Top U.S. Lawmaker Backs Proper Korean Name for Dokdo

The chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Saturday said Dokdo is "the proper name" for Korea's easternmost islets.

Ed Royce

Ed Royce told Korean journalists last Saturday that the Dokdo issue should be viewed from a historical standpoint, saying, "The proper name is Dokdo island."

Japan maintains a flimsy colonial claim to the islets, which has led to some confusion on international maps, whose makers have tied themselves up in knots in search of a "neutral" position.

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names changed the name of Dokdo to the old French name "Liancourt Rocks" in 2008 following lobbying efforts by Japan.

Royce says he was briefed on the history of Japan's colonization of Korea by Young Kim, a former assistant who is now a member of the California State Assembly. "It's another one of those issues where we have to understand history and what abuses occurred because it is relevant to our understanding today," he said.

"We should all just admit history as it occurred. The part of getting the future right is acknowledging what went wrong in the past," he added.

He also singled out Japanese attempts to whitewash World War II atrocities. "And this issue with respect to the comfort women" -- Asian women pressed into sexual slavery for the Japanese army in World War II -- "the treatment of the comfort women and the acknowledgement of the human rights abuses that occurred there is one of those issues."?

He added that the historical record is unambiguous and Japan's excuses are unworthy of a moment's consideration, he added.

Royce also recalled that his father was taken to a German concentration camp during World War II and said Japan's denial of sex slavery is as bad as Holocaust denial.

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U.S. Again Backs Hong Kong Key Protest Demand

With protests in Hong Kong dwindling and the leaders of the Occupy Movement turning themselves in to police, the United States has repeated its backing for the goal of universal suffrage in the Chinese territory.

Speaking Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel said the people of Hong Kong should have a meaningful choice.

"The legitimacy of Hong Kong's chief executive will be greatly enhanced by universal suffrage. By an election that provides the people of Hong Kong a meaningful choice of candidates representative of voter's will," he said. "This means allowing for a competitive election in which a range of candidates with differing policy approaches are given an opportunity to seek the support of eligible Hong Kong voters."

He rejected criticism in China's state-run media that the Hong Kong protests are being orchestrated by the United States and other Western countries.

"The United States is not in any way involved in the protests. In fact, it is disingenuous to suggest this debate is driven by outsiders when it is so clearly about Hong Kongers hopes for their own future," said Russel.

The founders of Hong Kong's Occupy Central movement turned themselves in at the Central Police Station for their role in organizing pro-democracy protests authorities call illegal. After filling out a form to confess what crime they had committed, Benny Tai, Chan Kin-man, and Chu Yiu-ming were sent away when police refused to arrest or charge them.

After turning himself in to the police, Democratic Party Vice Chairman Richard Tsoi Yiu-Cheong told VOA he was at peace for assuming responsibility for the civil disobedience. He added he would shift his focus to community democracy and keep pursuing universal suffrage.

"After 60 days of the Occupy Movement, all friends participating in it, including those who are still in occupation areas, should consider how we can carry on this movement in the long run, how we can get more support from the public and whether we should transform the movement so as to gain more support," he said.

Authorities have not commented on the surrender, which is seen as an attempt to rejuvenate a movement that has begun to lose public support.

The Occupy founders on Tuesday called for demonstrators to retreat, citing fears of further violence following clashes with police on Sunday. So far, student led protesters have rejected those calls.

One prominent student leader, Joshua Wong, is taking a different approach. The 18-year-old has not eaten since late Monday, hoping this will convince authorities to restart talks on political reforms.

Protest leaders and Hong Kong authorities have held one round of dialogue, but it resulted in little progress after both sides stood firm and repeated their talking points.

The demonstrations began in late September, after Beijing announced it will screen candidates who want to run for chief executive in the semiautonomous Chinese territory's 2017 elections.

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Former 'Doctor Who' Star Backs Mirren For Timelord Role

Former 'Doctor Who' star Arthur Darvill has thrown his weight behind Dame Helen Mirren being cast as the next Doctor.

He told Anglophenia: "I'd love to see Dame Helen do it - best of luck to whoever gets it, though."

And the BBC has not ruled out casting a woman as the next incarnation of The Doctor once Matt Smith leaves the series.

One bookmaker is offering 25-1 odds on it being the Oscar-winning Queen actress.

However, Mirren has dismissed speculation that she could play the Time Lord. She scoffed at the suggestion, telling AP: "Oh, please - I would put much longer odds on it than that."

But she added that it was time for a woman to play the role.

"I think it's absolutely time for a female Doctor Who. I'm so sick of that man with his girl sidekick. I could name at least 10 wonderful British actresses who would absolutely kill in that role," she said.

Her remarks come after Jenna-Louise Coleman insisted that there's no reason why the new Time Lord in Doctor Who shouldn't be a woman, saying: "I'm not opposed to it. It's about story ideas and what works."

In the interview, The Queen actress Dame Helen also admitted that she "really didn't want to play the role again", and so was "very resistant" about playing the monarch in the play The Audience.

But she added: "It was just an amazing team, and I thought, 'If you walk away from this, you're an idiot'."

Contenders also thought to be in consideration to play the Time Lord include Rory Kinnear, Miranda Hart, Ben Daniels and Samuel West.

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