Pacific Pulse

THE PACIFIC CENTURY AND ITS IMPACT ON THE AMERICAS

January, 1998 until the present

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Updated: Mon, 27 Nov. 00 12:29:32 -0700 (PDT)

Restless And Rudderless In The Pacific Rim
By Philip Cunningham
Date: 11-27-00
As if struck by a water-borne virus, the nations touching on the Pacific seem to be suffering a striking series of leadership problems. From Indonesia to Peru, the United States to Japan, there have been crises involving corruption and impeachment, and a cynical dissatisfaction marks the political landscape. PNS correspondent Philip Cunningham reports from Beijing.

Bitter Victory For Wen Ho Lee
By Ling-Chi Wang
Date: 09-11-00
In an extraordinary turnaround, the U.S. government has basically dropped its attempt to prosecute Dr. Wen Ho Lee for any of the loudly-trumpeted charges it brought against him. Credit for the victory must go in part to Lee's many supporters, but even as they celebrate they realize the victory is farm from complete. Prof. Ling-Chi Wang is Chair of the Ethnic Studies Department at the University of California-Berkeley.

Wen Ho Lee: Ethnicity Can Tip Scales Of Justice
By George Koo
Date: 09-11-00
That the case against Dr. Wen Ho Lee has come to an end should not keep us from examining how it came to pass that a man, who all sides now agree committed a minor infraction, came to be treated so harshly. The answers are not pleasant. PNS commentator George Koo is an independent business consultant, former Chairman of Silicon Valley-based Asian American Manufacturers Association, a Human Relations Commissioner of Mountain View, CA, and a member of Committee of 100, a national organization of prominent Chinese Americans.

Echoes Of The Yellow Turbans -- Why China's Leaders Fear Falun Gong
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 09-01-00
An organization called Falun Gong has been much in the news for the past year or so, and is often portrayed as a potential threat to China's stability. The reality is considerably more complicated, and -- as is often the case in China -- very much mixed in with the country's history. PNS associate editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley and former director of the Center for Chinese Studies, has written on and traveled widely in China.

Words, Memory, A Telemarketer And The Professor From Beijing By Dorothy Chin Date: 08-28-00 EDITOR'S NOTE: For those whose first language is not English, a few words can send memory swirling down some unexpected byways as PNS commentator Dorothy Chin discovered when she answered the phone one recent morning. Chin is a writer and psychologist in southern California. Taiwan Worries It Could Be "Sold Out" -- And For Good Reason By Franz Schurmann Date: 07-27-00 Uneasiness has spread through Taiwan in the first months of the new regime. In part, this reflects familiar causes of concern, but a new and serious worry has come to the fore with revelations about secret diplomacy. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, is the author of numerous books and articles on China. Saving Nature Gene By Gene -- China Embarks On Controversial Environmental Program By A. A. Quong Date: 07-13-00 The extraordinary diversity of plant and animal life in China's Yunnan province -- threatened by growth and modernization -- has drawn particular attention from both scientists and politicians. Their approach to protecting threatened species is both novel and controversial. PNS correspondent A. A. Quong is a freelance journalist. Filipinos Eagerly Preparing To Leap Into The New Cyber-Economy By Rene Ciria-Cruz Date: 06-05-00 Mix pressure from Internet-hungry consumers and lots of well-trained computer scientists and electronic technicians, and you have a potent brew. That is just the situation in the Philippines today, where a number of factors seem on the verge of coalescing into a new economy. PNS associate editor Rene Ciria-Cruz, together with photographer Rick Rocamora, is on special assignment in the Philippines for New California Media and the San Francisco Examiner. Ciria-Cruz is a long-time editor of Filipinas Magazine. Photographs are available to PNS subscribers on request (e-mail slouie@pacificnews.org). This is the second of two stories. Crisis Called Off -- Beijing Puts Its Foot Down, Gently But Firmly By Franz Schurmann Date: 05-17-00 Only a week before Taiwan's new president, elected on a pro-independence ticket, is to be inaugurated, Beijing has leaked a strategy which makes any action of Taiwan's part effectively moot. PNS editor Franz Schurmour projects.ry and sociology at UC-Berkeley and former chair of the Center for Chinese Studies, is author of numerous books on foreign politics. Taiwan Faces Hard Choices About Identity, Strength And Its Place In The World By Franz Schurmann Date: 05-09-00 The election of a pro-independence party candidate as president of Taiwan has the potential for creating serious tension in the region. All eyes are focused alternately on Chen Shui-pien and on the mainland as the May 20 inauguration of the new president approaches. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, is the author of numerous books and articles on China. "Pho" Goes Global Thanks To Vietnamese Diaspora By Andrew Lam Date: 04-28-00 From tragic beginnings, the Vietnamese diaspora now finds itself spread across five continents, at the center of the Information Age, true global villagers. PNS editor Andrew Lam is a short story writer and journalist. More-Than-Dollars-Trade With China Fuels The Engine Of Democratic Reform By Sanford Gottlieb Date: 04-25-00 The Clinton Administration push to normalize trade with China has drawn vigorous opposition from many usually seen as friends, including some leading Democrats concerned with human rights issues. But the best way to open China to democratic reform, says PNS commentator Sanford Gottlieb, is through the kind of exposure only trade can bring. Gottlieb is author of "Defense Addiction: Can America Kick the Habit?" published by Westview Press. Disturbing The Peace -- Troubled Minds Formed In A Troubled Time Still Plague Cambodia By Andrew Lam Date: 04-05-00 Some kinds of historical experience leave a mark that cannot easily be erased. One legacy of recent times in Cambodia is an extraordinarily high level of mental illness seen in victims of trauma -- a level so high that individual treatment is not possible. PNS associate editor Andrew Lam traveled to Cambodia on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge takeover of Phnom Penh on April 7, 1975. (Second of two parts) Letter From Cambodia -- Everything You Want -- Cheap, Cheerful And Chilling By Andrew Lam Date: 04-04-00 April 17th marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmer Rouge. Today, Cambodia's capital resembles a theme park for dissolute adults. The contrast between the opulent city and the grim countryside suggests some old terrors may reappear. PNS associate editor Andrew Lam is a journalist and short story writer. (First of two parts). Exclusive Interview -- Taiwan's First Woman VP Embodies Victory Of Hope Over Fear By Rick Mercier Date: 03-28-00 Taiwan's first elected female vice president, Annette Lu, is credited with starting that country's women's movement and spent five and a half years in jail as a political prisoner while battling cancer. This article is based on an exclusive interview obtained by PNS correspondent Richard Mercier, and looks at her role in the administration of President-elect Chen Shui-bian. Mercier ./ . . Sugarcoated Tough Talk -- Clinton's Sweet Words Conceal New Hard Line on U.S.-Pakistani Relations By Muddassir Rizvi Date: 03-27-00 In his few hours in Pakistan, President Clinton spoke of long-term friendship and cooperation. But from a Pakistani point of view, his message was somewhat more ominous, and seems to mark a shift toward India. PNS commentator Muddassir Rizvi is a Pakistani journalist specializing in development issues whose work appears in several weekly and monthly publications. Taiwan Vote May Mark A Serious Shift In The Wind From The East By Edward Liu Date: 03-22-00 The great significance of the elections in Taiwan is what was rejected. Voters have shown that, after 55 years, they have had more than enough of Nationalist Party rule. PNS commentator Edward Liu speculates on the possibility that the mainland Chinese Communist Party may be facing some of the same problems. Liu, an ethnic Chinese born and raised in the Philippines, is a practicing attorney in San Francisco. Political Earthquake -- After The Dust Settles, Taiwan's Politics Will Never Be The Same By Rick Mercier Date: 03-21-00 Taiwan's voters turned the Nationalist Party out of power after 50 years in recent elections. One reason was a split in the party itself, a split that reflects deep and long-standing divisions in the nation -- divisions that may now have a chance of being resolved. PNS correspondent Rick Mercier is a freelance journalist based in Taipei. Vietnam Learns How to Forget By Andrew Lam Date: 03-15-00 Americans like Defense Secretary William Cohen may come to Vietnam in search of MIAs, American bones and dogtags. But the Vietnamese look toward America because it represents the future, a country of enormous opportunities and technological advances and wondrous cultures. PNS editor Andrew Lam, born and raised in Vietnam, is a San Francisco-based journalist and short story writer. War Talk In India As Clinton Plans Visit By Batuk Vora Date: 02-25-00 On the eve of President Clinton's visit, a dramatic and dangerous escalation in Indian war-making rhetoric against Pakistan is erupting. PNS correspondent Batuk Vora writes for New California Media, a website spanning the ethnic news media of California's neighborhoods and homelands at www.NCMonline.com. U.S.-China Relations Closer Than Ever Despite Ultimatum On Taiwan By Franz Schurmann Date: 02-24-00 China's unexpected ultimatum on Taiwan was a reaction against the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act passed by the House. But with leading Taiwan presidential contenders backtracking on independence talk, and U.S.-China relations closer than they have been in years, the chances of war are minimal. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, is author of numerous books on China and monitors the Chinese-language news media for New California Media (ncmonline.com). Patriarchy And Landlordism -- Immigrants' Baggage Should Not Include Harmful Practices By Sarita Sarvate Date: 02-15-00 Charges against a landlord and restaurant owner in Berkeley, California -- including allegations that he imported young girls for sexual purposes -- have been greeted with distress and outrage. The alleged behavior, writes PNS commentator Sarita Sarvate, reveals a great deal about cultural practices in India, practices that should not be tolerated in either place. PNS correspondent Sarita Sarvate writes for India Currents and other publications. China's Media -- Silent On Boy Buddha -- Publicizes Cuban Boy's Tale By Philip Cunningham Date: 01-10-00 The defection from China to India of a 14-year-old boy lama poses a delicate PR problem for the Chinese government. Not surprisingly, China's news media have all but ignored the story. By contrast, the far away story of a six-year-old Cuban boy is widely publicized, perhaps because it reiterates China's view that both boys belong in their homelands. PNS correspondent Philip Cunningham reports from Beijing. Culinary Secrets From The Julia Child Of Southeast Asian Cuisine By Andrew Lam Date: 12-29-99 Saffron 59 Asian fusion cuisine caters to New York's finest. The culinary artist behind this Southeast Asian success story, Irene Khin, says travel -- especially to Asia -- is what keeps her on top of The New York Food chain. Pacific News Service editor, Andrew Lam, caught up with her in Bangkok recently as she meandered her ways through the city's markets and restaurants to practice her art. Time To Pay For Stolen Brains By Sarita Sarvate Date: 01-07-00 Recent efforts to make it easier for people with high-tech skills to live and work in the United States are widely seen in terms of benefiting outsiders. But PNS commentator Sarita Sarvate disagrees: imported brains, she says, have played a vital role in industry, and it is now time to think of paying them fairly for their contribution. Sarvate is a nuclear physicist and writer for India Currents and other publications. East Asia After The Crisis -- The Smugness Is Gone By Andrew Lam Date: 12-22-99 Like a patient coming out of a high fever, East Asia today, three years after the financial crisis struck, is in a mood of utter sobriety. People all over the region are rising to smell the coffee in the morning and appreciate the cool fresh air. The world is more real somehow, more grounded. PNS editor Andrew Lam, a Vietnamese American writer and essayist for NPR, spent the last two months in East Asia. Lam wrote this for New California Media's web site at ncmonline.com. Lam's e-mail address is lam@pacificnews.org Chinese Residents Of Macau Exorcise Old Demons By Susanna Chui-Yung Cheung Date: 12-20-99 Europe's oldest and final enclave in East Asia returned to China on Dec. 19, prompting nostalgic�reveries of its romantic past. But many Chinese residents of the city sought to exorcise a different ghost, one evoked by the early 20th century poet Wen Yiduo. PNS commentator Susanna Chui-yung Cheung is a correspondent for the Chinese Section of the BBC World Service based in Hong Kong. As New Millennium Arrives, Old Asian Empires Stand Their Ground Against The Solo Superpower By Franz Schurmann Date: 12-10-99 The United States is widely touted as the world's Solo Superpower, but four nations -- heirs to vast empires -- harbor alternative visions of the world, as Russian President Boris Yeltsin's recent visit to China underscored. Superpower or not, the United States will do well in coming years to stay mindful of the imperial histories of China, Russia, India and Iran. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, is author of numerous books and articles on foreign politics. WTO Meetings Through Asian Media Lens By Franz Schurmann, Rene Ciria-Cruz and Hoseung Terry Lee Date: 11-26-99 As nongovernmental organizations and critics of the World Trade Organization demonstrate in Seattle, Asian news media are carrying out a lively debate of their own. Issues range from the impact of China's likely entry on its arch rival Taiwan to just how open the Philippine economy should be as it looks to embrace the world market. Editors of New California Media, a collaboration of ethnic news organizations, monitor, translate and contextualize Chinese, Korean and Filipino reactions to the Seattle WTO meetings. Next week NCM will cover Russian, Arab, Indian and Japanese media. NCM's website is at http://www.ncmonline.com. Vietnamese Returnees -- The First Global Villagers By Andrew Lam Date: 11-18-99 Many Vietnamese are like Phuong Anh Nguyen -- born in Vietnam, remade elsewhere. They have turned into the first global villagers. Pacific News Service editor and short-story writer Andrew Lam spoke with the celebrated cosmopolite in Bangkok and found out why she can't stop moving on. Proud Aceh's Push For Freedom Could Bring Breakup Of Indonesia By Bramantyo Prijosusilo Date: 11-09-99 At the far western end of the Indonesian archipelago, in Aceh, millions participated in a rally calling for independence on November 8. The situation resembles somewhat that in East Timor, but the consequences are far more grave. PNS commentator Bramantyo Prijosusilo is an artist based in Jogjaharta. His e-mail address is maysaroh@hotmail.com. Hong Kong Kung Fu Kick Flicks Flickering Out By Andrew Lam Date: 11-08-99 The incomparable martial arts movies we associate with Hong Kong have disappeared from the screens of that city in the space of a very few years. PNS corespondent Andrew Lam discovers that there are many possible explanations -- political, economic, and aesthetic - for the change. Andrew Lam is a PNS editor, journalist and short-story writer. He is currently traveling in East and Southeast Asia. Phil Cunningham, Falungong Crackdown -- Invisible Arrests Of Invisible Protesters In Tienanmen Square By Phil Cunningham Date: 11-03-99 A visitor to the heart of China's capital city, enjoying a warm autumn day, could easily overlook the presence of security forces. Indeed, their action is so discreet that it is not clear whether this is a gentle attempt to stem protest by Falungong members or the beginning of a serious crackdown. PNS commentator Phil Cunningham is a former Neiman fellow who has reported widely from Beijing and Tokyo. India -- Rolling Into The Information Age On A Bullock Cart By Walter Truett Anderson Date: 10-28-99 From young village women accessing information on crop prices to techies debugging software systems for U.S. banks, India is making gigantic strides into the Information Age. But how long it can offer a low wage haven for the cyberspace revolution remains to be seen. PNS commentator Walter Truett Anderson is a political scientist and author of numerous books, most recently "The Future of the Self." He also directs the Meridian Project. Wave Of Relief Sweeps Indonesia As Former Opposition Leaders Take Power By Bramantyo Prijosusilo Date: 10-25-99 The newly-elected president and vice president of Indonesia can be said to represent more than 30 years of dedicated opposition to the country's ruling forces. For the citizens of that beleaguered nation, they offer hope of unity and progress. PNS commentator Bramantyo Prijosusilo is an artist based in Jogjaharta whose work is currently on exhibit in Oakland, CA at the Pacific Bridge Contemporary South Asian Art Gallery. His e-mail address is maysaroh@hotmail.com. The "Asian Way" Thesis Bows To The Inevitable -- Human Rights Gaining Global Clout By Andrew Reding Date: 10-14-99 In an increasingly globalized economy, nations that once fiercely resisted the concept of international human rights -- notably China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore -- are gradually yielding ground, even at the cost of their sovereign rights. Pacific News Service associate editor Andrew Reding directs the Americas Project of the World Policy Institute in New York. Taiwan Quake Shakes Chinese Mandate By Philip Cunningham Date: 09-27-99 The horrific earthquake in Taiwan has struck Beijing in ways that go beyond the obvious, visible aspects of the disaster. Mainland authorities are as always concerned with establishing Taiwan as a province of China -- and concerned by the fact that an earthquake traditionally marks the end of a dynasty. PNS corespondent Philip Cunningham is a freelance writerinterested in Asian politics and culture, and a research associate at Harvard's Fairbank Center for East Asian Research. India Voting On What It Means To Be Indian By Andrew Robinson Date: 09-23-99 India is in the midst of its election process -- the third phase of a five-phase voting process completed Sept. 18 -- for the third time in as many years. What is at stake, writes PNS commentator Andrew Robinson, is not governance but the idea of being Indian. Robinson speaks several Indian languages and has been writing about South Asian affairs for over a decade. China's New Market Economy Spawns Savvy New Generation By George Koo Date: 09-22-99 The one constant in China seems to be change, and in the last 20 years that change has focused on the transition to a market economy. This has allowed the country's young people to exercise their technological and entrepreneurial skills at home -- which bodes well for China's future. PNS commentator George Koo is an independent business consultant, former Chairman of Silicon Valley based Asian American Manufacturers Association, a Human Relations Commissioner of Mountain View, Ca. and a member of Committee of 100, a national organization of prominent Chinese Americans. Warning For Would-Be Investors-- Vietnam Unlikely to Rebound By Trinh Do Date: 08-10-99 Would-be investors eyeing Vietnam in the wake of improved U.S.-Hanoi relations should take a long hard look at the past five years. A trade agreement is clearly in the offing but what's missing is any sign that Hanoi is prepared or capable of weakening its control for the sake of economic reform. Trinh Do, a Bay Area based business executive, recently returned from three years in Vietnam working for a major American corporation. First of two perspectives. Vietnamese Brides for Sale By Van Tran Date: 07-30-99 Women are leaving Taiwan's countryside for jobs in the cities. Dowries are becoming more costly. As a result, rural Taiwanese men are turning to Vietnam as a source of "low-cost" brides. Van Tran is a staff reporter for the Taiwan News in Taipei. She wrote this article for New California Media Online (www.ncmonline.com), a project of Pacific News Service. India Moving Toward Outright Fascism By Andrew Robinson Date: 07-09-99 In news from South Asia the term "fundamentalist" usually calls up the image of Islamic radicals. But in India, a virulent strain of Hindu fundamentalism is gathering strength and PNS commentator Andrew Robinson sees in this the foreshadowings of fascism in the world's largest democracy. Robinson, who speak several Indian languages, has been writing about South Asian affairs for over a decade. Fear and Anguish Strike Korean American Community in Wake of Midwest Shooting By Terry Lee Date: 07-07-99 The killing of a young man in a Bloomington, Indiana church has had a particular resonance in the Korean American community. This involves both the particular circumstances of the victim, writes PNS commentator Terry Lee, and the general situation of all Korean Americans in the United States. Lee is a former reporter for Korea Central Daily of San Francisco. History in South Asia Takes Place on the Cricket Pitch By Andrew Robinson Date: 06-04-99 That most British of games, cricket, has become the focus of the most heated attention in Southern Asia. Passions are particularly kindled when -- as often happens -- a tiny David vanquishes an established Goliath. PNS commentator Andrew Robinson, a freelance writer, worked and wrote in Bangladesh and India for three years. Vietnam's Lost Paradise -- Grim Economic Predictions Shatter Socialist Dreams By Thi Lam Date: 04-23-99 Vietnam has remained largely insulated from the financial crises afflicting its Asian neighbors, but this insularity has carried a high price: complacency. As the region begins to rebound, Vietnam will be left holding the bag. PNS commentator Thi Lam looks as the state of his homeland 24 years after its reunification. Lam is a former general in the Republic of South Vietnam and the author of "Autopsy: The Death of South Vietnam" (1985). More-Than-Dollars-Trade With China Fuels The Engine Of Democratic Reform By Sanford Gottlieb Date: 04-25-00 The Clinton Administration push to normalize trade with China has drawn vigorous opposition from many usually seen as friends, including some leading Democrats concerned with human rights issues. But the best way to open China to democratic reform, says PNS commentator Sanford Gottlieb, is through the kind of exposure only trade can bring. Gottlieb is author of "Defense Addiction: Can America Kick the Habit?" published by Westview Press. 4 Years After Sarin Attach -- Aum Shinrikyo Sect is Regrouping and Growing By Yoichi Clark Shimatsu Date: 03-16-99 In March of 1995, the group called Aum Shinrikyo released nerve gas in the Tokyo subway system, killing 12, injuring thousands, and creating a climate of fear which spread far beyond Japan. Four years later, the sect is apparently strong and growing, and there are serious, unanswered questions about the government's conduct in the case. PNS associate editor Yoichi Clark Shimatsu is an investigative reporter and former editor of the English-language Japan Times Weekly in Tokyo. Chinese-Language Media Focuses on Spy Scandal Fallout on Chinese Americans By A. A. Quong Date: 03-15-99 Accusations that China has stolen nuclear secrets from the United States, and the firing of one Chinese American employee at Los Alamos have produced a spate of editorials on relations with China, nuclear danger, and the like. But for the Chinese-language media, the story is smaller and hits very close to home. PNS correspondent A. A. Quong is a freelance journalist. 30 Years Later -- Cambodian Americans Ask What Justice Means for Cambodia By Joshua Phillips Date: 02-26-99 As the international community attempts to bring Western concepts of justice to bear to Cambodia's "killing fields," many Cambodian Americans find themselves torn over just what the idea of justice means. PNS associate editor Joshua Phillips talked with Cambodians living in California, where half of some 300,000 Cambodian Americans now live. Mischief Reef-- Weakened Neighbors, Distracted U.S. May Set Stage for Chinese Expansion By Thi Lam Date: 02-03-99 China has recently moved to establish a military presence on Mischief Reef, one of the collection of oil-rich reefs in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands. The country's expansionist tendencies seem to flourish when its neighbors are weak and other major powers are looking elsewhere. PNS commentator Thi Lam is a former general in the Republic of South Vietnam and the author of "Autopsy: The Death of South Vietnam" (1985). Why Cambodia is No Basket Case By Sophal Ear Date: 01-29-99 Western media are full of grim and dire predictions for Cambodia these days. But in both Cambodia and the West, a new generation of young Cambodians is determined to give their country a future. PNS commentator Sophal Ear, born in Cambodia and raised in France and the U.S., works in Washington D.C. as a development consultant. Why U.S. Hands Are Tied as India Readies New Missile Tests By Andrew Robinson Date: 01-25-99 India's nuclear weapons program arguably poses a greater threat to the world than anything coming out of Iraq, yet the United States has not moved in any forceful way to stop it. The reason is that India has something the U.S. cannot do without. PNS commentator Andrew Robinson, a freelance writer, worked as a consultant on Internet-related issues in Bangladesh and India for three years. "Fire" Illuminates Some Burning Questions By Sandip Roy-Chowdhury Date: 01-05-99 A new Indian movie has encountered vigorous, even violent opposition in that country. Reports of this protest have focused on the plot line of the film, but the issues involved -- for both detractors and defenders -- are far more profound. PNS commentator Sandip Roy-Chowdhury is a film critic and contributing editor at "India Currents," a Bay Area magazine. India's Other A-Bomb -- Silent But Deadly By Batuk Vora Date: 12-03-98 India's detonation of a nuclear device caused consternation in the west, but the very high number of people with AIDS could be a source of even greater concern. At a recent meeting in New Delhi, largely unnoticed, concerned officials from both the United States and India outlined some joint efforts that could offer some hope. PNS commentator Batuk Vora writes for newspapers and magazines from New York to Hong Kong. He lives in Advadam, Gajurat, India. In Cambodia, 'Peons' Keep Free Press Alive By Eric Pape Date: 12-02-98 From a distance, Cambodia seems all confusion and tragedy. But a group of young reporters eagerly give reason for hope -- and, now, for concern. PNS commentator Eric Pape recently returned from a two-year stint working at English language papers in Cambodia. Thanksgiving in Korea -- A Nation of Families Divided By More Than A Line on the Map By Katherine Cowy Kim Date: 11-20-98 Korea's version of Thanksgiving -- the holiday known as Chu'sok -- is a time when Koreans return to their hometowns, honor their ancestors and renew family ties. This year, after months of a grueling economic crisis, one young writer from the Korean diaspora returned to find that families are now divided by more than just the DMZ. PNS editor Katherine Cowy Kim is a Bay Area freelance writer and works with YO! Youth Outlook. Idea of War Crime Trials Stirs No Enthusiasm in Rural Cambodia By Joshua Phillips Date: 11-18-98 A three man team of U.N. legal experts is in Cambodia this week to explore the possibility of war crime tribunals. The move has been hailed as a chance to bring those responsible for the Khmer Rouge killing fields to justice. For many rural Cambodians living in isolated towns, however, there are reasons to view the impending trials with ambivalence. PNS correspondent Joshua Phillips lived and traveled widely in Cambodia in the mid-1990s and recently returned from a one month trip there. Vietnam Survives at the Cost of Its Ecology By Andrew Lam Date: 10-30-98 If the Vietnam war was once devastating to that country's populace, the peace that followed has been nothing short of catastrophic for its ecology. PNS editor Andrew Lam returned to his homeland recently to take stock of its natural environment. Lam is a short story writer and a journalist. A longer version of this article appeared in the San Jose Mercury News. Pat Robertson -- A Modern Day "Matteo Ricci" Fosters Ties Between Religious Right and China By George Koo Date: 10-12-98 America's "religious right" has long been home to the harshest critics of China -- until Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, visited China late this summer and met with Premier Zhu Rongji in Beijing. The visit and the "summit" may do more to improve U.S.-China ties than President Clinton's earlier trip. PNS commentator George Koo recently interviewed Robertson about the trip. Koo is an independent business consultant, former Chairman of Silicon Valley based Asian American Manufacturers Association, a Human Relations Commissioner of Mountain View, Ca. and a member of Committee of 100, a national organization of prominent Chinese Americans. Experiment with Democracy's Unforeseen Costs-- Ethnic Vietnamese Fear Ethnic Purges in Cambodia By Joshua Phillips Date: 09-17-98 Last May's anti-Chinese riots in Indonesia sounded the alarm that new ethnic massacres could erupt in that part of the world. Largely overlooked by the international community, ethnic Vietnamese in Cambodia fear that they, too, will become scapegoats of political unrest as the country continues its experiment withdemocracy. PNS correspondent Joshua Phillips lived and traveled widely in Cambodia in the mid-1990s and recently returned from a one month trip there. U.S. Government's Porno-Spill Pollutes International Info-Waters By Andrew Robinson Date: 09-15-98 The Internet has been sharing -- if not hogging -- the spotlight in discussions of the President's behavior, but most commentators have focused on domestic consumption. What effect will the glut of detail from Starr's report have on be on the millions of Internet users in other places? Andrew Robinson, a freelance writer, worked as a consultant on Internet-related issues in Bangladesh and India for three years. Diplomatic Target Washington, Not Japan -- North Korea Launches a Powerful Message By Yoichi Clark Shimatsu Date: 09-08-98 Despite considerable confusion and disagreement about the nature and purpose of the projectile recently fired from North Korea, it has had striking effects. Taken together, according to PNS commentator Yoichi Clark Shimatsu, they may mark a change in relations in the Pacific. Shimatsu, former editor of the English-language Japan Times Weekly, is a freelance journalist based in Tokyo. For Vietnam's Youth -- School Proves as Elusive as Jobs By Andrew Lam Date: 07-10-98 Vietnam's education system has hit an all-time low, warns one communist party veteran, despite a reverence for education that persists as part of the country's Confucian culture. With fewer than two percent of Vietnamese enrolled in college, and only a third completing grammar school, the country faces a dark void in science and education as it approaches the 21st century. Yet its young people hunger for "English, informatics and economics," in that order. PNS editor Andrew Lam reports from a recent visit back to the country of his birth. Nixing Political Asylum-- Japan Fears North Korean Refugee Wave By Thomas Caldwell Date: 07-08-98 Japan has not been particularly friendly to the idea of granting refugee status to those seeking asylum -- over the last decade, the country's Justice Ministry has granted only 30 of 803 requests. But even that pace has slowed -- since 1994 only one person a year has been granted refugee status and PNS correspondent Thomas Caldwell reports on what looks like an attempt to reduce the number to zero. Caldwell, a former United Press International correspondent, is a Tokyo-based writer and broadcast journalist. Has Clinton "Given Away" Taiwan? By George Koo Date: 07-07-98 For Taiwan, the clear message of President Clinton's recent trip to China is that the United States will no longer be playing such a direct role in the long-running negotiations between Taiwan and the mainland. This may prove helpful on all sides, according to PNS commentator George Koo, who sees the two reuniting in fact as well as in name. Koo is an independent business consultant, former Chairman of Silicon Valley based Asian American Manufacturers Association, a Human Relations Commissioner of Mountain View, Ca. and a member of Committee of 100, a national organization of prominent Chinese Americans. What's In a Word -- U.S.-China Relations Built on a Frail Bridge of Language By Elvin Geng Date: 07-02-98 All discussions between states -- diplomatic or belligerent, frank or misleading -- must rely on the exchange of words. And while a rose might smell as sweet by any other name, the history of concepts like democracy and rights, as expressed in language, can lead to unnecessary misunderstanding. PNS commentator Elvin Geng, a graduate of University of California Berkeley in East Asian studies, now lives in New York City. Vanity Could Prove Fatal Flaw For South Korean President By Kapson Yim Lee Date: 06-19-98 Hailed as the Nelson Mandela of South Korea, President Kim Dae Jung evoked a very different image on his recent trip to the United States for one prominent Korean American journalist: that of former Korean strongman Syngman Rhee. She worries that an enormous ego could prevent Kim from realizing his potential, much as it crippled Rhee. Kapson Yim Lee is the editor of the Korea Times Bilingual Edition published in Los Angeles. The Unthinkable is Happening -- A German-Style Reunification on the Korean Peninsula By Josh Parr Date: 06-17-98 The message some Korean Americans took away from the U.S. visit of South Korea's new president Kim Dae Jung was clear: a German-style reunification is underway, and the key architect is the United States. PNS correspondent Josh Parr, who spent a year reporting from Seoul, is an editor of Brave New Word, an association of twenty-something writers and journalists affiliated with PNS. Youth Perspective -- India's Urban Youth Unfazed bu Nuclear Club Status By Madhavan Pillai Date: 06-12-98 Over half of India's population is under the age of 25, and a growing percentage of these young people now live in cities. How do these educated young Indians view their country's entrance into the world's nuclear club, let alone what U.S. policy makers fret will be a new nuclear arms race on the subcontinent? PNS correspondent Madhavan Pillai is a 23-year-old journalist who writes a weekly column for Mumbai's MidDay newspaper. Indians Take Bomb Tests in Stride as They Cross Bridge Into the World of the 21st Century By Sandy Close Date: 06-02-98 Americans see India as a country mired in tradition, and are alarmed at news that it controls a weapon of mass destruction. But India's citizens see their country moving into the realities of the next century and in their world ancient rivals are more important than U.S. opinion. PNS Executive Editor Sandy Close just returned from India where she spent several days talking with a broad spectrum of Indians. From Nonalignment to Strength-- Indian Explosions Mark a Complete Break With the Past By B.R.P Bhaskar Date: 05-15-98 Atomic testing in India marks the arrival of leaders with a world view completely opposed to the vision of those who led the country at independence and for many years thereafter. The change, according to PNS contributor Babu Bhaskar, who reported on the country's first nuclear test for PNS in 1974, represents a move from a philosophy of nonalignment to a philosophy of strength. Bhaskar is a former editor of United News India, one of India's leading wire services. Congressional Ban Misses-- Pentagon Continues Training Elite Unit Connected With Atrocities By Peter Dale Scott Date: 05-04-98 News of student demonstrations and other signs of unrest from Indonesia have been a source of increasing concern throughout Southeast Asia. For those who remember the events of 1965, these signs suggest that Congress should act quickly to assert its will. PNS commentator Peter Dale Scott, a former Canadian diplomat is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Beyond the "Madman" Theory -- Cambodia's Fate and Future Shaped By Many Actors By Judish Coburn and Joshua Phillips Date: 04-22-98 The death of Pol Pot has produced a number of comments asking whether this has allowed him to escape trial and penalties -- to "slip the hangman's noose." But focus on one individual, however monstrous his attitudes and actions, can blind us to forces and actors that continue to shape Cambodia's fate. PNS commentator Judith Coburn covered the war in Cambodia from 1970 to 1973 and has reported from there regularly since then; Joshua Phillips, a freelance journalist, reported for the "Pnomh Penh Post" in 1997. Pol Pot's Curse Lives On -- A Rural Rage Against the City By Andrew Lam Date: 04-21-98 Pol Pot's death has not removed the curse that inspired the Khmer Rouge killing fields. That curse grows out of a deep rural hatred of the city, one that has not eased as Pnomh Penh has sprung back to life and now, once again teeming with affluent foreigners, lords it over the countryside. PNS editor Andrew Lam, a San Francisco-based writer, has traveled extensively through Cambodia. Time is Running Out for North Korean Families Yearning to Reunite By Katherine Kim Date: 04-20-98 Talks between states often seem to involve issues remote from everyday concerns. But for hundreds of thousands of Koreans separated from their families nearly 50 years ago, the talks between North and South Korea -- just ended in an impasse-- held a very personal kind of hope. PNS commentator Katherine Kim, whose grandmother is one of those losing hope, discovers the present situation is more complex, and a little more unsavory, than it first appears to be. Katherine Kim is a Korean American journalist based in the Bay Area. Warnings of Great Depression Alarm Tokyo By Yoichi Clark Shimatsu Date: 04-10-98 Even with their all-seeing satellites, weathermen are not much better at predicting a tornado than soothsayers or old farmers. The same can be said for economists and depressions. But with the far-sighted Sony chairman predicting an imminent collapse of Japan's economy, Tokyo is rife with warnings that another depression is about to hit Japan and Asia. PNS associate editor Yoichi Shimatsu, former editor of the English-language Japan Times Weekly, reports from Tokyo. Legacy of Financial Crisis -- Pan Asian Dream Falters As Chinese Dominance Continues By Andrew Lam Date: 04-09-98 All over Asia, one can hear a collective moan as small countries, once convinced they would become equal partners in a pan-Asian economy, now see themselves sliding back to subservience to an ascending China. Indeed, awe of China seems greater than any resentment of the West as Asian tigers come to terms with a familiar dragon. PNS editor Andrew Lam, a journalist and short-story writer, just returned from a two month trip to East and Southeast Asia. American Myths Can Block the Real Message of Grim News from Japan By Hilary Hinds Kitasei Date: 04-01-98 News from Japan of major public figures committing suicide, often in a dramatic way, can be interpreted as a sign of unbearable strain. But a closer look at both the news and the country, writes PNS commentator Hilary Hind Kitasei, suggests a very different interpretation. Kitasei is a Tokyo-based freelancer who writes for Asahi Shinbun among other publications. Turbulent East Asians Hunger For Justice of Judge Dee By Andrew Lam Date: 03-23-98 The economic crisis in Indonesia has -- not for the first time -- been accompanied by open hostility toward ethnic Chinese, who control a disproportionate share of the country's wealth. At the same time, observes PNS editor Andrew Lam, ordinary Indonesians are strongly drawn to Chinese culture, old and new. The popularity of a new Hong Kong-produced TV soap opera, based on the millennium-old tales of Judge Dee, is a case in point. Lam, a journalist and short-story writer, just returned from a two month trip to East and Southeast Asia. From Rudeness to Civility -- Vietnam's Revolution in Manners By Andrew Lam Date: 03-10-99 In Vietnam, a culture of "snatching and grabbing" is giving way to a new civility. But there is reason to wonder whether this will last any longer than any other transformation in this most changeable of countries. PNS Associate Editor Andrew Lam just returned from an extended trip through Thailand, Vietnam and Burma. The View From Asia -- To Be American Is To Be White By Tony Shen Date: 03-04-98 It sounds like a bad joke: a Chinese man turned down for a job in a Chinese country by a Chinese because he looked Chinese. But PNS commentator Tony Shen finds that the idea that an American is a white person prevails in Taiwan much as it does in Kansas City -- with unhappy effects in all places. Shen is a freelance journalist recently returned from an extended stay in Taiwan. Asia's Annus Horriblis -- A Global Crisis That Requires A Global Solution By Edward Liu Date: 02-06-98 The Asian financial crisis is not only weakening the global economy but extracting enormous human costs that could probe destabilizing for world peace. To resolve it requires more than pouring in a lot of money through the IMF. At the global level we need a new financial and economic charter much like the UN political charter that will address the root causes of the turmoil. At the bottom Asians must change their business practices and learn to operate in an open and transparent global economy. PNS commentator Edward Liu, an ethnic Chinese born and raised in the Philippines, is a practicing attorney in San Francisco. Asian Meltdown -- A City Loses Its Balance But Not Its Dreams By Andrew Lam Date: 01-14-98 Thailand, the prime example of the Asian "economic miracle," has been hit hard by the recent crisis. The rapid fall from a great height has produced sharply contrasting views of the world. PNS Editor Andrew Lam is taking a first-hand look at the "Asian Crisis" in Thailand, Vietnam and Burma. A Pocket Monster-- The Game That's Giving the Media Fits By Patrick Macias Date: 01-07-98 A standout among the unsettling stories of recent months is the account from Japan of children suffering seizures as a result of watching a TV cartoon show. Sensational coverage of the incident here offered a distorted picture of Japanese animation, writes PNS commentator Patrick Macias, a fan of the genre, and while most responses reflect genuine concern, some have been thoroughly self-serving. Patrick Macias is on the staff of YO (Youth Outlook), a publication by and about Bay Area youth produced by Pacific News Service. From Elation to Shame-- Korean Americans Riding an Emotional Roller Coaster By Katherine Kim Date: 12-30-97 South Korea's financial crisis has triggered a range of emotions among ethnic Koreans everywhere -- including sadness, guilt, humiliation, and a sense of justice. To understand the depth of these feelings, one must first understand the dizzying elation -- like a Babylonian fever dream -- engendered by the country's economic success over the last two decades. PNS correspondent Katherine Kim, a Korean American journalist who has lived and worked in South Korea explores the highs and lows in her family and her community. Jiang Shows U.S.-Style Political Savvy on Trip By Ling Chi Wang Date: 11-03-97 The much-reported visit of China's president Jiang Zemin to the United States was in part the usual deliberate show. But the Chinese leader showed, according to PNS commentator Ling Chi Wan, that he is both able to understand U.S. politics and willing to meet the U.S. half way in a two-superpower world. Ling Chi Wang is head of ethnic studies at University of California Berkeley and an expert on Asian-American affairs The View from Tokyo-- Jiang's Visit Ends America's Cold War Alliance with Japan By Yoichi Clark Shimatsu Date: 10-31-97 Japan is reeling in confusion in the wake of Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to the U.S. The choice of Pearl Harbor for Jiang's first U.S. stop was redolent with symbolism for the Japanese who now see themselves cast adrift. Tokyo-based writer Yoichi Clark Shimatsu was former editor of the Japan Times English-language weekly. Letter from Yunnan-- Isolation at the Center of the World By Andrea Quong Date: 10-23-97 China is home to the world's most diverse collection of plants and flowers -- some 30,000 species, many of them unique or seen only in fossil form elsewhere in the world. A project is now underway to catalog the species, many of them endangered, in the northern mountains of Yunnan Province in southwestern China near Burma. PNS associate Andrea Quong, who has spent two months with that expedition, writes from the field. A Delicate Matter -- Korean American Response to Famine Reflects Faith, History, Memory By Katherine Kim Date: 09-04-97 Despite widespread appeals, only about five percent of all Korean Americans have contributed to programs designed to provide food aid to North Korea. Those that have donated are apparently as much moved by faith as by identification with the homeland. Katherine Kim has reported from Korea and Cambodia and now writes for Channel A.Com. From a Life Expectancy of 28 to 60 -- Measuring India's Advances Over 50 Years of Independence By Sanjoy Banerjee Date: 07-29-97 It is fifty years since India won its independence from the British, and its problems are widely advertised. Problems there undeniably are -- with nearly a billion people occupying a land area about a third the size of the United States -- but the second half of the century has witnessed dramatic advances in the quality of life of most Indians, despite the enormous economic reversals suffered during the first half under British colonial rule. PNS commentator Sanjoy Banerjee is professor International Relations in the San Francisco State University. Hand Back, Not Hand Over -- Hong Kong Offers New Lessons in Living History By Sandy Close Date: 07-02-97 At times, history is not a matter of dates and rulers, wars and treaties, but an essential element of the fabric of everyday life. The transition in Hong Kong is just such a time for the people there, and an analysis that does not address this fact is fated to misunderstand the occasion. PNS editor Sandy Close worked and lived in Hong Kong some 30 years ago, and returned there to witness the the "hand-back" to China. In Cambodia's Killing Fields -- Khmer Rouge Down But Not Out By Thi Lam Date: 06-24-97 Rejoicing over Pol Pot's capture and possible trial may be premature. The Khmer Rouge movement he led for so many years is far from finished even as outbursts of political violence renew fears of civil war. PNS commentator Thi Lam, a former general in the army of South Vietnam and a teacher and writer now living in San Jose, Ca., examines the reasons for Cambodia's ongoing political chaos. Pol Pot's Capture Won't End the Tragedy of Cambodia By Andrew Lam Date: 06-24-97 Who in the international community would not welcome the idea of bringing Pol Pot, one of the most brutal dictators in the 20th century, to justice? But don't for a moment believe that his capture and removal from Cambodia will end the trauma that continues to grip that country's 6.5 million people. PNS editor Andrew Lam, a Vietnam-born short story writer living in the Bay Area, has traveled in and written extensively about Cambodia over the last decade. Possible Steps to Peace Amid the Tensions of Two Koreas By Johan Galtung and Dietrich Fischer Date: 05-01-97 Warnings of war have darkened the already grim picture of conditions in North Korea, and it is difficult to find much reason for optimism in a situation which has persisted for nearly 50 years. Yet there are a few encouraging signs, and with some relatively minor changes in policy and attitude, a peaceful and cooperative Korea might become a reality according to PNS correspondents by Johan Galtung and Dietrich Fischer. Galtung is a professor of peace studies at several universities and director of TRANSCEND, a peace and development network. Fischer, a professor at Pace University, is co-director of TRANSCEND. Another Casualty of Subway Gassing -- Japan's Falling Out of Love with Sci-Fi By Yoichi Shimatsu Date: 03-20-97 In the two years since commuters were overcome by nerve gas in the Tokyo subway, Japan has shown signs of falling out of love with science and technology. The most striking evidence may be the plummeting interest in the once wildly popular science fiction animation films. PNS associate editor Yoichi Shimatsu, a Tokyo-based writer, is former editor of the English language weekly Japan Times. Deng -- Securing the Most Fundamental Human Rights to Shelter and Food By Ling-Chi Wang Date: 02-21-97 Ling-Chi Wang is the former head of ethnic studies and a specialist in Asian American history at the University of California, Berkeley. Japanese Laud Deng's Asian-Style Economic Diplomacy By Yoichi Shimatsu Date: 02-21-97 Yoichi Shimatsu is a free lance journalist based in Tokyo and former editor of the Japan Times Weekly. Deng's Fall and Rise -- A Model of Chinese Survival By Franz Schurmann Date: 02-21-97 Franz Schurmann is the author of several books on contemporary China and former head of U.C. Berkeley's Center for Chinese Studies The Death of China's Last Strongman By Chen Mingjie Date: 02-21-97 Chen Mingjie, a political scientist at Beijing University, came to the United States in 1992 where he writes and sells insurance. This article was translated by Franz Schurmann. Deng -- Prophet of Myth of Science and Materialism By Cobie Kwasi Harris Date: 02-21-97 Cobie Kwasi Harris is a political scientist and chair of African American Studies at San Jose State. Deng's Model Rests on Vulnerable Base By Sanjoy Banerjee Date: 02-21-97 Sanjoy Banerjee is a professor of international relations at San Francisco State University, and an expert on east and south Asia. Asia's New Middle Class--Now the World's Largest--Searches for New Sense of Self By Andrew Lam Date: 01-21-97 With the world's largest middle class, Asia seems particularly tantalizing to producers in the West. But Westerners need to understand that modernization no longer means "automatic Westernization." Asians are searching for new ways to understand who they are becoming, and are drawing on their own Asian cultures for images that fit. PNS associate editor Andrew Lam is a Vietnam-born journalist and short-story writer who lives in San Francisco.

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