Latest posts by Preetam Rai from May, 2006
Malaysia: Corruption in High Places
Bridget in Malaysia talks about Malaysian politicians and their confidence in running scams. She gives a recent example of a member of parliament who asked the Malaysian Customs to “close one eye” and let in an illegal consignment of logs from Indonesia to Malaysia
East Timor: More Violence
Factions continue to fight with each other in East Timor . The blogger at Diligence, in his post titled Another Bad Day, mentions this incident that took place on Thursday, 25th May The UN released details of the casualties from an encounter between FDTL soldiers and the police after army...
Myanmar: Democracy in Myanmar
Nyein Chan Yar's blog points to an article by a veteran Burmese journalist. The article titled “The Burmese People can't wait much longer” urges the “nonaligned intermediaries” that have economic leverage over Myanmar (Russia, China and India) to apply pressure on the ruling regime to loosen its grip on power.
Indonesia: Weakening Currency
Yosef Ardi at Indonesia Today discusses the reasons for the fall of Indonesian Rupaiah.
Cambodia: Plea to ban 3G Phones
Vutha in Cambodia writes about this women's group that is trying get 3G phones banned. The group claims that such phones would harm the morals of the people. “We are all very concerned that bad people will use modern communication and information technology in the wrong direction and it will...
East Timor: Gunfire and Memories of National Day
tumbleweed in timor lorosae hears gunfire in East Timor and it reminds her of National Day celebrations in her native Singapore. “Instead of feeling terrified, I thought of how this crackling reminds me of joyous occasions. Probably the only time a normal Singaporean (read non-soldier or police) hears or sees...
Thailand: Thailand Floods
Bhojman at Meanderings blog is talking about early flooding in Thailand this year.
Malaysia: Electricity Rates
CompetitiveMalaysia is surprised that Malaysia's electricity rates are higher than Taiwan's. “If such a high cost country in Taiwan able to keep their electricity rate low. There is no reason that Malaysia, a petroleum production country unable to do that.”
East Timor: Foreign Peace Force
Dili-gence reports that East Timor's President has requested for external help in dealing with the recurring violence in the country. The blogger also analyzes the various parties involved in the conflict.
Vietnam: A gift from Flickr
Our Man in Hanoi gets a surprise gift from the popular photosharing website Flickr.
Philippines: Portraits of young musicians
Sidney Snoeck has portraits of young “kalutang” musicians. The “kalutang” is a folk musical instrument made of two pieces of wood and originates from Marinduque province of Philippines.
Malaysia: Finding the Banned Movie
Brand New Malaysian finds that one can actually find the video CDs of the banned movie “Lelaki Komunis Terakhir”. The blogger also links to another post that has background information on Chin Peng. The movie features some of the places where Chin Peng lived in and operated from.
Cambodia: What caused Angkor's Fall?
Curzon at cominganarchy.com has a discussion on the latest thinking behind the collapse of the civilisation that built the Angkor monuments in Cambodia.
Philippines: Naughty Advertising
The Sassy Lawyer spots a footwear ad where the model's pose and attire overshadows the actual object meant to be advertised. The blogger asks “will they remember the woman, the plunging neckline and her spread legs and exposed thigh?”
Malaysia: Tution Classes
Nik Nazmi takes on the Malaysian obsession with tutions – the extra classes that students attend to get better scores in exams. “The reason the tuition culture is so much part of our society is easy to comprehend: our exam oriented system and the lackluster pay of being a teacher...
Indonesia: Jakarta Biennale 2006
Juliana has pictures from the Opening of Jakarta Biennale 2006.
Cambodia: Phnom Penh Alleyways
Mythicaldude wanders into the alleyways of Phnom Penh, the Cambodian Capital city. “These long and sometimes winding alleys host entire communities that are normally invisible from the main streets and from traffic. You gotta go there to see what's up.”
East Timor: People Whisperer
Tumbleweed has found the solution for recurring strife in East Timor. “Remember that Robert Redford movie “The Horse Whisperer” about a guy who tamed wild horses by connecting with them and gaining their trust? Perhaps we now need a few “People whisperer” here in this country – not the police,...
Thailand: Trouble in the South
Andrew Biggs writes about a north Thai school teacher who became a victim of religious divide in the deep south of Thailand. Most of Thailand is Buddhist while the southern provinces close to Malaysia have sizeable Muslim population. Religion based violence has flared up often in these areas in recent...
Indonesia: President Lets Off Former Leader
Indi at indirani,net writes why he will not vote for Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono again. Many Indonesians are disappointed that the president dropped corruption charged against ailing former leader Suharto.
Indonesia: Bali Weddings
Many foreign couples go to Bali to get married attracted by the traditional Hindu wedding ceremony. Indcoup warns that such a marriage may not be legal in the west. “You may think you’ve been married, but if you’ve only done the religious part, and the extremely complex bureaucratic procedures –...
