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| Sunday, May 21, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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Chen new
Taiwan President Strikes hit life in Pakistan Blast in Philippines, 10 hurt India may build nuclear submarine,
carrier US-Iraq dispute stalls NPT accord Mayor drops out of Senate race Blairs blessed with son Asian films steal spotlight |
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Chen new Taiwan President BEIJING, May 20 (PTI) — In a bid to defuse the tense relations with Beijing, Taiwan’s new President Chen Shui-Bian today pledged not to declare the island independent as long as Communist China did not invade. “As long as the Chinese Communist Party regime has no intention to use military force against Taiwan, I pledge that during my term in office I will not declare independence,” Mr Chen said in his 50-minute speech soon after being sworn in as the President replacing retiring President Lee Teng-Hui, 77, Taiwan’s first popularly elected leader. China views Taiwan as rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland at an early date. Beijing has repeatedly threatened to retake the island if Taiwan authorities declared independence. “I will not change the national title. I will not push forth the inclusion of the so-called ‘state-to-state’ description in the Constitution. And I will not promote a referendum to change the status quo with regards to the question on independence or unification”, Mr Chen said after taking office in Taiwan’s first democratic transfer of power. Furthermore, the abolition of the national reunification council or the national reunification guidelines would not be an issue, Mr Chen said. Mr Chen said he believed the leaders on both sides possess enough wisdom and creativity to jointly deal with the question of a future ‘one China’. But, he ignored the key Chinese demand to clearly state that Taiwan is an inseparable part of ‘one China’. Analysts say Mr Chen refused to accept the ‘one China’ principle fearing that it would mean surrendering Taiwan’s sovereignty to the authoritarian Communist regime in Beijing. In the face of repeated threats from the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), Taiwan’s 400,000-strong armed forces were placed on a standard state of heightened alertness. BEIJING, Reuters: China accused new Taiwan President Chen Shui-Bian of “lack of sincerity” in his comments on reunification during his inaugural speech today, damping hopes of a breakthrough in cross-strait ties. A statement jointly issued by the State Council’s Taiwan office and the Taiwan Department of the Communist Party’s Central Committee noted all the promises Chen made to China in his address, including a pledge not to declare independence. “But he adopted an evasive and unclear attitude towards the key question of accepting the ‘one China’ principle,” according to the statement carried by the official Xinhua news agency. “Obviously, his ‘goodwill and reconciliation’ lacked sincerity,” it added. China had earlier warned
repeatedly that unless Chen accepted its cherished notion
of ‘one China’, he would be courting
“disaster”. |
Strikes hit life in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, May 20 — The strike called separately by Islamic fundamentalist groups and small traders in Pakistan continued for the second day today, paralysing normal life across the country. Even as major markets remained closed, Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider said there was no going back on the issue of tax on traders as the government had every right to ask them to pay the tax. “We have the moral high ground and will allow no compromise on the issue,” he said. Reports from across Pakistan indicate that the second day of the three-day strike has been widely observed in major cities. The Federation of Pakistan Chamber and Commerce Industry, which initially was a silent spectator, has decided to throw its weight behind the small traders’ strike. The government has asked the traders to document their businesses and start contributing to the government’s revenue. But the traders argue that they cannot afford to hire accountants. The religious parties had called for the strike separately to press a charter of demand submitted to the government. The leaders of 19 religious political parties, which called for the strike, accused the government of distorting the Islamic identity of the country. Military ruler, Gen Pervez Musharraf, has already climbed down on his proposal to amend the blasphemy law. Now the religious parties are demanding, among eight other demands, that Friday be declared a holiday. A move to impose General
Sales Tax (GST) and documentation of turnover by small
traders was frustrated by the traders in the past, but
the Musharraf government says it will go ahead with its
plan as the first step of documentation of the economy. |
Blast in Philippines, 10 hurt MANILA, May 20 (AFP) — A bomb exploded in the southern town of Midsayap today, injuring 10 people, and explosives were found in a central park in the Philippine capital in the latest in a wave of bombing incidents. The bomb, made of a mortar shell, went off near a bus terminal in Midsayap in North Cotabato province, near the site of recent battles between the military and a Muslim separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), police and town mayor Romeo Arania said. In Rizal park at the center of Manila, police found a plastic bag full of dynamite today. However city police chief Edgardo Aglipay said this may have been a prank as the explosives had no blasting cap to set them off. The MILF and a smaller Muslim extremist group, the Abu Sayyaf, have been blamed for the rash of bombing in the southern Philippines and are also suspected of being behind recent bomb incidents in Manila. Blasts in the southern Philippines this month have claimed at least 12 lives and injured scores of others, with eight killed in four explosions on Thursday alone. KUALA LUMPUR, Reuters: Malaysia today said its diplomats met for the first time with leaders of Muslim rebels holding 21 mostly foreign hostages in the southern Philippines, but called their demands “vague”. “We have commenced discussions with the blessings of the Philippine Government but we want the release of all the hostages, not only Malaysians,’’ Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told reporters. Syed Hamid said the Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines, Mohamed Arshad Hussain, and two other diplomats met four commanders from the fundamentalist Abu Sayyaf group in the coastal village of Taulug on Jolo island on Thursday. The Minister said the rebels called for the establishment of a “Sabah commission” to examine the welfare of tens of thousands of illegal Tausug Filipinos in Malaysia’s Sabah state and wanted Kuala Lumpur to take a more active role in the negotiations. Beyond that, their demands “are rather vague”, he said. “We seem to be getting different indications on their demands which revolve more on the socio-economic issues and problems and the political problems that they face,’’ the minister added. Of the demand to establish a Sabah commission, Syed Hamid said, “...our response to this is that Sabah is part of Malaysia and we determine the type of treatment to be accorded to illegal immigrants. Sabah on borneo island is home to some 500,000 illegal immigrants, mainly from the neighbouring Philippines. Syed Hamid denied allegations of human rights abuses. “It is always our policy that we do not ill-treat illegal immigrants.’’ Meanwhile, he Philippine Government and Muslim rebels have agreed to meet for talks on freeing 21 hostages, mostly foreigners held by the rebels in the southern Philippines, Malaysia’s Bernama News Agency said today. Bernama, in a report from the Philippines, quoted Philippine government chief negotiator Robert Aventajado as saying that the talks were expected to start anytime. He said he insisted on a
framework for the negotiations and for the Abu Sayyaf
guerrillas to put their demands in writing. |
India may build nuclear submarine, carrier WASHINGTON, May 20 (PTI) — The Indian Navy, which will become one of the best equipped in the world in the 21st century, can react “positively” if faced by a nuclear threat from Pakistan, Admiral Sushil Kumar has said. New projects on which work was on, included building a completely indigenously designed aircraft carrier, which would make the 21st century Indian Navy one of the best equipped in the world, the Chief of Staff told a German publication ‘Naval Forces’. Asked whether the Indian Navy was protected against Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, Mr Kumar said, “all our frontline sea assets can transit through a nuclear fall-out zone and react positively when faced against a nuclear threat.” On any plans to build a nuclear submarine, Admiral Kumar said the option of having a nuclear submarine existed. “If we do decide to go in for one, it will have to be seen in the context of whether the peculiar characteristics of a nuclear sub fits into our overall force requirements,” he said. He said that during the Kargil war, the Indian Navy was on high alert and outflanked the Pakistani Navy. There was “nothing between us and the Pakistan mainland,” Admiral Kumar said. Admiral Kumar said while the 20th century was a land era, the 21st century would have a greater role for the Navy as trade and industrial interests were increasingly concentrated in off-shore or near-shore regions. The sheer size of India’s ocean borders required it to have a blue water capability, he said, adding “we are working towards building a navy that can take on multiple sea challenges to the mainland.” The Navy had recently got clearance for its indigenously designed 32,000-tonne carrier, Air Defence Ship (ADS), which would carry a complement of MIG-29K and the Indian light combat aircraft as fighters, besides helicopters in surveillance and attack roles. Though the ADS, to be completed in 10 years, would be smaller than the conventional carrier, it would fill the Navy’s requirements of a fast-moving carrier to handle multiple threats at short notice. Three ships of the Talwar class were under construction at a Russian shipyard near St. Petersburg and “we plan to add more battleships of the Delhi class built in India,” Admiral Kumar said, adding Indian Navy was also planning to augment its submarine fleet and the naval air arm. A new sea base, the ‘Sea Bird’, was being built at Karwar on the Arabian sea coast, which would be among the most modern in the world, he said. Admiral Kumar said under
its policy of attaching greater importance to missiles
and electronic warfare, the Indian Navy was developing a
land attack cruise missile (LACM). |
US-Iraq dispute stalls NPT accord UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (PTI) — A dispute between Iraq and the USA over Baghdad’s nuclear weapons programme stalled a final accord at the NPT review conference here despite a near agreement between nuclear powers and non-nuclear nations on a nuclear disarmament agenda. The month-long conference, which was to end yesterday, dragged into another day to enable the participants to resolve the issue. Iraq, which is under UN sanctions, yesterday accepted wording in the conference’s final document saying that the International Atomic Agency has not been able to confirm that Baghdad has given up nuclear weapons programme. But Washington said the final document should state that Iraq was not in compliance with NPT’s requirement that all signatories abandon attempts to develop or acquire nuclear arms, conference sources said. Iraqi Ambassador Saeed Hasan criticised the USA for trying to put a language that referred to the Security Council resolution imposing sanctions against Baghdad and their compliance. The failure to resolve the dispute might derail the key provision of the consensus document in which nuclear weapon states give ‘‘unequivocal’’ commitment to eliminate their nuclear arsenals but without accepting any time frame. The commitment came yesterday after days of sustained negotiations. The dispute also threatened another document which single out Israel for being the only nation not to sign the NPT and appointing a representative to negotiate with it to sign the treaty. The USA says that it
will not allow Israel being criticised if their language
on Iraq is mentioned in the final document. |
Mayor drops out of Senate race NEW YORK, May 20 (PTI) — Two time New York Mayor Rudolph Guiliani, fighting prostate cancer, bowed out of the race for the US Senate against First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Mr Guiliani, who had made fighting crime and making the city a safer place as his agenda, was considered a formidable opponent and had raised $ 19 million for his campaign even though he had not announced his candidacy formally. He was mostly running ahead of Hillary in opinion polls. Besides cancer, the Mayor is also facing family problems viz. Separation from his estranged wife of 16 years Donna Hanover, a TV presenter and an actress. She had accused him of being “friendly” with another woman. Announcing his decision at a press conference, Mr Guiliani said he was not contesting citing health problems. “I have decided
what I should do is to put my health first and that I
should devote the focus and attention that I should to
being able to figure out the best treatment and not
running for office,” he told a press conference
here. |
Blairs blessed with son LONDON, May 20 (Reuters) — The wife of British Prime Minister Tony Today Blair gave birth to a baby boy at a London hospital, Mr Blair’s Downing Street office said. The baby was the first to be born to a serving British Prime Minister in over 150 years. Cherie Blair, a 45-year-old high-flying lawyer, her husband and the baby returned to Downing Street after the birth. “Both mother and baby are doing well,” the spokesman said. The Prime Minister and Mrs Blair are delighted. The three have now returned to Downing Street,” he gave out on further details. The baby’s birth came after a 12-year gap from the other three — Euan, (16), Nicky, (14), and Kathryn, (12). The news of the pregnancy took Mrs Cherie, and the rest of the nation, by surprise when it was announced last year. Mr Blair has said he would not be taking paternity leave, but he was bracing for many a sleepless night. Meanwhile, the baby has been named Leo after British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s father, the Cabinet office announced. Leo had been one of the hot bets with bookmakers, although the most popular choice with punters had been Tony, in honour of Cherie Blair’s father, the actor Tony Booth. Leo, who was born in a London hospital at 25 minutes past midnight today (4.45 a.m. IST). His parents whisked him
back to Downing Street by car in the middle of the night
with windows covered to thwart waiting press
photographers from snapping a first picture of the new
arrival. |
Asian films steal spotlight CANNES (France), May 20 (Reuters) — Whether they get a Golden Palm or not Asian directors are the clear winners of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, serving up a feast of films that combine originality and a particular brand of sensitivity that is all their own. With an unprecedented six films in competition, this flourishing of far eastern cinema has its origins in the 1990s, when Chinese productions first became known to a large public. In 1993, Chen Kaige’s “Farewell My Concubine” became the first Chinese film to win the Golden Palm. Japanese cinema, however, garnered international acclaim as early as the 1950s, when film-makers like Akira Kurosawa Kenji Mizogushi and Yasujiro Ozu began to hit the western market. This year at Cannes, three Chinese, two Japanese and the first ever Korean film in competition are stealing the show. It would be a big surprise if at least one of them did not go home with a prize on May 21. Many of these films have in common the importance of nature and aesthetics, with camera-work that either reinforces a reigning tension or shows sentiments which characters do not express directly. The films include Korean director Im Kwon Taek’s “Chunhyang” Japanese Shinji Aoyama’s “Eureka”, Chinese Jiang Wen’s “Devils on the Doorstep”, Taiwanese Edward Yang’s “A One and a Two”, and Japanese Nagisa Oshima’s “Taboo”. Koji Yakusho, the
soft-spoken and compelling star of “Eureka”, is
so far the only male lead tipped to win a best
actor’s award in a year stacked with strong
women’s roles. |
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