IV. International
(8-16-09)
.
In at least two of
Asia’s battlegrounds for democracy, it is sometimes
women who often have their ear on the ground more than
men that have been pivotal political players (Corazon
Aquino of the Philippines and Suu Kyi of Burma).
.
Pres. Obama has made a commitment to uphold previously
signed trade agreements. But China is violating these
agreements by flooding the market with a massive 300%
increase in tire imports in an attempt to wipe out US
tire manufacturers. This is the time to stop the Chinese
from abusing our civility by starting to buy American
and refusing to buy anything Chinese. They think they
can buy our silence by buying US Treasury bonds.
.
Rising unemployment as the global recession worsens is
dumping flows of migrant workers, and many are returning
to their home countries. Steps taken nationally and
internationally could stop these economic and personal
losses.
.
The privatization of a
state steel group in China has been scrapped
after an executive was beaten to death by workers angry
at the threat to their jobs from a takeover of their
company, according to a Hong Kong rights group. Up to
30k workers were involved, a reminder of sensitivity of
layoffs from state companies in industries targeted for
consideration.
.
The government laid off 50 million workers in state
enterprises in 1990s, equal to the combined forces of
Italy and France at the time, but many companies still
retain bloated staffing rosters. Tonghua Iron & Steel
of Jilin province, a traditional steel enterprise, has
about 50k workers and struggled to make consistent
profits in recent years, making it prime target for
restructuring.
.
The privately held Jialong Group showed interest
in taking over Tonghua in 2005, backed out of the deal
when the economy slowed last year, but reentered
negotiations recently when demand picked up. The interim
general manager sent by Jialong to run Tonghua
infuriated workers with his high-handed attitude and
said he would lay off most employees. The rest is
history….
.
US promised to dispatch
heavy-lift helicopters along with other relief supplies
to Taiwan in the wake of typhoon Marakot,
while China will send pre-fabricated housing units to
shelter displaced survivors.
.
The government agencies have already been monitoring 5
barrier lakes nearby formed by massive mudslides and
swelling river water triggered by the recent typhoon and
are considering a possible evacuation of residents
downstream of the rivers.
.
Taiwanese workers struggled to rescue 1900 villagers
still stranded 8/14 nearly a week after a devastating
typhoon. Disaster officials said as many as 400 people
may have been buried in mudslides in the worst-hit
village.
.
Pres. GMA of the
Philippines awarded posthumous Military Merit Medals
to 23 soldiers who wee killed in a clash between the AFP
and Abu Sayyaf in Basilan.
.
Her administration found
itself in hot water when New York Post reported
8/7 that GMA and her entourage ordered a sumptuous meal
last week at Le Cirque restaurant in NYC and paid
$20k during her US state visit. Malacanang denied it was
extravagant.
. Filipino
women now outnumber men and are settling abroad. The
trend is reflected in data from the provinces, according
to the Institute of Migration & Development Issues
(IMDI) from 2004 to 2007 from 33 provinces, compared
to 18 provinces that had more male migrant workers.
.
The major challenge for
Thailand in 2009 is political stabilization. It
is not certain whether the new government can cope with
pressure from former PM Thaksin and his supporters while
they seek to resolve the growing political and economic
problem.
.
GDP growth rate is projected to be 2%. Closures of
foreign airports in 2008 will surely affect the
sentiment of foreign investors and outsiders adversely.
The government will most likely rely on spending on mega
projects and infrastructure to boost the economy.
Thailand has a diversified export fear that it will not
be heavily affected from the lower export orders.
.
It has currently $100 billion in foreign exchange
reserves with moderate current account surpluses and a
sustainable deal of public debt to GDP of 36%. Despite
these good fortunes, it is not immune from external
shocks as foreign investors repatriate investments.
.
Plans for a mammoth oil
pipeline and storage facilities across northern
Peninsular Malaysia have grown in scale. The
entire project will now cost closer to RM23 billion
instead of the RM7 billion targeted by an earlier
project promoter.
.
The ringgit is likely to be higher than the US
dollar following the more upbeat outlook from stock
markets, encouraging more buying of the local currency.
Signs of Asian economies coming out from economic
downturn will add confidence to equities markets and
boost Asian currencies.
.
National carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd is expected
to launch its first multi-purpose vehicle, the Proton
Exora, in Thailand as early as November this year.
.
Pres. Susilo Yudhoyono
of Indonesia called on the younger generation to
reject violence and help build a peace-loving
civilization.
.
Police have dismissed doubts over the death of Norin M.
Top, the country’s most wanted terror suspect in a gun
battle in central Java town of Tumanggung last week.
.
Indonesians’ openness and friendliness towards strangers
is costing them much, including their good name and
personal safety, after recent bombings of two hotels in
Jakarta, arrests of the alleged terrorists and findings
of substantial bomb materials in rented houses across
the country in their own neighborhoods
.
A local joint venture of 4 car-body assembling companies
and the Indonesian Car Assembly Producers Assn.
(Askarndo) is set to start producing this November up to
1k bus chassis a year.
.
The courageous step
taken by peace-loving monks is being seen by other
nations as a sign of extreme crisis in Myanmar.
It symbolizes the weakening grip of Junta boss Thong
Shwe. Such public defiance has not been seen for nearly
20 years.
.
Vietnam and Laos have vetoed a plan by Thailand to call
on Burmese leaders to give a pardon and freedom to Suu
Kyi, calling it “interference” in their internal affair.
.
US Sen. James Webb (D-VA) left Myanmar 8/16 with an
American (John Yettaw) who was sentenced 7 years
imprisonment after securing his release from the
military regime. He was the first US official to hold
talks with the Military Junta.
.
Hell has no fury like an
offended far-right nationalist. Even a democracy can
deny one the power to dissent when ultra-nationalists
are out to exploit an issue involving a country’s
traditional enemy. India provides current
illustration. The country’s parliament has been rocked
by controversy over a joint statement of the prime
ministers of India and Pakistan.
.
PM Manmohan Singh ought to allay fears from the global
economic meltdown, unending terrorism and the swine flu
to assert that India had the strength and resilience to
overcome all obstacles.
. Most shops
and business establishments remained closed and
transport off roads in Srinagar and all major towns of
the valley in response to a strike call given by
separatists and other militant outfits.
.
Pres. Pratibha Patil urged people to help the government
battle the drought and swine flu virus, saying an
enlightened citizenry is the greatest asset of a nation.
.
At least 10 militants
have been killed in the South Waziristan of Pakistan
by a missile strike thought to have been launched by
a US drone aircraft. The movement of US and NATO troops
has frightened tribesmen in North and South Waziristan,
exacerbated by possible military operation of the
Pakistani army.
.
Pakistan objects to expanded American combat operations
in Afghanistan, creating new fissures in Washington at a
critical juncture when thousands of new American forces
are arriving in the region. It has the potential to
further inflame the troubled province of Baluchistan.
.
CIA believes OBL is still in Pakistan. It hopes to close
in on him as Pakistan’s military cracks down on the
tribal area where he is thought to be hiding. The
combination of increased CIA activity and Pakistan’s
military offensive will give US a better chance to grab
him.
.
Seventy-five US and NATO
troops died in Afghanistan in July, the deadliest
month in nearly 8 years of fighting. More than 1k Afghan
civilians have died this year, up 28% from 24%.
.
Tens of thousands more Americans are en route, adding to
the approximately 90k troops, both US & Allied, already
in the round. The US military leadership likely will
request more troops in the months ahead. BHO will have
to make a crucial decision in the future of a conflict
that has become his war.
.
The writ of Pres. Hamid Karzai extends little beyond
Kabul. He has shown little interest in or skill at
sharing power and lacks broad popular support. Three
decades of fighting have raved Afghanistan. There are
massive historical cultural and tribal forces that US
cannot alter.
.
Lack of appropriate
political and economic development, equitable
distribution of economic benefits and lack of
opportunities are the essential ingredients for the
radicalization of youth in Sri Lanka.
.
When the British took
control of the island in 1815, they introduced a
capitalist mode of production based on imports and
exports. By late 19th century, a plantation
economy was firmly rooted as the backbone of the
capitalist economy. The land of peasant was taken over
from them. Attempts to convert peasants into wage labor
failed
.
The colonial rulers made
privileges available to English-educated locals while
treating the rest as slave labor, providing a fertile
breeding ground for local nationalism.
