High-level defection: why N. Korean diplomatic family chose freedom

Yahoo – AFP, Kim Il-sung, March 1, 2023 

Born into an elite North Korean family with ties to the ruling dynasty, Oh Hye Son grew up believing she was "special" -- but then she tasted freedom overseas and decided to defect. 

Most of the tens of thousands of North Koreans who have escaped repression and poverty at home make an arduous, high-risk journey across the country's land border with China, where they face arrest and possible deportation. 

Oh's family's defection was less dangerous but equally as wrenching: she convinced her husband Thae Yong Ho, then deputy ambassador at North Korea's London embassy, to give up their privileged place in the Pyongyang regime for the sake of their children. 

"I wanted to never return to North Korea and questioned why North Koreans had to live such a hard life," she told AFP in an interview in Seoul, where she now lives. 

Years of postings across Europe -- in Denmark, Sweden, and Britain -- exposed the family to a different life, she said, adding that when she first arrived in London she thought: "If there is paradise, this must be it". 

Oh, who recently published a Korean-language memoir, was once part of Pyongyang aristocracy -- a descendent of a famed North Korean general who fought alongside leader Kim Il Sung against the Japanese in the 1930s. 

But despite this impeccable pedigree, she still "lived in fear of power", she said. 

"No one except the Kim family had privileges, and as my children learned about freedom and democracy when they lived abroad, I realised there was no future for them in North Korea," she added. 

NHS love 

Oh's eldest son Thae Juhyok had chronic health problems including nephrotic syndrome, a condition which can cause life-threatening kidney problems if not treated. 

Getting that treatment was near impossible in Pyongyang's crumbling health system -- one of the world's worst -- where doctors had to be bribed to do anything and crucial medicines were lacking. 

Oh said it was eye-opening when the family first arrived in London in 2004 and became eligible for the National Health Service. 

Her son was soon able to get free treatment at one of the best medical facilities in the city, she said, adding that her children also went to British schools, where they settled in well. 

"The children grew up so bright in England, in a society that respected them," she said. 

It was a stark contrast to life in Pyongyang, to which they returned in 2008 after her husband's first London posting ended. 

Juhyok attended the Pyongyang Medical University, but instead of studying he was put to work on a construction site hauling cement, Oh said. 

North Korea is beset by labour shortages across economic sectors and it is common for the government to order students, even schoolchildren, to do manual labour as a demonstration of loyalty. 

If one fails to comply, the government reportedly withholds food rations or imposes taxes, according to a 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report published by the US State Department. 

As her overseas-raised children began questioning the corruption and injustice they observed in North Korea, Oh realised it would be impossible for them to fully integrate into Pyongyang society. 

"They had completely different values," she said. 

"It was then that I began thinking that if I ever had a chance to go overseas again, I will not return." 

Escape 

Oh's chance came when her husband was again posted to London as the deputy ambassador, and she convinced him to defect as she did not want to be "resented by her children in the future". 

She had hoped the North Korean regime would collapse after the death of Kim Jong Il, the father and predecessor of current leader Kim Jong Un, and was crushed when his son emerged as the third generation of Kims to rule. 

"In North Korea, you existed -- from morning to night -- for the sake of the Kim family," Oh said. 

Thae became the first defector to be elected to South Korea's parliament, where he is now a high-profile lawmaker for the conservative People Power Party. 

Oh loves her new life in Seoul, but is haunted by thoughts of her mother and siblings left behind in North Korea, which is known to punish defectors' family members. 

She can't check in with them: civilian contact is banned between the two Koreas, although some defectors have used intermediaries to smuggle Chinese mobile phones across the border. 

Oh has not managed to contact her family, but she once glimpsed her brother-in-law when he was part of an official North Korean delegation that visited Seoul in 2018 during a rare bout of diplomacy. 

It gave her hope that her relatives had not been purged by the Kim regime as a result of her family's escape. 

"Will they resent me? Will they envy me? Or will they silently cheer for me?" she said, wiping away tears.

Indonesia Lags Way Behind Southeast Asian Neighbors

Jakarta Globe, Arientha Primanita, May 14, 2015

Students dancing dangdut after the drinking jamu together at Sukoharjo district,
Solo, Central Java, April 1, 2015. The ceremony of drinking jamu together follows
by thousands students as a campaign to promote Jamu as a healthy drinks for
youth and mark the Sukoharjo as the Jamu district in Indonesia. (JG Photo/
Jurnasyanto Sukarno)

Indonesia has ranked 69th out of 124 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Human Capital Index 2015, which studied countries’ success in nurturing, deploying and developing human resources.

The country is left lagging behind its Southeast Asian neighbors of the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore which ranked 46th, 52nd, 24th respectively.

Southeast Asia’s largest economy is classified under lower to middle income nations, along with those which have an income per capita ranging from $1,045 per year to $4,125 per year.

The WEF’s Human Capital Index 2015 is a study of 124 countries covering 46 indicators that measure how far a country is from optimizing its human resources talent — including evaluating the levels of education, skills and employment available — to people across five different age groups, beginning with under 15 years to over 65 years.

Measured by age, Indonesia rank 47th for human capital index in the under 15 age group, partly thanks to the high score in the primary enrolment rate and secondary enrolment rate.

Indonesia scored the worst in the category of 65 and Over Age Group (92rd), with scores in educational attainment, including secondary education, is much lower than the country’s other age groups.

On a 1 to 7 scale in which 1 is the worst score and 7 the best, Indonesia scored 1 for social safety net, internet access in schools and university-business research and development collaboration.

Finland ranked number one in the index, with an overall score of 86 percent.

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President Joko Widodo, center, distributes the Indonesia Health Card (KIS) to

workers at a rubber plantation in North Sumatra. (Antara Foto/Septianda Perdana)

Asean Leaders Pledge to Stamp Out Radicalism, Promote Peace

Jakarta Globe, Apr 28, 2015

President Joko Widodo, second from right, with leaders of Asean in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia on April 27, 2015. (EPA Photo/Fazry Ismail)

Jakarta. Leaders of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, have declared the Southeast Asian region as the area of moderation, stressing the central role of the grouping in maintaining and promoting peace, stability and prosperity in this part of the world and beyond.

“We vows to promote moderation as an Asean value that promotes peace, security and development,” read the Langkawi Declaration on the Global Movement of Moderates.

The leaders further agreed to promote the approach of moderation and uphold the rule of law in the conduct of relations among states, including in the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law.

The rise of Islamic State (IS) has been viewed as real threat to the global world, spreading ideology of violence, extremism and radicalism throughout the world.

Nationals from across the region, including those from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, have reportedly joined IS and ventured to Syria to fight with the movement.

There has been increasing fears that those returning may form a new generation of terrorist groups which could launch attacks within Asean countries.

To prevent the spread of radicalism, leaders vowed to enhance Asean’s common agenda of peace and prosperity, which promotes political and social stability, inclusive political processes and sustainable growth providing opportunities for all and upholds dignity, and social justice.

President Joko Widodo stressed during the summit the need to maintain stability and security while achieving prosperity in the region.

“All disputes, including territorial and border disputes must be solved through peaceful means,” he told other Asean leaders in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

On the South China Sea issue, he emphasized the need for Southeast Asian nations and China to quickly come together with a legally binding agreement, known as a Code of Conduct (COC), to create peace and prevent open conflict.

He said that all countries must refrain from making moves which could be considered aggressive in the region, urging both Asean member states and China to quickly decide on the COC.

Thirteen years after it was first proposed, the document is still under intense debate and discussion.

The leaders of Asean also committed to make the grouping a people-oriented, people-centered and rules-based Asean Community “where all people, stakeholders and sectors of society can contribute to and enjoy the benefits from a more integrated and connected Community encompassing enhanced cooperation in the political-security, economic and socio-cultural pillars for sustainable, equitable and inclusive development.”

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President Joko Widodo, center, distributes the Indonesia Health Card (KIS) to
workers at a rubber plantation in North Sumatra. (Antara Foto/Septianda Perdana)

President Of Indonesia : We Need To Cooperate To Advance The Nation

Jakarta Globe, aacc2015.id, Apr 24, 2015

AACC2015, Bandung – The President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo invited all representatives of the Asian and African countries to start economic cooperation in order to increase the quality of life of their people.

“The Spirit of Bandung is to advance people’s welfare. Therefore, we must cooperate,” said President Joko Widodo at the height of the commeration of the 60th Anniversary of the Asian African Conference (AAC), in Bandung, on Friday (24/4).

According to the President, the Spirit of Bandung that was agreed by the founders should be a unifier that opens every economic cooperation potential. This should be a good momentum to produce various economic agreements in order to improve people’s welfare.

Still fresh in our memory is the struggle for independence by our predecessors. At that time, all Asian and African countries experienced the impact of colonialism. The Asian African Conference fosters a spirit of togetherness that was initiated by the Spirit of Bandung, to fight colonialism.

Previously, five countries were still dreaming of gaining independence from colonialism, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia. Their dream to gain independence inspired the birth of the Spirit of Bandung, the President added.

Through the AAC Commemoration, Joko Widodo invites all people of the represented countries to inflame the Spirit of Bandung in Asian and African in order to fight for peace, end poverty, and provide better welfare. (Photo: Host, Translator: Mia)

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"The Timing of the Great Shift" – Mar 21, 2009 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… Here is another one. A change in what Human nature will allow for government. "Careful, Kryon, don't talk about politics. You'll get in trouble." I won't get in trouble. I'm going to tell you to watch for leadership that cares about you. "You mean politics is going to change?" It already has. It's beginning. Watch for it. You're going to see a total phase-out of old energy dictatorships eventually. The potential is that you're going to see that before 2013. They're going to fall over, you know, because the energy of the population will not sustain an old energy leader. Remember where you heard it... in a strange, esoteric meeting with a guy in a chair pretending to channel. [Kryon being factious... Kryon humor] Then when you hear it, you'll know better, won't you? "Maybe there was something really there," you'll say. "Maybe it was real," you'll say. Perhaps you can skip all the drama of the years to come and consider that now? [Kryon humor again]

These leaders are going to fall over. You'll have a slow developing leadership coming to you all over the earth where there is a new energy of caring about the public. "That's just too much to ask for in politics, Kryon." Watch for it. That's just the beginning of this last phase. So many things are coming. The next one is related to this, for a country in survival with sickness cannot sustain a leadership of high consciousness. There is just too much opportunity for power and greed. But when a continent is healed, everything changes. .."

".. Many years ago, the prevailing thought was that nobody should consider China as a viable player on the economic stage. They were backward, filled with a system that would never be westernized, and had no wish to become joined with the rest of the world's economic systems. Look what has happened in only 30 years. Now, look at Africa differently …”

"The End of History"- Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Text-Version)

" .... Africa

Let me tell you where else it's happening that you are unaware - that which is the beginning of the unity of the African states. Soon the continent will have what they never had before, and when that continent is healed and there is no AIDS and no major disease, they're going to want what you have. They're going to want houses and schools and an economy that works without corruption. They will be done with small-minded leaders who kill their populations for power in what has been called for generations "The History of Africa." Soon it will be the end of history in Africa, and a new continent will emerge.

Be aware that the strength may not come from the expected areas, for new leadership is brewing. There is so much land there and the population is so ready there, it will be one of the strongest economies on the planet within two generations plus 20 years. And it's going to happen because of a unifying idea put together by a few. These are the potentials of the planet, and the end of history as you know it.

In approximately 70 years, there will be a black man who leads this African continent into affluence and peace. He won't be a president, but rather a planner and a revolutionary economic thinker. He, and a strong woman with him, will implement the plan continent-wide. They will unite. This is the potential and this is the plan. Africa will arise out the ashes of centuries of disease and despair and create a viable economic force with workers who can create good products for the day. You think China is economically strong? China must do what it does, hobbled by the secrecy and bias of the old ways of its own history. As large as it is, it will have to eventually compete with Africa, a land of free thinkers and fast change. China will have a major competitor, one that doesn't have any cultural barriers to the advancement of the free Human spirit.. ...."

Belt and Road key to future of Africa-Asia cooperation

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2015-04-26

Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the Asian-African Summit 2015 in Jakarta,
April 22. (Photo/Xinhua)

At the Asian-African Summit or Bandung Conference 2015 held in Jakarta, Indonesia, President Xi Jinping of China delivered a speech calling for win-win cooperation between Asian and African counties. China still has an important advantage in its huge labor-intensive industry to help Africa's developing counties develop their economies, China Securities Journal reports.

Xi said China will push for cooperation between Asian and African nations, pledging to give zero tariff treatment to 97% of categories to most developing nations which have diplomatic ties with China and will continue to offer subsidies to developing counties without any political conditions. China hopes all countries in the region can work together to on its New Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (Belt and Road) initiatives and join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), pushing for joint maintenance of regional and world peace and stability.

In 1955, representatives from 29 Asian and African countries and regions gathered in Bandung to discuss independence, peace and economic prosperity. The Bandung Conference opened a new chapter in the developing countries' struggle for national independence, economic development, social progress and a more balanced international order.

Beijing's Belt and Road initiative will explore the deeper-level cooperation potential and expand cooperation room among related countries along the routes. For developing countries, insufficient funding for infrastructure is one of the most difficult problems. The AIIB aims to make up this shortfall. So far, the AIIB has attracted 57 nations to be its founding members.

The Belt and Road will involve territory occupied by around 4.4 billion people, accounting for 63% of the world's population, with total economic output of about US$2.2 trillion, representing 30% of the world's total. The nations along the routes are mostly new and emerging economies. The Belt and Road will build on existing foundations to push for more complementary cooperation to expand regional cooperation.

China and Pakistan have jointly promoted the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as one of the important projects in building the Belt and Road, triggering rising investments.

Due to rising worker salaries, China has gradually lost its advantage in labor costs, with a large volume of labor-industries destined to gradually move out of the nation. While Africa, which has a population of over one billion, will be the only place in the world that can receive China's huge labor-intensive industry, especially as the average per capita salary in African countries is only about one-fifth to one-tenth of China's.

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"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version) 

“… The Future of the Illuminati

Now, I want to tell you something that you didn't expect and something I've reported only one other time. What about all of the money that the Illuminati has? There are trillions and trillions of euro in banks, under their control, waiting. What are they going to do with it and where are they going to use it? It's still here. They're waiting.

This group is waiting for something to happen that they know is going to happen, for they see it coming as much as I do. However, I would like to tell you something that they don't expect. With awareness comes generational shift. Those in charge of this money will not always be elders. The indigos eventually will have it.

They are waiting for something to happen in Africa - the building of a new civilization, a continent that has nothing to unlearn. Once Africa is cured, once it's ready, a new civilization can be created from the ground up. Africans will be ready to learn everything about building a foundation for the most advanced civilization ever and will do it with the most modern and inventive systems available. Eventually, this new continent will even beat the economics of China.

This is the prediction and always has been, and the Illuminati's money will fund it. Did I say the Illuminati will fund it? [Kryon laugh] The Illuminati's money will fund it, but there is a difference from the past, dear ones. The ones who inherit the positions in the Illuminati will be a different consciousness. Listen, they are not suddenly going to be the ones who have the good of everyone in their hearts - hardly. They want to make money, but what they will see instead is a way to make a great deal of money through this investment. In the process, it will automatically help hundreds of thousands, and they will be at the beginning, the foundation, that builds the new Africa. The new African states of unification eventually will create a continent stronger than any of the others, and it will have one currency. The resources alone will dwarf anything in the world. ...”

Xinhua gloats as Western countries sign up to AIIB

Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-03-18

Vice Premier Ma Kai of China shakes hands with Germany's finance minister,
Wolfgang Schaeuble, at a press conference in Berlin, March 17. (Photo/Xinhua)

Welcome Germany! Welcome France! Welcome Italy! Despite a petulant and cynical Washington, the three leading European powers decided to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) headquartered in Beijing on Tuesday.

The brave yet rational move has laid bare the attractiveness and influence of the AIIB, given the difficulty for those leading EU members to reach a consensus over issues related to China inside their union, where they often kick the can down the road.

It also sends clear signals to the whole world, and particularly to the United States, which is trying to forge an anti-AIIB front within its allies.

Firstly, in an international community bound together by interdependence, win-win cooperation, rather than self-concerned fulfillment, is the order of the day.

The AIIB is by no means a zero-sum game. It serves no one's appetite for hegemony or dominance. Rather, it is a reciprocal, efficient and inclusive platform where member states could seek mutually beneficial cooperation.

Secondly, the AIIB is a helpful and somewhat indispensable complement for the existing international and regional lending bodies controlled by the US, such as the International Monetary Found and the Asian Development Bank, for the sake of their inadequate efficiency and capacity.

Frankly speaking, the IMF and ADB alike can not neatly meet the enormous yet still growing need of infrastructure investment in Asia. Against that backdrop, the founding of the AIIB could help them to cope with the growing need in a better way and inject direly needed competition into the Washington-monopolized lending system. By joining the AIIB, Germany, France and Italy have actually booked their shares in Asia's booming investment.

Thirdly, holding sour grapes over the AIIB makes America look isolated and hypocritical. The joining of Germany, France, Italy as well as Britain, the AIIB's maiden G7 member and a seasoned US ally, has opened a decisive crack in the anti-AIIB front forged by America.

As more and more Western countries mull over joining the China-led lending body, the US will feel lonelier if it continues to be a holdout.

Moreover, accusing the AIIB of lacking transparency while holding out from it doesn't strengthen the moral high ground of Washington, as the best way to cure the "self-claimed flaw" is working inside the new Asian financial body, instead of just carping from outside.

It makes Washington more hypocritical when it comes to the "China free rider" allegation initiated by President Barack Obama in an interview with the New York Times last August, during which Obama blamed China for not undertaking more international obligations.

However, when China moves in that direction, as it is doing with the AIIB, the America seeks to boycott it.

For all that, the AIIB has clearly demonstrated China's will to share its development opportunities with the whole world.

Unlike the US-led TPP negotiation which excludes China, the AIIB is open to all interested parties, including the United States.

So Washington, what are you waiting for?

Related Article:

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India counters Xi's 'belt and road' with competing project

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2015-03-01

Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi meet in New Delhi on Sept. 18,
2014. (Photo/Xinhua)

Chinese president Xi Jinping's "belt and road" initiative to link China with with Europe through Central and Western Asia and to connect with Southeast Asian countries will be met with staunch challenges from India's own competing proposal, reports our Chinese-language sister paper Want Daily.

Xi's ambitious strategic plan, announced last year, comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt, a land-based belt from China via Central Asia and Russia to Europe, and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, a maritime route through the Strait of Malacca to India, the Middle East and East Africa.

Pang Zhongying, an international relations professor at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, says while Xi has personally invited Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to join the belt and road initiative, New Delhi has never expressed a clear indication of support.

Instead, India will soon be launching its own Project Mausam, a transnational initiative meant to revive its ancient maritime routes and cultural linkages with countries in the region.

Mausam is a "threatening and competing" initiative will pose a major challenge for China's belt and road plans, Pang said, noting that the project intends to stretch from East Africa, the Arabian peninsula, the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka to the Southeast Asian archipelago — all the regions forming the extent of India's cultural influence.

As the primary "organizer" of security and trade in the Indian Ocean, New Delhi has a central and unique role in the region, Pang said, adding that the competing initiatives could turn into a major tussle between the world's two biggest rising powers.

India's economic influence has also been growing, with reports that its national GDP for the upcoming financial year will outdo China and soar to a four-year high of 8.5%.

The Economist even described the competitive dynamics between China and India as akin to the tale of the hare and the tortoise, adding that India's economic prowess could very well eclipse that of China's in the near future.

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Guangdong to raise minimum wage by 19%

Wanr China Times, Xinhua 2015-02-28

Workers line up to receive their wages in Foshan, Guangdong province
ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday, Jan. 16, 2011. (File photo/Xinhua)

Southern China's Guangdong province is to raise the minimum wage by an average of 19% from May to combat a labor shortage and rising living costs.

The pay raises will go into effect in all parts of Guangdong except Shenzhen on May 1, the provincial department of human resources and social security said in a press release on Thursday. Guangdong last raised the minimum wage in May 2013.

The minimum monthly pay for full-time workers in Guangzhou, the provincial capital, will be raised by 22.2% to 1,895 yuan (US$300), the highest of four levels in the province.

Authorities in Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, separately announced a raise in the minimum monthly wage for full-time workers by 12.3% to 2,030 yuan (US$320), the highest nationwide, from next month.

China is facing severe labor shortage due to tough birth control policies over the past three decades. Rising labor costs, coupled with falling orders, have left many manufacturers struggling and driven some to relocate to Southeast Asian countries.

Xi stresses Marxist approach to deepening reforms

Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-01-25

Chinese President Xi Jinping. (File photo/Xinhua)

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed dialectical materialism as a way to deepen reform.

Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks while presiding over a meeting attended by members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Friday.

Xi recalled that in 2013, the bureau convened for a meeting on historical materialism, and said "studying dialectical materialism and historical materialism will help CPC members get better understanding of Marxist philosophy."

Xi reiterated that China will remain at the primary stage of socialism for a long time to come. Through 30 years of reform and opening up, China has made historic breakthroughs in productivity, comprehensive national strength and people's living standards, but the situation and challenges both domestically and abroad are changing.

"We should grasp new traits in new phases of development, and stipulate guidelines in accordance with reality," Xi said, adding ideology should be the heart of the Party.

All CPC members, Xi said, should value ideological work and promote "core socialist values," taking a direct and positive attitude toward contradictions in development.

China should not be judged by GDP alone, said the president. China should be judged by its transition in economic development, restructuring, dissolution of overcapacity and by the strength of the nation's commitment to an ecological society.

In a complicated situation with many heavy tasks, the CPC should take a holistic view, completing construction of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, ruling the country by law and running the Party strictly.

Dialectical methods can deal with complex problems, and make strategic decisions by avoiding disadvantages. "Experience is the best teacher," Xi said.

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"The Timing of the Great Shift" – Mar 21, 2009 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… Here is another one. A change in what Human nature will allow for government. "Careful, Kryon, don't talk about politics. You'll get in trouble." I won't get in trouble. I'm going to tell you to watch for leadership that cares about you. "You mean politics is going to change?" It already has. It's beginning. Watch for it. You're going to see a total phase-out of old energy dictatorships eventually. The potential is that you're going to see that before 2013. They're going to fall over, you know, because the energy of the population will not sustain an old energy leader. Remember where you heard it... in a strange, esoteric meeting with a guy in a chair pretending to channel. [Kryon being factious... Kryon humor] Then when you hear it, you'll know better, won't you? "Maybe there was something really there," you'll say. "Maybe it was real," you'll say. Perhaps you can skip all the drama of the years to come and consider that now? [Kryon humor again]

These leaders are going to fall over. You'll have a slow developing leadership coming to you all over the earth where there is a new energy of caring about the public. "That's just too much to ask for in politics, Kryon." Watch for it. That's just the beginning of this last phase. So many things are coming. The next one is related to this, for a country in survival with sickness cannot sustain a leadership of high consciousness. There is just too much opportunity for power and greed. But when a continent is healed, everything changes. .."

".. Many years ago, the prevailing thought was that nobody should consider China as a viable player on the economic stage. They were backward, filled with a system that would never be westernized, and had no wish to become joined with the rest of the world's economic systems. Look what has happened in only 30 years. Now, look at Africa differently …”

"The Time Capsule of Gaia" – Feb 9, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“…  Tesla the Man

There was a point in time when humanity almost stumbled, by the way. You were having a hard time with electricity. So a man came along who was way ahead of his time and was available and his name was Nikola Tesla. He gave you a principle that today you call alternating current. Dear ones, I challenge you to understand this principle. Most of you can't, because it is not in 3D. The attributes are still considered "genius-level thinking" to this day. The whole idea of the kind of electricity you use today comes from this man's quantum mind.

That was all he was allowed to do. Tesla himself was a kind of time capsule, delivered at the right time. He had more, but alternating current was all that was allowed to be given to the planet at that time. Oh, he tried to give you more. He knew there were other things, but nothing was able to be developed. If I told you what else he had discovered, you might not be aware of it at all, since it was never allowed to get out of the box. Earth was not ready for it.

Tesla discovered massless objects. He could alter the mass of atomic structure using designer magnetics, but he never could control it. He had objects fly off his workbench and hit the ceiling, but he couldn't duplicate or control it. It just wasn't time yet. Do you know what else he was known for? It was seemingly the failure of the transmission of electricity. However, he didn't fail at all.

There are pictures of his tower, but every time a Human Being sees a tower, there is a biased assumption that something is going to be broadcast through the air. But in the case of Tesla, he had figured out how to broadcast electricity through the ground. You need towers for that because they have to pick up the magnetics within the ground in a certain way to broadcast them and then collect them again from the nodes of the planet's magnetic grid system. We talked about this before. He was utilizing the grid of the planet that is in the earth itself! He was on the edge of showing that you could use the whole grid of the planet magnetically to broadcast electricity and pick it up where you need it, safely, with no wires. But the earth was not ready for it.

Tesla died a broken man, filled with ideas that would have brought peace to planet Earth, but he was simply not allowed to give any of them to you.

Now I'll tell you why he was stopped, dear ones, and it's the first time we have ever told you – because these inventions were too easy to weaponize. Humanity just isn't ready for it. You're not ready for massless objects, either, for the principles are too easy to weaponize.

"So," you might say, "when will we be ready for it?" I think you already know the answer, don't you? At the time when Human consciousness reaches a point where that which is most important is unification and not separation, it will happen. A point where conquering and power are not desirable ideas or assets. A point where humanity will measure the strength of its population by how healthy they are and not by economic growth. A point where coming together with your neighbor is the main objective to social consciousness, and not conquering them or eliminating them. That's coming, dear ones. It's a ways away, but it's coming. Look around the planet at the moment. The old energy leaders are obvious, are they not? It's like they are relics in a world of thinking that is passing them by.  ….”

Gross national happiness in Bhutan: the big idea from a tiny state that could change the world

Russian Physicists Launch Campaign to Rebuild Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower and Power the World

President Xi stresses more reform, rule of law in New Year address

Xinhuanet, English.news.cn, 2014-12-31, Editor: An

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers his New Year speech via state
broadcasters, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 31, 2014. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping underscored the need to continue efforts to advance reform and rule of law in 2015 in his New Year speech on Wednesday, comparing them to "a bird's two wings".

The president told domestic and overseas audiences that the past year was "unforgettable". His address was transmitted via state broadcasters.

"In 2014, we pressed ahead with reform, cracked many hard nuts and introduced a slew of important reform measures, which were closely related to the interests of our citizens.

"We adapted to the new normal of economic growth; actively promoted economic and social development; and further improved the people's lives," he said.

Xi said cadres at all levels had "given it their best shot", a popular phrase used by Chinese Internet users. "Of course, without the support of the people, we could not have achieved anything. I must give our great people a thumb-up."

In 2015, China will continue to comprehensively deepen reform, from which "there is no turning back", he said.

China will also continue to advance the rule of law to safeguard the people's rights and interests, guarantee social justice and promote national development, Xi added.

Reform and rule of law must be advanced at the same time to achieve an "all-round well-off society" by 2020 as scheduled, he said.

UN children's rights convention implemented in Taiwan

Want China Times, CNA 2014-11-22

Premier Jiang Yi-huah. (File photo/Guo Ji-quan)

The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was adopted by the United Nations Nov. 20, 1989, was officially implemented in Taiwan Thursday, the Cabinet announced that day.

Premier Jiang Yi-huah said the convention's implementation has brought Taiwan's children's rights protection measures into compliance with international standards.

Although Taiwan is not a member of the UN, the Legislative Yuan passed the Enforcement Act of the Convention on the Rights of the Child May 20, thereby adopting the treaty into domestic law.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the law is designed to protect the rights of individuals under the age of 18 and covers content such as civil rights and right to liberty, health, welfare, education, leisure, culture, care and special protection.

Also that day, President Ma Ying-jeou met with a group of children to mark the Nov. 20 Universal Children's Day and the implementation of the convention in Taiwan.

Ma said that teachers and government officials should pay attention to the personal safety of children and ensure that students receive a complete education and learn the basic knowledge they need to acquire.

For example, Ma said, he required during his stint as Taipei mayor that all students in Taipei had to learn to swim, in light of the frequent drownings involving children and teenagers unable to swim.

At present, only 55% of elementary and secondary students around Taiwan pass swimming tests on average, well below the target of 85%, Ma said.

The president also pledged to improve the problem of child abuse in the country.

In 2013, he said, there were more than 16,000 reported cases of child abuse. Although the number was 2,800 fewer than in 2012, it remained at a high level, he added.

He said that in recent years, the government has been working further to protect children even when they are still in their mothers' wombs, by allowing expectant mothers to take pregnancy leave.

In addition, Taiwan is one of the few countries in Asia that offers paid parental leave to parents, he said, adding that the policy has so far benefited 250,000 people.

(By Kelven Huang and Y.F. Low)

Puan: Indonesia Health Card and Smart Card Available Next Month

Jakarta Globe, Oct 28, 2014

A student rides a bicycle through an obstacle course during an agility test at a
school in Solo, Central Java, in this June 17, 2013, file photo. (JG Photo/Ali Luthfi)

Jakarta. President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s much-vaunted Indonesia Health Card and Indonesia Smart Card will be available next month.

Puan Maharani, the coordinating minister of human resources development and cultural affairs, said both cards would be launched “as early as next month,” according to Kompas.com.

The cards, which will be similar to the Jakarta Health Card (KJS) and Jakarta Smart Card (JKP) implemented when Joko was governor of the capital, provide a number of benefits to holders. They provide free health insurance for the poor; guarantee 12 years free education and provide for students’ educational needs; the cards also guarantee free higher education for poor students who pass the university entrance exams.

Joko and Kalla promised to introduce the cards to improve the nation’s health and education sectors during their presidential campaign.

Puan said she believed the cards were part of Joko’s “Mental Revolution,” as access good education and health services would improve the people’s quality of life.

A further ministerial meeting was planned to discuss details of the cards’ launch on Wednesday.