SAARC parliamentarians meet continues in Shimla

The two-day South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) parliamentarians' conference is continuing here on Sunday, in which more than 80 delegates are participating.
Drawing on the theme 'Towards South Asia Unity,' the delegates are deliberating on regional cooperation, connectivity, security and setting up of a South Asian Parliament on the lines of European Parliament.
"Both Parliament and media should reflect in all countries the aspirations of the people to live in peace and harmony," Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said yesterday.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of Pakistan's Opposition alliance, Muttahida Majlis-E-Amal (MMA), said resolving the Kashmir dispute is integral to lasting peace between India and Pakistan, the group's two largest nations.
"The dialogue between India and Pakistan must continue but efforts must be made to find a permanent solution to the Kashmir problem. Unless this issue is resolved, the two countries can't enjoy trust and cordiality of good relations," said Rehman.
Lawmakers representing major political parties and presiding officers of Parliament or National Assembly from the eight member nations, -- Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka - are attending the conference.
The conference has been organised by the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA), a non-government initiative formed by independent journalists at the Islamabad conference in July, 2000.

Australia warns Japan over whaling

Australia has issued a final warning to Japan to shelve plans to slaughter 50 humpbacks under its "scientific" whaling program, saying the two nations' good relationship hangs in the balance.

The warning came as Japan threatened to quit the International Whaling Commission (IWC), having failed in its bid to lift a moratorium on commercial whaling.

Japan also said it would consider defying the ban and "unilaterally" carry out whaling along its economic exclusive zone.

Tokyo officials left the annual IWC meeting in Anchorage, Alaska with none of the things they had sought, including support for a proposal to allow four Japanese coastal villages to hunt the animals.

Japan had argued its proposal to catch minke whales should fall under the umbrella of community whaling because whaling has been part of its culture for thousands of years.

Australia was a fierce opponent of the plan, despite Japan offering to ditch its new humpback cull in return for Canberra's support.

In the end, no formal vote on the issue was called after Japan realised it would not pass.

Australian Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who travelled to Anchorage for the stormy summit, said the coastal proposal would have set a precedent that could not be undone.

"The minute you open the door to commercial whaling, how do you shut it again? That is the problem," he said.

After the summit wrapped up, Turnbull said he sought out Japanese officials with a last warning to stop its annual slaughter of whales in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary.

He had earlier heavily criticised Japan's abuse of a loophole in IWC rules which allow whales to be killed for the purpose of scientific research.

Japan slaughters some 1,000 whales annually under those rules, but critics say data from any research is scant and Japan admits most of the meat ends up in supermarkets and restaurants.

Turnbull said Japan and Australia had enjoyed good relations but friendship had many obligations.

"And one obligation of friendship is to be honest with each other," he said.

"That's why I've said, as carefully and as courteously as I can, that the inclusion of the humpbacks in the scientific whaling program will have a very adverse impact on perceptions of Japan and Japan's standing in Australia."

"If Japan is sincere about seeking to engage constructively and openly with other countries about a revised or a renewed or a reconstructed whaling convention, then the single most effective gesture of goodwill that it could give would be to drop those humpbacks from their scientific program."

Greenpeace Australia said it was now time for Turnbull to put the issue of commercial whaling at the top of Australia's agenda in any dealings with Japan, ahead of trade and security.

And the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said Australia must consider using international courts to stop the slaughter.

IFAW Asia Pacific Director Mick McIntyre said a panel of Australia's top international law experts had advised Japan's scientific whaling program breached the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

"Diplomacy has failed. The Australian government needs to take every action available to halt this illegal activity," McIntyre said.

As the summit concluded, Japan's top delegate Akira Nakamae said "there is a real possibility we will review at a fundamental level our role in the IWC and this would include withdrawing, setting up a new organisation".

He said Tokyo would also consider defying the whaling moratorium and "unilaterally" carry out whaling along its economic exclusive zone.

In another rebuff to the IWC, Japan also withdrew its bid to host the annual IWC talks in Yokohama in 2009.

But critics said Japan's threat to quit the IWC was a standard response.

"The only thing more familiar than their empty threat to leave the IWC is their disregard for decisions they don't like," said Patrick Ramage, who heads the IFAW's global whale campaign.

AAP

Sri Lanka not to buy weapons from China and Pakistan

India is urging Sri Lanka not to buy weapons from China and Pakistan to fight Tamil rebels, New Delhi's national security advisor said.

"We are the big power in the region. It is very clear," M. K. Narayanan told reporters Thursday evening.

"Whatever their requirements, they (Sri Lanka) should come to us. We will give what is necessary," he said after meeting Tamil Nadu state chief minister M. Karunanidhi.

At the same time, Narayanan insisted that India would not provide any "offensive" weaponry to Sri Lanka, where fighting has escalated between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

The comments followed reports that Sri Lanka had told India it would have to approach China and Pakistan for arms, if India was unable to supply them.

Sri Lanka blames its inability to track down low-flying Tamil Tiger aircraft on a "faulty" radar supplied by India. Sri Lankan officials have also said that New Delhi objected to Colombo trying to secure a better radar from China.

However, both China and Pakistan are key suppliers of small arms to Sri Lankan security forces.

Islamabad supplied multi-barrel rocket launchers to Sri Lankan troops in 2000 when Tiger rebels were on the verge of capturing the northern Jaffna peninsula. India at the time offered help to evacuate 40,000 troops in Jaffna.

An increase in attacks on Indian fishermen across the narrow Palk Straits in recent weeks has strained relations between the two neighbours.

The federal security adviser visited Chennai, formerly known as Madras, after the state's chief minister raising concerns about the safety of Indian Tamils fishing in the straits, between India and Sri Lanka.

A dozen Indian fishermen were abducted in late March by the LTTE and five reportedly killed.

Narayanan said India would strengthen security in the straits.

"We will ensure the protection of our fishermen to the extent possible," he said, adding that the LTTE's role in killing of the five men was "fairly clear."

Roadside blast kills 10 in Thailand

Ten paramilitary troops were killed when their truck struck a roadside bomb in southern Thailand on Thursday.
The bomb exploded in Bannang Sata district in Yala province as government-hired paramilitary rangers drove by, a Thai Army spokesman said.
Two rangers were slightly wounded and the truck was damaged.
The rangers had earlier been negotiating with Muslim protesters in a nearby district.
The area has been under a military curfew since a deadly bombing at a mosque and a grenade attack on a tea shop that left 10 people dead on March 14.
Thailand is overwhelmingly Buddhist, but Muslims are a majority in the deep south, where they have long complained of discrimination.
Buddhists living and working in southern Thailand have been the targets of Muslim insurgents.
However, Muslims - mostly those working for the government - have increasingly fallen victim to the violence in recent months.