Pöyry Blacklisted by World Bank

Published on Jul 19, 2012 by Luke Hunt

THE World Bank has placed the Finnish consulting and engineering firm Pöyry on its blacklist of non-responsible vendors. Late in June, the World Bank accused the Finnish consulting powerhouse of “submitting false invoices and providing improper benefits to World Bank Group staff.”The organisation says that Pöyry Management Consulting is ineligible to bid or receive contracts for three years. Pöyry has denied the allegations.Taloussanomat contacted the World Bank and report that the incident occurred in 2009 in the East Asia/Pacific region. They say a World Bank worker, who is no longer with the organisation, was presented with a single gift. The “false invoices” have not been explained.Read more in the Helsinki Times..

Backslide: Burma & Malaysia

Published on Jul 10, 2012 by Luke Hunt

Malaysia and Burma remain poles apart in most aspects of life—religion, ethnicity, and politics—but where they seem more akin in recent times has been in trying to improve relations with the West while introducing much needed reforms at home.Those reforms have been welcomed by the people of both countries and the international community but it remains a difficult process with Malaysia again raising fears of a revival of media oppression and Burma living up to its past with the detention of  political activists.Read more in The Diplomat..

Gillard May Drop Malaysian Deal

Published on Jul 1, 2012 by Luke Hunt

Prime Minister Minister Julia Gillard says she will take seriously advice from an expert panel looking at the asylum-seeker issue, even if it recommends dumping her government’s Malaysian people swap deal.Ms Gillard last week established the panel – made up of former defence chief Angus Houston, former top diplomat Michael L’Estrange and refugee advocate Paris Aristotle – to assess all asylum policy options.Read more in The Australian..

Here Comes the Haze, Again

Published on Jun 20, 2012 by Luke Hunt

Every year, large parts of Southeast Asia are blanketed by a thick dirty smog, unlovingly referred to as the haze. Residents choke, asthmatics remain indoors, children are barred from playing outside and the authorities seem to think it’s a kind of price the people must pay for progress.Of course, their arguments are nonsense. But the haze is back, so be prepared for the regular excuses trotted out to justify the slash and burn techniques used by Indonesian farmers that cause the thick smog, or why Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta are incapable of finding a solution.Read more in The Diplomat..

Fairfax Guts 1,900 Jobs

Published on Jun 18, 2012 by Luke Hunt

Fairfax Media has announced a major restructure which will see it charge for digital content, close its two major printing presses and move to a new tabloid-size paper.According to an announcement made to the sharemarket and staff this morning, the company plans to begin charging for access to certain online content by the end of 2012.It will also introduce a new tabloid-sized format, which it called a ‘compact’ for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, similar  to the one currently used for the Australian Financial Review since March 4, 2013. Read more in The Australian or further reading in The Age..

Taiwan and the Mob

Published on Jun 15, 2012 by Luke Hunt

Taiwan’s Coast Guard published a composite of potential disguises for fugitive ex-lawmaker Lo Fu-Chu in late April.  In one picture, he looks like a Dutch leader of a peacekeeping force, complete with beret and handlebar moustache. In another, he’s done up like one of the Gallagher brothers from seminal British rock outfit Oasis.  A coifed mop frames his usually balding head as the handlebar gives way to a goatee.But it’s probably the shot of Lo in black ’70s aviator shades, ala late Colombian drug czar Pablo Escobar, that’s the most fitting. For Lo wasn’t just any Taiwanese politician failing to turn himself in for a four-year money laundering and insider trading prison sentence.From Cain Nunns in The Diplomat..

Oi gioi oi! Rapping in Vietnam

Published on Jun 14, 2012 by Luke Hunt

A foreigner rapping about the annoyances and joys of living in Hanoi might not sound like the hit of the year. But add one common Vietnamese expression, and strangely enough you have something that rivals Vietnam’s top pop stars for online views.The song, “Oi gioi oi” (sounds like oi zoi oi), is by Hanoi Sessions, a group of longtime Hanoi expats, and was released online only a few months ago. It’s racked up over 360,000 views on YouTube, and about as many on the local Yahoo! site and Zing! a local pop-culture site.Read more in The Economist..

Malaysia's Maid Controversy

Published on Jun 8, 2012 by Luke Hunt

In most countries, access to hired help for around the house would hardly count as a national priority. In Malaysia, however, it’s an issue that Prime Minister Najib Razak needs resolved before he goes to the next election – and after a couple of years of wrangling, he appears to have got his wish.Read more in The Diplomat..

Lady Gaga: Threat to Kids?

Published on May 11, 2012 by Luke Hunt

The self-appointed culture police are at it again. Indonesia’s hard-line Muslims are promising to block American singer Lady Gaga from taking to the stage during a scheduled June 3 performance in Jakarta. Among their many complaints are that the pop diva is a danger to children.In threatening to mobilize 30,000 people, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) also described the hottest artist in contemporary music as vulgar, very dangerous and argued that her sense of dress were threatening to a child’s sense of morality. Read more in The Diplomat from Luke Hunt..

Malaysia to Open its Books

Published on Apr 27, 2012 by Luke Hunt

Burma has won much of the international spot light over the past six months for its attempts to introduce political and economic reform. Just slightly further afield, Malaysia has also instigated its own reforms, but with much less fan fare.These included the repeal of the Internal Security Act, which allowed for detention without trial and laws governing the press and freedom of assembly. Now, the Malaysian government of Prime Minister Najib Razak has agreed to open its financial sector for a review by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..