SEM-CDA: Rights of Child Soldiers

I am glad to hear a speech from a soldier himself, Sgt. Kevin Ras. I was enlightened by his speech. What struck me most is his admission that they had a difficulty in seeing whether the soldier is a child or not. I also learned in the seminar how much the children soldiers are trained in a very young and innocent age. Moreover, it is not just the physical training but the emotional and spiritual training that they are given. Now I understand why they posses so much great anger against the government. It is because they are taught that all the government does is wrong.

The lecture of Col. Dickson Hermoso was very detailed and interesting also. There were times that I can relate our lessons in class into his lecture because Ms. Tin taught us about the conflict in Mindanao. I must agree to him that the Philippines needs skillful diplomats to be part of the negotiating panel. What was new to me is that Malaysia is the most threatened country in Southeast Asia. It has problems with Southern Thailand and Northern portion of Malaysia, its problem with Singapore on water, its problems with Indonesia and ofcourse with the Philippines, the Sabah and Spratlys issues. It was really new to me. Thus, it shows that Malaysia needs to work and push towards its national security.

And lastly, something interesting that I learned is that the declining number of MNLF. Yet, they according to Col. Hermoso, they act as “Robin Hoods” in the villages. I agree with Col. Hermoso that not all Muslims are bad. The stereotype needs to be changed. I have a lot of Muslim friends that are very friendly and helpful. And I also agree that the culture of violence is already deeply rooted. The government needs to properly plan its action.