Posts filed under 'Asia & the Pacific'
November 20th, 2008 at 11:00pm
The INS Tabar, an Indian warship, encountered three pirate vessels approximately 320 miles south-west of the Omani coast in the Gulf of Aden late Tuesday. When the pirates fired upon the Tabar, it retaliated, sinking the “mother ship” and forcing the would-be hijackers to abandon one of their two speedboats. The second speedboat escaped and there is no casualty count at this time.
At least 92 ships have been attacked in and around the Gulf of Aden so far in 2008, more than triple the number in 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau. At least 14 of those ships are still in the control of hijackers. This includes a Ukrainian freighter loaded with tanks, artillery and other weaponry and a Saudi supertanker with two million barrels of oil valued at approximately $100 million. The pirates responsible for these attacks are mostly based in Somalia and the UN estimates between $25 to $30 million has been paid in ransom to them this year.
International anti-piracy patrols have been deployed in the area since August and international shipping organizations hope the Indian Navy’s actions set an example for addressing the hijackers. Meanwhile, the cost of increased piracy is expected to spread to consumers as shipping companies face higher insurance bills.
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November 12th, 2008 at 06:27am
Ministers of Law from the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in Brunei in late October for their seventh ASEAN Law Ministerial Meeting (ALAWMM). Topics of discussion centered around the legal implications of the November 2007 adoption of the organization’s first legally binding charter, including cooperation in criminal adjudication, extradition, counter-terrorism, and trade law. According to the group, the introduction of a formal charter creating a rules-based intergovernmental organization will necessitate a greater role for ALAWMM within ASEAN as legal cooperation between member states becomes more important. The body of law ministers had last met in 2005 and will hold its next meeting in Cambodia in 2011.
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November 12th, 2008 at 06:24am
On Nov. 6, 2008, the ASEAN Secretariat and the Hubei Province of the People’s Republic of China signed a Minutes of Meeting on Strengthening of Trade and Economic Cooperation. The Minutes of Meeting affirmed the two parties’ commitment to implement the Memorandum on Cooperation, which was signed by the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the Governor of Hubei earlier this year. Under this memorandum, both parties will promote trade and economic cooperation, and the parties will explore the possibility of holding an ASEAN-Hubei Forum on Trade and Economic Cooperation in Wuhan City. Hubei was the first Chinese province to sign a Memorandum on Cooperation with the ASEAN Secretariat, with the objective of strengthening ASEAN-China relations.
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November 12th, 2008 at 06:15am
On October 20-21, 2008 the ASEAN Workshop on Domestic Violence Legislation was held in Hanoi, Vietnam in celebration of the country’s National Women’s Day. The workshop is one of the projects created under the Framework for Cooperation between ASEAN and the United Nations Fund For Women. Participants included over 60 ASEAN Member States.
The purpose of the workshop was to address the international issue of domestic violence. Representatives met to discuss ways of drafting, implementing, and monitoring domestic violence legislation as well as increase regional cooperation in order to prevent and control future domestic violence.
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November 10th, 2008 at 11:23am
On November 4th and 5th, the Ministers of Economy and senior officials from seven Central Asian countries met for a conference hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan all had representatives in attendance. The goal of the meeting was for the parties to form an initiative to improve the business climate in the region. Foreign direct investment in the area is low, and it is hoped that cooperation will help to establish a more hospitable climate for business activity. International stakeholders such as the European Commission will assist the initiative through the formation of working groups to provide advice on addressing common challenges.
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November 1st, 2008 at 07:21am
Imprisoned Chinese dissident Hu Jia was awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on October 23, 2008, in a move some hope will lead to his release. Hu Jia, whose work has focused on bringing awareness to issues like AIDS, the environment, and the 1989 pro-democracy movement, was arrested in late 2007 and convicted of subversion after he presented video testimony to the European Parliament about the human rights situation in China.
Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering said the prize was meant to demonstrate that “the European Parliament firmly and resolutely acknowledges the daily struggle for freedom of all Chinese human rights defenders.” The U.S. has been a vocal critic of his arrest, according to State Department spokesman Darby Holladay. Holladay told America.gov that the international community also hopes that the award “will demonstrate to China’s leaders the enormous esteem the international community holds for [Hu Jia’s] important work as a human rights defender, and that China will release him immediately.”
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October 28th, 2008 at 08:17pm
At the seventh annual Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), leaders of European and Asian nations called for international participation in a global summit on the financial crisis. The summit is scheduled to take place on November 15 in Washington, DC.
The 16 Asian and 27 EU leaders issued a joint statement saying that “long-term stability of the global and regional financial markets is key to sustainable economic growth of both regions.” They urged the international community to “take effective and available economic and financial measures in a comprehensive way to restore market confidence, stabilize global financial markets and promote global economic growth.”
President Sarkozy, who currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said that a pointed discussion and decisive action were needed on financial issues, including the global currency markets.
“Europe, Asia, and the US and other major financial partners need to work together to define and agree responses to the regulatory challenges,” said European Commission President Barroso at the ASEM opening. Mr. Barroso also cautioned against nations “closing the door and simply looking after our own house,” and called on member nations to “firmly resist calls for protectionism, isolation and economic nationalism.”
At a press conference, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that all nations, “especially the developing ones, need to take decisive measures to stabilize their financial markets” through the development of “confidence, cooperation, and responsibility.”
For further information, please click here.
To read President of the European Commission José Barroso’s address at the ASEM convention, please click here.
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October 9th, 2008 at 08:22am
The U.S. Congress passed legislation granting India access to nuclear technology on October 1. The move comes more than three decades after India tested its first nuclear weapon.
On September 28, the bill passed in the House of Representatives. Shortly afterward, the Senate approved the measure by a vote of 86 to 13. It will now go to President Bush, who says he looks forward “to signing this bill into law and continuing to strengthen the U.S.-India strategic partnership.”
Under the agreement, India will gain access to U.S. nuclear technology, material, and equipment, as well as components for nuclear research. Both countries hope that India will now be better equipped to meet its rapidly growing energy needs. According to President Bush, the legislation also brings India’s nuclear programs under international inspections and strengthens nuclear non-proliferation efforts.
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October 9th, 2008 at 07:56am
Thailand has joined eight other Asian countries in approving the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) Charter, a constitution establishing ASEAN as an international legal entity. The Thai Senate ratified the ASEAN charter in mid-September, sending the document to the King of Thailand for his signature.
Thailand is the ninth of the ten ASEAN states to ratify the charter. News reports indicate that the last remaining state, Indonesia, will likely follow suit next week. For the charter to become legally binding all ten states must ratify it before the next ASEAN summit in December 2008.
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April 23rd, 2008 at 07:11pm
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held its largest meeting ever during 8-11th April. Attended by member states and 2 new participants, China and Spain, the focus of the meeting was research and development needs in safeguards and verification. 41 delegates discussed the future agenda of the Member State Support Programme (MSSP), specifically addressing areas of research, technology transfer and operational support for verification activities. Given the IAEA’s own limitations in finance and implementation, the IAEA relies on its member states in order to meet its safeguards. The organization also released its publication, “Research and Development Programme for Nuclear Verification, 2008-2009,” a document released biennially detailing the IAEA’s activities in research, development and implementation activities. For further details, please click here.
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