PUBLIC AND GOVERNMENT LAND—POST COLONIAL LAND SYSTEMS

Abstract: The effective management of state government property and the development of parcel-based land information systems are inhibited by administrative, legal and accounting mechanisms dating from colonial days. For environmental and efficiency and effectiveness reasons, new ways of categorising Crown and other government land are required. A distinction needs to be drawn between operational and other property to enable mechanisms such as rent or interest to be applied to operational property. Land status as Crown land or freehold should no longer be a determinant of responsibility for management or financial accountability. In the process of reforming the machinery of government for property management, the opportunity should be taken to rearrange the responsibilities for the certification of title and for boundary establishment.     

The Asian factor: Methodological barriers to the study of Asian gangs and organized crime

This paper examines methodological barriers that confront the study of Asian criminal gangs and organized crime. Researchers need to address definitional issues, appreciate the pluralistic nature of Asian communities, incorporate region as a unit of analysis, enhance the reliability of interviewees’ responses, and recognize the impact of news media on the public perception of Asian crime. A research agenda is offered to deal with these issues in future research endeavors.     

An unusual death in water

A case of combined suicide involving the explosion of a handgranate in water demonstrates the possible misinterpretation of external injuries.