India and ASEAN / East Asia

[vijaykarthik]

^^ of course, China seems to be acting very strange here. Quite surprising... [however, perhaps, hardly so?]

The rig being set up there plus air support while the ship collides with Vietnam sea faring vessels. Air support? WOW. that's a serious escalation.

In an interesting sidenote, a CNOOC official says that its not done due to commercial reasons to the best of his knowledge and believes its done vue to political considerations. Aaha. Obama just came and went a wk back and said he isn't interested in containing China. China trying these to see how the world responds? "US has no right to qn china on what happens in the E/S China sea" says the Chinese official. Mmh.

[A_Gupta]

Sorry to bring it up, but I was informed that the Inmarsat calculation for MH370 does not hold up:
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/a ... up/361826/

Ps: possible northern flight routes that are consistent with what little data made public are here:
http://www.duncansteel.com/archives/507

[Prem]

They were free!
Bali before the Japanese occupation .

[member_19686]

^^

They were a Dutch colony & the Dutch tried to recolonize them along with the rest of Indonesia with British help after Japan's defeat. What the allies stood for (it certainly wasn't "freedom") they revealed soon after the war when they tried to recolonize most of SE Asia.

[Philip]

Since the MH td. is locked,the latest sensational allegations in new book on the missing flight,needs to be commented upon.

Members may remember my referring to the mysterious crash of a TWA flight off the eastern seaboard of the US shortly after taking off.It was later alleged that it was most probably due to a fuel tank in the wing exploding.however,a book did come out with evidence,that it was accidentally shot down in a secret mil. exercise,simulating air defence in the littorals of an enemy.The object was to avoid the tragic shooting down of an Iranian airbus by a USN DDG,being able to distinguish between mil and civil airliners.The book showed pics of burnt seat cushions with the tell-tale signs of missile propellant.

In the MH case,the radar track of "an aircraft" that deviously wound its way through Malayasian airspace avoiding Thai,Indonesian and Indian radars,was said to have been possible only if a mil. pilot was at the helm of the aircraft. However,since the transponders were off,there is no way that this track could've been positively identified as the MH flight.The consequences of an accidental shooting would've been catastrophic for all concerned,specially as so many Chinese were aboard.China would've been massively outraged and how it would've responded is anybody's guess.It thus explains why the Malaysians were so reluctant to release info,and the wild goose chase into the S.Indian Ocean was perpetrated to throw everyone off the scent. The participating nations in the exercise would've been exclusively part of the anti-China mil-ex cabal; Oz,Thailand,Malaysia,the US and poss. SPore too.

Missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was ‘shot down in military training exercise’ claims first book released about lost jet

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 91964.html

The missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was shot down during a joint Thai-US military training exercise and then the subject of an elaborate international cover-up – according to a book released about the lost plane that has caused anger among the relatives of those on board.

Tomorrow, just 71 days after the Boeing 777 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, Flight MH370: The Mystery will go on sale in Australia, the Sun-Herald reported.

It has been written by the Anglo-American journalist and author Nigel Cawthorne, who describes his London-based home as a “book-writing factory” and is most famous for his Sex Lives series of “salacious tales” about the rich and famous.

Cawthorne introduces his book by claiming that the families of MH370’s passengers will “almost certainly” never be sure what happened to their loved ones.

But he goes on to support one theory, based on the eye-witness testimony of New Zealand oil rig worker Mike McKay, that the plane was shot down shortly after it stopped communicating with air traffic controllers.

At the time there was a series of war games taking place in the South China Sea involving Thailand, the US and personnel from China, Japan, Indonesia and others, and Cawthorne has linked this to Mr McKay’s claims to have seen a burning plane going down in the Gulf of Thailand.
The search for missing Malaysia Airlines plane

“The drill was to involve mock warfare on land, in water and in the air, and would include live-fire exercises,'' Cawthorne said.

“Say a participant accidentally shot down Flight MH370. Such things do happen. No one wants another Lockerbie [Pan Am flight 103 by terrorists in 1988 allegedly in retaliation for a US Navy strike on an Iranian commercial jet six months earlier], so those involved would have every reason to keep quiet about it.”

Cawthorne then suggests that “another black box” could have been dropped off the coast of Australia to divert the efforts of search teams. “After all, no wreckage has been found in the south Indian Ocean, which in itself is suspicious,” he wrote.

The cover of Nigel Cawthorne's controversial new book The cover of Nigel Cawthorne's controversial new book Irene Burrows, whose son and daughter-in-law were passengers on board MH370 when it disappeared, told the Sun-Herald of her anger at the book’s release.

“Nobody knows what happened so why would anyone want to put out a book at this stage?” she said.

“There's absolutely no answers. It's devastating for the families. It's 10 weeks tomorrow and there's nothing.”

The release of Cawthorne’s book came as Rupesh Paul promoted a film to be made about the missing plane, entitled The Vanishing Act, at the Cannes Film Festival.

Though associate director Sritama Dutta said the film had “no similarities” to MH370 because the “true facts keep changing every day”, a trailer posted to YouTube yesterday and promotional posters suggest it reveals “the untold story” of the Malaysia Airlines flight.

Paul told Variety he plans to release the film worldwide in September. In March, an Australian film called Deep Water was shelved because it contained “uncomfortable similarities” to the disappearance of MH370.

TWA 800:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... craft.html

Are conspiracy theorists who say TWA flight 800 was shot down right? Filmmakers claim jet that crashed over Long Island killing 230 was hit by explosions OUTSIDE aircraft

A new documentary about the deadly Trans World Airline Flight 800 featuring interviews with former investigators claims that the official explanation given for the ill-fated flight is wrong.

The flight crashed off the coast of Long Island in 1996, killing all 230 people on board in what is the third-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history.

The official explanation given by the National Transportation Safety Board was that the crash was caused by a gas tank explosion, but the documentary gives 'solid proof' there was an external detonation, its co-producer said.

Many eye-witnesses claimed they had seen a streak of fire heading towards the plane before it crashed. Theories have suggested it was a missile strike from a terrorist or U.S. Navy vessel, and that the incident was subject to a government cover-up.

The remains of the TWA Flight 800 from New York to Paris that exploded off Long Island, New York, reassembled from recovered wreckage

But now the producers of TWA FLIGHT 800, which premieres on July 17, the anniversary of the crash, on cable network EPIX, said they have more than just eye-witness statements to call on.

'Of course, everyone knows about the eyewitness statements, but we also have corroborating information from the radar data, and the radar data shows a(n) asymmetric explosion coming out of that plane - something that didn't happen in the official theory,' Tom Stalcup told CNN's New Day.

He said many witnesses said that there was an external force and 'there's no evidence' of the explosion in the center wing tank. He added that none of the witnesses had been allowed to testify.

The producers have now submitted a petition signed by former investigators calling for the NTSB to reopen its investigation, based on the new evidence, Stalcup told CNN.

Among the whistle-blowers who worked on the investigation are Hank Hughes, a senior accident investigator, Bob Young, a TWA investigator, and Jim Speer, an accident investigator for the Airline Pilots Association.
Speaking out: Investigators who worked on the plane following the crash and co-producer Tom Stalcup, said there was no evidence that the explosion came from the wing tank
TWA Flight 800 damaged seats

Firetrap: Images from the documentary show damaged seats on the plane, aboard which 230 people died
Was TWA Flight 800 shot down?
THE TRAGEDY OF TWA FLIGHT 800: WHAT ARE THE FACTS?

TWA Fight 800 exploded in mid-air off the coast of Long Island, NY on July 17, 1996 - just 12 minutes after it took off for Paris
All 230 people on board died, making it the third highest death toll from an aviation accident in U.S. territory in history
Victims' death certificates have not been finalized because 'manner of death'
remains unknown
During the investigation, the FBI took over the case because a criminal act was suspected
Eyewitnesses reported seeing something go up quickly from the earth's surface right before the explosion
Unexplained explosive residue was found throughout the wreckage
Investigation concluded that the crash was probably caused by an electrical short circuit that ignited fuel vapors in the jet's center wing fuel tank
But the case is 'pending inactive' rather than closed

'We weren’t allowed to talk about the TWA 800 investigation when we were inside,' Young said. 'We had to retire first. That took a while.

'What [witnesses] told us doesn’t fit the mechanical failure scenario that was presented to the public at the end of our investigation.'

'The very next day [after the crash], the FBI came to speak to me and said, "you did not see that, you saw nothing",' one investigator said.

The documentary features interviews with these key members of the original investigation team, who now claim that their investigation was systematically undermined.

'This team of investigators who actually handled the wreckage and victims' bodies, prove that the officially proposed fuel-air explosion did not cause the crash,' said the film's producers.

'They also provide radar and forensic evidence proving that one or more ordinance explosions outside the aircraft caused the crash.'

The whistleblower team claim that at the time they were placed under a gag order by the NTSB, which they charged falsified the official conclusion of the cause of the crash, reports Fox News.

However, the statement said they did not speculate about the source or sources of any ordinance explosions.

The deadly crash occurred just 12 minutes after take-off from JFK International Airport on the flight bound for Paris, France.

Skeptic: Jim Speer, an accident investigator for the Airline Pilots Association who appears in the documentary, inspects damage after the crash. Right, part of the plane's wing is seen in the water off New York

Officials have dismissed allegations of a cover-up, saying evidence strongly points to their conclusion

More than 600 people gave eye-witness accounts after seeing the plane crash and the majority described seeing a ‘rising streak of light’ moments before the crash' which many believed was a missile hitting the plane.

Many witnesses to the accident had seen a 'streak of light' that was usually described as ascending, moving to a point where a large fireball appeared, with several witnesses reporting that the fireball split in two as it descended toward the water.

There was intense public interest in these witness reports and much speculation that the reported streak of light was a missile that had struck TWA 800, causing the airplane to explode.

These witness accounts were a major reason for the initiation and duration of the FBI's criminal investigation.

'Revelations': The documentary, TWA FLIGHT 800, premieres on July 17 at 8PM ET on cable network EPIX
Tragedy: An image shows the reconstructed section of the plane. Although 90 percent of the aircraft was recovered, only the section around the central fuel tank was reconstructed

An image shows the reconstructed section of the plane. Although 90 per cent of the aircraft was recovered, only the section around the central fuel tank was reconstructed

Approximately 80 FBI agents conducted interviews with potential witnesses daily. They conducted a 16-month investigation and concluded that there was no evidence to indicate that any criminal act occurred.

The NTSB told CNN that it was aware of the documentary and that the producers intend to file a petition to reopen the investigation.

'As required by NTSB regulation, a petition for reconsideration of board findings ... must be based on the discovery of NEW evidence or on a showing that the board's findings are erroneous,' NTSB spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said in a statement.

The documentary - TWA FLIGHT 800 – premieres on July 17, the anniversary of the crash, at 8PM ET on cable network EPIX.

Read more:
TWA Flight 800 investigators break silence in new documentary, claim original conclusion about cause of crash is wrong

[SSridhar]

Lee writes to Modi, invites him to visit Singapore - ToI

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday invited Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi to visit the country and expressed hope of raising the bilateral partnership to new heights.

In a letter to Modi, Lee congratulated him for his win in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections.

"On behalf of the government and people of Singapore, I congratulate you on your election as India's Prime Minister. The BJP's decisive victory reflects the strong support and great hopes that Indian voters have in your leadership and vision," he wrote.

Noting that the two countries cooperate closely to promote regional peace and prosperity through multinational forums, Lee highlighted that next year the two nations will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations.

"It is an auspicious milestone which I hope can be a springboard to raise our bilateral partnership to new heights. I look forward to working with you to enhance our bilateral ties and hope that you will visit Singapore at the earliest opportunity," Lee said.

"I wish you every success in your new appointment," he said.

Observing that opportunities for India are "immense", Lee said, "I am confident that you will bring your valuable experience as chief minister of Gujarat to bear as you lead India to fulfill its promise."

Stressing on excellent bilateral ties, he said "Our friendship is underpinned by regular high-level exchanges and wide-ranging cooperation in many fields, including trade and investment, defence and cultural exchanges."

Meanwhile, an editorial in the Strait Times today said sky-high expectations will have to be gently brought down to earth as Modi and BJP assume power after a landslide victory.

"Popular expectations are overdone as there are limits to what Mr Modi can do to speedily restore growth, check high inflation, multiply jobs for restless youngsters and fix shoddy infrastructure," it said.

"A rapid re-vitalisation for India is beyond anyone as substantive changes on the ground will take time - even with the return of badly needed investment, it will require a gestation period of three to four years to yield sufficient productive capacity," the editorial said citing a former governor of Reserve Bank of India.

[Philip]

Indo-China Sea tensions escalate as China attacks Viet boats.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/m ... -china-sea
Tensions rise in South China Sea as Vietnamese boats come under attack
Boats damaged and crew members injured during altercation with Chinese vessels in dispute over new oil rig

theguardian.com, Wednesday 7 May 2014

Link to video: Chinese ram Vietnamese police boats in South China Sea

Chinese ships have been ramming into and firing water cannons at Vietnamese vessels trying to stop Beijing from putting an oil rig in the South China Sea, according to officials and video footage on Wednesday, in a dangerous escalation of tensions over waters considered a global flashpoint.

Several boats have been damaged and at least six Vietnamese on board have been injured, officials said.

Elsewhere in the sea, the Philippines arrested 11 Chinese fishermen for catching endangering turtles, angering Beijing and further exposing regional strains.

China has recently been harassing Vietnam and Philippine vessels and fishermen in the potentially oil and gas rich waters it claims almost entirely – a shaky stance to many international law experts.

But China's deployment of the oil rig on 1 May and the flotilla of escort ships, some armed, is seen as one of its most provocative steps in a gradual campaign of asserting its sovereignty in the South China Sea. With neither country showing any sign of stepping down, the standoff raises the possibility of more serious clashes.

Hanoi, which has no hope of competing with China militarily, said it wants a peaceful solution and – unlike China – hadn't sent any navy ships to areas close to the $1bn deep sea rig near the Paracel Islands. But a top official warned that "all restraint had a limit."

"Our maritime police and fishing protection forces have practised extreme restraint. We will continue to hold on there," Ngo Ngoc Thu, vice-commander of Vietnam's coast guard, told a specially arranged news conference in Hanoi. "But if (the Chinese ships) continue to ram into us, we will respond with similar self-defence."

After China stationed the oil rig, Vietnam immediately dispatched marine police and fishery protection vessels but they were harassed as they approached, Thu said.

Video was shown at the news conference of Chinese ships ramming into Vietnamese vessels and firing high-powered water cannons at them. Thu said the Chinese vessels have done so "dozens" of times over the last three days. He said Vietnam had not carried out any offensive actions of its own close to the rig, around 140 miles (220km) off the Vietnamese coast.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing that the oil rig was in China's territorial waters and therefore drilling is "normal and legal." The country previously said foreign ships would be banned within a 3-mile radius of the rig.

"The disruptive activities by the Vietnamese side are in violation of China's sovereign rights," she said.

A Vietnamese official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity said earlier that Vietnam's ships were outnumbered by the Chinese flotilla. He said the Vietnamese ships were trying to stop the rig from "establishing a fixed position" at the spot where it wanted to drill.

China's assertiveness, along with its growing military and economic might, is alarming many smaller neighbours even as they are aware they need to keep relations open with a vital trading partner. The US shares the these concerns.

In Washington, the state department called China's action provocative and unhelpful to keeping stability in the region.

Asked about the statement, Hua said the US has no right to make unwarranted remarks on China's sovereign rights.

Vietnam has limited leverage in dealing with its giant neighbour. While it is no longer as isolated as it once was, the country can't expect much diplomatic or other help from powerful friends. It appears likely to try to rally regional support against China's actions.

"China seems intent on putting down its footprint squarely in contested waters and force Hanoi's hand. It appears a critical juncture has occurred and one would expect Hanoi to be weighing its options," said Jonathan London, a Vietnam expert at the City University of Hong Kong. "Hanoi's back is against the wall, though China's policies – which according to virtually everyone except China are baseless legally – have brought about this situation."

The Philippines has filed a legal challenge to China's territorial claims at a UN tribunal, against the wishes of China. Vietnam and other claimant states haven't done that yet.

Tran Duy Hai, vice-chairman of Vietnam's national borders committee, didn't rule it out.

"Vietnam will have to use all measures stipulated in the UN Charter to defend its interests," he said.

The arrests of the 11 fisherman on Wednesday by the Philippines took place near territory known as Half Moon Shoal in waters claimed by Beijing and Manila. China demanded that the Philippines release the boat, and Hua Chunying, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, urged Manila to "stop taking further provocative actions."

Philippine maritime police Ch Supt, Noel Vargas, said the fishermen will face charges of violating Philippine laws prohibiting catches of endangered green sea turtles.

China occupied the Paracel Islands 40 years ago, and 74 US-backed South Vietnamese forces died in a subsequent military clash. The Vietnamese and Chinese navies clashed again in 1988 in the disputed Spratly Islands, leaving 64 Vietnamese sailors dead.

In 1992, China awarded a contract to US energy company Crestone to explore for oil and gas in the Spratly Islands. Vietnam protested against the move. Two years later, Vietnam's navy forced the company's oil rigs to leave.

[UlanBatori]

Shiv: remember the Very Credible Admiral?
Navy official: Pings not thought to be from Flight 370's black boxes

"Our best theory at this point is that (the pings were) likely some sound produced by the ship ... or within the electronics of the Towed Pinger Locator," Dean said.

The pinger locator was used by searchers to listen for underwater signals.

"Always your fear any time you put electronic equipment in the water is that if any water gets in and grounds or shorts something out, that you could start producing sound," Dean explained.

Apparently Towed Pinger Locator became Towed False Ping Generator

[Rony]

India And Thailand Relations Under Coup

Indian Ambassador Harsh Vardhan Shringla's interview on Thai channel

[Philip]

MH370 search: British sailor may be last to see lost jet after reporting ‘burning plane with trail of black smoke’ over Indian Ocean
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 77827.html

A British woman who was sailing near Indonesia at the time Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared has said she believes she saw the plane “burning” and billowing smoke before it crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.

An eye-witness account from yachting enthusiast Katherine Tee, 41, has now been filed with the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) leading the search based in Australia, which is yet to find any trace of the missing jet.

In her account, Ms Tee has described seeing “an elongated plane glowing bright orange, with a trail of black smoke behind it”, heading from north to south.

The object was flying at “about half the height” of two other flights in the same patch of sky at the time, she said, in a series of posts detailing the sighting on the yachting website Cruisers Forum, where Ms Tee is a moderator.

She later told the Phuket Gazette that she initially dismissed the incident as being “just a meteor” or even a figment of her imagination – until a recent check of GPS logs confirmed that the plane’s projected track may have taken it very close to where the yacht was sailing at the time.
Read more: The 13 theories that could explain where the plane is - and what happened to it

Ms Tee’s 50-year-old husband Marc posted the data maps from their journey to the forum, where other members suggested it was very possible she could have been the last person to see the plane before it headed south into very remote seas.

“This is what convinced me to file a report with the full track data for our voyage to the relevant authorities,” she said.

As for whether or not what Ms Tee saw really was a burning plane, she has admitted on the forum that she was going through a particularly stressful part of the journey at the time, including difficulties in her marriage, and that her judgement may have been impaired.
The search for missing Malaysia Airlines plane

She said: “I saw something that looked like a plane on fire. That’s what I thought it was. Then, I thought I must be mad… It caught my attention because I had never seen a plane with orange lights before, so I wondered what they were.

“There were two other planes passing well above it – moving the other way – at that time. They had normal navigation lights. I remember thinking that if it was a plane on fire that I was seeing, the other aircraft would report it.”

When the pair arrived in Phuket everyone was talking about the missing jet, and asked if they had seen anything. Ms Tee said she told them what had happened, but that she “didn’t think anyone would believe me when I was having trouble believing my own eyes”.

The JOCC has reportedly told Ms Tee it will use her data logs alongside those of the British satellite operator Inmarsat in its ongoing investigation The JOCC has reportedly told Ms Tee it will use her data logs alongside those of the British satellite operator Inmarsat in its ongoing investigation “I didn’t even consider putting out a Mayday at the time. Imagine what an idiot I would have looked like if I was mistaken, and I believed I was.”

She has now filed two reports to the JACC, which she said had replied to say her data logs would be looked into. The Phuket Gazette reported that officials are yet to confirm the account will be investigated in full.

Ms Tee said the best she hoped for in coming forward was that she might help narrow down the search effort and see the plane recovered sooner.

She said: ““Will this help the authorities of the families get closure? I have no idea. All I can confirm is that I have since learnt that we were in the right place at the right time, so it seems possible, but I chose to sweep it under the carpet and now I feel really bad.

“Maybe I should have had a little more confidence in myself. I am sorry I didn’t take action sooner.”

[Philip]

http://www.theguardian.com/global-devel ... ave-labour

Revealed: Asian slave labour producing prawns for supermarkets in US, UK
Thai 'ghost ships' that enslave, brutalise and even kill workers are linked to global shrimp supply chain, Guardian investigation discovers
• Trafficked into slavery on Thai trawlers to catch food for prawns
• Thailand's seafood industry: state-sanctioned slavery?

Slaves forced to work for no pay for years at a time under threat of extreme violence are being used in Asia in the production of seafood sold by major US, British and other European retailers, the Guardian can reveal.

A six-month investigation has established that large numbers of men bought and sold like animals and held against their will on fishing boats off Thailand are integral to the production of prawns (commonly called shrimp in the US) sold in leading supermarkets around the world, including the top four global retailers: Walmart, Carrefour, Costco and Tesco.

The investigation found that the world's largest prawn farmer, the Thailand-based Charoen Pokphand (CP) Foods, buys fishmeal, which it feeds to its farmed prawns, from some suppliers that own, operate or buy from fishing boats manned with slaves.

Men who have managed to escape from boats supplying CP Foods and other companies like it told the Guardian of horrific conditions, including 20-hour shifts, regular beatings, torture and execution-style killings. Some were at sea for years; some were regularly offered methamphetamines to keep them going. Some had seen fellow slaves murdered in front of them.

Fifteen migrant workers from Burma and Cambodia also told how they had been enslaved. They said they had paid brokers to help them find work in Thailand in factories or on building sites. But they had been sold instead to boat captains, sometimes for as little as £250.

"I thought I was going to die," said Vuthy, a former monk from Cambodia who was sold from captain to captain. "They kept me chained up, they didn't care about me or give me any food … They sold us like animals, but we are not animals – we are human beings."

Another trafficking victim said he had seen as many as 20 fellow slaves killed in front of him, one of whom was tied, limb by limb, to the bows of four boats and pulled apart at sea.

"We'd get beaten even if we worked hard," said another. "All the Burmese, [even] on all the other boats, were trafficked. There were so many of us [slaves] it would be impossible to count them all."

CP Foods – a company with an annual turnover of $33bn (£20bn) that brands itself as "the kitchen of the world" – sells its own-brand prawn feed to other farms, and supplies international supermarkets, as well as food manufacturers and food retailers, with frozen or cooked prawns and ready-made meals. It also sells raw prawn materials for food distributors.

In addition to Walmart, Carrefour, Costco and Tesco, the Guardian has identified Aldi, Morrisons, the Co-operative and Iceland as customers of CP Foods. They all sell frozen or cooked prawns, or ready meals such as prawn stir fry, supplied by CP Foods and its subsidiaries. CP Foods admits that slave labour is part of its supply chain.

"We're not here to defend what is going on," said Bob Miller, CP Foods' UK managing director. "We know there's issues with regard to the [raw] material that comes in [to port], but to what extent that is, we just don't have visibility."

The supply chain works in this way: Slave ships plying international waters off Thailand scoop up huge quantities of "trash fish", infant or inedible fish. The Guardian traced this fish on landing to factories where it is ground down into fishmeal for onward sale to CP Foods. The company uses this fishmeal to feed its farmed prawns, which it then ships to international customers.

The alarm over slavery in the Thai fishing industry has been sounded before by non-governmental organisations and in UN reports.

But now, for the first time, the Guardian has established how the pieces of the long, complex supply chains connect slavery to leading producers and retailers.

"If you buy prawns or shrimp from Thailand, you will be buying the produce of slave labour," said Aidan McQuade, director of Anti-Slavery International.

The Guardian conducted dozens of interviews with fishermen, boat captains, boat managers, factory owners and Thai officials in and around various ports in Thailand.Thailand enjoys a prime position as the world's largest prawn exporter in a vast seafood-export industry estimated to be worth some $7.3bn. Through multinationals such as CP Foods, Thailand ships out roughly 500,000 tonnes of prawns every year – nearly 10% of which is farmed by CP Foods alone.

Although slavery is illegal in every country in the world, including Thailand, some 21 million men, women and children are enslaved globally, according to the International Labour Organisation. These people may have been sold like property, forced to work under mental or physical threat, or find themselves controlled by their "employers". Thailand is considered a major source, transit and destination country for slavery, and nearly half a million people are believed to be currently enslaved within Thailand's borders. There is no official record of how many men are enslaved on fishing boats. But the Thai government estimates that up to 300,000 people work in its fishing industry, 90% of whom are migrants vulnerable to being duped, trafficked and sold to the sea. Rights groups have long pointed to Thailand's massive labour shortage in its fishing sector, which – along with an increased demand from the US and Europe for cheap prawns – has driven the need for cheap labour.

"We'd like to solve the problem of Thailand because there's no doubt commercial interests have created much of this problem," admits CP Foods' Miller.The Guardian's findings come at a crucial moment. After being warned for four consecutive years that it was not doing enough to tackle slavery, Thailand risks being given the lowest ranking on the US state department's human trafficking index, which grades 188 nations according to how well they combat and prevent human trafficking.

Relegation to tier 3 would put Thailand, which is grappling with the aftermath of a coup, on a par with North Korea and Iran, and could result in a downgrade of Thailand's trading status with the US.

"Thailand is committed to combatting human trafficking," said the Thai ambassador to the US, Vijavat Isarabhakdi. "We know a lot more needs to be done but we also have made very significant progress to address the problem."

Although the Thai government has told the Guardian that "combating human trafficking is a national priority", our undercover investigation unearthed a lawless and unregulated industry run by criminals and the Thai mafia – facilitated by Thai officials and sustained by the brokers who supply cheap migrant labour to boat owners.

"The Thai authorities could get rid of the brokers and arrange [legal] employment," one high-ranking Thai official, who is tasked with investigating human trafficking cases, said on condition of anonymity. "But the government doesn't want to do that, it doesn't want to take action. As long as [boat] owners still depend on brokers – and not the government – to supply workers, then the problem will never go away."

Human rights activists believe that Thailand's seafood-export industry would probably collapse without slavery. They say, there is little incentive for the Thai government to act and have called for consumers and international retailers to demand action.

"Global brands and retailers can do so much good without bringing too much risk upon themselves by simply enforcing their supplier standards, which typically prohibit forced labour and child labour," said Lisa Rende Taylor of Anti-Slavery International. "And if local businesses realise that non-compliance results in loss of business, it has the potential to bring about huge positive change in the lives of migrant workers and trafficking victims."The Guardian asked the supermarkets to comment on our finding of slavery in their supply chains.

All said they condemned slavery and human trafficking for labour. They all also pointed to systems of auditing they have in place to check labour conditions. Several retailers have joined a new initiative called Project Issara (Project Freedom) to discuss how they should respond and several attended a meeting in with the major producers in Bangkok at the end of last month at which slavery was discussed.

Walmart, the world's largest retailer, said: "We are actively engaged in this issue and playing an important role in bringing together stakeholders to help eradicate human trafficking from Thailand's seafood export sector."

Carrefour said it conducts social audits of all suppliers, including the CP factory that supplies it with some prawns. It tightened up the process after alerts in 2012. It admitted that it did not check right to the end of its complex chains.

Costco told us it would require its suppliers of Thai prawn "to take corrective action to police their feedstock sources".

A Tesco spokesperson said: "We regard slavery as completely unacceptable. We are working with CP Foods to ensure the supply chain is slavery-free, and are also working in partnership with the International Labour Organisation [ILO] and Ethical Trading Initiative to achieve broader change across the Thai fishing industry."

Morrisons said it would take the matter up with CP urgently. "We are concerned by the findings of the investigation. Our ethical trading policy forbids the use of forced labour by suppliers and their suppliers."

The Co-operative was among those saying it was already working to understand "working conditions beyond the processing level". "The serious issue of human trafficking on fishing boats is challenging to address and requires a partnership" in which it is actively engaged.

The managing director of corporate buying at Aldi UK, Tony Baines, said: "Our supplier standards, which form part of Aldi's contractual terms and conditions, stipulate that our suppliers must comply with applicable national laws, industry minimum standards and ILO and United Nations conventions of human rights, whichever standard is more stringent.

"These standards also require that suppliers do not engage in any form of forced labour and related practices. Aldi will not tolerate workplace practices and conditions which violate basic human rights."

Iceland said it only sourced one line containing prawns from a CP subsidiary but it was pleased to note that CP was "at the forefront of efforts to raise standards in the Thai fishing industry".

CP said in a statement that it believed the right thing was to use its commercial weight to try to influence the Thai government to act rather than walk away from the Thai fishing industry, although it is putting in place plans to use alternative proteins in its feed so that it can eliminate Thai fishmeal by 2021 if necessary. It said it had already tightened controls over the way its fishmeal is procured. While it recognises that workers on boats are exploited, it added that the Thai department of fisheries continues to deny that unregistered boats are a problem. "We can do nothing, and witness these social and environmental issues destroy the seas around Thailand, or we can help drive improvement plans. We are making good progress," it said.

[member_19686]

Korean Christians Stir Controversy By Holding Service At Sacred Buddhist Site
HuffPost Korea | By 강병진
Email
Posted: 07/10/2014 3:55 pm EDT Updated: 07/10/2014 3:59 pm EDT



The local Buddhist newspaper Beopbo Shinmun reported this week that “Korean Christians were observed singing hymns and missionary prayers, allegedly doing Ddangbarpgi in a Buddhist temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Mahabodhi Temple." Ddangbarpgi refers to the act of Christians worshiping at sacred locations of other religions, primarily Buddhism.

The incident came to light through a video sent to Beopbo Shinmun by a Buddhist nun, Venerable Beopsu, who has been at the Mahabodhi Temple for several months practicing silence, the newspaper reports. The temple is in Bodh Gaya, an area in the northeast of India that is reputed to be where Buddha obtained enlightenment.

In the video, a Korean man plays the guitar while two others appear to be singing and praying. Beopsu broke her silent meditation to ask them to stop immediately and leave the temple, wondering how they could "do such a disrespectful thing in a shrine where Buddha found enlightenment," the paper reports. However, they reportedly told her that the Christian God is the only savior and that they were “preaching the word of God because [they] pity those who have not been saved.”

When Beopsu told the Christians that she would "inform Korea what they did," they left in a hurry, according to the paper. Beopbo Shinmun reports that "this state of affairs is significant because, when it becomes public that Korean Christians performed such an outrageous missionary act in the Mahabodhi Temple, serious religious conflicts and diplomatic problems may come into play.”

Even among Korean Christians, Ddangbarpgi is seen as controversial and is often criticized. In 2010, a video was circulated in which young people held Christian services in Bongeunsa, one of the biggest Buddhist temples in Seoul. Following the video's controversial reception, the group officially apologized to Bongeunsa. Also in 2010, the Christian Council of Daegu was seen in a video holding Christian services at the Donghwasa temple, a Buddhist temple in the city of Daegu. In December of that year, the Korean Church Press Association stated via the daily newspaper Kukmin Ilbo that "Ddangbarpgi is not considered to reflect legitimate Christian doctrine or practice.”

This post was translated from Korean and was originally published on HuffPost Korea.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/1 ... 74530.html

GOI should have a word with the Korean gov't about this sort of behavior.

Can you imagine Buddhists doing this at the Vatican or other Churches?

[SSridhar]

It is OT here, but in light of what is posted above, it must be recorded that the Korean Christians carefully chose the country and the religious place to do this blasphemous and condemnable act. GoI must have *many* words with the Korean government. In future, visa application forms issued to Korean nationals must have a suitably worded clause to prevent recurrence of this. GoI must also be aware of the aggressive proselytization by Korean Ecclesiastical groups, especially in Chennai which is a big Korean hub.

[SSridhar]

India & Vietnam to deepen cooperation in defence & oil - PTI, ET

India and Vietnam today agreed to deepen cooperation in defence and oil sectors among others as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral ties with the strategically-important country.

Putting into play the "Act East Policy" of the Narendra Modi government, Swaraj held meetings with her Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung during which a number of key bilateral and regional issues were discussed.

Vietnam, which is involved in a tussle with China over the South China Sea, also gave a presentation to her on their point of view over this issue.

Giving details of Swaraj's visit here, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said this was her third visit to an ASEAN country this month. She had earlier visited Myanmar and Singapore.

"She has said it is not enough to Look East but Act East. This is Act East in action. We began with the focus on neighbourhood and this has now moved on with focus on ASEAN. Our Prime Minister is going to Japan, so it further moves eastwards," he said.

Asked if the issue of defence cooperation was discussed during her meetings, he said both countries reviewed the entire gamut of the ongoing defence cooperation as it is "an important area of our strategic partnership".

The two sides also discussed Indian investments in Vietnam's oil sector.

"External Affairs Minister mentioned that India is already engaged and is committed to continue cooperation with Vietnam and also is looking to expand its cooperation with Vietnam in this sector," Akbaruddin said.

He added that both sides also discussed "briefly" the five oil blocks which Vietnam had offered to India during the visit of Secretary General of Vietnamese Communist party Nguyen Phu Trong, last November.

"OVL ( ONGC Videsh Limited) is looking at them in terms of their feasibility and is in touch to see how to proceed further," he said.

The visit to Vietnam comes just days after Hanoi renewed India's lease of two oil blocks in South China Sea for another year, a move that could rile China.

China and Vietnam have an acrimonious relationship due to their standoff over the South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons.

Due to its estranged ties with China, Vietnam is looking at India for a deeper defence cooperation which includes possible procurement of weaponry besides training especially that of the Navy.

[SSridhar]

Key pacts to be signed during President Pranab Mukherjee's Visit to Vietnam - PTI, ET

India and Vietnam are likely to sign key agreements in the field of defence, trade and culture during the visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to this strategically-important country next month.

While India has decided to ramp up its engagement with Vietnam in the oil sector and deepen defence ties, Hanoi wants it to do more especially in maintaining freedom of navigation, maritime safety and security in the disputed South China Sea.

Due to its estranged ties with China, Vietnam is looking at India for a deeper defence cooperation which includes possible procurement of weaponry besides training especially that of the Navy.

India has been a major ally for Vietnam in the region and there is a working synergy between the armed forces of the two countries.

Vietnam is also looking at buying BrahMos missiles which is jointly manufactured by Russia and India. Vietnam is said to have requested India for submarine training and for conversion training for conversion training for its pilots to fly Sukhoi-30 aircrafts.

Southeast Asian and Latin American countries have shown interest in acquiring the 290km range weapon system and it is possible to export the missile to certain friendly nations.

Defence Ministry sources in Delhi had said that Vietnam and Indonesia in South East Asia and Venezuela in Latin America have expressed willingness to procure the missile.

However, sources maintain that Indian defence cooperation is currently focussed on providing human resource development for the Vietnamese military including language learning and other training modules. They admitted that various other proposals are under different stages of discussion.

Another key area for cooperation is the oil sector. In a move that could rile China, which has publicly asked New Delhi to stay off from the resource-rich South China Sea, India is assessing whether to explore in five new blocks that have been offered by Vietnam.

Indian diplomats remained tight-lipped about the kind of agreements that would be signed during Mukherjee's visit in middle of next month.

India's envoy to Vietnam Preeti Saran did throw some light on the possible agreements in an interview to a local media network.

"We are holding discussions on the cooperation between Jet Airways and Vietnam Airlines, TATA and Vietnamese partners, on the issue relating to the petroleum exploration activities. These are very important sectors.

"Moreover, we are discussing on the restoration of Cham relics in My Son. We have no information yet of the outcome of the discussion. However, the visit of the Foreign Minister is the premise for the signing of important agreements during the upcoming high level meeting in September," she told local media network.

India and Vietnam, which already have inked agreements for sharing information in criminal offences, extradition of prisoners and transfer of sentenced people, are also looking at cooperation in tackling cyber crime,

India had also made Hanoi the offer of USD 100 million line of credit for the purchase of four offshore Patrol Vessels.

Indian Navy ships recently made a port call in Vietnam on their way back from India-US-Japan trilateral exercise off the coast of Japan.

[svinayak]

http://www.ummid.com/news/2014/August/2 ... etnam.html
India's CBSE education system spreading wings in Vietnam -
See more at: http://www.ummid.com/news/2014/August/2 ... 1JgU4.dpuf

[SSridhar]

Nirmala Seetharaman to miss ASEAN meet - Amiti Sen, Business Line

In a last-minute decision, Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has decided against attending the India-Asean Economic Ministers’ meet, scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Myanmar.

While there was no official statement, late in the evening, the minister tweeted that she had to cancel her attendance as the Prime Minister was set to launch a “mega scheme for financial inclusion”.

The cancellation has led to speculation about the Government’s commitment towards regional ties. The Economic Ministers’ meeting may now not take place.

Last month, Sitharaman skipped a Ministerial meeting of SAARC countries as Parliament was in session.

Important meeting

This meeting was important because India and Asean were expected to finalise a bilateral agreement on services and investment so that it could be signed later this year at the India-Asean Summit.

Sitharaman was also scheduled to meet the Indonesian Minister to garner that country’s support for India’s stand on food security at the World Trade Organization.

“We have decided to use various forums and meetings to persuade Indonesia and China, which have public procurement programmes similar to ours, to support India’s stand. Both the Ministry of External Affairs and the Commerce Ministry will do their bit,” a Government official told BusinessLine.

Sitharaman, who is scheduled to be in Beijing early next month, is also expected to take up the matter with her Chinese counterpart.

Trade pact on hold

India had refused to back a pact on trade facilitation without a simultaneous agreement guaranteeing no action against it for subsidising public procurements.

The trade agreement aims to facilitate movement of goods across borders by improving infrastructure and easing customs procedures.

While both Indonesia and China, as part of the G-33 group of developing countries at the WTO, have been backing India’s demand, neither had linked it to the trade facilitation agreement.

[SSridhar]

India signs Free Trade Agreement in Services and Investments with ASEAN - ET

India signed a free trade pact in services and investment with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on Monday in New Delhi. The accord is aimed at allowing freer movement of professionals and encouraging investment.

"The agreement will help provide market access to Indian professionals in the Asean region including those from the IT/ITeS (information technology enabled services) sector," a commerce department official said.

India signed a free trade agreement (FTA) in goods with the bloc in 2009. India was keen on the services deal as it did not gain much from the pact on goods due to already lower tariffs in the region.

New Delhi feels the services deal will help it reduce the trade deficit with Asean. Negotiations for the deal had begun in 2005.

Asean — comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam — and India are targeting $100 billion in trade by 2015. Nine out of 10 Asean countries have signed the accord, while the Philippines is expected to do so soon after completing domestic procedures.

The services pact signed with Asean covers issues such as transparency, domestic regulations, recognition, market access, national treatment, increasing participation of developing countries, joint committee on services, review, dispute settlement and denial of benefits, a commerce department official said.

The Agreement on Services & Investment had been scheduled to be signed in Myanmar, during the Asean Economic Ministers (AEM) meeting last month. However, commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharman had to cancel her visit to Myanmar due to the national launch of the Prime Minister's Jan Dhan Yojana financial inclusion programme.

India then proposed a circulation process, with each member separately signing the agreement. The deal will come into effect only after all members have signed the pact.

India is also part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations between Asean and six partner countries.

RCEP is a 16-member grouping of 10 Asean countries and six others - Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand - that have free trade agreements with it. The grouping accounts for 40% of world trade.

[SSridhar]

India keen to enhance cooperation with Vietnam: Pranab Mukherjee - PTI, ET

India is looking to enhance cooperation with Vietnam in defence, security and political arena as there is immense potential for bilateral engagement between the two nations, President Pranab Mukherjee said today.

The President noted that India-Vietnam partnership has reached a "high point" and is also beneficial to ASEAN and the region beyond.

"Political, defence and security cooperation is one of the major pillars of our cooperation. We are of the view that there is much more potential that can be realised in this area and both sides are working towards it along with our regional partners," Mukherjee told Vietnamese News Agency (VNA) on the eve of his departure for a four-day state visit to the country.

Mukherjee, who will meet the top leadership of Vietnam including President Truong Tan Sang, said his trip is aimed at enhancing the mutual goodwill between the two countries and translate it into further mutually beneficial cooperation.

"I am confident that our mutual goodwill can be translated into further mutually beneficial cooperation as there is immense potential for future cooperation. Moreover, our partnership is also beneficial to ASEAN and the region beyond.

During my visit to Vietnam in the coming days, I look forward to strengthening this partnership through discussions with my counterpart His Excellency President Truong Tan Sang and other leaders of Vietnam," he said.

The visit, which will take Mukherjee to capital Hanoi and the historical Ho Chi Minh City, is set to witness inking of a number of memorandums between the two countries including one between ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) and Petro Vietnam with regard to exploration activities in the South China Sea, a move opposed by China.

"Bilateral relations between India and Vietnam are excellent. They have never been better than what they are today. Our strategic partnership, which was established in 2007, is now entering its eighth year of implementation.

In recent years, our relations have witnessed a continuous broadening and deepening in all aspects. Our relations are marked by strong mutual trust, understanding, support and a convergence of views on various regional and international issues," he said.

The President said the foundation of friendship between India and Vietnam laid by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President Ho Chi Minh has flourished over the years and has brought us to a "high point today".

Lauding Vietnam, Mukherjee said that India has great admiration for the Vietnamese people, their fortitude, courage and for their determination to succeed against odds.

He also called the South East Asian nation as an "important pillar" in India's Look East Policcy.

"Vietnam has been a strategic partner for India both within ASEAN and in the wider region. We deeply appreciate Vietnam's support for India at all regional and international fora and look forward to further deepening this aspect of our cooperation.

With ASEAN integration acquiring momentum, we have deepened our regional interaction, stepped up initiatives to promote connectivity and expanded people-to-people links to enhance our role in the new era. I see India and Vietnam as partners, contributing to peace, prosperity and stability in the wider region," he said.

The President said there was a need to undertake more efforts to bring together the youth force of the two nations.

"There is, however, a gap in information about each other among the younger generations. I understand that both sides are working on increased youth and cultural exchanges including exchange of cultural content, films and television programmes which can address this gap.

I am also happy to note that direct flight services between our two countries will start shortly. This will give a major boost to increased business, tourism and people-to-people contacts," he said.

Mukherjee said the two countries have a convergence of views and strong cooperation at all regional and international fora.

"There is strong mutual support and understanding between us," he said.

The President, who last travelled to the country in 2011 as India's Finance Minister, said there is a lot of potential that remains to be tapped between the two nations in the economic arena.

"In economic cooperation too, we have made a lot of progress. Our trade volume has increased almost three and a half times since 2007. We are well on track to meet our trade targets. The prospects for investment cooperation are also bright.

More and more Indian companies are now looking at Vietnam for doing business. There is a great interest among businessmen for future cooperation and I am confident that with efforts on both sides, we will be able to increase our trade and investment levels several fold, in the years to come," he said.

[SSridhar]

India-Myanmar container shipping service launched - Business Line

The Look East Policy of the Central Government got a boost with the launch of India-Myanmar container shipping service at Chennai port. The service, run by the State-owned Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), was launched by Shipping Secretary Vishwapati Trivedi.

This was a joint effort of three Ministries — Shipping, External Affairs and Commerce. While the feasibility report said that the service was not commercially viable, the service was launched looking at the strategic partnership between the two countries that has a bilateral trade of nearly ₹1,000 crore.

Positive outlook

“SCI has the wherewithal to sustain the service in the long run. We cannot expect to make profits from day one. However, in a year’s time, we expect the service will be well received by the trade,” Trivedi said at the launch function.

The Government is looking at starting a similar service to countries such as Thailand and Vietnam as part of the Look East policy, he said at the launch function at the DP World Chennai container terminal.

The dedicated service was started with a commercial consideration but also as a friendly consideration to strengthen bilateral relationship between the two countries.

To begin with, the service will be every 15 days with plans to make it a weekly in future. From India, the export cargo includes cement while in the return direction it is mainly pulses. Once the service is successful, more private operators can chip in the sector, he said.

The service rotation will be Chennai, Krishnapatnam, Yangoon, Colombo and Chennai.

Trivedi said the Government wants to use northern Myanmar to reach in to Mizoram and other North-Eastern States using the Sittwe port. Located in the capital of Rakhine State in Myanmar, on the Bay of Bengal, Sittwe is at the mouth of the Kaladan River.

India has financed to build the deepwater Sittwe port as part of the Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project — a collaboration between the two countries to develop transport infrastructure in south-western Myanmar and north-eastern India.

Trivedi said as part of the Look East Policy, the Government will help the shipping industry in Bangladesh.

The industry there is very small but has lot of potential due to the vast coastline. Ships from the Eastern port of India can run regular shuttle service to Chittagong, he said. Like the European Union, which has a strong network of ports, the Government will take steps to have a similar arrangement with neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh and Myanmar, he said.

[SSridhar]

India, ASEAN can be ‘great partners’: Modi - PTI

Asserting that there are “no irritants” in the India-ASEAN relationship, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told ASEAN leaders that a new era of economic development, industrialisation and trade has begun in India and they can be “great partners” for each other.

As India seeks to deepen its engagement with the 10-nation bloc of small and medium economies, Modi said both India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are keen to enhance their cooperation in advancing balance, peace and stability in the region.

“The ASEAN community is India’s neighbour. We have ancient relations of trade, religion, culture, art and traditions. We have enriched each other through our interaction. This constitutes a strong foundation of a modern relationship,” Modi said in his opening statement in Hindi at the 12th India—ASEAN summit in the Myanmarese capital.

“That is why our world view is similar in many respects; our mutual confidence and trust is strong. We have no irritants in our relationship. We see encouraging opportunities and challenges in the world in similar ways,” he said.

Observing that India and the ASEAN have been successful to a considerable extent in pursuing their dreams, Modi said they have laid a foundation for a strong and comprehensive strategic partnership.

“My government has been in office for six months and the intensity and momentum with which we have enhanced our engagement in the East, is a reflection of the priority that we give to this region,” the Prime Minister said at the summit held at the sprawling Myanmar International Convention Centre on the second day of his 10—day three—nation tour of Myanmar, Australia and Fiji.

“A new era of economic development, industrialisation and trade has begun in India. Externally, India’s ‘Look East Policy’ has become ‘Act East Policy’,” he said.

“Rapidly developing India and ASEAN can be great partners for each other. We are both keen to enhance our cooperation in advancing balance, peace and stability in the region,” {Carefully chosen words, 'balance, peace and stability' and yet the import is clear} the Prime Minister said.

[SSridhar]

Time to demonstrate an ‘Act East’ Policy V.S.Seshadri, The Hindu

Much of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Myanmar has been taken up with the annual East Asia Summit and the ASEAN-India Summit. But his bilateral meeting with the Myanmar President Thein Sein was no less important, it being the first time the two leaders met. The visit has also provided an opportunity for Mr. Modi to understand first hand the ongoing democratic transition in Myanmar, towards a more market-oriented economy, and a peaceful settlement with the ethnics. All this is work in progress. Having a peaceful, stable and democratic Myanmar in our immediate neighbourhood is in India’s interest.

Since 2011, the Thein Sein government has ushered in many positive changes — release of political prisoners, greater media freedom and several reforms in the economic, social and administrative spheres. Despite a 25 per cent reservation for the military and the strong presence of Members of Parliament from the military-rooted ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), Parliament too has evolved into an active deliberative and lawmaking forum. The changes have brought Myanmar back into the international mainstream after five decades of military rule and its chairmanship of ASEAN this year has gone off quite smoothly.

Parliamentary discussions

There are, however, many challenges that lie ahead. Parliamentary discussions on constitutional reform have been under way for over a year but it is not clear what provisions if any will be amended. The recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee to review the Constitution, submitted on October 22, are to be discussed in Parliament later this month. Will Article 59(f) be changed, which effectively bars Aung San Suu Kyi from being a candidate for the post of President? Will the three-fourth majority required in Parliament that makes it mandatory to have military support for any constitutional reform be reduced? Will there be more delegation of powers to states?

The Myanmar Parliament is also discussing a move to introduce a proportional representation system. This could significantly affect the outcome of the next general elections scheduled for October/November 2015. Will USDP and many of the smaller democratic parties, in favour of the change, use their majority in Parliament and prevail? Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) and the ethnic parties prefer retention of the first-past-the-post system. Will there be a non-partisan discussion on this issue?

A three-stage ethnic peace process has also been in progress for over two years now. While local-level ceasefire agreements have been signed with all major ethnic armed groups but for the Kachins, efforts under way to sign a national level ceasefire agreement prior to holding a national political dialogue have proved elusive. While many issues have reportedly been resolved including a possible pledge to adopt a federal system, some differences still persist such as those relating to code of conduct, monitoring of ceasefire zones and the idea of a ‘Federal Army.’

With general elections coming up next year, continuing political deadlock could create complications. Perhaps it was for this reason that President Thein Sein convened an unprecedented meeting on October 31 to which he invited top leaders in the government, Parliament, the military, leaders of a few political parties including Ms Suu Kyi, and the head of the Union Election Commission. The three issues discussed included a smooth political transition, continuing the peace process and bringing about national reconciliation. More meetings of this group would be a sign that serious efforts are under way for a road map to deal with the political challenges ahead in an inclusive way.

While Myanmar will have to evolve its own path to peace, reconciliation and a democratic framework, India can extend technical assistance and support as may be needed and also share its own experiences.

It is very welcome that Mr. Modi will also meet Ms Suu Kyi who is a respected national figure and has had a long association with India. She also visited India in November 2012.

Review of development projects

Mr. Modi’s visit is taking place two years after the bilateral visit of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in May 2012 when several MOUs and projects were agreed upon: border region development, the Mandalay-Imphal bus service, the setting up of a Myanmar Institute of Information Technology in Mandalay and the extending of a concessional line of credit of U.S. $500 million for irrigation and railway projects.

The Modi-Thein Sein meeting on the sidelines of huge multilateral summits might not have enabled a detailed review of the progress on these projects, even though their discussions appeared to have focussed on connectivity, cultural contacts and commercial ties.{The three C's} A subsequent bilateral visit, for which Thein Sein has already extended an invitation to Mr. Modi, may provide the opportunity. What is important now is for both sides to set up a high-level bilateral mechanism to review the progress being made on key connectivity projects relating to the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway linking Imphal to Mandalay and to Thailand, Rhi-Tiddim road that can act as a link from Aizawl to Mandalay if Myanmar can connect Tiddim to Kalay and the Kaladan multimodal transit transport project.

Even as work on creating hard infrastructure proceeds, it will be useful for the two sides to discuss the required soft infrastructure — transit and transport agreements, the necessary border trade and warehousing arrangements and how to ready the businesses for the new opportunities.

Both sides have a strong interest in expediting these projects. They can bring significant benefits to the Northeastern States of India and the western part of Myanmar that is also much less developed. Effective trade and transportation links can improve market size for potential investments. This can further build on the border region development projects being undertaken by India in the Chin state and the Naga-administered zone of Myanmar.

Myanmar is now our most rapidly growing neighbour experiencing eight per cent plus growth rates. There can be mutual benefit if both India and Myanmar can work together to truly transform the evolving connectivity corridors into development corridors, which can also be a demonstration of our ‘Act East’ policy. Building an interlaced economic partnership across the border can form an enduring bond between the two countries that already enjoy very good political ties.

(V.S. Seshadri, former Ambassador to Myanmar, has authored a report, ‘Transforming the Connectivity Corridors between India and Myanmar into Development Corridors’.)

[kmkraoind]

Posting images without any comments.

[SSridhar]

One is contrived and the other is natural.

[pralay]

Maldives in water crisis after fire at treatment plant

Indian assistance arrives in Maldives.

Water was cut off to more than 100,000 residents in the Maldives' capital because of a fire in the city's water treatment plant, a minister said on Friday.

Government Minister Mohamed Shareef said the government has declared a crisis situation and appealed to India, Sri Lanka and China and the United States for help.

As desperate residents scuffled and attacked shops over dwindling supplies of bottled water in the Maldivian capital of Male, Rajeev Shahare, India's envoy to the archipelago nation, said water is being brought in large planes in five flights today; an offshore patrol vessel in the ocean with a water treating facility has been diverted to the Maldives.

India's foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin tweeted: Mr Shareef said it may take days to resume operations in the treatment plant because destroyed parts need to be brought in from abroad.

Hospitals in the capital and the country's famous tourist resort islands have their own water facilities.

[Shreeman]

What about this one then - http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/27/world/asi ... ing-plane/ ??

[Anand K]

Damn, that was my regular stomping ground for years - but never flew Air Asia. Long time back smaller ships and boats used to disappear all the time - but that was due to Malay/Indonesian piracy, which at one time more rampant than Somali piracy. Been twelve hours since the plane went missing. That area's got a bit of maritime and airline traffic, some fisherman on a skiff or mining barge deckhand should have noted something, so here's hoping there would be at least resolution and some sort of closure.

[SSridhar]

Indonesia has been deftly avoiding allowing the IN's P8-I or ships to take part in the search while Singaporean, Malaysian, Australian and US assets are involved.

[Paul]

Historically speaking Is Indonesia the most anti Indian state in SEAsia. Sukarno's animosity against JLN, his designs on A&N and Indonesian radio referring to Indian ocean as Indonesian ocean comes to mind

[Yagnasri]

Indonasia is a Jihadi nation. I remember reading about they taking sides of Pakis in 1971 and other wars with Pakiland.

[vishvak]

Indonesia has been deftly avoiding allowing the IN's P8-I or ships to take part in the search while Singaporean, Malaysian, Australian and US assets are involved.

Not fair for the people affected. We need to reinforce and multiply our naval assets so that such awkward situation does not occur especially during times of tragedy.

[A_Gupta]

http://www.ap7am.com/english-news-7468- ... rabad.html

Hyderabad : Feb 2,2015: A team of Singapore Government representatives has arrived in Hyderabad this morning to meet officials of various departments ahead of preparing draft master plan of AP Capital City.<br
The team of experts will visit AP Capital region villages in the next two days and meet officials there to discuss various proposals.

The team will also meet Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu after initially meeting officials of various departments.

[A_Gupta]

http://www.everyday.com.kh/en/article/36468.html

Cambodia denies Angkor Wat first built in India
Monday, February 02, 2015 - 8:34:00 AM

PHNOM PENH (The Cambodia Herald) -- General Department of Heritage of Ministry of Culture and Fine Art denied Saturday that Cambodia's world heritage site Angkor Wat was first built in India.

The denial was made in respond to Indian hermit claiming that many Cambodian temples including Angkor Wat were not built in Cambodia.

"What the Indian hermit said was not true and groundless because we had a lot of evidence clarifying about the construction sites and where we took stones to build the temples, so why had we to bring stones from India," said Prak Sovannara, director general of the General Department of heritage.

"What that hermit said was incorrect," he said. "The world knows it after Angkor Wat was inscribed as World Heritage site."

"No one said the materials used to build the temples were brought from India" he said.

He said Cambodia is really influenced by religions from India, but Angkor Wat and other temples were completely built by Cambodians.

[A_Gupta]

http://www.eturbonews.com/55095/visa-ap ... atta-india

Cox & Kings Global Services (CKGS), has announced the opening of the Vietnam Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Kolkatta today. The Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in India has authorized CKGS to accept visa applications at their center with effect from February 1, 2015.

The center was inaugurated this morning by His Excellency Mr. Ton Sinh Thanh, the Ambassador in India, for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the presence of Mr. Arup Sen, Director, CKGS, and other senior officials.

CKGS is the only authorized visa service provider for Vietnam in West Bengal.

Speaking on the occasion, His Excellency Mr. Ton Sinh Thanh, said, "Facilitation of visa service is one of the priorities of the Embassy. Through the Visa Application Center in Kolkata, I strongly believe that Indian travelers from West Bengal will find a faster and reliable way to obtain visa to visit our beautiful and friendly country.”

[A_Gupta]

http://www.medianama.com/2015/02/223-si ... vice-hooq/

ingapore headquartered telecom major Singtel has tied-up with Sony Pictures & Warner Brothers to launch a video streaming service called HOOQ in Asia. The platform will offer Hollywood movies, television series and regional content. This was first reported by TechCrunch.

The company informed that the service will initially be rolled out in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand in the first quarter of 2015. At the time of launch HOOQ will have a catalogue of over 10,000 movies and TV series, including titles from Sony and Warner Brothers like the Harry Potter series, Spider-Man, Friends and Gossip Girl among others. The platform will also offer regional content from India, China, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Korea and Japan.

[A_Gupta]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tec ... 105202.cms

India, Singapore in pact to set up chip-making units here {Bengaluru}.

[A_Gupta]

http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/H ... 650804.ece

BATU CAVES: More than a million Hindus thronged temples throughout Malaysia today to celebrate Thaipusam, a colourful annual religious festival in which many display their devotion by piercing their bodies with hooks and skewers.

Celebrations in the capital Kuala Lumpur centred, as they have for 125 years, on the spectacular Batu Caves complex on the city's outskirts, which many Hindus walked up to ten hours to reach in an annual pilgrimage.

Bearing gifts for the deity Murugan, countless yellow-robed devotees carried milk pots or coconuts - the latter of which are smashed as offerings.

Others took part in the 15-km (nine-mile) procession of a silver chariot from a temple in the city centre to the caves - an important religious site for Tamil Hindus - capped by the final 272-step climb to a temple in the limestone outcropping.

Celebrated also in India, Singapore and other areas with significant Hindu Tamil communities, the festival is marked with particular relish in multi-cultural Malaysia.

[A_Gupta]

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... zo-accord/

Myanmar’s central government and leaders of its 16 ethnic rebel armies have agreed to visit India and study the Mizo accord as a step towards peace after spending more than six decades fighting each other, said former Mizo rebel leader and two-time Mizoram CM Zoramthanga, who is an emissary between the two groups.

[A_Gupta]

https://www.thedollarbusiness.com/thail ... asia-2015/

Sponsored by Thailand and co-sponsored by the United Kingdom, BioAsia 2015 scheduled from February 2 to 4, 2015 under the theme of ‘New Era of Life sciences – Opportunities in Transition’ in Hyderabad is scheduled to provide an opportunity to explore business partnerships between the industry and academia.......

On the inaugural day of the event (February 2, 2015), Mr. Dennis Gillings, Executive Chairman of Quintiles Inc received the prestigious FABA special award from the Minister of Industries, Government of Telangana Mr. Jupally Krishna Rao.

While receiving the award, Mr Gillings said that India has 17% of world population but the share of clinical trials is only 1.5% and hence presents a great investment opportunity because it requires heavy focus. Japan has already emphasized on the necessity of more clinical research which is being done by foreign companies. In India there have been some commendable work done on this front and Rota Vaccine is a great accomplishment on those lines.

[A_Gupta]

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/scienc ... lodes.html

In the span of ten years, Vietnamese software companies have emerged from just sitting on the sidelines to industry global leaders with the nation now highly regarded as a world top ten exporter of IT and related services.

Vietnam has now surpassed India to become the second-largest software outsourcer to Japan, trailing China, and has ascended to a global leadership position in the industry, a representative from the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) recently revealed.

The representative added that in 2014, the nation’s software companies also witnessed impressive growth apart from the Japanese market boosting revenues to over US$27 billion, which continued the upward trend from 2013.

According to a report from Tholons – the leading full-service Strategic Advisory firm for Global Outsourcing and Investments – HCM City and Hanoi ranked 17th and 22nd among the most attractive cities in the world for the IT industry in 2014.

The results of a recent market survey of 40 Vietnamese IT companies for the period 2012-2013, showed those that those who worked for the Japanese market during the period achieved high growth of 30-50%, even as high as 200%.

A representative from FPT Software, a leading Vietnamese IT firm, confirmed that the company witnessed strong growth in important markets such as the US, Europe, Japan and Singapore in 2014 in addition to Japan shifting a significant amount of work from India and China to it.