COUNTRY REVIEWS

South Asia

Afghanistan
June 21-27

• Top NATO Commander General Stanley McChrystal removed after criticizing Obama Administration; General David H. Petraeus appointed as new top commander in Afghanistan; Obama: McChrystal’s comments “undermined the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system”; President Karzai backs Petraeus as top NATO commander; British special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan resigns; UN plans to withdraw some of its international staff from Afghanistan; UN report: Drug addiction in Afghanistan is rising

June 28-July 4

• New top NATO Commander Petraeus warns of though mission ahead in Afghanistan; US congress confirms his appointment; NATO Secretary General rules out any change in NATO strategy in Afghanistan; Petraeus may end some restrictions put on the use of air power in Afghan operations; Afghan Parliament confirmed five nominees for cabinet posts; Taliban rules out any negotiation with NATO forces; US House of Representatives blocks $4billion aid for rebuilding of Afghanistan

Bhutan

June 21-27

• Bangladesh indicates at providing access to Bhutan to its deep water ports; Issue of state funding for political parties discussed at DPT’s annual meeting; Tehri Hydro Development Corp signs an agreement with the Bhutan government

East Asia

China

June 21-27

• China and Pakistan to hold a Joint Anti-Terrorism drill; PLA banns its soldiers from opening blogs; The need of modernization of military transportation stressed; Task of civil-military integration stressed; More than 400 officers from different countries participated in the security seminar organized by the PLA

June 28-July 4

• China Sends Sixth Naval Escort to the Gulf of Aden: PLA Conducts Live-Ammunition Training in the East China Sea: Xu Caihou Stresses Party Building in the PLA

Japan

June 21-July 4

• US Defence Secretary Gates asks Japan to share the Marines transfer costs; Kan pledges to reduce "the burden" of US bases on Okinawa; Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chinese President Hu Jintao agrees to strength strategic ties; PM Kan and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev express willingness to seek progress on a long-standing territorial dispute; Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledges to maintain close ties

Southeast Asia

June 28-July 4

• Six soldiers and two civilians killed in two separate bomb attacks in Southern Thailand; Indo-Burma bilateral trade indicates an upward trend as it reaches US$1.19 billion in 2009-10; India donates sixteen transformers to bring electricity in some of the worst affected areas in Myanmar in 2008 during Cyclone Nargis