NightWatch
For the Night of 25
March 2008
South Korea-North Korea:
The Republic of Korea’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said
it will begin investigating torture and other human rights abuses in North Korea by
interviewing 13,000 North Korean defectors residing in the South, according to
an editorial in Chosun Ilbo on 26 March. The editorial noted that Germany operated an archive center that
collected information on human rights violations by East Germany and investigated
41,390 separate instances of abuse.
It also noted that Article Three of South Korea's
Constitution stipulates North
Korea as being part of the territory of the
South. “That means North Koreans are entitled to the same rights as South
Koreans. This is why we accept North Korean defectors. The NHRC needs to know
about the inhumane pain suffered by North Koreans and must investigate the
difficulties faced by North Korean refugees in China and Southeast Asia. The
NHRC must publicize the reality facing North Koreans. If we don't, then we will
have nothing to say to our North Korean brethren after reunification, if they
ask us what we had done to help them during such hard times.”
This item exposes several strains in recent South Korean
thinking. First is the usefulness of the now quite large population of North
Korean defectors resident in the South in crafting programs to counter North Korea’s
belligerent information tactics.
Concerning unification, South Korean officials have studied
it closely for lessons to guide their own path towards ending the division of
the Peninsular. Lessons from the German experience have tempered any moves towards
early confederation with the North because of the enormous costs of supporting North Korea, which
some have called the world’s largest refugee camp.
Above all, the reference to Article Three of the
Constitution is a reminder that the South has a UN-backed
claim to be the single legitimate government of Korea and can assert jurisdiction
over its separated citizens. It is has
been a long time since any South Koreans cited Article Three as a justification
for policy in the South. This is tonight’s good news.
China: The Associated Press
and other news services reported that riots continued in Tibetan regions of
western China
on 25 March but few reliable details are available. New information on unrest
is running 24 to 36 hours behind the events, owing to Chinese censorhip.
Pakistan: President
Musharraf administered the oath of office to Prime Minister Gillani today. The
men promised to work together. Gillani dismissed the interim prime minister and
cabinet which has run the country in a caretaker status since October, barring
the month and a half in which Musharraf ran it under the emergency order of 3 November.
The constitution prescribes that with the installation of a
new National Assembly and new Provincial Assemblies pursuant to general
elections, those bodies should sit as an electoral college to elect a new
president. Musharraf dismissed rumors
that he would resign in 36 hours or that he would submit to a new election by the
combined newly elected Assemblies. Note: all news services agree he would
not win such an election.
Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister and leader of the
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party in the Coalition government, made several
headlines. He told AAJ TV that the new
government plans to review its counterterrorism policy and its involvement in
the U.S.-led "war on terror."
The News contained a photo and a lengthy description of the
meeting between US Deputy Secretary of State Negroponte and Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad. In the photo
the two parties are at opposite sides of the room, Nawaz ‘ arms and legs are
crossed in closed position and he is physically learning away from the US
delegates—these are the usual signs of a strained meeting.
The headline indicated the US
delegation advised Nawaz to lighten up on Musharraf because of his criticality
to the US
war on terror. The News reporter said Nawaz replied that “Pakistan was no longer a one man show” among other
less conciliatory statements including that Musharraf’s policies were
responsible for the terror attacks in Pakistan. Nawaz also made another
demand for Musharraf’s immediate resignation today, as he has done nearly every
day since the general elections. Several
Pakistani media sources criticized the timing of the US delegation on the day Gillani
took his oath as a sign of pressure.
Nawaz appears to be using the media to help steer Gillani’s
legislative agenda. In doing this, Nawaz might be out in front of where the Prime
Minister Gillani seeks to move. Nawaz certainly seems to sense a need to
maintain media pressure on the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership to
ensure it honors its commitments, as he understands them, to restore the judges
and review all the policies of the Musharraf era. At a minimum he is not
leaving these issues to the good will of his former political rivals in the PPP.
If the Coalition government adopts the harsh anti-American
positions that Nawaz preaches, expect rough going in Pakistan
and in Afghanistan.
Some Saudi influence might be in order eventually to temper
Nawaz’ visceral hostility to the U.S. and to Musharraf, both of
which date to his overthrow in 1999.
Afghanistan: More French troops will
join the 1,600-strong French contingent already in the NATO-led force in Afghanistan,
according to comments from French Foreign Minister Kouchner in British
newspaper The Times. Kouchner told Europe 1
radio that French President Sarkozy will decide on the number of additional
troops to send. The issue is expected to be on the agenda for talks between
Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon. Sarkozy will visit London from 26 to 28 March.
This should help ensure the Canadians stay. Evidently the
plan is to turn over the area near Jalalabad to the French and to move the
American troops in that area southward and along side the Canadians in the
Pashtun hotbed region.
Iraq: Members of Muqtada al-Sadr's militia took
control of five districts in the southern Iraqi town of al Kut today, Reuters reported. This
was one of five towns, including Baghdad,
in which the Shiite militia emerged in public for the firs time in six months.
Police authorities in al Kut said they asked U.S. forces for
air and vehicular support, adding that eight to 10 policemen had been wounded
in clashes in Aziziya, a town north of Kut. Police in Samawa, the capital of the southern province of Muthanna, imposed a curfew after Sadrist
militiamen appeared in public there. Curfews have also been imposed in Hilla
and al Kut.
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr threatened a countrywide
"civil revolt" if U.S.
and Iraqi security forces keep targeting his followers, Reuters reported. In a
statement, al-Sadr called on Iraqis to stage sit-ins throughout the country as
a first step. If demands are not met then, al-Sadr said the second step would
be to "declare civil revolt in Baghdad
and all other provinces." Al-Sadr threatened a third step but said it was
too soon to announce what it might be.
Sadr's headquarters in An Najaf ordered militia field
commanders on high alert today after Iraqi security forces launched an
operation in Basra
to contain the ongoing violence between rival militias, The Associated Press
reported. The commanders were ordered "to strike the occupiers" and
their Iraqi allies, an anonymous militia officer said. The central government’s
security forces reportedly encountered stiff resistance from Sadrist
militiamen. At least 31 people were killed and 88 wounded, according to police
and hospital officials.
The press accounts indicated the Iraqi central security forces
were being directed personally by Prime Minister al Maliki and had allied air
support, but did not specify whether it was British or American. The British
turned Basra
over to Iraqi control in December but retain a presence at the airport. No
British forces are reported to be involved in the operation in Basra itself.
This fight is another potential turning point. The central security
forces must at least achieve a face saving ceasefire in Basra that can be depicted as a victory. If Maliki does not win in Basra, he will not win anywhere and
instability will increase. If he stabilizes Basra, he gets the chance to repeat his
success in another town.
Lebanon: The government issued a statement today
that it would boycott an Arab summit taking place 29-30 March in Damascus because of Syria’s role in blocking the
election of a new Lebanese president. The election of the president that was
scheduled today was postponed by the speaker of parliament. That is the 17th
postponement since 25 September 2007 when the position became vacant.
Turkey: Today Turkish officials told U.S. Vice
President Cheney that Turkey
will not send any more troops to Afghanistan, at least for now,
media reported. Turkey reportedly
also will not continue to send any more money in support of the U.S.-led
offense in Afghanistan.
This reverses a position suggested in media commentary last
December that increased Turkish support for Afghanistan
was the medium of exchange for US
assistance for Turkish military operations against the Kurdish communist rebel
positions in northern Iraq.
The relationship with the US
has soured or the Turks expect more trouble in Iraq.
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