Issues and Events in Asia.

While cruising for news for the Middle East I found items of interest for Asia proper. So this can be a thread for events in Asia in general.

And to open it up two news articles.

More fighting between Thailand and Cambodia

Chinese Raid Temple and Kill two

edited 23rd Apr '11 4:25:42 PM by TuefelHundenIV

Oh for fucks sake guys, you can't share a temple?!

(sigh) IS IT GLOBAL OPPRESSION MONTH OR SOMETHING?!!

Seriously, I would like to see one government, just one government, value peoples lives over borders and their own power.

Kyrgyzstan one year after revolution

Terror plot for Easter bombs foiled in Indonesia

U.S. and China to hold human rights talks

http://www.dawn.com/2011/04/24/sit-in-to-continue-till-victory-says-imran.html

The result of the sit in is that Pakistan has shut down the NATO supply line for two days. Unknown what will happen when those two days are up, but considering the Raymond Davis affair and the dislike of the US drone program and the war in general...not good.

It's mainly to do with nationalism, as well as long-simmering hatreds in the region (this one has its roots in World War II, at the very least). The temple is just a very conspicuous border post. It's kind of like how the English and the Scots used to be, except the English this time have an aircraft carrier and modern armored divisions.

Cambodia and Thailand agree to truce

Beijin backsliding on human rights Look at that guys face in the picture. He looks pretty damn peeved.

Lobsang Sangay Elected Leader Tibet Exile

Japanese Emperor Visits Port hit by the Tsuanmi

Taiwan picks first female presidential candidate.

Don't mind me. It's pretty quiet over here, even after the latest state election is showing signs of racial factionalism.

The only major event I know of as of late is freak weather. Nothing but windy heavy rain every afternoon, evening or early morning.

Philippines?

Getting warm.

Our GDP per capita is third in Southeast Asia only to Singapore and Brunei, yet our purchasing power is shit and most of its population still act like a bunch of simple-minded plebs (with an education system FUBAR, I'm barely surprised).

edited 29th Apr '11 2:37:58 AM by MalagasyParrot

My geography of Asia is a bit Rusty. I regret to say you would have to tell me.

I'll give you a few more hints. It's north of Indonesia and Singapore, and south of Thailand, Brunei and The Philippines. It's a constitutional monarchy, one of only a few in Asia; and while most constitutional monarchies center around one monarch, we have NINE, all preceding over a huge chunk of the country's western half.

Oh, and we have a pair of massive dildos to show as our "crowning achievement", despite being designed by an American, engineered by Japanese and Korean contractors, and constructed by Bangladeshi and Indonesian labour.

edited 29th Apr '11 8:56:40 AM by MalagasyParrot

Malaysia? Vietnam? Cambodia? Laos?

You got one right. My last hint is a dead giveaway.

Malaysia.

Malaysia?

He's referring to the Petronas Towers: http://www.allaboutskyscrapers.com/petronas_towers.htm

Malaysia's a constitutional monarchy? Do the monarchs actually have a role in the government, even a ceremonial one?

Actually, north of Indonesia and Singapore and south of Thailand is what gave it away for me. Sadly, I don't happen to have GDP statistics memorized.

From the Other Wiki: "The monarch of Malaysia is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commonly referred to as the King of Malaysia. Malaysia is a constitutional elective monarchy, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong are selected for five-year terms from among the nine Sultans of the Malay states. The other four states do not have monarchs, instead having governors, and so do not participate in selection.[6] Since constitutional amendments made in 1993 and 1994, the King has played a mostly ceremonial role."

And now you know. Free cookies for everybody (actually I should be using "biscuits" but seeing people over here hadn't stuck to using the Queen's English these days I may as well go with the flow).

edited 30th Apr '11 2:35:12 AM by MalagasyParrot

Hi there, fellow Malaysian.

I wonder how many others in the country are apathetic towards local politics like me. They don't bother me much, or rather, I don't bother in it much, and I'm probably happier for it.

I thought this thread was about Issues and Events in Asia, not "Guess where I live"?

Anyway, The fighting between Thailand and Cambodia continues despite the truce. Thing look quite bad, I must say. 2011 has been a really bad year so far, now with the fighting so close to home.

Any chance at all this could escalate further?

Bugger all that is bad news.