Asia Pacific Viewpoint

Hirsch, Philip

1996 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/apv.371001

Large dams are a dramatic intervention affecting ecosystems, livelihoods and resource use, notably in upland areas. Dams are significant, both in terms of their scale of impact and due to their role in appropriating part of the upland resource base for mainly lowland and urban beneficiaries. Whereas in the past the tensions associated with impact of dams in Southeast Asia have been played out within national borders, mainly in Thailand, the new impetus for dam construction reflects an internationalised agenda — namely integration of the mainland Southeast Asian regional resource economy. This paper examines the background to large dam construction in mainland Southeast Asia, current and projected developments, and their implications in a number of arenas. Case studies from Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam illustrate the main points. It is shown that political­economic restructuring associated with the changing geopolitics of the region is a major influence on the revived agenda for large dam construction, and that such restructuring modulates the direct and indirect impacts of dams at local, national and regional levels.

Rasiah, Rajah

1996 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/apv.371002

The early growth phase of Malaysia’s electronics industry coincided in the 1970s with high unemployment and accelerated rural­urban migration and a willingness to make considerable concessions to foreign transnationals seeking suitable cheap and passive labour sites. The result was a very rigid exploitation of the labour force. Interviews with a variety of contemporary electronics firms show how this changed in the I 980s and I 990s. Demand for labour increased and unemployment declined, automation removed much of the labour intensity and raised the need for skill and cooperation and commitment of those hired to work in an increasingly sophisticated sector. Wages rose and management practices changed, together with the introduction of flexible production techniques, preventative maintenance and quality control, each of which required considerable employee participation. Despite these changes, both firms and government have resisted attempts nationwide unionisation of the industry.

Kelly, Philip F.

1996 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/apv.371003

This paper argues that the discourses of development underpinning aquaculture as a development strategy are flawed because they neglect the impacts of fish farming on the local resource base and those social groups dependent upon it. The Philippine government has promoted aquaculture for over two decades, viewing it as a key component of national economic recovery. But field work in the Batan municipality of the Philippines reveals that the ‘common sense’ behind aquaculture is severely undermined when its effects on the physical environment and people in the vicinity of fishponds are examined.

Boyer, Tania

1996 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/apv.371004

Migration from Asia to New Zealand is now a topic of heated public debate within New Zealand. This study traces the experiences of Taiwanese migrants to Auckland over the past decade and documents their adaption and revised expectations. By the end of June 1995, over 21,000 Taiwanese had been granted permanent residence in New Zealand on the basis of their skills, qualifications and work experience. Although expecting a fall in income as the necessary ‘price’ to pay for an improved quality of life, as well as some language difficulties, few immigrants were prepared for the magnitude of the drop in income, the hardship it would bring and the heavy reliance this would place on their remaining investments in Taiwan. The net result has been unemployment and underemployment of immigrants many of whom are now resigned to net gains through education coming not to them but to their children. As a result of the inability to secure adequate employment, many Taiwanese immigrants have relocated one or all of the family members back to Taiwan. The introduction in October 1995 of stricter English standards and the flatter, less academic basis to point earning qualifications, validation of job offers, recognition of New Zealand work experience together with the spouses’ human capital as well as a clearer commitment to New Zealand should all go some way to addressing many of the difficulties the history of recent Taiwanese immigration has uncovered.

Wong, Tai-Chee; Goh, Kim Chuan

1996 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/apv.371005

In 1985, the people of the once tin­rich and prosperous Kinta Valley faced a desperate situation when the tin market collapsed. The nightmare was a result of cumulative effects — high cost of production, low yield of mines and extensive use of cheaper alternatives. But the negative effects on tin mining settlements were avoided due largely to Malaysia’s successful economic restructuring and the inflow of international capital in the manufacturing sector which has helped the local economy to recover. With tin mining disappearing from the Malaysian landscape, most of those still living in settlements previously highly dependent on tin have been able to find alternative livelihoods.

Comtois, Claude; Rimmer, Peter J.

1996 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/apv.371006

We know little about the location decisions of large Chinese conglomerates and how this relates to their restructuring in a dynamic Asia­Pacific environment. This case study of one of Hong Kong’s latest conglomerates, Hutchison Whampoa, begins with the company’s decision to remain in Hong Kong after 1997. Restructuring has been carried out primarily by acquiring new enterprises in its existing specialised areas of retail, manufacturing, telecommunications, media and services and reducing interests in property, energy, finance and investment. This has been accompanied by its expansion into southern China where it has focused on infrastructure development, steps which have built on its Chinese credentials — clan origins and personal connections.

Hill, Michael

1996 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/apv.371007

Perry, Martin

1996 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/apv.371008

Chin, James

1996 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/apv.371009

Herda, Phyllis S.

1996 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/apv.371010