Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by jonoave

'Queen of Dragons': The inside story of Malaysia's

jonoave — Sat, 12 May 2018 16:33:51 +0800

Sorry if posted before, didn't find it with search. Some interesting bits.

QUOTE

Hannah Yeoh is a natural target for the online hate mob. Young, female, successful and highly visible. Since her election to the state assembly in the Malaysian state of Selangor in 2008, she has faced the usual kind of abuse on social media—insinuations about her marriage, the occasional death threat.

Last year, it metastasised. In May when university lecturer Kamarul Zaman Yusoff put a post on Facebook alleging that Yeoh’s 2014 memoir, Becoming Hannah, which includes a discussion of the role of her Christian faith in her decision to enter politics, presented a persuasive case for Christianity. The stories in it, he said, could “coax, influence and instigate” people to convert, and thus amounted to proselytising—a crime in Malaysia, where two systems of law, civil and shariah, run in parallel.

QUOTE

“There is [now] this siege mentality that somehow there is an attempt by the Chinese to try to carve a larger political space, or even to carve a larger political space for Christians,” says Mohamed Nawab Osman, who heads the Malaysia program at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

It was in this environment that Syarul Ema Rena Abu Samah found her calling. In 2008 she was a relatively minor blogger, albeit a politically well-connected one – her mother had been a regional communications head for the party; her husband is a former youth leader. She was tangentially involved in the party’s online strategy, and taught a few classes on how to make infographics, but as Barisan Nasional started to gear up to fight the next election, she was invited into the tent.

By 2013, she had built a network of 80 cybertroopers who ran thousands of fake social media accounts, that created and amplified falsehoods to undermine opposition to the government.

QUOTE

“We would take names and pictures from [social media accounts in] Indonesia or the Philippines and make a fake account, acting like an opposition supporter. We’d come up with racist statements… then we’d print screen and spread it everywhere,” she says in an interview in her lawyer’s office in Kuala Lumpur.

If a major story broke that would damage the government, her network would create a distraction. “If an issue like [a major corruption scandal] comes up, people get angry. But you throw out an issue like: ‘this Chinese fella mocks our people’, they will focus on that.”

Sometimes they targeted specific politicians. One 2014 post that she showed to WIRED was a faked quote from Theresa Kok, an opposition member of parliament. Kok had been arrested in May of that year and charged with sedition for a YouTube video in which she allegedly made jokes about Malaysia being an unsafe place to live. Syarul Ema’s post shows Kok saying that she saw nothing wrong with offending Malays—tacitly admitting to the charges. Kok filed a police report.

During the interview Syarul Ema, an intense, round-faced 35-year-old, vacillates between contrition and barely suppressed pride at her ability to shape political narratives. “I have said sorry,” she says. “Publicly.”

QUOTE

Twenty-four hours before polling stations opened, a video began to circulate on WhatsApp. It began with footage of a scuffle in the street, then cut to an Indian member of Barisan Nasional giving an angry piece-to-camera, alleging that he had been assaulted by a DAP activist who had insulted his mother and religion. It was a lie, entirely masterminded by Syarul Ema.

“I gave him a script,” Syarul Ema says. “I asked him to say: ‘if you love your religion, you need to go and vote for Barisan Nasional and make sure that the DAP loses’.” The DAP lost the seat by 500 votes.

Sos: http://www.wired.co.uk/article/election-ma...2008-syarul-ema

Funded masters/PhD program around the world

jonoave — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 17:35:17 +0800

Someone shared this link on facebook, thought it might be useful to anyone out there thinking of pursuing masters or PhD overseas:

https://laitestinfo.blogspot.my/2017/09/ful...ml?spref=fb&m=1

All the best!

Driving license for minivan?

jonoave — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 16:38:18 +0800

Hi guys,

Some of my friends from overseas are planning go for holidays in Sarawak and thinking of renting a minivan/van (for about 10 people) for a few days.

Would a regular driving licence from overseas be ok for driving a minivan? Or do you need a different class of driving licence?

Thanks!

Debit card for online transactions

jonoave — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 19:41:33 +0800

Hi all,

Sorry if this topic has been asked many times - but my questions are more specific.

I'm currently a user of Big prepaid that I use for online purchases and transactions.
But I was thinking of closing that account and switching to CIMB (I already have savings account there).

I want to ask:
1. Can the CIMB debit card be used for online transactions, for global websites e.g. Amazon.com or other websites etc.

2. What kind of security does the CIMB debit card have for online transaction? I hate the secure word one-time thing. Cos I'm mostly overseas and using a local sim without access to my local number at the moment.

3. I also come across the CIMB Kwik thing. Is there any big difference with the CIMB debit card? Any pros/cons when it comes to online purchases?

I'd appreciate feedback from people who are using these cards. Thanks!

Kena extra screening at airport today

jonoave — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 04:51:12 +0800

Today I was returning to Dresden (Germany) after a few weeks holiday in Malaysia. This is my 3rd time back to Malaysia for holidays within 2 years. All this time pass by no problem cos I have a visa.

Transit through Frankfurt no problem. But at Dresden, I kena flagged upon exit. The custom officer was asking me whether I stay in Germany or holiday, so I showed my visa. My luggage and backpack kena screened again. I takut he ask to buka my luggage, which mostly contain instant noodles and spice mixes. Lucky he never did

Then he ask about the laptop, a Macbook Pro 13. He asked me to power it on (I guess he scared it might be a concealed explosive). Then he asked how long ago was the laptop used (or bought?) and whether I buy it here in Germany or from home. I said it was work-issued, not mine. Here got a bit of communication problem, cos my German isn't the best and most likely I answered wrongly or I don't quite fully understand his questions.

After him repeating the question (and me repeating my answer), I think he was confused cos I said it's issued by work but it has an international keyboard (German keyboard layout is a bit different). So I said my work is an international place and it was standard issue for everyone. Lucky got the AppleCare International Warranty Care sticker on the back with the company name, so he finally believed me.

I guess with the recent Charlie Hesbo shooting, now travellers from Malaysia on priority watch list?

tl;dr - Malaysians sudah naik pangkat on airport security list.

inb4 muka minta penumbuk.

Iranian is first woman

jonoave — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 05:53:17 +0800

Iranian is first woman to nab highest prize in maths

QUOTE

The International Mathematical Union (IMU) has revealed on its website the winners of the 2014 Fields medals, considered the highest honour in mathematics. The four young medallists — including Maryam Mirzakhani, the first female winner since the prizes were established in 1936 — have been selected for their contributions to topics ranging from dynamical systems to the geometry of numbers and the solution of equations of the type that describe many physical phenomena.

http://www.nature.com/news/iranian-is-firs...n-maths-1.15686

Congratulations and kudos to her.

inb4 woman should go back to making sammiches.