Law & Paneir

PREVIOUSLY, we spoke about how the US and its allies were deploying strategic military assets to the Far Eastern region, leading to speculation that they were beefing up measures to counter an increasingly assertive China in the region. Now, let us look at how Malaysia and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) could move away from this potential conflict, by taking a firm stand on its neutrality since the Cold War era. The Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) is a proclamation made in 1971 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, by the Foreign Ministers of the ASEAN member states including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The parties openly announced their intention to preserve Southeast Asia “free from any form or manner of foreign influence” and “broaden the areas of cooperation” in the declaration. Based on the Bandung Principles agreed upon at the 1955 Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was formall...

DESPITE the imminent withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan being seen by some that the superpower is losing grip over its hegemony, it is not necessarily the case. It actually looks like that the US taking on a new dimension. The withdrawal of forces should not be interpreted as a sign of its weakness in the global arena. By maintaining a minimal presence in Afghanistan and requesting assistance from regional countries to maintain peace and security there, they are signalling that their focus is shifting elsewhere. One clue to the shift in focus is the US Senate unanimously passed legislation on July 14 to prohibit the import of products from China’s Xinjiang region. This is a clear and strong stance adopted by the US towards China, showing that the undercurrent tension between the two countries has grown much more visible. Malaysia and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) must look into this changing geopolitical dynamics. The continued civil unrest in Myanmar, as...

  WITH tensions rising between the US and China, an academic urged Malaysia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) took take heed of the geopolitical changes taking place while dealing with domestic issues. “Malaysia and Asean must take note. The continued civil unrest in Myanmar, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, may lead to Asean countries to pay less attention to the rising discord between the US and China,” HELP University Faculty of Business, Economics and Accounting and Institute Crime and Criminology senior lecturer R Paneir Selvam told  FocusM. Since last month, the US and its allies have escalated measures to contain China’s rise as a global power, which the latter have noticed and took counter-measures. Last month, Japan’s Deputy Defense Minister, Yasuhide Nakayama warned of a growing threat presented by the growing Sino-Russian ties, adding it was important for global powers do something about Beijing’s pressure on Taiwan and safe...

  WHITE collar crime, also known as financial crime, is defined by Edwin Sutherland as “a crime committed by a person of high social status and respectability in the course of his occupation.” Financial crime is not the same as normal crimes like murder or robbery. Money laundering, bribery, and corruption are examples of this sort of crime. In most cases, the individual who has committed this type of crime, directly or indirectly, wields power and influence, making it difficult for prosecutors to properly prosecute him or her in court. The accused may also employ a variety of tactics to thwart the investigators’ efforts to complete their inquiry. Furthermore, he enlists the help of some shady professionals to carry out the scheme. The advancement of technology also works in favour of the suspects/defendants to commit such offences. Therefore, it is important for lawmakers to enact a new statute aimed at increasing financial crime investigators’ and prosecutors’ investigative...