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WIRE:06/09/2000 05:55:00 ET
Thailand wants Japan to take up ASEAN issues at G8 BANGKOK, June 9 (Reuters) - Thailand has asked Japan to help push
issues raised by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) at
the G8 annual meeting to be held in Okinawa in July, a Thai official said
on Friday.
"The Thai premier Chuan Leekpai held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and asked Japan to lobby the G8 meeting to consider the issues," government spokeman Akapol Sorasuchart told a teleconference with reporters from Japan. Chuan was in Japan for the late premier Keizo Obuchi's funeral.
Akapol said ASEAN wanted the G8 to discuss the restructuring of
global financial arrangements, help in setting up systems to strengthen
ASEAN's sustainable economic growth and ask Western markets to open access
for its members products.
The Japanese premier gave Chuan an assurance that he would look into
the Thai and ASEAN requests.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
the Philippines, Singapre, Thailand and Vietnam.
G8 countries are the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany,
Italy, Russia and Japan.
Chuan also expressed to the Japanese leader his concern that some
developing countries were lagging behind in the fast growth of electronic
commerce business.
"The prime minister asked for Japan to help aid ASEAN countries to
develop their e-commerce and Internet technologies," Arkapol said.
On the bilateral front, Chuan asked Japan to open its markets for
more Thai rice exports.
WIRE:06/09/2000 06:32:00 ET
Chinese police checking suspect pirated cargo ship TOKYO, June 9 (Reuters) - Chinese police were checking
to see if a Japanese cargo ship commandeered by pirates about four
months ago may have been found on its shores, a Japanese shipping industry
source said on Friday.
The 6,594 deadweight tonne chemical tanker Global Mars with 17 people aboard left Malayasia on February 22 and Chinese authorities were investigating if the ship had turned up in one of its ports, the source said. "We cannot confirm that it is the Global Mars. Chinese police are
looking into the matter," he said.
The Panama-registered ship's crew -- seven South Koreans and 10 from
Myanmar -- were found in mid-March on an island off Phuket,
Thailand.
South Korea's Maritime Affairs Ministry and a South Korean shipping
firm said the ship's last contact was on February 22 when it was some 385
km (240 miles) north of Indonesia.
The vessel was reported to have been carrying a cargo of palm oil and
is owned by Japan's Global Marine Service Co Ltd.
Japanese shipping companies, stung by deadly pirate attacks in
Southeast Asian seas, have been leading a movement to combat the seafaring
criminals.
Friday, June 9 6:56 PM SGT
ILO delegates divided on how to sanction Myanmar for forced labourGENEVA, June 9 (AFP) -Asian and Western countries were divided during discussions at the International Labour Conference here Friday over how to sanction Myanmar for its use of forced labour, delegates said. Asia wants to avoid any measure forcing immediate action against Myanmar, while Western states want to call for a review of relations with the military-ruled country. Mynanmar was condemned for widespread use of forced and compulsory labour by an International Labour Office (ILO) commission of inquiry in 1998 and the issue of what follow-up action to take has proven one of the hottest subjects at the conference taking place here until June 15. "The heterogeneous coalitions of the camps present show that beyond Myanmar, it's relations between trade and labour that are at play," a source close to the conference said. Representatives of trade unions, supported by the European Union, Canada, Switzerland and the United States, want the ILO's general assembly to adopt an article calling on states, international organisations, companies and workers groups to review their relations with Myanmar. But in a text presented by Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia and supported by other nations, the countries call for a delay in taking any decision against Myanmar until next year. They want new ILO technical missions to be sent to Myanmar. A delegation which visited the country last month and whose report was released last week called on Myanmar to adopt measures to ensure that state authorities, especially the military, do not use forced labour. In response, a government spokesman said Myanmar's regime was willing to cooperate with the organisation to ensure and end to the use of forced labour. Myanmar has shown "its willingness and commitment to cooperate with the ILO to further improve and develop its labour standards," the government spokesman said. Developing countries are worried about the effects the Myanmar case could have on their own economies and trade in the name of respecting labour standards, delegates said. The ILO article demanding a review of relations is the strongest tool the Geneva-based organisation has at its disposal. But it has never been put into practice and so its effectiveness and possible consequences are difficult to measure. If the measure is adopted at next week's plenary session of the conference, the article would mean anyone with ties to the ILO would be forced to report on measures they are taking with regard to Myanmar. Meanwhile, a midway approach has been suggested by employers who are worried about their operations in Myanmar and elsewhere in developing countries. In their proposal, employers want to give Myanmar until November, when the governing body of the ILO is due to meet. If no progress has been made, they would then accept implementation of the ILO article. Sources say this could be the compromise finally chosen next week when the conference takes a decision on Myanmar. Friday, June 9 1:36 PM SGT Southeast Asia calls for balanced new trade roundTOKYO, June 9 (AFP) - Southeast Asian nations Friday urged Japan to press the cause of developing nations when launching a new round of World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks, an official said. Leaders from the region, in Tokyo after attending a memorial the previous day for former Japanese prime minister Keizo Obuchi, met with his succesor, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori. They urged him to carry their banner when discussing the next WTO round at a July 21-23 Group of Eight leaders' summit to be held in the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. "We want to request a new WTO round be set up in a balanced manner that considers developing nations' interests and benefits all," Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai was quoted as telling Mori. Chuan, who chairs the the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), made the request at a meeting between Mori and representatives from the ASEAN nations, the foreign ministry official said. Mori promised to carry the ASEAN message to the G8 summit, which also includes the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Russia and the United States. "To strengthen the multilateral trade system, Japan believes it is important to launch an early new round that can cope with wide-ranging issues that countries, including developing nations, are interested in. "I hope to issue a strong message on the new round at the next summit," Mori was quoted as saying. Southeast Asia hoped the world's major nations would discuss reform of the global financial system, recognise the strength and potential of the Asian economy and open up markets further for Asia, Chuan said. ASEAN wanted the economic powers to recognise "the need to create a regional mechanism to solve regional economic problems in Asia," he said, according to the Japanese ministry official. The participants had no particular proposal for the mechanism, the official said, adding that only one country mentioned an Asian monetary fund, advocated by Japan. "The point is that they want Japan to take the initiative in promoting such regional cooperation and the international community to properly consider it," the official said. Mori also vowed to help ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, in promoting information technology. Obuchi died on May 14, six weeks after suffering a massive stroke. The Nation - June 9, 2000.
Policymakers gather to consider Asia's future TOKYO - As the sense of community or comradeship grows, the all-embracing
question is whether Asian nations have what it takes to bring regionalism to
fruition.
That may not necessarily be the "Future of Asia", but it certainly is the
topic on the minds of key policymakers, business leaders and participants
attending the Sixth International Conference on the future of the region,
organised by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), the leading Japanese business
daily.
East Asian nations should establish the "East Asian Economic Area" on a
scale comparable to other regional economic blocs but under the World Trade
Organisation's framework, Akira Chihaya, president of Nippon Steel Corp,
suggested to a packed audience of more than 500 people at The Imperial Hotel
here.
"East Asia must build a new order … deepen the interdependence in the
region," he said.
Such sentiment has prevailed especially after the 1997 financial crisis in
the region, when both the US and European Union proved to be unreliable partners
in time of need.
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's senior minister, said the incident has created a
deep impression that short of a major crisis - be it politics or any other, if
it is financial then "we have to paddle on our own".
"There is a deep sense of comradeship [among Asian countries] and a sense
of trust in each other. It is a positive mood, but to build on it is another
problem," Lee said, citing great diversity in the region and lingering
historical animosity.
He suggested that an Asian grouping would require Japan and China to short
out their past problems in the long term.
Japan has been taking the lead recently in bringing Asian nations closer
together, including funding to help Asian nations overcome the economic crisis.
It has also suggested the formation of the Asian Monetary Fund which would help
to plug any financial needs by Asian nations in time of global or regional
currency volatility - a proposal which is strongly opposed by the US.
Dr Robert Scalapino, professor emeritus at Institute of East Asian Studies
from the University of California at Berkeley, said that while he sympathised
with regionalism, it is imperative for Asia to keep the United States engaged
"economically, politically and militarily" as well as strategically. An
exclusion of the US would not be beneficial, he said.
An Asian grouping such as the one suggested by Nippon Steel's top executive
reflects an surge in sentiment for greater cooperation between Asian nations.
Chihaya said there is good economic reasoning for a new balance in the global
economy.
He suggested that Japan and South Korea, which together make up 70 per cent
of the East Asian economy as a whole, take a lead in this development designed
to lead Asia on a sustainable growth track.
Chihaya said trading among East Asian economies today makes up 25 per cent
of global trade, compared to 30 per cent within the European Union. Its
intra-regional trade is also 50 per cent of total output compared with 60 per
cent among EU member countries and 50 per cent in the North America Free Trade
Area (Nafta).
He said a regional economic zone could have positive effects from
liberalisation of trade and investment, increase in industrial development and
complementary sectors, and making countries undergo structural reform with depth
and breadth. The East Asian Economic Area would also be open to other regions
and balance the EU and Nafta.
But Kong Ro-myung, former South Korean foreign minister and now a
university professor, questioned whether such a free trade area would benefit
his country, which has a huge trade deficit with Japan.
Choi Woo-seok, president of Korea's Samsung Economic Research Institute,
said such a free trade proposal would require Japan to undertake industrial
restructuring that would give other Asian nations the ability to invest in parts
and components and propel the complementary scheme. He asked if Japan would be
willing to make that transfer of technology and resources.
Chihaya said there are already platforms set to take the East Asian region
forward together such as the Miyazawa initiatives for promotion of investment in
infrastructure, energy and environment; simplification of customs and investment
regulations and intellectual property laws; the recent currency swap arrangement
among East Asian countries to help protect one another against international
capital flow volatility; and promotion of human resources and intellectual
development.
East Asia and the US along with Australia and New Zealand are members of
the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) which is a loosely formed economic
grouping. It was set up after rejection of the East Asian Economic Caucus
proposed by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed that would have excluded
the US and Australasia.
Mahathir is scheduled to speak at the Nikkei conference this afternoon.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi will deliver his address in
the morning session of the conference.
BY PANA JANVIROJ
The Nation
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