Japan disaster not thwarting nuclear plans – Sunday Business Post
March 20th, 2011
http://www.sbpost.ie/news/world/disaster-not-thwarting-international-nuclear-plans-55172.html
Simon Roughneen in Bangkok and Niall Stanage in New York – While Asian countries say they might revise nuclear energy plans in the wake of the Japanese earthquake and Fukushima crisis last week, planned projects seem likely to go ahead in the longer-term.
China and India both plan to increase their current nuclear energy capacity, and Beijing’s expansion plan, adding 28 reactors to its current 13, is around 40% of the new nuclear facilities being planned globally. China plans an additional fifty reactors further down the line, taking its overall number of plants close to 100. (more…)
Misplaced US optimism on Burma – Asia Sentinel
December 17th, 2010
http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2883&Itemid=168
BANGKOK – Diplomatic cables by the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon show that American officials were optimistic about dialogue with Burma’s military government, as Democrat Senator Jim Webb visited ruler Senior-General Than Shwe in August 2009.
“It is certain Than Shwe believes he has unclenched its fist”, said a cable released by Wikileaks overnight. The note opined that the Burmese ruler regarded the Webb-Shwe meeting and the release of American prisoner John Yettaw as a major concession, thereby requiring an American counter-offer. “We should allow Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win to visit the Embassy in Washington following UNGA” (United Nations General Assembly), the cable author wrote.
The meeting between Webb and Than Shwe “was decidedly more upbeat than expected”, with the reclusive Burmese ruler said to have “greeted Senator Webb and Charge ( Larry Dinger, U.S. Charge d’Affairs in Rangoon) warmly”. Than Shwe repeatedly spoke of “friendship” throughout the conversation, which Sen. Webb oiled by swiftly changing the subject when Aung San Suu Kyi was mentioned. (more…)
Talking to dead people – The Irrawaddy
December 15th, 2010
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20323
US Embassy cables released by Wikileaks show that Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew scorned Burma’s “stupid” junta, as China claims it sought political prisoner release and advised the US to talk directly to “easy-going” dictator Than Shwe
Former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew told US officials that the Burmese military rulers are “dense” and “stupid,” saying that talking to the regime was akin to “talking to dead people,” according to documents released by WikiLeaks this week.
Ridiculing the junta generals’ mismanagement of what he termed Burma’s resource-laden economy, Lee said that the US should approach Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to act as an interlocutor with the Burmese junta, or failing that, sound out Vietnam as a possible mediator. Dismissing his own suitability for the job, Lee said that he was perceived as too close to the US for the junta’s liking.
Lee’s comments were made to then US Ambassador to Singapore Patricia Herbold in Oct. 2007 as the Burmese dictatorship crushed the monk-led “Saffron Revolution” protests taking place in cities across the country. A confidential briefing on a 2007 conversation between Lee and US officials was released by WikiLeaks this week.
Earlier in 2007, China facilitated talks between the US and the Burmese government, with Beijing’s diplomats suggesting that the US deal directly with junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe, according to the documents released by WikiLeaks. (more…)
China’s dim(ish) view of the Myanmar junta – Asia Times
December 10th, 2010
China wanted Myanmar’s junta to enter into dialogue with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic minority groups in the months after the 2007 “Saffron” revolution protests, newly released US diplomatic cables show. Yet Beijing also warned US officials that even if talks made progress, the generals’ inept handling of the economy could throw the country into turmoil.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/LL11Ae01.html
BANGKOK – Newly released United States diplomatic cables show that in the months after the August-September 2007 “Saffron” revolution protests in Myanmar, China was concerned about the country’s stability and preferred that the military regime enter into dialogue with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic minority groups.
“The Chinese ambassador no longer tried to defend the regime, and acknowledged that the generals had made a bad situation worse. The Chinese have used their access to the generals to push for change, without much observable result, but remain interested in working with us to promote change,” according to an account of a January 17, 2008 meeting between US charged’affairs Shari Villaraos and China’s ambassador to Myanmar, Guan Mu.
“The Chinese are clearly fed-up with foot-dragging by Than Shwe regime,” Villarosa’s report of the meeting concluded. (more…)
Wikileaks: Citing Bribe Attempts, US Sought Obama Intervention in Bout Case – The Irrawaddy
December 2nd, 2010
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20235
BANGKOK—The United States Embassy in Bangkok sought the direct intervention of President Barack Obama as frustration grew over the Viktor Bout extradition case, according to two diplomatic cables released on Thursday by Wikileaks.
US Ambassador to Thailand Eric John recommended that President Obama telephone Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejajjiva about the case, as part of a “multi-pronged effort” that would have brought US Attorney-General Eric Holder and the US Mission at the United Nations as well as countries such as Belgium, Colombia, Sierra Leone and Liberia into play to up the ante on the Thai authorities after the Aug. 11, 2009, Lower Court ruling against the extradition of Bout to the United States.
The cables suggested that the Colombian government be approached to seek extradition of Bout, while countries named in various United Nations reports outlining allegations that Bout trafficked weapons to conflict zones, also be engaged in the process.
The United States believed that Russians were attempting to sway Thai officials, citing “significant indications that the Russians were trying to use bribes to influence the outcome of the case” and mentioning that “there have been disturbing indications that Bout’s and Russian supporters have been using money and influence in an attempt to block extradition.” (more…)
Bout may sue Hollywood, wife hints at Thaksin deal – The Irrawaddy
November 22nd, 2010
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20146
Wife of alleged arms dealer Viktor Bout says that legal action is possible against those who have damaged her husband’s image and that Thailand may have cut a
Alla Bout hands out statement prior to today's oress conference (Photo: Simon Roughneen)
deal with the US regarding Thaksin.
BANGKOK – Angered by what she describes as “ a campaign of demonisation” against her husband, the alleged arms trafficker Viktor Bout, Alla Bout today suggested legal action is possible against “those who have caused terrible damage to my husband’s image”.
She also suggested that Thailand and the US may have cut a deal linking her husband’s extradition with US assistance regarding former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Asked about her view that the United States should punish those who published or made allegations against Viktor Bout, she elaborated that “I have advised my husband that he should take legal action against some of those who have published unfounded allegations”, adding that “action should definitely be taken against those who created the movie Lord of War”.
The film stars Nicolas Cage as Yuri Orlov, a Ukrainian gun runner apparently modelled on Mr Bout, with other characters resembling former Liberian President Charles Taylor and his son Chuck. Charles Taylor is currently on trial at the Special Court for Sierra Leone at The Hague, for war crimes allegedly perpetrated during the 1990’s civil war in Sierra Leone, is thought to be beneficiary of of Mr Bout’s alleged arms cargo business.
Viktor Bout was extradited to the United States on November 16. He spent almost three years in jail in Thailand, after his arrest in a joint US-Thai sting operation in Bangkok in March 2008. The extradition was carried out without the advance knowledge of Mrs Bout or of the Russian Embassy in Thailand, according to both parties.
Alla Bout nevertheless maintained a cheery disposition when meeting the Thailand-based media “for the last time”, as she put it today, while handing out copies of a Russian Embassy press statement to the gathered journalists. “There won’t be enough of these”, she lamented, before launching into a scathing attack on the Thai Government and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, saying that the Democrat Party-led Thai Government is “subservient to the United States”. (more…)
US-China Rivalry: Burma and Asean in the Crossfire – The Irrawaddy
October 22nd, 2010
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19800
BANGKOK—With the 17th annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit on Oct. 28 and US President Barack Obama scheduled to visit Asia in November, the US and China remain at odds over a raft of economic, political and security-related issues, posing challenges for other Asian countries.
The 2008 financial crisis marked “a watershed” for economic relations between Asia and the United States, according to Singaporean academic Dr. Simon Tay, speaking in Bangkok on Friday.
However, while Asia’s economic dependence on the US is being reduced, he said, there is not yet a viable long-term replacement for the American consumer as a target market for Asian exports. “Asia today is a rebound situation, not a recovery one,” he said.
Tay said “the perennial issues of dispute” between China and the US such as human rights, North Korea, Iran, Tibet and Taiwan—have since been complicated by a growing array of trade and economic spats. US business leaders, who have hitherto counseled restraint in a forging China policy, are now dismayed at what they perceive as unfair regulations favoring Chinese companies over foreign investors, he said.
This has perhaps prompted lawmakers to take the gloves off. “You cannot win this trade fight,” warned Chinese official Zhang Gubao, in response to the announcement last week of an American inquiry into subsidies for “clean energy” in China. (more…)
Thai court agrees to hear accused Russian arms dealer’s appeal – Los Angeles Times
October 15th, 2010
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bout-thailand-20101015,0,2884841.story
The U.S. is seeking to extradite Victor Bout, notorious in the post-Cold War era for allegedly arming terrorist groups, militias and governments, many under U.N. arms embargo.
By Simon Roughneen, Los Angeles Times. Reporting from Bangkok, Thailand
A Thai court has agreed this week to hear an appeal by suspected arms trafficker Victor Bout, a move likely to frustrate, at least temporarily, U.S. efforts to extradite him on four terrorism-related counts.
The former Russian military officer earned international notoriety in the post-Cold War era for allegedly arming a rogues’ gallery of terrorist groups, militias and governments, many of which were under a United Nations weapons embargo.
If the court proceeds with the appeal it accepted Wednesday, Bout could remain in a Thai prison beyond the Nov. 20 U.S. extradition deadline, a date determined after an earlier court decision.
“Nobody is sure how long this could take,” Panitan Wattanayagorn, a government spokesman, said Thursday. (more…)
Thailand faces difficult choice on alleged arms smuggler – Los Angeles Times
October 7th, 2010
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bout-extradition-20101007,0,2639999.story
The U.S. wants Russian Victor Bout extradited to answer terrorism charges. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will make a decision and risk offending Washington or Moscow.
Reporting from Bangkok, Thailand, and New Delhi
The last chance for an alleged arms smuggler dubbed the “Merchant of Death” to avoid extradition from Thailand to the United States on terrorism charges appears to lie with Thailand’s prime minister, who faces a tough decision: offend the United States or offend Russia.
The difficult diplomatic choice for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva follows a ruling Tuesday by a Thai court clearing a legal obstacle that had barred the extradition. Victor Bout, a former Russian air force officer, is suspected of supplying weapons to various armies and terrorist groups in the Middle East, South America and Africa.
Moscow says Bout is a “normal businessman” and wants him returned, but Washington sees him as a dangerous arms proliferator.
Anthony Davis, an analyst with Jane’s Defense Weekly, said the Thai government is going to have to make someone angry. “My guess is it will be the Russians.” (more…)
Bringing Out the Stick – The Irrawaddy
September 9th, 2010
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19400&Submit=Submit
Having failed to induce change in Burma by dangling the carrot of reduced sanctions, the US is now calling for a
Sept 2010 edition of The Irrawaddy
war crimes investigation of the country’s military rulers.
Diplomatic eyebrows were raised in March when UN Special Rapporteur Tomás Ojea Quintana issued a report recommending that the UN form an international Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma. But other than the UK, Australia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, no country rushed to support the proposal. The silence of the US was particularly deafening, but in August the Obama administration officially threw its support behind a CoI.
When the Quintana report was released in March, the US was enmeshed in an attempt to implement its new policy of “pragmatic engagement” with the Burmese military. Although sanctions remained in place under the new policy, the US held out the possibility they would be relaxed if the junta responded to calls to institute democratic and human rights reforms.
The regime, however, has arguably been even more obstinate since the engagement policy was introduced, and the announcement by the US that it supports the CoI may be the culmination of a recent series of setbacks for the Obama administration in which it was either rebuffed or ignored by Naypyidaw. (more…)
