to remove links to a site that criticized it. We didn’t comply with either of these requests…

We realize that the numbers we share can only provide a small window into what’s happening on the Web at large. But we do hope that by being transparent about these government requests, we can continue to contribute to the public debate about how government behaviors are shaping our Web.

LESE MAJESTE: The unknown quantity

The report illuminates a perilous position for foreign investors in Thailand, particularly for online entities, given threats that they themselves could be held liable – as is possible, under both the lese-majeste and subsequent computer crimes laws – for any such “illegal” statements posted on their sites. The recent criminal sentencing of online intermediary Chiranuch Premchaiporn demonstrated in no unclear terms that local authorities intend to prosecute any such individuals or entities who host sites privy to material critical of members of the Thai royal family.

Yet the report raises serious concerns as to the role of large entities in assisting governments to censor views posted on the internet. In 2011, Google chose to comply with each request made Thai government censors.

Google has yet to release any statement which explains which material MICT sought to block access to; nor how the company came to decide which it would completely, or in some cases partially, block from public view. Where Google draws the line, between potentially defamatory material and hate speech, or fair discussion and critique of the Thai monarchy, remains unclear.

While today’s release sees a transparency of sorts, we are no closer to knowing just what constitutes Google’s support for free expression in the Kingdom. At best, Google has restricted defamatory material, supporting free expression as a fundamental, if not absolute, right. At worst, it has displayed a noxious support for political power, assisting Thai censors in their ongoing battle to restrict discussion and debate of the country’s most powerful.
Transparency aside, a censorious line has been drawn. Here in Thailand, just where that line lies continues to remain unclear.

Lisa Gardner is a freelance journalist based in Bangkok. Follow her on Twitter @leesebkk

Reds, Philippine gov’t peace panel hold talks in Oslo | Philippine Daily Inquirer

Reds, Philippine gov’t peace panel hold talks in Oslo |  Philippine Daily Inquirer
Delfin T. Mallari Jr., Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 17, 2012

Representatives from the Philippine government and communist-led  held a two-day meeting in Oslo, Norway to pave the way for the resumption of formal peace negotiation to end the more than four decades of armed conflict in the country.

“The Parties have agreed to continue meaningful discussions of concerns and issues raised by both sides on June 14 and 15, 2012 in Oslo, to pave the way for the resumption of the formal talks in the peace negotiations in order to resolve the armed conflict and attain a just and lasting peace,”  Ruth de Leon, executive director of the NDFP International Information Office, said in an email statement sent Sunday morning quoting the joint communiqué issued by the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) –NDFP after the meeting.

The government and the communist rebels have yet to return to the peace table after they first met in Oslo on February last year.

The last attempt to talk peace reached an impasse following a disagreement over the release of detained communist rebels. The government countered that the discordant demands from the rebels impede the resumption of the peace talks.

De Leon said the government panel was composed of Alexander Padilla, chairperson; Efren Moncupa and Jurgette Honculada, panel members; Paulyn Sicam, consultant; and Maria Carla Villarta, director and secretariat head.

The communist negotiating panel was led by Luis Jalandoni, NDFP chairperson; Fidel Agcaoili and Julieta de lima, panel members; Jose Ma. Sison, chief political consultant; and Rachel Pastores, legal consultant.
De Leon said the Royal Norwegian government (RNG) acted as third party facilitator and was represented by Ambassador Ture N.L. Lundh, ambassador of RNG to the Philippines; Knut Solem and Sverre Johan Kvale, senior adviser, Section for Peace and Reconciliation, Foreign Ministry.

Former Senator Wigberto Tañada attended the meeting as observer, De Leon said.

De Leon said the NDFP team raised the following concerns and issues during the meeting:

Respect for and compliance with all bilateral agreements without qualification. The bilateral agreements were signed without reservation. Elaboration or amendment to the agreements must be by mutual agreement of both parties.

Release of all 356 political prisoners in accordance with the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) and the Hernandez political offense doctrine.

Respect for and compliance with the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).

Release of all 14 NDFP Consultants and JASIG-protected NDFP personnel.

Independent investigation of the extrajudicial killing of NDFP Political Consultant Sotero Llamas and the enforced disappearances of Leo Velasco, Prudencio Calubid, Rogelio Calubad and other NDFP consultants, family and staff.

Recognition of GRP/GPH responsibility for instigating raids on NDFP office, JMS (Jose Ma Sison) and other NDFP personnel in August 2007.

Reconstruction of Document of Identification (DI) list; use of encrypted photos as legitimate photos.

Rectification of “terrorist listing” of CPP, NPA and Prof. Jose Ma. Sison by US and other foreign governments being declared by Secretary Deles as “sovereign right” of these foreign governments (February 2004) and “welcomed” by former GRP/GPH President Gloria Arroyo and declared by her as “not intervention in internal affairs” of the Philippines (August 2002).

Indemnification of victims of human rights violations under the Marcos regime in connection with the human rights litigation in the US as provided for in the CARHRIHL.

De Leon said government compliance with their concerns could open the way for the resumption of formal peace talks.

De Leon said the NDFP have also responded to the government concern and issues on the declaration of ceasefire.

“Regarding the proposal for ceasefire and related matters, our two panels can discuss these in connection with an earlier proposal of the NDFP for a Concise Agreement for an Immediate Just Peace as well as with the later proposal for truce and alliance submitted directly to your President and considered as subject matter of the special track,” De Leon said quoting the NDFP panel.

De Leon said the NDFP is also ready to engage the government in a discussion on the implementation of the 1998 GRP-NDFP Joint Agreement in Support of Socioeconomic Projects or Private Development Organisations and Institutes.

The communist guerilla war, one of the longest and deadliest in Asia, already claimed more than 40,000 lives, according to government figures and despite a series of peace talks by successive presidents, peace remains elusive.

The on and off peace talks between the government and the communist rebels have been stalled since 2004 because both parties were adamant in pushing for their respective preconditions before the start of the talks.