The globetrotting documentarians over at Current Vanguard have just posted an interesting new short film from the Philippines, where the primary export is the country's own citizens.

"Destination Anywhere" looks at the 20 million Filipinos who work abroad in fields ranging from housekeeping to medical care. The billions of dollars in remittances they send home every year account for about 10 percent of the Philippines' GDP. While this is generally viewed as positive for economic growth (President Gloria Arroyo has described the overseas workers as "heroes of the republic".) it doesn't do much for the kind of longterm development and savings that could stimulate job creation at home. Plus, as the film's director, Tracey Chang, finds, there are enormous social costs when you consider the Philippines' millions of separated families.

For more on the relationship between remittances, corruption, and poor economic planning, check out "The Remittance Curse" in the current issue of Foreign Policy.

ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images

Singaporean-American lawyer Gopalan Nair, who blogs at Singapore Dissident, threw the gauntlet down last week to the Singapore authorities:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am Gopalan Nair. Today is May 31, 2008 at 10.40am Singapore time. I am at present in Singapore at Broadway Hotel, Room 708, 195 Serangoon Road, Singapore, 218067. The hotel telephone number is is 62924661. My local SingTel telephone number is 83764236. [...]

Mr. Lee Kuan Yew [at left], look here. I am now within your jurisdiction and that of your corrupt police and your corrupt judiciary who will do anything you want of them, however criminal and illegal.

What are you going to do about it?

Turns out, a lot. Police quickly arrested Nair and charged him with insulting Belinda Ang Saw Ean, a judge whom the blogger had earlier accused of "prostituting herself" for Lee Kuan Yew during a hearing at which the former prime minister testified against opposition politician Chee Soon Juan, who was charged with defamation. Judging by comments like these, I think Nair got thrown in the briar patch, so to speak:

I repeat the threat that Lee Kuan Yew had made on day two of the show trial during the last 3 days in the High Court. When asked by Dr. Chee whether he will sue those who write on the Internet defamations against him, I mean defamations in the Singaporean sense, his definitive unequivocal answer was that he will sue them. There is no doubt in the Singaporean sense, I have defamed him and his Prime Minister son, not only in my last blog post but in almost all my blog posts since my blog's inception in December 2006.

The U.S. embassy says it is "monitoring the case closely." Stay tuned.

Give U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates the prize for understatement of the weekend while discussing the tragic situation in Burma:

When asked whether the Myanmar government's actions were tantamount to genocide, Mr. Gates stopped short of that accusation. "This is more akin, in my view, to criminal neglect," he said.

Criminal neglect? You're kidding -- I always thought that Burma's xenophobic junta sponsored some of the best healthcare programs in the world.

It's getting harder for the Burmese state to hide the truly profound level of its own dysfunction:

The Burmese generals were visible all right. State television showed them handing out boxes of the small amount of aid allowed in from neighbouring Thailand. Unwittingly, it also showed that the Burmese leadership had plastered their own names over the true origins of the food aid to fool their own people into believing that the emergency relief supplies had come from them.

You know things are bad when a military dictatorship can't even get its own propaganda right.

(Hat tip: Reason's Kerry Howley)

KHIN MAUNG WIN/AFP/Getty Images

Since last week's deadly cyclone in Burma, the nation's ruling military junta has been reluctant to allow aid to enter the country. Since then, trickles of food, water and medicines have been allowed to enter the country, but international aid workers have not. Citing a government that failed to even warn its citizens of the impending disaster, international observers believe that the regime in Burma has neither the will nor the capacity to distribute aid fairly, that corrupt officials are profiting from aid packages, and that the situation created by these conditions threatens to outpace the humanitarian devastation of the 2004 tsunami.

Last week, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner--the founder of Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders)--suggested that the international community and the UN are obligated to intervene in Burma, regardless of the wishes of the military junta, in accordance with the "Responsibility to Protect", or R2P, as outlined by the UN at the General Assembly in 2005. The concept asserts that the international community is obligated to intervene in cases where states fail to protect their populations from "genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity."

There are widely varying opinions (pdf) on the legality of the Responibility to Protect. Some argue that it violates the basic concept of sovereignty, while others like the Washington Post's Fred Hiatt, believe as Kouchner does, that the UN is abdicating its responsibility in Burma. Garreth Evans, of the International Crisis Group, offers a more nuanced interpretation in an editorial for The Guardian:

If it comes to be thought that R2P, and in particular the sharp military end of the doctrine, is capable of being invoked in anything other than a context of mass atrocity crimes, then such consensus as there is in favour of the new norm will simply evaporate in the global south. And that means that when the next case of genocide or ethnic cleansing comes along we will be back to the same old depressing arguments about the primacy of sovereignty that led us into the horrors of inaction in Rwanda and Srebrenica in the 1990s."

He admits that if the inaction and neglect of the Burmese government is widely interpreted as a crime against humanity, then there might be room for the principle's application.

But there is no disagreement that the people of Burma can't wait for these issues to be bandied about at the Security Council or across editorial pages. Frustrated nations have a choice to make: either they must defy the wishes of the Burmese junta and send aid workers or airlifts to the Irrawaddy Delta, or they must submit to the regime and send whatever they have in the hopes that it will reach those in need. Regardless, it is clear that moralizing and posturing on the issue is not going to influence many, either in Rangoon or at the UN.

KHIN MAUNG WIN/AFP/Getty Images

The devastating cyclone that hit Burma this weekend, killing perhaps 22,500 people -- 40,000 more are still missing -- seems to have spared the country's new administrative capital, Naypyidaw. Deep in the heart of the country's interior and surrounded by mountainous jungle, the isolated new capital, only unveiled last year, suits the insular military junta just fine. But The Irrawaddy reports that civil servants and military officials, many of whom left family behind in Rangoon, are bucking orders from the junta to stay put. Instead, they've fled to look for lost family members in the cyclone's path:

We left our children in Rangoon, and we should be there with them now," the official said, adding that higher authorities have turned down all requests for leave until after the May 10 referendum.

Many of Burma's bureaucrats have homes in Rangoon, where they lived until the junta suddenly shifted the capital to Naypyidaw in November 2005. Telephone lines and Internet connections in Rangoon, which is still the country’s main commercial center, have been down since Friday.

Military personnel with relatives in the stricken area have also been returning to their homes without permission from their commanding officers.

Perhaps another sign that bungling relief efforts could weaken the junta's control?

Rising prices for soyabeans and soya-based products such as tofu have Indonesians steamed: 

On Monday, 10,000 Indonesians demonstrated outside the presidential palace in Jakarta after soyabean prices soared more than 50 per cent in the past month and 125 per cent over the past year, leaving huge shortages in markets.

The rapid soyflation, a result of surging Chinese demand, rising oil prices, and ethanol production in the United States, has also hit other parts of the region, such as Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong—all wealthy places that can probably weather the storm.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images

One country that is probably headed for trouble with rising food prices is not in Asia, but the Middle East. Egypt is the world's second-largest importer of wheat, another commodity that is at all-time highs right now. Egypt subsidizes wheat, flour, and bread, a policy that costs the state about $2.74 billion a year and leads to corruption and economic distortions. The government is reportedly mulling an across-the-board reduction of basic food subsidies, which in the long run would be healthy for Egypt's economy. But everyone in Egypt remembers what happened in 1977 when Anwar al-Sadat tried to cut the bread subsidy: riots in the streets. The Egyptian opposition is demoralized and defeated after more than two years of harsh government crackdowns. Widespread outrage over high prices, however, could be the spark that finally ignites popular unrest.

Which is why we can safely expect Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who is no dummy, to ignore U.S. President George W. Bush's latest polite request to move toward "economic openness... and democratic reform."

Politicians usually turn out the elderly vote by scaring them that their benefits will be cut unless they don't come to the polls. But I suppose this is another way to do it:

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Vote-buying is an old practice in Thai politics, but one candidate for December's Thai election has reportedly come up with a new tactic — handing out Viagra instead of cash.

The allegation, made Thursday by a campaign worker against a rival party, comes as rules about handing out favors to voters have become stricter than ever, barring even the distribution of free T-shirts and soft drinks.

Sayan Nopcha, a campaigner for the People's Power Party in Pathum Thai province just north of Bangkok, said the drug used to treat sexual dysfunction in men was being distributed to elderly male voters at social functions.

Are you a journalist who doesn't mind a dose of censorship with your morning coffee? When I say "junta" to you, do you think "stable employer"?

If so, there just may be a job for you in Rangoon. The government-affiliated Myanmar Times is looking for a subeditor, and the job advertisement has to be seen to be believed. You'll really be asking the tough questions.

Sub Editor, Timeout, The Myanmar Times, Myanmar Consolidated Media, Myanmar, Southeast Asia

The Myanmar Times (http://www.mmtimes.com) is published in both English and Myanmar (Burmese) and are leading publications with a readership in excess of 250,000 weekly, but operate under censorship in a challenging media environment. [...]

JOB DESCRIPTION: The subeditor will manage, edit and layout our ‘Timeout’ arts and entertainment section (8 pages), Page 2 (trivia and opinion), Science & Health page and two Travel pages every week.

(Hat tip: New Mandala)

"There is no Asia... Asia is a eurocentric concept."

That's how Lanxin Xiang somewhat bluntly began a recent discussion of the security implications of Asia's rise. Xiang, a professor at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, was participating in a conference Tuesday at the American Enterprise Institute titled "Asia 2012: Security Challenges and Opportunities for Development." A major undercurrent was the topic of Asian identity, i.e. whether  there are common Asian interests that override individual national priorities. Europeans have been growing gradually more integrated for most of the postwar era, but "Asian regionalism" is still a relatively new concept.

Clearly, not all Chinese scholars share Xiang's skepticism about the rest of Asia. (He also stated that China is not rising, it is merely "restoring its historical position.") Da Wei of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations said that while he and other Chinese intellectuals had previously been skeptical of Asian regionalism, multilateral cooperation over issues like 1997 Asian Financial Crisis and SARS had changed their minds and that, "among scholars, a common Asian identity is developing."

A large part of the problem is the lack of multinational organizations that could from the basis for regional partnerships. ASEAN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are two possible candidates, but the event's keynote speaker, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, sees potential in the Group of 6, formed to negotiate North Korea's nuclear program as a future framework for pan-Asian cooperation and negotiation with the United States:

If one day we reach a peaceful settlement on the peninsula, that might be the right time to elaborate this idea of a broader multilateral structure for security in Asia. 

That's a big if. Most of Negroponte's presentation was fairly unsurprising State Department boilerplate about "working with our Asian allies." China itself may inadvertently end up being the biggest driver of Asian regionalism, as other powers unite to counterbalance the rising hegemon. There are already some signs of this dynamic in ASEAN. This may also explain why Masafumi Ishii of the Japanese embassy in Washington seemed particularly bullish on India, the new kid on the block among Asian superpowers. He said in his presentation:

Japan is the past. China is the present. India is the future. 

PORNCHAI/AFP/Getty Images

A quick Google search reveals that many media organizations are still reporting that China is Burma's largest trading partner. It fits with a popular narrative about the Chinese: That they support dictatorships around the world and enable the worst kinds of human-rights abuses. 

In general, it's true that the Chinese aren't so keen on letting human rights get in the way of ye olde national interest. But at least when it comes to official trade (the black market may be a different story), it's just not true that China is Burma's closest trading partner. Thailand, not China, is the number one destination for Burmese exports, according to the CIA World Factbook:

Exports - partners: Thailand 49%, India 12.8%, China 5.3%, Japan 5.2% (2006)

Thailand generates 20 percent of its electricity using Burmese natural gas, and the Thais are expanding their use of Burmese hydroelectric power. (Read all about it in today's List: Burma's Economic Lifelines.) But nobody seems to be focusing on the Thais for enabling the junta, instead wringing their hands about China's mythical all-powerful influence. Which is not to say that Thailand can influence Burma's xenophobic, paranoid rulers either.

The junta, you see, is exactly the kind of odious regime that thrives on keeping its population cut off from the international economy. With a gross domestic product of only $9.6 billion, Burma essentially has a subsistence economy like that of North Korea. The country exports very little of value—just $3.56 billion, according to the official numbers. (By comparison, the GDP of the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area was nearly $348 billion in 2005.) 

What about imports? China is number one here, followed by Thailand:

Imports - partners: China 34.6%, Thailand 21.8%, Singapore 16.2%, Malaysia 4.7%, South Korea 4.3%

But again, we're talking about 34.6 percent of a very small number, merely $1.98 billion annually. Sure, China could cut off its weapons sales, but the junta would find other willing sellers. Do people really want China to cut off its exports of "fabric, petroleum products, fertilizer, plastics, machinery, transport equipment; cement, construction materials, crude oil; food products, edible oil" to the Burmese? The already impressive black market would simply expand.

Another misconception I've seen is about Burma's energy resources. Burma has a relatively small amount of natural gas, but the truth is, Burma is a net importer of oil. The rising price of imported diesel and gasoline is what prompted the "Saffron Revolution" in the first place, remember?

Bottom line: Be very skeptical when reading accounts of how China, or any country, can put meaningful pressure on the junta. To say nothing of this insanity from Bill Kristol, who calls for "limited military actions, overt or covert, against the regime's infrastructure".

FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

I was gratified to read the recent comments of Doru Romulus Costea, who heads the United Nations' widely derided Human Rights Council. In an interview with Le Temps, a Swiss newspaper, Costea admitted that the Council had so far "failed" to handle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict evenly, and said he agreed with U.S. President George W. Bush that, as Costea spun it, "It is necessary to constantly improve the functioning of the Council."

The AFP's summary of the interview (which was conducted and published in French) adds this context:

[The Council] has held four special sessions, three of which have concerned the Middle East and have ended up condemning Israel. The fourth related to Sudan, and one is planned next week following the crackdown on dissent in Myanmar.

It's important to remember that it's the 47 member states that make up the Council, not the U.N. itself, that is the source of the problem. Consider today's comments by Louise Arbour, the U.N.'s top human rights official. She urged the council to hold Myanmar's generals accountable for their actions and support a European Union resolution stating that the Council "strongly condemns the continued violent repression of peaceful demonstrations in Myanmar, including through beatings, killings and arbitrary detentions and urges the government of Myanmar to exercise utmost restraint and desist from further violence against peaceful protesters."

The vote is due to be held later today, and it will be a key test. If the Council can't sign on to this, what, then, is its purpose? 

(Thanks to Passport reader OA for sending this one along.)

MAXIM MARMUR/AFP/Getty Images

In an effort to kick-start its nascent space program, Malaysia is set to launch its first space-bound national into orbit on Oct. 10. In addition to the usual scientific studies and research assignments, the government of the predominantly Muslim country wants to make sure that its novice angkasawan (Malay for astronaut) does not forgo his duties as a devout Muslim. Thirty five year old Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (who is a doctor and part-time model), was chosen from among 11,000 eager hopefuls to accompany two Russian cosmonauts on a ten-day mission in the International Space Station. While he has been fasting for the month of Ramadan throughout his training, the strains of a zero-gravity environment might mean our astronaut will have to adjust his daily rituals during the mission. For a practicing Muslim who prays five times a day, would he have to pray 80 times every 24 hours, since the ISS will be circling the Earth 16 times each day? Plus, figuring out where Mecca is while you are in space must be no easy task.

In order to avoid confusion, Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development laid down some guidelines on how to observe Islam correctly while in space. For example:

During the prayer ritual, if you can't stand up straight, you can hunch. If you can't stand, you can sit. If you can't sit, you should lie down.

The guidelines also include useful tidbits on what to do if there is no water for washing rituals, or on the ill-fated chance that there is a death on board. And Malaysian Science Minister Jamaluddin Jarjis recently declared that Muszaphar is allowed to postpone his fasting until he returns back to earth.

So as he prepares to be his country's first galaxy representative, the thoughtful Muszaphar plans on bringing Malaysian food on board to share with his Russian shuttle cohabitants. But don't worry, he says:

We've made sure it's not very spicy so the Russians can eat it very well.

LIU JIN/AFP/Getty Images

The number one ranked U.S. Women's Soccer team was very nearly embarrassed yesterday when they were forced to come back from behind against North Korea to tie 2-2 at the Women's World Cup in Chengdu, China. Football-ignorant Americans might be forgiven for not knowing that the hermit kingdom even fields an international team, but the North Korean women are actually ranked number five in the world. This is also not the first time North Koreans have distinguished themselves in the pitch. In a classic Cinderella story, the 1966 men's team tied Chile and beat heavily favored Italy to advance to the quarterfinals of the World Cup where they very nearly upset Portugal as well, winning many international fans with their aggressive style of play. North Korea's then-leader Kim Il Sung had these words of encouragement for his team:

Europeans and South American nations dominate international football. As the representatives of the Africa and Asian region, as coloured people, I urge you to win one or two matches.

Surprisingly, the normally effusive Korean Central News Agency of DPRK devoted only a one sentence blurb to the women's team humbling the country's greatest international rival. Kim Jong Il has also failed to comment. Dear Leader is known to be an avid sportsman however, having apparently scored 11 holes-in-one the first time he played golf.