“AVOID conversations with unknown people on Telegram.” “Don’t open links unless you know the source.”

Wise advice from Malaysian authorities to keep our young people safe from militant threats online?

Sadly, no.

These little cyber safety nuggets, instead, come from an Islamic State (IS) manual for its members on how to “keep safe” online from hacking collective Anonymous, which declared cyberwar on the terrorist organisation after the Paris attacks in November.

And this manual is a mere appendix to a detailed best practices guide IS has circulated among its members to help them cover their tracks online and thwart surveillance.

Uncovered by researchers from the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point’s military academy in New York last year, the guide even comes with 24-hour customer support service!

Now try any of the cyber security initiatives for young people run by local agencies and authorities, like Cybersecurity Malaysia and the Malaysian Communications and Multi-media Commission – IS is not mentioned on their sites as one of the online threats youths are facing today, what more advice on protection against cyber militants.

Don’t even look for any counter messaging against IS propaganda.

While a spokesperson says that the MCMC does use various programmes such as talks, workshops and other events to warn the public about the danger of IS, it doesn’t seem to do so anywhere online that we could find.

To say that we are losing to IS in the online war on terror is an understatement.

As local terrorism expert Ahmad El-Muhammady sees it, “We have been gunned down by the IS media team.”

We have to admit that we are not up to the mark in countering IS social media strength, says the International Islamic University of Malaysia lecturer who has been working closely with Malaysian police on militant research and rehabilitation programmes.

“We don’t understand the way they work. In fact, we don’t even study them properly before fighting them,” he feels.

The Government’s announcement at the recent International Conference on Deradicalization and Countering Violent Extremism in Kuala Lumpur that a regional digital centre to counter IS propaganda will be set up this May could not come any sooner.

Ahmad points out that Bukit Aman Counter Terrorism division principal assistant director Datuk Ayub Khan Mydin Pitchay had highlighted as far back as May last year that around 95% to 98% of Malaysians were recruited via social media.

That we are still using the “old style” to address this issue is a big problem, says Ahmad.

“We failed to reach out to the youth because we are using an outdated medium of communication while the militant group is far more advanced than us in capitalising on new technology, IT, social media and HD videos to spread its ideology.

“Generation Y communicates more electronically or virtually than Generation X.

“Ceramah (public talks) for the public is good but we have to admit, it has certain limitations. If we continue on this path, I’m not optimistic we will win hearts or this battle,” he says.

It is urgently vital to take the fight online, he stresses, as he indicates his support of the plans for the anti-IS regional digital centre.

To be fair, plans for the Regional Digital Counter-messaging Communication Centre (RDC3) were first mooted last September, and the Malaysian police, with the cooperation of agencies like the MCMC and the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), have been working hard to track IS followers and fight, if not stop, the influence of the militant group. A number of terror attempts have been foiled.

The number of Malaysians being recruited, however, has not declined. It is, in fact, growing.

To date, it is estimated that over 150 Malaysian citizens have been arrested for terrorism-related activities.

At least 47 Malaysians are reported to be with the militant group in Syria and Iraq. Some 200 Malaysian and Indonesian fighters primed for “specialised missions” – as snipers and suicide bombers – have been detected in the Malay-speaking arm of the IS, Katibah Nusantara.

The number of potential “lone wolf” attackers in the country is unknown.

The RDC3 can help us effectively combat the terror group on its most critical frontier, notes Ahmad, and hopefully stem the flow of Malaysians joining IS.

While the details of the new centre have not been disclosed, it is confirmed that the RDC3 will be modelled on the Sawab Center, a joint initiative by the UAE and the US governments launched last July in Abu Dhabi to counter IS online propaganda and recruitment drives.

As alluded by its name “Sawab” – which in Arabic means “doing the right thing” or “being on the right path” – the centre aims to promote “true Islam” through online communication and social media to present a more “attractive” alternative to the extremist narrative of IS.

One of its objectives, states the Sawab Center’s media arm, is to amplify the voices of moderation against IS by using social media platforms and allow the silent majority to express its opinions.

Soon after its inception, the Sawab Center launched a Twitter account, @SawabCenter, which was followed by a hashtag campaign #CampaignToReportDaeshSupporters encouraging Twitter users to report content and users spreading Daesh (IS) propaganda.

In December, the centre launched an Instagram account.

Other online campaigns include #exposing-Daesh-lies to increase public awareness of the militant group, #DaeshDeniesHerDignity to debunk the “glamour” of jihadi brides, and most recently, #DeludedFollowers, to expose IS tactics to recruit foreign fighters from across the globe.

With more than 30,000 followers on social media, the Sawab Center may still have some way to go considering that there are some 100 million youths aged 15 to 29 in the Middle East alone, but its campaigns are gaining traction, hitting over 420 million views after six months.

Ahmad believes the Sawab Center is a good model to follow in Malaysia’s digital efforts to combat IS.

“Besides ceramah and public talks, we need to create short video clips, posters to be shared online, short messages to be spread via smartphones and social media, to explain and inform the public about how IS deviates from the true teachings of Islam.”

However, he stresses, it is imperative for Malaysia to make the necessary changes to suit local needs and the ever changing scenarios of today.

Echoing Ahmad’s stand on the need to tailor the RDC3’s IS counter-narrative to the local and regional context, the Foreign Policy and Security Studies director at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia, Elina Noor, stresses the importance of substance in the content of the messages.

“Ideally, this should not be a copy-and-paste job from other regions. The messages can draw from examples outside the region and even address, for example, foreign policy grievances but, ultimately, they should speak to the local context of the target audience.

“If the messages are meant for a Malaysian audience, they should be tailored to fit a Malaysian audience. Similarly for other countries in the region. This will require an intimate understanding of local conditions, even local drivers of grievances, and being honest enough about confronting some uncomfortable political issues, real or perceived.”

Elina also believes that it is key to stress this region’s religious and cultural diversity.

To quote her from her recent article on the digital initiative in a local daily, we need to “boldly recapture the historical testimony of this country and South-East Asia”, and reclaim this region’s “brand of faith – in word and practice – (which is) … long marked by accommodation, tolerance and acceptance”.

Crucially, she reiterates, this message will only be effective in countering the extremist ideology that IS peddles if it is matched in speech and practice in our daily lives.

“We cannot preach how God created nations and tribes among us so that we may get to know each other, yet retreat into our communal cocoons barbed with hateful rhetoric and action.”

Another point to be considered is the moniker Islamic State for the militant group which is widely used here, says Elina who prefers to use the term “Daesh”.

“If we choose to use the term ‘Islamic State’ because it is a convenient shorthand in the English medium, we should always pair it up with ‘the so-called’ or ‘the self-professed/proclaimed’. I am more inclined to use the phrase ‘Daesh’ because there are derogatory undertones to the term. As you may know, while Daesh is the acronym for what the group calls itself in Arabic, acronyms are not as commonly used in Arabic as they are in English. My understanding is that ‘Da’esh’ is one word away from the word ‘daa’ash’, which means to trample or crush underfoot.”

Equally important is for the authorities to get their messaging uniformly right, she argues.

“I have seen the word ‘jihad’ used in a government media broadcast and in police press releases when describing the activities of Malaysian fighters in Syria and Iraq. We should avoid this completely if we are to effectively convey the message that what groups like Daesh and their supporters/sympathisers are doing is wrong. We cannot sell the message of condemnation of those activities on the one hand yet inadvertently legitimise it by associating them with ‘jihad’ on the other.”

On the medium of messaging for RDC3, Elina pushes for the inclusion of Bahasa Malaysia, along with other relevant languages in the region, depending on the target audience.

To appeal to the young, however, the language of messaging should avoid the tone of preaching or lecturing, she stresses.

“This can come across as patronising. Rather, it should sow doubt, particularly in the minds of those thinking about travelling to fight in Syria and Iraq, intellectually challenge them, and offer constructive alternative options for those seeking to effect some kind of change.

“This will, after all, be a battle of ideas so those in charge of RDC3 will need to set a high intellectual bar to empower people to make the right decisions for themselves. There will no doubt need to be constant tweaking along the way to get the messaging just right.”

Arroyo was arrested in 2011 on electoral fraud charges in connection with the 2007 elections, but was allowed bail in 2012. Before she could be freed, however, the Sandiganbayan ordered her arrest on charges of plunder, involving alleged misuse of P366 million in intelligence funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office when she was President.

The 112th Branch of the Pasay City Regional Trial Court has yet to open Arroyo’s trial for electoral fraud.

She has won an order from the Supreme Court temporarily stopping her trial for plunder.

Arroyo has questioned court resolutions that denied her right to seek a ruling on the sufficiency of the evidence against her.

She also claims that detention has worsened her many ailments.

Duterte, who served as presidential consultant on public order in Arroyo’s administration, said Arroyo, like ordinary citizens, was entitled to a speedy trial.

“If [the prosecution] is not ready, every time the case is called for hearing, [the court] should dismiss [the charges] because [the delay also] delays justice,” Duterte said.

Why Tondo

Duterte and his running mate, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, will launch their campaign in Tondo, Manila, on Tuesday.

READ: Duterte-Cayetano proclamation rally: Why in Tondo?

Manila Rep. Amado Bagatsing said on Saturday that Duterte and Cayetano chose Tondo to dramatize the need to rescue the Filipinos from poverty.

“Tondo mirrors the true state and image of Filipinos who are trying to break free from extreme poverty,” Bagatsing, who is running for mayor of Manila under Duterte’s PDP-Laban, said in a statement.

The choice of Tondo also has a historical significance for Duterte, Bagatsing said.

Tondo is the birthplace of national hero Andres Bonifacio, a brave leader of the revolution against Spain who was known for his sympathy for the poor, Bagatsing said.

“Bonifacio and Duterte have so much in common aside from being born of the working class. They symbolize our people’s burning desire to break loose from poverty and oppression,” he said. With a report from Nancy C. Carvajal

He is very happy to display his pictures because it means that he is helping to promote painting activities and art in Vientiane and helping inspire Lao children to pick up a paintbrush someday.

Soukhaseum is hosting the exhibition because he wants to encourage more people to take a deeper interest in painting and see the importance of art and culture and ensure its preservation for future generati ons, as well as supporting disadvantaged children in Laos.

Soukhaseum was born on August 1, 1947, at Vat Chan village, Chanthabouly district, Vientiane. He lived in London, England, for a long time, but at the moment he is visiting his birthplace in Laos.

He recalls that he started to practice painting when he was young, producing hundreds of pictures, and many people liked his artworks.

After finishing secondary school, he studied art at the Fine Art School in Vientiane from 1962-1966.

When he finished his studies there, he was asked to teach at the school due to the lack of art teachers at the time. After teaching there for several years, he moved to continue on with higher level studies at a technical college in Vientiane.

However, during his time studying at the college, as an active student he thought that the course was not enough for him because he felt that he was not fulfilling his artistic potential.

So, he eagerly planned to study abroad at a higher level, moved to England and studied at the Chelsea School of Art and Design, in London, in 1972. Studying there made him feel strongly that the move was right in order to fulfill his artistic development, and finally he received a Diploma in Art and Design with distinction.

When he finished his studies he made a decision to live in England because he enjoyed living aboard even though he still loved his motherland.

He started to participate in painting exhibitions in 1963 and painting competitions in 1966 and won numerous prizes. After that he held and took part in many art exhibitions in England and Laos.

After leaving Laos in 1972, he returned to visit his birthplace in Vientiane for the first time in 1990.

Since 1990, he has been back to visit Laos several times. On each occasion, he has produced several artworks, which he left in Laos with the thought that one day when he held an exhibition he could use them and also allow other artists to look at them and gain inspiration.

Besides the current exhibition, there was an auction that lasted from January 26 to February 2. The winner was Kiengkham Rasasombath with a bid of US$800.

Some 40 percent of the money from the auction went towards helping children from the northern provinces, and 60 percent went to the maintenance of the exhibition venue and supporting local artists.

Soukhaseum said that he is very happy to visit Laos again and hold another exhibition. Years ago, he hosted many exhibitions but after that he did not host an exhibition in Laos for a long time. So, this is a special exhibition because he has prepared various colourful paintings to go on display.

“I think it is important to share my passion and expertise in art among the people of Laos. I also feel the need to share the skills and knowledge I have gained.”

“Using myself as an example, I wish to inspire other artists as to see what can be achieved if you put your mind, heart and soul into something. From my experience, you have to work extremely hard in order to succeed and be successful in what you do.”

“As an example, if you don’t look after a flower by giving it the water and nutrients it needs, then it will never grow to be beautiful in return,” he said.

The Deputy Director of Maison de la Culture de Ban Naxay or Cultural Exhibition House of Naxay village, Ms Xayprani Chanthalangsy said that Soukhaseum is an active professional artist who works hard at his painting and when he holds exhibitions, the funds raised go towards supporting other Lao artists and helping local children.

She congratulated him on his great success in his profession and urged Vientiane residents to visit the exhibition which is currently on show at the Cultural Exhibition House of Naxay, on Sisangvone Road, Naxay village, Xaysettha district, which runs from January 26 to February 16.

Shwe Mann, the No.3 in the junta that ran Myanmar for half a century before giving way to a semi-civilian government in 2011,grew closer to Suu Kyi in the legislature’s last term, becoming a key adviser since her massive election win in November.

The elections, in which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won 80 percent of the elected seats, kicked off a lengthy transition that will end on April 1, when the new government officially begins its term.

The NLD-dominated parliament started its term this week. The appointment of Shwe Mann, a former speaker of parliament, will allow Suu Kyi to draw on his deep understanding of the army and the outgoing government to boost her firepower in the assembly.

Shwe Mann, who lost to an NLD candidate in last year’s elections and is not a member of parliament, will lead a panel on legal affairs consisting MPs, technocrats and members of the military, who advise on legislation.

“Its duty is giving advice to the parliament, through the speaker, on legal and special matters,” said prominent writer and political analyst Pe Myint.

Parliament television broadcast live images of the vote on the appointment.

The panel, formally known as the Legal Affairs and Examination of Special Matters Commission, is one Shwe Mann himself set up in 2011, to tackle parliament’s lack of resources.

It contributed to getting 149 laws approved, state media have said, before its term ran out in January.

Shwe Mann’s continued presence in parliament could be vital for Suu Kyi in the next two months as the chamber decides who will run the country.

The parliament is divided between the NLD majority and the military, which is guaranteed a quarter of the seats under the junta-drafted constitution.

The constitution is the bone of contention between the army and the NLD, as it bars Suu Kyi from becoming president because her children are foreign citizens.

The NLD leader has vowed to defy the constitution and lead the government from “above the president”.

Suu Kyi’s party has held transition talks with the military, but has not revealed its presidential candidate.

It is unclear whether a constitutional amendment that would allow Suu Kyi to become the president, but which is vehemently opposed by the military, is also on the negotiating table.

The 2008 charter forces the NLD and the army to essentially share power, by giving the army control over three security ministries that dominate much of the administration.

The Prime Minister also directed the NCSR to modernise the vehicles and equipment used by rescue forces as well as promote rescue rehearsal drills and international co-operation in humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), meanwhile, was urged to finalise the draft plan on constructing a monitoring system for hydro-meteorology forecasting, especially for rain and floods.

MoNRE is also working on the first-ever disaster alert map on a national scale that will predict natural disaster risks like storms, flash floods, landslides or salinisation across the whole country, serving as the decision-making basis for relevant agencies to carry out preventive measures.

A map specifically on flooding caused by higher seawater levels, and another one on flood risks posed by hydroelectric reservoirs, are being developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

MARD and MONRE are expected to co-operate in guiding farmers on which crops and livestock to farm in accordance with the water level each locality will be able to provide.

The Prime Minister also asked MARD to quickly finish anti-drought and water supply projects while promoting the application of advanced farm sprinkling techniques that efficiently cut down on water usage.

The Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) is tasked with reviewing the safety of coal waste dump sites, which could be seen creating piles resembling small mountains in Quang Ninh Province – the leading province of Vietnam’s coal industry.

Non-stop rains in the province last July triggered a landslide from such coal sludge mountains, burying a 94-household community in Mong Duong Ward in Cam Pha City.

Mobile phone footage showing a line of uniformed soldiers being repeatedly punched and kicked inside what appears to be a Myanmar army barracks was watched by over half a million people and shared more than 50,000 times since it was posted Wednesday.

The outpouring of online outrage spurred the country’s military to issue a rare comment.

“You or I would not accept such treatment, but it happened during a training class. We don’t know the details. They had their reasons. It is still under investigation,” said Colonel Khin Maung Cho, from the military’s normally publicity-shy information team.

“I am very sure that action will be taken in this case, and not just a soft charge,” he said, adding however, that this would depend on how army training officials decide to handle the case.

During the clip, which was one of three similar videos published on Facebook by an activist with the name “Friends of Moemaka”, several young soldiers stand in a row as senior officers hit them in a dormitory.

The systematic beating, accompanied by a soundtrack of blasting pop and hip hop music, was apparently egged on by the person filming the video, who can be heard ordering one young recruit to keep his arms in the air as he was pummelled in the stomach.

“If they train like this, how will soldiers deal with people in the outside world? So it is hardly amazing for me when they behave badly,” posted Jimmy Phang, in one of many disapproving comments under the video.

Myanmar’s army has sought to rework its image since a quasi-civilian government replaced junta rule in 2011.

It has freed child soldiers and taken part in ceasefire negotiations with ethnic minority armed groups — although heavy fighting continues in some areas.

Army chief Min Aung Hlaing even has his own regularly updated Facebook page, seen by observers as a sign of the military’s growing sophistication as it sets its sights on continued political sway — and greater ties with the West.

Unelected soldiers retain a quarter of all parliamentary seats and control over key ministries, despite a landslide win for Aung San Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy party in November elections.

The army’s image revamp is unlikely to quickly win over a nation still traumatised by junta repression.

Rights groups say the military still acts with impunity in conflict areas, including in the shooting of a journalist by troops in a southeastern border region in October 2014. His wife is now an NLD MP.

The deaths of two ethnic Kachin teachers last year also triggered a wave of public outrage, with activists accusing soldiers of raping and murdering the pair in the village where they worked in northeastern Shan state.

A year later no one has been charged with the killings.

– AFP

Leading a joint research team, Li Weiqi, a research fellow with the KIB/CAS, collected walnut leaf samples of the wild ancestral species in the Wuliangshan national nature reserve. Using advanced sequencing technology, the Li-led team completed a fine sequencing of the walnut whole genome.

Combining data in genomics, proteomics and lipids, the research team also explored the walnut material-basis in nutrition and health care in the genetic deciphering process. It is discovered that the walnut produces 86 bioactive peptides with known functions, including 43 antifungal peptides, 31 antibacterial peptides, 5 antiviral peptides, and 4 anti-cancer peptides.

The whole genome sequencing will make it possible to breed target crops designed on molecular basis. At the same time, by comparing genetic information of walnut varieties, the genetic codes that control biological traits of the species can be gained. This will provided technical support in selection, protection and promotion of fine breeds.

Ministry inspectors will be checking 500 worksites for errant supervisory practices, poor workers’ training and inadequate risk management, said an MOM spokesman on Thursday.

“We are stepping up our enforcement efforts,” he added, noting that the Ministry is “concerned about the recent spate of fatal workplace accidents”.