Thu, Sep 23, 2004 -- 6:30 PM

Pacific Time
Pacific Time looks at voter registration efforts aimed at Americans abroad.

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Host: Sydnie Kohara

Bangkok Voters
The U.S. State Department estimates there may be as many as 3 million Americans living and working abroad. They're businesspeople, students, aid workers, and members of the military. In what still looks like a very close election, expats could make a difference in November's presidential contest. Thailand has one of the most active U.S. voter registration networks of all Asian nations.

Phnom Penh Voters
In neighboring Cambodia there are about 3000 Americans, most working for aid organizations trying to help the country get out from under a quarter century of civil war. We talked to some of the organizers for the Republican and Democratic Parties in Phnom Penh.

Filipino American Voters
In the U.S., a number of organizations run voter registration drives and workshops geared to the Asian Pacific Islander community. Also targeted for special attention are the newest Americans, immigrants who are often unfamiliar with or wary of the balloting process.

Music Bridge #1
"Salidumay 3.0" by e:trinity, from "Various Shades of Blue" (Pacific City Multimedia PACD 0003)

Transitions of Power in China and Indonesia
East Asia's two largest countries made political history in the past few days. In China, Jiang Zemin gave up the last of his posts as head of the military commission. And in Indonesia, partial results from the presidential election show the former interior minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono crushing incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Guests:

Music Bridge #2
"Top Of The World" by Shonen Knife, from "The Birds And The B-Sides" (Virgin 41414)

24-7 Kindergarten
When American parents have the money (and inclination) to do so, mom or dad stays home with the kids, or they hire a nanny. In China, affluent families send their kids to boarding schools. That way, parents can stay competitive in their careers by working longer hours. China's economy is booming and so are boarding schools, especially in large cities like Beijing.

Asian American Songwriters: Julia Lau
Our series on Asian American singer-songwriters continues with a look at Julia Lau, the daughter of Chinese immigrants who grew up helping her parents in their carpet cleaning business.

End Music
"When You're Down" by Jake Shimabukuro, from "Crosscurrents" (Four Strings FSCD 7494)