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| September 13, 2001 | atimes.com | ||
  |  | Southeast Asia Voting remains a dream for overseas Filipinos Guaranteed by the constitution, absentee voting continues to be an elusive dream for millions of overseas Filipinos. Although the Philippines is the second-largest exporter of labor in the world, those not voting in person are unable to have their voices heard by their own democratic system. In the wake of still more scandals in the current administration, absentee voting may yet again be put on the back burner. (Sep 11) Full text HEY, JOE The shortcut to ruin A shortcut out of Manila saves one a bit of motoring time, but it also exposes one to some of the most unimaginably sordid living conditions in the world. In the face of this, and other mounting problems in the Philippines, an incredible sense of urgency is needed. Yet, writes Ted Lerner, the cold, hard reality is that absolutely nothing is being done. (Sep 11) Full text Full text Philippine telecom giant to test market Despite what it describes as less than ideal market conditions, telecom giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co is to issue US$250 million in bonds on the international market, partly to finance the purchase of some of its outstanding notes. Mary Ann Reyes writes that the company's issue is expected to serve as a litmus test for the appetite of financial markets for Asian bonds. (Sep 11) Full text China's booming trade in Vietnamese brides Vietnamese women in growing numbers are beingdeceived into sham marriages or sold by their families to men in China and Taiwan. In their new countries, these "brides" are shared around or sold outright to the sex industry - or to a new "owner". According to the Vietnamese government, the lucrative wife business isgrowing rapidly. (Sep 11) Full text Indonesia to give equal treatment to foreign investors The Indonesian government is reported to have agreed to accord equal treatment to domestic and foreign investors, as requested by the Asian Development Bank. The issue is tied to the bank's plan to disburse a loan of US$600 million for Indonesia later this year. (Sep 11) Full text US lawmakers push for E Timor tribunal Influential lawmakers in the US Congress are calling for an international criminal tribunal to bring to justice Indonesian military officers implicated in massacres in East Timor. The demands come at an awkward time for both the Bush administration and the new Indonesian government, writes Tim Shorrock, with senior Bush officials pushing for resumed US military aid to Jakarta and Asia emerging as a key focus for US military strategy. (Sep 10) Full text Megawati's reform drive repulsed Moves by Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri to form an independent commission to institute changes to the 1945 constitution have been rebuffed by the lawmakers who presently hold that power. Ken Ntalarana writes that the rejection is not only a setback to the reform movement, it is also a blow to the president. (Sep 10) Full text Clampdown on Bangkok nightlife gets jeers, cheers Thailand's Interior Minister Purachai Piumsombun is cramping many a tourist's style with his "moral crusade" that has ordered bars to stop selling alcohol after midnight and close their doors by 2am. But it's not only foreign men who are feeling the pinch: the bar girls blame Purachai for their plunging income, and one economist says the crusade could undermine the country's economy. (Sep 10) Full textVietnam takes blame for export shortfall While other countries are blaming soft world markets for poor export figures, Vietnam squarely places the blame of "only" achieving 12 percent growth in the first eight months of the year on its own inadequacies. (Sep 10) Full text Vietnam's motorcycle ventures on a joyride Motorcycle manufacturing joint ventures in Vietnam are reporting increasingly strong profits, with all but one now in the black. And in its drive to localize the industry, the country has attracted 52 foreign-invested projects to manufacture motorcycle parts. (Sep 10) Full text Singapore government reconsiders SingTel As Singapore Telecommunications prepares for Tuesday's debut on the Australian Stock Exchange, the Singapore government is considering reducing its 65 percent stake in the company. SingTel's president has described allegations that SingTel was spying on Australia, or was part of some plan "to do something bad in Australia" as "outrageous" and "just absurd". (Sep 10) Full text DIRE STRAITS Borneo barometer Campaigning has begun in Malaysia's resource-rich Sarawak state in northern Borneo for state elections later this month. While no-one expects Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's ruling party to lose power in the state, the margins of victory and the popular vote will be nervously watched to detect negative trends, writes Anil Netto. (Sep 7) Full text Bangkok shakes hands with Myanmar junta Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's attempt to open a new chapter in his country's relations with Myanmar has been derided by champions of democracy who cannot stomach the effusive reception accorded a visiting junta general. But it is winning praise from others who say that the contentious issues between the neighbors are now on the table, for the first time. (Sep 7) Full text Two dinars, anyone? Countries like Kuwait once promised better lives for foreign workers, many of them Asian, who came in droves to work the jobs Kuwaitis shunned. Little did many realize that their new lives would brand them as second-class citizens, with all the human rights abuses - labor-related, physical and sexual - that term entails. (Sep 6) Full text Khmer Rouge tribunal faces credibility test Despite complaints from the United Nations, a tribunal to prosecute surviving members of the Khmer Rouge will mainly comprise judges from Cambodia. Independent analysts and the UN protest that Cambodian judges have too many political links with the old regime to ensure that justice is served. But Prime Minister Hun Sen says Cambodia will go on with the trials - with or without the UN. (Sep 6) Full text Vietnam plan looks good on paper Vietnam is to spend US$1.9 billion over the next four years to build new mills and plantations that will help treble the country's annual output of paper. The initiative will help bring down the high cost of local paper, and slash the import bill at the same time. (Sep 6) Full text Indonesia's ring road turns full circle After being stalled for several years by economic hard times, Indonesia has revived an ambitious project to construct a ring road around the capital, Jakarta. In a break with the past, however, a key state monopoly will not be invited to submit a tender, while four foreign concerns have already done so. Bill Guerin writes that while this is encouraging, other grandiose infrastructure plans raise the specter of disgraced wheelers and dealers getting back into business. (Sep 5) Full text Cambodians flock back to Buddhism They're guzzling beer, chain-smoking and playing cards - and those are just the monks. Cambodia is enjoying a rapid revival of Buddhism in the current climate of economic uncertainty and financial support from overseas Cambodians, but many are questioning the quality of that revival. Are Cambodians truly finding the enlightenment they seek? (Sep 5) Full text 'Militant Islam' doesn't wash with Malaysian skeptics The Malaysian media are agog with allegations about Islamic extremists planning to seize power in the country. Many Malaysians, however, see nothing but sordid old politics behind the so-called threat, writes Anil Netto. (Sep 5) Full text |
 
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