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Amid the Sino-India border standoff, the Chinese official media has called for Sikkims independence and separation from India and suggested that Beijing should rally the world for the abolition of unfair treaties on sovereignty and defence that New Delhi has allegedly forced Bhutan to sign.

In an unambiguous call to incite violence in Sikkim, the state-controlled media called on Chinese citizens to fuel pro-independence movement in the Indian state bordering China and overturn Indias brutal annexation of the state.

Its near the Sikkims border with China that the Indian and Chinese border troops are locked in a standoff China alleges that Indian troops crossed into its territory in Donglang (Doklam) to disrupt the construction of a road in the area.

India is deeply concerned at the recent Chinese actions and has conveyed to the Chinese government that such construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India, the Indian ministry of external affairs had said on Friday.

But it has cut no ice with the Chinese. Brushing aside Indias concerns, Beijing and its strictly-controlled media have launched a well thought-out verbal offensive against New Delhi, even suggesting that China should take a fresh look at Indias annexation of Sikkim.

Read more: No plans to deny security clearance to Chinese investment amid border row: MHA

Meanwhile, Beijing should reconsider its stance over the Sikkim issue. Although China recognised Indias annexation of Sikkim in 2003, it can readjust its stance on the matter. There are those in Sikkim that cherish its history as a separate state, and they are sensitive to how the outside world views the Sikkim issue. As long as there are voices in Chinese society supporting Sikkims independence, the voices will spread and fuel pro-independence appeals in Sikkim, the nationalistic Global Times said in a brazen editorial.

The Global Times is affiliated to the Communist Party of China (CPC) mouthpiece, Peoples Daily, which is leading the media charge.

With certain conditions, Bhutan and Sikkim will see strong anti-India movements, which will negatively affect Indias already turbulent northeast area and rewrite southern Himalayan geopolitics, the newspaper wrote.

After independence, New Delhi inherited the brutal colonial policies of Britain and pursues regional hegemony at the sacrifice of tiny Himalayan nations, it said.

The newspapers call for Sikkims independence and incite trouble in the northeastern states seems to match with what Indian military, police and intelligence have often claimed that Beijing provides arms, money and logistical support to insurgent groups in the northeastern states of India, encouraging them to indulge in violence and spread unrest.

Although all the editorials and opinions published by the newspaper may not mirror the exact thoughts of the CPC, there is little doubt that the opinion pages of the newspaper are often used by Chinese authorities to send out signals, especially during diplomatic controversies with India.

And, there is no doubt that Global Times tone has certainly been hawkish on the standoff and completely aligned with what the government of China has been aggressively saying about Indias so-called transgressions.

Comparing the situations in Bhutan and Sikkim, it said: India has startling control and oppression over Bhutan, and as a result, Bhutan has not established diplomatic ties with its neighbour China or any other permanent member of the UN Security Council. Through unequal treaties, India has severely jeopardised Bhutans diplomatic sovereignty and controls its national defence.

India imposed a similar coercive policy on Sikkim before. The small neighbours revolts over sovereignty in the 1960s and 1970s were brutally cracked down on by the Indian military. New Delhi deposed the king of Sikkim in 1975 and manipulated the countrys parliament into a referendum to make Sikkim a state of India, the GT editorial said.

The annexation of Sikkim is like a nightmare haunting Bhutan, and the small kingdom is forced to be submissive to Indias bullying.

The newspaper said Beijing should lead a worldwide effort to restore Bhutans sovereignty.

China should lead the international community in restoring Bhutans diplomatic and defense sovereignty. Unfair treaties between India and Bhutan that severely violate the will of the Bhutanese people should be abolished. China needs to put more efforts into establishing diplomatic ties with Bhutan at an earlier date as well.

Go here to read the rest:
Chinese media calls for Sikkim's 'independence', scrapping of 'unfair' Bhutan treaties - Hindustan Times

The National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government in Myanmar has now been in office for more than a year, with Aung San Suu Kyi as de facto head of government. Suu Kyi certainly wields sizable influence. In fact, Suu Kyi has often been criticized, by commentators and members of her own party, for keeping too tight-fisted control of actions by the government, so much so that NLD members of parliament seemingly have little to do.

To be sure, on some policy areas, Suu Kyi does not have the level of control that leaders of other, more established democracies enjoy. The military remains an extraordinarily powerful actor in Myanmar, and one apparently capable of operating, in outlying areas at least, without even clearing policy through the Cabinet. The military retains its percentage of seats in parliament, essential control over its budget, and its strong resistance to any constitutional change. Proponents of constitutional change that might reduce the formal powers of the armed forces, like former NLD lawyer U Ko Ni, have been murdered.

Nonetheless, there are areas of policy over which Suu Kyi should enjoy significant influence, and freedom of the press is one of them. Suu Kyi was a longtime opposition leader, at a time (mostly) when Myanmars media was tightly controlled, the security forces regularly detained reporters, and state media outlets used their pages to mock and condemn her. She could use her bully pulpit to promote independent media, greater freedoms for journalists working throughout Myanmar, and an end to media monopolies. She could step in strongly if journalists were detained, and call for greater transparency in government transparency that might actually work in her favor, since a more vibrant Myanmar press could well expose abuses by the armed forces and, indirectly, apply pressure for constitutional change.

But Suu Kyi has not taken this approach. Instead, over the past year, press freedom in Myanmar seems to have regressed. In some respects, press freedom in Myanmar now seems more restrictive than it was in the final years of the former Thein Sein government. The Suu Kyi government has not tried to change existing laws that are major barriers to a free press. The Committee to Protect Journalists Shawn Crispin notes:

Chief among those laws is section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law, a broad provision that carries potential three-year prison terms for cases of defamation over communications networks. While the law was used only occasionally against journalists under military rule, politicians, military officials, and even Buddhist monks are increasingly using it now to stifle online and social media criticism.

The Myanmar chapter of the PEN press freedom group has estimated that over 55 cases have been filed, under this law, just in the year since Suu Kyis government came into office. Meanwhile, late last month three journalists were arrested in Shan State, under a different Unlawful Association law. These reporters included one from The Irrawaddy; they had been covering one of the countrys ethnic insurgencies as well as allegations of abuses by the state security forces. The return of a climate of fear is very disturbing, wrote The Irrawaddys editor-in-chief, Aung Zaw, after the publications reporter was arrested.

As with the rising toll of defamation cases, Suu Kyi has said nothing about the arrests in Shan State. A spokesperson for her party told the New York Times, For media personnel, press freedom is a key need For us, peace, national development and economic development are the priority, and then democracy and human rights, including press freedom.

Meanwhile, Suu Kyis government has enacted other restrictions on press access. It has made it nearly impossible for journalists to cover parts of Rakhine State in the west. The Suu Kyi government also recently refused to provide visas to UN investigators tasked with analyzing the situation in Rakhine State and allegations of abuse by Myanmar security forces in Rakhine State. In some ways, the Suu Kyi government is looking more and more like its predecessors.

More:
The NLD-Led Government in Myanmar Looks Eerily Familiar on Press Freedom - Council on Foreign Relations (blog)

PORSTEWART, Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy has banned himself from twitter and social media following his online public spat with Steve Elkington and given over control of his Twitter account to his new wife, Erica Stoll. McIlroy make the big reveal ahead of the $7 million Dubai Duty Free Irish Open which he is hosting this week at Portstewart.

Elkington accused McIlory, No. 4 in the world, of being bored with golf and more interested in money after the four-time major winner missed the cut in the U.S. Open.

Rory is so bored playing golf, without Tiger the threshold is prolly four majors with 100 mill in the bank, Elkington tweeted.

McIlroy couldnt resist replying: More like 200 mill, not bad for a bored 28-year-old, plenty more where that came from, Rory replied while adding a list of his considerable achievements in his 10 years in top flight golf.

Elkington can insult McIlory all he wants on twitter, but Rory wont respond. Hes currently on sabbatical from all forms of social media.

I must have wrote that tweet and deleted it about five times before I actually sent it, McIlroy revealed. I sort of regret sending it.

He wont be able to reply for the time being because hes now not in control of his own twitter account.

I actually gave my wife, Erica, my phone and my twitter (account) and told her: Change my password to something else and dont tell me what it is.

So, as of the time being, Im off social media just because of that reason. I dont need to read it. Its stuff that shouldnt get to you and sometimes it does.

The 28-year-old has over three million twitter followers and gets a lot of feedback, positive and negative. He can deal with comments from those who dont know how hard it is to win majors, but reacted to Elkington because he feels the 1995 PGA Championship winner should know better.

Its not what was said, McIlory explained. Its who said it. Anyone thats been in that environment should realise how hard golf is at times. Thats the thing that got to me more than anything else.

If it was written by a member of the media or something I could let it slide, because I can sort of says to myself they dont really know how it is and the dont know what you have to deal with. But a former player that has won a major and been successful? Thats sort of why it got to me and why I sort of retaliated a little bit.

If Elkington wants to opine about Rorys game in future, hes going to have to deal with Mrs McIlroy. And the Australian should be reminded that hell have no fury.

Read more here:
Rory McIlory bans himself from Twitter, gives wife control of account - Golfweek.com

Denali wolf (Photo courtesy of National Park service)

The state plans to suspend its largest wolf control program. The Upper Yukon Tanana area program, which has targeted wolves in an area of the eastern interior since 2004, is scheduled to cease after the 2017-2018 season.

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The States long running Upper Yukon Tanana wolf control effort is aimed at increasing Forty Mile caribou numbers for hunters by reducing the number of wolves on the caribou herds calving grounds, but Alaska Department of Fish and Game regional supervisor Darren Bruning said recent years field research indicates wolves are not the limiting factor.

Potential signs of nutritionallimitations were identified, including increased caribou birth rates and reduced calf weights, Bruning said.

A Fish and Game study published earlier this year said Forty Mile caribou grew from 13,000 in 1990 to over 50,000 at last count, but that the biggest growth was prior to wolf control. Since 2004, over a thousand Forty Mile area wolves have been shot from aircraft, under a state intensive management program thats cost millions of dollars. Bruning stresses the programs scientific value.

The information gained through the research activities associated with intensive management are the most valuable product of the program, Bruning said.

The Forty Mile area wolf control program demonstrates the problem with manipulating a complicated natural system, according to retired wildlife biologist Fran Mauer of Fairbanks. Mauer, a critic of predator control, said the state may find itself working in the opposite direction.

If a herd is reaching carrying capacity, its imperative to be ready to reduce the number of animals on the land to preventa precipitous collapse or crash, Mauer said.

Mauer, is frustrated that the state hasnt already curtailed the Forty Mile area wolf kill. Hunting can be used to thin the herd, but Mauer, said its ironic that the state may also end up relying on wolves to reduce the caribou to a sustainable number.

The concern is that weve already reached, or are approaching, carrying capacity, Mauer said. And if anything, we may need those wolves to help bring the herd down.

The Alaska Board of Game authorizes predator control based on Fish and Game recommendations. Board chairman Ted Spraker conceded wildlife management is not always a simple equation.

We all understand how complex and complicated these issues are, Spraker said. And it also takes time to understand if these trends are a one-year trend or is it just a blip. Or is this population moving up or down.

Spraker said environmental factors, like climate change, further complicate the situation. The state plans research over the next five years to look at what happens to Forty Mile caribou after wolf control ends. Wolves killed in the state program have included animals based in the Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve.

While predator control took place outside of the preserve, it did have an impact on the population and the makeup of wolf packs within Yukon Charley, Spraker said.

Preserve Superintendent Greg Dudgeon said some of the wolves lost were part of a long running NPS study, which was halted due to the state wolf kill.

We did lose several years in what had been a 22-year-long for wolves with home ranges within Yukon Charley Rivers natural preserve, Dudgeon said. We wont get that back.

A recently published article on the Yukon Charley wolf study details impacts of state wolf control on wolves in the 2.7 million acre preserve. Dudgeon said Yukon Charley resumed wolf research this past winter, collaring seven animals to track.

See the original post:
Interior wolf control program to end - Alaska Public Radio Network

As the discussions at the ANC's 2017 policy conference intensify, one of the controversial policy issues to receive more attention will be media transformation.

Admittedly, transformation has become a stalled cause as noted by Professor Jane Duncan, thereby vindicating to a certain degree the ANC's posture in this regard.

While the elevation of this policy by the ANC is laudable, the manner in which it is pursued may not yield desired outcomes.

It will in fact turn it into a grit coercive rhetoric, which may be covertly resisted by the private sector through ticking of boxes and fronting. This is because of the following reasons: ownership and control and racial focus.

While these elements are critical given the country's history resulting in the ownership and control of media in a few white hands - hence the four conglomerates in the print sector - the significant shareholding currently held by the unions, through their investment vehicles, has shown that mere changes in the racial makeup of ownership and control, and the board's appointment will not automatically bring about meaningful transformation.

Media organisations operate in a capitalist environment, which shape their conduct and behaviour, irrespective of their ownership and control.

Indeed ownership and control is a primary step, but it cannot be transformation in itself. Neither can it automatically result in achieving other elements such as language and content diversity.

These elements have their own complexities and they need different strategies of intervention. This will help in monitoring where progress is being made.

Again the obsession with ownership and control has led to a narrow approach focusing only on the private sector to the exclusion of public institutions such as PanSALB (Pan South African Language Board) and the MDDA (Media Development and Diversity Agency), who equally have a responsibility to develop African languages and media diversity in its various forms.

While transformation has been a fundamental post-apartheid media policy, it has never been clearly defined.

An adjective of radicalism has since been added to it, thus complicating it even further. In the absence of a clear definition, backed up by credible research and regular monitoring, meaningful transformation can only be rhetoric.

Media transformation should be understood for what it is. At times it is used as an instrument to unbundle monopolies.

This is a wrong approach. It is not necessary that monopolies are inimical to transformation. It is quite possible that monopolies can be used as a vehicle to pursue transformation.

Finally, timing is critical in policy making. While media transformation may have been part of SA's democratic path, the sudden noise made around it, compounded by the grit coercion, may be viewed as the ANC's frantic attempt to muzzle the media in view of power shift within and outside the party.

The ANC has been built on the art of ideological persuasion, not coercion, hence its broad church character. Therefore, its success in pushing these kinds of policies through will be determined by its ability to balance the art of persuasion and grit coercion.

Pursuing grit coercion may bring undesired results. Internally, it may bring about policy ambiguity and discord. Externally, it may be alienating to those moderate thinkers who would have been alliance partners in this regard.

Read more:
OPINION: Media transformation can be won through persuasion - SowetanLIVE