Sep 20

Thailand’s Deep South

Some people might wonder why I am writing a blog post about the South Thailand Insurgency. It is well known that this Islamic insurgency took place in 2004 and had experienced its peak in 2007. It may seem like an outdated conflict that had dissipated throughout the years, but it is in fact still an ongoing conflict. Drive through shootings, bombings, and other attacks on civilians and military personnel are still persistent in this region.

Before I jump into analyzing the current conflict, I will first give you an overview of the insurgency. Although the start 300px-Souththailandmapdate of the insurgency took place in 2004, the conflict was present in Thailand since its early days as an independent state. The southern part of Thailand, which is known as the Pattani region, was annexed in 1906. This region, touching the borders of Malaysia, is majorly inhabited with Malay Muslims who learned the national language of Thailand and were given Thai names. According to the International Crisis Group study reported in 2008, the Malay Muslims who have been living in a Buddhist majority country accumulated a profound sense of alienation. Since then, the tensions between Thai Buddhists and Malay Muslims started to increase, resulting in attacks and insurgencies led by the Malay Muslims. Many of these attacks have been in the forms of shooting, bombing and decapitating people. Over 5,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict and people are still being killed today.

Until recently, these insurgent groups were only targeting Buddhists, but reports have shown that they are now targeting anyone that is in Southern Thailand.. Their former intentions were to seek recognition and representation of their ethnic group, but now the intentions are blurred. The insurgency group is very secretive of their operations that even some parents do not know that their children are part of the group. This has complicated the intentions of the insurgency group and have left many officials perplexed on how to reconcile the issue.

Many steps have taken place by the governments to resolve this conflict throughout the past. A hand full of development and social programs have been initiated to show that that the 80% of the Malay Muslims that live in the southern region are an essential part of the state. These programs have cost Thailand over $7 billion but, insurgent groups have overlooked such propositions and are still continuing their course. With the help by the Malaysian government, this spring the Thai government and one of the largest insurgent group, Barisan Revolusi Nasional, engaged in a mediated peace talk, but violence grew as other insurgent groups felt anger as the BRN was not a representation of all insurgent groups.

As seen above, it is pretty clear that this ethnic or religious separatist insurgency is very deep rooted and complicated. The Thai government has spent a large amount of money to help solve the problem, but nothing has worked. Then what can be done to end this almost one decade long conflict? Continue reading

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Sep 18

Is Burma really on the path to Democracy?

The religious crisis in Arakan state, Burma against the Rohingya Muslims is escalating by the second. I had previously written about this subject in my blog posts, but I want to update everyone on what is currently going on. To briefly explain what the conflict is about, there are groups of Buddhist extremists and Burmese citizens killing _67354744_154146214(1)and displacing thousands of Muslims in Burma. The conflict has been amplifying and is currently spilling over to neighboring countries such as India, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Tensions between Muslims and Buddhist have been intensifying in these neighboring countries. Many news sources have indicated that this conflict has a potential to become the next Rwanda. This conflict, that started in a small area in Burma is now threatening the security of Southeast Asian countries. Why is this conflict spreading and why hasn’t there been any solutions yet?

Just recently, President Thein Sein of Burma paid a visit to the UK. Prime Minister David Cameron had offered assistance to help Burma continue its so-called path to democracy. I am aware that Burma is still young and there needs to be  tremendous amounts of things to reform and strengthen within its state, but if it was truly on the path to democracy, why hasn’t there been any measures taken to address the current religious problem? This current outrage could have been a chance for President Thein to show off his democratic leadership and intervened righteously. However, the government has failed to recognize the real problem of the conflict and has even suggested to use birth controls to limit the number of Rohingyas living in Burma. To restrict Rohingyas, there has also been immigration policies where only families with up to two children are allowed in Burma. On top of that, although I have previously only mentioned that Buddhist extremists and citizens have been part of this chaotic event, in fact state security forces and political party leaders have also been part of the mass killing of Rohingya Muslims. It is clear that President Thein is not on the right path to democracy.

When I saw the press release of the day President Thein visited the UK, it seemed to me like the officials, including Prime Minister Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague were soft and easy towards the President. In fact, ALeqM5je4WIsIixtZWOAfP0E1QxMU-8zmgalthough they had discussed humanitarian and human rights issues, I sensed a little tone of appraisal for President Thein even though he has not delivered sworn changes. The public knows what has and is going on in Burma, I think the Prime Minister should put more pressure on the Burmese government to ensure political and economic progress.

The UK has offered to help Burma by providing military training, but to me it sounds like a touchy issue to tackle. Although the military training does include lessons regarding human rights and laws of armed conflict, I am very skeptical about the government using the training to its own selfish needs. Like I had mentioned before, state security forces have been part of the current conflict, making it hard to even trust the government. President Thein is of course, not  completely a horrible leader. The country has experienced greater open communication and has been developing since his duty began, but on certain subjects he falls through on the people’s expectations. Though, I truly believe that the UK will make a difference in Burma, the UK will need to keep a close eye on the Burmese government to insure the country’s righteous path to democracy.

How do you think the UK should help assist Burma? Do you think Burma will be able to become a democratic country?

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Sep 16

International Migration and Economic Development

Today I want to focus on an issue that is very dear to me: international migration.  I am currently residing in a foreign country, finishing up school and looking for work, and so naturally I have quite a vested interest in international immigration regulations and restrictions.  I don’t want to focus on my own story, however, but rather on the overall impact of global migration on international economic development.

 

On 11 September the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) released new figures that show that more people than ever are living abroad.  According to the recent data, approximately 232 million people are currently living abroad worldwide, compared to just 175 million in 2000; that’s a little over 3 percent of the world population–not an insignificant amount!  Most of these immigrants have moved to developed countries, and Asia has seen the largest increase in migrants in the last decade with 20 million new migrants since 2000.  This dramatic increase is believed to have occurred because of the increased demand for foreign labor in the oil-producing Asian nations like Malaysia and Thailand.  The US, meanwhile, holds the largest absolute number of migrants, with almost 23 million migrants having arrived in the country since 1990.

 

Historically, migrants have tended to move from developing countries to developed countries,  often resulting in the phenomenon known as “brain drain.”  Highly educated and skilled workers from developing countries, finding few opportunities in their native country, migrate to developed countries, especially the United States, where they have a better chance at finding success.  Developing countries suffer as a result, while developed countries benefit from fresh talent and skilled workers.  Brain drain does not only affect developing countries, though.  Just a few days ago, for instance, I read an article here in London warning that the City is currently facing a brain drain due to skills shortages, an aging population, and restrictive migrations policies, and it could potentially affect future economic growth.

 

Indeed, the Director of UN-DESA announced on 11 September that in recent years migrants have been settling in developed and developing countries in relatively equal numbers, though they still tend to originate in developing countries.  This could be quite significant for global economic development, as migration broadens opportunities available to individuals, leading to a better and more productive match of people’s skills and jobs.  As new sources and destinations of migration pop up countries can become important points of origin, transit, and destination simultaneously, further improving economic growth.  Additionally, migrants often send money back to their home countries in the form of remittances, which can be quite significant given than migrants typically make more money in their new country than they would have in their home country.

 

With all the benefits that global migration can bring to both developed and developing countries, then, it’s no surprise that the subject is quite high on the international agenda these days.  In just a few weeks, on 3-4th October, a high-level UN summit on international migration will be held in New York, and the focus will be on ways to enhance the benefits of migration for both workers and countries as well as ways to reduce any negative implications.  It will be very interesting to see what the results of the conference are, and how migration can be linked to development and growth.  I’ll be awaiting the results, and if you’re interested as well leave a comment here with your thoughts about the conference as it unfolds.

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Aug 23

How Technology Can Help Girls

“The birth and rise of new media is, however, changing the story for many girls in Africa who have been given an opportunity to compete with their male counterparts. “- MAUREEN AGENA,

I’m sure it would come to no surprise to any of you if I told you that technology was one of the quickest way to gain attention on a new movement. It’s well known, in the western world at least, that viral campaigns are a quick way to garner attention for your campaign- take the Kony 2012 campaign for example. But what would happen if we took medium_7556691768the power behind technology and used it for education? Recently in South Africa and Uganda, several different organizations have been trying to do just that. There was even a whole conference dedicated to bringing technology into African classrooms.

 However, what I find even more compelling than the conferences, is the individual groups of women who are setting out to motivate and inspire other women within their countries. She’s the Geek is a group out of South Africa who have the following mission statement: “To educate and empower women through the use of various computer, mobile and social technologies that is always fun and in turn having them leave a legacy for the next generation”

Though She’s the Geek focuses more on spreading the news about technology and empowering women who are already involved in the field, they also have education initiatives. Digiwomen is a twelve week program run by She’s the Geek. Focusing on women who come from difficult backgrounds, the goal is to give them a second chance by teaching them a variety of skills focused around technology that will help them get a brand new start. The program covers everything from entrepreneurship to mobile literacy. The She’s the Geek project blog has several updates on the program and shows just exactly what the women are doing, why they’re doing it, and what they’re getting out of it.

There is a similar initiative in Uganda called Girl Geek Kampala. Much like She’s the Geek, Girl Geek Kampala  focuses on encouraging women and girls to get involved in the technological fields, though their work is a little more technical. Their program focuses on teaching girls how to code and create websites. The Girl Geek Kampala blog is also full of posts linking readers back to information about how they can get involved and about how their work in the field is already making a difference.

I think initiatives like this are important for several reasons. For one, even in the Western World, only a quarter of STEM jobs are held by women. This is a problem that is plaguing women all over the world, and I find it amazing that women all over the world are also trying to change it.

Furthermore, these women are getting noticed. They have hosted TedXTalks and serve on the boards of collaborative spaces. See an example below

Second, in a quickly growing world and economy it’s important to make sure that women and girls are able to stay up to-date with all of their job options. While girls are still lacking in basic education in many countries, initiatives like She’s the Geek’s Digiwomen has the potential to help educate and create job access for girls and women who were not fortunate enough to receive a full education as children.  As they even write on their website, it’s a second chance.

I believe movements like this are important. It’s no secret that there are far less girls in school than boys, but we don’t often hear what happens to them as adults. Though the tech programs African nations target girls, many of them also target women, and that is what I find so important.

While we should continue to strive to get all children in school, it is still important to educate those that were not given a proper education growing up. By creating programs for them, these organizations are giving them a shot a livelihood, they’re giving them something they didn’t get while growing up.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a lot of information on how to help these organizations besides advertising, but I encourage you to follow them on twitter here and here  and learn what they’re all about. I also encourage you to support the women you know who are in the STEM fields.

 

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Aug 19

Responsible Tourism in Madagascar

I’m sure most of you have heard of the island of Madagascar, particularly since the release of the Madagascar animated films, and know that the country is home to numerous animal species that cannot be found anywhere Madagascarelse on earth.  10,000 of the islands 12,000 plant species, for example, are endemic, as are half of the breeding birds and hundreds of species and subspecies of lemurs.  The island also contains several different regions, from beaches along the Indian Ocean to rainforests to grassy plains, and so with all that biodiversity it is no surprise that the tourist industry has been steadily growing over the last couple of decades.

Though Madagascar has a lot to offer as a tourist destination, the picture is far from rosy.  The country’s population has more than doubled in the last 30 years, but the economy has declined since 2009, leaving much of the population impoverished.  Tourism could certainly help rebuild the economy, as it offers many opportunities for local inhabitants, such as leading tours or running guesthouses, but increasing tourism comes with risks for the environment.  As I’ve discussed several times in the past, destination tourism often has a negative impact on the very destination that draws the visitors, as the increase in traffic can destroy delicate ecosystems if steps are not taken to preserve them.

Unfortunately, Madagascar is already facing serious environmental degradation even without an increase in tourist traffic.  All but nine of the 103 species of lemur, for example, are currently in serious danger of extinction as Madagascar2a result of decades of mining, logging, and slash-and-burn farming that have destroyed 90% of Madagascar’s forests.  With the majority of the island’s population living below the poverty line, it’s not exactly surprising that many locals have turned to illegal woodcutting and gold digging to get by, though even legal farming activities can be damaging to the environment.

Additionally, there is a child sex tourism problem in several coastal cities, as well as in the capital.  Child sex tourism has increased since 2009, the same year the political turmoil that lead to the economy collapse began, prompting the UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children to issue a report encouraging the government of Madagascar to take steps to improve the situation.  Najat Maalla M’jid, the Special Rapporteur, also emphasized the need for a responsible, ethical tourism industry in order to stem the flow of child sex trafficking and help reduce poverty.

It does seem that the government is attempting to encourage responsible tourism.  The Madagascar tourism website contains a list of a dozen or so ecotourism programs that visitors can participate in, from staying in villages and participating in daily activities with the locals to visits to conservation sites that demonstrate sustainable fishing and farming practices.  When tourists visit national parks they must hire local tour guides to show them around and point out the different varieties of flora and fauna, another way to bring in tourist dollars. International organizations like Conservation International have also been working to develop environmentally friendly sustainable tourism programs that will help preserve the environment while also reaching out to local communities–and setting up protections against illegal logging and hunting.

All things considered, it seems that Madagascar has a hard road ahead of it.  The island may be home to a rich variety of plant and animal species and prime tourist destinations, but poverty and political turmoil make it difficult Madagascar3to harness these resources and bring in a much-needed infusion of cash.  Sustainable tourism may be the country’s only hope.  Unless something is done to bring in more foreign visitors, it is possible that the farming, logging, and mining activities (legal and otherwise) many depend on to scrape by will destroy the unique flora and animals that have the potential to draw tourists–not to mention the loss it would be for the world if so many species were to be driven to extinction.  Increased tourism has the potential to destroy the environment as well, however, so the country must walk a very fine line between increasing tourism revenues and protecting the environment.  Hopefully, though, more eco-tourism would reduce the number of sex tourists coming to the island, thus reducing the number of children trafficked to the coastal tourist hotspots for sex work.

What do you think the best course of action is for the country?  Is tourism enough to get the economy rolling again, or should more efforts be focused on farming, logging, and mining?

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Jul 31

The Everyday Fears of an Ordinary Woman

I don’t want to live like this. I don’t want to live in fear.

I don’t want to live in fear of every person who comes to the door. The plumber, the electrician, the cable guy. The mailman, the FedEx driver who comes to drop off a package on the front steps. The new neighbor coming down the street to say a simple “hello”.

13933871-woman-walking-alone-along-a-cobblestone-road-at-night-in-kyoto-japanI don’t want to live in fear. But, as a female, living in the world we live in…    I do. I have to.

From a young age, we’re taught to be wary of strangers. Of anyone we might not know. We’re told to keep our distance. To constantly be aware, and on alert. To make eye contact. To not make eye contact. To walk with confidence towards our destination – never wavering, never hesitating, never giving anyone a “reason” to pick us out as a future victim.

The truth is – we’re vulnerable. No matter how quick, no matter how strong, we’re still vulnerable.

You’ve heard the stories – in the newspaper, on the ten o’ clock news, on those emails that your mom, your Grandma, your best friend forwards on to you. Horror stories of women being drugged unknowingly and then being taken from store parking lots. Of men dressing up and pretending to be policemen in order to pull women over on the side of the road. How do you know who to believe? Who to trust? The latest schemes involve men sneaking into the backseat of women’s cars as they fill up their cars at the gas pump. When will this end?

Because of our gender, we must constantly think about how to be safe. Fear proscribes how and where we live, where we walk, where we park, where we sleep, eat and travel. As women, we know there are some things we cannot — or rather, should not — do, some places we should not go. We’ve seen the movies, we’ve read the articles, we know the statistics. The media is our collective storyteller and the story it tells us over and over again is that there is no safe place — not on the roads where we drive, on the streets where we walk, not even in the house where we live. We feel at risk because we are. PBS

We’re taught to continually look over our shoulder to make sure there are no strangers looming in the distance. We’re told to take our keys out early while walking through a parking lot or parking garage towards our car. To always have an arm open, a free hand – always needing to be ready to protect ourselves.

What’s it like to be me? My dad will never know. Neither will my brother. They don’t get why I often refuse to answer the door when I’m home alone. They’re allowed the privilege to go for a run at night through the park, to walk down the street alone at night with little fear of being attacked. They don’t get it. It’s not what they’ve been taught.

But my mom? My sister? My closest friends? They know. Because they’re living the same reality.

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Jul 29

Transition Towns

I spent the last month studying abroad, I have realized how differently Western Cultures actually think from each other. I’ve spent the last month traveling around Denmark and England, and have really come to realize how different the countries are from the United States.

My class in Denmark focused on sustainable food efforts. This means that most of what we have looked at is happening on a global level. We have covered everything from the rise of organic foods to the production of GMOs. Totnes Hill FarmingHowever, the thing I have found the most interesting was our study tour of a town called Totnes in England.

Totnes is what is called a Transition Town. While Totnes was one of the first of its kind, the transition network has taken off and is being used as a model for towns all over the world. If you’re curious about where different initiatives are taking place you can check out a map of the different transition towns.

According to the “What” portion of the Transition Town website, the goal of Transition towns are to drive the communities towards healthier lifestyles while also decreasing the carbon footprint they leave on the world. The key factor is that it is something that starts with the people, with the community, and grows to be larger. It is not something that starts from the top down; it has to come from the bottom up.

So what does this mean, and why is it something that should be getting global attention? What I witnessed in Totnes were people who were genuinely trying to help other people. Local initiatives meant that things that have often been found to be elitist – such as farmers markets – were being reformatted to be accessible to those with low incomes.

Solar panels were being funded for houses, free gardens were being planted and maintained, local cafes used CSA Totneslocal produce. In many ways it was a chain that kept everything within the community. They even have “Totnes Pounds” their own local currency that actually has monetary value.

Now, I’m not saying that every town could do this. In fact, I think Totnes is very lucky to have this work so well for them. The town is only about 8,000 people, and it is not located near any major cities. There is also plenty of room for agriculture. However, I do think that the world could learn a lot from Totnes in the ways that human compassion is shown and in the ways that people strive to do what is best for their communities and not just for themselves.

Clearly, Transition Towns are something that will work better in smaller communities. It could potentially work on a Continue reading

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Jul 26

Home – Poverty and Gentrification

This past weekend I travelled to New York to visit my sister, who recently moved to Brooklyn. Anyone would love her neighborhood, fit in in her neighborhood. It’s diverse. From islanders to east asians, there are plenty styles and cultures to observe from afar or experience close up. The hipster coffee shop around the corner is situated between a post office and a caribbean food spot that I am guessing has been there for some time. It is almost as if  there were several communities squeezed into one space, all existing harmoniously and at times overlapping in their daily transactions and routines. These communities differ in  ethnicity, personal/cultural activity and length of time they’ve been established in Brooklyn.

The machination of gentrification is the means by which this diversity has evolved. While visiting with my sister, at her Brooklyn apartment,  the topic of gentrification came up. Her opinion was that

“gentrification [was] inevitable.” Maybe so. Convenience brings new demands. Demands change as time brings new ideals. And so, she sided with supporters of  gentrification. They say that the refurbishment of these neighborhoods, once stricken with poverty and high crime rates, are good for everyone,  the newcomers and long term residents who are already there. With renovations, come jobs that could provide more income for long time Brooklynites. For newcomers renovations satisfy their more extravagant yuppie needs.

Throughout the discussion I tried to formulate my own opinion about this urban force that was and is currently changing places like Brooklyn and Harlem as well as my hometown, Washington, DC. I said to her, “I understand that gentrification isn’t all bad. But I can not bring myself to say that it is good.” The conversation went on and I gentrificationtalked. I listened. And finally said, “Here’s my thing. It just seems that people who support gentrification believe that it is good for everyone but a lot of previous residents are displaced by this system. They are bought out of their homes and have to move elsewhere, where the conditions are the same or worse.” So is this system really helping everyone or slowly but surely reversing the demographics: urban poor and wealthy-middle class suburbia turns into well-off city dwellers and the impoverished suburbia?

In my hometown, Washington, DC it is much easier, most times, for people who own their property to keep their property. Renters, people with reverse mortgages or home owners  with bank loans attached to outrageously high interest rates or balloon payments are at risk of being pushed out by higher prices and an inability to pay them. Best case scenario, gentrification and the higher price of living that it brings, may be an incentive for renters or bank loan recipients to do everything possible to keep their homes; and so they progress with the neighborhood. Some long term homeowners are able to resist being bought out and pushed out of the homes and neighborhoods. They are able to avoid their own displacement by keeping up with rising prices, however difficult it may be. Long term homeowners outlast gentrification and bear witness to changes that occur in the neighborhood and keep up with these changes in order to stay put.

gentrificationBut it would seem that with all this recent refurbishment, renovation and all the jobs created in the process, there would be improvement in the poverty rate in cities with rapid gentrification. In fact, between 2011 and 2012, the rate of poverty in Washington DC went up 2%. In the same amount of time, poverty in New York City ,went up .5% within the year. Although this may not seem like a great deal, in the midst of so much gentrification one would think these are the very numbers that would be improving.

But overall, there is a visible trend of change in urban neighborhoods. There is merit in the desire to improve our district’s urban neighborhoods, but there is also a lack of regard for the people already there, their wants, their needs as citizens. They are ignored and eventually removed, however intentional, or unintentional that may be. This very disregard is what should be improved and revitalized.

Some solutions come to mind. Gentrification itself can be improved if all can participate in it. The way for this to Continue reading

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Jul 24

Where is our freedom of speech in Southeast Asia?

Nguyen Van Hai, a 12 year sentenced prisoner in Vietnam, has been on a hunger strike for 30 days in his prison cell to protest against poor treatment in jail. However, he should not be in jail in the first place. He is one out of 43 of bloggers, journalists, and political activists that have been jailed for allegedly stating offensive comments about the government this year.

I wrote about media coverage and censorship in Singapore in my previous post, but as I dug deeper into the subject I found out that press freedom in the Southeast Asian region as a whole is the least free of all regions in the Internet freedomworld. Strict press regulations are apparent in countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos, Singapore and Brunei and governments have been reinforcing these regulations for several years. The increase in technologies within the last decade has increased restrictions on press coverage even in countries like Indonesia and the Philippines that have more press freedom. Due to this trend of strict regulations over press freedom, many bloggers, journalists, and political activists have been sent to prison in the last several years; in some cases, governments have used inhumane ways to capture these “so called criminals”. Why are some of these governments so eager to regulate what is being said in the country?

It is important to note that many of the bloggers, journalists, and political activists that have been arrested are those who have written about the government. Vietnam has one of the most recent arrests of bloggers and the government has sentenced these people for “participating in activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration and undermining of national unity and of participating in propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.” These charges are very vague so the government can validate their punishments. It is lucidly evident that these governments are operating in their own interests and not of the people. They do not want an open debate about government issues and resort to repression of the people.

Why are so many countries in Southeast Asia prone to regulated press freedom? I think that one of the reason has to do with the makeup of the government. Vietnam and Laos are communist states where the government controls everything, Brunei is an absolute monarchy, Singapore is a parliamentary republic, which is an indirect form of democracy, and Malaysia is a democratic country, but have had problems with fair election processes. It is the _65151041_65151040nature of the state that enables them to drop such charges on people that are merely just stating their opinions.These countries in broad terms are realist states in which their actions are driven by the self-interest of the leader, not the people.

In November 2012, ASEAN wrote the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD), which was a significant step towards human rights in Southeast Asia; at least thats what the officials in those countries said. Continue reading

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Jul 23

Looking Back on China (8): Food Unsafety

In the past, when I asked my father whether he wanted to immigrate to another country, he refused without any hesitation. Now, he might hesitate due to a new concern – food. It’s not because he could not get enough to eat, but because there is very little food unpoisoned in China. Chinese people make arduous efforts to get richer, only 05-11-2011-05-11-00-710mdf58363to find out that even money cannot buy safety.

From lethal infant formulas, “lambs” made from rat meat, cabbages sprayed with formaldehyde, gelatin medicine capsules containing excessive chromium, to soybean sprouts the growth of which were accelerated by plant hormones, Chinese criminals never lack imagination of what to add into food. There is a famous joke online saying that every Chinese person is a living element table, because they have ingested all kinds of chemical elements from their daily food.

There is an old Chinese saying that “Food is the God of the people.” Chinese cuisine is also ranked as the second tastiest food in the world. However in China, people are not enjoying delicious food, but suffering from the concern of the terrible food safety situation.

Take the infant formula scandal in 2008 for example. In this incident, China reported an estimated 300,000 victims, with six infants dying from kidney damage. At the outset, a few cases were reported but they were ignored and 1336627031160even concealed by the government. Later on, when 16 infants, who had been fed on milk powder produced by Shijiazhuang-based Sanlu Group, were diagnosed with kidney stones, the scandal could not be cloaked any more. Within a month, more than 20 dairy companies, almost all of the domestic brands, were revealed to have the same problem.

However, if the government could investigate the whole industry throughout the entire country within a few days after the incident, why couldn’t they conduct precautionary regulation prior to the incident? In my point of view, the scandal-laden food industry indicates both the regulatory loopholes in the government and the unprecedented landslide of morals in China. To let the people have food safe to eat, the government should strive to combine legal construction with moral construction.

First of all, streamline the food safety legal system. It would be a good news that the amendment to the existing food security law has been prioritized in the legislative agenda. To curb the proliferating food safety scandals, tougher regulation should be enforced in all of the three ends: customers, manufacturers, and officers. In the final phase of the product chain, customers deserve tighter protection. Having studied law both in America and China, I strongly suggest China learn from America to build up a comprehensive punitive damage system. In Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants, the court’s verdict included not only necessary compensatory damages, but also an astronomical sum of punitive damages, which set the precedent for an effective deterrent and punishment. The legislative body could create a new crime related to food safety in the criminal law in order to deter the manufacturers as much as possible. Meanwhile, stricter supervisions on the governmental officers should be given extraordinarily heavy weights to. In 2007, Zheng Xiaoyu, the former director of the State Food and Drug Administration, was sentenced to death because of notorious bribery. This case unveiled the tip of iceberg of the inside story of food industry. Therefore, external oversight must be strengthened and financially encourage the public to report unlawful acts of the officers.

Additionally, China needs an intense moral reconstruction to raise food manufacturers’ awareness of moral self-discipline. Although I am studying law all the time, I clearly understand that laws work most productively only when Continue reading

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