This is the first editorial in this week's issue of the Sakhalin Times

Being a Russian man in Sakhalin is a thankless job. It’s bad enough that many are stereotyped as being “dangerous” and labelled as “drunkards.” Then there are the armed forces’ recruiters virtually knocking on doors in constant pursuit to draft just about any man in his twenties. Thanks to the recent media barrage, the whole world knows how “wonderful” a few years of service in these prestigious institutions can be. To make matters even worse, an increasing number of Russian women seem to find their menfolk undesirable, especially when considering the fact that there is a huge increase in the number of foreign men on the island.

A much larger perecentage of men work in lower rung paying jobs in Sakhalin, especially in institutions like security agencies, rescue services, the police and the fire service. Many of these jobs are indeed essential ones without which a civilised and safe society could never exist. Economic and various other kinds of hardships have taken a massive toll on a large number of men in Sakhalin and driven many of them to a state of impoverishment of the soul, moral and intellectual degradation.

Their future doesn’t look completely bright by any means. Life expectancy rates are around 15 years less for Russian men than they are for women. Male mortality is supposedly caused by the “vices,” which are alcoholism, smoking, drug addiction, poor nutrition and absolute neglect of health problems. Such habits indicate that Russian men do not care about their future. This is basically conditioned with Russia's traditional concept of men's role in the society, that is to be a patriarch and support the family. Today, there are many disillusioned men in Sakhalin who do not correspond to the traditional concept and thus get badly adapted in the society. As a rule, men end up doing unappealing jobs in their shorter lives. The shorter life comes with a sort of hidden discrimination. It isn’t a big secret what sex multinational employers prefer while hiring when all else is equal.

The unofficial Men’s Day is one of the rare occassions when Russian men are actually shown some sort of appreciation from women. The meagre celebrations are nothing compared to the large scale ones witnessed on March 8. None the less, the present conditions in Sakhalin necessitate a greater need to show appreciation to the very people whose roles are to be breadwinners and superheros at the same time.

This is the first editorial in this week's issue of the Sakhalin Times

Government officials and employees have never been popular in Russia. In fact, government employees in uniforms are gaining more notoriety every day. The reports of torture, physical and sexual abuse emanating from various military units are making this great institution look several degrees worse than the police. However, there is one government organisation that commends universal respect and has proven to be an efficient and incorruptible force. That is the search and rescue operation service which is functioning under the Ministry of Emergencies and Disaster Management (M Ch S).

Every time there is some sort of natural disaster in Sakhalin, an M Ch S team is on the spot before anyone else. Since the force was formed by Boris Yeltsin in 1994, it has coordinated many a rescue mission in Sakhalin, with workers often putting their own lives in danger. The first iceberg rescue operation, where over 300 fishermen were saved, was one of the most risky rescue efforts in the history of Sakhalin. It was fitting for the rescuers to be awarded with special certificates signed by the emergencies minister and commemorative badges for their efforts. Sometimes, even the smallest gesture of appreciation can offer a great deal of encouragement.

The force, which is in need of more funding, can seek private and Ministry of Defence funds. Environmentalists have recommended that the government should make oil and gas project operators commit to funding the force’s training as well as disaster management activities while finalising a production sharing agreement.

One of the biggest aims of the M Ch S is to organise and train members of the general public in disaster management response. Sakhalin is prone to cyclones, earthquakes and a whole set of natural disasters, which all seem to strike the island when least expected. With the on-going drilling and pipeline constructions across the island, it’s important that more Sakhaliners are trained in handling potential disasters.

Ninety thousand lives were saved in Russia by M Ch S rescue teams in eleven thousand operations in 2005. Their efforts, however, aren’t just restricted to saving lives. Residents of Kamchatka and the Northern Kurils will never forget how M Ch S planes delivered over one thousand two hundred tonnes of fuel to their settlements last March. The M Ch S also came to the help of survivors of natural calamities like the Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the Pakistan earthquake.

There can never be enough praise showered on the M Ch S, which has proven time and again to be one of the best rescue and disaster management units in the world.

This is the first editorial in this week's edition of the Sakhalin Times

The Freedom of the Press and the Freedom of Expression are the fundamental rights of any civilised society. Most of the countries in the Islamic World have a pathetic record when it comes to both. Denmark, on the other hand, is a modern, liberal and secular country that has ensured that its citizens have the freedom to express themselves.
However, every country needs to define some sort of a limit and set out a line that should not be crossed. Jyllands Posten crossed that line when it decided to publish cartoons of the Holy Prophet of Islam.

There is no justification in publishing these cartoons that offended over a billion human beings, a majority of whom are as honest, decent and peace-loving as anyone. Denmark’s liberal immigration policy led to the country being flooded by Muslim immigrants and there has been a growing tension between Danes and Muslims in the last few years. These cartoons were a direct response to the Muslim immigrants in the country who would rather colonise their adopted land rather than integrate themselves into the society. Freedom of Expression should not and cannot be abused in many countries. If this publication decided to glorify Adolf Hitler and published some photos praising him, the authorities would shut it down in a matter of days. Jyllands Posten should have had better discretion than to give into their urge to supposedly protect their freedom of expression.

The latest reports from the world media claim that 4 people were killed in violence related to protests against the cartoons in Afghanistan. This is in addition to the burning of embassies of western countries in Syria and Lebanon and violent attacks in Indonesia and other Muslim countries. While we can empathise with the people who have been offended by what they considered the worst form of sacrilege, there is no excuse to the violence directed at Western targets. If anything, these attacks have given some sort of dignity to Jyllands Posten and newspapers across Europe that republished these cartoons. The elements that support such cartoons must be in a state of glee knowing that Muslims in many countries have gone on a violent rampage. Every violent reprisal attack in this saga will only give rise to a hate-filled theory that a large number of Muslims are uncivilised.

One can argue that westerners tend to behave in a more civilised manner, despite worse attacks in the name of religion. Case-in-point, most of the September 11 hijackers were Saudi Arabian citizens but this didn’t prompt Americans to attack the Saudi Embassy or Saudi consulates. Every time a westerner or any western organisation does something even remotely offensive to Muslims, we see the same kind of violence on innocents.

In the internet age, where news travels faster than light the world media needs to keep the sensitivities of people in mind. At the same time, violence and destruction will only encourage hate-mongers in their mission to spread intolerance

This is the first editorial in this week's issue of the Sakhalin Times

The murder of Tamita Hiroshi, a division chief with CTSD, comes just six months after the murder of a French citizen who worked for another Sakhalin II sub-contractor. The well-publicised news of the French citizen’s murderer being caught and convicted didn’t deter another criminal(s) from committing another equally heinous crime. The latest murder has made many in Sakhalin’s expatriate community uneasy about living in the island. Criminals in Sakhalin look at foreigners as easy and soft targets. Then there’s the perception that foreigners are wealthy and keep a lot of money at home along with expensive articles like cell phones and cameras.

Not all foreign nationals in the region can stay in high security colonies. While this kind of arrangement enhances security, it also leads a foreigner to be completely disconnected with the local community. Long term stays in hotels are both expensive and impractical. However, if a foreigner is going to a sitting duck to a criminal by living among locals, then luxury ghettos may just be the only option.

Russians are also victims of violent crime in Sakhalin. Last week’s shootout that fatally injured one and harmed two others only gave rise to a fear that gun culture may be creeping in to the island. The shooter’s using of a hunting gun to the attack the Sakhaliners may just set a dangerous precedent in a place, where hunting is one of the favourite pastimes. Hunting guns (and licenses) aren’t available in supermarkets but large publicity to a person who used one to attack people may just prompt copycat attacks, where criminals use stolen hunting guns.

Since a vast majority of violent crimes in Sakhalin seem to be taking place at night, there is a serious need for a larger police deployment after dark. The Sakhalin Police has been proven to be efficient but it is totally understaffed. There aren’t enough policemen on the streets during the day or at night. This naturally emboldens criminal groups. Exemption from military service is offered to young men who join the police force but there is no short service commission in the police department, unlike the army. Making 2 years of police service as an alternative to 2 years in the military will likely attract more young people to the force. The crime ridden streets of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk are, after all, much safer than the war-ravaged Caucasus. A police-conscription system will ensure that the police force has enough personnel.

Sakhalin’s police are also overworked. A great deal of excess work comes from the bureaucratic procedures that come with something as simple as charging a person for a crime. Most of the work is done with pen and paper and typewriters still thrive in Sakhalin’s police stations. Police procedures need to be modernised so as to ensure that less policemen are in the stations more are on the streets.

The policemen on night duty also need to their better judgement when making arrests. It’s very likely that when a policeman arrests a drunken teenager for urinating in public, a more serious crime is being committed elsewhere in the city.

While Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk needs more active police patrols at night, civil society also has a major role to play in crime prevention. In many countries, citizens’ groups have started locality management projects, where they look after the security of their localities. The police must support some sort of partnership with the civil society that will help combat this growing menace of crime.

A few simple measures can go a long way in keeping the crime situation from spiralling out of control.