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The Asian Wall Street Journal
17th September 2001

Asian Views on Attacks in the U.S.
Differ Between Officials, Citizens

By CONNIE LING

Special to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

As Asian political and business leaders rushed to offer their condolences and support for a shaken U.S. in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the nation, different voices have also surfaced from the people of Asia through newspapers and Internet discussion groups.

Throughout Asia, people flocked to news Web sites, online forums and newspaper opinion pages to express their views on the terrorist attacks, at times contradicting what their national leaders have said in the media. Particularly in countries such as China and Indonesia, where anti-U.S. sentiment can sometimes run high, the Internet has offered a window on the love-hate relationship the man on the street has with the U.S.

"I have this great sense of joy when I heard the U.S. was attacked," wrote an Internet user with the alias Plum Blossom on an online discussion group run by China's official Xinhua News Agency. "America has been such a bully lately, harming the feelings of most countries and people in the world. ... It's time to show some revenge to the American imperialists," the writer said.

On Sina.com (www.sina.com), one of China's most popular Internet portals, hundreds of messages have been posted on its discussion section about the attacks, with some condemning the terrorists but more cheering for them.

"Americans are greedy predators and their way of life is exploitation and wasting," wrote a user nicknamed Bright-eyed Man. "They deserve to be punished and this is God's punishment."

Even the media, which typically toe the party line, have taken a largely neutral stand rather than being sympathetic or supportive to the U.S.

Wen Wei Po, a pro-Beijing newspaper published in Hong Kong, began its Thursday editorial by saying that the terrorist attacks were a direct result of the bullying attitude of the U.S. when handling international disputes. It urged the U.S. not to retaliate with force, as it would undoubtedly infuriate more enemies and bring about revenge.

Concerned about the bad publicity associated with the anti-U.S. coverage and sentiment, the Chinese government has ordered tighter control of the media coverage of the event as well as stricter screening of Internet postings, sources said.

In predominantly Islamic Indonesia, the Republika newspaper said in an editorial that the U.S. government's double standard in foreign policy is to blame for creating enemies around the world, and that the attackers could very well be groups marginalized by the U.S.

"Like it or not, the U.S.'s double standard policy in fact asked for both material and life sacrifices," it said.

Another Indonesian daily, Kompas, said in an editorial that Tuesday's tragedy is an opportunity for the U.S. to reflect on its role in world politics. That view was echoed by The News, a major English daily in Pakistan, which called on the U.S. to review its ways of dealing with terrorism or those in opposition to its policies.

Past attacks launched by the U.S. against Afghanistan and Iraq have done more damage to innocent people than the few terrorists the U.S. was trying to target, said The News. In addition, these attacks have helped the U.S. create more enemies and terrorists among the suffering innocent, it said.

On Malaysiakini.com, an online newspaper frequently visited by liberal Malaysians, an online poll showed overwhelmingly that most people believed the U.S. should review its foreign policy rather than responding with military retaliation.

In Singapore, some blamed President George W. Bush's leadership for the attacks. "Freedom is given to the Americans, but the U.S. deprives people elsewhere of freedom. Democracy inside the country but dictatorship outside the country," a reader named Tee Kian Hin wrote on the Web site of newspaper Straits Times.

While most U.S. allies in the region, such as Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and even Taiwan, have backed the U.S. in the event -- officially and unofficially -- there remain some concerns about being categorized as a U.S. ally.

A big concern among the Japanese papers, for example, is how far Japan should go in supporting the U.S. "To What Extent Should Japan Be 'One with the U.S.?' " asked the Asahi Shimbun in an article in its morning edition Thursday. The article pointed out that while it was important for Japan to support the U.S. as much as it could, there were disagreements within Japan on what kinds of specific action Japan could take.

Another daily, Mainichi Shimbun, pointed out that it took as long as half a day after the attack before Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi held a news conference, making Japan one of the last of the Group of Eight nations to express support for the U.S.

-- Yumiko Ono, Hae Won Choi, James Hookway, Wanlapa Rerkkriangkrai, Rasul Bailay, Rin Hindryati and Cris Prystay contributed to this article.