A cyclone in Myanmar has left at least 10000 people dead with an additional 3000 missing and presumed dead. The disaster drew a rare acceptance of outside help by the military junta which moved Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) further into further isolation over the past month because of its bloody crackdown on Buddhist monks who led a protest last September.
Implications/Analysis/Comments/Remarks
This situation calls for an immediate resolution because unlike the Tibet protests which are still raging, this situation is totally different because Tibetans only want independence, but even if they don't get it, Tibet will still be OK. In Myanmar, on the other hand, the junta is being even more ruthless & brutal than the Chinese are to Tibet because in Tibet, the situation was caused by humans while in Myanmar, the disaster is natural and without aid, we have a catastrophe on our hands
A bus in Shanghai exploded when a passenger carried combustible/explosive devices on board while the bus was being driven along Huangxing Road in northern Shanghai's Yangpu district, killing 3 people and wounding 12 others. Whether or not this an attempted terrorist plot is unclear, according to police.
Implications/Analysis/Comments/Remarks: This certainly doesn't help China's psyche at a time when many Chinese citizens are already on edge because of international concern, consternation & condemnation of the way that the Tibet crisis is being handled.
City
An Indonesian domestic helper, Suwartin, a 45-year-old divorcee with two sons, illegally had sex with her employers' 14-year-old son at the family's home in Tseung Kwan O, according to a report released simultaneously by the SCMP and Yahoo News. According to testimony heard by a court, the boy and the helper had sex for an initial period of five months after watching pornographic films together. When the boy asked her to stop their sexual encounters, the helper refused and they had sex three more times over the next few weeks. Police only learned about the situation when the boy called a Christian concern group to complain about the Indonesian woman's unwanted sexual advances. The helper was charged with 5 counts, including committing an indecent act with a minor between August, 2007 and January of this year. She pleaded not guilty to three other unspecified charges after the prosecution decided not to pursue those charges further.
Implications/Analysis/Comments/Remarks
This is the first sex scandal to hit Hong Kong since Edison Cheng, Gillian Chung & Bobo Chan were embroiled in a sex scandal in February. However, this case is more serious as it involved an underaged minor. The helper's excuse was that she was lonely, but a possible explanation for this woman's action that could be used for an alibi is that in Indonesia, people get married as early as 15 and have children 1 year later although this extramarital affair with a minor is certainly illegal and cannot be condoned
