Indonesian park official: 2 rare elephants killed

Asian Defense News: JAKARTA, Indonesia – Two endangered elephants found dead on Indonesia's Sumatra island are believed to be the victims of poachers targeting the animals for their prized ivory tusks, a park official said Monday.

Hayani Suprahman, the head of Tesso Nelo National Park in Riau province, said Monday that the body of a 5-year-old male Sumatran elephant was discovered late Saturday with its tusks cut off with a saw. A second elephant, a 7-year-old male, was found Sunday about 100 yards (meters) away from where the first had been discovered, he said.

A preliminary investigation showed that the two elephants may have been deliberately poisoned by cyanide, he said.

"I believe that poachers are behind the elephant killings for money," Suprahman said.

Trade in ivory was banned in 1989 under a U.N. convention, but the black market in Indonesia pays about $2,200 per 2.2 pounds (kilogram) and even higher on international markets, according to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature.

Samples of the two animals have been sent to a laboratory to confirm the cause of the death, Suprahman said.

Two weeks earlier, another male elephant was killed near the Bengkalis district of Riau province, and its tusks were also removed. Police are investigating, though no arrests have been made.

Only 3,000 Sumatran elephants are believed to remain in the wild, a number that dwindles each year with poaching.

Last year, a dozen elephants were killed on Sumatra, while 18 were found dead in 2008, Suprahman said. Forensic tests showed some had eaten cyanide-laced pineapples while others had been shot in the head.

Bomb attacks kill six in Afghanistan

Asian Defense News: KABUL (AFP) - – A string of roadside bomb attacks killed six civilians and wounded five children in insurgency-hit Afghanistan, authorities said on Sunday.

Six civilians were killed in two separate bomb explosions in the southern province of Helmand on Saturday, the interior ministry said in a statement.

They were killed when they drove over the devices, it said, blaming the attacks on insurgents.

Bomb attacks kill six in Afghanistan

In a separate but similar bomb blast five children were wounded in Herat province, in the west of the country, it said.

The children were playing in Angil district when the buried device went off, it said.

The statement did not give more details about the bombings but it blamed the attacks on Taliban insurgents.

Improvised bombs are a favourite weapon of the militants fighting to topple the Western-backed government in Kabul.

There are about 120,000 troops under NATO and US command in Afghanistan battling the Taliban-led insurgency now in its ninth year, with troop numbers expected to swell to 150,000 within months.

Rare glimpse of Hmong in Laos fails to quell concerns

Asian Defense News: PHONKHAM VILLAGE, Laos (AFP) - – A small, woollen-hatted woman, one of thousands of ethnic Hmong recently expelled from Thailand, creeps up to the row of rare foreign visitors in her new Laotian village.

"I want to go to another country," she whispers to the diplomats and journalists, who have been invited by the communist government for a tightly-monitored trip to this remote, newly-built community.

Rare glimpse of Hmong in Laos fails to quell concerns

"I don't feel good here in the village," says the 50-year-old, while the Laotian army's deputy chief, Brigadier General Bouasieng Champaphan, is delivering a rather different message to the audience.

"All the returnees are calm and stable and satisfied that they have returned to live in their home country again," he says. "They are very pleased and satisfied with the government's assistance."

Thailand faced a barrage of international criticism in December when it used troops to forcibly repatriate about 4,500 Hmong from camps in the country's north back to Laos, despite concerns of persecution on their return.

The Hmong's fear of retribution from the Laotian regime is a lingering remnant of the Vietnam War, when members of the ethnic hill tribe fought in a US-funded irregular army as the conflict secretly spilled into Laos.

After the communists took power in 1975, some Hmong hid in the jungle and fought a low-level insurgency against the regime. Hundreds of thousands of Lao and Hmong fled the country.

Though Thailand insisted all the Hmong recently sent back to Laos were illegal economic migrants, the United Nations recognised 158 of them as refugees, but was never allowed to assess if the thousands of others needed international protection.

While diplomats say there have been no reports of mistreatment, suspicions remain about the Hmong's rights and living standards in Phonkham village, which was built specifically for the group in central Bolikhamsay province.

"They've put them on a Laos equivalent of a desert island," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch. "There's no sustained access to these people or quality of access."

Laotian officials said 3,457 of the repatriated Hmong were sent to Phonkham, while others went back to their home towns.

Laos said it would grant the international community's request for "free and unfettered" access to the returnees within 30 days of their repatriation, but so far visits have been scarce, brief and strictly monitored.

On the latest two-hour visit Friday, foreign diplomats, reporters and a few UN representatives were among those escorted in two helicopters from the Laotian capital Vientiane, a 45-minute flight away.

The delegation was ushered straight to an unfinished village hall to be greeted by smiling youngsters in traditional Hmong dress, before a briefing by central government and Phonkham officials.

"In the beginning of their resettlement... they were afraid because of not being familiar with their new environment and not understanding the Lao government's policies," said Bounthan Douangtanya of the village administration committee.

"But the authorities have conducted an education course for these returnees in order to... make them understand the policy regulations," he said, before detailing plans to develop the village infrastructure.

Diplomats were given a brief but revealing chance to question the 300 or so Hmong gathered in the hall.

How many had been outside of the village since arriving? One hand went up in response. How many had received money, parcels or anything else from contacts outside the village? Two. How many had yet received ID cards or official registration? None.

As the meeting ended, several of the Hmong approached their visitors, saying they wanted to leave. "I want to go to Canada," one 16-year-old girl told AFP, in English, as tears welled in her eyes.

She said she was one of the 158 recognised refugees who have been offered resettlement in Canada, the United States, Australia and the Netherlands. Embassies have been told by Laos that these people now want to stay.

One diplomat on the trip said that the Hmong who "explicitly" expressed a desire to leave "seemed to be demonstrating courage in coming to talk to us, despite the best efforts of the authorities to stage-manage the situation".

But the visit was "altogether not too bad," another Western diplomat said. "Obviously the transparency of the dialogue was limited," he added.

Brigadier General Bouasieng said foreign countries willing to assist the village should contact the government in Laos, which is one of Asia's poorest countries.

There are hopes that such aid, if allowed, would facilitate more openness about the Hmong.

"I think (the Laotian authorities) are going to struggle to support them. The trade-off is: if they want donations, they must give access," said Robertson of Human Rights Watch.

Rights groups say they have serious concerns about availability of clean water, food and medical treatment for the group.

"As long as access is strictly scripted and stage-managed, visitors will not be able to assess the well-being of the returnees," said Brittis Edman of Amnesty International.

Philippine troops capture key Abu Sayyaf camp

Asian Defense News: MANILA, Philippines – Philippine troops, backed by artillery and helicopter fire, have captured a key jungle camp of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group and may have killed several militants during a two-day assault, military officials said Sunday.

Marines and army troops captured the jungle encampment in Jolo island's mountainous Patikul township Friday with the help of U.S. military intelligence, regional military chief Lt. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino said. About 50 Abu Sayyaf fighters led by ailing commander Radulan Sahiron fled and were pursued by troops, he said.

Terrorism: Abu Sayyef and the CIA

It may be that that the blood of the American wage-slave is so contaminated with the poisons he consumes and breathes that he can't think straight. That's my theory. He has adopted a reverse perspective on himself and the world - liberalism is "fascism," war crimes/repression/torture "protect our liberties," the CIA is battling a war "against" terrorism ... - AC

" ... Abu Sayyaf members ... were initially recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency as mujahideens to fight the U.S. proxy war in Afghanistan ... They were trained by AFP officers in Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and other remote areas in Mindanao ... The arms and funds came from U.S. covert operations connected with the CIA ... "

Two marines were wounded and several Abu Sayyaf fighters were believed killed as troops pursued the militants in an offensive that ended Sunday. At least one body of an Abu Sayyaf fighter killed in the assault was dug up by troops, he said.

Dozens of army scout rangers were flown aboard air force helicopters to help pursue the militants, who were also targeted by artillery and helicopter fire, he said.

Sahiron, a one-armed commander who suffers from diabetes and other ailments, apparently survived. Washington has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture or killing.

Dolorfino said the camp, which was ringed with foxholes, may have also housed members of the Southeast Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiyah because of the unusually tight security.

"They were frisking even their own members before being allowed entry there," Dolorfino said, citing military intelligence. "We believe many of them were killed in the pursuit operation."

Troops recovered a homemade bomb and assorted ammunition in the camp and destroyed its foxholes, the military said.

The Philippine army believes that up to 25 foreign militants may be hiding in Abu Sayyaf strongholds on jungle-clad Jolo, a predominantly Muslim island 590 miles (950 kilometers) south of Manila.

Newly appointed military chief Gen. Delfin Bangit has ordered renewed offensives against the Abu Sayyaf in the next two months in a bid to wipe it out.

The Abu Sayyaf, founded in 1991, has been blamed for bombings, kidnappings for ransom and beheadings. It has reportedly given sanctuary to Indonesian terror suspects, including Dulmatin, a key suspect in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings who was recently killed by police in Indonesia.

Washington has listed the Abu Sayyaf, which has nearly 400 fighters, as a terrorist organization. U.S.-backed offensives have killed or captured many of its commanders in recent years, leaving the group without an overall leader to unify its factions on Jolo, nearby Basilan island and the Zamboanga peninsula.

Chile tsunami costs Japanese fisheries $68 mln

Asian Defense News: TOKYO (AFP) - – The Pacific-wide tsunami generated by the massive undersea earthquake off Chile's coast last month caused 68 million dollars of damage to Japan's fishing industry, a report said Saturday.

Scallop, oyster and seaweed farms off the northeast coast of Japan were hit when waves up to 1.45 metres high smashed into Japan following the quake thousands of kilometres (miles) away.

Chile tsunami costs Japanese fisheries $68 mln

More than six billion yen of damage was caused to the facilities, Kyodo News reported, citing fisheries industry officials.

Local authorities were asking the central government to provide a package of support measures to help businesses to recover, Kyodo said.

Japanese authorities ordered more than half a million people to evacuate seaside areas as the wave bore down on Japan. However, no deaths or injuries were reported from the tsunamis.

The 8.8-magnitude quake, one of the most powerful on record, struck along the coast south of Santiago on February 27, causing widespread death and destruction.

Indonesian provinces plan to ignore anti-porn law

Asian Defense News: JAKARTA, Indonesia – Authorities in two Indonesian provinces said Friday that they will not comply with a controversial anti-pornography law they say would stifle traditional Balinese and Papuan culture.

The Constitutional Court upheld the law a day earlier, rejecting appeals arguing that it defined pornography too broadly and could be used to impose conservative Muslim values on other groups and to justify attacks on art.

The law sparked protests when it was passed in 2008

Legislators in Papua province _ a largely tribal region where women customarily go topless _ said the law passed in 2008 has never been implemented there because it can't be effectively enforced. The governor of Bali, a Hindu island that draws many tourists, said he has consistently opposed the law because it goes against Balinese society.

Komarudin Watubun, deputy house speaker for the Papua provincial council, said it would be impractical to impose the law in Papua.

"The people here in Papua have never bothered with the law. It's like other laws in Indonesia where many people just realize that it cannot be enforced so why should we bother with it," he said.

The legislation passed with strong support from conservative Islamist parties, though more than 100 legislators walked out to protest its approval. It outlaws overtly sexual images, gestures and even conversations. Violators can be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison and fined up to $795,000.

Meanwhile, Bali's governor Made Mangku Pastika said he has long objected to the anti-pornography law since it goes against Balinese society.

"We reject porn crimes, but this law also does not suit the sociological and psychological aspect of Balinese society," he said, speaking to a group in the provincial capital of Denpasar.

Ninety percent of Indonesia's 235 million citizens are Muslim, most practicing a moderate form of the faith. But many of its islands have large Christian and Hindu populations.

In January, four exotic dancers, along with two club managers, were arrested in the Java city of Bandung, where the mayor had announced a crackdown on behavior considered un-Islamic. The six were believed to be the first to be prosecuted under the law.

Law professor Adrianus Meliala, from the University of Indonesia, said the law's provisions are unlikely to be applied evenly across the country.

"Law enforcers are reluctant to perform legal actions which are not popular and will cause a controversy, so they will avoid charging people," he said.

___

Associated Press Writers Irwan Firdaus and Niniek Karmini contributed to this report.

Indian state chief quizzed over 2002 anti-Muslim riots

Asian Defense News: AHMEDABAD, India (AFP) - – A Hindu nationalist leader accused of failing to halt deadly anti-Muslim riots in India in 2002 said on Sunday that he had fully cooperated with a panel investigating the violence.

Narendra Modi, chief minister of Gujarat state, completed nine hours of questioning into his alleged role in the riots during which about 2,000 Muslims died.

Indian state chief quizzed over 2002 anti-Muslim riots

"I have fulfilled my words given to the people of the country. Nobody is above the Indian constitution and law," Modi told reporters afterwards. "We spoke in detail. I have been told by the investigators that my work is over."

It was the first time that Modi -- often accused of turning a blind eye to India's worst outbreak of religious unrest in decades -- had been quizzed about his handling of the violence.

He declined to give details of his testimony but said he supported the panel, noting it was made up of independent Supreme Court-appointed investigators and contained no one from his own state of Gujarat.

Modi, who has always denied any role in the riots, is a prominent member of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is seen as a likely future prime ministerial candidate.

Since he became chief minister of Gujarat in 2001, he has been credited with transforming the western state into one of India's most economically successful regions.

Last year the Supreme Court ordered investigators to probe a complaint filed by Zakia Jafri, widow of ex-Congress party member of parliament Ehsan Jafri, who was killed on February 28, 2002.

Reports said Jafri was hacked to death and burnt by Hindu extremists who stormed a residential complex housing Muslim families in Ahmedabad, Gujarat's largest city.

Sixty-eight other Muslims were also killed in the massacre, one of many killings across Gujarat triggered by the death of 59 Hindu pilgrims in a train fire on February 27, 2002 that was blamed on Muslims.

An inquiry in 2005 concluded that the train fire was accidental.

R. K. Raghavan, head of the Gujarat riots panel, described Modi's appearance on Saturday as "a significant step forward".

The panel is due to submit its report to the Supreme Court by the end of April.

Victims' groups called for Modi to face a court trial over the allegations.

"We hope this will lead to the formal framing of charges against him," activist Teesta Setalvad told the NDTV news channel.

Previous investigations into the riots by the Gujarat government absolved the state's police and officials of collusion or allowing the rioters a free rein.

But last year, one state minister, Maya Kodnani, was arrested for leading a mob that killed more than 100 people during the riots, making her the most senior state official to be accused of involvement. She is currently on bail.

152 trapped in flooded coal mine in northern China

Asian Defense News: BEIJING – At least 152 people were trapped underground Sunday after water gushed into a coal mine in northern China, a government official said.

The Wangjialing coal mine in Shanxi province was flooded by underground water as 261 miners were working in the pit, a duty officer at the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety said.

At least 152 people are trapped after a coal mine flooded in northern China, according to officials.

The mine is located between Xiangning county and the city of Hejin

The man, who refused to give his name, said 109 of the miners escaped but the others remained trapped and rescue work was under way. He said the cause of the flood was still under investigation.

Although China's mine safety record has improved in recent years, it is still the deadliest in the world, with blasts and other accidents common.

The mine is located between Xiangning county and the city of Hejin and covers an area of 70 square miles (180 square kilometers), the official Xinhua News Agency said. Calls to the mine rang unanswered.

State broadcaster CCTV said the heads of the country's coal mine and work safety administrations were leading a team of workers on their way to the site to assist with rescue efforts.

According to China's Work Safety Administration, 2,631 people died in coal mine accidents in 2009. Many accidents were blamed on lax safety methods and poor training as mining companies scramble to feed the country's voracious demand for coal.

SG Changi wins bid to build Changi Motorsports Hub

Asian Defense News: SINGAPORE : The Singapore Sports Council has declared SG Changi the winner of the race to build Singapore’s first permanent racing track.

SG Changi was one of three consortiums that submitted bids for the Changi Motorsports Hub. The other two bidders were Singapore Agro Agriculture and Sports Services.

SG Changi’s plan features a S$280 million facility, which can seat 20,000 spectators.

The centrepiece is a four—kilometre track, which is longer than the current 3.7—kilometre one, and is good enough to meet FIA requirements.

SG Changi wins bid to build Changi Motorsports Hub

It will be divided in half, so that separate races can take place.

It also has a 1.2—kilometre karting track.

Away from the track are lifestyle attractions like food and beverage outlets, a beach front and a museum.

SG Changi’s the design and look were deemed innovative, flexible and functional.

SG Changi topped it up with an assurance that it has secured sound financing.

The next step is to start work and get it ready on time, by the end of 2011.

Vivian Balakrishnan, Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister, said: "Although it is a significant investment, nevertheless I think it is still of a size which can be executed fairly rapidly, and I am hoping that there would be no undue delays. We will now help facilitate all their approvals for building permits and the rest of it."

The government hopes the Hub will promote and develop motor sports and groom home grown talent.

A racing academy is one way to achieve this goal.

As the work begins to get the Hub up and running, the work also goes on to deliver quality track action.

Eddie Koh, director, SG Changi, said: "There are many international races and we have been in contact with some of these companies that run races. We are looking at GT races from Japan, from Europe, maybe from Asia also."

The Grade 2 track cannot host the Formula One race — which will continue to be a street race in Singapore for now — but there are plans to bring the Moto GP, which is the F1 of motor bikes.

Like the Singapore Formula One night race, the permanent track too will host events under the stars. And there are also plans to build a 120—room hotel, once the authorities give the green light. After all, the facility is being promoted as a tourist attraction. — CNA/il/ms

Marcos, 80, seeks comeback in Philippine elections

Asian Defense News: BATAC, Philippines – Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos, bedecked in jade and diamonds, began a grueling campaign for a congressional seat Friday that she hopes will allow her to bury her ousted strongman husband in a heroes' cemetery and clear his sullied name.

Marcos, 80, and nearly 18,000 other politicians barnstormed the impoverished Southeast Asian nation on the first official day of campaigning for May 10 local elections.

Imelda Marcos's late husband ruled the Philippines for two decades

Presidential and senatorial candidates have been campaigning for more than a month. Police say political violence, which often goes hand-in-hand with festive campaigning, has already claimed close to 80 lives, including 57 people massacred Nov. 23 in an election caravan in the southern Philippines.

Also among the celebrity candidates is boxing star Manny Pacquiao, who is seeking a congressional seat in his southern province. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has been threatened with criminal charges by critics when her turbulent term ends in June, is another candidate for the 287-seat lower chamber.

Emerging from more than a decade of political obscurity, Marcos strode back into the scene with a vengeance.

Her hair coifed back and wearing a bright orange tunic with jade and diamond jewelry, she led journalists at daybreak to the mausoleum of her husband, Ferdinand Marcos, in Ilocos Norte province, his northern stronghold.

She mournfully kissed his glass coffin as cameras snapped. "This is one of our major injustices," she said.

She went to church and then rode on a flatbed campaign truck festooned with balloons and posters as thousands cheered her along the way. She was flanked by her daughter Imee, who is running for governor in Ilocos Norte, a tobacco-growing region about 250 miles (400 kilometers) north of Manila.

Her son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is seeking a Senate seat.

Asked if she will push her long-standing campaign to have her husband buried in the national heroes' cemetery in Manila if she wins, Marcos replied, "Of course."

His burial there has been opposed by officials amid public outrage after Marcos _ accused of corruption, political repression and widespread human rights abuses _ was ousted in a 1986 "people power" revolt and died in exile in Hawaii three years later. Imelda Marcos and their three children were allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991.

"My ambition is to serve without end and to love without end," Marcos said in a news conference in a hotel discotheque before her long convoy hit the road under a broiling sun.

Afflicted with diabetes and glaucoma, Imelda parried a question about her age.

"It's true I'm 80 years old, but I can run and be a grandmother who can love and embrace the people more than a mother can," Marcos said, drawing applause from friends.

She is forever remembered for the stunning jewels and 1,220 pairs of shoes she left behind in the presidential palace.

She brought several new pairs for her campaign, aides said, and was wearing elegant leather sandals Friday.

Despite her reputation for extravagance, including shopping trips to the world's poshest boutiques and lavish beautification projects in a nation wracked by poverty, she retained supporters and even won a congressional seat in 1995. She ran unsuccessfully for president in 1992 and again in 1998.

Many Filipinos were incensed by her unashamed opulence, but others, especially the generation born after 1986 with no memory of martial law under the 20-year Marcos regime, view her as a celebrity.

Despite some 900 civil and criminal cases she has faced in Philippine courts since 1991 _ cases ranging from embezzlement and corruption to tax evasion _ she has emerged relatively unscathed and never served prison time. All but a handful of the cases have been dismissed for lack of evidence and a few convictions were overturned on appeal.

Marcos is running under her husband's political party, the New Society Movement, which has weakened considerably since his death. In Ilocos Norte, a laid-back province of 390,000 where the late strongman built a network of fine roads, an international airport and seaports, the Marcoses are adored.

"This is Marcos country, no ifs or buts," said village guard Elmer Macuco, who waited to see Imelda in one of the 21 towns she planned to tour Friday.

"She helps us and entertains us and has put us in history," Macuco said.

Clearing the family name remains an obsession, Marcos said.

Until that happens, she said, "I cannot rest."

Japan PM admits mistakes, asks voters for patience

Asian Defense News: TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, his ratings sliding ahead of a key election, admitted on Friday his novice government had made mistakes but asked voters to be patient while he pursued his agenda of change.

Hatoyama gave few concrete clues, though, as to how his 6-month-old administration would resolve thorny policy problems, like keeping costly campaign pledges without inflating Japan's massive public debt and settling a row with security ally Washington over a military base without upsetting residents.

Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan needs to win an outright majority in an upper house poll likely in July to avoid policy deadlock, but voter concerns about lack of leadership, messy decision-making and funding scandals are dimming that prospect.

"It's been half a year since we took power. I think we still have problems as we are inexperienced," Hatoyama, 63, told a news conference to mark enactment of a record $1 trillion budget for the year from April.

"But we must not turn back the hand of the clock. I would like to set the hands forward for a great future, so I would like to ask the Japanese people to guide us with patience."

The Democratic Party swept to power in a general election last year, ending more than 50 years of rule by its conservative rival and promising to put more money in the hands of consumers to boost domestic growth, cut waste, and rein in bureaucrats.

But the DPJ's pledges, along with pressure from a tiny coalition partner to spend more to ensure a fragile recovery stays on course, are raising concerns in financial markets about inflating a public debt now nearing 200 percent of GDP.

Hatoyama acknowledged the need for fiscal discipline and said he was open to a legally binding framework to restore Japan's tattered finances. The government is to unveil a mid-term plan for fiscal reform in June, along with a growth strategy.

"The complete loss of fiscal prudence would prompt a sell-off of Japanese government bonds," Hatoyama said. "I basically agree with Finance Minister Kan that the government should compile a legally binding framework for fiscal prudence."

SIDESTEPPING QUESTIONS

Fitch, Moody's and Standard and Poor's have all warned Japan it faces a ratings downgrade, which could raise the borrowing costs for the most indebted of the industrialised nations and rattle investors who are already nervous about Greece's debt and the sovereign risk facing other European nations.

But the premier dodged the question of whether the Democrats would revise more campaign promises. Party kingpin Ichiro Ozawa last year pushed the government to jettison a pledge to abolish a decades-old gasoline surcharge because of falling tax revenues.

"We will try as much as possible to realise the manifesto and with that in mind, we will work on the fiscal problem as well," Hatoyama said.

He also did not give any hint of how he would settle the feud over relocating the U.S. Marines' Futenma airbase on Japan's Okinawa island. Analysts say Hatoyama may have to quit if he can't do so by his self-imposed deadline of the end of May.

During last year's election campaign, Hatoyama raised hopes the base could be moved off Okinawa, host to the bulk of America's 47,000 military personnel in Japan.

Hatoyama repeated that goal on Friday. "My responsibility is to do my level best so that we can relocate outside of the prefecture, instead of thinking up excuses," he said.

Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama listens to a reporter's question during a news conference in Tokyo March 26, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Yuriko Nakao

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, his ratings sliding ahead of a key election, admitted on Friday his novice government had made mistakes but asked voters to be patient while he pursued his agenda of change.

But Washington wants Tokyo to stick to a 2006 agreement to move Futenma's functions to a less crowded part of Okinawa, although officials have said they would look at other proposals.

Hatoyama also acknowledged voter dissatisfaction with funding scandals and the dissonance that has plagued his coalition cabinet regarding important policies, most recently over plans to privatise Japan Post, the world's biggest financial conglomerate.

"The problem of politics and money and lack of leadership on my part have invited questions among the people. They have been disappointed because of their big expectations, I realise that," he said. "I know the importance of personnel, but at the moment, I need to have the cabinet work together."

Sentence upheld in China liquor bribery case

Asian Defense News: BEIJING – A Chinese court upheld Friday the suspended death sentence issued to the former general manager of the iconic Moutai brand liquor, state media reported.

Qiao Hong, 56, had been convicted in January of accepting 13 million yuan ($1.9 million) in bribes and possessing 8.2 million yuan ($1.2 million) worth of property for which he couldn't account, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The provincial court in Guizhou province upheld the earlier verdict issued by the city of Zunyi after Qiao appealed. Such sentences are usually commuted to life in prison after two years with good behavior.

Moutai liquor is often served at state banquets and presented to foreign dignitaries, making it the most famous among the class of Chinese sorghum spirits known as "baijiu."

Limited availability means it can often only be obtained at a premium, providing ample opportunities for graft among those who control supply.

Landslide lake threatens massive floods N.Pakistan

Asian Defense News:

GILGIT, Pakistan - Authorities in northern Pakistan are struggling to prevent the bursting of a natural dam formed by a landslide that could affect more than 50,000 people and sever an important trade link with China.

The landslide, in early January, killed 14 people and blocked the Hunza River, creating a huge lake that inundated several villages and left about 25,000 people stranded.

Residents says the government has not done enough to get supplies and contain the threat of a breach.

"We know it's a natural disaster, but we are not satisfied with the government's belated efforts," said Mirza Hussain, a lawmaker in the district assembly.

Officials are scrambling to ease pressure on the dam by creating a spillway, and say they do not see any immediate threat of a breach. But residents say the situation is extremely precarious.

"The water level is rising every day, adding to the pressure which could lead to a breach in the lake," Hussain said.

People like Amin Khan, a resident of Aina Abad, a village where people now almost cut off above the new lake, fault the government for the slow trickle of relief supplies -- many of which now have to be airlifted.

"I have lost my house and land due to this lake, but we are not getting sufficient relief. Its really pathetic," said the 32-year-old Khan, who runs a computer shop 28 km away from his residence in a commercial neighbourhood.

"WATER RISING"

Every passing day adds more than a foot to the 226-ft .

The lake has also blocked a 1.3 km stretch of the Karakoram Highway , a road linking Pakistan and China through the Himalayas and a trade route for a significant portion of Pakistan's consumer goods.

Hussain, who is also a member of a regional commerce body, said because of the KKH blockage, nearly 300 trucks loaded with Chinese goods were stuck at a dry port upstream, with still more goods in 60 warehouses.

A senior official at the NDMA, that was formed after a October 2005 earthquake that killed 73,000 people in the country's northwest, said all precautionary measures had been taken to prevent any human loss.

"Possibilities of an outburst exist, but the chances are very remote and we are prepared for the worst," said Col. Amir Siddique.

Work is under way to remove debris and create a spillway, due for completion by mid-April, that would provide a channel into the riverbed for a controlled outflow of lake water.

But an official involved in the rehabilitation efforts, who declined to be identified, said there would still be a danger of flash floods, as the chance of a breach exists until the pressure on the blockage is reduced.

"In the worst case scenario, if the lake bursts the water will damage or destroy all bridges in the area and will damage the KKH," the official said.

He said the wave, which could be as high as 50 metres at its start, would affect nearly 11,000 people in districts of Gilgit-Biltastan and another 40,000 to 50,000 people downstream.

Indonesia closes private radio station

Asian Defense News: JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesian officials have shut down a private radio station that aired reports about the Falun Gong group, saying Thursday that it did not have the proper operating license.

But the director of Radio Erabaru (New Era Radio), which broadcasts news and entertainment in Mandarin and Indonesian languages from Batam island, accused government officials of bowing to pressure from the Chinese government.

Raymond Tan said he believed the Wednesday raid and seizure of radio transmission equipment by police and officials with the Radio Frequency Monitoring Office was the result of complaints made by the Chinese Embassy.

Calls to the embassy seeking comment were not answered Thursday.

China banned the Falun Gong spiritual movement more than a decade ago, calling it an "evil cult." Some of the movement's leaders and thousands of followers were arrested.

Raymond said the Chinese Embassy had sent a letter in 2007 to Indonesian authorities complaining about the radio station's broadcasts. That pressure has continued, he maintained, saying "it was clear" that Chinese intervention played a role in the station's closure.

Waving banners, about 20 members of the station's supporters held a rally outside the government monitoring office, protesting the closure of the station. "Stop China's intervention into Indonesian press freedom," and "This is Indonesian territory, not China! Why should we listen to them?" read banners unfurled at the peaceful protest.

Gatot Dewa Broto, a spokesman for the Ministry of Communication and Information, confirmed the station was shut down but denied any Chinese role. Instead, he said the radio station did not have the correct permit to broadcast.

"Such a measure of restoring law and order is a normal thing," he said.

But Raymond said the decision was unacceptable since the radio station is awaiting a court ruling on a lawsuit filed over the ministry's refusal to grant the license since 2007.

"We have told them that we are still waiting for the Supreme Court's ruling, but they didn't care," Raymond said.

The radio station's lawyer, Soleh Ali, accused the Indonesian government of refusing to guarantee the rights of its own citizens.

"In our view, the government is no longer independent," he said.

Philippine court orders arrest of 189 in massacre

Asian Defense News: MANILA, Philippines – A Manila court issued formal arrest warrants Thursday for 189 people suspected in the election-related massacre of 57 people last year, the country's largest murder case since World War II war crime trials.

Most of the suspects are former government-armed militiamen and police loyal to a powerful clan blamed for the slayings.

Manila court orders arrest of 196 massacre suspects

MANILA

Thu Mar 25, 2010 7:13am EDT

Andal Ampatuan Jr. (C), a local mayor of Maguindanao province, is escorted by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents through a waiting vehicle outside the NBI headquarters in Manila February 3, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Romeo Ranoco

The court also issued commitment orders which directed police to continue detaining seven others, including clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr. and several of his sons, who were arrested without formal warrants on suspicion of plotting the Nov. 23 massacre in southern Maguindanao province, state prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera said.

Among those covered by the arrest warrants are 47 police officers who were placed in custody after being suspended by the national police for alleged involvement in the killings, said Francisco Don Montenegro, chief of the national police investigation and detection group.

The 142 others still at large include 99 former militiamen loyal to the clan, 16 police officers and four soldiers, Montenegro said.

Days after the massacre, police arrested Andal Ampatuan Jr. and filed multiple murder charges against him. He was the only person formally charged until prosecutors filed an indictment against his father and 195 others in February. However, arrest warrants were not issued at that time because prosecutors needed time to complete the gathering of evidence and witnesses against them.

The indictment said the clan patriarch and the others were part of a conspiracy to ambush and kill members of the rival Mangudadatu family and their supporters, who were gunned down on a hilltop in Maguindanao. The attack apparently was aimed at preventing Esmael Mangudadatu from challenging the Ampatuans' control of the province in a gubernatorial election in May.

Among those killed were 30 journalists and their staff who were covering the filing of Mangudadatu's candidacy papers.

The massacre was unprecedented even in a country known for election violence and political killings that have claimed hundreds of lives in the last 10 years. Only the war crime trials of World War II Japanese commanders in the Philippines involved a higher numbers of victims, said former Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera.

The 69-year-old clan patriarch, a political ally of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has denied any involvement and said the charges were fabricated.

The Ampatuans are also facing separate charges of rebellion for allegedly mobilizing armed resistance against the government after the massacre.

Indonesian zoo welcomes birth of 25 Komodo dragons

Asian Defense News:

An Indonesian zoo is welcoming the births of 25 endangered Komodo dragons, hatched after eight months in incubators. Veterinarian Rahmat Suharta says the eggs, from three giant female lizards, hatched at the Surabaya Zoo in East Java over the past week. He said Thursday that the babies, weighing between 2.8 ounces (80 grams) and 4.2 ounces (120 grams), brought to 69 the number of the giant lizards at the zoo, one of the largest in Southeast Asia. Eleven more eggs are expected to hatch in coming weeks. Komodo dragons can be found in the wild primarily on the eastern Indonesian islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca. The lizards _ thought to number around 2,500 _ can grow longer than 10 feet (3 meters) and weigh 150 pounds (70 kilograms).

Terror suspect who escaped in Kenya was wanted in Australia

Asian Defense News: NAIROBI (AFP) - – A terror suspect who disappeared from police custody in Kenya earlier this month was wanted in Australia for planning suicide attacks on a Sydney army base, a police source here said Wednesday.

Hussein Hashi Hemed Farah, who has an Australian passport, is wanted for masterminding the attacks on the Holsworthy army base in August last year, a source at Kenya's Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) said.

"The suspect was among others who planned to execute the bombing in an army base in Australia but he managed to escape, others were arrested," the source said.

Terror suspect who escaped in Kenya was wanted in Australia

"He is part of the Melbourne terror cell group, and has been on the run for sometime now," he added.

Farah was arrested as he entered Kenya through the Uganda border on March 13, but managed to escape from custody hours later, in what authorities now believe to be collusion with police officers who were on duty at the time.

Kenyan police described Farah as being on a list of individuals barred from entering the country and a senior member of Somalia's hardline Shebab Islamist rebels.

In December, a radical Jamaican cleric on a global terror watchlist was arrested after entering the country from Tanzania, but attempts to deport him sparked riots by Muslims who protested against his arrest.

Abdullah al-Faisal was eventually deported on January 21.