DECEMBER 22, 2000 VOL. 26 NO. 50 | SEARCH ASIAWEEK

Newsmakers
Passage
Out of the Country
The decision by Pakistan's military leader Gen. Pervez Musharraf to let former prime minister Nawaz Sharif go into exile in Saudi Arabia removed the last real political figure opposing his rule. Ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto is already in exile in London. Although in prison serving a life sentence on a variety of charges, Sharif was still an important rallying point for the opposition. His party, the Muslim League, had formed an alliance with its rival, the Pakistan People's Party, to oppose Musharraf, who seized power in a military coup 14 months ago. The terms for release were evidently too sweet for Sharif to pass up. In exchange for promising to stay away from Pakistan for 10 years and not seek political office, Sharif was granted a pardon for a number of crimes, including convictions for hijacking (connected with the Oct. 12, 1999 coup) and financial corruption while in office. Some analysts think that with the two main opposition leaders out of the country, Musharraf may be secure enough to restore the legislature and possibly appoint a new interim government with civilian participation.

Another Blow
hey just keep coming. Only weeks after Japan's gaffe-prone TPrime Minister Mori Yoshiro survived a no-confidence vote and accepted the resignation of his chief political adviser, he was accused of socializing with a gangster. The weekly Gendai magazine published two photographs of Mori sitting next to an unidentified man at a restaurant and at a nightclub. The man's face was darkened, but the magazine claimed that he was a yakuza. The pictures purportedly were taken two years ago when Mori was secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party. Last May the press also reported that Mori had hobnobbed with a wellknown gangster at a wedding at which he was the guest of honor. A spokesman shrugged off the reports, saying, in effect, that the PM has his picture taken with lots of people. But Mori threatened to sue for libel.

'Happier Under Britain'
Never one to mince words, Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew had some pointed things to say about Hong Kong when he accepted an honorary degree from the Chinese University. "How is it that Hong Kong [people] were happier with their lot for decades under the rule of colonial governors than they are now?" mused Lee. He noted that Hong Kongers seem to be in a dark mood these days, even though the economy is better, and had also developed a pronounced penchant for protests. He didn't have to look far for evidence of the latter, since protesters from the student union, the April 5 Movement and the faculty were out in force to denounce the university for honoring a man they called an authoritarian ruler. Among them stood Tang Liang-hong, who fled Singapore for Australia after losing a race for parliament as a Worker's Party candidate in 1997. Tang hawked a book he assembled from essays he wrote for Australian newspapers.

Poll Vindication
Audrey Eu Yuet-mee's comfortable victory in last week's Legislative Council by-election gave Hong Kong's democratic camp a much-needed morale boost and seemed to vindicate their strategy of uniting pro-democracy groups behind one candidate. Independent Eu, 47, defeated Christopher Chung Shu-kun of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), taking 52% of the vote to 37%. "This by-election proved the co-ordination process with the democratic camp to be a success," claimed Martin Lee Chu-ming. But it may cause further grumbling among loyal members of the Democratic Party who were slated low on the proportional ticket in this year's Hong Kong-wide elections and were keen to have another chance. The by-election was caused by the resignation of DAB legislator Gary Cheng Kai-nam.

Passage
DIED Lu Youqing, a Shanghai businessman famed for his online Diary of Death, chronicling the last months of his life, of cancer at age 37. Lu began posting diary updates online in August after he cut short treatment for a tumor, saying that it was too painful and the cost threatened to bankrupt his family. His account on the Chinese-language website drew thousands of comments.

DECLARED CITIZEN Alberto Fujimori, the former president of Peru, was a Japanese citizen, Tokyo announced, and therefore could not be extradited for questioning about corruption.

HONORED Sugihara Chiune, the diplomat who became known as "Japan's Oskar Schindler" for saving thousands of Jews by issuing them exit visas in Lithuania during World War II. The foreign ministry unveiled a plaque for Sugihara on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

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