August 2009
China pushes Burma to stabilise rebel region
Updated 31/08/2009 21:15:05
China says Burma's north east appears to be calm after renewed fighting between Burmese government forces and rebel militia groups. The fighting, which is ostensibly part of an attempt by the military regime to take control of the area ahead of next year's planned elections, has forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee into China's Yunnan province.
Afghan Taliban shows administrative flair
Updated 31/08/2009 21:15:05
One of Washington's top counter-insurgency advisers has warned that the Taliban is ready to take over the government in Afghanistan, with a successful local court network in the country's south, tax collection operations and a new Taliban Ombudsman's office, all directly challenging Kabul's rule. David Kilcullen is an adviser to US General Stanley McCrystal and says that while Afghan authorities have been flooded with allegations of fraud after last week's presidential election establishing a legitimate leadership will be the most important question facing the Afghanistan operation right now. Dr Kilcullen has been on a speaking tour of Australia, which included an appearance at Canberra's National Press Club.
'Separatist' Dalai Lama on Taiwan tour
Updated 31/08/2009 21:15:05
Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has begun a visit to Taiwan despite criticism from China, which sees the him as a 'separatist'. Some Taiwanese residents have also complained, saying they don't want his politics - only his food and shelter. And, officially, he is there to comfort the survivors of Typhoon Morakot after some of the worst floods in 50 years killed hundreds of people. But the ruling - and more China-friendly - KMT party have made it clear that they won't be meeting the Dalai Lama on this trip.
Japan's Hatoyama wins tough leadership role
Updated 31/08/2009 21:15:05
Japan's new government under prime minister designate Yukio Hatoyama has promised to boost household incomes and help the poor and to do that he will have to untie Japan's famous red tape and stimulate the sluggish economy. Mr Hatoyama says he will conduct politics for the people. But in a country not known to readily embrace change how ready are the people for the changes ahead?
Media activists in Malaysia slam 'attack' on new political magazine
Updated 31/08/2009 21:15:04
Media rights campaigners in Malaysia have criticised a move by authorities to confiscate hundreds of copies of a new political magazine. Over four hundred copies of the first issue of Gedung Kartun were taken by the home ministry and the magazine's office was raided. Officials say the publishers of the bi-weekly magazine have failed to get a permit but campaigners say the move is politically motivated.
Fiji set to miss Commonwealth suspension deadline
Updated 31/08/2009 21:15:04
The Commonwealth has confirmed that Fiji will be suspended from the grouping as of Tuesday if it continues to refuse to commit to elections next year.
Sri Lanka to welcome Australian Doctors
Updated 28/08/2009 03:29:31
The Sri Lankan Government has given permission to bring Australian doctors back to the war torn country. Jason Thomas, of the Australian Medical Aid Foundation and the International Advisroy Council has just returned from Sri Lanka where he was granted access not only to the high security zones but also inside IDP Camps.
Fiji Times editor takes new threat seriously
Updated 28/08/2009 21:19:20
The editor of the Fiji Times newspaper says he's received another threat, which he's taking seriously. Netani Rika is a staunch opponent of the interim government's censorship of the media in Fiji. It's a stance which has brought him threats in the past. Mr Rika says he'll be stepping up security at his home in Suva as a result of the latest one, which has just been posted on the internet.
A look back to East Timor's independence referendum
Updated 28/08/2009 21:19:41
Radio Australia has compiled a sampler of it's coverage of the East Timor Election 10 years ago, when many died, and thousands were forced to flee their homes. But the security situation really started to deteriorate after the ballot took place, with pro-Jakarta groups ramping-up attacks against their opponents, but also the UN, the Red Cross, diplomats and journalists.
Aus/China relations no threat to Asia Pacific Community Proposal
Updated 28/08/2009 21:18:44
Australia is rejecting reports that souring diplomatic relations with China won't affect Beijing's co-operation with Canberra's Asia Pacific Community proposal.
And an analyst who's researched high level views in the region agrees its in China's interests to work with the idea, put by Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and envisaging the new framework by the year 20-20. Mr Rudd will try to advance the idea in regional meetings this year, while he also soon wants to host a major regional meeting on the idea. But some still see resistance to the plan coming not from China, but from other parts of Asia.
Air China snaps up Cathay shares
Updated 28/08/2009 21:19:08
Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific has denied a boost in shares held by mainland airline Air China is a prelude to a takeover.
A reporter's view of East Timor then and now
Updated 28/08/2009 21:19:54
Sunday will also mark the tenth anniversary of the referendum which saw East Timorese people vote over-whelmingly for independence from Indonesia. Prior to the vote, there was widespread violence and intimidation.Journalist Otelio Ote covered East Timor's referendum a decade ago and has continued to report on the progress of the nation since independence.
Japanese poised for historic change of government
Updated 28/08/2009 21:20:11
Japan will hold elections on Sunday which are tipped to see the dominant ruling party overthrown, after five decades of almost unbroken control.The opposition Democratic Party of Japan is expected to inflict a devastating blow on the once-mighty Liberal Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Taro Aso.
China aims for aerospace domination
Updated 27/08/2009 20:40:20
They're already putting together aircraft parts for the big names in aviation, and now the Chinese, have set a date for putting themselves alongside the likes of Airbus and Boeing, Rolls Royce and G-E.
Tax Haven clean-up hurts the Pacific
Updated 27/08/2009 20:39:50
The international campaign to clean-up tax havens has put 3 Pacific Island Offshore Finance Centres out of business and has serious implicatons for those remaining in Samoa, Vanuatu and Cook Islands.That's the assessment of experts from the Pacific Legal Network a Sydney-based legal firm with operations in 15 countries around the region.
Burma blocks Aung San Suu Kyi's visits from personal doctor
Updated 27/08/2009 20:40:04
Aung San Suu Kyi is not being allowed visits by her personal doctor, according to lawyers for the detained Burmese democracy leader. Her supporters say the conditions of her house arrest have worsened since she was found guilty of violating the terms of her home detention and her health is at risk.
China introduces voluntary organ donation register
Updated 27/08/2009 20:40:41
China's shortage of donor organs, puts Australia's in the shade. Last year the official nationwide number of donations in China fell to just thirty-six, and that's from a population of one-point-three billion. Far more transplant organs in China have been harvested from executed prisoners.Now the Chinese government wants to reduce that number and is setting up a voluntary organ-donation register.
Indonesia's 'Prince of Jihad' arrested
Updated 27/08/2009 20:41:14
An Indonesian man who ran extremist websites and called himself the 'Prince of Jihad' has been arrested in Jakarta. Police say Muhamad Jibril Abdurahman was involved in funding the two hotel bombings in Jakarta last month that killed nine people.
Indigenous rights expert claims Australian policies racist
Updated 27/08/2009 20:42:01
A harsh light has been shone on Australia's treatment of its indigenous people with the United Nations' independent expert on indigenous rights saying a key Australian policy is racist and in breach of two international conventions. The Special Rapporteur on indigenous rights, Professor James Anaya says race discrimination laws -- suspended to allow the Northern Territory response to abuse and dysfunction in some communities -- should be reinstated now. He also says despite Canberra's refusal so far, reparations must be paid, over past wrongs to Aborigines. After his 12-day visit to cities and remote areas of Australia, Professor Anaya has challenged not only specific policies, but has also pressed Canberra to aim for a genuine partnership between white and black.Professor Anaya will now prepare findings for Canberra's input, before a final report goes to the U-N Human Rights Council.
Ethnic trouble stirs in Australian Indian Ocean territory
Updated 26/08/2009 20:08:23
Racial tension has flared in the idyllic Cocos Islands, a tiny Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, that is strategically located in an increasingly contested stretch of water. Some locals say neo-colonial attitudes - among a few in leadership positions on the islands - are the core problem, while those accused of racism say a minority of agitators is to blame. But others say the Australian government itself needs to show more leadership over the issue of the islands as relations between the Muslim, Cocos Malay majority, and the white minority drop to a new low.
Malaysia to review caning sentence against model
Updated 26/08/2009 20:08:23
After much public debate, religious authorities in Malaysia say they will review a sentence of caning handed down to a woman who was caught drinking beer last year. Kartika Shukarno, who faces six strokes of the cane, has not appealed against the sentence herself, but says she wants the caning to done in public. The government, meanwhile, has expressed its concern over the case and it's now thought the sentence is 'too harsh' and that it could harm Malaysia's reputation internationally.
Early Afghan election results show Karzai lead
Updated 26/08/2009 20:08:23
More results are expected soon in Afghanistan's presidential election, with the first of preliminary results reflecting 10 per cent of the votes counted and giving the incumbent president Hamid Karzai a narrow lead. Hamid Karzai has just over 40 per cent and his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, is running a few per cent behind. But a candidate needs a 50 per cent majority to avoid a second-round run-off vote, and there have been many complaints of vote rigging, which could see a protracted legal struggle.
China's Qixi festival pits profit against passion
Updated 26/08/2009 20:08:18
The Qixi festival is a romantic modern twist on an ancient tale - and a celebration that is being hailed as China's answer to Valentine's Day. But like Valentine's Day, some say Qixi is more about profits than passion.
Illegal trade pushes Sumatran tiger close to extinction
Updated 26/08/2009 20:08:19
Conservationists say the illegal trade of animals is thriving in Southeast Asia and the gruesome killing of a Sumatran tiger at an Indonesian zoo over the weekend is just the latest example. A report released by the wildlife trade watchdog Traffic suggests the global demand for the fur and bones of unique animals remains high across Asia despite the threat or prosecution. There are fewer than 500 Sumatran tigers alive in the wild and the World Wildlife Fund says the animal faces extinction within years if the illegal trade is not stopped.
Top Chinese civil rights lawyer bailed
Updated 25/08/2009 21:07:47
A prominent civil rights lawyer in China, who has helped families of children who fell ill after taking milk tainted with melamine late last year, has been released on bail. Xu Zhiyong was arrested in June and his legal aid group was shut down over accusations of tax evasion. But the legal aid group - known as Gongmen or Open Constitution Initiative - has tackled many politically sensitive cases.
Second case of child lead poisoning in China
Updated 25/08/2009 21:07:47
More than 1,300 children in the central Chinese province of Hunan have been diagnosed with lead poisoning in the second such case in China this month. Earlier, more than 800 children were admitted into local hospitals in the north western province of Shaanxi.
Amnesty cites rights abuses by Philippine army and MILF
Updated 25/08/2009 21:07:48
The human rights group, Amnesty International, has accused the Philippine army and the separatists, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, of a range of human rights abuses that have led to, what it calls, one of the world's largest cases of new internally displaced persons in the south. An estimated 750,000 people have been forced from their homes in the last 17 months of the conflict alone. But the conflict is already decades old and there's been no sign of a return to peace talks since the last round collapsed a year ago.
Khmer Rouge trial TV show a ratings hit
Updated 25/08/2009 21:07:47
In Cambodia, a half hour television show has proved a surprise success by telling ordinary Cambodians about the trial of Comrade Duch, the former Khmer Rouge prison commander on trial in Phnom Penh. And it's become a popular way to tell people about the crimes of the regime.
MSG continues public support for Fiji
Updated 25/08/2009 21:07:47
The Melanesian Spearhead Group has given its support to a move to include Fiji in the PACER Plus free trade agreement talks - but three its members - Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu - would appear to still prefer to have Fiji excluded.
Signs of easing tension on Korean peninsula
Updated 24/08/2009 21:21:12
The former South Korean president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kim Dae-jung, was honoured with a state funeral on Sunday as his celebrated Sunshine Policy - of engagement with North Korea - seemed to make a resurgence. Just before the funeral, a high level delegation from North Korea had a rare meeting with the South's current president, Lee Myung-bak. And the Northern envoys left with what one of them called a 'good feeling'.
Allegations of Afghan vote rigging grow louder
Updated 24/08/2009 21:21:12
There are increasing concerns about vote rigging, as counting continues in Afghanistan's presidential election, with the high profile candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, accusing the incumbent president Hamid Karzai and his supporters of being behind most of the tampering. Abdullah Abdullah also says he has no faith in the Independent Election Commissioner. Just ahead of the preliminary results, the claims threaten to shake the credibility of an election that US and NATO forces are keen to see as a reflection of hope in Afghanistan.
Calls for transparency in China ethnic riot trials
Updated 24/08/2009 21:21:12
Trials are expected to start this week in Urumqi, where more than 200 people will be prosecuted over the violent riots last month in Xinjiang province. More than 1,500 people were arrested when ethnic Uighurs and Han Chinese clashed, leaving 197 people dead. It is seen as the worst ethnic unrest in China in decades and apparently started after a dispute over accusations of abuse at a nearby factory. But the issue itself - that of the treatment of ethnic Uighurs in China - has crossed borders and has even played out internationally, with, for instance, the controversial appearances of the Uighur activist Rabiya Kadeer here in Australia.
Anti-Taliban groups in Pakistan resist cultural crackdown
Updated 24/08/2009 21:21:11
Much of Afghanistan's Pashtun dominated south and east have been tense during for the country's presidential elections, but just over the border in Pakistan, outside Peshawar, the battle rages for cultural control of the community. There, the Taliban are trying to outlaw traditional poetry and dance, which they consider un-Islamic.
Energy 'as vital' as China for new global power
Updated 24/08/2009 21:21:11
A senior Australian international relations specialist says the changing economics and politics of energy will be as important as the rise of China in reshaping global power and that it could be more important than climate change. Emeritus professor Stuart Harris says energy issues have the potential to spark conflict over existing disputes in areas like the South China Sea.
Monitoring group outlines challenges to Khmer Rouge trial
Updated 21/08/2009 19:34:10
Cambodia's long-awaited Khmer Rouge tribunal is in full swing in Phnom Penh, with the first trial under way for Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, the head of the Tuol Sleng torture prison. At least 12-thousand people were tortured at S-21, as the Phnom Penh centre was also known, and killed at a nearby field. They were part of the estimated 1.7 million Cambodians who died during the Khmer Rouge reign in the late 1970s. But the search for justice has been mired in scandals over allegations of political interference and corruption among Cambodian staff within the trial, which is run jointly with the UN.
Australian senators call for Red Cross access to Papua
Updated 21/08/2009 19:34:10
Australia's government has sent a quiet signal to Indonesia about mounting concern over human rights conditions in Indonesia's restive Papua region.
The Rudd government -- facing accusations it's too quite on the issue -- has allowed its Senators to support a motion in Parliament's upper house that calls for pressure from Canberra on Indonesia to allow the return of the International Red Cross to West Papua.
Reaction to Afghanistan's Presidential elections
Updated 21/08/2009 19:34:10
Ballot counting has concluded in Afghanistan's presidential election, and both leading candidates are claiming to be in front in preliminary results. Official results are not expected until next week.
Environmental campaign threatens Solomons palm oil farmers
Updated 21/08/2009 19:33:57
The chocolate-maker Cadburys has bowed to pressure from consumer and environmental groups, saying it will no longer use palm oil in its dairy milk chocolate. Environmentalists had argued that palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia were encroaching on natural rainforest, destroying the natural habitat of orangutans. But landowners in Solomon Islands, says the campaign could harm growers in Pacific states, where there are no orangutans, and where oil palm plantations are managed more sustainably.
Some Pacific Tuna stocks critically low
Updated 21/08/2009 19:33:57
The Scientific Committee of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission has finished its two week meeting in Port Vila. Over the past fortnight its been looking at some of the measures it has been testing to try and control the amount of Tuna caught within the 10 million square kilometres it has responsibility for monitoring and managing. But with more and more fishing boats heading to the Pacific, it's finding some species are close to being exploited at unsustainable levels.
NZ PM gloomy assessment of Fiji
Updated 20/08/2009 21:14:04
New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key says there's nothing more that can be done easily to bring Fiji back to democracy - ruling out economic sanctions against the regime of Commodore Frank Bainimarama. Mr Key has given a gloomy assessment of Fiji as a declining state, during a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra. Mr Key is in Australia on an official visit and in talks with his counterpart, Kevin Rudd, the leaders have pushed ahead on their single economic market arrangements, climate change policy, defence co-operation and untangling Pacific aid.
China adds more fuel to its economy
Updated 20/08/2009 21:22:53
China's ever growing economy has added even more fuel to its fire with the corporate takeover of Geneva-based petroleum group Addax.
The 7.5 billion US dollar acquisition ranks as China's largest ever foreign oil takeover and appears set to secure the country a stronghold on the plentiful African and Middle eastern oil resources for some time to come.
Female Green Turtles take over the ocean
Updated 20/08/2009 21:13:24
Australia is home to the world's largest population of green sea turtles...but females are threatening to overtake the species.
Scientists say climate change is threatening the turtle population's gender balance and could also see the ocean rising to inundate nesting sites.
But there is some optimism that the turtles will adapt.
Fiji abolishes Sugarcane Growers representative group
Updated 20/08/2009 21:28:45
Fiji's Interim Prime Minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, has abolished the country's Sugarcane Growers Council. It's the latest move by the country's military backed leader to sideline political forces that appear to be opposed to the ideals of his military backed regime. It comes just a week after he limited the ability of the country's Methodist Church to raise funds, saying it is to involved in national politics.
Afghan candidate Dr Abdullah promises reform of presidency
Updated 20/08/2009 21:15:20
Afghan presidential candidate and former Foreign minister, Abdullah Abdullah, wants to de-centralise power and reform the Presidential system.
Facing some of the worst violence in the world, the people of Afghanistan are voting to choose a President. Polling stations opened earlier under tight security imposed by Afghan and western troops. There's a large number of candidates, but the vote is likely to come down to just a few main players .. the incumbent President Hamid Karzai, Dr Ashraf Ghani his former finance Minister and his former Foreign minister, Doctor Abdullah Abdullah
Afghan candidate Dr Ashraf Ghani vows to bring stability
Updated 20/08/2009 21:14:39
Dr Ashraf Ghani, another Afghanistan presidential frontrunner claims "I am standing for the election, I have refused all offers of being the chief executive officer, I am not an individual now, I represent a social movement and without the constituencies that I represent - the youth, the poor and the women, I will not enter into an individual deal."
Ex-US ambassador to Skorea recalls life of Kim Dae-jung
Updated 19/08/2009 20:59:34
South koreans are mourning the death of a former president who spent his life pursuing democracy and re-unification with the North - Kim Dae-jung died at the age of 85 from heart failure after suffering pneumonia and other symptoms. During a turbulent political career, Kim Dae-jung was the target of assassination attempts, beatings and a kidnapping. Now, there have been tributes from the US president Barack Obama, the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, and the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-il, who plans to send a delegation to Kim Dae-jung's funeral.
US envoy to Pakistan talks to Islamist parties
Updated 19/08/2009 20:59:34
Richard Holbrooke, America's special envoy to Pakistan, has been holding talks with some interesting people in Islamabad and elsewhere in this rather crucial week of Afghanistan's presidential elections. Among those on his agenda have been the leadership of the right wing Jamaat-e-Islami party, which used to be associated with the Taliban. Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari is calling it a 'new era'.
Australia, China political relations on the slide
Updated 19/08/2009 20:59:34
Despite Australia and China's inter-dependent economic relationship, their political links have been hit by a series of upsets, the latest being Australia's decision to allow another visit by Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer. In response, Beijing downgraded its representation at a recent regional meeting in Australia.
Australia should rethink foreign student policy, report
Updated 19/08/2009 20:59:35
Australia risks long term damage to its diplomatic reputation from the controversy surrounding education for international students according to a new paper by the policy think tank The Lowy Institute. The report comes after a number of attacks on Indian students in recent months, as well as examples of poor quality courses and exploitation of students by employers and migration agents.
Calls for reform to stop honour killings in India
Updated 19/08/2009 20:50:42
Honour killings may be a barbaric practice, but they are far from a thing of the past in a number of countries around the world, including rural India. The deaths of couples who fall in love and marry outside caste lines can be gruesome, with victims hanged from trees, stabbed or even burnt alive. Hundreds die in 'honour killings' every year in India.
Poorer ASEAN nations could miss out on Asian FTA benefits
Updated 18/08/2009 21:01:38
Regional trade ministers, who met in Bangkok over the weekend, say they are going full steam ahead to establish a free trade zone across Asia - and many say Asia could bypass Europe and the Americas to become a global free trade powerhouse. But some critics fear the free trade moves are putting the needs of big neighbouring economies before those of poorer ASEAN citizens.
Afghan warlord returns to help president Karzai in polls
Updated 18/08/2009 21:01:38
With formal campaigning for Afghanistan's presidential election now over, polls commissioned by the American government predict the Afghan president Hamid Karzai will be re-elected. But Hamid Karzai has been criticised for strengthening ties with warlords, in particular, Abdul Rashid Dostum, who has returned from exile to support president Karzai.
Insurgency backdrop to Afghanistan's presidential elections
Updated 18/08/2009 21:01:38
Afghanistan goes to the polls later this week for its second presidential election, and that at a time when the reach of the Taliban extends across half the country and a campaign of intimidation and violence is well underway. On Tuesday, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a set of rockets that were fired in the capital Kabul - one into the compound of the presidential palace and one at the police headquarters. And the insurgency now makes up the bulk of the backdrop to the vote.
Grim economic outlook for Pacific, but Fiji 'the place to get hitched'
Updated 18/08/2009 21:01:35
The Asian Development Bank has forecast that economies in the Pacific will shrink even further - but it's given a positive outlook for both Papua New Guinea and East Timor and says that without these two countries and their resources the rest of the region would slip into negative growth. Fiji, for one, is trying to fight the slump by targeting young couples in Europe who want to get married in an exotic location.
Sharp rise in Malaria deaths in Cambodia
Updated 18/08/2009 21:01:36
The number of reported Malaria fatalities in Cambodia has almost doubled since the start of the year, with authorities citing early rains and the delayed distribution of mosquito nets as possible reasons for the increase. But some of the blame has also gone to the global financial crisis.
US senator secures American's release from Burma
Updated 17/08/2009 21:08:42
A US senator has secured the release - or depending on how you see it, the deportation from Burma - of a man who swan to the home of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in May. The incident led to a Burmese court last week extending Ms Suu Kyi's house arrest for another 18 months. John William Yettaw had reportedly made the uninvited visit to tell her about an apparent assassination plot. During his trip, Senator Jim Webb held meetings with Burma's leader General Than Shwe and Aung San Suu Kyi.
New global economic shock likely despite signs of growth in Japan
Updated 17/08/2009 21:08:42
Japan has joined a handful of other nations to show an unexpected, if slight, return to growth with 0.9 per cent in the second quarter of this year. Some European countries are also showing positive signs. But one of Australia's most senior economic officials, the secretary of the Australian treasury Ken Henry, has warned of a possible second wave in the global financial and economic crisis.
West Papua tribe sues Freeport mine
Updated 17/08/2009 21:08:42
A West Papuan tribe is suing the giant Freeport mine for 30 billion dollars, claiming there have been massive environmental damage and human rights abuses. Freeport rejects the claims, saying the company does even more than the law requires to meet its social and environmental obligations.
Thaksin supporters seek royal pardon for the exiled former Thai PM
Updated 17/08/2009 21:08:42
An estimated 20,000 supporters of Thailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra have gathered, close to the Grand Palace in central Bangkok, where they submitted a petition seeking a pardon for the exiled former leader. The so-called Red Shirts have made quite a mark on Thailand's political scene, having clashed with the Thai army in the capital after disrupting the East Asia Summit in Pattaya in April.
Indonesia's volcanic child of Krakatau draws in the punters
Updated 17/08/2009 21:08:41
There are few natural forces more awesome than a volcanic eruption, and when it comes to famous volcanoes none can match the name Krakatau. The remnant of that monster volcano - Anak Krakatau, or Krakatau's child - is now making its own voice heard and is starting to draw in volcano enthusiasts who want to watch the show.
PNG Transport minister says his election was credible.
Updated 17/08/2009 21:08:41
Papua New Guinea's ousted transport minister, Don Polye, has defended the 2007 election result which elected him to parliament after a court last week ruled the result unlawful, and that he be removed from the post. Mr Polye has stood down but says he may still mount a legal challenge.
Trade ministers meet in Thailand on free trade
Updated 14/08/2009 20:52:00
By the start of next year, the ambitious project to discard 100,000 trade-distorting tariffs across twelve countries in the region is scheduled to be up and running. But there's concern that a lot stands in the way of implementing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. The issue will be among those discussed by ASEAN and other key economic ministers in the Thai capital Bangkok on Saturday.
China-Australia relationship under microscope
Updated 14/08/2009 20:52:20
In 2007, Australia's newly-elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd welcomed his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, to the APEC summit with a speech in Mandarin.
Ever since then... it was hoped Australia's relationship with China would only blossom. However, a film festival's decision to screen a controversial film detailing the plight of a Uighur leader, and the arrest of mining executives on allegations of spying have recently placed the two nations' relationship under the microscope. Matt Conway speaks to Professor Minyue Hou the Deputy Director at the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University in Shanghai about the relationship.
China leader's son associated in Namibia deal
Updated 14/08/2009 20:52:42
A Chinese company, previously run by the son of Chinese President Hu Jintao, is at the heart of a corruption scandal in the African nation of Namibia. The company's called Nuctech
But, according to the director of Namibia's Anti-Corruption Commission which is investigating the affair, the $13 million dollars was passed on to three men allegedly to distribute amongst officials who helped land the deal. Those men have just been released on bail, and the anti-corruption commission has reportedly requested an interview with Hu Haifeng to give information about the scandal - although they're not yet accusing him of involvement. Hu Haifeng was chairman of Nuctech until 2008, when he became manager of the parent company which controls Nuctech and over 20 other companies.
Exiled Burma leadership successfully meet in Jakarta
Updated 14/08/2009 20:53:10
A delegation of exiled Burmese democracy leaders has successfully concluded a meeting in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, where they launched an alternative plan for Burma's transition to democracy. Whilst the group may have resisted efforts by the Indonesian government to shut their meeting down, they are still a long way from convincing the Burmese leadership to yield to their demands.
Goroka doctor wins prestigious new award
Updated 14/08/2009 20:51:38
Five Pacific Island Nations are represented in the inaugural Greg Urwin award. The award is sponsored by the Australian government and will be presented annually by the Forum to emerging leaders from the Pacific. Dr Theresa Lei who is with the Accident and Emergency Department at Goroka Hospital in PNG is one of the winners.
Fiji dialysis centre caters to foreign kidney patients
Updated 14/08/2009 20:51:38
Many people in the South Pacific suffer disproportionate levels of diabetes and high blood pressure... and that also puts them at increased risk of kidney disease. If they suffer kidney failure, they need dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive. Fiji's Dialysis Centre is only a year old but it has already saved the lives of many Fijians. But locals aren't the only people benefiting from the centre; holiday-makers and ex-pats are also taking advantage of the service.
Trial pension plan for China farmers
Updated 13/08/2009 21:11:46
China is launching a universal pension plan for farmers with nation-wide trials starting this September. It's an enormous reform which aims to stem the resentment caused by the gap between higher urban incomes and poorer farm workers. The potential impact could be profound - but so are the challenges to getting this right.
Asia leads consumer confidence levels
Updated 13/08/2009 21:12:00
India and Indonesia are experiencing the highest levels of consumer confidence in the world, according to new figures.
Asian companies like Tata Motors are capitalising, as consumers in these countries show signs of optimism, while their American and European counterparts suffer the Global Financial Crisis. Analysts say aggressive government fiscal stimulus measures are largely responsible for the rise in spending in India and Indonesia. Although, they warn the good times could be short lived as Asia's exports have sunk to record lows.
Fairey creates iconic Suu Kyi poster
Updated 13/08/2009 21:11:26
Following the guilty verdict and subsequent sentencing of Aung San Suu Kyi this week,
the 64-year-old Nobel Peace laureate now has a new supporter -- the US graphic artist Shepard Fairey.
He was responsible for the iconic poster of US president Barack Obama and has now done a similar poster of Ms Suu Kyi in red, yellow and black.
PNG air facilities and safety standards concerns
Updated 13/08/2009 21:11:26
Bad weather In Papua New Guinea has stopped the recovery of bodies from Tuesday's aircrash.
Rescue crews have reached the wreckage of the Twin Otter aircraft, which went missing on a flight to Kokoda.
Most of the passengers were Australian tourists, enroute to walk the World War II Kokoda track,
leading to calls for an improvement in facilities at the remote airstrip, and concerns about aircraft safety standards in PNG.
Indonesia authorities block Burma govt-in-exile meet
Updated 13/08/2009 21:12:17
The Indonesian government has attempted to stop a delegation of the Burmese government-in-exile from holding a conference in the capital Jakarta after a complaint was lodged by the Burmese embassy. The meeting was convened to officially launch an alternative plan for a transition to democracy. Organizers were forced to find a new venue, after threats from police to lock members of the delegation out of the conference room.
Aus Govt pays failed asylum seekers compensation
Updated 13/08/2009 21:12:51
The Australian government has tracked-down two failed asylum seekers who were deported back to China, in order to pay them compensation.
The pair was part of a large group of applicants, who were forced to be interviewed by visiting Chinese security officials at Sydney's Villawood detention centre.Though pleased they've received compensation, the men's lawyer Michela Byers says she's unhappy that she wasn't told that the two men had been found or about the conditions that they are now living under as she and other supporters have been fearing for their safety.
Uighur, Rio issues rattle Australia-China relations
Updated 12/08/2009 21:01:06
The issue of the exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer has certainly added to strains in the relationship between China and Australia, ties that have already been tested by the embarrassing collapse of the Chinalco deal with Rio Tinto and the subsequent arrest of Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu. But could it all be down to a diplomatic misunderstanding?
Pressure on Australia to push Japan over 'comfort women'
Updated 12/08/2009 21:01:06
Gil Won Ok, a diminutive 81 year old Korean woman, is on her third visit to Australia and is lobbying for increased pressure on Japan over its use of war time sex slaves. Gil Won Ok is part of Amnesty International's campaign to get the Australian parliament to pass a motion, calling on Japan to take full responsibility and to provide compensation for the remaining 'comfort women'.
DNA tests prove Noordin Top not killed by Indonesian police
Updated 12/08/2009 21:01:07
DNA tests have now confirmed that Noordin Mohamad Top, the Malaysian man who is Indonesia's most wanted, was not killed in a police raid in Central Java over the weekend. Noordin Mohamad Top is thought to be the 'mastermind' behind a number of terrorist attacks in Indonesia and appears to be free. But Indonesian police did kill at least one man who was a major player in the hotel bombings in Jakarta last month.
Thailand fills gap in Australia's organic food supply
Updated 12/08/2009 21:01:04
Organic products are the fastest growing food industry in the world, and in Australia demand is rapidly out stripping supply. The Australian organic industry says that while the local industry is expanding, it's being hampered by a lack of government support. So importers are now turning to Thailand to fill a production shortage.
New Himalayan species studied for signs of climate change
Updated 12/08/2009 21:01:04
Over the last decade, scientists have been searching the Himalayas - which cover Bhutan, northern India, Nepal, Burma, and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China - in the hope of discovering new species of plants, insects and some amazing new animals. And they have, including a green frog which uses its oversized red feet to glide from trees into water, and the world's tiniest deer. But these creatures, and probably some still yet-to-be discovered ones, face a threat from climate change which could drive them higher up into the mountains or into the path of humans.
Terrorist kills suffer 'Mission Accomplished' syndrome
Updated 11/08/2009 21:18:15
Two of the world's most wanted terrorists in Indonesia and Pakistan were reported dead at the end of last week, but both men seem to have survived, and that has raising questions about the pressure on governments to announce a kill before its confirmed.
Few surprised by Burma opposition leader's renewed house arrest
Updated 11/08/2009 21:18:15
After weeks of anticipation, the Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been sentenced for apparently violating an internal security law while under house arrest. Ms Suu Kyi was sentenced to three years hard labour, before the country's military leader General Than Shwe ordered the sentence to be reduced to 18 months house arrest. It still means she won't be able to take part in next year's planned elections. Britain, the former colonial power in Burma, has called on the United Nations to immediately ban the sale of arms to the country. And France is calling on the European Union to impose fresh sanctions.
China tries to stop Uighur leader's speech in Canberra
Updated 11/08/2009 21:18:15
China has again tried to interfere in Rabiya Kadeer's visit to Australia - and this time it's tried to stop the exiled Uighur leader's appearance at one of Australia's centres of free speech, the National Press Club in Canberra. Observers say it's a sign of the Australian government's failure to put a clear framework in place to stabilise relations with Beijing.
Taiwan county considers nuclear waste dump
Updated 11/08/2009 21:18:14
Taiwan's economy may be in a slump, but the country has seen a lot of growth since the 1950s and 1960s, and that growth has brought a lot of air pollution. Now, Taiwan's leaders want to change that with cleaner energy. One option - it's being argued - is more nuclear power.
Chinese pension reform aims to bridge rural to urban wealth gap
Updated 11/08/2009 21:18:14
China is launching a universal pension plan for farmers, with nationwide trials starting this September. It's an enormous reform that will target about nine hundred million farmers and will aim to stem resentment caused by a disparity between higher urban incomes and poorer farm workers. The potential impact could be huge, but so are the challenges in getting the scheme to work.
Polls show Japan's ruling LDP could lose 55 year hold on power
Updated 10/08/2009 20:54:34
With Japan voting in national elections on August 30, the latest polls show the Liberal Democratic Party's long reign may be about to end. The LDP has held power for an almost uninterrupted 55 years. But despite its own recent problems, the opposition Democratic Party of Japan could be about to bring change to the country.
HIV/AIDS conference in Bali faces hard new facts
Updated 10/08/2009 20:54:34
The 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific is underway in Indonesia, with the latest statistics on HIV rates in Southeast Asia suggesting a concentration of the virus among gay men - or 'men who have sex with men' (MSM) - and bisexual groups in the region's big cities. There are also calls for authorities to rethink the way Australian aid money is spent in response to the epidemic.
Calls for Australian immigration review following plot
Updated 10/08/2009 20:54:34
The arrests last week of a number of Australian citizens on charges related to terrorism has drawn attention to ethnic communities in the Victorian state capital of Melbourne - and the issue of immigration is again likely to become a focus of Australian public debate.
Major Pacific trade deals in doubt as Fiji withdraws from talks
Updated 10/08/2009 20:54:35
Fiji's interim prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, has withdrawn his country from two major Pacific regional trade agreements, creating fears that trade agreements, like the PACER Plus, will now be significantly weaker. Fiji is a major player in the Pacific's economy. And so while it continues to be suspended from the Pacific Island's Forum, it was still possible for Fiji to take part in the trade negotiations.
Taiwan, China, and Japan battling floods and landslides
Updated 10/08/2009 20:54:35
Typhoon Morakot, which has lashed the Philippines, Taiwan, and now the Chinese mainland, has cut off communities, caused landslides, and a number of deaths. In Taiwan, the flooding in the south is the country's worst in 50 years. And the threat is not over. Japan now faces a second tropical storm called Etau and the Korean peninsular is also under threat.
HSBC aims to be first foreign company listed on HKSex
Updated 07/08/2009 21:50:24
Europe's biggest bank, HSBC, has announced plans to become the first foreign owned company to be listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The SSE is expected to open up its listing to foreign-owned companies next year.
Court delivers death sentence to original Mumbai bombers
Updated 07/08/2009 21:51:21
An Indian court has sentenced three people to death over a series of bombings in the financial capital Mumbai six years ago.
54 people died in the attacks.
The court heard that the accused conspired with the militant group Lashka e-Taiba to perform the attacks.
Australian Sri Lankan Diaspora needed back home
Updated 07/08/2009 21:51:34
The Sri Lankan government has begun allowing people displaced by the civil war with the Tamil Tiger rebels to return home, but a major de-mining operation is required before large-scale re-settlement can begin.
Hope fades for Tongan ferry disaster victims
Updated 07/08/2009 21:51:48
Family and friends of the victims of the Tongan ferry disaster are tonight searching for reasons as to why the 30 year old vessel sank.
Two bodies have been recovered but hope is fading for 62 people who are still missing.
It's likely they'll be mostly women and children who were reportedly sleeping below deck when the accident happened late on Wednesday night.
Australia's ability to combat an attack is again being scrutinised
Updated 07/08/2009 21:50:57
To the majority of Australians, their most vivid experience of terrorism would be the 2002 Bali bombing which left over 200 people dead -- including 88 Australians.Subsequent attacks in Jakarta have helped fuel the belief that any terror plot in Australia could come from somewhere in Asia.
People in Australia who have been found guilty of terror-related crimes in Australia have usually been linked to the Middle East.
So when a major police operation uncovered a plan to attack an Australian military base, it was learnt that the accused were from the failed African state of Somalia.
Ministers reiterate Australia-Indonesia intel sharing
Updated 07/08/2009 21:51:09
Indonesia's Foreign Minister has raised the prospect of wide, bigger picture links between key global terror groups Jemaah Islamiyah and the Somali group al-Shabaab - but no indication yet of distinct cooperation. Hasan Wirayuda is currently in Australia, where he's held bilateral talks with both Australia's foreign minister and the prime minister.
Calls for Pakistan madrassas to widen curriculum
Updated 06/08/2009 21:38:50
To many foreign observers, Pakistan is the global centre of extremist Islam, and its madrassas -- or religious seminaries -- are where the violence starts.
But, this kind of scaremongering hides a more complex reality.
Multi million dollar development forces ethnic Indians from their home
Updated 06/08/2009 21:38:51
Hundreds of residents from an ethnic Indian enclave in Penang in Malaysia are locked in a battle with the government and a real estate company. They're trying to force the community off their land to make way for a multi-million dollar development.The development company - backed by the state government - has given the people of Kampung Buah Pala until Friday to accept compensation packages and or be forced off the site. But the residents say they won't budge.
Tongan ferry disaster leaves country in shock
Updated 06/08/2009 21:39:12
25 people are still missing after a ferry sank off the coast of Tonga.The South Pacific Inter-Island ferry went down about 86 kilometres north-east of the Tongan capital, Nuku'alofa. A Tongan navy vessel and several other nearby ships came to it's aid. Tongan police have confirmed the body of one person has been recovered so far.
53 people have survived
Pacific Islands Forum final communique
Updated 06/08/2009 21:39:20
Pacific Islands Forum leaders are demanding the international community make big cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, using their final communique to stress the dire impact of climate change on their states.Grave concern was also expressed over Fiji's continuing military rule .. but no new initiatives were flagged.
And negotiations for a regional free trade deal -- known as PACER-Plus -- were given no specific start date.
Eliminating corruption an election promise difficult too fulfil
Updated 06/08/2009 21:38:59
Before his election last month Indonesia's president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono vowed to work to eliminate corruption but a recent report suggests he has his work cut out. It's estimated that close to 70 per cent of people who have faced charges in district courts are being released without punishment, and those found guilty are sentenced to only minor punishments. It's an election promise that may be too difficult to fulfil.
Sri Lanka's civil war displaced people allowed home
Updated 06/08/2009 21:39:07
The Sri Lankan government has begun allowing people displaced by the civil war with the Tamil Tiger rebels, to return home.
The United Nations has been urging Colombo to allow the estimated 300-thousand people crammed into refugee camps to return north... now the conflict has ended.
UN health body targets baby formula makers in breastfeeding push
Updated 05/08/2009 21:10:45
It's World Breastfeeding Week and the World Health Organisation is campaigning to get more women in Asia to feed their babies with breastmilk. The UN health agency says that while the benefits of breastmilk have been well known for years, too many new parents are weaning their babies off breastmilk too early, or don't breastfeed at all. It's targeting producers of baby formula, or substitutes for breastmilk, and national laws on maternity leave because it says it's best to breastfeed babies for a baby's first six months.
A call to arms from Niue at Pacific Forum to people of Fiji
Updated 05/08/2009 21:10:46
At the Pacific Islands Forum in Cairns, the outgoing chairperson, Toki Talagi, has urged Fijians to challenge the military regime in their country. Mr Talagi used the opening of the forum leaders meeting in Cairns to say Fijians should take the matter of military rule under interim prime minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama into their own hands.
Taiwan's detained ex-leader begins legal action against his judges
Updated 05/08/2009 21:10:46
The former Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian has accused three judges, who are hearing a corruption case against him, of abusing their powers to prolong his detention. Chen Shui-bian has been detained since December and in July had his third bail request rejected. He says the judges of the Taipei District Court rejected the request out of revenge and has now begun a legal action against the three judges hearing his corruption case.
Hacker schools on the rise in China
Updated 05/08/2009 21:10:42
Computer hacking has become such big business in China that it cost the country US$1 billion last year - and one possible reason for this growth could be the rise of so-called hacking schools. The art of hacking has long made its mark internationally, and it's most often been used with financial motivations in mind - or purely destructive ones. But in the last few weeks, hackers from China have used the art to make a political statements on the issue of Chinese Uighur Muslims by disrupting the service of the website of the Melbourne International Film Festival, which has featured a film about the Uighur leader, Rebiya Kadeer.
Memories of the Cowra breakout of Japanese POWs
Updated 05/08/2009 21:10:43
Sixty-five years ago, on August 5, the sleepy township of Cowra in Australia's eastern state of New South Wales was the scene of a dramatic jailbreak by Japanese prisoners of war. There was a sprawling prison camp in Cowra, where Japanese POWs, and others from Italy, Taiwan, Korea, and Indonesia, were interned. One night, around a thousand Japanese prisoners launched themselves over a barbed wire fence and into a volley of machine gun fire - all to the cry of 'Banzai!' Many died, but almost 500 Japanese prisoners escaped. Some where lucky enough to walk into the home of Bruce Weir, who was 16 years of age at the time, but whose mother fed three Japanese POWs scones.
Philippines floods make Mindanao unfit for return despite truce
Updated 04/08/2009 21:09:20
Monsoon floods in the Philippines have left at least a dozen people dead and forced nearly half a million others to flee homes and farms. The southern island of Mindanao has suffered the worst of the rain, with Typhoon Jolina battering the island late last week. The army has been called out to rescue stranded people and distribute relief. But it's all come at the worst possible time. Around 350,000 displaced people are in the process of returning to Mindanao, with government forces and Muslim separatists observing a truce signed last month.
Pacific states call for 45 per cent emissions cut at Cairns forum
Updated 04/08/2009 21:09:20
Small Pacific states want developed countries to cut climate changing greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent by the year 2020 and by 85 per cent by 2050. They have adopted the position at the Pacific Forum in Cairns, where climate change has been a key issue and has influenced a range of other agenda items.
Talks collapse over three month SKorean automaker occupation
Updated 04/08/2009 21:09:20
Talks between management and workers occupying a building at Ssangyong Motor Company in South Korea have collapsed, but the management are urging the workers to end their occupation before the car maker is forced into liquidation. The workers have been occupying a building for almost three months in an effort to get the bankrupt carmaker to reverse its plan to fire more than a third of its workforce.
Opposition MP says it's a 'long journey towards justice' in Cambodia
Updated 04/08/2009 21:09:20
The Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen has won a defamation case against a former women's affairs minister, who had first brought a defamation case against him. Mu Sochua has been ordered to pay a fine, but she says she will appeal against the decision. The opposition MP says she wants to peel away the layers of Cambodia's legal system in her fight for justice.
Drug dealers 'targeting' troubled Vietnamese gamblers in Australia
Updated 04/08/2009 21:09:19
There are growing concerns for Vietnamese gamblers in Australia, who are allegedly being targeted by drug dealers at gambling venues, and who are apparently being told they can have their debts paid off if they help the dealers smuggle heroin. The president of the Vietnamese Community in Australia says the authorities are losing a crucial battle against the dealers.
Many Indonesians lack access to courts in family matters
Updated 04/08/2009 21:09:19
Australia has suggested Indonesia's supreme court provide free services to poor people who need help in family law matters. It is thought that 80 per cent of Indonesians do not have access to courts on family matters and money is a major factor.
Asia ponders regional worth of Microsoft Yahoo co-op
Updated 03/08/2009 19:44:02
After more than a year of on-again, off-again negotiations, Microsoft and Yahoo will join forces to compete against the internet market leader, Google. It's a 10 year agreement that will see the two companies share search engine software and advertising. The arrangement will start in 2010 and focus on the US and Europe, but what does it mean for Asia?
Malaysia police 'targeting' opposition in protest crackdown
Updated 03/08/2009 19:44:02
Malaysia's opposition says it's being targeted by police after the biggest public demonstration in Kuala Lumpur in two years - with up to 15,000 demonstrators taking to Kuala Lumpur's streets, calling for an end to a law that allows detention without trial. Hundreds were arrested. They included opposition MP Sivarasa Rasiah, who is a senior lawyer defending opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim against sodomy charges.
Thousands pay respects to Philippines 'people power' president
Updated 03/08/2009 19:44:02
Tens of thousands of people have lined the streets of Manila to pay their respects in solemn procession through the capital to the former Philippines president Corazon Aquino, who died at the weekend. Mrs Aquino led a 'people power' revolution in 1986 and ousted the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. She was hugely popular and one of her closest aides, Franklin Drilon, says she will continue to be seen as a benchmark for future leaders of the country.
Khmer Rouge history included in school curriculum for first time
Updated 03/08/2009 19:43:59
It's seen as one of the most brutal periods of our recent history during which two million Cambodians were killed - and yet the rule of the Khmer Rouge, from 1975 to 1979, was completely excluded from the official history of Cambodia for a generation of schoolchildren. Now, with a UN-backed tribunal against five top Khmer Rouge leaders underway, Cambodia's government says it will include a text on the Khmer Rouge in the country's 2009 high school curriculum. Half a million copies of 'A History of Democratic Kampuchea' are being distributed to more than 13,000 schools across Cambodia.
Pitcairn may start whale watching eco-tourist business
Updated 03/08/2009 19:43:59
The smallest territory in the Pacific has joined others in protecting the region's whales and dolphins by signing a memorandum of understanding at a meeting of signatories to the Convention of Migratory Species. But it's hoped that eco-tourism, including whale watching, might provide much needed income for the tiny British island if a regular shipping service can be arranged.
