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- Southeast Asian pact exposes rifts [NY Times]
Southeast Asian leaders signed a charter here today that was drafted as a watershed document to bind the region together as a European-style economic community but has instead exposed the sharp divisions over Myanmar and other issues among the signatories. - Malaysia busts DVD lab in its biggest raid in 2007 [Reuters]
Malaysia has raided a laboratory capable of churning out $52 million worth of pirated DVDs a year in the nation's biggest such raid this year, a group representing major U.S. studios said on Tuesday. - Courts give Thai teachers 50 years for student gang rapes [AFP]
Two Thai teachers were each sentenced to 50 years in prison Tuesday for gang raping six of their students, who were as young as six years old, court officials said. - Facebook is now banned in both Iran and Syria. [Global Voices]
- Neighbors catch Japanese baby thrown from third floor [Asian Offbeat]
A Japanese baby girl escaped injuries in a fire that broke out here Monday after her parents tossed her from the third story of a burning home to residents below, moments before jumping to safety themselves. - Relief begins to reach victims of Bangladesh cyclone [Channel News Asia]
Urgently-needed supplies of food, water and medicine were Tuesday nearing people in remote areas of Bangladesh where a devastating cyclone has left millions homeless and thousands dead.
Photo from dc_cowgirl
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- Hong Kong Triad T-Shirt Gets Fashion Label in Hot Water [Asiaone.com]
The arrest of 18 employees of a Hong Kong lifestyle and retail chain over a controversial new line of T-shirts '14K' bearing the name of a well-known triad gang spurred an apology from the store's founder. - Pakistan - Besieged Musharraf plays for time [Asia Times]
Having opened a can of worms by declaring a state of emergency, Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf is now in a fix over what to do next. - Boy, Girl Ratio Imbalanced in Asia [CommercialAppeal.com]
The consequences are already happening in China, South Korea and Taiwan - they have to import brides, many of whom are coming from Vietnam. But where Vietnam could import brides from in the next 10 or 15 years? - Korea's 'Wise Mother' Chosen as Face Of New Currency [Asian Offbeat]
South Korea's central bank chose the face of Korean motherhood as the first woman to be featured on its banknotes, Shin Saimdang, known for raising a famed Confucian scholar and having a deft hand in painting, will grace the new 50,000 won ($55) note when it debuts in early 2009. - Myanmar tycoon denounces US sanctions [Channel News Asia]
Flamboyant Myanmar tycoon Tay Za Monday denounced US sanctions against his airline and other firms which he said would only hurt the people of the impoverished Southeast Asian nation.
Photo from Asian Offbeat
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- South Korea starts construction of space centre [Channel News Asia]
Asia's space race is heating up with China's latest launch of its first lunar orbiter. And neighbouring South Korea is working hard to catch up. - Malaysian police officer denies illegally amassing US$8m in assets [Channel News Asia]
The head of Malaysia's Commercial Crimes Investigation Division has denied allegations that he illegally amassed more than US$8 million in assets. - India rediscovers East Asia [Asia Times]
The visit of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe to India in August; India's multi-nation military exercise with the navies of Australia, Japan, Singapore and the United States in September following the trilateral naval exercises with Japan and the United States in April; and the planned visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to China following China's and India's first joint counter-terrorism training in November were all events confirming that India's "Look East" policy is in full swing. - Thailand heads for straitjacket elections [Asia Times]
The first parliamentary election to be held in Thailand since last year's military coup is generating excitement for all the wrong reasons. Political parties, the media and analysts are up in arms over a raft of restrictions imposed last week on candidates in the run-up to the December 23 poll. - Indonesian President Releases Music Album [Asian Offbeat]
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has released his first music album, a collection of love ballads and religious songs he wrote, state media said. The album, entitled "My Longing for You", contains 10 songs written by Yudhoyono after he became president in 2004 and features some of the country's popular singers, Antara news agency said. - Tajikistan - Expect the unexpected from the President [Eurasianet.org]
Locals cynically call him "papa," or praise him as their "king." Some expats, meanwhile, call him "big head." Whatever the moniker applied to him these days, Tajik President Imomali Rahmon is showing himself to be a man full of surprises.
Photo of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono from Asian Offbeat
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- Asia's papers keep newspaper flags flying [Asia Times]
With a little help from the Internet, the future of newspapers looks bright in Asia where seven of 10 of the world's best selling dailies are published, with China, India and Japan accounting for more than half. Advertisers, the lifeblood for newspapers, are also smiling. - Asian mega-cities to be swallowed up by sea [Asian Offbeat]
They include Dhaka, Bangladesh; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Shanghai (gosh!) and Tianjin in China; Alexandria and Cairo in Egypt; Mumbai and Kolkata in India; Jakarta, Indonesia; Tokyo and Osaka-Kobe in Japan. - Malaysia's Mahathir discharged after heart operation [Channel News Asia]
Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad was discharged from hospital Sunday, seven weeks after undergoing his second heart bypass surgery. - Bangkok: Canadian paedophile suspect mum over charges [Channel News Asia]
A detained Canadian paedophile suspect has said nothing about allegations that he sexually abused young boys across Southeast Asia, a Thai police official said Sunday. - China halts rail freight to N Korea [FT]
China suspended key rail freight services into North Korea last week after 1,800 wagons carrying food aid and tradeable goods crossed into Kim Jong-il’s hermit state but were never returned. - Australian PM denies pulling TV coverage of debate [Channel News Asia]
Australia's embattled prime minister John Howard Monday denied that a television network's coverage of an election debate was cut because a live graph showed he was losing to his opponent. - Record number of Chinese Muslims on pilgrimage to Mecca [China.org.cn]
A record number of more than 10,500 Chinese Muslims are expected to fulfill their pilgrimages to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, according to the Islamic Association of China (IAC) Sunday.
Photo from Remmokov: Chinese Muslims in Khotan, Xinjiang, face Mecca in prayer. A record number of them are on pilgrimage to Islam's holiest city this year.
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- Burma junta holds rally, arrests 4 activists [AP]
On Saturday, the Burmese junta organized a mass rally in Rangoon to denounce Western powers and the foreign media, whom the military regime accuses of fomenting the recent protests. Officials said 120,000 people attended the event, some of whom were paid to be there. Among some of the slogans the crowds were made to chant include "Down with BBC! Down with VOA! Down with Radio Free Asia!" - Singapore's repeal 377A campaign gains momentum with new parliamentary petition [Fridae.com]
Just a week after an online letter campaign was launched, a new parliamentary petition calling for the abolishment of Section 377A of Singapore’s Penal Code which outlaws “acts of gross indecency” between men is now underway. - Thousands march in Taipei for gay rights [AFP]
Thousands from Taiwan's gay and *** community marched through the streets of Taipei Saturday demanding more rights for homosexuals. - Hong Kong leader apologises for democracy gaffe [AFP]
Hong Kong's leader has been forced to make an unprecedented apology after warning that democracy could lead to the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, in which millions of Chinese were persecuted. - Revered Thai king hospitalised but improving [Reuters]
Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning monarch, was improving in hospital a day after being treated for eight hours. - Twenty SKorean tourists injured in NKorean bridge accident [Channel News Asia]
Twenty South Korean tourists were injured on Monday when they fell off an iron suspension bridge at North Korea's Mount Kumgang tourist resort - India cinema blast was "terrorist" attack, police say [AFP]
Indian police said that an explosion that killed six people and injured 32 in a packed cinema hall in northern India was a "terrorist" bombing. Hundreds of people -- mainly poor migrant workers -- were crammed into the theatre in the industrial city of Ludhiana in Punjab state to watch Sunday's late-night screening of a new Bollywood comedy.
More than a dozen prominent Singapore celebrities have come out in support of a new parliamentary petition to repeal Section 377A in the city-state's Penal Code which outlaws “acts of gross indecency” between men by appearing in a Youtube video uploaded recently.
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- .asia domain names approved [BetaNews]
But don't start rushing for the domain names yet as registration will not begin for another six to nine months. As usual, trademark holders will first be awarded rights to domain names.
- India's success to help halve world poverty [Hindustan Times]
Spectacular poverty-cutting gains made by India will help the United Nations meet its goal of halving world poverty by 2015, said Kishore Mabhubhani, a renowned Singaporean public policy specialist to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
- Singapore arrests opposition members in Myanmar protest [Reuters]
A Singapore opposition party leader and several of his supporters were arrested on Monday as they gathered outside the presidential palace to protest the city-state's trade ties with Myanmar's ruling junta.
- Pakistan: Insurgents step up fight after Musharraf's hollow poll win [Guardian Unlimited]
Gun battles raged in Pakistan's tribal belt yesterday as the political system was thrust into limbo after President Pervez Musharraf's controversial election victory on Saturday.
- Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia heart transplant breaks taboo [AFP]
The saga of a Malaysian Chinese girl who underwent two heart transplants including one from a Muslim boy, has broken a taboo on organ donation and triggered a surge in pledges, reports said Monday.
- North Korean-China trade hotter than kimchi [Asia Times]
As ice is melting between North Korea and the United States, more and more Chinese businessmen have been rushing to the border with the secretive communist country, looking to cash in on its trade and investment potential.
Photo from Pak Journey: General Pervez Musharraf has won a controversial landslide victory in Pakistan's latest elections but it remains to be seen what will come out of his power-sharing deal with the party headed by Benazir Bhutto.
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- A crack opens in the Korean wall [Asia Times]
The big question on the opening Tuesday of the North-South Korean summit in Pyongyang was whether or not North Korean leader Kim Jong-il would condescend to welcome South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun in person, or whether he would delegate that ceremonial chore to his much lower-ranking No 2.
- Myanmar's neighbours have little influence: Singapore FM [AFP]
Myanmar's neighbours have little influence over internal developments there, said George Yeo, foreign minister of Singapore, which is currently the chair of ASEAN.
- Tajikistan struggles for power [Asia Times]
It's difficult to run a country in the dark. Politicians who leave voters in the cold, unable to cook or keep warm, become unpopular with the flick of a switch. Swarms of secret police can't offset the damage that having no electricity causes.
- Thai coup leader formally named deputy PM [Channel News Asia]
Thailand's coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin was officially named a deputy prime minister Tuesday, but he denied that his appointment to the Cabinet was an attempt to cling to power.
- Japanese scientists create see-through frog [National Geographic]
Japanese scientists at Hiroshima University have created a see-through frog which does not require dissection to see its organs, blood vessels, and eggs.
- Turkmenistan: The hazards of surfing [Eurasianet.org]
Coming up on a year since Berdymukhamedov took power, the Internet is not really any more accessible than it was under Niyazov. There are only a handful of government-run Internet cafes in the capital, Ashgabat, which opened in March.
Photo of see-through from from National Geographic
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- Bangkok, Thailand - Backpacker blues on Khaosan Road [Asia Times]
For years, Bangkok's venerable Khaosan Road has been a welcome, low-priced respite for the throngs of backpackers crisscrossing Southeast Asia. But changing times are pushing out the street vendors and budget inns in favor of upscale establishments that are also attracting another element - more of Bangkok's notorious sex trade.
- Ulaanbataar, Mongolia - School represents a slice of North Korea [Eurasianet]
There is little that strikes one as extraordinary about Kim Jong-suk kindergarten in Ulaanbaatar. In the midst of a makeover during the summer holiday, the school looks very similar to others in Mongolia’s capital. That is, until one considers its name: Kim Jong-suk was the mother of North Korea’s Dear Leader, Kim Jong-il.
- Singapore - Foreigners will not be allowed to interfere in Singapore's domestic affairs [Channel News Asia]
Foreigners will not be allowed to interfere in Singapore's domestic political scene and this includes support for or against the gay cause.
- Sepang, Malaysia - AirAsia X eyes 25 Airbus A350 aircraft [Reuters]
AirAsia X, a Malaysian budget long haul carrier that counts British billionaire Richard Branson as a shareholder, is considering buying up to 25 Airbus A350 planes.
- Pyongyang, North Korea - DPRK becoming tourist spot for young Chinese [Chosun Ilbo]
As the economic gap between China and North Korea widens, more and more young Chinese people are traveling to North Korea to see the sort of poverty their parents endured.
Photo of the Arc of Triumph in Pyongyang, North Korea, which was purposefully built 3 metres higher than its counterpart in Paris.
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- Seoul, Korea - Police shut down group sex website, arrest participants [Asian Sex Gazette]
Korean police have arrested a 42-year-old website operator identified as Kim who they say arranged 20 group sex parties in and around Seoul and collected participation fees. They also booked 53 male members who had group sex and 11 females who prostituted themselves through Kim's website.
- Tokyo, Japan - Retired Japanese porn star Ai Iijima needs sex [Asian Sex Gazette]
Even months into retirement, porn star-***-celebrity advisor and IT explorer Ai Iijima can't stay out of the news, with Shukan Asahi reporting that now she's moaning about her insatiable urge to break a sex drought.
- Bangalore, India - The dark side of Hyderabad's success [Asia Times]
The twin blasts that tore through an amusement park and an eatery in Hyderabad on August 25 marked the second time in three months that the city had been targeted by terrorists. A high-tech hub that is second only to Bangalore for its booming information-technology (IT) and biotechnology sectors, Hyderabad appears to be emerging as a terror hub.
- Singapore - US space tourism company to build spaceport in Singapore but has run short of funds [IHT]
A year after U.S. company Space Adventures Ltd announced it would build a US$115 million spaceport in Singapore to launch sub-orbital flights,
- Bangkok, Thailand - Pen-spinning craze [Asian Offbeat]
The latest craze to hit Thailand is pen-spinning, and the Thai pen-spinning fan club claims 200,000 enthusiasts who say they have mastered over 200 moves.
Video of Thai pen-spinning club in action [h/t to Asian Offbeat]
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- Indian Ocean / Malacca Straits - Five-power naval exercise gives China the jitters [New Zealand Herald]
Are the warships from the United States, India, Japan, Australia and Singapore that are exercising together this week off the east coast of India harbingers of a new military alliance in Asia to contain China?
- Singapore - Pair of seats on inaugural A380 flight go for $100,000 [USA Today]
Singapore Airlines, the first carrier in the world to fly the new superjumbo A380, said Tuesday a pair of premium seats on the jet's inaugural flight were auctioned for more than $100,000 on eBay.
- Pyongyang, North Korea - DPRK closer to being struck off US terror list [AFP]
North Korea is closer to being removed from the US state sponsors of terrorism list following its commitments to end its nuclear weapons program, a US official said Tuesday.
- Bangkok, Thailand - Thaksin to face new charges [The Times]
The controversy surrounding Thaksin Shinawatra, the Manchester City owner, deepened yesterday when another set of warrants were issued for the arrest of the former Prime Minister of Thailand and his wife.
- Kathmandu, Nepal - Tricky transition to democracy [WSJ]
With parliamentary elections set for Nov. 22, tensions are rising between the Maoists and the democratic Seven Party Alliance, and within the Maoist party itself.
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Malaysia celebrates 50 years of nationhood [AFP]
As Malaysia celebrates its 50th birthday, the unity of the nation has shown cracks along racial and religious divides. Meanwhile, former premier Mahathir Mohammed is recovering after heart surgery
Photo of Indian naval ships from Azgar Khan: India has joined up with the US, Japan, Australia and Singapore in a naval exercise that is widely construed to contain China.
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- Selangor, Malaysia - Malaysia Finds Water Basin the Size of Singapore [Bloomberg]
Malaysia has discovered an underground water basin as big as Singapore, dismissing fears that its most densely populated state Selangor will run out of water in three years, a government minister said.
- Islamabad, Pakistan - Deal reached for release of S. Korean hostages [Washington Post]
Negotiators in Afghanistan said Tuesday they had reached agreement on a deal that will allow 19 South Korean church volunteers to go free after six weeks in Taliban captivity, apparently ending a hostage crisis that has gripped both nations, officials said.
- Jakarta, Indonesia - Study confirms 2006 human-human spread of bird flu [Reuters]
A mathematical analysis has confirmed that H5N1 avian influenza spread from person to person in Indonesia in April, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
- ASEAN needs 2 bln usd for China-Singapore rail link - officials [Forbes]
About 2 bln usd is required to complete a trans-Mekong Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rail project connecting Singapore to Kunming city in southwestern China, officials said. The Singapore-Kunming project, which will thread through eight countries near the Mekong River, still has about 550 kilometers (341 miles) of 'missing links',
- Yangon, Myanmar - New protest quashed within minutes [Guardian Unlimited]
Demonstrators on Tuesday tried to mount a new protest against rising prices, but marched only 30 yards before being beaten and wrestled into waiting trucks by civilians who back Myanmar's military government, witnesses said.
- New Delhi, India - India invites bids on fighter jet deal [AP]
The Indian government on Tuesday invited six aircraft manufacturers including Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. to bid on a contract for 126 combat planes worth up to $10 billion.
Photo of Kunming Railway Station from Nils Trebing: ASEAN is looking for US$2 billion to fund a new rail project that will start from Kunming, China and pass through 8 Southeast Asian nations to Singapore.
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- Tokyo, Japan - China Airlines apologises for inferno horror [Channel News Asia]
The head of China Airlines on Tuesday handed out apologies and cash to passengers who barely escaped a blaze that destroyed one of the Taiwanese carrier's planes on a runway in Okinawa, Japan.
- Amman, Jordan - Interpol issues arrest warrant for Saddam's daughter [BBC]
Interpol has issued an arrest warrant for Raghad Hussein, the eldest daughter of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Meanwhile, Jordan has ruled out deporting her.
- Brisbane, Australia - Indian doctor wins Australian visa case [AFP]
An Australian court on Tuesday overturned a government decision to cancel the visa of an Indian doctor who was charged over failed car bombings in Britain.
- Geneva, Switzerland - Red Cross urges aid to help 3.7 million in North Korea floods [AFP]
The Red Cross on Monday launched a global appeal for 5.5 million dollars (four million euros) to aid 3.7 million people hit by massive floods in North Korea.
- Kathmandu, Nepal - Nepal takes step towards seizing king's assets [AFP]
Nepal's government Monday took a key step towards nationalising property belonging to the embattled royal family by creating a panel that will study how to seize the assets, a minister said.
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Malaysia to train Thai scholars [Al Jazeera]
Malaysia will help train Thai Muslim religious teachers and provide scholarships for students in southern Thailand as part of an agreement signed between the country's two leaders aimed at curbing violence in the region.
Photo of the China Airlines plane going up in flames on the tarmac of the Okinawa Airport from Darriuss Royce.
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- Baghdad, Iraq - At least 200 dead after Iraq blasts
Rescuers dug through the muddy wreckage of collapsed clay houses in northwest Iraq on Wednesday, uncovering at least 200 victims of suicide truck bombings that the U.S. military blamed on al-Qaida.
- Kabul, Afghanistan - Taliban free 2 South Korean hostages
In the first significant breakthrough in a hostage drama now more than three weeks old, two South Korean women kidnapped by the Taliban have been released into Red Cross custody on a desert road where one of the original 23 hostages kidnapped in mid-July was dumped after being shot and killed.
- New Delhi, India - India celebrates 60th anniversary
India celebrated on Wednesday six decades as an independent nation, but the prime minister warned against over-confidence from the booming economy and laid out tough challenges ahead. In a speech from the ramparts of the capital's 17th-century Red Fort, Singh lauded India's democracy as its greatest achievement.
- Sydney, Australia - Pauline Hanson now targets Muslims
Far-right Australian politician Pauline Hanson, who sparked outrage with her 1990s campaign against Asian immigration, said Wednesday she would now target Muslims.
- Pyongyang, North Korea - Floods destroy tenth of farmland
Severe floods have destroyed more than a tenth of North Korea's farmland at the height of the growing season, official media said Wednesday in reports that appeared to be a cry for outside help from the normally secretive regime.
- Seoul, South Korea - Roh seeks economic community with North
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said on Wednesday he hopes this month's summit with communist North Korea, only the second in over 50 years, will help the Cold War foes develop common economic interests.
- Jakarta, Indonesia - Throng calls for Islamic state
Nearly 90,000 followers of a hard-line Muslim group packed a stadium in the Indonesian capital Jakarta yesterday, calling for the creation of an Islamic state.
Photo of India's PM Manmohan Singh on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of India's independence from nalindes.
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