This is rather tangential, since it is not about some academic or scholarly work, but one of the most touching books about Burma that I read about ten years ago, is “White Butterflies” by Colin McPhedran, an Australian. It is an autobiographical novel.
You are completely wrong about the news of dead tourists, or the death of long time ex-pats, being newsworthy events in Thailand. To quote Carl Sagan, “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”
As a case in point, last Wednesday a couple of long time foreign residents of Hua Hin (Dutch) were killed in a horrendous motorcycle accident. They were killed while attempting to cross the busy Petkasem Highway just north of the city limits, and the accident was quite traumatic because the large truck that struck their motorcycle threw their bodies tens of meters from the impact site. Did you read about it in any of the newspapers or online news sites you quoted? I certainly didn’t. I only found out on Friday from someone who knew them.
A couple of years ago a friend of mine had a friend who worked at the Russian Embassy in Bangkok. Her friend was constantly driving to Pattaya to handle the details of the deaths of Russian nationals, who she estimated was about three deaths a week. The most popular cause of death was falling, jumping, or being pushed from highrise apartment buildings. Are you telling me that 3 deaths of Russians a week in Pattaya are newsworthy? No, the simple answer is that this news is most likely being suppressed because it is bad for the tourist trade.
Another ad-hominem free comment from NM’s most revered expert on Malaysia. Why there isn’t a SOAS school in every ASEAN country named after this guy is completely beyond me.
The application of Latin American neo-Liberal ideological concepts to Malaysia, has as much use as trying to understand the life of Juan Peron, using the philosophy of Isma and Perkasa. “Laclauian” hegemony relates to the impact of the Peronistas on Argentina and is totally irrelevant to Malaysia, aside from the opportunity to appear well-read, by throwing in a fancy concept, hoping few would have knowledge of. Malaysia’s failures are rather simple to delineate, and do not need any reference to ideological sources from the other end of the Earth, perhaps with the single exception of the application of Dante Alighieri to a greater pre-mortem understanding of Tun Dr Mahathir.
Thanks for this. As a new PhD candidate, eventually making my paltry offering to the field, this is an interesting piece. I’m gratified to see your works are already residing in my Mendeley database 😉 .
Greg here’s some more history, raging below the surface.
E.Timor’s new PM is sworn in today. He comes from pro Integration royalty, son of an Apodeti founder and first Governor Arnaldo Araujo. Arnaldo, from Manutasi in Ainaro, raised livestock in Zumalai where he had a second wife, and family. In 75 Fretilin massacred his shepherds, and the pro Indonesian Liurai. Arnaldo’s other son Casimiro was murdered in another, better known Fretilin massacre in Aileu.
The handover of leadership is drenched in history, symolism, and dripping with blood. When Gusmao shakes Rui’s hand, a winner with bloodied hands is shaking hands with a victim.
The new PM isn’t ‘Fretilin’ Fretilin, cries of ‘opportunist’ and worse have haunted him for years. Gusmao has chosen a good man with no power base to be his new puppet.
As I have stated for the record, and Mr Trowell’s views are right on target, the Prosecution amended the charges to a more serious indictment with no basis; they deemd the Chemist and DNA evidence as both admissible into court and proof of Anwar’s guilt, when the DNA evidence was no more indicative of Anwar’s guilt than a Durian; they claimed the star witness, Saiful, was credible, when his credibility (even by Malaysian standards) was laughable; the Prosecution claimed that there was a chain of custody that was followed in the handling of forensic evidence; nothing could be further from the case as there was no chain of custody; the Prosecution claimed that the defence evidence was contrived or manipulated, a charge that I personally make regarding the Prosecution’s evidence; The Prosecution claims that the late Karpal Singh had himself accused Anwar of sodomy, which is patently false. Mr Abdullah of the Prosecution team claims Malaysia both has a 16-point match DNA standard, which is hilarious. No, Malaysia does not. Mr Abdullah claimed that the forensic services in Malaysia exceeded those in the UK and the US; possibly in 10,000 years, but no, not at this moment.
In regards the findings of the Prosecution team and the personal comments made by Mr Abdullah, the findings are not worth the paper they are written on, are all false, are lies, and are an embarrassment to what passes for judicial fairness and probity in Malaysia. As for Mr Abdullah’s ridiculous claims about the quality of forensic science in Malaysia, we have two Australians, one Englishman and one Indian, all forensic experts, damn the Prosecution evidence as basically bunk, and of no value. The claims regarding forensic scientific competency were already open to question by the mishandling of evidence by the State Chemist, and give the endless contradictory statement made by the State regarding bodily fluids, and the lack of any proper chain of custody to ensure biological evidence purity and forensic integrity, for Mr Abdullah to make such comments, smack of delusions of grandeur. The condition of the Forensic Sciences in Malaysia is not bad, but strongly needs quality control, ISO accreditation by an international forensic body (e.g., The American Academy of Forensic Sciences, which has many international members) and there needs to be a national auditing of all forensic labs in Malaysia immediately. To claim that Malaysia is on a par with the UK and US, in terms of forensic science quality, naturally leads to other questions regarding the intellectual quality of the judicial bench, the degree of their potential susceptibility to external political influence, and at a very basic level, their knowledge of the role of forensic evidence (both physical and biological) and witness testimony in the judicial arena; the evidence so far strongly suggests that expertise is very much wanting in Malaysia’s judicial system, including both the civil and Shari’a-based courts. The High Court, in particular, has inspired not confidence, in its conduct, but well-deserved derision in the application of sub-par legal standards to the determination of guilt or innocence of Anwar Ibrahim. In its failure to adjudicate Mr Ibrahim’s status as defendant, the courts in Malaysia have failed Mr Ibrahim, his family, his defence team, and all the people of Malaysia
The last case you refer to was even accepted by her family as an accidental death. The girl in question, Christina Hannersley, had posted about using different licit and illicit drugs, several of which were dangerous to use with alcohol, which she was also using. She was also suffering from some health issues and was on antibiotics.
2. I can’t address the six disappearances and five murders since you don’t supply any details, as is typical.
3. As for your ridiculous claim that it is very hard to find news of dead tourists making it out of Thailand, the Bangkok Post is listed near the top of the list when you Google this girl’s death. A farang can barely stub his toe here without it making the news. I read the Thai periodicals (Thai Rath, Daily News, Matichon, etc.) and they fully cover deaths of farangs in tourist areas, providing great detail right down to the names and ranks of the cops attending the crime, the emergency personnel attending, etc. & etc. along with slightly blurred photos of the dead. Tourist deaths are huge news here and are covered in both the print and televised media whenever they occur.
New Mandala readers may also want to read this article which provides Mark Trowell’s views. Mark observed the trial on behalf of Inter-Parliamentary Union, LAWASIA and the Law Council of Australia.
First economic determinism next a technological fix. Typically woolly middle-class notion of ostensibly no political direction but the dictatorship of the market. Perhaps even a touch of the terrorism of technology? A cultural conditioning that is hardly surprising if ‘party politics’ is what you mean by politics, after all merely a slave to the ideology of the market or otherwise.
“No plan beyond regime change” also a rather tiresome and tired old argument in the defence of the ancien regime and status quo by its apologists. Chance would be a fine thing.
ASEAN leaders, Indonesian included have no balls to face China. That’s the reason why they dare not to intervene in South China Sea dispute. ASEAN has no solidarity whatsoever! Vietnam, Philippines, and others being bullied by China, but ASEAN members or ASEAN as whole are silent about the problem. It is such a shame!
1. Dr Brian Leslie McDonald from Sydney, Australia: Director, DNA Consults and Molecular Genetics for the Sonic Clinical Institute.
2. Associate Professor David Lawrence Noel Wells from Melbourne, Australia: Division Head (Clinicial Foreign Medicine) of the Victoria Institute of Forensic Medicine.
3. Prof Dr C. Damodaran from Chennai, India. http://www.truthlabs.org/regionaloffices.php
4. Prof Sir Alec Jeffreys, DNA expert, Professor of Genetics, University of Leicester, UK (observer).
You will find their assessments in local and foreign press at/around the time and the
conclusion of the initial trial. Original
judicial forensic findings are always sealed.
Dr Brian Leslie McDonald from Sydney, Australia, and two forensic experts, Prof Dr C. Damodaran from Chennai, India and Associate Professor David Lawrence Noel Wells from Melbourne, Australia. These are
several of the scientists hired as expert witnesses. I believe a FS from the University of Leicester attended the trial as well. Their general assessments are only available in the press; court testimony is not a matter of public record and you would not be permitted access to either Defence or Prosecution expert witness court testimony, since you are not an attorney for the Government or for Mr Anwar. You might also consult Hon Karpal Singh, had he been alive. I doubt he or Hon Surendran, would provide you any court testimony anyway, which is illegal. Therefore, you must examine press coverage at the time, as I doubt even the scientists would release their findings to you. Note local press coverage is usually
inaccurate and biased, if it is Utusan.
However, foreign press from Australia, UK and US did provide the scientists opinions
about the evidence (as did the local press).
It has never been fair to view/measure ASEAN HR with HR defined by the West.
All the western democracy that used to dominate the UN, now being out voted, have a long viable economy without having exploited for centuries by other.
WHile being exploiter of almost all ASEAN countries directly through colonial means or indirectly through the Cold war policy.
Should have ‘no say’ in the approach in ASEAN HR.
Even though a good “end example” as HR the west need to realize the situations in toto base on history must be to “SWAY” individual less than desirable ASEAN countries HR factors.
Until then, can not and should not assume any morally righteous position to chastise anyone.
The west with the white horsed moral mentality should be glad that most ASEAN countries has not descended to ‘fail states’ as similar one in Africa due to same exploitation and abuses to ASEAN countries.
Therefor get off the white horse and start involving in the fundamentals to alleviate “Poverty”,which the west is the major culprit. A good example is Japan approach to Myanmar even in the darkest days of SPDC HR violation.
A religious war is brewing with ASEAN in the balance b/t the west and Middle east.
Anyone in Myanmar is aware of the coming storm. The west better cultivate good relation with the Buddhist countries instead of blind vilification due to a few bad apple.
Instead of appeasing a belief that everyone not accepting deserve unspeakable acts making a quick dead welcoming.
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Burma/Myanmar: Bibliographic trends
This is rather tangential, since it is not about some academic or scholarly work, but one of the most touching books about Burma that I read about ten years ago, is “White Butterflies” by Colin McPhedran, an Australian. It is an autobiographical novel.
Koh Tao trial another litmus test
You are completely wrong about the news of dead tourists, or the death of long time ex-pats, being newsworthy events in Thailand. To quote Carl Sagan, “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”
As a case in point, last Wednesday a couple of long time foreign residents of Hua Hin (Dutch) were killed in a horrendous motorcycle accident. They were killed while attempting to cross the busy Petkasem Highway just north of the city limits, and the accident was quite traumatic because the large truck that struck their motorcycle threw their bodies tens of meters from the impact site. Did you read about it in any of the newspapers or online news sites you quoted? I certainly didn’t. I only found out on Friday from someone who knew them.
A couple of years ago a friend of mine had a friend who worked at the Russian Embassy in Bangkok. Her friend was constantly driving to Pattaya to handle the details of the deaths of Russian nationals, who she estimated was about three deaths a week. The most popular cause of death was falling, jumping, or being pushed from highrise apartment buildings. Are you telling me that 3 deaths of Russians a week in Pattaya are newsworthy? No, the simple answer is that this news is most likely being suppressed because it is bad for the tourist trade.
Laclau and Malaysia’s empty signifiers
Another ad-hominem free comment from NM’s most revered expert on Malaysia. Why there isn’t a SOAS school in every ASEAN country named after this guy is completely beyond me.
Laclau and Malaysia’s empty signifiers
The application of Latin American neo-Liberal ideological concepts to Malaysia, has as much use as trying to understand the life of Juan Peron, using the philosophy of Isma and Perkasa. “Laclauian” hegemony relates to the impact of the Peronistas on Argentina and is totally irrelevant to Malaysia, aside from the opportunity to appear well-read, by throwing in a fancy concept, hoping few would have knowledge of. Malaysia’s failures are rather simple to delineate, and do not need any reference to ideological sources from the other end of the Earth, perhaps with the single exception of the application of Dante Alighieri to a greater pre-mortem understanding of Tun Dr Mahathir.
Remembering “Tok Guru”
So much knowledge in such a small frame..
“Kekayaan tidak dinilai daripada banyaknya harta tetapi kaya jiwa.” (Tok Guru)
“┘Д╪з ╪к┘В╪з╪│ ╪з┘Д╪л╪▒┘И╪й ┘Е┘Ж ╪о┘Д╪з┘Д ┘И┘Б╪▒╪й ┘Е┘Ж ╪з┘Д╪г╪┤┘К╪з╪б ╪з┘Д┘Е╪з╪п┘К╪й╪М ┘И┘Д┘Г┘Ж ╪║┘Ж┘Й ╪з┘Д┘Ж┘Б╪│” (Tok Guru)
“Wealth is not measured from the abundance of material things, but the richness of the soul” (Tok Guru)
http://www.blogtokguru.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/TGBersih1.jpg
╪м╪▓╪з┘Г┘Е ╪з┘Д┘Д┘З ╪п╪з╪ж┘Е╪з ╪н┘Е╪з┘К╪й ┘И╪▒╪╣╪з┘К╪й ╪▒┘И╪н┘Г╪М ╪в┘Е┘К┘Ж ….
Burma/Myanmar: Bibliographic trends
Thanks for this. As a new PhD candidate, eventually making my paltry offering to the field, this is an interesting piece. I’m gratified to see your works are already residing in my Mendeley database 😉 .
A rage against history
Greg here’s some more history, raging below the surface.
E.Timor’s new PM is sworn in today. He comes from pro Integration royalty, son of an Apodeti founder and first Governor Arnaldo Araujo. Arnaldo, from Manutasi in Ainaro, raised livestock in Zumalai where he had a second wife, and family. In 75 Fretilin massacred his shepherds, and the pro Indonesian Liurai. Arnaldo’s other son Casimiro was murdered in another, better known Fretilin massacre in Aileu.
The handover of leadership is drenched in history, symolism, and dripping with blood. When Gusmao shakes Rui’s hand, a winner with bloodied hands is shaking hands with a victim.
The new PM isn’t ‘Fretilin’ Fretilin, cries of ‘opportunist’ and worse have haunted him for years. Gusmao has chosen a good man with no power base to be his new puppet.
Life after Anwar
As I have stated for the record, and Mr Trowell’s views are right on target, the Prosecution amended the charges to a more serious indictment with no basis; they deemd the Chemist and DNA evidence as both admissible into court and proof of Anwar’s guilt, when the DNA evidence was no more indicative of Anwar’s guilt than a Durian; they claimed the star witness, Saiful, was credible, when his credibility (even by Malaysian standards) was laughable; the Prosecution claimed that there was a chain of custody that was followed in the handling of forensic evidence; nothing could be further from the case as there was no chain of custody; the Prosecution claimed that the defence evidence was contrived or manipulated, a charge that I personally make regarding the Prosecution’s evidence; The Prosecution claims that the late Karpal Singh had himself accused Anwar of sodomy, which is patently false. Mr Abdullah of the Prosecution team claims Malaysia both has a 16-point match DNA standard, which is hilarious. No, Malaysia does not. Mr Abdullah claimed that the forensic services in Malaysia exceeded those in the UK and the US; possibly in 10,000 years, but no, not at this moment.
In regards the findings of the Prosecution team and the personal comments made by Mr Abdullah, the findings are not worth the paper they are written on, are all false, are lies, and are an embarrassment to what passes for judicial fairness and probity in Malaysia. As for Mr Abdullah’s ridiculous claims about the quality of forensic science in Malaysia, we have two Australians, one Englishman and one Indian, all forensic experts, damn the Prosecution evidence as basically bunk, and of no value. The claims regarding forensic scientific competency were already open to question by the mishandling of evidence by the State Chemist, and give the endless contradictory statement made by the State regarding bodily fluids, and the lack of any proper chain of custody to ensure biological evidence purity and forensic integrity, for Mr Abdullah to make such comments, smack of delusions of grandeur. The condition of the Forensic Sciences in Malaysia is not bad, but strongly needs quality control, ISO accreditation by an international forensic body (e.g., The American Academy of Forensic Sciences, which has many international members) and there needs to be a national auditing of all forensic labs in Malaysia immediately. To claim that Malaysia is on a par with the UK and US, in terms of forensic science quality, naturally leads to other questions regarding the intellectual quality of the judicial bench, the degree of their potential susceptibility to external political influence, and at a very basic level, their knowledge of the role of forensic evidence (both physical and biological) and witness testimony in the judicial arena; the evidence so far strongly suggests that expertise is very much wanting in Malaysia’s judicial system, including both the civil and Shari’a-based courts. The High Court, in particular, has inspired not confidence, in its conduct, but well-deserved derision in the application of sub-par legal standards to the determination of guilt or innocence of Anwar Ibrahim. In its failure to adjudicate Mr Ibrahim’s status as defendant, the courts in Malaysia have failed Mr Ibrahim, his family, his defence team, and all the people of Malaysia
Koh Tao trial another litmus test
Let me unpack some of your nonsense F31-
The last case you refer to was even accepted by her family as an accidental death. The girl in question, Christina Hannersley, had posted about using different licit and illicit drugs, several of which were dangerous to use with alcohol, which she was also using. She was also suffering from some health issues and was on antibiotics.
2. I can’t address the six disappearances and five murders since you don’t supply any details, as is typical.
3. As for your ridiculous claim that it is very hard to find news of dead tourists making it out of Thailand, the Bangkok Post is listed near the top of the list when you Google this girl’s death. A farang can barely stub his toe here without it making the news. I read the Thai periodicals (Thai Rath, Daily News, Matichon, etc.) and they fully cover deaths of farangs in tourist areas, providing great detail right down to the names and ranks of the cops attending the crime, the emergency personnel attending, etc. & etc. along with slightly blurred photos of the dead. Tourist deaths are huge news here and are covered in both the print and televised media whenever they occur.
Life after Anwar
New Mandala readers may also want to read this article which provides Mark Trowell’s views. Mark observed the trial on behalf of Inter-Parliamentary Union, LAWASIA and the Law Council of Australia.
– See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/senior-aussie-lawyer-says-judges-in-anwar-trial-ignored-evidence#sthash.Bm7ruwXu.dpuf
Political prisoners still languishing in Burma
First economic determinism next a technological fix. Typically woolly middle-class notion of ostensibly no political direction but the dictatorship of the market. Perhaps even a touch of the terrorism of technology? A cultural conditioning that is hardly surprising if ‘party politics’ is what you mean by politics, after all merely a slave to the ideology of the market or otherwise.
“No plan beyond regime change” also a rather tiresome and tired old argument in the defence of the ancien regime and status quo by its apologists. Chance would be a fine thing.
Life after Anwar
Hi Peter, insightful comment!
Life after Anwar
[…] John Funston, Guest Contributor New Mandala 12 February 2015 […]
SBY’s mixed legacy
ASEAN leaders, Indonesian included have no balls to face China. That’s the reason why they dare not to intervene in South China Sea dispute. ASEAN has no solidarity whatsoever! Vietnam, Philippines, and others being bullied by China, but ASEAN members or ASEAN as whole are silent about the problem. It is such a shame!
Life after Anwar
Mr Ali:
1. Dr Brian Leslie McDonald from Sydney, Australia: Director, DNA Consults and Molecular Genetics for the Sonic Clinical Institute.
2. Associate Professor David Lawrence Noel Wells from Melbourne, Australia: Division Head (Clinicial Foreign Medicine) of the Victoria Institute of Forensic Medicine.
3. Prof Dr C. Damodaran from Chennai, India.
http://www.truthlabs.org/regionaloffices.php
4. Prof Sir Alec Jeffreys, DNA expert, Professor of Genetics, University of Leicester, UK (observer).
You will find their assessments in local and foreign press at/around the time and the
conclusion of the initial trial. Original
judicial forensic findings are always sealed.
Life after Anwar
Mr Ali,
Dr Brian Leslie McDonald from Sydney, Australia, and two forensic experts, Prof Dr C. Damodaran from Chennai, India and Associate Professor David Lawrence Noel Wells from Melbourne, Australia. These are
several of the scientists hired as expert witnesses. I believe a FS from the University of Leicester attended the trial as well. Their general assessments are only available in the press; court testimony is not a matter of public record and you would not be permitted access to either Defence or Prosecution expert witness court testimony, since you are not an attorney for the Government or for Mr Anwar. You might also consult Hon Karpal Singh, had he been alive. I doubt he or Hon Surendran, would provide you any court testimony anyway, which is illegal. Therefore, you must examine press coverage at the time, as I doubt even the scientists would release their findings to you. Note local press coverage is usually
inaccurate and biased, if it is Utusan.
However, foreign press from Australia, UK and US did provide the scientists opinions
about the evidence (as did the local press).
Life after Anwar
Peter, who are these British and Australian forensic scientists you refer to? Would love to read their assessment of the scientific evidence
Democratic values and human rights in ASEAN
It has never been fair to view/measure ASEAN HR with HR defined by the West.
All the western democracy that used to dominate the UN, now being out voted, have a long viable economy without having exploited for centuries by other.
WHile being exploiter of almost all ASEAN countries directly through colonial means or indirectly through the Cold war policy.
Should have ‘no say’ in the approach in ASEAN HR.
Even though a good “end example” as HR the west need to realize the situations in toto base on history must be to “SWAY” individual less than desirable ASEAN countries HR factors.
Until then, can not and should not assume any morally righteous position to chastise anyone.
The west with the white horsed moral mentality should be glad that most ASEAN countries has not descended to ‘fail states’ as similar one in Africa due to same exploitation and abuses to ASEAN countries.
Therefor get off the white horse and start involving in the fundamentals to alleviate “Poverty”,which the west is the major culprit. A good example is Japan approach to Myanmar even in the darkest days of SPDC HR violation.
A religious war is brewing with ASEAN in the balance b/t the west and Middle east.
Anyone in Myanmar is aware of the coming storm. The west better cultivate good relation with the Buddhist countries instead of blind vilification due to a few bad apple.
Instead of appeasing a belief that everyone not accepting deserve unspeakable acts making a quick dead welcoming.
Nik Aziz Nik Mat
So, when ambitious politcal figures have a spot of bother Australian academics and activists work themselves into a lather, when little guys like blogger Milosuam get sentenced to two years jail, yaaaawn, ignore, who cares. http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/blogger-found-guilty-of-causing-fear-during-sabahs-sulu-intrusion
Reality check on Islam, Buddhism in Myanmar
“Trying very hard to paint a religion rather than the faux followers of Buddha.”
Congratulations! Now you know how it feels like to be a Muslim. 🙂