June 2010

Drip by drip, discontent is revealed – - Compare and Contrast: Iran and Thailand

Posted on June 12, 2010 at 1:37 am in

Iran

Across Iran, Anger Lies Behind Face of Calm

A medical school professor recently picked up a green marker to write notes on a white board for his students, and then with a smile chose another color, saying he might otherwise be arrested for using green, the color of the political opposition.
The vanguard of the new political elite is now the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which oversees Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and has extended its control over the economy and the machinery of state. It has improved its ability to control the street, to monitor electronic communications and keep tabs on university campuses, and its alumni head the government’s security organs. » The full New York Times article – By Will Yong and Michael Slackman – Published: June 11, 2010

Iran protest AFP/File

The security services made clear in the days leading to the anniversary that anyone taking to the streets would be dealt with harshly. On Friday, people in Tehran reported receiving a threatening text message on their cellphones.
“Dear citizen, you have been tricked by the foreign media and you are working on their behalf,” the message read. “If you do this again, you will be dealt with according to Islamic law.”
The people are more aware than before, but they stay quiet on fear of death,” said an 80-year-old woman as she sat in her kitchen frying onions for a rice dish. “They have killed so many of the young and the well intentioned. Even the shah did not kill like this. They rule the people at the tip of a spear, but the people don’t want them anymore.” » The full New York Times article – By Will Yong and Michael Slackman – Published: June 11, 2010

Thailand

Thailand’s martial law will continue for another three months, Abhisit’s military-backed government decided

“The government’s use of terrorism charges to go after Red Shirt leaders, as well as Thaksin, is inappropriate for what was mostly a peaceful political movement that did not target civilians,” said the Belgium-based International Crisis Group on July 5.
The emergency decree, described by the ICG as “draconian,” conveniently also “grants officials immunity from prosecution,” the ICG said. » The full Asia Sentinel article – By Richard S. Ehrlich – July 8, 2010

‣ Would Abhisit’s party, which hasn’t won a nationwide poll since 1992, be in power if their “yellow shirted” supporters had not hijacked the airports and held them hostage for 8 days in 2008 stranding hundreds of thousands of travelers?

Ousting Abhisit May Not End Protests Over ‘Autocratic Rulers’

The current constitution, written after the 2006 coup, set up a Senate in which almost half the members are appointed. It also offered amnesty for generals such as Army Chief Anupong Paojinda, who helped oust Thaksin and (was) calling for parliament to be dissolved.
“Abhisit may resign or dissolve parliament, but that doesn’t necessarily get us anywhere,” said Prudhisan Jumbala, a lecturer at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University. “Nobody can implement the rule of law without the cooperation of society, and neither side trusts the authority of the state.”
The conflict underpins a split within Thailand’s 67 million people over the extent to which the country’s leaders should be elected. » The full Bloomberg article – By Daniel Ten Kate.

Police expect 80,000 protesters

  • A Learning Foundation Lesson – Similarities and differences between Iran and Thailand – Go to this ESL Compare and Contrast Lesson.
  • The New York Times - Learning Network – The Political is Personal –
    Overview | Students explore their own personal political philosophies by identifying events, people and experiences that have helped shape their beliefs and writing an essay. Go to this Building Society and ESL Lesson.
  • The New York Times - Learning Network – Democracy in Action –
    Overview | Students consider words that reflect their knowledge and opinions about democracy. They then work in groups to research countries that have recently transitioned to democratic forms of government. Their learning is further enhanced by reflecting on what has transpired in these countries to date. Go to this Building Society and Law Lesson.

China Bans Court Evidence Gained Through Torture

Posted on June 9, 2010 at 8:22 am in

BEIJING — The new regulations were issued weeks after the authorities conceded that the confession used to erroneously convict a farmer for a murder was based on torture. The case came to light only after the supposed victim turned up alive and the defendant had spent 10 years in prison. It has provoked national outrage.
Several lawyers said that they were curious to see the extent to which the regulations would be carried out, pointing out that China often fails to abide by its own rules and regulations.
The larger problem, legal experts say, is the disconnect between China’s stated desire for the rule of law and the Communist Party’s insistence that the judicial system serve the party. » The full New York Times article – By Andrew Jacobs – Published: May 31, 2010.

Capital Punishment

  • The New York Times – Learning Network – The Torture Question –
    Overview | Students will research the recent history of torture in the U.S., examine opinions about whether torture is ever justified, and engage in a debate on the issue. Go to this Law and Society Lesson.
  • The New York Times – Learning Network – A Question of Punishment –
    Overview | Students examine their own understanding of capital punishment as well as the recent reversal by some conservative politicians in their public stance on the death penalty. Through discussion and research, students explore the nuances of the debate surrounding capital punishment. Go to this Law and Society Lesson.
  • The New York Times – Learning Network – Science in the Court Room –
    Overview | Students reflect on their opinions about the use of DNA databases in criminal investigations. They then generate a list of questions they have about DNA and its importance, prepare and give brief presentations, and then further discuss their positions on how DNA information should be collected and used by police. Go to this Law and Society Lesson.

Afghan Enclave Offers Model to Rebuild, and Rebuff Taliban

Posted on June 6, 2010 at 8:12 am in

Singapore (Reuters) – June 6, 2010 –
The international community needs to start providing more economic and social assistance to Afghanistan to ensure the nation can function on its own, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Sergei Ivanov, said on Sunday.
“One thing is clear, a lot should be done in just starting very primitive social economic life in Afghanistan. If we don’t do that, any military presence will be in vain,” Ivanov told the Shangri-La Dialogue. » The full Reuters article – By Harry Suhartono and Nopporn Wong-Anan.

In our Posts – 2009 – Jurm was tormented by warlords in the 1990s, and though it never fell to the Taliban, the presence of the central government, even today, is barely felt. The idea to change that was simple: people elected the most trusted villagers, and the government in Kabul, helped by foreign donors, gave them direct grants — money to build things like water systems and girls’ schools for themselves.

girl's school Jurm Afganistan
Original image source » Holly Pickett for The New York Times
Villagers and development workers had to persuade a local mullah to get a girls’ school built in the Jurm District of Afghanistan.

But forcing conditions would have violated a basic principle of the approach: never start a project that is not backed by all members of the community, or it will fail.
“People have to be mentally ready,” said Akhtar Iqbal, Aga Khan’s director in Badakhshan. If they are not, the school or clinic will languish unused, a frequent problem with large-scale development efforts.
Today, many people have water taps, fields grow wheat and it is no longer considered shameful for a woman to go to a doctor. The full New York Times article » By Sabrina Tavernise.

  • The New York Times – Learning Network – Guns, Butter or Both? Debating Troops vs. Development in Afghanistan -
    Overview | What actions can help mend and secure the situation in the war-torn nation of Afghanistan? In this lesson, students consider a proposal to build more schools in Afghanistan rather than sending more troops to secure the struggling nation, then conduct research and present their policy recommendations in a debate. Go to this Building Society Lesson.
  • World Wise School – Perceptions – This activity is designed to help students understand that perceptions are influenced by personal experience and taste as well as cultural background. Go to Building Society Lesson Worksheet.
  • The New York Times – Learning Network – Exploring the Intersection of Religion and Modernity -
    Overview: Students examine the ways in which various religious faiths have responded to social, ideological, and technological changes in ‘modern’ times. Go to this Building Society Lesson.

In our Posts – 2008 – Thaksin gives up on getting justice in Thailand

Posted on June 3, 2010 at 9:00 am in

Thaksin Shinawatra

Thailand – The former prime minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, skipped a court appearance Monday and announced he was seeking refuge in London, leaving behind more than $2 billion frozen by the generals who ousted him from power two years ago.
He said that in Thailand he had been the victim of a “political assassination” and said that his enemies had used dictatorial powers to persecute his family. “My family and I were continually treated unfairly, without justice or truth,” he said. » in this New York Times article – By Thomas Fuller – Published: August 11, 2008.
Update | Thailand’s Political Drama Continues – Interview from The Asia Sentinel.

Zardari Zardari Image source

Pakistan – Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of the slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, now sits at the pinnacle of Pakistani politics. It is a startling comeback for a man who, though never convicted here, spent 11 years in jail here on corruption and murder charges as one of Pakistan’s most ostracized figures.
Zardari’s sudden revival is a reminder of how Pakistan has veered between military rule and civilian governments that have been dogged by allegations of corruption, and how those cases can be prosecuted — or wiped away — depending on the political wind.
“They always come to me through legality,” Zardari said. “They always have a legal reason. After all, Christ was tried. It is not that they didn’t give him a trial. They did. How good the trial was, that is another thing.”
» The full New York Times Article – By Jane Perlez – Published: Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Top