As fighting in Aleppo rages, frightened civilians seek shelter

From the CNN Wire Staff

July 31, 2012 -- Updated 1851 GMT (0251 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: FSA commander confident about rebel strides
• NEW: Fighting rages in Damascus, Homs, Daraa and Deir Ezzor
• The displaced continue to flee to safer ground
• More than 129,000 Syrian refugees have been registered by the U.N.

Are you in Syria? Share your stories, videos and photos with the world on CNN iReport.

Northern Syria (CNN) -- Syria's most populous city remained engulfed by fighting Tuesday as opposition groups reported incremental rebel gains and the United Nations said civilian displacement rose.

Fighters attacked Syrian police stations in the central neighborhoods of Salhin and Bab al-Nayrab, and seized control of the buildings after hours of clashes, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

At least 40 police officers died in the violence, the observatory said. Deama, an activist who asked that her full name not be used for her protection, said Salhin has been the center of many "aggressive operations by the police and Shabiha militia."

A opposition video, purportedly from the Bab al-Nayrab neighborhood, showed bloody corpses amid rubble and rebels chanting "Allahu akbar," an Arabic phrase for "God is great."

Rebels attack Syrian base near Aleppo

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Amid spurts of gunfire, emboldened and elated fighters also shouted "Hafez Assad, the dog of the Arab Nation" and "the Free Syrian Army forever, stepping on Assad's head."

Hafez Assad, the late leader of Syria, is the father of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Free Syrian Army is an anti-government fighting force.

Syria's uprising: From rocks to RPGs

One rebel who identified himself as Faris said Shabiha militia and rebels were fighting in Bab al-Nayrab.

Among those fighting for the regime, he said, are people from the well-known al-Berri clan, who have members in parliament. A lot of FSA fighters died in the clashes, Faris said.

Deama said rebels remain in control of the neighborhood of Salaheddine and battled regime forces there Tuesday. The area is in the southwestern part of the city.

Even though clashes engulfed Salaheddine, helicopter shelling had not been reported Tuesday, prompting speculation from opposition people that the regime might be planning a big push in the area, Deama said.

Free Syrian Army deputy commander Malek Kurdi, now in rural Aleppo, said the regime has been trying to storm Salaheddine, but has been regularly repelled by the FSA. He said he's seen the regime forces use rockets, 130 mm shells and 120 mm mortars.

"The situation is good now," Kurdi told CNN in a phone call. "I think the regime's troops are too scared to go in. Eight tanks and BMPs have been destroyed by our fighters in the first attempt by the regime to overrun the neighborhood. The regime forces tried to go in today as well, but they couldn't."

"BMP" is the Russian and Arabic acronym for armored personnel carrier.

Also, he said, FSA fighters overran a big security checkpoint in the town of Anadan just north of the city two days ago and the rebels are working to take control of Minakh military airport in Aleppo.

"If that is achieved successfully, then we can say the entire northern and northeastern part of Aleppo will be liberated," he said.

Kurdi said he believes the rebels are geared up for government strikes from three directions.

Thousands flee Aleppo, Syria

Syria rebels: We took police station

Watch a prisoner exchange in Syria

Photos: Showdown in Syria

"The regime is bringing infantry reinforcements by helicopters to the civilian airport in Aleppo and to Ramousa in Aleppo," he said. "But we are ready, and the FSA fighters are already making advances."

Elsewhere in Aleppo, helicopters fired rockets at several neighborhoods, including Maisar, Bab Road, Ard Hamra, Sakhour and Karm Almuyassar, opposition sources said.

The Syrian Observatory said a sniper killed the leader of a rebel battalion in the Marjeh neighborhood, and the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said the Free Syrian Army and regime soldiers were battling in the Meredian neighborhood.

State-run TV said Syrian forces clashed with "armed terrorist groups" on the outskirts of Aleppo and destroyed nine armored vehicles "with all terrorists inside."

"Our armed forces continue to pursue terrorists in the Salaheddine neighborhood in Aleppo. The operations resulted in inflicting heavy losses among the terrorists and the confiscation of their weapons," state TV said.

Aleppo is the commercial and cultural hub of Syria, and the fight to seize control of the urban center is a major battle in what world powers now regard as a civil war.

Panetta says when, not if, al-Assad falls, Syrian military should remain intact

The fighting comes a day after rebels scored a notable victory when they captured an army outpost near Aleppo, taking possession of tanks and crates of ammunition in the process.

Unrest spread across other volatile regions of the country Tuesday, as regime forces shelled targets and launched raids in and around Damascus, Homs, Daraa and Deir Ezzor.

The LCC said at least 49 people have been killed in these regions of Syria on Tuesday. At least 20 of them died in Aleppo. It is not clear if any of them were among those killed in the siege of the police stations.

The regime is trying to wrest territory away from rebels who have been able to establish growing enclaves in northern Syria and control much of the main western highway from Aleppo to the Turkish border.

An estimated 200,000 people in and around Aleppo fled their homes over the weekend, the U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday, citing the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

"With armed violence raging in Syria's most populous city, thousands of frightened residents are seeking shelter in schools, mosques and public buildings," the agency said in a briefing.

People calling the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees office in Damascus report "a lack of safety," "fear of ongoing shelling" and a "lack of access to food, water and sanitation, the agency said.

The United Nations says it has registered more than 129,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt. The refugees include "growing numbers" from Aleppo who "are fleeing across the Hatay border" into Turkey.

The U.N. refugee agency says thousands of people that it hasn't registered have entered those nations.

For example, the Jordanian government said that about 150,000 refugees have entered Jordan since March of last year, when the conflict began. But the United Nations said more than 38,000 are getting protection and assistance, and the rest aren't registered.

Syrian rebels push to grab territory outside Aleppo

Only 70 Syrians have approached the U.N. refugee office for help in Algeria, but there are reports of 10,000 to 25,000 Syrians in Algeria, the refugee agency said Tuesday.

Many Iraqi refugees who took refuge in Syria because of violence in their homeland are returning. More than 20,000 people have returned home in the past 10 days.

The unrest in Syria started when al-Assad's security forces launched a violent crackdown on peaceful protests in March 2011. That clampdown spurred a nationwide uprising and led to the appearance of armed rebels, such as groups of military defectors and other fighters battling under the rubric of the Free Syrian Army.

The conflict has claimed almost 17,000 lives, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last week. Opposition activists put the toll at more than 20,000.

The violence has been decried across the globe, and it is taking its toll in the inner circles of government. A recent bombing at a government building in Damascus killed four top Syrian officials, and several diplomats have abandoned the government.

The top diplomat at the Syrian Embassy in London resigned his post, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said Monday. Charge d'Affaires Khaled al-Ayoubi told British officials that he was "no longer willing to represent a regime that has committed such violent and oppressive acts against its own people," the office said in a statement.

London's World Heritage Sites: 5 ways to escape the Games

 

By Bruce Holmes for CNNGo

July 26, 2012 -- Updated 0614 GMT (1414 HKT)

William the Conqueror ordered the construction of the massive White Tower in the 11th century.

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• If you tire of athletics, take a stroll through London's World Heritage sites
• Sites are perfect for tourists interested in royal history, nature, art, and science
• Buy tickets ahead of time for those with paid admission and plan for long lines

(CNNGo) -- This summer, London, understandably, is mostly concerned with heart and nerve and sinew.

The fittest, leanest, most Lycra-becoming humans alive today are to compete in the London 2012 Olympics and millions of mortals will watch with awe, excitement and possibly a little envy. And Usain Bolt will earn more fame, fortune and adulation in 10 seconds than most of us earn in a lifetime.

But there is culture of a different kind to be found too -- in the form of London's World Heritage Sites.

A visitor's guide to London

London's royal bike tour

Open Mic: London message to U.S.

These UNESCO-endorsed sites have been around for decades, even centuries, and this July and August could just be the perfect time to see them.

Tea time in London: 3 modern teahouses

1. Tower of London

Ever wondered what it would have been like to be strapped to the rack? See the dreaded machine in the Bloody Tower at the Tower of London and learn about various forms of torture used during the reigns of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Mary I.

From St. Thomas' Tower, where the monarch's barge was moored, walk along the south wall for a view across the river to Tower Bridge.

Down in the courtyard the resident ravens are kept in their enclosure. Legend has it that the Tower will fall if the six ravens ever leave, so seven are kept, providing one spare.

Some exhibits are interactive -- visiting school children enjoy putting on the helmets in the White Tower's armory. But these are attached to chains, so there's no taking them home.

This is where it all began, with William the Conqueror constructing a fortress here in the 11th century. The massive White Tower provided a haven in case the newly conquered English rebelled.

Fortifications were added by successive English monarchs, who also used the Tower as a prison.

The Crown Jewels are on display in the Jewel House, from diamonds to maces and crowns, the heaviest of which is the 2.23-kilo, solid gold St. Edward's crown made in 1661.

To brush up for that trivia quiz, the biggest, brightest and best are listed online.

www.hrp.org.uk

CNNGo.com: Ultimate guide to the Olympics

2. Westminster Abbey

We've seen it on television for Princess Diana's funeral and the wedding of William and Kate, but no visitor to London should miss stepping inside Westminster Abbey.

History tours are led by a verger, one of the laymen assisting in the church.

King Edward, later St. Edward the Confessor, built a stone church here. Consecrated in 1065, it saw William the Conqueror crowned there a year later, as England's monarchs have been ever since.

In the 13th century Henry III rebuilt the church in the Gothic style we see today. His burial here in 1272 established a royal tradition that lasted 500 years.

Many famous people have been laid to rest in the Abbey, from Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton to those in Poets' Corner like Geoffrey Chaucer, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Charles Dickens and Robert Burns.

In the Nave we pay our respects at the grave of the Unknown Warrior.

Other highlights include the 709-year-old wooden Coronation Chair and the marble pavement in front of the High Altar, decorated in 1268 by the Cosmati method of inlaying small pieces of colored marble into a plain background.

At the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor, steps at the base have been worn away by the knees of visitors.

Visitors can inspect the adjacent medieval St. Margaret's Church at their leisure.

www.westminster-abbey.org

CNNGo.com: Asia's unseen UNESCO World Heritage sites

3. Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew

While most people know Sir Joseph Banks as the botanist who accompanied Captain James Cook on his voyage to the South Seas, which also took in the continent of Australia, many might not be aware of Banks' accomplishments on returning to England.

After he took over as head of the botanic garden at Kew in 1773 its international reputation grew, with researchers bringing botanic specimens from as far afield as India, Africa, China and Australia.

That tradition continues today with a scientific program aimed at saving threatened species. Plants from all over the world are preserved in climate-controlled atmospheres and this history of botanical achievement is a prime reason for the World Heritage listing.

The other reason is that its landscaped gardens and associated architecture represent developments that were to have an influence throughout the world.

Two massive iron-framed glasshouses, the Palm House and Temperate House, dating from the 19th century, became impressive models for conservatories around the world.

Also included among 44 listed buildings is Kew Palace, formerly home to King George III.

For something modern there's the Rhizotron and Xstrata Treetop Walkway, opened in 2008. Designed by Marks Barfield Architects, renowned for the London Eye, this 18-meter-high, 200-meter-long walkway takes visitors around the crowns of lime, sweet chestnut and oak trees.

www.kew.org

4. Palace of Westminster

After passing through airport-style security, the tour of the Palace of Westminster, which houses the British Parliament, begins in the 11th-century Westminster Hall. This hall has the largest clear-span medieval roof in England.

There's the Queen's Robing Room, where the monarch dons her official robes and crown for the annual Opening of Parliament. Paintings of King Arthur and his knights adorn the walls.

Bill Gates, Michael Jackson and Michelle Obama have stood in the Royal Gallery, where in 1984 French president François Mitterrand delivered a speech between frescoes of British victories at Trafalgar and Waterloo.

In the House of Lords Chamber there's a spot where civil servants sit, writing answers for questions put to Ministers.

Standing at the dispatch box in the House of Commons chamber visitors get to play the role of prime minister. On view in St. Stephen's Hall is the statue to which Emily Pankhurst chained herself during the suffragettes' protest movement.

Back in Westminster Hall, the guide indicates the dreaded King's Chair, where Charles I, William Wallace (Braveheart) and Guy Fawkes were tried and condemned.

Leaving the palace, statues of republican warrior Oliver Cromwell and crusader-king Richard the Lionhearted bring to mind the tortuous history Britain has endured to gain a democratic parliament that sits in a once-royal palace.

www.parliament.uk

CNNGo.com: 10 free activities in and around London

5. Maritime Greenwich

Greenwich Mean Time is set at the Royal Observatory in this London borough, mandating time on clocks around the globe. Also at the Royal Observatory is the Prime Meridian, establishing the world's settings for longitude.

Located by the Thames in southeast London, Maritime Greenwich boasts more than the observatory, however.

"The ensemble of buildings at Greenwich ... symbolize English artistic and scientific endeavour in the 17th and 18th centuries," the UNESCO listing reads.

Architectural highlights include the Queen's House, the first true Renaissance building in Britain, and Sir Christopher Wren's beautiful baroque buildings, especially the twin domes of the Painted Hall and Chapel of Saints Peter and Paul, part of the Old Royal Naval College.

The National Maritime Museum features a wave tank for experiments, toy boats illustrating maritime history and until September 30, a small exhibition focusing on personal stories of survivors of the Titanic.

Something special is the Cutty Sark. Built in 1869 and "re-launched" last April following extensive repairs in the wake of a fire in 2007, she is said to be the "last surviving tea clipper and the fastest and greatest of her time."

Note: During the 2012 Olympic Games Greenwich Park will host modern pentathlon and equestrian events.

Information: Visit Greenwich

India’s Epic Blackout Sparks Anger at Politicians, Doubts over Development

A second blackout in 24 hours left over 600 million Indians without power. As the country sweltered and work ground to a halt, many fear the country's longstanding infrastructure woes have come home to roost

 

By Nilanjana Bhowmick | July 31, 2012 |

Learn More

 

An Indian barber holding a candle, gives a haircut to a customer in Kolkata, India, on July 31, 2012.

On Tuesday evening most houses in the village of Chhalera, around an hour’s drive from the capital New Delhi, were in darkness. Residents ran out of water — as electric pumps could not be operated — and sweated it out in the humid heat. Men sat around in groups on charpoys, smoking and pondering the reasons for this sudden blackout, while women gave up the wait for power and tried to get dinner going by candlelight. No one here is a strangers to power cuts, which are a regular occurrence in the summers. However, regular power cuts last a couple of hours at the most. “The light has been gone since afternoon today,” Mayna Devi says. Her two children sit beside her, studying by a flickering candle. They have exams on Wednesday morning. “When is it going to be back? It is so hot and it is difficult to carry out daily chores in candlelight. And it’s been many hours now.”

If she could have put on her television she would have known that what she was experiencing was one of the world’s biggest blackouts, which swept across a massive stretch of northern and eastern India at 1 pm on Tuesday afternoon, plunging some half of the country – 600 million people — in darkness. The failure of three major national power grids – the Northern, the Eastern and the Northeastern grids – toppled power supply in 20 out of India’s 28 states. India has five electricity grids – Northern, Eastern, North Eastern, Southern and Western. All of them are inter-connected, except for the Southern grid.
 Out of these the three affected grids carry about 50,000 MW of electricity. And when these crashed, so did much of vast, teeming India for at least 6 straight hours.

(PHOTOS: Blackout Leaves 620 Million Indians Without Power)
The consequences were legion: Trains – overground and underground — came to a standstill; non-functioning traffic lights meant huge traffic snarls on roads; electric crematoriums shut down with half burnt bodies; hospitals, offices and factories had to switch to back up generators; hundreds of miners were trapped in a coal mine in West Bengal where the chief minister declared a holiday to make sure workers either stayed home or left their offices. In New Delhi, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party called the outage an “unparalleled occurrence” and said it was the result of mismanagement by the central government. The epic blackout was just the second grid failure in the last 24 hours – on Monday, parts of northern India had experienced hours of blackout when the northern grid failed, leaving some 300 million people in the dark. These back-to-back failures have led observers to question how the government has managed the country’s creaky energy infrastructure while also raising pointed concerns over the growing demand for electricity in India—a demand which outstrips present means of supply.
According to India’s Central Electricity Authority, India has been facing an annual power shortfall of 8%, which had peaked in recent months. A weak monsoon and an exceptionally hot summer this year has meant more electricity consumption especially in the agrarian states where farmers have had to depend on pumps and irrigation systems in the absence of rain. This year, authorities and businesses alike had taken resort to desperate measures: in June, many shopping malls in Delhi and its satellite towns turned off their airconditioners despite the sweltering heat and the Labour Department issued a notice for shops to close early for 15 days, just to save power. Such measures obviously did not work and overconsumption led to states overdrawing from the national grids. “Everyone overdraws from the grid,” said outgoing power minister Sushil Shinde, who in a much-criticized move was promoted to the top post of home minister on Tuesday evening at the backdrop of the two biggest power outages in the country’s history. “Just this morning I held a meeting with power officials from the states and I gave directions that states that overdraw should be punished. We have given instructions that their power supply could be cut.” The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission had recently revealed that states like Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous, overdraws almost 26 million units every day, Haryana around 13 million units and Punjab around 5.2 million units everyday.

(MORE: How Climate Change and the Monsoons Affect India’s Blackouts)
And while heads started to roll in the aftermath of the outage — the chairman of Uttar Pradesh State Power Corporation was transferred without a fresh posting — 82% of power has been restored in northern India, including 100% in Delhi. In eastern India, 65% supply had been restored at the time of writing and it was expected that by midnight power would be fully restored all over the country. But, even as the lights flicker on throughout India, will they turn on in the minds of its politicians and economic planners?

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Wider World by CS: Michael Phelps

Wider World by CS: Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps sets all-time Olympic record with 19th medal

LONDON – In the final 10 meters of his history-making race, Michael Phelps was alone in the open – a fitting margin for an Olympic icon who is now the most decorated medal-winner of all time.

Swimming the anchor leg of the men’s 200-freestyle relay, Phelps held onto a significant lead and delivered the United States another gold medal – the 15th of his career and the 19th time he has stood on an Olympic podium. He’s now alone in the overall medal count, having broken a tie with Russian gymnast Larissa Latynina as the most-decorated athlete in the history of the Games.

[Photos: Michael Phelps]

Phelps entered the night with 17 medals, wining silver in the 200-meter butterfly and then gold in the 4x200, swimming the two races a little over one hour apart.
Michael Phelps poses with his the 19th Olypmic medal he's won. (AP

Just before the 4x200 began, Phelps pulled his teammates into a huddle and expressed his gratitude for their part in the moment. He delivered one last request.
"I wanted a big lead," Phelps said. "I told the guys, 'Get me a big lead.' And they gave it to me."
The crowd in London’s Aquatics Centre thundered in applause for much of the race as the United States’ Ryan Lochte – one of Phelps chief rivals in the last four years – got the Americans off to a blazing start. It was a change of sorts for Lochte, who anchored the 4x100 silver medal effort – in which the U.S. was overtaken by the French in the closing moments. This time, U.S. men’s coach Gregg Troy put Lochte in the lead-off leg, offering him an opportunity to get Phelps the lead he desired.
He did just that, swimming the fastest lead-off leg and outpacing the French by 1.55 seconds over the first 200 meters.
"The past two days I wasn’t myself," Lochte said of his sprint struggles in these Games. "After [the 400 freestyle silver medal] my confidence was gone. Everyone kept telling me, 'You’re better than that.' I didn’t swim this morning and I think that helped. I was back to myself. I was that happy-go-lucky guy."
Shortly before Tuesday night's swim meet, Latynina told Yahoo! Sports' Martin Rogers that the medals she also won as a coach still separate her from Phelps.
"Do I think I am still the greatest Olympian?" she said in an interview translated by a Russian gymnastics federation official. "Why yes, but that is my opinion.
"Why do I think this? Well, I did not only compete in three Olympic Games and won many medals, but the Soviet Union team had very great success when I was the coach."
Latynina won nine golds and 18 total medals in her career that spanned three Olympics from 1956-64. The Soviet Union also claimed another 10 golds when she was coach during the 1970s. She also said Phelps has her respect.
"It is special what he has done," Latynina said.

[Related: Full video coverage of the 2012 Olympic Games in London]

In a tribute to Phelps and recognizing the speed he showed in the 4x100 relay earlier in the games, U.S. coaches shuffled their 4x200 order, placing Phelps in the closing leg. While some may argue it as grandstanding by the U.S., Phelps’s blazing 47.15-second split in the 4x100 relay actually made him an ideal anchor candidate. This despite Phelps' long-standing history as a leadoff man in U.S. relays. It was also clearly a nod of respect from the U.S. coaches for a career that has rewritten American and Olympic record books while lifting U.S. swimming to unprecedented heights.
The relay unfolded as dramatically as you would expect, with Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Ricky Berens giving Phelps the sizable lead he wanted. Phelps went into the pool and was never challenged, stretching the lead in the first 150 meters and then going into the wall nearly 10 meters ahead of the French.
Phelps moved into position for the history-making moment earlier Tuesday night with his second-place finish in the 200-meter butterfly, giving him 18 Olympic podiums. He looked poised to take gold in the race, charging out early and leading after all three of the turns, before appearing to labor in the final 25 meters. That allowed South Africa’s Chad le Clos to close the gap, with the two going stroke-for-stoke in the last 10 meters. Le Clos stretched at the end, out-touching Phelps for gold, in 1:52.96 against Phelps’s 1:53.01. Phelps looked at the video board and said some words to himself, appearing disappointed with what was ultimately a wrist-length from gold.
Phelps had reason to smile less than an hour later.

More Olympics coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Swimming's old guard is being upstaged by youth movement
• NBC spoils a gold-medal result it hadn't broadcast yet
• Franklin has the chops to wear the 'female Phelps' label

พระกรุนางพญาพิษณุโลก

พระนางพญาพิษณุโลกพิมพ์เข่าโค้ง (ดูรูปภาพประกอบ) เนื้อดินผสมน้ำว่านเนื้อละเอียด

คำบรรยายพระองค์นี้  (ตามรูปที่แสดง) ถ่ายภาพให้ดูทุกด้าน

ตามปกติพระนางพญาที่พบเจอกันส่วนมากจะเป็นเนื้อดินหยาบและมีเม็ดแร่มาก แต่องค์ที่แสดงนี้เป็นเนื้อละเอียดและเป็นองค์ที่สวยงามเพราะติดพิมพ์ได้ชัดเจนดี องค์นี้มีการลงลักปิดทองมาก่อนและมีคราบกรุติดอยู่ เจ้าของล้างลักทองออกตอนได้เช่ามาเพราะมองเนื้อพระไม่ชัดเจน แต่ล้างไม่ได้หมด ตามซอกลึกและร่องส่วนต่างๆของตัวพระล้างไม่ออก ยังมีคราบลักทองติดอยู่บ้างไม่หายไปหมด เนื้อเดิมนั้นออกจะเหลืองๆแต่เพราะผ่านการล้างแบบไม่ดี เนื้อจึงดูซืดลงไป

เนื้อพระนางพญาองค์เนื้อละเอียดทุกองค์เนื้อจะดูเงามัน คล้ายพระกำแพงซุ้มกอ แต่จะมีก้อนกรวดเล็กๆกระจายทั่วองค์พระ เม็ดกรวดมีสีสรรค์หลายสี ทั้งสีเทา/สีขาวขุ่น/สีดำ/สีออกน้ำตาลอ่อนและจุดเหลืองๆสีอ่อน กระจายทั่วไปเข้าใจว่าจะเป็นเนื้อว่านเฉกเช่นเดียวกับเนื้อว่านสีแดงที่แสดงในเนื้อพระซุ้มกอ

เม็ดกรวดทรายนั้นดูสภาพก็บ่งบอกถึงความเก่า/ขุ่นและไม่คม มีล่องลอยการครูดไปตามเนื้อพระอันเนื่องจากการตัดขอบพระทั้งสามด้าน ด้านหลังจะดูเรียบๆและมองเห็นมวลสารทั่วๆไปดี

พระองค์นี้พูดถึงความสมบูรณ์แล้วดีมากๆทั้งพิมพ์ทรงเนื้อหา ความแห้งสนิม/เนื้อย่นเหี่ยวหดตามแบบฉบับพระเนื้อดินที่ผ่านกาลเวลามานับร้อยๆปี เหมาะสมที่จะเป็นองค์ครูให้การศึกษาต่อไป
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200 foreign businesspersons attend agriculture conference

Monday, 30 July 2012 15:52 Theingi Tun

Rangoon (Mizzima) – Foreign businesspersons outnumbered Burmese businesspersons at the recently completed  “Into Myanmar: Agri Trade, Investment & Infrastructure Global Summit 2012” at the Sedona Hotel in Rangoon.

A farmer sprinkles fertilizer on his rice field in Bago District, northeast of Rangoon. Photo: AFP

The conference was hosted by Burma on June 26-27 and nearly 200 businesspersons attended from nine countries: Burma, Singapore, China, Indonesia, Australia, Vietnam, Italy, Japan and Hong Kong.

Ninety-six Burmese businesspersons attended from groups including Myanmar Rice Industry Association, Myanmar Rice and Paddy Traders Association, Myanmar Edible Oil Dealers Association, Myanmar Fruit and Vegetable and Flower Producer Association.

“The international community wants to know what happening in Burma now that it’s opening. I want officials to hold a summit like this twice per year,” said Myo Aung Kyaw of Myanmar Rice Industry Association, who attended the summit, adding that it’s an easy way to get detailed knowledge of the agricultural sector.

The summit discussed amendments to the foreign investment law, the agricultural sector, the currency policy and the electricity sector.

Myo Aung Kyaw said that to run rice factories, it is important to get regular electricity but in Burma now the electricity supply is not sufficient. Transportation costs are also high and the transportation system must be upgraded.

“To get electricity is important. Otherwise, it will be difficult for foreign investors to invest in Burma. It is very important to improve basic infrastructure,” said Myo Aung Kyaw.

The conference was organized by Magenta Global, which is based in Singapore.

Regime reform or just cosmetic change?

North Korea: Regime reform or just cosmetic change?

Sarah Teo  Singapore July 31, 2012 1:00 am

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves to onlookers as he and his wife, Ri Sol-Ju, attend the opening ceremony of the Rungna People

Surprising shifts have occurred in North Korea under the leadership of Kim Jong-un.

In February, North Korea agreed to suspend its nuclear and missile programmes, as well as allow foreign nuclear inspectors into the country, in exchange for food aid from the US. About two weeks later, however, North Korea launched a satellite to mark the 100th birth anniversary of the country's founder Kim Il-sung. Although the launch failed, the US and other states saw it as a cover for a long-range missile test and decried the move as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, subsequently calling off the aid deal.

While the cycle of negotiations interrupted by provocations is not new for North Korea, its admission of the launch failure was unexpected. In 2009, when a similar failure occurred, North Korean state media applauded the "successful launch of the satellite". The regime's admission of its failure this time was thus seen as a relaxation of its tight control over information.

Likewise, when Disney characters appeared on North Korean television in July 2012, some speculated that the public embrace of Western cultural elements could be the first step to changing the North's strong anti-US stance. Indeed, the image of Kim Jong-un and the audience - consisting mostly of military officers - clapping for the Disney-costumed performers were at odds with North Korea's frequent condemnation of the "US imperialists".

Most recently, the dismissal of Vice-Marshal Ri Yong-ho from all his posts and the subsequent appointment of Kim Jong-un as marshal was seen as an attempt to consolidate the latter's power over the military. Ri had reportedly been a close friend of former leader Kim Jong-il and was a strong supporter of the latter's songun (military-first) policy. A source close to Pyongyang and Beijing was quoted by Reuters as saying that Ri was sacked for opposing Kim Jong-un's plans for economic reform.

What do these developments mean for North Korea?

For the three-generation Kim leadership, regime survival has always been the ultimate aim. This goal has been sustained through various means. Domestically, Pyongyang feeds its citizens with propaganda, sends "dissidents" to political prison camps or re-education camps, and restricts the flow of outside information into North Korea. Internationally, North Korea utilises its nuclear weapons programme to deter the threat of foreign invasion. Under Kim Jong-il, the military's position was also elevated, and it was given priority over civilians in terms of resources such as food.

Kim Jong-un's actions in the past eight months, however, suggest that Pyongyang may be changing its strategy, even though regime survival remains the leadership's top priority. This change in strategy is likely to have occurred for two reasons.

First, North Koreans are gradually getting access to information from the outside world. A study published in May by research firm InterMedia concluded that despite the tight control over information, North Koreans are increasingly able to access foreign media such as DVDs and radio broadcasts. This means that their perceptions of their own country, as well as other states, could possibly change. In this new information landscape, domestic propaganda and a media blackout on outside information may not work as well as it used to.

Second, the North Korean economy is in shambles. The CIA World Factbook estimates that North Korea's GDP per capita in 2011 was US$1,800. In comparison, South Korea's GDP per capita was estimated to be $32,100. Foreign reports on North Korea's economic woes cite the country's isolation and mismanagement as the main sources of the problem. Food shortages and corruption worsen the situation. Despite official rhetoric in the 2012 Joint New Year Editorial that the country had made great strides towards becoming "an economic giant in the 21st century", Kim Jong-un and his leadership should realise that the songun policy has been detrimental to the economy.

Defector accounts note that while North Koreans respected Kim Il-sung, many did not feel the same toward Kim Jong-il. In their book The Hidden People of North Korea: Everyday Life in the Hermit Kingdom, Ralph Hassig and Kongdan Oh write that North Korean defectors felt that Kim Jong-il "[did not] care about the people the way (they thought) his father did". This view was reinforced by the songun policy, which directed resources away from civilians to the military.

It is thus no surprise that the latest Kim leader has fashioned himself after his grandfather rather than father. Much has been said about how much Kim Jong-un's looks resembles Kim Il-sung's. Like his grandfather, the younger Kim has opted for a more populist approach, visiting kindergartens and interacting with ordinary North Koreans. His apparent relaxation of information restrictions and penchant for reform may also signal a shift from his father's leadership.

In the face of a new information environment and continued economic woes, it is essential for Kim Jong-un to legitimise his rule in North Korea. Only with the people's support will the Kim regime enjoy little opposition - covert or otherwise - to its rule, allowing it to focus its resources on other more urgent issues. To cultivate popular support for the regime, methods used by Kim Jong-il are unlikely to be as effective as compared to the past. Kim Jong-un will need to continue finding new ways to establish popular support in the changing North Korea.



Sarah Teo is senior analyst with the Multilateralism and Regionalism Programme at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

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เล่าไปเรื่อยๆ (11)

วันอังคารที่ 31 กรกฎาคม 2555 เวลา 00:00 น.

เล่าไปเรื่อย ๆ ตอนที่แล้ว เล่าเรื่องผู้นำจากประวัติศาสตร์ได้ความอย่างหนึ่งว่าผู้นำที่ดีต้องไม่ ริษยาลูกน้อง ต้องส่งเสริมผู้ตามให้ใช้ศักยภาพของเขาได้ตามความถนัด ต้องรู้จักดึงเอาด้านดีด้านเป็นประโยชน์ของลูกน้องมาใช้ ต้องไม่ส่งเสริมคนชั่วให้มีอำนาจ อย่าเป็นอย่างที่โบราณว่า “เรือดี ๆ มีไม่ขี่ข้ามไปเอาเรือรั่วน้ำมาข้ามขี่” ซึ่งล้วนแล้วแต่เป็นเรื่องความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างผู้นำกับผู้ตามทั้งนั้น แต่ก็แสดงให้เห็น “ภาวะ” ของคนได้ดีว่าควรเป็นผู้นำได้หรือไม่

ถ้าจะพูดให้ยาวออกไปก็คือผู้นำต้องหาคนดีมาช่วยงาน ต้องกระจายงาน ต้องมีมิตร ผู้นำจึงต้องฉลาดเจรจา ฉลาดผูกใจคน ถ้าทำได้ควรจะมี succession plan ด้วย คือแผนหาคนมารับช่วงงานต่อ จะเรียกว่าทายาทก็ได้ งานจะได้ไม่สะดุด ไม่ใช่ว่าพอหมดผู้นำก็หมดตัว!

แต่เรื่องอย่างนี้อาจทำได้ในภาคเอกชนมากกว่าภาครัฐ เพราะกฎกติกามารยาทในการหาทายาทไม่ยุ่งยากและเอื้อต่อการวางตัวคน ในทางการเมืองการปกครองและในระบบราชการหรือภาครัฐคงทำได้ยากเพราะราชการงาน เมืองเป็นของส่วนรวม เป็นของประเทศชาติ ไม่ใช่สมบัติจะพึงผลัดกันชมหรือยกให้ใครได้ตามใจชอบ ในทางเป็นจริงพอริเริ่มมองใครเล็งใคร เพื่อนก็เล่นเขม่นอิจฉาริษยารวมหัวกันเลื่อยขาเก้าอี้แล้ว หากจะให้เป็นไปได้ก็ต้องตั้งให้เป็นตำแหน่งแห่งหนชัดแจ้งโดยมีกฎบัตรกฎหมาย รองรับไปเลยให้รู้แล้วรู้รอด เช่น การตั้งพระมหาอุปราชหรือกรมพระราชวังบวรสถานมงคล วังหน้าในสมัยก่อน หรือตำแหน่งสมเด็จพระบรมโอรสาธิราช สยามมกุฎราชกุมารตั้งแต่สมัยรัชกาลที่ 5 เป็นต้นมา ถ้าแค่เล็ง ๆ หมายตาไว้แล้วเปรยให้คนได้ยินเห็นจะเกิดปัญหาเพราะคนเรามักมีนิสัยเห็นใครดี ไม่ได้ ก็อย่างว่าแหละครับ คนที่นายกฯ วางตัวให้เป็นทายาททางการเมืองไม่เห็นได้ดีสักราย

รัชกาลที่ 5 นั้นทรงโชคดีมากเพราะทรงมีผู้ช่วยงานที่มีความสามารถอยู่หลายคน และทรงผูกใจคนเหล่านั้นไว้ได้จนเป็นปัจจัยแห่งความสำเร็จยิ่งใหญ่ของพระองค์ ผู้ที่สำคัญที่สุดเสมือนนั่งอยู่ในพระทัยคือสมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ กรมพระยาเทววงศ์วโรปการ (ต้นราชสกุลเทวกุล) และสมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ กรมพระยาดำรงราชานุภาพ (ต้นราชสกุลดิศกุล) ซึ่งเป็นพระเจ้าน้องยาเธอทั้งคู่ พระองค์แรกทรงสนองงานด้านการต่างประเทศหรือ foreign affairs ได้เรียบร้อยบริบูรณ์ พระองค์หลังทรงสนองงานด้านการปกครองภายใน (มหาดไทย) หรือ interior ได้ราบรื่นสมบูรณ์ ผู้นำที่มีแขนซ้ายด้านรัฐวิเทโศบาย แขนขวาด้านรัฐประศาสโนบายครบครันอย่างนี้ถือว่าครบเครื่อง

ในด้านการทหารบก ทหารเรือ การศึกษา การช่าง ศิลปะ กฎหมาย รัชกาลที่ 5 ทรงมีพระเจ้าน้องยาเธอและพระราชโอรสอีกหลายพระองค์มาช่วยงานได้ดังพระทัยนึก ข้าราชการขุนนางที่จงรักภักดีและมีความสามารถก็มีมาก ต่างทุ่มเทช่วยกันคนละไม้คนละมือจนการปฏิรูปประเทศของพระบาทสมเด็จพระจุล จอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัวลุล่วงไปได้ ประเทศสยามได้ทั้งอำนาจอิสราธิปไตย ได้ทั้งความเป็นสมบูรณาญาสิทธิของพระราชา ได้ทั้งความเจริญของบ้านเมือง

กลับมาที่ประเด็นเดิม คนเป็นหัวหน้าอาจไม่ได้เป็นผู้นำ คนเป็นผู้นำอาจไม่ได้เป็นหัวหน้า สังคมที่มีหัวหน้าและเป็นผู้นำด้วยจึงโชคดี การที่ผู้นำจะทำให้คนตามหรือยอมทำงานให้อย่างรัชกาลที่ 5 ไม่ใช่เรื่องง่าย จริงอยู่ที่ความเป็นน้องเป็นลูกอาจยอมเป็นผู้ตามที่ว่าง่ายใช้คล่อง แต่ทำอย่างไรจึงจะผูกใจคนไว้ได้ด้วย “ใจ” ไม่ใช่แค่สายสัมพันธ์ทางเครือญาติ ก็ญาตินั้นลุกขึ้นเล่นงานกันเองเจ็บแสบกว่าคนอื่นมามากต่อมากแล้ว สมเด็จพระบรมราชาหรือขุนหลวงพะงั่วก็เป็นญาติข้างแม่ของพระราเมศวร เจ้าอ้ายพญากับเจ้ายี่พญาชนช้างจนตายทั้งคู่ก็พี่น้องกัน สมเด็จพระชัยราชาธิราชก็เป็นอาของสมเด็จพระรัษฎาธิราชกุมาร สมเด็จพระมหินทราธิราชกับสมเด็จพระมหาธรรมราชาก็เป็นพี่เมียน้องเขยกัน สมเด็จพระเจ้าทรงธรรมกับเจ้าฟ้าศรีเสาวภาคย์ก็ญาติกัน สมเด็จเจ้าฟ้าไชยกับสมเด็จพระนารายณ์ก็พี่น้องคนละแม่กัน สมเด็จพระศรีสุธรรมราชากับสมเด็จพระนารายณ์ก็เป็นอาหลานกัน สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมโกศกับเจ้าฟ้าอภัยก็อาหลานกัน สมเด็จพระเจ้าอุทุมพรกับสมเด็จพระเจ้าเอกทัศก็พี่น้องกัน ลงท้ายก็ฆ่าฟันกันเองจนตายไปข้างหนึ่ง

ถ้าวัดโคกพระยา นอกเกาะอยุธยาดินแดนที่สำเร็จโทษกษัตริย์และเจ้านายมามากต่อมากแล้วมีวิญญาณ พูดได้สถิตอยู่คงเล่าให้เราฟังได้สนุกนักว่าเขาโค่นล้มแย่งชิงอำนาจกันอย่าง ไร

สมัยต้นกรุงเทพฯ ปลายรัชกาลที่ 1 กรมพระราชวังบวรฯ วังหน้ากับพระเจ้าอยู่หัวก็ทรงผิดพ้องหมองพระทัยกัน เมื่อสิ้นวังหน้า พระเจ้าลูกยาเธอของวังหน้า เช่นพระองค์เจ้าลำดวน พระองค์เจ้าอินทปักจะเข้ายึดอำนาจในวันพระราชทานเพลิงพระศพวังหน้าตามสูตร “วันสวดเขาจะเอา วันเผาเขาจะเล่น” จนจับได้ต้องถูกสำเร็จโทษ ต้นรัชกาลที่ 2 ก็เกิดเรื่องเจ้าฟ้าสุพันธุวงศ์ พระราชโอรสพระเจ้ากรุงธนบุรีที่รอดอยู่ถูกหาว่าจะก่อการขบถยึดอำนาจจาก รัชกาลที่ 2 ผู้เป็นน้าแท้ ๆ (น้องของแม่) จนถูกจับสำเร็จโทษ

การที่ผู้นำจะผูกใจผู้ตามให้ได้จึงเป็นเรื่องสำคัญ จะใช้วิธี “ปรองดอง” “สมานฉันท์” “สามัคคี” “ให้อภัย” หรืออะไรก็ตาม แต่เป็นคุณธรรมที่ผู้นำที่ฉลาดได้ใช้มามากต่อมากแล้ว แต่ต้องใช้อย่างถูกจังหวะเพราะการผูกใจที่ผิดจังหวะจะกลายเป็น “การหวานเจี๊ยบหวานจ๋อย” อาจถูกหาว่าไม่จริงใจหรือกลายเป็นว่าผู้นำไม่แน่จริง กลัวผู้ตาม ยอมให้คนอื่นขี่คอ อ่อนแอ อันพลอยให้เสียภาวะผู้นำไปได้ประการหนึ่ง

เรื่องอย่างนี้ต้องยกให้พระเจ้าอยู่หัวรัชกาลที่ 4 พระองค์ออกผนวชตั้งแต่พระชนมายุ 20 พรรษา ผนวชอยู่ 27 ปี อดทนอดกลั้นต่อภยันตรายในช่วงเวลานั้นไม่ใช่เล่นเพราะคนกลั่นแกล้งและมุ่ง ร้ายหมายขวัญมีสารพัด ต่างคิดจะกีดกันไม่ให้ทรงกลับมามีอำนาจทางบ้านเมือง ถ้าเป็นคนเจ็บแล้วต้องจำ จำแล้วจำนาน เมื่อทรงกลับขึ้นมีอำนาจเป็นรัชกาลที่ 4 ครองราชย์ถึง 17 ปี คงใช้อำนาจความเป็นเจ้าแผ่นดินล้างเจ็บล้างอายยกใหญ่ แต่ไม่ทำเลย จึงทรงเป็นผู้นำที่ยิ่งใหญ่อยู่ได้

รัชกาลที่ 4 เป็นผู้นำที่ฉลาด แม้จะไม่ได้ทรงขึ้นมาเป็นผู้นำท่ามกลางความขัดแย้ง แต่ก็น่าจะทรงรู้ว่าคนที่เคยก่อเหตุเภทภัยไว้กับพระองค์มีอยู่มากจนเขาน่าจะ ระแวงว่าอาจทรงถือโอกาสนี้ “เอาคืน” วิธีจะทำให้คนเหล่านั้นวางใจว่าแผ่นดินใหม่นี้จะแก้ไขไม่แก้แค้นก็คือการทำ ให้เป็นที่ประจักษ์ว่าพระองค์ไม่ได้ทรงเป็นอย่างที่พวกเหล่านั้นคิด เทคนิคที่ทรงใช้หรือกุศโลบายคือ “ปรารถนาสารพัดในปฐพี เอาไมตรีแลกได้ดังใจจง”

กุศโลบายของรัชกาลที่ 4 มีดังนี้ เริ่มต้นคือทรงสมานไมตรีกับพระราชอนุชาร่วมพระราชชนนีนั่นคือเจ้าฟ้าจุฑามณี (พระบาทสมเด็จพระปิ่นเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว) โดยทรงยกย่องให้เป็น “ยิ่งกว่าอุปราชวังหน้า” ทรงบวรราชาภิเษกให้เป็นพระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัวพระองค์ที่ 2 เลยเชียวล่ะ ทรงอ้างว่าดวงพระชะตาแข็ง ที่จริงสมเด็จเจ้าฟ้าจุฑามณีทรงพระปรีชาสามารถมากเพราะทรงทำราชการมาตลอด 27 ปี เพียงแค่นี้พระบาทสมเด็จพระปิ่นเกล้าฯ ก็ทรงยอมถวายชีวิตทำราชการสนองพระเดชพระคุณสุดฝีมือจนสวรรคตไปก่อน”

เทคนิคหรือกุศโลบายต่อไปคือทรงสมานไมตรีกับสายพระเจ้าอยู่หัวรัชกาลที่ 3 ผู้เป็นพระบรมเชษฐาต่างพระชนนี เมื่อจะอภิเษกสมรสครั้งแรกก็ทรงเลือกพระเจ้าหลานเธอ (หลานปู่) ในรัชกาลที่ 3 ชื่อพระองค์เจ้าหญิงโสมนัสมาเป็นสมเด็จพระนางเจ้าพระบรมราชินี โดยทรงยอมเป็น “หลานเขย” ของรัชกาลที่ 3 อีกทาง เมื่อสมเด็จฯ พระองค์นี้สวรรคตก็ทรงรับเอาหม่อมเจ้าหญิงรำเพย หลานปู่อีกองค์ของรัชกาลที่ 3 มาเป็นพระอัครมเหสีจนมีพระราชโอรสคือรัชกาลที่ 5 เท่านี้ก็ทรงผูกใจเจ้านายสายรัชกาลที่ 3 ไว้ได้

กุศโลบายที่ 3 คือ ทรงสมานไมตรีกับเจ้านายสายรัชกาลที่ 1 (เป็นปู่) และสายรัชกาลที่ 2 (เป็นอา) รวมถึงพระราชโอรสของรัชกาลที่ 2 (เป็นพี่หรือน้อง) ด้วยการทรงยกย่องให้มีตำแหน่งทางราชการ และมีพระยศสำคัญเช่นพระราชโอรสรัชกาลที่ 2 ที่ประสูติจากสมเด็จเจ้าฟ้ากุณฑลทิพยวดีนั้น แม้แม่จะเป็นเจ้าฟ้าแต่รัชกาลที่ 2 ก็ทรงเกรงพระทัยพระอัครมเหสีบุญรอดจึงไม่ทรงกล้ายกย่องพระราชโอรสจากสายนั้น แต่พอมาถึงรัชกาลที่ 4 โปรดฯ ให้เป็นสมเด็จเจ้าฟ้ามีพระยศยิ่งใหญ่มาก

กุศโลบายที่ 4 คือ ทรงสมานไมตรีกับบรรดาขุนนางและเสนาบดีทั้งหลาย แม้บางคนจะมีส่วนในการยกรัชกาลที่ 3 ขึ้นครองราชย์มาก่อน ทรงตั้งเจ้าพระยาพระคลังเป็นสมเด็จเจ้าพระยาองค์ใหญ่ ตั้งพระยาศรีพิพัฒน์ผู้น้องเป็นสมเด็จเจ้าพระยาองค์น้อย ให้มีอำนาจราชการเหมือนนายกรัฐมนตรีในสมัยนี้ เมื่อจะปูนบำเหน็จตั้งเจ้าพระยาหรือเสนาบดีอื่นก็เสด็จไปพระราชทานพรและ เครื่องยศจนถึงบ้านของผู้นั้นเป็นที่ปลาบปลื้มทั่วกัน ซึ่งถ้าจะว่าไปแล้วก็ไม่ใช่ธรรมเนียมมาก่อน

กุศโลบายที่ 5 คือ ทรงสมานไมตรีกับศัตรูหรือ “ไพรี” เก่าของพระองค์ด้วยการไม่ถือโทษโกรธเคือง ลืมเรื่องเก่าตั้งต้นกันใหม่ พระพุทธโฆษาจารย์ วัดโมลีโลกยารามนั้นเคยขัดเคืองกันหนัก เมื่อรัชกาลที่ 4 ขึ้นครองราชย์ ท่านจะสึกหนีราชภัยเอาทีเดียว แต่โปรดฯ ให้เลื่อนเป็นสมเด็จพระราชาคณะ พระอุดมปิฎก วัดหงส์รัตนาราม ธนบุรี เคยกระทบกระทั่งกันเรื่องนิกายสงฆ์ พอขึ้นครองราชย์ก็ลี้ภัยไปอยู่พัทลุง โปรดฯ ให้นิมนต์กลับมาครองวัดหงส์ ข้าราชการอีกคนเคยทะเลาะกับพระองค์มาหนัก โปรดฯ ให้เลื่อนเป็นพระยา รับสั่งว่าเรื่องส่วนตัวก็เรื่องหนึ่ง แต่ฝีมือของเขาเป็นอีกเรื่องหนึ่ง

กุศโลบายที่ 6 คือ ทรงสมานไมตรีกับคนต่างด้าวท้าวต่างแดน ทรงส่งราชทูตไปฝรั่งเศสหลังจากที่ห่างเหินมานานกว่าร้อยปี ทรงยอมต้อนรับราชทูตอังกฤษ ยอมทำสัญญาพระราชไมตรีด้วย ทรงมีพระราชสาส์นไปถึงพระนางเจ้าวิกตอเรียแห่งอังกฤษ ทรงคบค้ากับเจ้าเมืองสิงคโปร์แบบไม่ให้เขาดูถูกเราได้ ทั้งหมดนี้เป็นส่วนหนึ่งที่ทำให้รักษาประเทศไว้ได้

กุศโลบายที่ 7 คือ ทรงสมานไมตรีกับคณะสงฆ์ฝ่ายมหานิกาย ความที่พระองค์เป็นผู้สถาปนาคณะธรรมยุติกนิกาย เมื่อขึ้นครองราชย์เชื่อว่าคณะสงฆ์ฝ่ายมหานิกายคงจะวิตกอยู่เหมือนกันว่าจะ ไม่ทรงเป็นธรรมต่อคณะนิกายเดิม เช่น อาจบังคับให้พระมหานิกายนุ่งห่มอย่างพระมอญแบบธรรมยุตดังที่รัชกาลที่ 3 ก็เคยวิตก พอดีพอร้ายอาจบังคับให้เปลี่ยนมาเป็นธรรมยุตกันหมดซึ่งถ้าเป็นเช่นนั้นจะ เกิดสงครามศาสนาเป็นแน่ แต่กลับทรงดำเนินพระบรมราโชบายตามปกติ “แล้วแต่ศรัทธา” ทรงยกย่องสงฆ์ฝ่ายมหานิกาย เช่น สมเด็จกรมพระปรมานุชิตฯ วัดพระเชตุพน และยังทรงบูรณะวัดมหานิกายเช่นเดิม เช่น วัดหงส์รัตนาราม วัดเขมาภิรตาราม วัดพระเชตุพน วัดพระปฐมเจดีย์ วัดอรุณฯ วัดโมลีฯ สงฆ์มหานิกายก็ยังอยู่ได้เป็นปกติสุข

กุศโลบายที่ 8 คือ ทรงสมานไมตรีกับคนต่างชาติโดยเฉพาะที่เคยมีความสัมพันธ์กับพระองค์มาแต่เดิม เช่น หมอบรัดเลย์ สังฆราชปาลเลอกัวส์ เวลาตายก็เสด็จไปส่งศพ เรือศพสังฆราชปาลเลอกัวส์ผ่านที่ประทับก็ทรงลุกขึ้นยืนถอดพระมาลา พระราชทานเกียรติจนบาทหลวงและชาวต่างประเทศต่างแซ่ซร้องสดุดีไปทั่ว

สุดท้ายคือทรงสมานไมตรีกับพสกนิกร พระราชทานพระบรมราชานุเคราะห์ต่าง ๆ และทรงสร้างความเจริญแก่บ้านเมืองให้ประชาชนอยู่เย็นเป็นสุขทั่วกัน ทรงตัดถนน ขุดคูคลอง พระราชทานสิทธิเสรีภาพในการนับถือศาสนา จนถึงการให้เจ้าจอมลาออกไปมีครอบครัวได้ ทรงยกเลิกประเพณีหมอบกราบก้มหน้าทหารไล่ยิงลูกตาราษฎรเวลาเสด็จฯ ผ่าน โปรดฯ ให้ประชาชนเข้าเฝ้าฯ อย่างใกล้ชิด ทรงออกประกาศเตือนราษฎรนับร้อยฉบับในเรื่องความเป็นอยู่ สุขอนามัย อาหารการกิน อาชีพ อย่างเป็นกันเอง

กุศโลบายทั้งหมดนี้ไม่ใช่ประชานิยม แต่เป็นการสถาปนาบรรยากาศความเป็นกันเองหรือ “ไมตรี” เมื่อผู้นำมีไมตรีต่อผู้ตาม ผู้ตามย่อมมีไมตรีตอบ เพราะเหตุฉะนี้รัชสมัย 17 ปีของพระองค์ที่ผู้ใหญ่สมัยนั้นเคยกลัวกันว่าการไปอาราธนาพระที่บวชมานาน 27 ปี ไม่เคยจับราชการบ้านเมือง เคยแต่เทศน์ ไม่เคยรบ เคยแต่เป็นแม่ทัพธรรม และไม่มีเสนาพฤฒามาตย์คอยประคับประคอง มีแต่พระลูกวัดไม่กี่รูปและทายกทายิกาจะเป็นการคิดถูกหรือไม่ จะทรงบริหารบ้านเมืองหรือปกครองเป็นไหม แต่แล้วก็ไม่มีเหตุอันน่าผิดหวังแต่ประการใด กลับทรงเป็นหัวหน้าที่สามารถในการนำ ทรงผูกใจครองใจเจ้านายและเสนามนตรี อาณาประชาราษฎร์ได้อย่างดีตลอดรัชกาล

คราวหน้าจะได้พูดกันเรื่องใหญ่อีกเรื่องคือความมีวิสัยทัศน์ของผู้นำ.
กุศโลบายทั้งหมดนี้ไม่ใช่ประชานิยม แต่เป็นการสถาปนาบรรยากาศความเป็นกันเองหรือ “ไมตรี” เมื่อผู้นำมีไมตรีต่อผู้ตาม ผู้ตามย่อมมีไมตรีตอบ เพราะเหตุฉะนี้รัชสมัย 17 ปีของพระองค์ที่ผู้ใหญ่สมัยนั้นเคยกลัวกันว่าการไปอาราธนาพระที่บวชมานาน 27 ปี ไม่เคยจับราชการบ้านเมือง เคยแต่เทศน์ ไม่เคยรบ เคยแต่เป็นแม่ทัพธรรม และไม่มีเสนาพฤฒามาตย์คอยประคับประคอง มีแต่พระลูกวัดไม่กี่รูปและทายกทายิกาจะเป็นการคิดถูกหรือไม่ จะทรงบริหารบ้านเมืองหรือปกครองเป็นไหม แต่แล้วก็ไม่มีเหตุอันน่าผิดหวังแต่ประการใด

วิษณุ เครืองาม
wis.k@hotmail.com

Syrian president in spotlight after deadly attacks

By David Ariosto, CNN

July 19, 2012 -- Updated 0115 GMT (0915 HKT)

Bashar al-Assad vowed to lead Syria "towards a future that fulfills the hopes and legitimate ambitions of our people."

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Al-Assad grew up in the shadow of his father, the late president Hafez al-Assad
• His father ruled with iron fist, jailing some dissidents and marginalizing others
• His son, Bashar, enjoyed rare privileges and education as he studied abroad
• But those in Europe and the U.S. initially seemed heartened by the incoming president

(CNN) -- With the deaths of three top Syrian officials, questions arose Wednesday as to whether the Damascus attack marks a turning point in the presidency of Bashar al-Assad.

As the crisis unfolded, experts looked beyond the day's events to the roots of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's power for insights into the 16-month rebellion that grips the Middle Eastern nation.

Al-Assad grew up in the shadow of his father, President Hafez al-Assad, a Soviet ally who ruled Syria for three decades and helped propel a minority Alawite population to key political, social and military posts.

By most accounts, the elder al-Assad governed with an iron fist, forging a police state that quashed opposition by jailing dissidents and marginalizing other political groups.

Hafez al-Assad was born into a poor family and graduated from Ḥomṣ Military Academy as an air force pilot, before rising in Baath Party leadership and gaining power in the "Corrective Revolution" of 1970.

His son, Bashar, enjoyed rare privileges and education as he studied abroad, while his older son, Bassel, was the man groomed to succeed him and assume power.

Showdown or stalemate in Syria?

But when Bassel died in a car crash in 1994, Bashar was thrust into the national spotlight and switched his university focus from medicine to military science.

"Dr. Bashar," who had headed the Syrian Computer Society, earned a degree in ophthalmology and enjoyed windsurfing, may have appeared an unlikely choice.

Explosion kills top Syrian officials

Clinton says Assad regime won't survive

Russia not supporting al-Assad

2005: Amanpour and Assad

But many observers in Europe and the United States seemed heartened by the incoming president, who presented himself as a fresh, youthful leader who might usher in a more progressive, moderate regime.

Asma Akhras al-Assad, whom he married in 2000, is a former investment banker of Syrian descent who grew up in London.

Get to know Syria's first family

When al-Assad's father died in June of that year, it took just hours for the Syrian parliament to amend the constitution and lower the presidential age of eligibility from 40 to 34, a move that allowed Bashar to succeed his father.

Within weeks, he was also made a member of the regional command for the ruling Baath Party, a requirement of succession.

"I shall try my very best to lead our country towards a future that fulfills the hopes and legitimate ambitions of our people," al-Assad said during his inauguration speech.

But Western hopes for a more moderate Syria sank when the new leader promptly maintained his country's traditional ties with militant groups, such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Attack threatens al-Assad's grip on power

Suspicions later surfaced among the country's regional neighbors over whether Syria was developing a covert nuclear program.

Meanwhile, al-Assad repeatedly vowed to stamp out corruption while strengthening his own grasp on power.

But in recent months -- and after more than a decade in power -- the Syrian leader has drawn criticism from around the globe as he's met popular protests and unrest with force.

Damascus Spring came early in presidency

Thousands have been killed and many more displaced as the conflict has unfolded, with state security forces firing on demonstrators, many of whom have joined opposition groups, including armed rebel brigades.

As pressure has mounted, the inner circle of the Syrian leader has became more of a family affair, said David Lesch, a professor of Middle East history and author of "The New Lion of Damascus: Bashar al-Assad and Modern Syria."

"That's part of what Bashar has been doing ever since he came to power," Lesch said. "He has put members of his extended family ... in various parts of government and military security apparatus. If the day came -- and it did come -- where there was a threat to the regime, he could count on the loyalty of those closest to him."

The president's family belongs to the country's minority Alawite sect, who are largely driven by fears that they could be overwhelmed should al-Assad lose power, according to the president's uncle Rifaat. Recent reports, however, suggest discontent even within the minority community over his handling of the crisis.

Jordan's king calls attack 'tremendous blow' to regime

Al-Assad's youngest brother, Maher, is thought to be Syria's second-most powerful man, overseeing two of the army's strongest units: the Republican Guard, which protects the regime in Damascus, and the elite Fourth Armored Division, which suppressed the early uprisings in southern Syria.

But on Wednesday, a rebel attack killed Defense Minister Dawood Rajiha; Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat -- al-Assad's brother-in-law; and Hasan Turkmani, al-Assad's security adviser and assistant vice president, according to state television.

Shawkat was once in charge of the army's intelligence services and was said to be one of the president's closest allies.

Interior Minister Ibrahim al-Shaar was among those injured in the blast, state TV said, adding that he "is in good health and that his condition is stable."

Wednesday's attack occurred during a meeting of ministers and security officials and was coordinated by rebel brigades in Damascus, opposition groups say.

Al-Assad quickly named Gen. Fahd Jassem al-Freij as defense minister, according to the state-run news agency SANA.

State media also reported that authorities have killed or captured a "large number" of terrorist infiltrators in Damascus and inflicted "heavy losses" on terrorists in Homs and Idlib.

But video from a Damascus suburb showed Syrians rejoicing after news spread of the bombing.

Meanwhile, reports of deaths across the country occur almost every day, with a London-based opposition group reporting last week that government forces carried out a massacre in Hama province, killing 220 people there.

Horrific images out of Douma

Al-Assad's administration has consistently said that its forces are targeting armed terrorists funded by outside agitators.

In early July, al-Assad told a German television station that a months-old peace plan aimed at ending the violence hasn't failed, but rather has yet to be implemented because foreign countries are supporting "terrorists."

Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, named as a special envoy to the region, has spearheaded the peace effort.

The president's remarks came on the same day that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held that the days for the Syrian regime are numbered.

Noting recent defections, Clinton said, "The sand is running out of the hourglass."

Syria: Fear and hunger amid battle for Aleppo

By Ian Pannell BBC News, Aleppo

Continue reading the main story

Syria conflict

• Jordan's desert refugee camp
• Pannell: Army moves in
• Syria's Kurds emboldened
• Christians cautious

The old man hobbled past a burnt-out tank and slowly crossed the deserted road, calling for help. He was dressed in a full-length galabeya gown, his face worn by many Syrian summers and his head swaddled in a red and white checkered scarf.

"My family have gone and I need somewhere safe to stay," he said.
At 90 years old, Mohammed Khalaf deserves better. He has lived through many wars and more than one revolution.
Today he sits alone in his house in one of Aleppo's poor sprawling suburbs, terrified by the gunfire and artillery shells exploding nearby.
His family has fled the city. He claims that they left him behind but - old, afraid and confused - his mind is perhaps not as clear as it once was.
He says he remembers the struggle against the French occupation but adds: "They didn't shoot at us during [the Muslim holy month of] Ramadan.
"Things that are happening now never happened during the fight for independence."

Rebel fighters in Aleppo are outgunned and outmanned by government troops

As he left to see if the bakery was open, the terrifying sound of heavy gunfire erupted nearby.
He tried to run for cover, his weathered body no match for his survival instincts and the best that he could manage was an awkward shuffle.
The battle for Aleppo was raging all around. The situation on the ground has completely changed from just a few days ago. The fighting has intensified and the government has deployed thousands of troops and tanks to try to recapture the neighbourhoods it ceded a week earlier.
The commander of the Tawhid Brigade, one of the largest groups of rebel fighters in Aleppo, called us in for a meeting.
Abdul Saleh is a businessman turned rebel leader. He says his brigade has thousands of fighters who control more than 40% of the city's neighbourhoods. It is a claim that is impossible to verify.
He wanted to talk to the tiny group of foreign journalists who had entered the city and he began with a warning that everyone should have their bags packed and their cars ready to leave at any time.
He said the nearest tanks were now just 2km away. With one eye fixed on an escape route I asked: "In which direction?"
In a rare moment of candour about the threat his men face, he replied: "In every direction."
'We die or win'
Despite the threat that grows by the day it was an honest assessments from the armed opposition who often inflate their strength and numbers, masking vulnerability with confidence and tough talk.
"We decided and we promised that we would fight," he said. "We will die or we will win."
But the odds they face are daunting. A conventional armed force with tanks, mortars, artillery, helicopter-gunships and fighter jets is now lined up against rebel fighters armed with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
However, the terrain of these heavily populated areas works to their advantage.
Many of the fighters are battle hardened in a way that the government's soldiers are not. The rebels are also making their own improvised explosive devices and Molotov cocktails and are perhaps more willing to make the ultimate sacrifice than an army of conscripts and career soldiers.

The hole-in-the-wall bakery is the only source of food for some residents

Not far from their base the hole-in-the-wall bakery that Mohammed had been seeking had just reopened its doors after being closed for more than a day. Most food shops in the turbulent districts are now closed.
Rebel fighters tried to marshal the crowds as hundreds of hungry and increasingly desperate residents clamoured for the thin round loaves.
Suriya had finally reached the front of the queue and the middle-aged mother thrust her hand through the railings outside the bakery, grasping for the bread. Like many poor Syrians she has a large family to feed and with no fresh fruit or vegetables available this is her only chance to get food.
"A lot of poor people are suffering from a lack of food and water," she complained. "Many are going to bed hungry."
Their suffering does not seem likely to end soon. Food, water and power shortages have made life hard for residents. The ever-present danger from bombs and bullets is making it intolerable.
Thousands of families have already fled the city. Men, women and children are being killed every day, innocent victims of a battle they did not choose and that no-one seems able to stop.
This is just the start of the battle for Aleppo and it is impossible to predict the outcome.
But it will shape the destiny of President Bashar al-Assad, the revolution he faces and the Syrian nation. And it will leave countless numbers of its citizens bleeding and dying.

รูปหล่อโบราณหลวงพ่อเดิม

สังเกตุพิมพ์ทรงรูปหล่อโบราณปี ๒๔๗๐ (ดูภาพประกอบ)

๑.องค์ที่เห็นเป็นพิมพ์ทรงฐานสูง
๒.ลักษณะการหล่อพิมพ์ทรงนี้ชัดดีโดยเฉพาะกลีบจีวรและไหลปลาร้า/การวางมือและท่านั่ง
๓.สังฆฎิตรงลอยขีดใหญ่จะนูนขึ้นเห็นเด่นชัดจะไม่แบน/และตรงหน้าตักจะเป็นหลุมลึก
๔.คราบลอยเบ้ายังเห็นชัด/ตรงล่องลึกทั่วไปจะเป็นคราบสีเขียว
๕.โลหะที่ใช้หล่อเป็นทองเหลือง ให้ดูสังเกตทองเหลืองเก่าจะมีคราบแดงๆออกทั่วองค์พระ
๖.คำว่าหลวงพ่อเดิมจะติดไม่ชัดโดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งคำว่า 'อ' ของแท้จะเป็นอย่างนี้แทบทุกองค์
๗.ใต้ฐานจะมีลอยจารอักขระแต่ลายมือไม่สวยและมีลอยตระใบขอบๆฐาน
๘.ด้านข้างขององค์ไม่มีลอยตระใบแบบเดียวกับรุปหล่อหลวงพ่อเงินพิมพ์นิยม
๙.รูปหล่อพิมพ์โบราณนี้ค่อนข้างหายากเพราะเป็นพิมพ์แรกๆที่สร้างขึ้น
๑๐.ถ้ามีโอกาสควรแสวงหาไว้เป็นเจ้าของเพราะเป็นรุ่นแรก
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Ryan Lochte sheds his youthful way and shreds the 400 IM field

US swimmer Ryan Lochte poses on the podium with the gold medal after winning the men's 400m individual medley swimming …

LONDON – For weeks, months, and years, we waited for this Ryan Lochte in the Olympic Games. We waited for him to finally dominate, so we could stop feeling sorry that he lived in the time of Michael Phelps. We waited for him to finally solve his own imbalanced equation – one part supreme talent, one part slacker, zero parts assassin.
Now we know: Ryan Lochte was waiting, too.
And four years ago, after failing to realize expectations that he would challenge Phelps in Beijing, he stopped waiting and started changing. And that's how Saturday night happened -- Lochte shredding the field in the brutal 400-meter individual medley and taking gold-medal real estate that had belonged only to Phelps in the last two Olympic Games. And it wasn't even close, with Lochte finishing 3.68 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor and 4.10 seconds ahead of Phelps. On top of that, Lochte's 4:05.18 is the fastest the 400 IM has ever been swum without the high-tech swimsuits that were banned in 2008.

[ Photos: Lochte vs. Phelps in the 400m medley ]

This time around, Lochte charged out in the first 50 meters -- too hard by his own estimation -- and was never seriously challenged after the 150-meter mark. This despite keeping a constant eye on the scoreboard the entire race. That's how the "duel in the pool" between Phelps and Lochte became nothing more than a transfer of power -- a coronation for a guy who is aiming to ascend to the top of the U.S. swimming throne. And we likely should have seen it coming when Phelps barely qualified for the event in preliminaries. After it was over, Phelps congratulated Lochte on keeping the 400 IM in U.S. hands, despite his own disappointment at not being able to do the job himself.
And who knows -- maybe Phelps knew after his preliminary swim that this was going to be Lochte's moment. Phelps has never loved the event. He only kept swimming it because he hated backing down from a challenge. Maybe Phelps knew Lochte wanted this event more than he did. No matter the reasons, it was on Lochte to finally seize it after repeating all week that he was ready to take the reins in the program.
"This is my year," Lochte said. "I know and I feel it. I put in hard work. I've trained my butt off for four years. I just feel it inside my gut that this is my year."

[ Related: Michael Phelps's 'crappy' first swim raises red flag ]

Not that his performance in Beijing in 2008 was anything less than spectacular. Lochte left those Games with four medals -- two gold and two bronze. But the problem was that people were expecting something Phelps-ian. Indeed, many thought he was the one who would and could end Phelps's world dominance on that stage. Instead, his only individual gold came in an event that Phelps didn't swim (the 200-meter backstroke), and his two individual bronzes came in events Phelps dominated (the 200 and 400 IMs).
What we didn't know at that time -- and what we'd find out later -- was that Lochte was still being Lochte. After hearing about all of his focus and reforms, he spent his Olympics in China dining on McDonalds and gaining weight. And the fallout was predictable. He looked like the same sleepy-eyed, undisciplined kid that kept suffering foolish injuries right before major competitions. The same kid who once asked his dad for cigar money 10 minutes before the 200 IM final at the 2004 Athens Games. Lochte lost to Phelps in Athens, too.
But all of those realities are why Saturday night came with such satisfaction for Lochte, too. Whenever he made changes for the better, he did it on his own timetable. He was slightly more focused for the Beijing Games, and he saw slightly better results. But he also left with the realization that he left something on the table -- that Phelps was human and beatable. And that if he changed maybe just a little more, he could be the human to beat him.

[ Video: Raising an Olympian -- Ryan Lochte ]

"I don't really have regrets because I live my life the way I want to live," Lochte said. "Yeah, I've been injured plenty of times for doing stuff that I probably shouldn't have been doing. But you know what? That's me."
And Beijing?
"Beijing, I was young," Lochte said. "I changed some things after Beijing in my diet [and] in my training. I've just gotten a lot faster since then. All the stuff I've been changing, if I would have known that years ago, Beijing would have been a different scenario for me. But you live and learn."
You live, you learn, and you keep stacking medals. Lochte now has seven Olympic podiums, including four golds. With four more events set in stone in London (200 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 200 IM and 4x200 freestyle) and possibly one more to be added (4x100 medley relay), he could capture six gold medals in these Games. Only Phelps and Mark Spitz have done more in Olympic swimming. But that work is just getting started, albeit with the toughest event in his schedule.
"I don't know if this puts me as one of the world's greatest," Lochte said. "I mean, I hope so. That's not really my decision."
Then again, maybe it is his decision. Ask Lochte after these Games are over. He's still living and learning.