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| February 22, 2002 | atimes.com | ||
  
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 In the Philippines, an enemy with three faces As United States soldiers officially deploy to Basilan island in the Philippines this week, local soldiers, hostages and tribal leaders explain why the Abu Sayyaf are so tough to beat, reports Christopher Johnson. (Feb 21) Full text China revisited United States President George W Bush jetted into Beijing on Thursday on the last leg of his Asian tour exactly 30 years to the day that Richard Nixon began his groundbreaking visit to China. And, as then, the two sides still have their differences. (Feb 21) Full text Taiwan faces political gridlock Two recent votes in the Taiwanese legislature clearly show that the ruling party's lack of a majority in the house will prevent it from passing any legislation that the opposition finds unacceptable. And with compromise a foreign word in present Taiwanese politics, this does not bode well for the island, writes Laurence Eyton. (Feb 21) Full text Tigers keep their sights on India Even as the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam inch toward the implementation of a structured ceasefire and the negotiating table, there remains a groundswell of suspicion over the Tigers' true intentions. There is no doubt, though, writes Sudha Ramachandran, that their preferred location for peace talks remains India. (Feb 21) Full text Vietnam joins the Internet revolution Despite strict government control and censorship of the e-airways, the information technology sector in Vietnam is surprisingly upbeat. James Borton writes that the country's Internet industry, in particular, is making strong headway. (Feb 21) Full text Dark Ages return to plague India The government's acknowledgement that pneumonic plague hit two states in India last week has given rise to concerns about whether India's health system can effectively combat diseases that can quickly turn into epidemics. The crisis highlights the paradox of a stagnant health care system in an increasingly affluent nation. (Feb 21) Full text US treads on Indian-Pakistani sensibilities The shift in the United States' South Asia policy has revived Washington's Cold War policy of treating India and Pakistan as equals, writes Ehsan Ahrari. Once US objectives of uprooting the remnants of the Taliban and in breaking the al-Qaeda network have been accomplished, however, Delhi and Islamabad are unlikely to be able to compete with China, Russia and Europe for America's prolonged and heightened engagement. (Feb 21) Full text ASIAN MARKETS: Nikkei jumps Bourses closed mixed despite a sharp recovery on Wall Street overnight. Tokyo stocks finished strongly, partly on fresh hopes for a government bailout of Japanese banks. Markets in South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore also closed higher. (Feb 21) Full text Business in Asia Today Korea's Hanaro to issue US$100 million in bonds; BHP Billiton awarded deepwater block off Brunei; Hitachi, Mitsubishi Heavy to share technologies; China Everbright Bank's total assets climb 30%; IHI, Toyota form turbocharger venture in Thailand ... (Feb 21) Full text HEY, JOE Estrada brings Arroyo to her knees Although it is difficult to imagine mass protests in the streets over something like a knee operation, Ted Lerner writes that exactly this could happen in the popularity power play between Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her deposed predecessor, Joseph Estrada. (Feb 20) Full text THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING INDIA Part 5: Partners in progress 
Geopolitical shifts in Asia, along with the advent of the "global village", are making relations between the European Union and India more intense and productive. A European observer outlines these trends in the fifth in a series of articles presented by Asia Times Online in collaboration with Heartland. (Feb 20)
Full text PACIFIC BEAT Political quagmire From the slap-on-the-wrist rulings on coup leader George Speight and his closest henchmen, to doubts the suspected real kingpins will ever be brought to book, to the prime minister's refusal to honor a Court of Appeal ruling on his illegal cabinet, Fiji remains bogged down in its political morass. Alan Boyd writes that it is time for some real leadership. (Feb 20) Full text FINER THINGS New Year's puts the feast in festivity Chinese New Year celebrations take several days, not all of which are devoted to food. Or so goes the theory. Chawadee Nualkhair visited Bangkok's Chinatown and found that feasting is a major part of the festivities, even if a bit short of the six-day, 800-course extravaganzas available in China itself. But please, hold the goose feet. (Feb 15) Full text SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY Chapter 27: Horsewhip Amirthalingham After the shooting of two of their officers, the police retaliate by burning down the Jaffna Public Library, destroying its collection of over 97,000 valuable books. K T Rajasingham writes that this was an evil design to deprive the Tamils of their historical past and national identity. Events led to a motion of no confidence being passed against leader of the opposition Amirthalingham, amid calls for him to be horsewhipped. (Feb 14) Full text | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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