AP-Undertone of Conflict in Asia

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Saturday, January 1 6:20 AM SGT=20
Undertone of Conflict in Asia
By THOMAS WAGNER Associated Press Writer=20

TOKYO (AP) - Behind the fireworks, the music, the traditional dances, an =
undertone of conflict marked the New Year's celebrations in much of =
Asia.=20

On the Indian subcontinent, in Korea, across the Taiwan Strait and =
elsewhere, troubles inherited from the dying century promised to keep =
tensions high in the new.=20

In India, the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist leader who fled Chinese =
rule in his homeland in 1959, joined thousands of Hindu holy men and =
Buddhist monks singing hymns on the banks of the venerated Ganges River. =


``In the next millennium, let us pray that we can pursue all deeds that =
are pure, and do away with all those that involve sin,'' said the Dalai =
Lama, symbol of Tibet's non-violent resistance to Chinese domination.=20

Much of India's attention, meanwhile, focused on the hostage drama that =
finally ended in nearby Afghanistan, an eight-day standoff linked to =
unrest in Kashmir, where Muslim militants are fighting to end Indian =
rule.=20

Several hours before the new millennium began, the hostage impasse was =
resolved. Five armed hijackers walked off an Indian Airlines plane and =
were allowed to flee the Kandahar airport with two militants and an =
Islamic cleric released from Indian jails in exchange for the 155 plane =
hostages.=20

South Korea celebrated the New Year with the ringing of a large bell =
symbolizing hopes for peace on the divided Korean Peninsula, where the =
North and the South are still technically at war.=20

Some 10,000 South Koreans gathered in the border village of Imjingak for =
the tolling of the Peace Bell, to make their collective ``new millennium =
wish'' for an end to the armed confrontation in Korea.=20

In Indonesia, they rang a giant brass gong, a gesture of hope for a more =
harmonious century in the huge, diverse archipelago, where recent =
fighting between Muslims and Christians on the island of Ambon killed =
250 people.=20

East Timor, which recently gained independence from Indonesia after =
decades of armed struggle, celebrated the New Year by reminding the =
world that it is the new millennium's youngest nation.=20

And in China, another sign emerged of the longtime tension between the =
world's largest country and Taiwan.=20

China's envoy to Taiwan, Wang Daohan, sent a New Year's greeting =
reiterating his willingness to visit the island, but only if Taiwan =
drops its insistence on being treated as a sovereign state, China's =
state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.=20

Beijing considers Taiwan, ruled separately since 1949, a renegade =
province and has declared its recovery a sacred national goal.=20

In Cambodia, the main celebration at the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat =
featured fireworks, traditional ballet performances and blessings from =
2,000 Buddhist monks. It took place not far from a mass grave of the =
Khmer Rouge's ``killing fields'' regime of the late 1970s.=20

After a century marred by colonial rule, civil war and genocide, the =
celebrants at the 12th-century monument marked the passing of Cambodia's =
first year of total peace since the late 1960s.=20

In Myanmar, Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi issued a gloomy =
holiday statement about the plight of democracy in her country, also =
known as Burma, where the military has ruled for 37 years.=20

The opposition leader, whose movements are heavily restricted by the =
regime, said the military has crushed Myanmar's people.=20

``I think for me ... the great hope for the millennium (is) that we must =
be free from want and fear, not just the people of Burma but people all =
over the world,'' she said in a videotaped message smuggled out of =
Myanmar and obtained by Associated Press Television News in Bangkok, =
Thailand.=20

In Singapore, 8,000 members of nine religions started a marathon =
millennium prayer session for peace and tolerance. It included Buddhist =
monks in saffron robes, Singaporean Catholic nuns in white habits, =
Sikhs, Muslims, Zoroastrians and Taoist priests.=20


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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><B>Saturday, January 1</B> 6:20 AM SGT=20
<H2><FONT size=3D4>Undertone of Conflict in Asia</FONT></H2>
<P><FONT size=3D-1><I>By THOMAS WAGNER Associated Press Writer =
</I></FONT>
<P>TOKYO (AP) - Behind the fireworks, the music, the traditional dances, =
an=20
undertone of conflict marked the New Year's celebrations in much of =
Asia.=20
<P>On the Indian subcontinent, in Korea, across the Taiwan Strait and =
elsewhere,=20
troubles inherited from the dying century promised to keep tensions high =
in the=20
new.=20
<P>In India, the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist leader who fled =
Chinese rule=20
in his homeland in 1959, joined thousands of Hindu holy men and Buddhist =
monks=20
singing hymns on the banks of the venerated Ganges River.=20
<P>``In the next millennium, let us pray that we can pursue all deeds =
that are=20
pure, and do away with all those that involve sin,'' said the Dalai =
Lama, symbol=20
of Tibet's non-violent resistance to Chinese domination.=20
<P>Much of India's attention, meanwhile, focused on the hostage drama =
that=20
finally ended in nearby Afghanistan, an eight-day standoff linked to =
unrest in=20
Kashmir, where Muslim militants are fighting to end Indian rule.=20
<P>Several hours before the new millennium began, the hostage impasse =
was=20
resolved. Five armed hijackers walked off an Indian Airlines plane and =
were=20
allowed to flee the Kandahar airport with two militants and an Islamic =
cleric=20
released from Indian jails in exchange for the 155 plane hostages.=20
<P>South Korea celebrated the New Year with the ringing of a large bell=20
symbolizing hopes for peace on the divided Korean Peninsula, where the =
North and=20
the South are still technically at war.=20
<P>Some 10,000 South Koreans gathered in the border village of Imjingak =
for the=20
tolling of the Peace Bell, to make their collective ``new millennium =
wish'' for=20
an end to the armed confrontation in Korea.=20
<P>In Indonesia, they rang a giant brass gong, a gesture of hope for a =
more=20
harmonious century in the huge, diverse archipelago, where recent =
fighting=20
between Muslims and Christians on the island of Ambon killed 250 people. =

<P>East Timor, which recently gained independence from Indonesia after =
decades=20
of armed struggle, celebrated the New Year by reminding the world that =
it is the=20
new millennium's youngest nation.=20
<P>And in China, another sign emerged of the longtime tension between =
the=20
world's largest country and Taiwan.=20
<P>China's envoy to Taiwan, Wang Daohan, sent a New Year's greeting =
reiterating=20
his willingness to visit the island, but only if Taiwan drops its =
insistence on=20
being treated as a sovereign state, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency =

reported.=20
<P>Beijing considers Taiwan, ruled separately since 1949, a renegade =
province=20
and has declared its recovery a sacred national goal.=20
<P>In Cambodia, the main celebration at the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat =
featured=20
fireworks, traditional ballet performances and blessings from 2,000 =
Buddhist=20
monks. It took place not far from a mass grave of the Khmer Rouge's =
``killing=20
fields'' regime of the late 1970s.=20
<P>After a century marred by colonial rule, civil war and genocide, the=20
celebrants at the 12th-century monument marked the passing of Cambodia's =
first=20
year of total peace since the late 1960s.=20
<P>In Myanmar, Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi issued a gloomy =
holiday=20
statement about the plight of democracy in her country, also known as =
Burma,=20
where the military has ruled for 37 years.=20
<P>The opposition leader, whose movements are heavily restricted by the =
regime,=20
said the military has crushed Myanmar's people.=20
<P>``I think for me ... the great hope for the millennium (is) that we =
must be=20
free from want and fear, not just the people of Burma but people all =
over the=20
world,'' she said in a videotaped message smuggled out of Myanmar and =
obtained=20
by Associated Press Television News in Bangkok, Thailand.=20
<P>In Singapore, 8,000 members of nine religions started a marathon =
millennium=20
prayer session for peace and tolerance. It included Buddhist monks in =
saffron=20
robes, Singaporean Catholic nuns in white habits, Sikhs, Muslims, =
Zoroastrians=20
and Taoist priests. </P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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