United States
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1. US Congress on PRC Human Rights
The US Congress urged President George W. Bush to impose new pressure on the PRC over its human rights record, in a new report which top senators claimed pulled no punches. The report was the first issued by the Congressional Executive Commission on the PRC, established under legislation passed two years ago which de-linked the PRC’s trade privileges from its human rights performance. “This is the most comprehensive document produced by Congress on human rights in China,” commission chairman Senator Max Baucus said at a press conference. Human rights activists have decried the commission as nothing more than a smokescreen set up to smother questions on the issue during the debate over granting permanent normal trade relations to China.
“US Congress on PRC Human Rights” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 1, US) |
Korean Peninsula
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1. DPRK SEZ Governor Arrested
PRC authorities reportedly arrested tycoon Yang Bin, the Dutch-Chinese governor of the fledgling DPRK capitalist zone, threatening to throw Pyongyang’s already confused scheme into chaos. Police in the northeastern city of Shenyang hauled the orchid tycoon in for questioning over alleged financial impropriety as he prepared to leave the PRC for the DPRK, reports said. Police in Shenyang and authorities in Beijing were unable to confirm the 5:00 am September 29 arrest. However diplomatic sources in the PRC capital stated that it was related to tax evasion, stock speculation and illegal real estate development. PRC’s official China News Service then reported that Yang had been placed under house arrest.
“DPRK SEZ Governor Arrested” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 3, US)
“DPRK Market Liberalization Credibility” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 2, US)
“DPRK Special Economic Zone Chief” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 1, US)
“Restriction of South Koreans to Sinuiju” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, ROK) |
2. DPRK-US Talks
Special envoy James Kelly was holding a second day of talks in Pyongyang on Friday. Kelly, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and his nine-member delegation made the short flight out over the Yellow Sea and on to Pyongyang. In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Kelly had talks with a delegation led by DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye-gwan and an informal dinner with the same foreign ministry officials on Thursday evening. “His mission is…to explore comprehensive dialogue with North Korea and, based on close coordination with South Korea and Japan, to explain US policy and seek progress on a range of issues of long-standing concern to the United States.”
“DPRK-US Talks” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 3, US)
“DPRK-ROK-US Relations” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 2, US)
“Kelly’s Visit to DPRK” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 1, ROK)
“DPRK-US Relations” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 1, US)
“DPRK US Envoy Announcement” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, US)
“James Kelly’s Visit to DPRK” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, ROK)
“US Comment on DPRK” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, ROK)
“US-DPRK Relations” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, PRC) |
3. DPRK-ROK Relations
The Defense Ministry of ROK set up a hotline on September 24 with the military of DPRK for the reconnection of railways and roads through their heavily mined frontier. It reported that previously the only connection was a rickety Soviet-era landline between the DPRK military and a United Nations guard post in the truce village of Panmunjom, in the heart of the Demilitarized Zone, which bisects the Korean peninsula. The report said that military officials from both sides agreed on September 17 to install the first direct line between their militaries to ensure mine-clearing troops could work safely and without misunderstandings. The report said that testing of the line was carried out on September 24.
“DPRK-ROK Relations” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, PRC) |
4. DPRK Defector getting US Residency
Another DPRK defector has been given refugee status in US, the third defector from DPRK to obtain US residency rights. Kim Soon-hee, 39, who had been arrested near the border crossing at San Diego, California in April 2001, was approved for resettlement in US by a federal immigration court in San Diego on Monday, US time. She will be given permanent residency in US, one year from the day of the hearing. Kim, who had been released after her detention as an illegal immigrant into the custody of a former English teacher in ROK, obtained a job with the help of the Korean-American community in San Diego and joined a Catholic church there.
“DPRK Defector getting US Residency” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 1, ROK) |
5. UN Drop in DPRK Humanitarian Aid
Donation shortfalls are forcing the UN to cut grain rations to nearly 3 million people in the DPRK, threatening years of work to end starvation in that country, a UN official said Monday. The halt will take effect over the next two months, with another 1.5 million people threatened with cutoffs early next year, said Rick Corsino, World Food Program country director for the DPRK. Such cutbacks “would cause suffering on a massive scale,” Corsino said at a news conference in Beijing. He said about 100,000 metric tons (110,000 tons) of grain were urgently needed to cover the immediate shortfall. The WFP provides food assistance to about one-third of the DPRK’s 23 million people. The WFP provided almost 1 million metric tons of food to DPRK in 2001, but will probably provide only half that amount this year, Corsino said. While primary donors ROK and the US have provided about the same amounts as last year, Japan, which gave 500,000 metric tons (550,000 tons) in 2001, hasn’t provided any so far this year.
“UN Drop in DPRK Humanitarian Aid” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, US) |
6. DPRK and IMF
The DPRK will be invited to the annual conference of the International Monetary Fund next year, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said Sunday. Horst Koehler, managing director of the fund, told Finance Minister Jeon Yun-churl on Saturday that he will invite DPRK as a special guest at the conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. If DPRK wants to be a member of the International Monetary Fund, Koehler said, it will be provided with technical support to bring its institutions up to international standards, the ministry said. Considering the new movement of DPRK toward opening its economy, DPRK is likely to accept the invitation, an official said.
“DPRK and IMF” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, ROK) |
7. DPRK and IAEA
The spokesperson for the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, Melissa Fleming, announced Sunday that the organization has already begun negotiations with DPRK on nuclear inspections. The negotiations were prompted by remarks from DPRK’s leader, Kim Jong Il, who agreed with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in their September 17 summit to allow international nuclear inspectors into the country. Fleming said in an e-mail interview with The Chosun Ilbo. “Negotiations are underway between the IAEA and North Korea on the scope and timeframe of the inspections.” The IAEA and DPRK were to begin working-level talks for the implementation of the Nuclear Safety and Security Treaty in Pyongyang, June 25 to 29, but DPRK called off the talks.
“DPRK and IAEA” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, ROK) |
8. ROK Anti-US Student Protests
ROK students staged violent anti-United States protests here as a top US envoy briefed ROK officials ahead of the resumption of high-level US-DPRK talks frozen for nearly two years. James Kelly, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, arrived in ROK to consult with Foreign Minister Choi Sung-Hong and key aides to President Kim Dae-Jung ahead of three days of talks in DPRK from Thursday. During the 40-minute meeting with Choi, more than 2,000 students staged what some witnesses said was the biggest anti-US demonstration seen in the ROK capital since US President George W. Bush took office in January last year.
“ROK Anti-US Student Protests” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 2, US) |
9. Inter-Korean Relations: Asian Games
Athletes from the DPRK and the ROK struck a sporting blow for peace, marching together in a show of unity at the Asian Games opening ceremony. ROK and DPRK athletes strode into the Busan Main Stadium hand-in-hand and side-by-side at the rear of the 42 other nations competing in an event second only to the Olympics in size. In another sign of improving inter-Korean ties following the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue in August, they followed the neutral unification flag, showing a blue emblem of the Korean peninsular on a white background. The DPRK’s football goalkeeper Ri Chong-Hui and South Korean handball player Hwangbo Sung-Il carried the symbol together after the Olympic Council of Asia relented on its protocol of only one athlete being allowed to carry a national flag. ROK President Kim Dae-Jung clapped enthusiastically from the stands as the crowd erupted and the electronic scoreboard flashed up “Korea”. Hundreds of DPRK flags, banned in the ROK, were vigorously waved by a DPRK cheer squad shipped in for the event.
“Inter-Korean Relations: Asian Games” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, US)
“Inter Korean Sports Exchange” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, ROK) |
10. DPRK Passenger Boat ROK Arrival
A DPRK passenger boat carrying hundreds of Asian Games supporters arrived here in a landmark visit to ROK. The 9,672-ton Mangyongbong 92, carying 343 DPRK supporters, including a 150-member music band, pulled in at Dadaepo Port Saturday amid cheers from hundreds of Busan citizens waving “unification flags” and banners. It marked the first time that a DPRK passenger boat has entered ROK waters and moored at a since the end of the Korean War. The DPRK boat was marked with their national flag — a red star and blue and red stripes — but it also flew a unification flag, commonly used by the two sides and decorated with the blue Korean peninsula image. “Thank you all for welcoming us so warmly,” Li Myong-Won, who led the cheering squad, told the audience. “We’ll root for not only our athletes but for the unification of the fatherland.”
“DPRK Passenger Boat ROK Arrival” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, US) |
People’s Republic of China
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1. PRC on UN Iraq Resolution
The PRC is reflecting on a draft UN resolution setting tough new terms for Iraq on disarming, which a British envoy discussed with senior PRC officials in Beijing on Monday, a British embassy official said. But PRC Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan told his Russian counterpart that the PRC still favored a political solution and the priority was for UN arms inspectors to return to Iraq. The consultations came as Britain and the US lobbied fellow UN Security Council permanent members PRC, France and Russia to back a resolution requiring Baghdad to comply with new arms inspection rules within 30 days or face military action. The PRC is expected to abstain in a vote on the resolution. But diplomats say it is taking a more pragmatic, rather than principled, stance compared to when it abstained on almost all Security Council votes before the 1991 Gulf War and opposed sanctions on Iraq afterwards.
“PRC on UN Iraq Resolution” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, US) |
2. PRC-Japan 30th Anniversary of Diplomatic Ties
Japan and the PRC vowed on Sunday to forge closer and stronger bilateral ties, as they marked the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji exchanged messages to commemorate the 30th anniversary of forging diplomatic ties, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said. “The two countries have strengthened ties in various fields and now both have extremely important responsibilities concerning peace and prosperity not only in the region but the world,” Koizumi said in his message to Zhu. “I hope to continue to strengthen wide-ranging cooperative relations with your country,” he said, according to a copy of his massage released by Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
“PRC-Japan 30th Anniversary of Diplomatic Ties” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, US)
“PRC-Japan Relations” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, PRC) |
3. PRC-DPRK Relations
PRC Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said on September 24 that PRC and Kirghizstan will hold joint anti-terror military exercises on their border areas focusing on the threat posed by Eastern Turkistan terrorists. Zhang said in the report that “to carry out the UN Charter, as well relevant conventions of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization, this is the first bilateral anti-terrorism military exercise since the founding of the organization”. It reported that this military exercise will not only strengthen the mutual trust of the two countries, but also have a significant effect on maintaining peace in the border areas of the two neighbors.
“PRC-DPRK Relations” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, PRC) |
4. PRC Attitude towards Korean Peninsula Development
PRC Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said on September 26 that the PRC welcomes the recent reconciliation trend on the Korean Peninsula. Zhang said in the report that improvement has been apparent recently in the relations between DPRK and US, Japan and Russia, and PRC regards the upcoming US envoy to DPRK “as another positive step”. PRC also hopes all sides involved will further improve relations with DPRK to enhance bilateral trust through honest dialogue so as to further promote the trend, said Zhang. The report also mentioned that on September 23 and 24 US and DPRK representatives met in New York to discuss the US envoy’s visit.
“PRC Attitude towards Korean Peninsula Development” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, PRC) |
5. PRC Naval Developments
In the past decade, the PLA navy has bolstered its mostly indigenous surface fleet with the addition of two Sovremenny-class destroyers from Russia to its eastern fleet based opposite Taiwan. Two more are on order. What makes them worrisome, analysts say, are their supersonic SS-N-22/Sunburn anti-ship missiles. No Asian navy can shoot them down, a report to the US Congress said in July. Below the waves, too, the PRC is enhancing its submarine force, now a collection of 50-60 mostly noisy and outdated boats. The PLA navy has recently added four Russian-made Kilo-class diesel-electric attack submarines. The ships are nearly silent and the PRC has eight more on order. The PRC is also expected to buy about 40 Russian Su-30MKK fighter planes before year-end, equipped with radar systems that let them fire precision air-to-surface anti-ship missiles, Jane’s Defence Weekly reported in August. Finally, the PRC navy has put growing stock in its large arsenal of increasingly sophisticated anti-ship mines, a crucial element in a blockade of Taiwan. For the time being, plans for an aircraft carrier are on the back burner because of the high cost, analysts say.
“PRC Naval Developments” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 2, US) |
6. PRC National Day
The PRC marked its 53rd anniversary with a show of confidence ahead of crucial leadership changes, as millions hit the road at the start of a week-long holiday. State-run newspapers Tuesday reassured their National Day readers that reform would continue after the top-level adjustments expected at the 16th Congress of the Communist Party starting November 8. Based on “the solid groundwork” laid by the current leadership around President Jiang, the PRC will advance faster in the years to come, the China Daily argued. “This will be further proved when the Party Congress is convened in November,” it said.
“PRC National Day” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 2, US) |
7. Taiwan APEC Representation
Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian’s has won praise for appointing Nobel Prize laureate Lee Yuan-tseh his special envoy to the 2002 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico October 26-27. When he announced the appointment at a press conference yesterday, Chen Shih-meng, presidential secretary-general, quoted Mexican President Vincente Fox, the host of the summit, as saying he was “very impressed by Dr. Lee’s credentials.” The United States, Chen said, also hailed Lee as a “very, very ideal” person to attend the summit on President Chen’s behalf.
“Taiwan APEC Representation” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 2, US) |
Japan
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1. Japan DPRK Spy Ship
Japan’s Transport Minister Chikage Ogi announced that aA vessel salvaged in early September from the East China Sea was definitely a DPRK spy ship. “We have concluded that the ship was a North Korean spy vessel,” said Ogi at a news conference on Friday. “Physical evidence backs this up.” The government also indicated it was not likely to strongly protest the matter with the DPRK, as it had already received an apology from DPRK supreme leader Kim Jong-Il at an historic summit last month. “There has already been an apology,” the government’s top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, told reporters. “Clearing up this matter during the normalization talks is appropriate,” he said. Although the mystery ship was determined to be a spy vessel, Fukuda pointed out “We don’t have proof of what exactly its actual mission was.” He added it was not clear if Japan could ask for compensation for damage incurred in a firefight with the ship.
“Japan DPRK Spy Ship” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 3, US)
“Japan DPRK Mystery Vessel” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 1, US) |
2. Japan Cabinet Reshuffle
The appointment of Shigeru Ishiba as director-general of the Defense Agency has raised the hopes of fellow hawks that new military emergency legislation will finally pass the Diet. Ishiba is regarded as one of the Diet’s most knowledgeable defense policy experts. But that very fact may conversely result in a delay in passage of the bills because Ishiba says he is not satisfied with some aspects of the proposed legislation. Ishiba has insisted provisions be made to deal with terrorist attacks on Japan and intrusions into Japanese waters by suspected spy ships. In its current form, the proposed legislation deals only with a full-scale military attack on Japan. In his first news conference after being named director-general, Ishiba indicated he was willing to consider alternatives before revising legislation.
“Japan Cabinet Reshuffle” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, Japan) |
3. Japan Nuclear Industry Scandal
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, in an interim report out Tuesday, ripped Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) and other power companies for failing to adequately check their nuclear power operations. The report cited “paralyzed checking functions” throughout the industry as the fundamental cause of the scandals. It said TEPCO’s in-house inspections had been reduced to a formality and most staff had inadequate understanding of ethical codes for accident prevention. But the report stopped short of calling the lack of reports “illegal.” Questions remain as to whether the top echelon of TEPCO executives were actually involved in the cover-ups. The agency report failed to identify who instructed whom to conceal damages. The agency’s decision not to pursue criminal responsibility on the part of utilities has only stoked anger of local governments hosting nuclear reactors.
“Japan Nuclear Industry Scandal” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, Japan)
“Japanese Nuclear Industry Scandal” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, Japan) |
4. DPRK Japanese Abduction Victims
The families of Japanese kidnapped by the DPRK demanded Thursday their loved ones return to Japan – despite their videotaped claims that they are happy in the DPRK and do not want to come home. The families spoke after watching videotapes of five surviving kidnap victims and the daughter of one who the DPRK says has died. A Japanese government mission brought back the videotape earlier this week. The mission visited Pyongyang to discover the fate of 13 Japanese nationals that the DPRK admitted last month to abducting in the 1970s and 1980s to train spies in Japanese language and customs and to allow agents to take on their identities. All the victims said on the videotape that they were leading happy lives and expressed reluctance about returning to Japan. But families in Tokyo said they doubted the DPRK would allow their relatives to speak their minds.
“DPRK Japanese Abduction Victims” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 1, US)
“Japanese Abductees in DPRK” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 1, ROK)
“DPRK-Japan Abduction Suicide” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 2, US)
“Japan DPRK Abduction Fact Finding Mission” (NAPSNet Daily Report, October 2, US) |
5. Japan Cabinet Reshuffle
Japan Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi fired a top economic adviser Monday in the first reshuffle of his Cabinet since taking office more than a year ago. Koizumi sacked Financial Services Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa. Koizumi retained most of his main ministers – including Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, Trade Minister Takeo Hiranuma, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa and Heizo Takenaka, the economic and fiscal policy minister. Yanagisawa’s position was assumed by Takenaka. The new Cabinet includes four women, as did the previous lineup. Also replaced was Agriculture Minister Tsutomu Takebe, who had been strongly criticized for the government handling of Japan’s mad cow disease outbreak. In other changes, Shigeru Ishiba was named as head of the Defense Agency, which was involved in a privacy violation scandal, and Sadakazu Tanigaki as chief of the National Public Safety Commission, which oversees police and national security issues.
“Japan Cabinet Reshuffle” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, US) |
6. Japan-US Relations
Japan agreed to allow US customs officials to help screen US-bound cargo containers docked in its ports for nuclear bombs and other weapons of mass destruction. It reported that since the September 11 attacks, US authorities have feared a potential strike against port cities using chemical, biological or nuclear devices stowed in containers. “Last year alone, almost six million cargo containers entered US ports”, “but this system is vulnerable to terrorism, and to the risk that terrorists might use one of these boxes to smuggle a weapon-potentially, even a weapon of mass destruction”, US Customs Commissioner Robert Bonner said in the report.
“Japan-US Relations” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, PRC) |
7. Japanese Logistic Support for US
Japanese Defense Agency chief Gen Nakatani on Friday denied media reports that the US has asked Japan to expand the scope of its logistic support for antiterrorism military operations in Afghanistan. Nakatani said, however, that diplomatic and defense authorities of the two countries have been “exchanging information” but declined comment on details of the bilateral consultations. “We have not received any kind of requests,” Nakatani told a news conference after the day’s Cabinet meeting.
“Japanese Logistic Support for US” (NAPSNet Daily Report, September 30, Japan) |
Nuclear Issues
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1. Related News and Analysis
The Press Trust of India reported that India would begin the commercial production of supersonic anti-ship Brahmos cruise missile, with a range of 280 km, by 2004. India also test fired Trishul, its short-range surface-to-air missile. A new US government funded study finds it unlikely that terrorists will be able to steal Pakistani or Indian nuclear weapons. President Pervez Musharraf has stated that Pakistan’s “minimum deterrence needs would continue to be pursued, while avoiding an arms race.”
“Related News and Analysis” (SANDNet Weekly Update, V.3 #32) |
Afghanistan
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1. Current News
According to a daily News (Pakistan) report, the US forces have launched an operation aimed at capturing former Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. The daily Frontier Post reports that the US army has increased its troops in Afghanistan’s Nimrouz province that borders Iran. A single rocket was reportedly launched at a US special operations base in southeastern Afghanistan. General Dan McNeill, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, organized and mediated a meeting between Gul Agha Shirazi and Ismail Khan, governors of Khandahar and Herat province respectively. The meeting was aimed at easing tensions between the two former warlords. The UN is preparing a team to investigate the reports of a mass grave found in northern Afghanistan which is believed to contain bodies of hundreds of Taliban prisoners.
“Current News” (SANDNet Weekly Update, V.3 #32) |
Campaign Against Al-Qaeda
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1. News and Analysis
The Pakistani government has announced more arrests of alleged members of extremist religious groups. Rauf Klasra (News, Pakistan) reports that Pakistan has informed the US that 33 activists of the banned Harkatul ul Mujahidin Al-Alami – “equipped with deadly weapons like rocket launchers and detonators” – are still at large. Klasra also writes that Pakistan has asked the US to ‘gradually’ decrease FBI’s role in Pakistan’s campaign against extremist religious groups. Meanwhile, the FBI is reportedly planning to install close-circuit cameras at selective spots in Karachi. According to a government spokesperson, Pakistan has so far handed about 420 alleged al-Qaeda and Taliban activists to the US.
“News and Analysis” (SANDNet Weekly Update, V.3 #32) |
India-Pakistan Situation
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1. News
India’s Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha has stated that “there is no chance of a dialogue, until and unless Pakistan puts an end to cross-border terrorism.” President Musharraf, on his part, stated that “if they don’t want to talk to us, we don’t want to talk to them either… there is no problem.”
“News” (SANDNet Weekly Update, V.3 #32) |
2. Analysis
M.P. Bhandara’s essay in Dawn, Pakistan, notes ambiguities in President Musharraf’s statements about Pakistan’s role in supporting militancy in Kashmir and argues that “there should be no room for training camps in Pakistan or in Azad Kashmir.”
“Analysis” (SANDNet Weekly Update, V.3 #32) |
3. Pakistan Domestic Situation
Unidentified assailants killed 7 Christian employees of a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Karachi. The killing was strongly condemned by Pakistan’s political parties and NGOs. The daily Dawn called the killings a “chilling reminder of the growing threat posed to Pakistan’s Christian community by extremists.” The Daily Times writes that the killings show “our deep internal regression over the past three decades…” The Super-7 fighter aircraft – result of the biggest-ever joint venture between Pakistan and China – will go through its first flight by June 2003 in China. Pakistan’s federal cabinet has approved the Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002 to “ensure all citizens’ access to public records.”
“Domestic Situation” (SANDNet Weekly Update, V.3 #32) |
4. US – Pakistan Relations
Pakistani and US defense officials have restarted a joint consultative forum after a four-year suspension. The daily News (Pakistan) reports that the meeting is “unlikely to have any major breakthrough because of the reluctant approach by the US team.” “US – Pakistan Relations” (SANDNet Weekly Update, V.3 #32) |
5. India: Domestic Situation
Thirty people were killed when two gunmen attacked a Hindu temple in Gujarat. The gunmen were later killed in a commando strike. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blamed Pakistan for the attack. Pakistan condemned the attack and called Indian allegations of Pakistan’s role in the attack “highly irresponsible.” About 3000 Indian army troops were moved into Gujarat to prevent anti-Muslim violence in areas around Ahmadabad, the capital of Gujarat and the site of the attacked temple. The daily Hindu called upon “the entire political class .. [to] .. reach out to the masses with the message of communal amity and harmony, [and] not seek to drive a wedge between different religious groups for narrow partisan gains.”
“India: Domestic Situation” (SANDNet Weekly Update, V.3 #32) |
6. US-India Relations
C. Raja Mohan (Hindu) believes that “as a rising power, India is more sympathetic to the American effort to rework the rules of the global game from which it could benefit. Europe, on the other hand, is a staunch defender of the present order.”
“US-India Relations” (SANDNet Weekly Update, V.3 #32) |
7. Kashmir Elections
Increased violence preceded the second phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) state elections. The second phase of polling in J&K ended with official voter turnout of 42 per cent. Two reports by Indian Express’ Muzamil Jaleel describe the atmosphere and the activities surrounding the polling. Rajindar Sachar (Hindu) warns that “the mildly satisfactory polling should not deceive the Government of India into assuming that people’s resentment has vanished… It should initiate talks not only with the elected representatives but also other groups.”
“Elections” (SANDNet Weekly Update, V.3 #32) |
8. India, Pakistan, US
Robert Blackwill, the US Ambassador to India, has stated that infiltration of militants across the line of control is “is certainly going on — absolutely. Our judgment is it is up in August and up in September and we condemn it.” Amin Lakhani’s essay in the daily Dawn argues that “Pakistan should permanently cease its backing for any military action in Indian-controlled Kashmir. It should disarm all militants and disband all supporting camps and training facilities.”
“India, Pakistan, US” (SANDNet Weekly Update, V.3 #32)
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