JUST PROPOSES INDEPENDENT PANEL TO RESOLVE KOREAN CRISIS

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 (Bernama) -- Both North and South Korea should be
persuaded to agree to the establishment of an independent panel to investigate
the exchange of fire on Yeonpyeong Island on Nov 23, which ignited the current
crisis in the Korean Peninsula.

The International Movement for a Just World (JUST) President Dr Chandra
Muzaffar in a statement said that the panel should comprise former leaders of
Asean states who command a certain degree of respect in the region.

He said Malaysia's former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former
Philippines President Fidel Ramos would be the choice candidates for the
proposed panel.

"Both the North and South Korean governments should at the outset agree to
accept the findings of the panel," he said.

Chandra said once the findings of the panel have been made public, "one
hopes that a third inter-Korean summit will be inaugurated".

The Nov 23, North Korean attack killed two South Korean marines and two
civilians on Yeonpyeong Island, a tiny enclave of civilians and military bases
located near a disputed maritime border.

-- BERNAMA