Asia News Digest
India, Iran Back Karzai's Candidacy for Afghan President
On Oct. 4, chief of the Northern Alliance, and former President of Afghanistan, Burhanuddin Rabbani, a Tajik-Afghan and a close ally of both Iran and India, endorsed Afghan Interim President Hamid Karzai for President (elections took place Oct. 9). According to New Delhi, India strongly supports continuation of the Karzai Presidency. Karzai is not trusted in Pakistan, and from the available information, and claims made by some Afghan leaders, Pakistan is still protecting the Taliban faction within Afghanistan.
As a result of these developments, it is evident that Karzai is heavily favored to secure more than 50% of the votes, and emerge as the new President. However, the greatest threat to the election is the likelihood of a widespread violence orchestrated by the anti-U.S. and anti-Kabul forces. These include the followers of Taliban and many other Afghans who consider Karzai as a mere U.S. puppet, and the presence of 20,000 U.S. troops as an American occupation.
It is also apparent, that among those who oppose the election, are the drug-traffickers and the warlords. The traffickers fear that a strong Kabul will eventually work against their interests, and Karzai, under the thumb of the Western powers, will be left with no choice but to act against the poppy-growers.
The warlords, on their part, worry that this could be the beginning of the setting up of institutions, the first of which would be a large Afghan national army. The warlords thrive because of their militias and the drug money which supports, and enlarges them.
Hunger Stalks 15% of Filipino Households
The Philippines polling service, Social Weather Stations, reports that hunger has risen to record levels in the most populous island, Luzon, followed by rising acute need in the second-largest southern-most island, Mindanao.
The poll shows that one in every seven, or 15.1%, of heads of households polled in August 2004, said his family had nothing to eat at least once in the last three months, triple the number the in 2003. Rising incidence of hunger is fueled by sharply rising food and basic necessities costs, and costs of electricity and water.
The survey found the incidence of hunger in Mindanao rose to 23%, the highest in the country, and about four times the 5.3% level in September 2003.
In metro Manila, household heads reporting that their families went without food at least once over the past quarter, increased to 15.7%, compared to 7.3% almost a year ago. The rest of Luzon recorded an 11.3% incidence, up from 4.7%.
Musharraf Announces Shakeup of Senior Army Officers
On Oct. 2, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced a major reshuffle of the senior army officers of the rank of general and lieutenant general. The most important elements of the reshuffle include the retiring of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Vice-Chief of the Army Staff. Musharraf has just returned from an overseas trip that took him to the UN, United States, Holland, and Italy.
Gen. Mohammad Aziz Khan, the former Chief of the General Staff, a Kashmiri belonging to the Sudan tribe, was the most dangerous fundamentalist at that high level. Aziz Khan was one of the triumvirate when Musharraf was brought to power in a bloodless coup in 1999. Aziz Khan was the Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Usmani was the 10 Corps Commander in Rawalpindi (located about 10 miles east of Islamabad, the Rawalpindi Corps Commander always pulls the strings in Pakistan) and Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Ahmed. Both Mahmoud Ahmed and Usmani were removed after Sept. 11, 2001, at the behest of the United States. Aziz Mohammad Khan is dangerous because he runs the Kashmir infiltration job on the ground and has hired a large number of Kashmiri officers, who serve him more than they serve Islamabad.
This should make Washington happy. But at the same time, Musharraf retired Mohammad Yusuf Khan (known as "Joe" in the Pentagon and Agency circles) who is an absolute favorite of the Americans. The reason why Musharraf has done so, New Delhi contacts believe, is to take away the "option" from Washington. "Joe" got quite close to the Pentagon, and was considered by at least some as an "option" to replace Musharraf, if the Pakistani President starts disobeying Washington's diktats.
Finally, it should be noted that there exists no army officer in Pakistan above the rank of brigadier general today who has not been promoted by anyone else but Musharraf. So as some Pakistanis say, the "Bush and Mush Show" is proceeding according to schedule.
Twin Bombs Kill 39 at Sunni Meeting in Pakistan
Estimates are that 100 may have been injured in the blasts from a car bomb and a motorcycle bomb which exploded simultaneously, around 4:30 a.m. Oct. 7.
Around 1,000 members of an outlawed Sunni group were participating in the meeting to commemorate the first anniversary of the assassination of their leader Azam Tariq. The attack comes six days after 30 worshippers from the rival Shi'ite minority were killed by a suicide bomber as they prayed in the city of Sialkot. Police admit that they fear a revenge attack.
China Calls for Security Council Expansion
Speaking at the UN General Assembly last week, China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing proposed that the moves to reform the United Nations should help "accelerate [economic] development of the member states." He said: "China is in favor of expanding the Security Council and giving priority to a greater representation of the developing countries." China is one of the Permanent Five UNSC members, which also include the U.S., Britain, Russia, and France.
In New Delhi, China's statement was viewed against the backdrop of India and Japan, among the Asian nations, making common cause for becoming permanent members of the Security Council. The Hindu, which is close to the Indian Foreign Office, expressed the view Oct. 3, that China now wants to bring in countries to the Security Council who could be helpful to China, as well as to Asia (following the U.S. example, during the Cold War days). If the analysis is based on signals issued to the Indians by Beijing, it is a major development, particularly in light of the future China-Japan relations and toward building a common Asian security.
Khmer Rouge Genocide Trial One Step Closer
The Cambodian parliament successfully amended 29 laws to allow a trial of surviving senior Khmer Rouge leaders, only one day after the Cambodian government reached agreement with the United Nations on the procedures for putting on trial surviving leaders of the 1975-79 genocide. Two million Cambodians died from starvation, disease, and overwork during that period.
Currently only two surviving leaders are in custody, Ta Mok, a military commander and central committee member known for his brutality, and Kang Kech Leu, a.k.a. Duch, who ran the high school, turned into a prison and torture chamber.
Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998, but four surviving senior members live peacefully in the country, Khieu Samphan, 72, former head of state; his next door neighbor Nuon Chea, deputy secretary of the Central Committee; Sou Met and Meah Mut, both military commanders who may also have been central committee members.
The biggest obstacle to a trial now is money, with the trials expected to run up to $57 million, from international donors. Prime Minister Hun Sen has said his country can only provide the courtrooms, security, water, and electricity. Based on agreements with the U.N., the trials could last three years and involve a staff of 2,000. Needless to say, closure is a long way off.
French Foreign Minister Decries Afghan Drug Boom
Penning an op-ed published 72 hours before the landmark Presidential election is scheduled to be held in Afghanistan, French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has drawn a gloomy picture of the Afghan situation because of the relentless growth in poppy cultivation.
While most of the details about the growth of opium production in Afghanistan have been well-documented by now, what Alliot-Maries pointed out is that "no-go" areas are developing within the country to perpetuate criminal activities triggered by the drug money. The French Defense Minister also pointed out that the Taliban fighters are availing themselves of the drug money, and utilizing it in their fight against Kabul.
Alliot-Marie, after pointing out the necessity to build new irrigation systems which would enable the Afghan farmers to grow food, also urged the international community to organize the neighboring nations (Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan) to help prevent the "cross-border aspect of the drug scourge."
Thai Prime Minister Seeks To End Violence in South
Continuing violence in the three southern-most provinces of Thailand is stirring up frictions in the country's military command.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has made a number of personnel shifts recently, but the most important signal came from Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who floated the possibility of his resignation ahead of rumors of a cabinet reshuffle. Chavalit recently clashed with Defense Minister Chettha Thanajaro, who exercised a more aggressive approach to the continuing violence in the southern provinces.
There are indications that Thaksin was not satisfied with Chavalit's performance in curbing violence in the South. Chavalit has publicly spoken about stepping down and washing his hands of politics. Meanwhile, Thaksin is said to be backing Deputy Supreme Commander General Sirichai.
Thai Crown Prince Warns of Foreign Interference
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is the third member of the Thai royal family to travel to the troubled southern-most provinces to seek an easing of the violence in the last nine months.
The Crown Prince, addressing Muslim religious leaders and the Buddhist abbot of Wat Sai Khao, in Pattani's Province's Khok Pho district, said those behind the violence were people who had a misconception of Islamic teaching, and asked that the teachers correct those wrong beliefs.
Privy Councillor Palakorn Somsuwan, who accompanied the prince, said interference from abroad was partly to blame for the southern violence, but did not elaborate.
Prominent Filipino Denied Exit from U.S.
Prof. Abhoud Syed Lingga, chairman of the Bangsamoro People's Assembly from Mindanao, Philippines, was denied exit from the United States, Mindanews reported Oct. 5. Lingga, who is also head of the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies, had been invited to the U.S. by the prestigious Asia Society and the government-funded U.S. Institute for Peace, headed by Richard Solomon, together with other leading spokesmen for the Moro people, including Datu Michael Mastura, a former Philippines Congressman. They spoke at seminars in New York, Washington, and San Francisco, sponsored by USIP and the Woodrow Wilson Center. The trip was originally planned for last May, but Lingga was refused entry to the U.S. at that time, supposedly due to connections to the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), which the U.S. has placed on a terrorist list, against the wishes of the Philippines government, which is in peace talks with the MILF.
The trip was rescheduled for September, with assurances that Lingga would face no difficulties this time. Yet, as the group was returning to the Philippines on Oct. 1 from San Francisco, Lingga was refused exit. Mastura refused to leave without him, and he was then also detained. Both were questioned and their luggage searched, including a "one by one" search of all business cards and literature they had picked up in their meetings. They were allowed to leave the next day.
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