hi teacher,can u help me to cancel the unnecessary parts regartin the thailand,cause i'm nt veri sure whr to cancel.thx*_*

A government must be present in any civilisation or country in order to govern the cities and the surrounding areas. They have to ensure that there is sufficient food, crime is prevented, criminals are punished and peace is kept. They also need to ensure that the people are free from foreign attacks. They therefore took measures to prevent the threats from occurring or to make sure they were prepared to cope with such situations. Fortunately, some of these measures were effective and the threats did not threaten the livelihood of the people. However, other measures were not as effective. As a result, the threats caused the people to go through difficult times. These threats are at times similar and at times different and thus, we can classify them into three broad categories namely political, economic and social threats.

The threat that I will focus on in this journal entry is social threat because I think that it has the most significant impact on the lives of the ordinary citizens. A country will face social threats when there are rebellion, discontented population or unfair treatment leading to civil wars and uprisings.

In the ancient past, a military rebellion occurs when an army, led by its leader, seeks to overthrow the ruler as they were not satisfied with the way he ruled his country. In ancient China, a military rebellion occurred in 755 CE, during the reign of the Tang emperor, Xuanzong. It was led by an ambitious young commander named An Lushan. An Lushan had been the commander of one of empire’s strongest armies by Xuanzong’s favourite concubine, or unofficial wife, Yang Guifei. When the court officials protested, the emperor punished them instead. This caused the officials to become angry with the emperor. When An Lushan saw that Xuanzong was becoming unpopular, he ordered his army to capture the capital cities of Luoyang and Chang’an. The emperor and his officials fled and An Lushan proclaimed himself emperor. However, An Lushan did not last long as emperor and the Tang dynasty was restored eight years later in 763 CE. However, by then, other military commanders had used this period of uncertainty to seize control of several provinces. It took many years for the Tang dynasty to put these provinces under its control again.

A great example in the modern world would be the dissatisfaction between the Buddhists and Muslims in Thailand. Muslim separatists in the south of Thailand want to secede from the Buddhist north and have targeted monks and other representatives of the state. But they also claim to have been victims of government atrocities. Udom Dhamakhani, 67, lifts himself laboriously from his wooden cot, on which he has just recited his Buddhist sutras. He straightens his saffron-colored robe and peers out through his oversized reading glasses. Unusually for a monk's cell, the room contains a monitor showing images from four surveillance cameras: the veranda, the door of his cell, the main temple -- and a bunker. The shelter is occupied by soldiers who have turned Wat Lakmnang monastery on the outskirts of the southern Thai city of Pattani into a fortress. "It's all because of the trouble out there," the monk grumbles.
More than 2,400 have already died "out there," in Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces, in an insurgency started by Muslim rebels. They want the region in southern Thailand, which is home to 1.9 million Malay-speaking Muslims, to secede from the rest of the predominantly Buddhist country. Dhamakhani is not just the abbot of Wat Lakmnang, but also the head of all Buddhist temples in Pattani province. Because his fellow monks have reported on the radio about the atrocities being committed by the rebels, Dhamakhani is also in danger. He has already survived three rebel attacks. He would have been dead long ago without the protection of the two dozen soldiers stationed at his monastery. It is seven in the morning, and reports of night attacks are already crackling from the walkie-talkie on his night table. Twelve schools were burned to the ground, but this time there were no casualties. For the rebels, Buddhist temples, military barracks, public buildings and minor officials, such as local mayors and teachers, are all hated symbols of the government in Bangkok.
At 10:15 a.m., an informant reports an explosion on National Route 409 near the village of Yarang, a 15-minute drive from the monastery. Dhamakhani immediately dispatches one of his reporters. The police have sealed off the road. An armored vehicle has arrived with a soldier wearing a bulletproof vest and steel helmet in the turret, his machine gun in position. He nervously surveys the area. The rebels often place explosives in the underbrush, designed to explode when the troops arrive. There is a gaping hole in the asphalt. The explosion hurled a Toyota van with seven soldiers inside into the ditch. One soldier was beheaded and the others were injured.

Between the situations, they have similarities and differences. Their similarities lies in their defense. They did not have a strong government and army, thus, their country was invaded and cause internal threats. They did not try to maintain unity and hence, there were disputes between the citizens and the stability of the country was affected eventually. However, their differences lies in their ???(teacher,can help?)

Man-made threats such as civil wars or rebellions occurred because the people were unhappy with the ruler and his laws. These could have been prevented had the ruler practice good and wise leadership. Hence for a good modern government to overcome such a threat, the country must not have a weak leader. The leader must try to make government, army and navy strong, maintain unity and last but not least, give people fewer causes for dissatisfaction. At the same time he should be alert to the needs of the people. Building a strong defense force was important in ensuring peace and stability in the country. With stability, foreign investors would then be attracted to set up factories and help develop the country economy. There was also a need to ensure that the army was well-equipped and has new techniques of fighting.

Whereas for a good government in the ancient to overcome such a threat, the rulers should avoid war by actively forming friendship with their neighbour. This applies for the government in the modern government. They can regularly exchange letters and gifts and sent ambassadors. The rulers should also be very careful about how they approached other rulers so as to make sure that they do not offend anyone. They did this so that the friendship, support and trade relations they formed would benefit their kingdoms. The king ought to follow the system of hereditary succession to prevent succession disputes. The king can try to lessen the impact of natural disasters by building dykes and distributing food to the starving. Last but not least, the king must take measures to defend or protect their kingdom against external threats.

Today, I woke up with sounds of splashing water and soft laughter drifted into my sleep. Slowly, I blinked my eyes open and saw the silhouette of our oxcart wheel next to me, and remembered where I was.

Nea, together with mum, looked refreshed and relaxed as they tended a cooking fire.

Then, Nea asked me to carry some water back from the well and told me that her cousin, Jantu, was there too. Although I had a vivid image of Jantu, but I had forgotten how she looked like.

Anyway, I soon reached the well and discovered that many children were waiting for their turn to dip the bucket into the well. At that moment, a girl call for me and after some self introductions, I realized that she was Jantu. We talked and for some reasons, Jantu insulted me of being ugly.

After we had filled our buckets, I followed Jantu back to the campsite. After breakfast, I helped my family members to build a shelter. Then, I felt that I had settled down quite happily at the Border.

In the afternoon, Jantu called for us suddenly, She asked us to follow her and bring our plates along. It was not long before I found out that someone was distributing food to the children. I was so hungry that after receiving the food, I dug right in, wolfing down huge mouthfuls.

TITLE: A MOMENT SPENT ALONE DOING SOMETHING YOU ENJOYED.


A moment spent alone doing something you enjoyed of course is reading a story book. Reading a story book does not only let me relax my mind, it also helps me to increase my knowledge in various aspects. Also, reading a story book allows me to improve my vocabulary. As you read a book, you will be expose to more difficult words and you will try to find out the meaning of the word. This helps me to improve my English too. Beside, when you read a story book, there is no limit to your imagination. Similar to Literature, you will also discover the hidden meaning behind the whole story.

One of the books that I enjoyed reading is Animal Farm by George Orwell. This is not any normal story book that you read and forget. This is not a story book that depicts the life of animals. This is more like a history book. I would give a brief summary of the whole story. This story depicts the scene during the Russian Revolution War. Most of the characters inside represent a figure during ‘RRW’ For example, the rivalry between Stalin and Trotsky is paralleled by the rivalry between Napoleon and Snowball. The fierce puppies working for Napoleon represent the feared secret police, KGB.

In conclusion, I enjoyed reading very much. Exposing to different types and genres story books really help to improve my English a lot. Other languages are the same. Hence, I hoped that you can be like me and enjoy reading too.



Chris...27 jan 09

TITLE: A MOMENT YOU ENJOYED WITH YOUR FAMILY.

Today, my family and I visited the Singapore Armed Force (SAF) camp. That was the SAF training Institute, better known as SAFTI. It was the birthplace of many SAF units. Non Commission Officers (NCOS) and most other officers are trained there. We stood with mixed feelings as we waited for the officer in charge to take us inside. we were to spend the whole day in SAFTI.

We gathered at the main hall/foyer of the institute. We were given a briefing of the history, achievement of SAFTI and the role it plays in training future leaders for the army. We also learnt that SAFTI is so huge that it is able to take up to four thousand trainees.

After that, We were taken on a tour of the institute. We saw the armoury, the kitchen/cookhouse, the gymnasium, the shooting range and various facilities. Beside that, the officer cadets played host during lunch time as we had our first taste of army food.

After lunch, we proceeded to the parade square and watch the trainees did their drills. It was amazing. From the drills, we knew that discipline is extremely important in the SAF. We were also introduced to all the sport facilities in the SAFTI. We were impressed with anythings. They used the latest sport equipments in training the officer cadets. Other than just doing drills, the soldiers also play sports such as soccer and basketball for relaxations.

The whole tour ended with a drink at the mass hall. Today was an amazing day for us. We enjoyed every bit of the tour. If you ask us if we would like to visit SAFTI again, we would definitely say "of course"


Chris...25 jan 09

TITLE: SOMETHING UNUSUAL THAT HAPPENED THAT DAY.

It was the most unusual and funny thing that happened to me until now, perhaps. Read on to find out more.

Today, I was walking home after school. Walking half way, I thought of my mother, a stubborn yet kind-hearted mother. She likes to hang the clothes on the parapet to dry them, despite me telling her umpteenth time not to do that as it was dangerous, even if she must, at least secure it properly. I often tell her, “ma, don’t do that, it was dangerous.” And this is what I get back from her, “son, don’t be so stupid. Nowadays, the wind is blowing so violently, we should make good use of it to dry the clothes.” With no other choice, I just have to keep quiet.

As I was nearing my apartment, I saw two police officers patrolling the areas nearby. Behind them, about 600m away, was an old man walking at quite a slow speed. I passed the police officers and continued my journey home. As I was approaching the old man, I heard a loud scream above. I looked up and saw a lady hanging her blanket to dry, but the wind ripped it from its perch. The flustered lady waved her hands frantically. At the moment, I discovered that her scream and her appearance look familiar. ‘Arg….’ Was what I heard next. The blanket was floating down onto the poor old man. The police officers saw that and without any hesitation, proceeded to the lady’s apartment who hanging the blanket. I hurriedly approached the innocent man and tried to help him up. I took a look at the blanket and it looked very familiar too. Then, I saw the police officer taking the woman down. I cannot believe my own eye.

It was my stubborn mother.


chris...23 jan 09

TITLE: A DIFFICULTY YOU FACED.

On 20 Jan 08, together with some other Victorians, we went for a rehearsal for the Chingay parade on 30 Jan 08 and 31 Jan 08. It was held at the People Association (PA) at Kallang. Mr Daryl Tan was the teacher in charge.

At PA, we met some other schools and organizations such as Cedas Girls, Hwa Chong institution, the Singapore Pools and Team Singapore. The first thing we did was to practice singing the theme song of our float. The theme song was ‘REACH FOR THE STAR’. It was quite difficult because it was hard for all the schools and organization to co-ordinate. Furthermore, I have sore throat on that day and it was even more difficult for me. However, with the hard works and the supports from each other, we finally managed to finish the singing practice. It took about 50 minutes.

Then, we moved on to the second part of the rehearsal, which was to co-ordinate our singing with the float (vehicle). As there was one more factor, it was even more difficult. However, we completed the rehearsal in the end. This, again, can only be achieved through the efforts that everybody had put in.

In conclusion, although it was a difficulty I or everyone faced, it was quite a memorable event for me and the other Victorians. I hoped that every things will goes well on the actual parades. However, I know that it is difficult for you to understand what we had really done that day, so I had taken some photographs and videos to show you, enjoy them.


THIS IS SANJEEV IN THE BUS TO PEOPLE ASSOCIATION!!!


OTHER VICTORIANS...


The chingay rehearsal.


The chingay rehearsal.

Chris...21 jan 09

TITLE: SOMETHING THAT TOOK PLACE IN SCHOOL



That is a nice picture right? It is taken by our Officer In Charge during Unit Training Camp (UTC). Yes, I have just come back from UTC. It is seriously very fun. Although I get muscle cramps when i come back. This is what we had done during the camp.

On the first day and the first thing we did was physical training competition (PT.Com) between various barracks. I was in Barrack 1. There are five stations. We need to do push-ups and half squats etc in each of the stations. The aim to this competition was to do as many push-ups etc in five minutes. After that, we have to move on to the next station using caterpillar walk, which i thought i was even harder than doing all the push-ups. However, I do not have the picture and I cannot show you.

Next was the scanvenger hunt. It was held in the VS. We were supposed to look for clues and eventually finished the whole scanvenger hunt. It was quite tiring as we had to run around, climbing the stairs up and down. However, we managed to complete it after all the hard works.

After scanvenger hunt came lunch time. We have to cook our own food using solid fuel. We had instant noodle, sardine and bake beans for lunch.

In the evening, we played night commandos. I would not go into it. Then, we had our campfire in the area near the school gate. We sung songs and cheered until our voices gone sored. Campfire was the main hightlight of the camp.

The next day, we woke up at 5 a.m. That day main event was LAND X. It was like a amazing run or scanvenger hunt, just that it was held in East Coast Park (ECP). ECP was so huge, hence, you can imagine us running around ECP. The distance we covered was about 12 km. It was even tiring when we had to cheer while we were running. What more, we had already got muscle cramps after the first day.

After that, we came back to school and had our lunch. After that, we played water bomb, purely for fun and enjoyment.

Last but not least, there was a prize presentation. Also, our OC presented us our rank of LCP. With all the memories of the camp stuck in our minds, we broke camp and home sweet home.

chris...jan 09

Dara
A cambodian
A refugee of the Cambodian war

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War will stop as soon as possible

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CHRIS

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