The Dark Lord of the Sith is not faring well in Asia, getting bested twice by Tokyo’s Finest.

Part one:

Part two:

While in Malaysia Darth becomes a towel rack.:

Once I was the most feared man in the Galactic Empire.
I ruled the Imperial Army with an iron fist.
I was an evil and ruthless war criminal.
A mass murderer.

Now, I’m nothing more than a towel holder.

And Darth Made-in-China is long gone, after being sold on December 22.

Technorati Tags: asia, china, east asia, japan, malaysia, northeast asia, darth, southeast asia

AsiaPundit is pleased to report that central planning is alive and well in the new ‘wired’ China. Via 活龙行天下, a summary of key work areas of the Ministry of Information Industry (MII).:

Overall requirements: Guided by the Deng Xiaoping theory and the important thoughts of Three Represents, the spirits of the Sixteenth National Congress of the Party, the 5th Session of the Central Committee of the Party and the Central Economic Working Conference; to implement the Concept of Scientific Development, make China a telecom and electronic giant, focus on structural adjustments and strategic transformation, improve the quality and efficiency of development, center on technological innovations and strengthen the core competitiveness of the information industry; to transform the functions of the government, create a good environment for the development of the industry; to apply information technology (IT), strengthen the IT promotion and application, to base on the people-first principle, provide good products and services to the public and promote the sustained, rapid, coordinated and healthy development of the information industry.

Much more below the jump, if you can tolerate it.

Technorati Tags: asia, china, east asia, northeast asia

(more…)

CCTV, the Chinese state-owned broadcaster, has launched a new website in collaboration with Rupert Murdoch’s FOX news.:

CCTV International and CCTV.com formally launched an updated and revamped English website on Tuesday, at English.cctv.com. The newly designed website is expected to better serve Internet surfers, and also to help boost viewing figures for CCTV International’s TV programs.

Three partners are jointly announcing the launch of CCTV International’s new website. Collaborating with Fox Cable network and CCTV.COM, CCTV International hopes joint efforts will strengthen its image among current and potential viewers. And also to increase viewers for TV programs on CCTV International — through the www.cctv.com website…

…FOX Cable Networks offered help with the design of the new web-page. The company says this is only the beginning of cooperation between Fox and CCTV International. Fox says the new webpage provides a source for the world to get to know about China.

Perhaps all of those who were damning Google for the censored China site will now damn FOX for assisting CCTV, which has much more aggressive censorship policies than any US search engine.

Technorati Tags: asia, cctv, censorship, china, east asia, northeast asia

Via bhojman’s Meanderings, a Myanmar state-owned newspaper has accused a US journalism education program of poisioning “young Myanmar brains.”

A US government centre in Burma is spreading “poison” among local reporters through its English for Journalism courses, a state-owned newspaper said today.

The Kyemon newspaper said apart from teaching journalistic ethics and writing, foreign instructors at the American Centre in Burma, known as Myanmar by its military rulers, have gathered information about the country’s education, health and social conditions from the students.

“The ‘English for Journalism’ course attended by young journalists from various Myanmar media groups is like poison, because the course is nothing but sugar-coated bitter medicine,” the newspaper wrote.

The article went on to indicate that the centre, through courses like the one on journalism, was spreading American propaganda and harming “young Myanmar brains”.

Thomas Pierce, who heads the centre, declined immediate comment since he had not read the article.

“We are working to improve journalism in Burma, working with journalists to both improve their English and reporting skill,” he said.

The centre, operated by the US Embassy in Yangon, offers educational courses, a library, films and other facilities that are open to all Burmese citizens.

AsiaPundit thinks that far more Burmese brains have been damaged by beatings by SPDC thugs or the drugs that the junta helps traffic. Still, he will admit that journalism school can cause brain damage.

Technorati Tags: asia, burma, censorship, corruption, east asia, myammar, southeast asia

Via the not-quite-worksafe Mango Sauce, a clear violation of intellectual property on a sign touted as the funniest in Pattaya.:

In Pattaya’s Soi Bukhao district, the FCUK Inn promises drinkers more than just a cold beer and a hand of cards. Before calling in, however, bridge enthusiasts might organise a couple of rubbers first.

French Connection Group Plc surely would object to their brand being used for this. But given that French Connection UK’s (FCUK) latest advertising campaign involves two models tearing each other’s clothing off in a lesbian cat fight, they can hardly say that the brand is being debased.

Technorati Tags: asia, east asia, thailand, puppy, southeast asia

According to the Mercer 2006 study on quality of living for expatriates, AsiaPundit’s current home is the most livable city in China Mainland China. Although it falls far behind his former home of Singapore.:

Singapore overtakes Tokyo as the top Asian city, moving into 34th position. Despite Singapore’s gain, Japan remains the strongest Asian country with the next eight Asian cities based there. Hong Kong (68th) breaks that run, and China’s top city is Shanghai (103rd), falling one place. In India, the top cities are Mumbai and New Delhi (both 150th). Indian city rankings are improving slowly due to India’s improving political relationships with other countries. Also, local authorities in India are feeling pressure from multinationals who want to locate there to improve quality of living standards.

The survey ranks standards of living based on measures including personal safety and security, health issues, cleanliness and pollution, and transportation - all areas that AP will admit are much better in the Lion City.

For that matter, Singapore should beat most (if not all) of the cities in the top-10 were those the only measures (easily trumping number three Vancouver on cleanliness, transportation and security).

That said, Shanghai’s skyline easily trumps Singapore’s.:

The city claims the third best skyline in the world, while Singapore comes in sixth. However, Shanghai once again is rightfully beaten by Hong Kong.

(Via IZ)

Technorati Tags: asia, china, east asia, hong kong, northeast asia, singapore, southeast asia

Via 3 Yen, witness Gal-Sone.:

The name “Gal-sone” is a play on the Japanese katakana word “gal” (ギャル) means young woman who dresses provocatively in the “gal style” and “sone” which is typical sumo name ending. In this case, the longish (runtime: 09:21) YouTube video in Japanese shows “Gal-sone” constantly adjusting her makeup while sucking up 22 bowls of Okinawa noodles.

Link.

As if further proof were needed that telecom monopolies are never good for the customer.:

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A Malaysian man said he nearly fainted when he received a U.S. $218 trillion phone bill and was ordered to pay up within 10 days or face prosecution, a newspaper reported Monday.

Yahaya Wahab said he disconnected his late father’s phone line in January after he died and settled the 84-ringgit (U.S. $23) bill, the New Straits Times reported.

But Telekom Malaysia later sent him a 806,400,000,000,000.01-ringgit (U.S. $218 trillion) bill for recent telephone calls along with orders to settle within 10 days or face legal proceedings, the newspaper reported.

It wasn’t clear whether the bill was a mistake, or if Yahaya’s father’s phone line was used illegally after his death.

If the bill wasn’t a mistake, that would be charges of roughly $2.56 billion per minute, assuming constant usage for February and March.

Technorati Tags: asia, east asia, malaysia, southeast asia

Nepal’s authoritarian monarch, King Gyanendra, looks to be either on the verge of either being deposed or instigating a more brutal crackdown. After six days of riots, police have started firing on protesters.

Curzon sees things ending badly.:

Almost a year ago, I predicted that without serious aid from India and the West, the regime in Nepal would eventually collapse, giving way to a Maoist horror equivalent to what we’ve previously seen in Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan. As I write this, demonstrations are taking over the streets of Kathmandu in Nepal. When you see pictures of police beating protestors and unhinged state violence, it’s easy for naive idealists to fret about the “pro-democracy protests,” get outraged over such tactics as the police shutting down cell phone service, and even take the pro-Maoist “Democratic Nepal” blog a little seriously.

Maybe these people genuinely believe that a collapse of the monarchy will lead to a democratic regime. But consiously or not, many of these people more accurately believe something closer to what Mark Safranski deconstructed and plainly translated in a comment last year:

“I want the Maoists to win but don’t really want to say that openly because that position doesn’t have much intellectual credibility – and it will hamper my disclaiming moral responsibility for Maoist atrocities in Nepal after the fact, should they win.”

Look at the flags many of these demonstrators are waving in the streets, it’s not the flag of liberty.

While Gyanendra is running, as Curzon describes, “probably the most unhelpful, reactionary regime that one could imagine,” it would be ludicrous to imagine anything better from the Nepalese Maoists. Long disowned by the capitalist rulers of ‘communist’ China, the Maoists are more similar in nature to Sendero Luminoso or the Khmer Rouge, the former being a major influence on the Nepalese Maoists in terms of both tactics and ideology.

It may be good to see Gyanendra gone but what comes next is be a big concern. AsiaPundit would consider intervention by New Delhi, Beijing or both far more welcome than a Maoist regime.

Sepia Mutiny has other views and an interesting comment thread.

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If the government is serious about cracking down on ‘false reports’ on the internet, a good place to start would be XinhuaNet.

China clear of new bird flu cases for 44 days

BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua)– China has recorded no new cases of bird flu in the last 44 days, national chief veterinary officer Jia Youling said Monday.

Jia, also director of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture, said the country was succeeding in efforts to prevent and contain the disease since the eradication of the most recent cases.

A large-scale immunization campaign had lowered the possibility of new outbreaks across much of the country, he said.

But he added that China still faced the threat of bird flu as the spread of the disease was accelerating around the world, especially with the advance of the northern spring and warmer weather encouraging bird migration.

Shanghai recorded its first human bird-flu fatality on 21 March, with the passing of a female migrant worker who contracted the H5N1 virus reportedly after handling live birds at a market on 8 March.

Efforts to nail down the exact population of Shanghai are close to impossible as unregistered migrant workers don’t show up in official statistics. It seems they don’t show up in bird flu statistics either.

Also if China is going to crack down on ‘unclean’ content on the internet, a good place to start would be the China Daily.

Technorati Tags: asia, bird flu, china, east asia, h5n1, northeast asia

China has no legislation to prevent animal cruelty. If it did, the Guangzhou’s infamous live animal market would not exist and the nation wouldn’t have to endure barbs from Europeans who complain about such things at the harvesting of bear bile. AsiaPundit generally regards the European complaints as valid, however China can now retaliate with an argument that Europe shouldn’t complain about animal abuse in China as it is being increasingly done for the benefit of European consumers.

From Xinhua, China is seeking to become the top global location for caging and force-feeding geese for French consumption.:

BEIJING, April 11 — Thanks to a growing interest in gourmet foods, China is aiming to become one of the world’s biggest producers of foie gras made from goose liver in the coming years.

This was the verdict from a delegation from northeastern Jilin Province, China’s biggest poultry region, during a visit to France last week.

Qi Mingce, managing director of the Jifa group, told reporters he had signed a deal with Delpeyrat based in the southwestern French town of Mont-de-Marsan.

“For the past two years we have produced about 100 tons of foie gras in our Changchun factory, that’s about two-thirds of Chinese production, force-feeding some 200,000 geese,” said Qi.

“But our aim is to reach 1,000 tons over the next five years with two million geese.”

As well, China is set to start producing more mink coats. Via Business Wire, China Southern has 30,000 minks from Denmark to certain doom!

Malleable Mating Minks Make Mainland Move: Denmark-Raised Minks Head to New Homes on China Southern Airlines for Breeding



AMSTERDAM–(BUSINESS WIRE)–April 10, 2006–China Southern Airlines, (NYSE:ZNH)(HKSE:1055)(SHA:600029) - www.cs-air.com/en - with the largest and most technically advanced aircraft fleet in The People’s Republic of China, has completed two charters of 30,000 breeding minks from their farms in Denmark … to their new homes in Harbin and Dalian, China.

Originating from farms in Denmark, China Southern’s first charter of 18,000 minks was flown from Billund Airport to Harbin in Northeastern China … and a second charter moved 12,000 minks from Billund Airport to the seaside city of Dalian.

Technorati Tags: asia, china, east asia, northeast asia