===================================== MONASH ASIA INSTITUTE BULLETIN 7/2004 5 July 2004 ===================================== In this bulletin 1. Indian Heritage Seminar 2. Seminar: Nehru and the British Empire 3. MAI Postgraduate Seminar 4. Manga Drawing Classes 5. Guest Lecture: Anish Kapoor's Sculptures 6. Annual Indonesia Lecture Series 2004 7. CSEAS Seminars 8. Book Launch: Asian Cyberactivism 9. Guest Lecture: Competition policy in developing countries 10. Seminar: Aid and Terrorism 11. RMIT & MAI Singapore Studies Symposium 12. Listen to 2nd Herb Feith Memorial online 13. Asian Studies Research Collection: Display 14. Workshop on Asian Business 15. Solo Piano Concert 16. Ageing Conference 17. 2004 Asia Trends Conference 18. 13th World Sanskrit Conference 19. Website of the month: Wansolwara Online ---------------------------------------------------- Item 1. Indian Heritage Seminar Tuesday 6 July 2004, 1.00 - 2.30 pm (light luncheon starts at 12.15 pm) Room S822, 8th Floor South, Menzies Building (11) Monash University Clayton campus "Restoration or Renovation?" Prof Narayani Gupta, Department of History & Culture Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi. Restoration or Renovation? The implications of 'heritage' in India Historians tend to notice anniversaries. 100 years ago the Archaeological Survey of India was given a major role in cultural policy. 20 years ago the Indian National Trust for the Artistic and Cultural Heritage was set up to supplement the functions of the ASI. Since the late 1980s, 'heritage' and 'conservation' have become much-used words in India. It would be instructive to study how, in a multicultural country, the built heritage figures in pedagogy, popular consciousness, and official policy. About the speaker Professor Gupta is a scholar in the Department of History & Culture Faculty of Humanities and Languages at the Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi. She has written extensively on the history of Delhi e.g. "Delhi : The Built Heritage-A Listing", Ratish Nanda, Narayani Gupta and O.P. Jain. Delhi, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, 1999. The seminar will be preceded by a light luncheon to be followed by the presentation and then Q and A. Registration - free - all welcome RSVP (essential): Juliet Yee . (Please use "Indian Heritage seminar" in the subject heading of your email message. ---------------------------------------------------- Item 2. Seminar - Nehru and the British Empire Monash Asia Institute and the Department of History, Monash University Friday 9 July 2004, 1.00 pm (light luncheon starts at 12.15 pm) Room S822, 8th Floor South, Menzies Building (11) Monash University Clayton campus "Jawaharlal Nehru and the British Empire: the making of an outsider in Indian politics." Dr Judith Brown, Oxford University About the speaker Professor Judith Brown is a world authority on Mahatma Gandhi, having written numerous books, chapters and articles about him. More recently Prof Brown (Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford University) has turned her attention to the life of Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. She is a specialist on British rule in India and the origins of the modern Indian state. Publications on Nehru include - Brown, Judith M. "Nehru: Apolitical life", New Haven, Yale University Press, 2003 This book provides compelling and complete biography of one of India's finest statesmen and the country's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964). Nehru's dedication to his country led to his imprisonment during British rule, a disturbed family and personal sacrifice. Often described as the architect of modern India, he ruled the country for nearly two decades during which he ceaselessly pursued his vision of a transformed and democratic India. This biography depicts the phases of Nehru's life and shows how it was influenced by new developments in Indian politics. Other selected publications by Prof Brown "Modern India: The Origins of an Asian Democracy", Oxford, 1994. (ed. with R. Foot) "Migration: The Asian Experience", Basingstoke, 1994. (ed. with M. Prozesky) "Gandhi and South Africa: Principles and Politics", Pietermaritzburg, 1996. (ed. with W.R. Louis) "The Oxford History of the British Empire, Vol. IV. The twentieth century", Oxford, 1999. (ed. with R.E. Frykenberg) "Christians, cultural interactions and India's religious traditions", Michigan and Cambridge, 2002. Registration - free - all welcome Enquiries and RSVP(essential): Guibin Zhang . (Please use "Nehru seminar" in the subject heading of your email message). ---------------------------------------------------- Item 3. MAI Postgraduate Seminar Friday 30 July 2004, 10.00 am - 12.30 pm Room S822, Level 8 South, Menzies Building (11) Monash Asia Institute, Monash University Clayton Campus "How intelligent is our intelligence?" Richard Houlihan, Monash Asia Institute Richard Houlihan is a Masters of Asian Studies student working on a research project about Terrorism in Southeast Asia at the Monash Asia Institute. His paper is based on a just-completed analysis of three key reports written by the International Crisis Group about the activities of Jemaah Islamia in Indonesia. The methodology involved a content analysis of the three documents. The work began in early 2004, long before ICG was asked to leave Indonesia. Given the debate about why the US went to war against the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein (in particular the role of Chalabi) the question of intelligence sources has emerged as a very important one in thinking about regional and global security. Enquiries: Juliet Yee ---------------------------------------------------- Item 4. Manga Drawing Classes Fridays, 2 July - 6 August 2004, 5.00 pm - 7.00 pm Japanese Studies Centre, Building 54, Monash University Clayton campus These Friday evening classes are offered by the Japanese Studies Centre's Manga Library. The classes are for beginners and will focus on basic character creation and development, page layout, and narrative techniques. Participants will have a chance to collaborate, network, and exchange ideas with other artists and fans, as well as enjoy the 5,000 manga in the library. Cost Members (does not include daily, monthly): Free Non-Members: $8/session Enquiries: JSC.Mangalib@arts.monash.edu.au Web site: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/jsc/mangalib.html ---------------------------------------------------- Item 5. Guest Lecture - Anish Kapoor's Sculptures Monash Asia Institute Wednesday 14 July 2004, 1.00 pm (light luncheon starts at 12.15 pm) Room S822, 8th Floor South, Menzies Building (11) Monash University Clayton campus "To sculpt the void and the energy of colour" Prof Gianfranco Ercolanoni Head of Sculpture Department, Academia di Belle Arti, Perugia, Italy This lecture will focus on the works of Anish Kapoor. About the speaker In 1968, Prof Gianfranco Ercolanoni graduated at the Accademia di Belle Arti "Pietro Vanucci", Perugia. He was appointed as Assistant of the Sculpture Department at the same Academy in 1970. Currently he is Head of the Sculpture Department, Academia di Belle Arti "Pietro Vanucci", Perugia. He has conducted seminars in Europe, the most recent in Bilbao, Spain and Thessaloniki, Greece. In the 70's his works were slab forms. A form that was repeated in parallel layers, often with colour used with direct intensity and pure. He began to work with plastic material, but did not change the spatial formulation. The component form came from microscopy and developed in three-dimension abandoning that of two-dimension. He then moved from the abandonment of the manual way of treating the material, to the use of mechanical instrumentation, and intervened with natural cutting materials (travertine, stone, wood, etc.,) re-proposing the tensions of parallelepiped in an unstable equilibrium of Anthony Caro and of the supported pyramids of Ronald Bladen. In the 80's, he worked with the sphere, like a hypothesis of thought, reality of harmonious character, structures of auto-sufficient forms and symbolic seals of a concrete world created by man. In the 90's the tendency for large forms was evident and the research was to overcome art only for the gallery. This research led to projects for urban landscapes using materials like: stone, steel, copper, brass and coloured pigments of perceptive significance. At present he uses mixed techniques like pure suggestion with the circularity of the forms. He combines natural and artificial materials that restore the concepts of space and time. Enquiries and RSVP (essential): Guibin Zhang, . Please use "Sculpture Seminar" as subject heading of your email. ---------------------------------------------------- Item 6. Annual Indonesia Lecture Series Tuesday, 20 July 2004 from 6.00 pm Federation Hall, Victorian College of the Arts 234 St Kilda Road, Melbourne 3000 The 2004 ANNUAL INDONESIA LECTURE SERIES (AILS) hosted by the Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash Asia Institute and the Australian Indonesian Association "Reformasi and the Arts: The political use of artists in the Indonesian elections" Speakers Prof Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin, Chair of the Indonesian General Electoral Commission and Professor of Politics, University of Indonesia Dr Jennifer Lindsay, Research Scholar, University of Singapore Bp Jaya Suprana, pianist-composer and TV personality in Jakarta Dr David Wright-Neville, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Monash University Films, videoclips and music related to the 2004 Indonesian election campaigns are planned to be included. Indonesian food will be provided by the Australian-Indonesian Association. RSVP essential. Convenor: Professor Margaret Kartomi AM, FAHA, School of Music - Conservatorium Enquiries and RSVP: guibin.zhang@adm.monash.edu.au (Please use "AILS2004" as subject heading of your email). ---------------------------------------------------- Item 7. CSEAS Seminars Seminars are held on Thursdays 11.00am Room SG02 Manton Rooms, Monash University Clayton Campus 22 July 2004 "The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia Project: a Participant's View" Emeritus Prof. David Chandler, Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash University --- 29 July 2004 "Polls, Parties and Processes: Shaping the Outcome of the Malaysian and Indonesian Elections" Prof. Michael Leigh --- ALL WELCOME Enquiries for all CSEAS Seminars: Dr Robert Rice Website: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/cseas/cseasseminar04.html#sem2 ---------------------------------------------------- Item 8. Book Launch "Asian Cyberactivism: Freedom of Expression and Media Censorship" by James Gomez Thursday 29 July 2004, 5.30 - 7.30 pm Dyason House, Australian Institute of International Affairs 124 Jolimont Road, East Melbourne 3002 The book launch is supported by the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) and the Monash Asia Institute About the book Unlike most publications that focus on the technology, this book focuses on the human actors. "Asian Cyberactivism: Freedom of Expression and Media Censorship" records political activism and failures of cyberactivists as they try to beat the various censorship regimes in Asia. The book is an insightful look into online political organising in Asia even as the technology and the rules change. Activists provide their perspectives on how new media relates to democracy, and showcase examples that could be emulated to further the cause of democracy. It is also an insight into the political, societal and legal challenges that cyberactivists have to face, and what this means for democratic development in the region. Asian Cyberactivism is the first book of its kind, featuring Asian case studies on political activism via new communication technologies like the Internet. Enquiries and RSVP: Mr James Gomez (jgom3@student.monash.edu.au) ---------------------------------------------------- Item 9. Guest Lecture: Competition policy in developing countries 4 August 2004, 4.00 - 6.00 pm Room W204, Level 2, West Wing, Menzies Building (11) Monash University Clayton campus "Competition and Competition Policy in Emerging Markets: International and Developmental Dimensions" Prof Ajit Singh Professor of Economics, University of Cambridge Senior Fellow, Queens' College, Cambridge Public Lecture jointly hosted by Department of Economics, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University Monash Asia Institute and Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements Abstract This paper examines the role of competition policy in emerging markets from a developmental and international perspective. The main issues addressed include the following: - The state of competition and competition policy in developing countries; - The relationship between competition, competition policy and economic development; - The implications of the recent new advances in the theory of industrial organisation for competition policy; - The current international merger wave and its impact on developing countries. - Multilateral competition policy and the establishment of an International Competition Authority (ICA). The paper's main conclusions include the following: - Contrary to conventional wisdom, many different kinds of evidence suggest that the intensity of competition in leading emerging markets is certainly no less, if not greater, than that observed in advanced countries. - Analysis and evidence indicates that maximum competition is not necessarily optimal, in terms of dynamic efficiency, i.e. maximization of an economy's long-term productivity growth. - Even if it was not required in the past, developing countries need a competition policy today, because of the huge international merger movement as well as privatisation and deregulation in these economies themselves. - There is little evidence to indicate that the current international merger wave will enhance global economic efficiency. Giant cross-border mergers, as well as those occurring between large firms within advanced countries, could, however, adversely affect competition and contestability in developing countries and the world economy. Even with competition policies, developing countries may not be able to restrain anti-competitive behaviour by large multinationals. - The current competition policies in the US and the European Union are unsuitable for developing countries. Countries at different levels of development and governance capacities require different types of competition policies. A good model for many emerging countries with effective governance structures is that of the Japanese competition policy during 1950-73. The Japanese used both competition and cooperation to promote rapid industrialisation. The paper presents a proposal for a development-oriented international competition authority to control anti-competitive conduct and growth by mergers of large multi-nationals. It is argued here that the current discourse on the development dimension of competition policy at the WTO is unsatisfactory; its terms and language need to be radically changed. The ultimate aim of the WTO should not be to promote free trade for its own sake, but to achieve economic development. Free public lecture - All Welcome Enquiries and RSVP: Elizabeth Kwok, Department of Economics, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University ---------------------------------------------------- Item 10. Seminar: Aid and Terrorism Monash Asia Institute and Global Terrorism Research Unit, Monash University Friday 6 August 2004, 1.15 pm Room W204, Level 2, West Wing, Menzies Building (11) Monash University Clayton campus "US Aid and THE WAR ON TERROR " Mr Larry Nowels Specialist in Foreign Affairs U.S. Congressional Research Service, Washington D.C. Aid and the war on terrorism - Over the past two years, there has been a significant shift in emphasis to increase and provide assistance to fight global terrorism. Congress has approved about $17 billion in additional aid to "front-line" states in the war on terrorism since the attacks of September 11. These "front-line" states range from Pakistan, to Central Asia and the Middle East, to the Philippines, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti. Discussion would focus on how this has changed the shape of U.S. foreign aid, concerns about human rights and democratic reforms in some "front-line" nations, and whether some of the Cold War features of US aid policy have re-emerged since 9/11. About the speaker Larry Nowels is a Specialist in Foreign Affairs at the Congressional Research Service. During his nearly 30-year career at CRS, he has written extensively on U.S. foreign assistance policy making, including the congressional role in legislating and overseeing American foreign aid programs. He has also specialized in international affairs budget issues, both from a historical and current perspective. Much of his recent work has focused on the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) debt initiative, the President's Global AIDS Initiative, and the new U.S. foreign aid program, the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA). Mr. Nowels further served on detail assignments to the House Budget Committee and the House Appropriations Foreign Operations Subcommittee. He received his undergraduate degree at the University of Redlands, during which time he also attended the University of Salamanca in Spain. His graduate work was done at the American University and the National War College. The Monash Asia Institute would like to acknowledge with gratitude the role of United States Embassy that has brought Mr Nowels to Australia for this visit and a number of briefings. Seminar is open to the public - free - RSVP essential Enquiries and RSVP(essential): Prof Marika Vicziany, Director, Monash Asia Institute ---------------------------------------------------- Item 11. RMIT & MAI Singapore Studies Symposium Monday 9 August 2004, 10.00 am - 2.00 pm Conference Centre Lounge State Library of Victoria Conference Centre Entry 3, La Trobe Street "Celebrating Singapore: Identity, Ethnicity, Nationalism and Civil Society" On August 9 2004, the Republic of Singapore will celebrate its 39th year of independence. In Singapore, the month long 'Celebrate Singapore' will culminate in the National Day Parade. In Melbourne, Singapore Studies researchers will ask, what are the challenges of nation-building in a multi-ethnic and increasingly multifaceted society? Has the project of building a national identity been successful? Do identities such as ethnic communities, women and sexual minorities and their voices as civil society actors have a place in modern Singapore? What are the tensions facing a globalised city-state such as Singapore as the middle-class finds itself in a financially challenged position? What impact on society will new migrants have as they enter the city-state even as more citizens leave the country for places like Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States? RMIT, School of Applied Communication (Asian Media and Culture) and the Monash Asia Institute will co-host a Singapore Studies Symposium to commemorate and celebrate Singapore's 39th birthday and to discuss and debate issues facing contemporary Singapore. This symposium aims to bring together researchers working on Singapore related topics to share expertise and facilitate networking. Symposium Advisor: Prof Marika Vicziany (MAI) marika.vicziany@adm.monash.edu.au Symposium Convenor: Ms Chris Hudson, (RMIT University) Chris.Hudson@ems.rmit.edu.au Symposium Co-ordinators: Mr. James Gomez (MAI) jgom3@student.monash.edu.au and Mr. Terry Johal (RMIT University) terry.johal@rmit.edu.au ------------------------------------------- Item 12. Listen to 2nd Herb Feith Memorial online About 200 people gathered at the ABC Iwaki Auditorium on 28 June 2004, to listen to the lecture delivered by Prof Wang Gungwu of the National Singapore University, to commemorate the academic and humanitarian contributions of the late Prof Herb Feith. Professor Wang Gungwu spoke on "Divisive Modernity: Thoughts on Southeast Asian History" The audio file of Professor Wang Gungwu's lecture is now available for listening at the ABC's Go Asia Pacific website. To stream the audio file from the internet, go to the following website where you will be able to see the link (on the right-hand column, for obtaining the file: http://wwww.goasiapacific.com/ The Centre of Southeast Asian Studies gratefully acknowledges the assistance and support provided by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in making available the recording. =============================================================== Monash University events =============================================================== Item 13. Asian Studies Research Collection - Display "Traditional Chinese Stories" During July the Asian Studies Research Collection at the Monash University Library will have an exhibition of materials relating to traditional Chinese stories in the ASRC display cabinet. The ASRC is located in Building 67, Monash University Clayton Campus. Website: http://lib.monash.edu.au/matheson/asrc/index.html Enquiries: Mr Dennis Kishere, Matheson Library, ----------------------------- Item 14. Workshop on Asian Business Asian Business and Economic Research Unit(ABERU) Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University Monday 18 October 2004, 9.00 am - 4.00 pm Monash Conference Centre 30 Collins St, Melbourne 3000 "Asian Business in the Global Age" On this one-day workshop, a range of approximately 6-8 academic papers will be presented covering China, South Asia and East Asia from Monash, across the Faculty of Business and Economics. The focus is interdisciplinary and we are sure this will provide an interesting and stimulating basis for discussion and future research ideas. Further details of the speakers and abstract of their papers will be following shortly. Lunch and coffee/tea will be provided at no cost. All day parking is available at $11.00 at Wilson Parking, 32 Flinders St. Nearest train stop Parliament Station. Enquiries and registration (essential): Dr Susan Freeman, Department of Management, Faculty of Business and Economics =============================================================== Other items of interest =============================================================== Item 15. Solo Piano Concert Symposium of the International Musicological Society SIMS2004 presents Solo Piano Concert Jaya Suprana Friday 16 July 2004, 12.30 - 1.30pm Federation Hall, Victorian College of the Arts 234 St Kilda Road, Melbourne Host of his own weekly national TV talk show, author and successful businessman Jaya Suprana is also one of Indonesia's musical treasures. A composer and graduate of the Musikhochschule Münster and Folkwanghochschule Essen in Germany, Suprana is one of Indonesia's most accomplished musical performers. Performing for one concert only in Melbourne he will play a number of his own classical compositions and his improvisations on well-loved Indonesian folk songs. "... I have never imagined that the piano can sound like the Indonesian Gamelan and Flute; such beautiful sound, such simplicity." (Lusian Lukman, London ) For details about the Symposium of the International Musicological Society SIMS 2004, see: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/music/SIMS2004 Enquiries about the Solo Piano Concert, contact: Prof Margaret Kartomi, School of Music - Conservatorium, Faculty of Arts, -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item 16. Ageing Conference Australasian Centre on Ageing ERA 2004 - Emerging Researchers in Ageing conference Thursday, 2 December 2004 Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Bank, Brisbane "Contributing to an Ageing Agenda" CALL FOR ABSTRACTS The Australasian Centre on Ageing at The University of Queensland invites PhD students to participate in the 3rd Emerging Researchers in Ageing Conference to be held on Thursday 2 December 2004. Professor G. A. (Tony) Broe will give the opening address on "Ageing, Longevity and the Future" - he is National President, Australian Association of Gerontology; Scientific Director, Ageing Research Centre; and Program Director, Community Health & Aged Care, Prince of Wales Hospital Sydney, NSW. Previous conferences have put the work of emerging researchers on the radar of national policy makers. ERA 2004 is your chance to become involved in developing the growing profile of this important area, while taking advantage of the professional networking opportunities offered by a conference of this calibre. The benefits of participating in ERA 2004 include: - Publication of your paper in peer reviewed conference proceedings. - Opportunity to present your research findings to a diverse audience of students, academics, policy makers and practitioners. - Contact with prospective employers from the government, non-government, and private sectors. - Meet with other PhD students researching ageing from a wide range of disciplines. - Widespread media coverage: PhD work disseminated through on-air and print media. - Learn more about the broader policy context of ageing. ACA 2004 ERA Prize The Inaugural ERA Prize will be presented to the student who gives the best student paper at the Conference. For further conference details, and to submit an abstract, please visit: http://www.uq.edu.au/aca or contact (07) 3346 9084. -------------------------------- Item 17. 2004 Asia Trends Conference 27 August 2004 Marina Mandarin Hotel "(Un)tying The Knot: Ideal And Reality In Asian Marriage" One-day conference organised by Asia Research Institute National University of Singapore The Asia Research Institute holds an annual Asia Trends Conference to bring together leading speakers on an important theme. This one-day Conference is open to the public. In 2004, the theme of the Conference will be "(Un)tying the knot: ideal and reality in Asian marriage". Rapid economic and social change in Asian societies exposes traditions about marriage and divorce to scrutiny, and perhaps more importantly, may lead to changing practices well ahead of changes in the norms that support traditional practices. The issues differ across countries and ethnic and religious groups, but there are some themes with very wide relevance. What kinds of changes are we seeing? Not only rapidly rising ages at marriage, but also an explosion in numbers of never-married women and men in their 30s and 40s in East and South-East Asian countries. The abdication by parents of the role of matchmaker in many societies has been associated with delayed marriage, as have extended education and expanding employment opportunities for women. But is this the whole explanation? In Indian society, a curious disjuncture persists between the reality of arranged marriage and the fiction of romance Bollywood-style. Divorce is rising sharply in Japan and Korea, yet in Malaysia and Indonesia divorce levels are only a fraction of what they were in the 1960s. One third of women in Bangkok are still single on their 30th birthday, and one quarter in Singapore; yet in China, less than two in 100 are still single on their 30th birthday. For every trend, it seems, there is an exception, often a major one, across the tapestry of Asian societies. This one-day conference can only deal with some of the many dilemmas and issues facing the institution of marriage in Asia. Themes such as: - the causes of delayed marriage and non-marriage - the lives of the never-married 30- and 40-somethings - where are the potential husbands for the educated Asian woman? - Cohabitation - not done or just not spoken about? - Can Asian populations continue to reproduce themselves if Asian men expect their working wives to raise the children and do the housework? - What does Islam say about divorce and polygyny? - Inter-ethnic, inter-religious and international marriages - Some darker issues - dowry deaths, domestic violence. AsiaTrends 2004 will see a lively discussion of many of these issues, as they relate to Singapore and to the wider Asian region. Top speakers are being brought to the Conference. They will include novelists and social critics as well as 'public academics' and activists, who can describe the latest trends and discuss the issues from an informed, yet engaged, perspective. Enquiries and Registration: Ms Lynn Tan (aritanl@nus.edu.sg) Asia Research Institute Level 4, AS7 Shaw Foundation Building 5 Arts Link National University of Singapore Singapore 117570 Phone: (65) 6874 8784 Fax: (65) 6779 1428 Weblink: http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/conf2004/asiatrend.htm -------------------------------- Item 18. 13th World Sanskrit Conference 10 - 14 July 2006 George Square Edinburgh (Scotland, U.K) Organised by the International Association of Sanskrit Studies and the School of Asian Studies (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures), University of Edinburgh. For more information about papers, registration and conference details, see: http://www.arts.ed.ac.uk/sanskrit/13thWSC/ Enquiries: John Brockington, Chair of Organising Committee ---------------------------------------------------- Item 19. Website of the month: Wansolwara Online http://www.usp.ac.fj/journ/ Wansolwara Online is a journalism training website for a campus-based community newspaper published by the Journalism Programme of the University of the South Pacific. Students enrolled in this practical, hands-on journalism degree benefit from the experience of running a professional newsroom and using audio, video and computer facilities for professional news writing for print, radio, television and internet. The newspaper is guided by an editorial policy committed to freedom of information and expression, as well as professional standard of news reporting. ======================================================================== The Monash Asia Institute Newsletter incorporates news items from the six research centres of the Monash Asia Institute, partner organisations and other groups working to promote Asian Studies in Australia. For further information about the Monash Asia Institute and this newsletter: http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/mai/ email: monash.asia.institute@adm.monash.edu.au ========================================================================