Forget CA revival, Prez tells parties

THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, MONDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2012 www.thehimalayantimes.com
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Two men paddle a boat at sunset on
the River Ganges in Allahabad on
Sunday.
Shrine attack kills 4
AP / RSS
PESHAWAR: A bomb went off outside
the shrine of a Sunni Muslim saint in
northwestern Pakistan on Sunday,
killing at least four people, police
said. Senior police officer Mumtaz
Khan said 23 people were also
wounded in the attack at the shrine of
Kaka Sahib in the town of Nowshehra.
Hundreds of devotees were
present there at the time, and the
dead and injured had been transported
to a hospital. There was no claim
of responsibility but Pakistani militants
such as the Taliban have been
blamed for previous such attacks. — AP
Suicide blast
KABUL: A suicide bomber detonated
explosives outside a mosque packed
with senior regional officials in northern
Afghanistan on a major Muslim
holiday on Friday, killing 41 people.
The officials escaped unhurt, and
many of the dead were soldiers and
police. The choice of targets suggests
that the insurgents are increasingly
turning against Afghan authorities
and security forces now that NATO is
drawing down toward a final withdrawal
of foreign combat troops in
2014. Deaths of Afghan police and
soldiers are higher this year than last
year, according an army spokesman.
Although the Taliban have claimed
responsibility for a parallel sharp increase
in attacks by Afghan servicemen
on their foreign colleagues, the
overall number of coalition deaths
has been noticeably lower than last
year. — AP
Bo Xilai booted
BEIJING: Chinese lawmakers have
stripped disgraced politician Bo Xilai
of his last official position, formally
expelling him from the country's top
legislature and clearing the way for
criminal proceedings against the
once-rising political star. Though
largely a formality since Bo was
purged from the Communist Party
late last month, his expulsion from
the congress removes his immunity
from prosecution. That sets the stage
for a criminal case involving accusations
of corruption. — AP
Pak offer likely to
boost Afghan peace
Associated Press
Islamabad, October 28
Pakistan has increased efforts
to reach out to some of
its biggest enemies in
Afghanistan, a significant
policy shift that could prove
crucial to US-backed efforts
to strike a peace deal in the
neighbouring country.
The target of the diplomatic
push has mainly been
non-Pashtun political leaders
who have been at odds
with Pakistan for years because
of the country’s historical
support for the Afghan
Taliban, a Pashtun movement.
Many of the leaders fought
against the Taliban when the
fundamentalist Islamic
group seized control of
Afghanistan in the 1990s
with Pakistan’s help, and
have accused Islamabad of
maintaining support for the
insurgents following the USled
invasion in 2001 — allegations
denied by the government.
Many experts agree that
Pakistan continues to see the
Taliban as an ally, albeit a
shaky one, in countering the
influence of archenemy In-
dia in Afghanistan. But they
also say Islamabad no longer
believes the insurgents can
take over the country or
wants them to, a common
misperception in the West.
“A Taliban victory on the
other side of the border
would give a huge boost to
domestic militants fighting
the Pakistani state,” said Zahid
Hussain, a journalist
who has written extensively
about Islamabad’s war
against the Pakistani Taliban.
Pakistan is also worried
that unrest in Afghanistan
following the withdrawal of
most foreign troops in 2014
could provide the Pakistani
Taliban with greater space to
establish sanctuaries across
the border.
The Afghan and Pakistani
Taliban are allies but have focused
on different enemies.
The Afghan Taliban have
battled local and foreign
forces in Afghanistan, while
the Pakistani Taliban have
mainly waged war against Islamabad.
Pakistan concludes that a
peace agreement with all
Afghan groups and among
the non-Pashtuns is necessary
to achieve that goal.
Beijing bows to
people power in
small town
Associated Press
industrial projects, as Chinese who
Ninbo, October 28
have seen their living standards
improve become more outspoken
Thousands of protesters who against environmentally risky pro-
marched through an eastern Chijects in their areas. “The governnese
city today against the expanment hides information from the
sion of a petrochemical factory people. They are only interested in
won a pledge from the local gov- scoring political points and makernment
that the project would be ing money,” one protester, Luo
halted.
Luan, said earlier in the day. “They
The protest, which comes at a don’t care about destroying the en-
sensitive time in China’s political vironment or damaging people’s
calendar, had swelled over the lives.”
weekend and led to clashes be- Hundreds of residents headed
tween citizens and police. The from a city square towards the of-
Ningbo city government said in a fices of the municipal government
statement this evening that they early today. They were stopped by
and the project’s investor had “res- police at the gate, where they
olutely” agreed not to go ahead shouted for the release of people
with the expansion.
reportedly detained a day earlier.
Outside the government offices Tensions rose after about 200
where crowds of protesters re- riot police walked out of the gate,
mained, an official tried to read the tore down banners that people had
statement on a loudspeaker but hung in trees and grabbed at least
was drowned out by shouts de- three protesters, carrying them
manding the mayor step down. On into the government compound.
the third attempt, the crowd briefly Some protesters marched away
cheered but then turned back to from the offices in an apparent ef-
demanding that authorities release fort to round up more support.
protesters being held inside. Hundreds roamed along nearby
Liu Li, 24, a Ningbo resident, said shopping streets. Police diverted
the crowd did not believe the gov- traffic to allow them to pass down a
ernment’s statement. “There is main road. The protests began a
very little public confidence in the few days earlier in the coastal dis-
government,” she said. “Who trict of Zhenhai, where the petro-
knows if they are saying this just to chemical factory is located. Yester-
make us leave and then keep on day, they swelled and spread to the
doing the project.”
center of Ningbo city, whose offi-
The Ningbo government was cials oversee Zhenhai.
likely under great pressure to The crowds in Ningbo are a slice
defuse the protest with China’s of China’s rising middle class that
leadership wanting calm for a par- poses an increasingly boisterous
ty congress next month at which challenge to the country’s incom-
the country’s new leaders will be ing leadership: Armed with expen-
named. It was unclear whether losive smartphones, Internet concal
authorities will ultimately cannectivity and higher expectations
cel the project or continue it when than generations before them,
the pressure is lower.
their impatience with the govern-
The demonstration in wealthy ment’s lack of response is palpable
Zhejiang province is the latest this in every fist pump and rendition of
year over fears of health risks from the national anthem they shout.
A Chinese police officer stands behind fellow officers confronting residents who gathered outside the government
office during a protest in Zhejiang province’s Ningbo city, on Sunday.
Associated Press
Sittwe, October 28
Victims of Myanmar’s latest
explosion of Muslim-Buddhist
violence fled today to
already packed displacement
camps along the
country’s western coast as a
top UN official said the unrest
has forced more than
22,000 people from their
homes.
Boats carrying some of
those fleeing arrived outside
the state capital, Sittwe.
They trudged to the nearby
Thechaung camp, a place
already home to thousands
of Rohingya Muslims who
took refuge there after a previous
wave of violence in
An exterior view of the burning chemical warehouse of a plastic bag manufacturing factory in Karachi on Sunday.
Tough life not new for this mandarin
Associated Press
Liangjiahe, October 28
The next leader of China
spent much of his youth living
in a dug-out cave.
Xi Jingping’s seven years
in this remote northern
community meant toiling
alongside villagers by day
and sleeping on bricks by
night, in stark contrast to his
pampered early years in Beijing.
He was born into the
communist elite, but after
his father fell out of favour
with Mao Zedong - and before
his later rehabilitation,
the younger Xi was sent to a
rural hinterland to learn
peasant virtues at age 15.
The Liangjiahe years are
among the scant details
known about Xi’s life and
personality partly because
he himself chronicled them
as a formative experience.
They are part of the vague
picture of a man who has
drawn little attention during
much of his political career
but is poised to become ruling
party chief next month
and president next year of
an increasingly assertive
China.
What is clear is that Xi has
excelled at quietly rising
through the ranks by making
the most of two facets:
He has an elite, educated
UN: 22,000 displaced in Myanmar unrest
TAILOR-MADE TO LEAD: A file photo of China's Vice President Xi Jinping.
background with links to
communist China’s founding
fathers that are a crucial
advantage in the country’s
politics, and at the same
time he has successfully cultivated
a common man
mystique that helps him appeal
to a broad constituency.
He even gave up a
promising Beijing post in
his late 20s to return to the
countryside.
He did not at first come
willingly, however, to
Liangjiahe, a tiny community
of cave dwellings dug into
arid hills and fronted by
dried mud walls with wood-
en lattice entryways. He
tried to escape and was detained.
Villagers remember
a tall bookworm who eventually
earned their respect.
“He was always very sincere
and worked hard
alongside us. He was also a
big reader of really thick
books,” said Shi Chunyang,
then a friend of Xi and now a
local official.
It is in the nature of
China’s politics that relatively
little is known about
Xi’s policy leanings. He is
not associated with any bold
reforms. Aspiring officials
get promoted by encourag-
June.
“I fled my hometown
Pauktaw on Friday because
there is no security at all,”
said 42-year-old fisherman
Maung Myint, who arrived
on a boat carrying 40 other
people, including his wife
and six children. “My house
was burned to ashes and I
have no money left.”
Another Muslim refugee
said she fled her village,
Kyaukphyu, on Thursday after
attackers set her home
on fire.
“We don’t feel safe,” said
40-year-old Zainabi, a fishseller
who left with her two
sons, aged 12 and 14. “I wish
the violence would stop so
we can live peacefully.”
Reuters
Reuters
ing economic growth, tamping
down social unrest and
toeing the line set by Beijing,
not by charismatic displays
of initiative.
Xi’s resume in provincial
posts suggest he is open to
private industry and some
administrative reforms as
long as they don’t jeopardise
the Communist Party’s monopoly
on power. He likes
Hollywood flicks about
World War II and has a
daughter at Harvard University
under an assumed
name, though he has signalled
he may be a staunch
Chinese nationalist.
Myanmar’s government
has put the death toll at 67
over the last week, saying 95
more people were injured
and 2,818 houses were
burned down from Sunday
through Thursday in seven
townships in Rakhine state.
The casualty figures have
not been broken down by
ethnic group, but Human
Rights Watch said the Rohingya
had suffered the
brunt of the violence. The
New York-based rights
group also said the true
death toll may be higher,
based on witness accounts
and the government’s history
of minimising news that
might reflect badly on it.
Ashok Nigam, the UN
Associated Press
Beijing, October 28
China’s government has demanded
talks with Japan in
their latest dust-up over a
set of tiny islands, but a
high-ranking Chinese military
officer has suggested
drastically more belligerent
responses.
Dispatch hundreds of
fishing boats to fight a maritime
guerrilla war, says
Major General Luo Yuan.
Turn the uninhabited outcroppings
into a
bombing range. Rip
up World War II peace
agreements and seize
back the territory, now
controlled by Japan
but long claimed by
China.
“A nation without a
martial spirit is a nation
without hope,”
Luo declared at an
academic forum this
month in the southern
city of Shenzhen while
officials in Beijing continued
to urge negotiations.
Luo’s remarks reflect
a challenge for China’s
leadership from an
army increasingly willing
to push the limits of the
ruling Communist Party’s
official line on foreign ties,
territorial claims and even
government reforms. It’s a
challenge that will need to
be carefully managed if a
once-a-decade leadership
transition beginning on
November 8 is to go
smoothly.
Backed by what is now
the world’s second-largest
military budget behind the
US, the People’s Liberation
Army is bristling with new
armaments and is becoming
increasingly assertive.
That has distressed neighbours
such as Japan, Vietnam
and the Philippines, all
locked in disputes with China
over island territory rich
in oil, and has prompted
the US to send more military
assets to the region.
Presiding over this force will
be a new generation of
PAGE 9
Resident and Humanitarian
Coordinator in Myanmar,
said the figure of 22,587 displaced
included both Muslims
and ethnic Rakhine
Buddhists, but he gave no
breakdown.
The latest unrest pushes
the total displaced to nearly
100,000 since clashes broke
out in June.
Speaking to the AP while
visiting Thechaung camp,
Nigam said getting aid to the
new wave of displaced will
be a challenge as some fled
on boat and others have
sought refuge on isolated
hilltops.“The situation is
certainly very grave and we
are working with the government,”
he said.
China army flexing
muscles with Japan
Wants tougher action on
dispute over islands
AP / RSS
army leaders taking
power at the same time as
the new crop of political
leaders.
Up to seven of the 10 uniformed
members of the
Central Military Commission,
which oversees the
armed forces, are set to retire.
Members of the new
panel are expected to demand
an even greater say in
decision making - and a
tougher line in disputes
with other nations.
While President Hu Jin-
Major General Luo
Yuan has demanded
that China rip up
World War II peace
agreements with
Japan and seize
back the disputed
islands
tao’s absolute command
over the armed forces had
at time been questioned,
his presumed successor -
Vice President Xi Jingping -
may have an easier time
keeping officers on-message
because of his closer
ties with many top military
figures as a fellow
“princeling” - those with
ties to communist China’s
founding fathers.
He may have to wait,
though: Hu will likely seek
to hold onto his position as
chairman of the military
commission for another
two years, as his predecessor
did. Also, five officers
generally considered loyal
to Hu were promoted this
week to top posts such air
force commander and chief
of the general staff, meaning
they will sit on the new
commission once it is appointed
next month.