Violence and atrocities : propaganda

Monday, September 12, 2022

Chinese drones in the skies of Taiwan increase tension in the region

As many as 30 unarmed drones buzzed over two islands near the coast of China. These islands belong to Taiwan and most of these aerial vehicles were either civilian, or unidentified. Garrison of Taiwanese soldiers stationed on the rocky outcrops appeared to be the targets. In the initial stages, the Taiwanese soldiers ignored them. However, when the frequency of flights increased, the soldiers fired warning shots and shot down one of them into the sea. This added to the tensions between the two sides. China continues to claim that Taiwan, even though self-governed, is its territory. The presence of Chinse military in the Taiwan Strait has increased. They are flying jets and sailing ships closer to the island. The intention could be to test the defenses of Taiwan, thereby raising the risk of conflict. Chinese Drones: The latest irritant buzzing Taiwan’s defenses. As an analyst explains - “China is using such harassment to increase pressure, deliberately raising tensions around Taiwan. Don’t assume that a civilian drone has nothing to do with military purposes.”

It remains to be seen how Taiwan responds to future Chinese drone flights that might enter its airspace. In addition, whether it can deter Beijing without provoking conflict. China could be using the military drones to gather intelligence. It might be making use of the civilian drones for domestic propaganda purposes in order to undermine the image of Taiwan and mount a campaign of intimidation and psychological warfare. President Tsai Ing-wen has made it clear to China that the military of Taiwan will “not provoke disputes, and we will exercise self-restraint, but it does not mean that we will not counter.” She said this in a recent speech on the Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait.

Saturday, August 13, 2022

Sister of Kim Jong-un reveals her brother had ‘fever’ during the Covid pandemic

Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, had stated that his country was free from the Covid pandemic. However, his sister Kim Yo-jong revealed that her brother did suffer from ‘fever’ and she put the blame squarely on South Korea. She said that the South had dropped propaganda leaflets at the border were. These were contaminated with the deadly virus. South has described the accusations as ‘groundless.’ Activists in South Korea used to follow this practice earlier. They used to drop balloons containing propaganda leaflets into the North. This has since been banned. Kim’ sister expressed her doubts while speaking about her brother’s declared victory in the country's battle against the pandemic. North Korea is a secretive country and hence it is not easy to ascertain the real picture. North Korea leader Kim Jong-un 'suffered fever' during Covid outbreak, says sister. Kim Yo-jong described the acts of dropping leaflets as a "crime against humanity." She also cautioned about considering "a strong retaliatory response".

North Korea prefers to label coronavirus as "fever" due to a lack of testing equipment. Kim’s sister took pride in declaring a "shining victory" over the virus. She also heaped praise on the "indomitable tenacity" of the people of North Korea and issued orders to lift restrictions with casualty figures of just 74. Experts find these figures hard to believe because the healthcare system in North Korea does not have enough intensive care units, neither does it have drugs or vaccines to treat Covid. Incidentally, the North did not roll out any vaccination program during the pandemic. Instead, it relied on alternative measures like lockdowns and homegrown treatments.