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"They seek him here, They seek him there, Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven? Is he in hell? That demned, elusive Pimpernel!" Only the evil rejoice in the death of someone. Charlie Kirk's death show us the worse of humanity coming from the progressive Left, Democrats and followers of a certain faith. They labelled him "fascist, nazi, bigot, racist, trans-hater, polarising figure, divisive person, MAGA, white supremacist, Christian Nationalist, mysogynist". Straits Times Dy Editor Bhravan Jaipragas calls his activism "dark messages". What worries me for Singapore is I see a bandwagon of local liberals piled on the condemnation. Even brilliant online commentators like Chris Kuan and Michael Han skewed to the sentiments of the Left. My knee jerk feeling is all these detractors have never actually tuned in to any of Charlie's Q&A sessions. I asked several, such as Mr Han, who indeed admitted so. They have simply judg...

This is the riffle used by Tyler Robinson, the suspected assassin who fatally shot Charlie Kirk on Sep 10. The Mausel model 98 is a spring bolt operation riffle that chambers .30-06 Springfield bullets. It is a recreational riffle used for game hunting. This puts to rest the question raised much earlier of whether  the assassination was a professional hit job. Professional snipers mostly use bolt-operated riffles for its accuracy compared to the gas-operated semi-automatic types. This is because gas-operated riffles have more moving parts and gas venting as the bullet is travelling down the barrel. Every slight movement has the potential to create a shift in the trajectory of the bullet with a significant bearing on point of impact several hundred metres away. There are also some sniper riffles which are gas-operated. The choice depends on mission. For a one or two shot mission, bolt-operated types are preferred, Where missions require concentrated fire power, gas-operated semi-au...

"The big question is... whether or not President Xi will mention the massive amount of support and 'blood' that the US gave to China to help it secure its freedom. Many Americans died in China's quest for victory and glory." Donald Trump. During WWII, Philippines offered to take in 10,000 Jews when no one would. Only 1,000+ refugees arrived as the evacuation was interrupted by Japanese occupation of the country. In 1947, Philippines was the first Asian country to vote for the UN Partition Plan for the state. The Israelis never forget. In 1965 when Singapore gained independence, we sought foreign assistance to help build up an armed force. No one bothered except Israel. They helped built the SAF and for many years on, Singapore never forgets. But that gratitude is fast eroding in present days under pressure from growing liberalism amongst the educated younger generation and as religious sentiments grew louder. When China first stepped onto the world stage ...

THE THAIS TAKE THE PLUNGE INTO AN OLD IDEA Thai Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) announced on 22 Aug 2025 their approval for the landbridge on the Kra Isthmus that will connect the Andaman Sea to the Gulf of Thailand. This calls for the development of two deep sea ports, Ranong on the West and Chumphon on the East, and for the ports to be connected by a 90 km highway and rail link. They will start calling for  tenders in 2026. It is envisaged that East-West bound vessels will use this link instead of passing the Straits of Malacca thus bypassing the port of Singapore.   The idea of shortening the sea route with a canal across the Kra Isthmus isn't new. Ancient traders and explorers in the 17th-18th century had noted the strategic value of the shortcut. In the 1830s the British considered a canal and did some surveys. In the 1950s-1970s Thai/US/Japanese made some studies and proposals. In 2000s PM Thaksin Sinawatra revived the idea of the c...

For non-professionals trying to figure out Chinese data, the task is daunting due to difficulties of language, access to info, and certain degree of unreliability of official information. Much information comes from Western analysts, many of which are tainted anti-China propaganda. Another important source is from Chinese dissident diaspora many of whom reportedly have contacts with some official channels. Again, there is need to be wary of anti-China propaganda slant. One channel I follow is Lei, a US-based Chinese. She likes to talk about the "disappearing Chinese people", her fear language for the phenomenon of a declining population. Recently she cited  the closure of primary schools in China with great alarm. According to Lei, primary schools in China shrank from about 553,600 in 2000 to 177,600 in 2016 (end of one-child policy) and 143,500 in 2023. These are alarming figures and the auto reaction is to attribute it to the declinin...