Asia-Pacific

Photo: Tea plantation in Sri Lanka. Credit: Sri Lanka government

Tea the Invigorating and Sustaining Wine of Life

Dr. K. Mulaffer

Chairman, Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (1990-1992); Chairman, Building Materials Manufacturing Corporation (1992-1994) & Project Director & Coordinator, National Equipment & Machinery Organization (1994-1995)

COLOMBO (IDN) – My American friends must understand that choosing tea is like choosing wine. And here is why? The natural flavors of teas are quintessentially different from country to country, from which height, district, season and year, it’s grown. It is the same as with Wines.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 28 July 2019

Graphic: The anti-corruption organizations of China and Laos have decided to jointly supervise the construction of China-Laos Railway and establish a mechanism to uphold integrity, which can be seen as a model for clean governance. Credit: Song Chen/China Daily

China’s Risky Bets Along the Belt and Road Initiative

Viewpoint by James M. Dorsey

James M. Dorsey – a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, an adjunct senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute and co-director of the University of Wuerzburg’s Institute of Fan Culture – offered this viewpoint to IDN.

SINGAPORE (IDN) – China’s infrastructure and energy driven one-trillion-dollar Belt and Road initiative involves risky bets across a swath of land populated by often illiberal or autocratic governments exercising power without independent checks and balances.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 26 July 2019

Public Good Hijacked by Tobacco Corporation for Profit

Viewpoint by Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo

The writer is Executive Director of Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA).

BANGKOK (IDN) – Many corporations make money at the expense of the public interest, but the world’s largest tobacco company, Philip Morris International (PMI) has raised the bar again.

In 2017 PMI pledged US$80 million annually for 12 years toward the establishment of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) as part of its “smoke-free future”, and claims it wants people to stop smoking.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 25 July 2019

Photo: Family farmers are key partners in transforming food and agricultural production into sustainable systems, helping to address challenges like depletion of natural resources. ©VNFU/Vu Le Y Voan

Forest and Farm Producers Help Boost Viet Nam's Economy

By Ronald Joshua

ROME (IDN) – Forestry and agriculture provide livelihoods for nearly 80 percent of the population in the northern regions of Viet Nam. However, nearly half of all households own less than one hectare of land, which often prevents farmers from earning the income they need.

To help smallholder farmers find ways to raise their incomes – while sustainably using forest resources – the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) partnered with the Viet Nam National Farmers’ Union (VNFU) to support farming families in forming life-changing cooperatives.

: Ronald Joshua; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 22 July 2019

Photo: Philippine overseas workers assembling the tent for an event in the capital city of Brunei. Credit: jyppe.com CC BY-SA 3.0

Scepticism About President Duterte's New Unit to Protect Overseas Filipinos

By Kalinga Seneviratne

MANILA (IDN) – With his approval ratings at an all-time high for a Filipino leader, President Rodrigo Duterte has thrown his weight behind a proposal by his former aide and newly-elected Senator Christopher “Bong’ Go to create a new government department for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) who are the major foreign exchange earner for the Southeast Asian nation.

Addressing the OFW Summit here on July 12, President Duterte vowed that he will not tolerate the abuse of Filipino workers overseas anymore. They voted in droves for him in the 2016 elections.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 20 July 2019

Photo: Polonnaruwa Road near Punani, a small hamlet in Sri Lanka’s Batticaloa district. CC BY-SA 3.0

An Aborted University and Squandered Opportunity in Sri Lanka

Viewpoint by Dr. Ameer Ali

A modern Muslim university is an absolute need of our time, and it will be a sound first step to reform even the madrasas eventually, writes Dr. Ameer Ali, a lecturer in economics at the School of Business and Governance, Murdoch University, Western Australia. The aborted university project in Punanai, a small hamlet in Sri Lanka’s Batticaloa district was a golden opportunity squandered by abuse of political power, subservience to Wahhabism and hunger for profit, he adds.

PERTH (IDN) – About three years ago when passing through Punanai along the arterial road between Habarana and Batticaloa in Sri Lanka, I noticed a few brick structures appearing in a parched land amid thick shrubs and woody trees. It was almost a desolate spot where I could not see any people living close by.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 19 July 2019

Photo: Walter Lindner (right), German Ambassador to India, with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Credit: OFM

Outrage After German Ambassador to India Visits Paramilitary RSS Headquarters

By OFMI*

This article is the eighth in a series of joint productions of South Asian Outlook and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate.

NAGPUR, India (IDN) — Controversy is raging after Germany’s Ambassador to India, Walter Lindner, visited the Nagpur, Maharashtra headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on July 17 despite the group’s implication in anti-minority pogroms and heavily documented inspiration by European fascist movements, including that of Nazi Germany.

: J C Suresh; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 18 July 2019

Photo: Children riding a bicycle in Tuvalu. Credit: UNDP | Silke Von Brockhausen

Quarter of Pacific Islanders Living Below ‘Basic Needs Poverty Lines’

By Sean Buchanan

NEW YORK (IDN) – While there has been progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the past four years, some vulnerable small island developing states (SIDs), such as those in the Pacific, are losing momentum in the run-up to 2030.

In 2015, the United Nations set out a vision for “people, planet, peace and prosperity” through partnership and solidarity, when it adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To date, however, many SIDs still face persistent challenges linked to poverty, inequality and climate impacts.

: Phil Harris; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 15 July 2019

Photo: Pearl-Qatar, an artificial island spanning nearly four square kilometres, is one of the attractions of Doha for foreigners. CC BY-SA 3.0

Intra-Afghan Dialogue Seen as A Step Towards Peace

By R. Maxwell Bone

The writer is Vice President for Political Affairs, Democracy, and Governance at the International Institute for Peace, Democracy, and Development (IIPDD). He lives in Washington, DC. Follow him on Twitter @maxbone55.

WASHIGTON, DC (IDN) – A broad delegation of representatives from Afghan society partook in an Intra-Afghan dialogue session with the militant group the Taliban on July 7-8. The talks in the Qatari capital which were jointly organized by the Gulf State and Germany marked the first time that such a diverse group formally engaged in dialogue with the Taliban.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 14 July 2019

Photo: The July 7-8 talks between the Taliban and Afghan delegates in Doha. Credit: MEMRI

Germany and EU Encouraged by Afghan Talks in Doha

Afghanistan On the Long Road to Trust and Reconciliation

By Rita Joshi

BERLIN (IDN) – As a friend to Afghanistan, Germany has supported efforts to achieve peace in the country for many years. After 40 years of almost constant violence, the main prerequisites for peace, according to the German Foreign Office, are "a willingness to engage in dialogue and a certain level of trust across deep divides."