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SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017 Adelle Chua, Editor
Opinion
Joyce Pangco Pañares, Issue Editor
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
EDITORIAL
POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE
OUR VAIN SEARCH
A
S THE nation prepares to commemorate National Heroes’ Day on Monday, we face the question of whether heroes actually still exist in this day and age, given the multitude of problems we face. Our blighted recent history reminds us of a collective pattern of searching for modern-day saviors whom we expect to deliver us from our sorry situation into the so-called promised land. That we get disappointed—no, frustrated—every time does not deter us from hoping again, as fervently as before. Look at where this has brought us. We lamented life under a dictatorship and installed somebody we thought would remind us how great democracy could be. But the old problems remained—just the names and structures changed. We also developed the habit of revolting against officials we perceived as corrupt. Their successors promised to clean up the mess they had left behind. So soon after the honeymoon period, however, we found ourselves complaining yet again about our present crop of leaders, accusing them of not making good on their promises and really just preserving the status quo. The same thing happened during last year’s elections, when we installed a maverick city mayor from down South perhaps out of exasperation with the soft-spoken, well-bred
HAPPY 40TH, VOLTES V
national leaders who lured us with promises of change. This leader, who won by a plurality but now still enjoys the support of nearly 80 percent of the people, according to polls, is now facing serious questions about his willingness to follow due process and respect the lives and rights even of the drugs suspects he abhors. And now once again we wonder whether we were wrong to have made judgments according to one’s hero-potential, for lack of a better term. That we shed any illusions that any one person can save this blighted nation of ours is long overdue. The truth is, people are complex as the issues are complex. Politicians, government bureaucrats, private sector workers and civil society representatives have both good and bad attributes. What we remember them for are their actions, their values, their decision-making processes. We would err grievously if we believe they are capable of making right decisions, in all aspects of their lives, all the time. With this we can prepare to answer: What are we prepared to put up with? We will perhaps continue to search for heroes—no, saviors. Perhaps it is embedded in our DNA. It would not, however, hurt to tweak our expectations a little, so that we go for realistic attributes, allow for human lapses, yet still move toward progress and yes, just a bit of salvation.
IT HAS been 40 years since the anime show Voltes V first aired in Japan, and when it burst on the TV cartoon scene in the Philippines with its catchy theme song, I was hooked. It was a simpler era, and we played with toys—none of them electronic—and with friends, spending much of our free time in the streets or common areas of our community in a quiet part of Manila. We knew most of our neighbors, and were in and out of each other’s houses. When we were indoors, we watched cartoons. Back then these were American productions, mostly by Hanna Barbera and Warner Bros., so that meant Bugs and Daffy, The Flintstones, and Scooby Doo, and superhero shows Super Friends, Spiderman, and The Hulk. Then one day in May 1978, my stepfather Joseph Sellner called me and my sister over for a chat. He worked for blocktimer Questor, a company that bought airtime on TV, filled it with their own content, and sold advertising spots. “Neni,” he said, “watch this new cartoon I brought in from Japan, and let me know how you like it.” We plonked down on the floor. “Sure, Uncle Joe,” I said. “What is it?” It was Voltes V. I was astounded by the visuals, the storyline, and above all, the music. Beside it, the American cartoons were reduced to pap. I somehow knew this was a turning point in animation. My stepdad had gone to Japan to scout for new content, saw the show, and loved it. So it was his taste in cartoons that launched an unforgettable and important time in Philippine broadcasting. The show, which was first aired in Japan in 1977, found a home on GMA Network. It was an instant hit. Nothing like it had ever been seen before on local TV. Its popularity spread among young children like a gasoline blaze. Come 6:00 p.m. each weekday, parents knew exactly where their kids were—safe at home in front of the TV. We memorized the opening and closing theme songs without knowing the meaning of the words, transcribing them by ear. We related to the characters, choosing one that we resonated to—boys usually chose Steve Armstrong, girls Jamie Robinson. Sellner says the concept of importing a foreign-language show was so new that there was no infrastructure to support it—no translators, no one to do subtitles, and so on. He says he thought of the English names himself (these were subsequently used in the US dubs). They hired local actors to do the voices, and their first translator was the Japanese wife of a friend. Not being a native English speaker, her scripts left much to be desired and Sellner had to doctor most of them. The formulaic nature of each episode, instead of boring us, was like ritual. The call comes to battle a beast fighter. Camp Big Falcon opens up and releases each of the Voltes units. Then comes the war cry: “Let’s volt in!” The characters all press a button at the same time—the switch that causes the units to assemble into the
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RADIOACTIVE SUSHI (PART I) LONG STORY SHORT ADELLE CHUA
FAKE news comes in many forms. It’s that article about a miracle cure that your uncle shared on his Facebook wall. It’s that email warning against eating sushi for supposed radioactive properties. It’s that headline that is in no way related to the actual news story
below it, or an announcement about a holiday that turns out to be from two years ago. It’s a poster that tells a Hindu family to watch over their daughters because some Muslim man on a motorcycle will try to charm her, whisk her away from
everyone she knows and then convert her to Islam. It’s a photo of soldiers who you think are fighting terrorists in Mindanao but who are actually Hondurans embroiled in their own troubles. From the national news agency, it’s a story about doz-
ens of nations expressing their belief that no extrajudicial killings are happening here when no such statements were made. Sometimes it’s your own justice secretary saying opposition figures went to Marawi a few days before the siege, Turn to B2
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lending political color to the crisis, even waving photos to support his claim. Because of the deluge of information at our fingertips, it is so easy to fall prey to disinformation. At best it sows confusion. But it can also sow hate that might move some people to discord, even violence. It can provide wrong basis for business decisions and lead to loss of assets. Not all of it is intentional. Some just share away indiscriminately, thinking they are doing others a favor. There are those, however, of more sinister persuasions. They know how powerful the Internet is, and spend time and resources to exploit people’s ignorance, or fear, or other vulnerabilities to achieve their end. *** If it’s any consolation to us Filipinos, fake news is a concern in many other countries, too. In fact, Temasek Foundation and the Institute of Policy Studies of Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore deemed it enough of a concern to organize a conference called “Reporting Facts and the Future of Journalism.” The forum, held August 17-19 at Orchard Hotel, Singapore, saw journalists from all over Asia—the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Bhutan, Laos, Malaysia—compare their experiences with fake news and talk about what they could do to prevent it from inflicting further damage to our free societies. “It undermines the premises of our profession,” according to Hong Kongbased journalism professor Cherian George, one of the speakers. Alan John, director of the Asia Journalism Fellowship, challenged the participants, “What is the point of journalism when people will believe anything, anyway?” Really, what can we do? George said it was not just about the Internet; disinformation has been around for a long time. Over the course of history, he said, humankind has fallen prey to at least four great hoaxes – that smoking is safe, that climate change is ok, that everything that goes wrong is the fault of the minority, and that the enemy will kill us. The existence of fake news is a market failure, George said. It requires intervention from multiple fronts. Media have a role especially in promoting literacy and critical thinking to pre-bunk fake news. (Take note: Pre-bunk, not debunk. Fake news, once it has been consumed by the public, already creates damage that is not completely erased even when retractions and clarifications are later on made.) Governments, too (assuming it is not leading the disinformation in the first place), have a role, and not just the enactment of laws as in the case of Germany. It can support or even initiate information campaigns or help establish independent press councils. Will fake news ever go away? It does not seem likely. It’s a trade-off, in this environment where everyone ideally has a voice. “We agree to tolerate a fair amount of risk and pollution in exchange for the freedoms we enjoy,” George said. We must then be able to live with disinformation while taking steps to prevent it from achieving its ends. Historian Farish Ahmad Noor from S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies agreed with George that fake news—distortion or selective framing—is not new territory. He talked about how printed or visual media from the 19th century all shaped narratives of overseas events depicting The Other negatively. Wars in Indonesia, Burma and the Philippines showed that The Other, for instance, was being belligerent when it was merely defending itself. What is bad in all this, said Eric Wishart, former editor-in-chief of Agence France Presse, is that fake news mimics legitimate news so that people cannot easily tell the difference. In a country like the Philippines, for instance, where the two telecommunication companies offer free Facebook with mobile subscription, Facebook sometimes IS the internet, and people tend to immediately believe what appears on their feed. Wahyu Muryadi, editor-in-chief of TEMPO Channel, said that even before “fake news” became a buzz word, Indonesia already had to deal with hoaxes. His compatriot, Septiaji Eko Nugroho, chairman of the Indonesian Anti-Hoax Movement, said people routinely fall for them because of illiteracy, polarized politics and even media participation. “It’s a complex country,” he says, with five religions, 746 languages, 1,340 ethnic groups and more than 17,000 islands. (Continued next week) adellechua@gmail.com
WHY SAMSUNG’S LEE MUST DO HIS TIME By Michael Schuman HISTORY was made in a Seoul court on Friday when Jay Y. Lee, scion of the family that founded the giant Samsung conglomerate, was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges and sentenced to five years in prison. In theory, the verdict should send a stark signal to the country’s politicians and business leaders that the corrupt shenanigans that have so plagued this otherwise outstanding economy must end. But that message will hit home only if one critical thing happens: Lee does his time, all of it. Many conservative Koreans will argue that Lee is being made a scapegoat. After all, the Samsung executive found himself caught up in a scandal involving no less a figure than former President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached over her alleged role in the corruption scheme. The managers of South Korea’s big business groups, called chaebol, can ill afford to stand on principle when presidential favor is at stake. That’s beside the point, however. Too many excuses for bad business behavior have been made in the past, with the result that Korean corporate titans found guilty of assorted crimes— including Lee’s illustrious father—have routinely been let off the hook. Invariably, they’ve received suspended sentences or presidential pardons, and have slipped back into their corner offices as if nothing ever happened. The signal has been all too clear: Executives can get into trouble for bribing politicians or stealing funds, but not that much. Such misguided leniency
has encouraged scandal after scandal. With Lee’s conviction, Korea has an opportunity to break this embarrassing cycle. The Samsung scion will certainly appeal his sentence, one of the harshest ever handed down to a top chaebol executive. Only by locking Lee up, though, and keeping him there for his full sentence, will the government and courts send a convincing message that corporate malfeasance will no longer be tolerated. This is particularly important right now, for two reasons. Newly-installed president Moon Jaein campaigned as a crusader for reforming the chaebol. But his political party doesn’t control the national legislature, where any bold proposals will likely face stiff opposition from conservatives. Moon’s choice to head the country’s Fair Trade Commission, known as a strident chaebol critic, has already started managing expectations, stating that the new administration doesn’t intend to break up the chaebol system and praising the conglomerates for starting to unwind some of the complicated cross-shareholdings through which families have traditionally maintained control over their companies. Much more needs to be done to clean up those shareholding structures, strengthen corporate governance and break the stranglehold that the chaebol maintain over certain sectors. But until Moon has the political capital to push through more extensive reforms, the best weapon he has is the threat to carry through the laws already on the books. Only if rich and powerful chaebol chiefs believe they’ll pay a price for corporate
skulduggery will they begin to clean up their acts. Equally important, ordinary Koreans need to see someone like Lee serving time. For too long, they’ve been told that these chaebol familymanagers are critical to the nation’s continued economic prosperity. Even Park, who came into office similarly promising to revamp the chaebol system, eventually succumbed to this specious argument and pardoned at least one prominent tycoon. Yet one glance at the recent performance of Samsung Electronics Co. proves the company will be just fine—perhaps even better off—without Lee. Since Lee’s arrest in mid-February, the company’s stock price has surged 24 percent. Last quarter, Samsung Electronics impressively posted record profits. The stellar performance provides evidence that in modern South Korea, the talented and experienced professional executives at its biggest corporations no longer require family patriarchs at the helm to achieve growth and profits. In order to make this all stick, even jailing Lee may not be enough. Whenever he emerges from his cell, Samsung’s shareholders and managers shouldn’t welcome him back into the corporate fold. That would strengthen the message that criminal behavior will no longer be tolerated in Korea’s business community. For his part, Moon can break with his predecessors and avoid any pressure between now and then to pardon Lee. The Samsung scion may be a sacrificial lamb, but it’s a sacrifice that must be made. Bloomberg
HOW TO DEAL WITH A $759-MILLION LOTTERY JACKPOT By Barry Ritholtz ON WEDNESDAY night, Chicopee, Massachusetts resident Mavis Wanczyk won the $759-million Powerball jackpot. Her first act was to call into work to say she wouldn’t be coming in the next day. Or ever again. Before she starts celebrating beating those 292.2 million-to-1 odds, there are a few things Wanczyk needs to consider about her good fortune. If she learns these lessons quickly, then she and her heirs will be much happier and more satisfied with their lives. • Lottery winnings are not what they seem: Let’s start with that $759 million prize. Wanczyk, like most lottery winners, decided to take a lump sum rather than equal annual payments for 30 years. Her lump sum comes out to about $480 million, or $336 million after taxes. That’s still a huge amount of money. Often, taking annual payments is safer. There’s no guarantee that you will invest the lump sum wisely and the annual payments reduce the likelihood that you’ll squander the money as so many lottery winners have in the past.
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giant robot Voltes V. The theme song starts up, everyone watching starts singing along. (Years later, wags joked that the button turned on the CD player). The battle ensues. We knew the beast fighter was going to get what was coming to it when this weapon was (voice) activated: “Laserrr…. sword!” Then Voltes slices a huge V into the enemy robot. The V flashes bright, the robot explodes. Everyone heaves a sigh of contentment. With the success of the show, Sellner brought in four more anime shows— Mekanda, Daimos, Mazinger Z, and Grendaizer. That’s the order in which they were aired on GMA, from Monday to Thursday, and Voltes on Friday. I was tasked to log the commercials as they aired, so I was required to watch every episode. That was the first “job” I ever had, and I loved every minute of it. Then the dictator Marcos banned “robot shows” from the air. Sellner says he learned about it from the newspapers, along with everyone else. He went on to bring in, as substitutes, the cartoons Candy Candy and Paul in Fantasyland, and the TV show Knight Rider. But Voltes V and the other Questor robot shows, despite their brief stints on air, captured the imagination of the children of my generation. When we hear the theme song, even today, we can still sing along. In our hearts we are still Steve, Mark, Big Bert, Little Jon, and Jamie, fighting the enemy and saving the world. Happy 40th anniversary, Voltes V! Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based writer. Follow her on Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @jensdecember, @ artuoste
• Be wary of strangers, acquaintances and distant relatives: Lots of people come out of the woodwork after something like this is publicized; avoid all of the long-lost high school friends and distant relatives who seem to have suddenly recalled how close the two of you are. If you make any promises to these folks, you could find yourself spending time and money defending yourself in court against the ones who turn out to be parasites. Get an unlisted phone number, move into a hotel two towns over for a few weeks where no one can find you, and sort things out. • Get some help: Inexperience is dangerous; most lottery winners, like many highly paid athletes, have little background managing big sums of money. It’s a daunting responsibility that can overwhelm one’s better judgment. Find some trustworthy people, including a good lawyer, accountant and financial adviser. Ask the smartest wealthy people you know who they use for each. Speak to at least three people from each profession, or more, until you find someone you trust and are comfortable with. Oh, and never give power of attorney to anyone, ever.
• Just say “No”: Learn to say “I have a person who handles that.” This isn’t “Shark Tank”; you are not an angel investor or venture capitalist. Instead of wasting time and money on every wacky investment idea your second cousin has, you can have someone else send a polite letter on official stationery explaining why “we have to pass on this as it does not meet our long-term financial goals, but thank you for thinking of us.” • Create a budget: Develop a longterm budget establishing what you are going to buy in the short term (real estate, cars, boats and other toys) and what you are going to live on. It doesn’t have to be etched in stone, but it shouldn’t be too easy to ignore. • Think long term: At the very least, you will need to think about taxes and estate planning. That’s why you built that team of professionals. You also need to think about your personal security and safety. There are some nuts out there. • Money is a tool; what do you want to accomplish with it? This may be the hardest thing about sudden wealth. Do you have a favorite charity or cause you support? Are there children or other relatives
you want to help? You may end up establishing a charitable foundation so that any wealth transfers are done in the most cost- and tax-efficient way. • Invest intelligently: You want a simple and inexpensive plan to help you achieve your goals. The right portfolio mix should reflect those objectives. In a high-tax state like Massachusetts, a municipalbond portfolio will generate income that’s exempt from federal and state taxes. Based on a return of 2 percent to 3 percent, that could still cover a very lavish lifestyle. The traditional 60 percent stocks and 40 percent bonds should yield an annual return of 5 percent to 6 percent on average. If you are putting money away for future generations or some philanthropic endeavor, then a more aggressive mix of 70-30 or even 80-20 will generate higher returns, but with greater risk and more volatility. • Learn from lottery history: A windfall seems like it should be bring happiness, but too often more money can mean more problems. The record of sad life outcomes for lottery winners is long and dreary. Bloomberg
MAIL MATTER
ROMERO’S CLAIMS ‘LEGALLY UNJUSTIFIED’—OGCC (OGCC’s reaction to Atty. Rodolfo V. Romero’s Busi- be considered outstanding. As a lawyer, Atty. Romero is bound to obey the laws ness Class column published on August 15 “OGCC and promote respect for law and legal processes (Canwas unnecessary from the start.”) non 1, Code of Professional Responsibility), including JUST recently, the OGCC won a case before the Su- the Supreme Court’s decision and resolution denying preme Court (G.R. 227936), for client National Agri- his money claim. He should have accepted the fact Business Corp. (Nabcor) and its former President, Ho- that his claim is legally unjustified as the courts susnesto F. Baniqued, against lawyer Rodolfo V. Romero’s tained. While for Atty. Romero OGCC’s victory in his unjustified claim. Both trial and appellate proceedings very own case does not qualify as “outstanding GOCCin various courts consistently upheld OGCC’s legal po- case victory,” for OGCC every victory scored is valuable as every case is given equal importance and the desition that Atty. Romero’s claim is simply unfounded. In such case, a financially troubled Nabcor engaged served attention. After all, OGCC ultimately serves the Atty. Romero to secure PDIC’s approval in condoning Filipino People’s interests. A word of advice from an anonymous internet all penalties and reducing by half the interests of Nabcor’s P1.708 billion debt in exchange for a 0.49 percent source: sometimes it is easier to smile even when you’re hurting inside, than to explain the whole world commission of P2.094 billion. As it turns out, PDIC did not only enforce all penal- why you’re sad. Finally, Atty. Romero’s factual misinformation should ties, it also disallowed interest reduction. His failure notwithstanding, Nabcor still paid him P5.3 million. be corrected: OGCC was founded not in the 1970s but For ethical considerations, he should have returned on December 1, 1935, and its humble beginning did that fee because he failed to convert his promise. Iron- not stymie the likes of Senator and Supreme Court Asically, he filed a complaint against Nabcor to claim the sociate Justice Ramon Diokno as its first head, Senators Ambrosio Padilla and Juan R. Liwag, Chief Justice balance of the 49 percent commission. After the Supreme Court denied his claim with finali- Querube Makalintal and other seasoned lawyers from ty, he now trains his guns to OGCC, discrediting it in his serving this small office with distinction. Just like them, Business Class column by claiming that it was unnec- OGCC’s complement, past and present, have dedicatessary from the start. He asserts that taking govern- ed their lives in the service of the Filipino people. ment corporate legal work from the OSG and giving Very truly yours, it instead to OGCC produced a negative outcome. To him, such division of government legal work between two offices is anomalous with undesirable results. To RUDOLF PHILIP B. JURADO stress his point, he casts aspersion on OGCC for allegGovernment Corporate Counsel edly not having scored a GOCC-case victory that can
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IRANIANS HIT APPLE FOR APPS REMOVAL TEHRAN, Iran—Iranians have been joined by a minister in protest after tech giant Apple removed popular apps from its store, which the American company says has been done to comply with US sanctions. “Today, respecting consumers’ rights is a basic principle which Apple has not followed,” Information and Communication Technology Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi tweeted, promising to “legally pursue” the case. “IT should be used for making human life better and comfortable not a tool for discrimination between countries,” he wrote. The hashtag #StopRemovingIranianApps has been trending on Iranian social media in the past few days, after Apple removed at least 10 of the country’s most popular apps from its online store. Those now missing include Amazonstyle shopping apps Digikala and Bamilo, ride-hailing apps Snapp and Tap30, discount store Takhfifan and a brunch delivery service called Delion. “We are unable to include your app on the App Store,” a message sent to some of those companies reportedly said. “Under the US sanctions regulations, the App Store cannot host, distribute, or do business with apps or developers connected to certain US embargoed countries.” AFP
BOY DIES AFTER SWIMMING IN POLLUTED SEA GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories—The death of a little boy after swimming in polluted seawater has put the spotlight on Gaza’s pollution crisis and the human impact of desperate electricity shortages in the Palestinian enclave. Mohammed al-Sayis, five, died late last month a few days after swimming in the sewage-polluted waters, with his brothers also hospitalized, his family and health ministry said. Dozens of others have been treated after swimming along the strip’s filthy Mediterranean coastline in the past two months, a ministry spokesman in Gaza said. Pollution in Gaza is not a new phenomena -- a decade of a crippling Israeli blockade, coupled with three devastating wars with the Jewish state since 2008, have left infrastructure falling apart. But the worsening spat between the two leading Palestinian political blocs has exacerbated an already grim situation for the two million residents of the impoverished and densely-populated Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has sought to squeeze the Islamist group Hamas which controls Gaza. In April, it reduced the amount of electricity they buy from Israel for Gaza, where the enclave’s sole power plant is barely operational. AFP
VENEZUELA WARNS TRUMP WITH WAR GAMES CARACAS, Venezuela—Venezuela kicks off two days of military drills on Saturday in response to US President Donald Trump’s threat of military action and newly announced sanctions on the crisis-stricken nation. Trump warned on August 11 that the United States was mulling a range of options against Venezuela, “including a possible military option if necessary.” His Vice President Mike Pence later played down the threat, insisting that Washington was prioritizing a diplomatic solution and economic sanctions. National security advisor HR McMaster followed suit, saying “no military actions are anticipated in the near future.” But tension only surged again when the White House made good on the sanctions threat on Friday, unveiling its first-ever sanctions to target Venezuela as a whole, rather than just Maduro and his inner circle. The measures ban trade in new bonds issued by the Venezuelan government or its cash-cow oil company, PDVSA. That could choke off access to New York debt markets and substantially raise the likelihood of Venezuela being forced into default. Venezuela called the measures the “worst aggression” yet. “We will protect our people and the people of the republic, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, are going to stand up,” said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza. AFP
EVENING PRAYERS. Muslim worshippers perform the evening (Isha) prayers at the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca on Friday, a week prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city. AFP
YINGLUCK IN DUBAI, AIMS FOR UK ASYLUM B
ANGKOK—Fugitive former Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra is in Dubai and may try to seek asylum in the United Kingdom, a junta source told AFP Saturday, after fleeing the country to avoid a court ruling in a vanishing act that stunned many Thais. Yingluck, 50, was due on Friday morning to arrive at the Supreme Court for the ruling in her trial for criminal negligence that could have seen her jailed for 10 years. But she did not show up, wrongfooting the court and her supporters alike as she wrote a dramatic closing chapter to the 16-year political saga of her mega-rich Shinawatra family. Speculation swirled on Saturday on the whereabouts of Thailand’s first female prime minister -- and her possible escape route. The junta source, who is wellplaced in the security hierarchy, gave a detailed description of her escape, saying she took a private jet from Thailand to Singapore and
onto Dubai, the base of Shinawatra family patriarch Thaksin, who is Yingluck’s older brother. “Thaksin has long prepared escape plan for his sister... he would not allow his sister to spend even a single day in prison,” the source added, requesting anonymity. “But Dubai is not Yingluck’s final destination,” the source said, adding she may be aiming “to claim asylum in Britain.” Thaksin, who once owned Manchester City football club, owns property in London and spends significant amounts of time in the city. The Shinawatra’s political network remained tight-lipped on Saturday in a media blackout that only served to heighten specula-
tion over her dash from Thailand and the likelihood of a possible deal with the junta to allow her to leave. A senior source inside the family’s Pheu Thai party, also requesting anonymity, on Saturday told AFP Yingluck had fled the country for Dubai a few days before the ruling. The Shinawatra political dynasty emerged in 2001 with a series of groundbreaking pro-poor welfare schemes that won them elections but rattled Thailand’s royalist, armyaligned elite, who battered successive governments linked to the clan with coups, court cases and protests. Yingluck’s government was toppled by a coup in 2014 and she was put on trial over negligence linked to a costly rice subsidy that propped up her rural political base. Thaksin, Yingluck’s elder brother, has been based partly in Dubai since he fled Thailand in 2008 to avoid jail for a corruption conviction. He was toppled from power by a 2006 coup. Thai newspapers reported that Yingluck fled through a land border to Cambodia, flew to Singapore and
on to Dubai, perhaps two days before her court date. It was a disappearing act that appeared to surprise even her family -- an elder brother and sister waited at the court for her arrival alongside thousands of supporters. Shinawatra loyalists expressed sympathy with her shock move, saying the ruling would have been predetermined as her case was politically motivated. “If she has fled abroad it is because this set of judges are appointed by the military and do not come from a democratic system,” Surachet Chaikosol, 59, a ‘Red Shirt’ activist told AFP. “I am glad she will not suffer in jail.” Thai junta chief Prayut Chan-OCha on Friday denied knowledge of Yingluck’s whereabouts and expressed surprise at her no-show “as she always insisted that she would fight the case”. Analysts say Yingluck, who was closely monitored by Thai security services, most likely cut a deal to exit the country. AFP
CLASHES OVER INDIAN ‘RAPE GURU’ KILL 30 PANCHKULA, India—Hundreds of troops Saturday patrolled a northern Indian city hit by deadly clashes that killed at least 30 people after thousands protested a court’s decision to convict a controversial spiritual leader of rape. The army was deployed in Haryana state’s Panchkula city after tens of thousands of followers of guru Ram Rahim Singh went on an angry rampage, attacking television vans and setting fire to dozens of private vehicles. Security forces were put on high alert to ensure there was no repeat of the violence that erupted Friday afternoon, minutes after a special court pronounced the self-styled guru guilty of raping two of his followers. Mobile phone services were disrupted in some parts of Haryana and neighboring Punjab state, where authorities had earlier imposed a curfew following the clashes. Although the curfew was lifted in Panchkula Saturday, restrictions on public assembly remained in place. Haryana police chief B.S. Sandhu told AFP Saturday at least 30 people had died with the toll likely to rise as some of the wounded were being treated for serious head injuries. “The toll within the state is at least 30 dead and around 200 injured
including about 50 police and security personnel,” said Sandhu. “Some of the injured didn’t come to the hospitals fearing that they could face police action or arrests for involvement in the violence,” he said. Official sources told AFP earlier that at least 32 people had died, with most of the fatalities caused by gun shots.
The 50-year-old Singh is known as the “guru in bling” for his penchant for bejewelled costumes and claims to have more than 50 million loyal followers worldwide. The rape case was brought against him after an anonymous letter was sent to then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002 accusing him of re-
Indian police stand guard on a road in Amritsar on Saturday. Security in Haryana and Punjab has been beefed up after followers of controversial guru Ram Rahim Singh went on a rampage Friday after their spiritual leader was convicted of rape. At least 32 people were killed when clashes broke out in northern India. AFP
peatedly raping the sender and several other women in the sect. A judge asked the Central Bureau of Investigations to look into the accusations, but it took years to trace the alleged victims and it was not until 2007 that two women came forward and filed charges. Some 200,000 members of Singh’s sect had gathered in Panchkula in a show of support a day before the verdict, which enraged his followers, with many saying they were in a state of shock. “I have been with dear Ram Rahim Singh for around 14 years. I can bet that all the allegations against our guru are false,” said Rajkumar, a shopkeeper from Haryana who was undergoing treatment at the hospital. “He can’t do any wrong... He works to rid the world of all its troubles,” he told AFP, his head heavily bandaged. Ajay Garg, a doctor in Panchkula, blamed the police for allowing the situation to spiral out of control. “Our family was very scared. We went to the third floor of our house. They (mobs) were out of control and even damaged my car which was parked outside,” he told AFP. Singh’s Dera Sacha Sauda sect, whose headquarters are located in nearby Sirsa town, said it would appeal the verdict. AFP
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor
World
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DEFIANT BARCELONA TO MARCH VS. TERROR
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ARCELONA, Spain—Tens of thousands of Spaniards and foreigners are to stage a defiant march against terror through Barcelona on Saturday following last week’s deadly vehicle rampages. The Mediterranean city is in mourning after a van ploughed into crowds on Las Ramblas boulevard on August 17, followed hours later by a car attack in the seaside town of Cambrils. Fifteen were killed in the carnage and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has called on Spaniards to turn out in force to show their “love” and solidarity with Catalonia where the rampages took place. King Felipe VI will also attend the march, becoming the first Spanish sovereign to take part in a demonstration since the monarchy was re-established in 1975 after the death of dictator Francisco Franco. Europe has been shaken by a spate of deadly Islamist violence
with an increasing number of low-tech attacks using vehicles as weapons or knives. On Friday evening, a man was shot dead in central Brussels after stabbing a soldier while shouting “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest) and shortly afterwards another man with a large knife attacked police in London as they tried to arrest him outside Buckingham Palace. The Spanish premier said Friday the king would be attending the march to demonstrate “his love for the people of Barcelona, of Cambrils, of Catalonia”. “There, with all of Catalan society and all of Spain... we will once again give a clear message of unity
and condemnation of terrorism, and of love for the city of Barcelona,” he added. The warm comments contrast with Rajoy’s earlier criticism of Catalan leaders, with whom he has been at loggerheads over their plans to hold an independence referendum on October 1. But in the aftermath of the attacks which were claimed by the Islamic State group, he and Catalonia’s separatist president Carles Puigdemont made a show of unity and both will attend the march which begins at 6:00 pm (1600 GMT). Already on Friday evening, thousands of people marched against terror in Cambrils, shouting “no tinc por”, which means “not afraid” in Catalan -- as defiantly shouted by locals last week after the attacks. The slogan of the Barcelona demonstration will also be “no tinc por.” Those who tended to the victims last week will be given pride of place at the top of the procession. These include security forces,
emergency workers, residents and shop owners in the Las Ramblas avenue and taxis who took people for free. People like Montse Rovira, the city hall’s head of social emergencies who helped people who were lost or who couldn’t find their loved ones. Over the following days, she and her colleagues gave families psychological support when they were given terrible news, and also helped others like doctors and firefighters. “There are a lot of people who are suffering,” she said, adding that even psychologists themselves had struggled. For her, the march will help “recognise the work of people who have been on the front line.” Saray Gomez, an 18-year-old who works at a flower stall right next to where the van ended its murderous rampage, said it was important “to give a message of unity and peace.” AFP
TRUMP BANS TRANSGENDER US TROOPS WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump on Friday signed a memo effectively barring transgender people from joining the US military, but left the fate of those already serving up to the Pentagon. In a widely anticipated move, Trump directed the military “to return to the longstanding policy and practice on military service by transgender individuals prior to June 2016” -- to go into effect from March 23, 2018. That means an effective ban on new openly transgender personnel and on payment for treatment for those already in the armed forces, aides said. The memorandum calls on Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and homeland security chiefs to submit an implementation plan by mid-February, and granted Mattis broad discretion what to do about currently serving transgender personnel. Trump did leave open the possibility that Mattis, in conjunction with the homeland security chief, could advise “at any time, in writing, that a change to this policy is warranted.” AFP
DONALD PARDONS CONTROVERSIAL EX-SHERIFF ARPAIO WASHINGTON—US President Donald Trump on Friday pardoned controversial former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted last month of criminal contempt for illegally targeting Hispanic immigrants. In his first act of presidential clemency, Trump pardoned the deeply-divisive 85-year-old who ignored a federal court order that he stop detaining illegal migrants. “He kept Arizona safe!” Trump tweeted, calling Arpaio a “patriot.” The move earned immediate scorn from Democrats, some Republicans and rights groups, who accused the Republican billionaire of seeking to divide the country -- which is still reeling from Trump’s controversial remarks on racial unrest in Charlottesville. In a statement, the White House said Arpaio -- who made detainees wear pink underwear and housed them in tented desert camps -- had “more than fifty years of admirable service to our nation.” AFP
HATO’S WRATH. A man on a bridge smokes next to a damaged car in the aftermath of Typhoon Hato in Macau on Saturday. The Chinese army on Friday joined relief efforts in Macau, where at least 10 people died after the huge typhoon ripped through the gambling hub. Troops were drafted in to clear piles of debris still blocking streets. AFP
‘DIANA-MANIA’ SPREADS FROM UK ON 20TH YEAR
LIGHT AND SHADE. Kacy Hill performs onstage during MTV Presents ‘VMA Weekend’ at Avalon on Friday in Hollywood, California. AFP
PARIS, France—The 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death has filled magazines, newspapers and television screens in Britain for weeks, but not only there: across Europe, media groups are marking the occasion, underlining her international appeal. Britain’s celebrity press have offered special editions, supplements and reams of news articles picking over the impact of her tragic life and death as well as her relationships with her sons and Prince Charles. The popularity of Charles, the heir to the British throne, has plunged as a result of the renewed attention on his former wife and their apparently loveless marriage. In Europe, many media groups have commissioned documentaries, special reports or their own investigations two decades after her death in a Paris car crash on August 31, 1997. In Austria, public broadcaster ORF will screen several documentaries about the princess this week, including one entitled “Diana -- Forever and Ever”, a retrospective of her life inside Buckingham Palace. “It shows a life inside a golden cage, imprisoned by traditions, and Diana’s repeated attempts to break out of this
golden cage,” ORF’s royal expert Lisbeth Bischoff said in a statement to AFP. On August 31, the anniversary of her death, Radio Vienna will dedicate its entire programming to the princess, led by Austrian journalist and Diana fan Ewald Wurzinger who raised a monument to her in a Vienna park in 2013. In France, the public channel France 2 will offer a day of programming about her on Sunday which is to include several documentaries and an investigation. “Twenty years after, it’s time to look again at what she brought to the monarchy in spirit and who she was really,” said one of the channel’s royal experts, Stephane Bern. He said her enduring appeal was her “tragic destiny” which put her among stars whose early deaths have immortalized them, such as American actresses Grace Kelly or Marilyn Monroe. Matthias Gurtler, director of the celebrity weekly Gala, said the magazine had published a special edition on Diana in response to French interest in the British princess. The attraction for her was linked to her image as a rebel and someone who “broke the rules in a stiff and uptight world,” he said. AFP
KNIFE ATTACKS IN BRUSSELS, LONDON STOPPED BRUSSELS, Belgium—A man wielding a knife was shot dead Friday after wounding a soldier in Brussels in a suspected “terrorist attack” while in London counter-terror detectives were investigating a similar attack on police near Buckingham Palace. Belgian prosecutors said the attacker yelled “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest) during the assault before being shot by soldiers in the centre of city which has been on high alert since last year’s carnage at the airport and on the metro. “We believe it is a terrorist attack,” said a spokeswoman for the prosecutors’ office. The attack took place around 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) and Belgian media said the assailant was about 30 and of Somali origin. Less than two hours later, two British police officers were slightly injured while arresting a man with a large knife outside Buckingham Palace in London. The 26-year-old attacker, who was initially detained on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and assaulting police, was later arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000. AFP