BANGKOK, Thailand -- Southeast Asia is resisting the harsh U.S.-China
blame game over COVID-19, preferring to maintain financial links with
both, but Beijing appears to enjoy a better image among the region's
hearts and minds.

"Southeast Asian countries are standing on the sidelines of the
Washington-Beijing COVID-19 quarrel, not taking sides with one or the
other," Paul Chambers, an international affairs lecturer at Naresuan
University in northern Thailand, said in an interview.

"Given that China is the region's leading trading partner and provider
of new foreign investment, and China came out of the coronavirus
pandemic earlier than the U.S., Beijing has an edge over the
Washington right now.

"The continuing COVID-19 problems in the U.S. shows Southeast Asians
that the U.S. political system is not a good model for dealing with
the virus," Mr. Chambers said.

Southeast Asian countries often try to balance relations with the U.S.
and China to avoid endangering extensively interconnected business,
military and other links.

Saturday, June 6, 11am-5pm
241 E. Town St.
Visual art, comedy, spoken word, dance, mindfulness and community. Revolution's No Joke is an artistic protest for the community, dedicated to bringing unity to individuals, organizations and activists through a grassroots movement. They do this by keeping the communinty safe, distributing accurate information and organized protests and events. 
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The march began Wednesday, June 3 with a rally at 12:00 noon at the north end of the Kingsdale Shopping Center in Upper Arlington, a six-minute walk north of where I live. At about 12:40 p.m., following the rally [that had included several speakers], the group of thousands marched, on the streets, through several neighborhoods of Upper Arlington [including a section of the historic "Old Arlington" neighborhood south of Lane Ave.] and eventually returned to the Kingsdale Shopping Center.

 

Photos by Tom Over

The union representing the Columbus Division of Police (CPD) told the Free Press they are willing to negotiate for a civilian review board when negotiations for the next police union contract begin at the end of this year. However Janet Jackson, Chair of the Mayor's Community Safety Advisory Commission, told the Free Press she is concerned about how much opposition the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) brings to table when they negotiate what authority the civilian review board will have.

What the FOP Capital City Lodge #9 President Keith Farrell to this day is still shaking his head over, however, is the city had a chance to negotiate for a civilian review board three years ago.

“The city and the mayor had a chance three years ago to bring this to the table, but for whatever reason they did not,” Ferrell said. “We wanted to talk about it. We wanted them to bring this to the table. I was saying, ‘Let’s talk about it.’ The city had that opportunity. I honestly do not know why they didn’t.”