Author: Mong Palatino

Google was dragged into the Cambodia-Thailand border row when the Cambodian government sent a letter of complaint over a “radically misleading” google map of the disputed Preah Vihear territory.

Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia belong to the top 5 countries in Asia with the most number of facebook users.

Erik W Davis discusses whether the Khmer term ‘Yuon' has a racist connotation.

Crime rate in Phnom Penh went up last year but the number of reported serious crimes went down. A blogger believes the numbers may be misleading.

Nguyen Minh Chau from Vietnam last saw his five-year old daughter Nguyen Truong An fifteen years ago. He had gone to various places like Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong province, and even neighboring Laos to look for his daughter. He appeared on national TV and radio to ask for help. But he failed to find his daughter. Today the desperate father is asking the help of netizens in his long search for his daughter.

According to Chau, who is a resident of the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, his daughter went missing on December 10, 1995. Chau’s daughter and his nephew Diem My were last seen playing in a neighbor’s house. The two children were both five years old during that time.

Last month, Chau was assisted by a relative in creating a website to gather clues and reports about the missing daughter. Below is Chau’s introductory message

Con tôi sinh năm 1990, bị bắt cóc từ cuối năm 1995 ngay tại quê nhà ở Tiền Giang. Bé và một bé gái khác cũng gần bằng tuổi tên Diễm My mất tích vào một buổi chiều cuối năm đó. Gia đình tôi tìm kiếm con tôi bao năm nay cùng với sự giúp đỡ của cơ quan báo, đài, công an nhưng vẫn bặt vô âm tín. Giờ tôi đành gửi gắm chút hy vọng mong manh qua trang web này.

Chau is thankful for any lead he will receive from netizens

Chúng tôi xin chân thành cảm ơn mọi thông tin về con gái chúng tôi!

The website and Chau’s determination to find his daughter attracted a warm response in Vietnam. Before the end of January, nearly 100,000 people have already visited the website. Chau has received thousands of calls expressing support for his cause.

Chau is hoping the online community will be able to help him. He stated this desire during an interview with Vietnam Bridge

I and my wife have never stopped missing my daughter. We love our missing daughter very much. We don’t know whether she lives happily or not. Through this website, I hope that the online community will help me to find my daughter

This author contacted Chau through the email address listed on his website. Below is Chau’s answer to the questions sent to him:

What motivated you to establish this website?
-> I think that information about the fact that I'm finding my daughter on the website nguyenminhchau.com can be known quickly on over the world with such speed of internet. I know that she was lost 15 years ago, and I just hope that my daughter will know this information and get back to our home.

Do you believe the internet can provide some clues in the search for your missing daughter?
-> Yes, I believe that.

Have you received any lead or feedback from internet users about your daughter?
->I have received a large number of feedback, recommendation. Some of them are very useful for me to find my baby girl

So far, are you satisfied with the results or reactions you are getting ever since you established this website?
-> I'm please with help of many people, newspaper. Their help is empowering us more and more to keep finding my daughter.

Chau said he was contacted by a U.S. citizen who offered to upgrade the nguyenminhchau.com website and add information in three more languages: Cambodian, Thai and Chinese. A company that exports goods to Cambodia is willing to print the picture of Chau’s daughter on the cover of their products.

Chau and his relatives can be reached through this email: [email protected]

Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism, an independent church in Singapore with 12,000 members, has already apologized for attacking Buddhism and Taoism in his sermons. Pastor Tan apologized after receiving a call from the Internal Security Department. Despite the apology, the issue remains a controversial topic in the blogosphere.

Part 1 of the infamous video sermon of Pastor Tan

An excerpt from Pastor Tan’s statement of apology

I have received a number of emails from people who have been saddened and hurt by the testimonies of an ex-monk and an ex-nun. I realized that my presentation and comments were wrong and offensive. So I sincerely apologize for my insensitivity towards the Buddhists and Taoists, and solemnly promise that it will never happen again.

When we have received those emails, we immediately removed the video clips from our website. I urge those who have posted those clips on the YouTube to remove them as well.

Like many Singaporeans, Choo Zheng X was angry after viewing the videos

I felt deeply angry when I saw the videos of Pastor Rony Tan deriding Buddhists in his church. A place of worship was used to propagate misinformation and ignorance. A faith of love and acceptance was being used as a vehicle of intolerance.

Other Singaporeans were angry too, so angry that a large number were calling for Pastor Tan to be jailed under the Internal Security Act or the Sedition Act. But I held myself back

But the author is hesitant about using the Sedition Act to punish the pastor

It’s telling that when controversy like this occurs, Singaporeans immediately look to a punitive measure to solve the problem. That’s how simplistic our attitudes towards faith and ethnicity have become.

Sadly, laws like the Sedition Act encourage Singaporeans to take the path of least resistance, short circuit important social dialogue, and retard the process of seeking richer inter-faith/cultural confidence building.

Alvin Phoon warns against using exaggerated legal and punitive actions against the pastor

Bigots of different religions and persuasions squabble all the time. Normally I’m happy to sit back and watch because they make for good entertainment. However, in this case, threatening legal action against one party for making religiously insensitive comments is rash and will bear serious future consequences. Instead of being so adamant on imprisoning a man for mere words that were probably not even well thought out in the first place, why can’t we just take a step back, and move on with our lives? Pile on the humiliation if you must. But remember that the day Rony Tan goes to prison is the day religious tolerance and freedom of opinion ceases to exist.

Shawn Lim wants the pastor to be punished

What they should have done, instead of warning him, was to punish him. Fine him; send him to jail, whatever. If it takes a show of power to prevent this kind of incidence from happening again, by all means, do whatever that is necessary.

So why are the authorities so lenient when what Pastor Rony was clearly out of line with the first rule of religious harmony; which is to show respect for other religions? Do they not realise that a ‘warning’ in an increasingly vocal society is not enough?

dhamma musings does not believe that the current practice of holding inter-religious dialogues in Singapore can promote religious and racial harmony

I doubt that inter-religious dialogue, at least as it is conducted in Singapore, really brings about a change in how the different religions feel about each other. The participants are already respectful of other faiths. The ones who could do with a bit of tolerance – the bigots, zealots, fundamentalists and the evangelicals, won’t come

i.justrealized notes that religion is a sensitive issue in Singapore

Actually the interviewees are quite funny if you watch it with an open mind. One of the interviewees revealed that he had some bowel problems causing blood during defecation. In a moment of fear, he prayed to Jesus and was totally healed.

I should point out that religion is a sensitive issue, especially in Singapore, where the risks of tensions are high. We will not want to jeopardize peace in the process. Singapore has been strict on religious harmony.

In the church I frequented, there is a strong belief that Christianity is the only true religion and all other religions are Satan attempting to bring away people from the Christian God.

Pastor Tan’s lectures were contradicted in several websites and blogs: Half Time Adventurer, sgfrag.net, and the National University of Singapore Buddhist Society.

Facebookers posted comments on Pastor Tan’s facebook fan page. An Arrest Pastor Rony Tan facebook group was also created.

According to a finance committee report, Singapore will continue to welcome foreign workers. Foreigners comprise more than a third of Singapore population

Blogger Blowin' in the wind writes about higher education spending in Singapore. The city state spends more than 1 percent of its GDP on higher education.

Seelan wonders whether Singapore's new citizens will vote for the administration or opposition party.

A blogger questions the decision of the Singapore Armed Forces to purchase hardware dealing with military robotics

Tan Kin Lian from Singapore argues that a minimum wage will reduce disparity of income in the country

Beyond SG posts pictures of the 2010 Singapore Airshow

Anne Elizabeth Moore posts a picture of a signpost from Cambodia which reads: “Please don't walk through the mass grave”

According to the International Organization for Migration, there are still 500,000 people who are homeless in the southwest part of Myanmar two years after a powerful cyclone hit the country.

Two weeks ago, some female college students in Malaysia announced the “pantyless movement” on Valentine’s Day. The goal of the “no-panties promotion” is to show how women love their boyfriends. The campaign became quite popular through word of mouth and the internet.

lurveangel is against the campaign:

Not very highly-educated aren't they? If they are, they should know that not wearing your panties doesn't prove a true love okay? Just lust~ Of course it's kinky when you know your other half is not wearing anything underneath, but why make it public?? What's wrong with these people??!!

True love is SO not about whether one is covered up every single inch or bare naked when she's with her partner. People who confuse this are definitely someone who never been in love, or be loved. Or even know the meaning of “true love”.

The Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS) and other public moral authorities are very mad. They promise to hunt those who will join the pantyless movement because celebrating Valentine’s Day is a deviation of Islamic teaching.

Ms Daffodil accuses authorities of overreacting to the issue:

OK…..granted it’s pretty silly to be going panty-less just to show your love for someone……..and whoever thought of such crap is probably some sex-starved amphibian hiding behind some bushes at some escalator armed with a hand-mirror or camera phone……
.
But for our country’s moral police to go jumping mad and issuing warnings about the evils of Valentine’s Day!!!??? Talk about “over-reacting” man……I mean, think about it for a minute here……if they wanted to, they can go panty-less any other day right?

Josh insists that not wearing panties should not pose a problem to others

Let me ask you one question, how does someone not wearing their underwear affect you as a person. Would you even realise it? Would you even know? How do you know that the very people you met on the street today actually have their underwears on? So why the fuss when chances are you would not even realise if a person has their underwear on and thus would not be affected by it. This is a non-issue to begin with. What people wear under their clothes is their own business and none of ours.

Mumsie wonders how authorities will identify pantyless college students. Will they raise the skirt of students?

Gosh, this is something really new and I wonder how on earth is JAIS going to prevent that from happening?!..Are they going to hunt these “panty-less” students by peeping under each and every skirt?!! That would be a glaring sex offence, wouldn’t it? I can imagine every male student on that day will be betting and guessing which female student is not wearing underpants! …;-)

The Other Malaysia recognizes the uniqueness of the protest/event:

1. The organisation of this ‘event’ was spontaneous and organic, not being instigated by any political party or popular politician;

2. The mode of organisation of the event was done via word-of-mouth and internet, pointing to the growing importance of the internet, sms-es and other forms of communication infrastructure that were put in place as part of Malaysia’s rapid development to a semi-industrialised economy;

3. The nature of the celebration/protest however remains non-political and primarily personal, as it is meant to serve as a demonstration of love for one’s partners.

Is the pantyless movement a form of ‘passive resistance’?

…it may be a passive resistance against a state religious bureaucracy whose role in the moral policing of society has become well known and notorious. (Note that this remains a hypothesis on our part)

Steven Rood and Crisanto Cayon look into the political situation and the prospects of ending the war in Mindanao Island in the Philippines.

Jaemark Tordecilla mentions the libel cases filed against Filipino bloggers in recent years.

Filipino migrants in the United Kingdom have set-up a blog to push for migrant's agenda in the upcoming Philippine presidential elections.

A special officer of the Prime Minister of Malaysia has tendered his resignation after allegedly issuing a racist remark against Indians and Chinese in a forum.

Prophessor Stephen B. Young suggests ten “helpful rules” for young Thai politicians.