In the name of being honest
I've personally received a couple of sus WhatsApp messages from +855 (Cambodian) numbers in the past. Long past due for someone to do something about the mafia compounds in Sihanoukville as well.
Echoing hymn of my fellow passerine | Art blog (under construction)
Same too, although the sus peeps are coming as far as Niger.
In the name of being honest
Rest of the World: Vietnam’s taxi drivers fight app drivers, wear their uniforms to steal customers.
So, this has been a very widespread issue across Southeast Asia for most of the past decade: traditional (i.e. informal) motorcycle taxi riders waging turf wars against newer, app-based competitors. The Malaysia-based Grab is one of the bigger players in the region (having shouldered out Uber a few years ago alongside its Indonesia-based rival, GoJek), and riders working for the app distinguish themselves on the street with their green riding helmets and jackets.
Consequently, the informal riders they're encroaching on have begun to don similar uniforms to attract passengers, as well as issuing threats to ward off the app-based competitors. Again, this has been a years-long phenomenon across Southeast Asia, but it has an extra layer of complication in Vietnam, which still employs a strict household registration system (hộ khẩu) similar to China's hukou system. Many of the motorcycle taxi riders in major cities work as, essentially, undocumented migrants, which both prevents them from registering with rideshare apps and heightens the stakes from their loss of income.
Edited by eagleoftheninth on Dec 18th 2023 at 11:04:57 AM
Echoing hymn of my fellow passerine | Art blog (under construction)
In the name of being honest
Mr Thaddeus Thomas, ex-Reform Party member, said sorry for making false statements against Law/Home Minister K Shanmugam on a supposed extramarital affair on social media. He also stated he ignored letters sent by his lawyers.
The Singaporean Navy's going to get involved with Operation Prosperity Guardian. I think it's just personnel.
https://www.reddit.com/r/singapore/comments/199i8ge/private_jet_flight_musical_tickets_iswaran/
A list of things that S. Iswaran received from Malaysian millionaire(?) Ong Beng Seng.
Oh yeah, he wants to fight the corruption charges.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68261709
Tatmadaw's enforcing conscription rules to offset manpower losses.
Don't know if this is the best thread to post this, but I've noticed an increasing trend among mainland China movies, especially crime thrillers, to take place in Southeast Asian countries, usually some fictional version of Thailand or Cambodia. As you might expect the region is usually depicted in these movies as hives full of violent criminal groups engaged in scams, human trafficking and other activities.
Best part is that such depictions apparently influence a decent number of Chinese viewers to not travel to these countries. Here's a good Straits Times article on the phenomenon.
Edited by Alycus on Feb 10th 2024 at 9:08:18 AM
Brenner's Wolves Fight Again
That's not exactly a China thing. Holiday in Cambodia is a trope for a reason.
Heck, even South East Asia countries do this. Vietnamese cop shows often depict the Cambodia and Laos border as a drug smuggler haven.
Where there's life, there's hope.
Prime Minister Lee in his CNY is “encouraging” Singaporeans to consider having kids.
Najib's sentence got halved recently.
Hearing that Clare Rewcastle Brown is "concerned" about his sentence being halved.
In the name of being honest
New York Times: Singapore Has Taylor Swift to Itself This Week, and the Neighbors Are Complaining. So, it turned out that the Singaporean government signed an exclusivity deal with Tay, back before the announcement of the Eras Tour dates, which would have her perform for six nights in the city and make it her sole stop in Southeast Asia.
The neighbours aren't happy: Thai and Filipino politicians, in particular, have publicly condemned Singapore's move as a breach of the ASEAN spirit, and many fans are likewise dismayed to not be able to watch the tour at home. Malaysia's Bersatu party (part of a conservative/Islamist opposition that has repeatedly tried to shoo out foreign artists in the past) is even lodging a protest for the government's failure to secure her tour stops. All things said, though, Singapore has excellent transport links to the rest of the region and is probably the safest major city for young female fans, which would've given it an edge anyway.
Pretty fun that the politicians complain, even with the Thais since they tried many moons ago after the coup was done and TS reps didn't reply back to inquiries about doing a concert there.
Philippine infrastructure isn't like Singapore in many ways. Clark still needs to be developed further IMHO.
Brenner's Wolves Fight Again
Well, Singapore is the most "properly" developed nation in the region, so it does make sense. Still, it's funny seeing politician fighting over an American celebrity.
I think Phillipines could host her just fine though, even if not to the luxurious extent as Singapore.
Edited by RAlexa21th on Mar 7th 2024 at 6:56:47 AM
Where there's life, there's hope.
I bemoan the traffic situation in PH. Trust me, I've lived here long enough just to condemn it since people buy cars and more cars due to the mediocre public transport in the Metro Manila area.
In the name of being honest
Oh, and on a rather less interesting note: last month's presidential election in Indonesia was won by Prabowo Subianto.
So, quick recap: Prabowo is the ex-son-in-law of Indonesia's Cold War military dictator, Suharto, and commanded the country's special forces – during which he saw action in East Timor and West Papua, as well as a training stint in the US. Basically, your archetypal Cold War right-wing regime goon. Aside from facing credible accusations of war crimes in the aforementioned conflict zones, he's also notorious for his role in the 1998 student protests and riots that forced Suharto to resign. While accusations that Prabowo engineered deadly riots are still unproven, what's clear is that he abducted a number of leading student activists in this period, some of whom later turned up dead – though some of the survivors, in a strange twist, went on to work for him later. The incident saw him dishonourably discharged from the army, divorced from the outgoing dictator's daughter and gone on a self-exile to Jordan.
The ex-general made his return to the national stage during the 2009 Indonesian general election, as a running mate to one-time president Megawati Sukarnoputri – daughter of founding father Sukarno and matriarch to PDI-P, the country's largest party. They lost, but Prabowo then launched his own presidential bid in 2014, styling himself as a militia leader with Mussolini-style theatrics. This time, his opponent was Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, then a former regional mayor and furniture businessman who branded himself as an everyman and the country's first true non-establishment candidate. Jokowi won the election with help from PDI-P, launched a slew of ambitious infrastructure and economic programs (including a boost to the enrolment rate of the country's universal healthcare system) and faced off with Prabowo again in 2019.
The political landscape was different this time: Jokowi was falling out of favour with Megawati and her party, while his allies had been targeted for mass protests by Islamist groups (with backing from Former Regime Personnel types). After winning against Prabowo a second time, the president moved to reconfigure his coalition: he appointed Prabowo as defence minister, moved away from PDI-P and handed an increasingly nebulous collection of ministerial portfolios to his main benefactor, Luhut Pandjaitan – another old Cold Warrior (and Prabowo's former commander, natch). With so many New Order figures back in power, the country's democratic institutions naturally began to erode. Defamation arrests climbed; the courts and anti-corruption commission grew stacked with political appointees; sketchy reforms to the criminal code were passed; there was even a (possibly astroturfed) movement by pro-Jokowi activists and local officials to push for an unconstitutional third term for the president.
Despite all that, Jokowi's economic programs and action-man branding kept him massively popular with ordinary voters. Prabowo's 2024 campaign launched with an unprecedented show of implicit support from the incumbent president: his eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, now joined the race as his former rival's running mate. Indonesia is a young country, and many younger voters in 2024 had no memory of Prabowo's Cold War reputation. The Prabowo campaign seized on this, trading in its old militarist branding for a new, TikTok-driven "cuddly grandpa" image. Most importantly, though, Jokowi's tacit blessing all but framed Prabowo's candidacy as a continuation of the Jokowi presidency and handed him a large share of the popular incumbent's voter base.
There have been talks of election-day irregularities and pressures on local officials to whip up votes for Prabowo; whatever happened, the ex-general exceeded all expectations with an apparent first-round victory (per quick counts; official results aren't out yet) and is now expected to take the presidency in October. If at first you don't succeed...
And speaking of dynasty warriors: Thailand released ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra last month acquitted his sister and fellow ex-PM Yingluck from her last outstanding court case. Thaksin, a former telecom magnate led Thailand in an initially popular stint from 2001 to 2006, which was gradually bogged down by news of his illegal business dealings. His attempt to clear the air by dissolving the parliament got him couped by the military, and eventually sentenced to eight years for his corrupt dealings in office, to which he responded by escaping the country. The family's political vehicle, Pheu Thai, then brought Yingluck to power in 2011 – a term that essentially speedran her brother's greatest hits, including corruption indictments, botched attempt to dissolve the parliament, coup and flight from the country.
Pheu Thai effectively came back to power last year by throwing the anti-establishment Move Forward Party under the bus and embracing their erstwhile military rivals. Under the leadership of real estate mogul Srettha Thavisin and Thaksin's daughter Paetongtarn, the stage was cleared for the former PM's return. After flying home last year, Thaksin was taken to an elite hospital to symbolically serve part of his sentence, which now has been predictably commuted.
Echoing hymn of my fellow passerine | Art blog (under construction)
Brenner's Wolves Fight Again
Less of a news and more of a history session that has impacts today. Vietnam's southward expansion was a gradual process that took place in several centuries via a mix of conquest, diplomatic deals, ethnic cleansing, and forced assimilation. It was this process that gave the country an elongated shape and the Southeast Asia classification despite having more in common with East Asia culturally.
During this southward expansion, the Viet annexed more and more of the Champa Kingdom until they were erased from the map, with the surviving Cham in both Cambodia and Vietnam today numbering less than 1 million (of course, the Khmer Rouge also did a number on their population). Furthermore, the southern parts of the Khmer Empire, Kampuchea Krom (Cochinchina in French and Nam Bo in Vietnamese), were also annexed into Vietnam. This area includes the fertile Mekong Delta, the prosperous port town Prey Nokor (Sai Gon), and the largest island of Kampuchea/Vietnam Koh Tral (Phu Quoc).
An integral part of Khmer nationalism is the greatness of the old Empire, and some of the more hard-core nationalists also focus on the grievances of the loss of land to the Vietnamese, whose Sino-influenced culture is utterly alien to the Khmer unlike other neighbors. As such, many Cambodians has a generational hatred towards the Vietnamese (and the Thai too, but at least the Thai share cultural bonds). This is also one of the reason that war broke out between the Khmer Rouge and the recently-reunified Vietnam.
Nowadays the anti-Vietnamese sentiment in Cambodia is still very strong, especially for those who oppose the ruling party. Vietnamese immigrants were treated with hostility from many Cambodians, who suspect them to be spies. Many opposition party leaders also declare their intention of "reclaiming" Kampuchea Krom from Vietnam if they win.
As for the Khmer people living in Vietnam, the government is also breathing on their neck, and is more than willing to send cops to their communities if they sniff out any hint of separatism. The forced assimilation policy that were carried out by the Nguyen Dynasty and South Vietnam also continues to be in play.
Where there's life, there's hope.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68603469
Pritam Singh is being charged with lying under oath. This is related to Raeesa Khan, who resigned from Parliament (Singapore).
Edited by Ominae on Mar 19th 2024 at 8:01:03 AM
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
You should have pointed which country does that news story pertain to. Helps give context.
Brenner's Wolves Fight Again
Vietnam continues its string of short-lived Presidencies with Vo Van Thuong's resignation. While the Prime Minister is the real ruling power, the Presidency's instability is a bad sign for the anti-corruption campaign.
https://www.bbc.com/vietnamese/articles/cpd8xgvkyg0o.amp
Vietnamese article on Nguyễn Lâm Tùng.
Says that his family moved to Ukraine 14 years ago (13 when the article was published in 2023). He enlisted after he saw a lot of dead bodies, especially in Bucha. And he said that he got married to a Ukrainian.
He also enlisted since he's angry at Russian disinformation aimed at Ukraine. He and his Ukrainian buddies get donations (money/gear) from fellow Vietnamese in Europe who are against the invasion.
Nguyen said that he's fortunate to have training in Soviet/NATO tactics.
Brenner's Wolves Fight Again
Russia is alleged to be behind the sudden illness (dubbed Havana Syndrome) to Kamala Harris's 2021 delegation in Vietnam.
Apparently, the Russians sent some "exclusive technology" to the Vietnamese and tricked them to use it on the Americans.
I find all this "Havana Syndrome" thing to be a little outlandish, almost feels like an April Fool's joke.
Oh, bother.
TBF, we live in outlandish times.
Disgusted, but not surprised
That's a major shit sandwich situation for everyone. I can't blame the rebels for not doing anything to help the refugees - they're not in a position to do so - but fuck China for shrugging at it.