Weird News From Asia

Comics defying taboos, ditching slapstick for political satire

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
The Associated Press
Comedian Hikari Ota is doing what he does best on his weekly "news" show: taking aim at Japan's aging lawmakers.
"It's easy to spot them nodding off during Diet sessions," he tells the studio audience while a large screen on stage shows a napping lawmaker. "Sometimes they're even dead!"

Ota's treatment of authority figures might seem tame by some nations' standards, but in Japan it represents a bold foray into the formerly forbidden territory of political satire.

Japan's political leaders have been a sleep at the wheel for so long that they've gone into hibernation.

Keep off sex education, teachers told
The controversy on sex education for school children has taken a new turn. The Siksha Bachao Andolan Samiti, affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has warned teachers that they may be violating the law if they take sex to the classroom.

In a letter to teachers across the country, they have noted that teachers can be charged under Section 354 of the IPC for outraging modesty of a woman, if they follow the exercises prescribed in the UNICEF training manual on sex education in their classrooms.

Taking a page from America's Christian Fundamentalists are we. Keep everyone ignorant about sex until its far to late.

Now for a degree in prostitution?
July 18, 2007 - 2:11PM

Funding for tertiary courses in prostitution could be considered under changes aimed at boosting quality and relevance in the sector, New Zealand education officials say.

But MPs on parliament's education and science select committee were told today that although courses in the world's oldest profession might be considered if providers put them forward, they would still have to meet tight criteria to get funding.

Talk about a career change.

Financial Supervisory Commission under probe for role in financial scam
Vice Chairwoman Susan Chang of the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) defended yesterday the role she and other regulators played when dealing with a financial unit of the collapsed Rebar Group.

Chang also said she and her colleagues will give full cooperation with investigators' into their allegedly giving preferential treatment to Great Chinese Bills Finance Corp.

She made the remarks when the Taipei District Court called yesterday half a dozen of FSC officials for testimony in the trial of former senior executives of the bills finance firm

US and Pakistan Partners In Prisons

Using fear and paranoia the Bush Administration created a legal system which any previous U.S. administration would have concluded was really a Gulag created by an authoritarian government. Even with the exposure of these abuses this administration has sought new and creative ways to insure that any person held within this system will be denied any forum of due process. So it continues with what can only be describe as their latest deal with the devil. To pay for the construction of new prisons in Egypt and Pakistan two countries where human and legal rights are an after thought.

Even though those held at Guantanamo Bay remain outside of the U.S. legal system they have continued to challenge their detainment at Guantanamo Bay. Last Friday the U.S. Supreme Court accepted a case which challenges the Bush Administrations right to hold them indefinitely without the prospect of due process which is a reversal from their refusal to accept a similar case from last here. All of this has become an embarrassment to the Bush Administration which is being pressured domestically and internationally to close Guantanamo Bay and allow those held equal protection and due process of law. Of course the Bush Administration is searching for another way which brings us back to Pakistan and Egypt and the prospect of the United States government providing funds for the construction of prisons in those two countries for continued purpose of preventing access to the American legal system.

In an article published on June 29 of this year in the Asia Times their reporter Syed Saleem Shahzad gives an over view of what will take place if this policy is put into place by President Bush and his advisers. (Dick Cheney)

Asia Times Online has learned that the Bush administration is considering a plan under which inmates would be returned to special facilities in their countries of origin, where they would be treated on a case-by-case basis.

With Pakistan currently involved in a judicial crisis because President Pervez Musharraf sacked Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry because he was seen as a legitimate legal threat to block Musharraf from seeking a second term under Pakistan's constitution when elections take place later this year. What of those already held by Pakistan on terrorism charges? A number of them have just disappeared into Pakistan's prison system with their families never hearing from them again. Based upon this evidence one would not reasonably expect those transfered to these jails in Pakistan to receive what any reasonable person would equate with equal protection under the law. As for the facilities where they are to be housed?

A top Pakistani official told Asia Times Online that a special facility has already been built in the city of Faisalabad, adjacent to Faisalabad Central Prison. Another such facility is under construction in Multan and is expected to be completed within the next few months. Work on a detention center adjacent to Adyala Jail in Rawalpindi, the capital Islamabad's twin city, has just started.

These facilities are being funded by the US and will fall under the jurisdiction of Pakistan's Ministry of Interior. Special staff will be deputed to the centers to work in conjunction with US officials.

Considering this administration's stance on torture and their willingness to abuse an individuals civil and human rights along with Pakistan's abysmal record in these areas and the fact that these prisons are being built further demonstrates this administrations willingness to operate outside of the usual legal parameters which protect the rights of those being held.

The G8, Global Warming and Asia

With the conclusion of the G8 meeting last week in Germany the worlds richest countries issued several end of conference statements one of which dealt with Global Warming. The press release was unremarkable in that as usual it said absolutely nothing about the issue of Global Warming and its impact upon the environment. So,what does the G8 have and its Global Warming statement have to do with Asia? Other than the fact that Japan is a member?
Outside of the United States the leading industrial nations of Asia are some of the biggest contributors of greenhouse gases in the world.

Note Because this is such an important issue facing Asia and the world todays commentary will only focus on China. With South Korea, Japan and India to follow.

Since the 1980's China's economic growth has been nothing short of phenomenal. Real wages and income have grown along with the economy thereby creating an expanded middle class which leads to political and economic stability. The downside to rapid growth is environmental degradation which inevitably leads to environmental destruction because of the continuing need to keep economic growth at a level which benefits your countries citizens. For China air pollution is a huge problem thanks in part to its economic growth and the need to provide its citizens and industrial sector with electrical power. Unfortunately for China this has meant construction of thousands of coal fired electrical generation plants, because coal is the one fossil fuel it has an over abundance of. While China may have increased its electrical generation abilities the consequences for having done this are no longer just effecting China.

One of China's lesser-known exports is a dangerous brew of soot, toxic chemicals and climate-changing gases from the smokestacks of coal-burning power plants.
In early April, a dense cloud of pollutants over Northern China sailed to nearby Seoul, sweeping along dust and desert sand before wafting across the Pacific. An American satellite spotted the cloud as it crossed the West Coast.

While this maybe a new phenomena to American's its a regular occurrence for the people of Korea and Japan as winter changes to spring it brings a shift it the winds direction and with it comes China's air pollution. Industrial air pollution isn't the only airborne problem to come from that part of the world in the spring. Yellow Sand Storms are also a major problem for South Korea and Japan.

The Korean government launched a campaign in Mongolia on Saturday to reduce yellow dust and sandstorms in the region.

The campaign called Greenbelt Plantation Project is an initiative by the Korea Forestry service to plant some 1.5 million trees in Mongolia to prevent rampant desertification.

Like air pollution these spring time dust storms not only reduce visibility. As with the case of industrial air pollution this dust also aggravates and increases respiratory problems for those living down wind.

China's population is also highly impacted by the increase in air pollution.

According to the World Bank, 16 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in China. The industrial revolution transforming the world's most populous country is also destroying its environment. China is now the world's second-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, the main gas linked to global warming, and it is set to overtake the United States in 2009, a decade earlier than previously predicted.

What is the Chinese governments response to global warming and its effects on China's and the world's environment? Here are some quotes

China promised last week to better control emissions of greenhouse gases, unveiling a national program to combat global warming, but rejected mandatory caps on emissions as unfair to countries still trying to catch up with the developed West.

"China is a developing country. Although we do not have the obligation to cut emissions, it does not mean we do not want to shoulder our share of responsibilities," said Ma Kai, the minister heading the National Development and Reform Commission, the Cabinet-level economic planning agency.

Why do these statements sound like something the Bush Administration would put out.


The statement by the G8 on global warming

The goal is to agree to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050, Merkel said, hailing the decision as a "huge success." She said it came after many rounds of talks and negotiations on climate change.

But the declaration falls short of an ironclad commitment, saying only that the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitters should "seriously consider" following the European Union, Canada and Japan in seeking to halve their output by 2050.

It would have been better if the G8 had issued no statement at all concerning global warming. Why? Because the United States the worlds leading producer of greenhouse gases and led by the worlds leading global warming denier refuses to accept any concrete scientific evidence that global warming can and will have a devastating effect upon the world and its environment. Without the leadership of the United States countries like India and China along with the other major world industrial powers see no need to produce any concrete measures which would reduce global warming.

The U.S. And Its Un-Democratic Allies

Choosing allies and enemies seems so easy until one is faced with a true moral dilemma. Then like a philosophical question it becomes difficult if not impossible to judge what is right and what is wrong. George W. Bush thought that he could do what no leader before him could. Without any introspection he believed that choosing between what is right and what is wrong would be as easy as turning off a light. He was wrong. He also thought that one could choose allies the same way. Again, he was wrong. If one were looking for the moral high ground in the Global War on Terror why one would chose Pakistan and Egypt as allies in this fight is beyond my comprehension.

Pakistan has been an on again off again ally of the United States since the 1980 invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union. Even though the Red Army captured and controlled all of Afghanistan’s major cities they were never able to fully control the country. Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan came through its Inter-Services Intelligence agency somewhat like America’s CIA. It was through the ISI that the CIA funneled weapons to the Mujahideen fighters in Afghanistan. With the withdrawal of Soviet forces Pakistan’s ISI involvement in the internal affairs of Afghanistan didn’t end. It was the ISI that helped bring the Taliban to power in Afghanistan in 1993. Also in that same year the United States placed Pakistan on a watch list of countries which it suspected were involved international in terrorism because Lt. Gen. Nasir then heading the ISI was preventing the U.S. from buying back Stinger missiles used by the Afghan Mujahideen and of supporting Harkat ul-Ansar a group accused by the U.S. of being terrorists. On May 28, 1998 Pakistan detonated a nuclear device just a few weeks after India and conducted tests of its own. This would lead to a nuclear stand-off between India and Pakistan in 2001 and 2002 over Kashmir the disputed territory of which each side controls half.

Pakistan’s current President General Pervez Musharraf came to power in 1999 through a bloodless coup. After the attacks of September 11, 2001 Pakistan once again became a useful ally as front line state in the War on Terror. So useful in fact that Pakistan has become the number one recipient of U.S. military funding through the Coalition Support Fund which reimburses countries for military spending. More than 10 times higher than number two Poland.
To suggest that Pakistan is now a Democratic country would be misleading. Since Musharraf sized power there have been elections: Its just lie to say they were free and fair considering that Gen. Pervez Musharraf was the only candidate for president and he his trying to remain president even though his term is to end this year with an election. Pakistan has done little to contain or control either the Taliban or Al-Qaeda both of which have a large presence in Western Pakistan. Last year the Pakistani army negotiated a settlement with tribes in North and South Waziristan which in effect allowed the tribal groups in those states to operate freely while the army remained in its barracks.

Egypt has had three presidents since the 1950’s. Gamal Abdel Nasser became president in 1954 and would remain in office until his death in 1970. Anwar Sadat succeeded him and would remain in office until his assassination by soldier during a military parade in 1981. Hosni Mubarak was chosen to succeed Sadat continuing to hold office today.

Since taking office there have been five presidential elections in Egypt with Mubarak of course winning every election by a landslide not that the outcome was ever in doubt even though opposition parties were allowed to field candidates for the first time. The ruling National Democratic party was able, as shown below to control the electoral process. This is what free and fair elections look like in Egypt:

• The National Democratic Party’s (NDP) use of violence
• The interference of Egyptian security forces, particularly in the second and third rounds of voting
• The arrest of MB members after the first round of elections
• Vote buying
• Low voter turnout
• The poor success rate of the NDP, and its cooption of independents who had left the party before the elections, and rejoined it after their election

Hosni Mubarak heads The National Democratic Party
The Muslim Brotherhood is the largest and most popular opposition party in Egypt.
Elections will be held June 15 to seat members for Egypt's Upper House of Parliament known as the Shura Council and the government is working diligently to maintain its grip on power.

Mahmoud's release came amid a continued government crackdown against the Brotherhood in the lead up to June elections for the upper house of Parliament, known as the Shura Council, that will include candidates from the group.

Police said 51 Brotherhood members and supporters had been arrested since Thursday, including seven Saturday in the province of Ismailia, located 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Cairo.

Hosni Mubarak was elected to a fifth term in office in an election which took pace on September 7, 2005. The official results show Mubarak receiving 88.6% of the vote with the next highest percentage going to Ayman Nour of the Tomorrow Party getting 12%. Its estimated that only 40% of all voters are registered to vote and that the actual turnout for all elections is between 30% and 40%. Because the Presidential Election Commission controls whose name or names can appear on the ballot they are able to marginalize the opposition parties. The commission is of course controlled my Hosni Mubarak's ruling party. To suggest that Egypt is moving towards a more democratic state is far from the truth when it appears that Gamal Mubarak, Mr Mubarak's son is being groomed as his successor. Pluralism doesn't begin at the home of the current president who has ruled Egypt under an emergency decree since taking office in 1981. Dynastic and authoritarian would better describe the current political situation in Egypt a country which is the second largest recipient of American foreign aid after Israel.

According to the Christian Science Monitor up to 2004 Egypt had received $50 billion dollars in aid with an average of $1.3 billion a year in military aid and an average of $815 million a year in economic aid.

Iraq and South Korea. Are They The Same

Today President George W. Bush made a rather astonishing pronouncement when he tried to equate Iraq's future to the development of South Korea with the signing of the armistice that ended the Korean war. Can one be compared to the other it doesn't seem possible.


Korea became a nation state with the creation of Gojoseon in under the rule of Dangun. Koreans adopted the Chinese writing system which they call Hanja in the the second century BC with Buddhism arriving in the fourth century BC. These two events would have a profound impact on the people and rulers of Korea. When the Silla dynasty began in 676 this would solidify Korea as a single country with a shared language and culture which would not be interrupted until the Japanese annexed the country by the force of arms in 1910 and remain as its colonial ruler until World War II ended.


Modern Iraq is located in what was once known as Mesopotamia and is of course considered and rightfully so as one of the cradles of civilization. The
Sumerian's Are believed to have created the first known civilization and theirs was followed by the Akkadian's, Babylonian's, and Assyrian cultures whose influence reached beyond there area of origin. Because of its location those who ruled this part of the world were always susceptible to invasion. Among those who have ruled here: Islamic Caliphate , the Mongols and the Ottoman Empire. World War I came to an end with the British in control of most of the Middle East. Iraq was created by the British and they were the ones who established Iraq's first formal government. Iraq was never a true modern nation state until its creation. Political power in Iraq centered around these three cities Baghdad, Mosul and Basra.

How are Iraq and South Korea similar? That's a real good question.

Koreans have a single language are homogeneous, have a shared religion and they have a long history as a nation. After the partition of the Korean peninsula following World War the South Koreans began, what would become a long quest towards democratic rule. Yes, there was a military dictatorship which started with a coup my General Park Chung-hee and would last until 1988 when the first real honest and free elections would take place.

Iraq doesn't have a similar history not as it exists today. The country is divided along ethnic lines. With the Kurds holding a majority in the north. The Sunni's holding a majority in the center and the Shiites having a majority in the south. Their religion is not shared nor is their culture at least not as a Korean would see it. Iraq's modern history is that is dominated by the interests of western governments and those nations major oil companies all seeking to control Iraq's natural resources.


George Bush is delusional to believe that one can compare the situation in Korea with that of Iraq.

Sunday's Good Karma/Bad Karma

Really Good Karma

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

FUKUOKA--One thing about meeting Yoshi Kuzume is that you can be pretty sure she'll give you a T-shirt.
It's her way of promoting peace. For the past two years, the university instructor has been spreading the pacifist message in Article 9 of Japan's Constitution by handing out T-shirts bearing the words--in Japanese on the front and English on the back

People need know that while Abe likes all things ultra conservative there is a large segment of the population who do not.

USA Patriot Act Karma

The Seoul Central District Court ruled on May 18 that a portal site should compensate others for damages if it does not take any action to tackle online replies written by Internet users for the purpose of discrediting someone.

This ruling will hold portal sites accountable for ignoring legal responsibilities for libel while virtually acting as the press by supplying news provided by the media. Therefore, the decision is expected to affect operators of Internet portals.

The presiding judge ruled against four portal sites in motion for compensation for damages amounting to 500 million won. The judge ruled that “Portals should give 16 million won to Mr. Kim,” who sued the sites insisting that, “I was damaged because they left online replies containing my personal information and articles defaming me on their websites.”

Always blame the provider for the wrong doings of others.

Stupid is as Stupid does Karma

By ASIT JOLLY

Chandigarh, May 19: The violence that spread like a contagion through the towns of Punjab in the wake of the confrontation between adherents of the Dera Sacha Sauda and Sikhs was greeted by masterful inaction on the part of the Punjab government, leading to speculation about its motives.

While the crisis was clearly precipitated by the Sacha Sauda chief when he appeared in newspaper advertisements dressed like Guru Gobind Singh, the deliberately slow response of the government in tackling the problem, many believe, is coloured by a desire to teach the Dera and its custodians a lesson for choosing to support the Congress in February’s Assembly elections.

Getting back at your political rivals in full public and legal view while using violence to do so.

Good Karma

CHENNAI: The 11 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who returned to the Indian shores on Friday night after spending more than two months in the captivity of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, called on Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at the Secretariat on Saturday.

Mr. Karunanidhi announced Rs.10,000 to each of the fishermen towards meeting their immediate requirements.

The fishermen, who were released in two batches of five and six, were brought from Rameswaram by road and presented before the Chief Minister.

A peaceful return.

Some Good Karma

Amid demonstrations staged by people in favor of and opposing the name change, the Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall was officially renamed the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall (國立台灣民主紀念館) yesterday.

The new plaque was unveiled by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who said the move symbolized an end to the country's authoritarian past.

"We're gathering here ... to bid goodbye to the old age and to show that we Taiwanese are all standing firmly behind the universal values of freedom, democracy and human rights," Chen said.

He also explained the significance of the date.

"Fifty-eight years ago, on this date, May 19, the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] regime ... officially declared martial law in Taiwan, which lasted 38 years," href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2007/05/20/2003361648">Chen said.

It's always nice to see a country confront its passed no matter how ugly it may be.
However you have to show respect for the gentleman who decided to drop his trousers in protest.

McClatchy's Iraq Bureau

Have you ever wondered what those Iraqi's who work for western news agencies think of America's invasion of there country

Leave

We are happy that we got rid of Saddam but we will never be happy to give away our country in return.

Sorry if our flesh harmed your knives... is that what they want us to say. Is this what they came for?

The failure of this invasion is a victory for FREEDOM and a defeat for radicals in U.S. and later in Iraq.

Order the troops to leave Mr. President. afraid for the safety and the future of this place... leave 20 thousands of your soldiers on both Iranian and Syrian borders and let us take over our own country. THIS COUNTRY WILL BE FREE... whether you take your troops out now or by the efforts of the good people of Iraq and America.

Now you know