-
Russia’s interests on the Korean Peninsula
The summit between South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Russian President Vladimir Putin has attracted much attention to Russia’s attitude toward the problems of the Korean peninsula. When it comes to Russia’s attitude to South Korea, there is surprisingly little to discuss. In spite of some misunderstandings and minor frictions,…
Read More » -
South East Asia
Thousands of Thais gather in protest against government’s amnesty bill
An estimated 10,000 Thais demonstrated on Thursday near a Bangkok railway station in protest against a bill aimed to grant amnesty to those involved in previous mass protests. Organized by the opposition Democrat Party, the number of the anti-amnesty demonstrators who began to gather since late afternoon might increase twice…
Read More » -
South East Asia
Aung San Suu Kyi visits Rome to receive overdue honorary citizenship
Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi has picked up an overdue honor from Rome, a city she fondly recalled enjoying, along with its gelato, 40 years earlier. The Nobel Peace Prize winner received Rome’s honorary citizenship Sunday night in City Hall on the ancient Capitoline Hill. In 1994, Rome had conferred…
Read More » -
Emergence of market economy in North Korea
What can we learn from the dramatic transformation that North Korea has undergone in the last two decades? I am afraid that many of my readers might not like my conclusions, but for me, the last two decades are another confirmation that markets and trade are all too natural for…
Read More » -
South East Asia
Indonesian democracy challenged by local customs
Indonesia is a vast tropical country of sprawling archipelago with extremely diverse cultures and a demographic make-up of over 300 ethnic groups, and more than 700 living languages spoken. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world and also has a significant Christian Protestant and Catholic population. Hindus mostly…
Read More » -
East Asia
Japanese lawmakers visit Yasukuni Shrine amid protests from China
About 160 Japanese lawmakers from a nonpartisan group on Friday morning worshipped the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine during its autumn festival, according to local media. Japanese Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Yoshitaka Shindo also paid a visit to the controversial shrine earlier the day, after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday…
Read More » -
East Asia
Philippine President Aquino III visits S. Korea to discuss trade, investment
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III begins a two-day state visit to South Korea on Oct 17 to discuss trade, investment and defense cooperation. It wasn’t clear on Wednesday whether the trip would even take place, as President Aquino rushed to the central Philippines to inspect heavy damage from Tuesday’s 7.2-magnitude…
Read More » -
South East Asia
Clash of values over Bukit Brown, Singapore’s ‘Angkor’
In 1860, the jungles of Cambodia yielded a hidden secret when French naturalist Henri Mouhot stumbled upon the ruins of Angkor Thom. Intriguing wall figures and building architecture had led him to the long-lost Bagon at Kampong Thom in the deep forests of the Tonle Sap Lake, of whose grandeur…
Read More » -
South East Asia
APEC leaders meet on sustainable growth, regional cooperation
The 21st informal economic leaders’ meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) kicked off here on October 7 in Bali, Indonesia, with sustainable growth and regional cooperation high on the agenda. This year’s APEC gathering, themed “Resilient Asia-Pacific, Engine of Global Growth,” highlights such topics as achieving sustainable growth with…
Read More » -
South Asia
About 6,000 field candidacies for 240 CA seats in Nepal
Nearly 6,000 candidates from over 100 political parties Thursday fielded their candidacies from 240 constituencies to contest the 2nd Constituent Assembly election slated for November 19 in Nepal. With the nomination of the candidates for the 240 First-Past-The-Post seats of the 601-member Constituent Assembly in a peaceful environment, it is…
Read More »