May 21:
Muslim clerics in Indonesia want to regulate the country’s use of social networking sites, arguing these sites may encourage “illicit sexual behavior.” According to the London Guardian, approximately 700 imams gathered to discuss possible ways to forbid followers of Islam from participating in online activities that could potentially lead to extramarital affairs. Targeted specifically was Facebook, which had the fastest growing number of users in Indonesia during 2008 and is even more popular there than search engines Google and Yahoo. Another concern of the clerics is the “inappropriate content” on Facebook that can be viewed by younger viewers such as children. Precedent has already been set by the country’s Ulema Council, which recently banned both smoking and yoga in bans seen as binding upon Indonesia’s Muslim population.
May 24:
Facing increased governmental pressure and surveillance in Pakistan, Islamists are turning to Bangladesh as a new training ground. The Independent reports that British-born fundamentalists are traveling to Bangladesh in increasing numbers to partake in radical religious indoctrination and training. Senior Bangladeshi intelligence officials acknowledge the problem, but admit they do not have the means to track the potential terrorists. Bangladesh is said to be partnering with both the U.S. and the UK on a joint anti terror working group as a response to the trend. One source has also said that Bangladesh is in the process of developing new monitoring initiatives to secure its border from fundamentalists entering the country by air.
May 26:
Although the Tamil Tiger rebellion has finally drawn to a close, the group’s leadership is rumored to have escaped the final battle with the Sri Lankan army. The New York Times reports that the top leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Velupillai Prabhakaran, was officially killed on May 17th, according to the group. LTTE spokesman Selvarasa Pathmanathan. Others, however, appear to have escaped. The official website of the Tigers, TamilNet, has announced that “the Intelligence Department of the Tigers reiterated on Sunday that the LTTE leadership is safe, and... will re-emerge when the right time comes.”
May 27:
South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo reports the Seoul has agreed to join the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) despite the DPRK claims that such participation on the part of its southern neighbor would be tantamount to a “declaration of war.” Formed in May of 2003 to halt illegal weapons smuggling, the PSI has expanded into a major international partnership aimed at identifying and interdicting suspect WMD-related cargo. Seoul’s inclusion in it will allow patrol ships in South Korea’s territorial waters to stop and search DPRK vessels for WMD or missile components. And while some critics claim that South Korea's participation could provoke Pyongyang and do more harm than good, a maritime pact signed with the North in 2004 essentially already grants those writes to the South.
May 29:
In addition to prompting South Korea to join the Proliferation Security Initiative, North Korea’s belligerence has also reinvigorated the debate in Japan over nuclear weapons. According to Bloomberg, high level former Japanese defense officials have been very vocal about altering the country’s longstanding constitution to allow the pursuit of an atomic arsenal. Ruling party members are also said to be calling for an overhaul of existing national laws, with Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers going as far as to say that Japan should consider the ability to conduct pre-emptive strikes. These requests come despite President Obama’s recent reassurances to Prime Minister Taro Aso that the U.S. nuclear umbrella extends to the East Asian nation.
June 1:
The U.S.-Philippines joint counter terrorism strategy is paying dividends and could be a template for success in other hot spots around the globe. The U.S. mission in the Philippines began in 2002 with the goal of reducing and eliminating the use of southern portions of that country as a terrorist training ground by the extremist group Abu Sayyaf. To date, the Los Angeles Times reports, 600 U.S. servicemen have worked with the Philippine government to successfully reduce the terrorist group’s influence while also securing the public’s acceptance of a U.S. presence in their country. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently visited his counterpart in Manila and hailed the partnership as a major success with lessons which can be applied to places such as Pakistan.