2010-09-01

An Interview with the Karmapa Lama

Many in Dharamsala, India, the home of Tibetan Buddhism in exile, believe the 17th Karmapa Lama, whose name is Ogyen Trinley Dorje, represents the future of Tibetan politics in exile as well. He is extremely popular among young Tibetans, partly because of his 1999 escape from Chinese hands, but also because he possesses rare charisma. The Karmapa passes much of his time in the protected top floor of Gyuto Monastery near Dharamsala, guarded by Indian policemen and intelligence officers who keep a constant watch on his activities. He has busied himself by becoming increasingly knowledgeable about environmentalism
asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_co...=2672&Itemid=404

See also

asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_co...=2451&Itemid=174

2010-09-01

The rise of Kim III

The main reason North Korean leader Kim Jong Il visited China for the second time in four months might have been to get his key ally's blessing for his succession plans, Chinese analysts said a day after both sides confirmed the secretive visit.
www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=13983&sec=1

2010-09-01

Sixty-seven percent of voters feel Prime Minister Naoto Kan is best suited to be president of the Democratic Party of Japan, far more than the 14 percent who support former party Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa, a Yomiuri Shimbun survey has found. Ozawa and Kan are expected to run a two-man race in the presidential election to be announced Wednesday and held Sept. 14.
www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T100830003026.htm

2010-08-28

Stalled talks get a boost from Carter visit…

Beijing - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has shown a lot of enthusiasm for getting back around the negotiating table for denuclearization talks by setting free an imprisoned United States citizen, but the US also has a big role to play if wheels are to be put in motion, according to Chinese experts.
www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2010-08/28/content_11217651.htm

…And Kim Jong-il visit to China

www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/LH28Dg01.html

2010-08-24

Behold, beware Myanmar's fourth empire

Myanmar's government has announced democratic elections will be held on November 7 and Western pundits are busy speculating whether the polls will lead to a new, more open era in the troubled country's modern history. A far more important and potentially sinister plan is unfolding as the country's military rulers seek to consolidate a vision of empire that affords them a permanent grip on the country and its many nationalities.

A new nation is being built, one that military leaders view as the coming of the Fourth Myanmar Empire.
www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LH25Df02.html

2010, August 24

Indonesia's Aceh Province and Shariah

Eroding Indonesia's Secular Freedoms

Despite Indonesia having a secular Constitution, devoutly Muslim Aceh was allowed to adopt parts of Shariah law, presumably to prevent the Acehnese from joining the rebellious Free Aceh Movement (GAM). In 1999, then-President BJ Habibie signed a special law on Aceh that, among other things, granted the province a special status and the right to partly implement shariah. However, the law did not stipulate how Islamic law would be implemented. Two years later, President Megawati Sukarnoputri signed into law an autonomy package that included comprehensive regulations on establishing Shariah courts and Shariah bylaws. Based on these two pieces of legislation — that were drafted, discussed, and approved in Jakarta, Aceh established its first shariah court in 2003, and publicly caned its first violator in 2005.
asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_co...=2650&Itemid=175

2010/08/11

N.K. power elite ready for successor

North Korea’s power elite is taking steps to make official the status of Kim Jong-un as the country’s next Dear Leader. The Workers’ Party is expected to put 26-year-old Jong-un and his supporters on key posts at the upcoming meeting of its top representatives in early September
www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20100811000745