Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Director Amir seeks to lift ban on history film

While director Amir Muhammad has written to Home Affairs Ministry's film censorship division to respond to the ban of Apa Khabar, Orang Kampung, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Rais Yatim also reportedly called for a review of the ban. Meanwhile, The Sun today quoted USM history professor Dr. Cheah Boon Kheng as saying that the communists' role in fighting for independence has been recognised by no less than first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman as well as the largest Muslim opposition party, PAS.

Film on Malay Reds now screened in Germany

History must also be fair to non-Umno Malays

History of Malay Left published in Mandarin

Rashid Maidin's memoirs now out in Mandarin

Suriani's Malay memoirs now out in Mandarin

Communists celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri too

Posthumous biography of Kamarulzaman Teh

Comrades, friends pray for Pak Rashid Maidin

Exploring independence's image-reality gaps

Communist Eng Ming Ching memoirs out now

Communists Abu Samah, Minah in Holy Mecca

Abu Samah, Minah at the Great Wall of China

A communist reminiscence of Najib's family

Why did Abu Samah quit UMNO *, join CPM ?

Monday, February 26, 2007

Australia, China enhance confidence building

According to a Xinhua report, a Chinese military delegation left Beijing for Australia today " for a defense strategic consultation". Greater bilateral understanding and mutual trust on strategic matters between Australia and China will certainly further enhance overall security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

' Arc of democracy ' ?

Sri Lankan president starts visit to China

Indonesia wishes for better ties with China

China's navy leaves for Pakistan for exercises

India, China, Russia call for multi-polar world

Chindian IT joint venture launched in Beijing

India, China to enhance ties through tourism

Shared Interests between Australia and China

US, Japan encircling China ?

Locating Osama bin Laden "out-of-the-box" ?!

According to news reports in the British media, UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) once hired wizards in attempts to locate Osama bin Laden. While it is still not known if the Anglican Communion and the Archbishop of Canterbury would condemn the practice as a form of medieaval (Middle Age) or oriental superstition, it is certainly not a Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) as many teachers and students of security studies understand it. Consulting feng shui masters next time to find the most suitable sites for the missile defence system?

MoD explored psychic powers

MoD hoped psychics could find enemy

MoD defends psychic powers study

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Chinese Indons now regaining full civil rights

According to news reports in the Jakarta Post, ABC Radio Australia , China Radio International (Indonesian Service) and People Daily, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) has publicly reaffirmed in a speech at a Chinese New Year ceremony that Chinese Indonesian are equal citizens of the Republic who are to be treated fairly.

Chinese culture - an Indonesian introspection

SBY sent New Year greetings to China's leaders

Chinese Indons celebrate lunar new year in style

Chinese celebrate new year throughout Indonesia

Some Chinese Indonesians are still extremely poor

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Malaysia's multi-ethnic opposition Parti KeADILan Rakyat (PKR) will celebrate the 2007 Chinese New Year on 2 March (Friday) at the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall at No.1, Jalan Maharajalela, from 8.00 p.m. According to my friend and the party's information chief Tian Chua, the gathering, which will feature multi-cultural performances, is open to all Malaysians and friends of Malaysia from all over the world are also welcome to share the joy.

PKR's forum on "marginalisation" jam-packed

Sharing Chinese New Year's joy multi-racially

At Datuk Kadir Jasin's Hari Raya Open House

Good old man and "mob" chief Pak Haji Salleh

HR Open House of Anwar Ibrahim, Dr. Azizah

Said Zahari's HR Open House on 29 Oct (Sun)

SEA's largest Reclining Buddha is in Kelantan

Friday, February 23, 2007

Dr. Abraham's new book impresses Chin Peng

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Visiting graveyard during Chinese New Year

After meeting a friend over a cup of kopi-o-kau at the Old Town Kopitiam near the Padang this noon, I went to visit my old school Sam Tet and also the graveyard of St. Michael's Church where Mrs. Sybil Kathigasu was laid to rest beside her mother. I then strolled along Clare Street (now as Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri) and stopped for a while at coffee shop Hai Hou at No.63 to have my favorite mee rebus.

Faces of Courage now allowed to enter M'sia

A secret conversation between two martyrs

British Army WWII veteran defends Chin Peng

Chin Peng honours memory of Sybil Kathigasu

May the souls of fallen friends rest in peace

Farewell to anti-fascist patriot Liang Xi Yuan

Thursday, February 15, 2007

India, China, Russia call for multi-polar world

(Pix) Chinese Foreign Ministers Li Zhaoxing, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and their Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov offer Indian-style greetings.

(IRNA/New Delhi/ Feb 14) India, China and Russia Wednesday underlined the need for a multi-polar world through 'democratization' of international relations, with the UN having the central role as an 'effective and transparent' body.

Deciding to give a push to their trilateral forum, foreign ministers of the three countries, who held wide-ranging tripartite talks here, opposed 'confrontation' as a mechanism to govern approaches to regional and global affairs, including in the context of Iran's nuclear issue, apparently hinting at the US.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Russian minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese minister Li Zhaoxing held thorough discussions on issues like Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea and Middle East.

"The ministers discussed the political, security and economic aspects of the current global situation, besides exchanging views on how international relations are being presently conducted," a Joint Communique issued after the talks said.

The three sides 'expressed their conviction that democratization of international relations is the key to building an increasingly multi-polar world order that would be based on principles of equality of nations -- big or small, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, international law and mutual respect'.

The foreign ministers of the three countries have met three times in last two years.

A summit level meeting was held in July 2006 in St Petersburg of the heads of the three states.

It decided to give a necessary push to establish a trilateral forum to fight the challenges like terrorism, drug trafficking and crime at the international level.

The meeting comes less than a month after summit level talks between India and Russia in New Delhi.

Both Manmohan Singh and Putin showed keen interest in pushing cooperation under the trilateral format. They, however, made it clear that coming together of these countries is in no way directed against any third country.

India, China, Russia look for another way

India, China, Russia issue trilateral communique

India, China, Russia criticise 'double standards'

India, China, Russia call for fairer world order

China, India set up foreign ministerial hotline

India, China, Russia to meet for strategizing

Chindian IT joint venture launched in Beijing

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

"The long march of a forgotten English hero"

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

India, China, Russia to meet for strategizing

Changes in global balance of power seem to have accelerated with India, China and Russia " set to hold their first joint foreign ministerial meeting in New Delhi tomorrow, looking to coordinate respective strategies in international relations as well as determine avenues for further economic and trade collaboration".

China, India set up foreign ministerial hotline

Russia and the USA wage hidden political war

' Cold War ' returns to Russia-West relations ?

India, China to enhance ties through tourism


India, China to unveil new initiatives to cement ties

New Delhi, Feb 11 (PTI) Seeking to strengthen their ties further, India and China will unveil a number of initiatives, including celebration of 2007 as the 'Year of Friendship through tourism', during the visit of Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing to this country beginning today.

Establishment of a hotline between their Foreign Ministers, increasing air links and easing of visa regimes are also expected to be announced after Li's talks with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday.

Li, who will be on a three-day visit to India, arrived in Patna where he will visit Nalanda, seat of ancient Buddhist learning.

The two sides will declare 2007 as the 'Year of Friendship through tourism' on Wednesday.

In this regard, detailed programme of events for the year will be outlined, sources said.

Thrust will be on encouraging movement of people between the two neighbours.

In this regard, visa regimes could be eased, the sources said.

The two countries are also expected to announce launch of more direct flights and airlink more cities.

China is also expected to open offices of its travel agents here to facilitate visits by more Indian tourists to that country.

The two countries are also opening consulates in Kolkata and Guangzhou Province, respectively, to enable more people to visit the other country. (Press Trust of India)

Nanjing to welcome Indian software giant

India replaces Canada as China's 10th largest trading partner

China, India hit 20-bln-USD trade goal 2 years ahead of target

Indians and Indian cultural influence in China

My Indian neighbours in a hotel in Guangzhou

Buddha as an universal teacher of humankind

Monday, February 12, 2007

' Cold War ' returns to Russia-West relations ?

Although the former USSR has disintegrated since 1991, its successor state Russia is still a very powerful country with the largest landmass possessed by any single country on earth, strong and proud military tradition, nuclear weapons and veto power in the United Nations' Security Council. So, when its president Vladimir Putin delivered a hard-hitting speech against the United States' foreign policy in Germany's Munich recently, BBC speculated that the Cold War is back and the reactions in the Washington seem to be a little bit nervous but the US defense secretary Robert Gates has dismissed it. Gates' Russian opposite number Sergey Ivanov has reportedly also come to the defence of President Putin.

US global positions – an updated survey

A shift in Eurasia's strategic balance of power

A small booklet that tells a really big story

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Friday, February 09, 2007

CPC organ criticises Chinese films' immorality

Curse of the Golden Flower, a made-in-China blockbuster directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li, Chow Yun Fatt and Jay Chou, has, in my opinion, correctly been criticised as "ugly" and "bloodthirsty" in a signed commentary in the Study Times, a periodical published by the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The movie, however, is not banned in China.

New China's moral progress in culture, arts

Passion of reading among youths in Shenzhen

A mammoth, crowded hypermarket of books

My post-graduate students in SYS University

Delivering lectures to China's undergraduates

New China's truly gigantic, futuristic campus

Faces of Courage now allowed to enter M'sia

I have received an official letter from Kementrian Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (Bahagian Kawalan Penerbitan & Teks Al-Quran), Negeri Johor stating that, based on a "latest decision" made on 31 January 2007, Faces of Courage (Singapore, Media Masters, 2006) is now ALLOWED to enter Malaysia. The letter's reference number is KKDN:PQ.J/401/2-12 Jld.3 (96).

The letter, dated 2 February 2007, is signed by Mohd. Rizal bin Abidin, Pengarah Kawalan Penerbitan & Teks Al-Quran, Kementrian Keselamatan Dalam Negeri, Negeri Johor.

Sybil Kathigasu – new stories, same legend

A secret conversation between two martyrs

Celebrating X'mas in Ipoh, 15 December 1941

Rashid Maidin's memoirs now out in Mandarin

Invitation to rethink nation’s modern history

Launching of Dr. Abraham's new history book

Posthumous biography of Kamarulzaman Teh

Telling a great story of Malaya in Singapore

Communist Eng Ming Ching memoirs out now

British Army WWII veteran defends Chin Peng

Thursday, February 08, 2007

It is certainly not right for the government to issue or enforce any guidelines to attempt to exclude or reduce the visibility of images of Eurasian Malaysians in adverisements because Malaysia is a multi-ethnic society and Malaysians of Eurasian origin, like Malaysians of mixed Malay and Indian parentage or ancestry, have been part of our national family for a long time. However, I think it is also good for the local advertising industry to take its own initiative to include more Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Kadazan and Orang Asli images to reflect more accurately and truly the organic reality in our contemporary society as well as local aesthetic value and taste.
According to Xinhua Online, it is "a pair of human skeletons lie in an eternal embrace at an Neolithic archaeological dig site near Mantova, Italy" and "archaeologists in northern Italy believe the couple was buried 5,000-6,000 years ago, their arms still wrapped around each other in a hug that has lasted millennia". Al Jazeera provides a longer story.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

A new book has been published by malaysiakini, titled Mahathir vs. Abdullah: Covert Wars & Challenged Legacies featuring commentaries and analyses on the subject written by friends like Anwar Ibrahim, Steven Gan, Lim Guan Eng, P.Gunasegaram, Dr. Collin Abraham, Dr. P. Ramasamy, Kim Quek, R.K.Anand, Tian Chua and myself.

SIRD/Gerakbudaya's forum on MM - AAB rift

Moderating a very fruitful exchange of ideas

Chin Peng's case set to be heard on 5 March

The KL High Court has set 5 March to hear Chin Peng's homecoming application under the 1989 Haayai Peace Accords concluded between the Government of Malaysia and the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM). Justice K.P. Gengadharan also set the same day to hear the defendants' application to verify Chin Peng's citizenship.

Chin Peng's case to be mentioned anew in KL

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

For the first time in my life, I have actually decorated my house with two traditional red lanterns to welcome the Chinese New Year. Of course, I still make sure that no superstitious images or writings are printed on them. As my father had patiently taught me when I was young, to be cultured is not synomonous with being superstitious and superstition always masks itself as 'traditional culture'.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Chin Peng's case to be mentioned anew in KL

Chin Peng's homecoming application is due to be mentioned anew at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on 6 February (Tues) and the date for hearing proper has again to be fixed because a new judge has been appointed. Still, no defence affidavits have been filed yet so far.

1989 Malaysia - CPM Peace Accords in letters

Friday, February 02, 2007

S'gor, Hebei to promote halal products trade

February 02, 2007 17:16 PM


SHAH ALAM, Feb 2 (Bernama) -- Selangor and the Hebei Province in China are planning to enhance trade cooperation especially in producing halal products.

Selangor state executive councillor Datuk Tang See Hang said both parties have agreed to cooperate in order to increase their trade links.

"There is demand for our products there and so are their products here," he said at a joint press conference with Hebei trade delegation head, Liu Xiaojun, here Friday.

Meanwhile, Liu said there are 88 companies from Malaysia doing business in the province, which is situated near Beijing and has Muslim population.

Liu said he was interested with the infrastructure and services offered in Selangor and would be willing to open up factories in the state.











"For instance, halal products could give a positive impact to the economy of Selangor and Hebei Province," he said.



































































Thursday, February 01, 2007

According to many friends who operate retail businesses, this year's Chinese New Year mood still cannot pick up because many working people and households are experiencing financial difficulties and economic uncertainties. People seem to spend less and try to save more in anticipation of even harder time ahead.

" No bread ? Let them eat cake ... "

Gov't , people changing lifestyles differently