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Hmm is it just me or was the Israeli attack on UN headquarters last Thursday (the 15th) not reported in the papers? Or not in Today, anyway. You can read about it at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5521925.ece.
I set out today to comment on another thing i read in Today newspaper, about the Ministry of Home Affair's proposal to amend current public order laws. The idea is, apparently, to separate political,"cause-related" and "ideologically related" activities from recreational and social activities, which are both governed under the Miscellaneous Offences Act and the Public Entertainment and Meetings Act currently. In doing so, the Ministry hopes to empower the police to be able to break up protests or acts of civil disobedience without resorting to arrests, via the introduction of the power to order people to move on or face arrest on the spot. This kind of makes sense to me, what with the recent PAD blockade of the airports (can't remember their names) in Thailand. Still unsure about whether i agree with it, but I can see where they're coming from. What I don't understand is why the Ministry refers to "suicide bombers and anarchistic fanatics" in explaining the state of today's world and why such a power is necessary. Isn't this act targeted at activists and protesters who, in the eyes of the government, promote social disorder? What's the relevance in bringing up suicide bombers and fanatics? Their proposed changes do not address these security concerns at all. Anyways, for those who still read my blog, yes, I'm finally coming out of my shell. I don't know whether I'll be back for the long term, but I sincerely hope so. Have learned a lot of things this past year, one of which is that truly, no man (person?) is an island. |
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