China's new European trade hub: An Irish town of 18,000 - Christian Science Monitor
The Athlone Institute of Technology hosts more than 200 Chinese students – one of the links that helped bring the trade hub to the town, says Prof. Ciaran Ó Catháin, the president of the school and one of the players in the project negotiations. Professor Ó Catháin would not disclose ...
Vietnam’s Problems, Promises - Asia Sentinel/RTÉ World Report
“We tend to lose around 20% of our staff every year after Tet” (the Vietnamese New Year), said Kim Jung Hee, manager of a factory in Binh Duong province, an hour's drive from Saigon's centre. Her Korean company NB Blue employs a thousand workers, in a clean and well-lit factory ...
Thailand sentences American to prison for insulting king - Los Angeles Times
"In Thailand they put people in jail without proof," Lerpong said Thursday, his arms and legs shackled, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit. "I was born in Thailand, but this does not mean I am Thai. I am proud to be an American citizen."
DMZ: Road trip to the world's most heavily armed border - CNNGo
SEOUL - As the tour bus moves from central Seoul to the city outskirts, the seamless transition from one of the world's biggest and most vibrant cities to the world's most heavily armed border is as surreal as it is functional, with roadside bus-stops giving way to military watchtowers even ...
Potent mix for Timor-Leste - Asia Times
DILI - Land, corruption and poverty are all on the table as Timor-Leste gets into political mode ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for 2012, with one controversial figure already throwing his hat into the ring.
If Samuel Beckett met Pol Pot - Asia Sentinel/Irish Examiner
TIK PANHAO, CAMBODIA - In some of Cambodia’s thousands of killing fields, the bones of the dead can sometimes be seen, rising to the surface after storms or rain, like grisly emblems of an unburied past. Perhaps 16,000 died at the s-21 Detention Camp in Phnom Penh, or at Choeung ...
Voting ends in southern Sudan referendum - Sunday Tribune
Kyeli, Blue Nile State, Sudan - “Soon after we married, my husband was killed during the war”, says Hawa Abdul-Gadr. Her eyes show a suppressed grief, but her demeanour is purposeful. That said, there is a perceptible sadness - long-kept under wraps but perhaps closer to the surface than she ...
An unbreakable bond? – Asia Times
JERUSALEM – In 'The Great Divorce' C.S. Lewis attempted to allegorise about a reality which he admitted he could not know, but tentatively hoped to suggest. The US-Israeli relationship, to most, seems like an unbreakable bond, and any potential divorce might be regarded as unimaginable. But when Israeli Prime Minister ...
Narcotic use, drought rob babies of food – The Washington Times
DIRE DAWA, Ethiopia | When drought and food shortages hit, it is the very young who suffer first, and most. Weighing only 10 pounds, Ayaan is among nearly 100,000 Ethiopian children whose lives are at risk. Just four days before her first birthday, she is lighter than an average 3-month-old ...
Corruption trumps tribalism – New York Times (IHT)
Kenyans were cynical about their political establishment long before the latest election violence. One wisecrack doing the rounds since last year says "there is more chance of a Luo becoming president of the United States than president of this country" - referring to Barack Obama, whose father hails from the ...
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…)
Army abuses worsen health crisis in eastern Burma – The Irrawaddy
October 19th, 2010
Diagnosis: Critical – Health and Human Rights in Eastern Burma says that general health for people in eastern Burma is much worse than the national average. According to the document, which was released today at a press conference in Bangkok, abuses such as forced labour and displacement affected one-third of those surveyed, and “serve as major drivers of the health crisis as children in displaced families were three times more likely to suffer from acute malnutrition and 60% more likely of suffering from diarrhea”. In another startling finding, the report says that the odds of children dying before age one were doubled in households forced to provide labour during the preceding year.
The army’s “four cuts” policy was developed in the 1970 to undermine ethnic militia groups, often by targetting civilians. Tactics used include cutting off access to food, funds, information and recruits, with often devastating results. One-third of all households surveyed have experienced some form of human rights abuse, according to the report authors. Charm Tong of the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) said today that “systematic rape and human rights abuses continue, which furthers the health crisis.” An estimated 446,000 people have been driven from their homes in eastern Burma, where they are thought to eke out a living in the regions’ dense jungles. (more…)
Thailand Again Bars Vietnamese Activist – The Irrawaddy
October 15th, 2010
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19740
One year after the creation of the Asean Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission, Thailand has drawn fire by again preventing a prominent Vietnamese dissident from speaking at a conference in Bangkok.
The president of the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights, Vo Van Ai, was refused a visa by the Thai Embassy in Paris, the second time that he has been prevented from travelling to Bangkok in recent weeks.
His previous visa was cancelled in the run-up to a stillborn September launch of a critical report on human rights in Vietnam, a move which brought international criticism upon Thailand.
An empty chair marked the place where Vo Van Ai was to have delivered a lecture titled “Universality and Particularity in Human Rights: A Vietnamese Buddhist Viewpoint” at the “First International Conference on Human Rights in Asia.” The event drew scholars and activists from across southeast Asia and beyond and was held by the Southeast Asia Human Rights Network (SEAHRN) in association with Bangkok’s Mahidol University.
Speaking today, Dr. Srirapha Petcharamasree read letter from Vo Van Ai to SEAHRN, in which he said that “the attitude of the Thai government is particularly shocking given that Thailand holds the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council.” Dr. Srirapha is Thailand’s representative at the AICHR, but stressed that she was speaking in a personal capacity. She called on the Thai Government “to be faithful to the commitment made to the UN when it made its candidacy to the presidency.” (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…)
Are Chinese Government’s Strong-Arm Tactics Starting to Backfire? – National Catholic Register
October 14th, 2010
Some Signs Give Hope, Though Harassment of Church Continues.
St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong (Photo: Simon Roughneen)
HONG KONG — The government of Hong Kong is attempting to prevent a Way of the Cross procession scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 16. Led by Cardinal Joseph Zen, former archbishop of Hong Kong, the event is set to call for religious freedom in China. It appears that the government of the semiautonomous region is fearful of offending Beijing on the matter, with the event set to take place a week after Chinese fury was stoked by the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. The government of the People’s Republic of China considers Liu a criminal.
China’s growing economic and political weight is well-documented. Earlier this year, the country overtook Japan to become the world’s second-biggest economy after the United States. Official Chinese attitudes to freedom of expression and religion will likely become more internationally significant as the country’s global influence rises.
For Catholics, three years after Pope Benedict XVI’s “Letter to Catholics in China”, an accommodation of sorts seems to have been reached between the Holy See and China. But the difficulties faced by Catholics in the Middle Kingdom persist, with two “underground” (Vatican-appointed) bishops still in jail. In July, both sides came to terms over the appointment of Antonio Xu Jiwei as bishop of Taizhou, who was ordained in a ceremony presided over by four other bishops who are in communion with Rome and are recognized by China’s state-backed church body, one of six similar ordinations to take place since April 2010.
However, that was merely the thaw after the deep freeze of Beijing’s arrest of Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding on March 30, the same day as a meeting of the Vatican’s newly formed China Commission began. The body was set up by Pope Benedict in 2007, after his landmark letter, to “study questions of greatest importance” to Catholics in China, and was meeting for only the second time. In an April 2 press release at the conclusion of the two-day meeting, the Holy See said the arrest was not an isolated case, as other clergy have been “deprived of their freedom” or “subjected to undue pressures and limitations on their pastoral activities.” (more…)
Lessons From Disasters – The Irrawaddy
October 13th, 2010
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19716
Aftermath of Cyclone Nargis remains the prime example of how a government should not deal with a natural disaster.
Buildings down in Port-au-Prince, January 2010 (Photo: Simon Roughneen)
Despite well-documented and sometimes unavoidable failings in disaster relief elsewhere, the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis remains the prime example of how a government should not deal with a natural disaster.
It was exactly one week after the Haiti earthquake leveled most of the country’s capital of Port-au-Prince when a man asked me: “Do you know anyone who can help? Can you tell people we are here, without anything?” The disaster killed more than 200,000 people.
The man claimed not to have seen an aid worker or official in the days since the earthquake, much less received any assistance. Slow aid delivery seems to be a common problem in emergency relief.
More recently, I heard similar stories around Sindh Province in southern Pakistan about three weeks after the monsoon floods left one- fifth of the country under water, with 8 to 9 million people homeless. (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…)
Clues to a post-election Burma? – The Irrawaddy
October 5th, 2010
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19633
The run-up to Burma’s Nov. 7 election has left observers and policy wonks wondering whether the vote will facilitate some opening-up inside the military-ruled country, despite the seemingly overwhelming bias in favor of the army and its allies.
Some clues, it could be argued, might be found in the experiences of other countries in the Southeast Asia region.
Indonesia left a long era of military dictatorship behind it in 1998, when the Asian financial crisis precipitated the collapse of the Suharto regime. Since then, the vast, multi-ethnic archipelago has undergone a largely successful—if hardly flawless—transition to being southeast Asia’s best-functioning democracy.
In 1986, soldiers refused to fire on protestors on the streets of Manila, as mass protests backed by the Catholic Church helped bring about the end of the Marcos dictatorship. During the 2007 Saffron Revolution in Burma, some views held that a similar dynamic might prevail once Buddhist monks took to the streets. Just as the armed forces of the Philippines backed down when confronted by priests and nuns, then surely the Tatmadaw would not harm the Sangha? (more…)
Letter from Hong Kong: cultures of giving – The Irrawaddy
October 4th, 2010
http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=19619
HONG KONG – The September 29 Beijing gathering chaired by American billionaire businessmen Bill Gates and Warren Buffett was billed in advance as futile a mission to try persuade stingy Chinese super-rich to part with their money.
The reality is more subtle, even if a mid-September survey by the UK-based Charities Aid Foundation ranked China 147th out of 153 countries when it comes to giving to charity or corporate philanthropy.
Lights over the harbour in Hong Kong (Photo: Simon Roughneen)
The two men were in China to follow-up on their much-publicised “Billionaire Pledge”, persuading people in that category of financial wealth to give up half their money to charity. There should be rich pickings – for want of a better word – for the two men. (more…)
Thailand to Send Refugees and Opposition Back to Burma? – The Irrawaddy
October 2nd, 2010
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19612
Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya is working on a plan to repatriate Burmese refugees and intellectuals after the Nov. 7 election, saying that the Thai government will assist in their return to “half-democratic” Burma.
He told a US audience that upon his return to Bangkok, he will “launch a more comprehensive program for the Myanmar people in the camps, the displaced, the intellectuals who run around the streets of Bangkok and Chiang Mai province, to return to Myanmar after the elections.”
The remarks were made at a forum at the Asia Society in New York on September 28, when Kasit discussed the political situation in Thailand, as well as regional issues and US-China relations.
Kasit said he believes the elections will not be up to international standards, but will be “ a start,” and that non-Burmese should “believe the aspirations of the ordinary Burmese who are being given the first step back towards an open democratic society.”
Thein Oo, a Thailand-based member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), says that the Thai foreign minister’s remarks are out of sync with what the international community is saying about the poll. “These elections are for the generals, who have been committing crimes in our country for many years, and will continue to do,” he said. (more…)
