Outlook English - Print Subscribers Copy Outlook English, 16 April 2018 | Page 21
WAR AGAINST SOCIAL OPIUM
T
HERE is a new opium
of the people—media.
Characterising smartphone
use as a “digital opium addic-
tion”, Shahjahan Mahmood,
chairman, Bangladesh
Telecommunications and
Regulatory Commission,
bemoaned that students’
smartphone ad-
diction “hampered
their lives socially
and academically”.
Despite a fairly low
level of internet pen-
etration in the coun-
try, Facebook is widely used
via smartphone. Mahmood
said that they plan to make it
more expensive to use such
apps, and even mentioned
an idea about content filters,
although he added that this
would be difficult to police.
In Bangladesh, where a
three-week social
media blackout was
imposed during
widespread anti-
government protests
in 2015, anything
is possible.
THE GROUNDED SON
N
AMAL Rajapaksa, Sri Lankan opposition
MP and son of ex-president Mahinda Raj
apaksa claimed that US authorities have denied
him permission to fly to Texas from Moscow.
He has been in Russia to observe the presiden-
tial elections (an inspired way to learn about
democracy). He tweeted: “Valid reason yet
to be received…Sure it has nothing to do with
my name, being part of #lka opposition or my
travel from #Russia.” Perhaps it has something
to do with the money laundering he’s accused
of, or perhaps it’s due to the illicit amounts of
sarcasm in his baggage.
ELUSIVE DATA PURLOINERS
A
NOTHER day, anot
her mass data theft.
Extortionists have hacked
the electricity billing data
of thousands of consu
mers in Haryana. The
Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran
Nigam, one of the state’s
two power distributers,
was attacked around mid-
night on March 21. When
staff arrived at the head
office and turned on their
computers the following
morning, they found a
message flashing across
their screens, demanding
a sum of Rs 1 crore in
Bitcoins. A case has been
registered and police
are trying to track down
the attacker using their
IP address, but experts
say that it is possible to
change this very quickly,
and that the hacker may
have “spoofed” their IP
address before acting.
Raising A ‘Red’ Flag
C
HINESE engineers working in Pakistan ended up ass
aulting local policemen earlier this week. And it would
seem all for a noble cause: denying them access to the
“red light” area without police escorts.
A number of engineers and other workers from China enga
ged in the construction of M4 Motorways from Bahawalpur
to Faisalabad attacked policemen who were deployed at the
camp site to protect them. The problem, it seems, stemmed
from the poli cemen’s refusal to allow the Chinese nationals
to leave the camp and visit local prostitutes without any
policemen or security accompanying them.
There have been a number of incidents of attacks and
murders of Chinese nationals working in various projects
in Pakistan. To prevent such incidents, most have been
given police protection at their camps and also while trav-
elling out of secured areas.
According to a report in the
English daily Dawn, Pakistani pol
Not only did
icemen refused to allow the Chi-
the Chinese
nese to leave their camps without
workers beat
a security squad accompanying
up policemen,
them. But the foreign workers
they struck
wanted to shed their security
work, cut off
cover when they wanted to visit
power supply
the “red light” area. When the
policemen refused to oblige them,
and lodged
the Chinese engineers and other
false charges
Chinese workers at the camp site
against
started beating up the policemen.
the cops.
To make matters worse, all this
was captured on cell phone videos,
which have since gone viral. The video clips clearly showed
the policemen being kicked and beaten up. In one, a visibly
angry Chinese national is also seen atop the bonnet of a
police vehicle. Later, the engineers cut off the power supply
to the police camp within the main construction camp.
The Dawn report said that on Wednesday morning, the
Chinese workers stopped work on the project and aban-
doned heavy machinery and vehicles on roads in the area.
The protesting Chinese engineers also wrote a letter to
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, claiming they were
prevented from “performing their duties” by the police-
men, alleging that they were the ones attacked.
They also accused the security in-charge of attempting
to hit Chinese workers with his vehicle. The police officials,
predictably under tremendous pressure to handle these
difficult guests, rejected the accusations and described them
as fabricated. Later, Khanewal DPO Rizwan Omer Gondal
met with the Chinese workers, after which they agreed to
remove the road blocks. But it was made clear they would
not be allowed to go out of the camp without police escort.
16 April 2018 OUTLOOK 21