Asia News Digest
Korean DMZ Silent; Calls for 'Peace, Reconciliation'
Silence descended on the DMZ at midnight June 15 for the first time since the 1953 end of the Korean War, as the plug was pulled on the ear-splitting propaganda broadcasts of the two Koreas attacking each other from dozens of high-power batteries. The two also began to rip down all of the 300 billboards, electronic displays, and religious signs along the 248-km (154 mile) border. In a last broadcast, North Korea called for inter-Korean reconciliation and a joint campaign to drive out U.S. troops. South Korea flashed a last message which read, for the first time ever: "Peace, reconciliation and cooperation."
Also on June 15, the South and North Korean navies successfully exchanged radio communication for the first time since 1953, the first test of an inter-Korean military hotline, as well as using a common radio frequency, flags and light signals, in a plan to prevent accidental clashes. Contacts were made at five different locations for two hours.
North and South are also planning this fall to open a segment of the DMZ on the eastern seaboard, so that ordinary citizens may drive in their cars across the former no-man's land to visit Mt. Kumgang in the North.
Successful Test of India-Russia Cruise Missile
The seventh flight of BrahMos, the 2.8 mach-speed cruise missile, jointly developed by India and Russia, took place successfully on June 13, reported the Indian news daily, The Hindu. The missile stands eight meters tall, weighs three tons, and carries conventional 200 kg warhead.
A consortium of major industries of India and Russia are manufacturing various systems, sub-systems and components required for assembling this sophisticated missile. It was launched vertically from a container on a mobile autonomous launcher, with a fire-control system developed by a firm in the Indian state of Gujarat.
Afghan Warlords, Terrorists, Criminals United by Drug Money
Tayeb Jawed, the Afghan Ambassador to the United States, told the Washington Times' Insight magazine, recently, that the availability of enormous sums of money from the illicit drug trade has united warlords, criminals, and terrorist groups, in an unholy alliance cited above is capable of wreaking havoc across the world.
On June 13, Gen. Rick Hiller of Canada, now in charge of the 6,500-strong NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) told reporters in Brussels that the Afghan parliamentary and Presidential elections due in September might have to be postponed again. He cited the deteriorating security situation inside Afghanistan as warlords and militia groups have stepped their attacks on civilian targets, including aid workers. The NATO commander said that al-Qaeda, criminal gangs, and militia groups are "all determined to protect their fiefdoms," and want to disrupt the elections.
General Hiller was particularly critical of the slow pace of reform inside the Afghan Defense Ministry, which has often turned a blind eye to the activities of the warlords and militia groups.
Afghan Elections Are Sure To Be Delayed
While interim Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who met with U.S. President George Bush on June 15 in Washington, is continuing with his campaign to hold Afghan elections in September as promised, the Afghan Electoral Commission told AFP on June 16 that the polls will be delayed for the second time. Elections were originally scheduled to be held this month.
"The election cannot happen in September," spokeswoman Ghutai Khawrai said, citing a failure to meet a new law that the boundaries of electoral constituencies must be certified 120 days before voting can be held. A Presidential decree establishing the boundaries was only signed on June 5. "Since we plan to hold parliamentary and Presidential elections at the same time, the delay is for both," she said.
Also mitigating against near-term elections is the fact that voter registration is progressing very slowly. Out of 10 million eligible voters, only 3.7 million have been registered so far. The delay is caused by threats of violence and acts of violence by the anti-Kabul, anti-U.S. groups within Afghanistan. According to the United Nations, a national election is considered valid when a minimum of 70% of eligible voters are registered.
Violence Continues in Afghanistan
A rocket hit a military base near the U.S. Embassy and NATO Headquarters in Kabul on June 15, wounding an Afghan soldier, while gunmen shot dead a government official in a southern province. Officials generally blame Taliban guerrillas or allied Islamic militants for the attacks.
In the city of Faizabad in the northeastern province of Badakhshan, a bomb exploded at the office of the British Agencies Afghanistan Group (BAAG), a British aid group which provides information to foreign groups in the country. The explosion blew out windows and the front gates of the building belonging to BAAG.
Attacks on the foreign aid workers is the new tactic adopted by the anti-Kabul and anti-U.S. militants. recently three Europeans working for Doctors Without Borders were killed in an attack believed to have been carried out by Taliban remnants. On June 10, eleven Chinese road builders were killed at night while they were sleeping. These attacks have created an atmosphere of fear among all aid workers.
Thai Violence Prompts Rush To Buy Weapons
In a continuing climate of what appears as random violence in three southern Thai provinces, citizens are rushing to sign up for licenses for weapons. Some 1,300 applicants have applied, and unusual cooperatives are sprouting up. A teacher's cooperative in Pattani has reportedly issued loans to teachers to buy guns, offering monthly payment plans.
Meanwhile, Thai Defense Minister Gen. Chatta Thanacharo, on a three-day visit to the troubled areas, complained of the lack of support from the populace in the form of information about who is behind the spate of attacks, and information from local police about personal conflicts. In the latest incidents, six wooden shophouses were destroyed June 14 in Pattani, a fish seller was gunned down, a Pattani resident was shot with a 9mm pistol while on his motorcycle, and a territorial defense training instructor was critically injured after being shot several times by two men on a motorcycle. One-hundred forty-six people in the three provinces have killed from Jan. 4 to April 28.
Indonesia Objects to Renewed U.S. Sanctions on Myanmar
Indonesia, which currently serves as chairman of the regional ASEAN 10-nation alliance, strongly objected to the U.S. renewal earlier this month, for another year, of a total ban on Myanmar imports, and other sanctions. ASEAN has always opposed sanctions and punitive measures, preferring dialogue and engagement as more likely to achieve a positive outcome.
The renewed sanctions are most prominently backed in the House of Representatives by the likes of neo-con Dana Rohrabacher.
New Paramilitary Unit To Guard Straits of Malacca
Malaysia will launch its own version of the United States Coast Guard to patrol and provide security along the Straits of Malacca, beginning in March 2005, the Malaysia Star reported June 15. A bill for a Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency Act 2004, which provides for the setting up of the agency, was tabled in Parliament on June 14.
A minister in the Prime Minister's office, Datuk Seri Mohammad Nazri Abdul Aziz, in tabling the bill, said the agency would be recognized as "a combatant military troop" according to the Geneva Convention. He added that the personnel will be responsible for safeguarding a quarter of the world's commerce and half of the world's oil supply, which passes through the Straits each year.
He also referred subtly to the American pressure to beef up patrols in the Straits. "The safety of the Straits of Malacca is important. If not guarded properly, foreign powers may be prone to intervene in its management and this will pose a threat to the country's sovereignty," he said.
Foreign Investment in China Slow Its Pace
Foreign investment in China, while still growing, is at a much slower pace than last year. This, despite the fact that the SARS epidemic had slowed investment coming into China in 2003.
Actual foreign direct investment (FDI) was U.S. $25.91 billion in the first five months of 2004, up 11.34% year-on-year basis, the Ministry of Commerce reported. During the same period last year, actual FDI grew by 48%, and contractual direct investment by 49.76% to U.S $57.24 billion.
Chinese officials said that the slowdown was due to government efforts to "cool down" several industries, including steel, cement, and real estate.
China's Electricity Shortages Threaten Foreign Investment
China's worsening electricity shortages could cause foreign investors to reconsider their operations in China, an article in China Daily on June 14 warned. Even if investors continue building plants in China, they could move to interior provinces like Sichuan and Hubei in the Yangtze valley, where electricity is more available, Tsinghua university scholar Zhang Jianyu told China Daily. "Those provinces rich in energy supply will be investment targets," Zhang said.
Coca-Cola and General Motors in Shanghai and Hangzhou, and in Guangdon province, have recently had to stop production temporarily due to power shortages during peak hours. China is constructing many new power plants, but they will not be finished until 2006.
The Hong Kong media have recently been reporting that electricity shortages could slow down overseas investment in China, but this was denied by officials of the National Development, and Reform Commission.
Australia's Synarchist Press Goes Berserk Over CEC Ad
At least two semi-hysterical articles appeared in the mediain the Melbourne Age ("Former Defence Chief shies from petition linked to cult") and Murdoch's The Australian ("General Regrets Signing Far-Right Group's Letter")about the CEC ads published on June 13. As usual, both papers had their hacks call the leading figures on the petition, attempting to terrorize them into backing off in their support, which they did not do. The main target this time was Gen. Peter Gration, the former Chief of Australian Defence Force, who had taken a strong stand against Iraq war some months ago.
|