Chinese
or Japanese, Manmohan is also tops!
by Smita Prakash
Vientiane:
Even though India is not a member of the ASEAN 10, the
Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, is being accorded
the same status and respect as his counterparts from Japan
(Junichiro Koizumi) and China (Wen Jiabao). This is because
the Laotians recognize and are deeply respectful of the
assistance that India has accorded to them in the reconstruction
of their country. Laoatian Commerce Minister Onnue Phamachan
summed it up succinctly, when he said: " This is the second
visit by an Indian Prime Minister and this visit will improve
India-ASEAN and India- Laos ties. We are deeply grateful
to the importance India attaches to its relationship with
Laos." The Mekong Ganga Cooperation Programme established
two years ago and now the setting up of the Lao India Entrepreneurship
Development Centre will increase the range and extent of
India's regional initiative. An MOU was also signed between
the Lao national chamber of commerce and industry and the
Confederation of Indian Industry to exchange information
about products and industrial processes which may be available.
This includes industrial training, sources of financing
and offers for joint ventures and identification of possibilities
to promote industrial and technological cooperation between
both countries.
ASEAN
seeks India's help in dealing with trans-national terrorism
(Go
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Vientiane:
India's External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh said
on Monday that New Delhi's help in dealing with the problem
of trans-national terrorism had been sought by the ten ASEAN
nations. Talking to the media here on the sidelines of the
10th ASEAN summit and the third India-ASEAN summit, Singh
said that his deliberations with his 10 ASEAN counterparts
had centered around India's expertise in counter-terrorism
and trade. He said that Jehadi movements and their widening
net across Asia had come up for discussion at almost every
meeting that he had with ASEAN foreign ministers. Phillipines
Foreign Minister Alberto Ramolas summed up the significance
of India's role in tackling terrorism, when he said after
his meeting with Natwar Singh that "India is home to 140
million Muslims, but not one has joined the Al Qaeda or
the Taliban." He confirmed that the Filipino delegation
had expressed the desire for an exchange of information
on terrorism with India. Phillipines, Thailand, Malasia,
and Indonesia are rappling with Islamic terrorism, so much
so, that Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatra had threatened
to walk out of the summit if it was brought up during discussions
in Laos.
Yet in almost all the discussions that Natwar Singh has
had at bilateral level, the ASEAN foreign ministers sought
cooperation on tackling the menace of trans-national terrorism.
"This is like SAARC where bilateral issues are not discussed.
I did hear rumblings about various matters, but they were
not discussed," Singh said. Even though the Lao summit's
success or failure will be judged, as with all other ASEAN
summits, according to the extent to which it was able to
promote the grouping an integrated European style economic
union, yet the overall evaluation will go a bit beyond this.
Politicians and bureaucrats attending this summit are nudging
ASEAN to orient itself into a regional magnet whose scope
includes stronger political and security basis.
Mekong
is to Laos what Ganga is to India (Go
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by Smita Prakash
Vientiane
(Laos): A boat cruise down the Mekong River is what
a cruise down the Ganga ought to be. Tranquil, a window
to a civilization, a breathtaking moment where the past
merges with the present, history and myth blend with one
another. The Indian media team accompanying the Prime Minister
to the ASEAN summit meet was taken on a cruise late Monday
evening to experience the essence of Laos, a truly Mekong
country. Mekong in Thai means mother of all rivers. It is
the longest river in the region with its source is in Tibet;
it forms the border of Laos and Myanmar and most of the
border between Laos and Thailand. Then it flows into Vietnam
and Cambodia before emptying out into the South China Sea.
Here in Laos paddy fields on either side of the Mekong river
remind one of Kerala or Tamil Nadu. But here the population
is sparse. The water resource of the Mekong remains largely
untapped in Laos.
Whereas one has often heard of the Ganga-Mekong Swarnabhoomi
project which as an initiative by India was supposed to
promote tourism, culture and education among countries of
the Mekong region, Laos has not really been part of any
grandiose travel plans. This is partly because of the Laotian
suspicion of foreigners. In fact, communist Laos does not
allow any foreign journalists to live in the country and
all local reporters are employed by the government and all
media is state owned. For the past one month no visas have
been issued other than those visiting for the ASEAN summit
The sleepy town of Vientiane which sits on the banks of
the Mekong is wearing a new look, China and Vietnam have
chipped in and there are musical fountains and painted fences.
New plants line the streets, smartly turned out policemen
block roads even for media cars. National flags flutter
near hotels and VVIP villas. In all the city has put up
a facade of bustling activity, whereas life actually in
Laos is languid and lazy, very much like the Mekong in this
land of a thousand elephants.
Kolkata
Test: Dravid, Sehwag steady innings (Go
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Kolkata:
India made 129 for one after bowling out South Africa
for 305 on the second day of the second Test at Kolkata.
At stumps, Virender Sehwag was unbeaten on 82 and Rahul
Dravid was not out on 33. After India lost opener Gautim
Gambhir (7) early, Sehwag batted with caution. But after
reaching his half century, he blasted the South African
bowlers, particularly Justin Ontong who was hit for three
boundaries and a six in one over. Dravid started tentatively
and was beaten a couple of times before he opened up to
hit two fours off Mkaya Ntini. Earlier, left-arm seamers
Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan picked three wickets each as
India bowled out South Africa for 305 in the first innings.
