talkpolitics | Entries tagged with south asia

Dipshitty dipshits keeping on doing dipshitty stuff.

Influencers 'new' threat to uncontacted tribes, warns group after US tourist arrest

Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, allegedly landed on North Sentinel Island in an apparent attempt to make contact with the isolated Sentinelese tribe, filming his visit and leaving a can of coke and a coconut on the shore.
.....Mr Polyakov blew a whistle off the shore of the island in a bid to attract the attention of the tribe for about an hour.
He then landed for about five minutes, leaving his offerings, collecting samples and recording a video.
It is illegal for foreigners or Indians to travel within 5km (three miles) of the islands in order to protect the people living there.
......such visits pose a threat to a community which has no immunity to outside diseases.

Or hey, maybe you can contract something from there and bring it back to the rest of the planet! Wait... nevermind that.
In November 2018, John Allen Chau, also a US national, was killed by the tribe after visiting the same island.
Mr Chau was shot with bows and arrows upon landing:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46293221

That's part of a wider problem of course. Influencers are having to engage in more and more outrageous activities to attract attention. As a result one has been shot, several have fallen off cliffs and many have suffered well deserved punches to the face. There have been some high profile arrests as well including in Asia where some countries have strict laws against causing offence.

A 'click' is a powerful thing. Seems it's like social media heroin.

airiefairie.livejournal.com

She says she does not hate the Taliban who shot her almost to death. She says that even if he stood in front of her right now and she had a gun in hand, she would not have shot at him in retaliation. This is the sort of mercy, forgiving and compassion that we learn from Muhammad, Jesus Christ, Buddha, she argues. Indeed, strong words of reconciliation and dialogue coming from a fragile teenage girl. She pronounced them at the youth UN summit last year. And even though she was nominated even then, Malala Yousafzai had to wait for another year to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. But when she finally was, it was well earned. Perhaps much more deserved than many of her predecessors.

( Read more... )

rick-day.livejournal.com

Nepal is a major area of commerce and culture. It is one of the emerging superpowers. The only thing keeping them from soaring over the Big White Mountains is their own hubris. And Commies. Wait, what? You have no idea what is going on in Sherpaville?

( Allow me to elaborate.... )
Kathmandu is abuzz with the possibilities that, after decades of strive and conflict, a coalition government has been formed as a result of last month's election on the subject.

A pretty flag o freedom to moisten this dry post

With the Liberal party whupping the Maoists in the election, the people of the High Altitudes have spoken, and demanded stability.

However...ego!( It's always about the ego )

Shocked by the poor results, the Maoists have announced an assembly boycott, alleging that the vote was rigged and calling for an independent committee to investigate election irregularities.

“But this just seems to be a natural reaction of a party that is still struggling to digest defeat,” said Narayan Wagle, former editor-in-chief of Nagarik, a daily newspaper. “The main problem is that political parties will again have to cooperate to form a new government and also to draw up a new constitution. Our coalition culture is very poor.”

And here is the link to that statement to verify its accuracy, as required.

Apparently, the Maoists have been 'insulted' by their mere 80 seats in the assembly, and the fear is that in their tantrum, no peace will emerge.
According to spiffy timeline, there was in 2006 a peace signed, the Maoists rebels disarmed (under U.N. oversight). They then compete in national elections. Shockingly, the Maoists 2 yrs later damn near swept elections. This led to the abolition of the 200 plus-year-old kingship.

The Maoists initially took power in the world's newest republic, in the high-altitude shadow of Mount Everest. Eight months later the Maoists abruptly quit in a dispute over a decision to fire the army chief. Ego!

Plot twist: Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal, that finished fourth with 23 seats in the assembly was the surprise winner with 40 seats up from a few. Go Team Hindi!

Sometimes I wonder about aggressive people similar to the Nepalese Maoists who always seem to have their finger on a trigger because they only want it their way. No room for compromise, no room for tolerance formatting errors or other's silly ideas. My opinion?( cut for opinion )
So I guess the Maoists, who have already compromise to hell and back (see spiffy timeline) now have two choices, acquiesce and be assimilated into irrelevancy (bend over and take it) or to continue to demand that their position be respected, no matter how crazy others think it is, and continue the chaos?

Tough call. What do you think Nepal can do to help the bruised egos of the Maoists, save face, and move forward in some lurch of unity? The alternative is simply unacceptable.

underlankers.livejournal.com

Evidently people in the United States have learned nothing from the last time a bunch of butthurt reactionaries tried to ragequit the United States after losing an election they made a lousy job of contesting:

( A global link poutpourri )

So there you have it, a broad poutpourri of the news of the present. Much of this is a repeat of what has gone before, leading to a simple question here: why is it that so much of what's already been seen keeps repeating itself? Haiti having another food crisis is easy to foresee, its infrastructure was already poor enough before the big earthquake and then damaged worse and the storm making it worse is no help. The European riots are a "Do you actually have an alternative? If not, stop that shit you're not helping" thing to me, and Israel playing the USA against Hamas's Al-Qaeda is a 'ho-hum' thing. I do, however, find it heavily ironic that people in the United States are once again so butthurt over losing an election they actually want to walk out. Then again, this is a country where people genuinely think the Devil made dinosaurs to offend the faith of Christians, so yeah. Ultimately I think what these stories show also is that some issues have deep roots, and that where multiple crises in a short time happen, the roots are unaffected and events repeat themselves, while elsewhere people learn nothing from the past and damn themselves to repeat it.

dv8nation.livejournal.com

So President Obama has come out in favor of giving India a seat on the UN Security Council. I for one really support this.

India certainly fits what one would expect from a Council member and as the world's largest democracy I think they provide a nice counter-balance to China. Also, we're talking about the only other nation that can claim 1/6th of the human race. Yes, Pakistan isn't too happy about the idea but nukes or not they don't have enough weight politically to shoot this down. So culturally, politically and economically adding India to the Council seems like a great decision to me.

Thoughts?

Mood: relaxed
Location: United States, Indiana, South Bend
Music: "Cool Water" by Johnny Cash

pmax3.livejournal.com

The past couple of months have seen an increase in the frequency, intensity and criminality of attacks by maoist insurgents in India. The news coverage has increasingly been dominated by the threat it poses to internal security, with the home minister calling it India's biggest internal security threat. There have been calls to deploy the army and even the airforce to finish off the Maoists. Civil rights proponents vehemently oppose this for obvious reasons. The Army and the Air Force on their part are extremely reluctant to get involved, citing both the current engagements and legal complications for the forces as reasons. In the midst of all this, what has finally been laid to rest are any pretensions of the Maoists being a legitimate force employing legitimate tactics in a just cause.

The Indian government meanwhile tries to fend of allegations of being weak and indecisive amidst obvious differences between ministers on the "softness" or "hardness" of the approach to take. The gaping Red Corridor swathing across India's east is giving those in power sleepless nights, despite successes against the insurgency in some states. The issues involved are many, ranging from economic inequality, to historical tribal mindsets, to inadequate police preparedness amidst policy inconsistencies. Whether the right lessons are learnt and a holistic, well thought out assault can be launched will determine in many ways whether India can get its undertaking of inclusive development off the ground.

( Short chronology and views )

pmax3.livejournal.com

Hello dear friends,

We participate in forums such as this one for various reasons. One reason is exchanging ideas with people who think differently from us and getting enriched in the process. Another reason is to find an entertaining yet intellectual diversion from our daily humdrum. But at least one important reason is that we believe in the possibility of a better future. We discuss politics because we hold hope that things can work out for the best.

So as the new year approaches, I invite all of you to think about an issue or issues close to your heart, and share with the rest of us how you think a best case scenario regarding that issue might play out.

To give a very brief example, for peace in South Asia, I might hope that authorities in Pakistan will sincerely work to bring the perpetrators of November 2008 Mumbai attacks to justice. That such justice will improve Pakistan's credibility for fighting terror and allow the Indian government to resume talks. in the meanwhile, India's law enforcement will be able to get its act together and prevent more terrorist attacks..

The more realistic (but still optimistic) and detailed your scenarios are, the better it would be.

Thanks!

underlankers.livejournal.com

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8321329.stm

The Bengali government has outlawed an Islamist party, but one which was entirely without any involvement in terrorism. My feelings on this are mixed. There are Communists who have risen to power by peaceful means and proven to be willing to govern in a civilized fashion (see: Kerala, India). Most Communists took power in the mindset of a state of siege. With Islamists, there has been no occasion of a nationalist-type Islamist movement like this taking charge peacefully, and outlawing this movement may very well drive it to terrorism. And am I enthusiastic about a move like this taken in one of the world's largest Muslim countries? Not hardly.

I do not think that outlawing this particular movement was a wise move on the part of Bengali authorities. In fact, I have a bad feeling that's going to backfire horribly. What do others here think?

rainbowrawsugar.livejournal.com

Holy crap a system that actually works with doctors that care about their patients.

Yes, I am aware that it's centralized in a country that has a seriously lower average income rate than American does but it's a prime example of a(n) almost flawless Government Run Health Care system that functions highly on Supply and Demand.

But if we incorporated something like this- How would the doctors feel?

If anything- it's a good read.

How I got well in India for $50

Thoughts?

gunslnger.livejournal.com

Tamil Tiger leaders were shot 'while trying to surrender'

They were unarmed and carrying white flags and were called on by the officers of the 58th division to come forward for discussions. When they complied they were both shot and killed."

Obviously, some will be happy about this and others not so much. Will this help speed the end of the fighting or make it start up again?

underlankers.livejournal.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090514/ap_on_re_as/as_sri_lanka_civil_war;_ylt=Apqx_H8O9WB79epqxkB3cKhvaA8F

Presuming the Sinhalese manage this right, they might actually end this ethnic war. Not sure if this is necessarily going to be a pleasant end, but any limit on the endless violence that mars parts of the world is a good one.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=ed4bb249-5980-42e1-83b8-4ae233db2127&Headline=Political+crisis+in+Nepal+shows+signs+of+easing

For once the Commies are trying to negotiate in terms of power instead of doing what totalitarian movements do. Good on the CPN.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=a3fOpnohjVL4

Japan and Russia may negotiate a deal to harness Siberian oil fields. That's better than shooting at each other, I guess....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090514/wl_nm/us_japan_politics_1

The Japanese parliamentary election is heating up.....

And lastly....SE Asia...

http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/21867/84/

The Perak controversy appears to be veering to a solution.

How do you like them apples? A post that's chock-full of links, and not one focusing on the US distraction issue of the day! ^. -

Edit-The point I wanted to make is one for each article:

1) How do you foresee the Tamil-Sinhalese war ending?

2) Will the Communist Party of Nepal end up acting like other Maoist regimes? Or will its more-or-less peaceful rise to power avert that?

3) How important will Siberia be until (if) we switch to our alternative form of energy?

4) Who do you support in the Japanese parliamentary race?

5) How do you see the Perak controversy being resolved? Bribery or murder?

Mood: geeky

underlankers.livejournal.com

( text )

edgar-beans.livejournal.com

By Wije Dias
4 March 2009

Sri Lanka's Sunday Times has revealed plans for a US-led military mission into the island's northern war zone in the guise of evacuating civilians trapped by intense fighting between the army and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

According to the newspaper, the task would be carried out by a Marine Expeditionary Brigade attached to the US Pacific Command (PACOM). The US Navy and Air Force would also be involved. The newspaper reported in its initial article on February 22 that a high-level PACOM team was in Colombo to pave the way for the operation.
( Read more )

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Talk politics.

A place to discuss politics without egomaniacal mods.

Entries tagged with south asia

Friday WTF: Can we just start taking some people's internet away?

Two perfect ambassadors of peace

Is there a chance for peace in Nepal?

Here we go again:

A Seat At the Big Table

Maoist insurgency in India - recent developments

A hopeful post

Interesting......

India's Functional Goverment Run Health Care System.

Now for something completely different...

So.....Asia news update thread (X-posted to mine own LJ)....

Commies and Rebels and Armies, Oh My!

US plans for military intervention in Sri Lanka

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June 2025

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