By Scott Snyder

Scott Snyder directs The Asia Foundation’s Center for U.S.-Korea Policy. His latest book, “China’s Rise and the Two Koreas: Politics, Economics, Security,” was published by Lynne Rienner earlier this year. He can be reached at ssnyder@asiafound-dc.org.

The Obama administration was a political target of North Korea’s April 5, 2009, missile test in addition to the targets of internal political consolidation, exploiting China’s DPRK dilemma, and the exploitation of possible divisions within the UN Security Council.

North Korea’s strategic objective has been to secure its position as a nuclear weapons state. In a statement released immediately prior to President Obama’s inauguration, the DPRK Foreign Ministry declared that normalization and the nuclear issue are “two separate matters” and that “the DPRK’s status as a nuclear weapons state will remain unchanged.” Pyongyang’s tactical objective has been to shape the field for bilateral negotiations with the United States on terms favorable to the DPRK by controlling the agenda and terms of interaction. Crisis escalation tactics and brinkmanship are tried and true negotiating tactics that from a North Korean perspective have never failed to deliver. The challenge for the Obama administration is whether it will be possible to break this pattern and to establish a dynamic of interaction with the North on its own terms.
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By Robert La Mont and Leopold Sudaryono

Robert La Mont is The Asia Foundation’s Director of the Justice Sector Reform Program in Indonesia and Leopold Sudaryono is The Asia Foundation’s Coordinator of Law Programs in Indonesia. They can be reached at rlamont@tafindo.org and lsudaryono@tafindo.org, respectively.

The Indonesian courts, prosecutor’s office, police, and prisons are all working on their own reform programs. Yet, lack of coordination among them leads to missed opportunities and hinders improvements in the justice sector. Often, a lack of synchronized responses and oversight fuels corruption.

There is an ongoing dispute between police and prosecutors over who has authority for certain types of investigation and certain stages of criminal investigations. (Allegedly, there are also disputes between the two forces over who has the right to collect bribes for getting suspects out of jail.) The police make the initial determination on whether a suspect should be arrested, but the prosecutors can then reverse that decision. As the case progresses, and the time of the initial detention expires, prosecutors are responsible for getting the proper papers to the prisons to release (or extend) suspects in pre-trial detention. Indonesia’s prisons are drastically overcrowded and prison officials complain that prosecutors neglect to bring the proper paperwork. Defense attorneys complain that the paperwork is not forthcoming without a bribe from the prisoners’ families.
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By Shahid Fiaz and Leylac Naqvi

Shahid Fiaz is The Asia Foundation’s Senior Program Officer and Leylac Naqvi is Program Manager, Development and Coordination in Pakistan. They can be reached at sfiaz@asiafound.org and lnaqvi@asiafound.org.

In November 2008, The Asia Foundation, with funding from the Royal Netherlands Embassy, began a new initiative in Pakistan called the Human Rights Fund. The project is designed to engage Pakistani civil society groups, the government, and media agencies – both separately and in partnership with each other – to work to improve protection and promotion of human rights in Pakistan.

The Fund focuses on five areas: freedom from torture, and other rights related to prisoners; freedom of speech and access to information; stemming gender-based violence and discrimination; rights of religious and ethnic minorities; and economic rights. An advisory committee made up of experts from Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, the North West Frontier Province, and the federal capital provide insight and advice regarding human rights in Pakistan for the Fund. Advisors form a committee comprised of members from both civil society and key government institutions. Members sometimes report on pressing issues in their areas. For example, in the North West Frontier Province, the issue of internally displaced persons has been particularly significant in the past year. The diversity of committee members’ knowledge and experience – whether, for example, primarily focused on women’s rights, or minority rights activism, whether in civil society or government – produces meaningful dialogue between the committee members and is a vital resource for the Fund.
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By Wilfredo M. Torres III

Wilfredo M. Torres is The Asia Foundation’s Program Officer in the Philippines. He edited the definitive reference book on clan violence and conflict resolution in the Philippines, “Rido: Clan Feuding and Conflict Management in Mindanao.” He can be reached at willy@asiafound.org.

In February, over 200 people from Muslim and Christian communities gathered in Barangay Bulucaon in Mindanao to celebrate a newly-restored peace between their communities. Peace came after a series of consultations and talks to mitigate internal conflicts and avert a potential massacre of Muslim Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Only two months before, separatist violence nearly shattered community relationships, as the fighting near the area created animosity between Muslims and Christians.

Consultations with Muslim IDPs families conducted by responding team from UNYPAD and selected barangay officials of Brgy. Bulucaon.

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By V. Bruce J. Tolentino

Bruce Tolentino is The Asia Foundation’s Chief Economist and can be reached at btolentino@asiafound.org. He blogs here about George Varughese, the Foundation’s representative in Afghanistan, who leaves Kabul to take the reins in our Nepal office starting May 1.

After four years of stellar service in Afghanistan, George Varughese is moving on to represent The Asia Foundation in Nepal. Earlier this year, I was fortunate to participate in one of many going-away tributes to George – one organized by The Asia Foundation’s Kabul staff. The events of that day are going to be difficult to forget.

By Afghan tradition, non-family events are exclusive to either men or women, so the farewell tributes I attended were all-male. Earlier in the week, an all-female event had already been held in honor of Kala Gurung, George’s wife (fondly referred to in Kabul as “Mrs. George”).
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By Nilan Fernando

Nilan Fernando is The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in Sri Lanka and is based in Colombo. He can be reached at tafsrilanka@asiafound.org.

The civil war in Sri Lanka has taken a terrible toll. No one knows for sure how many people have died, but it is probably not an exaggeration to say that, on average, 5,000-10,000 people have died annually for the past 25 years. Most of these casualties, both Tamil and Sinhalese, have come from the ranks of the poor. The war has triggered massive displacement and migration and the country’s demographic makeup has been altered, probably forever. For Tamils in the North, the war has been particularly disastrous.

Now, after two years of intense fighting, the 25-year-old civil conflict in Sri Lanka is reaching a climax with the government on the verge of victory. The 2002 Ceasefire Agreement between the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) unraveled in 2006 and, having largely cleared the Eastern Province of the LTTE in 2007, the government focused on winning back the Northern Province in 2008. The last LTTE fighters and their leader, Vellupillai Prabhakaran, are now clinging to a sliver of territory on the northeast coast, hiding behind what the government and members of the international community have called a “human shield” of around 100,000 Tamil civilians.
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By Thomas Parks

Thomas Parks is The Asia Foundation’s Regional Director for Conflict and Governance. He is based in Bangkok and can be reached at tparks@asiafound.org.

Thailand has seen some turbulent times over the past three years, but this past week was probably the low point. Protests by the anti-government United Democratic Front against Dictatorship (UDD), also known as the “red shirts,” threw the country into crisis at a moment when it should have been basking in the international spotlight.

The ASEAN Plus Six Summit was cancelled on Saturday, April 11, when UDD protestors managed to outmaneuver the security forces at the heavily guarded Royal Cliff Resort in Pattaya. How the protestors managed to push their way up to the building despite the presence of nearly 5,000 police and military – and a relatively narrow corridor to the hotel that should have been easily defended – is still a mystery. Several foreign leaders were forced to evacuate by helicopter, or divert their travel at the last minute. A shadowy new “protest movement,” its followers clad in dark blue and brandishing weapons, met the red shirts on their way to the conference center, leading to intense street violence.
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By Scott Snyder

Scott Snyder directs The Asia Foundation’s Center for U.S.-Korea Policy. He just published a report called “Pursuing a Comprehensive Vision for the U.S.-South Korea Alliance.” Yesterday he blogged about the alliance for Globalsecurity.org. He can be reached at ssnyder@asiafound-dc.org.

The conventional wisdom among Asia specialists on both sides of the aisle has been that there would be little need for change in a new administration’s policy toward Asia. At the same time, there is no question that America’s preoccupation with Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East has prioritized the question of how America’s Asian allies might make “out of area” contributions while seemingly neglecting the long-term challenge posed by the rise of China. The virtually exclusive focus of former Assistant Secretary for East Asia Chris Hill on North Korea appeared on occasion to take the support of America’s Asian allies for granted…read more.

By Kim McQuay and Shahjahan Kabir

Kim McQuay is The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in Bangladesh. Shahjahan Kabir is the Foundation’s Program Advisor and 36-year veteran of the Bangladesh office. They can be reached at kmcquay@asiafound.org and skabir@asiafound.org, respectively.

Among the many satisfactions of our work with The Asia Foundation, it is a special privilege to work with remarkable individuals who invest tremendous energy and passion in their work with little thought or appetite for attention, but whose contributions are ultimately so innovative, bold, or otherwise striking, that they cannot escape notice. This week our old friend and partner, Rizwana Hasan, Executive Director of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), received the coveted Goldman Environmental Prize for grassroots environmental activism in Asia. We are thrilled for Rizwana as we reflect on our 16-year association with BELA.

In the spring of 1993, the founder and first executive director of BELA, Dr. Mohiuddin Farooque, visited our Dhaka office, where we worked closely with him in shaping the details of our first grant to BELA. Farooque bhai was perpetually larger than life. His hands would sweep in animation as he shared plans for an environmental advocacy program in his deep baritone voice, and his hearty laugh would fill the meeting room as he paused to share amusing anecdotes.

Photo: Tom Dusenbery

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Yuyun Ismawati of Indonesia, a longtime partner of The Asia Foundation’s Environment program, has won the Goldman Environmental Prize, a highly coveted global accolade honoring grassroots environmentalists. Coverage of Yuyun’s recognition has been featured this week on The New York Times, Reuters, BBC News, USA Today, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

As the world celebrates Earth Day today, The Asia Foundation honors the countless individuals working on environment issues in their own back yard, one step at a time. Awarded annually to honor grassroots environmentalists, the Goldman Environmental Prize recognizes their sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment.

Yuyun Ismawati, director of Bali Fokus Foundation, an Indonesian non-governmental organization working on environmental management, pollution control and prevention, and sustainable development issues, won the 2009 Goldman Prize for Island Nations, and is a longtime partner to The Asia Foundation. Yuyun’s environmental projects first received support from the Foundation in 1996. Since that time, she has worked to overcome one of Indonesia’s biggest environmental threats: waste management in Bali, one of the world’s premier tourist destinations.

Photo: Will Parrinello

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