June 2007
HONG KONG: Cheap labour a bonus for HK furniture
Updated 28/06/2007 19:24:02
In the ten years since the Hong Kong handover China has become a global force, and is known as 'the factory of the world'. That role is benefiting Hong Kong, where businesses are taking advantage of cheap labour available on the mainland.
FIJI: Lawyer fears for future of judiciary
Updated 28/06/2007 19:24:06
An Australian lawyer recently deported from Fiji says he fears for the future of Fiji's appeals court. Dr John Cameron says he also has concerns that other expatriate lawyers will be barred from working in Fiji. Dr Cameron was deported this week by Fiji's Immigration department for "working without a proper work permit". However, he believes he was deported because of his involvement in three high profile court cases.
EAST TIMOR: Relative calm ahead of poll
Updated 28/06/2007 20:07:13
In East Timor, half a million people will cast their votes on Saturday to elect their second government since gaining independence just five years ago. If no single party emerges as a clear winner, it could take weeks to negotiate the coalitions needed to form government. It's hoped the relative calm of the campaign period will be extended and there will be an end in sight to the social and political instability of the past year.
CHINA: Australian win battles for booming market
Updated 28/06/2007 19:23:58
Two years ago Chinese wine consumption was, on average, one glass per person. But since China's move into the World Trade Organisation and the subsequent lowering of tariffs in the country, wine imports have boomed. It has created a great opportunity for the internationally-renowned Australian wine industry, but there are obstacles, including a drinking culture famous for its strong white spirits.
ASIA: Upsurge in dengue fever
Updated 28/06/2007 19:23:58
Across the Southeast Asia, there's an upsurge in dengue fever. The painful, debilitating and sometimes fatal mosquito-borne disease has returned with a vengeance to Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam. Tens of thousands have been infected; there have been scores of deaths. In Singapore, it's officially at epidemic proportions and there are fears the outbreak is yet to peak.
ASIA PAC: Airlines urged to improve their environmental credentials
Updated 27/06/2007 19:36:52
Airlines in the Asia Pacific region are being encouraged to improve their environmental credentials. An Australian aviation think-tank has called for the airline industry to introduce its own carbon emission programs. The Hodgkinson Group is calling for airlines to introduce a strategy where money generated through emission offsets is spent on technological change within the industry and on improving the environment. The Australian airlines Qantas and Jetsar are in the process of introducing carbon offset schemes - a similar measure was announced earlier this year by Cathay Pacific.
CHINA: Environment rehabilitation a model for Africa
Updated 27/06/2007 19:36:35
China has provided a model for environmental rehabilitation that is now being adopted in parts of Africa. Over the past decade, the Loess Plateau has been transformed from a barren moonscape, to a fertile agricultural landscape. Chinese-American cameraman John Liu, is director of the Beijing-based Environmental Education Media Project, which has documented the transition.
AUSTRALIA: Government bans import of kava
Updated 27/06/2007 19:36:44
Australia is banning imports of the kava, the traditional drink of the South Pacific. Imports of kava have grown rapidly over the last decade, with the lip-numbing drink adopted by aboriginal communities in northern Australia. The kava root is a member of the pepper family and is cultivated across the South Pacific, where it's chewed or mixed with water.
CHINA: Beijing Olympic Security all set
Updated 27/06/2007 19:37:14
Security planning for the Olympic Games in Beijing is well advanced according to the man in charge. Liu Shao Wu, the Director of the Security Department of the Beijing Olympic Organising Committee has finalised 52 security plans all up and testing the system is now "in full swing". A 25 year veteran of the Beijing Police Force, Commander Liu shares with Australia's Peter Ryan the distinction of being one of the few police officers to be put in charge of Games security.
SRI LANKA: Ongoing military action restricts peace hopes
Updated 27/06/2007 19:36:57
Sri Lankan government forces and Tamil Tigers rebels are continuing their battle despite renewed international efforts to revive the peace process. Sri Lanka's main foreign donors, the United States, the European Union, Japan and Norway, are meeting in Oslo to try to get the two sides back to the negotiating table. A former US ambassador to Sri Lanka says, however, the military situation on the ground now means the donors' have little room to manoeuvre.
CHINA: President promises to bridge the gap between rich and poor
Updated 27/06/2007 19:37:06
China's President Hu Jintao vowed to pursue political reform in a major address delivered this week. The speech promoted a gradualist vision of political and economic change, in which he embraced greater political participation by ordinary people but ruled out any steps toward Western-style democracy. Analysts say the speech is a precursor to the 17th Party Congress this November where he will unveil his agenda for the next five years.
AUSTRALIA: University partners Indian bio-tech giant for research
Updated 26/06/2007 20:17:21
Deakin University, in the Australian city of Melbourne, has joined forces with India's largest biotechnology company, Biocon, to establish a partnership designed to facilitate industry-driven research. The partnership includes a bio-processing facility in Melbourne and a research institute in India's booming IT-industry city of Bangalore.
SINGAPORE: Mobile phones go multi-media
Updated 26/06/2007 20:17:14
When is a mobile phone NOT a mobile phone? when it is a mobile multi-media computer. In an age when social buzzwords evolve around here and now, and everyone wants to be 'connected', phones are taking on a brand new look.
THAILAND: Former PM faces arrest after refusing to return home
Updated 26/06/2007 20:17:58
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will not be returning to Thailand from Britain to face criminal charges. Mr Thaksin had previously said he would return and defend himself against charges of tax evasion and corruption. The Thai military government which ousted Thaksin in a coup last year intends to issue an arrest warrant if he fails to show up.
VIETNAM: Roads among Asia's deadliest
Updated 26/06/2007 20:17:32
Vietnam's economic boom is having unwanted side effects with the number of traffic deaths surging every year. As more people become mobile they chance their lives on the country's chaotic roads. But now the government is starting to get serious with moves to enforce helmet wearing nationwide.
CAMBODIA: Khmer Rouge Tribunal staff to appeal salaries within months
Updated 26/06/2007 20:17:47
There's been a breakthrough in a salary dispute that threatened to disrupt the trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders. Some tribunal staff were worried by potential plans to cut staff salaries, to ensure a 56 million US dollar budget would last three years the process is expected to take.
CHINA: Concern about press freedom under new emergency law
Updated 25/06/2007 20:43:52
China is reviewing the controversial draft of an emergency response law which bans the spread of "false information" during accidents and disasters. Critics of the laws are worried they could act to further curb press freedom in a country where the media operates within strict written and unwritten laws. When the law was first drafted a year ago many newspapers criticised the proposal for the limits it would place on their ability to report public health emergencies and natural disasters.
AUSTRALIA: Committee urges ratification of Indonesia-Australia treaty
Updated 25/06/2007 20:44:25
An Australian Parliamentary committee has recommended ratification of an broad security treaty with Indonesia - but emphasised what it calls "widespread concerns" about human rights in Indonesia. The Parliament's Standing Committee on Treaties was reporting on the Indonesia-Australia Framework Agreement for Security Cooperation, which was signed in Lombok in November. One of the five bipartisan recommendations from the Treaties Committee refers specifically to problems in the Indonesian province of Papua.
SRI LANKA: Pro-Tamil Tigers website shut down
Updated 25/06/2007 20:43:41
In Sri Lanka, the pro-Tamil Tigers website, TamilNet, has been blocked. The website is not accessible inside the country, and while the Sri Lankan government has denied involvement in the outage, one minister joked that he had failed to find hackers to do the job. If the government is behind the move, it will be the first time internet-based media in Sri Lanka has been targeted in such a way.
JAPAN: Government history changes infuriates residents
Updated 25/06/2007 20:43:41
Lawmakers from Japan's southern island of Okinawa are furious at a government decision to tone down part of its wartime history. A resolution urges the scrapping of accounts that fanatical soldiers ordered civilians to commit suicide on Okinawa - the site of one of world war two's bloodiest battles. In March, the education ministry also ordered publishers of high school textbooks to modify their descriptions of the suicides.
EAST TIMOR: 14 parties running for elections
Updated 25/06/2007 20:44:41
Less than a week out from the polls on Saturday, it's still difficult to pick a possible winner from the 14 parties running for election in East Timor.
The dominant party Fretilin is facing stiff competition from the new National Congress for East Timorese Reconstruction or CNRT, whose leader is the former popular President Xanana Gusmao. Yet neither party is likely to be able to form a government in their own right and a coalition will have to be negotiated with the smaller opposition parties.
EAST TIMOR: Australia urged to help avert food crisis
Updated 25/06/2007 20:44:53
East Timor will have a new government this weekend after an election seen as crucial to the country's stability. The new administration will be confronted with a major challenge from day one, as a looming food shortage threatens not only hunger among the poor but could threaten national security as well. The World Food Program estimates there's a production shortfall of 30 per cent in East Timor's main food grains and is about to launch an international appeal for aid.
AUST: WTO talks near complete breakdown
Updated 25/06/2007 20:50:00
Negotiations to further liberalise world trade have suffered a serious setback after the collapse of talks between four of the major players.
A meeting in Germany between the United States, the European Union, India and Brazil broke up amid accusations none was prepared to take the necessary steps to unblock the talks. Australia's trade Minister, Warren Truss, travelled to Germany to join the meeting along with Japan.
AUSTRALIA: Blackhawk Inquiry told pilot was tired before crash
Updated 22/06/2007 19:03:43
It has not been a great week for the Australian Defence Force. This week, a scathing report found a deficient safety culture led to the deaths of nine servicemen and women after the Navy Sea King helicopter they were on crashed two years ago. And a separate Board of Inquiry has only just begun to try and get to the bottom of why an Army Blackhawk Helicopter crashed 6 months ago - killing the pilot and an SAS Trooper.
While that Inquiry has several more weeks to run, it has already heard evidence that the pilot had been feeling tired in the lead up to the accident.
US: Security concerns prompt new China trade rules
Updated 22/06/2007 19:03:52
National security concerns about China's militarisation are behind America's decision to tighten regulations on military technology sales. The US has set up a list of 20 product groups that now require end-use validation which means any American company selling technology directly to China, or through a third country, must prove that the technology will not be used to boost China's military power.
INDONESIA: Sesame Street moves to Indonesia
Updated 22/06/2007 19:06:34
Sesame Street is the longest running television show in entertainment history, reaching millions of children in over 120 countries. Filming of the Indonesian version, 'Jalan Sesama', has begun in the capital Jakarta. With its focus on literacy, cultural diversity and environmental degradation the program will fill a yawning gap in the local children's television market.
WASHINGTON: Researchers eye Pakistan's third plutonium reactor
Updated 22/06/2007 19:03:22
Researchers say Pakistan appears to be building a third plutonium production reactor at its Khushab nuclear site in Punjab in order to build more powerful atomic bombs. The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security says the construction was seen on commercial satellite imagery. A spokesman for the research group says Pakistan may have concluded that it needs to improve the quality of its nuclear arsenal and build a new generation of lighter, more powerful weapons.
AUST: WTO talks near complete breakdown
Updated 22/06/2007 19:04:10
Negotiations to further liberalise world trade have suffered a serious setback after the collapse of talks between four of the major players.
A meeting in Germany between the United States, the European Union, India and Brazil broke up amid accusations none was prepared to take the necessary steps to unblock the talks. Australia's trade Minister, Warren Truss, travelled to Germany to join the meeting along with Japan.
TIBET: China admits Buddha statue destroyed
Updated 21/06/2007 19:38:26
Authorities in China have made a rare acknowledgement that armed Chinese police demolished a giant Buddha statue at the ancient Samye monastery in Tibet. New Chinese regulatory measures outlaw the construction of outdoor religious statues by individuals. A special envoy for Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, says the statue's destruction was another example of aggressive Chinese enforcement in Tibet.
ASIA PACIFIC: Mothers encouraged to breastfeed
Updated 21/06/2007 19:39:38
Two key United Nations agencies are pushing the benefits of breastfeeding to improve the health and survival rates of babies and young children in the Pacific and in east Asia. The World Health Organisation and UNICEF are calling for a regional strategy to increase child survival, with breast feeding considered the best form of protection.
INDONESIA: Jakarta tipped to follow Australian warship plan
Updated 21/06/2007 19:42:32
Earlier this week, the Australian government unveiled plans spend 11 billion dollars on five Navy warships. Three of the ships will have the capability of shooting down ballistic missiles - while the other two amphibious ships are able to land a thousand troops by sea and air. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says other nations in the region shouldn't see the programs as a sign of hostile intent, rather it represents Australia's defence commitment to the region.
ASIA PACIFIC: UN agencies push for more breastfeeding
Updated 21/06/2007 19:41:55
Two key United Nations agencies are pushing the benefits of breastfeeding to improve the health and survival rates of babies and young children in the Pacific and in east Asia. The World Health Organisation and UNICEF are calling for a regional strategy to increase child survival, with breast feeding considered the best form of protection.
CAMBODIA: Human cost in development relocations
Updated 21/06/2007 19:42:47
Cambodia's international donors have pledged $US690 million in aid to the impoverished nation over the next year. The pledge came after the Prime Minister, Hun Sen, told the meeting he would get 'in touch' with the fight against corruption and land disputes. But his commitment has not impressed the human rights organisations that work with Cambodia's poorest populations, who say donors should demand actions and not words.
THAILAND: Criminal charges laid against former PM and wife
Updated 21/06/2007 19:42:53
Thai prosecutors have formally laid charges criminal corruption charges against ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It's the first case against the ousted leader to reach court since last September's coup. The charges against Mr Thaksin and his wife Pojaman centre on a controversial land purchase in 2003.
AUSTRALIA: Broadband plan not an instant fix; critics
Updated 21/06/2007 19:42:39
Australia remains years behind its Asian neighbours when it comes to fast internet services - and the Government's two-billion dollar plan wont be an instant fix. The plan, announced this week, has been welcomed in most quarters. According to critics, the building of a broadband telecommunications network will still take at least two years to bring Australia into line with other developed nations.
MALAYSIA: Former high-flyer stands trial
Updated 20/06/2007 19:56:31
A Malaysian court has been told that a former advisor to the deputy prime minister ordered two police officers from an elite bodyguard unit to murder his former mistress. The remains of model, Altantuya Shaariibuu, were found in a jungle clearing near Kuala Lumpur last November in a case that has set off a media storm.
PNG: PM admits being chairman of a logging corporation
Updated 20/06/2007 19:56:35
Now to a verbal back flip that could cost Sir Michael Somare the Papua New Guinea leadership at this month's elections. Despite previous denials by the veteran leader that he has no financial ties to the country's controversial logging industry, Prime Minister Somare now says he is chairman of a logging corporation in is home province. The admission puts Sir Michael in a compromising position as leader of a country which conservationists claim allows illegal and unsustainable logging.
PAKISTAN: Rushdie honour upsets Muslim world
Updated 20/06/2007 20:10:29
There has been a dramatic escalation in the row involving "The Satanic Verses" author, Salman Rushdie - whose novel angered the Muslim world in the late 1980's. Britain's decision to award him a knighthood has already led to demonstrations in Muslim countrIes throughout Asia, with protesters demanding the honour be revoked. In Pakistan, the parliament passed a unanimous decision condemning the award and the country's religious affairs minister has warned it could lead to suicide bombing attacks.
AUSTRALIA: Warships not a sign of hostile intent
Updated 20/06/2007 19:56:43
Australia has announced an eleven-billion dollar program to buy five new ships for the Australian Navy. Three Airwarfare Destroyers - with the capability to shoot down ballistic missiles - will cost eight billion dollars. The Navy will also get two of the world's largest amphibious ships able to land a thousand troops by sea and air, at a cost of three billion dollars. The Australian Government says other nations in the region should not see the programs as a sign of hostile intent, rather of Australia's defence commitment to the region.
SINGAPORE: Computer art expo showcases Asian talent
Updated 20/06/2007 19:56:31
Singapore is currently hosting Asia's largest Computer Graphics conference. Now in its second year, CG Overdrive showcases the best in the computer art business especially from the region. The conference includes forums, workshops and the showcasing of software, hardware and artistic talents and young hopefuls from around Asia are hoping that companies and design houses will notice their talent.
VIETNAM: First bird flu death in 12 months
Updated 19/06/2007 20:19:19
Bird flu appears to be making a comeback with fresh reports of cases in Asia. A man died in Indonesia last week and the virus has shown up in birds in Burma and at a market in Hong Kong. And Vietnam announced its first human death from the H5N1 virus in more than a year - a 20-year-old man near the capital Hanoi.
ASIA PACIFIC: Danger of building an APEC trade bloc
Updated 19/06/2007 20:19:27
21 Asia Pacific economies of APEC are about to confront the hard questions involved in creating a free trade area of the Asia Pacific. Senior APEC officials will begin meeting in the Queensland city of Cairns this week, preparing for a meeting of APEC trade ministers in the first week of July. As an Australian diplomat, Andrew Elek, helped build the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation group in 1989, and has worked on APEC analysis ever since. He has warned any attempt to create a trade bloc across the Asia Pacific would wreck the regional grouping.
CAMBODIA: Donors told to attach conditions to aid
Updated 19/06/2007 20:19:35
International donors meeting in Cambodia are being told to get tougher on the Government as they deliberate on their annual aid contributions.
The Phnom Penh government has failed to meet its own anti-corruption rhetoric and its critics say the general population has little to show for the billions of dollars received in aid over the past decade.
PACIFIC: US accuses several countries of being tax havens
Updated 19/06/2007 20:19:13
The United States Congress is proposing tough new sanctions against nations deemed to be illegitimate tax havens. These include several Pacific nations - including Vanuatu, Nauru, Samoa and the Cook Islands. But critics say the tax systems of the US and other wealthy OECD nations are hardly a model of transparency themselves.
CHINA: Government focuses on child slavery
Updated 19/06/2007 20:19:13
Police in China have arrested more than 160 people, for alleged involvement in using child labour and slavery in brickworks and coal mines. The nation was shocked by the story of children kidnapped at train and bus stations and sold as slaves to businessess around China. Reports in the local Chinese media have made the government focus on a problem that is often ignored.
AUSTRALIA: US-Australian 'war games' off Queensland
Updated 18/06/2007 19:31:48
The Australian Defence Force and American Navy have officially launched a joint training exercise, designed to prepare both forces for any future instability in the Asia Pacific region. Operation Saber involves seven and a half thousand Australian Defence personnel and 20-thousand from the US Navy. The operation is taking place at the Shoalwater training area in the eastern Australian state of Queensland until the 2nd of July. Hawaiian activists have travelled to Australia to protest against the so called war games.
PHILIPPINES: EU mission to look at political/extra judicial killings
Updated 18/06/2007 19:36:09
Human rights experts from the European Union are in Manila today for the start of a 10 day mission to assess how to help stop political and extra judicial killings. Soldiers and police officers are blamed for many of the killings. The EU team will also look into the deaths of hundreds of journalists.
NEW ZEALAND: Kiwi dollar rebounds despite Central Bank intervention
Updated 18/06/2007 19:32:28
New Zealand's central bank is having little impact with its efforts to stop the rise and rise of the local currency. The Reserve Bank has sold the New Zealand dollar for a second time in a week in an attempt to bring it down from near record highs against other major currencies. The Bank's intervention had only a temporary effect and after a small correction, the "Kiwi" was trading above its opening price.
AUSTRALIA: No ASIAN alliance aimed at China
Updated 18/06/2007 19:32:40
Australia is denying any ambition to create a four-way alliance linking India with the United States, Japan and Australia. Australian ministers say Canberra wants to build bilateral security relations with India, but does not want to bring India into the existing trilateral security structure with the US and Japan. China is becoming increasingly vocal about what it sees as a so-called "alliance of democracies" by the four countries, aimed at containing China.
NORTH KOREA: Frozen funds released; UN inspectors invited back
Updated 18/06/2007 19:32:02
Talks aimed at coaxing North Korea to abandon its nuclear programme could continue in the coming weeks after the release last week of North Korean funds frozen in a bank account in Macau. The chief US negotiator in six-nation talks, Christopher Hill, has also welcomed Pyongyang's invitation to UN inspectors to its Yongbyon plant.
THAILAND: Pro-Thaksin supporters deliver demands to interim government
Updated 18/06/2007 19:32:09
Protesters linked to Thailand's ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra have delivered a letter to the country's military rulers demanding that the interim government resign and hold immediate elections. Members of the Democracy Alliance against Dictatorship submitted the letter to the secretary-general of the Thai army amid tight security in front of army headquarters in Bangkok.
NEPAL: Pain of war continues
Updated 15/06/2007 18:42:12
This Saturday marks one year since an important milestone in Nepal's peace process. The so-called Summit Talks were the first time Maoist chairman Prachanda appeared in public in the capital, to meet the Prime Minister and other political leaders. A comprehensive peace agreement was signed five months later. But for many families in Nepal, the pain of war continues.
NORTH KOREA: Progress in return of Macau funds
Updated 15/06/2007 18:42:20
There are signs of progress on a long-delayed deal to get North Korea to start shutting down its nuclear reactor. US$24 million in funds frozen in Macau, due to US financial sanctions, might finally be headed back to Pyongyang thanks to Russia's intervention.
CAMBODIA: Australian football coach asks to stay
Updated 15/06/2007 18:42:00
Australian coach Scott O'Donell is seeking another term with the Cambodian Football Federation. He's hung on through some difficult times, including a decision to replace the squad with one picked by Prince Norodom Ranariddh for the South East Asian Games, and he's helped move Cambodia up the FIFA league list.
JAPAN: Researchers create rice-based cholera vaccine
Updated 15/06/2007 18:42:00
Researchers in Japan say they have created a new rice-based based vaccine that could provide developing countries with a cheap and effective treatment against cholera. If it works, it could reduce the cost of storing and transporting vaccines by hundreds of millions of dollars every year.
INDONESIA: JI head in custody
Updated 15/06/2007 18:42:33
This week we reported on the Indonesian police breakthrough relating to Abu Dujana, one of the leaders of the Al Qaeda linked Jemaah Islamiah network. He was arrested with several others during a raid in Central Java. During the week, we interviewed Sidney Jones, the Indonesian director of the International Crisis Group. Dr Jones suggested that the actual head of JI is a man known by the name of Nuaim - along with a number of aliases. Police in Jakarta have now confirmed Nuaim, the leader of Jemaah Islamiah, is among those who were captured.
EAST TIMOR: PM stands by plan to increase military capacity
Updated 15/06/2007 18:42:49
East Timor's Prime Minister is standing by his commitment to increase the military capacity of the nation. A Report Force 2020, the equivalent of a defence white paper, caused recent controversy over its proposed three-thousand strong defence force and a navy equipped with missiles.
The Australian government was not directly consulted during the report's development and is reportedly confident the plan will never come to fruition.
FIJI: NZ High Commissioner forced to return to Wellington
Updated 14/06/2007 20:16:02
New Zealand's prime minister has expressed anger over Fiji's decision to expel High Commissioner Michael Green. Mr Green's being forced back to Wellington after being declared persona non-grata, by the interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. Prime Minister Helen Clark says she is worried about the safety of New Zealanders, living, working and holidaying in Fiji.
UNITED NATIONS: Reform of dysfunctional UN agencies
Updated 14/06/2007 20:16:08
The man who headed the World Food Program for a decade says the humanitarian agency was only able to get emergency food aid to the world's hungry after winning a huge bureaucratic battle with another UN agency, the Food and Agriculture Organisation. James Ingram says the war between the two UN bodies shows the difficulties of making UN agencies effective. In his new book on reforming the Food Program, Mr Ingram says the number of UN agencies should be cut, leaders should be restricted to seven year terms, and top jobs should no longer be reserved for particular countries.
CHINA: Children kidnapped and forced to work as slaves
Updated 14/06/2007 20:16:12
In China, a thousand children, some as young as eight, have been kidnapped and sold to work as slaves. According to the official People's Daily newspaper, the children were kidnapped near bus and train stations in the central province of Henan. It says hundreds of their parents have been risking their lives in the search for their children - who are reported to be working in a brick factory in a nearby province.
THAILAND: Political tensions rise ahead of planned rally
Updated 14/06/2007 20:16:16
Political tensions are on the rise in Thailand with supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra declaring they'll muster 50-thousand people for a Saturday street protest to call for the military junta to step down. There's some concern the demonstrations could turn violent.
INDIA: Booming property market attracting young criminals
Updated 14/06/2007 20:15:58
Is a changing of the guard taking place in the Mumbai Mafia? That's the question being asked as the star of India's most notorious mafia don, Dawood Ibrahim, appears to be waning and a new breed of young criminal bosses move in on the booming property and film businesses in Mumbai.
INDONESIA: Military moves into real estate speculation
Updated 14/06/2007 20:15:58
The Indonesian military has a long history of protecting mining companies' operations in resource-rich Papua. Now it appears the military is moving into a new area of commercial activity in the region - land speculation.
PAKISTAN: Inside the national military economy
Updated 13/06/2007 19:39:13
The United States has defended its support of the military-backed government of President Pervez Musharraf, saying it has faith in his efforts to implement political reform in Pakistan. Now, a respected Pakistani author has accused the government of blocking her new book about the military's grip on Pakistan's economy.
INDONESIA: Abu Dujana's capture confirmed
Updated 13/06/2007 19:39:18
Indonesian police have confirmed the capture of Abu Dujana, the man they believe heads the Jemaah Islamiyah organisation, which has been blamed for the Bali bombings. The confirmation came after days of uncertainty over whether he was among a number of suspected terrorists arrested in Central Java over the weekend. And while his arrest is being hailed as a significant breakthrough, not everyone is convinced Abu Dujana is JI's number one man.
CAMBODIA: Khmer Rouge trials to proceed
Updated 13/06/2007 19:39:23
In Cambodia, the long-awaited Khmer Rouge trials will now proceed after a panel of judges agreed on the legal framework. There are varying estimates, but it's widely believed there are 1.7 million victims of Pol Pot's genocide. The organisation which is running the trials of former Khmer Rouge leaders has now begun undertaking the formal investigation process. Melbourne QC, Rowan Downing, is one of the 19 international and Cambodian judges who will preside over the process in the months and possibly years to come.
AUSTRALIA: Canberra 'frustrated' over free trade negotiations with Chi
Updated 13/06/2007 19:39:27
Australia is expressing frustration at the tortuous progress of free trade negotiations with China. The Australian Trade Minister says it's time for China to demonstrate it is serious about achieving a bilateral trade deal. Warren Truss was speaking at the release of Australia's annual trade statement.
CHINA: Search for more names
Updated 13/06/2007 19:39:06
What's in a name? Well, quite a lot of confusion if you're the Chinese police. In a country of around 1.3 billion people, about 85 per cent of them share just 100 surnames and that is creating a headache for authorities who are backing moves to increase the number of names available.
INDONESIA: Migrant workers treated poorly
Updated 12/06/2007 20:48:19
There are an estimated 15 million migrant workers from Asia who have left their homeland in search of a better life abroad. Many of the workers are from the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and China. Often though, the domestic workers - mainly women - arrive at their destination to discover that what they've been promised is not being delivered. Recently, Indonesia's vice president Yusuf Kalla travelled to Hong Kong to assess the plight of some of the 109-thousand Indonesian women working there.
INDONESIA: Papua prisoners claim regular beatings
Updated 12/06/2007 20:48:28
Prisoners in the Indonesian province of Papua claim they are being badly mistreated. The claim has been detailed in a letter to the Papua Governor. The letter was also sent to a variety of Papuan and Indonesian NGOs, the Law and Human Rights Minister and the provincial police chief. It reportedly details poor prison conditions and regular beatings by the Indonesian guards.
THAILAND: Ousted PM to sue over frozen assets
Updated 12/06/2007 20:48:32
Thailand's deposed Prime Minister says he will sue for the return of more than a billion dollars frozen by the Thai authorities. A newly formed Assets Examination Committee has frozen 21 accounts of Thaksin Shinawatra and his family claiming their wealth had been obtained illegally. The Committee's action further complicates Mr Thaksin's life in exile and throws into doubt his bid to buy into the Manchester City Football Club.
PHILIPPINES: Villagers lobby for closure of Australian mine
Updated 12/06/2007 20:48:15
An elder from the remote Philippine island of Rapu Rapu has made his way to Melbourne to call on the Australian firm Lafayette to halt its mining operations. Antonio Mingoy Casitas has brought a petition signed by 3,000 fellow islanders demanding that the mine be shut down; they say it's polluted nearby land and waterways, and is causing widespread health problems.
BANGLADESH: Floods and mudslide toll rises
Updated 12/06/2007 20:48:15
Corruption and greed in Bangladesh's port city of Chittagong is in part being blamed for this week's floods and mudslides that have so far claimed more than 130 lives. Dozens of hillside homes have been buried after monsoon rains. Others have been swept away with many other houses collapsed in the worst disaster in over a decade.
THAILAND: Former PM still wants football club
Updated 12/06/2007 20:54:31
Thailand's deposed Prime Minister says he will sue for the return of more than a billion dollars frozen by the Thai authorities. A newly formed Assets Examination Committee has frozen 21 accounts of Thaksin Shinawatra and his family claiming their wealth had been obtained illegally. The Committee's action further complicates Mr Thaksin's life in exile and throws into doubt his bid to buy into the Manchester City Football Club.
INDONESIA: Key JI figures arrested in Central Java
Updated 12/06/2007 13:15:11
There has been a breakthrough for Indonesian police which have been hunting the new head of the terrorist organisation, Jemaah Islamiyah. The country's secretive anti-terror unit has confirmed the arrest of three people and they're trying to determine if Abu Dujana is among them. The three were arrested over the weekend during raids in Central Java. Police say the suspects are being held at a mission and formal identification is expected within days. Police spokesman Sisno Adiwinoto says although they're yet to determine if Abu Dujana is among the three in custody, they can confirm the arrest of one of his key aides, known as Yusron.
CHINA: 'Little Emperors' encouraged to dance to fitness
Updated 11/06/2007 19:57:37
During China's cultural revolution dancers were sent to work the fields and most forms of dance were banned for being decadent and bourgeois. Now, one of the dances most identified in the West with being posh - the waltz - is to be made compulsory in Chinese secondary schools in an ongoing campaign to make net-surfing 'little emperors' more active.
SOUTH KOREA: Seoul encouraged to embrace 'soft power' movement
Updated 11/06/2007 19:57:44
There are calls for South Korea to ditch its reliance on military hardware and embrace the soft power movement. The International Crisis Group, which works to prevent conflict worldwide, wants the influence of music, film, art and academia to extend the profile of the country.
FIJI: Ex-PM to attend Suva court hearing
Updated 11/06/2007 19:57:48
Fiji's ousted Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase says he will be travelling to Suva next week to attend a court hearing on the validity of last December's coup.
SRI LANKA: PM apologises over rounding up of Tamils
Updated 11/06/2007 19:57:52
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake has apologised for a government operation to expel Tamils from the capital, Colombo. Government forces last week rounded up 376 Tamils who they described as "temporary residents" of the capital, and sent them to the northern and eastern regions as a security precaution amid a worsening ethnic conflict. The action drew condemnation from rights groups and the government has vowed it will not happen again.
CHINA: Labour abuses claimed at merchandise factories
Updated 11/06/2007 19:57:55
Widespread labour abuses are taking place in China's factories producing merchandise for the Olympic Games. According to a new report by an international trade union alliance, children as young as 12 are being exploited and adults are paid half the legal wage in some cases. The alliance is demanding the Olympic Organising Committee take action to ensure labour standards are met in China and any country hosting the Olympic Games in future.
HONG KONG: Public service pay rise worries private sector
Updated 08/06/2007 18:51:06
In Hong Kong, the first pay rise for public servants in ten years has not been welcomed by the private sector. Employers say they will be forced to also pay higher wages and Hong Kong's competitiveness will suffer. Business groups are considering lobbying the parliament for it to continue a wages freeze.
EAST TIMOR: Military report questioned
Updated 08/06/2007 18:51:11
An advisor to East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta has questioned the accuracy of an Australian newspaper story about the so-called 'Force 2020 Report'.
EAST TIMOR: Report claims military build-up
Updated 08/06/2007 18:51:17
East Timor is reported to be considering the use of revenue from its oil and gas resources, to fund a 3000-strong military, including a navy equipped with missiles. A lead story in the Australian newspaper, was quoting from the so-called 'Force 2020 Report' which the newspaper says is in "limited diplomatic circulation."
INDIA: Tea workers die from malnutrition after losing jobs
Updated 08/06/2007 18:51:40
In India, a court inquiry has found 700 former tea workers have died from diseases linked to malnutrition over the past year. Investigations by the Supreme Court found poor production and low yields led to the closure of 16 tea gardens in a remote part of West Bengal state. It found many workers had lost their jobs and were left with no income to survive, while hundreds more are still starving.
ASIA PACIFIC: Flu focus for APEC health ministers
Updated 08/06/2007 18:50:58
The possibility of a flu pandemic has been top of the agenda at the APEC Health ministers meeting in Sydney. Australian Health Minister Tony Abbott says a record 12-ministers have attended the meeting.
CAMBODIA: Government bans forestry report
Updated 08/06/2007 18:50:58
In the lead up to a meeting with international donors later this month, the Cambodian government has banned a report by the environmental group Global Witness. The report purports to show how family members and business associates of Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior government officials are destroying Cambodia's forests.
PNG: Harmony Gold plans up to 2000 new jobs
Updated 07/06/2007 18:36:27
The world's fifth largest gold producer, Harmony Gold, is planning to significantly increasing its involvement in Papua New Guinea. The South African company is building the Hidden Valley gold mine in Morobe Province and has another major project in its Wafi Golpu gold and copper resource.
CHINA: Toxic bloom threatens waters off Shenzhen
Updated 07/06/2007 20:12:38
Officials in China are warning millions of residents to stay away from a huge toxic tide, which is a posing a serious health and pollution threat. The algal bloom, commonly referred to as 'red tides, has spread to coastal waters near Shenzhen, a bustling city across the border of Hong Kong. China Daily's newspaper says marine life has been killed and seafood from the area is likely to be contaminated. Swimmers are being warned to stay away from the 50 square kilometre bloom.
AUSTRALIA: Nuclear parties gather for talks in Adelaide
Updated 07/06/2007 20:12:39
The growing number of countries wanting to develop or expand their nuclear facilities, and the risk this poses to the non-proliferation regime, are on the agenda at a meeting of high-level nuclear experts over the next two days in the southern Australian city of Adelaide. The meeting follows a report by the Australian government's leading advisor on nuclear power, Ziggy Switkowski. He recommended Australia build up to 25 nuclear reactors over the next thirty years, to supply electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
PHILIPPINES: Counting almost over after May elections
Updated 07/06/2007 20:13:44
In the Philippines, counting is all but finished for the election held on May 14th. Ten seats in the half Senate election have been announced and as expected the upper house will be dominated by Senators opposed to the Government of Gloria Arroyo.
AFGHANISTAN: Outspoken broadcaster shot dead
Updated 07/06/2007 20:18:17
Outspoken Afghani broadcaster Zakia Zaki has been shot dead. Ms Zaki was an outspoken critic of the country's warlords and an advocate on women's rights. She had earlier been warned to shut down her radio station.
MALAYSIA: Top Chinese diplomat warns of US-led 'alliance of democracie
Updated 07/06/2007 20:19:23
A top Chinese diplomat and foreign policy analyst says the United States is trying to create an "alliance of democracies" in Asia in a dangerous effort to hedge against China. Former Ambassador Ma Zhengang is President of China's Institute of International Studies. He says the US is building up its alliances with Japan and Australia and reaching out to India to build up a so-called democratic bloc to deal with China.
BANGLADESH: Efforts to improve sanitation
Updated 06/06/2007 19:59:55
In the Asia Pacific region, up to 80-thousand children under the age of five die each year from poor sanitation. The aid organisation World Vision also estimates that a billion people around the world don't have access to clean water. In Bangladesh, efforts are underway to change all that, where non government organisations have joined forces with the government to offer children, and adults, greater hope of survival.
AUSTRALIA: World at new 'nuclear crossroads'
Updated 06/06/2007 19:47:51
Australia says the world is at a new crossroads in dealing with the challenge of nuclear weapons. It is one reason why the Defence Minister, Brendan Nelson is pushing Australia's participation in missile defence research by the United States and Japan. Dr Nelson says it's not just a matter of more states getting nuclear weapons, but now there's a danger of individuals getting their own nuclear materials.
INDONESIA: SBY, Ramos-Horta reiterate support for reconciliation
Updated 06/06/2007 19:47:43
East Timor's newly-elected president Jose Romas-Horta has visited Indonesia, exchanging pleasantries with president Susilo Bambang Yudhyono in Jakarta. President Jose Ramos-Horta and his Indonesian counterpart, Susilo Bambang Yudhyono, agreed to extend to mandate of the truth and reconciliation commission by another six months.
CAMBODIA: Aust agency trains UNICEF to fight child sex tourism
Updated 06/06/2007 19:47:17
An Australian agency working to stop child sex tourism in Cambodia has begun a training program for charities and United Nations agencies like UNICEF in a bid to prevent foreign sex offenders from getting jobs working with children.
PAKISTAN: President reins in media
Updated 05/06/2007 20:20:29
President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan has tightened controls on the country's media, amid a deepening political crisis over his suspension of Pakistan's chief justice. The emergency legislation broadens existing rules to cover the internet and mobile phones, and threatens private TV channels - which the army has accused of political bias - with stiff fines or being taken off the air altogether.
ASIA PAC: Climate change aid to help limit impact
Updated 05/06/2007 20:08:58
Some of the poorest and most vulnerable countries in the Asia Pacific have been given a financial boost to help limit the impact of climate change. Australia is among 16 donor countries which are contributing 115 million US dollars. The Australian aid body, AusAID, says the money will assist 50 countries - including Cambodia, Samoa and Kirribati to assess the likely impact of climate change.
FIJI: Coup six months on
Updated 05/06/2007 20:09:02
It's now half a year since Fiji suffered its fourth coup in 20 years. In recognition, politicians and journalists from Fiji have gathered in Canberra to mark the occasion.
MALAYSIA: Lunacy of an Asia Cold war
Updated 05/06/2007 20:15:30
Malaysia has backed Singapore's warning of the danger of a new Cold War in Asia, decrying the lunacy of any drift to violent confrontation. The Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi, says Asia faces fundamental shifts of power and stresses are building. Mr Abdullah was speaking to the Asia Pacific security roundtable.
CHINA: Sharemarket poised for more knee-jerk reactions
Updated 05/06/2007 20:15:18
China's sharemarket partly recovered Tuesday from the substantial falls of the past week. At one point total losses across the week amounted to 20 per cent or 500 Billion dollars in value after the government took steps last Wednesday to cool down investor exuberance. The recovery followed rumours authorities would delay the introduction of a capital gains tax for three years.
UNITED STATES: Authorities foil alleged plot to overthrow Laos govt
Updated 05/06/2007 20:15:26
Federal authorities in the United States believe they have uncovered an extraordinary plot to overthrow the government of Laos. Vang Pao, the veteran of the secret army and a leader of the Hmong community in the U-S is among nine people arrested, after they allegedly attempted to buy weapons and hire mercenaries from an undercover federal officer. The men are now facing life in prison.
MALAYSIA: Illegal immigrant group accused of human rights abuses
Updated 04/06/2007 20:21:09
Malaysia has refused to disband a controversial volunteer corps, despite coming under increasing pressure from human rights groups. Local human rights organisation Suaram is the latest to criticise the People's Volunteer Corps, known as RELA, which rounds up illegal immigrants. Suaram says it's leading to "rampant human rights violations and the sanctioning of a vigilante culture". But the government says the force is essential in combating the high number of illegal immigrants.
EAST TIMOR: Police blamed for activists' deaths
Updated 04/06/2007 19:58:25
An investigation is underway in East Timor into the murders of two men allegedly at the hands of members of the national police force. As the small nation enters its third election campaign this year, tensions are running high, as are fears that political violence will escalate. Last year, serious violence after the breakdown of discipline in the police and the army caused more than 30 deaths and led to the resignation of the Prime Minister.
INDONESIA: Political ambitions of young Wahid
Updated 04/06/2007 19:56:33
In Indonesian politics, the name Wahid still carries weight. Religious scholar Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur, was the country's fourth President for two years from 1999. He remains a driving force in the party he founded, the National Awakening Party, the PKB. Now his daughter, 31 year old Yenni could be following in her famous father's footsteps. She's been elected Secretary General of the Party her father founded.
SINGAPORE: Danger of US-China Cold War
Updated 04/06/2007 20:17:22
Singapore has warned of the danger of a new Cold War between China and the United States because of rising American protectionism. The possibility of confrontation was the danger scenario painted by Singapore's Prime Minister at the Asia Pacific Defence Ministers. And the Cold War reference was underlined by the news that Beijing and Washington are close to agreement on creating a "hot line". The US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, sounded a conciliatory tone at the Singapore talks, but still questioned China's military build-up.
CHINA: Beijing unveils climate change plan
Updated 04/06/2007 20:17:22
China is poised to take over from the United States as the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide. The unenviable feat is likely to be achieved sometime later this year. Beijing has now unveiled a number of measures to tackle Climate Change - including cutting energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 per cent within three years. It say that will be achieved through the increased use of nuclear power and coal fed methane. China will also increase renewable energy and forest coverage is also to be increased.
SINGAPORE: Asia Pacific security summit - Shangri-la dialogue
Updated 01/06/2007 17:32:32
The tone and temperature of United States military approaches to China will be on show in Singapore this weekend at the Shangri-la dialogue. The security summit brings defence ministers from across the Asia Pacific for the conference held by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Twenty six countries will be at the defence dialogue, but the star this year is expected to be the new US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates - just as his predecessor Donald Rumsfeld was the key speaker for the previous two years.
INDONESIA: Search for solution to mud flow disaster
Updated 01/06/2007 17:32:41
It's a year this week since a vast flow of boiling mud began bubbling out of the ground near Indonesia's second city of Surabaya. Depending on who you talk to, the disaster - which has so far displaced more than 15,000 people - was caused either by a drilling accident at a gas well, or an earthquake. During a year of allegations and counter-arguments, the vast torrent of sludge has continued to spread, burying nine villages, industrial areas and farms - and schools, mosques and offices. Now players from all sides - the Indonesian government, relief groups, the drilling firm Lapindo Brantas and scientists have gathered in the Australian city of Adelaide to find a solution.
INDONESIA: Marines deplored for killing protestors
Updated 01/06/2007 17:32:54
Indonesian human rights groups have deplored the actions of a group of marines who opened fire upon a crowd of protesters in East Java on Wednesday. Five people, including a young child, died in the incident which was sparked by the Navy's reclamation of land which locals say they have farmed for more than thirty years.
UNITED STATES: Japan threatens to quit world whaling body
Updated 01/06/2007 17:33:00
Japan is threatening to quit the International Whaling Commission and resume whaling along a number of its coastal communities. The threat was made at the annual IWC meeting which has now wrapped up in Anchorage, Alaska. Japan had argued that those coastal communities should be afforded the same status as native Alaskans, who have won the right to continue non-commercial whaling.
CHINA: Economist predicts China will be twice the size of US economy
Updated 01/06/2007 17:32:32
While the world watches in awe the dramatic growth in China - one leading international economist is predicting China will be twice the size of the U-S economy by 2030. That's far bigger than previous estimates. Economics Professor Ross Garnaut, from the Australian National University is also conducting an Australian version of Britain's 'Stern' inquiry into global warming. And he's arguing for the adoption of a global system of reductions - with the key measure being carbon dioxide emissions per head of population.
