Behind the Badge in My Dreams

Based on my experience and interaction with most of my male friends and acquaintances, a typical guy's dream would revolve around sex. From dating the hottest girl in their class to sleeping with the girl of their dreams are the common stories I hear from them when they describe their best dreams of their lives they had so far during their sleep or nap. Of course like them, I do have my best dream as it occured just recently; however, if I would to tell my guy friends that my best dream did not revolved around sex, they would most likely to remind me how lame and pathetic am I. Worst come to worst, they might think that I am impotent. Unlike most of my guy friends, the best dream I had so far revolved around my dream life in the dark blue uniform tagged with shoulder patches on both sides that read "Vancouver Police". It wasn't the only best dream I had so far in my life but also one of the longest one.

The dream started off on the beginning of a weekday. I couldn't clearly remember which day was it but I remembered the time of the day very well; it was the dawn of the day. I was still tucked comfortably in my cozy queen size bed that early morning and it wasn't long before my eyes were wide opened. The time on my digital alarm clock located on a table lamp next to my bed was the first sight to welcome me on that early morning; it was 5 in the morning and I noticed that I had an hour more before I was suppose to get myself out from my bed. Seeing that I was already wide awake, I decided to throw myself out from my bed before switching of the alarm of my clock. After a brief stretching, I looked at the poster calender hanging on the wall which was highlighted in a florescent light yellow to remind me the first day of my job; something that I was looking very forward to. Not far away from my calender was a framed graduate certificate in International Business from Thompson Rivers University; the fact that I graduated in business but decided to do something completely different in my career humored me for a few seconds. Knowing that I was excited to begin my first day of my job, I immediately grabbed onto my towel and headed for my washroom before I brushed my teeth and took a nice hot shower.

After cleaning myself up, I dried myself up before putting on my dark blue police uniform that I have dreamed of wearing all my life. As I stood in front of a wall mirror buttoning my shirt feeling very proud of myself, my dad entered my room before he smiled proudly at me complimenting how handsome and smart I looked in the police uniform. Despite I was just a police constable, I somehow sensed that my dad was proud of me regardless of what position I held in the force. He then told me that breakfast was ready and he kindly volunteered to drive me to work at that morning after breakfast. After a light breakfast with my mum and dad, it was time for me to leave for work. My mum who handed me my police hat reminded me to give my best and try to get along with my seniors and my co workers; furthermore, she told me to be very careful at work. Shortly after I wished my mum goodbye, my dad and I left home for the Vancouver Police Department in downtown. After a 20 minutes drive, we were there and before I got out from my dad's car, my dad told me to take care of myself at work and reminded me to be careful, just like what my mum reminded me earlier. I reassured my dad that everything would be alright as the new comers won't get any "action" on the 1st day, before I wished my dad goodbye and exited his car.

On the 1st day of my job, I was introduced to my training officer who was a Korean Canadian; Officer Park was her name and she has been in the force for 5 years. She was 7 years older than me and according to my colleagues, she is as tough as nails. Rumors has it that she eats cornflakes out of her trainees' skull; the typical metaphor for tough police trainers. Officer Park was reluctant to have me assigned as her partner but I couldn't really blame her as I wouldn't like "babysitting" if I was in her shoes. Nevertheless, I was determine to show her that I was different from most "rookies". On the first day in the police department, my training officer and I roamed the streets of Vancouver in a squad car; she gave me a tour of our area of responsibility and in the middle of our patrolling she would slot in some personal questions to me in order to know more about the person she is working with. At times my training officer can be nice and approachable. On the other hand, most of the time she can be very strict or even a "bitch", yet I do not bear any grudges or resentment against her for the working environment here in the force mostly revolves around discipline.

During my days as a police constable in the force, I would always do my best. From volunteering to take on a colleague's shift and working overtime to sweating myself in the gym with my partner instead of joining the rest of my fellow brothers in blue at a pub on a Friday night; I was always seeking ways and opportunity to improve myself. Life as a patrol officer has its up and down. Of course moments where you give talks about crime prevention and personal safety at elementary schools can be very glamorous. Furthermore, getting the admiration from the public people especially the young ones during my routine patrol can pump lots of air into my head. However at times, my fellow colleagues and I are assigned to participate in a "treasure hunt" for evidences and clues that takes place in the most foul and filthy place one could ever imagine. The most dreadful part of the job is when we are called to secure a gruesome homicide scene until the police detectives arrive to take over. The less dreadful side of the job revolves around the domestic disturbance calls which usually comprise noise complaints, domestic violence and lewd conduct. At times, we'll get some "action" from chasing down a crook to assisting narcotics officers in a sting operation armed with pistols and shotguns; as dangerous and risky as it may sound, but the fact that I was at the thick of the action gives me an edge with interesting stories to share with my friends and my family over the dinner table compared to my other friends and family members whose job mainly revolves around the confinement of their office.

The climatic and the most memorable part of my dream was when I pursuit a snatch thief during my daily patrol in downtown Vancouver. It was just like every other day during my foot patrol with my partner in downtown until we heard an old lady screaming after a fleeing individual. Immediately I chased the fleeing suspect after I told my partner to take care of the old lady who was in grief. The thief dashed his way trying his best to outrun me but given the fact I was determined to apprehend him, he had a difficult time losing me. He started toppling trash cans and card boxes while he fled hoping that it would slow me down; fortunately for me, I managed to manuever my way around the obstacles he made and it wasn't long before he entered an old residential apartment. I lost my sights on him initially as some of the mess he made earlier on managed to slow me down a little; however with the occupants informing me that the thief headed for the rooftops, I knew the chase was still on. As I reached the rooftops via the elevator, I withdrew my pistol from my gun holster and I radioed in for additional units to seal the exits and the entrance of the residential apartment. With my gun raised, I carefully scout the roof tops for the suspect until I was ambushed. The thief struck my arm with an iron pipe thus knocking my gun off from my grip; my gun flew over the railings of the rooftop like a base ball and I had nothing left to arm myself. The thief then crashed the iron pipe into the side of my head forcing me to hit the ground hard; I lost my glasses as a result of my fall. An excruciating headache then followed before a cut on my head poured some blood out; I grabbed onto my wound as I picked myself up only to be struck with a kick from someone behind. As I turned around, I was shocked to see that there were another 3 more ruffians. The thief's accomplices showed up and I was corned getting ready to be ambushed; I then realized that the thief led me into his trap. One of them threw a glass bottle at my head which forced open another cut; they laughed sinisterly at my pain and demise eager to indulge themselves in the sadism they prepared for me. Feeling abused and manipulated, it wasn't long before anger struck me; I then unbuttoned my shirt slowly. Curious and perplexed, the ruffians were wondering what had gotten into me; as I finally unbuttoned my final button of my uniform's shirt, I removed it and tossed it angrily to the ground. Humored by my behavior, the ruffians continued laughing; they withdrew their weapons ranging from switch blades to iron pipes and base ball bats. I then threw my right arm behind my back and reached for my nun chucks which was tucked tightly all the while behind me. Instantly, I started swinging my secret weapon while giving out a war cry similar to Bruce Lee's one; ironically, it didn't intimidate the ruffians but only humored them further. As they charged for me with their weapons, I started swinging my nun chucks violently crashing it into their heads and face. Unleashing everything I had, I hammered them with my nun chucks as hard as I could forcing it to break after several times. Although my nun chucks were no longer available for use, I sprang into my Jeet Kune Do in a Bruce Lee manner and finished the remaining of them. After an intense duel with the ruffians, I finally survived as I crippled every one of them hard to the ground. My partner then joined me at the rooftops with more police officers before we placed those ruffians with cuffs. As I suffered from several cuts, my partner immediately called in the paramedics; I was shortly escorted to the hospital for medical assistance. That was all I could remember in my dreams behind the badge.

It wasn't the only best dream I had so far in my life but also one of the longest one. When I got up from my bed this morning, I was thrown into utmost disappointment as it was just a dream only. However, the dream was so real that I had difficulties differentiating it from what is real; it was just like getting plugged into the Matrix. I was once told by a friend of mine that whatever happens in your dream would unlikely happen in reality; if that's the case, I should be deeply worried as there could be a possibility that I will unlikely achieve my dream job. I pray my friend and I are wrong about this dream theory for if we were right, I shall be damned.

Hong Kong Today

My first visit (hopefully not the last) to Hong Kong dates back 13 years ago when I was still in my care free childhood days. The only memory I had during my visit to Hong Kong in 1995 for my holiday was my joyful moments in Ocean Park; other than that, I couldn’t remember much about the country. Although I have been exposed to the culture and life style of Hong Kong countless times through Hong Kong dramas and movies broad casted in my country when I was growing up, I never really thought about visiting the country again due to the fact that I was too young to appreciate the country. I managed to make a couple of Hong Kong friends in university during my fall semester last year and like most international students would do, they promoted their country with utmost enthusiasm. Furthermore, they even told me more than a hundred reasons why I should visit their country. One of my Hong Kong friends even showed me a photo book of her country and I was truly amazed with the urban landscape as well as some of the country’s landmarks. Ever since my exposure to the photographic scenery of Hong Kong, my eagerness to know more about the country was spawned; it wasn’t long before I thought about revisiting the country as well as to know more about it. During my random video browsing on YouTube, I came across an Al Jazeera video regarding Hong Kong today. The video was from a subsidiary TV program of Al Jazeera which was known as 48, hosted by Amanda Palmer whom briefly reported on Hong Kong today. I felt grateful bumping into this video as it was what I needed to know about Hong Kong today.

Formally known as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, this territory borders the Guangdong province in the north and is surrounded by the South China Sea. Once governed by the British, the country distinguishes itself from its Chinese predecessor in terms of politics, economy and infrastructure. During its handover back to China in 1997, many feared that Hong Kong would lose its independence; Prince Charles, one of the royalty during that moment announced that Great Britain will remain keeping a close eye on Her Majesty's former colony with the objective of preserving British interest despite the country was returned to the Communist Chinese government.

The Hong Kong Island is best known for its financial district and its concrete jungle of sky scrapers. Within the urban jungle of the main island are several hundred meters of new lands dedicated to the construction of commercial installments such as offices and shopping malls. The Hong Kong government is not keen on heritage preservation as the lands are among the populated. Hong Kong became a financial center after the 2^nd World War and it was during that moment when the government decided to replace old buildings with modern sky scrapers where many of the country’s past was erased as urban development followed. Several locations like Wellington Street where shops, markets and houses remained in their original form which dates back more than hundred years ago are targeted for removal by the Hong Kong government in a few years time to facilitate future construction of commercial buildings. As the government furthers its ambition to modernize the country, there’s a growing community in Hong Kong which are against the government’s decision as they deeply value their heritage.

The Hong Kong Central on Sunday is usually occupied with Filipinos. Most of them share another common characteristic apart from their similar nationality: their occupation which revolves around serving their Chinese employees at home as house maids. Since these Filipinos are banned from working outside their employee’s home, it is common for these maids to be vulnerable to abuse. With Hong Kong’s development progressing, it is a matter of time before these Filipino maids lose their common gathering to the government’s plans to allocate Hong Kong Central with office buildings and shopping malls. Their problems are further exacerbated by the obligations for these maids to pay a $5000 bond which leaves them no choice but to organize a peaceful protest in the streets of Hong Kong Central to justify their unfair treatment. Despite the harsh weather presented during the summer and winter in the country, the majority of the Filipino maids there will still congregate together at their usual gathering spot as they deeply value their companionship together. According to these maids, their pay over there in Hong Kong is 3 times more than their usual pay in their motherland which explains the vast number of Filipinos over here in Hong Kong. A majority of them agreed that the life as a working maid in Hong Kong is difficult nevertheless; they believe that their hardship is worthwhile with their tremendous pay they earn here in Hong Kong. These maids are regarded as the new heroes by the government; conversely they just prefer to earn a living wage back home. Until then, they continue carrying their traditions in their foreign land, Hong Kong.

Among Hong Kong’s political arena are a group of people pushing for full democracy in the country. Kwong Fung Tsang, a rising politician and Long Hair, a legislative council member are one of the few pro democracy movement members committed to promoting the idea of full freedom in Hong Kong despite realizing that China is a Communist nation. The pro democracy movement are angered by Beijing‘s false promise to provide full democracy to Hong Kong by 2007. The movement was informed by China that Hong Kong will be given full democracy by 2017; yet with the pro democracy impatient, it seems that China is not doing well to convince them. The fact that half of the legislative council in Hong Kong is elected while the rest is appointed by Beijing seems to anger not only the pro democracy movement but also a handful of Chinese people in Hong Kong. The movement also added that the government in Hong Kong has been a regime for the collusion between the rich people and the government. A majority of the people realize that their enterprise city is largely subjugated by major corporations forcing small businesses to struggle which then leads to the presence of the underclass. Although half a million of the Chinese Hong Kong have defeated the anti subversion laws proposed by Beijing, the pro democracy movement faces apathy as many of the Hong Kongers are enjoying China’s economic boom.

Another interesting aspect about Hong Kong would be its stock market. With 2.8 trillion dollars in their savings, the Hong Kongers has recently invested heavily in China. Many of them have left their jobs to try their luck in the market with the rapid cash flow in Hong Kong. As gambling is one of the few favorites for the Chinese, the trading of stocks in the market is not only for the profit but for the excitement as well. Since gambling is restricted according to the law, the people in Hong Kong adopt stock trading as their gambling pleasure.

Apart from staking their money in stock trading, the Hong Kongers places their bets on the horses racing against each other on the tracks. One of the few famous horse betting dents in Hong Kong is the Happy Valley which was constructed by the British in 1846. Initially, the Happy Valley was restricted to English people and it was mostly an English gentle men’s club in Hong Kong. However, 1 in 7 Hong Kongers today bet in horse races and an increasing number aren’t gentlemen. This gambling dent generates 5% of all Hong Kong’s taxes contributing to the development of the country.

I felt grateful bumping into this video as it was what I needed to know about Hong Kong today. Perhaps, one of the most interesting highlight of the video was when several Hong Kongers were asked whether they preferred to be regarded as Chinese or Hong Kongers. Like most of them I have asked myself over here in the university, some preferred to be identified from Hong Kong while there are also a few who wouldn’t mind being regarded as a Chinese given the fact that their culturally Chinese. One of the few reasons why some strongly insist that they preferred to be identified as Hong Kongers could be the fact that before Hong Kong was returned to China when it was still under British rule, they were taught to see themselves as Hong Kongers whom were different from their Chinese neighbors seeing that they were governed under a different set of British system that stands to separate them from the Chinese in Communist China

The Hmong Hunt

Just today when I was serving for the latest Al Jazeera videos on YouTube, I came across an interesting video entitled The Lost Tribe. Initially, I was hesitant to watch the video as I thought it was some sort anthropology documentary on one of the few oldest tribes in the world that are forgotten; however, knowing that it is foolish to be ignorant, I've decided to click on the video to know more about the content of the documentary. Furthermore, seeing that these are one of the few Al Jazeera reports that are up to date, I've decided to watch the video as I thought it would be a good idea to stay on top of things. After more than 20 minutes of the video, I could not help but to feel sorry for the Hmong tribes and I deeply regretted for my stupidity due to my earlier speculation of the video.

The Lost Tribe is a video report by Al Jazeera's television journalist, Tony Birtley on the current situation of the Hmong tribe in Laos. Tony Birtley, accompanied by a camera man explores the thick jungles of northern Laos to find this troubled tribe which is still under the Lao military's gun sight. In this report, he reveals the sorrow, desperation and the fear of the Hmong people whom struggle greatly to survive the Lao military’s persecution. Constantly moving and seeking shelter under the most appalling conditions in the jungles of Northern Laos with the hope of evading their military hunters, ambush and gun fights between the Hmong tribe and the Lao military are regular. With the presence of Tony among the Hmong tribe which seemed like savior and hope delivered by God, the Hmong tribes pleaded, beg and even worshiped him hoping that he will free them from their ever dreadful state of being hunted and persecuted by the Lao army. Knowing that he is just a journalist, Tony regretfully informed that he is powerless to influence the international aid’s attention on them. The most surprising aspect of the video was when the Hmong tribe decided to take Tony and his cameraman hostage, thinking that their action would force the United Nations to regard their attention on the Hmong tribe’s problem. Like any hostage would feel, Tony and his cameraman were nervous about the fact that they were taken hostage, yet they fully understood the Hmong’s action given their desperation for survival and help. Fortunately for Tony and his cameraman, they were released by the Hmong tribes a week later when Tony promised to pass on a letter prepared by the head of the Hmong tribe to the United Nations.

The Lao government's eagerness to annihilate these Hmong tribes bears its roots more than 40 years ago during the Vietnam War. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruited over 80% of the Hmong people in Laos to aid the American soldiers in the Vietnam War; these Hmong soldiers were trained by the CIA to act as a Special Guerrilla Unit spearheaded by Vang Pao. The Special Guerrilla Unit was responsible for blocking their Vietnamese adversaries’ supply route from the north to the south. As the Special Guerrilla Unit was deployed on the front line of the war, its operatives mostly aided U.S forces to disrupt the North Vietnamese Army’s supply line and rescued downed American pilots. Due to such extensive duty of the Special Guerrilla Unit, more than 40,000 Hmong were killed in action

When the Americans lost the war in Vietnam in 1975, they withdrew their troops shortly before the communist government invaded Laos. Seeing that the Hmong assisted the Americans during the war, they became targets for retaliation and persecution by the communists. Under the new Lao regime, a number of Hmong returned to their villages and moved on; however the majority fled to Thailand via the Mekong River only to be frequently attacked where it became the biggest exodus for Hmong people from Laos. Although some of them made their way to Thailand, they were neglected and held in filthy United Nations refugee camps. For those who did not escape from Laos, they were declared as political prisoners under the Lao government and they were forced into re-education camps where they were subjected to harsh labor and appalling living conditions which resulted in many deaths.

From time to time, the Hmong executed attacks against the Lao and Vietnamese troops. Zong Zoua Her, the leader of the Hmong (even until today) with his followers established a guerilla movement called Chao Fa to resist the Lao and Vietnamese army. Their offensive campaign were a success, on the other hand, the Chao Fa’s attacks only encouraged the Lao government to conduct military counter attacks on them via aerial bombing , heavy artillery and even the use of defoliants and chemical weapons.

The Hmong featured in The Lost Tribe video, mostly comprise 2^nd or 3^rd generation descendants of former Special Guerrilla Unit soldiers. They constantly remain in hiding especially around the remote areas of Laos as they fear for government prosecution. On the constant run for more than 30 years, the Hmong are deeply isolated and they are stricken with poverty. The Hmong children are deeply malnourished, dressed in old thorn clothes, deprived of medicine and food as well as a basic sense of education. With an unimaginable poor standard of living for the Hmong, there seems to be no future prospect for them and with the lack of aid, many Hmong sees this as the “end of their line”.

After more than 20 minutes of the video, I could not help but to feel sorry for the Hmong tribes and I deeply regretted for my stupidity due to my earlier speculation of the video. What pisses me off about this issue is that during the Vietnam War and the decades that followed by, the U.S Government denied the fact that they recruited the Hmong to fight their war. The Clinton administration apparently denied the use of Hmong in the Vietnam War in order to justify the repatriation of Thailand-based Hmong war refugees to Laos in the late 1990s. On the other hand, several U.S. conservatives’ back then has urged the U.S. Government to acknowledge the existence of the Special Guerrilla Unit and to honor the Hmong as well as U.S veterans from the war. As a result of that, a Laos Memorial was dedicated on the grounds of the Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the Hmong from the Vietnam War. It is also great to know that there are individuals who would sacrifice themselves for the cause of those in need. Harrison Jack, a retired Army infantry officer attempted to recruit Special Forces operatives to play the role of mercenaries whom will assist Vang Pao and his comrades to overthrow the oppressive Lao government. Unfortunately, they were all arrested for plotting to overthrow the Lao government in violation of the federal Neutrality Acts and for multiple weapons charges.

Zainichi Koreans in Japan

During my recent video browsing on YouTube, I came across an interesting video which revolved around a Korean worker in Japan who decided to sue his customer for discrimination. Thinking that this video will contain lots of vulgarity and hate knowing that most Koreans and Japanese hardly get along due to their national dispute which can be traced from the Japan-Korea Annexation in the early 20th century, I thought this video was worth my time. After a few seconds of the video, I was truly disappointed as everything were in Japanese which I couldn't understand a word of seeing thatI have no knowledge in Japanese. As I was about to view other unrelated videos, the "related videos" column of the YouTube window I was browsing then presented a list of other videos that shared the similar topic. Consequently, as I was curious and interested about the issues that triggers more conflict and dispute between the Japanese and the Koreans, I decided to check some of them out. Like the earlier video, most of them were either in Japanese or Korean which I knew it wasn't worth the watch as I have no knowledge in both the respective languages. As I was about to give up browsing for videos regarding the dispute between the Japanese and the Koreans, I came across an Al Jazeera video which featured a report regarding Koreans living in Japan. Realizing that Al Jazeera reports in English, my interest regarding the relationship between the Japanese and Koreans reignited. After more than 10 minutes of the video, I realized how ignorant I was not to know about the Zainichi Koreans in Japan.

The roots of the discrimination that the Koreans have been facing in Japan can be traced back to the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty in 1910 where all Koreans became the subject of Imperial Japanese rule. During the 2nd World War, the majority of Koreans were forced to migrate to Japan to be laborers in order to resolve Japan's labor shortage that was required to mobilize the manufacturing industry of the country. The Korean workers that were brought to Japan during the 2nd World War were forced to work in mines and factories under harsh and inhumane working conditions which usually resulted in deaths. Besides harsh treatment from the Japanese, the Koreans in Japan were forbidden to speak their native language and they were also obligated to adopt Japanese names and culture. Despite such atrocities conducted on them, some of the Koreans decided to construct their new homes in Japan after the 2nd World War where the children of these survivors amount to a million today. The reason behind their decision to remain in Japan after the Japanese defeat in the war was because of the political instability in their homeland as it was exemplified by the Korean War that followed shortly after the 2nd World War. Although the Koreans in Japan have spend most of their lives in their so called "enemy nation", they are forced to hide their Korean heritage in order to avoid discrimination from the Japanese.

The Japanese has considered themselves a homogeneous race and they have pride themselves repeatedly through the constant reminder that if an individual is not Japanese, he or she is similar to a handicap. This wouldn't be any of a surprise given the fact that Japanese culture and customs which strongly prioritize integrity, dedication, honor and loyalty have been seen as admirable traits by the global audience even from the ancient times. Furthermore, with the unexpected rise of Japan as a major economic power in the far east after their defeat in the 2nd World War, the Japanese view themselves as an elite race. On the other hand, there are many minority groups in Japan which faces harsh treatment and discrimination in a land dedicated to ethnic purity. According to Shin Ya Kim, a member of the Korean Community Center in Kawasaki, an example of the discrimination that the Koreans would face in Japan can be demonstrated by the housing rentals. If a Japanese Korean were to use his or her real name, the possibility of being able to rent the house would be very slim. The mistreatment does not end there as Bae Cheol-Eun, a member of the Korean Resident Union in Japan claims that Japanese Koreans are likely to get their job applications declined in a job interview. Such act of discrimination is impossible to be justified at the stage of law given the lack of evidence, nevertheless there are always stories regarding discrimination to be told by a Japanese Korean.

According to the United Nations, one of the possible causes for such racism to occur in Japan is due to Japan's lack of basic protective legislation. Japan was urged by the United Nations to pass on laws that would declare any form of discrimination to be an offense in 2005. On the other hand, Satoshi Kameda, the Japanese Ministry of Justice refutes that it is a misstatement to claim that Japan lacks discrimination law as most cases regarding racism ends up under the jurisdiction of criminal law. Dr. Yasunori Fukuoka, a leading sociologist from the Saitama University mentions that the lack of appreciation for people's differences is another possible cause to racism.

With no legal protection against discrimination, many Japanese Koreans have no choice but to masquerade themselves as a Japanese as this can be illustrated by 90% of Japanese Koreans whom adopt a Japanese name in their daily life. With two names, one Korean and the other Japanese, most Koreans living in Japan could not help but to experience such abnormality. Conversely, a handful of Koreans in Japan prefer to be public and proud about their Korean heritage rather than lie about it.

More than 200 Korean students at the Chosen school in Yokohama are educated in their native language instead of Japanese with the objective or preserving their ethnic heritage and the believe of returning to their homeland in North Korea. The Chosen school were among the first few Korean schools founded in Japan after the 2nd World War. The school was originally funded by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K.) to ensure that the Korean heritage survives among the Korean students in Japan and to discourage any form of cultural assimilation. Despite being educated in Japanese, Korean and English today, the students of Chosen are also taught about their great leader Kim Il Sung and their dear leader Kim Jong Il. Dr, Guy Sun Oh who is a historical researcher on Koreans in Japan says that many will assume that the Korean students are brainwashed with D.P.R.K. education at first impression, which is completely inaccurate. He added that it is nothing wrong at all for the students to learn about Kim Il Sung seeing that he is the founding father of North Korea after all. Furthermore, he mentioned that General Kim Il Sung said that the North Koreans in Japan are obligated to learn how to read and write in Korean as well as learn skills that will be beneficial to the D.P.R.K's future. Students of Chosen would go by their Korean names, dress in the North Korean attire in public and annually visit Pyongyang on a school trip. Of course such ethnic pride and patriotism comes with a costly price as it was demonstrated by the case of a North Korean girl being stabbed for dressing in her uniform in public. Joo Hyu Kim, a female student at the Chosen High School claims that she has encountered hostility countless times for putting on her North Korean school uniform in the public.

Both Japanese and minority activist has successfully forced the Japanese government to implement policies that will address the needs of the minorities over the years. The permission to allow Japanese Koreans to be citizens of Japan is an example of the concession between the Japanese government and the activist. On the other hand, such concession is not that effective as most Koreans realized that the choice for a Korean to become Japanese will be the greatest treachery to the Korean nationality. This is because the historical relationship between Japan and Korea as well as the suffering bore by the Koreans will be forgotten and lost.

After more than 10 minutes of the video, I realized how ignorant I was not to know about the Zainichi Koreans in Japan. I truly agree with Dr. Yasunori Fukuoka's opinion regarding racism which stems from the people's inability to appreciate differences. Due to strong values of ethnocentrism, people's differences are measured according to the measurer's values and beliefs which then leads to racism, prejudice and discrimination in the likely event that both values contradict with one another.

Extreme Redefined

2 years ago, the action genre for the video game industry was redefined by Pursuit Force for the Play Station Portable (PSP). The game which offered fuel burning car chases, insanely (and also exaggerating) action stunts as well as a great scripted thriller had many standing ovations and thumbs raised for the game; the game itself legitimated the reason for video game fans to own a PSP. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a copy of Pursuit Force and like others who have played it, I truly have to agree with the fact that the game was indeed amazing. Since my completion of the game, I've always hope for a sequel of the game and the day the developers of Pursuit Force announced a sequel entitled Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice, I knew I was blessed. Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice hit the shelves of the market on the 29th of January this year and seeing that I was extremely excited about the game, I wasted no time getting my hands on the long awaited sequel. After 2 days of Pursuit Force:Extreme Justice, I successfully completed the game's campaign and as the credits rolled, I couldn't help but to give a big applause for the game developers for their tremendous effort.

For those of you who don't owe a PSP, it wouldn't be a surprise if you are unaware of the Pursuit Force series. The game revolves around an elite police task force called the Pursuit Force that specializes in direct armed encounters. This police task force was established in response to the uprising wave of crime in Capital State caused by five major gangs which consist of the Capelli Family, the Warlords, the Convicts, the Vixens and the Killer 66. The game pits the player in the boots of a Pursuit Force officer who is assigned to restore order in Capital State by taking down the five crime gangs one at the time through massive car chases and bullet hissing gun fights. The car chases aren't only the typical game of cat and mouse but it also escorted by insane stunts such as jumping from one vehicle to another vehicle at speeds over a 150 miles per hour; that makes Pursuit Force unique and different from other action games out there.

Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice shortly takes place after the ending of the 1st installment with order restored and the 5 crime gangs arrested. The Pursuit Force officer (the same one the player controls in the 1st installment) is happily married to Sarah, one of his colleagues. On the day of their joyful wedding day, a motorcade of Convicts (the same crime gang in the 1st series) violently crashed through, ramming everything in their way thus cutting the wedding occasion short. Knowing that the Convicts are on the loose, the Pursuit Force wasted no time in tracking the criminals on the run. Meanwhile, they received another intelligence report stating that the Warlords (another returning gang) are also on the loose and they are plotting a nuclear devastation on Capital State with the help of new crime gangs such as the Syndicate and the Raiders. With the nuclear threat on the table, the law enforcement of Capital State, under the mayor's aprroval has established the VIPER unit, a SWAT team which also specializes in riot control techniques to assist the Pursuit Force. As the countdown for the nuclear devastation begins, both the Pursuit Force and the VIPER unit are pitted against time to take down the ruthless gangs and prevent an all out nuclear mayhem. Although the story premise seem to be simple at first glance, many unexpected plots and clever twists are presented as the player progresses further in the game's story mode. Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice excels in terms of story content.

The tremendous game play is the obvious reason that pits Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice in the league of the elite. Unlike most action games out there in the market which only revolves around a single type of action whether is it driving, shooting or third person action exploring, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice combines all of them. The player will be thrown into a scene of high adrenaline car chase at one point of the stage, trying his or her best to take down a required number of enemy vehicles or reaching a certain checkpoint of the stage within the allocated amount of time. The scene then changes which demonstrates the player hopping onto an incoming police helicopter before manning an attached minigun which triggers the player's objective to shoot down fleeing enemy vehicles and incoming enemy rockets. The player will not be only restricted to the minigun missions but also missions which require him or her to take out enemy personnels from a distance using an automatic sniper rifle in a flying police helicopter or from a rooftop. The fun doesn't end there as certain levels of the game trigger a third person action sequence which forces the player to dodge his or her way through massive gun fights all for the sake of securing a perimeter or planting explosives on enemy equipments. When the fight gets too close, the player can pull off a variety of stylish close quarter combat techniques on his or her enemies. The boss fights are always amazing and also challenging as it test the player's ability to know when to dodge and attack. Besides that, certain boss fights require a correct sequence of button mashing combination in order to prevail, is isn't anything new but at the same time, is fun. With diverse action featured in Pursuit Force:Extreme Justice, it wouldn't be exaggerating to state that this game is a fine example of what an action game should be. The controls are great most of the time as the vehicle maneuvering is smooth as a silk, the 3rd person action shoot out are easy to control and the minigun control layout is comfortable. The default aiming sensitivity for the sniper missions can be painfully annoying seeing that it is extremely difficult to get the sniper cross hair on the target but fortunately, the aiming sensitivity can be adjusted in the options menu of the game. As the player progresses deeper into the game, many abilities like reloading the weapon faster, jumping onto enemy vehicles from a greater distance, increasing damage attacks and reducing the minigun from over heating by a certain amount of percentage, can be unlocked with credits earned during missions. With its awesome game play, it is not surprising that Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice deserves two thumbs up.

Like its terrific game play, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice blows the player away with its awesome style. Although the music score is not composed by Harry Gregson Williams or Hans Zimmer, a great mixture of metal and heroic themes in the game's soundtrack is sufficient enough to let the player experience how tough and valiant an action hero or heroine can be. Voice acting is still good although not exactly Hollywood scripted and the dialogs which features a handful amount of humor and sarcasm never fails to make the player giggle. Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice triumphs in its sleek, smooth and colorful 3D graphics which has a slight comic theme behind it making it ideal for the genre of the game. Overall, the game performs well in terms of its style.

After 2 days of Pursuit Force:Extreme Justice, I successfully completed the game's campaign and as the credits rolled, I couldn't help but to give a big applause for the game developers for their tremendous effort. With everything to rave and nothing to rant about the game except for its slightly flawed aim sensitivity which fortunately can be adjusted in the options menu, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice scores a 9 out of 10. Hopefully, there will be news regarding the development of a third title in the near future. Like Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops, Pursuit Force is an outstanding game that will prompt video game fans to own a PSP.

The player will assume the role of a Pursuit Force police officer in Extreme Justice.

Meet the VIPER unit. They are the law enforcement's SWAT team that also specialize in riot control techniques. The gentleman in the middle is Commander Decker and he is the head of the VIPER unit

Chase em!

If you can't get them to stop, jump onto their vehicle and shoot them.

Jumping onto the bad guys' vehicle is cool...but one small mistake and you're roadkill.

At times, your colleague will assist you to take down the bad guys.

A variety of vehicles at your disposal including bikes.

Run and gun!

Sorry sweet heart, but I only ride alone. An officer of the Pursuit Force knocking off a Warlord criminal from her bike.

Take the fight to the water.

...and air

Death from above. One of the few mingun missions which can be very enjoyable.

Target in sight. The sniper missions are as fun as the minigun missions...just make sure you adjust the aim sensitivity before playing or you'll hate this part of the game.

Too close to the enemy? Take em' down with some close quarter combat.


The trailers for Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice, enjoy.