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Articles by JJ Rose
Australia is still a cruel place for those seeking asylum - Jj Rose
Due to the technical or legal reasons, readability mode is not available for this article. Thank you for your kind understanding. Columnists Actual . Favourites . Archive Aa Aa Aa - A + PM Albanese has more to do to reform immigration system © Nikkei Asian Review visit website
Australia Inc.'s big-money campaign for the 'Voice' was tone-deaf - Jj Rose
Due to the technical or legal reasons, readability mode is not available for this article. Thank you for your kind understanding. Columnists Actual . Favourites . Archive Aa Aa Aa - A + Divisive referendum has made corporate leaders look out of touch © Nikkei Asian Review visit website
Australia Inc.'s big-spending 'Voice' campaign was tone-deaf - Jj Rose
Due to the technical or legal reasons, readability mode is not available for this article. Thank you for your kind understanding. Columnists Actual . Favourites . Archive Aa Aa Aa - A + Divisive referendum has made corporate leaders look out of touch © Nikkei Asian Review visit website
Pearls and Irritations
With your last breath you can exalt those fearsome prophets. As you die again and again. The million deaths they promised you. With what’s unfolding in Israel-Gaza right now, I would normally be prompted to ponder the politics, weigh up the geostrategic implications and offer a considered analysis. This is something I have done countless times before for publications around the world. But, as I entered this habitual space, I found I could not gain traction there. Not this time. Not again.
Albanese is right: It is time to close the case of Julian Assange - Nikkei Asia
Quick Summary: JJ Rose is chief executive of media advisory company Random Ax Media in Australia. Julian Assange outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London in May 2017: The British authorities do not really know what to do with him.
In Malaysia election, newly enfranchised teens could be the kingmakers
Young Malaysians are poised to become kingmakers this weekend as the country holds its first general election since lowering the voting age from 21 to 18, with 222 seats up for grabs in the powerful lower house. More than a million registered voters are now 18 to 20 years old, though the fact that Malaysian youth demonstrate such a wide range of political leanings and literacy makes it hard to say which way these new voters will sway the election.
The remote Marshall Islands complicate US Pacific policy
The Marshall Islands, clustered in the vast reaches of the Pacific between Australia and Hawaii, are set to renew an agreement with the United States in a process that carries broad geopolitical implications for all powers making a beeline to such Pacific capitals as Majuro of late, including Australia. With America’s shiny new Pacific Islands policy just only weeks old, its Cold War legacy may yet tarnish its future.
Multuggerah and the Battle of One Tree Hill
Image credit: National Library of Australia The story of indigenous warrior, Multuggerah, fills an important gap in Australian history. If you look to your right while driving west from Brisbane along the Lockyer Way, just before the steep incline into Toowoomba, you’ll see a vast structure set against the deep green of the bush. It’s in the distance, but it’s hard to miss. White vertical pillars like a giant insect’s legs, a backbone across it. This is the Multuggerah Viaduct.
Taking on Cambodia’s “Lady Liberty”
What you need to know The American human rights lawyer sentenced to six years in a Phnom Penh prison may cause Hun Sen no end of trouble. By JJ Rose Theary Seng certainly knows how to attract attention. The prominent Cambodian-American human rights lawyer and activist was dressed as “Lady Liberty,” draped in flowing robes, sprinkled in gold glitter and carrying a prop torch and flame when a treason case against her was finalized in a Phnom Penh court earlier this month.
Taking on Cambodia’s “Lady Liberty”
Theary Seng certainly knows how to attract attention. The prominent Cambodian-American human rights lawyer and activist was dressed as “Lady Liberty”, draped in flowing robes, sprinkled in gold glitter and carrying a prop torch and flame when a treason case against her was in a Phnom Penh court earlier this month. The street theatrics had the required effect of causing a stir and annoying police.
Water torture: Asia‑Pacific’s “WASH” crisis in need of solutions
With cruel symbolism, last month a UN conference focused on water challenges concluded in Jakarta just as floods deluged parts of South Asia and India’s capital New Delhi suffered water shortages during a heatwave. But the problem of water faced in the Asia-Pacific is not only about disasters but security and sustainability. Water access and safety concerns highlight structural weaknesses that have been around for decades.
Musk’s Twitter: Tweet Freedom for Asia? - The News Lens International Edition
What you need to know Japan is the platform’s second biggest market with around 55 million accounts, followed by India. By JJ Rose Now that Elon Musk is the sole owner of Twitter – pending formal regulatory and shareholder sign-offs – it’s fair to say that not only will this change the social media giant, it will impact the landscape of social media generally. That means there are implications for how information will be delivered and consumed in the future.
Musk’s Twitter: Tweet freedom for Asia? Original
Now that Elon Musk is the sole owner of Twitter – pending formal regulatory and shareholder sign-offs – it’s fair to say that not only will this change the social media giant, it will impact the landscape of social media generally. That means there are implications for how information will be delivered and consumed in the future. One of the areas affected will be freedom of information, which has been a deeply fraught and contested space across Asia.
The Problem With Postcards From Myanmar - The News Lens International Edition
By JJ Rose Myanmar is fortunate to have extraordinary travel destinations within its borders. But these tourist jewels have been denied to most foreigners since the pandemic began and then the coup in February 2021. But, after years of closed borders, Myanmar is once again opening up to foreign tourists from April 17. While the country is certainly worth a visit, doing so is a complex consideration and there are weighty personal and political implications.
The problem with postcards from Myanmar
Myanmar is fortunate to have extraordinary travel destinations within its borders. But these tourist jewels have been denied to most foreigners since the pandemic began and then the coup in February 2021. But, after years of closed borders, Myanmar is once again opening up to foreign tourists from 17 April. While the country is certainly worth a visit, doing so is a complex consideration and there are weighty personal and political implications. For individual travellers, there is direct risk.
Will cryptocurrency allow Russia to bust sanctions?
It wasn’t that long ago that sanctions busting was a relatively straightforward, if risky, gig. As Australian wheat exporter AWB showed when Saddam Hussein’s Iraq was under sanction in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was a case of lining up a few officials, throwing in some kickbacks and getting creative on payment terms. Not cheap or easy, but not beyond major organisations such as governments and multinationals. These days, it’s clearly more complicated. But the means are still there.
Commentary: What can Southeast Asia do about all this COVID-19 waste?
SYDNEY: For the last couple of years, virtually every news feed or broadcast has included images of mask-clad people or health workers suited up as protection from COVID-19. While the images might be ephemeral, those masks and personal protective equipment (PPE), along with used test kits and discarded vaccine syringes, are very real.
Asia’s Covid waste dilemma
For the last couple of years, virtually every news feed or broadcast has included images of mask-clad people or health workers suited up as protection from Covid-19. While the images might be ephemeral, those masks and personal protective equipment (PPE), along with used test kits and discarded vaccine syringes, are very real. They eventually have to be disposed of and that is causing a problem across Asia, contributing substantially to the cost that the crisis Covid has already generated.
Olympics Not The Only Games This Year
By JJ Rose In 1971, two table tennis players – American Glenn Cowan and Zhuang Zedong from China – met on the tournament bus on the way to the world championships in Nagoya, Japan.
Commentary: Big sporting moments like Beijing Winter Olympics have been politicised
SYDNEY: In 1971, two table tennis players – American Glenn Cowan and Zhuang Zedong from China – met on the tournament bus on the way to the world championships in Nagoya, Japan.
Olympics not the only games this year
In 1971, two table tennis players – American Glenn Cowan and Zhuang Zedong from China – met on the tournament bus on the way to the world championships in Nagoya, Japan.
Paying the price: Australians want action on climate change
With US President Joe Biden putting climate change at the centre of US foreign policy, Australia is facing increasing pressure from its closest ally to do more. John Kerry, the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, has said the Australian government is not on the “same page” as the rest of the world on environmental issues.
Resisting uncertainty, Malaysia is finding itself
Malaysia is in a quandary, desperately trying to figure out how to resolve political and economic questions. The fragmentation of the Malaysian market for votes is at a point it has never before experienced. In a country where ethnic politics have long dominated, there are the Malays, who are divided at least five ways, and the Chinese, with at least three parties to choose from, and the Indians (who electorally carry much less weight) with three choices.
Your most-read articles on The Interpreter in 2020
We had 70% more page views this year compared to last. With numbers like that, wry office jokes about a potential stock market float for The Interpreter took on a certain edge. It was thrilling to see the value readers put in our articles to help them try to make sense of a year of extraordinary international flux.
Joe Biden’s Pentagon pick sends a message
When President-elect Joe Biden announced retired General Lloyd Austin as his pick for Secretary of Defense this week, US experts were perplexed and decidedly unenthusiastic. Austin’s nomination will require a waiver from Congress, because he has only been separated from the military for four years, not the seven required under law before military officers can serve as Defense Secretary.
Myanmar’s military-backed opposition party stares into political abyss
Myanmar’s main opposition party, the military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), faces an uncertain political future after a dismal showing in this month’s general election, capped by its troubling refusal to recognise the results. For the incumbent National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the margin of victory could hardly have been more emphatic. The NLD won 83% of elected seats (396 in total) in the national legislature – up from 79% in the 2015 poll.
Myanmar election: A fractured process
Myanmar’s general election, scheduled for 8 November, looms as only the second to be completed since the 1962 military coup, and therefore a rarity in the lifetimes of most of Myanmar's voters. The first completed democratic poll since then was in 2015, which resulted in the triumphant return of Aung San Suu Kyi, known across the nation as The Lady, or Daw (mother) Suu, and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Battle for Hong Kong takes on a new shape
Last week marked the first anniversary of one of the more significant moments during the protests in Hong Kong during 2019. The Yuen Long incident, on 21 July 2019, is remembered by many peaceful protesters as a mob attack by white-shirted thugs who many believed to be government-backed members of local Triad gangs. Police arrived late to break up the violence, a move protesters believe was part of a bigger plan. Forty-five protesters were injured, and no one has ever been arrested.
Rohingya in Malaysia, doubly trapped
For some people living in the Ampang district in eastern Kuala Lumpur, self-isolation is nothing new. The area is known for its concentration of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, nestled in the grimy apartments and neighbourhoods of this former tin mining centre, and they haven't been going out for a while. The Rohingya are generally tolerated here, but here as elsewhere across the country, they are denied any real rights or protection from authorities, abuse, rape and kidnapping.
The world still turns, even on lockdown
Indian Deepak-class fleet tanker INS Shakti (A 57) during a replenishment-at-sea exercise as a part of Exercise Malabar 2015 (US Pacific Fleet/Flickr) Covid-19 will no doubt have many long-term consequences for our region that we can now only begin to imagine. One consequence that is easy to imagine in the face of a distracted and internally focused United States will be Australia’s greater reliance on regional security partners, such as Japan and India.
Modern slavery reports, year one: What can we expect?
In 2020, the Commonwealth’s much-heralded Modern Slavery Act (MSA) obliges Australian companies above a consolidated revenue threshold of $100 million to report on their policies and actions relating to ending modern slavery in their supply chains. The issue of modern slavery is fraught, complex, and contested – while its existence is not in doubt, there is no globally agreed definition. Reporting on it, therefore, is challenging on multiple levels.
How China is winning the Hong Kong propaganda war
I have been in touch with “Lee” for a few months now. She is a 20-something Hongkonger heavily involved in the long-running protest movement there, and she has always sounded pretty level-headed and clear in our communications, replying to my queries with long, considered, and helpful answers. Today she seems fraught. I had asked her about whether I could speak to anyone currently involved in the battle at Polytechnic University that has been raging continually for days. Her response was terse.
The Rohingya Football Club
I’ve worked a lot in development areas, but I have never run a charity before. So, when I decided to set up a locally based international aid and development not-for-profit, it was with as much fear as hope. As an ex-player, I turned to football (soccer). The world’s leading team sport by numbers, football has around 250 million registered players. If the world’s registered football players made up a country, it would be about the fourth largest.
Commentary: Have the Hong Kong protesters lost the narrative?
SYDNEY: As the demonstrations roll on in Hong Kong, the narrative surrounding the protests is as unclear as the tear gas clouds in Causeway Bay. While the visual drama tells a certain story, and the #fivedemandsnoless hashtag gives some clues, it’s difficult for many looking on around the world to discern the core point. Advertisement Advertisement That’s not to say there isn’t one – there is likely more than one, in fact – but to argue that none have been effectively communicated.
Hong Kong protesters need a narrative - now
As the demonstrations roll on in Hong Kong, the narrative surrounding the protests is as unclear as the tear gas clouds in Causeway Bay. While the visual drama tells a certain story, and the #fivedemandsnoless hashtag gives some clues, it’s difficult for many looking on around the world to discern the core point. That’s not to say there isn’t one – there is likely more than one, in fact – but to argue that none have been effectively communicated.
Modern slavery is propped up by corporate culture as much as dodgy supply chains
Modern slavery is two things: it is an act and it is an attitude. It is that second fact that will be hardest to deal with. Australian actor Rachel Griffiths speaks to the media after appearing before a modern slavery inquiry last year. (Image: AAP/Joe Castro) Recently, I had the privilege of spending time with an NGO in Thailand that rescues slaves in the fishing trade. I wrote about the experience for the Lowy Institute.
Caught in the net: slavery on Southeast Asian seas
About an hour south of Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, down a dusty, broken-edged road, dotted with grimy stores and street stalls, with the incessant buzz of motorbikes, stands a desolate building complex. Turn right at the festering drain, past the guard dozing in his chair, and the dog licking itself on the pavement, if you look hard, you’ll see an office. A swarm of children race by.
FEATURE | Caught in the net: slavery on Southeast Asian seas
About an hour south of Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, down a dusty, broken-edged road, dotted with grimy stores and street stalls, with the incessant buzz of motorbikes, stands a desolate building complex. Turn right at the festering drain, past the guard dozing in his chair, and the dog licking itself on the pavement, if you look hard, you’ll see an office. A swarm of children race by.
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