The following is a selection of comments from the editorial pages of newspapers around Asia. The views expressed are those of the newspapers concerned.
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AUSTRALIA
The Sydney Morning Herald (www.smh.com.au) turns its attention on a climate conference held this week in Australia.
"Of course, there is an appealing symmetry in trying to shift more responsibility for the solution to the companies that create so much of the problem. And certainly many industries have, in recent decades, shown how effectively they can clean up their act. At the same time, the Australian Government's approach relies heavily on faith; it seems Australia believes industry will do the right thing because it is the right thing. At the conference, the US Energy Secretary, Samuel Bodman, exemplified this attitude with his folksy observation that 'the people who run the private sector - they too have children, they too have grandchildren'. If the children and grandchildren argument had force, there would have been no pollution by any industry anywhere, except by the occasional childless industrialist. In truth, it is penalties, not progeny, that bring polluters into line. Business will do what is best for business; indeed, this would appear to be the legal responsibility of any board. It is all very well for Australia to seek to be 'co-operative and non-coercive', as the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, put it. However, improved environmental practices must be encouraged with incentives, or enforced through legislation. Beyond faith there is something like cargo cultism in the Government's trust in technology, in its apparent belief that research will deliver what is needed - for example, ways to transform coal into a clean fuel - when it is needed, and at a cost that is manageable. Decades ago there was a similar confidence in the discovery of a safe way to dispose of radioactive waste. We are still waiting."
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BANGLADESH
Following the deaths of hundreds of Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, The New Age (www.newagebd.com) in Bangladesh says it is time to reconsider management of the Hajj.
"The deaths of 345 Hajj pilgrims in Makkah bring to the fore the question of the management of the holy pilgrimage once more. The frequency with which such mishaps have been taking place in almost every Hajj season cannot but make Muslims and others around the world reflect on the poor nature of the arrangements the Saudi authorities seem to be putting in place all the time. It is of course perfectly understandable that the pressures the Saudi authorities are under every year when it is time for Hajj (this year, we are told, more than two million people descended on the kingdom to perform the pilgrimage) make it awfully hard for them to maintain order. But, again, that does not absolve them of the responsibilities they bear toward all those Muslims who come from different parts of the world in search of a fulfilment of their faith....
"Perhaps it is time for Islamic scholars all around the world to mull over the question of reconsidering the Hajj management system. Since Makkah happens to be a holy city for all Muslims, thoughts could possibly be given to the institution of Hajj arrangements being in the hands of a body comprising leading Muslim figures from all regions of the Islamic world. The idea may not appeal to the Saudis, whose monarch remains the custodian of Islam's holy places. But given the rising number of fatalities at Hajj every year, such suggestions of management reform cannot quite be dismissed out of hand."
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INDONESIA
The Jakarta Post (www.thejakartapost.com) says containers of goods meant for Aceh tsunami survivors have been languishing in Indonesian ports for at least nine months.
"Officials may be able to find all sorts of excuses for the delay, but that does not change the absurdity of the episode. It amounts to an audacious robbery of tsunami survivors, a scandal whose seriousness cannot be overstated. The government has, in effect, slapped donors in the face by allowing their aid to rot in the ports. The generosity of donors from around the world should never be forgotten, as they rushed to help the country in a time of need. Foreign governments, local and foreign companies, NGOs and individual donors all gave freely to ease the suffering we all saw on our television screens and in the newspapers....
"There is another troubling question: if all these donors acted so promptly to help Indonesian victims, why have Indonesian officials acted so slowly? Worse, there have been reports that some of this aid has been found being sold in Medan markets....
"A lot has been done to assist the survivors in Aceh, but there is still much work that remains. The government should release all aid containers still in Indonesian ports immediately, because failing to use this assistance is an insult to humanity."
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JAPAN
Following an international conference in Tokyo, The Daily Yomiuri (www.yomiuri.co.jp) says a concerted effort and early disclosure of information is needed to fight spread of bird flu.
"Flu viruses recognize no national boundaries. It is impossible to contain the spread of infectious diseases without internationally coordinated efforts to achieve that goal....
"China's approach to the epidemic crisis is open to question. Not until Wednesday did Beijing disclose the death of two Chinese from bird flu in December. Efforts to devise measures against the flu before it strikes will do little to contain its contagion if information about the spread of the virus comes too late. The Chinese government should disclose information about any damage resulting from the flu as early as possible."
