An article on why Widodo had to abandon Ahok.
News from Singapore:
The Singaporean military is providing humanitarian assistance after India to help the refugees.
Some of the local comments wonder if the SAF's next level of assistance is to send in troops...
LSL is forced to explain allegations of nepotism in his family.
https://ph.news.yahoo.com/thailands-yingluck-ditched-phones-escape-army-chief-083056138.html
Yingluck escaped from the junta and is more likely to reunite with her brother.
https://ph.news.yahoo.com/brunei-sultan-mark-golden-jubilee-lavish-celebrations-213702295.html
Brunei's celebrating the golden jubilee.
https://ph.news.yahoo.com/im-not-going-jail-mps-flee-cambodia-crackdown-055651064.html
Hun Sen's intensifying the crackdown the opposition.
New King, Deep State: Thailand
Upon ascending the throne, the new king made it clear that he intended to rule as a neoabsolutist king, in close alliance with the military, and under the shield of authoritarian law.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41651047
Declassified files from the '60s showed that the US was aware of the TNI perpetrating massacres against communists, both known and suspected ones.
A question about what's going on right now in Myanmar's Rakhine State: We have the Rohingyas being harassed by the government forces under R/Yangoon, then you have most Rakhine's population being the ethnic group of the same name, who had clashes with the Rohingyas five years ago.
Now then, here's my question. Given that the country's ethically dominant Bamar group and the Rakhines are Buddhist, are there cases of Rakhines aiding the government in oppressing the Rohingyas right now?
Interesting read on why the Vietnamese like Trump so much.
The gist of it is "well, fuck China" and "the Vietnamese people don't really know him past 'fuck China' and 'he's a successful businessman.'"
edited 13th Nov '17 11:29:55 AM by Larkmarn
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On that subject, it looks like Trump's Asia trip has been mostly...meh so far. So the best we hoped for.
We'd had the usual gaffes, Asia still isn't sure what exactly makes him tick (if you do find out, make sure to tell the rest of us...) or what the hell he wants, but he didn't spark an international incident or risk upsetting the status quo so...yay?
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41959339
I called it in the US Politics thread. It's a trip with a bunch of countries that rely on us, two that genuinely like him (Vietnam and the Philippines), and China (and we've seen Xi fly circles around Trump before). There was no way this trip wouldn't be a positive for Trump.
edited 13th Nov '17 12:30:42 PM by Larkmarn
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United Earth
A guy tells Indonesian anti-communist mass killers he'll film a dramatization of what they did, filmed exactly according to their wishes. They realize it's impossible to tell the story of what they did without coming off as the bad guys.
Ouch.
https://www.ft.com/content/9b84a5a4-33ff-11e8-a3ae-fd3fd4564aa6
I dunno if the FT link can work, but I found this since it's talking about how FB's responding to troubles in SEA.
The Wanderer
Crossposting from the US Politics thread:
U.S. seeks to deport thousands of Vietnamese protected by treaty: former ambassador:
A “small number” of people protected by the agreement have already been sent back, the former ambassador, Ted Osius, told Reuters in an interview.
Osius said that many of the targeted immigrants were supporters of the now defunct U.S.-backed state of South Vietnam, and Hanoi would see them as destabilizing elements.
“These people don’t really have a country to come back to,” he said. Many of those targeted would have come to the United States as refugees after the end of the Vietnam War.
Osius said the push by the Trump administration started in April last year and contributed to his resignation in October.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesman, Brendan Raedy, said that as of December last year, there were 8,600 Vietnamese nationals in the United States subject to deportation and “7,821 have criminal convictions”.
The Trump administration has labeled Vietnam and eight other countries “recalcitrant” for their unwillingness to accept their deported nationals back.
The Vietnamese immigrants, most of whom are legal U.S. residents but not citizens, are in a unique position, however.
According to Osius, most of those targeted for deportation arrived in the United States prior to 1995, the year diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States were resumed after the Vietnam War.
A 2008 bilateral agreement between Vietnam and the United States states that “Vietnamese citizens are not subject to return to Vietnam” if they “arrived in the United States before July 12, 1995”.
Osius said the Trump administration had threatened to withhold privileges for Vietnamese officials to the United States and link the issue to trade between the two countries.
Mise-en-scène (with apologies):
Dr Mahathir: I hate that word. It’s a return, a return to the millions of people who have never forgiven me for deserting the office.
The besides joke: NST citing Reuters as source, that shit never gets old.
Chosen bit:
His alliance of four parties trounced the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was once Mahathir’s mentee but became his most bitter rival.
Why am I thinking of it as Darth Vader running away from the Death Star to join that band playing in that cantina? Next stop: Ye Galaxy!
Is it like #MMGA with that twist of Mr Venerable Establishment as the underdog outsider go-getter who could?
More:
OK, bygones.
So all is now forgiven, I guess… How very merciful and compassionate, would bring a single tear to my eye were I not the unrepentant heretic I am.
Ever more:
I’d pay real American dollaros to watch that shit, then dupe it and torrent it.
edited 10th May '18 1:21:12 PM by AlityrosThePhilosopher
Just as my freedom ends where yours begins my tolerance of you ends where your intolerance toward me begins. As told by an old friend
I've seen a comment by a Malaysian person on Reddit (on a topical Polandball comic, to be more precise), that basically summed up this story and the guy like this:
"What if Emperor Palpatine joined the Rebels, killed Darth Vader, and blew up the Death Star?".
edited 10th May '18 2:26:16 PM by Quag15
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I guess the person on Reddit looked at the wider franchise while I was keeping it narrowly OG SW (ep. IV).
I blame my hyperspace tunnel-vision.
edited 10th May '18 4:00:11 PM by AlityrosThePhilosopher
Just as my freedom ends where yours begins my tolerance of you ends where your intolerance toward me begins. As told by an old friend
So..... Historic Trump-Kim summit set for Jun 12 in Singapore
:|
edited 10th May '18 4:46:28 PM by Pachylad
I was laughing that Anwar and Mahathir are now working out just to get UMNO out of power.
And it's news now that the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong will agree to have Anwar pardoned from the sodomy charges against him.
edited 10th May '18 10:58:01 PM by Ominae
In the name of being honest
Would be interesting to see know what the PAP leadership is thinking about all of this.
Also wow this has not aged well.
edited 12th May '18 3:44:34 AM by eagleoftheninth
Echoing hymn of my fellow passerine | Art blog (under construction)
I’d be not surprised if they’re being careful about having another scandal or two.
——
As of today, Anwar’s pardon is fully granted by the Yang di Pertuan Agong. Which is ironic...
Even some of Anwar’s family is questioning on whether he should work with Mahathir.
In the name of being honest
NYT article on Najib's various scandals. As a non-Malaysian, my knowledge of the whole 1MDB deal has always been cursory at best, so let me just say: wow.
In the name of being honest
http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2098224/siblings-singapore-pm-fear-their-safety-accusing-him-harassment
A feud is going on with the Lee Family in Singapore.