U.S. retrieves soldiers' remains

Source: CNN.

PANMUNJOM, Korea (AP) -- U.S. envoys entered South Korea from North Korea in a rare border-crossing Wednesday after securing the remains of six American soldiers from the Korean War and pushing for action on the North's nuclear disarmament.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Anthony Principi, former U.S. veterans affairs secretary, were greeted at the frontier between North and South by U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Alexander Vershbow and U.S. military officials.

Richardson spent four days in North Korea, also joined by the top White House adviser on Korea, Victor Cha.

"Hopefully, we've done our bit to relieve the tension between our two countries," Richardson said after crossing the border, referring to the U.S. and the North.

While in the North on a mission to recover the remains of the U.S. soldiers, the delegation met with officials to press Pyongyang to meet a Saturday deadline to shut down its sole operating nuclear reactor. The agreement was reached in February with the U.S. and other regional powers.

It's unclear if the deadline will be met due to a separate dispute over frozen North Korean funds that Pyongyang has insisted be resolved before it moves to disarm.

Authorities in the Chinese territory of Macau, where North Korea had its accounts, said Wednesday that the money is now free for withdrawal. North Korea has yet to say whether it is satisfied with the resolution of the issue. (Full story)

On Wednesday, the Americans drove two hours from the North Korean capital Pyongyang along virtually empty roads, with the remains of the soldiers transported separately in small, black cases. They then walked across the North-South frontier at the truce village of Panmunjom, where the two Koreas stand face-to-face across the border that has divided the peninsula since a 1953 cease-fire ended the Korean War.

Principi said the mission to deliver the remains was one of the most emotional moments of his life.

"To participate in such a noble mission to bring home the remains of men who 50 years ago were in harm's way, and now they're home, it was really quite moving," he said.

More than 33,000 U.S. troops died in the Korean War, which began in June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea. Some 8,100 U.S. servicemen still are listed as missing.

In 2005, the U.S. government halted a separate cooperative program that permitted U.S. military teams to excavate remains from North Korean battlefields, saying the North had created an unsafe environment. The program had recovered remains believed to be from 220 soldiers since 1996.

Later Wednesday, Richardson was to meet with South Korean diplomats before departing Thursday to Hawaii.

North Korea replaces its prime minister

Source: CNN.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea has replaced its prime minister during a session of its rubber-stamp legislature, an official report said.

Pak Pong Ju was replaced by Kim Yong Il, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported late Wednesday, without giving any reasons for the change.

Pak had been promoted in 2003 from his job as minister of chemical industries in a move that was believed to indicate North Korea's attempt to revive its moribund economy. His replacement, Kim, 62, has served as transport minister since 1998, according to South Korean intelligence.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il attended the meeting Wednesday of the Supreme People's Assembly, KCNA reported, but apparently did not make any comments there.

The move comes amid intense diplomacy aimed at getting North Korea to meet a Saturday deadline under a February disarmament agreement to shut down its main nuclear reactor in exchange for aid and political concessions.

The Supreme People's Assembly usually convenes once or twice a year to approve budgets or discuss policy, but has little real power in a country ruled with an iron fist by Kim Jong Il.

At the assembly's meeting, the delegates heard reports on the budget with officials claiming success in meeting goals for revenue and spending, although no money figures were given.

Vice Premier Kwak Pom Gi, who led the session instead of the ousted Pak, said the country's main economic goals this year are to "improve the standard of people's living" along with the "modernization of the national economy," KCNA reported.

The premiership is among several high-ranking positions, but the country's No. 2 leader is Kim Yong Nam, the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly.

North Korea is one of the poorest countries in the world. As many as 2 million people are estimated to have died from famine that began in the 1990s because of poor harvests caused by mismanagement and natural disasters and the loss of the North's main benefactor, the Soviet Union.

Chinese PM calls for close ties with Japan

Source: CNN.

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged Japan's parliament on Thursday not to forget Tokyo's wartime aggression, even as the two Asian powers mend their strained ties and bolster thriving business relations.

Wen -- the first Chinese leader to address the parliament in 22 years -- was on a three-day "ice-melting" trip to Japan as the two countries worked to reverse a deterioration in ties caused in part by disagreements about the past.

The Chinese premier, who spent part of Thursday urging Japanese business leaders to invest in China, also struck a conciliatory note, acknowledging Japanese apologies and blaming a clique of militarists for Tokyo's invasions of China. (Watch why Wen's visit marks a thaw in China-Japan relations.)

"To reflect on history is not to dwell on hard feelings but to remember and learn from the past in order to open a better future," he said, adding, however, that he hoped Japan's apologies would be "turned into actions."

The two countries have been at odds in recent years over Japan's invasions and occupation of China in the 1930s and '40s. China has accused Japan of not fully atoning for its aggression, while some Japanese feel accounts of their wrongdoings have been exaggerated. (Watch how World War II continues to cast a shadow on the two countries' ties.)

The Wen trip was aimed at building on an improvement in ties begun when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe traveled to China in October. Ties had plunged to postwar lows during the 2001-2006 term of his predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi.

Japanese officials said they were satisfied so far with the visit, which was to end Friday.

"Premier Wen Jiabao's speech was very positive, and I thought it was very good that forward-looking remarks were made on broad-ranging issues," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said.

On Wednesday, Wen and Abe declared their firm intentions to move forward on rebuilding relations, signed agreements on energy and the environment, and issued a joint statement that laid out a series of issues for the countries to cooperate on. (Full story)

Wen also strove to put a human face on the Chinese government, coming out early Thursday for a jog at a Tokyo park -- wearing sportswear with a Beijing 2008 Olympics logo -- and even joining a group doing tai chi. On Friday, he was to play baseball with college students in western Japan.

Much of Wen's activities on Thursday and Friday were aimed at business relations. China, including Hong Kong, is Japan's No. 1 trading partner, and Beijing is eager to increase Japanese technology transfers and investment in its booming economy.

After the parliament speech, Wen lunched with members of Japan's leading business federation, declaring that "winter has past, and spring has come in China-Japan relations."

He urged Japanese companies to invest in China, vowing to address vast imbalances in the Chinese economy, improve the natural environment, protect intellectual property rights, continue tax breaks for high-tech companies and proceed with currency reform.

"China must build a society that conserves its resources and protects its environment," Wen said.

Wen and Abe also launched a series of high-level economic dialogues aimed at boosting ties between Asia's two biggest economies.

"Our economies have become indispensable to each other ... and our relationship is also crucial to the world economy," Abe said.

Oil dispute

But a statement in an annual report by China's No. 1 oil producer that it is producing oil and gas from a disputed area in the East China Sea threatened to disturb the cordial mood of Wen's visit.

Japan has asked Chinese officials to confirm the report by CNOOC Ltd., which said the company was producing 42 barrels of oil and 4 million cubic feet of gas per day from the disputed Tianwaitian oil field, according to a Foreign Ministry official who spoke on customary condition of anonymity.

The two countries have not demarcated their exclusive economic zones in the area, and Japan has objected to Chinese exploitation of the deposits, saying some of the gas belongs to Japan. Joint talks so far have achieved little.

Still, Wen made a number of statements on issues close to Japanese hearts.

On Wednesday, he expressed understanding for Japan's drive to win a resolution of North Korea's past kidnappings of Japanese citizens. On Thursday, he alluded to Tokyo's long-standing campaign to win a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council -- a campaign China has blocked in the past.

"China understands Japan's hope to play a bigger role in international society, and we are ready to strengthen our mutual understanding over the United Nations' reforms," he said.

Wen, however, also warned the Japanese not to meddle in Beijing's relations with Taiwan, which it considers part of China. The premier said China hoped for peaceful reunification, but that it could not tolerate Taiwanese independence.

All eyes on North Korea nuke action

Source: CNN.

(CNN) -- The United States will assess on Saturday whether North Korea has taken action to shut down its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, now that the communist nation has gained access to unfrozen funds, said U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

"It's now up to them, and we have to see," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. envoy involved in nuclear talks with North Korea. "If they don't fulfill their obligations here, we'll know that very soon, and we'll have to deal with that accordingly."

Under a deal announced on February, North Korea said it would disarm its nuclear facilities in return for energy, financial and humanitarian aid. The agreement followed six-party talks involving the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia.

A major sticking point was the $25 million in North Korean funds, claimed by the United States to contain money from illegal activities, that had been frozen at the Banco Delta Asia in Macau since late 2005.

North Korea said it would close the nuclear reactor 30 days after the money was released, which occurred on Wednesday. (Full story)

"The problem in giving the money back to these accounts is, the North Koreans have not started the process of denuclearization," Hill said. (why the release of funds is so significant)

"We've made it clear to them that we're going to be watching carefully," Hill said. "They are really on notice."

The process of shutting down the reactor and reprocessing facility should be completed in a matter of weeks, Hill said.

Asked about whether North Korea may seek a 30-day extension, Hill said, "I just don't think it's very helpful to talk about extensions of any time at this point." The focus, he said, needs to be on starting the process of shutting down the reactor.

Concerns about keeping the money from going to "nefarious people for nefarious purposes" have been communicated to North Korea, and Pyongyang has pledged to work to keep that from happening, Hill said.

Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said North Korea is willing to let its monitors verify the shutdown of the Yongbyon facility.

The release of North Korea's frozen funds coincided with a four-day trip by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a presidential contender, to bring the remains of U.S. soldiers from the Korean War home. He left North Korea Wednesday with the remains of six U.S. soldiers, according to the communist nation's official news agency, KCNA. (Details)

"I am optimistic North Korea will shut down their reactor and return to six-party talks ... after our discussions," Richardson said. "Now the ball is in North Korea's court to take the next important steps."

The United States halted oil shipments to Pyongyang after North Korea admitted in October 2002 that it was developing a nuclear-weapons program in violation of the 1994 Agreed Framework between the United States and North Korea.

Such oil shipments would resume under the February agreement.

The Corporate Puplic Broadcasting Saga Continues

Below you find the transcript of Glenn Beck Show, CNN Headline News, 11 April 2007. The struggle to confront CPB and force them to release the film that Frank Gaffney and others have created so that we the people may view it and decide for ourselves. I have learned oh so much more. You should really read this transcript. Don't forget to read to this also: Producer: PBS dropped 'Islam vs. Islamists' on political grounds. Have a nice day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Welcome to the "Real Story."

Last fall, I aired a special on radical Islam. It was called "Exposed: The Extremist Agenda." Got to tell you, that got so many people I mean just out of their minds and nuts. I found out quickly about the extraordinarily powerful and influential groups in this country that want to make sure that you only see one side of Islam. And, believe me, I heard from every single one of those groups.

For the first time in my life, I really started to understand how political correctness and personal agendas are silencing the voices of moderate Muslims and those in the media who want to speak out about a perversion of a religion. That`s why I was so glad when I originally heard that PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, had spent millions of taxpayer dollars to finance an 11-part documentary series called "America at a Crossroads," to, quote, "explore the challenges confronting the post-9/11 world."

Well, one of the 11 parts, the most interesting, at least to me, was one called "Islam versus Islamists." This is just another word for extremist. This episode focused on how moderate Muslims everywhere, from the U.S. to the U.K. to France , are clashing with Muslim fundamentalists.

But the real story is, you`re probably never, ever going to see this documentary. PBS says they`re delaying the release because the film, quote, "is a mess." They say it has no structure. It wasn`t ready in time. It`s weak. It`s incoherent. Bladdy, bladdy, bladdy, bladdy. I got two pages from PBS explaining.

To be honest with you, after reading their explanation, if I hadn`t have gone through the "Exposed" experience on the program, I probably would have been inclined to believe them. Unfortunately, I`ve seen how these things work from inside the newsroom.

What you have to understand -- and you`ll only get this from standing in a newsroom -- is there are two completely different schools of thought on who`s responsible for radical Islam. There are those that believe from the West and poverty causes the problem and, in some cases, we deserve everything we get, while others, like me, tend to blame the madrassas, the culture of hate, the extremists themselves who are only interested in a political agenda.

That clash of ideas is real, and it is happening in newsroom all over the globe. And I bet you that PBS is no different. But unlike the others who will take this material on, PBS has another problem. It`s called government money.

When you`re a taxpayer program, when you are funded by you and me, there`s another level of political correctness that you have got to worry about or else you run the risk of alienating enough people, and you put yourself out of business. That`s why I think the real story is simple: PBS is frightened.

They are scared of the groups that will inevitably threaten them with the boycotts, lawsuits. More importantly, they are scared of a lobbying campaign in Congress that could threaten their very funding. When your budget is at stake, it is only natural to stay away from controversy. But let me ask you this: Where is the controversy?

Why is it OK for me to show what the media calls a firebrand radical cleric that is spewing hate against the West, but it somehow or another is controversial for me to show a Muslim denouncing that same cleric? Why can we run Osama bin Laden`s latest propaganda video on the 6:00 news, but everybody`s got to walk on egg shells if we want to put on a Muslim who says that`s not what the Koran says, the Koran preaches peace?

There are two sides to every story, and PBS has one, but my gut and my honestly limited experience tell me that the truth lies closer to the filmmakers. Of course, there is an easy way to settle this. We called PBS. Let me see the film. PBS, I`ll watch it with an open mind. Let me look at it. If it is incoherent or just really unbalanced -- honestly, I hope you`re right. I`ll get that message out for you. I hope the film is a mess, because that means it`s being pulled for a plot, not politics.

Unfortunately, knowing what I know, I sincerely doubt that`s the case, and PBS ain`t going to show it to me. Martyn Burke is the film`s producer. Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, he is from American Islamic Forum on Democracy. He is one of the moderate voices featured in this documentary and a new contributor to this program.

Martyn, let me start with you. You believe your film is being tampered with in ways that undermine journalistic independence. What does that mean exactly?

MARTYN BURKE, PRODUCER, "ISLAM VS. ISLAMISTS": Yes, well, I`ll give you one example. We were doing an investigative report on how the Nation of Islam, the so-called black Muslims, in Chicago were being funded by the Saudi Arabian fundamentalists through the Saudi embassy in Washington , D.C. And PBS, through WETA, the flagship station in Washington, appointed an adviser to oversee our efforts, and that adviser was from the Nation of Islam.

BECK: My gosh.

BURKE: I have never, ever heard of an investigative unit having to report to a person from the very place they are investigating. That was the first thing. And, of course, we protested that. We said, "This is just not journalism as we understand it in America."

BECK: OK. So everybody knows, let me just give a quick highlight of who you are. You`re the guy who did the documentary on the "Pirates of Silicon Valley." I mean, you`re not some jokester. You`re not me doing a special. And you had real, credible journalists on this project with you.

BURKE: Yes. Well, if I can even take that a step further, we hired a team which included a Pulitzer Prize nominee from last year for his coverage of Islam in Europe . We had a woman and her team from Toronto , Canada , from "The Toronto Star," who were profiled in the "New York Times" as being one of the top journalistic teams in this field.

We had investigative reporters from Scandinavia who had won every award in their field. This was a first-rate team, which we had to -- which we, my partners, Frank Gaffney and Alex Alexiev , had to convince them and they had to convince us. This was a rigorous interpretation of the facts.

BECK: All right. Zuhdi, what was it that was in this that America is just not going to see?

DR. M. ZUHDI JASSER, AMERICAN ISLAMIC FORUM FOR DEMOCRACY: It was basically about, I believe, the struggle of moderates and why -- you know, when you ask, where the moderate voices? Martyn basically interviewed some of the imams, interviewed some of the leading Muslim propagandists locally that have tried to suffocate our voice at the American Islamic Forum that don`t want me to get out the fact that I love the spirituality of my faith and I want to raise my kids Muslim, but I don`t want them to hijack my faith for their political motives and their political agenda.

BECK: Let me further this with you, because you are, in many ways, to Muslims, you are a credible voice, where PBS came back to me today and said, "Irshad Manji is on." And I love Irshad Manji. She`s been on this program. But I will tell you that, because of her lifestyle, a lot of Muslims say, "Well, she`s not really a Muslim," et cetera, et cetera.

You are a guy who lives every word of the Koran in all of its ways, correct?

JASSER: Yes. I mean, you could call me a social conservative even. And, you know, I love the spirituality, but my choice to live socially conservative is mine alone. It should not be governments`. It should not be the imams`. And they`ve stolen our pulpits for their political agenda. And when we get a story, a documentary that shows how the only pulpit I have to speak from is the media, they want to suffocate that and not let the world hear about it.

BECK: Martyn, your film was called irresponsible because it`s alarmist and unfair. How much danger do you think -- you`ve been in this business for a while -- how much danger do you think there is when there`s this kind of political correctness and pressure going on to get another side out of a story? How much trouble are we in?

BURKE: Glenn, first of all, the comments on our film became increasingly hysterical from the PBS people after we decided we were not going to be apologists for the Islamists who are silencing the moderate Muslims around the world.

And by silencing, I mean, we traipsed around Paris with a guy that had police protection 24 hours a day. We spent time with a member of parliament over in Denmark who is under police guard because he is a member of parliament. The Islamists do not want their own to participate in democracy.

And, by the way, a very important thing that you mentioned. They will call people like Zuhdi not real Muslims, because he believes in a Western way of life, because he believes in democracy and separation of church and state.

And, by the way, that`s exactly what PBS is doing to them. They sort of have told us, in so many words, that people like Zuhdi have become Westernized so they can`t really be Muslims. This small group -- and I want to emphasize, it`s a small group within WETA and PBS -- have decided they speak for the Muslims.

BECK: OK. Let me ask you this, because there was -- when we did "The Extremist Agenda," I mean, I`m not kidding you, people were on the phone trying to get the special pulled all the way until it aired. There are people who vehemently disagree. Do you believe it was out of fear or these people just say, "It`s not that big of a problem"?

What`s their motivation for this, do you believe?

BURKE: I think there are two different reasons. One is, I committed the unforgivable sin in their eyes of being partnered with two conservatives, Frank Gaffney and Alex Alexiev . And shortly after they took over the series, they flew to Toronto , Canada , where I was for a while and met me and said, "Fire your partners."

I said, "Wait a minute. I did a film on the Hollywood 10, on blacklisting in Hollywood , and I am not about to fire my partners for their political beliefs." And they uttered a statement that I never thought I would hear in America . They said, "Don`t you check into the political beliefs of the people you work with?"

BECK: Oh, my gosh.

BURKE: For the record, I just want to say, I couldn`t have cared less about the politics of the people we put on the air in this show, or I say on the air advisedly, because I have socialists, I have people who are conservatives on the air. It did not matter what their politics were.

BECK: OK.

BURKE: They were the moderate Muslims who had a right to speak out.

BECK: Martyn, Zuhdi, I would love to spend more time on this subject. I`d like to invite you to the radio program tomorrow. Let`s try to work that out, and thanks.

That is "The Real Story" tonight. If you`d like to read more about this or if you`ve found a real story of your own, please tell us about it. Go to Glenn Beck and click on "The Real Story" button. Back in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

China, Japan pledge closer ties

Source: CNN.

April 11, 2007

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Strengthening a fragile detente, Japanese and Chinese leaders meeting in Tokyo pledged Wednesday to work together on North Korea, energy development and the environment while defusing thorny disputes over history and territory.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Japan on Wednesday in the first visit by a Chinese leader in nearly seven years, building on a groundbreaking trip by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Beijing last year to salvage seriously damaged ties.

The two, key trading partners, declared firm intentions to move forward on rebuilding relations, signing agreements on energy and the environment and issuing a joint statement that laid out a series of issues for the countries to cooperate on.

"We must build future-oriented and stable Japan-China relations," Abe said at a banquet in Wen's honor after the meeting. "We want to expand our common interests through strengthening dialogue in various fields."

Wen said he expected his three-day visit to be a success.

"We must keep up the momentum toward building friendly ties that have been forged between the governments and peoples of the two countries," he said. "Japan and China are at a crossroads where we must inherit the past while opening up the future."

Wen arrived hours after the two countries signed an accord lifting Beijing's four-year ban on Japanese rice imports. China banned imports in 2003, claiming Japanese rice did not qualify for its tightened quarantine system. (Full story)

The trip reversed a steep plunge in relations that had troubled the region and Japan's top ally, the United States. (Watch how World War II has defined China-Japan relations)

They signed a series of agreements. An environmental accord called for the two to work on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change by 2013. China's emissions are not capped under the Kyoto pact, but they are a rising concern as the economy rapidly expands.

The other agreement committed Japan and China to cooperate on developing energy resources. In the joint statement, the two vowed to seek ways to jointly develop gas deposits in disputed waters, pursue the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and work together on intellectual property rights.

The two powers also agreed to strengthen defense cooperation, setting up a visit by Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan later this year, as well as reciprocal visits by the countries' battleships. The declaration also made a veiled reference to the bitter dispute over wartime history. China still nurses resentment over Japanese invasions in the 1930s and 40s, while Japanese nationalists accuse Beijing of exaggerating accounts of atrocities for political gain.

"We resolve to face up to history and open up good, forward-looking relations toward a beautiful future," the statement said.

In an important nod to Tokyo, Beijing also offered understanding and sympathy for Japan's "humanitarian concerns" regarding North Korea -- a reference to Japan's demand for resolution of Pyongyang's kidnappings of Japanese citizens.

The Japanese were eager to stifle talk of disagreements. When asked about reports that Wen considered the visit an "ice-melting" trip, Shiozaki said: "We're not aware of any remaining ice."

The Chinese premier was scheduled to give a speech to parliament and meet with business leaders and the emperor on Thursday. He was even expected to join in a game of baseball with college students in western Japan on Friday before returning to China.

The two neighbors have good reasons to grow closer. China, including Hong Kong, is Japan's No. 1 trading partner and Japanese companies are eager for access to Chinese consumers and labor. China, meanwhile, seeks Japanese investment and technology transfers.

While the emphasis was on cooperation, both leaders broached areas of concern. Wen, for instance, warned that history could be an obstacle to improved ties if not handled well, while Abe urged China to be more transparent about its troubling surge in military spending.

Wen assured Abe that Beijing would use its armed forces only for national security, Japanese officials said.

Wen also pointed out the dispute over gas deposits in the East China Sea. The two countries have not demarcated their exclusive economic zones in the area, and Japan has objected to Chinese exploitation of the deposits, saying that some of the gas belongs to Japan. Joint talks so far have achieved little.

Wen also stopped short of declaring Beijing would support Japan's long running quest for a seat on the U.N. Security Council, only saying that China was in favor of "an important role" for Tokyo in the U.N.

Japan invaded China in the 1930s and occupied huge swaths of the country until Tokyo's 1945 defeat in World War II.

The visit represents a further easing of ties strained for several years by Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, who angered Beijing and other Asian neighbors with repeated visits to a Tokyo shrine honoring Japanese war dead, including executed war criminals. (Issues between China and Japan)

Abe, however, moved quickly to repair ties with visits to Beijing and Seoul in October, only weeks after taking office. Wen's appearance in Tokyo should set the stage for a subsequent visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao to Japan and perhaps another Abe trip to China.

The rapprochement has required some careful shelving of the two countries' deep differences.

Japanese officials, including Foreign Minister Taro Aso, have been outspoken in the past about their concerns over China's rapid increase in military spending, while Beijing has warily watched Tokyo build up military ties with the United States. But such concerns have been muted in recent months.

The history issue, meanwhile, has been safely handed off to a special panel to examine the wartime past. China has apparently decided not to make a fuss over Abe's recent comments downplaying the military's role in forcing Chinese and Korean women into sexual slavery for Imperial troops during the war.

"Clearly, the Chinese have been incredibly restrained. They are very eager for this to be a success," said Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University in Tokyo.

One exception is a potential visit by Abe to the Yasukuni war shrine. Japanese media in Beijing reported last week that Wen called on Abe not to visit the shrine, which China sees as a glorification of Japanese military conquests in Asia in the 1930s and 40s.

Abe has refused to say whether he would go or not, but speculation is high that he would not risk a meltdown with Beijing by praying at the shrine.

Wen's trip underscored an aspect of the Japan-China relationship that has improved despite the political difficulties: trade. His schedule includes a meeting with Japan's top business federation and a local chamber of commerce in Kyoto.

Japan's trade with China -- excluding Hong Kong -- surged 11.5 percent in 2006 to US$211 billion, the government says. Japanese exports to China rose 15.6 percent, nearly double the 8.8 percent growth in 2005. Chinese imports to Japan jumped 8.5 percent.

Mainland China was poised to become Japan's top trading partner this year, accounting for 17.2 percent of Japanese trade in 2006 -- just shy of the U.S. share of 17.4 percent, Japan's Ministry of Finance said. With Hong Kong included, China is already Japan's No. 1 trading partner.

Report: Asia upgrading military

Source: CNN.

April 10, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- While China has been modernizing its military in recent years, Japan, South Korea and Russia -- all neighbors and potential rivals -- have been pushing ahead with upgrades of their own, according to a report released Tuesday.

But Taiwan's military spending has actually been decreasing, reflected in the government's failure to appropriate funds to buy $18 billion in U.S. arms authorized by President George W. Bush for sale in 2001, the report said.

The report, titled "U.S.-China Relations: An Affirmative Agenda, A Responsible Course," was sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent private-research group based in New York.

The study said Japan has significantly upgraded capabilities over 15 years, even though it spends less than 1 percent of its gross national product on defense.

It has deployed the Aegis radar system and accompanying missile systems for its navy and advanced fighter aircraft armed with advanced air-to-air missiles for its air force, the report said.

"Japan is working in partnership with the United States to develop theater missile defenses, primarily oriented against the North Korean threat, but with obvious application in the event of any conflict with China," it added.

South Korea, the report said, has also undertaken a major modernization drive, replacing antiquated fighter aircraft, frigates, tanks, and artillery pieces with advanced systems, many of them purchased from the United States or developed in partnership with U.S. defense industries.

"South Korean forces enjoy a high level of interoperability with U.S. forces, proven again during South Korea's deployment of more than 3,000 troops to Iraq," it said.

The report noted that Russia is simultaneously China's largest supplier of advanced military hardware and also a potential great power rival.

Thanks to strong oil revenues, Moscow seems poised to begin a significant force modernization drive, the report said, pointing out that Russia's official defense budget has nearly quadrupled from $8.1 billion in 2001 to more than $31 billion in 2006.

While Russia may not complete an eight-year $190 billion military modernization plan announced in February, its growing capabilities "will complicate China's defense planning and force posture as its keeps a wary eye on its 4,300-kilometer border with Russia."

As for Taiwan, the study said that the island is not standing still even though it has not followed through on projected purchases from the United States. It said Taiwan is pursuing a $3 billion purchase of 60 new F-16 fighter aircraft to offset the retirement of aging F-5 fighters.

"But funding for this purchase has not yet been appropriated, and the United States is urging Taiwan to resolve at least some of the outstanding arms procurement issues before making any new requests," the report said.

Navy plans massive war games off Guam

Source: CNN.

April 10, 2007

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) -- The Navy will send three aircraft carriers to waters off Guam for large-scale exercises late this summer, the outgoing U.S. Pacific Fleet commander said.

The Valiant Shield war games will resemble exercises held near the U.S. territory last June. Those brought together some 28 ships, 280 airplanes and 22,000 troops.

Adm. Gary Roughead, announcing the exercises in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, said the Navy learned a great deal from last year's large-scale exercises and wanted to hold similar drills again to improve on some of the tactics used.

"It was very important I think to take that information and while everything was still fresh to say let's go ahead and do things again," Roughead said.

The war games will only involve U.S. troops but will include forces from different services. The Marine Corps and Air Force participated in last year's drills.

Last year's exercises -- the first Valiant Shield -- were the largest the United States has had in the Pacific since the Vietnam War.

The war games underscore the Navy boosted presence in the Pacific.

The Navy is moving forward with plans to base a majority of its attack submarines in the ocean by 2010. It also intends to have six of its 11 aircraft carriers in the Pacific.

Just last month, the Navy announced plans to base the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego after it undergoes maintenance in Virginia. The Vinson's move to California would bring to six the number of Pacific-based carriers.

The Navy has two carriers in San Diego, two in Washington state, and one based in Yokosuka, Japan.

Roughead, who is due to leave Hawaii next month to become the U.S. Fleet Forces commander in Norfolk, Virginia, included last year's Valiant Shield exercises among the highlights of his accomplishments at the Pacific Fleet.

He also cited the fleet's use of its ballistic missile tracking systems to track North Korea's launch of missiles last July and humanitarian work with the USNS Mercy as accomplishments.

But Roughead said the sailors deserved the praise.

"It really had been great being out here and being able to watch the men and women of our Navy go do so many things and to do it really well," Roughead said. "The credit goes to the sailors who are out there making it happen."

At Fleet Forces Command, Roughead will be responsible for planning how the Navy trains and equips its sailors in upcoming years. He will also direct Navy ships in the Atlantic, reporting to the U.S. Northern Command.

President Bush has nominated the current vice chief of naval operations, Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard, to succeed Roughead.

U.S. presses N. Korea to shut reactor

Source: CNN.

April 9, 2007

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- The top U.S. nuclear envoy said Tuesday that North Korea's reported willingness to immediately invite U.N. inspectors into the country once a dispute over frozen North Korean funds is resolved was "positive."

"I think what was positive coming out of Pyongyang yesterday was the report that the DPRK is prepared to take these steps and get the (International Atomic Energy Agency) in there," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters in Tokyo.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan told a visiting U.S. delegation in Pyongyang Monday that his government would invite inspectors back "the moment the funds are released to the North Korean government," according to Anthony Principi, U.S. President George W. Bush's former veteran affairs secretary.

But Principi said Kim told the Americans that it would be difficult to shut down the nuclear reactor by a Saturday deadline called for in a February 13 nuclear disarmament accord. Under that agreement, the North must shut down and seal the Yongbyon nuclear reactor and a reprocessing facility in exchange for an initial shipment of aid.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is slated to monitor and verify the shutdown in what would be its first visit since late 2002, when North Korea expelled IAEA inspectors after U.S. officials accused the communist nation of running a secret uranium-enrichment program in violation of a 1994 disarmament deal.

"They can make a beginning, but whether they can completely shut down a nuclear reactor in such a short time would be very difficult," Principi said.

The North agreed to shut the reactor only after the U.S. promised to resolve the key financial issue within 30 days -- which Washington failed to do because the fund transfer has been mired in technical complications.

Kim "indicated that the North Korean government would invite the ... inspectors back the moment the funds are released to the North Korean government," Principi told reporters.

"They believe that it's critical that the $25 million be returned to their government," he said.

Hill: Timeline 'becoming difficult'

In Tokyo, U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill said the deadline was going to be difficult to meet because of the ongoing dispute over the frozen funds.

"Clearly, we're aiming for the complete implementation of the February agreement by day 60 ... but that timeline is becoming difficult," said Hill, who is in Japan to discuss the next stage of the nuclear talks.

He said resolving the financial dispute in the "next day or two" will be key in order for the North to meet the reactor shutdown deadline.

"We feel this should never have held up the nuclear process, but unfortunately it has," Hill said. "We have some ideas for how to go forward, and we'll see if we can do that in the next couple of days."

The U.S. envoy also said Washington would push the North to fully meet its obligations. "There's no such thing as partial implementation" of the agreement, Hill said.

The only immediate cost the impoverished North would suffer for not shutting down the reactor by the deadline would be an initial 50,000 ton shipment of heavy fuel oil promised as a reward. That shipment was part of 1 million tons of oil it would get for dismantling its nuclear programs.

The money dispute has held up progress in implementing the landmark agreement in which North Korea promised to take initial steps toward dismantling its nuclear program, including closing its main nuclear reactor, in exchange for economic aid and political concessions.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined to comment on what might happen if North Korea misses the deadline, but said the United States continued to believe that all parties to the agreement are "working in good faith to meet it."

But, he told reporters the money issue "was more complicated than anyone could have imagined," and suggested Washington might not object to an extension of the deadline.

"We'll take a look at where we are on Saturday," McCormack said.

Japan approves extension of sanctions

On Tuesday, Japan's Cabinet approved a six-month extension on trade sanctions against North Korea, which were imposed in the wake of the communist state's nuclear test last year, Cabinet Office spokeswoman Miwako Fujishige said. The measures include closing ports to North Korean ships and banning the import of North Korean goods.

North Korea has refused to move forward because of the delayed transfer of the money frozen by Macau authorities after the U.S. blacklisted a bank in the Chinese-administered region in 2005 for allegedly helping Pyongyang launder money.

The delegation, which includes Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democratic presidential candidate, and Victor Cha, Bush's top adviser on North Korea, is on a four-day trip to Pyongyang to recover remains of U.S. servicemen killed in the Korean War.

Richardson said his delegation pushed Kim for a show of good faith that North Korea was ready to meet its obligations under the February deal, asking for a meeting of the six nations involved in the nuclear disarmament talks before the deadline.

He said he was hoping to travel to the reactor site in Yongbyon, 55 miles north of Pyongyang, but there were a lot of "political issues involved." He did not elaborate.

In the first minutes of the meeting between the North Koreans and the Americans, which reporters were allowed to watch before being escorted out, Kim said the visit, the first that included both Democratic and Republican officials since Bush took office, was of "very great significance."

Kim and the Americans met at the Foreign Ministry building, which overlooks Kim Il Sung square. Hundreds of children and women in brightly colored traditional Korean dresses practiced dances that they will perform on Sunday, when North Koreans celebrate the 95th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, the country's founding president and the father of current leader Kim Jong Il.

Richardson and Principi also visited the USS Pueblo, the only active-duty U.S. warship in the hands of a foreign power. A North Korean official called the vessel a living example of continued U.S. aggression toward his country.

Richardson, a former ambassador to the U.N., has regularly made diplomatic trips, often on his own initiative, to global hot spots. Although visits to North Korea by senior U.S. officials are rare, this was Richardson's sixth.

In a possible sign of improved ties, a North Korean general said the remains of six U.S. servicemen would be handed over to the Americans. Three of the sets of remains had identification tags, U.S. officials said after meeting with the general.

Richardson called it a noble humanitarian gesture that would bring comfort to American families.

Tokyo re-elects nationalist governor

Source: CNN.

April 8, 2007

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Tokyo's outspoken nationalist governor was re-elected Sunday despite his waning popularity, signaling Japan's acceptance of its resurgent right wing.

Shintaro Ishihara, once seen as a contender for prime minister, is known for his criticism of China, North Korea, foreigners, immigrants, women -- and even the French language. He has ignited outrage by ordering public school teachers in Tokyo to sing Japan's national anthem at school functions or face punishment.

"Tokyo residents' good sense brought this result," a beaming Ishihara told supporters at campaign headquarters after Japanese media reported he was certain to win citing exit polls, securing his third four-year term.

Ishihara, 74, received 50.1 percent of votes, while the runner-up was trailing at 30.3 percent with 99.22 percent of the total votes counted as of early Monday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said on its Web site.

Sunday's vote came ahead of nationwide parliamentary polls in July and was seen as a test of support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, also known for his hawkish and nationalist stance.

Since taking office in September, Abe's conservative government has bolstered Japan's international military role and amended the constitution to require schools to teach patriotism.

Tokyo was among the 13 regions that held gubernatorial elections Sunday.

Three newcomers backed by Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party won, public broadcaster NHK said, giving a boost to Abe's popularity, which has been slipping recently.

Though he won, Ishihara's take in the vote was smaller than the 70 percent he garnered in 2003, underscoring voters' discontent amid allegations of cronyism and expense-fund abuse. But the LDP and its coalition partner, New Komeito, gave him support during the campaign while Shiro Asano, his major rival, was backed by the opposition Democratic Party.

Some voters said they preferred to stick with Ishihara rather than choose someone new.

"There were some scandals during his eight years," said Akinori Otake, 32, an engineer who said he voted for Ishihara. "But he didn't do anything so terrible, either. It's better to keep things as they are now, rather than taking a chance with another person."

Black Conservatives Speak Out on Duke Rape Case

Year-Long Controversy Based on Faulty Accusation Unnecessarily Stoked Racial Tensions.

For Release: April 11, 2007
Contact: David Almasi at 202/543-4110 x11
or Project21 AT National Center.org.

Today's announcement that dubious sexual assault charges filed against the three current and former Duke students were dropped has members of the Project 21 black leadership network sharply criticizing those who used the year-long investigation to create racial animosity for personal or political gain.

"It's absurd that a year of sex, lies and vilification consumed the lives of three young men now found to be wrongly accused of committing heinous crimes," said Project 21 Fellow Deneen Borelli. "It underscores the importance of the maxim 'innocent until proven guilty.'"

Duke students Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and the now-graduated David Evans, who are white and were member of the Duke University lacrosse team, faced charges of first-degree kidnapping and first-degree sexual offense. These charges stemmed from an accusation of rape made by a black woman employed by a local escort service hired to dance at a lacrosse team party last March.

Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, who was running for re-election when the case initially made national headlines, transferred the case to the office of the North Carolina attorney general in January under a cloud of controversy. Besides the fact that the accuser said she could no longer testify that she was raped under the state's legal definition of rape, two DNA tests could also not link the defendants to their accuser. Furthermore, Nifong is now facing ethical complaints related to withholding DNA evidence from defense lawyers, "making misrepresentations to the presiding judge" and for making unethical statements to the media regarding evidence, testimony and the defendants' character and credibility. Nifong could be disbarred if he is found guilty by the state bar association at a June hearing.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper today said there was insufficient evidence for the charges and the case was "a result of a tragic rush to accuse and failure to verify serious allegations." He added, "we believe these three individuals are innocent of these charges."

"Nifong's manic attempt to appease black voters he hoped would return him into office for another term shows his lack of propriety for the law he took an oath to uphold. It empirically shows the descent of a man willing to betray the public trust by pitting communities against one another along racial lines," said Project 21 Chairman Mychal Massie. "It shows a man willing to disaffect and even ruin the lives and future careers of young men guilty only of poor decision-making."

"The lack of concrete evidence along with the shameless, racist on-camera antics by Michael Nifong and the likes of Jesse Jackson takes us back to the days of Tawana Brawley," added Borelli. "They should be held accountable for their actions, especially when it comes to ruining the lives of young innocent individuals."

Project 21, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization sponsored by the National Center for Public Policy Research, has been a leading voice of the African-American community since 1992. For more information, contact David Almasi at (202) 543-4110 x11 or Project21@nationalcenter.org, or visit Project 21's website at www.project21.org/P21Index.html.

N. Korea funds impasse resolved

Source: CNN.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Negotiators have agreed on a method to release $25 million (euro18.7 million) in North Korean funds that are frozen in an Asian bank, clearing up a hitch that has stalled nuclear disarmament efforts.

After two weeks of talks in Beijing, banking officials from the United States, China, North and South Korea and the Bank of China have agreed on a "pathway" for the money to be returned to Pyongyang, the State Department said Friday.

"We support the release of all the funds. It is now a matter of technical implementation," spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters, adding that the actual return of the money would be up to China and North Korea.

Previously, U.S. officials had suggested privately that some of the $25 million held in the blacklisted and now-shuttered Banco Delta Asia in the Chinese territory of Macau might be tainted and not released.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that Washington's top East Asia diplomat, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, secretly met a senior North Korean diplomat in New York recently and discussed how to resolve the financial dispute.

The Treasury Department said Friday its negotiators at the talks in China had worked to ensure the release of the money was consistent with international money laundering and other financial regulations.

"We stand ready to assist the Macanese authorities in their efforts to release the funds and with all parties to effectuate the North Korean pledge that any money received by them would be used for humanitarian purposes of benefit to the North Korean people," it said.

McCormack declined to comment on South Korean reports the money would be transferred to North Korea through the Bank of China in Hong Kong. He referred questions about specifics to authorities in China and Macau. A U.S. official in Beijing, however, denied the reports.

McCormack refused to predict if, or even when, the "pathway" would actually be employed but said the money returned must be used for the "betterment of the North Korean people and for humanitarian purposes."

He also announced that Hill would travel to the region on Sunday for talks with officials there on North Korea's progress in shutting down its main nuclear facility by a mid-April deadline.

Hill will travel to Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing to discuss the six-party process between North and South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan aimed at getting Pyongyang to halt its nuclear weapons program.

Hill's visit will coincide with a trip to North Korea by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and former Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi that will focus on the repatriation of the remains of U.S. servicemen killed in the Korean War.

The standoff over the money has threatened the next step in a February agreement committing North Korea to shut down its Yongbyon nuclear facility by April 14 in return for economic aid and political concessions.

The funds were frozen after Washington blacklisted the small Banco Delta Asia for alleged complicity in money laundering and other illicit activities by North Korea.

Pyongyang said the freeze showed Washington's hostile intentions toward it and refused to return to international talks on its nuclear program for more than a year.

The problems holding up the transfer of the money were believed to be related to difficulties finding a bank willing to accept the North Korean funds.

A top U.S. Treasury official, Daniel Glaser, had been in Beijing for 13 days trying to sort out the matter. He and his delegation left China on Friday without commenting on the resolution of the hitch.

THE FILM P.B.S. DOESN’T WANT YOU TO SEE

Background

In the spring of 2005, Frank Gaffney was among those invited to submit a proposal for a documentary film about the world post-9/11 to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s “America at a Crossroads” competition. Shortly thereafter, a partnership was formed by Mr. Gaffney with Alex Alexiev (an internationally renowned expert on Islamism) and Martyn Burke (an accomplished author and Hollywood director of feature and documentary films) – ABG Films Inc. ABG proposed to make an hour-long documentary about the plight of moderate Muslims at the hands of their Islamist co-religionists.

This film, with the working title of “Islam vs. Islamists: Voices from the Muslim Center,” was one of thirty-five proposals selected by CPB out of roughly 440 competitors for a research and development grant. The ABG team used this grant to produce a 35-minute short film and written treatment. The ABG proposal was, in turn, one of 20 competitors further down-selected by CPB to receive a nearly $600,000 production grant. At the time, moreover, it was announced in a CPB press release that “Islam vs. Islamists” would be one of the Crossroads series films to be aired by the Public Broadcasting Service during eight prime-time hours set aside for that purpose, initially scheduled for the Fall of 2006.

At about the same time as the latter decision was made in early 2006, personnel changes at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting began affecting planning for the Crossroads project. These ultimately resulted in the entire initiative being turned over to the Public Broadcasting Service and its flagship Washington station, WETA.

The Trouble Begins

As this transition went forward, “Islam vs. Islamists” began to experience a succession of problems that have been documented in correspondence between ABG’s principals and WETA President Sharon Percy Rockefeller. They started with an unconcealed effort by PBS executives to dissuade CPB from making the production grant to ABG. The grounds given: two of the film’s executive co-producers were associated with an “advocacy” organization (i.e., in their “day-jobs” as President and Vice President, respectively, of the Center for Security Policy ). It was asserted that PBS “guidelines” would not permit such individuals to have a role in determining the content of a film aired on the Public Broadcasting Service’s airwaves.

After ABG documented that these guidelines were routinely ignored by PBS and its affiliates – resulting in the frequent broadcasting of films and even series produced by or otherwise associated with left-of-center advocacy organizations – CPB President Pat Harrison decided to approve the production grant for “Islam vs. Islamists.” Even after this decision, PBS continued to insist that it would not broadcast the film unless Messrs. Gaffney and Alexiev were stripped of their Executive Producer roles, delaying by four months the execution of our contract. PBS asserted this position again, both orally and in writing, once the production funds were finally in hand.

Death of a Thousand Cuts

In the face of ABG’s refusal to allow members of its team to be blacklisted, the WETA/PBS Crossroads series management apparently decided to use other means to accomplish the objective of preventing “Islam vs. Islamists” from being aired on the Public Broadcasting Service. As the attached correspondence makes clear, these included:

• Hiring as a series producer an individual who made known to ABG the high regard he had for his father, who happens to be a Muslim convert with long-established ties to British Islamists. This producer has repeatedly insisted that changes be made in the structure and “context” of our film in ways that seemed intended to provide a more favorable treatment of the profiled Islamists, compromise the documentary’s central concept and greatly complicate its production.

(N.B. These changes are not to be confused with more straightforward editorial changes which were also proposed throughout the process. Wherever such suggestions were warranted and constructive, we have incorporated or otherwise responded to them.)

• Engaging an outside “advisor” to the series whose well-publicized sympathies for known Islamists made it predictable that she would object to our film. In the event, this advisor actually breached her confidentiality agreement and showed the film to interested parties, who promptly threatened litigation if it were not changed to their liking.
• Handicapping “Islamist vs. Islamist” to the benefit of other films. One also dealing with American Muslims was commissioned – after and altogether outside the Crossroads competition – from Robert MacNeil, who had been brought in by WETA/PBS to serve as the series moderator. In another case, individuals who we had advised the series producers were going to be interviewed during our location-shooting in Canada became unavailable to us when they were invited to be filmed by a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation crew working for another Crossroads film.
• On 12 February 2007, PBS and WETA informed ABG that “Islam vs. Islamists” had been rejected for airing by the Crossroads series. The reasons given amounted to a repetition of previous complaints that the Islamists and their sympathizers had not been given favorable enough treatment. On 3 April, Mr. MacNeil denounced this film on a nationally syndicated NPR program as “extremely one-sided and alarmist.”

Conclusion

PBS/WETA’s highly prejudicial treatment of “Islam vs. Islamists” seriously disserves the viewing public insofar as there is, arguably, no more important topic for American (and, we believe, foreign) audiences to understand about the post-9/11 world than the plight of moderate Muslims at the hands of their Islamist enemies – and ours.

As awareness grows about the “parallel societies” the Islamists are trying to insinuate into Western democracies – and, thereby, to undermine them – the importance and timeliness of this film which illuminates these efforts and their dangers becomes all the more apparent. CPB should immediately take steps to allow “Islam vs. Islamists” to be seen in the near future by the largest possible audience. Toward that end, it should make arrangements at once to permit this documentary’s distribution by outlets other than PBS.

The proof, evidence if you will, is right here that the show was to air. Why won't they allow someone else to air it, and what are they hiding?

Malaysian political bloggers form alliance

Source: MSNBC.

Group formed after personalities were demonized 'again and again'
By En-Lai Yeoh.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysian online political commentators have formed a group to protect bloggers' interests after two of them were sued by a newspaper with close government ties.

The National Alliance of Bloggers' main goal is to "protect bloggers," and to try to get the government to see their point of view and why they have made certain postings, the new group's president, Ahirudin Attan, wrote on his popular blog "Rocky's Bru."

The alliance was formed late Thursday [April 5, 2007], Ahirudin wrote.

About 50 of Malaysia's popular online personalities held a meeting and decided to start the organization because a few bloggers were being "demonized again and again" by the government, Ahirudin said.

"When certain quarters in government become hostile towards bloggers, I believe they mean to aim their hostility at a small group of bloggers or online writers whose views and takes of current affairs they fear," Ahirudin wrote.

Ahirudin and Jeff Ooi, his deputy in the alliance, are being sued by the government-linked New Straits Times newspaper, which alleges that the two men made defamatory postings about the paper on their sites.

The government has also said it may consider registering bloggers to control anonymous posts with "malicious content." Authorities often use such terms for criticism of the government, or for discussions on race or religion — sensitive matters in the multiethnic, Muslim-majority country.

"If the politicians do not want to take the effort to learn about blogging and to understand bloggers, I believe the bloggers will have to take that initiative," Ahirudin said, without elaborating.

On Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said bloggers have made the "business of government more challenging."

"Some merely inform, others argue a point of view, and a few simply distort and sensationalize," Najib said. "There is now more competition for readership, viewership, eyeballs, revenues, profits and, yes, even infamy."