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

This Easter, the Russian Orthodox Church called for the introduction of religion as part of the curriculum in schools across Russia. This message was echoed in the Easter services in Sakhalin. Before many people write off this idea as another attempt by a power-hungry religious institution to capture followers when they’re young, we need to understand the full context of the call. The church has reaffirmed its position that it respects religious freedom and that Russian people are free to follow the religion of their choice. The official position of the church is that moral education be made mandatory in schools and that children should be educated about their own religion.

The sad reality in Sakhalin is that a large number of young people end up on the wrong path right from the school days. While there is an official ban on selling alcohol to the under-aged, there is an alarming amount of drunken 15-year-olds on the streets of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. For instance, the number of young alcoholics on Lenin Street on a Tuesday night is ridiculously high. The problem isn’t just with drugs and alcohol. Casinos in the city never check identification documents and a disproportionately high number of gambling addicts are under 18. Stricter action on the part of law enforcement officials will only help partly contain the problem.

This is where the need for religious and moral education comes in. The present education system has helped Russia achieve phenomenal success in science and mathematics but when it comes to humanities the system has been more or less detrimental. So basically, those in schools who don’t have a special liking or aptitude for mathematics or science end up disillusioned. This kind of disillusionment is what leads to many youngsters turning to a life of alcohol, drugs and crime.

We are not even hinting that young people don’t know the difference between right and wrong and need religion for that. But not every young person is lucky enough to be taught spiritual values at home. An education system that is spiritually void will continue to churn out a set of citizens that have a much weaker set of values.

Spiritual and religious education also has to reach the army. This may be the most effective way to combat “hazing” and other forms of torture that new young recruits are almost certainly subjected to.

The aim of any religion is the betterment of humankind and after almost a century of forced atheism, a small amount of religion in Russian schools may just help divert more youth into the right path.

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

It’s difficult to imagine that Russia and Japan are still technically in a state of war and haven’t signed a World War 2 Peace Treaty. Bilateral relations between the countries have never been better. Russia openly supports Japan’s bid to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and President Putin has reiterated the importance of Japan in Russia’s foreign policy.

Economic relations have also been rapidly developing. Russia’s decision to build the Siberia-Pacific pipeline to Nakhodka underpinned the importance Russia attached to meeting Japan’s energy needs. Japan is also playing a very important role in the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin II projects. Bilateral trade between the nations in 2005 was at an all-time high at US$ 10 billion and this figure will only grow over the next decade.

The development of cultural relations between the countries has been the foundation of the warming ties. Since the Wakkanai-Korsakov ferry service was started, cultural exchanges have flourished. Sakhalin’s students have recounted the hospitality they’ve received on the other side of the La Perouse Straits. Cultural programmes have been well-received in both Sakhalin and Hokkaido.

There are still some pressing problems between the maritime neighbours. Japan remains cautious about Russia’s warming ties with China at a time that Sino-Japanese relations are facing a chill. Then there is the vexing dispute over the Southern Kurils, a problem that is unlikely to go away in the near future. Political repercussions in both countries demand that neither side make too much of a compromise lest they face an enraged public.

High level government contact and track two diplomacy have ensured that the dispute no longer comes in the way of the development of friendly relations. The extension of the Southern Kurils-Hokkaido visa-free programme to Sakhalin will enormously help reduce the friction related to the dispute. It isn’t very realistic for former Japanese residents of the Southern Kurils, almost all of whom are senior citizens, to resettle in the islands. Having an option of going back to the islands for short trips without bureaucratic hassles is the best solution for these people.

The biggest symbol of the cessation of mistrust over the Southern Kurils is the fact that geophysicists from Hokkaido will be closely working with their Sakhalin counterparts to study the dangers of natural calamities that pose a danger to both countries. Such a joint-expedition would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.

The governments of both countries need to be commended in their efforts to develop relations in all spheres.

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

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in April is no Paris. April and spring are what most Sakhaliners consider a necessary evil that they need to pass every year.

Spring brings an unusual kind of annual blessing to Sakhaliners. Most people, if not everybody, have received this sacred blessing while walking on the semi-frozen sidewalks of the city in spring. The blessing of being splashed with not-so-clean water thanks to a speeding car! Each person blessed by the spring gift in March took the blessings with a belief that there were going to be warm and sunny days. A belief that was crushed with a series of blizzards that cut off Sakhalin from the rest of civilisation.

This has been an unusually long winter in Sakhalin. It can be depressing watching the national weather forecasts on television and seeing how Vladivostok and Moscow are seeing highs of a sizzling ten degrees above zero! The last cyclone of the season reared its ugly head on the Southern Kurils this week and may just give Sakhaliners one final chance to say goodbye to the winter.

The melting of the snow and ice turns the sidewalks and roads into muddy wet craters. It’s only advisable for those seeking blessings to walk on the streets with their designer clothes on. Another blessing, which isn’t gentle and can even be fatal, is the falling of large piles of snow and sharp, pointy ice from the roofs of traditional buildings. The other side of spring doesn’t end there. After a nice white clean snowy winter, spring exposes the complete lack of civic sense that many residents of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk possess. As the snow melts even more, we get a chance to see five months of alcohol bottles, cigarette butts and assorted garbage. Spring is also a season, when most expats in Sakhalin, get the maddening urge to spend money from their own pockets to put up large Russian signs saying “Please Clean Up after your Dog.”

The lack of flowers, leaves and double-digit temperatures is compensated by warm sunshine, late-sunsets and a feeling that May is just around the corner. This transition period is a must before better weather sets in for the next six months. Those still depressed with the unfriendly conditions need to just see that the “real flowers” of Sakhalin have already started blooming. This is a sight that will just get better with warmer temperatures.