MH370 – Geopolitical Implications of the Missing Plane

By Danny Liew Shan Lee

On the early hours of 8^th March 2014, Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 to Beijing, carrying 239 souls (of which 153 are Chinese nationals) took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport.  Not even 2 hours later, the flight turned missing.  Her transponders and communication systems were all shut off. 

Who or why and how it happened, as at writing time are beyond our comprehension.  Theories upon theories, many of them conspiracy in nature were shared.  Many if not all were easily debunked.

But what we know today is that in the effort to search for the missing plane has certainly resulted in tectonic shift in the regional geopolitics.

AK 47 rifel terhebat sepanjang abad 20?

Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov ( sumber : www.kremlin.ru)

 

Rifel AK 47 - Pelindung, pendamai atau pemusnah?

Mikhail Timofeyevich  Kalashnikov, pencipta rifel AK 47, meninggal dunia pada tanggal 23 Disember 2013. Tidak keterlaluan jika dikatakan bahawa sesiapa sahaja yang meminati senjata berbentuk rifel serangan ( assault rifle ) atau menonton filem-filem aksi/peperangan akan mengenali rifel ciptaannya,  AK 47. Rifel ini adalah antara rifel yang paling meluas penggunaannya di dunia. Guiness World Record menganggarkan  bahawa kira-kira  100 juta rifel ini telah dihasilkan di serata dunia, sekaligus membuktikan  betapa popular dan terkenalnya rifel ini. Rifel ini  adalah antara rifel yang paling banyak dihasilkan dan ditiru oleh pembuat-pembuat senjata di dunia. 

SENOI PRAAQ – A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE “WAR PEOPLE” – PART 3

By M Hanif Ismail

(New generation of Senoi Praaq. Source: 3rd GOF)

Senoi Praaq – the name may sounds familiar to the local defence watchers, but outside that (small) circle, its mention may very well draw a blank.

Senoi Praaq means “War people” or “those who fight” in the Semai language. Senoi Praaq started as a special project under the British during the First Emergency (1948 – 1960), to replace the British SAS squadrons leaving the country. It was dispatched to Vietnam during the Vietnam War as part of collaboration between the British and the US intelligence to train Vietnamese indigenous people collectively known as the Montagnards.

This article will look at the activities of the Senoi Praaq after the end of Konfrontasi, its activities during the Second Emergency (1968-1989), including its switch from under the Department of Aboriginal Affairs to the Royal Malaysian Police.

Serangan Dron Hanya Melahirkan Lebih Banyak Musuh Buat Amerika Syarikat

 Oleh Yusni Yussof

Dron Predator melancarkan misil! ( Kredit foto kepada General Atomics Aeronautical system Inc. )

Serangan terbaru  dron milik Amerika Syarikat di Yaman pada 13 Disember lalu telah mengakibatkan kematian 14 orang awam dan 22 orang yang lain tercedera. Lebih malang, serangan tersebut dilancarkan ke atas konvoi  kenderaan-kenderaan yang  sedang meraikan perkahwinan penduduk tempatan. Di dalam insiden tersebut, 2 orang pemimpin puak yang berpengaruh turut terkorban.Penganalisis berpendapat bahawa insiden-insiden sebegini yang begitu banyak dilaporkan semenjak AS menggiatkan usaha membunuh individu-individu yang dikaitkan dengan al Qaeda hanya  menimbulkan kemarahan dan kebencian terhadap AS, sekaligus melahirkan simpati terhadap perjuangan al Qaeda. 

China Upping the Ante – Are We Ready? Part 4

By Danny Liew Shan Lee

(The Dragon vs The Eagle. Where should we be in the grand scheme of things? Source: Internet)

In the previous installment, we get to face how our much vaunted FPDA is actually just a granite giant with clay feet.  Make no mistake, the illusion of grandeur that FPDA had on us should be discarded as it has blind-sided us for years, that the British would come and assist us at time of war.

Now that we realized this, would there be any one that would come to our help if China turns belligerent? That it is an open secret that any conflict with China will probably attract the attention of the United States, thus it would not be a surprise that the US will have a special interest in the region.

China Upping the Ante – Are We Ready? Part 3

By Danny Liew Shan Lee

(FPDA a toothles tiger? Source: Internet)

In part 2, we have seen that the planned war games with China do not mean that we have chosen to ally ourselves with the Middle Kingdom.  In fact, it is probably more of a confidence building measure (CBM). 

In the recent parliamentary seating, opposition MPs had unveiled their alternative budget.  For defence, they had advocated cut in military CAPEX, citing that we have a standing defence pact in the FPDA, or Five-Power Defence Agreement.

China Upping the Ante – Are We Ready? Part 2

By Danny Liew Shan Lee

(China and Malaysia. Source: Wikimedia)

In Part 1, we examined the precarious situation that we are or will be in in the near future.  Like it or not, we would not be able to deny access to China to our territorial waters.  Their military might makes us a small pushover for them. 

So does it mean, if we can’t beat them, we join them?

China Upping the Ante, Are We Ready?

By: Danny Liew Shan Lee

(China's new ADIZ: Source: SCMP)

The 9 – Dotted Line, Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, the Spratly, the ADIZ, and now the Liaoning, PLAN's first aircraft carrier.  The Dragon has awakened and it is asserting its claim over its historical territories. 

For China’s immediate neighbours, the growing strength of China’s military might is disconcerting.  The claim on Senkaku/Diaoyu chain of islands and the unilateral declaration of Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the same area had rattled her neighbours, particularly South Korea and Japan, both of which has overlapping claims over the chain of islands.

But the biggest bombshell would be the launching of Liaoning’s sea trial in the seas of South China Sea, which China sees as her own playground.  The launch, declared earlier last week caused trepidation over the region as the exercise is being seen as potentially as an escalation of aggression in the hotly contested region.

Part One

In this article, we will examine the relationship between Malaysia and China.  How this relationship had been built from Day 1 till today.  We will examine also how China’s multiple unilateral actions and military build-up has led to slow erosion of our relationship.

We will also look into the current and near future order of battle of Malaysian forces, on how these could interdict Chinese hegemony in the region.

SENOI PRAAQ – A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE “WAR PEOPLE” – PART 2

By M Hanif Ismail

(Map of the Montagnards in Vietnam. Noone's team of Senoi Praaq operated somewhere around An Khe and Pleiku. Source: Internet)

Senoi Praaq – the name may sounds familiar to the local defence watchers, but outside that (small) circle, its mention may very well draw a blank.

Senoi Praaq, or “War People”, started as a special project under the British during the First Emergency (1948 – 1960), to replace the British SAS squadrons in the fight against communist terrorists. The unit proved its mettle during the First Emergency and the British was keen to maintain and even promote this capability in the fight to contain communism in Southeast Asia.   

This article with briefly look at the activities of the unit from the end of the First Emergency in 1960 to its role in maintaining the peace today.

SENOI PRAAQ – A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE 'WAR PEOPLE' - PART 1

By M Hanif Ismail

(The Senoi Praaq with New Zealand's soldiers during the First Emergency. Source: Internet)

Senoi Praaq – the name may sounds familiar to the local defence watchers, but outside that (small) circle, its mention may very well draw a blank.

Senoi Praaq means “War people” or “those who fight” in the Semai language. It currently refers to 2 battalions of the General Operations Force (GOF) under the Royal Malaysian Police, the 3^rd and the 18^th Battalion based in Bidor, Perak and Pengkalan Hulu,Perak, respectively. What sets it apart is that the members are almost exclusively made up of Orang Asli, or the indigenous people of Peninsula Malaysia.

Senoi Praaq started as a special project under the British during the First Emergency (1948 – 1960), to replace the UK SAS squadrons leaving the country. This article with briefly look at the activities of the unit from its formation in 1957 to its role in maintaining the peace today.