Ghosts of a Massacre

Nirmal Ghosh on unquiet memories

By Nirmal Ghosh
Thailand Correspondent
nirmal@sph.com.sg

 

Sitting under the broad ficus tree at Thammasat University's campus in historic Bangkok, it is difficult to imagine the stomach-churning violence that engulfed the university in 1976 – the year I began university in Kolkata.

It was a vastly different world then; the Vietnam war had just officially ended but the Cold War was still very much on. There was no such thing as cable TV; in many countries there was no such thing as TV. It was still the era of the radio.

On Oct 6 that year, military and police units and righ- wing mobs savagely attacked several thousand left-wing

Under a Big Sky

Nirmal Ghosh visits Laos' landmark Nam Theun 2

By Nirmal Ghosh
Thailand Correspondent
nirmal@sph.com.sg

 

There is a surreal beauty about the vast reservoir on Laos' Nakai plateau. Authorities are hoping the body of water half the size of Singapore, under a huge sky, surrounded by range upon range of blue-green hills clothed in tropical jungle, will eventually attract tourists.

On a study trip organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Nam Theun 2 Power Company (NTPC) last year, a group of journalists from the region including The Straits Times were given extensive access to the reservoir, the dam and power station, and relocated villagers, most of whom are 'Vietic' people; Laos is

Wall of silence blocks hopes of Aids-free world

As the fight against the disease reaches a make-or-break point, Himaya Quasem looks at how lingering prejudice may thwart progress.

By Himaya Quasem
Assistant to Editor
hquasem@sph.com.sg

 

It has been 30 years since the spectre of Aids first loomed large in the public consciousness.

Now, with the death toll at more than 25 million and counting, there are glimmers of hope that the spread of the disease could be stopped in its tracks.

Thanks to decades of tireless awareness-raising and scientific research, there is a real chance that there could be no new cases of HIV -  the virus that causes Aids - by 2020, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said at a conference this summer.

Tour of duty, tour of memories

Nicholas Yong reflects on being called 'ancient' in the army at the age of 31

By Nicholas Yong
Reporter
nicy@sph.com.sg

 

It is always an uncanny thing to see history repeated before your very eyes.

I am sure it is nothing new for fathers, teachers and mentors. It must be a sign of age, given that most people read about historical events in books, as opposed to witnessing it themselves. In my case, it made me think back to more than a decade ago, when I was the proverbial callow youth of 21.

It was a case of deja vu during my recent three-week overseas In–Camp Training stint in Shoalwater Bay Training Area, where I spent three weeks. It is located in the

Guys, give the girl a chance

Nirmal Ghosh on the mountains facing children

By Nirmal Ghosh
Thailand Correspondent
nirmal@sph.com.sg

 

Across the world, to varying degrees, girls face discrimination.

A new study released in Bangkok on Thursday by the organisation Plan International, which works in over 50 developing countries in support of vulnerable and disadvantaged young people, throws up some disturbing responses which show just how big the challenge of gender equality really is where it matters probably most of all – in childhood.

Here are the relevant findings from the study, based on 'primary research with more than 4,000 children' :

Using the power of terror to move the world

The spectacle of terrorism has a knack for silencing clever arguments and making fence-sitters look churlish, observes Dr Terence Chong.

By Terence Chong
Guest Blogger
terencechong@iseas.edu.sg

 

In a world of cultural relativism, terrorism is one of few acts of irreducible singularity where black is black and white is white. It is tragic, devastating, and yet absolute in its own moral certainty, not just for its perpetrators and victims, but for politicians too.

The spectacle of terrorism has a knack for silencing clever arguments and making fence-sitters look churlish. The Sept 11 attacks needed no explanation because everything was so viscerally understood on ‘live’ TV, whether it was of jet planes slamming into the Twin Towers or office workers jumping to their deaths to avoid the flames.

The power

Swimming Free

Nirmal Ghosh on helping to save 60 sharks from death.

By Nirmal Ghosh
Thailand Correspondent
nirmal@sph.com.sg

 

Last Saturday morning I found myself balancing on the tailgate of a pickup truck loaded with some 30 live sharks in plastic bags.

It was one of two trucks, transporting 60 young sharks in all. Dive instructor Jean Christophe Thomas and I sat in the back of one of them. One of my legs was down by a plastic bag bloated with water and oxygen. The black tipped shark in the bag swam furiously round and round, occasionally bumping into my leg.

A glimpse of what poverty looks like in the UK today

Himaya Quasem on her experiences of interviewing the poor and young people in UK gangs while previously working for a British charity

By Himaya Quasem
Assistant to Editor
hquasem@sph.com.sg

 

Amid the looted shops and burnt out cars, one element of the recent riots in Britain stood out as particularly shocking.

Some of the rioters were as young as nine.

Even at such tender years, children in urban areas across Britain are being drawn into a brutal gang culture born out of deep-rooted social deprivation.

The significance of China's high-speed train crash

Tracy Quek explains why she remains a hopeful passenger despite Saturday's train collision

By Tracy Quek
US Correspondent
tracyq@sph.com.sg

 

For the past month, I have been a regular commuter on China’s high speed trains, zipping up and down the country between major cities including Nanjing, Wuxi and Shanghai.

On my first ride, I marvelled at the sleek, white carriages, the spotless interiors, the warmth of the service staff, and above all, the smoothness and comfort of the journey.

This is the way to travel! This is the face of progress! The United States (where I have been working since mid-2009) should get its act together and build its own high-speed rail network, I remember telling myself as I snapped a picture

Business deals pledged but old concerns remain

Zubaidah Nazeer on Indonesia's longtime challenges which may hamper its competitiveness

By Zubaidah Nazeer
Indonesian correspondent
zubaidah@sph.com.sg

 

THE World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia has generated a suite of business deals for host country Indonesia, with about Rp 85 trillion (S$12.2 billion) in investment pledged by businesses eager to enter the country’s booming market.

Longtime challenges such as a lack of physical infrastructure and human resource could still hamper progress.

One of the largest investment pledges at the two-day event, which ended last Monday, came from multinational giant Unilever who reportedly planned to invest up to Rp 2 trillion a year in Indonesia, creating thousands of jobs.