Natthawut Saikua and 10 other 'red-shirt' leaders will seek their release on bail on Tuesday, 'red-shirt' leader Jatuporn Promphan said Monday, quoted by the Nation online. Jatuporn said the 11 'red-shirt' leaders' 30-day detention period under the emergency decree will expire on Tuesday so police will need to seek a court approval under the normal Criminal Procedure Code to further detain the 11 'red- shirt' leaders. ( Thailand- Bail) TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Monday defended his fiscal reform strategy to rein in the nation's burgeoning public debt in a question-and-answer session, at which opposition party leaders pressed the new leader on a number of key issues ahead of the House of Councillors election expected on July 11. Kan, who took office last Tuesday, fielded a bout of pointed questions from opposition party leaders, including those from Sadakazu Tanigaki, president of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), in connection with the prime minister's first policy address given last week. (Japan-PM) BANGKOK -- The Center for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) is considering whether an executive decree should be issued giving amnesty to 'red- shirt' protesters charged with minor offenses, but certainly not for terrorism, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban confirmed Monday. According to the Bangkok Post's website, Suthep, who is the CRES director, said that this is one way the CRES can support Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's reconciliation plan and help make it a success. (Thailand-Amnesty) ISLAMABAD -- NATO's International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF) commander General Stanley McChrystal traveled to Pakistan Monday to provide an update on ISAF's current operations in Afghanistan and to consult with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the U.S. embassy and Pakistan army said. General Stanley McChrystal visits Pakistan regularly to consult with General Kayani and Pakistan's leaders on ISAF's activities, most recently on May 21, the U.S. embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said. (Pakistan-NATO) TOKYO -- The public support rate for the Cabinet of new Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan rose 3.3 percentage points to 64. 8 percent at the weekend, according to the Kyodo News agency who released their survey results Monday. The 3.3 percent rise was from a previous survey Kyodo conducted soon after the new cabinet's launch last Tuesday and according to the latest poll conducted by phone on Saturday and Sunday, the disapproval rate for the prime minister's cabinet stood at 23.6 percent, down from 25.2 percent. (Japan-Cabinet-Support) SEOUL, June 14 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Monday nominated a new military chief after the country's chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Gen. Lee Sang- eui offered to retire on Sunday. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Han Min-koo has been designated as the new chairman of the JCS, according to the Ministry of National Defense. (SKorea-Military) ISLAMABAD -- Over 20 local Taliban militants were killed and six others injured Monday when Pakistani forces repulsed an attack on part of the militants in Pakistan's Mohmand tribal agency along with the Afghan border, local media reported. Militants attacked a security check post at Shangrai in Mohmand and the forces reacted on time, local TV Dawn News reported. ( Afghanistan-Taliban) DHAKA -- Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping held talks here on Monday with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, tabling four-point proposals on boosting bilateral ties. During the talks, Xi, who arrived in Dhaka for a two-day official visit, said that China and Bangladesh are close and friendly neighbors and the China- Bangladesh friendly relationship and cooperation have enjoyed continuous growth over the 35 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. (Bangladesh- China- Ties) 