Nuclear Test by DPRK

Kitty Pang

North Korea, in defiance of the international ban, conducted a nuclear test and several short-range missile launches on 25-26 May. The North’s belligerent manner has provoked worldwide condemnation of her threatening global security.

UN Sanctions

In response to the nuclear test, the UN Security Council passed tougher sanctions against North Korea on 12 June to confront this challenge. The past sanctions could be traced back to the UNSC Resolution 1695 and 1718 in 2006, the year when North Korea carried out her first nuclear test. In the documents there clearly states that the North shall abandon and cease the export of all nuclear weapons. All member states, according to the Resolution, should prevent any transfers of items related to arms as well as several kinds of luxury goods. And, the new measures come like this: inspections of ships that might be taking banned cargo to and from North Korea, a wider ban on arms sales and further measures to cut Pyongyang's access to international financial services.

Reactions of Different Countries

Different nations expressed grave concern over the militarized North. On 18 June, US President Obama said at a news conference with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak that the nuclear-armed state posed a ‘grave threat’ to the world. ‘We will pursue denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula vigorously,’ said he. Lee echoed much with Mr. Obama, saying ‘under no circumstances are we going to allow North Korea to possess nuclear weapons.’ Japan adopted more or less the same attitude, taking concrete action to stop all trade with North Korea.

China, though long been the communist ally of the North, also showed strong opposition against the North’s nuclear weapons programme. She upheld the tighter sanctions and said it would 'earnestly implement' them.

North Korea, nevertheless, shows no intention to halt the weapons development. Just after the approval of the fresh sanctions, Pyongyang proclaimed that North Korea would enrich uranium and prepared for more missile tests.

On 4 July, US Independence Day, the North test-fired seven more missiles, escalating the tension between North Korea and the world. Predictably, North Korea is seriously deplored by the world; and predictably, despite any warnings, North Korea continues with her weapons development.

There have been a number of North Korean missile tests. It has also fired a number of short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan, apparently as political gestures.

2009 North Korean missile test (July 4, 2009)

2009 North Korean nuclear test and following the nuclear test, Pyongyang also conducted several missile tests.

2009 North Korean satellite rocket launch - (April 5, 2009) Unha-2

2006 North Korean missile test - (July 5, 2006) - Taepodong-2, Nodong-2 failed

1998 North Korean missile test - (August 31, 1998) - Taepodong-1

1993 North Korean missile test - (May 29/30, 1993) - Nodong-1

(Source: Wikipedia)

FEATURE: Country at a Glance --- through MOVIE

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Daphne Wong

Let’s leave it to the audience to decide if is a sarcasm to the Americans or simply a series of absurd dirty jokes. Apparently the producer alleged that this movie is to let the civilized Westerners learn a lesson from Borat, the Kazakh reporter who came to America on a sacred mission of improving his homeland. Whether or not this objective has been achieved, the movie is to many an introduction of the mysterious world between Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

The revelation is an unbearably backward, racist and unequal Kazakhstani culture shared by many of her neighbours in Eastern Europe. In the depicted Kazakhstan, homosexuals and Jews are to be condemned, so is Uzbekistan. Men expose their private parts in front of others. When they propose to their wife-to-be, they “abduct” them using a big gunny. Borat’s behavious in America seems simply barbaric to anyone.

The entire Arab world banned the movie with the exception of Lebanon. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry denied the allegations and threatened to take legal actions.

But is the movie telling the truth? The essay guides you through the history of Kazakhstan.

Dark age

The 9th largest country in the world, Kazakhstan was once under Soviet rule, and was named Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (Kazakh SSR). During Stalin's rule, mass hunger due to forced collectivization, mass slaughter of elites (thinkers, politicians, writers and poets) and civil unrests had caused a 22% decrease in Kazakh's population.

At the same time, Stalin ordered a policy of Deportation. Some regions of Soviet Union were ethnically cleansed, that means potentially opposing ethnic groups are killed or deported out of the Soviet Union. The regions would then be filled by labours, also deported from all parts of the USSR to one place. Different nationalities were forced to stay in concentration camps or many different parts of the USSR against their will.

Kazakh's own identity and culture were shattered into pieces. There was no more Kazakhs, but Soviets.

Independance

It regained independance on 16 December 1991, six days after it was renamed as Republic of Kazakhstan.