Asia News Digest
Pakistani, Afghan Presidents Meet
Afghan Interim President Hamid Karzai, who was on a two-day (Aug. 23-24) visit to Pakistan, was promised by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf that Islamabad would do its best to prevent any disruption to the Afghan Presidential election scheduled to be held on Oct. 9. The two leaders had a closed door meeting in Islamabad.
Speaking to the press after his talks with Karzai, President Musharraf said there was a possibility that the militants are crossing into Afghanistan from Pakistan, but that no one should doubt Pakistan's intentions and those of its security agencies. Musharraf made this statement soon after the Pakistani military announced that it had killed four foreign militants of Uzbek origin, along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
In addition to the assurance given by the Pakistani President, Karzai and Musharraf also discussed an exchange of prisoners. Hundreds of Pakistanis fighting for the Taliban were captured by the U.S. invaders and their Northern Alliance allies during the winter of 2001. On the Pakistani side, over the last two years, Pakistani security forces have captured a number of Afghan militants and they are lodged in Pakistani jails.
U.S. Approves Military Equipment for India
According to the U.S. Charge d'Affaires in India, Robert O. Blake, the United States has approved "compatible equipment and communications and technologies" for India in the wake of the two countries' engagement in joint military exercises, the Daily Times of New Delhi reported Aug. 23.
Addressing the Army War College in Indore, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Blake said two more radars, part of a 12-unit $190 million sale agreement, would be added shortly. This is in addition to two AN-TPQ/37 Firefinder counter-battery radars that arrived in New Delhi in July 2003.
The second major deal being negotiated, Blake said, was the acquisition of P-3 Orion naval reconnaissance plane. He said the version that would be sold to India would be equipped with the latest avionics, including sensors and computerized command and control and weapons systems. India also says it would like to buy from the United States the deep-submersible rescue-vessel system.
More Violence Promised by Taliban
Jean Arnault, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said on Aug. 25, that the Taliban and other extremist groups are preparing to step up their violent attacks ahead of the Oct. 9 Presidential election there. He urged Kabul to provide urgently needed protection for voters and electoral workers.
Explaining the tense situation that prevails in Afghanistan now, Arnault said that even the threat of violence could cause large numbers of eligible voters to stay away from the polls, especially in southern Afghanistan, where the Taliban still has a strong following. With existing security stretched thin, Arnault called for enhanced international support to cover the 5,000 polling sites across the country.
Arnault particularly blamed the Taliban and the Hizbe Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar for various earlier attacks on electoral workers, which have led to 12 deaths already. He said both the Taliban and Hekmatyar, who in the 1980s and 1990s was America's top Afghan asset, oppose Afghanistan's reconstruction process.
Tata Group To Invest $2 Billion in Bangladesh
India's second-largest conglomerate, the Tata Group, is negotiating a $2 billion investment in Bangladesh's power, steel, and fertilizer industries, according to Oxford Analytica, a British news and analysis service. The report says Dhaka has already agreed in principle to the terms of the deal.
Tata Group's revenues are almost equal to 3% of India's GDP. The project proposal involves utilization of Bangladesh's natural-gas supplies to a power-generation complex comprising a 1,000 MW power station, a fertilizer plant, and a gas-fired steel-finishing factory, all of which Tata would construct. Tata is seeking a 20-year guarantee of gas supplies at a price tied to an agreed formula.
The tense political climate in Bangladesh, which is also mirrored in other smaller nations in South Asia, such as Nepal and Sri Lanka, could be constrained through adequate physical infrastructure development. If Dhaka accept the proposal, it may offer a new way forward for providing key benefits to Bangladesh's underdeveloped infrastructure and sagging economy.
Bombing in Southern Thailand Ahead of PM'S Visit
A bomb ripped through a morning food market in southern Thailand on Aug. 26, killing one and injuring at least 24 others, including police and soldiers gathering for their morning meal, AFP reported Aug. 26.
The 7:30 a.m. blast happened in Narathiwat province's Sukhirin district, bordering Malaysia. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to begin a visit to the troubled region on Aug. 27. Thaksin said the attack would not deter him from touring the region.
The attack coincided with internet postings Aug. 22 on a Thai separatist group's website, warning villagers to stay away from crowded areas, airports, train stations, entertainment venues, police stations, and official informants.
"Don't go and welcome important people of Siam [Thailand's former name], and we ask for your cooperation not to go out at night," said the announcement, allegedly issued by the outlawed Pattani United Liberation Organization.
Iran Foreign Minister in Manila with Multiple Agenda
Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi arrived in Manila on Aug. 26 for talks with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Foreign Minister Alberto Romulo, Trade and Industry Secretary Cesar Purisima, and the Presidential Advisor on the Peace Process with the MILF. Subjects to be discussed include Iranian development assistance for the southern island of Mindanao, and Iran's support for the Philippines being granted observer status with the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), which could help facilitate talks between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mindanao.
In 2000, Iran committed to assist the Philippines in the economic development of Mindanao, by approving a $100 million credit facility for the Mindanao Investment Group and the donation of medicines to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
Singapore PM Strongly Sticks To One China Policy
Incoming Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the son of long-term Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, in his first National Day speech as Prime Minister, made his strongest statement yet in support of a "one China" policy, devoting a full 20 minutes of his address to the subject. Lee referred to his July 10-13 visit to Taiwan, which China sharply criticized at the time. But in his National Day speech, Lee Hsien said: "I regret that my visit to Taiwan caused this severe reaction from China, which affected relations. I also regret the way the Taiwanese media chose to play up my private and unofficial visit." He added: "When interests diverge, they have to put theirs first, and so must we.... If Taiwan goes for independence, Singapore will not recognize it. In fact, no Asian country will recognize it. Nor will the European countries."
Malaysian PM to Seoul To Improve Cooperation
Malaysian Prime Minister Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi arrived in Seoul Aug. 22 for a three-day visit, to improve bilateral relations, including discussions on how to improve cooperation between the two countries and in the region, especially with regard to the ASEAN 3+ framework, including China, India, and Japan. Areas for greater cooperation include industry, science, and research and development.
Badawi's visit, at the invitation of President Roh Moo-hyun, is his first to South Korea since he assumed the post of Prime Minister last October. The visit is all the more significant, since Malaysia currently serves as chairman of both the Non-Aligned Movement and the 57-member Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
The Malaysia-based New Strait Times President Roh may seek Malaysia's support on its plan to send 3,000 troops to Iraq, a move opposed by some in Seoul, especially after the beheading of a South Korean hostage by militants in Iraq.
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