(LinkAsia: February 3, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
This week, Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi began campaigning outside Yangon for April's by-elections. The Nobel Laureate will continue her tour around the country to win support for other candidates from her party. If the politics of Burma has become easier, it doesn't matter to the hundreds of thousands of Burmese who fled the country's military government. At least 140,000 live in Thailand. And for most of them, life is brutal. NHK has the story of one young refugee.

--

NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: January 30, 2012

Reporter:
Mae Sot marks the border between Myanmar and Thailand. The far side is Myanmar. Every day people cross from Myanmar, often illegally, to look for work. They total around 20,000 a year. They expect a better life, but often they find reality is tough. This garbage dump is close to the river. I'm standing at a garbage mountain in the town on the Thai border with Myanmar. The scene is really terrible. Here people from Myanmar make a living by collecting garbage. The mountain of trash is dotted with people. They are searching for scraps of steel and plastic to sell. Thirteen-year-old Zimintu came here with his family five years ago. He earns about a dollar a day, too little to feed his family of four. Picking vegetables out of the garbage is sometimes the only way to get enough to eat.

Zimintu:
My father is sick, so I have no choice but to do this.

Reporter:
A local NGO has built a school near the garbage site to help the children. About 150 students attend the school. They all live at the dorm, but they get medical check-ups and free meals through the school. Zimintu's younger brother studied at the school two years ago. After Zimintu finishes his day collecting garbage, he goes to the school to pick up his brother. He wishes he was also playing with his friends. But he has to support his family.

Zimintu:
Put the sweets in your bag. Let's go home.

Reporter:
He hopes that one day, he too will go to school and become a doctor.

Zimintu:
Working at the dump site is no fun at all. It's just that there's no alternative job. I want to return to my hometown someday.

Reporter:
Zimintu endures a tough job to support his family, but that doesn't stop him from dreaming that one day things will get better. Khemmapat Rojwanichkun, NHK World, Northern Thailand. 

(LinkAsia: February 3, 2012)

Yul Kwon:

Now, some view China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea as part of a naval strategy that stretches all the way to the Persian Gulf. For example, China is building a deep-water port in Sri Lanka. China says its just helping Sri Lanka's economy, but others in Asia are skeptical about Beijing's motives. Here's how NHK reported on the Sri Lankan port.

--

NHK World NEWSLINE

Airdate: January 27, 2012

NHK Anchor:

China is currently helping to construct seaports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh, sometimes referred to as China's "string of pearls." The ports encircle India. Some observers view them with suspicion, evidence of alleged Chinese ambitions over the region. Today's report from Sri Lanka looks at a massive port facility China is building on the island, and how India might respond. NHK World's Namini Wijedasa reports.

Reporter:

Construction is well underway at this seaport in Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka. Some facilities began operations in 2010. 85% of the cost of construction is being shouldered by China. The government claims that once complete, the port will be one of the biggest in south Asia, with capacity for 33 vessels, including some of the world's largest ships. Hambantota is situated at the mid-point of a crucial ceiling that connects the Persian Gulf with the Malacca Strait. It's an attractive position for a maritime hub.  

Nilantha Siriwardana, Divisional Secretariat:

Located in the middle of a ceiling, we are well-placed to offer shipping and fuel services. It's a good opportunity for Sri Lanka to develop.

Reporter:

The port is being built by Chinese companies. And almost all the workers are Chinese. The massive project is already a popular tourist attraction.

Local Resident:

We're really grateful to China. It's thanks to them that we can build such a port.

Reporter:

The Chinese activities in the town aren't limited to the seaport. This international airport has a 3.5-kilometer runway and is due to open this year. Here too, China is paying for some of the construction. The main contractor is also Chinese. Massive amounts of Chinese aid are transforming this once normal town into a transport center for the entire region. Some observers are concerned. They fear China might use the facilities for military purposes. But that's not a position shared by the Sri Lankan government. It welcomes Chinese economic support.

Basil Rajapaksa, Sri Lankan Economic Development Minister:

We will make sure that Sri Lanka will be very closely allied with India, and we will never do any harm. To my knowledge, China has never indicated anything like that kind of military assistance.

Reporter:

India is looking on with caution. It opened a consulate in Hambantota in November 2010 to gather information. For India, economic grow is a top priority. Confrontation with China is unappealing. For now, it has little choice but to try and keep the peace. With a careful eye on the developments taking place around the shores of the Indian Ocean. Namini Wijedasa, NHK World, Hambantota, Sri Lanka.

(LinkAsia: February 3, 2012)

Yul Kwon:

Now to Japan, where last spring's earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear disaster. Seventy-eight thousand people fled the area surrounding the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant. And this week, the mayor of one village called on residents to return home. But are they safe from radiation? Here's NHK with the story.

--

NHK World NEWSLINE

Airdate: January 31, 2012

Reporter:

Kawauchi village is located about 20 kilometers southwest of the plant. It was evacuated last year following the March 11th earthquake and nuclear disaster. All 3,000 residents were forced to leave. The evacuation advisory was lifted in September, but only about 200 people have returned.

Yuko Endo, Kawauchi Mayor:

I am making this declaration to ask and encourage residents to return home. I am determined to overcome hardships. Let's create a safe village together.

Reporter:

Endo announced on Tuesday he will return to Village Hall in March. He says elementary and junior high schools will re-open in April. The nuclear accident forced a complete evacuation of nine municipalities in Fukushima. Kawauchi will be the first to have residents return home, but many are worried. They say decontamination work is behind schedule.

Resident:

My child wants to go home, but I'm worried about radioactivity. I have mixed feelings.

Reporter:

Another concern is jobs. There were 95 businesses in the village, but only 35 have re-opened since the quake.

Yuko Endo, Kawauchi Mayor:

The declaration is only the beginning. I'm not expecting results soon. I hope villagers come home after all radioactive substances have been removed, maybe in two or three years.