Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=3/25/2003

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-301249

TITLE=ASIA REACT POLLS (L ONLY)

BYLINE=LARRY JAMES

DATELINE=BANGKOK

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: In Asia, new public opinion polls show shifting attitudes towards

the war in Iraq and governments supporting the U-S led coalition. As

V-O-A's Larry James reports from our Southeast Asia bureau in Bangkok,

in some countries, opposition to the conflict seems to be waning while

others remain firmly opposed.

TEXT: Here in Thailand a survey by the Suan Dusit Institute shows an

overwhelming majority of the country's military officers are against the

war. Nearly eighty percent of the officers asked said they object to the

conflict because of what they see as the likelihood of high casualties.

They also say they believe the United States should have pursued

peaceful means to disarm Iraq. Only slightly more than 18 percent

support the attempt to remove Saddam Hussein.

Thailand's military has considerable influence over the country; the

army has been behind many of the 17 coups and coup attempts that have

taken place since 1932.

In Taiwan, meanwhile, the China Times newspaper published a poll Tuesday

showing that 37 percent of those surveyed oppose the war while 28

percent support it.

But despite general disapproval of the war, the United States is still

viewed favorably by Taiwanese, with 67 percent saying they have a good

impression of it.

Taiwan's government has not given a clear endorsement to the war but has

promised to provide humanitarian aid to Iraq. Taiwan is expected to

help pay some of the costs of reconstruction after the war.

In Japan, a new survey shows a significant shift in public attitudes,

not specifically about the war but their government's support of the

United States.

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Japan in

anti-war protests. And a number of recent polls show that anywhere from

59 to 68 percent of Japanese are opposed to the war. But a survey

published Tuesday in the conservative Yomiuri newspaper shows 76 percent

of those polled approve of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's support of

the U-S led war on Iraq.

Yomiuri attributed public backing of Mr. Koizumi's position to the

intense efforts he has made over the past weeks to explain his belief

that supporting the United States is in the Japan's interests.

Japan's constitution prohibits it from contributing troops to the U-S

led military coalition, but Tokyo has sent doctors to the region to

provide medical assistance to refugees. (Signed)

NEB/HK/LDJ/MH