OFFBEAT MAIL

Let us thank China for pressuring Sudan to finally accept the deployment of some 26,000 peacekeeping troops in the Darfur region. However, it is not without a bargain. At this time, Sudan wanted that all the troops be made up of Africans. Of all countries, it seemed only China has the clout and influence to exert pressures on the Sudanese government, which was believed to be one of the prime sources of oil for China. Needless to say, Sudan has not choice at all except to kneel down to what China wanted, considering that the latter has a big stake in Sudan's oil development projects. And who knows, maybe, China is also supplying arms and ammunitions to Sudan, in exchange for oil? Whatever it is, it seemed the ball is now in the hands of the U.N. body. However, the U.N. is still facing a dilemma on how to deal with the political crisis head on. The crux of the matter now is that lies as to whether the U.N. is capable of sourcing our the 26,000 peacekeeping troops that it needed for...

Letter-writer Mr. Kingsley Smith (The Economist, Aug. 4) wrote to praise Hong Kong for its continued economic progress. However, it has failed to recognize the thousands of domestic helpers from the Philippines and Indonesia, who somehow contributed to Hong Kong's economic development for many decades now. Before the eyes of Hong Kong government, the migrant workers, who have been living under tight restrictions, are eyesores in its society. Of all places in Asia, discrimination is a problem that haunts the memories of migrant workers, whose only objective in life is to earn an honest living, doing servitude to people who seemed to be stone-hearted and insensitive to accepted humanitarian virtues. This only happens in Asia, which is supposed to be for Asians, except that Hong Kong, an autonomous region of China, is not part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ). Nobody is certain if it is still dreaming of being the Crown Colony that it once was after it was ...

At times, it's funny to think that we find ourselves transplanted in another soil, where lifestyle and culture are a bit distinct from what we were adopted to. But still, we have insisted to try our luck at the expense of long separation from our loved ones. And the bottom line is always economics. The magnet that pulls people, mostly from the Third World, resides in the belief that a lot of opportunities are always available in an advanced economy, though it is tantamount to the sacrifice of loneliness, if only to improve the economic condition of those who have less in life. But the costs are enormous. As always, adjustment is something that we can't ignore, considering the intricacies that go with it which we have to face. Still, no matter what, we persist on living with it by undermining life's risks for the good of those who needed them most. Brain drain is causing a serious toll on the developing world. In the medical field alone, millions have left their families to...

It is hardly incomprehensible as to why many overseas Filipinos, particularly those based in the U.S., are in quandary on how they could invest some of their hard-earned savings on fixed government securities like the T-Bills and Bonds. While the Bureau of the Treasury is hell bent on encouraging many Filipinos to part with a portion of their savings on these stable government securities, only a handful are convinced that it is better than to park their money in the bank, which is much safer to be. Accept it or not, it is a reality that ordinary workers could hardly make both ends meet in the Philippines, not to discount the fact that a large number of people are mired in poverty. If ever there are willing individuals, most of them are either above the medium threshold or rich, whose excess money are readily available for divsersification elsewhere. Rather than concentrate on the local investors, it is perhaps timely that the Department of Finance should intensify its campaign to allow...

The recently concluded 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, which Manila hosted, took stride in attaining the most ambitious plan that would eventually unify the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in so far as economic integration is concerned. This would, in effect, put into stream the European Union-style of economic governance, which will pave the way for the establishment of regional free trade zone by 2015. Although many analysts considered this move as too ambitious, knowing how advance countries would react to such a plan, whose rules are now being ironed out to make it once and for all, a reality. Another aspect that was brought to the table and discussed by the ASEAN ministers focused on creating a human rights body in the region, which the Myanmar generals didn't seem to agree. Records showed that Myanmar has remained a human rights violator, after it has failed to free Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, a signal that is expected to restore democracy in that part of As...

It seemed that the government of Afghanistan is inutile. At this point in time, it doesn't know what to do with the South Korean hostages taken by the Talibans on the outskirts of Kabul. Until the government is able to find an effective diplomatic deal that would convince the stone-hearted Taliban to be kind enough to let of the hostages, the world will be closely watching what's going on in that part of the world. Now, the question lies really as to why foreigners are allowed to go freely outside of Kabul, when everybody knows that it is dangerous to be in such a place? It is perhaps timely that the government should do something about the problem. If not, the lives of the innocent hostages are at stake, knowing that the Talibans have no respect for humans, especially if you belong to another religious denominations. How could such a group of people be so indifferent to foreign aid workers whose mission is simply to help those who are in need. To many people, what the Talibans...

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