Opinion Archives - Page 35 of 45

Child abuse in all forms unacceptable: Poll

30Oct

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Child abuse in all forms unacceptable: Poll

Child abuse in all forms unacceptable: Poll Parents press for assurances their children are being cared for in a safe environment from the management of Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School in Nonthaburi on Monday, following the beating of kindergarteners by their carers. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill) A huge majority of people say abuse and maltreatment of children at schools is unacceptable and everyone should work together to prevent it, according to the result of a survey by the Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan Dusit Poll. The poll was conducted online Sept 29-Oct 2 on 1,896 people thoughout the country to compile their opinions on the reported abuse and maltreatment of children in the kindergarten and primary school levels in Nonthaburi and Bangkok. A majority of resp...

Xi’s ability to intimidate runs dry as China fails to subdue Indian troops at LAC

27Oct

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Xi’s ability to intimidate runs dry as China fails to subdue Indian troops at LAC

Gordon G Chang, a lawyer and commentator said that it is clear that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ability to intimidate anyone has significantly reduced after Beijing’s failure to tackle Indian troops on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).In an opinion article, Chang said, “the Chinese President has risked his future with the failed high-profile incursions of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into more areas of the LAC, the border between India and China”.“Xi is the architect of these aggressive moves into India and the Chinese troops have unexpectedly flopped. The failures of the Chinese Army at the LAC will have consequences and will give Xi an excuse to pick up the pace of replacing adversaries in the armed forces with loyal elements,” Chang said.However, these failures motivate Xi, who

India should take a stand on Tibet policy amid CCP’s aggression on the border: Experts

26Oct

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

India should take a stand on Tibet policy amid CCP’s aggression on the border: Experts

The Indian government must review the One China Policy and take a stand on Tibet as India’s future and values is intertwined with Tibet’s independence amid China’s aggressive actions on the border, said experts on the issue.On the eve of October 1st, when China was celebrating its National day, commemorating 71years of Communist Party rule, Indian security and strategic affairs think tank Usanas Foundation had organized a Webinar to bring the global attention to the forgotten Tibetan cause.The focus of the webinar was on the 'Tibet Policy and Support Act of 2019', its impact on the future course of the United States of America's policy directives towards Tibet, and the possible spillover effect on New Delhi's 'One China policy' and the Tibetan resistance movement.The U.S Bill will certainl

Madrassah education: A wrong reverse gear

25Oct

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Madrassah education: A wrong reverse gear

The knowledge imparted in Madrassah has been an important constituent of Islamic Education all over the world. This education has equally been a target of censure and critical appraisal from time to time. It has been argued that this type of education is structured to take the young minds back to more than 1500 years. The objective, according to strategic experts, is to land them back psychologically and emotionally in those very social and cultural settings that existed at that time.It is an interesting psychological, emotional and political game. The case studies reveal that terror tactics tethered with this type of education have produced radicalized cadres and their allies to either be engaged directly with the state in the armed conflicts or get involved with low key proxy wars. The e...

23Oct

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Rock-solid India-Bangladesh ties

Ever since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to power in Bangladesh in 2009, the Indian government headed by Narendra Modi has extended wholehearted support for Bangladesh for rebuilding its economy and its infrastructural development.In return, the Sheikh Hasina government has set a unique example of cooperation and reciprocation out of which the people of both countries would reap ample benefit. The transit, trans-shipment and building regional connectivity would immensely facilitate and promote trade, commerce and tourism.A number of issues, including the most critical and complex border problem, which had been hanging for about 40 years despite the inking of a treaty was resolved in an unprecedented bill passed in the Indian Parliament with unanimous support by all members of both the ...

India should unite with Taiwan, Japan to fight against CCP: Experts

14Oct

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

India should unite with Taiwan, Japan to fight against CCP: Experts

India has a major role to play in the world’s fight against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As a responsible and democratic country, India should join hands with countries like Taiwan and Japan to fight against the CCP together. It has already been too late and the world is paying the price, Vice President of Canadian Coalition Against Communism Sheng Xue said during a webinar which witnessed human rights defenders, scholars, and persecuted communities by China come together to launch the ‘Global Campaign for Democratic China’ on China Day.“All the countries around the world have been affected by the virus erupting in China and more than one million people have died. Many of us already know that this is the CCP virus. It has impacted all of our lives. The CCP virus has taken life, love,

‘Chairman Xi’ seeks only to purge and subjugate. That is his weakness

1Oct

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

‘Chairman Xi’ seeks only to purge and subjugate. That is his weakness

It’s often said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely – but does it also induce leaders to act in foolhardy, headstrong and ultimately self-destructive ways? Chinese history, is full of examples of omnipotent rulers whose unchecked behaviour led to disaster. Xi Jinping, China’s comrade-emperor, is a modern-day case in point. Xi seems to think he can do no wrong. As a result, not much is going right.Xi’s authoritarian, expansionist policies, pursued with increasing vehemence since he became communist party chief and president in 2012-13, have enveloped China in a ring of fire. Its borderlands are ablaze with conflict and confrontation from Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Tibet and the Himalayas in the north and west to Hong Kong, the South China Sea and Taiwan to the east.Ho

Is the Chinese shipbuilding industry going up in smoke?

26Sep

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Is the Chinese shipbuilding industry going up in smoke?

Amidst the tensions caused by the coronavirus outbreak, one image that recently caught global attention was the fire on board the PLA Navy’s latest Type 075 landing helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious ship.On the morning of 11 April 2020, the PLA Navy’s LHD caught fire, as smoke was observed coming out of rear hangar opening and lift near island superstructure. Within ten days, the damaged ship was painted to hide the black smoke marks on its superstructure and readied for the launch ceremony of PLA Navy’s second Type 075, on 22 April 2020. The intensity of smoke indicates a major fire which would have caused significant damage to the ship’s aft section, equipment and electrical cables, with resultant time penalties for their repair and replacement.The fire, while extinguished has rekindled t

25Sep

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Is Pakistan losing Riyadh?

“Pakistan can no longer wait … I respectfully remind the OIC (Organization of the Islamic Cooperation) once again that we are expecting a meeting of foreign ministers belonging to the member countries of the organization. If you cannot do it, I will be forced to ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to hold a meeting of Islamic countries ready to stand by us on the question of Kashmir,” said Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi during an interview.With an unprecedented externalization, Qureshi shattered a ten-year protocol of relations between Pakistan and the Saudi “big brother” and gave the launch of a series of speculations on the geopolitical order or re-order of the region.The Saudis did not take well the appeal of Qureshi which was seen as a real “sgarro” by the historical “younger

Is China losing faith in its own troops?

18Sep

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Is China losing faith in its own troops?

In August, a rather strange visit took place in the shadow of the Himalayas. Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister visited Tibet Military District and surrounding areas on August 14, and met with the top Communist Party official in Tibet, Wu Yingjie, as well as the chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government, Qizhala.Before commenting on the nature and implications of the visit, it is important to understand briefly the major reasons why politicians visit any province. Even in China which abhors conventional democratic politics, the mechanics of politics that equate to grabbing, and holding on to power, are the same.There are three major reasons why a politician may visit an area: if it is a campaign season, a home province or to motivate the local population during times of disas