Asia News Digest
Bush's New Headache in Pakistan
The Bush Administration is in a fix. It cannot repair things in Afghanistan, or in Pakistan. While Afghan Transitional President Karzai is not blamed for the seemingly insoluble problems in his country, there are many in Washington who are ready to go after another ally, President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan.
Musharraf is a staunch ally of the United States. He has stuck his vulnerable neck out to go after the al-Qaeda, Taliban, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Harkatul Mujahideen and many other fundamentalist groupings whom, in his earlier days, he nurtured and made grow. He shifted his stance because, after Sept. 11, and the Bush Administration's decision to eradicate the Islamic fundamentalists in Afghanistan under al-Qaeda and the Taliban, he was simply asked to collaborate. It is likely that he never asked what would happen if he did not. Thereafter, he banned the fundamentalists, but allowed them to function. In other words, he never resisted Washingtonbut neither did he endanger his own life too much.
In fact, Musharraf's pledging of allegiance to Washington goes back to Oct. 12, 1999, when he took control of Pakistan by ousting the duly electedbut highly incompetent and corruptPrime Minister Nawaz Sharif. At the time, Musharraf assured Washington that he would reciprocate favors. How this all worked out is not for us to know. But remember the old adage: There cannot be a coup in the United States, because there is no U.S. embassy there.
Simply put, Musharraf does not want to antagonize Washington, and has burdened himself with immense trouble to please the Bush Administration. But in 1999, he promised President Clinton that Pakistan would go for general elections in October 2002 and bring back parliamentary democracy.... - The Murky Election Scene -
Between October 1999 and today, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. Musharraf has allowed the U.S. bases in Pakistan, allowed the FBI to set up a large number of offices in Pakistan, and deployed Pakistani soldiers to hunt down his former beneficiariesal-Qaeda and the Taliban. All this did please Washington. But it did not please many inside Pakistan, particularly the fundamentalists and the outright terrorists, who had been getting the direct help of the Armywhich Gen. Musharraf headed, and still heads.
In order to "save" Pakistan from the marauding terrorists and "corrupt" political leaders, Musharraf has made clear that he needs more power than the 1973 Constitution offers. He set up a National Reconstruction Board (NRB) to amend the Constitution. Acting on the "advice" of the NRB, Musharraf has now made himself President and chief of the armed services till 2007; has acquired the power to dismiss an elected Parliament, and to appoint and sack heads of important Constitutional officespowers previously vested in an elected Prime Minister.
Earlier, Musharraf had seen to it that Nawaz Sharif, now in forced exile in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was convicted of corruption; that Mrs. Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister self-exiled in Dubai, was convicted of corruption and embezzlement; and that Altaf Hussain, head of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), self-exiled in London, was convicted of criminal activities. While Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif head the two most powerful political parties, the PPP and PML(N), respectively, the MQM may sweep the polls in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and some other cities of Sindh. Musharraf has said all three leaders will be thrown in dungeons if they ever show up in the country.
President Musharraf would have been on a strong footing if the people of Pakistan had rejected not only these leaders, but also the parties. But it happens that private polls show the PPP would sweep the elections in October. That has emboldened Mrs. Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, and they have formed an alliance to fight the elections together. Even more threatening, Mrs. Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, and his exiled brother, Shahbaz Sharif, have filed their nomination papers from abroad. All are making pronouncements that they will return to Pakistan, no matter what Musharraf does to them. What is evident is that a showdown is in the offing.
So Musharraf, beside strengthening his hand, has helped to float a political party, the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam), or PML(Q), whose objective is to inveigle and bring aboard the leaders of the PPP and the PML(N), and emerge as top party in the October vote. However, PML(Q), known widely as the "King's Party," is trailing badly in private polls. Musharraf is reportedly shaken up and has met quietly with some of the leaders of the "banned" fundamentalist groups, urging them to get support of all the orthodox Islamic groups on behalf of the King's Party.
This may work, or not. If it does not work, which means the PPP, or the PPP-PML(N) combine, comes in with a heavy majority, Musharraf has no choice but to exercise his new powers and sack the whole kit and caboodle.
Herein lies Washington's headache. There are many things Washington can ignore, but it cannot ignore the trashing of democracy. Washington remained silent watching Musharraf set up the chessboard, but it gets awfully uneasy to see the game played wholly unfairly. Hence, Washington is pressing Musharraf to hold a fair voteand Musharraf does not see how he can do so, if the end result leads to all-out conflict with the United States.
In Asia, Proliferation of Rights Tribunals No Guarantee of Justice or Truth
Since the 1990s establishment by the United Nations of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, human rights tribunals have been negotiated for a trial of former leadersof the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, of Sierra Leone, and, most recently, of newly independent East Timor, formerly part of Indonesia.
The East Timor case suggests that while enormous media attention went into reporting the atrocities committed in those nations, the same intensity of focus is distinctly lacking when it comes to following ensuring the "international standards" so nauseatingly cited by NGOs, when it comes to the prosecution and defense of those who stand accused.
Outgoing UN Human Rights Chief Mary Robinson recently visited East Timor and Indonesia, harshly criticizing the initial results from the ad hoc tribunal Indonesia created in Jakarta to try 18 military officers, officials, and civilians, including militia members charged with crimes committed after the August 1999 referendum vote in East Timor, which paved the way for the province to become an independent state.
Robinson declared the initial results of those trials "not satisfying" because six officers, including former Regional Police Commander Brig. Gen. Timbul Silaen, were acquitted, and Indonesia's former governor in East Timor, Abilio Soares, received only a three-year sentence, rather than the 10 years-plus sought by the Indonesian judges.
The East Timor case makes clear that "international standards," in the eyes of the human rights mafia, mean convictions, not necessarily truth and justice.
The UN has its own tribunal in East Timor, set up under the UN Transitional Authority for East Timor, which was the de facto government from the August 1999 referendum until East Timor became independent in May 2002. Under the UN "Serious Crimes Panel," which is staffed by East Timor and international judges, some 50 militia members are awaiting trial.
A report prepared by Prof. David Cohen for the East West Center in Hawaii makes clear that convictions, especially of "top-level" officials, more especially Indonesian military officers, is an unstated priorityi.e., an assault on Indonesia's sovereignty.
Professor Cohen reports that the UN's East Timor tribunal has been funded to the tune of approximately $6,300,000, compared to the annual budgets for the Yugoslavia and Rwanda tribunals of $100,000,000 each, and $20,000,000 for Sierra Leone. Of the East Timor funds, $6 million is allocated to the prosecution and $300,000 to the tribunal itself, which Cohen explains means the salaries of the international judges. There are no law clerks, research assistants, secretaries, administrators, court reporters, or facilities for research, and scarcely room for judges and staff.
The Timorese judges have no prior judicial experience of any kind; there have not been enough judges to hear cases and appeals for 18 months.
The best that can be said of the defense is it's almost nonexistent. Cohen reported that no one in the Public Defender's office or the UN administration in East Timor even knew if any budget exists for the defense. Timorese in the Public Defenders' office have no trial experience, little if any familiarity with criminal law, and no background in humanitarian law.
Furthermore, without a budget, the defense is unable to bring witnesses, such that not a single witness was called in any of the first 14 trials. The absence of funding means there are no transcripts from any of the trials so far completedkey for any appeals. The problem is compounded by the use of five languages in the proceedings.
Contrary to Mary Robinson and the lynch-mob impetus, East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao has repeatedly appealed for reconciliation among the Timorese themselves, and between East Timor and Indonesia. The judge overseeing the trials in Indonesia told the press the reduced sentence of three years imposed on the former Governor had been based on "justice, not revenge," and that President Gusmao had personally written to the justices urging them not to hold the Governor responsible for the violence, and calling for reconciliation.
Russians Pursue Economic Development Ties for Korean Peninsula, Mideast
The recent visit of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il to eastern Russia represented another significant step forward, toward building the ties for new economic infrastructure projects in the area. Russia's Vladimir Putin and the North Korean leader met for three hours in Vladivostok, focussing, according to Putin, on economic development, and in particular the rail link between South Korea and the Trans-Siberian Railway through North Korea.
Russian refining of oil in North Korea, transport of cargo via North Korean ports, agriculture and forestry projects, and possible cooperation on electricity, are said to be under discussion. Kim was accompanied by his Army Chief of General Staff Kim Yong Chung, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Sok Ju, and Minister of Railways Kim Yong Sam.
The rail links between North Korea and South Korea, and between North Korea and Russia, are crucial to the global development project called the Eurasian Land-Bridge, which has been identified by Lyndon LaRouche as key to peace and prosperity for the world economy. South Korea has been avid for the project, which President Kim Dae Jung calls the "Iron Silk Road."
Given its status as the Eurasian nation, Russia has a crucial role to play in this, but has played it only intermittently under President Putin.
But Moscow has moved to deepen economic ties with all its neighbors, including those to the south and west. Recently, Russia made headlines by announcing the impending conclusion of a $40-billion deal with Iraq. The five-year agreement focusses on cooperation in oil, electrical energy, chemical products, irrigation, railroad construction, and transport.
In July, Russia also announced it plans to build five new nuclear power plants in Irandespite the fact that the Bush Administration is demanding it cancel the Bushehr power plant project on which it is currently working.
And Russia is working on expanding ties to China. Russian Prime Minister Kasyanov met Aug. 21 in Shanghai with his Chinese counterpart, Zhu Rongji. He announced that each Prime Minister will take charge of the most important Chinese-Russian economic projects, including the "strategic oil pipeline" from Siberia to China. When operational, that pipeline will carry between 20 and 30 million tons of oil from Russia to China each year.
Interviewed for the Aug. 20 People's Daily, Kasyanov said the two countries' bilateral trade would exceed last year's record of $10.7 billion, but Russia anticipates tripling trade to $35 billion per year by 2006. Arms sales will continue to be the biggest component, but the share of energy cooperation will rise dramatically.
Efforts Underway To Restart Rail Construction Between the Koreas
The discussions with Russia reported above follow a series of developments between North and South Korea. "Seoul Offers Military Talks To Restart Rail Construction" was the headline in the Korea Times newspaper Aug. 12. The Aug. 12-14 summit in Seoul of the Unification Ministers between North and South Korea began well, with South Korea proposing minister-level military talks this month, in order to begin physical reconnection of rails and roads between the Southern capital of Seoul, and the Northern capital of Pyongyang, next month. "We stressed the importance of re-linking the Seoul-Shinuiju Railway within the year," a Seoul Unification Ministry spokesman told the press after the meeting.
South Korea urged the North to speed up work on its part of the rail link, he said, and again proposed to provide the North with equipment for mine clearing and rail ties. "Therefore, we offered the early opening of working-level military talks. Such talks could also produce confidence-building measures between the two Koreas to prevent a repeat of the recent deadly naval clash," he said.
A recent report by the Russian government on existing North Korean rail segments stressed that the country's rail line will require thorough overhaul to be used for transit between South Korea, North Korea, and Russia, and also offered to help rebuild the entire line.
The North's delegation has been unusually upbeat, and it is expected that South and North will be able to resume Economic Ministers' cooperation talks Aug. 26-31, officials said. "Let's rack our brains to come up with solutions, rather than presenting new problems," Seoul Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun told his North Korean counterpart Kim Ryong-song on arrival. "I bring a lot of gifts, and am willing to present them. Please help us a lot this time, so I can part with a lot of these gifts!" Kim replied. "Let's do our best to arrive at conclusions as soon as possible."
The last minister-level talks in November ended in sharp disagreement over South Korea's security alert after the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S., which made it impossible for Northern Chairman Kim Jong-il to visit Seoul as planned. Seoul lifted the alert in December in a goodwill gesture. Now both are trying to beat the "impossible deadline" of South Korea's Presidential election Dec. 19, which could bring in the "utopian" war candidate Lee Hoi-Chang. President Kim Dae-jung's party lost heavily again in the Aug. 8 by-elections.
Progress on China's Shanghai Maglev Train
China took delivery from Germany of the first section of its magnetic-levitation (maglev) train Aug. 9, for the 66-km Shanghai maglev project. China has so far bought three trains from the German ThyssenKrupp, Siemens, and government consortia.
The maiden voyage of the maglev is planned for New Year's Day 2003. The train will open to the public later next year. The Chinese side still has to complete two more kilometers of track, before the first train can run.
Taiwan President Continues Anti-China Provocations
President Chen Shui-Bian appeared at a political rally with his predecessor, separatist and "democrat" Lee Teng-hui, in Taipei Aug. 11, and, although he did not repeat his Aug. 3 call for a referendum on the future of Taiwan, he blustered to the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), "We will not be intimidated."
Lee, who founded the TSU, repeatedly made the provocative statement that Taiwan and China have a "state-to-state relationship." Lee also wants to call Taiwan the Republic of Taiwan.
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