APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, May 28, 2009

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"APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, May 28, 2009", APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, May 28, 2009, https://nautilus.org/apsnet/apsnet-28-may-2009/

APSNet 28 May 2009

  1. PM puts N Korea on notice
  2. Beijing’s missile stockpile growing
  3. Rudd’s torture law raises Defence hackles
  4. Arms spending black hole
  5. Indonesia rejects Rudd’s Asia plan
  6. UN wants ‘flood of drugs’ in Afghanistan to devalue opium
  7. Papua New Guineans attack Chinese immigrants

1. PM puts N Korea on notice, John Kerin, AFR*, 2009-05-27

Australia will consider taking tougher action, including imposing direct financial sanctions on North Korea, amid reports the rogue state is planning further underground nuclear tests. Prime minister Kevin Rudd told parliamanet he had contacted his South Korean counterpart, President Lee Myung Bak, and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso to discuss coordinated action acter the United Nations Security Council passed a unanimous resolution condemning the underground nuclear blast and subsequent short range missile tests.
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2. Beijing’s missile stockpile growing, Rowan Callick, Australian, 2009-05-28

China has begun expanding its nuclear warhead and strategic missile capacity at a pace not seen for 20 years. The build-up has begun as North Korea joins the ranks of nuclear-armed powers and Japan’s Government is under pressure to respond with more aggressive missile deployment.

3. Rudd’s torture law raises Defence hackles, Cynthia Banham, SMH, 2009-05-27

The Australian Defence Force has raised concerns about the Rudd Government’s plans to make a new federal torture offence apply to acts committed overseas. The Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, announced on Friday the Government would create a Commonwealth offence criminalising torture, and said it was contemplating giving it extraterritorial application to cover acts committed both within and outside Australia.

4. Arms spending black hole, Brendan Nicholson, Age, 2009-05-28

A top defence analyst says that although the Government has committed to buying ships, submarines and aircraft worth tens of billions of dollars, it has failed to explain where the money will come from. Dr Thomson said it was disappointing that the white paper, described as the most comprehensive of the modern era, was followed by what he said was the least comprehensive budget papers of the past decade.

5. Indonesia rejects Rudd’s Asia plan, Daniel Flitton, Age, 2009-05-27

Indonesian Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono has dismissed Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s push for an all-encompassing “Asia-Pacific community” to tackle regional security threats, suggesting the idea is too broad to have a realistic chance of success. Dr Sudarsono also questioned fears raised following the release of the Australian defence white paper of a budding arms race across the region to counter the rising military might of China.

6. UN wants ‘flood of drugs’ in Afghanistan to devalue opium, Jon Boone, Guardian, 2009-05-25

United Nations officials in Afghanistan are attempting to create a “flood of drugs” in the country intended to destroy the value of opium and force poppy farmers to switch to legal crops such as wheat. After the failure to destroy fields of the scarlet flowers in Afghanistan’s volatile south, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says the answer is to stop the drugs from leaving the country in the first place.

7. Papua New Guineans attack Chinese immigrants, Asian Sentinel, 2009-05-27

Under the radar of virtually the entire world, a spasm of recent violence against Chinese residents and businesses in Papua New Guinea has caused at least six deaths and strained relations between the small island nation and Beijing, which is demanding that the Port Moresby government ensure the safety of its citizens and companies, according to dispatches from the country.

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Richard Tanter,
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