ASIA & THE PACIFIC :

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Washington Post, 27 Jun 09, by Blaine Harden
China Trade Helps Shield N. Korea
'By funneling hard currency to the military, Chinese enterprises seem to be insulating the confrontational core of Kim's government from the international consequences of its behavior.'

New York Times, 30 Jun 09, by David E. Sanger
Second Thoughts on North Korea’s Inscrutable Ship
'Pentagon officials are clearly not eager to confront the Kang Nam 1. The intelligence about what is on board is typically murky. Some say they suspect small arms, which are banned by the United Nations resolution but hardly a major threat.'

Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jun 09, by Mian Ridge
Leader of Kashmir: new hope for a troubled state?
'Omar Abdullah has fresh ideas for Kashmir's revival. But while violence has dropped, protests still roil the Muslim-majority state, where most want to be free of Indian rule.'

New York Times, 24 Jun 09, by Andrew Jacobs
U.S.-China Military Talks Resume
'Chinese and American officials on Wednesday gave a positive assessment of their military talks aimed at addressing the growing nuclear threat from North Korea and a series of naval skirmishes that have marred relations between the countries.'

Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jun 09, by Mian Ridge
India's longtime battle with Maoist rebels heats up
'The government warned of more attacks Monday after Naxalites called a two-day strike to protest an offensive in Lalgarh, West Bengal.'

Christian Science Monitor, 17 Jun 09, by Donald Kirk
N. Korea threatens strike after US-S. Korea summit
'In South, decisive tone of "joint vision" is seen as sending a strong message to the North.'

The Guardian, 17 Jun 09, by Justin McCurry
North Korea threatens merciless attack if it is provoked
'Pyongyang sends defiant message after Obama condemns its nuclear programme'

Radio Australia, 18 Jun 09
Similarities between N Korea crisis and Cuban missile crisis
'As the world moves towards tougher sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program, the International Crisis Group has appealed for a diplomatic push by the United States to resolve the situation. But an Australian think-tank says after 16 years, hope for diplomacy is all-but dead and the path ahead looks a lot like the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.'

Christian Science Monitor, 17 Jun 09, by Gordon Lubold
If US Navy confronts North Korean ships on high seas, what next?
'The US Navy will lead an international effort to confront North Korea's ships on the high seas in an attempt to block shipment of nuclear materials. But just how far the US will go is unclear, and the move may be more political than militarily muscular.'

Christian Science Monitor, 16 Jun 09, by Howard LaFranchi
US, S. Korea pledge solidarity against nuclear North
'The international community will not back down in the face of North Korea's threats, the US president says at a White House meeting Tuesday.'

Washington Post, 17 Jun 09, by Scott Wilson
As North Korea Resists Sanctions, Obama Reassures South
'As new sanctions against North Korea take effect, President Obama said yesterday that he does not believe it is inevitable that the isolated communist nation "will or should be" designated a nuclear power.'

New York Times, 16 Jun 09, by Lydia Polgreen And Somini Sengupta
Hint of a Thaw for India and Pakistan
'Former senior diplomats close to the foreign policy establishment here say that back-channel negotiations on Kashmir — the contested border territory that is the central dispute between the nations — are set to begin again, something the United States has quietly urged.'

Christian Science Monitor, 16 Jun 09, by Huma Yusuf
Tamil Tiger leader announces 'new government' to pursue autonomy
'One of the few leaders remaining after the rebel group's defeat in Sri Lanka last month says the diaspora should continue the struggle peacefully with a "transnational government."'

Wall Street Journal, 12 Jun 09, by Peter Wonacott
Sri Lanka Begins Painful Reconciliation
'To defeat the rebels, the governement revved up a war machine to match the ruthlessness of its foe. It is now confronting the fallout from that fight, as it challenges allegations of human-rights abuses and seeks to ease the fears and distrust that remain among ethnic Tamils after a war that has lasted three decades.'

New York Times, 10 Jun 09, by Neil MacFarquhar
North Korea Could Face New Round of Sanctions
'The Security Council's five permanent members agreed on Wednesday on a draft resolution that would ratchet up sanctions against North Korea by concentrating on its financial transactions and its arms industry, including allowing for inspections of its cargo vessels on the high seas.'

New York Times, 09 Jun 09, by Choe Sang-Hun
Seoul Imposes Sanctions on N. Korea
'South Korea imposed its first financial sanctions on North Korean companies, officials said Tuesday, taking a symbolic action that could anger the Communist regime while bolstering a joint front with the United States as the allies seek to punish the North for its recent nuclear test.'

Christian Science Monitor, 09 Jun 09, by Donald Kirk
US weighs options to free journalists in North Korea
'A tougher stance toward Pyongyang may complicate efforts to negotiate the release of the two women, who were sentenced Monday to 12 years of hard labor.'

Christian Science Monitor, 08 Jun 09, by Howard LaFranchi
Jailed journalists complicate Obama's approach to N. Korea
'The administration wants to keep the journalists' plight separate from any discussion of the North's rogue nuclear program. But that will be difficult.'

Washington Post, 10 Jun 09, by Blaine Harden
N. Korea's Belligerence Seen as Succession Drama
'The top defense official in South Korea told troops this week that North Korea is launching missiles, testing nuclear devices and whipping up global tension so that its ailing leader, Kim Jong Il, can create conditions for a "hereditary transfer of power."'

BBC News, 10 Jun 09, by Jonathan Head
Thai army reinforces Burma border
'Thailand has sent heavily-armed troops to reinforce positions along the Burma border after an influx of ethnic Karen refugees fleeing an army offensive.'

Washington Post/AP, 04 Jun 09, by Christopher Bodeen, AP
Tiananmen 20th anniversary brings new repression
'Chinese police aggressively deterred dissent on Thursday's 20th anniversary of the crackdown on democracy activists in Tiananmen Square, amid calls by Hillary Clinton and even Taiwan's China-friendly president for Beijing to face up to the 1989 violence.'

Christian Science Monitor, 03 Jun 09, by Peter Ford
Tianamen's legacy of boldness
'Citizens have grown more vocal about their rights, even though China's political outlook hasn't changed much since 1989.'

Christian Science Monitor, 02 Jun 09, by Donald Kirk
Kim Jong Un: North Korea's next leader?
'North Korea is giving no hints about succession, but the rapid-fire moves to show off the North's military strength, notably the underground test of a nuclear device on May 25, are believed to be timed to demonstrate Kim Jong Il's power despite his physical weakness.'

Washington Post, 04 Jun 09, by Blaine Harden
N. Korea Follows Nuclear Test With a Favor for Captive Americans
'... the case of the two journalists could be used by the North as a way to walk back from confrontation and perhaps reopen dialogue with the U.S. government.'

See Asia and the Pacific archive for past stories.