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Davos: IMF
Head Urges Caution on Winding Down Economic Stimulus
Davos-Klosters, Switzerland − Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing
Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington
DC, warned the world's economic leaders to remain cautious as
they examine exit strategies from the various stimulus packages
they have implemented in response to the global economic crisis.
"If we exit too late, public debt will be higher," he said at a
panel on the Global Economic Outlook at the World Economic Forum
Annual Meeting here today. "But if we exit too early, there is
the risk of a double-dip recession. In that case, I don't know
what we can do because we have used all of the tools. The
probability is low, but the risk is high." He also noted that
"Growth is better than expected, but still fragile. In large
part, it is still supported by public funding." Another problem
highlighted by the IMF chief is the uneven pace at which the
recovery is taking place around the world, with Asia and some
other emerging market countries leading the way, and the United
States and Europe lagging behind.
Christine Lagarde, Minister of Economy, Industry and Employment
of France, and Member of the Foundation Board of the World
Economic Forum, agreed that the timing of the exit "is
absolutely critical." She added that leaders will also have to
carefully manage the frustration of their citizens during this
process. "What we see in the United States and some other
economies," said Lawrence H. Summers, Director of the US
National Economic Council, "is a statistical recovery and a
human recession. The policies to contain the economic collapse
have been successful. In my judgement, we will continue to grow
at a moderate rate for the next several quarters. But what is
disturbing is the high unemployment – which is cyclical, but
also structural." In the US currently, one man in five between
the ages of 25 and 54 is unemployed. Even after the recovery,
according to projections, one in seven or one in eight will
remain jobless. Near the end of the session, Strauss-Kahn
briefly sketched out the IMF's plans for a US$ 100 billion Green
Fund to promote low-carbon economic growth. "The new growth
model will be low carbon," he said. Efforts to address climate
change cannot remain stalled "because we cannot meet the
financing needs."
From http://www.weforum.org/ 01/30/2010
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Experts Say Financial
Crisis Fuelled Power Shift to Asia
DAVOS (Switzerland): The global financial crisis has accelerated
the shift in the balance of power from west to east, panelists at
the Davos forum said Friday. Hirotaka Takeuchi from Japan's
Hitotsubashi University said it was "absolutely" this factor which
had fuelled the trend. "They are dead right. The key ground is
Asia," he said, reacting to a poll by British broadcaster BBC which
found that some 60 per cent of those surveyed said the recent crisis
has propelled the shift in power to the east.
"Japan's volume of trade with China has reached 48.5 per cent.
That's the reality and that's the future. If you include India,
that's going to be the main playground for us," added the dean of
the university's Graduate School of International Corporate
Strategy. Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights
Watch, said: "I do think that the economic trouble has led to the
acceleration of the rise of the east, particularly China." Gerard
Lyons, who is chief economist of Standard Chartered bank, noted that
the shift in the balance of power was "multi-fold." "They are the
countries with the financial resources - China, Qatar, they are the
countries with resources, like South Africa. They are the countries
that can adapt and change," he said.
However, the shift has prompted concerns. Roth said: "I am worried
about the political consequences. Will China be seen as the model of
economic development (and) political liberalisation?" It has also
had an impact on the global job market. "The jobs are in the east,
the jobs are unfortunately not in the west, that's where the
challenge is," said Lyons. "The reality is that many people in the
west are finding it hard to come to the terms to the fact that they
are seeing a shift in power," he added. - AFP
From http://www.btimes.com.my/ 01/30/2010
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APEC Gets Down to Business
on Bogor Goals
Melbourne, Australia - As APEC members' progress on free and open
trade undergoes assessment, APEC is also looking toward future
goals. Results of the assessment, say insiders, are not a point of
conclusion but a means of informing future action. According to a
declaration by APEC Leaders in Bogor, Indonesia in 1994,
industrialised member economies should have achieved free and open
trade by 2010, and developing economies by 2020. To this end, the
progress of five economies (Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand
and the USA) is currently being examined. An additional five
economies (Chile, Hong Kong China, Mexico, Peru and Singapore) have
volunteered to undergo early assessment, before their own target
date of 2020.
APEC is determined that the assessment is both thorough and
authentic so that findings can inform future target setting.
Analysis therefore includes consultation with external parties such
as the World Bank, the Asian Development bank and the wider business
community. The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), a body
comprising some of the region's most prominent heads of business,
has therefore been examining progress in tariff reductions and
economic freedom to trade and invest.
ABAC's review will also consider the first-hand experiences of
people conducting business throughout the region. These individuals
will assess progress in their own economy and share their thoughts
on a direction for APEC in the next decade. "We intend this study to
be forward-looking and to include a broader assessment of where APEC
is headed post-Bogor," says Tony Nowell, Chair of the ABAC
Liberalisation Working Group and ABAC New Zealand member. Speaking
at the first meeting of ABAC members in 2010, he explained that,
"for ABAC, the potential benefits of a free trade area of
Asia-Pacific are clear, so this is something we will consider." The
ABAC report is to be delivered in Chinese Taipei in May 2010.
From http://www.apec.org/ 02/12/2010
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ADB Reviews Communications
Policy to Ensure Effectiveness, Transparency
MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has
launched a review of its Public Communications Policy to ensure it
is still effective, transparent and relevant, and to see what
improvements can be made. From today until mid April 2010, ADB will
seek views on the policy from all interested parties, primarily
through the internet. Consultations will also be held with
stakeholders, including government officials, civil society and the
private sector in a number of developing member countries and donor
countries in the second quarter of 2010. Reviewing the policy every
five years is a mandatory requirement. "The ultimate goal of the
consultations is to give all interested stakeholders the opportunity
to improve the effectiveness of ADB's Public Communications Policy,"
said Ann Quon, Principal Director of ADB's Department of External
Relations.
The current Public Communications Policy, which took effect in
September 2005, guides ADB's external relations strategy and its
stance on disclosure of information, with the aim of ensuring its
business is widely known and understood. The policy recognizes that
transparency is critical to the effectiveness, sustainability and
accountability of ADB operations, and the trust and support of
member governments. A second round of public comments will be sought
in October, before a revised draft document is submitted to ADB's
Board of Directors in the first quarter of 2011. Final approval of
the new policy is expected by next February.
From http://www.adb.org/ 02/16/2010
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Australia to Host UN-NGO
Conference
The United Nations major conference for non-government
organisations is to be held in the southern Australian city of
Melbourne this year, with the UN encouraging NGO's from Pacific
Island states and Asia to attend. Concern that the world will fall
short of the Millennium Development Goals will be the backdrop to
the major annual conference between the UN and the world's NGOs to
be held in Melboure in August. The focus in particular will be on
the Millennium Development Goals on child mortality, maternal health
and fighting diseases like HIV/AIDS. The conference is scheduled in
the leadup to the September summit reviewing the MDGs. It's likely
UN undersecretary general Kiyo Akasaka will attend. Speculation UN
secretary general Ban Ki Moon will attend is unconfirmed.
From http://www.abc.net.au/ 02/16/2010
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Asia-Pacific MDG Progress
under Threat from Global Economic Crisis
MANILA, PHILIPPINES - A joint report by the United Nations and
the Asian Development Bank (ADB) warns that the global economic
crisis could trap an additional 21 million people in the
Asia-Pacific region in extreme poverty, living on less than $1.25 a
day. Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in an Era of Global
Uncertainty: Asia-Pacific Regional Report 2009/10, launched today in
Manila, examines the toll that the global economic crisis has taken
on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals in the
Asia-Pacific region. Produced by United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific, ADB and the UN Development
Programme, the report identifies opportunities for action – showing
how countries of Asia and the Pacific can better protect themselves
from this and future crises.
From http://www.adb.org/ 02/17/2010
TOP↑
Brics: The Changing Faces
of Global Power
The Bric grouping – Brazil, Russia, India and China – has become
a shorthand for the rise of emerging markets in the global economy.
And after a rather stellar decade, the Brics mainly had a good
crisis from which they are now rapidly exiting. Goldman Sachs, the
financial group that invented the category, reckons that China may
well become the world's largest economy before 2030. Collectively,
the Bric economies could well surpass output in the Group of Seven
wealthy nations – which have dominated the management of the global
economy – by 2032.
The Brics already have a bigger share of world trade than the US.
China, probably the world's biggest goods exporter last year, has
been supplemented by India's software and back-office exports,
Russia's oil and gas and the domination of a number of agricultural
commodity markets by Brazil's super-competitive farmers. While
equities in G7 countries were struggling to stay in positive
territory during the past five or so years, the Bric share prices,
albeit with a steep drop and rapid recovery during the global
financial crisis, finished the decade more than twice as high as in
2005. Bric equity indices have emerged; Bric funds have sprung up
for investors to pile into the sector. So as the world emerges from
recession, is this a transformational moment when the centre of
gravity in the global economy and its governance decisively shifts?
Is this a pivot point such as the second world war, where the
confident, innovative US muscled aside the weakened, debt-laden
economies of Europe and remade the global financial architecture?
And, most immediately, are Bric consumers up to the task of
rebalancing the world economy by supplanting their acquisitive
American counterparts?
The most likely answer is: not yet. Not only are the Brics such a
disparate group that almost any generalisation is problematic, but
China, the dominant member of the quartet, still seems wedded to an
economic model dependent on demand elsewhere. "The so-called
emerging economies, even some like Bangladesh, are undoubtedly
players on the global stage," said Jean-Pierre Lehmann, professor of
political economy at the IMD management school in Lausanne,
Switzerland. "But I don't see any great cataclysm in the next 10
years, nor the centre of finance definitively moving east." Like a
boy band or a street gang, the Brics might almost have been chosen
for their disparate abilities rather than their similarities.
China's size and openness to trade give it as much economic clout as
the rest put together: Markus Jäger, of Deutsche Bank, calls the
hypercompetitive manufacturing exporter "the 800lb panda in the
room". India, similar in population but poorer and economically more
insular, is chiefly notable to investors and trading partners for
its software and business services. Brazil, despite a sprinkling of
manufacturers, remains one of the world's most efficient
agro-exporters; Russia, after feebler attempts to diversify,
essentially just sells oil and gas.
The story of their rapid progress is familiar but still dramatic. A
decade ago, only one had an investment-grade credit rating; now all
do. Only 12 years ago, a Russian debt default and Brazilian currency
crisis rocked the world economy; today, they have accumulated vast
foreign exchange reserves. The Brics contributed about half of
global growth between 2000 and 2008 – sharply higher than in the
previous decade. Yet along with this growth has come an unbalancing
of the global economy.
A Chinese growth model based on heavy investment and exports has
accompanied vast current-account surpluses across east Asia, matched
by a current-account deficit in the US. And despite doing its bit to
keep economic growth going during the crisis, it is far from clear
that the Middle Kingdom has effected a shift towards consumer demand
that a true engine of world growth would achieve. With a great
flourish, Beijing announced a $585bn stimulus package in November
2008 and loosened bank credit. But its ability to create
self-sustaining growth was suspect. Rather than handing out cash to
consumers to get them spending – a move that might also have
encouraged imports – a large chunk of the stimulus went into the old
favourite, fixed investment. "If global demand does not recover in
time or the stimulus measures fail to stir the animal spirits, China
may end up creating overcapacity," said Mr Jäger. Razeen Sally, a
trade expert at the London School of Economics, said: "The Chinese
interventions had the effect of reinforcing existing problems and
imbalances. We are going to see a lot of excess capacity in
export-oriented industries like steel at exactly the wrong time."
The repegging of the renminbi against the dollar in 2008, after
three years when it was allowed to crawl higher, has also done
nothing to shift the Chinese economy from exports to consumer
demand. The effect of that decision is multiplied by the copycat
actions of many emerging-market countries holding their own
currencies down lest they lose competitiveness to China. Indeed,
although the worldwide reduction in consumer demand has cut the
absolute level of China's current-account surplus during the crisis,
with fewer ships carrying toys and iPods out of Shenzhen and
Shanghai, China continued to gain market share abroad. The
International Monetary Fund and others reckon that the apparent
rebalancing of the global economy over the past year is temporary.
When demand picks up, so will Chinese exports, along with the old
surpluses and deficits. Despite pockets of profligacy, if anything,
China's has become less rather than more of a consumer economy in
the past decade. Its overall savings rate grew over the decade.
Although much of this rise reflected corporate savings, household
savings rose, too, and a greater share of national income went to
companies rather than consumers in the first place.
A survey last year by the McKinsey Global Institute backed up what
many economists have long argued: that the lack of a social safety
net is one of the main reasons that Chinese households save. The top
three reasons given were: educational needs, security in case of
illness and caring for parents. Changing deep-seated structural
factors such as this will not be quick. Nor will it be achieved
simply by letting the renminbi rise. As for the other Brics, whose
trend growth rate is slower than China's, they are unlikely to have
a noticeable effect on global demand for some time. Although growth
in Brazil and India held up well during the crisis, the former is a
relatively mature economy with less scope for rapid growth; the
latter an underperformer with a chronic public finance problem and a
household savings rate even higher than China's. Meanwhile, Russia,
whose economy contracted sharply during the global recession, still
depends on oil prices. A decade of rapid growth is not enough for
the Brics to seize the baton of global economic leadership from the
US and western Europe. The grouping, or some of them, may have
astonished the world with their progress over the past 10 years. But
it will require a qualitative improvement as well as more growth to
consolidate that shift of power.
From http://www.ft.com/ 02/17/2010
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Despite Global Recovery,
Protectionism Unabated
"There has been little let-up in protectionist measures in recent
months despite the gradual pickup in the global economy and repeated
commitments by heads of major governments to safeguard trade, a
report said Thursday. The report by Global Trade Alert, [Will
Stabilization Limit Protectionism?] said that since October 1, 2009,
some 80 'beggar-thy-neighbor' type policies have been introduced. A
majority of those, 64 percent, came from G20 countries that had
pledged at their meetings in 2009 to do nothing to damage world
trade..." [Dow Jones/Factiva]
Reuters adds that, "...in a separate report on Thursday the World Bank
said the fourth quarter of 2009 saw a substantial fall of 23.8
percent in industry demands for World Trade Organization-legal
import barriers such as anti-dumping duties, the first time this had
declined since the crisis broke in mid-2008. But trade barriers
imposed as a result of such investigations were 35.7 percent higher
than a year earlier in the fourth quarter, it said..."
[Reuters/Factiva]
From http://web.worldbank.org/ 02/18/2010
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EU Policy on Central Asia
'Lacks Credibility'
An influential think tank has condemned the EU's central Asia
policy, saying it is in danger of lacking "real impact and
credibility". The strategy, launched in 2007, was designed to
improve relations with the five states in central Asia - Kazakhstan,
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. Michael
Emerson, a senior research fellow with the highly-regarded Centre
for European Policy Studies (CEPs), said the EU approach had led to
an "undoubted" increase in the "level of activity" in the region.
But, addressing a seminar in Brussels on Monday, Emerson added, "The
extensiveness of the agenda and relatively low level of resources
committed to the strategy entails a risk that the whole process may
not have real impact and credibility. "This risk is quite visible in
most chapters of the strategy. For the time being it is felt by EU
officials that these are early days still, that results take time
and there has to be patience to deepen trust and experience."
Emerson, a former senior commission official and EU ambassador to
Moscow, said, "Up to a point this may be valid. "Yet there is a
manifest need to sharpen the real operational objectives and raise
the level of operations to the point of being demonstrably
effective." He makes several recommendations, including urging the
EU to "engage in a critical review" of its central Asian strategy.
Emerson, who worked in the commission from 1973 to 1996, was
chairing a debate entitled 'monitoring the EU's Central Asia
strategy' attended by several central Asian ambassadors to the EU.
The EU, he said, should also increase its diplomatic presence in the
region, adding, "With the impetus of the Lisbon treaty this needs to
be done decisively, with adequately staffed EU delegations in all
five states." A CEPs policy paper, presented to the seminar, also
expressed concern over the EU's sanctions on Uzbekistan after the
Andjian events in 2005, saying they did not produce "substantial"
changes and had been lifted "for the sake of engaging with the
regime." "If the EU should in future resort to such measures in
Central Asia (or elsewhere) it has to be disciplined and unified,"
said the paper.
From http://www.theparliament.com/ 02/22/2010
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Doha Woes Could Aid
Asia-Pacific Regional Economic Integration Bid
HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) While Japan chairs the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum for the year and presses for freer trade, 2010 may
be an unforgettable year, impacting trade the opposite way if the
Doha global trade liberalization talks under the World Trade
Organization falter. There are fears the collapse of the
eight-year-old talks, which face a self-imposed deadline this year,
would seriously hurt international resolve to fight protectionism.
At the same time, though, some experts and officials say the demise
could help boost efforts by the 21-member APEC for further economic
integration. The 153-member WTO seeks to successfully conclude the
Doha Round talks this year, having missed deadline after deadline.
However, no breakthrough has been seen, with key players refusing to
make concessions on such issues as tariff cuts and reductions in
export subsides.
The Doha negotiations, launched in 2001 to help poor nations by
enhancing trade, were originally intended to be concluded in 2005.
The Japanese government has committed to supporting multilateral
trade principles under the WTO. While it is said an outline
agreement must be reached by summer to meet the yearend deadline,
Minister of Economy Trade and Industry Masayuki Naoshima recently
admitted that the Doha Round is in a "make-or-break phase." As APEC
chair, Japan aims to boost the forum's efforts to create a
regionwide free-trade zone while having to lead the way in assessing
how successfully the group's developed members have freed up trade
and investment in their areas. It is unlikely Japan's chairmanship
will survive unscathed if the WTO fails and the global momentum to
seek freer trade is slowed. "We have to expect some backlash," a
Japanese official said on condition of anonymity, but added Tokyo
will "seek a chance to enhance relationships within APEC in that
case."
Analysts back such a view, saying that if the WTO system proves less
productive than hoped, APEC may emerge as a more reliable foundation
to enhance trade between Pacific Rim economies. Junichi Sugawara, an
analyst at the Mizuho Research Institute, said Japan as APEC chair
wouldn't be immune to negative fallout from a Doha failure, but that
the impact would be limited. "The current confusion in the Doha
talks is due largely to some key players, including the United
States and India, which have failed to make sufficient concessions
to clinch a deal," Sugawara said. "Although Japan is known for being
reluctant to open up its farm product market, it is unlikely that
Japan will have to bear the brunt of all criticism for the collapse.
Heavier responsibilities lie with others," he said. APEC has been
shifting its focus to creating its own free-trade zone. Senior
officials from the member economies gathered Monday for a two-day
meeting in Hiroshima, where exploring possible pathways to a Free
Trade Area in the Asia Pacific, or FTAAP, is high on the agenda.
But the attempt to build a consensus among various members has
revealed problems, with some members, especially China, remaining
cautious toward the United States establishing a strong foothold in
Asia. International trade officials say Beijing hopes instead to
push for an economic integration based on the "ASEAN-plus-three"
grouping, which involves the 10-member Association of Southeast
Asian Nations plus Japan, China and South Korea - an idea that would
also exclude such APEC members as Australia, a U.S. ally in the
Pacific. The United States last November recommitted itself to
negotiating the previously obscure Trans-Pacific Partnership, a
comprehensive regional free-trade agreement that currently groups
four of the APEC members - Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore.
Experts say the U.S. move can be seen as a counteraction against the
development of ASEAN-plus-three integration. The Trans-Pacific
Partnership members are to hold a meeting in March and discuss the
expansion of its membership with four other APEC countries - Peru,
Vietnam, Australia and the U.S.
From http://search.japantimes.co.jp/ 02/23/2010
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CHINA: Rules Issued to
Clean Up Courts After Conviction of Top Judge
In an effort to prevent abuse of judicial power and fight
corruption, China's Supreme People's Court issued a new
regulation Wednesday to list a great number of restrictions
against court staff, ranging from taking bribery to committing
adultery with litigants. The move came after Huang Songyou,
former SPC vice president was sentenced on Jan. 19 to life
imprisonment for taking bribes and embezzlement. Huang was
convicted of taking more than 3.9 million yuan (about 574,000
U.S. dollars) in bribes from 2005 to 2008. The regulation
stipulates that judiciary staff will be punished if they are
found meddling and intervening court cases, giving bribes to law
enforcement personnel, beating or verbally abusing petitioners
and over-running timetables to enforce court rulings. Judiciary
staff will receive punishments ranging from demerits on their
records, demotion, removal from posts and dismissal, according
to the regulation. Since 1991, the SPC had mapped out different
regulations to punish judiciary staff for discipline violations,
but some of them overlapped and some had already become
outdated, according a discipline official with the SPC. The
regulation prohibits judiciary staff from tipping off or asking
favors for litigants. Judiciary staff are restricted from
leaving the Chinese mainland without authorization, prolonging
visits or obtaining permanent residence permits in areas outside
the mainland without authorization, or acquiring foreign
nationality without permission. Judiciary staff will be punished
if they commit adultery or have sexual relations with litigants
or relatives of litigants, according to the regulation. They are
also banned from intentionally prolonging, or refusing to
enforce court rulings, and forcing litigants to withdraw
lawsuits, receiving intermediation or reconciliation terms that
would hurt litigants' interests.
From English.news.cn 01/27/2010
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China Vice Premier
Outlines Future Economic Plans
Laying out his strategy for long-term economic growth, a possible
future leader of China said Thursday that Beijing would seek to
boost domestic consumer demand to drive forward its booming economy
and move away from an over-reliance on export markets. Vice Premier
Li Keqiang said China's market of over 1 billion people would open
up gradually in the coming years, with monopolies broken up and
competition encouraged, benefiting the whole world. In a
wide-ranging speech introducing him to many leading figures in
business and politics, Li said China needed a new development model.
"China's domestic market has huge potential," he said at the World
Economic Forum, the gathering of 2,500 business and political
leaders in Davos, Switzerland. "As we stand at a new historical
juncture, we must change the old way of inefficient growth and
transform the current development model that is excessively reliant
on investment and export." On the forum's second day of debates in
the Swiss Alps, leaders also heard former U.S. President Bill
Clinton's appeal for aid to Haiti but not from Brazilian President
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who canceled his trip to Davos because of
hypertension and was hospitalized in Brazil overnight. He left
Thursday morning. Meanwhile, British Conservative leader David
Cameron endorsed the latest U.S. proposals to make banks repay some
of the costs of last year's lavish financial bailout, telling The
Associated Press in an interview that as prime minister he would go
toe-to-toe with British bankers to bring them in line. Li said
stronger Chinese demand would "provide huge opportunities for the
whole world." He said the government was stimulating growth through
rural subsidies to enhance spending power, and noted that Beijing's
policies in 2009 ensured "steady and fast growth" of 8.7 percent
while much of the world was sunk in recession. His speech in Davos
provided no radical policy shifts from Beijing, which already has
been focusing on diversifying its sources of economic growth. Export
markets have rebounded for China since the depths of the economic
crisis a year ago, but the stronger emphasis on the domestic
consumer reflects a realization that Americans, Europeans and other
wealthy foreigners cannot be counted on to increase their spending
on Chinese goods forever.
Economists say China keeps its currency artificially low against the
dollar to promote exports, and that the economic relationship
between the U.S. and China is marked by large and worrisome
imbalances: the U.S. imports and borrows too much, while China
exports and saves too much. In Chinese tradition, Li said all
changes would be gradual. He didn't address the sensitive issues
between China and the West of its currency and lending rates, but in
a nod to Washington and Brussels acknowledged the need to enhance
protection of intellectual property rights such as patents and
trademarks. China recently surpassed Germany as the world's top
exporter, but its rapid export growth and tight domestic market
controls have been a constant source of agitation with the United
States, Europe and other commercial powers. They argue that Beijing
has competed unfairly in international trade, pumping up sales of
cheap Chinese goods abroad while limiting the amount of foreign
products entering China. "We will press ahead with reforms," Li said
through a translator, "and allow the market to better play a primary
role in allocation resources." He noted, however, that China's
imports topped $1 trillion last year, making it the second biggest
importer in the world behind the United States. The government kept
public debt below 3 percent of GDP, expanded health care and
launched new efficient energy projects. "China's contribution to
world economic recovery is obvious," Li said. But more needs to be
done with the average Chinese making less money than people in about
100 other countries, he said. Li said "we should promote more open
market," but his explanation made it clear that he didn't see free
trade as a one-way commitment. He warned against protectionism,
which China has accused the rich world of practicing in its
restrictions on Chinese products ranging from steel to footwear. "In
the past year or so, countries have voided opposition to trade
protectionism. However, protectionist practices have kept emerging,"
Li said. "It is high time for all parties to translate their solemn
commitments into real actions."
From http://news.yahoo.com/ 01/28/2010
TOP↑
China to Adopt New House
Expropriation Rules
A draft regulation on expropriation of houses and relevant
compensation is expected to be made public Friday to solicit
comments. China's Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council,
or cabinet, is going to release the full text of the draft on its
website, www.chinalaw.gov.cn. The draft spells out the conditions,
due process and compensation of expropriation intended for public
interest, such as national defense, key national projects of energy,
transportation and education. The draft says local government
should, by holding hearings or adopting other opinion soliciting
methods, ensure that the public opinions can be heard. The draft
also provides that compensation to the house owners should not be
less than the market price of similar houses. The draft stresses
that no violence, coercion, or other illegal means, such as cutting
off the water or power supply of the houses, can be employed in
demolition procedures. Demolition for the need to upgrade the
quality of dangerous and old buildings should not be carried out
without the approval of 90 percent of the house owners, the draft
says. The public is invited to comment on the draft regulation any
time before Feb. 12 via online postings, email or letters.
From Xinhua News Agency 01/29/2010
TOP↑
Central Documents Target
Rural Issues
The Chinese government Sunday promulgated its first policy
document for 2010, calling for greater efforts to coordinate
development between urban and rural areas, which was, the document
said, the fundamental requirement of building a moderately
prosperous society. Expanding rural demand should be the key measure
in boosting domestic demand, and developing modern agriculture
should be considered as a major task in transforming China's
economic growth pattern, it said. The first policy document, issued
by the central committee of the Communist Party of China and the
State Council, the Cabinet, is the No. 1 central document. This is
the seventh consecutive year the document has focused on rural
problems. The six former documents were as follows: The No. 1
central document issued on Feb. 1, 2009, took "achieving steady
agricultural development and sustained income increases for farmers"
as its theme. The document highlighted challenges posed by the
global downturn to agricultural and rural development: "The biggest
potential for boosting domestic demand lies in rural areas; the
foundation for securing steady and relative fast economic growth is
based upon agriculture; the toughest work of securing and improving
people's livelihoods stays with farmers." In the document, the
government urged authorities to take resolute measures to avoid
declining grain production and to ensure the steady expansion of
agriculture and rural stability. The No. 1 central document issued
on Jan. 30, 2008, took "fortifying the foundation of agriculture" as
its theme. The document ordered the rapid development of an enduring
mechanism for consolidating the foundation of agriculture and more
efforts to guarantee grain product safety and a balance between
supply and demand, and between various grain products. To achieve
the goals, great efforts should be made to enhance rural
infrastructure, strengthen the role of agricultural science and
technology in boosting rural development, gradually improve the
level of rural public service and keep the basic rural economic
mechanism stable and perfected, said the document. The document also
stipulated that "any increased spending on agriculture this year
should be clearly higher than last year, the increase in fixed-asset
investment in rural areas should exceed the year-earlier level and
farm subsidies should be raised."
The No. 1 central document issued on Jan. 29, 2007, had "developing
modern agriculture and steadily promoting the construction of a new
socialist countryside" as its theme. It said, "developing modern
agriculture is the Chinese government's top priority in building a
new socialist countryside, and has proven to be the basic channel
through which farmers' incomes can be increased." Modern equipment,
science and technology, industrial systems, management and
development ideas should be nurtured to improve the quality,
economic returns and competitiveness of agriculture. The document
also advocated the establishment of a mechanism to secure stable
sources of capital from both government and financial institutions.
"Most of the fixed-assets investment and money earmarked for
education, public health and culture this year should go to rural
areas," said the document. "Local governments should also channel
more money raised from selling land use rights to the countryside."
The No. 1 central document issued on Feb. 21, 2006, took
"constructing a new socialist countryside" as its theme. The
document said "constructing a new socialist countryside is an
important historic task in the process of China's modernization."
The document stressed the importance of rural issues, saying the
resolution to rural issues was of great significance and difficulty
in the process of China's industrialization and urbanization.
Constructing a new socialist countryside was the foremost task
facing China in the 2006-2010 five-year period, said the document.
To achieve the goals, China must step up efforts in coordinating the
development of urban and rural areas, developing modern agriculture,
boosting farmers' incomes, enhancing rural infrastructure, promoting
social causes in rural areas and deepening rural reforms, it said.
The No. 1 central document issued on Jan. 30, 2005, took
"strengthening rural work and improving the overall production
capacity of agriculture" as its theme. Agriculture remained a weak
link in the national economy and was plagued with a lack of
investment, a fragile foundation and lack of a long-term mechanism
aimed at boosting grain output and farmers' incomes. To solve the
problems, China should bring into full play the farmers and local
governments' initiatives of increasing grain production. The
document included 27 detailed substantial measures to ensure
financial, governmental and technological support for the
agriculture sector with an aim to improve agricultural production
capacity. The No. 1 central document issued Feb. 8, 2004, took
"boosting farmers' incomes" as its theme. The document said, "Among
the many problems facing agricultural and rural development, the
difficulty of increasing farmers' incomes is the most prominent."
The document prescribed a number of measures, stressing raising
farmer's incomes was a significant issue both economically and
politically and raising agricultural incomes was key to maintaining
China's economic growth. The measures included adjusting
agricultural structure, increasing jobs for farmers, enhancing rural
investment, deepening rural reform, and quickening
agriculture-related science and technology.
From Xinhua News Agency 02/01/2010
TOP↑
China Pledges More Support
for Rural Poor
China will boost spending in rural areas and let more farmers
migrate to urban areas in a bid to close the widening income gap
between villages and cities, government officials said Monday.
China's leaders are worried about lagging rural areas, where
thousands of protests a year over living conditions and perceived
government indifference threaten to undermine social stability. An
exact figure has yet to be announced but Chen Xiwen, director of the
Central Rural Work Leading Group, a government advisory body, said
the increase in spending on agriculture and rural areas would be
proportionally much higher than the central government's overall
budget increase this year. A text of the policy released Sunday said
the measures were intended to help "expand rural demand as a key
step in stimulating domestic demand." Beijing is trying to encourage
its consumers to spend more to reduce reliance on investment and
weak exports to drive economic growth. This will mark the sixth
consecutive year that China has boosted its budget for rural areas,
Chen said. Last year, the government spent 764.1 billion yuan
($111.8 billion ) - up 120 billion yuan from the previous year. "One
thing is for sure: the increase in fiscal spending in rural areas
will be much higher than the overall increase in China's fiscal
input this year," Chen told a news conference. The exact amount is
to be announced at the annual meeting of China's legislature in
March, he said. Chen said new investment, loans, training programs
and subsidies would be part of a package of measures designed to
help farming villages, where incomes have grown but failed to keep
pace with urban income growth.
The government's statistics bureau reported last week that China's
urban residents made 3.33 times more than their rural counterparts
in 2009, up from 3.31 in 2008. The government will also allow more
farmers to migrate to cities and receive the housing, insurance,
social security, education and other benefits that urban residents
enjoy, said Tang Renjian, deputy director of the Central Rural Work
Leading Group. About 60 percent of China's 150 million rural migrant
workers are 30 years old or younger, Tang said. Most are better
educated than their parents but have limited knowledge of farming
and little interest in it. "They want to become part of the city and
embrace a civilized life in the city, but at the same time cities
are not ready to accept this new generation," said Tang. "Helping
them become urban residents will be a top priority." The planned
investment will subsidize crops such as barley, peanuts and potatoes
and be channeled into funds so farmers can buy agricultural
machinery and new building supplies to renovate their homes. The
government will introduce more policies to encourage the purchase
and stockpiling of soybeans, corn and edible oil to help stabilize
the price and supply of such staples. China imported 425.5 million
tons of soybeans and 81.3 million tons of edible oil in 2009 - both
record highs, Chen said. "We need to improve our agricultural sector
and make it more modernized, otherwise these shortages will not be
limited to only these two products but will affect other products as
well," he said.
From http://news.yahoo.com/ 02/01/2010
TOP↑
New Laws Close in on
Hackers
China's criminal laws will keep evolving as the country is
stepping up its efforts in the crackdown on cyber attacks, the
official People's Daily has reported on its website. The Ministry of
Public Security is working with the Supreme People's Court and the
Supreme People's Procuratorate, the country's two top judicial
bodies, to introduce more judicial interpretations on Internet-based
crimes and hackers, the paper quoted an unnamed official from the
ministry as saying on Sunday. "Meanwhile, the police will continue
to escalate the clamp down on the crimes committed by hackers," said
the official. "We will deal a blow to these crimes down to the
roots." Profits from cyber attacks are believed to cause the hacker
group to swell in China. The rogue netizens have made China the
world's biggest victim of cyber attacks, according to the China
National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team (CNCERT),
a national Internet security watchdog. In 2009, the police
investigated more than 2,183 cases involving hacker attacks,
according to the public security ministry. The dire circumstances
have made the country's judicial bodies and police force buckle down
to plug the gap between penalties and crimes. After an amendment of
its criminal law early last year, China started to punish across
board illegal intrusions of computer systems anywhere, in addition
to computer systems for national affairs, national defense and
top-tier sciences and technologies, which were already being
covered.
The amendment also targets the act of providing computer programs
for illegally intruding and controlling computer systems. Later in
the same year, China defined two new kinds of hacker-related crimes
- the illegal acquisition of computer system data or control of
computer systems, and the supply of programs or tools for the
purpose of intrusion or illegal control of computer systems. "The
newly-defined articles filled the vacuum in the criminal law
system," said Yu Zhigang, a professor with the China University of
Political Science and Law. Last year, the police in China busted 476
hacker-attack cases with the help of the definition of the two new
cyber-based crimes, and nabbed 1,057 criminals. The police, however,
are still faced with growing difficulties in the crackdown on
hackers. Most of the trojan-tainted websites are hosted overseas,
such as in the United States, making it hard for China's police to
cut off the sources of cyber attacks. On average, overseas-based
hackers compromise nearly 2,000 government websites in China per
month, data from the public security ministry showed. Overseas
phishing websites that counterfeit official websites of Chinese
banks have caused huge economic losses to netizens in China, the
data showed.
From China Daily 02/02/2010
TOP↑
China Passes Public
Hospital Reform Guideline
China has decided to start public hospital reform with pilot
programs in selected cities or districts in each province,
autonomous region and municipality, according to a cabinet guideline
passed Wednesday. The guideline on public hospital reform was
discussed and approved by an executive meeting of the State Council
chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao. The public hospital reform is aimed
to establish a reasonable, effective and optimized medical service
system, and to fully motivate all medical workers to provide the
public with safe, effective, convenient and affordable medical
services, according to a statement issued after the meeting. It was
stressed at the meeting that public hospitals must retain its
orientation of serving public interests and giving top priority to
people's health. According to the statement, a coordination
mechanism should be established between big public hospitals and
grassroots medical service institutions so that they could cooperate
with each other with proper division of labor. The management system
of public hospitals should also be reformed so that operation and
supervision of the hospitals are conducted separately, it said. The
quality of public hospitals' medical services should be improved,
whereas their incentive mechanism of income distribution should be
perfected, the statement said. Public hospitals should also
gradually quit profiting from drugs and rely on medical service
charges and government subsidies. The guideline also encourages
non-governmental sectors to invest in and set up non-profit
hospitals.
From Xinhua News Agency 02/04/2010
TOP↑
China Unveils
Securitization Guideline
A guideline aimed at managing securitization risks was published
by the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) Friday on its
website. Some analysts believe the guideline will have an influence
on the capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of banks planning to implement
the New Basel Capital Accord. The international financial crisis
revealed problems existing in supervision policies of capital
securitization globally. The guideline was in line with the revised
New Basel Capital Accord released in July 2009 that included
standards for calculating capital for incremental risk in the
trading book, the CBRC said in a statement posted on its website
Friday. Banks' credit has grown rapidly and is reported to have
increased by 1.6 trillion yuan ($234.31 billion) in January,
prompting the regulatory body to take measures such as establishing
a credit quota to control the growth of loans. Banks are likely to
transfer credit assets by means of securitization, which might cause
risks as a result of creating financial derivative products, said
Guo Tianyong, director of the Research Center of China Banking at
the Central University of Finance and Economics. Lawrence G.
McDonald, a former Lehman Brothers trading vice president, warned
China about moving quickly towards securitization in an interview
with the Global Times at the end of last month. New financial
products such as commercial mortgage-backed securities and
residential mortgage-backed securities created by securitization
adversely impacted the US's economy, McDonald said. The guideline
outlined the computing of regulatory capital demand for
securitization risk exposure.
"There is a need for risk-adjusted capital ratios that apply over
the course of an economic cycle and are aimed at ensuring
conservatism on the part of banks and providing a buffer to cope
with shocks," Gerard Lyons, chief economist at Standard Chartered
Bank, said in a research note this month. Banks' CAR will generally
drop after implementing the accounting method advocated by the New
Basel Capital Accord, as the new accord came up with more strict
provisions for assessing the ratio of risky assets, Guo said. Sun
Peng, a banking sector analyst with BOCI, a subsidiary of the Bank
of China, echoed Guo's viewpoints, saying that the implementation of
the new accord will reduce banks' profit margin on the upswing,
while lowering banks' systemic risks on the downswing. Banks will
see more stable prospects in the long run, he added. China Merchants
Bank (CMB) will be an exception, with its CAR not affected by the
new accord, as CMB mainly focuses on retail services, Sun said. Lu
Zhengwei, a senior analyst at the Industrial Bank, said the
guideline won't likely affect banks' CAR for the time being as only
a few banks will implement the new accord in the near future, and
securitization in China is only at an early stage. Seven Chinese
banks including the Bank of China will run a trial implementation of
the accord this year.
From Global Times 02/08/2010
TOP↑
China Issues Guidelines to
Limit Death Penalty Use
China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) said Tuesday it had issued
guidelines for courts nationwide to handle criminal cases with a
policy of "justice tempered with mercy," stressing that death
penalty use should be limited. The guidelines say the death penalty
should be "resolutely" handed down to those who have committed
"extremely serious" crimes, but that the punishment should be
reserved for the tiny minority of criminals against whom there is
valid and ample evidence. The guidelines also say that capital
punishment reprieves should be granted for as long as they are
allowed by law. The guidelines are an interpretation of the "justice
tempered with mercy" policy and details on the judicial principles
used when handling criminal cases, SPC spokesman Sun Jungong said.
The "justice tempered with mercy" policy was first enacted in a
document approved in 2006 by the Sixth Plenary Session of the 16th
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The policy
required courts to issue both severe and lenient sentences,
depending on the seriousness of each crime. According to the
guidelines, crimes involving officials taking advantage of their
position and mafia-style gangs should be handled "with severity."
Severity should also be applied to repeat offenders. On the other
hand, the document says minors and senior citizens who commit crimes
should be punished with leniency. Commutation and paroles for
ex-officials who took advantage of their public position, especially
those at county-level or above, are required to be heard at court.
Commutations for criminals convicted of major crimes like murder and
robbery are to be strictly limited, the guidelines say.
From Xinhua News Agency 02/09/2010
TOP↑
China Issues Rules on
Maritime Wind Energy Projects with Stress on Environmental
Protection
China has issued regulations on the development and construction
of offshore wind power projects in a bid to promote reasonable use
of sea space and resources and better protect oceanic environment.
The regulations, jointly issued by the National Energy
Administration and the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), include
38 articles in ten chapters, according to a statement released
Tuesday by the SOA. The rules specify procedures and requirements
for the planning of offshore wind energy developments, the
authorization of such projects, the application and approval of the
use of sea space, and construction verification, among others. The
rules stress that projects should be based on the principles of
planning before major construction starts. According to the
regulations, energy departments at provincial level will be
responsible for drawing up plans for local offshore wind energy
development, while oceanic departments at the same level should
provide initial opinions on the plans regarding the projects' impact
on the ocean environment. Such projects should be conducted
according to reasonable distribution and sparing use of sea areas,
the rules said. In addition, projects may only be started after
being verified by authorities and the obtaining of rights for the
use of the sea space. When it comes to uninhabited islands, projects
should also receive certificates of island use, according to the
procedures set out by the law of island protection. The rules also
require project principals to report on project's environmental
impact with submissions to the oceanic administrative department.
From English.news.cn 02/10/2010
TOP↑
Gov't to Draft New
Poverty Reduction Guidelines
China has decided to draft new guidelines for poverty reduction
through development for the next ten years, according to a statement
of an executive meeting of the State Council held Wednesday. The
meeting was chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao. Participants of the
meeting heard a report on the implementation of China's Rural
Poverty Alleviation and Development Program (2001-2010). The
statement said that Chinese government has made great efforts to
lift the rural poor out of poverty by development in the past decade
and has met the United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to
halve the the proportion of people living on less than US$1 a day
"ahead of schedule". Other strides achieved by China are: noticeable
improvement in the economic strength and infrastructure in
impoverished regions, ecological degradation being brought under
control, according to the statement. The country is also said to
have made good progress in construction of a social security
network, which has been extended to cover the nation's rural areas
with the establishment of a minimum living standard system, the new
rural cooperative medical system and the pilot old-age insurance
system. The statement said China had been charged with an uphill
task in poverty alleviation due to factors such as a large
impoverished population, frequent threats of natural disasters,
deep-rooted conflicts restraining the development of the poor areas.
The poverty reduction departments were told to intensify the relief
work by integrating the development of urban and rural areas, and
uphold the policy of supporting the poor through economic
development. The statement also called for great efforts in the
forthcoming decade to ensure the rural per capita net income
enjoying a higher growth than the national average. Efforts should
also be made to gradually improve the health, the living standard,
and capabilities of steady progress for the poor, said the
statement.
From Xinhua News Agency 02/11/2010
TOP↑
Gov't Mulls New
Regulations for Online Stores
While online shopping has become increasingly popular among the
Chinese, the government is mulling further regulations for online
stores. The State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) is
expected to publish new regulations on C2C (consumer-to-consumer)
online trading next month, media has reported. The reports said
major C2C sellers will have to register for a business license and
pay taxes, while small-level sellers will not be required to do so.
New year purchases on Taobao are expected to rise from 280 million
yuan in 2009 to 1 billion yuan this year. Administration officials
said late last month that a regulation for online trading services
is under "research and analysis". They would not give further
details. The expected tightened management has stirred speculation
and discussion among online sellers. "I've heard about the new rule.
At least 50 percent of online stores will close if the government
levies taxes on them," says Hu Chao, a C2C online store owner. The
number of online shoppers reached 108 million in 2009, up 45.9
percent year-on-year, according to figures from the China Internet
Network Information Center released on Jan 15. The volume of China's
online business market reached 268 billion yuan ($39 billion) in
2009, and is expected to total 464 billion yuan this year, according
to the latest research results from the China IntelliConsulting
Corporation. But some B2C (business-to-consumer) online storeowners
do not have such worries, and, in fact, welcome the regulations.
According to Han Jun, president of a popular B2C company named
Yihaodian, more government intervention will help build fair
competition and help stop counterfeit products from being sold
online.
SAIC began to work on the regulation last July. The regulation is
not only directed against C2C online stores. According to media
reports, several firms that sell their goods on the Internet have
received a copy of the draft, and have submitted their feedback to
the SAIC. "I don't think the government will directly levy tax on
individual C2C sellers. They will fix different policies for
different groups," said Zhang Yanping, senior analyst of the iRearch
Consulting Group, a professional organization specializing in the
Internet. Generally speaking, online sellers are divided into two
groups: business sellers and consumer sellers. Business sellers are
generally well-established companies, which are already obliged to
register for a business license and pay taxes. But consumer sellers
are different. Usually only one or two people run an online store.
They often operate their store on online-shopping websites, such as
taobao.com, and neither have a license nor pay taxes. Of all the
online stores in China, 86.2 percent are consumer sellers, according
to research results of the iRearch Consulting Group. Hu Chao is a
consumer seller, and he worries about the coming policies. "I opened
a store on the Internet because it is cheaper. You don't have to
rent a storefront, you don't have to register a license, and you
don't even have to pay taxes." He worries that his costs will have
to increase if the regulations impact storeowners like him. Zhang of
the iRearch group says that consumers need not worry about
increasing prices.
Taxation doesn't necessarily result in surging prices, she told
China Daily. "Big sellers have enough capital to bargain with
suppliers. So increasing prices is not the only possibility."
However, B2C sellers hope that large C2C sellers will raise their
prices. Many B2C sellers open stores on C2C websites. And they are
making use of the legal loophole to evade taxes, says Yihaodian
president Han. "They are more flexible than normal business sellers.
They can lower their cost by evading taxes," he says. Zhang
confirmed that, adding that many consumer sellers have developed
into small companies, which are not under government regulations.
"This is common; more and more are doing so. But no statistics are
available now." On the other hand, if the government levies taxes on
big C2C sellers, counterfeit products will lose their place in the
market, Han said. Since C2C sellers will be forced to ask for
receipts of their incoming goods, counterfeit products will be
squeezed out because unlawful suppliers can't provide receipts.
"That will be good for the overall online business," Han says.
iResearch's Zhang avoids making any judgment so far. "Since the
regulation is not published yet, it's hard to predict its influence
... but my suggestion is to set principles instead of detailed
regulations, because China's electronic commerce business is still
at a budding stage."
From China Daily 02/12/2010
TOP↑
JAPAN: Gov't Submits
Record-high Budget for FY 2010 to Diet
The Japanese government on Friday submitted a record-high 92.30
trillion yen general account budget for fiscal 2010 to the Diet,
with the opposition camp poised to criticize the budget for failing
to fund some of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's policy
promises. The budget for the year starting April 1 limits outlays
for DPJ policy promises to around 3.1 trillion yen while depending
heavily on record new debt issuance of 44.3 trillion yen and 10.6
trillion yen in nontax revenues including transfers from special
accounts. Diet deliberations on the budget and accompanying bills
for the transfers are expected to commence after the pending second
supplementary budget for fiscal 2009 is enacted in late January. The
Liberal Democratic Party, which lost power to the DPJ in last
August's general election, plans to come up with a counter-budget
proposal for lower spending. But the opposition party is expected to
face difficulties in making its case as the DPJ-led government is
grappling with massive debts left over from the previous government
headed by the LDP. Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry said Friday that
the general and special account budgets planned for fiscal 2010
total 215.07 trillion yen, up 4.1 percent from the initial budgets
for fiscal 2009.
From http://www.breitbart.com/ 01/22/2010
TOP↑
Copyright Law Change
Toothless
Last April, a 13-year-old middle school girl in Tokyo was told by
a friend about a Web site that offers free music and image
downloads - without the approval of copyright holders. "You can
download cell phone ringtones there for free," the girl said. The
girl was able to access the site after following her friend's
instructions, finding a selection of an artist's songs she had
wanted to use as ringtones. "Almost all of the songs we want are on
the site," she said. She has since used the site to obtain most of
her ringtones. Each of her six closest friends has a different song
assigned to play when they call her phone. These songs are usually
switched out every few months. Normally, it costs several hundred
yen per song download. The girl said she knows she has been doing
something she should not, but, as she put it, "All my friends use
the site and my phone bill would be higher if I paid the copyright
fee for each song." The revised Copyright Law that went into effect
Jan. 1 aims at clamping down on the rampant downloading of music and
images on the Internet that have not been permitted by the copyright
holders. But its effectiveness has been questioned because there are
no punishments for violations. Even before the Copyright Law was
revised, the copying and distribution of music and images were
banned unless permitted by copyright holders. Under the revised law,
downloading music and images onto mobile phones or personal
computers is stipulated as illegal if done knowing it was infringing
copyrights. An official at the Cultural Affairs Agency's copyright
section expressed hope that the revised law "will help restrain
people's desire for downloading, and reduce illegal distribution [of
songs and images]."
But, given the difficulty in identifying who is doing the
downloading, punitive provisions are not stipulated. This has left
many people skeptical about the effectiveness of the revised law.
Making such downloading illegal, however does open the door for
copyright holders to seek compensatory damages. But the right to
damages is allowed only against such vicious acts as a downloader
refusing to stop despite repeated warnings. A Tokyo housewife who
admitted to using an illegal music distribution site for three years
said she has been given coupons in exchange for music downloads by
answering questions in ads for the site. She said she learned about
the site from friends and at first used it casually because, as she
thought to herself, it was "available free of charge." She has
downloaded 70 songs to date. "I know such downloading has been
outlawed since this month," she said. "But I may use the site again
if it's still available." Masaki Suenaga, a public relations
official for the Recording Industry Association of Japan, warned
against illegal downloading. "Sales of products are an indispensable
revenue source for music or image producers. If they fail to gain
due rewards because of the illegal distribution of their products,
it will deal a great blow to them and lead to a drop in quality,"
Suenaga said.
From http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/ 01/24/2010
TOP↑
New Visa Rule on
Insurance to Be Deleted
The Immigration Bureau is planning to change a new guideline for
foreign residents to ease concerns that those without social
insurance will be forced to choose between losing their visa and
entering the insurance system, a bureau official said Monday. But
some foreigners warn the move won't be enough to entirely free them
of the risk of being forced to enter the insurance system. The
wording of the guideline, which is to be enforced April 1, currently
stipulates that foreign residents must present their health
insurance card when reporting changes to or renewing their
residential status. It is the last of the guideline's eight items.
"The bureau will delete item No. 8 by the end of March, and 'lightly
mention' the need to present a health insurance card in the
introductory passage of the guideline," Immigration Bureau spokesman
Yoshikazu Iimura told The Japan Times. "The wording will be in a
manner to eliminate foreign residents' concerns that their visas
won't be renewed if they don't have insurance." The bureau will try
to persuade foreigners who don't have the card to enter the social
insurance system by giving out brochures, but not having the
insurance won't affect the bureau's decision whether to grant a
visa, he said. Ronald Kessler, who founded the Free Choice
Foundation to raise awareness of the issue, hailed the bureau's plan
to delete item No. 8. "We peacefully and diplomatically explained to
them our predicament," he said. "They listened, they understood, and
we applaud them for taking appropriate action." His battle, however,
isn't over.
Kessler wants local immigration offices not to ask foreigners to
show the card and only hand out the brochure. Also, he wants to make
sure the Immigration Bureau's intention is clearly delivered to
immigration officers at local offices. "Government documents are
vaguely written," he said. "Immigration officers can interpret them
however they want." Foreigners and their supporters have protested
the new guideline as an infringement on freedom of choice. Foreign
and Japanese residents are required to sign up for Japan's social
insurance system, as stipulated in the Health Insurance Act and the
National Pension Act, but there is no punishment for not doing so.
Some foreigners choose not to enter the insurance system out of
preference for the insurance provided by foreign companies or simply
because they don't want to pay insurance premiums. Also, some
clinics that employ English-speaking doctors do not take Japanese
insurance. They charge patients the full amount and give them a
receipt so they can claim the medical expense later with their
insurance company.
From http://search.japantimes.co.jp/ 02/02/2010
TOP↑
Japan to Enact Law to
Preserve Interest Around Remote Islets
Japan plans to enact a law to give the central government,
instead of local governments, the authority to manage and control
specific remote islands in an effort to maintain and preserve its
exclusive economic zone wide with them, government sources said
Tuesday. The cabinet of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is expected to
submit the bill possibly early this month for passage during the
ongoing 150-day regular Diet session that started on Jan 18, the
sources said. Under the new legislation, the government envisages
carrying out bank reinforcement and port construction on two remote
islands - Okinotori Island and Minamitori Island in the Pacific - which
are now under the jurisdiction of the Tokyo metropolitan government.
The move is apparently aimed at countering China which has
repeatedly argued that Okinotori is not an island but a mere group
of rocks, rejecting it as a base point for Japan's 200-nautical mile
exclusive economic zone.
From http://www.japantoday.com/ 02/03/2010
TOP↑
Hatoyama Eyes
Legislation to Create Human Rights Relief Agency
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama expressed a desire Wednesday to
submit a bill to the current Diet session to establish a government
agency to provide relief to victims of human rights violations.
"While Japan claims to be a country of human rights, there are many
incidents in which human rights have been violated, and therefore we
need an agency that deals with human rights appropriately,''
Hatoyama told reporters. ''I want to prepare and submit a bill as
promptly as possible.'' At a plenary session of the House of
Councillors earlier in the day, Hatoyama said the proposed agency
must be independent of the government.
From http://www.japantoday.com/
02/04/2010
TOP↑
Ministry Outlines
Separate-surnames Plan, Civil Code Revision
The Justice Ministry unveiled on Friday at a policy meeting the
outline of a bill to revise Japan's Civil Code which would enable
married couples to choose whether to have the same family name or
keep their birth names. Justice Minister Keiko Chiba hopes to gain
Cabinet approval by the end of March, and the government is
considering submitting the bill - which also includes abolishing
inheritance discrimination against children born out of wedlock -
to the Diet during its current session. Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama has said he supports the idea of allowing people to retain
their surnames after marriage, but Cabinet minister Shizuka Kamei,
leader of the People's New Party, one of the Democratic Party of
Japan's two ruling-coalition partners, has repeatedly expressed
opposition, making it unlikely that coordination within the Cabinet
will go smoothly. In a broader revision to the law, couples could
make a one-time choice of whether to have the same or different
family names when they get married. And if they decide to have
separate names, the family name of their children should be unified
with either one of them. Couples married before the revision, on the
other hand, would have a year after the revision to make their
choice, but the family name of their children would remain the same.
Other proposed revisions include shortening to 100 days the current
six-month prohibition period for divorced women to remarry, raising
the legal marriage age for women from 16 years old or older to the
same as men - 18 years old or older - and setting "living
separately for more than five years against the purpose of marriage"
as legal grounds for divorce. The DPJ has attempted a number of
times since 1997 to legislate the proposal to revise the law since
it was first put forward by a Justice Ministry advisory panel in
1996. But it has never succeeded due mainly to opposition from the
then ruling Liberal Democratic Party which argued that allowing
married couples to have different family names would lead to family
breakdowns and destroy traditional Japanese values.
From http://www.breitbart.com/ 02/19/2010
TOP↑
Cabinet Endorses Bill
Toward Civil Service Reform
The cabinet of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Friday endorsed a
bill to establish a new bureau that will comprehensively manage
appointments of senior officials at all government offices. The
Democratic Party of Japan-led government, which has sought to wrest
policymaking power from bureaucrats in the central government, aims
to submit the bill to parliament and clear it by the end of March so
the new bureau, which will be set up in the Cabinet's Secretariat,
can work from April 1.
From http://www.japantoday.com/ 02/20/2010
TOP↑
SOUTH KOREA: Gov't
Announces Legislation Plan for Sejong City
The government issued an advance legislative notice Wednesday for
its plan to build a business hub in the country's central region, in
a reversal of a previous plan to build an administrative city there,
according to Yonhap News. In a daily government gazette, the
Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said it will revise
five laws, including the special law on the construction of an
administrative city, to give legal guarantees to the revisions. The
administration of President Lee Myung-bak wants to reverse an
initiative by its predecessor to relocate a number of key government
offices to Sejong City, which is under construction in South
Chungcheong Province, some 150 kilometers south of Seoul. Under the
proposed revisions, the new city would be built as a business and
science hub instead of an administrative town, with several leading
Korean conglomerates already having agreed to set up operations
there. The revisions also include new initiatives to promote
business activities.
From http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ 01/27/2010
TOP↑
Gov't Unveils Action
Plan for 'Green Growth'
The government will push for legislation this year to control
pollution by capping allowable greenhouse emissions and introducing
official statistics on carbon output, a presidential committee said
Wednesday, the Yonahap News reported. The move is part of a wider
effort to cut Korea's carbon emissions by 30 percent from a 2020
forecast, or a 4-percent reduction from 2005 levels. Korea, one of
Asia's main economies, has emerged as a leader in the global
campaign to fight climate change. In 2009, the Lee Myung-bak
administration set out a five-year green-growth plan that calls for
the country to spend 2 percent of its gross domestic product each
year in developing environmentally friendly businesses and projects.
The National Assembly passed the Basic Act on Low Carbon and Green
Growth to support the initiative. "The government has decided to
push for the introduction of a law on emissions trading and a
greenhouse gas inventory," the Presidential Committee on Green
Growth said in its report to President Lee, which set out plans to
meet the carbon emissions reduction goal.
From http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ 02/03/2010
TOP↑
Gov't to Maintain
Expansionary Economic Policy
Korea will maintain its expansionary macroeconomic policy stance
"for the time being" in order to help accelerate the nation's
economic recovery, the finance ministry said Tuesday, according to
Yonhap News. "Based on a reasonable assessment of economic
conditions, the government pushed for active fiscal policies aimed
at easing contraction, helping the nation's economic growth last
year," the Ministry of Strategy and Finance said in a report
assessing Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun's first year in office and
offering a snapshot of his future economic policy direction. "In
order to consolidate the recovery trend, we will maintain an
expansionary macroeconomic policy for some time while enhancing our
ability to respond to a crisis," the ministry added. The remarks
come days before the nation's central bank holds a meeting to decide
on its key interest rate, which has been kept at a record low of 2
percent for 11 straight months. Major countries worldwide are locked
in a debate over when and how they will roll back stimulus measures
temporarily introduced to tide over a global economic slump amid
rising jitters that a delay could cause asset bubbles and worsen
debt problems in some countries. Korea's government has repeatedly
said that it is "premature" to start the so-called exit strategy as
its economic recovery has yet to find solid footing.
From http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ 02/09/2010
TOP↑
Bill to Expand Law on
Emergency Exits
Shooting ranges and massage parlors will be required to have
emergency exits, according to the National Emergency Management
Agency yesterday. The revision bill of the indoor business safety
management law will be deliberated by the Ministry of Government
Legislation and the Cabinet meeting next month and take effect as
early as this May, said officials. The agency's measures followed a
fire which broke out in Busan last November, killing 11 people
including Japanese tourists. Indoor shooting ranges, golf ranges and
massage parlors are to provide safety facilities such as emergency
exits, alarm bells and flashlights, according to the revision bill.
The bill also requires shooting ranges, together with restaurants,
entertainment businesses, private institutes and movie theaters, to
install sprinklers if they are located underground or do not have
windows. Under the present law, only underground businesses of 150
square meters or more are required to have sprinklers. The revised
law will be applied to new stores or those with new owners or
interior designs. "The Busan shooting range fire stirred up
awareness about the safety management of indoor businesses," said an
official of the NEMA. "We have thus included shooting ranges and
other popular indoor entertainment facilities in the revision."
From http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ 02/13/2010
TOP↑
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LAOS: President Calls on
Bokeo to Boost Agricultural Production
State President Choummaly Sayasone has urged the authorities of
Tonpheung district, northern province of Bokeo, to boost
market-oriented agricultural production and livestock by
dispatching technical officials out to help villagers. The State
President made the call in a working session with district
authorities on 6-7 February, as part of his working visit to
Bokeo province to join the kapok festival held at Done Sao
island, Golden Triangle area. He praised the district's efforts
in weathering a range of difficulties to gain rather
comprehensive achievements in all fields last year contributing
to the province's general successes. He also asked the district
authority to create favourable conditions for people to access
to the public health service, education for their children and
to promote their fine traditions. During his trip, State
President Choummaly Sayasone and his entourage visited a number
of construction sites of the integrated economic development
project of the Dork Ngioukham company group. State President
Choummaly Sayasone and his delegation was warmly received by Mr.
Khammanh Sounvileuth, governor of Bokeo province, and local
senior officials.
From http://www.kplnet.net/ 02/09/2010
TOP↑
Government Cares About
Sustainable Environment Protection
(KPL) The Lao Government always takes into account the
socio-economic development of the country, under the constrained
protection of sustainable environment and sustainable exploration of
natural resources. Mr. Khampadith Khammounheuang, Deputy Director of
the Environment Department, said at a press conference on
environment in Vientiane province last week. As we have known well,
the world has now faced deteriorated environment, ranging from the
loss of biodiversity, huge increase in rubbish, climate change,
drought, floods to natural disasters, which has caused harms to
health and damage to properties of humans, said Mr. Khampadith,
adding that therefore it is time for human-being worldwide to pay
close attention to environmental protection. The climate change also
poses a threat to Laos. Consequently the government has established
the Water Resource and Environment Administration (WREA) since 2007
to take charge of environment control and inspection.
The WREA has a role and duties to create the national environmental
protection strategy till 2020, biodiversity conservation strategy,
education strategy and awareness raising on environment till 2020,
and legislations on environment, including the law on environment,
evaluation of environment impacts, decree on compensation and
removal of people out of development projects. The Lao government
also pursues a constant policy on socio-economic development by
taking care of the sustainable environmental protection and use of
natural resources, Mr. Khampadith added. Despite being a least
developed country, Laos as a cell in the world community, should
actively solve the problems of climate change. All organisations and
the entire population should also seriously protect environment and
natural resources, including land, forests, wild life and air, Mr.
Khampadith urged. He continued that all sectors should contribute to
the national socio-economic development to attain the target of
sustainability along with improving the living conditions of people
as well as the expansion of forest coverage to 70% in 2020 from 41
per cent currently.
From http://www.kplnet.net/ 02/12/2010
TOP↑
Laos Drafts Laws on
Natural Resources Usage
(KPL) Technical officials of the National Resource, National Land
Management Organisations and Land Information Research Centre, who
are now drafting a document on land and natural resources, held a
joint meeting at the National University of Laos on 11 February. Mr
Chanthaviphone Inthavong, Director of the National Land Management
Organisation, said that this was just the early stages of the long
drawn and difficult task to complete a report on this topic. The
real work of drafting this report would be made by the Ministry of
Education in conformity with the guidelines of the land strategy and
the national research strategy. The overall policy of carrying out
such an exercise was to define and regulate the rights, rules,
duties and fair practices on the usage of natural resources of the
country for society.
From http://www.kplnet.net/ 02/12/2010
TOP↑
MALAYSIA: Govt to Fund
Transport to Keep Prices Constant
Prices of daily necessities like diesel and rice will be
standardised under the "One Sarawak, One Price" policy. Domestic
Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob
said the Government would pay for the cost of transporting these
goods from towns to rural areas in the state, adding that this would
enable the prices to remain constant. "We are stepping up efforts to
ensure that people in all parts of Sarawak, even in the furthest and
most remote regions, enjoy the same price as their counterparts in
the cities and towns," he said during a visit to the Limbang
division on Monday.
Previously, prices of essential items in Limbang, which borders
Brunei, included the costs of transporting them on a 350km journey
from Miri across the neighbouring state. A check by The Star found
that since the policy was launched, the price of diesel in the rural
sub-district of Bakong had dropped to RM1.70 per litre as compared
to between RM2.50 and RM3 last year. However, he denied that the
policy was being implemented now in view of the coming state
elections. "I don't want to talk about politics now. My visit is for
ministerial duties," Ismail Sabri said when asked if Barisan
Nasional had an advantage in the state polls.
From http://thestar.com.my/ 02/10/2010
TOP↑
PHILIPPINES: NEDA Bares
'21st Century Industries' for Policy Agenda
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) revealed a
list of "21st century industries" that should be included in the
incoming Congress' legislative agenda because of their potential in
increasing the country's competitiveness. Director Dennis Arroyo of
the NEDA-National Planning and Policy Staff (NPPS) said these
industries utilize the country's natural and human resource
advantages that are either untapped or need further development
through government support. Among the 21st century industries cited
were high-value agribusiness and aquaculture, renewable energy,
shipbuilding, tourism, business process outsourcing (BPO),
information and communications technology (ICT), and mining. "The
most important thing is that new jobs are created by these
industries," Arroyo said during the recent forum on "Advocating
Policy and Legislative Agenda to Improve Philippine Competitiveness
for the 15th Congress" held in One Tagaytay Place.
In the area of agribusiness, the NEDA official said farmers should
shift from poor rice cultivation towards high-value agriculture,
like palm oil, fruits, biofuel and halal livestocks. "Rice farming
is a poverty trap because of its low yield. We should mechanize rice
production and put farmers to work in high-value agribusiness," said
Arroyo. Citing a Stanford study, he said more than half of the
world's fish consumption now comes from aquaculture, or the
cultivation of aquatic organisms under controlled conditions. "It's
the wave of the present. We must now shift towards more and more
aquaculture," Arroyo said. In terms of renewable energy, Arroyo said
the Philippines already ranks seventh in terms of the number of
approved Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects. "Companies
could invest in power generation which could add to the country's
capacity. They could also take advantage of the tax incentives for
CDM projects," Arroyo said.
The CDM is an arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol allowing
industrialized countries to invest in foreign ventures that reduce
emissions in developing countries. Most CDM projects in the
Philippines develop indigenous energy sources, such as wind, hydro
and biomass.
Arroyo said ocean waves have the potential for producing energy.
"Since the Philippines has the advantage of being an archipelago,
there is access to vast power from ocean waves," Arroyo added.
Moreover, he said shipbuilding has also become an emerging industry
in the country. Hanjin's US$ 1.7-billion investment in Subic has
made it the fourth largest shipbuilding facility in the world. The
South Korean firm is said to manufacture the world's largest gas
tankers and cargo ships by 2016, Arroyo added. Cebu also has a
vibrant shipbuilding industry, as the province export ships to the
US, Mexico and Norway. But while the Philippines already has a
sizeable market in other industries, such as tourism, BPO, ICT and
mining, new strategies are needed to increase further the country's
competitive advantage.
However, Arroyo emphasized during the forum that the government
should first solve the fiscal problem, as this has been the main
drag on the economy. "After we fix that problem, we should use the
revenues to catch up in infrastructure and social priorities, then
nurture these 21st century industries," Arroyo added. The forum was
sponsored by the British Embassy, University of the Philippines-Open
University, Business World, and the House of Representatives'
Congressional Planning and Budget Department and Committee Affairs
Department. (PNA)
From http://balita.ph/ 01/26/2010
TOP↑
Passage of Corporate
Recovery Bill Is a Timely Measure–Saludo
MANILA - Malacanang said on Thursday that the passage of the
Corporate Recovery Bill of Congress is a timely measure that will
help preserve jobs and growth amid business troubles caused by the
global recession and the calamities of recent years. Deputy
Presidential Spokesman Ricardo Saludo said in a media briefing on
Thursday, the Palace would look at the fine print of bill for
presidential review of the legislation passed by Congress. "But we
fully agree with the intent of our lawmakers to widen the options
for troubled enterprises seeking a way forward from their
predicaments which would preserve enterprise value, provide for the
welfare of workers, and restore competitiveness and profitably where
possible," Saludo said. He also said, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
will exercise her prerogative to review the bill.
On Wednesday, Congress approved an overhaul of the century-old law
governing the rehabilitation or liquidation of the cash-stripped
firms. The Financial Rehabilitation and Insolvency Act now requires
courts to approve or reject corporate rehabilitation proposals
within a year and gives firms more options on how to get out of
financial trouble. Moreover, sole proprietorships may now avail
themselves of rehabilitation just like corporations and
partnerships. The Corporate Recovery Act, which was approved by the
Senate on Tuesday night, will replace the Insolvency Law of 1909
once President Arroyo signed it into law.
The House of Representatives passed it on third reading last Monday.
Both versions are identical, removing the need for a bicameral
committee and sending the bill straight to the President. Debtors
may opt for a court-supervised rehabilitation if they are able get
more than 50 percent to 67 percent creditor approval. Courts are
given a maximum period of one year to approve or reject a
rehabilitation plan.
Alternately, firms and their creditors may negotiate and then secure
court approval as long as more than 67 percent to 85 percent of
creditors consent. The court is given only 120 days to approve or
reject the plan. If a debtor secures more than 85 percent creditor
approval, all parties may go for out-of-court or informal
rehabilitation. If creditors opt to forgive debts, the reduction in
debt is not subject to tax on the part of either the creditor or the
debtor. The last option is to liquidate the firm due to insolvency.
In the rules and procedures of corporate rehabilitation revised by
the Supreme Court in 2008, options include only creditor-initiated
rehabilitation, pre-negotiated rehabilitation, and the
debtor-initiated rehabilitation, as well as liquidation.
Rehabilitation proceedings allow firms to obtain a court order
stopping creditors from enforcing their claims, and provides for an
orderly settlement of debts. Aurora Representative Juan Edgardo
Angara, sponsor of the bill in the lower house said, it will be good
for business because there is limited period for the creditors and
debtors.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Stock Exchange welcomed the passage of the
Corporate Recovery bill. "Congress' approval of the bill is a
significant leap forward in our goal to recover value for
shareholders of listed firms that may have gone underwater because
our vintage 1909 Insolvency Law was simply obsolete," the PSE said
in a statement. "This will prevent situations like the Uniwide Group
rehabilitation where the dismissal of the petition takes place only
after a significant number of years," the PSE also said. Angara, on
the other hand, said that "our banks and other lenders will be
incentivized to lend at cheaper rates knowing in advance that their
rights as creditors are protected and that there is a modern law
that will facilitate an orderly and speedy debt resolution system."
In another statement, outgoing PSE chief Francis Ed. Lim said that
"investors are reluctant to invest in financially distressed
companies because there is no adequate protection for the money that
they put in to help rehabilitate the company." "Individuals who
suffer from liquidity problems can petition for suspension of
payments or if their assets are less than their liabilities, they
can ask for a discharge from their debts for a new lease on life,
"Lim said.
From http://balita.ph/ 02/04/2010
TOP↑
RP Should Spend Stimulus
Package on Pro-MDG Projects - UN-ADB Report
MANILA - A joint United Nations and Asian Development Bank (ADB)
report has recommended that the Philippines should spend the
existing stimulus package to pro-Millennium Development Goal (MDG)
projects to further reduce poverty and boost economic growth in the
short term. In its report titled, "Achieving the Millennium
Development Goals in an Era of Global Uncertainty," the UN-ADB
report said a large part of the stimulus package of most countries,
including the Philippines, can be termed "MDG-neutral." This means
that the stimulus packages do not directly address MDG issues, the
report said, "though the poor might still benefit indirectly. In a
few countries, the stimulus package include elements that are pro-MDG."
"In the Philippines, a stimulus that was fully pro-MDG would,
accumulated over several years, have increased GDP [gross domestic
product] by 12 percent rather than 6.2 percent that the current
stimulus package is expected to deliver. This represents the total
increases in the initial years and the impact gradually tapering
off," the report said.
The UN-ADB report tagged the Philippines' existing stimulus package
as "MDG neutral," because it spends more on government employment,
rehabilitation of public buildings, infrastructure development and
tax cuts. The only pro-MDG under the country's stimulus was the
benefits to social security. Earlier, the Arroyo administration
unveiled the P330- billion Economic Resiliency Plan (ERP) or 4.4
percent of GDP. The ERP aims to save and create jobs; protect the
poorest of the poor, returning overseas Filipino workers and workers
in export industries; ensure low and stable prices to support
consumer spending; and enhance competitiveness in preparation for
the global rebound. "If fiscal stimulus package have a strong
component of social expenditures, this is likely to produce a double
dividend - not only boosting growth more rapidly but also
accelerating progress towards the MDGs," the report said.
The report said if the Philippines stimulus package was pro-MDG, the
country could have reduced poverty ratio by 7.5 percent; population
undernourished, 2.7 percent; under five mortality rate by 3.8
percent; infant mortality rate, 3.6 percent and maternal mortality
rate, 3.9 percent. The primary enrollment and completion, on the
other hand, would have increased by 0.2 percent. Ursula Schaefer-Preuss,
ADB vice president, said, "Most stimulus measures have focused on
areas other than social expenditures." "If we are able to address
the human impacts of the economic slowdown and achieve the MDGs,
then social spending needs to be stepped up substantially," she
said. The report also said the country is off track in more than 40
percent of the 21 indicators, including poverty, hunger, infant
mortality, and maternal health. (PNA) DCT/DGA/utb
From http://balita.ph/ 02/17/2010
TOP↑
THAILAND: BoT to Encourage
0verseas Investment and Capital Flow Liberalisation
The Bank of Thailand (BoT) is set to issue next week added
measures to encourage private-sector investment abroad and
liberalisation of capital flows. Delivering a policy statement in
this week, BoT Governor Tarisa Watanagase said last year's economic
crisis was the world's worst in 60 years. It had changed the global
economic structure, resulting in a slower economic growth than
before. In this scenario, the economic mechanism needs to be
adjusted to ensure sustained economic growth, so the central bank
will give importance to policy implementation in three issues.
First, it will closely monitor the currency exchange rate to prevent
it from being overly volatile and prepare a response to cope with
the capital flow into Asia. "Next week, the central bank will issue
a measure to ease the capital flow by the private sector and
facilitate money management. It is an additional measure issued to
encourage the private sector to invest overseas," she said. Asked to
comment on the greater role of the Chinese yuan in the global
economic system, Mrs. Tarisa said the yuan would not yet be able to
replace the US dollar because the greenback remains highly liquid.
Although hedge funds will prefer speculating on the yuan, they would
not count on Thailand as a place to keep money for speculation on
the Chinese currency. She predicted that this year incomes earned
from exports would reach US$10 billion, those from investment in
debt instruments $1.5 billion, and those from investment in the
capital market $1 billion.
The central bank would also adopt an eased monetary policy due to
the economic recovery. She expected the economy this year would grow
3.3-5.3 per cent. The relaxation of fiscal and monetary policy is
rather sensitive and needs perfect timing. Should the policy ease
too quickly, it would negatively affect economic expansion, but if
the interest rate is too low, it would fuel inflation and lead to an
economic bubble. The central bank will also encourage Thai financial
institutions to lend to small- and medium-size business sector,
which is considered a key economic base. The bank is confident the
Small Business Credit Guarantee Corporation will be able to lend
Bt30 billion within March. Mrs Tarisa allowed that the country's
rising political temperature remains a key risk factor that needs to
be monitored and tackled because it could discourage private
investment and long-term economic recovery. (TNA)
From http://enews.mcot.net/ 01/29/2010
TOP↑
The Creative Thailand
Subcommittee Supports the Creative Economy Policy in Four Areas
Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot said that the
"Creative Thailand" subcommittee that he chairs is working to
support the creative economy in four key areas: Improving the
efficiency of the system in managing intellectual property and
building an information and communications technology system that
was modern and accessible to the majority of the people; Encouraging
the development of creativity in the education system; Spreading the
creative economy to all regions of the country; Supporting creative
businesses, especially SMEs, with capital, incubation services and
efficient regulations.
Mr. Alongkorn on 27 January 2010 attended a seminar discussing a new
study on Thailand's creative industries. The 162-page study,
released on 27 January 2010 by the Fiscal Policy Research Institute
and the Kenan Institute Asia, made both industry-specific and more
general recommendations for encouraging the development of
Thailand's creative industries. The general recommendations are as
follows: Develop creative industries together with knowledge-based
industries, since knowledge and creativity are closely linked;
Increase government efforts to strengthen creative value chains; Fix
weaknesses in the IPR system, including speeding up the patent
process and improving enforcement of patents and copyright; Build
public understanding that piracy of creative products is a form of
theft that is detrimental to the development of the Thai economy;
Make it easier for high-level international creative talent to live
and work in Thailand.
The Thai government has a policy to develop Thailand into a creative
economy hub in the ASEAN region and increase the share of the
creative economy value from 12 percent to 20 percent of Thailand's
gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of 2012. Prime Minister
Abhisit Vejjajiva chairs the National Creative Economy Policy
Committee, which was formed on 10 September 2009 at a meeting of the
National Intellectual Property Policy Committee, chaired by Prime
Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. The meeting came after the Government on
31 August 2009 launched a new project, "Creative Thailand,"
promoting the use of the creative economy to move the country
forward. The National Creative Economy Policy Committee is chaired
by the Prime Minister and has Mr. Apirak Kosayothin, former Bangkok
Governor, as advisor, Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn as member
and secretary, and the Secretary-General of the Office of the
National Economic and Social Development Board, together with the
Director-General of the Department of Intellectual Property, as
members and deputy secretaries.
The Creative Thailand Subcommittee, chaired Mr. Alongkorn, was later
set up to coordinate the implementation of projects and activities
in line with the "Creative Thailand Commitments." The commitments,
consisting of 12 points, were made by the Government when it
launched the Creative Thailand project on 31 August 2009 at Santi
Maitri Building, Government House. The commitments cover four major
areas. The first area seeks to upgrade infrastructure to promote and
support the creative economy system. In the second area, the
Government will lay the foundations for creative thinking in the
Thai education system. The third area seeks to encourage all sectors
of society to attach importance to the creative economy, and the
fourth area calls for promoting and supporting creative
economy-related businesses and industries.
From http://thailand.prd.go.th/ 02/03/2010
TOP↑
VIETNAM: Capital Law
Doesn't Need to Be Hurried
Many members of the National Assembly Standing Committee said on
February 9 at the committee's new session that the draft Capital Law
needs to be considered very carefully and it is unnecessary to
approve this law this year to celebrate Hanoi's 1000th anniversary.
At the NA Standing Committee's session, which opened on February 9,
the government asked to add the draft Capital Law to the NA's agenda
2010 and to approve the law in the first submission to the NA this
May. Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong, the chief of the drafting
group, said that it would be very meaningful to approve the law this
year and the law is the significant legal foundation for building a
civilized, charming and modern capital. Cuong also said that the
Capital Law is the necessary tool to replace the Capital Ordinance
to solve big challenges caused by the recent expansion of Hanoi.
However, chairman of the NA's Committee for Law Nguyen Van Thuan
said that some contents of the third draft of the Capital Law are
not suitable to the Constitution and the current laws. According to
Article 34, Hanoi will be allowed to use 100 percent of the
excessive budget revenue, even the revenue from exports to invest in
development. Meanwhile, the Law on State Budgets stipulates that
local governments can use up to 30 percent of excessive revenues.
The draft law also proposes special incentives for the capital, for
example the establishment of the urban police force, the appointment
of a chief architect and incentive policies for Hanoi officials.
Thuan said that these contents must be considered and discussed very
carefully. Members of the NA Standing Committee said that the
preparation of bill is hasty. The drafting group was set up in July
2009 and the fourth draft is not yet commented upon by the
government. It also lacks the report of the impacts of the draft law
and other documents under the Law on the Issuance of Legal
Documents. For the above reasons, the representative of the NA's
Committee for Laws said that it is "unfeasible" to approve the bill
at the upcoming NA session in May.
Chairman of the NA's Committee for Ethnic Groups K'so Phuoc said
that such an influential bill like the Capital Law should not be
approved hurriedly to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long
– Hanoi. He said that this bill should be considered and ratified at
the year-end session, after being discussed at the NA session in
May. The chief of the NA's Committee for People's Aspirations Tran
The Vuong said that the Constituent doesn't have any special
regulations for the capital so a number of articles in the draft
Capital Law would be contrary to the Constitution if the bill is
approved. Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong explained that the bill
is shortened from 50 articles in the first draft to 33 in the fifth
draft. Many articles were changed to fit the Constitution and
existing laws. The drafting group would send the draft to ministries
and agencies for comment before the lunar New Year and finalize the
draft to submit to the NA Standing Committee again in March.
The NA's vice chairman Uong Chu Luu confirmed that this bill is very
important and it is made at a special moment of time in history, the
1000th anniversary of Hanoi. The bill is also the mechanism for the
development of Hanoi after its expansion in 2008. "The drafting
group has to urgently finalize the draft for approval at the NA
session in May. In case the draft is not supported by many deputies,
it will be approved in the October session," Luu said. Also on
February 9, the NA Standing Committee agreed to consider for
approval the Vietnam Law of the Sea and the Law on Information
Access in 2010.
From http://english.vietnamnet.vn/ 02/10/2010
TOP↑
Environment Tax Draft
Sees Shortcomings
Public opinion about the draft environmental tax bill has focused
on the specific products that should be taxed, who should pay, and
what is the appropriate rate. The draft law, which is slated for
submission to the National Assembly this year, levies an environment
tax on petrol and oil, coal, substances containing
hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC's), plastic bags and plant
protection substances. Some claim that the new regulations will
result in unfair taxes on individuals and enterprises who produce,
use or import products under the five categories.
Each of the different product categories will fall under a different
tax regulation. For example, an environment tax of between
VND1,000-4,000 will be imposed for each litre of petrol, and between
VND500-2,000 for each litre of diesel. "The high tax rate on petrol
is meant to encourage consumers to switch to green energy which will
help protect the environment," said head of the Ministry of
Finance's Tax Policy Department Vu Van Truong. "A high tax on petrol
is also meant to ensure that the product's domestic price stays
equal with the regional market. This should help limit illegal
exports when Viet Nam is required to reduce the import tax on petrol
in 2015 in line with its World Trade Organisation commitment," said
Truong. Some people disagree with the fact that the petrol tax is
higher than the diesel tax, even though diesel oil is more harmful
to the environment.
The level of harm is based on the sulphur content, according to Dr
Nguyen Dinh Tuan of the HCM City Environment Protection Department.
"Sulphur content in petrol is almost zero, but the draft has levied
it with a higher tax than diesel," said Tuan. A possible increase in
transport costs and freight rates following the higher tax on petrol
and oil is also under discussion. Transport enterprises have
indicated their support for the environment law but oppose the high
tax rates on petrol and oil, which they said would result in a
remarkable cost increase for transportation services compared to
other countries in the region. As a result, increased prices for
many products would cause them to become less competitive in the
regional market. Questions have been posed by some parties about
straight taxes on petrol and oil products without considering other
factors for tax remissions and refunds.
Le Net, a lawyer with LCT Lawyers Company, pointed out that efforts
have not been made to reduce taxes for big enterprises which may use
more fuel but have less overall impact on the environment than
smaller companies. Net proposed that a regulation should be included
in the draft that would permit tax remissions or refunds for
enterprises and companies that made efforts to mitigate their
environmental impact, such as installing exhaust filters. The draft,
which is expected to come into force in 2012, only deals with
sources that pollute the air, said Net, adding that to make the law
more effective, there should also be tax regulations for each cubic
metre of waste water and solid waste produced. Enterprises and
companies that properly treat their waste water and solid waste
should benefit from tax remittances and reductions, he said. Loose
management and poor environmental protection policies have led to an
alarming level of pollution throughout the country. In one example,
the Singapore-based Vedan company discharge around 50,000cu.m of
waste water into Thi Vai River in southern Dong Nai Province each
day over the course of 15 years. "To avoid cases like the Thi Vai
River, regulations should be made for the collection of back taxes
and heavy fines for enterprises and firms which are discovered to be
polluting the environment," said the lawyer.
Experts said there should be an evaluation of the different
categories of environmental impacts before regulations are developed
about who the tax payers are and what are the appropriate rates.
According to the current draft, tobacco will have the highest
environment tax of VND50-500 per gram, or VND50,000-500,000
($2.8-28) per kilo. Coal will be taxed at VND6-30 per kilo, which is
the lowest tax proposed in the draft. Each year Viet Nam spends some
VND4 trillion from the Sate budget for environmental protection, but
the collected environmental protection fees annually comes out to
less than one third of that number.
From http://english.vietnamnet.vn/ 02/16/2010
TOP↑
|
 |
BHUTAN: A Definite No from
Guides on Tariff Liberalisation
The Guides Association of Bhutan (GAB), which represents the
country's almost 1,300 guides voted against the policy to
liberalise the existing US$ 200 tariff that Tourism Council of
Bhutan proposed. The decision was a unanimous one from all 102
GAB members who were called for a meeting to discuss the policy
yesterday. Voting forms were distributed among other guides to
deliver for those unable to attend. GAB executive members said
the association was in the dark regarding the government's plans
and policies. "There is a lack of information and consultation
from TCB's side," Sherub an executive member said. "Our main
source of information has only been the media while we have been
mainly consulting with ABTO." Another member, Jimba said they
had a brief interaction with TCB which was neither enough nor
substantive. Besides the lack of transparency, members pointed
out that guides were left out during any consultations. While
the members agreed with the governments plan to have a guide for
every tourist, they cast their doubts of what was happening in
reality. "There is a danger of cab drivers and people hired by
hotels posing as guides without licenses," Sherub said. "This
will lead to the Kathmandu situation, where guides hang around
tourist sites, soliciting them."
GAB members also expressed their doubts over TCB's ability to
monitor the ground situation in the face of increased tourist
numbers. "The problem exists even today where TCB is unable to
monitor basic things like quality of hotel rooms, food and
guides without licenses," Tashi, another member said. "So how
would they be able to deal with big numbers." Mindu said that
even with an increased number of tourists visiting the country
the guides would still earn the same income, as prices would
reduce. Sangay Dorji said TCB's current guide training courses
were inadequate as they were conducted only once a month, which
was too short a duration to produce quality guides. "There could
be a problem in the number of guides to deal with increased
tourists," he said. Tashi complained that the guides, who were
neglected so far both by Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and
Industries and Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators, were
being informed, out of the blue, at the last moment on the
tariff issue. "ABTO is getting closer to us only because of this
tariff issue which could hurt them more," Tashi said, "Earlier
they were not supportive of GAB at all." GAB member also said
the tariff liberalisation should be the last option in its
attempt to bring in the required number of tourists. Guides also
raised the specter of harm to the country's culture from excess
tourists. TCB's Joint Director Kunzang Norbu said they consulted
the GAB members to discuss these issues and would continue to do
so until it was resolved.
From http://www.kuenselonline.com/ 01/31/2010
TOP↑
Postcode to Be Launched
Tomorrow
About a year ago, Wangchuk, who was pursuing higher studies in
Australia, tried sending a couple of forms to his wife through a
local post office, which she was required to fill up in order to
join her husband. A week later, the mail returned to sender. An slip
neatly attached to the mail said it failed to take off from Brisbane
airport, just about a two-hour drive from where Wangchuk studied,
because it did not specify the country postcode. The mail was handle
by people, who were used to sorting by country postcodes. Incidents
of students never receiving their parcels, mostly books, which they
normally sent to their Bhutanese addresses a week before returning
home from abroad, are also prevalent. With Bhutan Post's
introduction of the country's postcode and standard addressing
system, such instances are expected to radically decrease. Bhutan
Post's managing director, Tsheten Gyeltshen, said they had developed
numerous postcodes with help from the universal postal union (UPU).
"We finally settled for a five digit numeric postcode, based on the
country's administrative division," he said.
The first digit of the country's postcode represents the region,
east, west, north and south, the second indicates dzongkhag, then
dungkhag, if any, and the last two digits denote delivery areas at
general and community post offices. For instance, a mail addressed
to Kuensel office in Thimphu will have the postcode 11001, where the
first 1 is the region (western) code, the second 1 for Thimphu
dzonkghag, 0 since Thimphu does not have a dungkhag and 01 for the
respective post office, which would be the Thimphu general post
office. Such a code, Tsheten Gyeltshen said, would facilitate speedy
and accurate sorting of mail, unlike in the past where sorters had
to first look at an addressee's name, village and further details
before identifying it for a particular place. "It might have taken
us about three minutes doing that then; now, in that time, we can
sort out 10 mails," he said. Bhutan post officials explained that,
with the postcode, their sorters in Thimphu could simply look at the
first digit of a postcode and categorise each mail under four
regions.
On reaching the regions, the mails will be sorted out into
respective dzongkhags, designated by the second digit, and so on,
from dzongkhags to dungkhags to gewogs, till the mail reaches the
addressee. That is just the beginning. Bhutan Post's assistant
manager Tshewang Rinzin said while rural areas had proper throm and
house numbers they were standardising proper addressing within
municipalities and urban towns and cities. Plans to provide each
residence and shop in urban towns with mailing addresses, detailing
their zones, shops or residential names, road names and street
numbers are also in the offing. "We'll even encourage people to have
their individual mail boxes," Tshewang Rinzin said. "There's a 100
percent chance of mail reaching the right addressee." City
corporation would have to mark out zones, streets, residential and
shop names and numbers, though, to help Bhutan Post officials to
associate them with postcodes. "We hope to complete all these
processes within another 10 months," Tshewang Rinzin said.
So far, he said, addresses on mails lacked standard systems.
"Sometimes, senders would simply write the name of the receiver and
under the care of some dzongkhag or a locality," he said, adding
that it became difficult to pin down the addressee, the names of
whom were common. Because of such remiss on senders' part, Bhutan
Post officials said about 600 mail remained undelivered every year
in Thimphu alone. "If we consider the entire nation, that number
would cross 1,000," Tsheten Gyeltshen said. Therefore, mails would
also require senders' addresses just in case post officials failed
to identify its receivers. Bhutan Post is also in the process of
compiling a standard addressing manual, which will be distributed to
the public. The manual will serve like a telephone directory and
guide people in addressing mails.
From http://www.kuenselonline.com/ 02/20/2010
TOP↑
INDIA: Launches NCTE
Portal
The Government of India on January, 28th 2010 launched a portal
of National Council for Teachers' Education (NCTE) to ensure
transparency in its working. The aspiring institutes will be able to
submit their applications and track the progress in processing of
their applications from the website. The website will have
hyperlinks to the websites of each individual institute which will
be asked to give details about their facility and faculty in the
portal.
From http://www.egovonline.net/ 01/29/2010
TOP↑
India Drafting New Regime
to Auction Hydrocarbon Assets
India is working on a new policy to auction hydrocarbon assets
for exploring oil and gas reserves on a perpetual basis, with a
database being drawn up of all the country's potential reserves,
Petroleum Secretary S. Sundaresan has said. "The Directorate General
of Hydrocarbons is working on what is called a national data
repository - a database of our potential oil and gas assets. This
should be ready in the next four-five months," the secretary said.
"Then we will have a new policy, an open acreage system. Oil and gas
blocks will then be on offer through the year and not based on
rounds. But I'm not assigning a time frame," Sundaresan told IANS in
his first substantive interview since he took charge Feb 1. "The
next round of bids may be the last under the existing licensing
policy," he said, referring to the upcoming ninth round of auctions
under what is called the new exploration licensing policy.
In the existing regime - where eight rounds of auctions have taken
place so far - only a limited number of oil and gas blocks are
identified and offered for the domestic and global companies to bid.
In the proposed new regime, called the open acreage licensing
system, a database of all such blocks will be made available in the
public domain and a company can approach and bid for a particular
block anytime during the year. "The choice of selecting a block for
auction will be with the investor - and not with the government,"
the petroleum secretary said, adding a great deal of effort was
being put in to create the national data repository. "This should
accelerate exploration and production our hydrocarbon acreage."
According to Sundaresan, the latest round of auctions was actually
encouraging, given the global slowdown that had eaten into the
bottomlines of several global oil and gas majors, as the country
attracted bids for 30 out of 70 blocks on offer. "We will sign the
agreements for these blocks shortly."
The total committed investment during the first seven rounds under
the new exploration licensing policy has been around USD 10 Billion,
while the same under the eighth round is to the tune of USD 1.34
billion. Speaking about his own priorities as the new secretary for
petroleum and natural gas, Sundaresan said he would hope to "resolve
once and for all" the issue over pricing of transport and cooking
fuels for oil marketing companies. This apart, he said, the oil
ministry will also come out with a comprehensive policy on
availability and pricing of natural gas not only from the Krishna-Godavari
basin, but also future discoveries. "Self sufficiency in oil and gas
is something no one in this ministry, at least, can ignore. This
will be an important goal. A difficult goal but we must work towards
this. There is no choice."
From http://www.newkerala.com/ 02/17/2010
TOP↑
Cabinet Approves Extension
for Anti-Scavenging Scheme
New Delhi: The union cabinet Thursday approved a revised time
frame for rehabilitating the manual scavengers left out of the
ongoing scheme. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni
said here that the cabinet reviewed the implementation of the Scheme
for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) - originally intended
to cover all beneficiaries by March 31, 2009 - and approved revised
time-frame for coverage of "remaining beneficiaries" by March 31,
2010. She said that after introduction of the scheme, 18 states and
union territories had reported that there were 1.17 lakh
beneficiaries but the revised figures put the number of
beneficiaries at 82,865 on Dec 31, 2009. Citing reports from states,
she said 69,177 of 82,865 beneficiaries have been provided loans for
alternative occupations by December last year. The minister said
Rs.231 crore has been released by the government so far for
implementation of the central scheme and the amount will be
sufficient to cover the remaining beneficiaries also. "The cabinet
also permitted the ministry to cover the beneficiaries, if any, even
after March 31, to the minimum extent necessary, in view of
inadequate progress in some states," she said. The SRMs, approved in
2006 for implementation as a national priority, provides for
rehabilitation of existing manual scavengers and their dependents in
alternative occupations in a time-bound manner by providing
training, loans and capital subsidy for self-employment.
From http://www.newkerala.com/ 02/18/2010
TOP↑
Govt. Formulates Scheme to
Promote E-Governance in Panchayats
New Delhi: Ministry of Panchayati Raj has formulated a new
centrally sponsored scheme for e- governance in Panchayati Raj
Institutions. The purpose is to equip Panchayats with various ICT
tools for Database and Planning, Online financial accounting and
reporting, Improved delivery of citizen-centric services, Scheme
Implementation and Monitoring and Dynamically maintaining Unique
Codes for Individuals, assets and utilities. Under this scheme,
Village and Block Panchayats will be provided computers and related
hardware and software. It has been proposed that States/ UTs would
implement the e-PRI projects on a service procurement model. The
States/UTs will select the Service Centre Agencies (SCA) for
procurement of specified services through competitive bidding
process. The SCA will be responsible for providing required services
which will include IT infrastructure setup, arrangement for
connectivity and consumables, etc. as per agreed Service Levels.
From http://www.newkerala.com/ 02/18/2010
TOP↑
India's New Fertiliser
Policy Gives Reforms a Push
New Delhi: In a major push to its economic reforms process, India
Thursday cleared a far-reaching fertiliser policy under which
subsidies will be based on the type of nutrient used, even as prices
of urea will be hiked nearly 10 percent. The new policy was cleared
by a meeting of the federal cabinet presided over by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, overcoming some major resistance by several of the
key constituents of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
government. The cabinet also cleared a proposal from the fertiliser
ministry to increase the price of urea by nearly 10 percent to
Rs.5,310 per tonne from Rs.4,830 per tonne with effect from April 1.
"Urea, which has the maximum tonnage consumed on nitrogenous
fertiliser in the country, will continue to be under the current
maximum retail price regime," said an official note issued after the
cabinet meeting. The new policy is directed at making innovative
fertiliser products available to farmers at reasonable prices, while
ensuring that the use of such nutrients is balanced and goes helps
increase agricultural productivity, officials said.
In the previous policy the subsidy was given on urea as a whole.
This, experts said, had led to indiscriminate and unbalanced use of
nutrients, leading to a major erosion in the fertility of land and
lower yield of crops. Under the new regime, the subsidy on four
essential nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorous, potash and sulphur -
as also other secondary fertilisers will be fixed individually. This
will encourage the use of only those nutrients that are actually
needed. For the current fiscal, the government has kept the level of
fertiliser at Rs.49,980 crore (Rs.499.8 billion or nearly USD 10
billion), which was nearly Rs.250 billion (USD 5 billion lower than
the revised estimates for previous fiscal. For the next fiscal, the
quantum of the subsidy for each nutrient will be fixed after
recommendations from an inter-ministerial committee, which has now
been constituted under the chairmanship of the fertiliser secretary.
"Under the nutrient-based subsidy regime, since the subsidy on the
subsidised nutrients, and consequently subsidised fertilisers, will
be fixed, the retail prices at farm gate will be fixed by the
companies," said the official note.
Nevertheless, the fertiliser industry has assured that under the new
policy, the price line will be maintained around the current levels
during the upcoming sowing season, the note added. "The new regime
is expected to depict the actual demand of fertilisers in the
country and promote realistic pricing of fertiliser products in the
international market," said the official note. "Unshackling of
fertiliser industry is also expected to attract fresh investment in
this sector." Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had laid the
groundwork for the new regime in his budget speech delivered July 6,
where he spoke of direct transfer of subsidy to farmers rather than
routing it through fertiliser companies. "In the context of the
nation's food security, the declining response of agricultural
productivity to increased fertiliser usage in the country is a
matter of concern," the finance minister said, calling for the new
regime.
From http://www.newkerala.com/ 02/18/2010
TOP↑
India to Have Stiffer Road
Safety Laws to Check Accidents
Bangalore: India, which accounts for 10 percent of global road
deaths, will soon have a stiff law to enforce safety on the roads
and check the alarming rate of casualties in driving accidents, Road
Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath said Friday. "We propose
to introduce an amendment bill in the ensuing budget session of
parliament to set up a National Road Safety Management Board to
strictly enforce road safety rules across the country," Nath said at
an interactive session with captains of industry here. Admitting
that India had the unfortunate distinction of having the worst road
safety record in the world, Nath said the Road Safety Management
Bill to amend the Motor Vehicles Act was being drafted in
consultation with the central law ministry.
"The proposed board will lay down certain standards and rules to
enforce the law. We need a holistic approach towards road safety
with international standards," Nath told the members of the
Bangalore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), which organised
the session. The Motor Vehicles Act 1988 will redefine the speed
limits. The draft amendments will also be made public for comments
from stakeholders, including manufacturers, regulators, law
enforcing agencies (police) and road users. As per the World Health
Organisation's (WHO) global status report on road safety, India tops
the global list of deaths in road accidents with 125,000 fatalities
and at least 2.2 million serious injuries each year. India accounts
for 10 per cent of global road accident deaths. The national
campaign has been launched with the target of reducing road accident
deaths by 50 per cent by 2012. "There is a road accident taking
place in India every minute, and a road accident death every
four-and-a-half minutes. This is not acceptable," Nath was quoted as
saying at the 10th Auto Expo in New Delhi last month.
From http://www.newkerala.com/ 02/19/2010
TOP↑
Action Initiated to Set Up
10000 Towers to Connect Villages
New Delhi: Stressing that the Government is committed to
extending benefits of modern communication facilities to rural
areas, President Pratibha Patil today said work had already been
initiated to set up 10000 towers in 2010-11 to connect remote areas
across the country. "The Government has already initiated action to
set up 10000 towers in 2010-11 to connect remote areas across the
country. As against the target of 60 crore telephone connections by
2012, the achievement already exceeds 57 crore, with an
unprecedented addition of nearly 2 crore connections in the month of
December 2009 itself," the President said in her address to the
joint session of Parliament. The President said that the Government,
in partnership with the Japanese government, had moved ahead on
implementing the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor project.
"This challenging intiative, embracing six states, will provide
impetus to industrial development in an environmantally sustainable
manner, by providing quality infrastructure, efficient ransportation,
reliable energy supplies and efficient logistics,' 'the President
said.
From http://www.newkerala.com/ 02/22/2010
TOP↑
Action Plan on Climate
Change Being Operationalised
New Delhi: Stating the government's commitment to meet the global
challenge of climate change, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil
today said the National Action Plan on climate change was being
operationalised. "The government has taken several steps to meet
the challenge of climate change. The National Action Plan for
Climate Change is being operationalised. The Jawaharlal Nehru
National Solar Mission has been launched with an ambitious target of
20000 MW of solar power by 2022," the President said in the Joint
Address to Parliament. Ms Patil said the National Green Tribunal
Bill, 2009 has been introduced to ensure expeditious and effective
disposal of civil cases relating to environmental protection and
conservation of forests. In this context, she said the Mission Clean
Ganga, under the aegis of the National Ganga River Basin Authority,
was expected to ensure that by the year 2010, no untreated sewage
and industrial effluents flow into the Ganga. "This task, to ensure
both nirmal dhara and aviral dhara, would involve collective and
coordinated efforts of the Centre and states concerned," the
President said.
From http://www.newkerala.com/ 02/22/2010
TOP↑
Govt to Set Up National
Mission for Justice Delivery, Legal Reform
New Delhi: President Pratibha Devisingh Patil today said a
National Mission for Delivery of Justice and Legal Reforms would be
set up to transform the government into a responsible and cautious
litigant and introducing judicial management to reduce pendency of
cases. Addressing the Joint Session of Parliament, the President
said the proposed Mission would leverage Information and
Communication Technology to improve court administration and case
management and reduce pendency of arrears. The government has
decided to set up the Mission as in an inclusive society, the people
must have access to a fair system of justice, Ms Patil added.
"Government is committed to creating an innovative strategy for
government, industry, enterpreneurs, technologists and academicians
with a focus on inclusive growth and appropriate eco-system
necessary to bring about generational change in our approach to
development," she pointed out. To bring accountability to the
governance, a Delivery Monitoring Unit (DMU) has been established in
the Prime Minister's Office to review a select number of flagship
programmes and other initiatives. The nodal ministries concerned
have begun publishing DMU reports on their websites on a quarterly
basis to keep the nation informed of their progress. The Unique
Identification Authority of India would provide the first set of
unique identity numbers in the early part of 2011. The Unique
Identity Numbers to be given to all residents of India would be
based on biometrics and help in improving the targeting and delivery
of major government welfare programmes and public services
especially to those who are poor and marginalised, she added.
From http://www.newkerala.com/ 02/22/2010
TOP↑
PAKISTAN: New National
Health Policy Being Formulated
LAHORE: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Saturday said
that the PPP-led government was formulating a new national health
policy with a goal of "health for all". "Under the new policy, a
number of effective measures are on the cards to provide access to a
doctor to all citizens. This include new health insurance scheme,
free hepatitis treatment plan, establishment of breast and blood
screening centres, development of national HIV/AIDs Strategic
Framework to combat the epidemic and reduction in mother and child
mortality besides others," Prime Minister Gilani said while
addressing the 10th annual convocation of Allama Iqbal Medical
College here. Gilani said that PPP government was cognisant of the
fact that future of their national progress and prosperity hinged
upon growth of education and health sectors. "Our party considers
education and health as a basic right of every citizen and crucial
for sustainable development. Therefore, we accorded high priority to
both these sectors.
The government has allocated an all time high budget of Rs 31.57
billion for education and Rs 23.15 billion for health during the
current financial year," he said. He said that the government fully
understood the importance of health sector in a developing country
like Pakistan. "The importance of medical profession has further
increased due to prevalent situation in the country, where expertise
and timely health care is the need of the hour. Even today a large
segment of our society is deprived of the proper medical care due to
inadequate resources and trained staff, particularly in the rural
areas," he said, adding at present, doctor - patient ratio in
Pakistan is not very encouraging, hence, there is a requirement to
educate and train additional number of doctors. He said Pakistan was
in dire need of doctors, who were dedicated, devoted, committed,
caring, humane and highly professional," he said. He said, "We are a
developing nation; therefore, health professionals should take it as
a challenge and assist the government in providing better medical
services to the people." He said provision of healthcare facility
was the top most priority of their government in which contribution
from medial professionals and private sector was of vital importance
and the health professionals should come forward and assist the
government for achieving the goal of "health for all".
Prime Minister Gilani said that he had directed the Ministry of
Health to develop an effective Disease Surveillance System and
improve focus of the health management system to minimise the
possibility of errors. "I have to say it with anguish that due to
negligence or erroneous treatment in some medical institutions, a
number of precious lives were lost or caused irreparable damage to
patient health. I strongly urge all the medical professionals and
management of medical institutions to accord top priority to
patients' safety," he urged. Talking about Allama Iqbal Medical
College, Gilani said, "the reputation this institution enjoys among
medical institutions today is, undoubtedly, an approval and
appreciation of the quality of academic excellence of the faculty
and above all, academic activities by the students."
He, however, emphasised upon the need to groom the students with
desire to serve the nation particularly, the poor so that they could
contribute positively as citizens of Pakistan. About research and
development, the premier hoped that the young graduates would
venture into the field of innovation and latest trends in medicine
and surgery. A lot of emphasis needed to be given to research, since
without it no institution could be recognised as par excellence, he
added. He congratulated the recipients of medical degrees. Later,
the premier awarded medals to the position holders. Chief Minister
Punjab, high-ranking officials, health professionals and medical
teachers were also present on the occasion.
From http://www.brecorder.com/ 02/07/2010
TOP↑
NA Passes Banking
Companies Act 2009: SBP Given More Power to Regulate Scheduled Banks
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Monday unanimously passed the
Banking Companies (Amendment) Act 2009 – amending sections 14, 19,
26A, 41B and 42 of the Banking Companies Ordinance 1962 – providing
the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) with more supervisory powers to
regulate all scheduled banks. The new law is aimed at strengthening
SBP's bank-regulating and supervisory mechanisms. In light of the
global economic crisis, the act would safeguard the state bank
against various risks that are believed to be the result of a
"weaker supervisory regime". By amending Section 14 of the Banking
Companies Ordinance 1962, the NA has empowered the SBP to direct any
banking company to increase its "paid up capital". The SBP would
also be able to define the amount and period for the increase in the
paid up capital.
Another subsection has been added to Section 14, which states that
"if the SBP has determined that a banking company member is holding
or, is a beneficial owner, of five percent or more shares of a
banking company without prior approval of the SBP, where any
percentage of shareholding is or is likely to be detrimental to the
interest of the banking company or its depositors or otherwise
undesirable, the SBP may require such member to reduce, divest or
transfer his shares to a fit and proper person by such amount within
such period and in such manner and at such price as may be specified
in the order". Under the amendment to Section 19 of the Banking
Companies Ordinance 1962, the SBP can prohibit any banking company
from paying dividend to its shareholders in case of "un-favourable
or warrant situation" of any banking company. The amendment to
section 26A states that the SBP can impose restrictions and
conditions on banking companies for accepting deposits from any
class of depositors for the period defined in the order.
From http://pakistanlink.org/ 02/09/2010
TOP↑
New Accountability Bill
Will Be Introduced with Consensus
A consensus accountability bill would be introduced "soon" for an
effective system in the country, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani
said on Wednesday. "The new bill will lead to an effective system of
accountability in the country," said the prime minister as the
Public Accounts Committee tabled three audit reports in the Lower
House. Gilani said all parties were being taken on board for a
consensus law. He said the judiciary and the military had their own
accountability mechanisms, and "once the new law has been put in
place ... public representatives' accountability will improve
further". The prime minister congratulated PAC Chairman Chaudhry
Nisar Ali Khan and members of the committee and described the filing
of the pending reports "a historic moment". "It is clear in Article
91 of the constitution that everybody is answerable to this House,"
he said. "We want the new law to be credible and in line with the
aspirations of the people of Pakistan," he said. Tabling the audit
reports earlier, Nisar said it was "a historic moment, as this is
the first time a committee has tabled three reports in the House in
a year". He said the government should spare four-to-five days for
debate on the PAC reports, as a detailed examination would bring to
light several "eye-openers".
Following the prime minister's speech, Nisar again took the floor,
and said parliament should have the authority to scrutinise the
accounts of the judiciary and the military, as the same body held
the authority to approve budgets for all institutions. "We ...
[believe] these institutions must also be held accountable to PAC
and parliament," he said. Nisar praised the prime minister for
visiting the auditor general's office, and said PAC had been able to
deliver only because of a consensus among political parties
represented in the committee. "These consensus reports tell that
when the government and the opposition are unanimous in opinion,
extraordinary things can happen," he added. Nisar told the House
that the maxim recovery of misappropriated funds previously stood at
Rs 5 billion. "But Rs 8 billion were recovered in 2007-08, 20
billion in 2008-09 and Rs 11 billion in the six months of 2009-10 on
recommendations by the current committee." He said the members of
committee had agreed to work on two principles: wrongdoings would be
penalised and decisions would be made with consensus. JUI-F chief
Fazlur Rehman praised PAC, and backed Nisar's demand to allow
parliament to scrutinise accounts of the military and the judiciary.
MQM MNA Abdul Qadir Khanzada said the House should be told if
recoveries had actually been made on PAC directives.
From http://pakistanlink.org/ 02/11/2010
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MQM, PPP Reach Consensus
on LB Bill
KARACHI: The Amended Local Bodies Bill would be tabled in Sindh
Assembly on Monday, as the two main coalition partner in Sindh
government reached consensus on the LB system, Geo News reported
Thursday night. This was decided in an overstretched meeting of the
Core Committee of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan
People's Party (PPP) held at Governor House on late Thursday night.
The meeting exclusively mulled over the complexities of Local Bodies
system in Sindh. The PPP-MQM Committee reached consensus on all
issues relating Local Bodies Bill, the sources told Geo News.
From http://pakistanlink.org/ 02/12/2010
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AFGHANISTAN: Its Future -
Istanbul Summit and London Conference
The Summit of Friendship and Cooperation in the Heart of Asia
was hosted by President Abdullah Gul and held in Istanbul on the
26th January to support a safer, more secure and stable
Afghanistan. The Afghan and Pakistani presidents and senior
diplomats and ministers from the UK, the US, Iran, Tajikistan,
China, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates,
Russia and several representatives from international agencies
attended the conference and they stated their support to
Turkey's motto, "Regional cooperation starts from the region."
The summit was perceived as a route map for the Afghan-London
Conference.
The London Conference
The London Conference co-hosted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown,
President Karzai and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
will be held today. Foreign ministers from the International
Security Assistance Force partners, Afghanistan's immediate
neighbors and key regional players, representatives from NATO,
the United Nations, the EU and other international
organizations, including the World Bank, have been invited by
the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The aims of
the conference are to discuss an Afghan-led political strategy,
to engage the Afghan people in defense of their country, to
cease the insurgency and to build regional cooperation.
Moreover, an agreement on the process of transferring security
to the Afghan troops will be approved at the conference. The
ceasefire of Taliban militants, reintegration of militants and
the financial contributions of the international community also
will be negotiated. Before the conference, Mr. Brown said, "We
see the London Conference as setting a path for Afghan and
international efforts for the future, one that will bring
together military and political strategies in a coordinated
way." Mr. Brown also stated the targets would enable control to
be handed over to Afghan authorities and pave the way for
British troops to return home.
From http://www.turkishweekly.net/ 01/28/2010
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AZERBAIJAN: Prepare Legal
Framework to Regulate Financial Cooperatives' Activity
Azerbaijan is preparing new draft law on credit cooperatives,
said in a statement by the Azerbaijan Credit Unions Association
reported today. "The law on credit unions was adopted in Azerbaijan
in 2000, but the adopted law is to be worked out and the new law
should meet international standards," the Association said. The
government decided to adopt a framework law on cooperatives, taking
this into account. At present the relevant agencies are developing
bill on credit cooperative (financial cooperatives). Adopting these
laws will have a positive impact on raising rural employment, food
security and the provision of financial services to the population
living in the suburbs.
From http://capital-en.trend.az/ 02/04/2010
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KAZAKHSTAN: President
Signed Strategic Development Plan Until 2020
The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, signed the
decree №922 - the strategic development plan of the Republic of
Kazakhstan until 2020 on February 1, the agency reports citing
official mass media. "I decree, with the view of realization of the
development strategy of Kazakhstan until 2030: to confirm the
strategic development plan of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2020.
The government of Kazakhstan, the central state structures,
including directly subordinated and accountable to the President of
Kazakhstan, local executive powers will be guided by the strategic
plan in their work and will undertake all the necessary measures for
its realization". According to the decree, the government of
Kazakhstan will annually, by July, 1, present the results of
monitoring of realization of the strategic plan to the President's
Administration. The President's Administration has been assigned to
control execution of the decree. The decree has been published in
the official press today and has come into force since the date of
signing.
From Kazakhstan Today 02/02/2010
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Kazakh Parliament Ratifies
Deal on CSTO Rapid Reaction Force
Kazakhstan's parliament ratified an agreement on 4 February on
establishing Collective Security Treaty Organization's (CSTO), a
post-Soviet security group, rapid reaction force, RIA Novosti
reported. Speaking at a plenary session, the Central Asian state's
defense minister, Bolat Sembinov, said the rapid reaction force is
designed "to improve the security of the CSTO members against the
backdrop of existing and potential threats," including terrorism,
extremism, drug trafficking, natural disasters and to enhance the
organization's role in ensuring international security. The CSTO
comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Observer status is enjoyed by Iran,
India, Mongolia and Pakistan.
From http://www.uzreport.com/ 02/04/2010
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Kazakh President Signed
Amendments to Legislation Concerning State Financial Reserve
The head of state, Nursultan Nazarbayev, signed the law on the
amendments and additions to some acts of Kazakhstan concerning the
state financial reserves, the agency reports citing the president's
press service. The law is directed at further modernization of the
system of formation, storage and use of financial assets of the
state reserves. As informed earlier, according to the conclusion of
the Senate Committee for International Relations, Defense and
Security, the main objective of the law is bringing the Laws on
State Financial Reserve and on State Secrets in conformity with the
conceptual approaches of development of the system of the state
financial reserves and elimination of some deficiencies in the legal
system.
From http://www.engnews.gazeta.kz/ 02/04/2010
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Parliament Ratified
Agreement on Principles of Creation of Management System of CSTO
Forces
The deputies of the Senate of Parliament of Kazakhstan at the
plenary session passed the law on ratification of the agreement on
the main principles of creation of the management system of the the
collective security system of the CSTO forces, the agency reports.
According to the conclusion of the Senate Committee for
International Relations, Defense and Security, the purpose of the
agreement is creation of the management system of the forces and
resources of the CSTO collective security system. According to item
1 of the agreement, the management system represents a set of
functionally interconnected among themselves bodies of control,
protection of information, a complex of the resources of automation
and other measures of control of forces and resources, making an
organizational-technical basis of the management of the coalition
(regional) army groups.
From Kazakhstan Today 02/04/2010
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Tax Declaration to Be
Introduced in Kazakhstan
The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Karim Masimov, during the
expanded session in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, assigned to
develop the concept of declaration of taxes planned to be introduced
in 2013, the agency reports. According to K. Masimov, 60 % budget
replenishment in the developed countries is provided due to taxes of
physical entities, while in Kazakhstan this figure is 10 %.
"Therefore, we need to reconsider this question and to study the
world practice," the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister has
assigned "to introduce in the Ministry of Finance by March, 1 the
project of the concept of stage-by-stage transition to tax
declaration." "Our tax income - one of the lowest in the world, but
this tax should be paid by all," the Prime Minister underlined.
From http://engnews.gazeta.kz/ 02/04/2010
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TURKMENISTAN: Officials
Study Issues of Media Legal Regulation
Experts in the field of media regulation, who were invited to
Ashgabat by the British Embassy, will share experience with
Turkmenistan's officials on how to regulate the information
communication world without contradicting to human interests and
rights. According to the press release issued by the British
Embassy, a two-day roundtable on the above issue started yesterday
at the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (NIDHR).
The list of invited experts includes Mr. David Goldberg, the expert
of Social Legal Research Centre of Oxford University; Mr. Andrey
Richkter, Chairman of the Department of History and legal regulation
of national media, Faculty of Journalism, Moscow State University
named after Lomonosov, Russia; Mr. Victor Malinovskiy, member of the
Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan; Mr. Marius Lukosiunas,
Communications and Information Councillor, UNESCO Office in Russia;
Mr. Rashid Hajili, Director of the Institute of Media Regulation,
Azerbaijan; Mr. Ognian Zlatev, Director of the Centre on the
Development of Media Law, Director of Media Development Centre,
Bulgaria and Marek Bekerman, BBC World Service Trust Expert.
The event is being held as part of the programme on legal
cooperation between Turkmenistan and the UK. It is being attended by
representatives of the Mejlis, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture and Broadcasting, NIDHR,
Institute of State and Law under the President of Turkmenistan, the
Institute of International Relations, the Turkmen State University
named after Makhtumkuli and mass media. Apart from issues of legal
regulation of print and audiovisual media, the roundtable is
discussing the principles of work of electronic publications and
topical issues of improving professional skills of journalists.
From http://www.turkmenistan.ru/ 02/12/2010
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UZBEKISTAN: President
Approves State Program for 2010
President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov signed a resolution on 27
January on the State Program "Year of harmoniously developed
generation". As reported earlier, the year 2010 was proclaimed Year
of harmoniously developed generation in Uzbekistan. The document
envisages implementation of a wide range of measures aimed at
creating of required conditions in the country for upbringing
healthy and harmoniously developed generation, and realization of
the young people's potential. Among the key tasks of the program are
improvement of the legislation related to protection of the rights
and interests of the children and youth, and expanding reforms in
healthcare sector. The program also stipulates improvement of the
educational standards, study programs and literature, improvement of
education in schools, professional colleges and lyceums, wide
introduction of ICT in education and stimulating teachers. One of
the tasks included in the State Program is development and
introduction in the people's lives of the modern information and
communication technologies, digital communication tools and the
Internet.
An important area is strengthening activities in attracting the
young people to sports and promoting healthy lifestyle, construction
of new sports complexes and preparation of highly qualified
trainers. The program also includes issues of stimulation of the
small business and private entrepreneurship, with creating
conditions for attracting the youth to this area, especially in the
rural areas.The government has been entrusted with developing a
package of measures for development of science and supporting the
young people in their scientific activities. Strengthening support
of the young families and ensuring their legal and social
protection, as well as protecting the young people from alcohol and
drug abuse are other tasks of the program.
From http://www.gov.uz/ 01/28/2010
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FIJI: Public Emergency
Regulations Extended Again
Authoritites in Fiji have extended the Public Emergency
Regulations for another 30 days effective from February 1. The
Fiji Village website reports President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau has
signed the extension of the regulations under the Public Safety
Act. Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has said previously the
regulations will be lifted as soon as a new Media Decree comes
into place. Fiji's Attorney General's Office is currently
working on the new Media Decree. Under the regulations, police,
military and civil servants have the powers to stop events and
functions they deem to be a threat to the community and nation's
security.
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
02/01/2010
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NEW ZEALAND: Law to Ease
Financial Pressure on Victims Comes into Force
A law designed to ease the financial pressure on victims of crime
who receive legal aid to attend coronial inquests and parole
hearings comes into force today. The amendment to the Legal Services
Act 2000 allows flexibility in the Act by allowing the Legal
Services Agency to decide at any time during the proceedings not to
recover the legal aid debt. Previously the agency had to wait until
the end of the proceedings. Justice Minister Simon Power said the
Act ensures that victims of crime involved in coronial inquests and
parole hearings will not be subject to financial eligibility tests
or need to repay legal aid grants when they need to be represented
by a lawyer. "We have moved to ensure victims don't find themselves
in situations like that in which Karl Kuchenbecker's partner found
herself in 2008 when she received a letter from the Legal Services
Agency advising she might have to repay the costs of legal aid for
his inquest.
"It's unacceptable that victims of crime, in the rare cases where
they need legal representation at coronial inquests and parole
hearings, should have to deal with the added stress of the
possibility of repayments being required," Mr Power said. "These
circumstances highlighted the inflexibility of the previous
legislation. Although the LSA later urged Mr Kuchenbecker's partner
to apply for a write-off of any repayment requirement once the final
costs were known, some uncertainty remained. "These amendments
further the Government's commitment to recognise the victims of
crime, and make government services more accessible to victims.
From http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ 02/17/2010
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Govt Still Pondering
Company Tax Cuts
Finance Minister Bill English says cutting company tax rates is
still an option. Photo / Daily Post Aligning the top personal, trust
and company tax rates is still on the table, though a need to reduce
the company rate even further might not make that possible, Finance
Minister Bill English said today. The Government is considering
raising GST and closing property tax deductions to fund tax cuts
across the board in this May's budget. Today in notes for a speech
to be delivered in Auckland, English gave more indications about his
thinking on the subject, telling a business audience that a key
issue was working out whether the company rate should drop below the
current 30 per cent. "We are still considering this issue - mindful
that our company tax rate needs to be competitive internationally,"
English said. Aligning the company, trust and top personal rates
remained the Government's medium-term goal. But it was considering
whether it was affordable and whether it fitted with other equity
considerations.
"Our early advice is that aligning the trust and top personal tax
rates is the most important issue, because they are both final
taxes. By contrast, company tax is an interim payment until a
taxpayer's own personal tax rate applies." English said complete tax
rate alignment may not be necessary to eliminate many of the
integrity problems with the current tax system. "For example,
substantial gains could be made by aligning the top personal rate
with the trust rate, and having a company tax rate not too far below
this. Second, complete alignment may not be sustainable over time,"
English said. "Around the world, company tax rates are generally
falling and, at 30 per cent, New Zealand's company tax rate is on
the high side compared with many other developed countries.
Remaining competitive with other countries may be more important
than alignment - if not now, then at some point in the future." It
was important that New Zealand's company rate did not move too far
out of line with Australia.
"Currently, they are both at 30 per cent, but Australia is reviewing
its own tax system and may consider dropping its company rate. We
will watch events across the Tasman with a great deal of interest."
English also confirmed the Government would retain the imputation
system for taxing company dividends in its tax reform package later
this year. "The Government agrees with both the Tax Working Group
and the Capital Markets Development Taskforce that the current
imputation system is worthwhile. Therefore, it will be retained.
Both New Zealand and Australia have this system and imputation plays
an important role in our overall tax system."
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ 02/18/2010
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Mobile Phone Regulation
Rejected by Commission
Telecommunications commissioner Ross Patterson has recommended to
Government that proposals put forward by Telecom and Vodafone are a
suitable alternative to regulation. Photo / Mark Mitchell. The
Commerce Commission, in a split decision, has rejected regulation as
a means to reduce the costs of mobile phone calls. Instead,
telecommunications commissioner Ross Patterson has recommended that
Minister for Communications and Information Technology Steven Joyce
accept proposals put forward by Telecom and Vodafone as an
alternative to regulation. He was backed up by associate
commissioner Gowan Pickering, but the other commissioner, Anita
Mazzoleni, believed mobile termination access services should be
regulated. The commission today delivered its final report on mobile
termination access services, which are the wholesale charges mobile
phone companies charge for terminating calls or texts from other
land line or mobile networks. New Zealand's rates have been
criticised as being too expensive. During the commission's 15-month
investigation both Telecom and Vodafone offered their own plans to
reduce rates over time.
"The long-term interest of consumers will best be served by applying
the least intrusive means to address the competition concerns
identified in the investigation. This will allow market forces to
continue to operate in areas outside the scope of intervention,"
said Patterson. The final undertakings from Vodafone and Telecom
offered mobile termination rates that were significantly lower than
those offered in earlier undertakings. While these rates remained
above the range of the commission's cost-based benchmarks, they
addressed the competition concerns, he said. However, Mazzoleni said
that while Telecom and Vodafone's proposals would deliver a
reduction in mobile termination rates three months earlier than
under regulation, the rates would remain significantly higher than
the commission's benchmarks over the five year period of the
undertakings. "The barrier arising from the prices in the final
undertakings continues to ensure an uneven playing field, and this
will impede the benefits competition will otherwise deliver to New
Zealand consumers." A news release issued by Vodafone this morning
says the company "welcomes the Commerce Commission's recommendation
to accept the industry's commitment to reduce Mobile Termination
Rates (MTRs)."
Vodafone New Zealand GM of Corporate Affairs Tom Chignell said the
outcome was "a pragmatic one given the uncertainty around a long
regulatory process and whether the savings will end up in consumers'
pockets." "We have always preferred commercial outcomes to
regulation. New Zealand's rates are broadly in line with Europe's
rates already and through this, and the previous investigation, the
Commission has managed to elicit massive voluntary reductions in
termination rates for voice and SMS." "The Minister will now decide
whether or not to accept the Commission's recommendations and
Vodafone urges him to make that decision so we can get on with the
business at hand - making sure Vodafone customers have access to the
best services on the country's reliable 3G network."
From NZ HERALD 02/22/2010
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Pacific Adopts Plan for
Jobs Crisis
Labour Ministers from eight Pacific countries have adopted the
Port Vila Statement on Decent Work - a plan to tackle the jobs
crisis in the region. The Port Vila statement will result in an
action plan for decent work being implemented in Fiji, Kiribati,
Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu
and Vanuatu. Speaking after the labour ministers meeting, the
International Labour Organisation's (ILO) regional director, Sachiko
Yamamoto, said jobs and people's livelihoods need to be a priority
as Pacific leaders look for ways out of the global economic crisis.
Mrs Yamamoto said when it comes to stimulus spending, top priority
should be placed on green jobs, such as local road works that
protect against storm damage and foster economic activity. The Port
Vila Action Plan Plan is supported by Australia, New Zealand and the
ILO.
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
02/11/2010
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Joint Media Statement of
the Ninth Meeting of ASEAN, China, Japan and Republic of Korea
Tourism Ministers
1. The Ninth Meeting of the Tourism Ministers of ASEAN, China,
Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) was held on 25 January 2010 in
conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2010 and the Thirteenth
Meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers. The Meeting was preceded by the
ASEAN, China, Japan and ROK NTOs held on 23 January 2010. The
Meeting was chaired by H.E. Pehin Dato Yahya, Minister of Industry
and Primary Resources of Brunei Darussalam and co-chaired by H.E.
Dr. Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism of Cambodia.
2. The Ministers noted that tourism performance in the ASEAN, China,
Japan and ROK region has been recovering from the impact of the
global economic crisis. The initial figures of international visitor
arrivals from China, Japan and ROK indicated that these Countries
continued to be the important source market for ASEAN Member States,
with more than 15 million arrivals or 23.3 per cent of total
international tourist arrivals in ASEAN.
3. The Ministers were pleased with the progress of APT joint
activities that have contributed to the progress of the Cooperation
Work Plan (2007-2017), namely ASEAN Plus Three Youth Summit
organised by Indonesia on 16-19 June 2009 in Bali, and the
completion of the initiative on the promotion of the well being of
tourist conducted by the APT Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID)
Programme Phase II to promote health and safety of travellers and
host communities in the ASEAN Plus Three Countries.
4. The Ministers appreciated China for the holding of the
"China-ASEAN Tourism Cooperation Forum" on 19-20 November 2009 in
Kunming to discuss possible ways to further strengthen
inter-government cooperation to facilitate seamless travel, promote
tourism investment opportunities, joint tourism marketing and
promotion, and enhance human resource development. The Meeting also
thanked China for provision of complimentary booths to ASEAN Member
States and the ASEAN Secretariat at China International Travel Mart
(CITM) 2009 which were utilized to support the establishment of
ASEAN Common Area and promotion of ASEAN Cruise Tourism.
5. The Ministers welcomed the efforts of Japan in implementing
various ASEAN-Japan tourism projects/activities in 2009, including
organising a training programme for tourism industries, the
convening of "ASEAN Tourism Fair" inviting artists/artisans and
dance/music performers from ASEAN held on 26-31 August 2009 in
Niigata City, the ASEAN Tourism Seminar and Tourism Night on 31
August 2009 at Hotel Okura, Niigata City, and Public Relations.
6. The Ministers expressed their appreciation to Japan for their
continued support in ASEAN's cruise tourism development. The
Ministers look forward to Japan's support to the proposed ASEAN
cruise Infrastructure Development Study which will provide a
baseline study of ASEAN's available cruise infrastructure. The study
will also propose new itineraries and the necessary infrastructure
upgrading that will ensure the region is able to fully capture the
benefits of cruise tourism.
7. The Ministers were pleased to note the activities carried out by
ROK in further progressing tourism cooperation with ASEAN, such as
enhancing regional cooperation through marketing partnership and
promotion of multi-destination itineraries, publishing ASEAN
pamphlets in Korean language in order to increase tourist flow
between ASEAN and Korea, and ASEAN Tourism HRD Program. The
Ministers thanked ROK for its active contribution in enhancing
ASEAN-ROK tourism cooperation.
8. The Ministers expressed their sincere appreciation to the
Government and People of Brunei Darussalam for the warm hospitality
accorded to the delegations and the excellent arrangements made for
the meeting.
From http://www.aseansec.org/ 01/25/2010
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Joint Statement of the Fifth
ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting
1. The Fifth ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting (5th ASED) was
convened on 28 January 2010 in Cebu, Philippines, in conjunction
with the 45th SEAMEO Council Conference.
2. Recalling their views expressed at the 1st ASED that education
permeates through all three pillars of the ASEAN Community in
enhancing the competitiveness of individual Member States as well as
ASEAN as a region, the Ministers welcomed the adoption of the Cha-Am
Hua Hin Declaration on Strengthening Cooperation on Education to
Achieve an ASEAN Caring and Sharing Community by the ASEAN leaders
during the 15th ASEAN Summit on 24 October 2009. They tasked their
Senior Officials to follow up on the implementation of the
Declaration to strengthen the education sector's role in
contributing to the establishment of an ASEAN Community that is
people-centred and socially responsible.
3.The Ministers noted the progress in developing the five-year work
plan, with financial support from the US, to guide their Senior
Officials in strengthening, deepening and widening educational
cooperation within ASEAN and outside the region, taking into
consideration the activities of ASEAN and AUN, and SEAMEO and its
regional centres. Emphasising the important role of education in the
ASEAN community building process, the Ministers tasked the ASEAN
Secretariat to report the progress of the 5-year work plan at the
6th ASED.
4.Given the significance of educational cooperation as one of the
priorities of the ASEAN Plus Three cooperation under the Second
Joint Statement on East Asia Cooperation and ASEAN Plus Three
Cooperation Work Plan (2007-2017), the Ministers welcomed Thailand's
proposal to host an ASEAN+3 Senior Officials Ad Hoc Working Group
Meeting on Education on 18-19 March 2010 in Bangkok to discuss the
possibility of establishing an ASEAN+3 Senior Officials Meeting on
Education (SOMED+3), as well as the draft ASEAN+3 Plan of Action on
Education.
5.The Ministers were pleased with the progress in education
cooperation with the East Asia Summit (EAS) participating countries,
noting that senior education officials from EAS participating
countries will hold two workshops this year to build education
cooperation among the EAS participating countries for regional
competitiveness and community building. The Ministers welcomed
Australia's offer to work with the ASEAN Secretariat on the
convening of the two workshops in Jakarta and another ASEAN capital
in 2010.
6. Recalling the decision of the ASEAN Leaders at the 12th ASEAN-ROK
Summit on 24 October 2009 in Cha-am Hua Hin, Thailand, to continue
to explore the possibility of establishing an ASEAN-ROK cyber
university, the Ministers noted that the ASEAN University Network (AUN)
Secretariat will coordinate on behalf of ASEAN with relevant
institutions including open universities to move forward the
project. They directed a task force to be formed to explore in
detail the possibility and planning of the project.
7. The Ministers were pleased with the progress in AUN activities,
including the projected implementation of the ASEAN Credit Transfer
System (ACTS) in AUN Member Universities this year. The ACTS seeks
to enhance and facilitate student mobility among AUN Member
Universities, which is one of the targets to be achieved under the
'Free Flow of Skilled Labour' of the ASEAN Economic Community
Blueprint. The ACTS website has been developed and is hosted by
Universitas Indonesia at http://acts.ui.ac.id/.
8. The Ministers welcomed Indonesia's offer to host the 4th ASEAN
Primary School Sport Olympiad (APSSO) in 2010. APSSO was initiated
and led by Indonesia since 2007 in sport disciplines of athletics,
football, chess, badminton and table tennis. APSSO was regarded as
an excellent platform to promote ASEAN awareness, strengthen
regional solidarity and build friendships among children in the
region.
9. The Ministers noted that Thailand will host the 10th ASEAN
Students Exchange Programme in August this year. The programme aims
to bring together students from ASEAN countries to cultivate
understanding, cooperation and networking, and to promote
understanding of the different cultures within ASEAN. Six secondary
school students and two teachers will be invited from each ASEAN
Member State to attend the programme.
10. The Ministers welcomed Brunei Darussalam's offer to host the 6th
ASED in conjunction with the 46th SEAMEO Council Conference in
Bandar Seri Begawan in 31st January – 3 February 2011.
11. The Ministers expressed their appreciation to the Philippines
for the warm hospitality and arrangements made in hosting the 5th
ASED and to the ASEAN Secretariat for its technical assistance to
the Meeting.
From
http://www.aseansec.org/ 01/28/2010
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Stopping Corruption to
Save Lives: A Practical Guide for Humanitarian Emergencies
A timely, comprehensive practical guide for combating corruption
in relief and reconstruction has been published today by
Transparency International (TI), the global anti-corruption
organisation, in collaboration with seven major humanitarian
agencies. The guide, Preventing Corruption in Humanitarian
Operations: A Handbook of Good Practices gives aid workers facing
immense pressure and challenging environments the tools to confront
corruption, so that they can focus on saving lives and long-term
recovery. "Disasters like the catastrophe in Haiti highlight the
absolute necessity of ensuring that the funds and supplies allocated
actually reach those in need. Corruption in emergency aid is a
matter of life and death. Stopping and preventing corruption should
be a strategic priority for the humanitarian community," said
Christiaan Poortman, Global Programmes Director at TI.
The TI Handbook compiles best practice from the field, including
ways to track resources, confront extortion and detect aid
diversion. The guide was developed in collaboration with Action Aid,
CARE International, Catholic Relief Services, Islamic Relief
Worldwide, Lutheran World Federation, Save the Children USA and
World Vision International. All seven agencies will be incorporating
its tools into their policies and practices for their relief and
development efforts. "The handbook helps both those on the ground
and those managing relief operations deal with difficult situations
as they arise and helps highlight areas where corruption is
potentially a risk," says Roslyn Hees, Senior Advisor, TI and
co-author of the handbook.
The handbook, part of TI's broader work to stop corruption in
humanitarian assistance, covers policies and procedures for
transparency, integrity and accountability, and specific corruption
risks, such as supply chain management and accounting. It also
identifies corruption risks along the programme cycle, from needs
assessment to post-distribution monitoring and evaluation. The
research for the Handbook was carried out by the Feinstein
International Center (FIC) of Tufts University, the Humanitarian
Policy Group (HPG) of the Overseas Development Institute, and TI in
collaboration with the seven aid agencies.
From http://www.transparency.org/ 02/01/2010
TOP↑
G7 Financial Ministers' Meeting
Ends
Finance ministers and central bank governors from the world's
seven leading industrialized nations concluded Saturday afternoon a
two-day meeting in Canada's Arctic city of Iqaluit, promising
continued financial support to the ongoing recovery and future
development of global economy. Canadian Minister of Finance Jim
Flaherty said at a brief joint press conference that the global
economic situation has improved, is improving and there is
established recovery, "but there are signs that we need to continue
to deliver the stimulus program to which we are mutually committed."
Flaherty said, at the snow-covered hall of a Canadian Cadet, that
the most rich nations group also is committed to support development
of the developing countries, confirming that all the ministers have
agreed to forgive quake-ravaged Haiti's debts and an appeal for
urgent assistance to the reconstruction of the Caribbean country.
"The recovery is underway and we all agreed to work closer together
to solve the finical crisis," said Flaherty, in a brown sweater,
adding that the meeting, which for the first time in the G7 history
did not issue a concluding written statement or communique, is the
start of the G7 informality.
The Canadian minister said that the first responders to the recent
crisis were G7 members, stressing the coordinated efforts by G-7
nations to address the underlying causes of the financial crisis. He
said that issues related to the financial reform and the future of
the G7 were also discussed during the frank and relatively informal
fireside chats, at local hotel restaurants in this capital of
Canada's Nunavut territory, but he did not elaborate.
Before the meeting opened on Friday evening, Flaherty said that the
G7 no more play the leading role it once did, but it will continue
to evolve in an ever-changing world while contributing, through
frank and open discussion, to a more stable and prosperous world for
all. "Our major concern is economic recovery and financial
stability, " Flaherty said at a briefing in the Frobisher Inn. "The
origin of G7 is fireside chat, to get together and put proposals on
issues to inform the important players like the G20 members."
Earlier on Friday, the minister stressed in an official statement
that this G7 meeting will not revolve around negotiated communiques
and scripted text, adding that it will be a time for frank
discussion and a collective determination to help put the global
economy firmly on the road to recovery.
"As the recent global crisis made clear, when the G7 Plan of Action
served as the foundation for the G20 Washington Action Plan and all
that followed, the G7 still has a vital role to play, even as it
continues to evolve," he said. The G7 delegates from Canada, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States were
joined by International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique
Strauss- Khan, the World Bank President Robert Zoellick, European
Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet and other officials.
Observers say that with the G20 meetings, which include emerging
economies such as China, Russia, Brazil and India, taking the lead
as the world's more influential economic forum for establishing
global economic policies over the past few years, the G7 carries
little weight and is struggling to remain relevant by promoting
diverging economic and financial policies.
From Xinhua 02/07/2010
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CHINA: Set Up Energy
Agency Headed by PM
China has set up a government agency headed by Premier Wen Jiabao
to better coordinate energy policy, as world's second-largest power
consumer faces growing domestic demand and struggles with shortages.
The establishment of the National Energy Commission reflects Chinese
leaders' concern over growing reliance on imported energy as a
potential strategic weakness. They are also trying to curb
environmental damage from the country's heavy use of fossil fuels.
The high-level commission will draft energy development strategy,
review energy security and coordinate international cooperation,
according to a notice late Wednesday by the general office of the
State Council, China's Cabinet. State media cited experts as saying
that policymakers have faced difficulty in getting intra-agency
cooperation on various initiatives, including reduction of carbon
emissions and raising energy efficiency to help combat global
warming. Vice Premier Li Keqiang will be the commission's deputy
head. Its 21 other members include the head of the National
Development and Reform Commission, China's main planning agency, and
the ministers of finance, environmental protection, land and
resources, and foreign affairs.
"Many of the problems with energy now are beyond the ability of one
department to solve and requires coordination from all departments,"
said Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics
Research at Xiamen University. "Today you can't talk about energy
without mentioning food, environment, energy-saving and other
issues. It's vital to set up an agency above all these departments
in order to coordinate and make final decisions," Lin said. China is
the world's second-largest energy consumer after the United States.
It faces widespread difficulties in ensuring smooth supplies of
fuel, coal and natural gas, partly due to conflicts over pricing
policies that have caused widespread losses for refiners and utility
companies. Earlier this month, authorities ordered rotating
shutdowns of hundreds of factories in central China to ensure
sufficient power to heat homes amid bitter winter cold. Power
demands spiked after temperatures plunged and weekend storms dumped
snow on northern China. Many homes, especially in the south, lack
central heating and residents rely on electric space heaters. The
surge in energy consumption due to the cold snap is typical of the
challenges the country is facing as it struggles to meet demand from
consumers whose growing earning power enables them to adopt more
modern lifestyles. The potential weaknesses of China's energy
planning were also highlighted in October 2007 when diesel supplies
ran low, causing lines at filling stations and disrupting trucking
services. Shortages cropped up after oil companies, barred by
government controls from passing on record-high crude costs to
consumers, responded by failing to expand refining to meet growing
demand. China supplied its own energy needs for decades from
domestic oil fields. But it became a net importer in the 1990s as
its economy boomed and imports now supply nearly half of demand.
From http://news.yahoo.com/ 01/28/2010
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China Sets Up Special Office to
Ensure Social Security
China has set up a special office to guide public security checks
- especially in areas found with major security problems. The
information was revealed Thursday at a meeting held by the Central
Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security, the
organizer of the office. While the office consists of personnel from
about 14 central Party and governmental organizations, its daily
work will be conducted by the committee and the Ministry of Public
Security. The office's main functions include researching on
patterns of criminal activities, directing crackdown campaigns in
key areas and punishing violators. Other functions include
coordinating various organizations and supervise security check work
among others. According to the committee, detailed measures are
being mapped out on the assessment of the security check work. On
Tuesday, the country's minister of public security Meng Jianzhu
reaffirmed the need to continue cracking down on robberies,
burglaries, swindling, prostitution, underground forces, and human
and drug trafficking. Meng voiced security concerns for certain
areas, such as urban-rural intersection areas and "villages in the
city," a term for poor residential areas within cities.
From Xinhua News Agency 01/29/2010
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CHINA: Beijing's Liaison
Offices Swept Up by Closures
Authorities are racing to close down nearly 600 liaison offices
representing regional governments in Beijing, a senior official said
yesterday in an online interview. The liaison office of a city in
central China's Shanxi Province was turned into a hotel. Beijing's
liaison offices play their corruption-prone roles in lobbying
central government departments. Shang Xiaoting, deputy director of
the Government Offices Administration of the State Council, made the
remarks after the administration in mid-January issued a circular to
step up regulation of the offices. Earlier media reports had accused
the offices of their corruption-prone roles in lobbying central
government departments, with a number of poorly supervised offices
reportedly acting like financial "black holes" that waste and
embezzle public funds. "It is hugely difficult to make a clean sweep
of these institutions within six months," said Shang, referring to
the liaison offices set up by regional county-level governments and
government departments. About 582 offices have to be closed by July
19, the circular said. But liaison offices set by provincial-level
governments or agencies will remain. Offices of city-level
administrative bodies will also be re-evaluated and approved by
higher governments, the circular said.
Shang also dismissed as "baseless" media reports that estimated the
full number of liaison offices representing various levels of
governments at the thousands or even more than 10,000. But as of
yesterday, prior to Shang's interview, the liaison office of Rui'an,
eastern Zhejiang province was operating as normal. "We haven't
received any notice on the closure of our office," said Wu Lidian,
the liaison office chief. Rui'an is a county-level city under
Wenzhou, a coastal city in East China known for its businessmen
operating worldwide. The five-person office led by Wu was
established as early as in 1994, when China's market economy was
just taking off. Wu has been working at the office since 1998. "Good
connections facilitate work," Wu said of his role. But his broad
contacts may no longer be of any use, as the country is squeezing
whatever lobbying room is left for him and his colleagues by
improving systems of appropriation and governance, Shang said. Wu
insisted that the existence of liaison offices has its reasons, even
though he agreed there are too many of them now. On behalf of a
small county-level city like Rui'an, Wu's routine work consists of
attracting investors, maintaining the stability of Beijing, giving
receptions and defending the rights of about 40,000 Rui'an people
living in the capital. "The central government has a number of other
things to consider," he said. However, liaison offices set up by
higher-level regional governments, such as the provincial
governments, can take over the responsibilities of Wu and related
personnel, Shang said.
From http://www.china.org.cn/ 02/05/2010
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China's Gov't Procurement Saves
2 Bln Yuan in 2009
Centralized procurement by the Chinese government has helped save
close to 2 billion yuan (about 290 million U.S. dollars) in 2009, an
official said Thursday. The Chinese government spent more than 14.7
billion yuan in government procurement last year, Chen Jianming,
director with the government procurement center said during a work
conference held in Beijing. The figure was 1.8 billion yuan more
than in 2008, he said. Chen noted that Chinese government
departments had made "remarkable" progress in reducing their
expenditures in 2009. For instance, the amount of money spent on
purchasing vehicles by the government departments in 2009 dropped by
35 percent year on year, he said. They also spent two percent less
in government procurement for work conferences compared with the
year before, he said. Chen said the government purchases will
continue to focus on energy-efficient, environment-friendly, as well
as innovative and domestic products in 2010. The procurement center
would stick to the policies of protecting information security and
supporting small and medium-sized companies when making purchases,
in order to push forward the development of the country's industries
and the readjustment of its economic structure, Chen said.
From Xinhua News Agency 02/05/2010
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China Allocates 3 Billion Yuan
to Fund Urban Students
China's central government has earmarked 3.17 billion yuan (463.9
million U.S. dollars) to cover tuition fees of city-born children in
primary and junior high schools nationwide, the Ministry of Finance
(MOF) announced Friday. The money is to fund city children's tuition
and miscellaneous fees in the coming semester starting after the
Spring Festival holiday, the MOF said in a statement on its website
Friday. The Lunar New Year, the most important Chinese holiday,
falls on Feb. 14 this year. The government announced in 2008 that
city children would be exempted from paying tuition and
miscellaneous fees for their nine-year compulsory education, which
benefit more than 28.2 million children.
From Xinhua News Agency 02/12/2010
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China Allocates 37.2 Bln Yuan
for Medical Reforms
China's Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced Friday that the
central government had allocated 37.2 billion yuan (5.45 billion
U.S. dollars) to subsidize nationwide medical reforms. Specifically,
22 billion yuan will be used to subsidize a new type of rural
cooperative medical care system, 3.7 billion to subsidize basic
medical insurance for urban residents, 3.2 billion to urban and
rural medicaid and 8.3 billion to basic public health services,
according to a statement on the ministry's website. The funds would
be mainly used to "subsidize the nationwide medical insurance
program, help disadvantaged people visit the doctor, and provide
certain public health services free of charge for urban and rural
residents," according to the statement. The Chinese government
passed a medical reform plan in January 2009, which aims to spend
850 billion yuan by 2011 to provide universal health care to the
country's 1.3 billion population.
From Xinhua News Agency 02/12/2010
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Japan's Jobless Rate Down, But
Prices Keep Falling
Japan's government says unemployment declined slightly and prices
fell further in December. The unemployment rate eased to 5.1 percent
from 5.2 percent in November. The number of jobless rose more than
17 percent from a year earlier to 3.2 million, while the number of
employed people declined 1.7 percent to 62.2 million. Deflation also
deepened, with core consumer prices down 1.3 percent from a year
earlier. The key consumer prices index, which excludes volatile
fresh food prices, has now fallen for 10 straight months.
From http://news.yahoo.com/ 01/28/2010
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SOUTH KOREA: Gov't to Develop
Low-carbon, Green Cities
The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs announced
that it will amend Standards for Development of Sustainable New
Towns to develop low carbon green cities. The Standards will include
a national land utilization plan, green transport system, natural
ecology and resource circulation and will apply starting from new
town development projects that gained approval after January 22,
2010. The Ministry will establish a Master Plan for Green City
Development by September this year and implement it from 2011. Under
the revised Standards:
(1) MLTM will develop an eco-friendly national land utilization
plan: Cities will be divided into zones based on car's traveling
distance and walking hours and will be developed in line with the
transport system. Each zone will have various types of buildings
(including shopping malls, hospitals and offices, etc.) so that
residents don't have to travel long distance.
(2) MLTM will establish a mass transit oriented green transport
system. In center areas, the transit mall system will be introduced
to encourage the use of mass transport system and bicycles. The
government plans to increase the proportion of bicycle use up to 10%
by 2020. The transit mall is an area for-mass-transit-only
designated around department stores and shopping malls, which limits
the access of passenger cars.
(3) MLTM will build natural parks to reduce GHG emissions. Natural
parks will be developed near residential areas where people can
easily access and inside the parks, trees that absorb large amount
of CO2 will be planted.
(4) MLTM will encourage the use of new and renewable energies to
reduce environmental load. Plans to adopt and use new and renewable
energies will be developed in consideration of each area's local
characteristics. The plans will enforce urban infrastructure and
public facility, especially energy wasting or energy intensive
buildings to use new and renewable energies.
(5) MLTM will promote the development of energy circulating cities
that reuse resources and energies.
A comprehensive water usage plan will be set up to effectively
manage water usage and a policy for energy circulation that
encourages recycling and reuse of wastes generated in urban areas.
Mechanical Biological Treatment facility and Refuse Derived Fuel
facility will be established in urban areas for effective waste
management. In addition, CPTED standards will also be introduced to
secure self-sufficiency of cities and prevent criminal activities.
In areas where there is high traffic of pedestrians, glare-free
lights will be established for better sight. The Ministry said that
the newly revised will facilitate smooth implementation of low
carbon green growth projects and the development of the green
industry as well as will create a safer living environment.
From http://www.korea.net/ 01/27/2010
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Gov't to Expand Child Care
Subsidies for Low-income Earners
The government said Friday that it will expand financial support
to low-income households sending their children to kindergartens or
childcare centers as part of efforts to boost social welfare and
bolster the overall birth rate, according to Yonhap News. Households
in the nation's lowest 70 percent income bracket will be able to
send their second and following babies aged below 5 to such
facilities free of charge from March, according to officials at the
finance ministry and the health ministry. The subsidies will be
given based on the fees paid at state-run kindergartens and child
care centers.
From http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ 01/29/2010
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Gov't Pushes to Create Jobs
with Tax Deductions
The government said Friday that it will provide tax deductions
for small and medium enterprises if they boost their employment of
full-time workers, a move aimed at helping kick-start the nation's
sluggish job market, according to Yonhap News. The tax credit of 3
million won ($2,550) per additional member of staff will be granted
across 33 business sectors ranging from manufacturing, retail and
wholesale to construction, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance said
in a press release. The move is part of government measures endorsed
by economy-related ministries who convened a meeting earlier in the
day to discuss how to boost job creation. They followed up on the
government's first employment strategy meeting this year chaired by
President Lee Myung-bak on Jan. 21. Under the measures, the
government said that it will also strengthen a job information
network in a bid to tackle the so-called "mismatch" in the job
market where job seekers scramble to find work at well-paying and
stable companies, leaving many SMEs short of needed workers. In a
related move, incentives will be given to private job placement
agencies to encourage a more active role in linking job seekers and
needy companies. When a person lands a job at an SME registered in
the recruitment info network named "Work Net" and stays at the
company for one year or longer, he or she can also receive up to 1.8
million won in state subsidies. It is aimed at helping smaller
companies secure a stable pool of employees, the ministry said.
From http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ 02/05/2010
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Korea to Boost Education,
Medical, Social Services
Vice Finance Minister Hur Kyung‑wook said yesterday the
government would focus on nurturing education, medical and social
services industries as part of efforts to reduce the country's
reliance on exports. "Balanced growth of an export‑oriented
manufacturing sector and a domestic‑oriented services sector is
necessary to improve the Korean economy, in both quality and
quantity," Hur said at a forum in Seoul. "Strong emphasis will be
placed on nurturing high value‑added services such as education and
medicine so that people spend more here and less overseas.
Development of the social services sector will also make a
considerable contribution to job creation," he said. The government
has been pushing to deregulate the local services industry and lower
barriers to professional services markets since September last year.
However, the government moves faced strong resistance late last year
from groups of professionals who did not want to lose part of their
business turf or vested interests. Hur added that he hoped to prove
that deregulating the service sector was "not a zero‑sum game where
one consumes another, but a positive‑sum move from which all
profit." Chiara Criscuolo, a senior economist at the structural
policy division of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development, said Korea's barriers to competition were generally
higher than most of OECD nations, while regulatory and
administrative transparency was almost perfect. The economist
suggested that Korea make existing policies for innovation and
technological change more relevant to services sectors, such as
"refocusing government innovation programs to also address the needs
of the services sector." The state‑run Korea Development Institute's
research fellow Tcha Moon‑joong noted that Korea has one of the
lowest levels of productivity among the OECD, saying the nation
needed a new growth of quality jobs in the services industry. He
urged more capital inducement into the medical industry and
suggested that Korea explore methods to improve the loan process for
services firms.
From http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ 02/05/2010
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Gov't to Teach Farming
to Migrant Women in Rural Areas
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
announced new ways to assist migrant woman married to Koreans in
rural areas. The new plan is to help marriage migrants – as those
women are referred to – learn to become agricultural experts. The
plan coincides with Korea's need to secure more agricultural
personnel. Starting from this year to 2020, the national government
will push ahead with a five-part plan to train 10,000 agricultural
experts made up of migrant women and provide assistance to their
children and carry out other projects related to multicultural
families. First, the government will set up a new database of people
working in and seeking to work in agriculture, and establish a
system for a comprehensive, step-by-step management of the whole
training process. The information will be linked with that of the
existing databases. The first stage of education will focus heavily
on the basics of agriculture and agricultural regions. The second
stage will offer customized learning for each individual. On-site
field education will begin at the third stage, along with training
in other professional management skills. Furthermore, the ministry
decided to lend land and relevant farm equipment first and foremost
to migrant women who wish to work in the agricultural field but lack
resources. Local governments and private organizations interested in
similar ideas for migrant staff members will receive the ministry's
assistance in providing consultation and education. Children from
multicultural families will receive practical education in
agricultural work in order to make them consider that particular
field as a career when they grow up. The government plans to secure
29.5 billion won of budgetary funds until 2020 and pursue the plan
step-by-step by linking it with related organizations and projects.
From http://www.korea.net/
02/18/2010
TOP↑
Providing 'Foothold
Jobs' to Disadvantaged People
The Ministry of Labor (MOL) will provide 10,000 "foothold jobs"
to people who lack working experience or basic capability for
working. "Foothold job" mediates a smooth transfer of the
disadvantaged people to a better job placement after providing a
prior opportunity for three to five months of working experience in
non-profit organization. Among the registered job applicants in the
Job Center, the disadvantaged classes that are judged difficult to
be positioned in job market soon, after two weeks of official
pursuit, will receive the extra opportunity. The government expects
that people with low income, the disabled, the aged, female
households, defectors from North Korea, and the long-term unemployed
will be the main beneficiary. From this year, through the foothold
job scheme, the government will also actively engage in providing
the opportunities to young people (aged 18~29) who graduated from
school with no working experience. The foothold job experience will
provide the young people with confidence to seek jobs. The
job-offering institutions that are enlisted in the foothold scheme
are circumscribed to social enterprises that hire 4 or more
full-time employees and recognized non-profit organizations such as
welfare institutes, regional offices of Korea Employers Federation
and the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry, industrial
associations, childcare facilities, schools, medical corporate
bodies, and vocational training centers licensed by the Minister of
Labor. The participants will have 3~5 months (within 35 hours a
week) of working experience with 750,000 won of monthly salary
(based on 35 hours).
The employer will be subsidized with a corresponding social
insurance fee (within 8.5% of registration fee limit) for the worker
and the maintenance and operating expenses (60,000 won a month per
person) by the government. The prospective participants of foothold
jobs can also receive group consultation, short term lecture on job
application, and individual consultation service for successful
employment during the program. The job placement service continues
until the applicant finds a regular workplace, even after the
termination of foothold program. The non-profit organizations that
are willing to offer foothold jobs should register in local Job
Centers. Those who want to be included in the program can either
visit nearby Job Center (Tel: 1588-1919) and receive in-depth
interview, or apply on-line via Worknet (www.work.go.kr). Mr. Shin,
the Deputy Minister of Employment Policy Office, promised to support
the disadvantaged classes for employment and the unemployed youths
who graduated school without work experience to accumulate work
experience through the foothold job program. This will eventually
help them to find more stable jobs.
From http://www.korea.net/
02/22/2010
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Compulsory Education for
Disabled Students Expanded
Beginning next month, it will be compulsory for mentally and
physically disabled students to receive education at kindergartens
and high schools, the government said yesterday. The Ministry of
Education, Science and Technology said that compulsory education for
the disabled, which has thus far been offered only to elementary and
middle-school students, will be expanded to kindergarteners and
high-school students. Education for those between the ages of five
and 17 will be compulsory this year. The government plans to expand
the compulsory education to those aged 3 by 2012. With the change,
Korea will become the country with the longest compulsory education
period for the disabled within the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development. The government plans to establish 1,042
additional classes for disabled students to run a total of 11,603
such classes across the country. In close cooperation with the
Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, the Education
Ministry plans to run 762 childcare facilities this year, where
compulsory education for preschoolers can be offered. The ministry
also plans to strengthen vocational education for disabled
high-school students, which will help them enhance job skills and
find suitable jobs. It will also designate 10 high schools centering
on systematic vocational education for disabled students this year
and increase the number to 30 by 2012. "As it will be compulsory for
the disabled to go to kindergartens and high schools, we can prevent
their disabilities from further deteriorating and help facilitate
their advance into society," the ministry said in a press release.
"We also anticipate the change, in the long term, would create the
effect of reducing the economic cost for integrating the disabled
into society."
From http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ 02/23/2010
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Lee Takes Aim at Corrupt
Public Officials
President Lee Myung-bak ordered the government yesterday to step
up efforts to root out corruption, especially in education circles
and provincial authorities. During a Cabinet meeting, the president
extended his support to recent sweeping investigations into bribery
allegations involving education officials, school principals and
regional public servants. "As long as corruption persists, the
nation will not be able to join the ranks of the most advanced
countries," Lee was quoted as saying by his spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye.
"Entering its third year, the government should make all-out efforts
to eradicate corruption in the education sector and local
governments," he added. Lee is to mark the second anniversary of his
inauguration on Thursday. In the past, the government's loosened
control in latter years in office led to widespread irregularities
especially among powerful officials and those close to them. During
a meeting with his senior secretaries on Monday, Lee urged to
tighten the rein in the officialdom to prevent any letup in work and
moral degradation. His remarks followed a series of graft cases
involving education authorities in Seoul. A senior personnel
official at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education was arrested
recently for taking money from teachers in exchange of favors in
promotion. Two high school principals in Seoul were also arrested
for involvement in the case. The prosecutors last October arrested
11 persons over allegations that a company had bribed education
officials to win school construction contracts. Early last month,
five elementary school heads were charged for taking kickbacks from
some lecturers in after-school learning programs. They were not
detained. A former elementary school principal dismissed on
suspicion of corruption committed suicide on Saturday. "Corruption
is becoming commonplace and accumulating in every corner of our
society. It is especially deplorable that education circles are
becoming the hotbed of corruption," the president said.
From http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ 02/24/2010
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INDONESIA: Antigraft Drive
Targets Regional Officials
Measures to prevent corruption in upcoming regional elections
will focus on incumbent officials seeking re-election because
they are the ones often caught doing it, a watchdog says. The
Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) said Thursday there were
cases of incumbent officials using state facilities for election
campaign purposes. "In Central Java, for example, [an official]
used his official residence for meetings. There was also a
member of the Regional Representatives Council who held meetings
in his office... Such practices are prone to corruption. It was
the regional budget they were spending," Bawaslu head Nur
Hidayat Sardini said. Such abuse of authority, he added, could
be defined as corruption. He said incumbent officials who were
also candidates in regional elections were prone to practicing
money politics.
The methods used by the officials begins with starting up social
donation programs for the poor, road repairs and other
infrastructure projects ahead of the campaigning season. "This
includes scholarship programs that are only realized ahead of
campaigning although the funding has long been allocated," he
said. "The frequency and the intensity [of such projects]
usually increase drastically ahead of polling time," he added.
On Thursday, the board met with the Corruption Eradication
Commission (KPK) to cooperate on preventing corruption and
practices of money politics in regional elections, which will be
held in 244 regions this year. Bawaslu urged the KPK to make
reports of regional leader candidates' wealth available to the
board. The two will also cooperate in raising public awareness
to monitor campaign funds, money politics and abuse of power and
state facilities in regional elections. "We also asked the KPK
to train Bawaslu staff on preventing electoral violations,"
Hidayat said, adding that the board would also cooperate with
the Financial Transaction Report and Analysis Center (PPATK) .
KPK deputy leader M. Jasin said his organization would cooperate
with Bawaslu in raising public awareness of the potential of
corruption practices at all stages of the regional election. "We
will call together all candidates [to educate them]. We will not
only monitor, but also take preventive measures," he added. If
candidates still commit electoral violations even after such
measures, Jasin said the KPK's enforcement division would
investigate. Bawaslu said there was the potential of electoral
violations in regional elections, such as fictitious of campaign
donors. "There might also be candidates who cheat on their
campaign fund reports." Illegal funding sources in regional
elections are not easily uncovered, the board said. The public
has also faced many difficulties in accessing candidates'
campaign fund reports. Hidayat said he also discussed with the
KPK the potential of inaccuracies in the electoral rolls, as had
happened in general elections held last year. "In several
regions, the electoral rolls were lower for the legislative and
presidential elections. [The discrepancy in] the electoral roll
in one region even reached 60,000," he added.
From http://www.thejakartapost.com/ 02/19/2010
TOP↑
Retired Lawmakers Don't
Get 2 Funds: House
Former lawmakers will not receive double pension funds even if
they held other state posts prior to their election as lawmakers,
House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie says. "The law clearly
states that if a lawmaker is appointed as a minister or the other
way around, he or she will receive a pension fund from the post that
provides the biggest amount of post-service allowance," Marzuki said
Friday. Retired lawmakers receive a pension of at least Rp 2 million
(US$216) per month. However, there have been reports of several
retired legislators receiving two pension funds since they held
posts at other state institutions or ministries before they served
in the legislative body.
From http://www.thejakartapost.com/ 02/19/2010
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LAOS: President Calls for
Government Members to Continue Working With Higher Spirits
The President of the Lao PDR, Mr Choummaly Sayasone, has asked
government members to continue working with higher spirits and
responsibilities in Party and government affairs. President
Choummaly who is also the General Secretary of Lao People's
Revolutionary Party, made the comment at a meeting with government
members in Vientiane Capital, on 25 January. Prime Minister Bouasone
Bouphavanh, representing the government has briefed on general
conditions on the implementation of socio-economic development in
recent years, emerging global issues and global financial crisis
impact. However, we could overcome the complicated issues thanks to
the guidance of the Party as well as Party Central Committee. The
outcomes led the growth of gross domestic products rose by 7.6%, and
the average of annual per capita income of Lao people was US$906 or
increased by 12% compared to previous year, said Prime Minister
Bouasone. The infrastructure has been constantly developed and other
government works has met achievements, especially the success in
hosting 25th SEA Games.
On the other hand, the government has also had some shortcoming
issue that we would pay all efforts to further cope with those
matters such as the materialisation of focal action plan on poverty
reduction and village development group, PM continued. After hearing
PM's report, President Choummaly praised the government's
achievement over recent years and he gave an advice on poverty
reduction to government members. He advised the government to pay
more attention to reducing slash and burn cultivation and forest
destruction as part of poverty reduction activities. He also advised
the government to promote development in rural areas by creating
village development groups. The percentage of the population living
in poverty has consistently been reduced year-on-year, last year the
figure was 21.6 % decreased from 28.7in 2005. At the meeting,
President Choummaly also asked the government to continue
implementing policy to industrialise appropriate areas, adding that
these tasks have already been stated in party resolutions and
strategic plans, but are yet to be transformed into clear outcomes.
From http://www.kplnet.net/ 01/26/2010
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Government Always Holds
Health Sector as First Priority
(KPL) Lao Government always takes into account the health sector
as a fundamental priority with a hope for all citizens being good
health by the improvement of four main sectors. The four sectors
needed to be improved so as to appropriate the growth of economy and
society. This was the statement of Minister of Public Health, Dr
Ponmek Daraloy, made at a press conference on the First Mekong
Health Congress, in the International Cooperation Training Centre on
26 January. The First Mekong Health Congress was held in Vientiane
Capital on 25-28 January.
A three-day event was participated by six Mekong Subregion countries
of Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam and
development partners from the Europe, Africa and South America. The
meeting was a good chance for medical students sharing technique and
experience on medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, midwifery and
paramedical technique. The participants have had an opportunity to
upgrade on new health treatment like surgery, pharmacy, dentistry
and paramedical disciplines in 17 sessions. Dr Ponmek continued that
about 30 topics on diseases were posing a threat to mother and
children would also be raised at the meeting, including dengue fever
and other regional diseases.
However the mother and child issue would be a main key of the
meeting which would stress on improvement of four main works of
agriculture and forestry, communication, culture and public health.
In addition, Dr Ponmek has also called for all sectors concerned to
pay close cooperation to reduce the mortality rate of mother and
children. The mortality rate of mother and children is a big
challenge for Laos, he continued.
From http://www.kplnet.net/ 01/27/2010
TOP↑
15 Young Officials Train
in Japan for Future Leadership
(KPL) Fifteen Lao young officials from Vientiane Capital, Luang
Prabang, Savannakhet and Champassak provinces are in Training
Program for Young Leaders 2010 in Japan. All participants left for
Japan yesterday and they will spend 18 days in Japan to participate
in various activities. Two trainees are from Luang Prabang, ten from
Vientiane Capital, two from Champassak and one from Savannakhet
provinces. A farewell reception for the young Lao officials was held
on 9 February in Vientiane, organised by the Ministry of Planning
and Investment in collaboration with the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA).
JICA Chief Representative, Mr. Hiroaki Takashima, Director General
of the International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Planning
and Investment, Somchith Inthamith, and relevant authorities of both
sides were present at the ceremony. The Training Program for Young
Leaders is part of JICA?s commitment to human resources development
in developing countries. Annually 30 people aged between 20 and 35
from Laos take part in this training programme, which aims to equip
young officials with knowledge necessary for future leadership.
Another batch of 15 young officials will leave Vientiane for a
similar training programme on 15 February.
From http://www.kplnet.net/ 02/10/2010
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THAILAND: BoI Supports
'Sustainable Investment Policy' Concept
Board of Investment (BoI) Secretary-General Atchaka Sibunruang
Brimble on Monday revealed the BoI meeting chaired by Prime Minister
Abhisit Vejjajiva supported the "sustainable investment policy"
concept, which it believed could contribute to the country's
sustainable economic, social and environmental development. She said
the BoI is assigned to discuss with relevant state agencies ways to
study and prepare details of investment promotion measures, which
could be used to encourage the sustainable development of the
country in various dimensions. Investment projects to which
investment promotions should be granted must help upgrade Thailand's
industrial sector into a higher technology-based one and enhance the
country's economic value.
The investment policy as applied during 2007-2008 must be revised to
ensure investment promotion approval is given only to businesses
that contribute sustainable investment and are environmentally
friendly, she said. New measures should be issued to encourage
sustainable investment including human resources development,
strengthening of science and technology, investment promotion for
environmentally-friendly projects, and building of the industrial
base by taking into account creativity and Thai value, and the
development of Thailand into a "White Country" or a country where
the export and import control procedure proceeds transparently, said
the BoI chief. (TNA)
From http://enews.mcot.net/ 01/26/2010
TOP↑
Government Attaches
Importance to Parliamentary Process and Anti-Corruption
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva stated that his administration
was trying to prove that Thailand could have an elected government
with transparency and accountability, while attaching importance to
the parliamentary process. The Government is also making efforts to
fight corruption.The statement was part of his talks at the 40th
World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The Prime
Minister attended the meeting from January 29 to 31. Apart from
meeting government and business leaders, the Prime Minister also
gave interviews with the media.
In his talks on the political situation in Thailand, Prime Minister
Abhisit said that the Government was trying to achieve political
stability and address the real issues that concerned people. He knew
that there were some people with different political agendas, and
they might try to use tactics that were not democratic. Even so, he
said, he was confident that the majority of Thai people wanted the
country to move ahead. The Prime Minister also believed that the
people saw the potential of the country and wanted to see
continuity, so that they could enjoy peace and prosperity. Speaking
on the fight against corruption, Prime Minister Abhisit pointed out
that more and more complicated forms of corruption, such as
collusion, were taking place. The most complex form of corruption
was through policies that led to the implementation of certain
projects. These projects looked good on the surface, but the public
should bear in mind that there was often a hidden agenda among the
people who designed those policies. He stressed the need to seek new
and innovative solutions to this problem.
Since 1997, he said, Thailand has had networks of independent
organizations. These organizations act as "checks and balances" on
the machinery of the government. He said that Thailand had achieved
some success, as the independent national anti-corruption agency had
been able to prosecute and even convict high-ranking politicians for
the first time. The Prime Minister cited values as the only way to
fight corruption. If people accepted corruption, it would be
impossible to win the fight against this problem. But by aiming for
the highest standards of scrutiny and monitoring, politicians and
the public may be able to put the brakes on corrupt projects.
He said that when he assumed office as Prime Minister of Thailand
more than a year ago, he made it clear as a rule for Cabinet members
that political standards, accountability, and responsibility had to
be placed beyond what is written in the laws. For instance,
corruption allegations had arisen recently in the Ministry of Public
Health. In order to deal with this issue, he appointed an
independent commission consisting of outsiders to investigate the
case. The commission found that there had been corrupt practices,
without saying that ministers were involved. The Government felt
that the ministers had to take responsibility and they did, as they
resigned. Their resignation has set the highest standard for
politicians in every party.
From http://thailand.prd.go.th/ 02/04/2010
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VIETNAM: PM Proposes an
East Asian Forum on Climate Change
It is necessary to set up an East Asian Forum on Climate Change
where regional countries can work closely to develop joint actions
to address this huge challenge of mankind, said PM Nguyen Tan Dung
at the World Economic Forum's special session on East Asia on
January 30. Today, an East Asian Community of peace, stability,
prosperity and progress is gradually taking its shape in reality.
Since 1997, regional cooperation and integration towards an East
Asian Community have been significantly enhanced under various
mechanisms initiated by ASEAN. Important outcomes are recorded in
various fields, where economic cooperation and integration are at
the forefronts, acting as catalysts and fundamental platforms for
the Community building.
Economic and trade ties among regional countries have been further
deepened by a network of bilateral and multilateral free trade
agreements. The proposals on an East Asian Free Trade Area (EAFTA)
among ASEAN+3 countries and a Comprehensive Economic Partnership in
East Asia (CEPEA) among 16 countries of the East Asian Summit (EAS)
are being considered for realisation. Once established, the EAFTA
alone will be the largest Free Trade Area in the world with 2
billion people and US$ 10 trillion in GDP. Another important area of
cooperation for an East Asian Community is the improvement of
infrastructure connectivity among regional economies. ASEAN is now
developing a Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity to connect road,
rail, sea and air routes, telecom and software infrastructure within
ASEAN and beyond to East Asia. It is our vision that within the next
20-30 years, East Asia will be a well-connected region where ASEAN
plays its centrality.
In terms of mechanism, East Asian cooperation and integration are
mainly conducted through ASEAN+3 and the East Asian Summit, in which
the ASEAN+3 is considered the main tool with ASEAN at its centre and
supplemented by ASEAN+1, ARF and EAS. Apart from these
architectures, a number of noteworthy initiatives have been recently
proposed, namely the Asia Pacific Community by Australian Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd or an East Asian Community by Japanese Prime
Minister Hatoyama. The year 2010 is a pivotal year for ASEAN to step
up its Community building efforts. During its ASEAN Chairmanship for
2010 with the theme of "Towards an ASEAN Community: from vision to
action", Viet Nam will work closely with other members to
effectively implement the ASEAN Charter, and advance the programmes
and roadmap for Community building while expanding and deepening the
cooperation between ASEAN and its partners. Viet Nam will also work
hard to coordinate and push the ASEAN+3 and EAS cooperation. A
dynamic and closely integrated ASEAN will serve as the most
important element towards the East Asian Community. In that line, I
call upon the developed partners to continue the support and
assistance to help ASEAN build its Community by 2015, especially in
the efforts to narrow the development gap and increase intra-bloc
connectivity.
In my view, in 2010 and beyond, resources should be pooled in order
to step up macro-policy coordination, promote sustainable growth in
the region, and maintain the economic dynamism of Asia, with focus
on the following priorities: First, to enhance financial and
monetary cooperation, soon implement the agreement on the Chiang Mai
Initiative Multi-lateralisation, and improve the resilience of
banking systems in the region. It is essential for East Asian
countries to make active and practical contributions to the reforms
of international financial and monetary institutions and global
governing bodies, including the G-20. The Republic of Korea, an East
Asian nation, co-hosts the G-20 Summit this year, and this will be
an opportunity for East Asia to win a higher profile. ASEAN also
looks forward to continued participation at G-20 meetings.
Second, it is important to push cooperation in the fields of
economics, trade and investment, increase the proportion of
intra-regional trade and investment, and meet the schedules of free
trade areas between ASEAN and China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia
and New Zealand respectively. It is high time for East Asian
economies to show the strong determination to step up regional and
international economic integration, promote trade liberalisation,
fight against protectionism, and display an active role to promote
an early conclusion of the Doha Round.Third, we should work together
to improve the infrastructure connectivity in order to facilitate
trade and investment as well as people-to-people exchanges. I look
forward to the support and assistance from the partners, regional
and international organisations to help ASEAN realise its Master
Plan on Connectivity, which can serve as the platform to connect
East Asia. Fourth, it is essential to enhance cooperation in
response to global challenges like climate change, food and energy
security, environmental degradation, natural disasters and diseases.
I believe that ASEAN in particular, and East Asia at large, should
take the lead in regional and international efforts against climate
change. I would propose an East Asian Forum on Climate Change where
we can work closely to develop joint regional actions. The forum
might evolve into a global framework to address this huge challenge
of mankind. Viet Nam is willing to host the first meeting of such
forum in 2010. Fifth, the cooperation in culture, tourism, education
and the academic and people-to-people exchange should be further
promoted to create and nurture the mutual understanding and trust,
and improve awareness of the whole community and regional identity.
To this end, I urge Japan, China and Korea, the three pillars of
East Asia, to set up an East Asian Fund for Education and Cultural
Exchange.
Many important pre-conditions for the East Asian Community are put
in place. However, due to the diversity of countries in the region,
building of an East Asian Community is a big challenge and is a
time-consuming process. It is important to bear in mind and make
sure that the East Asian Community building is an inclusive process
with peace, stability, cooperation, development and common
prosperity as its objectives, economic integration as its main tool
and ASEAN at its centre. Therefore, apart from pushing economic
cooperation, it is essential to promptly address issues that may
affect regional security and stability, and pay due attention to
promoting confidence building measures. Successful building of East
Asian Community is also a precondition for Asia to have a stronger
voice in the international arena.
From http://english.vietnamnet.vn/ 01/30/2010
TOP↑
Central Anti-Corruption
Agency Keeping an Eye Out for Banker's Bribes
Bridge – A Central Steering Board for Corruption Combating senior
official said that the board will keep an eye on the bribery case of
the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam's (BIDV) deputy
general director. The vice chief of the Central Steering Board for
Corruption Combating, Vu Tien Chien, said that the case of BIDV's
Doan Tien Dung is very serious. Dung is accused of taking bribes
worth 1 billion dong. "We congratulate Hanoi authorities in taking
drastic action. This case is a success in combating corruption,"
Chien said. He said this is a very serious case but it did not
surprise him.
BIDV's deputy general director Dung was detained on February 3 for
allegedly receiving bribes. According to sources, Dung was arrested
under orders from the Ministry of Public Security. The 54-year-old,
who has been BIDV deputy general director since September 2008 after
being director of the branch in the coastal city of Hai Phong, was
caught red-handed by Hanoi's economic police on February 2 while he
was receiving nearly VND1 billion (US$54,000) from a company whose
name is yet to be released. A BIDV official from the Hai Phong
branch was also detained for involvement in the case and BIDV's
leaders have confirmed the arrest, but refused to make information
or comment on the case. BIDV, a state-owned commercial bank, is
among the largest banks in the country.
From http://english.vietnamnet.vn/ 02/04/2010
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INDIA: Top Level
Executives Are Most Corrupt
New Delhi: About 86 percent of Indian employees believe that
corruption is a common phenomenon in corporate India and those
at the top management level indulge the most in it. The
acceptance towards corruption increases from lower management
(83.4 percent) to middle management (88.1 percent) and further
to senior management (90.2 percent)," said the survey by market
research and consulting firm Marketing and Development Research
Associates (MDRA). The study by MDRA was conducted among 742
employees across the sectors in Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Mumbai,
Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. The employees
surveyed have ranked monetary transaction as the most prevalent
form of corruption while nepotism comes at bottom. Monetary
transaction at 39.2 percent is followed by exploitation at 17.1
percent. Besides, breach of trust and fraud are the other form
of corruptions widely seen in the corporate world. When it comes
to activity-wise corruption, 36 percent respondents said most
frequent corruption is observed in recruitment process followed
by promotion/performance appraisal (24 percent). Further, 22
percent of the surveyed employees said that it occurs most in
procurement and 17 percent of them consider it is visible in
project implementation, the survey said.
From http://www.siliconindia.com/ 01/25/2010
TOP↑
PAKISTAN: President Signs
New Summary of Judges Appointment
ISLAMABAD: Following the advice of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf
Raza Gilani, President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday night signed
the summary of appointment of justices Saqib Nisar and Asif Saeed
Khosa as permanent judges of the Supreme Court and Justice Khalilur
Rehman Ramday as ad hoc judge of the apex court for one year. The
summary was drafted in light of the decision taken by Chief Justice
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza
Gilani at a meeting on Wednesday at the Prime Minister House.
Spokesman for the president Farhatullah Babar told The News that the
Presidency received the summary, along with the advice of Prime
Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, and President Asif Ali Zardari
signed and sent it back to the Prime Minister House. After the
signing of the summary, the Ministry of Law will issue a formal
notification for the appointment of Justice Saqib Nisar and Justice
Asif Saeed Khosa of the Lahore High Court as judges of the Supreme
Court while Khalilur Rehman Ramday as ad hoc judge of the apex court
for one year.
The president, on the advice of the prime minister, also appointed
the following 22 additional judges in the Lahore High Court (LHC)
and nine additional judges in the Sindh High Court (SHC): Additional
LHC judges: Mian Shahid Iqbal, advocate; M Farrukh Irfan Khan,
advocate; Mamoon Rashid Shaikh, advocate; Shaukat Umar Pirzada,
advocate; Waqar Hassan Mir, advocate; Yawar Ali Khan, advocate;
Muhammad Khalid Mahmood, advocate; Ch Shahid Saeed, advocate; M
Anwar Bhour, advocate; Ijaz Ahmad, advocate; Sardar Muhammad Shamim
Khan, advocate; Hassan Raza Pasha, advocate; Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar
Naqvi, advocate; Muhammad Anwaarul Haq, advocate; Muhammad Qasim
Khan, advocate; Shahid Hameed Dar, advocate; Ch Muhammad Tariq,
advocate; Mazhar Iqbal Sidhu, advocate; Rauf Ahmad Shaikh; Shaikh
Ahmad Farooq; Muhammad Naseem Akhtar; Syed Akhlaq Ahmad. Additional
SHC judges: Nisar Muhammad Shaikh; Syed Zakir Hussain; Syed Hasan
Azhar Rizvi, advocate; Salman Hamid, advocate; Zahid Hamid,
advocate; Muhammad Tasnim, advocate; Muhammad Ali Mazhar, advocate;
Imam Bux Baloch, advocate; Abdul Hadi Khoso, advocate.
From http://pakistanlink.org/ 02/18/2010
TOP↑
Appointment of
Administrators: LG Notification Causes Embarrassment to Sindh
Government
The Sindh government had to face embarrassment on Friday when it
notified the appointment of administrators on town and taluka levels
without notifying removal of the nazims. Sources asaid that the
provincial government, which is said to have faced the same
embarrassment in the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court,
committed another mistake over the appointment of administrators, in
place of the nazims. According to sources, the notification created
serious misunderstanding between the coalition partners-PPP and MQM.
MQM had already expressed its concerns over the issue of civil
servants being appointed as administrators, and it has taken the new
development very seriously. Through the notification, No, SOIII (LG)/37-7/21010
of the Sindh Local Government, as per the amendment made in Section
179 (A) of Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO)-2010, by the
Provincial Assembly, the Town/Taluka Municipal Officers (TMOs) are
assigned the responsibilities of administrators in their respective
Town/Taluka Municipal Administrations with immediate effect and
until further order.
The notification said that the TMOs will further assume the charge
and perform the functions and exercise the power of the Talika/Town
Nazims as laid down in the said section of the ordinance till the
newly elected nazims take oath of their offices. Through the
notification, the existing TMOs in Karachi, including Farrukh Zaidi,
Khalid, Mukhtar, Latif Loadhi, Fuzail Bukhari, Imran Aslam, Mushtaq
Memon, Shafiqur Rehman, Raoosi, Munawwar, Ather Saeed, Qamaruddin
Sheikh, Dr Hamid Sheikh, Noman Arshad, Mukhtar Palijo, Kamal, Ahmed
Nadir Wasan and Gul Hassan Baloch have been appointed in 18 towns
like North Nazimabad, Liaqtabad, Saddar, Gulberg, Shah Faisal, SITE,
Korangi, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Lyari, Keamari, Baldia, Orangi, Jamshed,
Landhi, Malir, New Karachi, Bin Qasim, and Gaddap town respectively.
It further said that the formal orders in respect of posting of
administrators would be issued after completion of all codal
formalities. But soon after the issuance of the notification, the
nazims rejected the move as against the rules and SLGO 2010. After
severe criticism over the move, the provincial government had to
cancel the notification while suspending the Additional Secretary,
Local Government Department.
The notification, sources said, was also issued without consensus
between PPP and MQM - the coalition partners in Sindh. Interestingly,
the order was issued in such haste that both Governor Dr Ishratul
Ibad and Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah were also unaware of the
decision. This made hue and cry in the province. On the other hand,
Siraj Durrani, Minister for Local Governmen, said that no
notification was issued by the government and the notification
issued by the local government department on Friday was a fake.
Besides suspending the additional secretary, investigation on the
issue has already been started, he added. He said that a
notification would be issued for dissolution of the existing nazims,
and the names of administrators would later be announced through
second notification. He said that the core committee meeting would
to be held on Saturday to solve the outstanding issues related to
the local government system.
From http://www.brecorder.com/ 02/20/2010
TOP↑
PML-N Assures Transparency
in Utilisation of Funds
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League PML-N's central leader and
candidate for NA-123 Mohammad Pervez Malik has said that development
funds, allocated for NA-123 would be utilised transparently and no
mismanagement would be tolerated. He was addressing a huge gathering
at Shad Bagh here on Friday. Provincial Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja
Rehman, MPA Chaudhry Shahbaz Ahmad and Hafiz Kamran Kafil also spoke
on the occasion. Malik further said that he had planned to establish
free dispensaries in various areas of NA-123 so that people could
get free health facilities. He said that he would leave no stone
unturned to fulfil the task given by the chief minister of Punjab.
From http://www.brecorder.com/ 02/20/2010
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AZERBAIJAN: Parliament to
Mull Municipalities' Activities
The Azerbaijani Parliament will mull yearly report on
municipalities' activities. "Feb.23, the Parliamentary meeting
will discuss the yearly report of the Justice Ministry's Center
on Work with Municipalities, which controls the municipalities'
activities," the parliamentary press-service reported. The
meeting's agenda also includes discussion of the bill on
amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Nakhchivan
Autonomous Republic (NAR). "In addition, the parliament will
mull the constitution bill "On the principles of Azerbaijan's
economic independence" in connection with the application of the
referendum act "On Changes and Amendments to the Azerbaijani
Constitution, Adopted by Referendum March 18, 2009", the source
reported. The meeting will also discuss on second reading the
draft law "On combating disease caused by human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV)." A bill on amendments to Civil Code also was
included in the agenda.
From http://en.trend.az/ 02/22/2010
TOP↑
IRAQ: Election Bans Raise
Fears of Sectarianism, Renewed Violence
Concerns are growing in Iraq that an election blacklist crafted
by a Shi'a-led panel is exacerbating tensions between Sunni and
Shi'ite Arabs - threatening prospects for reconciliation. A
prominent Sunni coalition has suspended campaigning for the March 7
parliamentary elections as Iraq's election commission prepares a
final list of eligible candidates - a list of 6,000 names that
would reflect the ban against candidates with alleged links to
Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party. The Al-Iraqiyah coalition has called
for an urgent session of parliament to debate the bans imposed by
Iraq's Justice and Accountability Commission. The panel, headed by
Shi'ite official Ahmad Chalabi, is widely seen to be preventing
Sunni leaders from running in the March 7 elections - despite the
fact that many Shi'a also were blacklisted for alleged ties with the
outlawed Ba'ath Party. Maysun al-Damaloji, a member of the Al-Iraqiyah
coalition, said an urgent session of parliament should assess some
specific cases in which the bans were imposed.
"To confirm the seriousness of Al-Iraqiyah, it has decided to
suspend its election campaign immediately, waiting for the results
of the meeting that we have called for earlier," she said. Damaloji
also said Al-Iraqiyah is considering a boycott of the parliamentary
elections if its complaints are not addressed - a move that could
throw the vote into turmoil.
Appeals Rejected
On February 14, Chalabi's de-Ba'athification panel announced that
only 67 out of more than 500 banned candidates have been cleared to
run after the completion of an appeals process. Some 300 candidates
have either been replaced by their parties or have simply dropped
out of the running without challenging the ban. Panel attorney Abdul
Rihman Sabri said that out of 177 who appealed the ban, 26 were
successful. Meanwhile, a seven-judge panel appointed by Iraq's
Supreme Court is continuing to examine a few of the appeals. Among
those whose appeals were rejected are two of the most prominent
Sunni politicians in Iraq: Salih al-Mutlaq and Dhafer al-Ani. Both
are fierce critics of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who has
led the push for de-Ba'athification. Dozens of candidates from
Multaq's Iraqi National Movement are also banned, along with about
70 members of Al-Iraqiyah.
Sectarian Fears
U.S. officials say they worry that escalating tensions over the ban
could lead to increased sectarian violence across the country -
setting back security gains ahead of the planned withdrawal of U.S.
combat troops by the end of August. Despite the overall decline in
violence in Iraq since a 2008 troop surge and the bolstering of
Iraqi security forces, there has recently been a fresh wave of
violence in Baghdad targeting security forces and political figures.
Some ordinary Iraqis say they are concerned about the broader impact
that a ban against many leading Sunni figures could have on the
security situation. One 30-year-old Sunni woman in Baghdad told RFE/RL's
Radio Free Iraq that she and other Sunnis are afraid the ban will
lead to renewed violence. "At least he haven't been hearing bombs
and explosions, or seeing abductions, like we did before," the woman
said. "When they decided to impose this ban, didn't they consider
how this could bring a return of violence and sectarianism?"
Indeed, five political parties in Baghdad have been targeted by
bombings since the panel announced the rejection of the Sunni
appeals. Those attacks targeted the offices of three Sunni-dominated
parties that have candidates on the blacklist, as well as two groups
that were unaffected by the bans. Some residents of Baghdad's
northeastern Shi'ite neighborhood of Sadr City say the panel's ban
is justified because of the brutal oppression against the Shi'ite
majority and Kurds under Saddam Hussein. One resident of Sadr City,
a Shi'a in his mid-20s, told Radio Free Iraq that many Iraqis fear
that former Ba'athists would be elected if they are allowed to run
for parliament. "It's good that they removed the Ba'athists from the
election. I don't want them involved in the government nor in the
election," he said. "During the Saddam era, they destroyed us. We
don't want them any more." Still, both Shi'ite and Sunni Iraqis have
expressed skepticism about the ban - saying they think it is a
government ploy to distract attention from official corruption and
its inability to provide security or basic services to the country.
From http://www.reliefweb.int/ 02/15/2010
TOP↑
UN Calls on Iraqis to Vote
in March Elections, Looks to Its Future Role
The UN Security Council has urged all Iraqis to participate in
parliamentary elections on March 7 and stressed the importance of a
ballot that is "free, fair, transparent, legitimate, and inclusive."
At a session on February 16, the 15-member council heard from the
UN's special envoy for Iraq, Ad Melkert, that some 19 million Iraqis
are expected to participate in the poll, in addition to those voting
absentee in 16 countries. Support from the UN's electoral team has
played a key role in organizing the vote, he said. Members discussed
the need for a strong rule of law in Iraq and pledged to support the
Iraqi government in its effort to build consensus and reconciliation
among various political forces. Noting that a strong election law is
now in place, Melkert said Iraq is very much a constitutional
democracy in action. And he said the UN is well positioned in the
country to bridge differences. He called on all political parties to
accept the results of the elections, which he said will be the
"litmus test for the success or failure of the [democratic] process"
in Iraq.
But Melkert said that while the Iraqi government looks favorably on
the work of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), there is
still friction between the UN authority and Baghdad. One sore point,
he said, is the lack of transparency in the process that led to the
controversial exclusion of 177 Shi'ite candidates from the March
ballot. Iraq's ambassador to the UN, Hamid al-Bayati. "With regards
to elections, we have strongly advised on the process and advocated
for transparency and consistency, making clear why candidates would
be banned, as there is a legal basis for that which in itself is
legitimate," Melkert said. "But the way that you deal with it should
be as transparent as possible, and I have concerns about the lack of
transparency in a number of cases and we have not hidden that
opinion."
Decisions Being Appealed
Iraq's UN Ambassador Hamid al-Bayati told the council that the
decision was related to court rulings for nonpolitical crimes or
false documentation. He said a committee will review the files of
all the candidates who were banned from running. Those candidates -
overwhelmingly Sunnis who were considered loyal to Saddam Hussein's
outlawed Ba'ath Party - are appealing the decision, which has
threatened to disrupt the elections. Although the UN has worked with
the Iraqi election commission, Melkert said, it has not participated
in ballot qualification decisions. "That process has already been
nearly completed, as I understand, and that has led to the allowance
of more or less 26 candidates [who] were taken off the list," he
said, with the other appeals rejected. UNAMI has also expressed deep
concern about Iraq's human rights record, which has been taken up by
the UN Human Rights Council. Baghdad has been criticized for
instituting the death penalty, for tolerating so-called "honor
killings," and for disregarding press freedoms.
Vital Role
But Bayati said that, despite the disagreements, the UN still plays
a vital role in Iraq. "Without the United Nations, Iraq wouldn't be
able to have the constitution. In addition to helping with the
constitution and elections and the political process," Bayati said,
"the United Nations is helping Iraqis about disputed internal
territories, and they're helping with the issue of Kirkuk. And then
they are helping also with another important issue, which is Iraq
relations with neighboring countries." Melkert also told the council
that preparations need to be made for the end of 2011, when U.S.
combat forces are scheduled to leave the country. "We need to
prepare for that, also in terms of our security support and
logistics. That comes with [a] price tag; we will discuss that with
the [UN General Assembly]," he said. "But first of all it needs to
be based on the request of the Iraqi government as to what they
expect the UN to do in the next few years, and there's no doubt that
we will be discussing it over the months ahead." Bayati also said
the government is taking steps to ensure that citizens can vote
without fear of threats from Al-Qaeda and supporters of Saddam
Hussein's former regime. He told the council that "enemies of Iraq"
killed 196 civilians last month.
From http://www.globalsecurity.org/ 02/17/2010
TOP↑
IRAN: Opposition Must Take
Back the Initiative
For weeks, millions of Iranians and people around the world were
waiting with anticipation to see if massive street protests would be
repeated in Iran, and whether once again the fragility of the
Islamic republic would be proven. It did not happen. The Tehran
regime, knowing that one more popular outburst could irreversibly
damage it, began preparing for "D-Day." It brought massive force to
the capital, protecting every square and main intersection. It also
brought tens of thousands of supporters from small towns - who were
rewarded handsomely to be sure. It shut down text messaging, it
slowed down the Internet, and began a wave of arrests and
intimidation. The Green popular protest movement, which has no
official leader, could not capitalize on the element of surprise any
longer. The regime was ready to use violence and had mobilized its
welfare system to bring large numbers to the anniversary ceremonies.
This much was obvious two or three weeks before the February 11
events. It was at this point that the three unofficial leaders of
the protest movement came out to call upon the people to "peacefully
and quietly" participate in the anniversary gatherings and "voice"
their demands. Many supporters of the Green Movement did just that,
but once in the streets or in the ceremonies, they were overwhelmed
by the well-organized security forces and regime supporters. The
result was that no massive protests took place and one can even
argue that their presence in the ceremonies bolstered the claim of
the government that their organized events were resoundingly
successful. Obviously, somewhere and somehow, the calculations of
Mohammad Khatami, Mehdi Karrubi, and Mir Hossein Musavi, the three
leaders, came out to be less than correct. What were they thinking?
One possibility is that they did not see any other alternative but
to try to challenge the regime by not backing down, hoping that
protesters would make enough noise anyway.
Element Of Surprise
But perhaps this was exactly the moment when the movement had to
show some sophistication and not fall into the trap set by the
regime. One tactic would have been to wait for the government to
mobilize its resources for February 11 and then announce a boycott
of the staged ceremonies. The three leaders could have called on
their supporters to stay home that day and shout their demands from
rooftops, as they have done so effectively since June. In this way
they would have had a better chance of demonstrating the power of
the movement. This would have also given a chance to a public,
subjected to weeks of intimidation, to have voiced its protest
without taking the great personal risk of confrontation in the
streets. One obvious rigidity of the protest movement in Iran is its
tight attachment to important days of mourning or celebrations. This
gives the regime advance warning to prepare for confrontation and
also time to recoup and deal with opponents in between waves of
protests. Therefore, the protest movement should be more innovative
and flexible to try to choose its own time, place, and method of
defiance.
Now, the initiative seems to have passed into the hands of the
regime. Of course, in any revolutionary environment nothing is
permanent. This was a tactical victory for the regime, but we have
not heard the last word from Tehran.
From http://www.rferl.org/ 02/12/2010
TOP↑
KYRGYZSTAN: President's
Brother Creates Elite Military Unit
The younger brother of Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev has
created an elite military unit that he will control, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz
Service reports. Janysh Bakiev, who heads the State Security
Service, has established a military unit called Arystan (The Lion).
The new force was created on the basis of President Bakiev's
recommendations for amending the constitution. One recommendation
was to dissolve the 2,000-strong National Guard and transfer its
responsibilities to the State Security Service, which reports
directly to the president. Bishkek-based analyst Tabyldy Akerov told
RFE/RL that special military units should only be subordinated to
such state bodies as the National Security Service, the Defense
Ministry, and the Interior Ministry. He said the president's
decision to establish a military unit controlled solely by himself
and his brother is intended to prevent any revolt similar to the
so-called Tulip Revolution that toppled President Askar Akaev and
brought Bakiev to power in 2005. Kyrgyz Parliament deputy Beishenbek
Abdrasakov, a member of the ruling Ak-Jol (Bright Path) Party, told
RFE/RL that the creation of Arystan to protect the country's
leadership is an "important and timely" move.
From http://www.timesca.com/ 02/18/2010
TOP↑
KAZAKHSTAN: The Fugitive
to Press Case Against Nazarbaev's Son-In-Law
Fugitive Kazakh banker Mukhtar Ablyazov has vowed to continue
publishing documents implicating Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbaev's son-in-law, Timur Kulibaev, has been involved in corrupt
business deals, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. On February 1,
Kazakh officials impounded the editions of five opposition and
independent newspapers that contain a statement by Ablyazov alleging
serious corruption by Kulibaev. Ablyazov told RFE/RL in an exclusive
interview he was aware of a defamation lawsuit filed by Kulibaev
against him and the newspapers but that it wouldn't deter him. An
Almaty district court ordered the seizure of the newspapers after
Kulibaev filed the lawsuit against the publications "Respublika," "Golos
Respubliki" (Voice of the Republic), "Vzglyad" (Glance), "Kursiv,"
and "Kursiv-News." Ablyazov alleged in the newspapers that Kulibaev
illegally obtained tens of millions of dollars in a deal with
Chinese National Petroleum Corporation several years ago.
Ablyazov left Kazakhstan for London in 2009 after his BTA Bank was
taken over by the government. Presidential son-in-law Timur
KulibaevHe says there is a positive side to Kulibaev's lawsuit
against him. "Since this is a civil case, the trial should be open,
and if it is open I am ready to prove every word of mine with
documents and other materials I have," he said. Ablyazov said this
is also a good opportunity to check if Nazarbaev was sincere when he
said publicly several times that his children and other relatives
are not special and are like all citizens of Kazakhstan. He said he
intends to make several more public statements via the Internet and
independent media in the near future. Ablyazov said a group of
businessmen approached him recently seeking some documents I have
"so that they could file lawsuits against Kulibaev, and I am ready
to help them." He said the time has come for Kazakhstan's business
community to clear up some issues with Nazarbaev's second
son-in-law. Kulibaev is an executive in many of Kazakhstan's
energy-related businesses and the husband of Nazarbaev's second
daughter, Dinara.
From http://www.rferl.org/ 02/04/2010
TOP↑
TURKMENISTAN: Specialists
Discuss Issues Related to Accounting and Auditing Reform
"Accounting and Auditing Reforms in Turkmenistan: Analysis and
Perspectives" is the topic of a two-day conference, which is being
held at "President" Hotel in Ashgabat. It was organized by the
Turkmen side and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in
cooperation with the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID). The conference brought together representatives
of financial organizations and banks, economic sector organizations
and research institutions of Turkmenistan. The conference is also
attended by experts from the International Accounting Standards
Board (IASB), the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC),
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the
World Bank as well as heads and employees of leading international
banks in Turkmenistan and specialists from Kazakhstan.
From http://www.turkmenistan.ru/ 02/04/2010
TOP↑
Minister of Communications
of Turkmenistan Severely Reprimanded
President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed a
decree severely reprimanding Minister of Communications Ovlyaguly
Dzhumagulyev for "unsatisfactory performance of official duties,
poor management of subordinate agencies and enterprises, as well as
poor work on developing the sphere of communication." The Minister
has been warned that if he fails to correct promptly the drawbacks
he will be relieved of his post, the Turkmenistan.ru correspondent
reports from Ashgabat quoting the press service of the President of
Turkmenistan.
From http://www.turkmenistan.ru/ 02/09/2010
TOP↑
Turkmenistan Leader Says
Open to Opposition Party
Turkmenistan's leader, accused by the West of trampling people's
basic rights, today said he was open to the creation of an
opposition party as part of moves towards democracy in the former
Soviet republic. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, in power for
three years, chairs the only political party in Turkmenistan and
allows no public criticism or opposition to his rule. A new party
would not be expected to be a real opposition force, in a country
where no public figure would risk his career by criticizing state
policies, though rights groups would be expected to welcome it as a
step forward. "We could register a new political party this year
within the framework of the constitution if someone comes up with
the initiative to do so," Berdymukhammedov told a government
meeting. "Creating opposition parties would be an important event in
the social and political life of the country," he added. "Our
society will continue to develop in a democratic way."
Berdymukhammedov came to power after the death of Saparmurat Niyazov,
who ruled the Caspian nation through a mixture of Stalinist
repression, personality cult and eccentric decrees such as a
long-standing ban on gold teeth.
The new leader promised to open up the country and mend its image
abroad, promoting foreign investment and reform. Critics say he has
made progress in economic reform but has failed to introduce
political freedom. Central Asia's biggest gas producer, Turkmenistan
is trying to break away from Russia's orbit and forge closer
relations with Europe, a potentially huge gas consumer.
Berdymukhammedov has pursued an increasingly independent foreign and
trade policy, building new pipelines to China and Iran and allowing
Western companies to explore possibilities in its strategic sectors.
But Turkmenistan is still ranked alongside North Korea in the 2009
press freedom index of Reporters Without Borders. U.S.-based Freedom
House included Turkmenistan in its 2009 list of the world's worst
human rights violators.
From http://www.rferl.org/ 02/19/2010
TOP↑
UZBEKISTAN: Officials
Learn Ensuring Information Security
Deputies and assistants of governors of Tashkent city, Tashkent
region, Jizzakh region and Syrdarya region participated at the
educational seminar in Tashkent on 3 February 2010. The seminar is
aimed at improving skills and knowledge of local officials in
political, social and economic spheres, their responsibility to
implement priority tasks on reforming and liberalization of economy.
During the seminar, the officials also discussed issues of
information tools in management and ensuring national security in
informatization process. The seminar underlined that Uzbekistan pays
great attention to ensuring information security in state level.
Participants reviewed issues of threat classification at
construction of information security organization, selection of
anti-virus solutions, combating cyber crimes and others. The similar
educational seminars are organized in other regions of Uzbekistan.
From http://www.uzdaily.com/ 02/04/2010
TOP↑
President of Uzbekistan
Receives Head of ADB
President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received President of the
Asian Development Bank Haruhiko Kuroda at Oqsaroy residence in
Tashkent on 16 February. Welcoming the head of ADB, President
Karimov said that Uzbekistan was actively cooperating with many
international financial institutions, and that ties with ADB were
especially important for the country. Being a long-time reliable
partner of Uzbekistan, the ADB, jointly with Uzbek specialists,
continuously develops and implements the strategy of cooperation in
many sectors of the country's economy. The 43rd Annual meeting of
the ADB, scheduled for 1-4 May in Tashkent, will be the first such
forum in Central Asia, which demonstrates the acknowledgement of the
effectiveness of the Uzbek model of reforms by the international
community. Since 1995, when Uzbekistan became a full-fledged member
of the ADB, the country has received credit resources worth over USD
1.2 billion, which were used for implementation of strategically
important projects in transport infrastructure, energy, agriculture,
education, small business and other areas.
Today, the ADB tops the list of international financial
organizations cooperating with Uzbekistan in terms of the volume of
the provided credits. At the negotiations at Oqsaroy residence,
Haruhiko Kuroda affirmed the ADB's intent to expand the scale of
cooperation with Uzbekistan in various sectors of economy. Islam
Karimov and Haruhiko Kuroda discussed issues of further
strengthening of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the ADB, as well
as other topic representing mutual interest.
From http://uza.uz/ 02/16/2010
TOP↑
Experts: Poor Political
Systems in Central Asia May Lead to Extremism
Poor political systems in Central Asia may lead to extremism,
experts believe. "If Central Asian countries were stable and the
social and economic situation were better, extremism would not have
a chance," German expert on Central Asia Michael Laubsch wrote Trend
News in an e-mail. Reports of religious extremism have surfaced more
frequently in Central Asia as of late. Many consider the reason to
be the intensification of radical groups in neighboring Afghanistan.
However, experts think the threat of terrorism comes from the
countries themselves. "In my opinion, extremism always arises in the
country or region itself. It cannot be 'imported' without having a
ground in the region itself," Laubsch said. The reason is the
population's social and economic problems, the expert said. The lack
of opportunity for social advancement and continued repression
against many Muslims leads them to join fringe Islamic groups, U.S.
expert on Central Asia Bruce Pannier wrote Trend News via e-mail.
"Every time a Central Asian government, usually the Uzbek
government, arrests someone simply because they observe Islamic
rituals or had a cousin or other relative who was involved with a
banned group, these governments create 10 to 20 (or more) new
enemies among the families of the detained," he said. The failure of
rigid governments to acknowledge their own mistakes also leads
people to believe there is no legal way to change the system,
Pannier said. The disastrous economic situation and lack of a
"normal opposition" also encourages people to express political
protest in the religious form, Alexei Malashenko, who heads a
religious and political studies program in Eurasia at the Carnegie
Moscow Center, told Russia's Voice of America Service. Thus, Islam
becomes the only hope for social justice. "I do not want to say that
most people place their hopes on an Islamic alternative, but this
idea has penetrated to the masses," he said. It is possible to
reduce the threat of spreading religious terrorism in the region by
improving the lives of the population, the experts believe.
The best way to prevent a rise in Islamic extremism and militancy is
to work on improving living conditions, employment opportunities and
allow secular opposition parties to play a greater role in politics,
thus giving frustrated individuals a vehicle to express their
opinion, Pannier said. Kazakhstan, for example, may not be an ideal
society, but there are more opportunities for advancement there than
in the rest of Central Asia. The standard of living is also higher
in Kazakhstan and the threat of militancy is lower than in the other
Central Asian states, the expert said. The threat is real and could
raise tensions and provoke state crackdowns, but "I do not think
that at this time there are enough members in radical groups in
Central Asia to pose a serious threat of overthrowing any of the
governments there," Pannier said. They could, as they have before,
create chaos in the region and cause outside governments to wonder
how stable Central Asia really is, the expert said. "If a group
could sustain its presence in Central Asia and carry out even a
couple of attacks per year for four or five years straight it could
eventually recruit many of the disaffected citizens to join. Then it
would be a problem," Pannier said.
From Trend News 02/18/2010
TOP↑
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AUSTRALIA: Greens Offer
Interim Carbon Deal
THE Greens are cautiously optimistic that the climate change
plan they are negotiating with the government could be a circuit
breaker able to win support from Labor and the Coalition in the
Senate. The Greens are offering the Rudd government a climate
change "Plan B" which would start an emission reduction program
with a direct carbon price, while leaving the decision on
establishment of a carbon market for later. That would also
allow the government to revamp and simplify its
politically-fraught household compensation package. Greens
leader Bob Brown said he thought the plan - for an interim
carbon tax starting at $23 a tonne for two years while agreement
was reached on the best kind of carbon pricing - "has got a
real prospect of being the circuit breaker the community wants
to see on this issue". Greens senator Christine Milne has had
two meetings with Climate Change Minister Penny Wong about the
plan, which would allow the government to leave open the
possibility of a long-term carbon tax if the US moves away from
an emissions trading market, and to increase and simplify
household compensation measures, which it is struggling to
explain.
For the Greens the plan at least leaves open the possibility of
a tougher emission reduction target, instead of both major
parties locking in behind a minimum 5 per cent cut in emissions
by 2020. Australia's target would be determined after the
two-year interim period. "It puts a carbon price in place
straight away, that starts the job and offers some certainty to
business and it at least leaves the door open for a tougher
target down the track, even though that would not be
guaranteed," Senator Brown said. For the plan to succeed it
would need the support of two other senators - at least one of
the two Liberal senators who crossed the floor to vote with the
government on the emissions trading legislation and independent
Nick Xenophon. Both the Greens and Labor are sounding out those
votes. "I am due to meet both Senator Brown and Senator Wong
next week. I remain to be convinced, but I am willing to talk,"
Senator Xenophon said yesterday. Neither of the Liberal floor
crossers - Judith Troeth and Sue Boyce - would comment, but
Senator Brown said he would also seek to talk to them next week.
The Greens have adopted a suggestion originally made by
government climate adviser Ross Garnaut in his 2008 report that
an interim carbon price could rise by 4 per cent plus the
inflation rate each year. Senator Wong is refusing to comment on
the talks - the same rule she applied to her "good faith"
negotiations with former Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull last
year.
Tony Abbott has seized on the government's difficulties in
explaining the impact of its ETS on different types of
households, saying Kevin Rudd had "started to sound much like
John Hewson trying to explain the impact of GST on the price of
a birthday cake". "In the last 24 hours the Prime Minister, the
Deputy Prime Minister, Penny Wong and Greg Combet have all been
asked how people will not be worse off under Labor's great big
new tax ... and they just can't do it," the Opposition Leader
said. "Now, a government that doesn't know the impact of its
policies on the Australian people should drop those policies."
He challenged Mr Rudd to call an early election. "I say bring it
on," Mr Abbott said.
From http://www.theaustralian.com.au/
02/06/2010
TOP↑
Australia's Pacific
Commitment Not Diminished by Resignation: FM
Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith says
Australia's commitment to the Pacific region will not be diminished
by the resignation of Labor MP Duncan Kerr. Mr Kerr is quitting the
parliament at the next election and has stood down as Parliamentary
Secretary for Pacific Affairs. Mr Smith says that decision to
replace Mr Kerr is up to the Prime Minister and Australia's work in
the Pacific goes on. "Our enduring commitment to firstly repair and
secondly enhance our engagement with the Pacific is not dependent on
any one particular individual whether that's Duncan Kerr, Bob
McMullan or indeed even me," he said. "It's an enduring long-term
public policy commitment." The High Commissioners from Papua New
Guinea and Samoa have both expressed concern that Mr Kerr has not
yet been replaced.
Samoa's High Commissioner Lemalu Tate Simi has told Radio Australia
the delay is excessive, especially when there's been no explanation.
"We would have liked to see an appointment made by now, but we are
not privy to all the reasons behind the delay in making an
appointment," he said. "I'm sure that will be done very quickly,
very soon."
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
02/09/2010
TOP↑
Australian PM Faces
Questioning over Indigenous Promises
Australia's Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, will update parliament on
what progress has been made in indigenous living conditions since he
pledged improvements two years ago. In his "Sorry" speech two years
ago, Mr Rudd promised to halve the gap in literacy and numeracy
standards between indigenous and other Australians within a decade.
He said he wanted to make the same improvement in child mortality
statistics and to close the 17-year gap on life expectancy within a
generation. Greens Senator Rachel Siewert says she does not expect
dramatic progress yet. "The sort of statistics we're talking about
aren't going to be moving very, very quickly, because you have
entrenched disadvantage," she said. "It takes a long time to measure
some of these changes. "What we are looking for is meaningful
commitments for programs rather than spin; we're looking for proper
benchmarking; looking for putting in place proper evaluation, and
also looking for evidence that they are addressing the underlying
causes."
To boost progress towards those goals, Mr Rudd will today announce
$9 million for maternal and child health at 10 Indigenous health
centres around Australia. The mortality rate for Indigenous babies
and children is up to four times higher than for the rest of the
population. The Opposition has reminded Mr Rudd that in his apology
speech he proposed a bipartisan commission to develop a housing
strategy for remote communities over the next five years. Opposition
families spokesman Kevin Andrews says the Opposition is still
prepared to be involved but Mr Rudd has not followed through on his
offer. "We took it in good faith when the Prime Minister said he
would work with the Leader of the Opposition to establish a
commission; we were quite prepared to do that," he said. "We are
still quite prepared to do it but by the same token, this is quite
frankly another broken promise from the Prime Minister.
"There's no joint commission and we've seen the consequences of that
- namely that Aboriginal housing has been an area in which there's
been complete bungling ... and here we are almost halfway to the
five-year mark and there's real no improvement for Aboriginal
people." The government denies it has broken a promise. It says
former Opposition leader Brendan Nelson pulled out of the
Commission, but it still meets regularly.
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
02/11/2010
TOP↑
Australia Pledges Aid for
Pacific Farmers
Australia says it will spend $US8.9 million over the next four
years to improve marketing opportunities and boost agri-business in
the Pacific. The Pacific Agribusiness Research and Development
Initiative, or PARDI, especially aims to help small-holder farmers
in Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji, with a view to expanding down
the track into Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati. The new funding was
announced at the Pacific Conference on the Human Face of the Global
Economic Crisis underway in Vanuatu. Australia's Parliamentary
Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan,
attended the Port Vila conference. He says Vanuatu stands to gain
significantly from the Australian help. "They have a successful
agricultural industry here, especially the beef export industry, and
we are going to give grants to value add genetic improvement and
pasture improvement so that the small holders get a bigger return
for the cattle they grow," he said. "We are doing some activity
around supply chains to just lift the quality of the output so that
when Vanuatu is in the export market, they get higher prices."
From http://www.abc.net.au/ 02/12/2010
TOP↑
Get Climate into
Development Debate: Clark
Helen Clark, head of the United Nation's Development Agency, has
called for climate change to be put at the centre of international
development strategies. In a speech to the Lowy Institute in Sydney,
Australia, the former New Zealand prime minister set out a
four-point strategy for moving the development agenda forward. She
called for a renewed focus on meeting goals for the future and for
climate change to be placed at the centre of development thinking
and strategies. There should be particular attention to vulnerable
groups.
"For a number of Pacific Island nations and communities, climate
change is not just an abstract issue, not just an environmental or
an economic issue," Ms Clark said. "It is about their very
survival." The agency head said developing countries need support to
recover from crises and disasters and to improve their governance.
More use should be made of strong and innovative aid partnerships,
she said.
From http://australianetworknews.com/
02/12/2010
TOP↑
Australia's PM Admits Not
All Election Promises Met
Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has acknowledged that his
Government hasn't delivered everything it promised at the last
election. The Opposition has been attacking Mr Rudd for failing to
meet his 2007 election promises in areas like health and
superannuation. Mr Rudd has indicated that the Government is still
considering calling a double dissolution election if it can't get
its emissions trading scheme through parliament. But he says
whenever the election is held this year, the Government will stand
by its achievements especially keeping the economy out of recession
when the rest of the world felt the full impact of the global
financial crisis.
From http://www.australianetworknews.com/
02/14/2010
TOP↑
COOK ISLANDS: Government
Denies Constitutional Crisis
The Cook Islands government has denied there is a constitutional
crisis, despite the Prime Minister Jim Marurai saying he will not
call a meeting of parliament until September. Mr Marurai's opponents
have accused him of trying to avoid a potential vote of no
confidence which they say he will definitely lose. The Queen's
Representative to the Cook Islands has been asked to step in to
resolve the situation, but under the constitution he can't act
unless the government demonstrates it's unable to govern. The prime
minister's executive advisor Trevor Pitt has told Radio Australia's
Pacific Beat program that there is no constitutional crisis and
claims that Mr Marurai lacks majority support cannot be verified.
"Parliament is the place to put it to the test, and since there is
not going to be a Parliament, then you can't say for sure that he
doesn't have the majority support until that happens, and it's not
likely to happen any time soon."
However, Mr Pitt said it had already been established that there was
no constitutional crisis. "As there is no crisis, the Queen's
respresentative is not likely to intervene, and in fact can not
intervene until he has been advised [to do so] by the prime
minister." "We have received the constitutional advice from experts,
the prime minister has declared quite openly that he is maintaining
the integrity of the constitution, and he is keeping the
constitutional authority intact." Mr Pitt said the mood in the
islands had changed since Christmas. There is evidence now that the
mood has changed and people are prepared to give the prime minister
a go and see how he gets on with managing the priorities, and
pushing for political reform to be debated, and then see what
happens." Mr Pittt said the problem had occurred because the prime
minister had tried to hold one of his ministers accountable for "a
huge debacle".
"Suddenly there was a political backlash from his own team, who
walked away from their jobs. All he has done is replace those
ministers who walked away and continued to govern. So to portray him
as seizing power is totally wrong."
From http://www.islandsbusiness.com/ 01/28/2010
TOP↑
FIJI: State Provides
Information
THE Government Information Referral Centre is one way the
administration is trying to provide people with relevant
information. In a statement, the permanent secretary for the Public
Service, Parmesh Chand, said the Government was continuing to
strengthen its services by providing people with information suited
to their needs. He said the centre was an answer to the frustrations
of the public with government services. "The centre has teamed up
with ITC to run a call centre of high-in-demand government services,
where enquiries are given and they are directed to the right place,"
he said. Mr Chand said the centre provided up-to-date information to
locals as well as tourists on facts of Fiji, contact details of
ministries, shipping schedules, farming assistance, weather forecast
and billing enquiries.
From http://www.fijitimes.com/ 01/25/2010
TOP↑
Fiji PM Sets 2014
Retirement Date
Fiji's interim prime minister Frank Bainimarama has announced he
will retire in four years. The commodore has ignored continued
international pressure to hold elections after he seized power in
late 2006. But he is now quoted in the FijiTimes as saying he will
stand down as Army Commander in 2014. It is a move that will pave
the way for the appointment of a civilian prime minister - for which
he may be a contender.
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
02/11/2010
TOP↑
KIRIBATI: Climate Change
Plan Urged
The president of Kiribati is urging Australia's political leaders
to agree on a plan for climate change. Despite months of debate over
a possible Carbon Pollution Trading Scheme, neither side of
Australian politics seems any closer to securing an agreement.
That's something that's concerning many Pacific Island nations,
including Kiribati. The President of Kiribati, Anote Tong, says
countries like Australia need to step up and act fast. "Everyone in
Australia, in fact everyone in the planet, what we must do is the
right thing to ensure that this planet goes on," he said. "That we
dont allow people to go down, we should never get involved in that
type of moral debate."
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
02/05/2010
TOP↑
NEW ZEALAND: Small
Businesses Call for More Frontline Police
Auckland small business owners are feeling safer after a series
of violent attacks in 2008, but some say more frontline police and
security measures are needed. General secretary for the New Zealand
Indian Central Association Veer Khar said more police were needed on
the street but that small business were feeling more secure. "We can
definitely say there's been a marked improvement," Mr Khar said.
"There's something in the air. A feeling of security, whereas before
there was a feeling of insecurity." Mr Khar said some areas of South
Auckland were sparsely policed but more people are willing to come
forward and report crime. He said this was due to faster police
response times and a new willingness of small business owners to
call the police because they felt their calls will be taken
seriously. When asked what the community would like to see, he gave
one answer. "Numbers. Simple. We want the number of police on the
street increased." Paramjit Dhatt is president of the Business and
Retail Association of New Zealand and owns several small businesses
in South Auckland. He said the spate of violent attacks was "very,
very scary" but the situation seemed to have improved this year.
"We were thinking of moving out of here," Mr Dhatt said. "We feel
quite comfortable with a reduction in crime. It's getting better and
better." Mr Dhatt said there were more police in south Auckland but
he would like to see other initiatives to deter crime. "We want to
ask the government to give more money to town centres to install
CCTV cameras," he said. He has approached the Manukau City Council
for money to install CCTV cameras around his businesses, because a
presence of cameras reduces crime - especially offences such as bag
snatching, he said. Police Minister Judith Collins said she had put
165 extra front-line police in south Auckland this year and would
put 300 in by the end of 2010. "All I'm hearing from the business
community is that they are feeling so much better about the extra
police," Ms Collins said. She said statistics had improved
"remarkably" in some areas of South Auckland, and the number of
robberies had fallen overall.
Figures from Statistics New Zealand show recorded robberies in
Counties-Manukau for June-July 2007/8 fell from 634 to 594 June-July
2008/9. However, recorded aggravated robberies increased from 295 to
316. Labour Law and Order spokesman Clayton Cosgrove said Ms Collins
tried to take credit for Labour putting more police staff on the
ground, and was not doing enough to increase security in south
Auckland. He said the first thing National should do is put $21
million cut from the police funds back into the budget. "Judith
Collins is well-known for getting tough, but there's a gap between
the rhetoric and what's being done on the ground," he said. Ms
Collins dismissed this notion, saying Mr Cosgrove's attacks were him
"doing what he's always done," and said the police budget for this
term was $200 million. She said the Labour government did not put
the numbers into South Auckland when it was in power, neglecting the
area.
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ 01/26/2010
TOP↑
NEW ZEALAND: Public
Servants Should Not Be Paid More Than PM
Public service chief executives should never be paid more than
the prime minister, Labour Party leader Phil Goff said today,
announcing the new policy in a speech in Hamilton. Mr Goff, who was
re-elected unopposed in the leader role at his party's first caucus
of the year on Tuesday, talked about the tough economic times New
Zealand has suffered through and the impact on workers. He
criticised pay increases for state sector chiefs when others had
their pay frozen or lost their jobs. "Under Labour no public service
chief executive should be able to be paid more than the base salary
for the prime minister," Mr Goff said. "Just under $400,000 a year
should be enough to attract good people who believe public service
means just that. "I am not going to cut existing salaries but we
will introduce a cap on new salaries at the top."
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ 01/28/2010
TOP↑
Accountability Will Be
Key to Whanau Ora Taskforce Report
A taskforce report on the new Whanau Ora policy is expected to
suggest providers delivering it are held accountable to actual
improvements in a family's health and social welfare. The Whanau Ora
taskforce report is due on Thursday on the system under which
private providers will be contracted to provide all the social and
health needs of individual families, rather than dispensing help
through different government departments. Associate Social
Development Minister Tariana Turia said it would allow those
providers to work a lot more closely to monitor a family's overall
wellbeing than could currently happen with multiple government
departments looking after separate aspects. As well as financial
scrutiny, the contracts would include accountability for
improvements in areas such as health and education for individual
families. "My own view is that people must be accountable for the
money they get. Outcomes is a different story and that's where
negotiations will take place with the providers." A decision on the
initial scope of the new system and the funding required would be
made over the next three weeks so it could be included in the
Budget. While some providers would be able to get started quickly,
it was a major change and would take this year for it to be "bedded
down".
Prime Minister John Key has thrown his support behind the Maori
Party policy and agreed to include it in May's Budget, but has
stipulated it must cater for all those in need rather than solely
Maori. Mrs Turia agreed there was a need to include all low-income
families, saying that during the consultation many non-Maori had
also shown an interest in it. Labour MP Shane Jones said the policy
was a means of currying favour with Maori Party supporters and
reeked of privatisation of welfare. Mrs Turia said the Labour
Government of the 1980s had started the process of privatising
social services and Labour had done little to peg it back in its
last nine years of power. "I don't call it privatisation. I call it
opening an opportunity for others who perhaps can provide better
than the state." She said that was clear in the health sector where
private providers - including iwi providers - had performed well
over the past 20 years.
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ 02/08/2010
TOP↑
Creative NZ Governance
Streamlined
Creative New Zealand's four governing bodies will be streamlined
into a single board to improve its effectiveness and to free up
resources that would be better directed to artists, under a proposal
announced today by Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage
Christopher Finlayson. A review of Creative New Zealand's governing
legislation was promised in the National Party's arts culture and
heritage policy in the 2008 election, which was informed partly by
Mr Finlayson's first hand experience as Chair of the Arts Board from
1998 to 2001. "A streamlined unitary board requires fewer resources,
and frees staff to focus on what is important - artists, arts
organisations and arts development," Mr Finlayson said. The review
of the Arts Council (also known as Creative New Zealand) has
recommended the creation of a single board responsible for policy,
strategy and funding allocation, replacing the current more unwieldy
division of responsibilities between four separate councils and
committees including the Arts Council, the Arts Board, Te Waka Toi
and the Pacific Arts Committee.
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage, working with Creative New
Zealand, Te Puni Kōkiri and the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs,
carried out the review, as well as targeted consultation with the
arts sector. The proposed streamlined board would have up to
thirteen members, including a minimum of four members with knowledge
of Māori arts and at least two with knowledge of Pacific arts. "The
new arrangement guarantees that issues involving Māori and Pacific
arts are represented at the top table for decision-making, which
under the current cumbersome structure is not the case," Mr
Finlayson said. "Along with the arts sector, which has voiced
concerns for years about Creative New Zealand's governance
structure, I am looking forward to the improvements in service,
focus and efficiency these changes will allow," Mr Finlayson said.
It is estimated that the governance reforms will reduce the number
of board and committee members from 28 to 13, and will result in
direct cost savings of approximately $200,000 per annum. Mr
Finlayson said the benefits of freeing staff up to concentrate on
core responsibilities to the arts sector, rather than servicing
bureaucracy, would be even more significant. Mr Finlayson said he
hoped legislation would be introduced this year to enact the
changes.
From http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ 02/16/2010
TOP↑
PAPUA NEW GUINEA:
Accountability Damned in Public Spending Review
A Papua New Guinea government committee says accountability and
transparency in the use of public money within all but five of 1,000
government agencies has collapsed. The report from the Public
Accounts Committee gave an example of $A40 million missing from the
National Forest Authority. The body is charged with overseeing and
administering logging permits. The committee's chairman, Timothy
Bonga, told PNG's Post-Courier newspaper he was shocked by the poor
result. He says the findings have shown that the management and
accountability by public servants and the government has collapsed
miserably. Mr Bonga says the Bank of PNG, Institute of Public
Administration, Post PNG, Goroka Base Hospital and Alotau Hospital
are the only government entities well-managed.
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
02/18/2010
TOP↑
SOLOMONS: Foreign
Minister Slams Forum Secretariat
The Solomon Islands foreign minister, William Haomae, has accused
the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat of disloyalty and
non-transparent dealings with the countries it is meant to serve. In
a letter obtained by Islands Business Magazine to the forum
secretary-general, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Mr Haomae says he speaks on
behalf of six island nations. He says they are unhappy with the
forum secretariat's handling of the appointment a chief trade
advisor for the Pacific islands. The chief trade advisor's role was
established by Pacific trade ministers to give them independent
advice in their negotiations with Australia and New Zealand over the
proposed PACER Plus trade agreement. Mr Haomae says the
secretariat's handling of the appointment of a chief trade advisor
has been characterised by "extraordinary delays".
He expresses concern that secretariat staff are trying to undermine
the independence of the trade advisors office, and that the
secretariat appears to be seeking too much financial control over
the office. Mr Haomae is the forum island countries lead spokesman
on PACER Plus negotiations. In his letter he says he is speaking on
behalf of the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru,
Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
02/17/2010
TOP↑
VANUATU: new
Parliamentary Speaker
Vanuatu's parliament has a new speaker after Maxime Carlot Korman
resigned his position rather than face a vote of no-confidence.
Former speaker, George Wells, was re-elected to the position. Mr
Korman's resignation was expected as he had earlier told the local
media that he would resign if the motion to oust him went ahead. Mr
Korman is a member of the Opposition and had survived a number of
attempts by the Vanuatu government to remove him. Our correspondent
in Port Vila, Alain Simeon, says George Wells has a military
background with strong discipline. "When he was speaker, his first
time in office, he came up with a number of rules and regulations
for members of parliament to follow and that has brought great
reputation to Vanuatu's parliament, he has tried to improve a lot on
rules and regulations in parliament."
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
01/29/2010
TOP↑
Pacific Social Safety
Nets Needed Says ADB
The Asian Development Bank says providing social safety nets for
the poor in the Pacific needs to be a priority. Otherwise, it says,
children, young people and the vulnerable will suffer lasting
disadvantage because of the global economic crisis. The comments
were made by the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Vice President,
Larry Greenwood. Mr Greenwood is one of the speakers at the
high-level Conference on the Human Face of the Global Economic
Crisis taking place in Vanuatu. He says Pacific governments need to
improve their efficiency and eliminate waste so they can maintain or
increase spending on programs for the poor. "I think that setting up
social safety nets and social protection programs are definitely a
priority and one that hasn't received enough attention." Mr
Greenwood says targeted programs, such as cash payments for families
that keep their children in school, can prevent lasting
disadvantage.
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
02/09/2010
TOP↑
UN Development Boss Says
Poverty Goals May Not Be Possible
The head of the United Nations Development Program, Helen Clark
says the millennium goal of halving world poverty by 2015, may not
be achievable. Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark issued
the warning in Vanuatu on her first visit to the Pacific since
taking over the leadership of the UN's biggest agency, the UNDP.
Regional leaders and non-government bodies are in Port Vila looking
at the impact of the global economic crisis. Ms Clark told Radio
Australia's Pacific Beat program, because of the recession there's
been an increase in the number of people going hungry around the
world. "We had been making rather good progress on goals like
cutting the numbers of extremely poor people by half, but the
recession has cast a shadow over quite a lot of this," she said.
"For example, the number of chronically hungry people in the world
is going up, not coming down - probably 150 million more this year."
She says there's no doubt the global economic crisis has led to
higher levels of poverty in the Pacific. "Many felt that perhaps
that the least developed low income parts of our world would not be
directly impacted...but that was quickly proved to be wrong because
the crisis in the developed western economies had ripple effects
right around the world," she said. "[The crisis] had an effect on
tourism for example...it had an impact on remittances, it had an
impact on demand for commodities and other exports," "All these
things came together in the Pacific and there will be no doubt that
poverty levels have risen in the Pacific as a result." She says
unless governments put in place the right policies, the poor and
vulnerable could suffer lasting disadvantages. "For example, if a
family's income deteriorates so much that they can't afford basic
healthcare, that the government's income reduces so much that it
can't afford to continue a basic healthcare system, or education
system...all of these things can have lasting effects." "If a family
that's so short of money that it can't adequately feed its children,
that could have long term effect on a child's development."
Ms Clark has urged Pacific governments to provide social safety
programs, which would ensure poor and vulnerable families would
receive enough income to live on. "[Such] programs could involve
cash for work, school feeding programs, they could involved knocking
back the cost of education and healthcare at this time, none of this
is cost free but it has to be prioritised." "What the experience of
supporting countries through previous crisis has shown is that the
social protection systems put in place has long term beneficial
impact in building social resilience." Ms Clark says she hopes her
role as the chair of the UNDP will give the Pacific a greater
profile within the United Nations. "To be seen as a Pacific person
who's gone to New York and will make sure that a flag is flown for
the visibility for the Pacific and the UN's development system so I
intend to honour that commitment."
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
02/10/2010
TOP↑
Pacific Delegates Find
Common Ground in Vanuatu
Delegates attending a global economic summit in Vanuatu last week
have drafted a statement which will be presented at the next Pacific
Island Forum leaders meeting. The conference, titled The Human Face
of the Global Economic Crisis, wrapped up on Friday after agreeing
to a plan to protect the region's most vulnerable populations from
the impact of the ongoing financial and economic crisis, and
potential future crises. Dr Will Parks, UNICEF Pacific's Chief of
policy, says the 220 delegates - which included government
ministers, development partners, non-government organisations, women
and youth groups - had little difficulty agreeing on a policy
document. "Many of the Pacific delegates found the document to be
fairly precise, and they were clear in what they needed to have in
the documents," he said. "There were just one or two points that
that were needed and would further enhanced what had been drafted
over the three days of the conference."
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
02/15/2010
TOP↑
UNDP Chief Calls for
Climate Central to Pacific Aid
The United Nations Development Agency's head, Helen Clark, has
called for climate change to be put at the very centre of
international development thinking. The call came in Ms Clark's only
major speech during her 2-day visit to Australia to the Lowy
Institute in Sydney. Ms Clark set out a 4-point strategy for moving
the development agenda forward. She called for a renewed focus on
meeting the millennium goals and for climate change to be placed at
the very centre of development thinking and strategies, with
particular attention to vulnerable groups. "For a number of Pacific
Island nations and communities, climate change is not just an
abstract issue, not just an environmental or an economic issue, it
is about their very survival," she said. Ms Clark says developing
countries need support to recover from crises and disasters and to
improve their governance, and that more use should be made of strong
and innovative aid partnerships.
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
02/15/2010
TOP↑
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Top 40 Think Tanks in Asia
The Global 'Go-To Think Tanks' rankings ranks more than 1,000
Asian think tanks and is conducted by the University of
Pennsylvania's Think Tank and Civil Societies Programme. The
programme aims to identify and rank the leading think tanks of
the world. Coming first in the rankings is The Japan Institute
of International Affairs. The Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences, located in China, came in second. The criteria for the
rankings include academic reputation, success in generating
innovative policy ideas and access to elites in policymaking,
media and academia. The rankings were tabulated after collating
the nominations of a panel of experts comprising scholars,
executives, public and private donors and policymakers.
1. Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) - Japan
2. Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) - China
3. S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) -
Singapore
4. Center for Strategic and International Studies - Indonesia
5. China Institute for Contemporary International Relations (CICIR)
- China
6. Hong Kong Centre for Economic Research (HKCER) - Hong Kong
7. Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy - Singapore
8. Shanghai Institute for International Studies - China
9. Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses - India
10. Lowy Institute for International Policy - Australia
11. Centre for Policy Research - India
12. Korea Development Institute - South Korea
13. Center for Civil Society - India
14. China Institute for International Studies (CIIS) - China
15. Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) -
Singapore
16. Liberty Institute - India
17. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (Beijing) - China
18. Asian Forum Japan (AFJ) - Japan
19. Institute for International Policy Studies - Japan
20. Institute of Energy Economics Japan (IEEJ) - Japan
21. India Council for Research on International Economic
Relations - India
22. Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) -
Malaysia
23. Taiwan Foundation for Democracy - Taiwan
24. Cathay Institute for Public Affairs - China
25. Centre for Development Studies - India
26. National Institute for Research Advancement - Japan
27. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) - India
28. Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) -
Japan
29. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) - Singapore
30. Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies - Bangladesh
31. Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies - India
32. Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) - Malaysia
33. Central Institute for Economic Management - Vietnam
34. National Institute for Defense Studies - Japan
35. Philippine Institute for Development Studies - The
Philippines
36. Energy and Resources Institute - India
37. Third World Network - Malaysia
38. Institute of Economic Growth - India
39. Institute for Integrated Development Studies - Nepal
40. Institute of Policy Studies - Sri Lanka
From http://www.asiaone.com/ 01/28/2010
TOP↑
ADB Launches New Staff
Resources Strategy to Help Meet Development Goals
MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched
Our People Strategy today, a comprehensive human resources plan to
recruit, retain, and develop the staff it needs to carry out its
mission of reducing poverty and improving lives throughout Asia and
the Pacific. The new strategy, which was drawn up after extensive
consultations with staff and stakeholders and a review of the
previous policy by external consultants, will ensure that ADB has
the skilled and motivated people it needs to deliver the goals of
Strategy 2020, its long-term development blueprint. Our People
Strategy is the latest in a series of steps taken by ADB to
strengthen its operations, including the tripling of its capital
base in 2009, the adoption of streamlined business processes, and
the introduction of a corporate results framework to systematically
monitor the delivery of clearly defined and measurable development
results.
"Our People Strategy defines the principles ADB will follow in
developing staff, managers and the workplace environment. It
translates the corporate values laid down in Strategy 2020 into
expected individual staff behavior, clarifies what ADB expects from
and can offer our staff, and provides a set of indicators and
targets which allow us to measure progress," said ADB President
Haruhiko Kuroda. Over the more than four decades ADB has been
operating, Asia and the Pacific have made big development strides,
but progress has been uneven and around 1.8 billion people still
live on less than $2 a day. Given the diverse and changing needs of
the region, ADB is moving to adjust and update the mix of staff it
hires to reflect the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of its
work.
Our People Strategy provides the framework for ensuring ADB has high
caliber, motivated people with technical and interpersonal skills
that match client needs, managers who are inspiring, proactive and
accountable, and a workplace environment to support them. "ADB will
be recruiting a significant number of new staff, both
internationally and locally over the next 3 years. To make sure we
attract and retain highly skilled people with a strong commitment to
our mission, we will offer them development opportunities, the
satisfaction of working in a collegial environment of skilled and
dedicated people, and competitive remuneration and benefits," said
Mr. Kuroda.
Improvements in human resources management as a result of the
previous policy review have already been made, with the
incorporation of information technology to strengthen service
standards, the adoption of a more systematic approach to workforce
planning, the simultaneous consideration of internal and external
candidates for all advertised vacancies, and other actions. Further
measures are now in the offing, including a new skills inventory
tool, a comprehensive review of compensation and benefits, another
staff engagement survey and the preparation of a human resources
function framework that will translate the new strategy into
practice. Our People Strategy will guide ADB's human resources
management until 2015, with management regularly monitoring and
reporting on its progress, as well as undertaking any necessary
adjustments after 2012.
From http://www.adb.org/ 02/02/2010
TOP↑
Market Integration Key to
Recovery
Tokyo, Japan - To attract investors, economies have to think big.
Economic sovereignty, say experts, is fast becoming a myth: we are
now interdependent. At their first meeting this year, APEC Senior
Finance Officials considered ways to achieve new growth that is
balanced, inclusive and sustainable. In dialogue with experts from
the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian
Development Bank, delegates considered the challenges and
opportunities in developed and developing economies.
If economies are to maintain the momentum of a relatively quick
recovery, greater regional integration will be a major defining
factor. This is particularly true for developing economies. Explains
Srinivasa Madhur, Senior Director, Office of Regional Economic
Integration at the Asian Development Bank: "In general, Asian
economies need to strengthen domestic consumption and increase
investment." However, he points out, middle income economies find
themselves in a particular dilemma: "They experience pressure from
below and above. Lower income economies offer cheaper goods and
services; and higher income economies offer better goods and
services." Add to that dynamic "low levels of investor confidence
which can lead to a downward spiral."
According to the Asian Development Bank, economic communities are
the way forward. Acting as a community both reduces economy-specific
risks and increases opportunities for investors. "The investor
doesn't want to see ten tiny markets. He wants one large production
base. The size of the market will be much bigger, much more
attractive." "When we speak of Asian integration," says Mr. Madhur,
"we mean regional-integration and global connection. APEC provides a
platform for all of this to happen." The comparatively swift
recovery of the Asia-Pacific is largely attributable to
unprecedented levels of cooperation among governments. Other areas
to be discussed throughout the year include aging and fiscal
sustainability; green growth; and micro-finance. Outcomes will
inform recommendations to be brought to APEC Leaders in November
this year.
From http://www.apec.org/ 02/12/2010
TOP↑
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China Issues 1st National
Census of Pollution Sources
China on Tuesday issued its first national census of pollution
sources, with datas showing that the country's wastewater
discharge totalled more than 209 billion tonnes while waste gas
emissions topped 63.7 trillion cubic meters in 2007. Zhang Lijun,
vice minister of Ministry of Environmental Protection at the
press conference. The result was announced at a press conference
held at the State Council Information Office Tuesday morning.
"The census of pollution sources for the first time in the
country is a significant survey on national situation. Its
operations went smoothly and its main tasks were basically
completed," said Zhang Lijun, Vice Minister of Environmental
Protection, at the conference. The census targeted nearly 6
million objects of industrial sources, agricultural sources,
residential sources and centralized pollution control
facilities, collecting 1.1 billion basic data on pollution
sources. Industrial pollutant discharges mainly concentrated in
a small number of industries and areas, with prominent
structural problems, Zhang quoted the census as saying.
Agricultural sources had notable influence on the country's
water environment, therefore the prevention and control on
agriculture source pollution must be placed into the
environmental protection agenda so as to fundamentally solve the
issue of water pollution, Zhang said. According to Zhang, a
database for the census was established covering
environment-related information of nearly 6 million objects
nationwide as gists for administration and policymaking. It took
more than two years for over 570,000 staff to finish the census
since the State Council made the decision in 2006 and the
central government allocated 737 million (about 100 million U.S.
dollars) for the project in 2007. China faces big challenge of
environmental deterioration amid its rapid economic development.
Environmental experts had suggested that trustworthy statistics
on the sources and extent of pollution was highly necessary for
the country's effective and long-term pollution prevention and
control.
From Xinhua News Agency 02/09/2010
TOP↑
China Plans to Build
National Renewable Energy Center: Report
China plans to build a national renewable energy center to
further shore up development of the industry, the China Daily
reported Wednesday. The establishment of the center is in the
preliminary planning stages, the newspaper quoted Han Wenke,
director general of Energy Research Institute under the National
Development and Reform Commission as saying. The center will be
responsible for policy-making, key project and program management,
market and industrial operations, database and information platform
establishment as well as international exchanges, according to the
newspaper. Han made these remarks at the launch of a Sino-Danish
Renewable Energy Development Program Tuesday, without providing
further detail. China made great progress in renewable energy growth
last year. It accounted for 7.5 percent of the country's primary
energy consumption in 2009 - or the equivalent of 230 million tons
of coal, the newspaper quoted Liu Qi, National Energy Administration
vice-director as saying at the same occasion. "No matter what
happens with international climate change negotiations, reducing
fossil fuel consumption and developing renewable energy will be the
best way to ensure a secure energy supply," the newspaper quoted Liu
as saying.
From English.news.cn 02/10/2010
TOP↑
Official Urges Efforts to
Ensure Work Safety
Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang on Tuesday stressed the
importance of ensuring work safety while transforming the economic
development mode. He urged earnest efforts in ensuring work safety
during a tour of China's eastern Shandong Province, where he
inspected state-owned enterprises. In the drive of transforming
China's economic development mode, an arduous and significant
mission, we must stick to the concept of safe development and step
up efforts to ensure work safety, Zhang said. He urged all regions,
departments and units to keep cool-headed about the task. Zhang
underscored the importance of fulfilling work safety
responsibilities, strengthening safety inspection, severely
punishing acts detrimental to work safety, advancing work
safety-related science and technology, and providing relevant
training to employees.
From Xinhua News Agency 02/10/2010
TOP↑
President Hu Stresses
Development of Economic Zone
Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for efforts to accelerate
the construction of the economic zone on the western side of the
Taiwan Strait during his four-day inspection tour to Fujian Province
that ended Monday. Hu urged Fujian officials and people to seize the
favorable opportunities offered by the central government on the
construction of the economic zone and accelerate the transformation
of the economic growth mode. Hu, also general secretary of the
Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, visited Zhangzhou,
Longyan and Xiamen in Fujian during the inspection tour and
celebrated the Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, with local
residents and Taiwan compatriots living in Fujian. Hu stressed the
role of tourism in the transformation of the economic growth mode,
urging local authorities to make Fujian a tourist resort with
international fame. During his visit to a tourist information center
in Xiamen, Hu urged the city to strengthen its tourism management
and provide better services to solicit more visitors. Hu also
visited some tourist attractions including the Gulangyu Islet and
extended his greetings to travellers. When inspecting the Haitian
Wharf, the largest container terminal in the province, he urged the
operator to boost the cross-Strait cooperation in economy and trade
with better services. During his visit to the Xiamen Strait Cruise
Center, Hu talked with a Taiwan passenger awaiting the ship, who
said the travels across the Strait are much more convenient than
before. Hu said that compatriots across the Strait are like family
members and should keep in close contact. Hu extended Spring
Festival greetings to migrant workers at the construction site of
Xiang'an Tunnel in Xiamen. Speaking highly of the migrant workers as
a labor force growing in China's reform and opening up, Hu urged all
government departments to be more concerned about these workers.
During his tour in Zhangzhou and Longyan, Hu visited some Taiwan
businesses. He also promised favorable polices to support and
accelerate the development of old revolutionary bases.
From Xinhua News Agency 02/16/2010
TOP↑
China to Improve Audit to
Government-funded Project
China Saturday issued a regulation on the implementation of the
Audit Law, which required close audit to government-funded projects,
to make sure financial funds were properly used. The regulation,
issued by the State Council, or China's Cabinet, asked auditing
offices to conduct follow-up audit to organizations or projects,
which were funded or partly funded by government. The regulation was
revised and passed at an executive meeting of the State Council on
Feb. 2 and will become effective on May 1 this year. Under the
regulation, audit authorities are entitled to launch special
investigation into government departments or organizations on budget
management or the management and utilization of state assets. To
ensure accurate and impartial auditing, the regulation provides that
organizations are entitled to apply for government adjudication,
administrative review or lodge a lawsuit if they disagree with the
audit results. The current Audit Law was amended and passed in
February 2006 by the Standing Committee of the Tenth National
People's Congress.
From English.news.cn 02/21/2010
TOP↑
SOUTH KOREA: Gov't Plans
to Build Nationwide 'Smart Grid' by 2030
The government has come up with a final plan to establish a
nationwide "smart grid" as part of its effort to cut back on energy
imports and make better use of eco-friendly resources, government
officials said Monday, according to Yonhap News. The Ministry of
Knowledge Economy said the plan is expected to cost the country 27.5
trillion won ($23.9 billion) and calls for the expansion of
low-carbon infrastructure, starting in major cities. The plan also
involves the establishment of an "intelligent" and reliable power
grid, more use of renewable energy and the upgrading of the
country's transportation system. Smart grids combine regular power
lines with information technology to permit real-time monitoring of
electricity output and demand. The system could facilitate the
incorporation of renewable energy into the main power grid, and
allow households with their own solar panels or wind turbines to
store energy and sell it back to the power company. The system could
also fuel the development of an entirely new line of consumer and
industrial products, benefitting the economy, the ministry said.
From http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ 01/25/2010
TOP↑
National Patent Office
Launches 'R&D Patent Center'
KIPO's 'R&D Patent Center' opening ceremony on Jan. 15.The Korean
Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) held the opening ceremony of the
R&D Patent Center attached to the Korea Institute of Intellectual
Property (KIIP) in the presence of guests from business, academic
and government circles on Friday, January 15, 2009. KIPO
Commissioner Jung-sik Koh participated in the ceremony. The
commissioner said that KIPO would do the best to make sure that the
R&D Patent Center helps create profitable and strong patents while
stressing the importance of powerful patent portfolios which can be
used as a weapon for businesses in today's patent war. KIPO's Key
R&D-IP projects includes the following: 'IPR Centered Technology
Acquisition Strategies Project'; 'Advanced Part IP-R&D Connection
Strategy Support Project'; 'Patent Technology Trend Survey Project';
'National Patent Performance Management Project'; 'Promising Patent
Technology Discovery & Commercialization'. The R&D Patent Center
will play a role as the main agency in charge of the projects
linking R&D and IP including the 'IPR Centered Technology
Acquisition Strategies Project.' The center will actively assist the
spread of education on "the Methodology of Establishing the Most
Competitive Patent Portfolio" to the public sector.
From http://www.korea.net/ 01/26/2010
TOP↑
KIPO Launches Training
Institutes for Future Entrepreneurs
The Korea Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) has launched
initiatives to nurture talented entrepreneurs of the future who are
equipped with a competitive edge in intellectual property. This
first move is promoted in cooperation with the Korea Advanced
Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the Pohang
University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). KIPO aims to nurture
creative future entrepreneurs, like Bill Gates of Microsoft and
Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, who will have the capability
to identify future growth engines based on their strong intellectual
property. For this purpose, KIPO established training institutes for
future talented entrepreneurs at KAIST and POSTECH. The opening
ceremony for the POSTECH training institute took place at POSTECH on
January 27th with the participation of dignitaries including KIPO
Commissioner Jung-sik Koh, POSTECH Research Division Vice President
Yun-ha Jeong, and POSTECH training institute head Kwang-su Kim
(professor of the industrial and management engineering department).
Beginning with an introduction of the steps taken for the launch of
the training institute, the opening ceremony featured congratulatory
remarks by the commissioner of KIPO and a plate-hanging ceremony to
celebrate the institute's opening. The opening ceremony of the KAIST
IP training institute for future talented entrepreneurs will be held
one week later on February 4th at KAIST.
The ceremony will be attended by KIPO Commissioner Jung-sik Koh,
KAIST President Nam-pyo Seo, and KAIST training institute head
Kwang-hyeong Lee (dean of academic affairs at KAIST). Following the
opening ceremony, orientation programs will begin for 181 students
who passed the final selection process last December. A total of 101
students to be trained at the KAIST institute; 51 students will
attend the intermediate course and 50 will attend the advanced
course. The POSTECH institute will have 80 students with 40 in the
intermediate course and the rest in the advanced course. The
two-night, three-day orientation will be held from January 27th to
29th at the POSTECH institute, and from February 3rd to 5th at the
KAIST institute. After the orientation, students will undergo
education programs via a combination of online and offline channels
during the school term, and an intensive learning camp during school
breaks. These programs aim to empower the students' growth as future
business leaders with essential capacities such as creative
problem-solving abilities, entrepreneurial mindsets, and an
intellectual capability centered on the convergence of ideas. KIPO
and the training institutes also plan to offer a variety of programs
aimed at strengthening the students' ability to undertake business
in actual business fields. These programs will include a one-to-one
mentoring program with an entrepreneur as well as corporate
internship at home and abroad.
From http://www.korea.net/ 02/02/2010
TOP↑
Korea to Subsidize 'Green
Finance' Training
The government plans to sponsor universities and industry
associations to educate "green finance" experts in order to revive
the subsiding "green financing," officials said yesterday. The
Financial Services Commission said it will receive applications to
run green finance MBA programs from universities. Its 900 million
won ($775,000) budget will mostly be used to support up to 35
percent of the fee for students signing up for the program in two to
three universities. The Ministry of Labor is funding green finance
courses run by the Korea Financial Investment Association, which
aims to educate managers at financial institutions about green
financial products. "The country is in need of experts in
sustainable growth who can relate environmental, social and
governance issues with finance," said Seo Hee-kang, program director
at KOFIA. The green finance program at KOFIA will be free of charge
and will cover topics such as the importance of green growth,
comparative analysis of green products and evaluating sustainable
growth from March 3 for two to three weeks. Although the Lee
administration stated green growth as a top priority under its
five-year plan in July 2009, finance industry has been struggling to
invigorate green finance products they introduced. The "Green Growth
Loan" introduced by the KB Kookmin Bank in Feb. 2009 performed well
for the first six months by lending as much as 2.29 billion won at a
prime rate, but lost its momentum towards year-end. Woori Bank's
"Low-Carbon, Green Bankbook," was launched Aug. 2008 and loaned
almost 1.78 trillion won to environment-friendly companies for over
a year. But Woori declined to disclose its performance for the
fourth quarter as the product isn't making much progress of late.
"Tax favors and green growth guides must be provided by state
authorities to really revive the policy," said an industry official.
From http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ 02/02/2010
TOP↑
Korea Adopts New Meat
Product Risk Assessment Standard
Korea has adopted an updated meat product risk assessment
standard that better meets local dietary habits and safeguards
public health, the state quarantine service said Thursday, according
to Yonhap News. The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine
Service said the new standard that went into effect this month is
based on detailed research of local preferences and cooking habits
that differ from other countries. Using statistics on average meat
consumption abroad may not properly reflect such matters as daily
allowable intake of antibiotics, pesticides, livestock medicine and
other chemical compounds. "The research, conducted since last year,
reflected new guidelines set by the World Health Organization and
the Food and Agriculture Organization," a press release said. The
quarantine service under the farm ministry said other factors such
as age and physiology have also been taken into account. "In effect,
the new check list is custom-made to safeguard the health of
Koreans," it said.
From http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ 02/18/2010
TOP↑
Vocational Training for
Employees Reaches over 4.9 Million
The Ministry of Labor announced that it used 559.7 billion won of
employment insurance fund in 2009 to support 4,950,000 cases of
vocational skills development training. This figure is 104% increase
in applications and 119% increase in budget compared to year 2005.
After reaching 4 million trainees (cases) in 2008, it has shown
rapid increase in number of cases as it reached 4,950,000 in 2009.
The participation of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that
employ less than 300 people yet turn out to be far less active than
those employ above 300. Nevertheless, it is on a gradual increase.
In regard to the participation rate of trainees among the insurants
of employment insurance, it increased to 57% in 2009 from 50% in
2006 for the enterprises hiring above 300. Those hiring less than
300 workers increased to 17% in 2009 from 9% in 2006. In regard to
the man-days, however, the former marked a moderate 64% increase
(1,835,000 in 2005 - > 3,006,000 in 2009) while the latter showed
229% increase (591,000 - > 1,943,000). Training budget, also, for
the less-than-300 employers showed a dramatic increase of 295% (72.4
billion - > 285.8 billion won) while those of above-300 marked as
little as 49% (183.7 billion - > 273.9 billion).
This is the first time that the smaller firms received more funds
from the government ever since the adoption of employment insurance
system. The reason for the consistent increase of the participation
in the SMEs are more or less thought to be an effective
implementation of various governmental measures: a) expanding
training opportunities in weekends or night time in weekdays (JUMP
scheme for SMEs and non-regular workers), b) developing new schemes
such as the support to substitute workers for training, c) opening
short-term advanced training courses (core vocational abilities
development), d) expanding personal support to the disadvantaged
classes for employment (subsidy for training fee and vocational
skills development card system). Mr. Lim, the Director general of
Skills Development Policy Bureau, emphasized that the competence of
an enterprise depended on capable human resources and the Ministry
of Labor would make consistent efforts to expand the training
opportunities for the SMEs.
From http://www.korea.net/ 02/22/2010
TOP↑
Lee Vows More Efforts
for Education Reform
President Lee Myung-bak said Monday that he would preside over a
monthly meeting on education reform, reiterating his determination
to tackle problems in the country's public education system,
according to Yonhap News. "Education reform is a major task of our
government this year," Lee said in his biweekly radio address. "I
will make more efforts so that students, parents, and teachers can
feel change." The president added he will summon a meeting every
month to review education policy, adding to a weekly meeting on the
economy and a monthly session on employment that he presides over.
Lee's decision came after pictures surfaced of some middle school
students, stripped naked, holding their own ritual outside their
school after the official graduation ceremony. In other footage
spreading on the Web, some students pelt flour or hurl eggs at their
peers while others, dressed only in underwear, even stride streets
in group or tear the school uniforms of other students.
From http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ 02/23/2010
TOP↑
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INDONESIA: Residents Want
Spatial Plan to Take Side of the Poor
A public consultancy meeting for the Jakarta 2030 spatial plan
draft concluded that the draft should develop official
communities for low-income families. The meeting, held at the
city's Housing Agency office in Central Jakarta, was attended by
around 20 residents and 30 city officials. Trisakti University
urban planning expert Yayat Supriyatna said the spatial planning
bylaw draft should focus on managing residential areas or the
city would be overwhelmed dealing with 10 million residents in
2030. "Community areas should exist in Jakarta no matter what,"
he told the forum.
He said the community management policy was important to include
in the draft because many housing areas had become commercial,
which raised land prices. As a result, the city faces land
scarcity and has given most land permits to high-rise building
developers. "Many developers only allocate 10 percent of
occupancy to middle- and low-income earners. "With the permit
time limit of up to 90 years, many residents will have moved to
the greater areas," Yayat said. He said the city should provide
architectural assistance to people who build their houses in
community areas in order to create a safe neighborhood that was
not prone to floods and fires. "Fires that raze densely
populated neighborhoods in Jakarta every year become devastating
financial burdens," he said. Astaja, resident of Jati Pulo in
West Jakarta, voiced his concern on the commitment of Housing
Agency officials in helping people who live on unoccupied land
to attain legal certificates.
He said he and dozens of others who had lived in a slum area for
years were working to legalize the land under the city's free
land certification program. "My question is whether the
officials will approve it?" he said, citing his own experience
of having no certificates. Another issue discussed at the
meeting was public participatory in drafting the spatial plan.
Dodo Juliman from the UN Habitat said Jakarta should learn from
Porto Alegre, a small city in Brazil that had been working for
more than 20 years in engaging citizens. "We know that
developing the system cannot happen overnight. "What is
important now is commitment and affirmation on that intention,"
he said.
Priyadi Priyahutama, secretary of the Jakarta Development
Planning Agency (Bappeda) said his office would document input
and improve the plan draft. "The public will know the changes
when the City Council and us start discussing the bylaw draft,"
he told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the forum. When
asked about the public participatory system, he said the city
was waiting for the deliberation of the government decree on
public participation under the new 2007 Spatial Planning Law. He
said the city did not use a 2009 Public Works Ministry
regulation on guidelines for provincial spatial planning because
it did not bind them. "We are allowed to use it, but it's not
obligatory," he said. The regulation, in fact, clearly outlines
how to gather public input. Yayat said the city would need to
assure the public that the 2030 spatial plan would improve
residents living areas much more than the previous Spatial Plan.
From http://www.thejakartapost.com/ 02/05/2010
TOP↑
Bali to Become
`Cooperatives Province' by 2012
The Bali administration is looking to increase the number of
cooperatives operating across the province, holding them up as a
major source of revenue. Dewa Patra, head of the Bali Cooperatives
and Micro Business Agency, said recently the island had 3,689
cooperatives, with more than 95 of them showing healthy growth
figures of at least 5 percent a year. "However, only 35 percent are
categorized as *good quality' in terms of services, financial
condition and institutions," he said. The Cooperatives and Small and
Medium Enterprises Ministry has just launched a special program
encouraging all provinces in Indonesia to increase the number of
cooperatives in their jurisdictions. Cooperatives were originally
established across the country to support micro and small
businesses, and to increase public welfare.
Under the ministry's campaign, provinces will attain the title of
"cooperative province" if 75 percent of their cooperatives are in a
healthy financial state and 55 percent are of good quality. Bali is
now registering its cooperatives to gauge their financial and
institutional states. Badung regency in Bali has already attained
the status of "cooperatives regency", thanks to the local
administration's pro-cooperatives policies.
Given this, and the provincial capital Denpasar's annual economic
growth rate of between 6 and 7 percents - above the national GDP of
about 4 percent - authorities are optimistic of Bali fast becoming a
"cooperatives province". "We have 776 cooperatives contributing to
the city's growth," said Denpasar Mayor I.B. Rai Dharmawijaya
Mantra.
"Most are in healthy condition." Gianyar Regent Cokorda Oka Artha
Ardana Sukawati said his regency boasted many cooperatives founded
by artists and craftsmen to support their businesses. "We have 1,000
cooperatives serving artisans, traditional market traders, civil
servants and the wider community," he said. Gianyar is one of the
wealthiest regencies in Bali, second only to Badung. It is home to
most of the island's traditional crafts, including textiles, wood
carvings and jewelry.
From http://www.thejakartapost.com/ 02/19/2010
TOP↑
LAOS: Authorities Upgrade
Labour Inspection
(KPL) The advantage of employers is widely found in society,
which is very difficult for authorities inspection, said a top
official. Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Bounkhong
Lasoukanh who chaired the meeting on labour inspection, said that
after the Government had opened the economic cooperation relation
with foreign countries, consequently increased a lot of factories
and had a high competition in labour market which was inevitability
of taking advantage of employers with employees in the society.
Therefore, the protection of employees'rights and benefits should be
paid close attention with the aim to reduce the advantages of their
employer in the country, Mr bounkhong said. The Party and government
have considered the protection of local and foreign workers rights
and benefits as an important point should be reinforced and managed.
It is very necessary for labour inspection authorities to regularly
monitor and enforce the law and other regulation on labour, he said.
The authorities should be upgraded their knowledge and capacity on
labour inspection in line with annual plan, he said. For the labour
inspection plan in 2010, the ministry concerned will launch
inspection in 500 business unit related to employment countrywide.
And for the next five years (2010-2015), ministry will expand its
inspection plan to reach 3,500 business sites, which is the average
of 700 sites per year.
The plan was discussed at a meeting held at the personnel resource
building centre on 27 January, Nongbone village, Saysettha district,
Vientiane Capital Attending the event were Head of Labour Management
Department, Mr Khamkhanh Phimsavanh and other labour inspection
authorities from 17 provinces throughout the country.
From http://www.kplnet.net/ 02/02/2010
TOP↑
MALAYSIA: Focus on
Innovation and Speed, Says Najib
Creative and innovative thinking, as well as speed in making
decisions and executing policies, are the keys to achieving the
Government's "Four Pillars" agenda, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.
The Prime Minister said the four pillars – the 1Malaysia concept,
the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), the New Economic
Model and the 10th Malaysia Plan – could only be a success if civil
servants embraced them, used their creativity and innovation, and
were quick and efficient in executing the agenda. "The process of
value creation is important in our system so that we can improve
programmes and policies that are in place. "We need to create value
without depending on science and technology, research and
development or the private sector. In everything we do, our thought
process must be based on creativity and innovation," he told staff
members of the Prime Minister's Department at their first monthly
gathering for 2010 yesterday.
Najib said speed in making decisions and executing policies had a
high impact on the country's competitiveness and productivity,
saying Malaysia would be looked upon highly if it was placed among
the top 10 countries by the World Competitive Report. He said that
was why the Government continued to look at how it could provide
speedy service to the people without compromising on efficiency,
citing the issuance of passports by the Immigration Department in a
matter of hours as among the success stories. The Prime Minister
also reminded civil servants that 2010 was an important year to
realise all four pillars of the agenda, stressing that in order for
this to happen, the first agenda – 1Malaysia concept – needed to be
fully embraced and understood by all. "The concept is a noble
attempt by the Government to boost national unity, which is an
essential element for stability. We need to move forward as a big
family and stay strong and united even if there are hiccups and
unforeseen events along the way. "Sometimes, these bumps may be
minor but a small 'fire' can eventually destroy all if it is not put
out early. The issue of churches and surau being attacked and pig's
heads thrown into mosque compounds is a serious matter which must be
tackled together," he said.
Najib reiterated that the Government wanted to serve the people and
"not big businesses and corporations", adding the rakyat must be the
main beneficiaries of all programmes, policies and allocations by
the Government. "I am confident that if we combine all efforts, 2010
will be a successful year for us. Let us all serve with
extraordinary commitment and dedication, to deliver our promises to
the people and to take Malaysia to greater heights," he said.
From http://thestar.com.my/ 02/09/2010
TOP↑
M'sia Can Reap Value from
Carbon Projects
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has vast potential to reap immense
investment value from carbon projects, says Australia's Asean Trade
Commissioner Garth Taylor. "Carbon projects are typically
finance-intensive. Even a small project will cost two to three
million U.S. Dollars. Larger projects can run into millions of
dollars," he said. Taylor said an Australian business delegation,
specialising in carbon projects, will be in Malaysia from March 1-2
to seek collaborations in green technology. The "Carbon Cluster"
delegation will have members from 25 Australian companies
"We are aiming for 10 projects over the next 18 months to get out of
the Carbon Cluster. So the investment potential you can see is quite
large," he told BERNAMA in an interview. Taylor said the "Carbon
Mission" is the first offshore activity for the recently formed
Australian Carbon Cluster, a value chain of project-ready companies
focused on developing sustainable emission reduction projects
offshore. "It is the very first for the Carbon Cluster into Asean
and Malaysia. This shows how important is Asean, including Malaysia,
to Australia," he said.
Among others, Taylor said there would be a large networking event,
business-matching event and a business roundtable with Energy, Green
Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui.
"We are inviting members from Asean countries, including from
Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore, to come to
Malaysia to speak to the mission members," he said. Companies that
fill a role in the carbon value chain include financiers, compliance
buyers, technology owners, project managers and designers,
specialist engineering firms and a range of carbon consultancies. "I
hope Malaysian businesses will be involved in business matching with
the delegation. "We offer Malaysia in particular quite a strong
offering in carbon projects. In return, Malaysia also has something
to offer our mission members. Hence, we are inviting them to join
us," he added. - Bernama
From http://biz.thestar.com.my/ 02/19/2010
TOP↑
THAILAND: Nine "Creative
Industries" Making Up 10 Percent of Its Economy
A study by the Fiscal Policy Research Institute and the Kenan
Institute Asia shows that nine "creative industries" have
contributed about 10 percent of Thailand's economy and could grow
quickly with strengthened value chains and better protection of
intellectual property rights. The nine creative industries include
printing and publishing, information technology, wooden furniture,
medicines, jewelry, research, movie production, movie theaters, and
radio and television. Their direct contribution in 2008 was more
than a trillion baht, representing 9.53 percent of Thailand's gross
domestic product (GDP). The Kenan Institute Asia is a leading
Thailand-based, non-profit organization serving the sustainable
development needs of Thailand, as well as Cambodia, Vietnam, and Lao
PDR.
Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot said that he was
pleased that all related sectors in Thailand attached great
importance to the Government's policy of the creative economy and
that they asked the Fiscal Policy Research Institute and the Kenan
Institute Asia to help conducted the study. Mr. Alongkorn is also
chairman of the subcommittee on creative economy. This policy was
launched by the Government on 31 August 2009, with the use of
creative economy to move the country forward. Speaking at a seminar
discussing the study, Mr. Alongkorn pointed out that Thailand's
creative industries clearly have the potential to drive Thai
economic growth. He revealed that Thailand's creative industry
exports have risen to about 13 billion US dollars per year and were
growing at an average rate of 5 percent per year. This, he said, put
Thailand behind only some OECD countries, China and India. OECD
stands for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development.
In his opening speech at the seminar, Former Minister of Foreign
Affairs Nitya Pibulsonggram, said that the objective of the creative
industries study was to enhance understanding of the importance of
Thailand's creative industries and the need to improve protection of
their intellectual property. He called for more effective action to
protect intellectual property and reduce the losses to the creative
industries. According to a press release by the Kenan Institute
Asia, the creative industries also provided significant inputs for
other industries, especially in the service sector. The study
showed, for example, that each additional baht of expenditure in the
movie theatre industry induced other industries to create 2.14 baht
worth of additional output. The hospital and education sectors were
particularly dependent on inputs from the creative industries. The
study stated that piracy undermines the incentive to create and
invest. It also warned that piracy supported organized crime and,
especially in the pharmaceutical industry, had "direct and dangerous
effects on people's health." It notes that one test of anti-malarial
drugs found that some 38 percent of samples in the region were fake.
This is likely to have contributed to the emergence of dangerous
drug-resistant forms of malaria in the Thai-Cambodian border area.
From http://thailand.prd.go.th/ 01/29/2010
TOP↑
VIETNAM: Website on Land,
Environmental Management Launched
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the
steering committee of the Vietnam-Sweden programme on strengthening
environmental management and land administration (SEMLA) launched a
website http//semla.monre.gov.vn, in Hanoi on January 29. The
website, published in Vietnamese and English, introduces lessons
learned and results achieved in land and environmental management
from the five-year programme which started in 2004. SEMLA is a
bilateral cooperation programme between the governments of Vietnam
and Sweden, which aims to set up a natural resources and
environmental management system to help boost economic growth,
poverty reduction, sustainable development and environmental
protection.
From http://english.vietnamnet.vn/ 01/30/2010
TOP↑
New Viet Kieu Property Law
Creates Many Problems
VietNamNet Bridge – Though amendments conferring Viet kieu
(overseas Vietnamese) new nationality and house ownership rights
took effect last June, many still found it difficult to exercise
these rights, they told a conference held in HCM City on Sunday.
Hundreds of Vietnamese expatriates from all over the world attended
the session held by the Networking Society of Overseas Vietnamese at
the Reunification Palace to get feedback on the amended Laws on
Nationality and House Ownership. Many complained about the poor
compliance at local levels, which made it difficult for overseas
Vietnamese to reclaim their Vietnamese citizenship or own property
in the country. "I was asked to present a birth certificate clearly
indicating my Vietnamese nationality," Luong Hoang Ngan, a
Vietnamese-French physician, said. "But there's no such provision in
my birth certificate which was issued in Can Tho Province back in
1944."
Ngan, who is married to a Vietnamese citizen, was applying for
permanent residence in HCM City four months ago after returning to
the country to settle for good. Some Viet kieu attending the
meeting, drawing from their own experience in southern Tien Giang
Province, advised Ngan to renew his birth certificate which would
take just a few hours. However, different localities dealt with the
issue in different ways, Nguyen Thai Phuc, head of the Ministry of
Justice office in HCM City, admitted. "You do not have to pay for
anything to regain Vietnamese nationality," he said when told that
Viet kieu were asked to make "financial contributions" by local
authorities to consider their applications.
A Vietnamese-Canadian, who identified himself merely as Hoang, said
he was not being allowed to co-own a property with his wife even
though this right is provided by the law. Nguyen Manh Ha, head of
the Ministry of Construction's Department of Property Management,
said Hoang's problem was due to the lack of directions to local
authorities on how to enforce the law. "We will try to issue
directions as soon as possible to secure your rights," Ha promised.
Suong, a Vietnamese-American who has sold all her assets in the US
to invest in the country, is worried if she can get the title to a
property she bought in Da Lat. Ha suggested that she applies for
Vietnamese citizenship again to secure the property. As for
properties inherited by overseas Vietnamese who are not entitled to
own property in Viet Nam, they would inherit the value of the
properties once they are sold, Nguyen Van Vu, a manager at the city
Department of Justice, said.
Phuc said his ministry would train local law enforcement officials
so that the amended laws are understood and enforced properly. "We
will be tough on those who try to make it difficult for Viet kieu
just to demand bribes," he promised after apologising to the
audience. The Networking Society of Overseas Vietnamese said up to
80 per cent of Vietnamese expatriates wished to regain citizenship
and buy property in the country to settle down permanently.
From http://english.vietnamnet.vn/ 02/02/2010
TOP↑
Post-Crisis Situation
Needs Value-Added Response
As the national economy rebounds from the global financial and
economic crisis, the Government needs adopt an overall plan to
restructure the economy to improve its efficiency and
competitiveness in the post-crisis period. After more than a year of
recession, the world's economy may recover this year with a growth
of around four percent, according to the latest forecasts. The
crisis and ensuing shrinkage of the world market had badly affected
Vietnam, an export-oriented economy with low added-value and high
outsourcing rates. Corporation. Businesses have been advised to
strengthen their presence in the domestic market and be less
dependent on exports in order to maintain stable production and
jobs. (Photo: Saigon Times) However, owing to the Government's
timely and proper economic stimulus policies, the country has
managed to overcome the crisis and gain a GDP growth of 5.32 percent
last year.
Despite the recovery, the economy's growth cannot be seen as
sustainable, as it is largely based on extensive use of capital,
cheap labor costs, outsourcing goods, and export of raw materials.
It has not been based on products with high added-value that are
also highly competitive. This reality can be seen in the imbalanced
export structure, the high Incremental Capital - Output Rate (ICOR),
and the low VA/GO rate (Value-added/Gross output) over the past
several years. Moreover, the country is now trying to maintain
growth while trying to prevent a return of inflation and reduce the
trade deficit that has weakened the country's balance of payment. If
the situation cannot be improved soon, it may cause some
macro-economic instability. Therefore, we need to coordinate and
harmonize, as soon as possible, our fiscal, monetary policy,
consumer and foreign trade policies towards stabilizing macro
economy this year.
In the recent global financial crisis, many emerging economies have
recovered early by effectively tapping into domestic markets to
offset a reduction in exports and maintaining business and jobs.
Therefore, the exploitation of domestic markets has yet to be paid
due attention in Vietnam. The Party Politburo has adopted a policy
to encourage consumption of goods made in Vietnam to improve the
situation. It is a sound policy, but for it to be successful,
businesses will need to rearrange their production structure, build
brand names, and enhance product quality, thereby improving the
competitive edge of not only of goods for exports, but also of goods
for domestic consumption that have to compete with imported
products. To this end, the Government should offer businesses medium
and long-term credit to help them expand their domestic market
shares, renovate technology and create new products.
Improving competitiveness
The termination of interest subsidy on short-term loans while
continuing offering a two percent subsidy for medium and long-term
loans for farmers and companies to boost agricultural production or
alter their line of business is another sound policy. To ensure that
this policy is effective, the Government should take measures to
assist commercial banks in mobilizing medium and long-term capital
and improve the liquidity in the stock exchange. In late 2009, the
National Assembly and Government passed important financial and
economic policies to support businesses in renovating technologies
and production, developing high added value products for export, and
seeking new markets. In the first quarter of 2010, when the global
economy enters its post-crisis period, those policies will be
stepped up to restructure the economy and enhance businesses'
competitive capability.
Although Vietnam's exports accounts for more than 70 percent of the
GDP, this should not be blamed for the economy's vulnerability to
world market fluctuations. Instead, the vulnerability has mainly
come out of the structure of exports, in which raw materials and
products with low added-value account for the most part. In
addition, the use of domestic materials in production of goods for
export remains at a low level, weakening their competitiveness in
terms of production cost. To sum up, rearranging the export
structure, boosting the proportion of local materials used in
production, developing hi-tech products, expanding both local and
international markets are among the vital factors in ensuring
Vietnam's sustainable development.
From http://english.vietnamnet.vn/ 02/13/2010
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ASEAN's Capacity
Building on Sustainable Forest Management
(KPL) The ASEAN member countries discussed a plan on
strengthening the capacity building of personnel on sustainable
forest management in the meeting of Monitoring, Assessment and
Reporting (MAR), held in Vientiane Capital, on 20-22 January. The
meeting was held under the chairmanship of Director of Forest
Department, Dr Silavanh Savatvong. Attending the meeting were nine
ASEAN member countries excepted Singapore. Dr Silavanh said that the
meeting was aimed at exchanging lessons and learning new techniques,
mechanism, system, inspection method, evaluation and reporting on
sustainable forest management from experts of the ASEAN member
countries.
The meeting has been organised under the action plan of MAR project,
which led to close cooperation among the Lao Forest Department,
ASEAN Forest Department and the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
The new technique of sustainable forest management is very important
for the enforcement of Lao government's law and policy on forest
management, Dr Silavanh said. ?The project started implementing in
2006 and would complete in this year. The growth of world economy,
the increasing of population, climate change and a high market
demand were posing a threat to forest and natural resources in Laos,
he said. This challenge issue, it is necessary for Laos to provide
the reliable information on forest in the country. The MAR project
is the sustainable forest management project of the FAO, which was
supported by the Government of Japan to develop technique and
inspection system to evaluate as well as reporting on the forest
situations in Asia-Pacific.
From http://www.kplnet.net/ 01/25/2010
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BANGLADESH: Training on
Software in Banking Held
A three-day long training workshop on Flexcube software in
banking operation concluded in the city on Thursday. Dhaka Bank
Limited organised the training at Dhaka Bank Training Institute
in the city. A total of 32 officers and executives from
different branches and divisions of Dhaka Bank, Head Office took
part in the training programme. Khondker Fazle Rashid, managing
director of Dhaka Bank addressed and distributed certificate
among the participants. Shamshad Begum, principal of the
training institute also spoke on the occasion.
From http://www.newstoday-bd.com/ 02/07/2010
TOP↑
Efficient Energy
Management Seen Better Than Raising Power Price
The government has been urged to approach cautiously to implement
the plan of increasing the prices of electricity and gas,
apprehending adverse impact on the country's trade competitiveness
and on inflation already under pressure. The country's eminent
economists and top trade body leader yesterday expressed the concern
and recommended bringing efficiency in energy management to reduce
the price pressure as well as making a good balance of the
forthcoming prices. Finance Minister AMA Muhith at the post-BDF
press briefing last week gave a broad hint that the government would
increase the prices of gas and electricity to attract foreign
investment and implement its plan of enhancing power generation to
7,000 MW by 2013. The government and the development partners have
reached a consensus at the BDF meeting in fixing the energy prices
at levels that can attract foreign investment. The power sector plan
is estimated to require US$ 9.5 billion. "The energy price should be
increased whether it is desirable or not. But, there must be a good
balance," FBCCI president Annisul Huq told The Independent
yesterday. Being a businessman and a leader of the country's apex
trade body, he said the businesses, mainly the energy-based
manufacturing, would be affected if the energy prices go up. "The
existing energy prices have helped local businesses become
competitive in the world market." He added that the manufacturing
cost of any gas-based products like products of re-rolling mills,
sugar mills, cement factories and fertiliser factories would go up.
On the other hand, the FBCCI president said that it would be very
difficult for the government to bear huge subsidy to be required in
the near future as the government now going for expensive dual-fuel
options. He, however, recommended the government to take decision in
this regard through consultation with the private sector. "It should
not be increase in one go," he said, adding that the government
could forecast prices now under a policy to woo foreign investment
which would become effective with the starting of their production.
Many of the energy experts have long been arguing in favour of
increasing the prices of energy if the government has to overcome
the nagging energy crisis of the country. As per their estimate, the
price of gas should be increased to at least US$ 2.5/mcf for power
generation from just over one dollar at present. The gas price is
US$ 3-4/ mcf in India. The electricity price should be at least Tk 5
per unit at the consumers' end from an average of Tk 3.5 per unit at
present. In India, the price is Rs. 3.5-4.0 per unit. Eminent
economist Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad hoped that the prices of
energy, if increased, would not affect the poor people. "The poor
people will have to be supported through other means after
increasing the prices," he added. The government could also
undertake alternative option to fix separate prices for the poor and
the affluent section of the society. "But, it's unlikely to be an
effective option." He said the production cost would increase to
some extent with the price hike of the energy, but smooth supply of
energy would remain the main challenge. "The manufacturers will be
benefited even after increasing the prices, if smooth supply can be
assured," he said. Dr Ahmad said there is a possibility that it
would put pressure on the inflation to some extent. But, it could
get some relief elsewhere as the lower government borrowing from the
banking might offset the pressure at a certain level. "The price
should be increased in phases after considering all the aspects of
the economy," he said.
Noted economist and former Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Salehuddin
Ahmed said the issue should be considered very carefully,
considering the possible impact on the middle and lower middle class
of the society as well as on the businesses. The small manufacturing
facilities and the low income group of the people will be affected
badly while the agriculture subsidy will be increased as the fall
out of the planned measure, he said. He added that the price of
manufacturing products would increase further to put extra pressure
on the already rising non-food inflation. "Increasing the prices is
not the only option to solve the problem," said Dr Ahmed, adding
that there should be a energy pricing policy, which should be
continued to give private sector a signal that they would get a
certain price for their produce. He also showed another option in
giving more attention to ensuring management efficiency of energy
what the country has. "It would help the government offset the
subsidy to some extent," he added. A recent joint study of The World
Bank and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) found that 10 gas-based
sectors, if managed with proper technology, could save 100 BCF of
gas-equivalent energy per year (275 MMCFD), which in turn could
generate around 1400MW of electricity. The country's annual gas
consumption is 720 BCF.
From http://www.theindependent-bd.com/
02/20/2010
TOP↑
INDIA: Change Management -
BSNL Employees to PM
New Delhi: The employees' associations of BSNL have sought Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention, demanding change in
management and induction of professionals in the Board to operate
the state run telco, reports PTI. Upset by deteriorating market
share and falling revenues, the employees' associations of BSNL
which represents over 10,000 graduate engineers and account
professionals at the company approached the Prime Minister to
appoint a new management team selected through a national search for
talented professionals outside the government. "We have written to
the Prime Minister's Office to look into the matter among other
things. There is absence of professional management at the Board
level at BSNL," said the President of All India Graduate Engineer
Telecom Officers Association (AIGETOA), NJP Shilohu Rao. "We are
also planning to meet Sam Pitroda, who is the IT adviser to the
Prime Minister, and raise these issue with him." This comes in the
wake of BSNL's deteriorating market share in the last various
quarters. The telco's revenues dipped by about 12 percent in 2008-09
to over Rs. 33,000 crore. Drawing comparison between another ailing
PSU Air India, the association said, "The decision to employ
prominent and professionally well qualified COO in place of old
brass is path-breaking in the history of public sector enterprises."
From http://www.siliconindia.com/ 02/02/2010
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E-Management Training
Programme for Waqf Boards
Bhopal: In a step towards e-management of properties affiliated
to Muslim shrines and mosques, the Minorities Affairs Ministry
Monday began a three-day training programme here to familiarise Waqf
board officers with computerisation and digitisation of records. The
programme will train Waqf board officers in digital accounting,
auditing and budgeting, an official statement said. Twenty-seven
officers from 17 state Waqf boards are participating in the
programme at R.C.V.P. Norohana Academy of Administration and
Management in the Madhya Pradesh capital. The ministry said the
programme was "an important milestone towards the computerisation of
all the state Waqf boards and creating e-management". The plan for
computerisation of records of Waqf properties was launched by
Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid in New Delhi Dec 22 last
year. "It will introduce implementation of a web based centralized
application module for Waqf management. The scheme is being
implemented by National Informatics Centre (NIC) on turnkey basis
under the supervision of the Central Waqf Council," the statement
said. There are 29 Waqf boards in the country constituted by the
respective state governments and more than 3.5 lakh properties
affiliated to shrines and mosques are registered with them. The
government aims to optimise the income from the Waqf properties and
has introduced various measures in this direction. The Bhopal
training programme was inaugurated by Sundeep Khanna, director
general of the academy.
From http://www.newkerala.com/ 02/15/2010
TOP↑
Grant Management Be Made
More Transparent
New Delhi: A transparent grant management system, measures of
enhancing Government and voluntary organisations' interaction,
creation of a single window system for grant proposals and
simplification of procedures and grievance redressal machinery have
been recommended by a National Consultation. The National
Consultation for Evolving an Efficient Grant Management System
towards Improving GO-NGO Cooperation in Women and Child Development
schemes has also suggested online management of grant proposals.
Scheme-specific recommendations were also formulated during
consultation organised by the Ministry of Women and Child
Development in collaboration with National Institute of Public
Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) here and its four
regional centres on February 15-16. The objectives of the
consultations were to review the existing patterns, process and
procedure of Grant-in Aid under different schemes.
It also focused on identifying the complexities and challenges of
disbursal of Grants-in-Aid experienced by voluntary organisations
and the government agencies, bring about transparency and
accountability at various levels, suggest remedial measures for
evolving as an efficient Grant Management System to achieve improved
GO-NGO cooperation and for providing better services to the
community. Inaugurating the consultation, Minister of State for
Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath told delegates of the
NGOs that transparency in managing grant system was imperative. In
view of greater penetration of voluntary organisation in far-flung
areas, and their demonstrated capabilities in implementation of
Five-Year plans, they were in better position to manage the issues
at grass-root level, the Minister said. She felt that more the
number of voluntary agencies, higher the pace of development as they
are the eyes, ears and legs of the government. Earlier, after
welcoming the Minister and the participants from various states, WCD
Secretary D K Sikri said ever since taking the charge, the Minister
had been in continuous touch with people at grass-root level to have
the feel of difficulties at ground level. The present consultation
was meant to have direct dialogue with voluntary agencies so as to
evolve a robust, transparent and effective grant management system.
From http://www.newkerala.com/ 02/18/2010
TOP↑
PAKISTAN: NATO Offers to
Train Pakistani Officers
BRUSSELS: NATO and Pakistan have discussed ways to boost
cooperation, and the military alliance stands ready to train
Pakistani officers if requested, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh
Rasmussen said on Monday. "I can confirm that we had a good
discussion on how we could further develop practical cooperation,
including training activities," he said, following talks last week
with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. "It will be a
process driven by Pakistani demands. If it is a request from the
Pakistani military or government, NATO is prepared to engage in
training activities," he told reporters in Brussels. A NATO official
said the training would involve mid-level Pakistani officers and be
carried out in the alliance's schools in Europe.
From http://pakistanlink.org/ 02/02/2010
TOP↑
Training Held on 'Flood
Mitigation' for District Officials
ISLAMABAD: A five-day training course on "Flood Mitigation" for
the district authorities and community based organisation of flood
prone districts was organised by the National Management Authority (NOMA)
at the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) from
February 15 to 19, said a press release issued on Friday. A total of
23 persons representing the District Finance, Planning and
Development, Revenue and Tehsil Municipal Committees as well as
community-based organisation attended the training course. The first
course on "Flood Mitigation" was organised during December 2009 at
Islamabad and this was the 2nd round in which out of the 30 flood
prone districts, the remaining 18 flood prone districts were
covered. The objective of the training was to build the capacities
of the concerned government and civil society organisations, in
flood disaster preparedness, response and mitigation, through
structural and non structural interventions adopted at local level
for saving lives and properties of the people.
Lieutenant General Farooq Ahmad Khan (Retd), Chairman NOMA, was the
chief guest at the inauguration of the course at the National
Institute of Disaster Management. Addressing the participants he
said the course would provide comprehensive flood disaster risk
management knowledge and skills to district government officers and
civil society members who have key flood disaster risk management
responsibilities at the district/tehsil level. Renowned experts in
the field of flood management delivered lectures on four key modules
eg (i) Overview of flood disaster risk situation in Pakistan (ii)
Institutional arrangements to cope with flooding (iii) Flood Risk
Assessment and (iv) Flood Mitigation Measures. A field trip to the
Pakistan Meteorological Department was also organised where
participants were exposed to different traditional and modern
equipment and satellite technologies for weather forecasting and
early warnings System. At the end of the training course a ceremony
was held on Friday wherein Rabia Khattak, Assistant Country
Director, UNDP, Pakistan awarded certificates to the participants.
From http://www.brecorder.com/ 02/20/2010
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IRAN: Tehran to Host 2nd
Intl. Conference on Women
The second International conference on women is to be held in
Tehran, from February 24 to 25, 2010. Aimed at spreading Islamic
thoughts about families, women; their rights and
responsibilities, the conference is to be convened on the theme
of "Contribution of the Islamic world to women's issues and
analysis of the consequences of feminism". Negative impacts of
feminism, particularly in western societies, and its devastating
effects on families' foundation are among the issues to be
discussed at the two-day event. The conference is to be held by
women's cultural department of the Office for Supreme Leader
Representative in Universities in cooperation with Iranian
Foreign Ministry, the ministries of culture, health, and science
as well as World Forum for the Proximity of Islamic Schools of
Thought, and the Ahl-ul-Bayt (A.S.) World Assembly. About 300
essays in Persian and 100 in other languages from other
countries have been so far submitted to the secretariat of the
congress. The First International Conference on women was held
on the theme of "women, social-cultural issues, and
globalization" in Tehran in April 2005.
From Tehran Times 02/22/2010
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KYRGYZSTAN: Officials
Learn Precise Self-Assessment
European experts train the Kyrgyz state officials in precise
self-assessment, while the United Nations Development Program
believes the measure will help the government to improve the state
services, news agency "24.kg" reported. High and middle- rank
officials of ministries, departments and the government executive
staff are acquainted with the Common Assessment Framework - the
European quality framework for assessment of the state officials'
activity and quality of the state services. The methodology is used
by all members of the European Union since 2000. According to
official data, CAF is applied in the majority of the national state
administration reform programs in Europe. The framework could be
actively used by the Kyrgyz state institutions in future. Moreover,
the training was initiated by the government. As to Panos Liverakos,
Chief Technical Advisor at UNDP Regional Center for Public
Administration Reform, the methodology is based on estimation of
management quality by the state officials themselves.
From http://en.trend.az/ 02/02/2010
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KAZAKHSTAN: President
Assigned to Work on Modernization of National Security System
The expanded session of the Committee of National Security of
Kazakhstan with participation of the head of state, Nursultan
Nazarbayev, took place Astana, the agency reports citing the
president's press service. According to the press service, following
the results of the meeting, the President assigned to work on
further modernization of the national security system, to raise to a
qualitatively new level protection of the interests of the citizens,
societies and the states and an overall performance in the sphere of
counteraction to terrorism and extremism, and to strengthen economic
safety. N. Nazarbayev also noted the importance of constructive
cooperation of KNB with other law enforcement bodies, strict
observance of legality and human rights in the process of the work
of maintenance of national security. The head of the President's
Administration, Aslan Musin, and the Assistant to the President -
Secretary of the Security Council of Kazakhstan, Marat Tazhin, and
General Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kayrat Mami,
took part in the work of the meeting.
From Kazakhstan Today 02/02/2010
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OSCE Chairman Upbeat on
Nagorno-Karabakh Peace Prospects
Kazakh Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabaev said that his country and
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are
prepared to help resolve the dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh
region, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports. Saudabaev, the OSCE's
chairman in office, met in Baku on February 15 with representatives
from Azerbaijani political parties, including opposition leaders, to
discuss Karabakh and democratization issues. At one meeting,
Democratic Reforms Party leader Assim Mollazade criticized OSCE
efforts to mediate on Nagorno-Karabakh. He said Azerbaijan has lost
hope that international organizations can resolve the conflict
peacefully. "We are dissatisfied with the activities of the OSCE
Minsk Group, which creates conditions [only] to simulate the
negotiation process and are inconclusive," Mollazade said. Saudabaev
said after meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov that the OSCE "is optimistic about resolving the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the results of an arduous
negotiation process."
He added that it would be encouraging "if both sides will adhere to
the agreed principles" and that Kazakhstan will use its opportunity
as OSCE chairman in 2010 to help mediate on Karabakh. Mammadyarov,
for his part, was quoted as saying that those principles are "on the
whole acceptable" to Baku. Saudabaev said Kazakhstan knew the
history of the Karabakh problem and had "good relations with both
sides in the conflict." He also said he believed Azerbaijan would
work with OSCE institutions to improve the legal media environment
in the country and would coordinate with OSCE bodies that hope to
monitor Azerbaijan's parliamentary elections in November. Saudabaev
- whose own country has been criticized by human rights
organizations for its lack of democratic reforms and harassment of
the media - said the OSCE is ready to support the process of
democratic reform in Azerbaijan. The OSCE chairman in office is in
Armenia today for talks with government officials and political
party leaders.
From http://www.einnews.com/ 02/16/2010
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TURKMENISTAN: Specialists
Discuss Issues Related to Accounting and Auditing Reform
"Accounting and Auditing Reforms in Turkmenistan: Analysis and
Perspectives" is the topic of a two-day conference, which is being
held at "President" Hotel in Ashgabat. It was organized by the
Turkmen side and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in
cooperation with the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID). The conference brought together representatives
of financial organizations and banks, economic sector organizations
and research institutions of Turkmenistan. The conference is also
attended by experts from the International Accounting Standards
Board (IASB), the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC),
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the
World Bank as well as heads and employees of leading international
banks in Turkmenistan and specialists from Kazakhstan.
From http://www.turkmenistan.ru/ 02/04/2010
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AUSTRALIA: Defends Aid
Funding
Australia says it is had already planned to reduce the number
of support contractors in its aid programs overseas despite a
report claiming some were on tax-free contracts worth almost
half a million dollars. Australia's Parliamentary Secretary for
International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan, says the
salary figures in the report in The Australian newspaper were
misleading. He says most salary packages are around half the
amounts claimed, with the rest covering relocation, schooling,
security and other associated costs. Mr McMullan says there are
plans to rebalance Australia's aid delivery program but it can
not be done quickly. "We are trying to move the balance of our
funding away from technical assistance towards other areas of
activity," he said.
"That's what the Papua New Guinea prime minister said he wants,
that's what our prime minister has said he wants, so that is the
trend. "But we can't just cut it off like that because a lot of
this advice is fitting into longer term programs, and it won't
be reduced to zero because we do in other countries what those
countries ask us to do."
From http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/
02/19/2010
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Australia Ready for
Upswing, Says Reserve Bank Governor
The Australian economy is well positioned to prosper due to its
proximity to a strong Asian region, as it sets course on a new
upswing in growth, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) governor
Glenn Stevens said. He also said further adjustments to monetary
policy will be needed to ensure inflation remains consistent with
the RBA's 2-3 per cent target band. "If economic conditions evolve
roughly as we expect, further adjustments to monetary policy will
probably be needed over time to ensure that inflation remains
consistent with the target over the medium term," he told a House of
Representatives economics committee hearing in Canberra yesterday.
"This is a normal experience in an economic expansion: as economic
activity normalises, interest rates do the same." Stevens said
Australian gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to expand in the
coming years. "We think on the basis of available data that real GDP
grew by about 2 per cent through 2009," he said.
"We expect that it will grow by a bit over 3 per cent for 2010 and
about 3 per cent in 2011 and 2012." The economy expanded by 0.2 per
cent in the September quarter for an annual rate of 0.5 per cent in
the year. Stevens said Australia was fortunate in its geographical
setting. "We are located in the part of the world that is seeing the
most growth," he said. "And in terms of fiscal sustainability,
Australia's position is, by any measure, very strong indeed."
Stevens said retail consumption had held up reasonably well despite
a patchy Christmas period following the fade out of various
government handouts. "But in the future consumption is unlikely to
be a leading driver of growth to the extent it was a few years ago,"
he said. "Households seem to be adopting a more cautious position
regarding saving and borrowing, which is appropriate." Retail sales
fell 0.7 per cent in December but rose by 1.1 per cent in the
December quarter, recent official data show. Inflation has been
falling in line with recent forecasts after reaching five per cent
in 2009, or just over four per cent in underlying terms, Mr Stevens
said.
Underlying inflation is the RBA's preferred measure of inflation as
it removes volatile items from its calculations. "This was much too
high," he said. "The earlier period of tight monetary policy, and
the weakening in demand in late 2008 associated with the escalation
of the financial crisis, has seen inflation come down." The local
economy's performance, which was better than previously forecast,
had left the nation with less spare capacity compared to the typical
case after a recession, Mr Stevens said. "One measure of this is
that the rate of unemployment peaked at less than six per cent, much
lower than we or most others forecast," he said. The downturn in
economic activity proved to be considerably smaller than thought
likely a year ago.
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ 02/20/2010
TOP↑
Eco Ethics Guiding
Business Decisions
Almost a third of businesses have sacked a supplier in the past
year because they did not meet their environmental or ethical
standards, research suggests. A survey to be released tomorrow by
the Business Council for Sustainable Development has found more than
27 per cent of business owners, managers and self-employed people
had ditched a supplier for social, ethical or environmental reasons.
For business owners the figure was higher at 35 per cent. The
national poll sought the views of 1955 business owners, managers and
self-employed people, 336 of them business owners. Business council
head Peter Neilson said the results showed companies would be
"silly" to ignore the wishes of nearly a third of the market, who
wanted suppliers to help meet their customers' "deeply held"
concerns. He said sustainable buying policies were starting to drive
more of the $25 billion the Government spent each year buying goods
and services - and interest in sustainability had risen, not fallen,
with the recession. Two managers of companies with sustainable
buying policies - Robb Donze, the New Zealand managing director for
carpet company Interface, and Malcolm Rands of green cleaning
product company Eco-store - said it was getting easier to find
sustainable suppliers as more companies adopted green policies.
Mr Donze said Interface changed its freight company - a major
decision for the carpet distributor - in favour of Mainfreight-owned
Owens Transport "mainly because they were willing to talk to us
about keeping track of our carbon footprint and nobody else was, so
we dropped our other supplier". The company's seven cars are Toyota
Prius hybrids and Mr Donze said it also did the "easy stuff" such as
buying recycled paper and using mainly natural light in its offices.
He said suppliers were asked three main questions: what goes into a
product, how long does it last and what do you do with it when you
have finished? "You start asking ... 'are you going to take it back
[when I've finished with it]?' If they don't have an answer we will
probably look at buying it from somebody who will have an answer,
because we are being asked the same thing by our customers." Mr
Rands said insisting on sustainable supplies was an area of life
where ordinary people had true power. But he warned it was important
to do your research. "If you don't know what you're looking for it
is quite easy for people to bullshit you."
For example, he said: "Nuclear waste is actually 'biodegradable' if
you can wait half a million years. "You have to say how long does it
take to biodegrade and what sea animals does it kill on the way?" Mr
Rands said when he started his company 17 years ago he was the only
one asking for items such as recycled paper and plant-based inks. It
was a lot easier now because more companies were seeing
sustainability as a competitive advantage, he said. A positive
spin-off was growing demand from companies for his cleaning
products, he said. Mr Donze agreed sourcing was getting easier. "For
the first 10 years I would even have staff members coming up to me
and saying, 'Why are we doing this? Nobody cares.' "But in the last
five years it has changed quite a bit. "I think it is because there
are companies who are doing it and showing they have grown in spite
of [sustainable buying]." He said choosing sustainable options had
financially worked out extremely well for the company.
EYE ON STANDARDS
Has the organisation you work for or with ditched suppliers in the
past year because of their social, environmental or ethical
behaviour?
BUSINESS DECISION-MAKERS
Yes 27 per cent
No 38 per cent
Don't know 34 per cent
BUSINESS OWNERS
Yes 35 per cent
No 55 per cent
Don't know 10 per cent
From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ 02/18/2010
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Asia Leading Global
Economic Recovery - IMF
(AP) The world economy is recovering at a healthy pace but
still needs government stimulus efforts to keep it going, the
International Monetary Fund said Tuesday. The IMF raised its
forecast for world economic growth in 2010 to nearly 4 percent,
up from an estimate of 3.1 percent last October. It expects the
U.S. economy to grow by 2.7 percent this year, significantly
higher than its previous forecast of 1.5 percent. But with
unemployment high in many countries and credit tight, the
recovery in the United States and other advanced economies "is
still expected to be weak by historical standards," the IMF said
in a quarterly update of its World Economic Outlook.
The IMF's forecast for the United States is similar to many
estimates by private economists. The nation's gross domestic
product, the broadest measure of economic output, grew at a 2.2
percent rate in last year's third quarter, after contracting for
four straight quarters in the recession. Most economists believe
that growth picked up in the October-December quarter to a 4.5
percent to 5 percent pace. Much of that growth, however, likely
resulted from government efforts to support the housing sector
and broader economy, as well as rebuilding of inventories by
manufacturers. As that activity fades, growth is expected to
slow in the first half of this year. The U.S. government's first
estimate of fourth quarter GDP will be released Friday.
The IMF also projected that the 15 nations that use the euro
would grow by 1 percent in 2010, up from its 0.3 percent
estimate in October. It kept its estimate for Japan the same, at
1.7 percent growth. It forecast China's growth this year at 10
percent, and said "key emerging economies in Asia are leading
the global recovery." A "key risk" to the recovery "is that a
premature and incoherent exit" from the low interest rates set
by many central banks and other stimulus programs "may undermine
global growth," the IMF said. The recovery "is off to a stronger
start than anticipated," the IMF said, but "there are still few
indications" that business and consumer demand is sufficient to
replace government supports.
In addition, bank lending "is likely to remain sluggish," the
fund said, as banks seek to rebuild capital and are experiencing
additional losses in commercial real estate. Other risks to the
recovery include large government budget deficits, which the IMF
said could "unsettle financial markets" and lead to higher
interest rates for consumers and companies. Still, governments
should continue with stimulus programs already in place for
2010, the IMF said. And central banks "can afford" to keep
short-term interest rates low for the rest of the year,
providing another crucial support to economic growth, as
inflation is likely to remain low for the forseeable future, the
IMF said. The IMF provides loans and other assistance to
troubled countries and has 186 member nations. It also performs
economic analysis and monitoring.
From http://www.cbsnews.com/ 01/26/2010
TOP↑
Fixed-Line Penetration in
Central Asia Below 10% Except for Kazakhstan
The Central Asia Telecommunications Report for Q409 covers
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan,
with five-year forecasts for the mobile and fixed-line sectors, as
well as market data analysis sections for the mobile, fixed-line and
internet markets. This quarter we have updated our fixed-line
forecasts for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in
addition to adding new internet and broadband data to the market
data analysis sections. Central Asia's fixed-line market's are
relatively underdeveloped and dominated by the countries' respective
fixed-line incumbents. Competition in the market does vary but even
in the more developed markets such as Kazakhstan, competition is not
particularly fierce, with most alternative operators choosing to
target the growing internet sectors over fixed-line. Nevertheless,
fixed-line penetration in the region is increasing, albeit at a slow
and steady pace. Fixed-line penetration in Central Asia is below 10%
in all of the countries except for Kazakhstan where penetration is
now above 20%. Going forward, we are not anticipating dramatic
increases in the region's fixed-line subscriber bases. Although
fixed-line networks are being expanded, the mobile sectors are
expanding at a much faster rate and fixed-to-mobile substitution is
expected to grow in prominence.
The region's internet sectors are by far the least developed, with
internet usage and broadband subscriptions being extremely low.
However, the sectors do appear to be developing with Kazakhstan and
Uzbekistan leading the way and even witnessing the launch of
advanced services such as IPTV. Although none of the incumbents have
yet been privatised there are several large foreign players in the
region including Russia's VimpelCom and South Korea's KT Corp
through East Telecom. The broadband markets in Central Asia offer
the most growth potential and as the sectors are liberalised BMI is
expecting considerable amounts of investment to be ploughed in.
However, until the incumbents are privatised or up their investment
levels we do not anticipate dramatic improvements in the region's
broadband markets. The privatisations of Kazakhtelecom, Tajiktelecom,
Kyrgyztelecom and Uzbektelecom are all on the cards, and a good deal
of interest is being shown. The potential of the broadband sector in
Central Asia, coupled with a presence in high-growth mobile markets,
makes the incumbents extremely attractive acquisition targets. Given
the underdeveloped nature of the countries' wireline
infrastructures, alternative technologies such as WiMAX and
satellite-based broadband offer huge potential in the voice and
broadband markets.
The mobile markets are by far the most liberalised and developed
sectors in each of the Central Asian countries. The Russian
operators MTS, VimpelCom and MegaFon all have significant interests
across the region, competing with each other and Nordic giant
TeliaSonera, along with Turkey's Turkcell through their joint
venture Fintur Holdings. During the second quarter of 2009 BMI
estimates that Kazakhstan's mobile market penetration broke the 100%
barrier becoming the first country in the region to do so. In 2010
we have forecast Kyrgyzstan's mobile penetration to also break 100%,
with Uzbekistan following in 2011 and Tajikistan in 2013. However,
in Turkmenistan, which is the least developed and most closed of the
region's markets, we have forecast mobile penetration to reach just
67% by the end of 2013.
From http://www.officialwire.com/ 01/26/2010
TOP↑
World Unemployment Hits
Record
"Global unemployment hit a record in 2009 and is likely to remain
high over the coming year despite a recovery in the world economy,
the International Labor Organization (ILO) has warned. In its annual
Global Economic Trends, the UN agency says the number of jobless
worldwide soared by an unprecedented 34 million over the two years
from end-2007 to reach nearly 212 million or 6.6 percent of the
global labor force..." [Financial Times/Factiva]
AP adds that "...27 million people lost their jobs in 2009, according
to the ILO... About 12 million of the newly unemployed were in North
America, Japan and Western Europe... The jobless jumped by nearly
four million in both Eastern Europe and Latin America, while
unemployment rates were more stable last year in Asia, Africa and
the Middle East..." [Associated Press/Factiva]
Kyodo writes that "...young workers were particularly hit hard, with
unemployment rate up 1.6 points over 2007 to 13.4 percent, the
largest increase since 1991 and the earliest year for which global
estimates are available... The report said that although economic
growth is expected to be positive this year... the global unemployment
rate is expected to remain high through 2010, stagnating between 6.1
and 7 percent. Furthermore, more than 1.5 billion workers are in
'vulnerable' employment situations, or slightly over half of the
world's labor force, it said..." [Kyodo/Factiva]
From http://web.worldbank.org/ 01/27/2010
TOP↑
Economic Rebound to Drive
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Demand in Asia
Pacific: Avaya Survey
Avaya today announced the findings of its "Tuning Into The
Channel" survey conducted at its annual Avaya Asia Pacific Business
Partner Conference in Beijing, China. The survey was conducted by
Avaya Asia Pacific by polling participants from 20 countries in Asia
Pacific who attended the conference.
The survey highlights a positive sentiment within Avaya's Asia
Pacific channel network with 64.6 percent of the respondents
expecting to see a demand surge in ICT before the end of 2010 as the
economy continues to improve in 2010. Among respondents, 37.7
percent see the SME sector as the biggest driver for this increase
over the next 12 months. This positive sentiment is supported by
business momentum as 40.5 percent of the Avaya channel partners
polled said their customers have identified 'making selected
investments in projects to drive productivity' as a key strategy
over the next 12 months.
Financial Services (27.3 percent) and Telecoms (19.5 percent) are
other key sectors identified as driving growth in what in 2010. The
survey identified Unified Communications as a big opportunity in
2010 with 36.3 percent of the respondents identifying it as "the
best opportunity for 2010". The survey indicates that as many as 85
percent of channel partner customers prefer to extend and invest in
existing systems. As many as 61.5 percent of channel partners polled
are considering new contact centre solutions to improve their own
customer service capabilities this year. "The positive sentiment
shared by our channel partners is good news for Avaya," said Chee
Heng Loon, director, Channels, Avaya Asia Pacific. "We see a similar
reaction from many of our customers following our merger with Nortel
Enterprise Solutions in December 2009.Avaya is well-positioned to
strengthen our leadership in Asia Pacific."
From http://www.thaipr.net/ 01/28/2010
TOP↑
Bad News: No Progress in
the Global Fight Against Poverty
The countries and regions of the world are becoming increasingly
polarised in spite of their international commitments to fight
poverty. This is what emerges from the 2009 Basic Capabilities Index
(BCI) published today by Social Watch, an international network of
citizens' organizations whose headquarters is in Montevideo.
According to Roberto Bissio, coordinator of the Social Watch
secretariat, "Most of the countries in the world are very far from
reaching the social objectives they are committed to for 2015".
"Some 42% of countries have low, very low or critical values",
according to Gabriel Errandonea, coordinator of the University of
the Republic social sciences research team that processed the
indicators and perfected the calculation methodology used by Social
Watch.
The Basic Capabilities Index is an annual monitoring report on the
evolution of basic social development indicators. Three indicators
are used to calculate the BCI, the percentage of children who reach
the fifth year of primary school, the mortality rate among children
under five years old and the percentage of births attended by
skilled health personnel. Unlike other international development
indices, the BCI does not incorporate monetary income as one of its
components: human capabilities are measured directly. The fight
against poverty, as measured by the BCI, was already slowing down
and stagnating before September 2008, when the global economic
crisis struck. The social impacts of the crisis are not reflected in
the 2009 index because social indicators are processed much more
slowly than economic ones. As Bissio remarked, "The 2010 BCI will
very probably show deterioration where today we have stagnation."
The 2009 BCI shows that the countries in the most critical situation
are in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The ten countries with the
lowest BCI ratings are Chad, Afghanistan, East Timor, Ethiopia,
Rwanda, Niger, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Nepal and Equatorial Guinea. At
the other extreme there are some sixty countries (including Uruguay)
that have reached values of more than 98 points on the scale, whose
maximum value is 100. "If a country reaches this BCI value, which we
call 'acceptable', this means that it is able to provide the minimum
essential social care for the entire population. But this is only a
starting point for social development, not the finish line".
The countries with values under 100 have, to a greater or lesser
extent, situations of poverty that are an offence against human
dignity. The BCI distinguishes five levels: acceptable, medium, low,
very low and critical. The higher levels tend to be occupied by
countries in the North and also in the South of the planet (such as
the Southern Cone of Latin America and Australia,), while the
countries in a band on either side of the equator have the lowest
values. In Africa, whose average BCI is very low, this global
pattern is repeated: the countries of the Maghreb like Morocco,
Algeria, Libya and Egypt, and those in the extreme south of the
continent like South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland and Botswana, have
the highest values.
As a region, Latin America and the Caribbean has a medium value, and
in this region the countries in the lowest positions are Guatemala,
Nicaragua, Bolivia, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. Those
with the highest values are Chile, Cuba, the Bahamas and Barbados,
followed by Argentina and Uruguay. In the last five years Argentina
has stagnated on the BCI, Venezuela and Costa Rica have regressed
and Uruguay, Brazil and Mexico have progressed. The regions with the
lowest BCI ratings are South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Next, with
a low average BCI level, come East Asia, the Pacific, Latin America
and the Caribbean. The Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia
are in the medium category, and Europe and North America have the
highest ratings.If current trends continue, a large part of the
world will not reach an acceptable level in terms of satisfying the
basic needs of the population by 2015, the deadline for meeting the
Millennium development Goals.
Change of course needed in the fight against poverty
The more poor people there are in a country the greater the effort
that country must make to overcome poverty. There is a huge gap
between the conditions of life in the regions with high average BCI
ratings (North America and Europe) and those in the regions with
critical or very low levels (Sub-Saharan Africa). According to
Gabriel Errandonea, coordinator of Uruguay's University of the
Republic social sciences research team that processed the indicators
and perfected the calculation methodology used by Social Watch, from
2004 to 2009 only one sixth of the countries in the world progressed
significantly in term of their social indicators, and nearly a
quarter of the countries considered regressed. In the last five
years North America, the Middle East and North Africa have made
significant progress, but these regions were already at relatively
high levels. On the other hand, most of the countries that were in
the critical BCI category five years ago has stagnated or even
worsened. According to Errandonea, the chart of the effort needed to
reach the maximum BCI level of 100 points is like a mountain.
Halfway up we find Latin America, the Caribbean, East Asia, the
Pacific, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia; Europe and
the United States are near the peak and South Asia and Sub-Saharan
Africa are near the bottom.
On each part of the mountain the gradient is different. The regions
that have the lowest BCI ratings are facing the steepest slope in
that a greater effort is needed to achieve any kind of improvement.
The going is easier for the countries in the medium and acceptable
categories as they have a gentler slope to climb. As Roberto Bissio,
the coordinator of Social Watch, says "It is very unfair that the
poorest countries not only have a long way to go but are also facing
the steepest gradient... These countries are sometimes criticised
for their lack of progress, but this ignores the fact that the
assistance and trade opportunities that they were promised have
never materialised." In a country in which 90% of the children go to
school the distance from the education goal is only ten points, so
to reduce the number of number of children without education by half
the government only has to "increase the number of teachers and
schools by 5%. But in a country in which only 20% of the children go
to school the shortfall is 80%, and to reduce this by half the
government would have to triple the number of schools that are
currently in existence and recruit three times as many teachers as
it already has."
And even if the government managed to do this, some 40% of the
children in the country would still be without education. At the
other end of the scale, about half the countries in the world
already have medium or acceptable BCI ratings. From 2004 to 2009
there was a very considerable increase in the countries with
acceptable BCI levels. In the low, very low and critical categories
the percentages of countries remained almost the same, which shows
that the trend is for the world to polarise in this respect. If
these trends continue, the Millennium Development Goals will not be
reached by 2015. In the 2004 to 2009 period, Sub-Saharan Africa
managed to rise from the critical to the very low level, but in 2015
it will still be the region that ranks lowest in the world on the
BCI. By that date South Asia should have risen to join the Middle
East, North Africa and Central Asia at the medium level, while Latin
America will have stagnated at the low level and the situation in
Europe and North America will remain acceptable.
From http://www.socialwatch.org/ 02/01/2010
TOP↑
CIOs in the Asia Pacific
Expect Economic Recovery in 2010
Recession took everybody by surprise last year but a large number
of chief information officers (CIOs) in the Asia Pacific were very
optimistic about economic recovery in 2010. This revelation is
apparent from a newly released report by Hitachi Data Systems, which
showed that about 86 per cent of the respondents felt confident
about economic recovery by 2010. Andrew Sampson, general manager,
Hong Kong and Macau of Hitachi Data Systems, noted that while times
are changing for the better, several CIOs have to struggle with
managing the surge of data in a flat IT budget. Hitachi Data
Systems' new report 'The CIO Roadmap to Recovery' reveals the many
challenges faced by CIOs in 2010 and suggests that businesses
transform into leaner, greener, yet more flexible and
business-centered units.
It suggests that CIOs and IT professionals should use their
allocated budget for targeted, specific areas to get the greatest
possible strategic business value from IT. The focus should be on
areas that can help towards the building of a resilient IT framework
that will enable organisations to make the most of the good economic
times. Hitachi Data Systems provides services oriented storage
solutions that enable heterogeneous storage to be dynamically
provisioned according to business needs and centrally managed via
Hitachi storage virtualisation software. The company can help
enterprises to achieve this goal by utilising existing assets to
drive redundant costs out of their storage implementation. Andrew
Sampson, general manager, Hong Kong and Macau of Hitachi Data
Systems, said companies can easily align IT and business goals by
the strategic use of technologies such as virtualisation and dynamic
provisioning to automate performance and increase utilisation.
Cost management
Operating within a limited budget has always been a challenge for
CIOs and in 2010, Asia Pacific CIOs are searching for ways to adopt
a storage strategy that lowers operating expenditure. Hitachi Data
Systems asked the respondents what they value most in their
organisation's IT strategy and about 50 per cent pointed towards the
reduction of operating costs. The majority (73 per cent) of CIOs in
this region understands and showed interest in adopting new
technology but 50 per cent were unable to calculate the return on
investment of an improved information infrastructure. (by Anuradha
Shukla, MIS Asia)
From http://www.networkworld.com/ 02/01/2010
TOP↑
Five Billion People to Use
Mobile Phones in 2010: UN
"The ranks of cell phone subscribers will swell to five billion
people this year thanks to the growth of smartphones in developed
nations and mobile services in poor nations, a UN agency said
Monday. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) also said
the number of mobile broadband subscriptions would exceed one
billion this year after reaching 600 million in 2009..." [Agence
France Presse (2/15)/Factiva] AP adds that "...web access by people on
the move, including through laptops and smart mobile devices, will
probably surpass web access from desktop computers within the next
five years, the agency said..." [Associated Press (2/15)/Factiva]
Xinhua writes that "... 'Even during an economic crisis, we have seen
no drop in the demand for communications services,' ITU
Secretary-General Hamadoun Toure said... The ITU attributed the
subscriptions increase to advanced services and handsets in
developed countries, and expanded mobile health services and mobile
banking in developing countries..." [Xinhua (2/15)/Factiva]
From http://web.worldbank.org/ 02/16/2010
TOP↑
Asia's Poor May Rise
Another 21 Million on Crisis Squeeze
"The global economic downturn could push 21 million people in the
Asia-Pacific region into extreme poverty, a UN-led study showed on
Wednesday, urging governments to add social protection measures in
their stimulus programs... The study by the UN Development Program (UNDP)
and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Achieving the Millennium
Development Goals in an Era of Global Uncertainty...[found] that the
global economic and financial crisis could trap an additional 17
million people on incomes of less than $1.25 a day in 2009 and
another 4 million in 2010...
AFP adds that "...this is on top of the 900 million people in Asia who
are already living in extreme poverty... UN Under-Secretary General
Noeleen Heyzer said that people in the export and tourism sectors in
Asia had lost and were still losing their jobs due to the crisis,
which swept across the globe in late 2008. Less foreign investment,
aid and remittances from overseas workers were further hurting
Asia's poor, Heyzer said. The report said more women than men had
been forced back into extreme poverty due to the crisis..." [Agence
France Presse/Factiva]
Xinhua writes that "...China, with its huge resources and success in
reducing poverty, should lead developing Asian countries in
attaining the Asia-Pacific region's Millennium Development Goals (MDG),
UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Ajay Chhibber said...
China has been on track in attaining most of its MDG targets
including slashing poverty rate from 60 percent to 16 percent in
2005, reducing malnutrition, halting the spread of HIV and AIDS and
providing universal primary education..." [Xinhua/Factiva]
From http://web.worldbank.org/ 02/17/2010
TOP↑
APEC Officials to Chart
Path Toward Inclusive, Sustainable Regional Growth
Hiroshima, 22 February 2010 - Coming together for their first
meeting in 2010, APEC Senior Officials must determine how best to
realise their Leaders' instruction to develop growth strategies that
are balanced, inclusive and sustainable. Specifically, last November
APEC Leaders declared, "We will put in place [in 2010] a
comprehensive long-term growth strategy that supports more balanced
growth within and across economies, achieves greater inclusiveness
in our societies, sustains our environment, and which seeks to raise
our growth potential through innovation and a knowledge-based
economy." The first APEC Senior Officials' Meeting will be
instrumental in determining the agendas that will shape discussions
throughout the year and which will lead to concrete actions in each
economy.
Japan, the host economy for APEC 2010 has ass
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