May 2009
World sitting on a time bomb says Amnesty
Updated 29/05/2009 19:33:12
Amnesty International says the world is sitting on a political, economic, and social time bomb. In its 2009 annual report, the human rights organisation argues the current economic crisis is producing a human rights crisis on a global scale.
Big dividends from China's engagement with Taiwan
Updated 29/05/2009 19:33:13
Improving ties between mainland China and Taiwan seem to be paying dividends already. Last week a delegation from one province alone comprised 15-hundred government and business representatives keen to buy or invest in the island. For now financial services and new technology are on the shopping list. Cross strait trade is expected to expand further.
Indian students unsure about studying in Australia
Updated 29/05/2009 19:33:13
Australia is scrambling to salvage its international education image, amid claims that a series of attacks on Indian students in several states are racially motivated. Police say there's no racial motive .. that the attacks are opportunistic. And Australia's deputy Prime Minister has told Radio Australia that the government is not only appalled at the violence, but won't tolerate it and is taking action. Our Canberra correspondent Linda Mottram reports the issue goes not only to Australia's reputation and student safety, but also to the future of a 15-Billion dollars export industry.
Singapore PM has no solution for the North Korea standoff
Updated 29/05/2009 19:33:13
An Asian security summit is being held in Singapore this weekend, and there's obviously a lot for the defence ministers and military leaders to discuss. Australia's Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, is giving the keynote address to what's known as the Shangri La Dialogue. Singapore's prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, tells that some of the problems facing Asian leaders, especially the increasingly tesnse standoff on the Korean penninsula, have few obvious solutions.
New laws to tackle Thai corruption
Updated 29/05/2009 19:33:06
Thailand, whose government officials and public servants are perceived as among the most corrupt in Asia, is hoping new anti-corruption legislation, due to come into effect later this year, will cast a wider net and curb practices which cost the country millions of dollars each year. The National Anti-Corruption Commission hopes the new laws will help to turn the tide on corruption in government.
Cruise liner swine flu outbreak worries New Caledonia
Updated 29/05/2009 19:33:06
The illnesses on the cruise liner Pacific Dawn have frustrated health authorities in the idyllic Pacific holiday destination New Caledonia. It is now known that some passengers and crew were carrying the swine flu virus when they disembarked in Sydney, just days after visiting the Pacific island. The Director of the Department of Health in New Caledonia is questioning the reliability of health declarations submitted to authorities before the ships' arrival. A number of people on the island who in contact with passengers are now being tested for the virus, and 85 people are being monitored.
East Timor defends "jobs for mates" allegations
Updated 29/05/2009 14:20:29
Corruption allegations continue to be directed at East Timor's Finance Ministry. The latest allegations centre on Finance Minister Emilia Pires' hiring of foreign advisers, including Australians. East Timor's opposition says the advisers are overpaid and are not qualified for the jobs. And East Timor's Deputy Prime Minister says corruption exists throughout government.
12 Tuvaluans, 1 Fiji citizen hijacked by Somali pirates
Updated 29/05/2009 14:20:30
Twelve Tuvaluans and one Fiji citizen are reportedly being held hostage by Somali pirates. The seamen, and eleven others, are crewmen aboard the German registered cargo ship the Hansa Stavanger, which was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean two months ago. Their plight has only been made public recently.
Sri Lanka denies Chinese help defeated Tamil Tigers
Updated 28/05/2009 19:47:03
Sri Lanka had a diplomatic victory this week at the United Nations Human Rights Commission, rallying votes to avoid a probe into human rights concerns over the final stages of the war with the Tamil Tigers.
North Korea ratchets up the hostile rhetoric
Updated 28/05/2009 19:37:20
North Korea's has made the dramatic declaration that it's no longer bound by the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953. North Korea warns that it will attack any force attempting to halt or inspect its ships, after South Korea joined a US-led program to stop and search vessels suspected of transporting weapons of mass destruction to Pyongyang.
Australian police embark on mission to India
Updated 28/05/2009 19:37:17
A police officer from the Southern Australian State of Victoria leaves for India this weekend on a mission to meet students planning to study in Australia, to teach them how to stay safe. The visit follows a recent, dramatic upswing in the number of violent attacks against foreign students from the sub-continent in the outer suburbs of the state capital, Melbourne.
New Nepali prime minister sworn in
Updated 27/05/2009 20:21:23
Madhav Kumar Nepal of the United Marxist Leninist Party was elected Nepal's new prime minister over the weekend and has the unenviable task of putting Nepal back on track to achieve reconciliation and to write a new constitution for the republic.
Thailand set to have a new political party
Updated 27/05/2009 20:39:42
Thailand is set to have a new political party soon. The People's Alliance for Democracy or P. A. D. also known as the Yellow Shirts protestors have voted to form a political party. The party, which has yet to be named, has as its platform political change to rid the country of corruption, promote good politicians and ensure justice for all.
Pakistan's supreme courts lifts ban on Sharif brothers
Updated 27/05/2009 20:39:42
Pakistan's Supreme Court has overturned an earlier decision banning popular former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Shahbaz from running for political office.
Australia defends its efforts to get 5 detainees out of Papua
Updated 27/05/2009 20:39:42
Australia's government has defended its efforts to release five Australians stranded in Indonesia's Papua province. The five are currently under "city detention" in Merauke, where they have been since September last year, when they were detained for entering Papua without valid visas. The case is still before the courts, but some have suggested the hold-up is partly due to the Australian Government's complacency regarding the case of the five.
Malaysia's detention centres under scrutiny
Updated 27/05/2009 20:39:42
The recent death of another two illegal detainees in one of Malaysia's many detention centres has once again raised the issue of conditions under which these people are being held. The death of the two Burmese detainees from Leptospoirosis, a disease caused by exposure to contaminated water, shows a continued lack of hygiene, cleanliness and healthcare at detention centres
Australians told to prepare for increase in swine flu cases
Updated 27/05/2009 20:39:42
The number of swine flu cases in Australia has doubled in one day to more than sixty and Australians are being told to prepare for a large increase still to come. The Australian government says there's no need to panic, though a vaccine is still some months away.
Fiji democracy movement to taget Forum nations and international aid d
Updated 27/05/2009 20:39:41
A Sydney based Fijian lobby group is targetting the member nations of the Pacific Islands' Forum as well as China and India, to try and force an early return to democracy on the island nation.
Merouke Five still being held over Papua Province flying incident
Updated 26/05/2009 19:59:08
Five Australians who have been detained in Indonesia for almost nine months have accused the Australian government of not doing enough to secure their release. The five - who are known as the Merouke Five - were arrested in September for allegedly flying into Papua Province without valid visas. In April, they thought they would be on their way home, but their case is still before the courts.
South Koreans mourn troubled former president
Updated 26/05/2009 19:59:08
The South Korean government may be expressing its anger at the North Koreans' nuclear test, but ordinary South Koreans appear to be almost unaffected by the news. Many are in mourning and still trying to come to terms with the death of the former South Korean president, Roh Moo-hyun, who will be buried on Friday.
North Korea ramps up tensions with more missile tests
Updated 26/05/2009 19:59:08
North Korea has made good of its threat to launch more missiles by firing another two short range missiles on Tuesday and is again warning the US against what it calls 'intimidation'. But the United Nations Security Council has begun work on a new resolution against North Korea, with Australia embarking on a diplomatic push along with the US, Japan and South Korea to tighten the sanctions noose around Pyongyang.
New Nanking massacre film stirs passion in China
Updated 26/05/2009 19:59:07
A new film about World War Two Japanese atrocities in the Chinese city of Nanjing has been released in China and it's attracting controversy. For the first time, a Chinese film includes the viewpoint of Japanese soldiers. Some have called the director, Lu Chuan, a traitor.
The challenge of E-Waste in the Asia Pacific
Updated 26/05/2009 19:59:07
Australia is about to introduce a new national electronic recycling scheme for TVs, computers and other electronic equipment, which is known as E-Waste. E-Waste is electronic and electrical waste. It contains toxic materials that can be harmful to the environment. But some of it is also quite valuable.
Thailand hits recession but the worst could be over
Updated 25/05/2009 21:02:06
Authorities in Thailand have confirmed the country is in recession. The economy shrank a stunning seven per cent in the first quarter, far worse than expectations. Manufacturing and business investment have been hard hit by the combination of the global slowdown and Thailand's domestic political problems. But some say the worst might be over.
North Korea grabs world attention with new atomic bomb test
Updated 25/05/2009 21:02:06
An emergency United Nations Security Council meeting is on the cards after North Korea unexpectedly grabbed international attention with a second and large nuclear test. While the blast is yet to be confirmed, it is thought to have had the force of about 20 kilotonnes, similar to the atomic bomb dropped on Japan's city of Nagasaki in 1945. That's vastly bigger than Pyongyang's previous test in October 2006.
Cambodia releases first ever textbook on Pol Pot era
Updated 25/05/2009 21:02:05
Cambodian education officials have unveiled the country's first textbook on Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime. It comes as Comrade Duch, the former head of the notorious S21 prison, stands trial for crimes against humanity at the UN-Cambodian tribunal. Many students in Cambodia know very little about what happened there.
Presenter: Robert Carmichael, Phnom Penh
Speakers: Chea Vandeth, final year school student; Ton Sa Im, under-secretary of state, Cambodian ministry of education; Youk Chhang, director, Documentation Centre of Cambodia
Reformist leader Zhao Ziyang releases memoir from the grave
Updated 25/05/2009 21:02:05
The posthumous and much anticipated memoirs of China's reformist leader Zhao Ziyang have just been published. During the 1980s, Zhao Ziyang was premier of the People's Republic of China and one of the architects of China's dramatic turn towards a market economy. But the struggle between reformers like Zhao Ziyang, and the old Communist Party stalwarts continued, especially in the lead up to the 1989 Tiananmen Square student protests. He opposed the government's bloody crackdown of the protests and by that time was already out of power and under house arrest. Zhao Ziyang spent the last sixteen years of his life, up until his death in 2005, in seclusion.
Political stability could boost India's economy
Updated 22/05/2009 19:53:11
India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was scheduled to be sworn in on Friday for his second term after winning a resounding victory in elections finalised a week ago.
Chinese ambassador to PNG condenms anti-Asian violence
Updated 22/05/2009 19:53:11
China's most senior diplomat in PNG has expressed regret over the recent widespread looting of Chinese, Korean, and other Asian businesses and shops in the country over the past fortnight. Four people have been killed and three critically injured while attempting to loot shops in the Highlands and Momase regions. The PNG government has now established a committee to investigate the cause of the looting.
Pregnant women being trafficked for their babies
Updated 22/05/2009 19:53:12
First world demand to adopt very young babies is driving a new twist in people smuggling, particularly in Asia.
How will the Tamil diaspora react to Tamil Tiger defeat?
Updated 22/05/2009 19:53:12
The defeat of the rebels in Sri Lanka, the reported death of Tamil Tiger leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran and the issue of displaced people, have generated emotional protests from Tamil communities across the world.
Teenage Sri Lankan girl may escape beheading in Saudi Arabia
Updated 22/05/2009 19:53:11
A Sri Lankan teenager who was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia may escape beheading due to the attention her case attracted.
Pregnant British woman avoids Laotian firing squad
Updated 22/05/2009 19:53:11
A pregnant British woman narrowly avoided facing Lao's firing squad.
Developed world sends more humanitarian assistance to Pakistan
Updated 21/05/2009 18:44:39
As Pakistan continues its offensive against the Taliban in the country's north west ... the developed world is responding to the humanitarian crisis by providing more aid and assistance.
Lack of opportunity, not racism behind attacks on Chinese in PNG
Updated 21/05/2009 19:31:24
The looting and burning of Asian owned shops in Papua New Guinea has focused attention of tensions surrounding Chinese immigration in the Pacific.
Pakistan expands two nuclear sites
Updated 21/05/2009 19:31:24
US satellite photos released this week, show Pakistan has expanded two sites crucial to its nuclear programme, to bolster its atomic arsenal.
Aid agencies frustrated over restricted access to Sri Lanka refugee ca
Updated 21/05/2009 19:31:25
International aid agences say the Sri Lankan government is restricting their access to camps for refugees displaced by the just-ended civil war.
Burma allows diplomats to attent Suu Kyi trial briefly
Updated 21/05/2009 19:31:25
After allowing foreign diplomats and media to attend the trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday, the Burmese authoritites have closed doors to the trial.
China's growth obscures longer term problems
Updated 21/05/2009 19:31:24
A leading economist is warning Australia against hanging its economic future so prominently on the success of China.
Vietnamese universities trying to keep up with economy
Updated 21/05/2009 20:01:32
Vietnam's tertiary education sector is struggling to keep up with the pace of economic change.
UN backs calls for Sri Lanka war crimes probe
Updated 20/05/2009 20:32:05
International calls for a full investigation into allegations of war crimes in Sri Lanka have been backed up by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon.
America bans Japan rape simulator.
Updated 20/05/2009 19:45:15
A Japanese video game which simulates rape has been banned in America.
Rising poverty could lead to more corruption
Updated 20/05/2009 19:45:16
As the global financial crisis deepens there are claims the fallout will lead to greater scrutiny of major organisations.
Final end to Sri Lanka conflict looms
Updated 20/05/2009 16:32:06
Twenty-five years of war in Sri lanka have now come down to a battle in less than a square kilometre of land.
Indonesian presidential hopefuls get health check-up
Updated 20/05/2009 16:34:16
The presidential election in Indonesia will be held next month and all the candidates have been preparing themselves.
Sri Lankan government formally declares civil war over
Updated 20/05/2009 16:32:53
The Sri Lankan government has formally declared an end to the 25-year civil war.
US says its Pacific influence is not waning
Updated 20/05/2009 19:45:16
The United States has hit back at suggestions it's a waning power in the Asia Pacific in the face of China's rise.
Attempts to control violence against Chinese in PNG.
Updated 20/05/2009 19:45:16
China has demanded that Papua New Guinea ensure the safety of its citizens and companies following a string of attacks on Asian-owned shops.
Bangladesh security forces accused of torture and killing of suspects
Updated 19/05/2009 19:33:15
The Bangladesh government is being urged to disband two of the country's security forces over allegations of extrajudicial killings and torture.
Cambodian corruption galvanises opposition parties
Updated 19/05/2009 19:33:15
Numerous stories of corruption in Cambodia's judicial system are filtering into newspapers in Phnom Penh.
ASEAN issues statement of 'grave concern' over Suu Kyi trial
Updated 19/05/2009 19:33:20
As the trial of Burmese democracy movement leader Aung San Suu Kyi's continues, the Association of Southeast Asian nations has issued a statement of concern.
China unhappy at levels of investment in Australia
Updated 19/05/2009 19:33:20
China is not satisfied with the level of its foreign investment in Australian companies. China's Ambassador to Australia says there are many opportunites beyond the mining sector where cooperatiion should be expanded.
Asian shops looted and burned in Papua New Guinea
Updated 19/05/2009 14:00:26
There has been widespread looting and damage to Asian-owned businesses in Papua New Guinea's Highlands and Momase regions over the weekend.
Quarter of a million Filipino's displace by Mindanao fighting
Updated 18/05/2009 19:43:13
As the world watches the exodus of refugees from Pakistan's Swat Valley and the brutal civil war in Sri Lanka, another humanitarian crisis has been slowly unfolding in the southern Philippines.
Congress Party putting new Indian government together
Updated 18/05/2009 19:43:13
India's Congress party is putting together a government, after steering the ruling alliance to victory in the nation's staggered general election.
Burmese junta starts trial of Aung San Suu Kyi
Updated 18/05/2009 19:43:13
Despite an outpouring of outrage from leaders across the world, Burma's military junta is proceeding with a trial against pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Korean trade minister emnphasises shared values with Australia
Updated 18/05/2009 19:43:13
Australian frustration over stalled free trade talks with China has been openly on show for some time now, but at a meeting in the Australian city of Melbourne, between the Australian and Korean trade ministers, the latter has stressed the "shared values" of democracy and a market economy between Canberra and Seoul.
No more tax breaks for US companies to move overseas
Updated 15/05/2009 20:40:08
US companies which have created jobs overseas and enjoyed deferred tax payments back home will no longer have that incentive, ansd this coukld impact on countries like India and China which host a number of American companies.
US approves massive war budget
Updated 15/05/2009 20:40:08
Still in Washington, and the Democrat-dominated US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved a 96-billion dollar measure to pay for the war in Afghanistan and its ongoing involvement in Iraq.
Asian leaders call for release of Aung San Suu Kyi
Updated 15/05/2009 20:40:08
The Governments of Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia have joined other world leaders in expressing their deep concern over new charges against Burma's detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Australian aid budget not good enough says Greens leader
Updated 15/05/2009 20:40:07
Australia's veteran Green party leader, Bob Brown, says the Rudd government has failed in its foreign aid responsibilities, despite a slight increase for aid in this week's Federal budget.
Indigenous school in Australia changes educational outcomes
Updated 15/05/2009 20:43:31
In Australia, an estimated 20-thousand children, many of them Indigenous, miss out on school, but one school in North Queensland might be showing a way to change that.
Visitors to Cambodia dip as global economic crisis continues
Updated 15/05/2009 20:45:53
The number of foreign tourists visiting Cambodia dropped in the first quarter of 2009 as the global economic crisis cuts the number of people travelling.
Australian government secret negotiations revealed
Updated 14/05/2009 19:24:28
Australia's government is being accused of a massive breach of trust and security with almost a hundred other countries, after a secret list of bilateral negotiations was inadvertendly made public.
First East Timorese district handed over to local police by UN
Updated 14/05/2009 19:24:28
Local police in East Timor have for the first time formally been given control of a district by the United Nations.
Security council to address Sri Lanka
Updated 14/05/2009 19:24:28
US President Barack Obama has urged Sri Lanka's military to stop indiscriminate shelling of civilians and for the Tamil Tiger rebels to lay down their arms.
Burma's opposition leader charged
Updated 14/05/2009 19:24:29
Burmese authorities have charged opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi with breaching the conditions of her house arrest.
Arsenic winding up in Asian rice crops
Updated 14/05/2009 19:24:24
Less than a decade ago it was thought that people exposed to drinking elevated levels of arsenic in groundwater were confined to those living in West Bengal in India and Bangladesh.
Fiji issued invitation to PALM in Japan
Updated 14/05/2009 19:24:24
Japan's issued an invitation to Fiji's Ambassador in Tokyo to represent the country at the Pacific Island Leaders Meeting, PALM 5, later this month.
North Korea attempts to tackle food shortage
Updated 13/05/2009 17:52:33
North Korea's leader has called for a decisive turning-point this year to end the country's long-running food shortage. Marking the start of the rice-planting season, Kim Jong-ll demanded an all-out campaign to improve cereal production and to take key steps towards solving the food problem.
Indonesian Presidents' party triples support
Updated 13/05/2009 17:50:24
Indonesians are waiting to know what team the President will be taking into the Presidential election in July. The results of the national parliamentary election appear to have boosted Susilo Bamgbang Yudhoyono's chances of re-election. In the results just published at the weekend, the President's Democratic Party took 21 per cent of the vote - a big improvement from its seven per cent five years ago. The Golkar Party and the PDI-P of Megawatti Sukarnoputri both gained around fourteen per cent of the vote each. Both intend to contest the Presidential election. The big question now for Indonesians is who SBY as the front-runner will choose as his Vice Presidential running mate.
Japanese opposition leader quits
Updated 13/05/2009 20:33:08
The leader of Japan's main opposition Democratic party Ichiro Ozawa has resigned after months of being implicated through his aide in a scandal.
Indian election enters final phase
Updated 13/05/2009 19:19:14
The fifth and final phase of the keenly fought parliamentary elections in India concludes today with polling in 86 seats.
Further cuts to skilled migration announced in Aust budget
Updated 13/05/2009 19:19:14
The Australian Government has announced further cuts to its skilled migration program taking effect next year. Another 7-thousand places will go in addition to the cut of 14-thousand announced in March.
Aid agencies welcome boost to Australian overseas assistance
Updated 13/05/2009 19:19:15
A modest increase in Australia's aid budget has been welcomed by aid agencies, but it falls well short of need on the Australian budget's own reckoning.
Warning of wave of climate change refugees from Asia-Pacific region
Updated 13/05/2009 19:19:13
Australian scientists are warning of the possibility of a future wave of economic refugees from south-east Asia and the Pacific if one of the world's most important marine ecosystems is devastated by climate change.
Corruption costs Indonesia $US 200 million this year
Updated 13/05/2009 20:33:25
Indonesia lost nearly 200 million US dollars to corruption so far this year.
Australian budget firmly in deficit
Updated 12/05/2009 19:50:48
Australia's Treasurer Wayne Swan has delivered his government's 2009-10 budget, keeping some important promises to voters, but confirming the country's financial position has significantly declined because of the global crisis. Mr Swan has told the country's Parliament that the elderly will get promised pension increases - a key election pledge - but he says unemployment will rise from just under 6 per cent to 8-and-a-half per cent. And Australia's long years of surplus have ended - the budget is firmly in the red. Still, despite dire forecasts for the world economy, Australia's Treasury department has predicted the country will start to recover as soon as next year.
New CNMI visa rules target Asian crime gangs
Updated 12/05/2009 20:44:33
As garment factories disappeared in the Northern Marianas, its growing tourism industry seemed to hold a bright future for this US-Pacific territory. But even that will take a hit later this year as changes to visa regulations come into effect. The visa changes don't target mums and dads riding inflatable tyres towed by speedboats. It aims to stop multinational crime gangs from Japan and China, and controls access to vital US naval bases in the Pacific.
Chinese capital to increase price of water
Updated 12/05/2009 19:50:43
The Chinese capital, Beijing, has announced plans to increase water prices. Chinese officials say the increase is necessary to conserve freshwater supply in the region. But it is the tenth price hike Beijing citizens have had to cope with over the last fifteen years and there are concerns over whether the city's poor will be able to afford one of life's necessities.
Fighting between Chinese and local workers closes PNG mine
Updated 12/05/2009 17:03:52
A mining project in Papua New Guinea has been shut down after a violent clash between local and Chinese workers. Several people are in hospital, and facilities at the Ramu nickel mine in Madang have been extensively damaged. Police chief superintendent Anthony Wagambie says a traffic accident sparked the violence
What effect will Pakistan's offensive have on Taliban and civillians?
Updated 12/05/2009 17:00:53
A suicide car bomb exploded near a security checkpoint in northwest Pakistan today, killing 10 people and wounding another seven. The attack took place in a town south of Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, where security forces are locked in heavy fighting with Taliban rebels. But will the Pakistan government's military offensive further alienate the people of the area? And how will the government and aid agencies cope with the hundreds of thousands of internally-displaced people?
Killing if civillians in Sri Lanka labelled a "bloodbath"
Updated 11/05/2009 19:29:15
The United Nations has called the weekend killing of hundreds of civilians in Sri Lanka a "bloodbath". Doctors working in the government declared "safe zone" reported 380 deaths from artillery attacks. At least 100 children were among those killed. Tamil Tiger sources accuse the Sri Lankan military of causing the deaths of thousands in a single day - claims denied by Colombo.
Suspected new people-smuggling vessel intercepted north of Australia
Updated 11/05/2009 19:29:09
A suspected people-smuggling vessel has been intercepted off the north Australian coast - the 12th one this year. The vessels, which generally leave from nearby Indonesia, have brought in more than six hundred refugees since January. Paul Power, CEO Of the Refugee Council of Australia, says civil unrest in places like Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Burma are the major factors in increased arrivals, and not the more relaxed rules on treatment of asylum seekers announced by the Australian government last year.
Vietnam urged to release trade unionists
Updated 11/05/2009 19:29:15
An international human rights organisation has called on the Vietnamese government to release labour rights activists and trade union leaders. Human Rights Watch says the activists and union leaders were unlawfully arrested, harassed and imprisoned. The Vietnamese government has denied these claims, saying that the Human Rights Watch report is biased and inaccurate.
Burmese democrats urge medical treatment for Aung San Suu Kyi
Updated 11/05/2009 19:29:15
Burma's opposition party is urging the military authorities to allow pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to receive medical treatment. The 63 year old Nobel Laureate has been on an intravenous drip since Friday. A spokesman for the National League for Democracy said Ms Suu Kyi is on the drip, as she can't eat, has low blood pressure and is dehydrated.
Fears new Indonesian media laws could restrict freedom
Updated 08/05/2009 20:31:38
Freedom of expression in Indonesia is facing a new threat. Indonesia's Constitutional Court has overturned a request to review a defamation article in the Electronic Information and Transaction Law. The law was ratified last year and immediately raised concerns among Indonesia's online community that it would be used to justify internet censorship and violate rights to free speech.
Thailand and Australia to help displaced Rohingya people
Updated 08/05/2009 20:31:38
Thailand and Australia say they want to give more direct help to the Rohingya people in Burma and in camps in Bangladesh. Earlier this year, the mistreatment of Rohingya's arriving in Thailand and Indonesia by boat highlighted a particularly sensitive issue that's just part of the wider problem of millions of displaced people through Southeast Asia. The issue was discussed in talks in the western Australian city of Perth between Thailand's visiting Foreign minister, Kasit Piromya, and his Australian counterpart, Stephen Smith. On his first visit to Australia as Foreign minister, Mr Kasit also pledged his government would act to comply with international labor law where the use of illegal workers was concerned.
Suspected Jemaah Islamiyah leader recaptured in Malaysia
Updated 08/05/2009 20:31:38
A suspected leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah militant group has been captured in Malaysia after more than a year on the run. Mas Selamat Kastari escaped from a gaol in Singapore in February last year by climbing through an open window. His disappearance at the time greatly embarrassed Singapore's authorities who are expected now to seek his extradition from Malaysia. The Indonesian born Kastari is the suspected leader of the Singapore branch of JI who had a role in planning the Bali bombing in 2002. JI expert and senior advisor to the International Crisis Group in Jakarta, Sidney Jones, says Mas Kastari's arrest in Malaysia indicates a J-I network still exists.
Medical NGO pulls out of Taliban held area of Pakistan
Updated 08/05/2009 20:31:38
The international humanitarian organisation M�decins Sans Fronti�res, or Doctors Without Borders has pulled out of parts of Pakistan where fighting between the government and Taliban rebels is underway. The international humanitarian organisation was the only one supporting the hospital in Mingora, the main town in the Swat Valley, and the only provider of ambulance services. MSF's coordinator for Afghanistan and Pakisrtan, Brice Delevigne,
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speaker:Medicines Sans Frontieries coordinator for Afghanistan and Pakisrtan, Brice Delevigne
Australia-Indonesia relations need more work says academic
Updated 08/05/2009 20:31:38
An Australian academic says the Australian government needs to scale back it's travel advisory for it's citizens going to Indonesia if it wants relations to improve. Howard Dick, Professor in Management at the University of Melbourne , has published an article for the University's Asialink series, in which he says the relationship between Canberra and Jakarta is better than it has been for years, but more needs to be done. He believes Australians need to understand their northern neighbour much better, and take it's special circumstances into account.
Concerns raised about the future of media freedom in the Pacific
Updated 08/05/2009 20:31:38
Meanwhile, the celebration of "World Press Freedom Day" has raised the concerns of many in the Pacific Islands media, about how their freedom is being curtailed. As part of the day, this week Papua New Guinea and Samoa have both hosted forums addressing the issue of media freeedom.
The Samoan event was to have been held in Fiji, but the scrapping of that country's constitution at Easter, and the enforcment of strict censorship, meant it had to be moved. But even the countries where the forum went ahead are unlikely to be held up as shining examples of supporting freedom of the media.
Malaysian MPs arrested in standoff over control of Perak state
Updated 07/05/2009 19:50:58
Police have arrested dozens of protestors including three opposition MPs, in a standoff in the north western city of Ipoh, over who rules peninsular Malaysia's second largest state of Perak.
Important people smuggler arrested in Indonesia
Updated 07/05/2009 19:50:58
The arrest in Indonesia of key people smuggler, Ali Cobra, this week is being seen as an important victory. In Australia its attracted headlines amidst ongoing debate about an increase in asylum seekers arriving by boat, many of whom have paid people smugglers in Indonesia. Its one of several recent arrests in the region, amid continuing calls for a better global effort to protect those in need. The goal has seemed elusive, but Australia's Immigration minister says he sees some signs of better co-operation in Southeast Asia.
UN head invited to visit Sri Lanka to see civillian plight
Updated 07/05/2009 19:50:58
United Nations secretary-general, Ban Ki Moon, has been invited to visit Sri Lanka to assess the plight of civilians affected by fighting with Tamil rebels. Last month the government refused a UN request to visit the combat zone, where it estimates around 50,000 people are still being held by the rebel Tamil Tigersas human shields. It's not clear if the UN head will be allowed to visit the conflict area where the rebels are making their last stand. The rebels are now confined in a tiny area around four point five square kilometers, and the government says the civillians are effectively being used as human sheilds by the Tamil Tigers. The national director of World Vision Sri Lanka, Suresh Bartlett, says it's impossible to know what conditions for those civillians are.
Pakistan in danger of failing as people flee Taliban
Updated 07/05/2009 19:50:58
The International Committee of the Red Cross is warning of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Northwest Pakistan. Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing the fighting between Taliban militants and government troops. Relief workers say they are struggling to cope. The crisis formed the backdrop to talks between US President Barak Obama and the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the White House. President Obama says he gained fresh committments from Presidents Karzai and Zadari to more aggressively fight al Qaeda and its allies in their countries.
Major effort to boost Asian language study in Australia
Updated 07/05/2009 19:50:58
Australian business, union and academic bodies have combined to create a new alliance promising to promote Asian language and cultural studies in Australian schools and universities. The Business Alliance for Asia Literacy was launched in Melbourne this week, in an attempt to address the country's commitment to learning about our neighbours. According to the alliance, half of Australian schools teach very little about Asia. The government's National Asian Languages strategy aims to double the number of students studying an Asian language by 2015.
Death squads target criminals in southern Philippines
Updated 07/05/2009 19:50:58
In the southern Philippines, street killings of small-time criminals has become a thriving trade - and a boost for local politicians. Davao City has the nation's highest rate of extrajudicial killings, and the numbers are going up. Some politicians want to take the credit, but avoid the crime, in a dirty practice to clear the city's streets.
Chinese aid to Fiji may not be as much as expected
Updated 06/05/2009 20:34:38
Despite economic sanctions and a cut in aid by many nations - including Australia and New Zealand - Fiji's military leader has continued to snub his nose at his critics. Many say his confidence has been bolstered by a continuing stream of aid from Fiji's relatively new - and powerful friend, China. However, there are warnings that Beijing will only go so far, as it walks a delicate diplomatic tightrope in the Pacific.
IMF predicts Asian growth will decline
Updated 06/05/2009 20:34:38
Asia is in for a long and severe recession according to the International Monetary Fund. The IMF has cut its growth outlook for the region from almost 3 per cent to just 1-point-3 per cent for this year. Its latest report says the global financial crisis has hit harder than expected and will take longer to dissipate. But the gloomy view comes as there are signs of improvement in economies from India to Korea.
Civillians flee Taliban-held area of Pakistan
Updated 06/05/2009 20:34:38
More than 40,000 civilians have fled clashes in Pakistan's Swat valley. Clashes have flared again in Mingora, the main town in Swat where armed Taliban have reportedly defied curfews and occupied government buildings. Earlier the top administrator in Swat urged people to leave the district capital, Mingora, as security forces could soon attack. The provincial government says it is preparing to shelter up to half a million people they expect to flee the area. Brad Adams, the Asia director for Human Rights Watch, says it's innocent civillians who will suffer most from the conflict..
Nepal enters a period of political uncertainty
Updated 06/05/2009 20:34:38
Maoists supporters in Nepal are continuing their street protests against the president, calling on him to apologise for overturning then prime minister Prachanda's decision to sack the army general. With Prachanda resigning political parties have been given till saturday to come up with the numbers to form the next government. But with the Maoists still not indicating their long term intentions, Nepal could well be entering into another period of political instability.
Plan to boost ADB funding for poor nations criticised
Updated 06/05/2009 20:34:37
The Asian Development Bank plans to increase loans to the region's poorest countries by more than 10 billion dollars in the next two years. But some civil society groups say the bank's lending policies have only increased poverty, poor governance and environmental degradation. This week they put the ADB on trial - a so-called People's Tribunal - held in Bali, Indonesia to coincide with the ADB's Governors' Meeting.
New Caldeonian airport uses thermal camera to detect swine flu
Updated 06/05/2009 20:34:37
Top health officials from 13 Asian countries are to meet in Thailand on Friday to try to forge a common front in the fight against swine flu, as Pacific nations install thermal-imagin cameras at airports. So far New Zealand is the only country in the Pacific region to have been affected, but two suspected cases in Fiji last week highlighted the need for vigilance. New Caledonia has followed the example of a number of Asian countries, becoming the first of the Pacific islands to install state-of-the-art thermal imaging cameras at its international airport to detect unusually high fever in passengers.
Concern in the Pacific over Fiji suspension
Updated 05/05/2009 19:24:15
Some of the Pacific countries who agreed to enforce the suspension of Fiji from the Pacific Islands' Forum, have expressed concern at the repurcussions they might face. Last Friday, Fiji became the first member nation to be suspended from the Forum since its creation, as a result of its refusal to set a election date for later this year. Committing to elections was the ultimatum delivered by Forum leaders in January, in Port Moresby, as a response to the refusal of the country's military backed regime to allow a return to democratic rule. But some of those countries, in particular those who share trade, business and education links, are not so keen on enforcing Fiji's exclusion.
Concern over Pakistani nukes falling into Taliban hands
Updated 05/05/2009 19:24:15
As fighting betwen the Pakistani Army and Taliban fighters continues north of the capital, Islamabad, there are concerns over the safety of the country's nuclear arsebal. Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are scheduled to meet with IS President Barak Obama in Washington DC on Wednesaday to discuss the Taliban offensive. Raspal Khosa, a researcher with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, says there have always been concerns over the possibility that nuclear weapons in the region might actually end up being used.
Nepal's prime minister quits
Updated 05/05/2009 19:24:15
Nepal is once again entering unchartered waters with the Maoists prime minister resigning from cabinet after the president overturned his sacking of the army chief. The current crisis puts the whole peace process in doubt and the writing of a new constitution for the nation on hold.
Book published on Australian woman turned jihadi
Updated 05/05/2009 19:24:14
A book has just been published about an Australian woman who embraced not only Islam but Jihad. In 1990 Robyn Hutchinson took her five children to Peshawar in Pakistan to join the global Islamic jihad. Now known as Rabiah she went on to become a trusted insider of the Al Qaeda leadership. She married a leading al Qaeda strategist and was also handpicked by Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, Ayman Al Zawahiri
Presenter: Joanna McCarthy
Speakers: Sally Neighbour, a journalist with the Australian newspaper and ABC-TV's Four Corners program, author of "The Mother of Mohammed: An Australian Woman's Extraordinary Jouney into Jihad"
Push to boost asian language education in Australia
Updated 05/05/2009 19:24:15
Australian business, union and academic bodies have combined to create a new alliance promising to promote asian language and cultural studies in Australian schools and universities. The Business Alliance for Asia Literacy was launched in Melbourne today, in an attempt to address the country's commitment to learning about our neighbours. According to the alliance, half of Australian schools teach very little about Asia... and while just 6 per cent of year 12 students study an Asian language... that proportion drops to just three per cent in universities. The Australian Chinese community has been protesting at the dropping of all but one language course at one institution.
Pakistan & Afghan Presidents to meet Obama in Washington
Updated 04/05/2009 20:01:20
Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari will be meeting with the US and Afghan presidents on Wednesday in Washington. The talks will focus on how to destroy the al Qaeda and Taliban sancturies on the Pakistan and Afghanistan border. With the Pakistan military currently sustaining its offensive against Taliban militants ... it will go some way towards allaying Washington's grave concerns for the security of the nuclear armed nation.
Younger Chinese want a more aggressive foriegn policy
Updated 04/05/2009 20:01:20
A new book which has sold half a million copies, entitled "China is Not Happy", has given voice to a growing movement of what's been called "China's angry youth". They're infuriated by what they see as China's humiliations at the hands of the West and they want to see the China wield its clout more forcefully as a rising power. And they say China's leaders have been too timid and deferential on the world stage. In the words of one of the book's authors, it's time for China to "hold up its sword."
Expert says Australia not sparking regional arms race
Updated 04/05/2009 20:01:20
Australia's new defence white paper is aimed at returning the country's military focus to the Asia-Pacific region, according to a leading expert. Professor Paul Dibb from the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University says concerns that the military buildup outlined in the document could spark a regional arms race are misplaced.
Concerns over Australia's defence buildup
Updated 04/05/2009 20:01:20
The The Australian government has announced an overhaul of its defense strategy which many are seeing as being aimed at China. In it's white paper released over the weekend, the government said that the United States remains crucial to its defense strategy but other major powers such as China and India are emerging. There's be to a boost to spending over the next twenty years, with significant new investment in naval and air capability, including 12 new submarines. The new defence policy paper has sparked debate about whether the country is doing enough to ensure capacity for operations like Solomon Islands, East Timor and even Afghanistan.
Jackie Chan suggests Chinese people need to be controlled
Updated 04/05/2009 20:01:14
Martial arts movie star Jackie Chan has sparked controversy by being quoted as suggesting freedom is not appropriate for Chinese people. His representatives say the remarls were taken out of context, but native Chinee speakers have confirmed the accuracy of the translation. Some commentators are suggesting that the famous star might be angling for an eventual political role in China as his movie career winds down.
North Korea issues threat to cancel armistice
Updated 04/05/2009 20:01:14
Last week North Korea threatened to carry out nuclear missile tests unless the UN Security Council apologised for its condemnation of a recent rocket launch.
In an statement, the north warned it may terminate the armistice agreement which ended the Korean War in 1953.
Japan reports first suspected case of the new flu strain H-1-N-I.
Updated 01/05/2009 19:31:52
Japan's Health Minister has reported the country's first suspected case of the new flu strain H-1-N-I.
Japan reiterates concern about China's military buildup
Updated 01/05/2009 19:31:53
Japan's Foreign minister has used a visit to Australia to reiterate concern about China's military buildup.
Fiji's leader answers questions about the country's future
Updated 01/05/2009 19:31:53
Fiji's military backed interim prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, has made it clear he is prepared to go it alone if the Forum pushes ahead with its suspension deadline. Tonight, the Pacific Islands' Forum election deadline will pass, with Fiji facing suspension if it does not commit to allowing a return to democratic rule by the end of the year.
Malaysia freezes fish sperm to guard against extinction
Updated 01/05/2009 19:31:52
Half of Malaysia's fish species are extinct, with many more listed as endangered.
A year since Cyclone Nargis wreaked havoc in Burma
Updated 01/05/2009 19:31:52
A year ago tomorrow (Saturday 2 May) Burma was hit by its worst ever natural disaster when Cyclone Nargis ripped through the Irrawaddy Delta and the capital, Rangoon.
Aid deliveries to Sri Lanka
Updated 01/05/2009 19:31:52
The Sri Lankan government says aid from relief groups is getting through to thousands of civilians caught up in the war zone .. while at the same time the Red Cross says conditions are desperate.
