Health Minister Says So-Called Swine Flu May be Man Made

Health Minister Says So-Called Swine Flu May be Man Made
Posted: 2009/04/28
From: Mathaba

The North American Influenza (or United States Flu) which is wrongly being called `Swine Flu` is apparently man made as pointed out on independent media networks, and Indonesia`s Health Minister confirms this possibility thus showing true credentials to protect Indonesians

Mathaba.Net - The recent outbreak of so-called Swine Flu has been revealed in several articles on this and other independent news networks, to be man-made according to various experts.

This is not the first time attempts to start a man-made pandemic have been launched, with HIV, Bird Flu, so-called Mad Cow Disease, and Syphilis among other diseases, all having been deliberately spread by Anglo-American military `research` laboratories.

Singapore and other Asian news networks have reported the cautious remarks of Indonesia's Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari as she said on Tuesday that deadly swine flu virus could have been man-made. She urged calm over its spread around the world.

She has said that Western governments could be making and spreading viruses in the developing world to boost pharmaceutical companies' profits. It is well known that senior members of the United States former administration such as Donald Rumsfeld have massive shares in vaccines such as the avian bird flu vaccination.

"I'm not sure whether the virus was genetically engineered but it's a possibility," she told reporters at a press conference called to reassure the public over the government's response to the swine flu threat.

No cases of the disease have been reported in Indonesia, the country worst hit by the bird flu virus which has killed about 250 people worldwide since 2003.

Indonesian authorities have increased body temperature scanners at airports and banned imports of live pigs and pork products, amid World Health Organisation (WHO) warnings of a pandemic.

Supari, a cardiologist, also claimed that the H1N1 strain of swine flu, which is believed to have killed more than 150 people in Mexico, could not survive in tropical countries like Indonesia.

"We have to be alert at all times although swine flu in Indonesia is not a cause for panic," she said.

"H1N1 survives in countries with four seasons. The type A H1N1 virus hopefully won't be able to sustain itself once it enters the tropical climate of Indonesia," she added.

The virus has been found in 11 countries including Mexico, the United States and Spain, while several other countries from Colombia to New Zealand are investigating suspected cases.

Supari said the health ministry had prepared 100 hospitals to handle swine flu cases should the disease enter Indonesia.

The minister has refused since 2006 to share all but a handful of Indonesia's bird flu virus samples with WHO researchers, saying the system is being abused by rich countries to develop profitable vaccines which poor countries must buy.

It is also well-known among informed circles that the WHO itself was responsible for the spread of AIDS to Africa and South East Asia via contaminated vaccines in the 1980's.

World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) says “swine flu” is an inaccurate name for the virus that has sickened nearly 2,000 people in Mexico and 40 people in the United States. The OIE says it is more accurate to call it the “North American Flu”, identifying it geographically, because the new virus has characteristics of swine, avian and human virus components and has NOT been identified in any animals thus far.

The OIE calls for immediate scientific research to determine how susceptible animals would be to the new virus and if any additional biosecurity measures should take place, including possible vaccination of any susceptible animals. The OIE says any positive research findings should ONLY lead to trade protection measures of pigs in the areas of countries where human cases have been confirmed.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. (FAO) is working to determine if the H1N1 flu virus has any connection to pigs. So far, none has been found.

Western controlled media networks have spread the misinformation and misnomer concerning swine flu, which will lead the world's population to the wrong conclusion. "Whilst the man-made killer disease may be made by human swines, the animal pigs have yet to catch it" an observer noted.

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Swine flu 'beyond containment'

Swine flu 'beyond containment'

"Border controls do not work. Screening doesn't work," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said in Geneva.
The swine flu crisis has deepened with the death toll mounting above 150 in Mexico and at least 16 countries reporting confirmed or suspected infections.
The World Health Organisation warned meanwhile that the virus is now too "widespread to make containment a feasible" strategy.

Mexico, epicenter of the outbreak, said 152 people were now believed to have died from swine flu with more than 1,600 people suspected to be carrying the virus. Twenty of the deaths have been confirmed by laboratory tests.

The number of confirmed cases in the United States more than doubled to 44 and Britain and Spain both said they had registered patients sick with swine flu, the first cases in Europe.

Canada has six cases and Israel and New Zealand confirmed their first swine flu casualties.

Suspected victims were being kept under surveillance from Australia (70 cases) to Sweden and Switzerland which had five each.
While countries tightened borders, the WHO said research since the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in 2003 in Asia had shown that border controls were of little use halting the spread of such a virus.

"Border controls do not work. Screening doesn't work," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said in Geneva.

"If a person has been exposed or infected... the person might not be symptomatic at the airport," he said. "We learn as we go on. SARS was a huge learning experience for all of us."

WHO assistant general secretary Keiji Fukuda warned on Monday that the virus would be impossible to contain.
"I think that in this age of global travel where people move around in airplanes so quickly, there is no region to which this virus could not spread," said Fukuda.

Fukuda said that WHO experts decided at a WHO meeting on Monday that the virus is too "widespread to make containment a feasible" strategy and that the UN health agency did not recommend closing borders or restricting travel.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown ordered a meeting of the government's top emergency preparations committee on to discuss the swine flu crisis.

"Swine flu is an international problem now, it's crossed two continents, it's got to be dealt with by international agreements," said Brown.

In Asia, South Korea said it was investigating one suspected infection, while at least three people have been confirmed as New Zealand's first swine flu cases but 10 are assumed to have caught the virus, Health Minister Tony Ryall said.

WHO officials in China said they were investigating several people with suspicious symptoms, but played down the chances that any were likely infected.

Japan said it would temporarily tighten visa restrictions for Mexican nationals as part of efforts to stop the virus entering the country.

It also booked 500 hotel rooms near Tokyo's Narita airport in case infected travellers need to be quaratined, Jiji Press news agency reported.

An Israeli man recently returned from Mexico has been confirmed to have contracted the Middle East's first case of swine flu, Israeli military radio reported.

Dmitry Lvov, head of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Virology, said that the risk of a worldwide pandemic "is very high. It could reach Russia in a week."

"It all depends on whether the new countries affected can contain its development," said Lvov.

Australian authorities said Tuesday they were investigating 70 possible cases of swine flu and cautioned against travel to Mexico.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd vowed to devote "all necessary resources" to the evolving flu threat, as possible cases of the disease more than doubled, covering all but one of the country's states and territories.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned the new multi-strain virus, which is believed to be a mix of a human flu virus and an avian flu that first came from swine, risked triggering a global pandemic.

"We are concerned that this virus could cause a new influenza pandemic. It could be mild in its effect or potentially be severe," Ban told reporters.
"We don't know yet which way it will go but we are concerned that in Mexico most of those who died were young and healthy adults."

Fears the virus disease could further hit the struggling global economy spooked investors, with stocks in Europe's leading markets sliding in opening trade, following sharp losses in Asia.

Oil prices suffered new falls amid worries that the outbreak would hurt air travel and hit demand.

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Swine Flu Update

Swine Flu Update

* The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised its alert level over swine flu from three to four - two steps short of declaring a full pandemic.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8021827.stm
.
* First case of swine flu was reported on 13 April 2009.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8021827.stm
.
* Affected so far…
Mexico: 26 confirmed cases (Mexico puts suspected deaths at 149, more than 1,600 suspected cases)
United States: 40 confirmed cases
Canada: 6 confirmed cases
Spain: 1 confirmed case
UK: Scotland says tests confirm 2 cases
Israel, Brazil, Guatemala, Peru, Australia and New Zealand: Suspected cases being tested
.
* There are antiviral drugs, including Tamiflu, that have been shown to be effective, but they need to be taken within days of the first symptoms.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/27/health/main4970352.shtml


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Steer Clear

Steer Clear

A few days ago, I commented on the AWARE saga. One thing I will say about the saga is that the Singapore government did the right thing by not intervening in it; it is a policy I think they should continue.

Despite some internet chatter that the New Guard is a political conspiracy, anyone with half a brain knows that it is nonsense. Why would the Singapore government bother with AWARE when they can just ignore them? So I’m quite perturbed when I read that Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan had commented on the AWARE saga as he warned the two warring groups "keep religion above the fray of petty politics".

Although he interjected that the Singapore government has no intention of intervening in the AWARE saga, as a government minister his words will still represent the government. As I said earlier, I do not believe the Singapore government should get involved in a strictly internal matter within AWARE. To me, this is an issue between 2 groups of women with vastly different views. Despite what people may say about the New Guard stealth takeover of AWARE, I think everyone will agree that their stand against homosexuality is more in line with Singapore society than teaching homosexuality as ‘neutral’ (whatever the hell that means).

The AWARE saga is something that only members of AWARE can clear up and I strongly believe that the Singapore government should steer clear of the whole mess.

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Singapore’s ‘Culture Wars’: Fragmenting Politics

Singapore’s ‘Culture Wars’: Fragmenting Politics

liberal_boy1Every Singaporean longs for the day when ‘race’ and ‘religion’ cease to be markers of difference in society. And to a large extent they have. For most post-1965 Singaporeans, the politics of ‘race’ and ‘religion’ are but ancient and anecdotal lessons hermeneutically sealed in history textbooks unlike the stark realities of a bygone era their parents grew up in. Through a combination of stern warnings from the People’s Action Party (PAP) government and institutions like the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act of 1991, race and religion have never played a significant role in civil society or electoral politics since independence. That’s the good news.

The not-so-bad news is that new issues have emerged over the last decade or so to replace the traditional faultlines of ‘race’ and ‘religion’. A growing list of hot button issues like homosexuality, abortion, euthanasia, the casinos, censorship and so on, has become integral to the politics of identity in contemporary Singapore. These hot-button issues have a tendency to divide Singaporeans, irrespective of age, gender or ethnicity, based on their ideological worldview of these lifestyle choices.

Such politics of division are, of course, not new. The American ‘culture wars’ first caught the popular imagination when presidential hopeful Pat Buchanan delivered his famous campaign speech to the Republican National Convention in 1992. Referring to liberal ideologies over controversial issues as abortion, affirmative action, and arts funding, Buchanan urged Republicans to declare “a war for the nation’s soul.” In his book Culture Wars: The Struggle for America, sociologist James Davison Hunter examined the phenomenon as the struggle between the ‘orthodox’ (conservative or traditional) and ‘progressive’ (liberal or modern) camps in spheres of interests like law, education, arts, the family, and politics. For Hunter, the ‘culture wars’ were unlike conventional religious and cultural conflicts that historically divided the nation between the religious and the secular but along ‘orthodox’ and ‘progressive’ ideological worldviews that cut across established moral and religious communities.

These hot button issues are complex because they contain a wide variety of polarities. Take the AWARE saga for example. The conflict currently playing out is not just a straightforward struggle between the pro-gay and anti-gay camps, but also between orthodox and progressive Christians, not to mention between civic secularists and cultural conservatives. The 2007 debate over Section 377A of the Penal Code was similarly complex. The casino debate in 2004 was also more than a conflict between religious and non-religious people but also between moral conservatives and cultural libertarians, and between conservative economists and economic pragmatists. On the immediate horizon is the workshop on so-called ‘end-of-life’ issues by the euthanasia expert Philip Nitschke to be held next month. Dr Nitschke, head of Exit International, a centre that promotes euthanasia, will speak on concerns such as advanced medical directives and will be sure to provoke a backlash.

Simply put, as Singapore confirms its status as a global city, as it engages with the growing influx of ideas and institutions, it will be increasingly become more fragmented along ‘orthodox’ and ‘progressive’ worldviews which, in turn, have a multitude of agenda and interests behind them.

This is why Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan’s recent observation in the wake of the AWARE saga misses the point. He was quoted in the local media as saying:

If you allow these single issues [the gay issue] to dominate and hijack your agenda, I think you are not going succeed and it’s going to be counter productive.

But such ‘single issues’ are both deep and wide in terms of the agenda behind them. 377A and the casino debate were also ‘single issues’ that carried deeply held beliefs by a wide variety of camps. These hot button issues are not ‘single issues’ or one-off debates but symptoms of an on-going conflict between orthodoxy and progressives.

This conflict may not necessarily be a bad thing. These hot button issues will make policy-decisions more complicated. It will make Singapore politics more sophisticated because the PAP will have to speak to a variety of constituents and decide which to court. There would be more bargaining and negotiating as the ruling party will have no choice but to bear in mind the deeply held values of a wide array of people. This fragmentation of identities will lead to a fragmentation of politics.

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Singapore-based company collaborating with company owned by Burmese drug lord to build Myanmar’s new airport

Myanmar’s military government is constructing a new international airport in the administrative capital Naypyidaw that will be able to handle 10.5 million passengers a year. (Source: AFP)

The project is handled jointly by private company Asia World and Singapore-based CPG Consultants which drew up the blueprints:

What’s so unusual about this business collaboration between a Burmese and Singapore company?

The Chairman of Asia World is Lo Hsing Han, a former Burmese drug trafficker and present-day major Burmese business tycoon, with financial ties to Singapore.

In June 1992, he founded the Asia World Company, allegedly as a front for his drug operations. His son, Steven Law (aka Tun Myint Naing), married to Cecilia Ng of Singapore in 1996, runs the company which won many multimillion-dollar contracts in the construction and energy sectors. (source: Wikipedia)

Although Singapore is proud of its mandatory death penalty for small-time narcotics smugglers and heroin addicts, both father and son travel freely in and out of the friendly island-nation. “The family money is offshore,” said a high-level US narcotics official. “The old man is a convicted drug trafficker, so his kid is handling the financial activities.” (source: Burma-Singapore axis)

Singapore’s ventures with Asia World include both government and private investments. Kuok Singapore Ltd., a partner with Asia World in many ventures, was Burma’s largest single real estate investor as of late 1996, with over $650 million invested. 20 Other Singaporean companies are mentioned in Asia Worlds company reports.

In February 2008, the US Treasury placed economic sanctions on Steven Law, his father, Lo Hsing Han, and his wife, Cecilia Ng, as well as various companies in which they are involved, calling them “key financial operatives of the Burmese regime”. (source: DPA)

CPF Consultants is formerly known as the Public Works Department prior to its corporatization in 1999 and was owned by Temasek Holdings:

(Source: CPG Corp)

In 2003, CPG was sold by Temasek Holdings to Australia’s Downer EDI for $131 million dollars. It is not known if Temasek retained any shares in CPG after the transaction.

Singapore is the second largest foreign investor in Myanmar after Thailand. Besides CPG, a host of other Singapore companies including Government-linked companies have considerable business interests in Myanmar.

Collectively known as Singapore Inc, they gather around the $150 billion state-owned investment house Temasek Holdings, controlled by Singapore’s long-ruling Lee family.

With an estimated $3 billion invested in Burma (and more than $20 billion in Australia), Singapore Inc companies have been some of the biggest investors in and supporters of Burma’s military junta - this while its Government, on the rare times it is asked, gently suggests a softly-softly diplomatic approach toward the junta.

Singaporean government companies, such as the arms supplier Singapore Technologies has sent guns, rockets, armoured personnel carriers and grenade launchers to the blood-thirsty military junta of Myanmar. (read report here)

Many Western countries either ban or discourage investment in Myanmar as a way of pressuring its ruling junta to improve its poor human rights record and hand over power to a democratically elected government.

In contrast, Singapore has long advocated engagement with the military junta. Over the years, Singapore companies have invested heavily especially in the oil and energy sector of Myanmar.

A Singapore Association of Myanmar was set up in 1993 “to assist and provide channels of support among
Singapore companies and interests in Myanmar.”

Given the close economic ties between the two nations, it is little wonder that Singapore has an orchid named after Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein (read here).

Will Lo Hsing Han be rewarded one day with an orchid’s name or medal for his efforts in promoting Myanmar-Singapore relations and trade?

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MOE rebukes Dr Thio Su Mien’s claims about sexuality education in schools

MOE rebukes Dr Thio Su Mien’s claims about sexuality education in schools

The Ministry of Education has issued an official statement on its website today in reply to recent comments and claims about AWARE’s Sexuality Education Programme in Schools.

The sexual education programme started in 2007 and has reached about 12 secondary schools, run for small groups of students selected by their teachers to attend. To date 500 students, mostly girls, have attended the workshop, which comprises two three-hour sessions. It was only recently offered to boys.

The schools that engaged AWARE found that the content and messages of the sessions conducted were appropriate for their students and adhered to guidelines to respect the values of different religious groups. The schools did not receive any negative feedback from students or parents who attended the workshops and talks.

In particular, MOE has also not received any complaint from parents or Dr Thio Su Mien, who was reported to have made specific claims about sexuality education in our schools. MOE has contacted Dr Thio Su Mien to seek clarifications and facts to substantiate her claims. (read full release here)

Dr Thio revealed during a hastily-arranged interview by the new AWARE Exco last week that she was concerned about the neutral stance adopted by Aware’s comprehensive sexuality education programme (CSE) in schools towards homosexuality. (read article here)

This has led her to email fellow members of her Church and friends to join AWARE to change its direction:

“Aware is a woman’s organization which conducts comprehensive sexual programmes for girls and it runs this programme in some of the schools. They encourage girls to express their full sexuality and this includes experimenting with other girls. It would be a good idea to join it and change its focus to other problems of women and families.” (read rest of email here)

In her conversations with parents, she insinuated that AWARE’s sex education programme may lead to the promotion of same-sex marriages as an acceptable social norm in Singapore:

‘I started thinking, ‘Hey, parents, you better know what’s happening,” she said.

‘I talked to parents. I said: You better do something about this, otherwise your daughter will come back and say, ‘Mum, I want to marry my girlfriend.’

When pointed out that Aware’s programme was already in 30 schools, she said: ‘The suggestion is that in this programme, young girls from 12 to 18 are taught that it’s okay to experiment with each other.

‘And this is something which should concern parents in Singapore. Are we going to have an entire generation of lesbians?’

There is an obvious discrepancy between Dr Thio’s personal observation and the official release from MOE. If there are parents concerned about the programme, why didn’t MOE receive any complaints from them or Dr Thio in particular?

Senior Minister of State for Education S Iswaran also said there are guidelines in place for sexuality education programmes in schools and no parents have complained so far. (read article here)

He urged parties involved in the AWARE saga to get the facts right, before commenting on such programmes in schools. (read article here)

As a senior lawyer with many years of working experience, Dr Thio should have substantiated her claims before hurling unfounded accusations at the old AWARE exco for promoting a homosexual agenda.

Dr Thio’s original assertion about the CSE which prompted her to email fellow Church members to launch a takeover of AWARE is therefore both flawed and misinformed since no parents share the same sentiments as her.

We cannot have our school programmes being maligned and hijacked by scheming individuals to serve their own personal agenda which will undermine the public trust and confidence in Singapore’s education.

Dr Thio could have written to MOE to express her reservations about the programme if she is really troubled instead of airing her own personal views in public without concrete evidence to back them up.

MOE should consider taking appropriate legal actions against Dr Thio if she is unable or reluctant to produce a reasonable explanation for her words.

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