Thailand violence: government rejects talks
The Thai government has rejected the offer of mediated talks from protest leaders setting the scene for further violence on the streets of Bangkok.
Five days of clashes with troops have seen 38 people killed and reduced parts of Bangkok to battle zones, with columns of smoke billowing overhead from piles of tyres set ablaze by the "Red Shirt" protesters occupying the city's main shopping district.
As the United Nations urged Thailand to "step back from the brink", some 60 senators sent a letter to the government and the Reds Shirts, urging them to halt the violence and enter into talks organised by the upper house.
"The Reds agree to accept the proposal by the senate speaker who wants to mediate the talks, and are ready to join from now," said the protest leader Nattawut Saikuar. "We will not go with any conditions, the senator is free to offer any proposals and we are willing to consider them."
However, the government then refused to go ahead with peace talks saying they would not negotiate until the protesters had dispersed.
The cabinet minister Satit Wonghnongtaey quoted the prime minister as saying that "the situation will end only when the protest stops."
The government announced three more public holidays for government agencies in Bangkok, in a move to keep civilians off the violence-wracked streets until the end of the week.
Government offices were already closed Monday and Tuesday, and schools have been ordered to delay their return from holidays for a week until next Monday.
The capital's two main train systems, the underground and the overhead monorail, have been closed for four days. Two previous rounds of negotiations have raised hopes for a peaceful resolution but then collapsed, and the government has not responded to the latest proposal.
Thailand's chief negotiator accused exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is supported by the Red Shirts, of standing in the way of a deal by insisting his corruption conviction be overturned.
"He wants amnesty for himself, which we can't do," Korbsak Sabhavasu, an aide to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. "No government can accept that. It would mean another coup and amnesty for everybody." Mr Thaksin, who was ousted by the Thai army in 2006, said in a statement that he wanted both sides in the conflict to "step back from this terrible abyss." Police said casualties around Bangkok have declined as the government and protesters seek talks to end six days of gun battles. "There should be good news," said police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri. "That means tensions may ease or protests will probably end." The military meanwhile defended its use of deadly but limited force, saying troops only fired to protect themselves and Bangkok citizens and did not pursue pre-emptive attacks.
"If they don't move close to us, there won't be any losses," army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd said. He also accused the Red Shirts of using a child of about three years as a human shield, holding him up above a barricade in the streets.
The government also announced that a two-day public holiday was being extended to Friday.
Red Shirt protest leaders had previously set conditions for any talks.
The government had rejected earlier offers for talks that included demands to withdraw troops and submit to UN mediation.
The Red Shirts have occupied 1 square mile of downtown Bangkok, camping in the streets next to shuttered five-star hotels and shopping centres.
*****TAIPEI — Taiwan's former security chief has confirmed for the first time that Taipei and Beijing used secret communications channels from 2008 as they worked to thaw glacial ties, it was reported Sunday.
Su Chi, who was chief of the National Security Council until earlier this year, said in an interview with the Taipei-based United Daily News that the sensitive channels helped build trust between the longtime foes.
He said the National Security Council did not talk directly to authorities on the mainland, but declined to provide details of the secret channels.
"In my office, there were no hotlines. I did not contact them directly. It would have been too risky."
Taiwan's ties with its giant neighbour have improved markedly since President Ma Ying-jeou came to power in 2008, pledging to boost trade links and allowing in more Chinese tourists.
Taiwan has governed itself since 1949 at the end of a civil war. However, Beijing still considers Taiwan part of its territory and maintains its right to use force should the island move to declare formal independence.
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MIAMI — A Taiwanese national pleaded guilty Thursday to attempting to export thousands of missile components to Iran in violation of a US embargo, and faces up to 20 years in prison, the US Department of Justice said.
Yi-Lan Chen, age 40 and also known by the name Kevin Chen, pleaded guilty to three charges of conspiring to illegally export dual-use commodities to Iran, namely 120 hermetic connectors and 8,500 glass-to-metal seals, according to the department.
"While the goods or technologies have commercial application, they also could make a significant contribution to the military or nuclear potential of other nations and could be detrimental to the foreign policy or national security of the United States," the Justice Department said in a statement.
Chen's Taiwanese corporation, Landstar Tech Company Limited, where he worked at the time of the actions, was also charged with one count of criminal information and, like Chen, faces a maximum fine of one million dollars.
Chen is accused of taking requests and payments for the US manufactured goods from clients in Iran, purchasing the goods and then planning to bring them back to Taiwan for transport on to Iran.
Undercover US Department of Commerce agents intercepted Chen in the US Pacific island territory of Guam where he intended to take possession of the material.
The case comes in the midst of an international crisis over Iran's nuclear enrichment program, and a Washington-led push for new United Nations sanctions on the Islamic republic.
The United States and other western nations say Iran is working to acquire atomic weapons, but Tehran insists its enrichment efforts are purely for peaceful nuclear energy.
Chen's sentencing is set for July 30.
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TOKYO — Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni arrived in Tokyo Sunday for his first state visit to Japan, where he will meet the Japanese royals and the prime minister.
Sihamoni will meet Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko on Monday at the start of his five-day visit, Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong told AFP.
"The state visit by the king to Japan will strengthen the relationship and cooperation between the two countries," he said.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will hold talks with Sihamoni on Tuesday.
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King Norodom Sihamoni is greeted by well-wishers upon his arrival at Tokyo's Haneda Airport |
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