Wilson Center Asia Program Stresses History, Culture

One of the many manifestations of “Asia in Washington” (other than this column, of course) is The Asia Program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, housed in the Ronald Reagan Building.  Begun in l977, the program seeks to bring historical and cultural context to the discussion of the Asia Pacific region in the nation’s capital.  In seminars, workshops, briefings and conferences, prominent scholars of Asia engage in dialogue and debate with policy practitioners to further understanding of that area.  Program activities also explore topics cutting across regional boundaries and address issues of global significance.  Among Asia Program activities are 1) political and economic developments in Taiwan and China; 2) the difficult pattern of US-Taiwan-China relations; 3) domestic changes in Japan, and Tokyo’s evolving leadership role; 4) U.S.-South Korea relations and the effort to tame the North Korean challenge; 5) democratic change and reform in Southeast Asia; 6) political Islam in Asia, and the Asian dimensions of the global war on terrorism; and 7) security issues and domestic developments in South Asia, with special emphasis on India and Pakistan.  Asia Program activities also give close attention to U.S. interests in, and policy toward, the Asia Pacific region and how Washington policymaking relates to that region.  The Asia Program director is Robert Hathaway, and program associates are Michael Kugleman, Gang Lin, Mamrukh and Amy Thernstrom.

Thai Envoy Says His Job Not Affected by Coup

Thailand’s envoy to the U.S. says his country is “determined to restore democracy, confront corruption and negotiate with Muslim rebels who have turned the southern part of the Southeast Asian nation into a war zone,” the Washington Times reports.  Ambassador Virasakdi Futrakul told the paper the September 19 coup that “swept en elected government from power” was “a response to the overwhelming corruption of the previous administration” of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.  Mr. Shinawatra was attending the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York at the time of the coup.  He is now living in England.  Ambassador Futrakul told Times reporter Hsin-Hsien Sheena Wong that “the takeover was not because of the situation in the south,” rather “mainly because of the concern by the military that there would be a bloody confrontation” when Prime Minister Shinawatra returned.  Thailand’s beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej gave the new government his seal of approval and the new prime minister, retired Army General Surayud Chulanont, named former ambassador to Washington (1996-2000) Nitya Pibulsonggram foreign minister.  Ambassador Futrakul said his position, which he has held since February, is not affected by the coup.

“I represent the king of Thailand, which is the first and oldest friend of the United States.  No other country in Asia has sent soldiers to fight side-by-side with U.S. soldiers in every war in the last century from World War I.”  Thai troops are involved in reconstruction work in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

“Borat” Kazakh Spoof May Become Boon

Perhaps the Kazakh language has an expression equivalent to the English “When you are handed lemons, make lemonade.”  At any rate, the embassy of Kazakhstan in Washington is taking advantage of the faux Kazakh character “Borat”-- in real (?) life British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen--who makes fun of the former Soviet Central Asian republic in a movie, to draw attention to some of the country’s positive features.  AsiaNews has received an e-mail from Kazakh embassy press secretary Roman Vassilenko who says, among other things, that “Borat” and his movie “have nothing to do with the real Kazakhstan” and that the only fact in the movie is the country’s location.  However—and here comes the lemonade—Mr. Vassilenko says, “We hope the movie will spur increased interest in the real Kazakhstan among those who see it.”  And he lists several reasons, among them:  1) Kazakhstan is the world’s ninth largest country and “an economically strong and dynamically developing democratic nation.”  2) A Muslim majority country, it is home to 130 ethnic groups and 40 faiths, which Pope John Paul II called “an example of harmony between men and women of different origins and beliefs.”  3) The country voluntarily shut down the world’s largest nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk, got rid of the world’s fourth largest nuclear arsenal and is a “recognized global leader” in the attempt to stop proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.  4) It is a U.S. partner in the war on terrorism and the only Central Asian country with troops in Iraq.  5) With an estimated 10 billion barrels of oil reserve, Kazakhstan expects to be one of the top 10 oil producers in a decade.  6) More than 400 U.S. companies work in Kazakhstan and have invested more than $15 billion in the country’s economy.  For more information about the real Kazakhstan, contact Roman Vassilenko at 202/232-5488x104 (tel), 202/232-5845 (fax) or info@kazakhstanembus.com.  Lemonade, anybody? 

Hu’s a Reformer?

At a recent Asia Program event of Washington’s  Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, long-time Hong Kong reporter and editor Willy Wo-Lap Lam said Chinese President Hu Jintao is not a “reformer,” rather a “party apparatchik who primarily aims to continue the one-party rule of the Chinese Communist Party.”   Mr. Lam said that when Mr. Hu talks about “political reform,” he is really referring to “administrative reform,” although he is “prepared to encourage” the growth of nongovernmental organizations that do not challenge party authority (emphasis provided). 

Md.-China Business Group Announces Appointments

The Maryland-China Business Council has announced appointments to fill vacancies created by the resignation of two long-serving board members.  Mr. Ramez Naguib, International Marketing Manager with the Baltimore Aircoil Co. (BAC), is taking over the directorship vacated by Mr. John Lau of BAC, who is being transferred to Beijing.  And Mr. Dennis Noah, Administrative Vice President for International Trade finance at the M&T Bank, will replace Mr. Federico Manno of M&T, who the council said is moving on to a “new opportunity.”  At BAC, Mr. Naguib was involved in the company’s operating units in Asia, Australia and other part of the world.  Mr. Noah was responsible for all M&T Bank activities in China and is a member of the Baltimore-Xiamen Sister Cities Committee. 

Asia Foundation Hosts Talk on Asian Women

The Asia Foundation’s Washington office recently hosted a panel discussion on what it called the increasing role Asian women are playing in shaping public decision-making.  Each of the three panelists has been involved in mobilizing women as voters, political leaders and activists.  They discussed challenges women face, strategies used to influence political processes from within and outside of government and the impact of women’s participation in politics.  The speakers were Mrs. Nanda Pok, Executive Director, Women for Prosperity, Cambodia; The Honorable Dr. Bong-scuk Sohn, Member of Parliament, Republic of Korea; and Mr. Suteera Vichitranonda, President, Gender and Development Research Institute, Thailand.  For more information, see www.asiafoundation.org.

APAICS Announces 2007-8 Fellowships

The Asian Pacific Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) has announced two fellowships for its 2007-2008 period.  They are the George Aratani Foundation/Daniel K. Inouye Fellowship Program and the Anheuser-Bush/Frank Horton Fellowship Program.  Applications can be downloaded from the APAICS website, apaics@apaics.org and must be postmarked by February 28, 2007.  The mailing address is 1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 530, Washington DC 20036.  Tel: 202/296-9200,  Fax: 202/296-9236.  The current Aratani/Inouye and Busch/Horton fellows are, respectively, Maya Yamazaki, who is with the office of Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallas, and Gloria Chan, who is in the office of Congressman Mike Honda.  APAICS President and CEO

William H. (Mo) Marumoto said the fellowship program “has proven to be very competitive among graduate students” and called it “a wonderful opportunity to experience the workings of our federal government and perhaps be involved in how

our laws are made…”  For more information, call R.G. Moy at 202/296-9200.

All in the Family: Five Chinese Relatives Charged with Spying on U.S.

A Los Angeles federal grand jury has added charges against a family “suspected of passing U.S. Navy weapons technology” to communist China, according to a news report.  WashingtonTimes “Inside the Ring” columnists Bill Gertz  and Rowan Scarborough said five members of the family who had been previously charged with “acting as agents of a foreign power” were charged with “conspiring to export defense technology to Beijing.”  U.S. counterintelligence sources called the spy case “extremely damaging” to the Navy and other services.  The indictment says Chi Mak, 66; his wife, Rebecca Laiwah Chiu, 63; Mr. Mak’s brother, Tai Mak, 57; Tai Mak’s wife, Fuk Heung Li, 49; and Tak Mak’s son, Billy Yui Mak, 26, “conspired to send Navy sound-dampening technology, which officials say makes U.S. warships sound like “a Lexus at idle.”  Court documents said the Chinese intelligence officer suspected of directing the “purported” spy rings activity as Pu Pei-l-liang—not identified as a Mak family member--a researcher at the Chinese Center for Asia-Pacific Studies (known as CAPS to US. intelligence officials) at Zhongshan University.  If convicted, the Maks could receive maximum sentences of from 10 to 30 years in jail.