In The News

Policing the Sea Is a Job for Everyone

Tony Tan June 3, 2003
In a speech at the Asia Security Conference, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tony Tan tried to raise an alarm about the threat of terrorism on the high seas. "Individual state action is not enough," he says. "The oceans are indivisible and maritime security threats do not respect boundaries. The very nature of commercial shipping is multinational."...

Russia Joins the US in Tackling North Korean Challenge

Alexander Lukin June 2, 2003
By joining its voice with the US condemnation of North Korea's nuclear weapons program, Russia is making a mid-course correction of its policy toward the Korean peninsula that is designed to preserve its influence. Russian scholar Alexander Lukin posits four reasons why Moscow is in a good position to help bring about a peaceful settlement with North Korea and end the crisis. First,...

Global Eye -- Copycat Killers

Chris Floyd May 30, 2003
Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has been taking lessons from US President Bush, says this article in the Moscow Times. Megawati is using Bush’s anti-terrorist rhetoric and military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq to justify her bloody invasion of Aceh, a rebel territory she characterizes as terrorist-ridden. While her strong military stance has heightened her domestic popularity,...

Shop Online? Security’s Still a Worry for S'poreans

Natalie Soh May 28, 2003
According to Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), less than 25% of Internet users in Singapore shop online. The need to touch and fee are important reasons why consumers prefer to shop at stores. Online security and the relatively long period it takes for products to ship to Singapore also deter consumers looking for instant gratification. However, IDA anticipates that as...

Human Rights: UN Envoy Cites Climate of Fear

Marisa Chimprabha May 27, 2003
A U.N. envoy recently completed a 10-day visit to Thailand to investigate human rights issues. She says she found increased concern about the government's interference in NGO activities in Thailand, including worries over government threats to block foreign funding of non-governmental organizations. According to the author of this article in Thailand's The Nation newspaper, a...

Malay-Muslims Have a Role in Remaking Singapore

Lee Hsien Loong May 27, 2003
In the contemporary moment, no country is immune from the possibility of religious and sectarian violence, and the threat of global terrorism. In this speech to a Malay-Muslim youth organization, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, emphasizes the importance of cultural and religious pluralism, and the critical role of Malay-Muslims in Singapore's continued growth and...

Chinese Scientists Say SARS Efforts Stymied by Organizational Obstacles

May 26, 2003
This article summarizes in English a story concerning SARS that appeared in the China Youth Daily. The story reveals the non-scientific reasons why Chinese scientists at the Beijing Genomic Institute, part of the global network on the Human Genome Project, did not succeed in contributing more to the scientific research on the Sars virus. According to the summary, the biggest lesson is how...