No, I wouldn’t be talking about the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis. This issue has received more than enough media attention and I’m sure that anyone who takes his time to care is well informed. Just a question to ponder though: who actually started the attacks and are they justified? Please enlighten me on this matter because I really have no idea who did what.
Somewhere closer to home, there seems to be another crisis.
The main purpose of this post is to highlight the plight of the Rohingya people. For the benefit of those who prefer not to click that Wikipedia link, let me give the gist of it.
Basically, they are stateless Burmese Muslims. There are about 3 million of them, most of which have fled to other neighbouring countries (Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia etc.) in search of warmer pastures. This is because they are subjected to all sorts of unfair treatment, which amount to turture, by the military junta. As a result, many have died. Sounds like another ethnic cleansing going on here. Many organisations including Amnesty International and Refugees International are doing their part to fight for the Rohingya people.
Recently, it is reported that Thai soldiers allegedly beat and towed the Rohingya people out to sea to fend for themselves after they came to seek for help. Some of whom are feared to have drowned. On the other side of the coin, if they stayed in their homeland Myanmar (where they are denied citizenship), they would be caned and threatened with death.
It’s a lose-lose situation really. It’s hard to fathom the hardship that these Rohingya people have to endure. So, Malaysians, be grateful. Yes, it’s difficult to be grateful, not until you think about the billions of others who would be happy to even have a small fraction of what you own.
I might have not done enough research on the Rohingya, so please if you think I might have been wrong somewhere, do let me know.
It’s not a question of religion anymore, it’s about our moral responsibility.
Moving on to the latest sports happenings.
As expected, Nadal downed Federer in an epic five-setter (yet again) for his 6th Slam, winning 7-5 3-6 7-6(3) 3-6 6-2. Credits to both though. Federer was crying after the match, he was very overwhelmed (the fact that he could’ve equalled Sampras’ 14 Slams and this was probably his best chance in achieving so). He was gracious in defeat nonetheless. On the other hand, Nadal was humble in his win. He wasn’t as hyped up in celebrating, it was rather toned down. The prize-giving ceremony was a testament of two great champions being able to put any on-court rivalry aside and embrace each other like best friends.
Trivia: Federer actually won more points than his opponent – 174 to Nadal’s 173. In Nadal’s previous match however, he scooped up a total of 193 points, also one more to Verdasco’s 192.
Speaking of which, the Nadal-Verdasco duel which lasted 5 hours and 14 minutes was definitely worth a final, and is the longest match in Aussie Open history. I only got to watch the final set though, in which Nadal won courtesy of a Verdasco double fault. Final score: 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(2) 6-7(1) 6-4.
Kudos to Serena for winning her 10th Grand Slam, joining an elite few who have hit double figures. To Safina, to lose your second Slam final is painful, I hope your time will come soon enough. It was a repeat of the 2007 final in which Serena made easy work of Sharapova with the loss of just three games. This time, another Russian fell victim to her prowess, being humbled 6-0 6-3.
On a different note, after god knows how many draws (heck I’ve even forgotten the last time they won a match), Liverpool has finally clinched a win, against Chelsea, no less. 2-0 thanks to a Torres double. Liverpool was in control for most parts of the game, marred by a controversial Lampard send-off early in the second half. In the final minutes, Bosingwa was clearly seen to have kicked Benayoun on purpose, but the referee just stood there and did nothing. Bollocks!
This post is getting marginally draggy and therefore should end abruptly.
