Khmer Rouge leaders say sorry for atrocities

Former Cambodian head of state Khieu Samphan apologises directly to individuals who lost relatives in 1975-79 genocide

guardian.co.uk, Friday 31 May 2013

Khieu Samphan at the genocide tribunal in 2011. Photograph: AP

Former leaders of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge being tried by a UN-backed genocide tribunal have apologised to families of victims of the regime's atrocities.

Khieu Samphan, the head of state of the 1970s communist regime, and Nuon Chea, the group's main ideologist, were responding directly on Thursday to people who had testified about how they lost family members to Khmer Rouge brutality.

"I feel extremely sorry for the disappearance and extremely brutal killing of your father," Khieu Samphan told Yim Roum Doul. But he said he did not know at the time about "the atrocities committed by the military commanders and leaders".

"I did not know the great suffering of our people," he said. The perpetrators "must be brought to justice".

He said he joined the Khmer Rouge with the "determination to protect our country and to develop our country".

"But unfortunately it turned out to be a complete disaster," he said, describing those responsible as "the most stupid persons on earth".

About 1.7 million people are believed to have died from forced labour, starvation and executions under the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979.

Both men have issued expressions of regret before for the killings, but have denied legal responsibility and insisted they served with the best interests of their country and its people in mind.

The two men are charged with crimes against humanity, genocide, religious persecution, homicide and torture, though their current trial focuses on the forced evacuation of Phnom Penh, the capital, when the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975.

In testimony earlier this week, Khieu Samphan pointed the finger at other parties who he believed contributed to the Cambodian genocide.

He referred to American bombing during Cambodia's 1970-75 civil war, which some have suggested helped to radicalise Cambodian society. He also reminded people that Cambodia's prime minister, Hun Sen, served with the Khmer Rouge before defecting in 1977. He said Hun Sen should be considered more responsible than he was, because as a junior commander he would have been more aware of what was going on.

Nuon Chea told the court on Thursday he took "responsibility morally" for what occurred under the Khmer Rouge.

"I feel remorseful for the crimes that were committed intentionally or unintentionally and whether or not I had known about it or not known about it," he said.

Like Khieu Samphan, he offered condolences.

Nuon Chea, who testified from his cell by video because of poor health, has spoken of his regrets previously, in the 2010 documentary film Enemies of the people.

"I have always said I made mistakes," he said then. "I am regretful and I have remorse. I am sorry for our regime. I am sorry."

But he was also clear the Khmer Rouge leaders had seen their primary duty as safeguarding the revolution and said suspected traitors were killed because they "were enemies of the people".

Related Article:

Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea expresses 'remorse'

Saudi cleric faces backlash over harassment tweet

BBC News, Sebastian Usher, 29 May 2013

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The tweet also cited an academic thesis comparing
women's employment to human trafficking

Saudis on social networks have called for legal action against a writer and cleric who urged his Twitter followers to harass women cashiers.

Abdullah Mohamed al-Dawood, who has almost 100,000 Twitter followers, used an Arabic hashtag on Sunday which read: "sexually harass female cashiers".

He advocated harassment as a way of discouraging women from working.

Recently Saudi women have been allowed to work in public in shops, provoking a backlash from conservatives.

Hundreds of Saudis and other Arab tweeters attacked him, some asking him what right he had to stop women working, others accusing him of inciting sexual attacks.

Others have defended him, arguing that his tweet was aimed at preserving the country's deeply conservative Islamic identity.

One of Mr al-Dawood's arguments is that letting women work is tantamount to human trafficking - he claims they are being exploited to attract business.

But a number of Saudi women have tweeted to contradict him.

Conservative anger

Traditionally Saudi women have worked as professors, teachers or doctors in all-female workplaces.

It is a sign of changing times in the country that women have not only been permitted to work with men, but that many have also seized the opportunity for jobs that once would have been seen as too menial.

But this has not gone down well with the powerful religious elite, which has shown its displeasure with similar moves, such as granting women the vote in the next municipal elections and letting them serve on the influential Shura Council.

But in defending the conservative position, Mr al-Dawood has gone out on a limb. It is not the least of the ironies of his position that it appears to transgress the deepest social and religious taboos in Saudi Arabia.

It is not, however, the first time he's courted such controversy - he has previously suggested that babies should be veiled to protect them from being sexually molested.

Another irony is that he has used Twitter to make his point, although in recent weeks the site has come under sustained attack from leading Saudi clerics for corrupting and misleading young Saudis.

To lighten the debate with a touch of humour, tweeters have been sharing a recent cartoon in a local newspaper. It shows a huge, authoritative Saudi man holding out his hand to deny entry to a veiled woman.

She, however, has already walked straight through him, leaving him looking surprised - and with a gaping hole in the middle of his body.

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"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version) 

“… Spiritual Systems

Let's speak about spiritual systems. I will report on what we have said in the past and what may very well be in store for you in the future. There are many spiritual systems on the planet, but the one that we wish to speak of is the one right now that has approximately one billion followers, for this is one we have spoken of before and it's the one that's going to change the most. It's old, and the leader is currently called the Pope.

Now, if you want some information about what's going on in his church, find out how many are signing up to be priests and nuns. In most parts of the world, it's very few. Certain countries have sustained the numbers, but most of them are finding the numbers reduced greatly. Without interest from younger people, this whole spiritual breed is dying. The organization is losing its younger leader pool, and it has been noticed by the church.

Now, here's what I'd like to tell you, dear ones: The potentials are that this church is going to survive, as well it should. Know this: There is nothing occurring now that will create a full earth that will be metaphysical, esoterically minded or New Age. That is not going to happen. It doesn't have to happen and it shouldn't happen, for it doesn't respect the elders of those who have different systems, but who also have healings and the love of God in their systems. Instead, these systems are going to see themselves recalibrate - that is, adjust and correct.

Blessed are the Human Beings who find God in their own way. Old souls will awaken to a truth that new souls are still working on. This explains the various levels of worship on this planet and the reason for very diverse spiritual systems. Many Human Beings who do not have the advantage of your old soul wisdom will motivate towards systems you may feel are too simple, and even mythological. But these systems are often the beginnings of understanding God. There is a place for it all. So let us speak about the Catholic Church.

I gave you a channelling years ago when Pope John Paul was alive. John Paul loved Mary, the mother. Had John Paul survived another 10 years, he would have done what the next Pope [The one after the current one, Benedict XVI] will do, and that is to bring women into the Church. This Pope you have now [Benedict XVI] won't be here long.* The next Pope will be the one who has to change the rules, should he survive. If he doesn't, it will be the one after that.

There it a large struggle within the Church, even right now, and great dissention, for it knows that it is not giving what humanity wants. The doctrine is not current to the puzzles of life. The answer will be to create a better balance between the feminine and masculine, and the new Pope, or the one after that, will try to allow women to be in the higher echelon of the Church structure to assist the priests.

It will be suggested to let women participate in services, doing things women did not do before. This graduates them within church law to an equality with priests, but doesn't actually let them become priests just yet. However, don't be surprised if this begins in another way, and instead gives priests the ability to marry. This will bring the feminine into the church in other ways. It will eventually happen and has to happen. If it does not, it will be the end of the Catholic Church, for humanity will not sustain a spiritual belief system that is out of balance with the love of God and also out of balance with intuitive Human awareness.

New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."

"... Conclusion

This is the message of the day. The recalibration of awareness is going to change systems, education, government and finance. Those who don't choose to be spiritual at all will still move with a new awareness, for they will be aware of something that they are not aware of now - a softer way of living.

We close with a trite statement that we've given before, but that many have stated in jest: "If women ran the world, they would never send their sons to be killed on a battlefield."

Many laugh. How trite, how simple minded. Indeed, there have been women leaders who have put wars together; they had to. They sent their sons, so that's not really a correct statement. However, it's more right than you may think, dear ones.

So now I will make the statement I have made over and over in these recalibrated channellings: "When recalibrated Humans run the world, there will come a day when they will never send their sons into the battlefield." You see, awareness will change all of that. They will eventually see the wisdom of unification, new ways to settle issues, and the intuitive attribute of putting things together instead of tearing them apart.

There will be a time when government armies will not need to be large, and weapons will not be as powerful. Slowly, government won't need them. Slowly, slower than you want, these things will happen as the old soul carries his light and looks at the masters of the planet and emulates them.

You've all heard it: There will come a time when the masters will come back to Earth, and there are many who are waiting for this. However, it has already happened! They couldn't come back until the alignment was right and now it is right. This is what you are feeling in 2012 and beyond. It's starting to happen, and they're back. But they're not back as corporeal Human Beings. They're back as the energy of recalibrating of the awareness of God.

I wouldn't say these things unless they were true. Watch for these things, dear ones. Remember where you heard them first and when some of them start to occur in your news. And when you see the earth working in this fashion, dear one, maybe you'll realize that what I have given today is real.

Be circumspect. There is no perfect timing. Humans will create all this at their own pace. Do not be in fear of the things that might follow, for I say it yet again that the old energy will show itself soon in survival mode and it won't be pretty.

In this beginning of new energy, stand tall and turn on your light. Darkness will shirk before you. That is the truth of the day. ...”

Bhutan to Begin Voting on Second Ever Government

Jakarta Globe – AFP, May 29, 2013

A Royal Bhutan Army soldier stands vigil as Bhutanese in traditional costume

 stand in queues to cast their votes for the nation's second parliamentary election

 outside a polling station at Rikhey, Bhutan, on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. 

FILE PHOTO: AP

Thimpu. Voters in the isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan will begin electing their second ever government this week, five years after the country’s Buddhist “dragon kings” gave way to democracy.

The electorate of less than 400,000 people will choose from four parties on Friday when the primary round of voting for the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, commences.

The two most popular parties will then contest a run-off round on July 13 to form the next government.

Bhutan, which is landlocked by Asian giants India to the south and China to the north, held its first election in 2008 after the monarchy ceded absolute power and actively led the move to a parliamentary democracy.

In the 2008 vote, the center-right Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, drawn from the country’s traditional elite, won a huge landslide and secured 45 of 47 seats available against the People’s Democratic Party.

This time two new center-left parties, both led by women, are joining the contest, but the well-established DPT is generally expected to win by a small margin — although opinion polls are banned.

A rule that allows only graduates to stand for office has created difficulties for the new parties in their search for recruits, with a fifth party disqualified over its lack of candidates.

“I think the DPT will get through because of the [pro-]incumbency factor,” a political analyst in the capital Thimphu told AFP, declining to be named.

He said Bhutan’s huge development under the DPT, especially the building of roads and provision of electricity to rural areas, made the party popular in a nation where more than 40 percent of people depend on agriculture and forestry.

Jigmi Y. Thinley, the incumbent prime minister, is also the only leading candidate who can speak in Bhutan’s many local dialects, which could help him win more support in remote corners of the country.

The DPT is unlikely to repeat its 2008 landslide win, analysts say, as it faces more competition amid concerns over corruption, youth unemployment and a rupee liquidity crunch under the party’s watch.

Bhutan is heavily dependent on India for aid, investment and the majority of its imports, leading supplies of the Indian rupee to run out last year due to too much demand. Bhutan’s ngultrum currency is also pegged to the rupee.

Political science lecturer Karma Tenzin, 27, said he wanted a new government that would promote more long-term self-sufficiency.

“Dependency on foreign aid is not sustainable,” he said.

The economy grew by 7.5 percent in the fiscal year to June 2012, down from 10 percent a year earlier, but is expected to rise to 8.6 percent this year fueled by hydropower and high-end tourism, according to the Asian Development Bank.

The country is better known for measuring “Gross National Happiness,” a unique yardstick that prioritizes citizens’ well-being and environment-friendly policies.

In April, Bhutan voted for 20 elected seats in the National Council, the upper house of parliament whose members have no party affiliation and monitor the government’s actions, review legislation and advise the king.

Turnout was just 45 percent, down from 53 percent in the last election, but greater interest is expected in the vote on Friday, which has been declared a public holiday.

Party leaders kicked off the election season in early May with a televised debate. Bhutan was the last country in the world to introduce TV in 1999 and it remains fiercely protective of its national identity and culture.

Agence France-Presse

China anger over girl 'handcuffed' for spilling drink

BBC News, 28 May 2013

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This image, believed to be of the girl, caused
outrage on Chinese social media sites

Two Chinese officials have been suspended after being accused of handcuffing and parading a 13-year-old girl down a street for spilling a drink on a government car, state media say.

The officials - a Communist Party chief and a police officer - reportedly forced the teenager to walk up and down for 20 minutes.

The incident has caused uproar on Chinese social networking sites.

Local officials have been accused of acting in a high-handed manner.

Growing phenomenon

A post on a micro-blogging site on Monday claimed the girl got into an argument with local officials in the county of Hezhang, Guizhou province, in April after accidentally splashing water onto a government car, according to China's state-run news agency Xinhua.

She was then reportedly handcuffed and paraded up and down a street.

Add caption

Photographs appearing to show the handcuffed teenager have appeared on Chinese news sites.

Communist Party secretary Yuan Zehong and police officer Chen Song have been suspended from work for their involvement in the incident, Xinhua said.

It added that a team was now investigating the incident.

It comes as part of a growing phenomenon of Chinese internet users exposing information about officials perceived to have done wrong.

Social media sites such as Weibo, China's version of Twitter, have seen tremendous growth in the country in recent years and have become a powerful medium of discourse.

According to some Chinese news reports, Mr Yuan admitted that the girl had been handcuffed, but said she had not been paraded through the streets.

He said she had only been restrained with cuffs because police officers thought she was older than she was.

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The Internet  - The first Worldwide Tool of Unification ("The End ofHistory")

" ... Now I give you something that few think about: What do you think the Internet is all about, historically? Citizens of all the countries on Earth can talk to one another without electronic borders. The young people of those nations can all see each other, talk to each other, and express opinions. No matter what the country does to suppress it, they're doing it anyway. They are putting together a network of consciousness, of oneness, a multicultural consciousness. It's here to stay. It's part of the new energy. The young people know it and are leading the way.... "

" ... I gave you a prophecy more than 10 years ago. I told you there would come a day when everyone could talk to everyone and, therefore, there could be no conspiracy. For conspiracy depends on separation and secrecy - something hiding in the dark that only a few know about. Seen the news lately? What is happening? Could it be that there is a new paradigm happening that seems to go against history?... " Read More …. "The End of History"- Nov 20,2010 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)

"The Quantum Factor" – Apr 10, 2011 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Galaxies, Universe, Intelligent design, Benevolent design, Aliens, Nikola Tesla (Quantum energy), Inter-Planetary Travel, DNA, Genes, Stem Cells, Cells, Rejuvenation, Shift of Human Consciousness, Spontaneous Remission, Religion, Dictators, Africa, China, Nuclear Power, Sustainable Development, Animals, Global Unity.. etc.) - (Text Version)

“…  There's another quantum energy on the planet that has the quantum factor... the Great Shift. It is a benevolence that you have created, and that is new. You now sit in a revolutionary change and some of you are aware it and feeling it. It is the shift of Human consciousness and it's shifting right into the quantum factor, since you are becoming more quantum in your consciousness... and it is becoming benevolent. That is why you're seeing this earth react the way it is.

You're starting to see those who will not allow the old systems. You will no longer have dictators. Citizens all over earth want control over lives. They don't want war. They want their families to be safe! They want peace and abundance. They want their grandchildren to have hope for a better life than they had. You're starting to see it over and over in these places that have had dictators for years. ..”

China calls for denuclearization of Korean Peninsula

Want China Times, Xinhua 2013-05-28

Hong Lei, spokesman for China's foreign ministry. (Photo/CNS)

China hopes that relevant parties will stick to the objective of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and work toward peace and stability in the region, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday.

Spokesman Hong Lei made the remarks at a press briefing in response to a question about Choe Ryong Hae's recent visit to China as the special envoy of Kim Jong Un, top leader of North Korea.

During Choe's visit, Chinese leaders emphasized to him that China's stance on relevant issues has been clear. No matter how the situation changes, relevant parties should stick to the objective of denuclearization, safeguard peninsular peace and stability, and resolve disputes and conflicts through dialogues and consultations, Hong said.

Choe had said North Korea will work with relevant parties to resolve related problems through a variety of means, including six-party talks, and safeguard the peace and stability of the peninsula, Hong said.

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North Korea 'to allow Kaesong managers back'

BBC News, 28 May 2013

Korea crisis 

• No talks
• What is China's role?
• Key figures
• Missile defences

Kaesong was seen as one of the last
 remaining symbols of inter-Korean
co-operation

Pyongyang has said it is willing to allow South Korean businessmen to visit the jointly-run Kaesong zone.

In a statement carried by state media, North Korea said it was prepared to discuss with the businessmen how normal operations could be resumed.

But South Korea expressed worry about its citizens' safety and asked that government-level talks be held.

Operations at the joint industrial complex have been suspended since the North withdrew its workers in April.

North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK), responsible for ties with South Korea, said it would guarantee the businessmen's safety.

"We have given permission for the visit and can even discuss the shipment of products at the industrial complex," Yonhap news agency quoted the committee as saying.

South Korea "may send with them members" of the governing body that oversees the complex, the committee added.

But a spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles relations with the North, said what was needed at this stage was talks between both governments, which Seoul has been requesting.

Some 123 South Korean companies have factories inside the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which lies just across the border inside North Korea.

The firms employ some 53,000 North Koreans and the zone is a key revenue earner for the North.

But Pyongyang withdrew its workers two months ago as North-South tensions escalated following Pyongyang's third nuclear test in February.

S. Korea halts two more reactors over faulty parts

Google – AFP, 28 May 2013

South Korea's nuclear power reactor in Gori is shown under construction

February 5, 2013 (AFP/File, Jung Yeon-Je)

SEOUL — South Korea on Tuesday shut down two nuclear reactors and delayed the scheduled start of operations at two more, prompting government warnings of "unprecedented" power shortages.

Part of a widening investigation into a scandal involving parts provided with fake safety certificates, the latest move means 10 of the South's 23 nuclear reactors are currently offline for various reasons.

"Power shortages on an unprecedented scale are feared this summer," the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in a press statement, adding that replacing suspect parts could take up to four months.

Blackout alerts, triggered automatically when power reserves dip below a certain level, were highly likely, while power shortages could be "very serious" in August, the statement said.

The ministry said it would "strongly" enforce measures to reduce energy consumption, including rescheduling working hours to stagger demand and limit damaging peaks.

At proper capacity, South Korea's nuclear reactors supply more than 35 percent of national electricity needs.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) said it had shut down two reactors -- one at the Gori nuclear complex and another at the Wolseong plant -- after learning that both had used parts supplied with forged warranties.

The scheduled resumption of another reactor under maintenance at Gori, and the start of a new reactor at Wolseong were postponed for the same reason, the commission said.

Parts used at all four reactors would have to be replaced, it added.

All parts supplied for use in South Korean reactors require quality and safety warranties from one of 12 international organisations designated by Seoul.

Last year, officials said eight suppliers were found to have faked warranties covering thousands of items used in a number of reactors and, earlier this month, six nuclear engineers and suppliers were jailed for their part in the scandal.

Although the suspect parts were "non-core" components that presented no public safety risk, the authorities instigated an inspection of all reactors nationwide.

Tuesday's ministry statement said further criminal and civil lawsuits would be filed against any organisation or individual found responsible for forging documents.

"Criminal investigation will also be requested for wrongdoing by suppliers, testing agencies and organisations in charge of verification," including the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., it added.

South Korea's nuclear sector has been dogged by a series of malfunctions, forced shutdowns and corruption scandals that have undermined public confidence already shaken by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.

In May last year, five senior officials of the state-run Korea Hydro Nuclear Power Co. were charged with trying to cover up a potentially dangerous power failure at the country's oldest Gori-1 reactor.

Despite increasing public concern, the government has vowed to push ahead with its nuclear power programme, and plans to build an additional 16 reactors by 2030.

Vietnam 'arrests popular blogger'

Google – AFP, 27 May 2013

Vietnamese police stand guard outside a courthouse in Hanoi, on April 4,

2011 (AFP, Ian Timberlake)

HANOI — A prominent Vietnamese blogger has been arrested for posting articles critical of the communist government, reports said Monday, in the latest crackdown on dissent in the authoritarian country.

Truong Duy Nhat, 49, was detained Sunday at his home in the coastal city of Danang and escorted to Vietnam's capital Hanoi for questioning, the state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper said.

He stands accused of "abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the state", a charge that could bring a maximum seven years in jail, the report said.

Nhat, who had worked for Vietnam's official press but quit in 2011, writes the popular blog "A Different Viewpoint".

His blog, "offering an alternative perspective" on news events from the staid official press, propelled him to nationwide recognition and "often attracted heated debate", the state-run Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

It has not been possible to access his blog -- which frequently dealt with highly sensitive political issues -- since his arrest.

In a late April post, Nhat called for Vietnam's top leaders to resign, saying "it's time for a new party general secretary and prime minister" to save the nation from its economic and political woes.

Vietnam's many bloggers reacted strongly to Nhat's arrest, with one, Huynh Ngoc Chenh, writing that Nhat was a fiercely independent commentator who was likely detained after angering those in power.

"His frank and strong criticism is hard to take on board, especially for people in leadership positions, and it could generate hatred towards him," Chenh wrote on his personal blog.

Another online commentator, writing under the name Nam Mo, called Nhat's arrest "a harsh blow on our fledging democracy" and said it should be a wake up call to all Internet activists.

"Nhat will not be the only victim of this authoritarian government, unless Vietnamese bloggers learn how to unite even when they don't know each other," he wrote.

Vietnam bans private media, with all newspapers and television channels state-run. Lawyers, bloggers and activists are regularly subject to arbitrary arrest and detention, according to rights groups.

In February journalist Nguyen Dac Kien was fired from his state-run newspaper after criticising the head of the ruling Communist Party on his personal blog.

So far in 2013, at least 38 activists have been convicted of anti-state activity under what rights groups say are vaguely defined articles of the penal code.

New Zealand, China May Allow Direct Currency Conversion for Trade

Jakarta Globe, Jun Yang & Tracy Withers, May 27, 2013

China’s yuan was the 13th most-used currency in global payments in April,
 according to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.
(Bloomberg Photo/Jerome Favre)

New Zealand and China are in talks about making their currencies directly convertible, aiming to reduce costs as trade between the two countries is targeted to surge 33 percent in the next two years.

The talks were initiated during New Zealand Prime Minister John Key’s visit to China last month, his spokeswoman Lesley Hamilton said by telephone on Sunday, confirming an earlier report in the Wall Street Journal. The negotiations are in an early stage and are progressing without a specific timeframe, she said.

New Zealand’s exports to China jumped 32 percent in the first quarter, surpassing shipments to Australia for the first time, led by dairy products, logs and meat. The currency talks are underway as New Zealand targets NZ$20 billion ($16.2 billion) in two-way annual trade with China by 2015 from about NZ$15.2 billion in the year ended March.

“By having direct convertibility, that would reduce the transaction cost of doing business with China,” said Jane Turner, economist at ASB Bank in Auckland. “It reduces the cost of hedging and the risk of currencies moving against you, and you can become more competitive in your pricing.”

The People’s Bank of China on Monday raised the daily yuan fixing to 6.1811 per dollar, the strongest level since a peg ended in July 2005. The currency rose 0.08 percent to 6.1281 per dollar at 9:50 a.m. in Shanghai. The New Zealand dollar fell to 80.76 US cents at 2:30 p.m. in Wellington.

New Zealand’s sales to China amounted to NZ$2.31 billion in the three months ended March 31, Statistics New Zealand said in an April 26 report. Exports to Australia fell 7.3 percent to NZ$2.17 billion, the lowest since early 2008 and the first calendar quarter it fell behind China.

New Zealand became the first developed nation to sign a free-trade agreement with China in 2008. In the 12 months through March, exports rose 25 percent to NZ$7.41 billion, still lagging behind NZ$9.74 billion of shipments to Australia.

Direct trading between the yuan and the Australian dollar began last month, making the Aussie the third currency to be directly convertible with China’s, following the US dollar and the Japanese yen. Direct trading means the fixing will be computed without involving a cross rate with the dollar.

China’s yuan was the 13th most-used currency in global payments in April, according to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. Its share of global payments rose to a record 0.74 percent in March, according to figures from the financial messaging platform.

Bloomberg

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"The U in Kundalini"- Oct 18, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Kundalini, Unification, EU, Nobel Peace Prize 2012, Middle East, South America, Only 5 Currencies on Earth, Old Souls, Duality will dismiss, 3D Humanity will melt with Multi dimensional higher self, Global Unity… etc.)

Xi Jinping cracks down on luxury mansion owners in PLA

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2013-05-26

China's president, Xi Jinping, greets soldiers on May 23, 2013. (Photo/Xinhua)

China's president and chairman of CPC Central Military Commission, Xi Jinping, is cracking down on senior officers in the People's Liberation Army with luxurious mansions, reports our sister paper Want Daily.

The latest anti-corruption initiative, which began earlier this month, is expected to conclude before the National Day holidays in October and is reportedly aimed towards extravagant high ranking officials and the illegal sale or lease of military property.

The operation comes amid reports that Gu Junshan, the former deputy commander of the PLA's General Logistics Department, was sacked last February and is currently under investigation for alleged corruption, owning a 13,200 square meter mansion in Beijing. Gu is also said to be the owner of a second mansion in his hometown of Puyang in central China's Henan province, with each tree within the mansion's garden estimated to be worth at least 400,000 yuan (US$65,200).

Beijing will also look into claims that high ranking PLA officials are selling or leasing military property for personal gain. All sales and leases of PLA property must first obtain permission from the Central Military Commission, which owns all military property rights.

The move appears to be yet another push by Xi to eradicate official corruption in the Chinese military. Since being appointed chairman of the Central Military Commission last November, Xi has already launched a frugality campaign banning officials and state-owned companies from using public funds to hold lavish banquets and purchase luxury cars.

Liu Mingfu, a professor at the PLA National Defence University in Beijing, said that the sweeping anti-corruption measures initiated by Xi have stunned the PLA. Anti-corruption schemes must have high standards, be thorough, and value the voice of the people, Liu said, adding that the PLA must learn to accept public supervision.　

References: 

• Xi Jinping　　習近平 
• Gu Junshan　　谷俊山 
• Liu Mingfu　　劉明福

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First migrant workers union formed in Taiwan

Want China Times, CNA 2013-05-26

The Labor Party protesting at the capital Metro Manila Makati city calling
for Taiwan authorities to protect Filipinos workers in Taiwan. (Photo/CNS)

A migrant workers union composed of 89 Filipino fishermen was founded Saturday in Taiwan's northeastern county of Yilan, becoming the first such union formed in the country, which employs nearly 88,000 workers from the Philippines.

The Yilan county Fishermen's Trade Union was formed with the aim of helping Philippine fishermen make their voices heard.

The union is the first association formed by foreign workers in Taiwan and has registered with the county government's labor affairs department, according to Lee Lee-huan, a Taiwanese human rights worker who helped the fishermen set up the organization.

At a ceremony held at the Suao Catholic Church to mark the launch of the fishermen's union, its leaders and members observed three minutes of silence for 65-year-old Taiwanese fisherman, Hung Shih-cheng, who was shot dead on May 9 by Philippine coast guard officers while fishing in waters where the two countries' exclusive economic zones overlap.

Lee, who spent 18 months helping the migrants set up the labor union, said that after Taiwan's Labor Union Act was amended on May 1, 2011, it allowed foreign labor unions to elect a board of directors and supervisers.

Previously, they were not allowed to organize their own labor unions, and were only permitted to join existing labor organizations.

There are approximately 6,600 foreign workers who work on Taiwan's fishing boats. Most of the migrant fishermen are Indonesians and Filipino. They represent 2 percent of the migrant workers in Taiwan.

Lee said that the union has elected its directors and leaders and that it plans to solicit fishermen from other countries to join the organization in the future.

Alfredo Cataluna, president of the union, who has worked for Taiwanese employers for eight years, said that he originally thought Taiwan would send Filipino workers back home after the shooting incident, but that was not the case.

Several members of the union said that they once worried the timing was too sensitive to set up the union, but fortunately, their Taiwanese employers have still treated them in a friendly way. They added that they hope the two countries will soon settle the dispute over the death of the Taiwanese fisherman.

They also said they hope their rights could be protected and a communication platform can be set up through the union to help solve problems plaguing them, including excessive work hours.

Taiwan's government has suspended the hiring of more migrant workers from the Philippines following the death of the fisherman. The government has demanded that the Philippine government investigate the shooting, punish the officers involved and compensate Hung's family, as well as hold talks on fishing rights, to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

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