APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, May 27, 2010

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"APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, May 27, 2010", APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, May 27, 2010, https://nautilus.org/apsnet/apsnet-27-may-2010/

APSNet 27 May 2010

  1. Dirty Money
  2. Shake-up creates new court for military
  3. In spy games, fury has no coin
  4. A nation adrift in Asia literacy
  5. Detente dead and buried with North Korea
  6. Boat crew stowed in city motel
  7. Indonesia Agrees to 2-Year Freeze on Forest Concessions in $1b Deal
  8. Self-Defense Force (SDF) personnel voice doubts about Hatoyama’s leadership

1. Dirty Money, Nick McKenzie, Four Corners, 2010-05-24

Doing business in a foreign country often requires the help of a local fixer or agent. What’s expressly forbidden under Australian law is any bribery payment to win a contract. This report details how the central pillar of Australia’s financial system, the Reserve Bank, became ensnared in an international bribery scandal.

2. Shake-up creates new court for military, Tim Lester, Age, 25-05-10

A new military court will hear cases against Defence Force personnel as part of a shake-up of Australia’s federal court system.
 The restructure fills the legal gap created August 2009 when the High Court ruled the Australian Military Court was constitutionally invalid.

3. In spy games, fury has no coin, Mark Dodd, Australian, 2010-05-26

The Rudd government’s expulsion of the Israeli embassy’s resident Mossad agent has been greeted with local indignation and muted acceptance in Israel. But in the intelligence world, any fallout from the fake passports affair could be short-lived.

4. A nation adrift in Asia literacy, Greg Sheridan, Australian, 2010-05-27

Kevin Rudd used an index of Australia’s engagement to show that Australia was becoming ever more deeply involved with Asia. The truth is far less encouraging and much more disturbing. Under both parties, Australia has failed key aspects of its Asian engagement. Rudd and Abbott recognise the problem. There is no sign that either is committed to fixing it.

5. Detente dead and buried with North Korea, Rowan Callick, Australian, 2010-05-27

The Cold War descended on the Korean peninsula again. Meanwhile Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, moving a bill authorising governments to take measures that may not be UN-backed, said the need for such a provision was underlined by “the dangerously provocative conduct of North Korea”. He said the bill would “improve Australia’s capacity to respond quickly to issues of international concern, such as in the case of Iran and North Korea.”

6. Boat crew stowed in city motel, Lindsay Murdoch, Age, 2010-05-27

They are accused of being people smugglers and face long mandatory jail sentences. But 27 Indonesian crew of asylum-seeker boats are living in Darwin motel rooms, with minimum security. The government makes no distinction between Indonesian fishermen and the criminals who duped them into bringing asylum-seeker boats to Australia.

7. Indonesia Agrees to 2-Year Freeze on Forest Concessions in $1b Deal, Abe Silangit and Fidelis E. Satriastanti, Jakarta Globe, 2010-05-27

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced that Indonesia would stop issuing new concessions for peatlands and natural forests for two years, effectively imposing a temporary halt on deforestation. The decision was part of a deal reached with Norway, which has agreed to grant $1 billion to help preserve the Indonesian forests.

8. Self-Defense Force (SDF) personnel voice doubts about Hatoyama’s leadership, Nikkei*, 2010-05-26

In a disturbing trend, Japanese servicemen have been exhibiting growing disrespect for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, the nation’s commander in chief. A number of Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) officers have taken digs at Hatoyama for his now infamous request to U.S. President Barack Obama during a meeting last November to trust him on the issue of relocating the U.S. Futenma air base in Okinawa.
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