Corazon Aquino
– Former Filipino President Corazon Aquino, the nations first female president, died at age 76 from colon cancer. Current president, Gloria Magapacal-Arroyo, who was a protege of Aquino, before a split with her over corruption charges, has declared a 10 day period of national mourning. Aquino is best known for being the widow of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, who was murdered by his political rival, Filipino dictator, Ferdinand Marcos. Corazon Aquino later returned to the Philippines and led the bloodless 1986 coup of the same dictator. New York Times republished an excellent op-ed from 1989 on the faults and triumphs of the Aquino Administration.
–Farmers getting the shaft – Brian McCartan has an informative article on foreign investment in Southeast Asian farmland. He runs through various “food for oil” deals that several Southeast Asian nations have made with Persian Gulf States, and also touches on the agricultural land investments of China and South Korea. The 2007-2008 food crisis prompted many wealthier states, with limited arridable land, to seek ownership of farmland to guarantee sources of food and resources. The governments involved argue that this capital investment will increase agricultural efficiency. The problem is that the usual suspects, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam lack transparency and very often property rights. There have already been allegations of corruption and abuse of local farmers.
– Demonstrators in Kuala Lumpur were disbursed by riot police with batons and tear gas after protesting for the end of the “Internal Security Act”, laws which stems from the colonial era, allowing the government to detain citizens without trail. It is unclear how many protesters were present, estimates vary from 5-15,000. Prime Minister Najib Razak has said the law would be reviewed, but no action has yet been taken. Stalls are possibly due to the popularity of the Act with security forces.
– Samantha Orobator, a British woman who was sentenced to life in prison and fined 600 million kip (US$70,400) for smuggling 680g (1.5 lbs) of heroin, will likely be allowed to serve out her sentence in the UK, after an aggrement was signed between the two nations. The normal sentence for drug traffiking in Lao is execution; however, an acception is made for expecting mothers.
