The Monsoon Project Annual Edition (2017)

monsoon the 2017 annual

About Monsoon “In 2017, The Monsoon Project built upon its distinct culture of student journalism and academic blogging which seeks to inform readers from all parts of the world of the issues most affecting the Asia-Pacific. Beginning the year with contributions from students undertaking ASIA3024, Digital Frontiers in the Asia-Pacific: A Media Practicum, Monsoon continued its tradition of teaching students the skills required to report fairly, confidently and interestingly on topics in a manner which sits at the intersection of academia and online journalism. For this we would like to thank James Giggacher and Martyn Pearce for their mentorship and continued support of The Monsoon Project.

Embracing new opportunities in Semester 2, The Monsoon Project became an entirely student run publication. In pursuit of Monsoon’s wider integration into the everyday experiences of ANU Students, we successfully ran a joint panel featuring acclaimed ANU academics with the university’s biggest student media and news publication, Woroni. We thank them for their support. Our most sincere gratitude is given to our Contributors both on and outside of our editorial board, who reached out and trusted us with what was often their first journalistic piece. We thank these Contributors for letting us provide them with the unique experience of being published on an online news and media publication.

Our biggest thanks go to our student volunteers. Their passion and commitment to our new editorial board throughout Semester 2 allowed Monsoon to thrive. Through what is nothing but pure love for the work we do, our student volunteers helped Monsoon to grow in popularity amongst the wider ANU Community. We are now bigger and better than ever before in large part because their hard work.

We also thank the ANU’s College of Asia and the Pacific and its Dean Michael Wesley for their support of The Monsoon Project since the its conception as the main student publication based out of the College. Their support is what allows Monsoon to run as smoothly and efficiently as it does, guaranteeing that we can provide writing opportunities beyond formal academia for young scholars studying the Asia-Pacific.

Finally, a warm thank you to you, our readers. You have helped us become a popular name amongst ANU’s community as a publication you can look to for intriguing, interesting and inspirational pieces written by your fellow student peers.”

Reza Mazumder and Harrison Rule.

Editors-in-chief

The Monsoon Project Team: (left to right) Dominic Harvey-Taylor, Harrison Rule, Adina Darbyshire, Reza Mazumder, Elizabeth Underwood, Kai Clark, and Han-Geol Henry Cho.

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table of contents politics & economy

tradition, urbanisation, & anecdote

4-5 APOLCALYPSE NOT-RIGHT-NOW: THE UNSURPRISING DISORDER IN MINDANAO Miguel Galsim 23

6-7 CREST OF THE WAVE OR DEAD IN THE WATER? AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL CLIMATE LEADERSHIP Toby Warden

CARRY ON DOCTOR: VIETNAM Robin Spurr

TRAVELLING FOR TAILORING: CAN A DRESS BE MADE IN 24 HOURS? 24-25 Carys Tetlaw

8-9 THE ROHINGYA Hares Shirbaz

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A CULTURAL DEEP FRY Naomi Teng

TOIL & TROUBLE FOR SUSPECTED SORCERERS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA 27 Cinnamone Winchester

10 TWO SIDES OF THE GAMBLER’S COIN: JAPAN’S CONFLICTING OPINIONS ON CASINO EXPANSION PLANS Adina Darbyshire

CHINA’S INTERNAL MIGRANTS: FLOWING INTO BIG CITIES - BUT ENDING UP WITH 28-29 DISAPPOINTMENT? Ruiying Zheng

11 A METHOD TO NORTH KOREA’S MADNESS? Kate Crompton

SHANGHAI’S VANISHING HERITAGE: A CAUTIONARY TALE OF URBAN 30-31 DEVELOPMENT Harrison Rule

12-13 AUSTRALIA’S AFGHANISTAN LEGACY: MISSING IN ACTION? Chris Taylor 14-15 SINDH’S MOHAJIR CARD: ON ITS LAST LEGS Qandeel Khan

environment, human rights, & social change

pop culture, technology, & social media

STRAIT DIFFERENCES: ATTITUDES TOWARDS SAME-GENDER RIGHTS IN 32 TAIWAN AND MAINLAND CHINA Kai Clark

16 TRADING FREEDOM FOR FUNCTIONALITY: CHINA’S APP CENSORSHIP Dominic Harvey-Taylor

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17 THE BILLION-YEAR BEAR Jade Boyle

DUTERTE AND THE QUEER COMMUNITY Kate Crompton

THE DEBATE OVER PHOSPHATE FOR MAKATEA 34-35 Nicholas Hoare

18-19 HOW FAR I’LL GO: MOANA AND WAYFINDING Jade Boyle

INCREASING BOYS PROSTITUTION IN INDONESIA 36-37 Farabi Ferdiansyah

20-21 GRILLS AND WINDOW THIEVES Reza Mazumder 22 THE INTERNET: A CULTURE-MAKING MACHINE Keeley Adams

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ENDING HONOUR KILLINGS IN PAKISTAN Tayla Badings

Apocalypse Not-right-now: The unsurprising disorder in Mindanao

Miguel Galsim On May 23, militants from the Abu Sayyaf (ASG) and Maute Groups stormed the city of Marawi in the southern Philippine province of Lanao del Sur, Mindanao.

The conflagration was sparked by a raid conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines which intended to capture Isnilon Hapilon, the leader of ASG. Maute reinforcements were called into the city shortly afterwards, eventuating in the current crisis.

Having declared allegiance to the Islamic State, the actions of the Maute Group and ASG have drawn Western media attention in a somewhat apocalyptic light, linking the fighting to the international effort against IS. The ABC’s report began: “militants linked to the Islamic State group torched buildings, seized more than a dozen Catholic hostages and raised the black flag of IS.” Similarly, the Sydney Morning Herald’s lead stated simply that IS-linked militants “threatened to kill a

priest and other Christian hostages.” A by the Duterte Government, and although Reuters headline put it plainly as a “rebel a recent Congressional report places the rampage claimed by Islamic State.”

Maute’s strength at 263 armed members, it remains outsized by rival Islamic, ethnoWhile the assault has undoubtable nationalist, and Communist armies on the implications for human life and minority island. groups in the south, permitting an outsized appreciation of the Maute Group Moreover, both groups face resource and ASG capabilities would be unhelpful limitations – this challenge drives for policy thinking. The recent upsurge in ASG’s long-running fixation on kidnapMarawi does not necessarily herald the for-ransom operations, and similar spawn of a Philippine Raqqa, a caliphate extortionist behaviour from the Maute wherein terrorists can freely roam and Group. While the aforementioned report assail the rest of the archipelago. also implied that the Maute Group was receiving funding from IS – a legitimate The Maute Group and ASG operate in cause for concern – how well this will a distinct manner, and are empowered translate into battlefield advantages, and constrained by unique contextual especially in the face of a heavy-handed factors in the Philippine south. Firstly, government counter-offensive, remains to the two terrorist organisations must be be seen. characterised by their relatively small size and limited controlled territory that forces Most importantly, such unrest is not new them to operate surreptitiously in rural to Mindanao. Armed groups have long areas. ASG has been persistently hunted exploited the central authorities’ inability

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to effectively govern and extend coercive influence over far-flung regions in the south. Opportunities are also opened by crushing poverty and pro-autonomy sentiment from a Bangsamoro Muslim population seeing itself as ethnically and culturally distinct, enmeshed in a history of maltreatment by Manila.

The Maguindanao Massacre of 2009, wherein 58 civilians were killed by a private militia as part of an electoral feud, illustrates this. In a similar vein, the Moro National Liberation Front occupied Zamboanga City for nearly three weeks in 2013, attempting to establish a breakaway republic. The current siege of Marawi is more an extension of a trend than an exceptional outburst of IS in Asia.

non-state forces – namely the MNLF, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the New People’s Army – contrast with the IS-linked militants ideologically and are engaged in talks with the government at present. The MILF even assisted Government forces in disrupting Maute and the ASG as part of their ceasefire negotiations.

More so, both the MNLF and MILF have a deeper history in carrying the banner of Muslim and Moro autonomy, and are generally more popular as a result, as outlined by Filipino scholar Eric Gutierrez.

Adding insult to injury, both Fronts also denounced the terrorists’ assault on Marawi. The Maute Group and ASG would struggle to capitalise on wider Muslim discontent in Mindanao while However, implicit in these opportunities surrounded by more experienced and are considerable threats to the Maute entrenched competitors,regardlessofthe Group and ASG. These two organisations funds it allegedly receives from IS. were not the only armed groups to rise out of deficient central governance. Much IS influence in the Philippines and to their disdain, a number of Mindanao’s Southeast Asia is a real threat, but it

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should not be overly inflated. Nor should it be forgotten that the Maute Group and ASG differ from the core IS organisation in the Middle East. Mindanao’s home-grown jihadist groups have a unique modus operandi, and exist under circumstances that stem from entrenched local issues, particularly the difficulties facing the Philippine state in bringing order and equitable development to the distant south.

In recognising these distinctions, more realistic and targeted policy options – especially from the Philippines’ Western allies – can be rendered that pinpoint specific vulnerabilities in the Abu Sayyaf and Maute Groups. More broadly, there is greater wisdom in restraining current and futurepolicymakersfromdefiningregional threats in broad strokes when localised, surgical approaches would prove more fitting.

CREST of the wave or dead in the water? australian regional climate leadership TobyWarden

Trump’s withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement on 1st of June 2017 has lowered America into an enormous chasm of moral inferiority that Australia cannot afford to replicate for the sake of its Pacific neighbours.

Trump’s rationale is typical of his international relations psyche: overtly transactional and business-like. Any outcome in the international realm that doesn’t deliver fruitful benefits to the US economy is regarded with scepticism and deemed deleterious.

Pacific island nations do not carry economic importance to the United States but they do possess enormous strategic significance to Australia’s defence and security. The 2016 Defence White Paper includes that “we cannot effectively protect Australia if we do not have a secure nearer region, encompassing maritime Southeast Asia and South Pacific (comprising Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Pacific Island Countries).

Australia must play a leadership role in our immediate neighbourhood”.

A secure Pacific island region is a core Australian national interest. Australia has a moral responsibility to be the guarantor and protector of Pacific security. Without American influence, the question of our regional leadership has become more important.

Worthy of greater alarm is the threat

currently experienced by what Australia defines as crucial in the national security interest. Kiribati is now threatened by a predicted rise in sea levels over 6 feet by 2100 when the land itself only sits at 6 feet above water. A World Bank report found that the village of Bikenibeu, home to 6,500 could be submerged by 2050 with current rates of sea level rise. In 2015, Cyclone Pam affected 45% of Polynesia’s Tuvalu, displacing 10000 people.

resilient economy that hasn’t experienced a recession since 1991.

Canberra must remain vigilant to not develop the same psyche that pushed the US to withdraw from Paris. The domestic isundoubtedlyimportant,buttheregional, and international, is just as significant.

Lowy fellow, Greg Colton argues that ‘no argument for domestic job creation carries much weight for island nations who are considering how to relocate their entire An increase in global temperatures over populations because of climate change. It 1.5 degrees would doom Kiribati, Tuvalu is seen not only as a very selfish act from and the Marshall Islands. As Fijian Prime a supposed friend, but also ultimately Minister, Frank Bainimarama, emphatically foolish.’ put it: “As Pacific Islanders, we are fighting for our very survival…[our] To become the regional leader that existence as sovereign nations with land Canberra strives to be it will first need and coastlines hangs in the balance.” to adjust its solipsistic energy and commodity policies. The Pacific Islands This seemingly brings me to Australia’s Development Forum, a regional forum highly politicised, yet rarely securitised, promoting sustainable development, energy and economic policies. Australia urged for an international moratorium on is the largest exporter of coal. In 2015the expansion of new fossil-fuel extraction 16, Australia exported 388 million tonnes industries. While this decision would of coal, and contributed to a staggering adjust the economy to finally ascend 30% of the coal export markets, making renewable investment above coal and Australia a global leader in emission other fossil-fuel industries, this future fostering. looks bleak. Both major parties are backed by coal-based industries and there are Coal proponents regularly prioritise the continuing propositions for new mines, job creation, increased standards of living such as the Adani thermal coal mine in and strong and stable economic growth Queensland. gained from this reliable commodity.

Coal exports was largely Australia’s key But if long-term energy solutions and to survival during the 2007-08 Global altruistic concerns of humanity are not Financial Crisis (GFC) and contributes to a enough, this decision could improve

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Canberra’s diplomatic perception and influence. Wesley Morgan suggests that Pacific Islands are beginning to engage in a wider range of multilateral platforms (that do not include Australia) in order to pursue their survivalist interests. The extent to which Canberra’s voice will retain projection, reputation and influence is at risk if its priorities in the Pacific are not properly addressed.

Event stated “to allow sovereign nations to slip beneath the rising seas altogether to preserve the economies and lifestyles of others would be an act of unparalleled selfishness and injustice. And any global citizen who believes in justice has no moral choice other than to side with you in your struggle.”

The Pacific nations are watching Australia’s every move. Malcolm Turnbull Frank Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji had the opportunity to champion climate at July’s Climate Action Pacific Partnership change as a security issue at the past G20

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leaders’ meeting. The next opportunity to convey Canberra’s selflessness and supposedly espoused justice will with the Adani coal mine. We cannot rely on the United States when it comes to this national security concern. In order to secure the national interest and pursue the moralism embedded in Australian values, Canberra cannot be like Trump.

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The rohingya HaresShirbaz

An article from the Economist once called the Rohingya people‘the most persecuted people on Earth.’ I, a refugee from AfghanistannowsettledintheNetherlands with my family, arguably agree.

The first time I heard about the Rohingya was while reading a Dutch article in March 2014. It reported that Australian and American pilots sent in to find Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 – the infamous airplane that disappeared while on route to Beijing – had spotted a large boat filled with starving and dehydrated refugees. They also spotted floating corpses but upon realising they too were refugees, they flew the plane past them, not bothering to call for a rescue team.

I could barely believe what I had just read. I read it a second time, appalled.

I understood the importance of finding the remains of the MH370 passengers, but could these pilots not have paused just briefly to call a rescue team to these starving, dehydrated people probably in dire need of medical attention?. After reading the article for the third time I stumbled across the word “Rohingya.”

The refugees had been Rohingya people.

Not knowing who they were, I decided to look it up. Just who were these Rohingya that the MH370 search planes had so easily ignored?

She claimed that these Muslims were “terrorists” who’d raped and looted.

Her comments shocked me. She soon ended our discussion as she felt I didn’t understand her. I on the other hand, was infuriated. The Rohingya are lynched on a daily basis. How could she claim they were the aggressors? I felt curious. I wanted know why she thought this way.

I decided to visit her Facebook page and what I saw shocked me – she was a normal student just like me. I saw pictures of her on holiday, with friends and family and with a sign demanding equal rights for women. My anger turned in to confusion.

How could this young bright woman who The government of Myanmar and hard-line demands equal rights for women not Buddhists claim that Rohingya are illegal demand these rights for the Rohingya immigrantsfromtheneighbouringcountry people? of Bangladesh. According to state rhetoric, the Rohingya arrived in Myanmar during You see I was a refugee too. In 1997, my British rule between 1824 till 1942. The family and I fled from the Taliban when Rohingya are not accepted as citizens but they took over Afghanistan. We came instead classified as “resident foreigners”. to The Netherlands and were received with open arms by the majority of the The Myanmar government even refuses people. The Dutch gave my parents to refer to these Muslims as “Rohingya,” the opportunity to start a new life. My instead titling them as “Bengali” in order sisters, brothers and I were granted the to support their theory of the Rohingya opportunity to go to school and study. being foreigners rather than from They gave us a new home but most Myanmar. importantly, they accepted us. We didn’t look like them, talk like them, ate different The Rohingya refuse to accept this title things, and prayed to a different god, but and claim that their ancestors arrived in they didn’t let these differences scare Rakhine before British rule. Rohingya them. Their acceptance is the reason theory states that during the 1404 war why this small country is known for its that reinstated Min Saw Mon as King tolerance, and why I hold it as such an of the Launggyet Dynasty after being important country to take example from. overthrown by rival Ava Kingdom, a small group of Muslim Bengalis migrated into I thought about destiny and how fearful the territory now called Rakhine. They a life we might’ve had if we’d fled to came with Min Saw Mon when he returned Myanmar instead of The Netherlands. I to Myanmar after fleeing to Bengal to thought about the possibility of my family seek help from the Sultan Jalaluddin and I sitting in an improvised pontoon, Muhammad Shah to regain his throne. The fleeing from possible persecution, hungry Rohingya claim this historical legacy as and thirsty under the hot sun. Suddenly their legitimate link to Myanmar. we would hear the engine of a plane approaching. The plane would Fast forward to 2016 and I’m having a fly past us and our hopes would disappear discussion with a young woman from with it. The idea frightens me but the Myanmar about a Quartz article criticising Rohingya are used to it. They are used Aung San Suu Kyi for not protecting the to being ignored, be it by the Myanmar Rohingya. I agreed with this critique. government, foreign search planes or the Aung San Suu Kyi is revered as the leader rest of the world. of Myanmar who promises to end military rule and bring democracy and freedom That is their bleak destiny. to all the people of Myanmar. This should include the Rohingya.

The Rohingya are a Muslim minority from the Rakhine (also known as Arakan) a states in Myanmar. They make up around forty per cent of the population. The majority sixty per cent of the population in Rakhine are mainly Buddhists. ‘The differences between the Rohingya miniority within the Buddhist majority are currently dividing Rakhine with accute The young woman thought differently. ethno-religious tensions.

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Two sides of the gambler’s coin: Japan’s conflicting opinions on casino expansion plans

Adina Darbyshire Large, flashy Pachinko parlours light up the streets of Japan. These are pinball arcades that have marginally circumvented Japan’s anti-gambling laws for many decades. However, Japan’s gambling culture is about to change.

The Japanese Diet passed a bill lifting the ban on integrated resorts (IR) – commercial complexes including casinos – last December, and are set to hold an extraordinary session to pass an IR Implementation bill in late September of this year.

The incumbent Liberal-Democratic party (LDP) is largely in favour of expanding the Japanese gambling market. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed his hopes to implement integrated resorts before the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in order to draw more tourists to the country and to help revive regional economies. On the other hand, the Opposition (Democratic Party) and the public alike are dubious about the motion. In fact, members of the Opposition walked out in protest during the session last December on the grounds that the bill contains insufficient safeguards addressing gambling addiction.

The former head of the Opposition has also voiced his concerns over the rashness with which integrated resorts are being pushed for, noting that the initial IR Promotions bill was passed in just six hours without a consensus between the LDP and the Opposition. The public has echoed these concerns, fearing that the bill understates problems such as gambling addiction and gamblingrelated crime. In fact, a national survey conducted on August 7th shows that 22.8% and 66.8% of Japanese citizens are

respectively for and against passing the IR gambling counselling helpline with the implementation bill.

Institute of Mental Health in December, 2007. Moreover, the Ministry of Health Thorough deliberation of implementing helped establish a National Addictions integrated resorts in Japan is crucial Management Service (NAMS) in 2008. considering its existing gambling problem amongst Pachinko-goers. A 2008 national The Japanese government has appointed survey found that Japan’s gambling a Casino Management Committee to addiction rate was approximately 5.6%, examine gambling issues related to with similar results in a 2013 survey. organised crime and money laundering, This is high compared to national survey and has proposed safeguards such as results of other Asian countries. As of using ‘My Number’ cards to limit patrons’ 2011, this includes 0.8% in South Korea, visits to casinos. The National Police 3.1% in Singapore, and 4.4% in Hong Agency has also pushed for regulations Kong. limiting the number of Pachinko balls that can be won. It would be in the best How can we hasten IR legislation when interest of the Abe administration to follow we have yet to ensure that Japan will be Singapore’s lead in accommodating the sufficiently prepared to tackle the problem mental health needs of the Japanese of gambling addiction? It is crucial people further. that enough time is taken to discuss safeguards before the bill is to be enacted. Addressing mental health is especially a An example of a country that has done just pressing issue considering Japan’s high this is Singapore. suicide rates. A 2014 study suggests a strong positive correlation between Singapore implemented two integrated suicide rates and gambling addiction, resorts in 2010 – Marina Bay Sands and even pinpointing Japan as exemplary of Resorts World Sentosa – both of which this trend. If so, it is all the more reason have achieved astounding success. Prior to establish relevant safeguards, such as to these developments, the Singaporean providing specalized counselling services government had already prepared a for potential gambling addicts. Otherwise, comprehensive framework tackling the Abe administration will be gambling on gambling addiction. In accordance with the public’s support. the framework, the newly appointed National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) proactively sought public opinion; funded an educational TV series on the issue in January, 2006; and set up a problem

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A method to north korea’s madness?

KateCrompton

Almost like clockwork, North Korea once again has the world’s full attention. Much like in 2006, 2009, and 2013, North Korea has again quickened the world’s collective pulse at the prospect of another Pyongyang-initiated conflict.

Whenever this happens, it is important to remind ourselves of one unchanging fact about North Korea. Despite what the rest of the world wants you to think, the hermit kingdom is not irrational or crazy.

Immoral? Undoubtedly. Calculating?

Most certainly. But reckless or impulsive?

Probably not.

Since the end of the Korean War, the North has been characterised as a “rogue state.”

DonaldTrump and his foreign policy posse have done little to challenge it.

In a Tweet from the 12 April, Trump deemed North Korea a “menace”. On a similarly gloomy note, Vice President Mike Pence said earlier this month “storm clouds are on the horizon… North Korea is the most dangerous and urgent threat to the peace and security of the Asia-Pacific.”

Australia’s own Julie Bishop labelled North Korea “provocative and belligerent”.

This characterisation of North Korea is unhelpful at best. When tensions flare up on the Peninsula, it is worth remembering that North Korea is a rational country with rational goals.

Questions of rationality are separate from questions of good or evil. Rationality is about pursuing a set of strategic goals.

According to academic Youngwon Cho, “Pyongyang is fundamentally a rational actor pursuing a rational strategy to deal with rational security concerns”.

Ultimately, North Korea’s goal is survival.

Everything North Korea does can be traced Donald Trump is proving to be global back to achieving this ultimate goal. interventionist. Recent bombings in Syria and Afghanistan show that Trump is not Where other countries would choose afraid to put his money where his mouth diplomacy and negotiations to achieve is. This is a scary prospect for North this aim, North Korea chooses threats of Korea. nuclear annihilation. But North Korea has very few other weapons at its disposal.

As any rational country facing threats to its survival would, North Korea is pouring It has no diplomatic weight, it’s not part of all its assets – nuclear and all – into the main international organisations, and keeping itself from collapse. the country has few international partners.

Even the country’s historical ally China is This is where the “rogue state” distancing itself from North Korea’s latest conceptualisation falls down. North outburst.

Korea’s reckless façade hides a deeply insecure country with very few assets To pursue its rational goal of survival, you desperately trying to keep itself afloat. could argue that North Korea has no other choice.

None of this is an attempt to award North Korea victim status. It is, however, an We can decode North Korea’s behaviour attempt to reconceptualise the debate by looking at what it is afraid of. North around North Korea to reflect reality.

Korea faces some real threats to its survival from South Korea and the United Big players like the US must recognise States.

North Korea’s rationality, whether or not their moral compass aligns with that of the Ahighlydevelopedeconomicpowerhouse Kim regime. To develop an effective policy with a military to boot sits quite literally on towards North Korea, global players must North Korea’s doorstep. Since the end of understand that its goal is not apocalypse the Korean War, relations on the Peninsula now, but the assurance of its own survival. have been frosty at best. The risk of military action from the South is always a Whether stationing anti-missile defence possibility. systems in South Korean waters is the best response is a question for another Understandably, North Korea wants to day. But the world needs to ease its shield itself from potential military action vice grip on its view of North Korea as a from the South. The country’s response “rogue.” Policy should also reflect this. has been to acquire a nuclear capability and to station troops on its Southern North Korea is not a madman that needs border. As Hazel Smith points out, to be tamed. It is neither reckless nor stationing troops in where threats are insane. Its characterisation as a rogue present is a fairly normal, rational thing for state is both incorrect and unhelpful. Like a country to do. any other country, North Korea has a goal in mind and is fervently pursuing this goal.

North Korea is now facing a new threat. In a time of renewed angst, the rest of the Despite his pre-election rhetoric, world would do well to remember this.

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Six years ago I was a soldier in the volatile province of Uruzgan, where Australia sent the bulk of its forces during its commitment to the Afghanistan War. Australia has since withdrawn from Uruzgan, closing another ostensibly successful chapter in its military history and begun celebrating its actions.

australia’s afghanistan legacy: missing in action?

Yet despite the deaths of 41 soldiers, hundreds badly wounded and $7.5 billion spent on the war, remarkably little was achieved. Uruzgan is now the single mostTaliban-controlled province in Afghanistan.

ChrisTaylor

My home was a remote outpost in a farming valley where a handful of Australian and Afghan soldiers lived, worked and fought the Taliban together. Despite the hardships and numerous casualties, we achieved some modest successes.

Taliban insurgents remained, but the loss of fighters,commandersandequipmentweakened them. Security was gradually improving and there was hope that one day government services could be introduced to the area.

But any sense of accomplishment was temperedbytheknowledgethatAustraliawould soon be withdrawing from the base, leaving the Afghans to provide security on their own. I was not optimistic about their chances.

These concerns are now justified.

Taliban fighters overran the outpost last October and dozens of Afghan soldiers defending it reportedly defected. A video published on the Taliban’s news website, Al Emarah, shows soldiers surrendering the base and handing over weapons and armoured vehicles.

Nearby bases fell in a similar manner and the Taliban now control the valley. Despite years of commitment and the loss of at least eight soldiers, Australian forces left little lasting impact.

What happened there is just one example of a broad collapse of security across Uruzgan. After Australian troops withdrew in 2013, the Taliban made sweeping gains and now claim to control the entire province except for district centres.

Uruzgan Governor Mohammed Nazir Kharoti has called for Australia to return to the province and says the Taliban are threatening the capital, Tarin Kot, and are “coming very close to the city…a kilometre, to two kilometres in some sites.”

Reinforcements have prevented the city from falling, but the countryside remains out of the government’s reach.

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So, what of Australia’s legacy in Afghanistan? Attempts to bring Uruzgan under enduring government control certainly failed. Yet Australia’s Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Campbell, defends Australia’s achievements as part of a bigger picture, citing “education, communication and thousands of kilometres of road infrastructure” that have improved quality of life for Afghans and liberated them from the desperate conditions they once endured.

Australia’s commitment may have indirectly supported social and economic development elsewhere in Afghanistan, in the larger cities and safer provinces. But in Uruzgan, quality of life remains dire.

Even before the Taliban seized much of the province, government services and infrastructure began to crumble.

According to tribal elder Haji Mohammad Qasim, two years after Australia’s departure only 20 per cent of Uruzgan’s schools remained functional. Those that were open were run by elderly teachers with no understanding of modern education.

Health care was non-existent in most places while the central hospital relied on unqualified staff with inadequate supplies. Some infrastructure projects were successful, but many were never completed and much of Uruzgan received no development. The province remains a leading producer of opium.

Uruzgan’s only hope now is that the government in Kabul will survive and become strong enough to impose order. This is a tenuous prospect. The government’s authority is dwindling, now controlling just 57 per cent of Afghanistan and propped up only by foreign support.

As I look back, I wonder if we ever had a chance of success. Without enough Despite this grim picture, can Australians manpower to defeat the insurgency take comfort in the idea that they did their and without serious efforts to build a best against insurmountable obstacles? It functional administration, it is difficult to is debatable. imagine how Australia’s mission could have ended differently.

A controversial strategy facilitated the spectacular collapse of governance and Despite this, Australia poured soldiers and security in Uruzgan. Leaders neglected resources into the province for nine years. the requirement to build government Australians and Afghans alike paid a heavy institutions that follow the rule of law. price, with many killed and countless Instead, they used a tribal warlord named more bearing physical and psychological Matiullah Khan to assert control through wounds that will never completely heal. his personal power. His assassination in 2015 left behind a province with no The question is unavoidable: was it worth successor and no viable institutions. it?

Uruzgan descended deeper into lawlessness and the Taliban capitilised on the chaos.

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sindh’s mohajir card: on it’s last legs QandeelKhan After decades of explosive urban-violence Quami Movement (MQM). and ethnically segregated politics in Sindh, Mohajir-aligned politics is set to die.

The MQM appealed to the Urdu-speaking majority of Karachi and Hyderabad Pakistan is a surprisingly ethnically by promising to address concerns diverse country. Urdu, its official language, other national or religious parties had is spoken by only 8 percent of the not—“Islamic parties promised us a population. Pakistan’s abject failure to glue place in heaven but failed to get us different nationalities, languages, politics one in Pakistan”, explained one MQM and religious beliefs upon its creation has supporter. Ruled internally with an iron triggered a host of issues for the nation fist by a charismatic leader, MQM’s leader today. Former capital Karachi is the arena Altaf Hussain was respected as a pir (a for one of the most interesting: the rise Muslim saint) and a bhai (brother). Giving and demise of Mohajir politics. dramatic speeches where he often wept about the plight of his fellow Mohajir, Once a formidable force, Mohajir-aligned MQM became the dominant political force political groups and their militant wings in urban Sindh, with Altaf successfully are now on their last legs, set to lose their mobilising an emerging ethnic loyalty. political clout in the near future.

Riots came with the growth of an MQM Here is where the story begins: in the militant wing, normalising political years following partition the Mohajir violence in the city. Targeted killings, were touted as loyal, valuable migrants torture and abduction of rival parties, providing much needed skills to assist police or government were common.

Pakistan in its fledgling years after the Describing their motivations, one young exodus of educated Hindi communities. Mohajir militant stated, “Altaf Hussain An opposing narrative, led mostly arrived on the scene talking about my by native Sindhis viewed Mohajir as experience exactly… He showed that elitist newcomers who not only quickly because 2 per cent of the population ruled integrated with the oppressive Punjabi over 98 per cent, a lower-middle class, bureaucracy, but who swamped Sindh’s educated, intelligent boy couldn’t become urban cities and forcefully imposed their a general or reach a high post in Pakistan.

Urdu cultural identity upon Sindhis.

That’s why I joined. I was 18 or 20.”

The total cost of lives in Karachi’s urban Very soon, the Mohajir formed half of the killings has been deemed comparable to provincial capital Karachi’s population, the war with the Taliban and jihadists. andwereover-representedingovernment, military and business roles.

But despite being drunk on violent victories for decades, the hangover finally From the 1970s onwards, this dominance hit. The glory of the MQM faded slowly, at was lost. The new Prime Minister Zulfikar first—and then seemingly all at once.

Bhutto took measures to placate Sindhi alienation, imposing pro-rural quotas People of all backgrounds grew tired of for government jobs and admission to violence. The once beloved Altaf Hussain, educational institutions, and introducing now exiled in London for several years, Sindhi as a compulsory language in school grew increasingly erratic and out of and work. Following General Zia-Ul-Haq’s touch. The last straw fell in August 2016, martial regime in the late 1970s that when a hate-speech by Hussain went heavily favoured Punjabis, and influxes of viral: “Pakistan is a cancer for the entire Pathan and Baclohi migrants into Sindh, world. Down with Pakistan.” The Mohajir, the Mohajir began to feel squeezed out. frustrated with constant commands to spurn the country their ancestors chose Amid brewing discontent over the to call home, and unimpressed with restriction of career opportunities for poor allegations of corruption against Altaf and middle-class educated Mohajir youth, Hussain, had had enough. a university student named Altaf Hussain who did not meet quotas for admission The MQM soon split into three factions, into a pharmacy program started the marking the first time in decades that earliest version of today’s Muttahida Karachi’s political landscape had not seen

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a strong, unified Mohajir front, leaving smaller, weaker groups competing for the Mohajir vote.

With Altaf Hussain now gone, can we expect Mohajir politics to remain the same?

Probably not.

Pakistan is currently undergoing its first census since 1998. High migration and low birth rates means there is wide expectation that the Mohajir are no longer the demographic majority in Karachi.

Constituency boundaries may be redrawn out of the census in a way that would sorely weaken the Mohajir vote.

And it’s no longer the 1970s. The fundamentalist premise justifying the MQM’s existence in the first place was that young Mohajirs were being denied opportunities for social mobility and economic prosperity.

Back then, most relied on access to political patronage and a government job for success. After economic liberalisation of the 1990s, this is no longer the sole option, nor the most popular for young people.

The smartest students no longer want to be generals; they want to be brand managers for Unilever. While rural-urban quotas remain, they matter little since demandforgovernmentemploymentamid young, educated, urban Pakistanis is low.

Memories of partition trauma are salient, but no longer fresh. With neither a carrot nor a whip, it is difficult to imagine the MQM or its offshoots succeeding to play the Mohajir card for much longer.

Trading Freedom for Functionality: China’s app Censorship Dominic Harvey-Taylor WeChat, China’s most popular messaging app is an integral part of Chinese contemporary culture. The app has over 800 million active users, 90% being Chinese, and is used to conduct virtually every sort of transaction imaginable in China.

updates and subscribing to newsfeeds.

WeChat also functions as an e-wallet.

You can use it to purchase movie tickets, transport, send money to your friends or even scan QR codes to pay vendors directly instead of using cash or card.

During my time in Shanghai, I used The app is also highly censored and WeChat to split bills with friends, pay for heavily monitored by the Chinese Central breakfast, lunch and dinner, and to keep Government. up to date with local and international news.

I used the app to communicate with my friends and my teachers. It was also a great way for me to connect with Chinese and other foreign students who were more comfortableandconfidentcommunicating via a messaging app than in person.

I first came across WeChat while researching what essential apps I needed to download before studying in Shanghai for a semester. Amongst useful dictionary apps and metro guides, the website China Highlights proclaims that WeChat is ‘the most popular messaging service in China’ and is a great way to keep in touch with people. The unwritten downside of the app being, that in using it, I would end up feeling like I was surrendering some form of privacy as well as self-censuring my speech.

Not really having any misgivings at the time, I downloaded WeChat and a few weeks later arrived in China. Almost immediately I realised the website had completely undersold the popularity and versatility of this app.

WeChat is an all-in-one platform for messaging, sharing photos, posting status

Unlike Facebook, where users can add basically anyone as contacts, see mutual friends and create groups with thousands of members with relative ease, WeChat requires a person’s phone number, QR code or unique user ID to add them into your contacts. There is a 500-person cap on the number of participants in group chats.

These measures make life a whole lot more difficult if you’re an activist wanting to organise a million-person protest movement across the country.

Though I wasn’t particularly desperate to start a political movement, or motivated to promote discussion about controversial issues, I still couldn’t shake off the feeling of discomfort while using WeChat to Although I was in Shanghai to help message people. It’s disheartening to be in improve my Mandarin, I found myself a university environment, communicating using the app’s translation function fairly with people from China and across regularly to help interpret various notices the globe, using a platform that is sent to me by the university. fundamentally restrictive about certain topics and ideas.

While using the app, part of me was a bit disturbed by my heavy reliance on What’s more disconcerting, is that the the service because of WeChat’s biggest censorship of WeChat messages isn’t drawback: it’s censorship. exclusive to China. Anyone who initially sets up the app with a Chinese mobile It is no secret that the internet in China is number is susceptible to censorship heavily monitored and censored.Websites overseas, a fact I only became aware of and apps such as Facebook, Twitter and after returning home to Australia.

Instagram are blocked – a big part of the reason why WeChat has grown to be so I still use WeChat to communicate with dominant in China. friends in China and elsewhere.. For many of my friends, it is the only social Private WeChat messages containing media platform they use. Regardless of controversial phrases, including ‘Free the feelings one may have about using Tibet’, ‘1989 Tiananmen Square’ or ‘Falun a censored service, the prevalence and Gong’, are intercepted and then blocked, usefulness of WeChat is such that it’s with no notification to the user. This almost impossible to function without it. is especially the case in group chats, where the government monitors for any Inevitably it seems people will always gathering on online turning into a protest choose a highly restrictive, but highly on the streets. effective social media platform over none at all.

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When the earthquake in April 2016 hit Kumamoto City, the internet lit up with a very peculiar question: “Is Kumamon okay?”

At 1.5 metres tall, the cuddly black bear from Kyushu with rosy cheeks is arguably Japan’s most famous mascot. After the bear’s 2011 win at the Yuru-Kyara Grand Prix that saw him voted in as number one mascot in Japan, his popularity sky rocketed. Kumamon is now more than just a tourism ploy for Kumamoto Prefecture. His popularity has changed his position as a spokesperson for local Kumamoto goods.

Before the earthquake in 2016, Kumamon had reportedly generated 124.4 billion yen (148.27 billion AUD) in revenue for Kumamoto, with around 400 applications submitted a month for permission to use his likeness. As of 2016 Kumamon had his face plastered on anywhere between 8,000 to 20,000 products, taking a regular object into a must-have character product.

the billion-yen bear Jade Boyle

It was in the immediate aftermath of the terrible earthquake that Kumamon’s position had changed. He was seen as a potential ‘conductor’ of information for the outside world on Kumamoto.

During the initial period of the quake, many people had expected the bear’s Twitter feed to update outsiders on what Kumamoto was experiencing. But, Kumamon was absent from Twitter, leaving followers to wonder and worry about the effects of the quake. The

results of the earthquake saw 50 people dead, over 3,000 injured, around 44,000 people evacuated, and multiple homes destroyed. It was a massive shock for residents.

In the absense of this, the city had started a trending #Kumamon hashtag that let the people of Kumamoto affected by the earthquake share their stories with the rest of the world. This resulted in over 9,000 tweets, with some even being This may come as a shock to some responded to with a visit from Kumamon. people, but Kumamon’s silence turned out A recent documentary shows how to be a great source of debate on whether Kumamon brought the public’s attention or not Kumamon’s Twitter feed could to volunteers, local heroes, and survivors have been utilized to share information. of all ages who had worked to help their A person who dresses like Kumamon communities in previous earthquake needs to follow a very specific dress code events. to maintain the character’s integrity. This actually requires a person to physically From an outsiders’ perspective, this may wear the bear-suit and then tweet on all seem very strange. A bear mascot can’t Kumamon’s behalf. Those experiencing be that important. But Kumamon has the earthquake at the time would’ve had been influential for Kumamoto in a social greater concerns beyond needing to play sense, and as a reliable source of income the role of a mascot updating his Twitter for the prefecture. In fact, there are feed. mascots all throughout Japan that hope to emulate Kumamon’s success. Mascots can be found representing governments, cities, towns, organisations and events.

Mascots are often closely tied to current affairs in Japan. Their appearances engage audiences within areas they are associated with and seek to bring in tourism to what could otherwise be an unknown area.

Their likeness is often exploited in the making of souvenirs. Japan has a strong gift-giving culture, so when it comes to Yet as of May 2017 Kumamon has over souvenir shopping, a mascot’s face can 623,000 followers on Twitter and many help sell local products to visiting tourists maintain the view that the events of looking for gifts to give to their families. the 2016 earthquake should have been reported through Kumamon’s social Kumamon’s creator Hiromi Kano, who is platform. a mascot designer, has strong opinions

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about her creations. Seeing her characters as more than just costumes, she says that the appeal of mascots in Japan is in how people can engage with them. Public displays of affection are often kept to a minimum by unspoken cultural norms.

Kano believes Japan to be conservative, and thus the appeal of these fictional characters comes from their ability to provide a space or reason for people to be publicly affectionate without reprimand.

She has continued to make popular mascots since Kumamon’s debut.

The way mascots in Japan are being engaged with can slowly evolve what their intended duty as a public symbol should be. Kumamon, whether you love him or hate him, is not likely to lose his appeal in any near future. Given the amount of social and economic aid he provides, there is indeed more to what is first meant in his crowned title as ‘billion-yen bear.’

how far i’ll go: moana and wayfinding Jade Boyle

CouldMoanaengageyoungergenerations of Islanders and non-Islanders to the art of Wayfinding? The 2016 film starring Pacific Islanders Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is about a young Islander girl, Moana, who hopes to save her dying island; by stealing a canoe, sailing across the ocean and returning the heart of Te Fiti. To do this, Moana learns how to wayfind; a skill that continues to be taught in the Pacific.

Wayfinding is the art of sailing a boat using only your senses and worldly knowledge. Moana specifically uses star navigation in the film, using her hands she measures the angles between the star and the horizon to determine her latitude.

Voyagers had also memorised star maps; learning where the stars rose and set, and identifying as many as 220 stars. Outside of the film, wayfinders also used other techniques to find their way. Birds can indicate nearby islands, as seen when they fly from one island to gather food, and return home to feed their young. Some very skilled wayfinders can lie in the hull of a canoe and feel the wave patterns, which indicates the direction the canoe is

sailing in. Using these skills, wayfinders had travelled over a third of the earth’s surface, using the wind, the waves, and the stars as their maps and compass to find islands from Hawai’i to New Zealand.

ocean and beating monsters, as referred to in the Moana song “Your Welcome” are stories of freeing the oppressed. It is uncharacteristic of Maui to brag about these achievements. Furthermore, the key source of Maui’s mana that made these So, where does Moana fit in all of this? achievements possible, is missing in the The film also features a different kind film; the Goddess Hina. She is Maui’s of star power, as a variety of successful counterpart, and none of the Disney Pacific Islanders, from musicians such female characters could take her place, as as South Pacific Fusion band Te Vaka they lacked her sheer power. It is debated to actors Jemaine Clement and Rachel that because of Hina’s absence, Maui’s House. Combined with Disney greats character traits had to be changed to John Lasseter (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life), reflect this, presenting him as comedic Ron Clements and John Musker (Aladdin, sidekick instead of the hero he is.

The Little Mermaid) and the popular Lin Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame, the The film has also been accused of film was given serious street credit; and depicting the Pacific as an exotic escape, has been the subject of great debate in the continuing the tropes of the Islands Pacific. brought on by colonialism. As the film depicts Tahitian drumming, Samoan While the film has most definitely caught outfits, tattoos, and Fijian music all on the attention of Pacific Islanders and non- Moana’s home island, the film has also Islanders alike, raking in over $635 million been accused of misrepresenting the worldwide, problems over representations diversity of cultures within the Pacific, and of Maui and the Pacific have arisen. of profiting off Islander culture. Moreover, In the Pacific, the demi-god Maui is a for people, and particularly children, defender of the oppressed; his stories who don’t know much about the Pacific, of stealing fire, fishing islands out of the Moana could be the first time they are

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exposed to Islander cultures. Therefore, misunderstandings could occur about who Maui is, and the diversity of Pacific Islander cultures; despite the “Oceanic Story Trust” that Disney created to consult with experts of the Pacific, to make Moana as culturally authentic as possible.

But, could Moana’s success be an indicator that younger people are

interested in learning more about wayfinding and the Pacific? The National Education Association (NEA) has suggested using Moana as a source for students from Kindergarten to Year 12 to learn about the Pacific. The Teaching with Primary Sources Western Region (TPS) has also created an educators guide to using Moana as a source to explore other subjects like science, language, and

mathematics.

Beyond the silver screen, there are groups that are boosting awareness about the different techniques and types of wayfinding, such as the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) in Hawai’i. PVS had initiated a return expedition from Hawai’i to Tahiti in a 20-metre canoe known as the Hōkūleʻa in 1976. This expedition proved that wayfinding was not only a skill, but Islanders were travelling to new islands with a purpose, not finding them by accident. Furthermore, various other non-profit organisations in the Pacific are also promoting and protecting different types of Pacific Islander voyaging in their own countries like Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands and New Zealand.

While it’s still too early to tell what kind of course Moana has charted, one can only hope it is a positive way forward.

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grills and window thieves RezaMazumder

Look up amongst the throng of high rise buildings housing residents in one of the most densely populated countries in the world, and you might ponder why so many windows in Bangladesh are barred. Largely designed to keep thieves out, and to keep those looking out of their balconies from falling out, having window grills in Bangladesh is as common-place as having a roof.

The simplest design for a window grill is made up of many straight bars that run parallel against the fewer bars running across perpendicular-wise. The pattern becomes a series of consecutive rectangles running both vertically and horizontally. The bars are made of metals that would require industrial grade machinery and even then, would take too long to bend out of shape. This helps to keep intruders out, dissuading thieves from attempting to break the bars and rob an apartment or business complex.

Intricate designs made with a series of straight lines are also common choices Popular patterns include criss-cross patterns and plus symbols.

Shapes like triangles, diamonds and occasionally 5-plus edge shapes like pentagons and hexagons will be used to make patterns that add to the architectural aestheticism of what is otherwise just a plain window. Particularly remarkable or prestigious buildings in Bangladesh will have incredibly complex patterns that form along their windows, often taking the shape of a flower such as a lotus – the national flora of the country.

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Besides preventing thieves from scouring up the drain pipes and breaking into your house, window grills have practical uses too. Most apartments have window grills made up of long rectangles suitable to hang clothing off of. This helps to make up for the lack of space in Bangladesh to have clotheslines, however clotheslines are often installed on the flat roofs of residential buildings for all tenants to use.

Window grills can also provide some privacy by obstructing the view of someone looking in. The incredible proximity of buildings in Bangladesh can sometimes make it a little too easy for a nosy busy-body to try and get a peek at you while doing something you’d rather do without an audience.

Designed both for security, grandeur and clothes drying, window grills are multi-purpose feature of building exteriors in Bangladesh that provide than just something to look at out of the window.

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the internet: a culture-making machine KeeleyAdams Just like the cool new fifth-grader who’s caught the most Pokémon in the playground, the internet is undoubtedly the most popular and powerful new force in mass media. Today, the internet is not only a new social and technological development, but also a culture-making machine, especially in the Asia Pacific.

phenomenon that was ‘Gangnam Style’.

Arguably the most famous K-pop song and most viewed video on YouTube to date, there is hardly a Seoul – pardon the pun – in both Asia and the West who hasn’t been exposed to the wacky dance moves and aesthetics of the music video.

Other K-pop music videos regularly obtain between 10-30 million views, and often you can hear one or two English words sown between the Korean lyrics in order to appeal to their newfound Western audiences.

Throughout the years, mass media has evolved from newspapers, radio and television into what is certainly an era of the internet. Here, you can learn almost anything: from how to tie a shoelace to how to build an igloo. But is the internet K-pop is unquestionably a new craze capable of forming new cultures entirely? that has been made possible through the K-pop would certainly indicate so. power of the internet and its ‘culturemaking machine’. While K-pop may have Just like the broad definition of culture been an essential part of modern South itself, ‘internet culture’ is now being used Korean culture, the widespread audience to describe the new ways the internet is online has created a new sub-culture connecting people with common beliefs, in both Asian and Western countries. hobbies and interests all around the world. Even the Australian National University Today it is far more common for younger has a K-pop society and a dance club, generations to spend more time watching with regular meetings and Korean movie content online than on a television screen. nights. These two clubs get together With over 4 billion views per day being weekly to appreciate and imitate South racked up on YouTube, the internet Korean cinema, dance-styles and cultural is certainly the go-to place to spread attributes that they have learnt through information to mass audiences.

K-pop.

Take the popular YouTube channel ‘Eat The internet is unpredictable, especially Your Kimchi’ run by a Canadian couple who have lived in South Korea for over 8 years. The pair often post K-pop (Korean pop music) discussion videos online where their tremendous fan base – over a million subscribers – of both Korean and Western origin can come together and connect. In its beginnings, K-pop appeared as if it would only amount to a national trend. But by 2009, K-pop was quickly forming a new sub-culture in both the United States and many European countries.

An indication of the power of internet culture for countries in the Asia Pacific region was shown by the unexpected

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in Asia, and while the current definition of ‘internet-culture’ is sure to change over time, what is known is that the internet has provided communities of people in both Western and Asian countries with the ability to come together and celebrate their shared love of both old and new cultures from all across the world. K-pop is one of many examples of modern sub-cultures made possible by the internet, with its head-bobbing beat and colourful music videos that many in our own nation have come to identify with.

While the majority of Asian culture has been spread via trade and globalisation, the internet now allows an instantaneous mode of communication that has the ability to inform us of the past and create new, modern sub-cultures that can be viewed and appreciated world-wide.

Without the internet and its culturemaking machine, K-pop would never have generated such interest. And no K-pop fan outside South Korea would exist.

‘Internet culture’ is for everyone, and if you can’t find a place within it? Make one.

K-pop certainly did.

carry on doctor: vietnam RobinSpurr

Had I been told I would be spending 48 hours in a Vietnamese hospital during my travels, I would have refused to leave Australia. But, I survived the experience, and now am only horrified by my preconceptions.

other visitors to hospital were quick to the best of their abilities. offer me advice and assistance. Despite the language barrier, the kind intentions Even in my dehydrated state, I remember were felt. being put at the front of queues, and given a private room. Was this cultural courtesy The doctors and nurses were favouring guests, or a need to give me a approachable. As I became more hydrated, positive outlook on the medical service to Sprawled on my bedroom floor in the I became more helpful, miming what take back home? I received a level of care hotel,strategicallyplacedbetweenbedand did/didn’t hurt. This communication equal to the NHS in the UK (in its current bathroom, my room-mate walked in and was largely successful, aside from one state, probably better), even if it was a trod on me. It was at this point I admitted confusion. little rough around the edges. that I needed medical help. For six hours, I had played a humiliating game of musical Small pots had been pushed coyly in I cannot deny who I was might have chairs and heads down thumbs up, with my direction. Having only ever peed into played a part. I was a Caucasian traveller the toilet, and wasn’t winning. these, I assumed that was what was in a private hospital. The CIA World wanted, especially as my offerings were Factbook defines density of doctors/ But I did not want to go to hospital in accepted. It wasn’t until we got Google population as 1.19/1,000 and hospital bed Vietnam. translate out, that confusion cleared. The density as 2/1000 in Vietnam (compared nurse’s phone repeatedly shouted;“s**t… with 2.81 /1,000 and 2.9 beds/1,000 in the I pictured over-crowded hallways, filled S**T!”. I laughed; dehydration making me UK). This would make hospitals crowded with loud noises and bad smells, and hysterical. I could be of no service in this and understaffed as I expected. But not questionable cleanliness. I woke up the department, having taken enough costive where I was. next day, without the faintest idea how I’d medicine to block up a drain. passed out, and couldn’t feel my hands or My two-day stay, including my medicine, feet.

It wasn’t until leaving I found out what food, treatment and transport to and from illness I’d had; gleaned by the translation hospital came to A$ 100. That seemed Fast-forward two hours, I am in hospital, of my supervisor from AGU and me cheap (especially with health insurance). foreign words flying over me. I’m being Googling my pick n’ mix bag of medicine But for many locals, that would be a spun over onto my front (none-the-wiser) (including a veterinary grade muscle month’s wages (approximately A$168), having my shorts pulled up. Flailing support for cows). I had a strong bought and would mean a stay in a public weekly, and mumbling a language even I of Gastroenteritis –“Gastro”, a tummy hospital, which is not free. As researcher didn’t understand, a needle was put in my bug. Which annoyed me, as it didn’t on healthcare in Vietnam, Quan Hoang, bottom. This woke me up. If the bright exactly capture the experience; a tummy argues “Be rich or don’t be sick.” This is lights, magnified by the clean white walls bug on steroids. where the scare-stories have stemmed and off-blue, glittery lino hadn’t already. from.

Writing a Trip-Advisor review about my Soon, I had the first of seven drips in one time in hospital, I would probably give it a Development is needed in Vietnam’s hand, a pot of Cháo (rice soup) in the solid 4/5. It defied my expectations. Guilty healthcare, particularly in the public other, and was being wheeled out of the at my reluctance to be treated, which sector, to protect people from the‘medical emergency room. The journey was short, had made me more ill, I reconsidered my poverty trap’ that Vong describes. But if slightly bumpy, over cracked tiling. preconceptions. it also needs support from the outside The first stop was an X-ray, where my world; not tearing down by fussy tourists. interfering necklace was shoved into my Returning home, everyone’s reaction to mouth. Then was the ultra-sound, where me being hospitalised were the same; I will never let my preconceptions I looked affectionately, if dazed, at my horror. make me ill again. It won’t stop me swollen insides. travelling. I will just pack more Imodium But my time on the ward showed me that and painkillers and hope that the St I was by no means alone here. New we need better education about countries Christopher my mum gave me (in friends and old came to distract me. The harshly labelled “third world”. Our view desperation) will save my iffy immune Vietnamese students and staff from An of ‘abroad’ encourages us to believe our system from future travel drama.

Giang University (AGU), gave me so much standards are above all others. As I learnt, support when we had only just met. Even hospitals everywhere will treat everyone to If not, I will head straight to hospital.

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Travelling for Tailoring: Can a dress be made in 24 hours?

Carys Tetlaw Hoi An, central Vietnam, is a maze of tailoring shops, Japanese merchant houses and Chinese architecture. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is an exceptionally preserved Southeast Asian trading port.

It is a place of real beauty.

From high-end boutiques, to stalls in local markets, made-to-measure suits and dresses are a big attraction. The city is cosmopolitan and architecturally distinctive — part of a 1000-year legacy as one of Asia’s most important ports.

The proximity to underdeveloped beaches and the world-famous Bánh Mi Phưng sandwich shop make it a tourist favourite in Vietnam.

low. The competition between stores was old stallholder, had her first sale at 3pm evident from the desperation in the sales when I purchased a bottle of water from pitches. her. Factory workers have the benefit of a secure income; market traders like Sun While Hoi An is famous for tailoring do not. businesses, bespoke made-to-order clothing stores are common across Southeast Asia, from Bangkok to Singapore. The price and quality varies between each city, but the principle is the same. Tourists come in, take measurements, and pick up their made-tomeasure clothes a couple of days later.

Mekong Tailor, run by Voung and her husband, is located in the busting centre of Hoi An. Their business is growing rapidly. Tourism in Vietnam has exploded: in 1992 there were just over 250,000 foreign tourists, by 2011 there were over I cycled into Hoi An from my homestay in 6 million. the countryside. The myriad of tailoring shops were the first sign of tourism. They Mekong Tailor works with a factory 20 lined the narrow lantern-edged streets. minutes from the retail store. In Vietnam, Promises of suits in 24 hours, in time for female employees are estimated to make tourists leaving for their next destination, up around 90 per cent of the apparel were common. The sheer number of factory workforce. The majority of street businesses meant that the costs were kept traders are also female. Sun, a 70-year-

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Voung was environmentally aware. She proudly shared how she reuses larger pieces of fabric. Despite this, 3-5kg of scraps were thrown out every day. The scale of the waste provides some insight into how busy her store gets. My friend bought a dress for $70 from Voung. The process, from initial measurements to picking up the final items, lasted three days. The dress was skilfully designed from various pictures found online and in magazines.

I spoke to another friend who also spent time in Vietnam this summer. She did not get any items made, as she did not want to rush the tailoring process over two days. She had not considered the ethics of getting a personalised item so quickly.

“The conditions would be better than a ready-made-garment factory, but maybe I’m being naïve,” she told me.

by Mekong Tailor are significantly smaller than those contracted by global brands like H&M or Nike. The factories working for local tailoring companies have the pressure of fast deadlines, but without the security of international standards for workers’ rights and environmental conditions. Accreditation schemes exist, such as the Ethical Trading Initiative, but focus on suppliers to fast fashion brands.

Inadequate transparency and disclosure of conditions in factories contributes to the problem.

There is a lack of research into the conditions faced by workers employed by the tailoring factories, not just in Vietnam, but also across Asia. The distinction betweeninternationallycontractedapparel factories, and the factories used by companies like Mekong Tailor is not made.

Yet, there are thousands of guides online to find cheap, fast tailors.

— predominantly young women — every day.

One of the benefits of buying from a tailor while on holiday, compared to a large international company, is that you are supporting the local economy. The best tailors can trace the trade through several generations of their family. Others have been set up in copycat businesses to capitalise on the influx of tourists looking for custom-made clothing.

Prior research can help to determine the best tailor available. The cost can be a good indication to the quality of the fabrics, the skill of the labourer and the factory conditions – but scams are common. There are thousands of blogs and reviews on Trip Advisor that can provide recommendations for the better tailoring businesses.

The skill of the tailors is evident from the A suit made in 24 hours? If it sounds too final pieces. But when the items cost so The Center for American Progress found good to be true, it probably is. little, is anyone getting exploited through that in the main apparel producing the supply chain? countries, includingVietnam, only Chinese employees could afford a “decent life”.

The social consequences from fast fashion All countries fell short of the living wage. are well documented. The factories used Factories exploit garment factory workers

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a cultural deep fry Naomi Teng Culture is boundless. It is the acquired lens through which everyone sees the world uniquely, and yet it unites people.

The ongoing process of globalisation however, has seen many countries, particularly those in the Asia Pacific, swept

by Western traditions, mass media and large transnational corporations. Money, technology and services move ever more swiftly across state borders.

This is not to say that cultural identity has been lost. The shrinking of both time and space has also allowed fruitful interactions to develop between many different cultures.

Culture is a complex arrangement of morals, values, religion, language and habits created by people in a society. The homogenisation of culture cannot simply be attributed to people using similar types of consumer goods because culture is ever changing and deeply embedded in society. Indeed, it can be said that culture influences globalisation just as much as globalisation influences culture.

When you have the luxury to travel and explore other countries, culture is something you look for. You try out new foods, embark on tours led by locals or learn about the history and traditions of the land. But most developed and developing countries are now surrounded One example of this is Starbucks. by large multinational corporations such Starbucks has been perceptive to vast as McDonalds, Apple and Starbucks. cultural differences in the Chinese market.

This coffee chain grew from a single outlet Every time you stroll into one of the in Seattle to approximately 24,000 stores 33,000 McDonalds franchises and buy in 70 counties. that 6 pack of nuggets, you are a part of a cultural experiment. The same box, Starbucks localises its products. Examples containing the same golden nuggets, include green tea lattes, red bean scones made of the same ingredients is a global and mooncake, which are a sweet meal. McDonalds dominates Asia with success. To cater for the local taste, stores 2,956 operating stores in Japan, over in China also have larger seating areas 2,000 stores in China and approximately as customers prefer to enjoy their coffee 405 stores in Taiwan. McDonalds seated rather than on the go. In regions perpetuates cultural homogenisation, with rich local culture, such as Chongqing, resulting in a loss of diversity and a unified which is known for its spicy food, world culture.

Starbucks serves a spiced-up chili mocha.

Starbucks’ localisation strategies in China have been a success. The company now dominates 60 per cent of the Chinese coffee market. This is shown through the increasing net revenues of the ChinaAsia Pacific region which increased by 18 per cent from the third quartile in 2015 to $768.2 million in the third quartile of 2016. The CEO and Chairman of Starbucks, Howard Schultz stated that, “we remain highly respectful of the culture and traditions of the countries in which we do business. We recognise that our success is not an entitlement, and we must continue to earn the trust and respect of customers every day.”

Starbucks is one of the few multinational companies that is culturally aware.

Shalmali Guttal, the Senior Associate with Focus on the Global South argues that globalisation homogenises consumer tastes, grows ubiquity of liberal democratic ideas and creates a ‘McDonaldisation’ of both food and culture. This stigma is not entirely correct.

People make culture, culture makes people.

People have the ability to sift through influences and choose to reject or accept them. Many people define their identity based on culture. Globalisation is unlikely to form one cultural globe with the same values, beliefs and religion. Rather, culture is being diversified, assisted mainly by technology and mass media.

Humans have the capacity to use culture and globalisation to increase global cultural intelligence. As the process of modernisation continues, the evolution of culture develops.

In the words of Appadurai, “Globalisation is not the story of cultural homogenisation”.

This just means that you’ll always find a fresh 6 pack of nuggets no matter where your cravings are.

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Toil & Trouble For Suspected Sorcerers in Papua New Guinea

Cinnamone Winchester

When Raphael Kogun’s uncle became gravely ill in 2006, his family’s immediate response was to recruit a witch doctor in the hope of finding out who was responsible for having brought such a curse upon him. The blame was eventually directed towards a middle-aged couple from Kogun’s village in Papua New Guinea, and the family “ran after them and . . . chopped their heads off,” according to Kogun. “I felt sorry for them but they were witches, they deserved to die. If they were still alive they could hurt people with their magic.”

Two of his brothers were subsequently arrested, but witnesses, having felt too terrified to testify, caused the eventual collapse of the case.

Under similar circumstances in April 2014, a manic crowd from six villages in Papua New Guinea used axes, knives, and bows and arrows to murder seven people in Sakiko village, where the latest victims of sorcery allegations had sought refuge. The casualties included two children aged three and five, who were “wrenched from their mothers’ arms and chopped to pieces,” according to the PNG Post Courier.

Despite 122 men having been involved and subsequently charged with the murders (97 of whom pleaded not guilty to wilful murder) during the “biggest sorceryrelated court case in the country” in March, the motive behind the massacre was far from unheard of. Papua New Guinea has long since been infamous for the overwhelming possession of superstition among its citizens, as well as instances of cannibalism, black magic, and sorcery.

Negative attitudes toward witchcraft have always been particularly widespread: a large portion of Papua New Guinean citizens– particularly those in rural areas– find it difficult to accept that sickness, accidents or death have been brought on by natural causes. Instead, these are usuallythoughttohavebeenconsequences of black magic.

James Tanis, President of the country from 2009 to 2010, has long-since been staunch in his view that the idea of sorcery is culturally engrained.“Sorcery is something . . . we hear from childhood,” he told the ABC. “The first thing that we hear from our mothers [is], ‘Don’t go there! Don’t eat that! Don’t do this! The sorcerer is out there!’”

Those accused of sorcery are considered to have deliberately caused misfortune through use of supernatural powers. They are usually punished by death, injury, exile, or destruction of property. Police reports reveal that victims have been buried alive, beheaded, choked to death, thrown over cliffs or into rivers or caves, axed, electrocuted, stoned, suffocated with smoke, forced to drink petrol, or shot.

In 2013, for instance, a group of men stripped 20 year old Kepari Leniata (who had been suspected of practicing witchcraft) naked and tortured her with a hot iron rod, before burning her alive on a pile of rubbish and car tyres at the Kerebug dump in Mount Hagen.

victims were committing acts of sorcery, and elaborated under the “sorcery as provocation” subsection that an “act of sorcery may amount to a wrongful act or insult within the meaning of Section 266 of the Criminal Code 1974,” immaterial if it occurred “in the presence of the person allegedly provoked.”

To reinforce the fact that the intent may not have been harmful, however, the Sorcery Act used the notion of ‘innocent sorcery’, which is “protective only, or is not intended to produce . . . any harmful, unlawful or undue influence on any person.”

As Professor Richard Eves writes, some groups in Papua New Guinea even make a clear distinction between sorcery and innocent magic with separate language terms—“magic being deemed benevolent, and sorcery as malevolent.”

Ultimately, the turning of the tide against sorcery in the country can be credited to the rise and peak of news distribution and availability in a digital age. The greater media reportage has shed light on occult murders; even cases in smaller countries “When dozens of people have been killed like Papua New Guinea. The burning of after literal witch hunts, it’s clear that Kepari Leniata, for example, sparked both the government is not doing enough to domestic and global outrage as a result of protect its own citizens,” said Apolosi the extensive coverage.

Bose, Amnesty International’s Pacific Islands researcher. “The police and judicial What, then, does this mean for Papua New authorities have to step in immediately Guinea itself? before another person faces this . . . vigilante violence.”

Change is already taking place: while the now-nullified Sorcery Act allowed Following Leniata’s death, the United citizens to easily point fingers at suspected Nations warned of a “growing pattern” practitioners of witchcraft as personal in sorcery killings. Her widely-reported ‘scapegoats’ of sorts, recent challenges case, coupled with the murder of women’s to the establishment and application of rights advocate Helen Rumbali (accused of the country’s laws are marking a change witchcraft, tortured, and killed only months in viewpoint. Such heavy stances against later), prompted Papua New Guinea’s witchery may indeed be, as James Tanis government to repeal the 1971 Sorcery Act stated, “culturally ingrained,” but recent in 2013. events bring hope to the possibility that it may be a belief that will soon disappear— This Act allowed for more lenient perhaps not, however, with the wave of a sentences for those who argued that their wand.

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China’s Internal Migrants: Flowing into big cities – but ending up with disappointment?

RuiyingZheng

When I first talked to Xiao Zhang he was packing his bag in a tiny, shabby room near a construction site where he worked.

He has lived there with his wife and other fellow workers since he came to this city.

“I fled from a remote village in Guangxi province to Shenzhen to change my life three years ago.” He said. “But now I realise it is much harder than I expected.

I could never actually become part of this city, so I am planning to leave.”

disadvantaged group, and tackling the issues arising from this mass migration. It also helps China’s government to improve essential services that these rural migrants risk losing when they move to the big cities.

plays an essential role in its economic, political, cultural and societal domains.

Studying urban migration helps the government to formulate appropriate policies and regulations for the society as a whole

The importance of studying urban migration in China

New attitudes and reforms needed

China’s rural-to-urban migration is a good case study for people who are interested in or doing development studies. The In fact, Xiao Zhang is just one of more phenomenon of population movement is than 280 million migrant workers in China. an important indicator of urbanisation in There are also a great number of fresh the modern world. graduates and office workers moving from rural or less developed areas to large Regional migration also changes the cities. spatial distribution of China’s population, thereby posing challenges to urban land Today, China’s internal migration is use such as expanding overall built land characterised by a flow of people, and increasing proportion of residential especially the youth, moving into firstland. It also results in the expansion tier cities located in developed provinces of urban infrastructure systems. in search of fortune, status and a higher This increasing demand on land and quality of life. Beijing, Shanghai and urban facilities could lead to potential Shenzhen are their main destinations. environmental disturbance that goes against principles of building resilient and It is of great significance to raise people’s sustainable cities. awareness of the current situation confronted by rural migrants as a Additionally, demographics of a country

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Since many rural migrants are under great pressure due to the barriers they come across in terms of housing, job seeking, and education for children, is it really worthwhile for people to leave their hometown and struggle in big cities?

While it may be better for them to weigh the opportunities and difficulties of their migration rather than blindly following the trend, the government is still responsible for reforms that aim to assist and support these rural migrants.

For those studying China’s phenomena of rural to urban migration, there are key points to consider when making recommendations for effective policies that can mitigate the threats rural migrants face during their resettlement.

The government is expected to construct

affordable and low-rent houses. For example, the average housing price in Beijing is more than 50,000 in RMB (nearly 10,000 in AUD) per square meter which is too expensive for low-income migrants. They can hardly afford their accommodation if there are no alternatives provided.

Relaxation of institutional barriers to civil rights is also crucial. Social welfare systems in China are largely based on the Hukou (known as the household registration system) which limits rural migrants’ access to equal rights such as voting and medical insurance.

to travel approximately two thousand kilometres by motorcycle to head home for reunions.

The most difficult factor can be the changes in Chinese society’s attitudes towards these rural to urban migrants because of prejudices they face in decision making processes as a marginalised community. They sometimes receive disrespect or even discrimination from

Another big concern is their children’s education, so implementation of preferential schooling policies for their children is required. Left-behind children in rural China has become a social concern because the lack of parental accompany and care has profound impacts on their future outcomes.

It is also helpful to provide subsidies for their transportation costs. China’s great migration during the lunar New Year is the largest movement in the world. It is reported that some poor migrants have

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citizens, which leads to disharmony in society.

The study of China’s rural to urban migration can help to motivate the Chinese government and China’s general public to pay more attention to this imperative issue. It also contributes to eliminate the potential problems that come with the inequality suffered by these rural migrants who seek only to live a better life.

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Shanghai’s Vanishing Heritage: A Cautionary tale of Urban Development Harrison Rule

The concept proved so successful that by the end of the 1980s alleyway houses accounted for as much as 80 per cent of Shanghai’s built-up area.

Today however, these former staples of Shanghai’s vernacular design are near impossible to find.

Much like the European merchants of the 19th century, Shanghai’s current patrons and investors are pursing the maximisation of profit. The textured fabric of old Shanghai, is viewed as obsolete and unprofitable compared to the encroaching mega towers of the 21st century.

The few remaining remnants of the alleywayhousetypologyrepresentdistinct pockets of historical memory, threatened by the great Chinese economic machine.

The destruction of the longtang is not simply the loss of an incredible piece of cultural and architectural heritage however, but the destruction of a potential solution to a crisis faced by many megacities around the world – the crisis of social sustainability.

At a time when China was still writhing from the ‘humiliation’ of two Opium Wars, the city of Shanghai would emerge as a bustling centre of activity, developing from a frontier market town to the first modern metropolis in China. Foreign concessions, imposed on the city by the ‘unequal treaties’, brought fresh capital and economic opportunity to the coastal port, ushering in a phenomenal surge in domestic Chinese migration.

observed that visiting British merchants of the day viewed the Shanghai property market as a kind of 19th Century ‘get-richquick’ scheme. He recorded the words of one young, ambitious visiting merchant who concluded “it is my business to make a fortune with the least possible loss of time, by letting my land to Chinese, and building … In two or three years at In February 2016 Chinese government farthest, I hope to realise a fortune and get authorities highlighted the need to provide low-income urban residents away.” with affordable housing as a top priority The Shanghai alleyway house, the The consequence of this race for ‘fortune’ for the Communist Party. In order to achieve and maintain social and economic city’s innovative solution to this great and maximisation of profit, was an diversity within its cities, decision demographic strain, is today however incidental synthesis of European and being pushed aside for 21st century traditional Chinese architectural design. makers in Beijing and Shanghai should heed the lessons of the great alleyway urban towers, at the detriment of housing house social experiment. The longtang affordability and livability.

The longtang or Shanghai Alleyway House, combined elements of the British have successfully forged Shanghainese communities since the mid 19th century, The new, strange, almost cosmopolitan row house and working-class homes dynamic of post Opium War Shanghai which ensured dense concentrations of providing socially sustainable and economically diverse housing for residents would warp the architectural face of tenants for high rental efficiency, with while creating safe, liveable spaces built a once modest trade settlement. Old the principles of Chinese vernacular on principles of community interaction. and new Chinese districts adjoined the architecture to appeal to the domestic ill-defined borders of the British and market. The result were dense, clustered French settlements, within which grand neighbourhoods connected by narrow, These neighbourhoods, an integral part of neoclassical Western mansions stood side intersecting alleyways organised like ‘fish the identity of the city, remain however an endangered species. As China faces yet by side with dense sprawls of Chinese skeletons‘. againanothergigantic domesticmigration stores and dwellings. to the ‘city on the sea’, the architectural These alleyways acted as communal face of Shanghai must adapt once more.

European merchants raced to Shanghai spaces, key arteries of community seeking to capitalise on the domestic interaction and public household rituals. Outside observers can only hope, that property demand brought about by the They served as a catalyst for the creation the value of social design is recognised – huge surge in domestic migration to the of close-knit neighbourhoods, an essential before it is too late. city. A British diplomat at the time, Her function for a city swelling with new Majesty’s Consul Rutherford Alcock, arrivals.

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Strait differences: attitudes towards same-gender rights in Taiwan and Mainland China Kai Clark

On the 24th of May, the Taiwanese Constitutional Court invalided marriage law defining unions between a man and a woman. The court ordered the parliament to amend the law within two years, otherwise, same-gender couples will be allowed to marry under the current law.

Two days later, a popular lesbian dating app in Mainland China, Rela was mysteriously shut down; following the earlier removal of another dating app, ZANK. This ties in with the government’s intolerance towards the LGBTIQA community, as it last year issued a ban on the portrayal of “abnormal” sexual relationships within Chinese media, lumping LGBTIQA relationships along with incest and sexual assault.

Despite their similar culture and heritage, both society’s attitudes are undeniably separate. Taiwan is home to a vibrant LGBTIQA community and there is a majority support for same-sex marriage within Taiwanese society. Mainland China, on the other hand, has only removed homosexuality off its official lists of mental disorders since 2001, let only only having legalised homosexuality in 1997.

Homosexuality in China is still viewed as abnormal and conversion therapy clinics remain open within the country.

Why do Taiwan and China view samegender relationships so differently?

Following the fall of Taiwan’s authoritarian government, there was a commitment to push forward with democratisation with a strong rule of law and constitution. This promoted the growth of a progressive and active civil society with strong freedom of speech and assembly. In turn, LGBTIQA activism was encouraged to protest and

argue lawfully for equal rights.

the 1960s “cannot accept my children as any [sexual] minority”. Looking at these results, it is no surprise many feel compelled to be pushed into these marriages rather than risk being disowned by their family.

The Taiwanese government’s passage of the Gender Equity Education Act in 2004 has also assisted in promoting progressive values among Taiwanese society, as the act instructs schools to teach students the importance of gender But there is hope for change. equity and diversity.

Many Chinese millennials are far more Taiwan also lacks a strong religious open towards same-sex relationships. resistance, as over two-thirds of its Social media that they use has helped society adhere to Buddhist or Taoist LGBTIQA activists fight for equal rights teachings, which hold no opinion over online. Many millennials are also willing homosexual relations. to fight back, as was felt in a landmark win for the Chinese trans community as a Mainland China, sadly, lacks Taiwan’s transman won a wrongful dismissal case strong rule of law and civil freedoms earlier this year. which make LGBTIQA activism possible.

Not being allowed to properly inform the Sociologist and prominent LGBTIQA public and push for better LGBTIQA rights, activist Li Yinhe argues that because of these activists suffer under the threat of the lack of religious pressure within the arrest or harassment. country, the only resistance towards same-sex marriage is current culture. In This is not the only reason why Mainland a New York Times interview, Li further Chinese attitudes towards the LGBTIQA argues “real change will only come once community differ. Within China, there this generation of leaders dies out”. Li’s is a strong emphasis on continuing argument may have merit, as the Peking the families bloodline and reputation University survey finds many Chinese — especially considering after-effect under 35 support gay marriage. At the pressures of the former one-child policy. same time, The Economist finds the Many gay Chinese men feel forced to average age of China’s legislators to be 49. marry into sham marriages to satisfy their families. In 2012, these cases ignited Overall, there is hope for many LGBTIQApublic debate after a professor committed identifying individuals in China — and suicide after finding out her husband was the recent decision by the Taiwanese gay.

Constitutional Court is advancing its cause. In another interview, Li states In 2016, Peking University published a that critics of gay marriage have always survey, Being LGBTI in China, looking claimed that it is a ‘western’ culture at social attitudes towards the LGBTI incompatible with Chinese culture. community. It which found “[f ]amilies Taiwan’s ruling however, shows how a have the lowest degree of acceptance similar society has independently decided for [sexual] minorities.” The survey in favour of gay marriage. She concludes also found 35% of Chinese born before saying, “if Taiwan can, we can.”

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Duterte and lgbtiqa+ rights KateCrompton

While Duterte clamps down hard on drugs community are optimistic. As freelance and corruption, his attitudes on Queerwriter and a member of the Philippine rights issues border on paradoxical.

Queer community, Ysbael Carballo said in an interview that her experience under It’s hard to believe that the man heralded his administration has been “hopeful as the Donald Trump of the East could also and positive”. Carballo highlights be a warrior for the Queer community, yet that Geraldine R Roman is the first Rodrigo Duterte is a man of mystery. transwoman to sit in the Philippine congress – surely a sign of progress.

Duterte is not of stable temperament.

In the past, Duterte used a slur against Similarly, Duterte appointed a Queer gay and Queer people in reference to a person, Aiza Seguerra, as Chairperson state official, and has rejected the notion of the National Youth Commission. of human rights all together. The same Arnell Ignacio, the Vice Chairperson of man also championed radical antithe Philippine Amusement and Gaming discrimination legislation in his home city, Corporation, is also Queer and DuterteDavao. appointed.

His hot-and-cold attitude to Queer issues only spells uncertainty for the vibrant Filipino Queer community, and it remains to be seen how he tackles these issues while in the presidential palace.

The outspoken leader articulated his pro-Queer views in no uncertain terms as mayor of Davao City. Queer people are “children of God,” Duterte declared in early 2016. “God does not discriminate against people, regardless of colour, religion, social class, or gender and sexual preferences.”

discrimination on the basis of sexuality.

Further, Duterte’s infamous “Du30 30” election promises contained no mention of Queer-rights issues. Issues such as tackling corruption and drug usage featured highly, yet virtually all social issues were left untouched. This is a far cry from his beginnings as an Queer ally in Davao City.

Duterte cannot afford to be unpredictable on Queer-rights issues. Although the Philippines has come a long way, there is still progress to be made in this space.

In 2009, Ang Ladlad, a Filipino political platform that specifically addresses QueerBut this is where the good news ends. rights issues, was barred from registration Many of Duterte’s actions are red flags for because it “tolerates immorality which the Filipino Queer community. offends religious beliefs” according to the Electoral Commission, referring to the In late 2016 Duterte called US Envoy Phil country’s deeply held Catholic convictions.

Goldberg a “gay son of a whore.” The Yet in the face of this persisting prejudice, President showed little remorse later. “I Duterte’s intentions remain a mystery. will not apologise for anything. He did not apologise for me…why should I apologise Only time will tell whether Duterte to him?” resurrects his image as the Queerrights warrior for Davao, or whether his On the same day, Duterte lamented the reputation as the anti-drug kingpin of the US’withdrawal of aid for countries that did Philippines will take priority. Until then, not support same sex marriage.

Duterte cannot make up his mind.

Duterte also took the radical step of passing an anti-discrimination ordinance in his old stomping ground.The legislation made it outright illegal to discriminate on the basis of colour, religion, or sexuality.

Duterte certainly has the guts to make radical change for the Queer community.

Whether he translates this into presidential action is another question.

“They have groups there. The LGBT, they go to State Department guys, and offer aid and assistance. But, they said, come out with the law that would allow same-sex marriages.

Now that Duterte is in the nation’s top job, some members of the Queer

This is a mystifying response from someone who actively fought against

“What’s happening? Where are the principles that the builders of America… they have lost along the way?”

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The debate over Phosphate for Makatea NicholasHoare

In late November-2016, the French Polynesian Présidence at Papeete played host to an important, and well-attended, exhibition titled Makatea: Past, Present, Future.

From its opening, the exhibition transformed from a site of historical memory into a site of heated debate.

Landowners, office-holders, young job seekers and environmentalists came together to articulate their visions and concerns over Australian engineer Colin Randall’s proposals to re-open mining industry on Makatea for its phosphate reserves.

The exhibition coincided with the Tuamotuan island’s 50th anniversary of the end of phosphate mining. One could be excused in thinking the exhibition’s purpose was purely memorial – a nod to a bygone era where phosphate mining was a pillar of the French Polynesian export-led economy. This exhibition however was imbued with political motivations. It was the brain-child of Colin Randall, who after being a mainstay in the Hunter Valley coal mining industry for forty years, now turns his attention to French Polynesia in order to gain concessions from the Government to re-mine the island of Makatea for its residual phosphate reserves.

In order to receive the concession it is incumbent upon Randall and his company to demonstrate their project has the

support of te fatu fenua (people of the land). The exhibition thus turned into a four-day long public relations exercise where Randall attempted to assuage concerns about the adverse impacts of future mining.

health in the nearby town of Arad.

More defaced exhibition posters Broader environmental arguments may not have entered the conversation at the Présidence, but the wider implications of continued phosphate According to Randall, in thirty years’ time dependency have many in the scientific his project will have rehabilitated 1,600 community concerned. Environmental ha of land, created a functional port, an scientists are worried that fertiliser run-off, eutrophication of waterways, airstrip, provided the island with water supply and waste management, and will and subsequent algal blooms will lead to worsened hypoxia, that is, a higher have laid the foundations for a future incidence of global “dead-zones” or based on eco-tourism and agriculture. regions where life cannot be sustained.

For Randall, there is no such thing as exploitation without rehabilitation, and Regardless of one’s opinion on the project, his plan is to rehabilitate each parcel of land as the mining proceeds. He labelled it has clearly split the community. While rehabilitationeffortsonNauru—aconstant mining is supported by the mayor of Makatea, Julien Mai, and mayor Teina touchstone over the four-days—a Maraeura of Rangiroa, the commune ‘disgrace,’ and urged people to look to which Makatea belongs, during the towards Christmas Island as a model. exhibition there was constant anti-mining protests surrounding the Presidence.

While Randall is optimistic his rehabilitation plans will succeed, others A strong contingent of around eighty protesters were present on the first have expressed scepticism. Filmmaker morning of proceedings despite the rain, and naturalist Michel Huet likens them with the anti-mining groups Te Fatu Fenua to a science-fiction novel, a completely no Makatea, led by Sylvanna Tupuhina crazy project. While some locals were encouraged by the future benefits of an Nordman, and Rupe no Makatea, led by airstrip, others were discouraged by the Danny Pittman, both in sync as they cried adverse impacts of mining on their health. out-loud “Do Not Touch Makatea!”

Examples of this were cited, such as that To Randall’s credit, his exhibition provided of 2014 when the Israeli Government an arguably overdue chance for people pulled the plug on a proposed mining project at Sde Brir owing to the potential to express their hopes and fears for the island. Talks were often heated and ill-effects of air pollution on people’s

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tempers were regularly stretched, but dialogue was shared amongst different generations. Many of the young Makatean men in attendance expressed their preference for the project owing to the opportunities it would provide them for training and employment.

For those in opposition to the project, environmental concerns outweigh any short-term economic benefits. According to botanist Fred Jacq, Makatea is a “hot spot” for biodiversity. The endangered Polynesian imperial pigeon, known locally as the Rupe (ducula aurorae), which

having disappeared from the rest of French Polynesia, has seen its numbers increase on Makatea since mining ceased.

Left to their own devices, birds such as the Rupe dispersed seeds across the island, revegetatatingandrepopulatingtheoncemined areas to such an extent that Bird Life International has labelled Makatea an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area.

A Rupe featured on protest banners The prospect of renewed mining has endangered this status, and has pushed the two anti-mining groups into vowing their continued opposition to the project.

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Meanwhile an online petition to ‘save the Noah’s Ark of the South Pacific’ has so far attracted 140,000 signatures. Randall repeatedly said he intends to walk away if te fatu fenua do not want him there. Yet for somebody who has expended such a significant amount of time and resources, it is difficult to say how true these words will prove to be. Whatever the outcome, the next coming months of 2017 will be critical in determining the future of Makatea and its inhabitants.

increasing boys prostitution in indonesia FarabiFerdiansyah

He walks into the terrace house with a red face, and lowered head. He shakes hands and sits on the floor cross-legged.

His head bowed down, staring at the floor of the Safe House for the Children in East Jakarta. In his 16 years Castro (pseudo name) has lived a life that many of us know nothing about. He spent four months this year being trafficked as a child prostitute.

He sits in silence. The sounds of throaty croaking of frogs and the pat, pat, pat of raindrops falling on the rooftop fill the room.

Pribudiarta Sitepu a Deputy of Child Protection of The Ministry of Woman’s Empowerment and Children Protection Brian and Castro have made the Safe House for Children at Bambu Apus, in East said sexual abuse against boys is higher than the girls. “SKTA (the survey of Jakarta. Police brought them here after violence against children) reported 1 of they were rescued in a police raid on a child prostitution ring in Bogor (30/8) that 12 boys, and 1 of 19 girls got sexually abused.” involved 148 boys. tragedy, poverty, and exploitation.

The National Police’s Criminal Investigation (Bareskrim) arrested three pimps who are accused of selling the boys to men through social media.

The suspects could face multiple charges under article No. 11/2008 on Information A moment later, another boy in a blue navy and Electronic Transactions (ITE) Law, sweater and chino jeans comes in. He’s Law no. 44/2008 on Pornography, and followed by the housekeeper Zainal, who Law no. 21/2007 on Combating Human says, “He doesn’t want to be interviewed Trafficking. alone.” Brian (pseudo name) wants to join Castro for the interview.

Erlinda, a commissioner from the Indonesia Child Protection Commission Brian sits beside Castro, straightens his (KPAI) said that underage male short black hair, and smiles broadly and prostitution in Indonesia is increasing shakes hands. Brian is 17-years old and every year. KPAI says in 2016, 300 to 400 has known Castro for more than 12 years. boys reported they had been sold for sex.

“You are lucky. You are the first [of who] is able to interview them,” said Zainal.

The boys look at each other, smile and Brian begins to joke around without saying anything. Castro’s eyes brightens and begins joking with him. Together they tell their story that involves

Authorities say young males are more vulnerable to exploitation. “Because the perpetrator assumes the boy is strong, masculine and will not tell to his parents,” Sitepu added.

A Study by End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purpose (ECPAT) reported children from broken families were much more vulnerable to online sexual abuse that those from non-broken families. If the children could not find happiness and comfort at home, they would look for it outside.

Brian and Castro came from the same town in Nias, North Sumatra. They were just four and five years old when the Erlinda said child pornography and cyber tsunami swept Nias in 2004 and their crime reports during January – October lives changed. After the disaster, their 2016 recorded 414 victims. The numbers parents lived in misery and could not take care of them. So they were adopted are higher especially when it comes to traffickingunderagemalesforprostitution. by Maranatha Orphanage, Bogor, with many other children.

She stated many victims don’t want to report to the KPAI. The boys had free education and lived in

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the orphanage for 10 years, but two years With his huge circle of contacts in sex ago they ran away before finishing the prostitution, he went to work and set up a orphanage program.They were bored and sex trafficking business involving boys. wanted freedom.

To promote the boys, they were required Esti (pseudo name) a worker at the to submit a biography that included their orphanage said “they’ve got a problem name, age, and a photo. “He asked us to in the school [being] disobedient to take a picture topless,” said Brian. orphanage’s rules.”

After that, he invited the children to his The orphanage tried to persuade them to community called RCM (Rico Ceper come back to the dorm,but the boys could Management) and added them to his not be found. The boys, who at the time Facebook group, Berondong Bogor. had been 14 and 16 years old, rented a small house in Bogor. They were jobless, The boys said Rico used social media, alone and vulnerable. such as Facebook, BBM Messenger, and a gay mobile applications to get Brian recalls how an older man named customers in cities such as Jakarta, Rico befriended them. He flashed money Bandung, and Banten. Besides that, and introduced them to the world of illegal Rico also had a foreign customer from boys sexual exploitation. . Brian said Rico Malaysia and Singapore. lied to him. “Rico said if you want a job, come to his boarding. When I visit[ed] his “Sometimes, I went to Jakarta, and boarding, he coerced me to please him. sometimes they came to Bogor. Mostly, That was not a job that I expected.” the customers are from Jakarta. We usually meet in Tebet, South Jakarta,” “You don’t need to work hard. Just work said Brian. “They provide for all one day [and] you can earn more money transportation and a hotel.” than the salary of the common people who work hard,” Castro added.

Most customers were adults with good a profession such as police, manager, Besides that, they said Rico often treated doctor, and etc. “Most (customers) are Brian and Castro to snacks or drinks. adults that are already married – have a wife and family,” Castro said.

“When you’ve already been lured in, it is hard to get out,” Castro said.

Ahmad Sofian, the coordinator of End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and They need money to pay rent for the house Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purpose and their living costs.

(ECPAT) acknowledged that the customers could be considered ‘classy’ men with “Honestly, I feel strange and money. “There are adults over their 30’s uncomfortable around them, but it is all that have position (good job).” about money,” said Brian.

Erlinda said child sex abuse in Indonesia Since they were under 18 years-old, is considered an extraordinary crime the boys could fetch a better price than along with narcotics and terrorism adult men. Customers paid between Rp because it corrupts mindset of the 1.000.000 (75$) to Rp 1.500.000 (113$). children about norms of life.

Castro and Brian say they earned around Rp 100.000 (8$) to Rp 1.000.000 (75$), The Indonesian government supports normally about Rp 500.000 (38$). severe punishments against the perpetrator of child sexual abuse including “The highest amount that I received was forced chemical castration or the death Rp 1.000.000 (75$), depends on the tip penalty. It believes a strong penalty is the from the guest,” said Brian. only way to stop the child sex abuse.

Their pimp, Rico had experience in prostitution business. Rico had already been arrested for online prostitution involving girls. He was sentenced to three years for human trafficking and after serving a two-and-half year in prison was released on 24 November 2015.

Recently, the death penalty was imposed on two cases of child sexual abuse in West Jakarta and Bengkulu.

Another side to of this story is rehabilitation for the abused children.

Erlinda says the victim must get comprehensive rehabilitation for trauma

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recovery. If they don’t get rehabilitation, the victim might be a perpetrator of child sex abuse. “[Of ] around 70-80 percent of [victims] who do not recieve comprehensive rehabilitation, during [their first] couple months can be[come] a perpetrator or have a personality similar to the perpetrator,” said Erlinda.

Brian and Castro spend their days at the Safe House for Child managed by the Ministry of Social to get rehabilitation under expert surveillance along with the vocational skills to re-enter society.

When they complete their rehabilitation in December, Brian and Castro want to start a new life with their family. “I want [to go] back to Nias – we still have our parents there. We[‘ve] already [been] living here (Bogor) for 12 years,” Brian said.

Neneng Heryani head of Safe House PSMP Handayani said the progress of Brian and Castro is good. They are learning screen printing and have a good attitude.

“However, living with [their] family is the best rehabilitation for children,” said Neneng.

Neneng said it was hard to find their families in Nias because the boys had not seen their parents for 12 years. They don’t remember the address or siblings. But, finally the team was found their parents after searching for four days.

“We will [be] going to Nias together, and returning Brian and Castro to their family on December 26 – 12 years after the Tsunami disaster,” Neneng added.

ending honour killings in pakistan Tayla Badings

On 8 June 2016, Zeenat Rafiq, an 18-yearold girl from Lahore in Pakistan, was burnt to death by her mother for bringing shame to her family by marrying a man of her choice. A week earlier, a 19-year-old school teacher in Punjab was tortured and burnt to death by family members for refusing an arranged marriage proposal. In the same month, the body of 16-year-old Amber was found in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, inside a car that had been set on fire. The elders in Amber’s community had ordered her death after she had helped her friend marry a man of her own choice.

In Pakistan, these are known as honour killings, and until recently they were legal.

But even after new laws were passed in October last year against honour killings, the practice continues.

Honour killings have long been a problem in Pakistan. Official government figures have reported around 1,000 per year, but unofficial estimates put that number at 3,000 to 4,000 each year. An honour killing is the murder of a family member, usually a girl or woman, who is said to have brought shame to their family. This ‘shame’ could be from running away (typically as the result of domestic abuse or arranged marriages), refusal of an arranged marriage, marriage to a person of one’s choice, or premarital intercourse.

Honour killings are often carried out by other members of the family. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reports that between 1998 and 2002, “1,235 of the 1,339 individuals accused of honour killings… were members of the victim’s family: 462 brothers, 395 husbands, 217 relatives, 103 fathers, and 53 sons”.

Prior to October, honour killings were pardonable within the Pakistani Penal Code (PPC). The law goes back to a process of radical Islamisation in Pakistan following military dictator General Ziaul-Haq’s coup in 1977. He amended the secular laws of murder and homicide in and established the Federal Shariat Court. This court holds influence over the

Supreme and High courts and has the power to examine and rule on cases in order to determine whether Pakistani law is compliant with this form of Shari’a law.

In 1990, The Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court invoked the principles of Qisas (retaliation) and Diyat (blood money).

killings. The most noteworthy legislative reform was the changes to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2004, which inserted the new offence of‘honour killing’ into the PPC. This meant that the accused honour killer/s can no longer be pardoned by the victim’s guardian. This legislation was a good start for Pakistan, however, it was criticised for still allowing the accused The incorporation of these extremist to enter into a compromise with the courts concepts into Pakistani law has meant that through payment of compensation. murders labelled as honour killings mostly go unpunished. The principles of Qisas In 2016 the honour killing of 25-yearand Diyat allow the guardian of the honour old Pakistani social media star, Qandeel killing victim, usually a father or eldest Baloch, by her brother shocked the world. brother, to forgive the murderer. This is Waseem Baloch strangled his sister due to the fact that in Pakistan, homicides to death at their home and showed no are deemed private offences against the remorse, saying, “girls are born to stay at individual, meaning that only the only the home and follow traditions…I am proud victim’s family can pursue charges. of what I did. I drugged her first, then I killed her”.

To understand why honour killings occur and at such high rates, you need to In October 2016, three months after understand the cultural significance of Baloch’s death, Pakistan’s parliament honour in Pakistan. unanimously passed a ground-breaking new law which no longer allows honour Honour is said to be a measure of one’s killers to walk free if pardoned. The bill social prestige in the community and guarantees mandatory prison sentences is dependent upon the community’s of 25 years to the accused. “There is no collective view of the person. Honour is honour in honour killing,” said Pakistan’s something that can be lost and is therefore prime minister, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, a trait that is earnt and aligned with certain after the bill passed. virtues, such as magnanimity, honesty, courage and kindness. Honour is held in The next challenge will be to see how extreme importance in some countries, effectively the Pakistani government and including Pakistan, where it determines a the courts implement and enforce the person’s reliability, trustworthiness, and law. It seems, however, that it will take the significance of their opinion within the more than legal action to stamp out this community. practice. Since the new law was passed, there have already been around 40 honour In Pakistan, when a woman acts in killings recorded, such as 20-year-old ways which are considered immoral or Hayat Khan, who in January stabbed his unchaste, or are perceived to violate so 16-year-old sister to death for frequently deemed Islamic customary practices and talking to a boy on the telephone. As bring dishonour upon her family, the death Abdul Hai, from Pakistan’s Human Rights of this woman is often seen as one of the Commission says, the new laws alone will only ways to restore the honour that she not stop honour killings. Education of men had lost or betrayed. and women at a grassroots community level is needed to change society’s Within the Pakistani legal system, steps mindset, empower women and sensitise have been taken to combat discrimination men to this important issue. against women and ultimately work towards ending the practice of honour

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Cover photo taken by Kai Clark

HOW TO GET INVOLVED If you are interested in contributing to the Monsoon Project, please contact us via our Facebook page or by email at contact@ themonsoonproject.org.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific for their continued support of The Monsoon Project.

FIND US AT www.themonsoonproject.org www.facebook.com/monsoonproject @monsoon_project

The Monsoon Project Team: (left to right) Dominic Harvey-Taylor, Elizabeth Underwood, Reza Mazumder, Han-Geol Henry Cho, Harrison Rule, Adina Darbyshire, and Kai Clark.

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