STEM Education for life, part 2

The second part of the series looks at the part STEM has to play in ensuring a better future for all Malaysians.

IN our previous article (Stem education for life to reach new heights)  we talked about the engineering feats of the 20th century, what STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) stands for and some ways to promote STEM among students. In this article, we will talk about the importance of STEM education for key professions and for the future of the nation.

In 2007, 30% of the total tertiary education-age population in Malaysia was enrolled in tertiary education. In 1999 it was 23%. Malaysia targets that by 2020, this total will increase to 50% and out of that 60% will be in STEM. To meet this target, ground work has to start now.

Currently, it is estimated that about 37% of secondary school students are in the Science stream. It is worrying if there is a decline in the number of students enrolling in the Science stream.

If our country is to move forward to compete with the rest of the world and to be sustainable in the future, we need more scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technologists to manage our natural resources and to look into renewable resources for future growth and sustainability. More talents and more qualified manpower are required to drive the country.

The United States Department of Commerce in the 2013 article STEM: Good Jobs Now and for the Future (www.esa.doc.gov) stated that “STEM workers drive our nation’s innovation and competitiveness by generating new ideas, new companies and new industries. However, US businesses frequently voice concerns over the supply and availability of STEM workers. Over the past 10 years, growth in STEM jobs was three times as fast as growth in non-STEM jobs.” Perhaps this is an indication of a trend that could eventually affect Malaysia as well.

According to an employment website survey in August 2013 based on a year’s data that among the top 10 highest paid jobs in Malaysia, most tend to be technical or science based. At the executive level, those who specialised in medicine, engineering, finance and information technology (IT) generally earned above-average salaries, while those at managerial levels and higher who received better compensations were in the fields of IT, science and engineering.

It was also reported that, out of the top 10 best paying jobs for fresh graduates, seven of the jobs are STEM related (doctors, engineering/IT, geophysics, aviation, actuarial science, IT software, financial services).

Perhaps, with this knowledge in mind, students in schools could be informed to pursue STEM subjects and venture into tertiary education in STEM-related fields of study. Most students in secondary schools have little idea of what to pursue at tertiary level and little knowledge of what career path to take. Perhaps with the knowledge of possible successful careers and pathways in STEM, students could make informed decisions on what subjects to take and that would lead them to more visible outcomes.

Most students have the view that mathematics and science subjects are more technical and difficult subjects to learn and score in exams. Hence, they shy away from choosing the Science stream and this may prevent them from choosing a career in STEM-related fields.

However, if learning is made more practical, fun, methodical and interesting with key fundamental concepts of STEM introduced even from primary school and slowly built up to secondary school, more students would enjoy learning STEM subjects and perhaps perform better in them in lower secondary. This would make the transition into the Science stream easier at Form Four. The grooming of a potential pool of talent has to start from school right up to tertiary level. It might be too late trying to encourage more students into STEM-related studies at tertiary level and by then there might also be too few in the pool to select the best talents from.

STEM education should perhaps be elevated as a national priority, considering the implications for the future. With this in mind, the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology (AAET), Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar), the Malaysian Industry Group for High Technology (MIGHT), the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM), and the National Science Centre (NSC) came together to organise the Kuala Lumpur Engineering Science Fair 2014 (KLESF).

The inaugural fair was held in April 2014 and the event, which will be held annually, aims to promote STEM and serve as a decisive step to arrest the declining interest among school students in STEM. KLESF brought together a community of stakeholders, research and education communities, professionals and industry partners to support the Government’s Science to Action (S2A) programme to promote science and technology as the key drivers of innovation, research, development and enterprise for the nation.

KLESF 2014 attracted more than 100 government schools and more than 50,000 visitors comprising mostly school children and teachers.

In tandem with KLESF is the Utar School Mentorship Programme, in which Utar academics work with school teachers in selected needy schools, sponsoring equipment and working with students on hands-on science-based projects, which were showcased during KLESF. The students, in this mentorship programme, learnt to make mini robots and conducted scientific experiments, highlighting the fun aspects of learning Science.

The waves of technological revolutions that happened from the 18th to the 20th century resulted in super highways, integrated multimedia networks, speedy transportation, automation and super crops with bountiful harvests. If we think of the next century and the future to come, a lot needs to be done now.

We now have about seven billion people on earth. The global population could reach nine billion by the year 2050. In 2010, 3.5 billion (50.5%) lived in cities and more are moving into cities each day. This means fewer and fewer people work in farms, growing food that we need, and more infrastructure is needed in the cities to support the growing population. Healthier food, clean water, well-planned housing and clean air are required for better-quality life in the cities.

The level of urbanisation is rising throughout the world resulting in more pollution, depletion of natural resources, global warming and the increasing need to source clean water. Problems are getting more complex and the challenges are greater. The world needs a great pool of talented people especially scientists, architects, engineers and more STEM-based qualified professionals to help with new inventions, seek solutions, soothe this expanding world and solve current and impending environmental problems. Most of all, these talents need to look into renewable energies for the future as our natural resources are being depleted and wasted.

Therefore, it is imperative to keep our youths and students in schools interested in STEM; for our teachers to find more interesting ways of teaching STEM subjects; our parents to encourage their children to discover the wonders of science and for our government to look into policies that promote STEM education and develop a curriculum that will encompass the nation’s future needs.

Contributed by Prof Dr Lee Sze Wei

The writer, an AAET Fellow, is the vice-president of Research and Development and Commercialisation, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar).  

 Prof Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei
Vice President, R&D and Commercialisation
UTAR

Prof. Dr. Lee Sze Wei was born in Malaysia in 1970. He obtained BEng (Hons) in Electronics and Optoelectronics, MPhil., and PhD from University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, UK in 1995, 1996, and 1998 respectively. He was in Multimedia University, from 1999 to 2008 before joining Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) in Oct 2008. He is currently the Vice President (Research, Development and Commercialisation) and of UTAR. He specializes in telecommunication engineering. He has been involved in various industry-university collaborative research projects and providing training programmes to the industry aimed at updating and upgrading the knowledge and skill of technologists and engineers in the industry. http://crest.my/v2/prof-lee-sze-wei/

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Who stands to gain from MH17, USA?

The general public should always ask this question to prevent ourselves from being deceived by ‘false flags’

THE Russian military has released military monitoring data which challenge allegations circulating in the media pertaining to the MH17 crash in the Donetsk Region of Eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014. Questions have been raised about Kiev military jets tracking MH17, Ukrainian air traffic controllers and the deployment of Buk missile systems. Kiev should also release military data on the circumstances leading to the crash. So should the Pentagon which reportedly has relevant intelligence and satellite data.

Since military data is hardcore information, Kiev and Washington should be persuaded to be transparent and accountable. The UN Secretary-General can play a role in this since there is a specialised agency within the UN, the ICAO, dedicated to international civil aviation.

Military data from Moscow, Kiev and Washington should be scrutinised by the independent international panel that is supposed to probe the MH17 catastrophe.

Such data carries much more weight than videos purportedly revealing the role of the pro-Russian rebels and the Russian government in the crash. One such video showing a Buk system being moved from Ukraine to Russia is a fabrication. The billboard in the background establishes that it was shot in a town – Krasnoarmeisk – that has been under the control of the Ukrainian military since May 11. Similarly, a YouTube video showing a Russian General and Ukrainian rebels discussing their role in mistakenly downing a civilian aircraft was, from various tell-tale signs, produced before the event.

The public should be wary of fabricated “evidence” of this sort, after what we have witnessed in the last so many years. Have we forgotten the monstrous lies and massive distortions that accompanied the reckless allegation that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMD) which led eventually to the invasion of that country in 2003 and the death of more than a million people? What about the Gulf of Tonkin episode of 1964 which again was a fabrication that paved the way for US aggression against Vietnam that resulted in the death of more than three million Vietnamese?

The “babies in incubators” incident in Kuwait in 1990 was yet another manufactured lie that aroused the anger of the people and served to justify the US assault on Iraq. Just last year we saw how an attempt was made by some parties to pin the blame for a sarin gas attack in Ghouta, Syria upon the Assad government when subsequent investigations have revealed that it was the work of some rebel group.

From Tonkin to Ghouta there is a discernible pattern when it comes to the fabrication of evidence to justify some nefarious agenda or other. As soon as the event occurs before any proper investigation has begun, blame is apportioned upon the targeted party. This is done wilfully to divert attention from the real culprit whose act of evil remains concealed and camouflaged.

The colluding media then begins to spin the “correct” version with the help of its reporters and columnists who concoct “fact” out of fiction. Any other explanation or interpretation of the event is discredited and dismissed derisively to ensure that the “credibility” of the dominant narrative remains intact.

As the narrative unfolds, the target often embodied in a certain personality is demonised to such a degree that he arouses the ire of the public and becomes an object of venom.

The pattern described here is typical of what is known as a “false flag” operation in which blame for some dastardly deed is consciously transferred to one’s adversary. It has happened right through history and many contemporary nation-states – and not just the United States – are guilty of flying false flags.

To protect ourselves from being deceived by such operations, the general public should always ask: who stands to gain from a particular episode? Cui Bono is in fact an important principle in the investigation of a crime. In the case of the MH17 carnage, the pro-Russian rebels do not benefit in any way from downing a civilian airliner. Their goal is independence from the Kiev government which is why they are fighting Kiev through sometimes violent means including shooting down its military planes. Massacring 298 passengers in a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur does not serve their cause. Moscow which backs the rebels to an extent also gains nothing from involving itself in such a diabolical carnage.

10 days after the carnage, it is now clear who is trying to reap benefits from that terrible tragedy in the skies. The demonisation of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, orchestrated from various Western capitals, including Kiev, after Crimea voted to join the Russian Federation, thus thwarting one of the primary strategic goals of Nato’s eastward expansion, has now reached its pinnacle.

MH17 has helped the elite in Washington in yet another sense. It has strengthened its push for tougher sanctions against Russia which began after the Crimea vote.

It is obvious that those who seek to punish Russia and the pro-Russian rebels, namely, the elite in Washington and Kiev, are poised to gain the most from the MH17 episode. Does it imply that they would have had a role in the episode itself? Only a truly independent and impartial international inquiry would be able to provide the answer.

In this regard, we must admit that while elites in Kiev and Washington may stand to gain from MH17, those who actually pulled the trigger may be some other group or individual with links to the powerful in the two capitals. It is quite conceivable that a certain well-heeled individual equipped with the appropriate military apparatus and with access to air-control authorities in the region may have executed the act of evil itself.

Because of who he is, and where his loyalties lie, that individual may have also decided to target Malaysia. Was he giving vent to his anger over our principled stand on the question of justice for the Palestinians? Was he also attempting to divert public attention from Israel’s ground offensive against Gaza which time-wise coincided with the downing of the Malaysian airliner?

As we explore MH17 from this angle, would we be able to connect the dots between MH17 and MH370, between July 17 and March 8, 2014? We should not rest till the whole truth is known and the evil behind these two colossal catastrophes punished severely.

We owe this to every soul who perished on those fateful flights.

This article is dedicated to the cherished memory of all those on MH17 – especially the 80 children who were on board.

By comment: Dr Chandra Muzaffar

Dr Chandra Muzaffar is the President of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST).

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Your name is your fortune

Everyone’s name contains positive or negative vibes, based on the combination of letters in it.

Pronology offers an understanding of the forces that occur in a name, and gives a chance to remove any ill effects and increase the beneficial values, says Vijaay.

AN individual’s character, prosperity, fame and good health depend on how his or her name is pronounced.

According to the sciences of pronology and numerology, we can improve our lives and minimise troubles if we make certain changes to our name as per the rules of this ancient knowledge.

Pronology analyses sound vibrations in a name while numerology deals with numerical values of each letter assigned to the name.

Making modifications to your name can change your fate, stresses renowned numerologist Alaghar Vijaay from Chennai, India.

He says that when a name is given to a newborn child, it is vital for the date of birth to be “added”, based on numerology principles, to give the most auspicious sound to the infant’s name.

I recently met Vijaay, who has authored 21 books on ancient secrets, to get a better understanding on the phonetic impact and hidden secrets of names.

People facing challenges in the areas of health, relationship and prosperity, or obstacles in life, should check on how their name is pronounced.

This is no laughing matter because our name carries a power that can determine our destiny, says Vijaay, an engineer by training.

There are 26 letters in the English language and each has a special wavelength, colour and characteristic.

Take, for example, the letters O and N appearing together in a name. The numerological value of O is 6 and that of N is 5. The sum of the two is 11, whether the letters occur as “ON” or “NO”.

But ON denotes forward movement and positive action, whereas NO has a negative connotation and failure.

Vijaay says pronology offers an understanding of both the forces that may occur in a name and gives people an opportunity to act accordingly to remove the ill effects and increase the beneficial values.

For example, he said, names containing the sounds “dhi”, “dy” or “di” could benefit from some modification because those vowels represent something related to demise.

Our name is like a mantra. When it is repeated like a chant it vibrates a certain sound which exerts an influence on the cells in our body.

This may produce auspicious or inauspicious results.

In his book entitled Pronology, Vijaay explains that when two letters are combined, their separate wavelengths meet and generate a sound that can be positive or negative.

For instance, he says, when the letters A and P are paired it will produce a sound like “APE”, and an individual having such letters in his or her name will have ape-like characteristics.

Where the letters K and L are joined, it sounds like “KILL” and those with this component in their name will face trials and struggles.

When the letters are reversed from KL to LK, the sound “LIKE” is generated and this vibration will boost their energy, allowing them to enjoy peace and happiness.

When the sounds “Han” or “Khan” occur in a name, the person gets an enhanced sense of self-confidence and a strong desire to achieve their goals in life.

Hindi stars Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan are some of the living examples of success and fame owing to such names.

Other favourable names are Kartik, Ayappan, Raman, Mahalingam, Selvan, Aravin, Barath, Praveen, Ashvin, Jayakumar, Uthayakumar, Velu, Murugan, Vishnu, Ganapathy, Ramakrishnan, Ashvin, Rajen and Rajakumar,

Women having vibrant-sounding names can be assured of a happy, peaceful and comfortable life.

Those having names with pleasant sound combinations like Vijaya, Preethi, Anujaya, Jeyashri, Karisma, Rajaletchumi, Abarami, Gyathri, Jeya and Ragavi will generally enjoy peace and comfort and get good-natured husbands. Names like Vimala, Kamala, Mala, Nirmala, and Malathi will be dominating and they will have the skills to earn as much as or more than their husbands.

To attract positive vibrations into a name, an individual should add letter combinations such as UD, ON, RUN, GAIN, VIN, VIND, ARARS, AN, GA, VN, NS and RS.

Avoid letter combinations like SAD, LOSS, SAT, DOWN, NO, LESS, ILL, NA, NE, LO, SK, VK, KK and KL.

Some examples of positive names: Abdul, Rahim, Hassan, Halim, Rashid, Jaffar, Yassin, Zaid, Karim and Azar, Faroz, Arshad; Kuan, Tong, Man, Wong, Liang, Shing, Chin, Fatt, Yee, Sing: Richard, Henry, Clinton, Albert, Robert, Anthony, Winston, Johnson, Angela, Amy, Angeline, Betty, Jacquiline, Rebecca and Rita.

To increase the power of a favourable name, Vijaay suggests that people should write their name in red ink and capital letters 108 times daily on a white sheet of paper.

Another exercise is to enunciate their name as many times as possible in front of a mirror for a minimum of 48 days.

Such acts can also be performed while bathing, driving and combing your hair, and can stimulate the results to take effect immediately.

To further invoke the power of your name, take a rectangular card and write it down 27 times in red ink.

The name card should be read out loud at least nine times and placed under the pillow.

If the above exercises are done consciously for 180 days continuously, an individual can expect to see the desired result in his or her life within this period.

Whether you place a new letter to enhance your name or remove one to correct any ill effects, what is vital here is for the exercise to be done with absolute faith and utmost respect in expectation of the desired results.

Vasthu Sastra Talk

T. Selva will present a talk on how to choose an auspicious property and energise a house using pyramids at The Star Property Fair today at 11.30am at G Hotel, Jalan Gurney, Penang. Admission is free; to register, call 012-329 9713.

T. Selva, senior consulting editor at The Star, is the first disciple of 7th-generation Vasthu Sastra master Yuvaraj Sowma from Chennai, India. This column appears on the last Sunday of every month.

Sources: Ancient Secrets T.Selva

T. Selva is the author of the Vasthu Sastra Guide and the first disciple of 7th generation Vasthu Sastra master Yuvaraj Sowma from Chennai, India.

tselvas@thestar.com.my

MH17 black boxes handovered to Malaysia to be passed to AAIB UK via Dutch investigators

Malaysian experts hand over MH17 black boxes to Dutch investigators

THE HAGUE, July 22 -- The black boxes from the crashed flight MH17 have been handed over to Dutch investigators in Ukraine, the Dutch Foreign Ministry announced late Tuesday.

"The black boxes from flight MH17 have been handed over by Malaysian experts to the Dutch Safety Board (OVV) that is leading the international investigation," the ministry said.

According to local media, the black boxes will be sent to Farnborough in Britain, where experts can read the data stored in the black boxes and try to find the exact cause of the crash.

The ministry said, the experts from the Dutch safety board will travel with other experts from several countries together, to send the black boxes to Farnborough.

For now, the Dutch side is in charge of the investigation of the crash, which caused 193 Dutch citizens' lives.

The Boeing 777 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed near the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk Thursday, killing all 298 people on board.

The Dutch government announced early Tuesday that a flight with the first victims' bodies will arrive in Eindhoven, the Netherlands on Wednesday.   Xinhua

Malaysian official: MH17's black boxes to be passed to AAIB

Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said Wednesday in a statement that the international investigation team, led by the Netherlands, had decided to pass the black boxes to the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) for forensic analysis.


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MH17 probe must steer clear of politics

The whirling aftermath of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is now upon us, with Western-led international opinion turning the spotlight on Russia. We believe that the entire case must be investigated fairly and thoroughly. The United Nations or the International Civil Aviation Organization must play a leading role, and all sides must coordinate without preconditions or preconceptions.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have agreed that all evidence from the downed plane should be made available for international investigation, and that experts should be given access to the site.

This is good news. Moscow must take a proactive stance toward this investigation.

The West has fingered Russia as the main suspect in the tragedy. Under such circumstances, any hesitation on Russia's part will provoke more blame from the West. If there is no result to the investigation, Russia will, by default, be named the perpetrator. Therefore, letting the facts of the case speak suits Russia's interests.

The Western rush to judge Russia is not based on evidence or logic. Russia had no motive to bring down MH17; doing so would only narrow its political and moral space to operate in the Ukrainian crisis. The tragedy has no political benefit for Ukrainian rebel forces, either.

Russia has been back-footed, forced into a passive stance by Western reaction. It is yet another example of the power of Western opinion as a political tool.

Politically speaking, shooting down a passenger jet would be ridiculous. It could have been an error, the precondition for which is the chaos within Ukraine.

The truth is the most persuasive tool of all. As the targeting of civilian air traffic is a mortal threat to all air passengers, a fair investigation is in the interest of all sides. The investigation process must steer clear of any political interference. The truth must be made public once it is found out.

Without a doubt, we live in a highly politicized world. Political zealotry has always been part and parcel of revolutionary passions.

The West has successfully put itself in a position to dictate "political correctness" in international discourse. Those unwilling to work with Western interests will often find themselves in a tough position.

The crash of MH17 is a tragedy of immense proportions. But the discussion swirling around this event has centered around three positions: shock at and condemnation of the event itself, quibbling over the Ukrainian crisis, and defining the opposition between Russia and the West. The first seems to be overwhelmed by the latter two, disrupting any investigation into the tragedy.

We sincerely hope the investigation will stick to factual and technological questions. People need the truth rather than another geopolitical rivalry.

Source:Global Times Published: 2014-7-21 0:13:01

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MH17 shot down, more questions than answers

While there is no doubt that shooting down MH17 was a grave crime, everything else remains uncertain.

ALL the big questions about MH17 began only after the passenger jet fell from the sky and crashed to the ground.

Up to that point, everything about it was routine and unspectacular: leaving Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport at a quarter past noon (6.15pm Malaysian time) on Thursday, it was scheduled to arrive at KLIA early Friday morning.

Flying at a cruising altitude of 10km over Ukraine, it was 300m above a closed airspace over a zone of conflict. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) had confirmed this was an established altitude for commercial aircraft.

Then at 10.15pm Malaysian time on Thursday, radio contact was abruptly lost. All the necessary answers for the fate of the plane also began from that point.

From there, uncovering the truth becomes a tedious and messy business. Among the challenges is that while politics should not interfere in investigations, just about everything in the politics of Ukraine comes wrapped within that tragedy.

For a start, all three principals in eastern Ukraine’s bitter conflict – the Ukraine government, pro-Russia separatists and Russia – deny any responsibility for downing MH17. Yet one of these parties has to be directly responsible for it.

Shooting down the aircraft by whatever means is a deliberate act of murder and destruction. The question that follows is whether the perpetrator did so in ignorance, mistaking MH17 for an enemy aircraft, or as a terrorist in the knowledge that it was a civilian plane.

Denial is familiar and predictable, especially for such a dastardly act and an international tragedy on such a scale. It serves two immediate purposes: avoiding blame, and damning the enemy further by shifting blame there.

As reliable information trickles in or not at all, the effective knowledge vacuum sucks in more predictable allegations and denials.

The resulting mass of claims, counter-claims, assumptions, suppositions, conjectures and fabrications form yet another unwelcome barrier to investigations.

In the absence of a forthright and verifiable admission of guilt, all three parties should be suspect.

The lack of reliable information only complicates the task of investigation, particularly at a time when all who seek the truth must be particularly prudent and patient.

Each of the three parties has its own mix of deniability and culpability. That makes any investigation even more difficult.

Identifying the guilty party and building a case against it depend on the known facts of the tragedy. Investigations then proceed as more facts become available – known, then verified, and then established.

MH17 was attacked in Ukrainian airspace and crashed near the village of Grabovo and the town of Torez in the eastern province of Donetsk, some 50km from the Russian border.

Local eyewitnesses said they saw a plane falling and hearing two explosions before the aircraft crashed to the ground and broke into two. Some debris was strewn over a 700km radius, with the bulk of the wreckage found within a tight 100m radius of the crash spot.

Separatist rebels blame the Ukrainian government, the government blames the rebels, and some in Kiev even allege a Russian hand – acting independently, or more plausibly in assisting the rebels.

What are the known indications so far? These depend on the kind of attack or weapon system used.

To both Ukraine and the private Russian news agency Interfax from the start, MH 17 was downed by a BUK missile. How could they be so certain when everything about the crash was still murky?

BUK missiles come in a set of four laser-guided, medium-range surface-to-air projectiles mounted on a tank or truck, with an altitude range of 22km to 30km. They travel at up to four times the cruising speed of a civilian aircraft.

The BUK (also known as the SA-11) is a Russian-made missile system used by both Ukraine and Russia. The rebels’ “standard” shoulder-launched missiles do not have anywhere near that range.

However, that does not clear the rebels necessarily.

There have been reports in recent days that rebels had taken over a Ukrainian military base in the area that housed the BUK missile system.

Other reports tell of Ukrainian forces having lately pushed back the rebels in eastern Ukraine and limited their room for manoeuvre.

How strong the rebels actually were in the territory where MH17 was attacked on Thursday is still unclear, that itself being indicative of the uncertainties that prevail.

Another missile “of choice” alleged to have been used on MH17 is the SA-17 or “Grizzly”, which has an 11% greater altitude range. Both missile systems operate more independently than more sophisticated Russian missile systems which can distinguish between civilian and military aircraft.

A local resident who saw the crash however said MH17 could also have been downed by a jet fighter.

Two implications follow from that: the attacker must have known the target was a civilian aircraft, and a national air force would have been responsible.

If a fighter jet had been involved, it would explain the tight debris field that some observers had noted.

It would also be consistent with witness reports of the plane breaking up upon crashing rather than disintegrating in the air.

Another version of events, reportedly from a Russian source, is that a (Ukrainian) Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jet had shot down MH17 and the rebels then shot down the assailant.

While that may explain some rebels’ remarks about having downed an aircraft at the time, it is too convoluted – even convenient – to be credible.

Such a scenario would mean the Ukrainian air force had been responsible. Russian-made Sukhois are used by both Russia and Ukraine, since Ukraine had been a part of the former Soviet Union.

The closest thing to a “smoking gun” piece of evidence within hours of the tragedy was the SBU’s (Ukrainian intelligence service’s) claimed possession of a recorded phone intercept of a conversation between some rebels and Russians.

Allegedly, a group of local Cossacks near the Chernukhin checkpoint were said to be the perpetrators. MH17 was apparently mistaken for an AN-26 Ukrainian transport plane, which rebels in eastern Ukraine had downed before.

Amid all the speculation and finger-pointing however, the consensus is that a missile or missiles had hit MH17. And the most likely perpetrators were a group of rebels in the area.

Conventional wisdom also says that this makes it more difficult for Russia to handle the situation. The reality could well be the opposite.

After Crimea (the autonomous republic of Crimea and Sevastopol) left Ukraine to join Russia earlier this year, rebels in eastern Ukraine had agitated to do likewise.

However, they have proven to be a diplomatic headache and embarrassment for Russia. Unlike Crimea, eastern Ukraine is a contiguous part of Ukraine politically and historically, even if the area also has numerous ethnic Russians like Crimea.

Moscow has thus been loath to see any part of Ukraine take the Crimea route, much as that may please Russian ultra-nationalists. Thus the civil war in Ukraine, concentrated as it is in the eastern provinces. The rebels have since chafed at Moscow’s unwillingness to annex their territory. But if they are now seen to have committed a grave international crime in downing a civilian aircraft, the infamy presents Russia with the best opportunity yet to cut them off for good.

By Bunn Nagara Behind The Headlines The Star Columnists/Asia News Network
> Bunn Nagara is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia.

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