Japan to free Chinese skipper at centre of row

Japan to free Chinese skipper at centre of row

Japan to free Chinese skipper at centre of row

Posted: 23 Sep 2010 05:12 PM PDT

By Frank Zeller

TOKYO: Japan said today it would free a Chinese fishing boat captain whose arrest in disputed waters over two weeks ago sparked the worst row in years between the Asian giants.

Prosecutors cited the deepening rift between Beijing and Tokyo in their decision to release the captain who was arrested after his boat collided with two Japanese coastguard vessels in the East China Sea.

"Considering the impact on Japan's people and the Japan-China relationship, we decided it would not be worth continuing detaining and investigating the captain," said Naha district deputy chief prosecutor Toru Suzuki.

The Chinese captain, Zhan Qixiong, 41, had acted on the spur of the moment and not committed a premeditated criminal act, and he had no prior criminal record in Japan, said Suzuki in a televised press conference.

Public broadcaster NHK, also citing prosecutors, reported that "the Chinese captain will be sent back to China", while adding it would take time because formalities had to be ironed out.

The top spokesman for Japan's centre-left Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who was at the UN General Assembly in New York, said the decision was taken by prosecutors alone, and not because of political pressure.

But the conservative opposition was quick to lash out at what it saw as a loss of face for Japan, which has been overtaken by traditional rival China as the world's number two economy.

"It was an extremely foolish decision," said hawkish former prime minister Shinzo Abe of the Liberal Democratic Party, Jiji Press reported.

"It was clear as day that it was an intrusion into (Japan's) territorial waters. Japanese politics caved in to pressure from China."

The row started when Japan's coastguard arrested the captain on Sept 8 after his trawler collided with two of their patrol boats near a disputed island chain, called Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu by China.

The collisions caused no injuries, but the diplomatic damage was severe.

In the ensuing row, China issued a series of harsh diplomatic protests, summoned Japan's ambassador Uichiro Niwa six times, once after midnight, and cancelled official visits and joint cultural events.

Japan on Sept 13 released the ship's 14 Chinese crew and allowed them to fly home on a Chinese government-chartered plane, but Beijing the same day protested that the skipper was still being held.

Territorial integrity

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao this week threatened "further actions" and warned yesterday: "China will never give in or compromise on matters including national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity."

Even after Japan said it was releasing the captain, Beijing's foreign ministry again called Tokyo's decision to detain him "illegal and invalid".

Amid the row China has also blocked exports of rare earth metals, used in products from iPods to electric cars, to Japan, according to traders, a claim Beijing has denied.

As the dispute has escalated, the United States repeatedly urged both nations to resolve the dispute through dialogue.

Further ramping up tensions, China this week detained four Japanese nationals who were working on a bid for a project to clear up chemical weapons left from the Japanese occupation before and during World War II.

Japan has pressed for diplomatic access to its four, who were detained in northern Hebei province for entering a restricted military zone and "illegally filming defence targets", according to China's Xinhua news agency.

Their employer, construction company Fujita, said they had been visiting the city of Shijiazhuang but could not be reached since one of their staff had text-messaged the single word "help" on Tuesday.

Memories of the two nations' troubled past has fuelled the row.

Last weekend, on the anniversary of Japan's 1931 invasion of Manchuria, small groups of anti-Japanese demonstrators rallied in three Chinese cities, although the protests were brief and peaceful.

In Washington's highest-level expression of concern, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara on the UN sidelines in New York that Washington wanted a negotiated settlement.

Clinton sought to "encourage dialogue and (voiced) hope that the issue can be resolved soon", her spokesman Philip Crowley said, adding Japan-China ties "are vitally important to regional stability".

- AFP

 

Gay film festival opens in Muslim-majority Indonesia

Posted: 23 Sep 2010 04:31 PM PDT

By Arlina Arshad

JAKARTA: A gay film festival hailed as the biggest in Asia and the only one in the Muslim world kicks off in Indonesia today, hoping to draw 15,000 viewers to screenings and fringe events.

In its ninth annual edition, the Q! Film Festival (www.q-munity.org/) will showcase 150 films from more than 20 countries including France, Japan and the Philippines, highlighting such issues as gay rights and HIV/AIDS.

Festival director John Badalu said organisers do not expect public opposition but prefer to keep the event low-key due to the "stigma against gays" among conservative sections of the mainly Muslim population.

"We don't want to publicise the event in the mainstream local media as they're still very conservative," Badalu said.

Social networking sites such as Twitter (twitter.com/Qfilmfestival) are abuzz with chat about the event, however, signalling it has already achieved one of its chief aims -- to "let people know that the queer community exists in Indonesia", he added.

Indonesian Muslims are often categorised as "moderate" but such generalisations, favoured by Western diplomats, upset religious and other minorities who have to endure the daily opprobrium of Islamic conservatives.

In March, a regional gay and lesbian conference was forced to cancel when scores of Islamic radicals stormed the venue and reportedly went from room to room hunting participants.

A month later, Islamic vigilantes burst into a civil rights awareness session for transsexuals held by the National Commission for Human Rights and sent the participants fleeing in panic.

Do's and the don'ts

Homosexuality is technically legal in the country of 240 million people but it remains a taboo, especially among the 80% of the population who are Muslims.

Lawmakers in deeply Islamic Aceh province last year voted to make homosexuality punishable by up to 100 lashes under local religious by-laws which the provincial government has refused to approve.

Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring, chief of an Islamic party, in June implied a link between pornography and HIV-AIDS, and questioned whether state funds used to fight the disease could not be better spent.

"The country has dispersed 180 billion rupiah (20 million dollars) to curb HIV-AIDS. The budget should actually be reduced so the money can be allocated for other things that are beneficial for the country," he told reporters.

Despite these attitudes, communications ministry spokesman Gatot Dewa Broto said the central government had given its assurances that the Q! festival could go ahead.

"We have no objections. As long as the content is not too sexually explicit, not too vulgar, we're OK, we can tolerate it," he said.

"This festival has been taking place for many years already. I'm sure the organisers know the do's and the don'ts and consider the ethical and normative nuances in Indonesia," he added.

Double standards

Organisers are not taking any chances and have taken steps to ensure the festival takes place without incident.

Screenings, which are free, will be held in private clubs and foreign cultural centres in six cities including Jakarta and Yogyakarta.

International backing also provides a protective umbrella and cosmopolitan legitimacy that radical fringe elements would be reluctant to challenge, Badalu said.

"Funding for the festival comes from foreign groups. We hold screenings at foreign centres. The radicals won't dare to attack us. If they do, it's like attacking several countries at one go," he said.

He said Indonesia's "double standards" on issues of sexuality, morality and privacy left space for events like Q! and what organisers jokingly refer to as the "Q-munity".

"Indonesians are generally tolerant towards gays because you see, people have double standards. Some claim to be religious but surf porn websites at home, some say no to piracy but still use pirated goods," Badalu said.

"Anyway, whatever happens, we'll still be around. We can't disappear just like that."

- AFP

Russian-U.S.space crew aborts return to Earth

Posted: 24 Sep 2010 01:17 AM PDT

KOROLYOV, Russia (Reuters) - Two Russians and a U.S. astronaut aborted a return to Earth on Friday when their space capsule failed to separate from the International Space Station.


Former coup plotter Yanayev dies in Russia

Posted: 24 Sep 2010 01:17 AM PDT

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Gennady Yanayev, who briefly declared himself acting President of the Soviet Union during an unsuccessful 1991 coup attempt, has died in Moscow, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday.


Japan to free China boat captain at centre of row

Posted: 24 Sep 2010 12:46 AM PDT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan on Friday was set to release a Chinese trawler captain at the heart of a intense territorial row with China that Tokyo had warned was threatening to damage Asia's two biggest economies.


Space crew's return to Earth delayed by problem

Posted: 24 Sep 2010 12:46 AM PDT

KOROLYOV, Russia (Reuters) - A problem with a docking port on the International Space Station delayed the departure of three crew members due to return to Earth on Friday by a day, officials at Mission Control said.


Obama, Japan's Kan discuss Western Pacific tensions

Posted: 24 Sep 2010 12:46 AM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Thursday discussed maritime issues in the Western Pacific that have raised tensions in the area.


Obama seeks to limit ruling on gays in U.S. military

Posted: 24 Sep 2010 12:46 AM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The Obama administration sought on Thursday to limit the reach of a recent court decision striking down the U.S. military rule that bans openly gay people from serving in the Armed Forces.


Japan to free China boat captain at centre of row

Posted: 24 Sep 2010 12:09 AM PDT

TOKYO, Sept 24 — Japan today was set to release a Chinese trawler captain at the heart of a intense territorial row with China that Tokyo had warned was threatening to damage Asia's two biggest economies. A prosecutor from Japan's southern Okinawa island said they had decided to free the Chinese fishing boat captain, whose trawler collided this ...


Overweight Singapore soldiers told to trim down

Posted: 23 Sep 2010 04:10 PM PDT

SINGAPORE: Overweight Singapore soldiers have been told to trim down or risk getting the boot, a report said today.

The Straits Times said obese soldiers, sailors and airmen have received letters since early this year from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) urging them to shed at least 10% of their weight within a year.

Those who fail to shape up will be given a warning and have up to three years to trim down or risk being kicked out, the report said.

In a statement to AFP, the defence ministry confirmed the SAF has been implementing a weight management programme since 1992 but made no direct reference to expelling those who remain unfit.

"The SAF is committed to helping its uniformed regulars maintain a healthy lifestyle to ensure that they are able to perform their required tasks and contribute effectively to the SAF," the statement said.

It added that regular soldiers, which the Straits Times said numbered 20,000, were required to undergo annual tests to measure their Body Mass Index, a standard health indicator, as well as the percentage of fat in their body.

- AFP

Pre-built mosque's 2,000 mile trip

Posted: 24 Sep 2010 12:08 AM PDT

A small Muslim community in Canada has taken delivery of a new pre-built mosque that has been transported more than 2,000 miles by land and water.


Ahmadinejad tells U.N. most blame US gov't for 9/11

Posted: 24 Sep 2010 12:17 AM PDT

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the United Nations on Thursday most people believe the U.S. government was behind the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, prompting the U.S. and European delegations to leave the hall in protest.


Malaysia handing over JI militant to Singapore: police

Posted: 24 Sep 2010 12:02 AM PDT

Terror suspect Mas Selamat bin Kastari, who was captured in Malaysia last year after escaping a Singapore detention centre, is being handed over to Singapore, police said Friday.

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In Milan, plus-size label Elena Miro goes it alone

Posted: 23 Sep 2010 11:59 PM PDT

(MILAN, Italy-AFP) - It was standing room only on Wednesday at plus-size fashion designer Elena Miro's show after her house was excluded from the official programme of Milan Fashion Week. Copyright (AFP RELAXNEWS/ AFPTV), 2010.

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China hints missiles targeting Taiwan could be axed: media

Posted: 23 Sep 2010 11:40 PM PDT

TAIPEI, Friday 24 September 2010 (AFP) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has suggested that mainland missiles pointing at Taiwan could one day be removed, Taipei-based media reported Friday.

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Overweight Singapore soldiers told to trim down

Posted: 23 Sep 2010 11:35 PM PDT

SINGAPORE, Friday 24 September 2010 (AFP) - Overweight Singapore soldiers have been told to trim down or risk getting the boot, a report said Friday.

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Indonesia's 'jobless intellectuals' to reach 1.14 million

Posted: 23 Sep 2010 10:07 PM PDT

JAKARTA, Sept 24: The number of university and academy graduates in Indonesia who will not be absorbed by the market will reach 1,142,751 people this year, up by 15 percent from last year.

We will continue our peaceful development, says Chinese PM in UN address

Posted: 23 Sep 2010 09:18 PM PDT

NEW YORK, Sept 24: With the increasing economic clout, China will continue its path of peaceful development, and never seeks hegemony, said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Thursday.

Unique telescope in Russian lake

Posted: 23 Sep 2010 11:21 PM PDT

Research physicist Bair Shaibonov talks about his work on the neutrino telescope at the bottom of Russia's Lake Baikal.


Myanmar officials now say Suu Kyi can vote in poll

Posted: 23 Sep 2010 11:23 PM PDT

YANGON, Friday 24 September 2010 (AFP) - Myanmar officials said Friday that detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be entitled to vote in the upcoming election, despite earlier statements that she would be barred from taking part.

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