Asia

Have a good Christmas, stop executions in Japan says Claudio Giusti, international campaigner against the death penalty as he launches a new campain.

Bali – UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon challenged the Asia and Pacific region “to assume global leadership on issues of international concern, including climate change, sustainable development, access to food and energy, human rights and the empowerment of women.”

The ‘India Against Corruption – Hong Kong’ volunteer group gathered together 13 November, 2011, to better understand the success story of Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), and to get to know how this organisation eradicated corruption in the territory, as a guide to how India can do the same as corruption has plagued India for decades.

The nuclear industry, already frazzled behind toughened and high barricades, is now under further onslaught from the anti nuclear community that has readied a sonic Molotov in the form of a music, poetry and sounds CD recorded and released from Hong Kong. The motor force behind this non-violent munition is long time local rocker Lenny Kwok (Len Guo) of Blackbird infamy.

“I think that everyone involved in or studying Occupy or Town Square or 15M and the Arab uprisings should consider that this is a ‘Values’ based movement, not an ideologically driven one. We should throw away our group banners, our more superficial reasons for being involved, and take on the core value of simply actively, non-violently expressing our wish for a better world.”

We reproduce here some background information about the campaign to prevent a Naval Base (considered to be part of the US “Star Wars” antibalistic misile system) to be constructed in Jeju Island. In the last few hours a group of the most central activists have been arrested. Some are facing very significant jail terms as they are already on probation.

The original number of 20 Dutch police trainers was recently cut by half. The higher ranking officers would be given an eight-week follow-up course to basic training is also being suggested that Afghan police trainers could shadow their Dutch and German counterparts. Final decisions, will not be taken until after the Afghanistan Conference at the beginning of December.

In news from Japan, the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant revealed today it had found radioactive particles in a reactor which could be a result of recent nuclear fission. Utility officials said gas from inside the Fukushima plant’s No. 2 reactor indicated the presence of radioactive xenon.

In Bangladesh, the group completed the legalization process for ownership of the land which is about 55 kilometers from Dhaka, at Bitipara, Gazipur, and the members are now laying the brick-and-concrete foundations for the Centre of Studies. What is taking place in Bangladesh is being repeated across Asia with like Parks in various stages of completion.

Pakistani humanists organized a forum for dialogue on the “Existing Political Situation and Alternatives in Pakistan”, on 22nd October, 2011. The event was held at Hamdard Hall, Lahore, where around 60 people from Lahore participated, that figure including several lawyers. The seeds of a new Humanist Party were planted!