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18 May 2012 SEA GLOBE A n Indonesian action flick is taking the movie world by storm after winning an award at the Toronto Film Festival. The Raid: Redemption, described by the LA Times as “a slam-bang, knock-your- socks-off action bonanza”, is set to open in the UK this month. A lmost a third of Vietnamese pre- school children are malnourished, according to a study by the National Institute of Nutrition. Stunted growth and increasing rates of obesity in urban areas are among other problems afflicting the nation’s young. T he Singapore Dance Theatre, due to present a ballet performance in Kuala Lumpur, has been denied a permit to enter Malaysia, allegedly due to the troupe’s “indecent” costumes, which include classical tutus that have been worn by dancers for centuries. Team work?: the South China Sea dispute involves Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, as well as China and Taiwan Parts of the South China Sea, particularly the Spratlys, have been at the centre of a rift between Southeast Asian nations and China for years. The last fighting, between China and Vietnam, resulted in the deaths of more than 70 Vietnamese sailors in 1988. ¡ S outheast Asian nations are showing increased willingness to come together over disputed territory in the South China Sea, in moves that will raise plenty of eyebrows in Beijing. The Philippines and Vietnam have signed an accord that calls for their navies to engage in confidence- building and to heighten the flow of information between them. One of the first steps has been the implementation of a hotline between the two nations’ coast guards and maritime police, with the goal of increasing monitoring capabilities in the area. The navies have even agreed to let sailors take part in football and basketball matches on the Spratly Islands – part of the disputed area – in an effort to forge closer ties in response to China’s military might. The Philippines has responded to a recent standoff with Beijing over a disputed shoal by kicking off joint military exercises with the US – called Balikatan and involving 7,000 troops – in Palawan, another disputed area in the region. THE GOOD THE PECULIAR THE BAD THE PECULIAR A little help from our friends IN FOCUS
