THE WAR @ HOME

IT'S OFFICIAL: CHINA AND Taiwan are at war - albeit one with bits, not bullets, doing the damage. Patriotic citizens from both countries are duking it out in cyberspace as cross-Strait ties reach their lowest ebb since the missile crisis in 1996. It all began with the "liberation" of several Taiwan government websites by mainland hackers. The homepages of the Control Yuan and other agencies were erased in favor of slogans such as "Only one China exists and only one China is needed." The next day, a volunteer force from Taiwan struck back with its own slogans. The island made full use of the technological edge it has over the mainland. PRC websites were defaced with not only slogans but advanced propaganda tools such as sound files playing Taiwan's national anthem and, er, a revolving image of Japanese cartoon character Hello Kitty. A reference to the puppet regime established by Tokyo in Manchuria, perhaps.

WORD UP

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time. Looking to test the next generation of its operating system - and nix perceptions that it is lackadaisical about security issues - Microsoft invited hackers to have a go at the beta version of its new OS, Windows 2000. A server computer running the software was connected to the Internet - and promptly crashed. For the first few days, many would-be attackers couldn't even access the website www.windows2000test.com, let alone crash it. Does that count as a win for Microsoft?

CRASH TEST DUMMIES

Calling all fans of Singlish: How would you like to shiok English-speakers the world over? Now is your chance. The Oxford English Dictionary is on the hunt for new words for the first complete revision of the work in its 120-year history. The new tomes will not be ready until 2010, but in March the current dictionary will go online. New words that make the cut will be added to the website every six months. Submit your entries at www.oed.com.

This edition's table of contents | Asiaweek home

WASHINGTON
U.S. secretary of state says China should be 'tolerant'

MANILA
Philippine government denies Estrada's claim to presidency

ALLAHABAD
Faith, madness, magic mix at sacred Hindu festival

COLOMBO
Land mine explosion kills 11 Sri Lankan soldiers

TOKYO
Japan claims StarLink found in U.S. corn sample

BANGKOK
Thai party announces first coalition partner

TIME:

COVER: President Joseph Estrada gives in to the chanting crowds on the streets of Manila and agrees to make room for his Vice President

THAILAND: Twin teenage warriors turn themselves in to Bangkok officials

CHINA: Despite official vilification, hip Chinese dig Lamaist culture

PHOTO ESSAY: Estrada Calls Snap Election

WEB-ONLY INTERVIEW: Jimmy Lai on feeling lucky -- and why he's committed to the island state

ASIAWEEK:

COVER: The DoCoMo generation - Japan's leading mobile phone company goes global

Bandwidth Boom: Racing to wire - how underseas cable systems may yet fall short

TAIWAN: Party intrigues add to Chen Shui-bian's woes

JAPAN: Japan's ruling party crushes a rebel ė at a cost

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans need to have more babies. But success breeds selfishness

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