Opinion Archives - Page 40 of 45

Thailand unlikely to join CPTPP pact this year

1Aug

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Thailand unlikely to join CPTPP pact this year

Thailand unlikely to join CPTPP pact this year Containers are moved at Laem Chabang port, Chon Buri province, in September 2019. (Bangkok Post file photo) Thailand will take until September to study whether to join a trans-Pacific free trade agreement, potentially missing a window for entry this year amid widespread concern that joining the pact may harm its farm and healthcare sectors. The Commerce ministry has said joining the 11-member Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) would boost the country's economy and offset the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, while making sectors including electronics and agriculture more competitive against rivals like Vietnam and Malaysia, both CPTPP members. Opposition parties and some civil groups oppose memb...

Kashmiri Pandits slam demand for restoration of J&K’s special status

31Jul

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Kashmiri Pandits slam demand for restoration of J&K’s special status

Displaced Kashmiri Pandits of India have slammed the demand for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and statehood, raised by an organization called Reconciliation, Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrant Kashmiris, saying that the demand gives a false impression that Kashmiri Pandits are against the abrogation of Article 370.The Kashmiri Pandits have claimed that the organization, headed by Satish Mahaldar, did not represent displaced Kashmiri Pandits and was backed by Hurriyat Conference, a group of Kashmiri separatist parties.On July 27, Satish Mahaldar had said that a state has never been downgraded and this is not done in a democracy. Mahaldar had demanded the restoration of the statehood and special status provided to Jammu and Kashmir under the original Article 370.Res...

Science journals: China’s new tool in the South China Sea disputes

30Jul

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Science journals: China’s new tool in the South China Sea disputes

In the South China Sea, China has not only attempted to change facts on the ground but is also seeking to gradually change the world’s mind regarding its claims there.The nine-dash line, which we usually see in the maps, is a representation of China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea. The line itself is a collection of arbitrary dashes or dots without specific coordinates and China has not given any explanations regarding its precise delimitation or legal origin.Even though China’s claims of the nine-dash line has been openly rejected by Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, the United States, and more importantly, the arbitral award of the South China Sea tribunal in July 2016, the Communist party has disregarded the ruling and insists on its claims.Taking advantage of the fact that

Pakistan’s information war campaign against India needs attention

30Jul

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Pakistan’s information war campaign against India needs attention

Pakistan’s vicious information war campaign against India has been triggered by three incidents: The Balakot attack of February 2019, the return of the BJP government in the May 2019 elections and the August 2019 revision of Article 370.Pakistan’s longstanding assumption that the nuclear equivalence guaranteed that India would not retaliate against terrorist attacks was demolished by Balakot. The return of the BJP government to Centre signaled that India would continue to follow a muscular policy for the next five years. The abrogation of Article 370 demolished the centerpiece of Pakistan’s nationalism — “Kashmir banega Pakistan” (Kashmir will be Pakistan) — and raised apprehensions about India’s plans for Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK).These developments have forced Pakistan t

China weakening governments in neighborhood: US embassy in Myanmar

28Jul

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

China weakening governments in neighborhood: US embassy in Myanmar

For the first time, the US embassy in Myanmar has called out China saying that the latter’s actions in the South China Sea and Hong Kong part of a "larger pattern to undermine the sovereignty of its neighbors".Though the embassy did not specifically mention the recent China-India standoff in eastern Ladakh, Indo-Pacific region experts are of the opinion that the embassy’s statement also aimed at PLA’s actions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).The Trump administration recently outlined its policy on rules-based order in the South China Sea, a move that many viewed as its strongest message so far to China on its activities in in the region.In a guest column titled ‘How the Erosion of Sovereignty Elsewhere Impacts Myanmar at Home’, chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Myanmar George N

28Jul

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Where is Ehsanullah?

It was in January when the former spokesman of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Ehsanullah Ehsan engineered an ‘escape’ from the security agencies’ custody, but until now, there seems to be no effort to recapture him In fact, the government has barely mentioned him at all except to confirm his flight, which Pakistan’s Interior Minister Ijaz Shah did in the most offhand, cursory manner during a chat with journalists.Meanwhile, Ehsan, does not appear to have opted for a low profile. A Twitter account reportedly used by him has been fairly active. Among the more disturbing recent tweets from this account is a death threat against PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, saying that the latter would meet the same fate as his mother, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.On July 17, the P

27Jul

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Hegemony, not territory is China’s goal

China’s incessant aggressive behaviour in recent times have been raising question. It is fighting with India in the highlands of Ladakh. It has introduced a new security law for Hong Kong that eliminates basic civil rights. Chinese military jets are flying into Taiwan’s air defense space. It has raised a border conflict with Bhutan in a specific area. The sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat in the South China Sea. It is caught up in territorial disputes in the same maritime area with not only Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia but also Indonesia. China is also meddling in Australia’s domestic politics, for the first time giving rise to critical voices against China in a country which until now has been extremely reluctant to criticize its most important trading partner.Is China shootin

26Jul

By Desk TeamNo Comments

PM must learn to turn other cheek

PM must learn to turn other cheek After six years in office and having earned the unenviable reputation of being an "angry pot" for his occasionally unprovoked outbursts at Government House reporters, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha might have thought it was about time for him to change tack and reach out to media outlets that he didn't appear to admire. Last week, the prime minister, accompanied by a small team of aides, visited several print media offices, including the Bangkok Post, Post Today, Thai Rath, Daily News, Naew Na and the Matichon Group among others. The media tour was said to be a part of the "new normal" way of working where the prime minister engages with society and exchanges opinions on how to move Thailand forward and, under the present circumstances in the wake of ...

25Jul

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

So many questions

For the nth time, Prime Minister Imran Khan was seen inaugurating the Bhasha Dam with the COAS and Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence in attendance. Now, since there is no urgent national security threat prompting them to be seen together to fortify the nation, we can only infer that they are signaling their continued resolve to remain on the “same page” amidst renewed rumours of an impending Minus-1 change in the political scenario. Therefore, it become pertinent to address a host of serious questions about governance and accountability not just to the handsome PM but also to the two powerful gentlemen.Why is the corruption inquiry against the PTI Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government in the BRT, Malam Jabba and Billion Tree Plantation cases not being vigorously pursued by NAB when i

Under pressure, expansionist China begins to wilt

23Jul

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Under pressure, expansionist China begins to wilt

China’s has brazenly challenged Japan in the East China Sea, grabbed territory in the South China Sea, laid claims to Indonesian islands 1500 kms away and encroached upon territory in eastern Ladakh. It has repeatedly threatened Taiwan with invasion, throttled democratic rights in Hong Kong, and threatened Australia with economic retribution and cyber-attacks.For the first time, the Quad, in a concrete show of solidarity, reacted with alacrity to the Dragon’s unethical and premeditated expansionist agenda.The US dispatched two modern aircraft carrier battle groups to the SCS area. It agreed to supply more sophisticated weapons and equipment to Taiwan. In continuation of the reciprocal trade war, the US raised the stakes for the Chinese by taking effective steps at ‘de-coupling’ in sensitiv