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GATHERINGS:
An informed
guide to happenings throughout the region.
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Thai
senate seeks
referendum on
new constitution: Lese Majeste law
From News
Reports:
Bangkok, February 12: The
Senate is seeking a referendum on the
drafting of a new constitution as dictated by the
Referendum Act after the House of Representatives
voted for an opposition-sponsored
motion on November 3, 2022 to seek a
referendum, reports the Bangkok Post.
Senators voted 151 for, 26 against, and 15 abstentions
to form a panel to study a motion to
organise a referendum that would pave
the way for a rewrite of the constitution
that includes the Lese Majeste law.
The Senate called on the government to hold a referendum
on whether a new constitution should be
drawn up by a charter drafting
assembly made up of elected representatives,
saying "the referendum should be arranged on the
same day as the next general election that has
tentatively been set for May 7 by the
Election Commission (EC).
Senators
were critical of voting for the formation of
a panel to study a motion to organise a referendum,
saying "It is a tactic to stall the
referendum"
Sen Kittisak
Rattanawaraha said he supported a referendum
on the drafting of a new constitution, saying he
disagreed with organising the
referendum on the same day as the
general election,
"This could
confuse voters," he said.
The Southeast Asian
Times
China calls emergency
COVID-19 meeting with ASEAN in Laos
From News
Reports:
Beijing, February 19: An
emergency meeting of foreign ministers
from China and the 10 Association of South East
Asian Nations (ASEAN) that was proposed by China is
to be held in Vientiane, Laos on
Thursday and Friday to discuss the
COVID-19 virus epidemic.
The
COVID-19 virus has so far killed 1,869 and infected
73,336 in China and has spread to the 10 ASEAN
member states.
The
meeting that was proposed by China is reportedly
intended to share information and to
improve coordination between China and the 10 ASEAN
member states in order to combat the
COVID-19 virus.
China Foreign
Affairs Minister Wang Yi is reportedly to
discuss China's measures in countering the COVID-19 virus
epidemic at the meeting in Laos, with
focus on strengthening joint
prevention and control measures against the virus.
The meeting is also to explore the idea of
establishing a long term and effective
collaboration mechanism on public
health to safeguard the region, with China Foreign Affairs
Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang saying "
China and Asean countries have been in
close communication since the outbreak
of the Covid-19 virus.
Cambodia's
Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, who will be
attending the emergency COVID-19 virus epidemic meeting,
said that the meeting will be an
opportunity for the foreign ministers
to discuss measures to prevent the spread of
the coronavirus.
"The meeting
will help strengthen cooperation between
ASEAN member states in the midst of this global health
threat," he said.
His said that Cambodia's participation in the emergency
meeting that was proposed by China will
demonstrate Cambodia’s support of
China and confidence in the measures taken
by the China government to address the coronavirus
outbreak.
The Southeast Asian
Times
Vietnam opens consulate
in Macau
From
News Reports:
Hanoi, January 9: Vietnam's Hong Kong Consulate General
launched a consulate office in the Macau
Special Administrative Region of China
on Friday, reports the Vietnam News Service.
Consulate General of Hong Kong, Tran Than Huan, said
at the launching ceremony that the
office aims to better ensure the
rights of Vietnamese citizens and tourists
in the region.
He said that the
consulate office in Macau will provide
easier access to information about Vietnam, saying that
it would boost
friendship and co-operation between Vietnam
and Macau.
The Consulate
General said that the office expected to
recieve support from local organisations including the
Vietnam Fellow Countrymen Friendship
Association in Macau.
More than
20,000 Vietnamse are employed as domestic workers,
in the service industry at Macau's casino's.
Vietnamese also operate tourist and
services companies.
The Southeast Asian
Times
US invites
Vietnam Communist Party General Secretary to
the White House
From News Reports:
Hanoi, July 6, 2015: The General Secretary
of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of Vietnam will visit
the United States from July 6 to July 10 at the invitiation
of the United States State Department in
a "landmark" visit, Rueters
reports.
General Secretary of the
Central Committee of the Communist
Party Nguyen Phu Trong will meet United States President
Barack Obama at the White House on
Tuesday.
Rueters quotes a
senior state department official
saying that the meeting between the General Secretary
of the Central Committee of the Communist Party
and the President of the United States
"would skirt protocol" because the
General Secretary is "not part of a government".
"Obama saw the visit as crucial", Rueters reports
the senior state department official
as saying.
Rueters also quotes the
senior state department official
saying that "there was a broad agreement that it
made sense to treat General
Secretary of the Central Committee of
the Communist Party Nguyen Phu Trong
as the visit of "the top leader
of the country".
"It's a pretty big
event," Rueters quotes the state
department official as saying.
The Southeast Asian
Times France agrees
to return Aboriginal remains home to
Australia
From News
Reports:
Canberra, November 25:
French president Francois Hollande and
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott have agreed
to work together to return Aboriginal remains to
Australia during the first official
visit by a French head of state to
Australia last week, reports Australian Associated
Press.
The French head
of state and the Australian prime minister
said that a joint expert committee is to be established
to help identify the origin of the
Aboriginal remains held in France.
The head of state and prime minister
said in a joint statement that the
identification process would respect the sensitivities
and values of the two countries and consider
the requests of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander communities including
the French legal system.
"The
French government will examine possible solutions
to enable the return of the Aboriginal human
remains to their community of origin."
the statement said.
Australia
believes the remains of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islanders are being held in Museum collections
around the world including in Europe and
the
United States.
In 2010 a British museum agreed to return 138 sets
of Aboriginal skeletal remains to
Australia including the severed head
of Australian Aboriginal warrior, Yagan,
to the Noongar of South West Western Australia after being
missing in action for about 177 years.
Yagan was shot dead for his resistance
to British settlement on the Swan
river.
The Southeast Asian
Times
"No " to proposal to delete religion from Indonesian
national identity card
From
News Reports:
Jakarta, November
10: Islamic-based political party politicians
oppose the proposal put by the newly selected Home
Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, that national
identity cards (KTP) do not include
the religion of the car holder.
Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician Aboebakar Al
Habsy said that not to include the religion of
the card holder on national identity
cards (KTP)
contradicted the
country’s founding philosophy of
Pancasila
“If we believe that Pancasila is our state
ideology and our national identity,
then why should we be ashamed of
including our religion on our national identity card,"
he said
Home
Minister Tjahjo Kumolo also proposed that the regious
beliefs of Indonesian citizens be omitted from
official government documents.
He said that the religion of Indonesian
citizens on national identity cards
(KTP) or in official government documents
should not be imposed.
"It's up
to the people", he said.
The Souheast Asian
Times
The
Wolf bridge: An insult to Thai
monarchy
From News Reports:
Bangkok, October 31: Thai University students,
Patiwat Saraiyaem, 23, and Pornthip
Mankong, 26, were charged in the
Ratrachada Court on Monday, with defamation of
the Thai monarchy in a play titled "The Wolf Bridge"
performed at the Thammasat university in
October 2013, reports the Bangkok
Post.
The students were charged
with insulting the Royal Thai family
in the fictional depiction of the monarchy in a
play performed in commemoration of the 37th and 40th
anniversaries of the October 6, 1976
and October 14, 1973 pro-democracy
student uprisings at Thammasat University.
The prosecution cites nine passages from the plays's
script, a work of fiction that depicts
a fictional monarch, that allegedly
insults the monarchy and as such is in violation
of the lese majeste law.
Patiwat Saraiyaem, actor and Pornthip Mankong, producer
of the play, in detention since arrested on
13 August, have been refused bail are
scheduled to appear in court to enter
pleas on December 29.
The Southeast Asian
Times
World
including
Asean PM's and Presidents
to attend inauguaration of Indonesian
president
From News Reports:
Jakarta, October 18: World Prime ministers,
Presidents and State representatives
including US Secretary of State, John
Kerry and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott will
attend the inauguaration of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo
as President of Indonesiaon on
Monday.
The speaker of the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) Zulkifli
Hasan said that representatives from the ten
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member
nations have also been invited to attend
the swearing in of the former governor
of Jakarta, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo as
president of Indonesia.
"The Prime
Ministers and Presidents of Malaysia,
Singapore, Japan and South Korea are also expected to
attend", he said.
He
said that the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR) has also invited "domestic VIP's"
including former Presidents and
Vice-Presidents.
“All chairpersons of political parties
have also be invited,” said the
speaker.
The Southeast Asian
Times
Banned ISIS
flag found flying in Aceh
From News Reports:
Jakarta, September 12: The Islamic State of
Iraq and Syria (ISIS) flag found
flying from a coconut tree in Aceh on
Sunday has been torn down, reports the Jakarta Post.
The discovery of the banned ISIS flag was
reportedly the first in Aceh.
Police chief First Inspecter Azwan said
that the flag of the nationally banned
movement was discovered by chess
players sitting at a food stall near the coconut tree
in the Sungai Raya district of East Aceh
regency in Aceh.
He said that a
bomb disposal team inspected the area before
the flag was taken down.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced Indonesia's
rejection of the State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL) and banned the teaching
of ISIL ideology in Indonesia last
month at his parliamentary state-of-the-nation address
and ahead of the 69th anniversary of
Indonesias Independence.
The Southeast Asian
Times
Singapore
passes Trans- boundary Haze Pollution
Act
From News Reports:
Singapore, August, 18: The passing of the 2014
Trans-boundary Haze Pollution Act by
the Singapore parliament last week
will enable Singapore regulators to sue individuals or
companies in neighbouring countries for
causing severe air pollution in
Singapore.
The Act that was first
proposed in 2013 would enable Singapore
to impose fines of up to S$2 million on companies that
cause or contribute to transboundary haze
pollution in Singapore.
Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian
Balakrishnan said that under the Act,
Singapore will have the legal right
under the Objective Territorial Principle to take
legal action against air polluters.
"While neighbouring countries have the sovereign
right to exploit their natural resources
in accordance with their policies they
also have a responsibility to ensure
that "slash and burn" agricultural practices
do not cause damage to Singapore", he said.
The passing of the 2014 Trans-boundary Haze
Pollution Act gives Singapore the
legal power to serve notices on those
that do not have assets or a presence in Singapore.
Indonesia is yet to
ratify an Agreement on Transboundary
Haze Pollution that was signed by ASEAN member counries
in November 2003 in order to
address haze pollution arising from land and forest
fires.
A bill passed in the
Indonesian House of Representatives in
July 2013 gave the Indonesian goverment the power to
seize assetts gained from illegal logging and
illegal clearing of forests for palm
oil plantations.
The new bill,
designed to protect more than 13 million
hectres from deforestation, gave the Indonesian government
a mandate to establish a task force
including police to monitor the
prevention and eradication of deforestation.
The Southeast Asian
Times
Papua
Biak massacre remembered in Sydney
with 136 white carnations
From News Reports:
Sydney, July 5: A ceremony to mark the 16th
anniversary of the Biak Massacre in
West Papua ua on 6 July 1998 will be
held at the Waverley Cliffs cemetery in Sydney on Sunday.
The Waverley
Cliffs community will throw 136 white carnations
from the waverley cliffs into the Pacific Ocean in
memory of the Biak massacre.
A citizens tribunal, hosted by the Centre
for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPACS)
at the University of Sydney last year
on the 15th anniversary of the Biak massacre found
that 136 West Papuan protesters were thrown into
the sea by Indonesian security
forces.
The tribunal heard eye
witness testimony that the West Papuan
demand for the right to vote for independence from
Indonesia was met with gunfire by Indonesian
security forces.
Survivors of the massacre told the international team
of jurists that the unarmed West Papuan
protesters were surrounded and shot by
Indonesian security forces and that
survivors were thrown into the sea on 6 July
1998.
The Southeast Asian
Times
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Vietnam
political reporter
sent to prison ''for
abusing democratic
freedoms to infringe
upon the interests
of the state''
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| The
Hanoi People's Court
sentenced Ho Chi Minh
City political reporter,
Truong Huy San, 64,
to prison for ''abusing
democratic freedoms
to infringe upon the
interests of the state''
on Thursday February
27, 2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Hanoi, March 19: The Hanoi People's
Court sentenced Ho Chi Minh City
political reporter, Truong Huy San,
64, also known as Huy Duc or Osin
Huy Duc, to 30 months in prison
for ''abusing democratic freedoms
to infringe upon the interests of
the state, organizations, and individuals,'
on February 17, reports Human Rights
Watch (HRW).
The Office of Investigation Police
Agency (OIPA) under the Ministry
of Public Security (MPS) under the
ruling Communist Party of Vietnam
(CPV), arrested Truong Huy San,
64, on June 8, 2024 under Clause
2, Article 331 of the 2015 Criminal
Code that was amended in 2017.
''Political reporter, Truong Huy
San, 64, war a political reporter
at the Vietnam Youth Newspaper in
the 1980's and 1990's earning a
reputation as a dogged reporter
covering the country's politics,''
reports Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports
that political reporter Truong
Huy San, 64, received a Hubert
H. Humphrey Fellowship to study
at the University of Maryland
in the United States, saying ''he
returned to Vietnam in 2006 where
he started a popular blog.''
''He continued to publish commentary
on pressing social and political
issues,'' said Human Rights Watch
(HRW).
The Office of Investigation Police
Agency (OIPA) under the Ministry
of Public Security (MPS) under
the ruling Communist Party of
Vietnam reportedly closed the
blog in 2010.
''In 2012 reporter, Truong Huy
San, 64, spent a year at Harvard
University on a Nieman Fellowship,''
said the Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said
that Truong Huy San, 64, has continued
to report on Vietnam's social
and political problems, saying
''he had more than 350,000 Facebook
followers and was one of the most
influencial Vietnam political
commentators before his arrest.''
''He posted articles about the dangers
posed by concentrating power in
Vietnam's highly repressive Ministry
of Public Security under the Communist
Party of Vietnam (CPV),'' said the
Human Rights Watch (HRW) On June
8, 2024 Vietnam's Supreme People’s
Procuracy indicted reporter, Truong
Huy San, 64, for gathering information
and documents and for drafting and
posting numerouse articles on his
personal Facebook page between 2015
and 2024 .
Vietnam's Supreme People’s
Procuracy charged Truong Huy San,
64, with 'abusing democratic freedoms
to infringe upon the interests of
the state, organizations, and individuals''
for posting thirteen articles on
his personnel Facebook page.
The Vietnam Supreme People's Procuracy
claims that ''the Facebook posts
attracted significant interaction,
comments, and shares, negatively
impacting public security and
social order,'' necessitating
legal action in accordance with
the law.
''The Facebook posts necessitated
legal action in accordance with
the law,'' claims the Vietnam
Supreme People's Procuracy.
Truong Huy San, 64, confessed
that he had gathered and assessed
the information himself, ''saying
''the contents of the 13 articles
affected State interests and the
rights and legitimate interests
of certain organisations and individuals.''
Truong Huy San, 64 denied any
intention to oppose the Communist
Party of Vietnam (CPV) or the
States but acknowledged that some
content in the 13 Facebook posts
infringed upon the rights and
interests of the State, organizations
and individuals.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
BRICS
member, United Arab
Emirate, invests trillions
in United States
|
|
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| United
States President Donald
Trump, left, and United
Arab Emirates national
security advisor Sheikh
Tahnoon bin Zayed Al
Nahyanm, right, United
Arab Emirates investment
of 1.4 trillion dollars
in United States ''to
reconfigures power dynamics
in the technology and
energy sectors'' at
White House in Washington
Tuesday March 1, 2025
|
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From
News Reports:
Washington, March 26: The United
Arab Emirates, a new member of Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa
(BRICS) joining BRICS on January
1, 2024 together with Belarus, Bolivia,
Cuba, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Uganda,
Uzbekistan, and ASEAN member nations,
Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and
Vietnam's joining BRICS on January
1, 2025, has invested 1.4 trillion
dollars in the United States over
the next ten years, reports Reuters.
United Arab Emirates delegation
including the United Arab Emirates
National Security Advisor, HH Sheikh
Tahnoon bin Zayed and heads of major
United Arab Emirates Sovereign Wealth
Funds and corporations committed
to $1.4 trillion dollar investment
in a new investment framework over
ten years after a meeting hosted
by United States President Donald
Trump in Washington on 21 March.
The new framework will reportedly
increase the United Arab Emirates
existing investments in the United
States economy in AI infrastructure,
semiconductors, energy, and American
manufacturing including Abu Dhabi
Developmental Holding Company (ADQ)
and Orion Resource Partners (USA),
L.P's. investment of $1.2 billion
in a mining partnership to secure
supplies of critical minerals.
The United Arab Emirates investment
commitments in the United States
including Abu Dhabi-based MGX,
BlackRock, Microsoft, and Global
Infrastructure Partners (GIP)
have reportedly ''welcomed NVIDIA
and xAI to the AI Infrastructure
Partnership (AIP), which will
seek to mobilize up to $100 billion
in total investment to enable
next-generation data center and
energy infrastructure build out
in support of US AI leadership.''
The United Arab Emirates investment
in the United States reportedly
''reconfigures power dynamics
in the technology and energy sectors.''
with ''the United Arab Emirates
betting on a deep anchorage in
the American economy by increasing
their influence in structuring
fields.''
The success of the United Arab
Emirates investments in the United
States could reportedly ''encourage
other countries to intensify their
investments in the United States
creating a new form of diplomatic
and industrial competition with
the Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa (BRICS) that
as of January 1, 2025 includes
five of ten member countries of
the Association of South East
Asian Nations (ASEAN).
On February 13, 2025 United States
President Donald Trump declared
'BRICS is dead, at the prospect
of BRICS establishing its own
currency, saying "there is
no chance that BRICS will replace
the U.S. Dollar in International
Trade, or anywhere else, and any
country that tries should say
hello to tariffs, and goodbye
to America!''
''We are going to require a commitment
from these seemingly hostile Countries
that they will neither create
a new BRICS Currency, nor back
any other Currency to replace
the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they
will face 100 percent Tariffs,"
he said.
On October 22, 2024 Malaysia Minister
for Economics, Rafizi Ramli, said
at the BRICS Summit held in Kazan,
Russia in October 22-October 24.
2024, ''we see tremendous synergies
between ASEAN and BRICS.''
He said that barriers to obtaining
development finances and a growing
global debt as reasons for joining
the intergovernmental grouping
BRICS, saying ''for Malaysia,
BRICS is not just a rejection
of these constraints, but it is
also a solution.''
''Malaysia’s decision to
join BRICS was not meant to reject
American currency but instead
aimed at reducing the risk of
Malaysian ringgit instability,''
he said.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Indonesia
wants police to reveal
identity of terrorists
who sent severed pigs
head and decapitate
rats to catholic reporter
|
|
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| Catholic,
Francis Christy Rosana,
political journalist
Tempo Magazine Jakarta
and Pope Francis in
Indonesia on Tuesday
September 1, 2024 on
the first leg of the
14 day Apostolic visit
to Southeast Asia |
|
From
News Reports:
Jakarta, March 25: The Indonesian
Deputy Minister of Manpower wants
the Indonesian National Police to
reveal the identity of the terrorists
who sent a severed pig's head and
six decapitated rats to the Tempo
Magazine in Jakarta on Sunday, saying
''the terror attack on the Tempo
Magazine was an attack on democracy,''
reports the Jakarta Post.
Indonesian Deputy Minister of Manpower,
Immanuel Ebenezer, said that the
public wants the National Police
to reveal the identity of the mastermind
behind the terror attack designed
to intimidate Tempo Magazine political
reporter, Francisca Christy Rosana,
a catholic.
Catholic Tempo Magazine political
reporter, Francisca Christy Rosana,
received the first gift wrapped
package containing the severed pigs
head, that is considered non-halal
to muslims, on Wednesday afternoon.
Political journalist Francisca Christy
Rosana received the second gift
wrapped package containing six decapitated
rats, that is considered a bad omen
in the Chinese horoscope, on Saturday.
Indonesian Deputy Minister of
Manpower said that the terror
attack that was designed to intimidate
the Tempo Magazine reporter was
an attack on democracy, saying
''the act of terror and intimidation
against Tempo was an attack on
Indonesian democracy.''
He said Indonesia's national press
''has struggled to participate
in building democracy in Indonesia,''
saying ''the press as the Fourth
Pillar of Democracy has always
been a catalyst.''
''Terror and intimidation against
Tempo Magazine is a barbaric act,"
he said.
Tempo Editor-in-Chief Setri Yasra
said that he suspected that the
act of terror was aimed at the work
of the Tempo Magazine political
desk reporter, Francisca Christy
Rosana, saying ''we believe that
it is an attempt to intimidate and
obstruct journalism.''
Francisca Christy Rosana, the Tempo
Magazine political reporter, received
the gift wrapped packages containing
a severed pig's head and decapitated
rats after she had returned from
covering a story with Hussein Abri
Yusuf Muda Dongoran, a fellow political
reporter and co-host of Bocor Alus.
The weekly podcast Bocor Alus
that is posted on the Tempo YouTube
channed and Spotify focuses on
politics and is critical of the
Indonesian government led by President
Prabowo Subianto.
Indonesia’s Minister of Communication
and Digital Affairs, Meutya Hafid,
said that press freedom is a fundamental
pillar of democracy that must
not be compromised.
She said President Prabowo Subianto’s
administration was committed to
protecting freedom of expression
and ensuring that public criticism
remains part of government policy,
saying ''we fully support the
investigation of the delivery
of the severed pig's head and
six decapitated rats to Tempo
Magazine by the police.''
In 2024 Tifa Foundation in collaboration
with the Indonesian Media Development
Association (PPMN), the Human Rights
Working Group (HRWG), and research
partner Populix, surveyed 760 journalists
across Indonesia in
The findings revealed that 24
per cent of journalists experienced
terror and intimidation, 23 per
cent received direct threats,
26 per cent faced bans on news
reporting and 44 per cent encountered
reporting restrictions.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Cambodia's
opposition party officials
arrested for comparing
former PM Hun Sen
to former President
Rodrigo Duterte
|
|
 |
| Senior
officials of the Cambodia's
opposition Candlelight
Party (CP) Muth Rinl,
left, Mao Heng, right
arrested at Kampong
Cham province on Sunday
March 16 Kan Kun, centre
arrested Monday March
17, 2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Phnom Penh, March 24: Senior officials
of the Cambodia's opposition Candlelight
Party (CP) were arrested for alleged
incitement on social media by the
Cambodian National Police last week
after an investigation by the Interior's
Anti-Cybercrime Department, reports
the Khmer Times.
The Cambodian National Police arrested
three senior officials of Cambodia's
opposition Candlelight Party (CP)
for spreading defamatory comments
about the ruling Cambodian People's
Party (CPP including comparing the
former Cambodian Prime Minister
Hun Sen with former President of
the Philipines, Rodrigo Duterte,
who was arrested by the Internation
Criminal Court (ICC) on March 11.
Opposition Candlelight Party (CP)
senior officials Muth Rin, of
the Chamkar Loeu District Executive
Council, Mao Heng, second deputy
chief of the Cheyou commune were
arrested on March 16 and Kan Kun,
the second deputy chief of Ta
Bruk commune was arrested on March
17, all at their homes in Chamkar
Loeu district of Kampong Cham
for incitement to commit a felony
or disturbing social security
under Articles 494 and 495 of
the Criminal Code.
The senior officials of the Cambodia's
opposition Candlelight Party (CP)
were arrested for allegedly spreading
defamatory comments on social
media that included comparing
the former Cambodian Prime Minister
Hun Sen with the former President
of the Philipines, Rodrigo Duterte,
who was arrested on a warrant
issued by the International Criminal
Court (ICC) on March 11, charged
with crimes against humanity committed
during the Philippines war on
drugs campaign that allegedly
killed thousands of Filipinos.
Cambodian National Police Lt Col
Piseth said that the senior officials
of the opposition Candlelight Party
(CP) were arrested with a warrant
of arrest issued by a deputy prosecutor
at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court,
saying ''The three were accused
of committing incitement via social
media.''
He said that the senior officials
were sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal
Court for questioning after their
arrest, saying ''the suspects
are now in pre-trial detention.''
Candlelight Party (CP) secretary-general,
Lee Sothearayuth, said the party
was unaware of the allegations against
the three opposition Candlelight
Party (CP) officials or their whereabouts,
saying ''we don’t know what
the allegations are or what they
are related to.''
''We believe that the arrests
of opposition party members and
activists constitute political
persecution and intimidation,''
he said.
''These continued arrests are
demoralising and hinder participation
in political activities by opposition
parties,'' he said.
Former Cambodia's People's Party
(CPP) Prime Minister, Hun Sen,
warned opposition political parties
ahead of the 7th National Assembly
elections in June 23, 2023, of
associating with founder of the
opposition Candlelight Party (CP),
in exile in France, Sam Rainsy,
who is the former president of
the Supreme Court-dissolved Cambodia
National Rescue Party (CNRP),
saying he would dissolve political
party's that associated with Sam
Rainsy.
The Candlelight Party (CP), formerly
known as the Sam Rainsy Party
and the Khmer Nation Party, was
founded in 1995 and merged with
other opposition forces to form
the Cambodia National Rescue Party
(CNRP) in 2012 that was dissolved
in a Supreme court ruling in 2017
ahead of the elections in 2018.
Sam Rainsy, went into exile in
Paris in 2015 fearing arrest by
the Hun Sen Cambodia's People's
Party (CPP) after parliamentary
immunity was removed and he faced
multiple criminal defamation charges
for his accusation of corruption
against the Hun Sen Cambodia's
People's Party (CPP).
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Indonesia
passes revised abolished
Indonesian Defense
Forces law allowing
return to dual function
|
|
 |
| Protesters
nurn tyres against the
revision of the Indonesian
Defense Forces (TNI)
law at the House of
Representatives (DPR)
in Jakarta on Thursday
March 20, 2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Jakarta, March 23: The House of
Representatives (DPR) passed the
revised abolished Indonesian Defense
Forces (TNI) law that allows the
military to hold both military and
civilian roles by restoring the
dual function of the Defense Forces
(TNI) law (Dwifungs ABRI) on Thursday,
with House of Representatives speaker,
tapping the gavel twice indicating
the legislators approval of the
revised law, reports the Jakarta
Post.
House of Reprentatives speaker,
Puan Maharani, of the opposition
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P), said ''We, along with the
government, stress that the revised
law remains based on democratic
principles, civilian supremacy and
human rights, in line with national
and international law.''
In May 2024 the Civil Society
Coalition for Security Sector
Reform that includes Indonesia's
National Commission on Human Rights
(Komnas HAM), the Indonesian Legal
Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Indonesian
Forum for the Environment (Walhi),
the Commission for Missing Persons
and Victims of Violence (Kontras),
the Setara Institute for Peace
and Democracy, the Jakarta Alliance
of Independent Journalists (AJI)
and the All Indonesia Student
Executive Council (BEM SI) called
on the
House of Representatives (DPR) to
cancel the proposed revision of
the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI)
law that was abolished in 2004.
Civil Society Coalition for Security
Sector Reform, Central Initiative
chair, Al A'raf, said that ''changes
proposed by the new Prabowo Subianto
government for the Indonesian
Defense Forces (TNI) law will
not strengthen the TNI's reform
agenda.''
He said that the Civil Society
Coalition for Security Sector
Reform sees crucal areas in the
April 2023 draft revision of the
Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI)
that should not be revised including
the proposed expansion of civilian
positions that can be held by
active Indonesian Defense Forces
(TNI) officers.
He said that the revision of the
Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI)
law could see the return of Dwifungsi
ABRI doctrine or dual-function
that was implemented by the Suharto
military-dominated New Order government
in Indonesia from 1966 to 1998.
He said that Article 47 of the Indonesian
Defense Forces (TNI) law provides
opportunities for the Indonesian
Defense Forces (TNI) to occupy civilian
positions saying ''during the New
Order under the Dwifungsi ABRI doctrine
or dual-function, the military was
involved in practical politics,
including the occupation of civilian
position in ministries, state institutions,
the House of Representatives (DPR),
as regional heads and other positions"
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Cambodia
rejects comparison
between Cambodia PM
Hun Sen and former
Philippine President
Rodrigo Duterte
|
|
 |
| Former
Cambodia President Hun
Sen said at the Families
of the Cambodian Tycoon
(Oknha) Association
said ''the private sector
is the engine of economic
growth, with the state
serving as an economist
and manager'' on Friday
March 14, 2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Phnom Penh Post March 21: Senator
President and former Cambodia President,
Hun Sen, rejected former opposition
party president, Sam Ramsay, of
the court-dissolved Cambodia National
Rescue Party (CNRP), comment that
compared the future of the former
president to former Philippine President,
who was arrested under a International
Criminal Court (ICC) warrant,, reports
the Khmer Times.
''The propaganda used by in-exile
former opposition party president,
Sam Ramsay, and former in-exile
members that I should suffer the
same fate as the former president
of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte,
is irrelevant and senseless,'' said
Senator President Hun Sen at the
Families of the Cambodian Tycoon
(Oknha) Association dinner last
week.
He said that the comments made
by in-exile former opposition
party president, Sam Ramsay, of
the court-dissolved Cambodia National
Rescue Party (CNRP) ''is irrelevant
and senseless considering what
I have done for Cambodia for half
of my life.''
He said that associating him to
former country leaders who were
arrested or ousted from power
has always been a propaganda tactic
used by in-exile Sam Ramsay and
other in-exile former members
of the court-dissolved Cambodia
National Rescue Party (CNRP).
Senator president Hun Sen indirectly
addressed in-exile, Sam Ramsay,
at the Families of the Cambodian
Tycoon (Oknha) Association dinner,
saying ''when Muammar Gaddafi
was killed, you compared me to
Gaddafi, but when Aung San Suu
Kyi won the election in Myanmar,
you compared yourself with her
and compared me to the junta leader.''
''But that made you unable to
return to your home country,''
he said.
He said that the in-exile opposition
defunct Cambodia National Rescue
Party (CNRP) has compared the
Cambodian People's Party (CPP)-led
government to Sheikh Hasina’s
Bangladesh government and Bashar
al-Assad’s Syrian government,
saying ''both governments were
overthrown by their people.''
''Now, when Duterte was arrested,
you compared me to Duterte,''
he said indirectly to former Philippine
President Rodrigo Duterte,
''the Duterte story is the Duterte
story, but Hun Sen is not Duterte.''
On March 14, 2025 former Philippines
President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested
on an International Criminal Court
(ICC) warrant in the Philippines
charged with crimes against humanity
committed during the war on drugs
campaign between 1 November 2011
and 16 March 2019 that allegedly
killed thousands of Filipinos.
The Office of the Prosecutor of
the International Criminal Court
(ICC) applied for an arrest warrant
against former President Rodrigo
Duterte for the crimes against
humanity of murder, torture and
rape with judges Reine Alapini-Gansou,
Iulia Antoanella Motoc and Socorro
Flores Liera of the ICC Pre-Trial
Chamber 1 finding from the material
submitted by the Prosecution that
there was reasonable grounds to
believe that former President
Rodrigo Duterte is individually
responsible as an indirect co-perpetrator
for the crime against humanity
of murder, allegedly committed
in the Philippines between 1 November
2011 and 16 March 2019.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
US
cuts millions of dollars
in research funds
for AI and medical
research at Australian
Universities
|
|
 |
| Vicki
Thomson, chief executive
of Group of Eight (Go8)
coalition of Australia's
leading research-intensive
universities says Australian
universities receive
about 80 percent funding
from the US |
|
From
News Reports:
Sydney, March 21: The United States
paused or cancelled funding for
research projects for at least six
Australian universities in an Executive
Order issued last month, with the
Group of Eight (Go8) a coalition
of Australia's leading research-intensive
universities including the Australian
National University in Canberra,
saying ''we receive about 80 percent
of funding from various government
agencies in the U.S. reports the
Australian Broadcasting Commission
(ABC).
Group of Eight (Go8) chief executive
officer Vicki Thomson, said the
Australian National University in
Canberra was the first
Australian university to acknowledge
termination of research funding,
saying ''80 percent funding for
research is a significant amount
of money for our universities at
a time when research funding is
hard to come by.''
''The termination of funding for
Australia's most research-intensive
universities could jeopardise crucial
medical and defence research in
Australia,'' she said.
She said that the United States
sent questionaires to Australian
researchers asking 30 questions
including ''Can you confirm that
your organization has not received
ANY funding from the People's Republic
of China (PRC) including Confucius
Institutes and or partnered with
Chinese state or non-state actors,
Russia, Cuba, or Iran?'' saying
"if this was any other country
other than the U.S, it would verge
on foreign interference."
''Is was concerning that the Group
of Eight (Go8) coalition of Australia's
leading research-intensive universities
are not just affected by grants
from the US Agency for International
Development (USAID) but also grants
from the U.S. National Science Foundation
(NSF) and the Australian Government
through the Commonwealth Scientific
and Industrial Research Organisation
CSIRO,'' she said.
Funding from the U.S. National Science
Foundation (NSF) that partnered
with the Australian Government through
the Commonwealth Scientific and
Industrial Research Organisation
(CSIRO) for research in Artificial
Intelligence (AI) low-emission technologies
and sustainability at the Group
of Eight (Go8) Australian universities
has been paused or cancelled.
Funding for research projects at
Australian universities by the U.S.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
medical research agency within the
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, the largest public funder
of biomedical research globally
was also paused or cancelled by
the U.S Executive Order.
Group of Eight (Go8) chief executive
officer Vicki Thomson said that
''grants to Australian Universities
is hugely significant for
every single one of the eight universities
that I represent,'' saying ''the
US is our largest research partner."
The Group of Eight (Go8) universities
that represents 70 percent of all
university-based research in Australia
collectively receives over 7.2 billion
annually in research and development,
with a significant portion of funding
from both the Australian and United
States.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Vietnam
to fast-track US The
Trump Organisation
development of APEC
multi-functional complex
|
|
 |
| US
The Trump Organisation
project director Charles
James Boyd Bowman, left,
and Vietnam Prime Minister
Pham Minh Chinh, left,
in Hanoi on Tues 18
Mar 2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Hanoi, March 20: Prime Minister
Pham Minh Chính said that
Vietnam will fast-track the proposed
US$1.5 billion The Trump Organisation
project, at a reception for the
director of The Trump Organisation
project including an Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) multi-functional
complex in Hung Yen Province on
Phu Quoc Island, saying ''Vietnam
will ensure legal compliance and
protection of all stakeholders,''
reports the Vietnam News.
Charles James Boyd Bowman, director
of The Trump Organisation project
in Vietnam's northern province of
Hung Yen on Phu Quoc Island, said
''the proposed joint venture project
between Vietnam's Develop Group
Joint Stock Company (JSC) and the
International Data Group (IDG) Capital
that represents The Trump Organisation,
privately owned by Donald Trump,
who was inaugurated 47th president
of the United States on January
20, 2025, aims to deliver a hi-end
urban, eco-tourism, sport, and a
premium golf complex in Vietnam.
Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh
Chính said that 'Vietnamese
agencies will fast-track The Trump
Organisation Vietnam project, saying
''Vietnam will ensure legal compliance
and protection of all stakeholders.
''Vietnam’s ongoing administrative
reforms aimed at speeding up decision-making
with a focus on efficiency, innovation,
and measurable results,'' he said.
Charles James Boyd Bowman General
Director of The Trump Organisation
project in Vietnam said that The
Trump Organisation has received
strong support from Vietnamese ministries
and sectors in Hung Yen province,
saying ''The Trump Organisation
project is targeted for completion
for the March 2027 Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic
Leaders’ Meeting in Hung Yen
Province on Phu Quoc Island.
''The Trump Organisation project
in Vietnam includes the development
of a world-class golfing destination,''
he said.
On October 8, 2024 Vietnam's Develop
Group Joint Stock Company (JSC)
and the International Data Group
(IDG) Capital that represents United
States The Trump Organisation privately
owned by Donald Trump signed a memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) in New York
to jointly develop hi-end urban,
eco-tourism, sport, and a premium
54-hole golf course complex in Hung
Yen Province on Phu Quoc Island.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Newly
elected US Democrat
congressman sponsors
Vietnam journalist
release from prison
of
|
|
 |
| Vietnam
Journalists Nguyen Tuong
Thuy, left, Nguyen Tuong
Thuy, centre, Le Huu
Minh Tuan, right, sentence
to prison at People's
Court in Ho Chi Minh
city on Tuesday January
5, 2021 |
|
From
News Reports:
Hanoi, March 19: Newly elected US
Democrat congressman, Derek Tran,
representative for California, agreed
to sponsor the release of Vietnamese
Le Huu Minh Tuan, 35, a founding
member of the Independent Journalists
Association of Vietnam (IJAV), from
prison in Vietnam through the Defending
Freedoms Project (DFP), reports
The Vietnamese.
Vietnam journalist, Le Huu Minh
Tuan, 35, was arrested in Vietnam
on June 12, 2020, and sentenced
to 11 years in prison by the People's
Court in Ho Chi Minh city for
reporting the mass pro-democracy
student protests in Hong Kong.
He was reportedly held in solitary
confinement for five months and
denied legal representation and
family visits.
He was sentenced to prison on
January 5, 2021 together with
Vietnam journalist Pham Chi Dung,
58, and journalist Nguyen Tuong
Thuy, 73, under Article 117 of
Vietnam's Penal Code, that criminalises
making, storing, distributing
or disseminating information,
documents and items against the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Vietnamese journalist Pham Chi
Dung, 58, who was arrested in
November 2019 was sentented to
prison for 15 years for signing
a joint letter that was published
in Voice of America urging the
European Union to delay the approval
of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement
until Vietnam improved its human
rights record.
He was also involved in anti-China
demonstrations and in campaigns
in support of human rights.
Former Vietnam army veteran, journalist
Nguyen Tuong Thuy, 73, who was
arrested in May 2020 for assisting
political prisoners and land rights
protesters, was sentenced to 11
years in prison by the People's
Court in Ho Chi Minh city.
He reportedly smashed his mobile
phone on the floor rather than reveal
the password to the Vietnam People's
Public Security.
The three imprisoned Vietnam journalists
who were founding members of the
the Independent Journalists Association
of Vietnam (IJVAN) were charged
under Article 117 of the revised
2018 Criminal Code that criminalises
making, storing, distributing
or disseminating information,
documents and items against the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Newly elected US Democrat Congressman,
Derek Tran, representing California's
45th district agreed to sponsor
the release of Le Huu Minh Tuan,
35, through the Defending Freedoms
Project.
DFP aims to increase attention
to human rights abuses by encouraging
Members of Congress to advocate
on behalf of prisoners of conscience.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
US
calls on Vietnam to
improve trade balance
and a stronger solution
to open market economy
under US Tariff Law
|
|
%20Vietnam%20Nguyen%20Hong%20Dien%20%20Washington%20Thurs%2013%20Mar%202025.jpg) |
| US
Trade Representative
(USTR) Jamieson L. Greer,
left, and Vietnam Minister
of Industry and Trade
Nguyen Hong Dien, right,
in Washington D.C. on
Thursday March 13, 2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Washington, March 18: US Trade Representative
(USTR), Jamieson L. Greer told the
Vietnam Minister of Industry and
Trade ''to improve the trade balance
with the United States and have
stronger solutions to open up its
market economy,'' with Vietnam Minister
of Industry and Trade reiterating
Vietnam’s request to be recognized
as a market economy under the US
Tariff Law, reports Reuters.
''Vietnam must have stronger solutions
to open up its market economy and
improve the trade balance with the
United States,'' said US Trade Representative
(USTR) Jamieson L. Greer in Washington
D.C. on Wednesday.
''The US ran a US$123.5 billion
trade deficit with Vietnam in 2024,
the third highest deficit after
China and Mexico,'' he said.
Vietnam Minister of Industry and
Trade, Nguyen Hong Dien, said that
the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam's
one party state, the Communist Party
of Vietnam (CPV) ''is implementing
various solutions to boost trade
and investment ties with the United
States'' and reiterated Vietnam's
request to be recognised as a market
economy.
''US recognition of Vietnam as a
market economy would support Vietnam's
exports to enter the United States,''
he said.
On August 3, 2024 the US Department
of Commerce rejected the Vietnam
request to be designated a market
economy under the US Tariff Law
following the Vietnam Minister of
Industry and Trade, Nguyen Hong
Dien's, request ''to consider the
removal of Vietnam from the list
of countries with non-market economies.''
Vietnam is on the list of 12 nations
identified by the US Department
of Commerce as non-market economies
including China and Russia that
reportedly have a strong state intervention
in their economies.
The US has labelled Vietnam a non-market
economy since 2002 due to state
interventions in trade, pricing
and currency, the EU has also designating
Vietnam a non-market economy.
On May 7, 2024 Human Rights Watch
(HRW) Southeast Asia, advocacy director,
John Sifton, said at the UN Human
Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland,
that ''Human Rights Watch (HRW)
takes no position on Vietnam's economic
status but the redesignation of
Vietnam to a market economy under
the US Tariff Law is legally contingent
on basic labor rights protections
and the US stated policy on promoting
labor rights.''
''Vietnam’s claims to respect
labor rights relies on empty words
and promises, laws and regulations
that have no connection to the realities
of the county’s actual labor
rights situation,'' he said.
He said that the Vietnam government
continues to call the government-led
Vietnam General Confederation of
Labor (VGCL) a labor confederation
of enterprise-level labor federations
but the VGGL is led by the Communist
Party of Vietnam (CPV) appointees.
''The unions and federations that
exist under the VGCL are almost
all led by people appointed by management
at the enterprise level,'' he said.
He said that workers or labor leaders
do not choose leaders or representatives
who can bargain to set wages on
their behalf, saying ''Communist
Party of Vietnam (CPV)-led Vietnam
General Confederation of Labor (VGCL)
bargains with management or at the
state-wide level in the interests
of the government and the Vietnamese
Communist Party, not on behalf of
workers and in a representative
capacity.''
''State control of the Vietnam General
Confederation of Labor (VGCL) is
demonstrated by Directive 24 issued
by the Communist Party of Vietnam
that orders enhanced scrutiny of
labor groups, civil society, and
foreign organizations, specifically
in the context of Vietnam’s
implementation of new trade agreements
with other countries and with the
International Labour Organization
(ILO).
Directive 24 reportedly ''shares
a striking similarity with Document
9, a Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
directive introduced in April 2013
that enumerated a list of seven
trends and activities that according
to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
posed a threat to the party.''
China's Document 9 reportedly made
it clear that ''the one party-state
would exert control over all expression
in the country and limit the ability
of civil society in China to operate.''
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
US
imposes visa restrictions
on Thailand officials
involved in deportation
of Uyghurs assylum
seekers to China
|
|
 |
| China
Southern Airlines arrives
in Kashgar, Xinjiang
Uyghur Autonomous Region,
China with the Public
Security Ministry (MPS)
of China confirming
that, ''40 Chinese nationals
who illegally left the
country and were detained
in Thailand were returned
to China'' on Thursday
February 27, 2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Bangkok, March 17: United States
Secretary of State, Marco Rubio,
said on Friday that he was "immediately
moving to impose visa restrictions
on Thailand officials involved
in the forced deportation of 45
male Uyghurs assylum seekers from
Thailand to China on February
27, after detention in Thailand
for two decades, with the Foreign
Affairs of the People's Republic
of China, condemning the United
States visa restrictions ''as
meddling in China's internal affairs
under the guise of human rights,''
reports Reuters.
Foreign Affairs of the People's
Republic of China, Lin Jian, condemned
the United States imposition of
visa restrictions on officials
as ''hypocritical meddling in
China's internal affairs under
the guise of human rights,'' saying
''the United States visa restrictions
aims to undermine legitimate law
enforcement cooperation between
China and Thailand.''
The Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the
United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) condemned
Thailand for the deportation of
45 male Uyghurs assylum seekers
to China, saying ''Thailand's
deportation of the Uyghurs is
a serious violation of international
law and the fundamental principle
of non-refoulement.''
OHCHR, High Commissioner, Volker
Turk, said the forced return of
the Uyghurs from Thailand to China
''is completely prohibited in
cases where there is a real risk
of torture, ill-treatment or other
irreparable harm on their return.''
''The right to seek asylum and
of non-refoulement are enshrined
in Article 13 of Thailand’s
Prevention and Suppression of
Torture and Enforced Disappearance
Act, and Article 16 of the ASEAN
Human Rights Declaration,'' he
said.
The 45 male Uyghurs assylum seekers
deported from Thailand on February
27 were among 300 Uyghurs who
were apprehended by Thailand authorities
on 13 March 2014 after the Uyghurs
fled China’s Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region.
Thailand Defence Minister and
Deputy Premier, Phumtham Wechayachai,
said that the deportation of the
remainder of the 300 Uyghurs held
in detention in Thailand ''is
done out of the goodwill of the
Thailand government and not ill
intent,'' saying ''it is a good
thing to get them out of detention
so they can return to their normal
lives with relatives, husbands,
wives and children."
He said that the Uyghurs returned
to China voluntarily, saying ''Thailand
had been assured by China they
would be cared for and not mistreated.''
United States Secretary of State,
Marco Rubio, issued a security
alert for United States citizens
in Thailand after the deportation
of the 45 male Uyghurs assylum
seekers from Thailand to China
on February 27, saying ''similar
deportations have prompted violent
retaliatory attacks in Thailand
in the past.''
The United States Embassy in Bangkok
states that ''violent retaliatory
attacks occurred in Thailand in
July 2015 in the wake of the deportation
of 109 Uyghurs from Thailand to
China,'' saying that explosive
devices were detonated at the
Erawan Shrine in Bangkok.''
''Improvised devices were detonated
at the Erawan Shrine that is heavily
visited by tourists from China
killing 20 and injuring 125,''
said the United States Embassy
in Bangkok.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Lawyer
for former Philippines
President Rodrigo
Duterte accuses ICC
of abduction of the
former President
|
|
 |
| Lawyer
Salvador Medialdea foreground
and former Philippine
president Rodrigo Duterte
on video background
in the courtroom of
the International Criminal
Court (ICC) in The Hague,
Netherlands, on Friday
March 14, 2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Manila, March 16: Former Philippines
President Rodrigo Duterte who was
arrested on a International Criminal
Court (ICC) warrant in the Phillipines
on Wednesday appeared via video
link before the International Criminal
Court (ICC) in The Hague on Friday,
charged with crimes against humanity
committed during the war on drugs
campaign that allegedly killed thousands
of Filipinos, with his lawyer claiming
that the former Philippines President
Rodrigo Duterte was abducted from
his country and is too ill to give
evidence, reports the Philippine
Inquirer.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte
faced the International Criminal
Court (ICC) in an initial hearing
via video link from a Criminal Court
(ICC) detention facility, saying
that he ''is aware of the charges
brought against him by International
Criminal Court (ICC) in relation
to his war on drugs campaign.''
Lawyer, Salvador Medialdea, who
accompanied former President Rodrigo
Duterte on the flight from Manila
to the Hague in the Netherlands
on Wednesday, told the International
Criminal Court (ICC) that ''the
former Philippine leader was abducted
from his country and is too ill
to give evidence.''
''To us lawyers, this would be called
an extrajudicial rendition. To the
less legally inclined, it was a
pure and simple kidnapping,'' he
said.
He told the International Criminal
Court (ICC) that his client, former
President Rodrigo Duterte, was denied
all access to legal recourse in
the country of his citizenship,
saying ''yet my client sat in transit
in that country for more than five
hours.''
Lawyer, Salvador Medialdea, said
that it was not until Friday morning,
on President Rodrigo Duterte's third
day in The Hague, that he was able
to discuss legal issues with his
client.
''I have not been able to present
former President Rodrigo Duterte
with a copy of the arrest warrant
because we were not supplied with
such,'' he told the International
Criminal Court (ICC).
''I have not been able to explain
to my client what the prosecution
requested when seeking the issuance
of the arrest warrant,” he
told the International Criminal
Court (ICC).
On 10 February 2025, the Office
of the Prosecutor of the International
Criminal Court (ICC) applied for
an arrest warrant against former
President Rodrigo Duterte for the
crimes against humanity of murder,
torture and rape.
Judges Reine Alapini-Gansou, Iulia
Antoanella Motoc and Socorro Flores
Liera of the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber
1 assessed the material submitted
by the Prosecution and found reasonable
grounds to believe that former President
Rodrigo Duterte is individually
responsible as an indirect co-perpetrator
for the crime against humanity of
murder, allegedly committed in the
Philippines between 1 November 2011
and 16 March 2019.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte
withdrew the Philippines. a State
Party to the International Criminal
Court (ICC) Statute on March 17,
2019, a year after International
Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor,
Fatou Bensouda, announced the opening
of a preliminary examination in
the Philippines into alleged crimes
against humanity committed during
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's
"war on drugs" campaign.
The International Criminal Court
(ICC) retains jurisdiction over
crime allegedly committed in the
Philipines while the Philippines
was a State Party to The International
Criminal Court (ICC) Statute, with
International Criminal Court (ICC)
chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda,
said that she has determined that
there is reasonable basis to believe
that crimes against humanity had
been committed in the Philippines
between 1 July 2016 and 16 March
2019.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
'BRICS
is dead'' says US
President Trump at
prospect of BRICS
currency over US Dollar
|
|
 |
| ASEAN
member countries Thailand,
Indonesia, Malaysia
and Vietnam were among
13 nations named as
a new partner country
by Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa
(BRICS) at the BRICS
Summit held in Kazan,
Russia October 22-October
24. 2024 |
|
From
News Reports:
Kuala Lumpur, March 15: Malaysia,
Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) chair for 2025,
said the U.S. threat of a 100
percent tariff on Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa
(BRICS), that from January 1,
2025 added Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba,
Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Uganda, Uzbekistan,
and ASEAN member nations, Malaysia,
Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam
as a "BRICS Partner Country,"
would not effect Malaysia, after
United States President Donald
Trump declared 'BRICS is dead
at the prospect of a BRICS currency,
reports the Star.
Malaysia Deputy Investment, Trade
and Industry (MITI) Minister,
Liew Chin Tong, said in the Malaysian
Parliament on Thursday ''the potential
threat of a 100 percent tariff
by U.S. President Donald Trump
is technically not directed at
Malaysia at this time,'' saying
''Malaysia is not yet a full member
of BRICS.''
He said that Malaysia could remain
unaffected by tariff imposition
targeting BRICS nations if the
tariffs are applied specifically
to member states, saying ''Malaysia’s
partnership status with BRICS
does not subject Malaysia to Trump’s
threat of tariffs.''
''Malaysia's economy continues
to be closely tied to the United
States currency,'' he said.
In October 2024 Malaysia Minister
for Economics, Rafizi Ramli, said
at the BRICS Summit held in Kazan,
Russia in October 22-October 24.
2024, ''we see tremendous synergies
between ASEAN and BRICS.''
He said that barriers to obtaining
development finances and a growing
global debt as reasons for joining
the intergovernmental grouping
BRICS, saying ''for Malaysia,
BRICS is not just a rejection
of these constraints, but it is
also a solution.''
''Malaysia’s decision to
join BRICS was not meant to reject
American currency but instead
aimed at reducing the risk of
Malaysian ringgit instability,''
he said.
United States President Donald
Trump declared 'BRICS is dead,
at the prospect of BRICS establishing
its own currency,
saying "there is no chance
that BRICS will replace the U.S.
Dollar in International Trade,
or anywhere else, and any country
that tries should say hello to
tariffs, and goodbye to America!''
''We are going to require a commitment
from these seemingly hostile Countries
that they will neither create
a new BRICS Currency, nor back
any other Currency to replace
the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they
will face 100 percent Tariffs,"
he said.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Malaysia
not planning to follow
US policy on deporting
10,000 illegal immigrants
since January
|
|
 |
|
Malaysia Deputy Home
Affairs Minister Shamsul
Anuar Nasarah at the
Malaysian Parliament
in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday
March 12, 2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Kuala Lumpur, March 14: The Malaysia
Ministry of Home Affairs is not
planning to follow the United
States policy of deporting illegal
immigrants to their countries
of origin as a new policy to stem
the influx of about 10,000 foreigners
into Malaysia since January, said
Deputy Home Affairs Minister Shamsul
Anuar Nasarah in a question and
answer session in the Malaysian
Parliament on Wednesday, reports
Star.
Senator Azahar Hassan asked the
Parliament whether the Malaysia
Ministry of Home Affairs planned
to follow the United States policy
of deporting illegal immigrants
to their countries of origin as
''a new, tougher policy to ensure
that the issue of overflowing
foreigners in Malaysia can be
resolved.''
Senator Azahar Hassan also asked
the Malaysia Ministry of Home
Affairs for the number of illegal
immigrants detained this year
and the number of illegal migrants
deported to their countries of
origin.
Deputy Home Affairs Minister Datuk
Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said
in reply that ''the Immigration
Department had carried out more
than 2,679 enforcement operations
involving the arrest of 9,904
illegal immigrants from January
1 to March 10 this year.
He said that the arrests of 9,904
illegal immigrants involved foreigners
from various countries, including
348 employers for various immigration
offences under the Immigration
Act 1959/63 and Immigration Regulations.
''The total number of deportations
from Immigration depots was 9,199
illegal immigrants from January
1 to March 10 this year,'' he
said.
Deputy Home Affairs Minister Datuk
Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said
the Malaysia Ministry of Home
Affairs is not planning to follow
the United States policy of deporting
illegal immigrants to their countries
of origin as a new policy, saying
''the Malaysian parliament is
constantly improving procedures
for controlling and enforcing
the immigration regulations to
control the presence of illegal
immigrants in Malaysia.
''Among the improvements that
this ministry is currently implementing
together with its agencies include
control before entry into Malaysia
and the use of technology in controlling
the Malaysia's entry points,''
he said.
''Malaysia Ministry of Home Affairs
is also implementing control on
the presence of illegal immigrants
in the country with enforcement
operations,” he said.
On February 19, United States
President Donald Trump signed
an Executive Order to ensure taxpayer
resources are not used to incentivize
or support illegal immigration.
The Order directs Federal departments
and agencies to identify all federally
funded programs currently providing
financial benefits to illegal
aliens and take corrective action.
Under the Personal Responsibility
and Work Opportunity Reconciliation
Act of 1996 (PRWORA), illegal
aliens are generally barred from
welfare programs.
''But if they’re granted
parole, they are classified as
qualified aliens and become eligible
for various welfare programs on
a sliding scale, with full eligibility
granted within five years,'' states
the Executive Order.
The Executive Order states that
the Center for Immigration Studies
(CIS), providing welfare to one
million illegal aliens could cost
American taxpayers an additional
$3 billion annually, with ''the
U.S. House Homeland Security Committee
estimating that taxpayers could
pay as much as $451 billion to
care for illegal aliens and gotaways
that have entered the United States
unlawfully since January 2021.''
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Former
Philippine President
Duterte arrested on
International Criminal
Court warrant for
alleged war on drugs
killings
|
|
 |
|
Former
President Rodrigo Duterte
at Villamor Air Base
in Pasay City after
his arrest at Ninoy
Aquino International
Airport, Manila on Tues
11 March 2025 |
|
From News Reports:
Manila, 13 March: Former Philippines
President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested
in Manila on Tuesday on a warrant
issued by the International Criminal
Court (ICC) in The Hague for crimes
against humanity allegedly committed
during former Philippines President
Rodrigo Duterte's ''war on drugs''
that killed thousands of Filipinos,
with lawyer for former Philippines
President Rodrigo Duterte saying
''the arrest was unlawful,' reports
the Philippine Inquirer.
Former Philippines President Rodrigo
Duterte was arrested at the Ninoy
Aquino International Airport on
his return from Hong Kong by the
International Criminal Police Organization
(Interpol), with the Philippine
National Police (PNP) assisting
Interpol in serving the arrest warrant
issued by International Criminal
Court (ICC) in The Hague.
Lawyer, Salvador Panelo said the
arrest of former Philippine President
Rodrigo Duterte by the International
Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
in Manila on an arrest warrant issued
by International Criminal Court
(ICC) was unlawful, saying ''the
Philippines withdrew from the International
Criminal Court (ICC) while former
President Rodrigo Duterte was in
office.''
''The International Criminal Court
(ICC) has no jurisdiction over the
Philippines'' he said.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte
withdrew Philippine membership from
the International Criminal Court
(ICC) on March 17, 2019, a year
after International Criminal Court
(ICC) prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda,
announced the opening of a preliminary
examination of the Philippines that
would look into alleged crimes against
humanity committed during Philippine
President Rodrigo Duterte's "war
on drugs" campaign.
In March 2018 International Criminal
Court (ICC) chief prosecutor, Fatou
Bensouda, said that she has determined
that there is reasonable basis to
believe that crimes against humanity
had been committed in the Philippines
between 1 July 2016 and 16 March
2019, saying "a preliminary
examination suggests that vigilante-style
killings were perpetrated by Philippine
National Police (PNP) officers themselves,
or other private individuals hired
by authorities, leading to a death
toll of between 12,000 to 30,000
civilians," she said.
She said that extrajudicial killings
perpetrated across the Philippines
appear to have been committed pursuant
to an official State policy of the
Philippine government, saying "
police and other government officials
planned, ordered, and sometimes
directly perpetrated extrajudicial
killings."
On November 24, 2023 President Ferdinand
Marcos Jr. said after the House
of Representatives Resolution reinforced
the International Criminal Court
(ICC) jurisdiction to investigate
crimes against humanity allegedly
committed during the former President
Rodrigo Duterte ''war on drugs'',
saying ''the Philippines was considering
proposals to resume membership of
the International Criminal Court
(ICC),''
He said that the Philippines considered
the International Criminal Court
(ICC) in the Hague jurisdiction
over the Philippines to be interference,
saying "problems in terms of
jurisdiction and sovereignty remained,"
he said.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
US
doubts willingness
to defend NATO allies:
NATO proposes to open
NATO office in Japan
|
|
 |
| Japan
Prime Minister Shigeru
Ishiba, left, and US
President Donald Trump,
right, reaffirmed that
''the U.S.-Japan Alliance
of Mutual Cooperation
and Security remains
the cornerstone of peace,
security and prosperity
in the Indo-Pacific
and beyond,'' at the
White House, Washington
on Friday February 7,
2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Washington, March 12: United States
President, Donald Trump, doubts
willingness to defend North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) allies,
saying he would not do so if they
are not paying enough for their
own defence, saying "If they
don't pay, I'm not going to defend
them,'' after the 2023 NATO proposal
to open a NATO office in Japan in
the Indo-Pacific, reports Reuters.
United States, Donald Trump, said
he has been of the view that NATO
allies were not paying for their
own defence for years, saying he
had shared this view with NATO allies
during his 2017-2021 presidential
term. Those efforts prompted more
spending from other members of the
75-year-old transatlantic alliance,
he said, but "even now, it's
not enough."
"They should be paying more."
The United States and Japan reaffirmed
the United States-Japan Alliance
of Mutual Cooperation and Security
at an official meeting in Washington
last month committing to Japan's
defence under the U.S.-Japan Security
Treaty of 1960, with United States
President Donald Trump saying, ''We
have an interesting deal with Japan.''
''We have to protect Japan but they
don't have to protect us.'' said
President Donald Trump.
United States President Donald Trump
and Japan Prime Minister Ishiba
Shigeru affirmed their shared bilateral
security and defense cooperation
under the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual
Cooperation and Security, saying
''the U.S.-Japan Alliance remains
the cornerstone of peace, security
and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific
and beyond.''
In May 2023 then Japan Prime Minister,
Fumio Kishida, and North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) secretary
general Jens Stoltenberg, claimed
that the opening of the first
NATO office in Tokyo for the Indo
Pacific in 2024 "would enable
consultations with Japan and partners,
South Korea, Australia and New
Zealand" with China saying
then "the planned NATO office
in Japan for the Indo-Pacific
is a dangerous sign.''
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Mao Ning said then ''a NATO office
in Tokyo is a dangerous sign,"
saying "the violent multilateral
organisation NATO will take its
first aggressive step in the Indo-Pacific,
actively pushed by Japan."
"NATO's continued eastward
expansion into the Indo-Pacific
and interference in regional affairs
and push for bloc confrontation
will undermine regional peace
and stability " she said
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Mao Ning said that ''a military
alliance including the US, European
countries and Japan could be formed
to target China.''
Japan Foreign Minister Hayashi
,Yoshimasa Hayashi, said then
that Tokyo welcomes the increased
involvement of NATO member states
in the Indo-Pacific region, saying
"China has become increasingly
assertive militarily."
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Myanmar
Muslim Rohingya refugees
in Indonesia without
USAID since Wednesday
|
|
 |
| Rohingya
refugees in, Aceh province,
Sumatra, Indonesia,
on Monday January 6
2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Jakarta, March 11: The United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
migration agency has stopped aid
to thousands of Muslim Rohingya
refugees in Aceh Province and Riau
Province in Sumatra, Indonesia after
US Agency for International Development
(USAID) was stopped worldwide for
90 days on January 20, with International
Organization for Migration (IOM)
saying '' IOM would be unable to
provide assistance to Rohingya refugees
in Indonesia from March 5,'' reports
Antara.
International Organization for Migration
(IOM) that is a recipient of funding
from United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) for humanitarian
assistance to refugees and other
vulnerable populations, including
migrants, said in a statement on
February 28 that ''IOM was complying
with all legal orders.''
International Organization for Migration
(IOM) said it would be unable to
provide healthcare and cash assistance
to Rohingya refugees in Aceh Province
and Riau Province from March 5.
The United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that
about 28,000 Muslim Rohingya have
arrived by boat to Aceh Province
and Riau Province in Sumatra from
January 2023 to October 2024, saying
''about the same number had arrived
in Indonesia over the previous eight
years combined.''
Rohingya refugee in Riau Province,
Sumatra, Indonesia, Abdu Rahman,
said that Rohingya refugees in Riau
Province are dependant on cash assistance,
saying ''the Rohingya refugees don't
have daily cash assistance for their
survival.''
''The Rohingya can't eat,'' he said.
''The Rohingya are not allowed to
work,'' he said.
The National Refugee Task Force
administrator, Hadi Sanjoyo, said
that officials planned to talk to
local non-profit organisations about
how to handle the situation, saying
he was concerned about the potential
for unrest between Rohingya refugees
and locals.
"They're our brothers and sisters
too," he said.
In September 2017 Indonesia proposed
that the Riau Islands accommodate
Rohingya Muslim refugees after the
exudus of thousands of Rohingya
Muslims across the Myanmar border
to Bangladesh following Myanmar's
retaliation to the assualt by the
Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)
on Myanmar police outposts and military
bases in northern Rakhine state
on August 25, 2017.
The Myanmar government then led
by National League for Democracy
(NLD), State Counsellor, Aung San
Suu Kyi and President Htin Kyaw,
called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation
Army (ARSA) ''extremist terrorists'.
Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs
said that the Arakan Rohingya Salvation
Army (ARSA) had aimed to "undermine
the efforts of the government to
find a lasting solution.
The United Nations the urged the
National League for Democracy (NLD)
party leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and
the ASEAN community to take action
against the alleged ongoing abusive
military action against the "Rohingyas"
or "Bengalis".
Party leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose
party won about 97 per cent of Yangon
Region seats in the November 2015
General elections, was subject to
the conditions of the Solidarity
and Development Party (USDP) military-drafted
Myanmar constitution.
The Myanmar constitution allows
for the allocation of 25 percent
of Parliamentary seats in both houses
to unelected military officers.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
USAID
freeze opens opportunity
for Indonesia to be
donor nation
|
|
 |
| Director
General of Nature Resources
and Ecosystem Conservation
Ministry of Forestry
Prof. Dr. Satyawan Pudyatmoko,
S.Hut., M.Sc., left,
Mission Director USAID
Indonesia Jeff Cohen,
centre, and Lecturer
of Biology and Institute
for Sustainable Earth
and Resources FMIPA
Universitas Indonesia
Prof. Jatna Supriatna,
Ph.D. right, at the
opening of Orangutan
Symposium and Workshop:
Incentivizing Orangutan
Conservation Efforts
in Indonesia on Thursday
December 12, 2024 |
|
From
News Reports:
Jakarta, March 10: Indonesia's Ministry
of Foreign Affairs says that the
freeze on US Agency for International
Development (USAID) ''opens up an
opportunity for Indonesia to transition
from being an aid recipient to becoming
a donor nation,'' , reports Antara.
U.S. President Donald Trump paused
US Agency for International Development
(USAID) worldwide for 90 days in
'Reevaluating and realigning United
States foreign aid' in an Executive
Order on January 20, saying ''It
is the policy of United States that
no further United States foreign
assistance shall be disbursed in
a manner that is not fully aligned
with the foreign policy of the President
of the United States.''
Indonesia Ministry of Foreign
Affairs spokesperson, Rolliansyah
Soemirat, said on Thursday that
the transition from being an aid
recipient to becoming a donor
nation ''is in line with Indonesia’s
aspiration.''
''Indonesia is currently in a
transitional phase from being
a country that has often been
in the 'corridor' as a recipient
country to becoming a donor country,"
he said.
He said that Indonesia is a G20
member country, saying ''Indonesia
boasts a rapidly growing economy
expected to strengthen further
over the coming years.''
''Indonesia will continue to strive
to align this potential with its
foreign economic policy stance,''
he said.
''The Indonesian government always
places foreign aid from any country
as a complement and not the main
source for funding of the program,''
he said.
''The main source of funding for
priority programs in Indonesia
comes from the state budget,''
he said.
The US Agency for International
Development (USAID) allocated
US $153 million in 2023 to support
projects across various sectors.
In May 2022 the then U.S. President
Joe Biden administration committed
$150 million in funding to the
Association of South East Asian
Nations (ASEAN) that includes
Indonesia, under the new Indo-Pacific
Economic Framework (IPEF) trade
pact for infrastructure development
and security with the Deputy Assistant
to the Unite States President
Joe Biden and Coordinator for
Indo-Pacific Affairs on the United
States National Security Council,
Kurt Campbell saying "Washington
remains focused on the Indo-Pacific
and the long-term challenge of
China," saying "We need
to step up our game in Southeast
Asia."
"The Indo-Pacific Economic
Framework (IPEF) commits the United
States to work with partners on
key economic priorities including
ensuring smooth supply chains,
fighting corruption and promoting
green energy," he said.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
US
Senate condemns China
for destruction of
democracy and rule
of law in Hong Kong
|
|
 |
| Pro-Beijing
groups protest at the
US consulate in Hong
Kong over the US State
Department’s Bureau
of East Asian and Pacific
Affairs officials meeting
with Hong Kong political
activists about the
imprisonment of Joshua
Wong, Jimmy Lai, and
Frances Hui in Hong
Kong Saturday February
8, 2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Hong Kong, March 9: The U.S. Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations introduced
a resolution 'Condemning Beijing’s
destruction of Hong Kong’s
democracy and rule of law,' with
the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region (HKSAR) condemning the U.S.
resolution for making baseless allegations
against Hong Kong, urging the U.S.
''to stop undermining Hong Kong's
international reputation, and immediately
stop interfering in Hong Kong matters,
that are purely China's internal
affairs,'
reports Reuters.
U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations chair, Jim Risch and committee
member New Hampshire Senator, Jeanne
Shaheen, introduced the resolution
''Condemning Beijing’s destruction
of Hong Kong’s democracy and
rule of law'' in the U.S. Senate
on February 26, condemning the People's
Republic of China (PRC) for its
destruction of Hong Kong's autonomy.
U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations condemned the People's
Republic of China (PRC) for its
destruction of Hong Kong's autonomy
that the committee claims was
destroyed in the 2020 Basic Law
on Safeguarding National Security
in the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region and the 2024 Article 23
Ordinance on the Basic Law on
Safeguarding National Security
in the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region (HKSAR).
''The 2020 Basic Law on Safeguarding
National Security in the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region and
the 2024 Article 23 Ordinance on
the Basic Law on Safeguarding National
Security in the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR) give
the People's Republic of China (PRC)
sweeping powers to criminalize the
activities of individuals and businesses
and have ultimately stripped away
the basic rights of the people in
Hong Kong,'' claims the resolution.
The new law on Safeguarding National
Security in the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR),
that was adopted by the National
People's Congress in May 22, 2020
in Beijing was passed into legislature
in June 30, 2020 with the director
of the Legislative Affairs Commission
of the National People's Congress
(NPC) Standing Committee, Shen
Chunyao, saying ''the new law
will only target the very few
criminals in Hong Kong that severely
endanger national security."
The new law on Safeguarding National
Security in the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR) was
enforced on the day it was passed
into legislature with thousands
of Hong Kong protesters against
China rule taking to the streets
on July 1, 2020 against the new
rule,
The new rule on Safeguarding National
Security in the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR) allowed
the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF)
to exercise their new powers under
the new legislation on grounds of
national security on the first day,
with arrests and detentions of protesters
for taking part in an illegal assembly
disorderly conduct and possession
of offensive weapons.
In March 19, 2024 the Hong Kong
Legislative Council passed laws
to prohibit treason, secession,
sedition and subversion against
the Central People's Government,
in Article 23 of the Basic Law
on Safeguarding National Security
in the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region (HKSAR) in a unanimous
vote on the 26th anniversay of
the British handover of Hong Kong
to China, with the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR)
Chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu,
66, saying ''the passing of the
bill is overdues by 26 years,
eight months and nine days.''
Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region (HKSAR) Chief executive
John Lee Ka-chiu, 66, was sworn
in as the 6th Chief Executive
of the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region (HKSAR) by the President
of China, Xi Jinping, in Hong
Kong in July 2022.
Article 23 of the Basic Law on
Safeguarding National Security
in the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region (HKSAR) stipulates that
''Hong Kong shall enact laws on
its own to prohibit any act of
treason, secession, sedition,
subversion against the Central
People's Government (CPG), or
theft of state secrets, to prohibit
foreign political organizations
or bodies from conducting political
activities in the HKSAR, and to
prohibit political organizations
or bodies of the HKSAR from establishing
ties with foreign political organizations
or bodies.''
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
US
increases tariffs
on goods from China
and Hong Kong: China
to fight trade war
to bitter end
|
|
 |
| China
Foreign Minister spokesman,
Lin Jian, said ''the
fentanyl issue is a
flimsy excuse to raise
U.S. tariffs on Chinese
imports.'' at a Press
Conference in Beijing
on Tuesday March 4,
2025 |
|
From News Reports:
Washington, March 8: The U.S additional
tariffs on China imports of ten
percent came into effect on Tuesday
after tariffs were imposed on China
imports on February 1 ''To Address
the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain
in the People's Republic of China,''
with China Foreign Minister spokesperson,
saying from Beijing ''China will
fight any trade war to the bitter
end ,'' reports Reuters.
United States President Donald Trump
amended the ''Implementation of
Additional Duties on Products of
the People's Republic of China Pursuant
to the President's February 1, 2025
Executive Order Imposing Duties
To Address the Synthetic Opioid
Supply Chain in the People's Republic
of China, imposing additional 10
percent tariffs on China imports
effective on Tuesday, bringing the
tariff rate for China imports to
20 percent.
China Foreign Minister spokesman,
Lin Jian, announced an additional
ten percent tariff on agricultural
imports from the U.S. in retaliation
to the U.S. increase in tariffs
of China imports, saying ''we advise
the US to put away its bullying
face and return to the right track
of dialogue and co-operation before
it is too late," he said.
He said that China is one of the
biggest importers of U.S. chicken,
beef, pork and soybeans, saying
in retaliation to the U.S. increase
of tariffs on China imports, ''United
States faces 10 to 15 percent increase
in tariffs.''
On Tuesday China's State Council
Information Office (SCIO) released
a white paper titled 'Controlling
Fentanyl-Related Substances –
China's Contribution' that states,
''the sale of fentanyl-related medications
is limited to certain enterprises
and approved channels. Currently,
three national wholesalers –
China National Medicines Corporation
Ltd., Shanghai Pharmaceutical Co.,
Ltd., and Chongqing Pharmaceutical
(Group) Co., Ltd. – as well
as 626 regional wholesalers in 2023
are accredited to engage in the
sale of fentanyl-related medications
in China.''
''To date, no cases of fentanyl-related
medications disappearing in manufacturing
or circulation have been detected
in China.'' the white paper states.
China Foreign Minister spokesman,
Lin Jian, said in response to U.S.
additional tariffs on China imports
and the U.S. announcement on February
1 'To Address the Synthetic Opioid
Supply Chain in the People's Republic
of China,'' ''the fentanyl issue
is a flimsy excuse to raise U.S.
tariffs on Chinese imports.''
''The U.S., not anyone else, is
responsible for the fentanyl?crisis
inside the U.S.'' he said.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
China
orders A1 entrepreneurs
to report travel to
USA to China
External Security
Affairs
|
|
 |
| China
AI startup DeepSeek
founder Liang Wenfeng,
left, and China President,
Xi Jinping, right, in
Beijing Monday March
3, 2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Beijing, March 7: China has instructed
the country's top artificial intelligence
AI entrepreneurs and researchers
to avoid travel to the United States,
with Chinese President, Xi Jinping
urging China's artificial intelligence
AI entrepreneurs and researchers
to ''show their talent and be confident
in the power of China’s model
and market,'' reports Reuters.
China President Xi Jinping instructed
the Department of External Security
Affairs to improve China's overall
security including cybersecurity
and artificial intelligence, instructing
artificial intelligence AI entrepreneurs
and researchers to report their
travel plans to the Department of
External Security Affairs before
leaving China.
''AI entrepreneurs and researchers
are to brief authorities on what
they did and whom they met on their
return to China,'' he said.
China AI startup DeepSeek founder
Liang Wenfeng declined an invitation
to attend an AI summit in Paris
on February 6 to 11, 2025 after
launching A1 models that he claims
surpass United States industry leaders
OpenAI and Alphabet Inc's Google.
China Department of External Security
Affairs claim that artificial intelligence
AI entrepreneurs and researchers
could be detained and used as a
bargaining chip in United States-
China negotiations drawing parallels
to the detention of Meng Wanzhou,
Chief Financial Officer of Huawei
Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei),
in Canada on USA fraud charges.
Meng Wanzhou was held in Canada
on USA fraud charges on December
1, 2018 during the first presidency
of President Donald Trump.
U.S. President Donald Trump revoked
the 'AI Diffusion Rule', that was
effected by former President Joe
Biden in an executive order signed
in 2023, that mandated safety disclosure
from AI companies to the federal
government, reportedly ''marking
a significant shift in the US government's
approach to AI oversight.''
'The 'AI Diffusion Rule', required
companies developing AI systems
that could affect national security,
the economy, public health or safety
to submit safety testing data to
federal authorities before public
release.
These requirements, implemented
under the Defense Production Act,
reportedly ''marked a departure
from the traditionally light-touch
US approach to technology regulation.''
Former President Joe Biden's 'AI
Diffusion Rule' directed federal
agencies to establish safety standards
and address risks related to cybersecurity,
chemical, biological, radiological
and nuclear threats.
The decision to revoke the final
'AI Diffusion Rule' under President
Donald Trump aligns with the 2024
Republican Party platform that pledged
to repeal it, arguing that it hindered
AI innovation.
Microsoft, USA multination technology
conglomerate president and vice
chair, Brad Smith, claims that the
final AI Diffusion Rule drafted
during the former Joe Biden presidency
undermine Donald Trump priorities,
saying ''Trump's administration
priorities to strengthen US A1 leadership
and to reduce the USA near trillion-dollar
trade deficit are undermined by
the AI Diffusion Rule.''
He said that the final AI Diffusion
Rule caps the export of essential
American AI components to many fast-growing
and strategically vital markets,
saying ''If left unchanged, the
A1 Diffusion Rule will become a
gift to China's rapidly expanding
AI sector.''
Bloomberg, Amazon chief Andy Jassy
is also against the final AI Diffusion
Rule saying ''I would say that we
share the concern that the AI Diffusion
Rule has limitation on countries
that are allies of the US,'' saying
''those countries are going to need
more chips.''
''I think if we don't provide the
chips, we're going to basically
give up that business and those
relationships to other countries,
who can provide those chips,"
he said.
The
Southeast Asian Times
| Thailand
shippers call for public-private
strategy to negotiate
tariffs with US |
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| The
Thailand National Shippers’
Council (TNSC) chairman,
Chaichan Charoensuk,
urged a joint public-private
strategy to negotiate
tariff policy with the
US and called for action
on the trade deficit
with China on Tuesday
March 4, 2025 |
|
From
News Reports:
Bangkok, March 6: The Thailand National
Shippers Council (TNSC) warn that
the Thailand government has ignored
calls for private sector involvement
in strategic planning in response
to U.S President Donald Trump's
imposition of trade tariffs on Thailand's
exports to the U.S. with the TNSC
calling for a public-private strategy
to negotiate with the U.S. and to
take action on trade deficit with
China, reports the Bangkok Post.
The Thailand National Shippers’
Council (TNSC) chairman Chaichan
Charoensuk said the Thailand government
is too slow in formulating measures
to address potential trade penalties
from U.S. President Trump.
''I am yet to see any progress
from the Thai government in responding
to the so-called Trump 2.0 policies,''
he said.
He said that the Thai National Shippers’
Council (TNSC) and other private
organisations want the government
to establish a joint public-private
committee to handle trade measures
imposed by the U.S.
''The private sector, including
exporters, possesses detailed
information essential for formulating
strategies to negotiate with the
U.S.,'' he said
He warned that the Thailand government's
slow response could seriously
affect exports to the US and lead
to a decline in export value,
saying ''export value stood at
nearly US$55 billion last year.''
He also called on the Thailand
government to address Thailand's
trade deficit with China, saying
''Thailand faced a deficit of
1.6.trillion baht last year due
to an influx of cheap Chinese
products flooding Thai markets.
The Thailand National Shippers Council
(TNSC) chairman, Chaichan Charoensuk,
also called on the Thailand government
''to carefully consider its plan
to increase agricultural imports
from the U.S.'' saying that ''such
a move could negatively impact Thai
farmers in the long run.''
He said that Thailand had a trade
surplus of 35 billion US dollars
with the US last year, saying
''the strategy of increasing imports
from the U.S. is potentially impractical.
Thailand's Intelligent Research
Consultant (IRC) economic advisor,
Ath Pisalvanich, warned ahead of
U.S. President Donald Trump signature
on executive orders on February
1, designed to increase tariffs
and relocate production to the U.S.,
saying ''two centuries of diplomatic
friendship with the U.S. will not
protect Thailand from the U.S. increased
trade tariffs,'' saying ''Thailand
should aim for partnerships that
attract US investment and integrate
Thailand into the U.S. supply chain.''
Thailand should position itself
as a supply hub for agricultural
product as the U.S. reduces agricultural
imports from China,'' he said.
The
Southeast Asia Times
|
USS
Minnesota submarine
voyage in West Australian
waters coincides with
voyage of Chinese
warships in Australian
waters
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The
Chinese naval presence
off the West Australian
southern coast coincides
with the docking of
the VirginiaV-class
USS Minnesota fast-attack
submarine at the HMAS
Stirling, Fleet Base
West, on Garden Island
on the southern West
Australian coast
|
|
From
News Reports:
Canberra, March 5: The USS Minnesota
fast-attack submarine arrival in
Western Australia coincides with
a flotilla of Chinese naval war
ships in waters off the West Australian
southern coast and the South Australian
coast with Australia's Office of
National Intelligence saying at
a parliamentary committee on Monday
''the Chinese naval flotilla appears
designed to be provocative,'' reports
Reuters.
Australia's Office of National Intelligence
director-general, Andrew Shearer,
said ''the flotilla that conducted
live-fire drills last week in the
Tasman sea between Australia and
New Zealand appears designed to
be provocative.''
He said that ''the National Intelligence
Community has been providing 24/7
support to government and to the
Australian Defence Force's robust
response to the passage of a Chinese
People's Liberation Army naval
task group through waters proximate
to Australia.''
''The Prime Minister, Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister have
made clear publicly that the vessels
are operating in accordance with
international law, albeit short
of the best practice the Australian
Defence Force (ADF) consistently
employs in such circumstances,''
he said.
The Chinese naval presence in waters
off the West Australian southern
coast coincides with the docking
of the VirginiaV-class USS Minnesota
nuclear submarine armed with cruise
missiles and torpedoes at the HMAS
Stirling, Fleet Base West, on Garden
Island on the southern West Australian
coast.
The Australian Defense Force has
reportedly deployed warships and
aircraft to track China's three-ship
flotilla, destroyer CNS Zunyi, frigate
CNS Hengyang, and replenishment
ship CNS Weishanhu, that are operating
305 nautical miles southeast of
the capital city of Perth on the
state of Western Australia.
China's three ship flotilla was
located within Australia's 200-nautical
mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
off Australia's southwest coast
but have remained outside Australia's
territorial waters that extend
12 nautical miles from the Australian
shore.
The United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
states that all countries enjoy
the freedom of navigation in the
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
with Western Australia Premier,
Roger Cook, saying ''Obviously
we are watching the developments
of the Chinese naval presence
with interest.''
He said that the western most state
of Australia hosts some of our most
important and strategic industries,
saying ''Western Australia has demanded
more warships to be stationed on
Australia's west coast.''
China Ambassador to Australia, Xiao
Qian, said ''it is normal for China
to flex naval muscle near the Australian
coast,'' saying ''Australia is a
major power in the region.''
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
US
Executive Order designates
English as official
language of USA
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President
Donald Trump signs
Executive Order designating
English as the official
language of the United
States of America
(USA) on Saturday
March 1, 2025
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From
News Reports:
Washington, March 4: U.S. President
Donald Trump designated English
as the official language of the
United States of America (USA) in
an Executive Order on Saturday,
reports Reuters.
United States President Donald Trump
said in the Executive Order that
''the United States is strengthened
by a citizenry that can freely exchange
ideas in one shared language,''
''Our Nation’s historic governing
documents, including the Declaration
of Independence and the Constitution,
have all been written in English,''
said the Executive Order.
''A nationally designated language
is at the core of a unified and
cohesive society, and the United
States is strengthened by a citizenry
that can freely exchange ideas in
one shared language,'' said the
Executive Order.
The Executive Order signed by U.S.
President Donald Trump on March
1, 2025 that designates English
as the official language of the
United States of America revokes
the Executive Order signed by former
President Bill Clinton in August
11, 2000 "Improving Access
to Services for Persons with Limited
English Proficiency."
Former President Bill Clinton's
Executive Order affirmed the federal
governments commitment ''to improve
the accessibility of English language
services and to help ensure full
participation by individuals with
limited English proficiency.''
The Executive Order signed by U.S.
President Donald Trump states that
''nothing in the Executive Order,
requires or directs any change in
the services provided by any agency,''
saying ''agency heads are not required
to amend, remove, or otherwise stop
production of documents, products,
or other services prepared or offered
in languages other than English.''
''To promote unity, cultivate a
shared American culture for all
citizens, ensure consistency in
government operations, and create
a pathway to civic engagement, it
is in America’s best interest
for the Federal Government to designate
one — and only one — official
language,'' states the Executive
Order.
''Accordingly, this order designates
English as the official language
of the United States, says United
States President Donald Trump in
the Executive Order.
The Association of Southeast Asian
Nation (ASEAN) stated that ''The
working language of ASEAN shall
be English,'' in the ASEAN Constitution
in 1967.
On August 8, 1967, the Foreign Ministers
of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore and Thailand signed the
Association of Southeast Asian Nation
(ASEAN) Charter that serves as a
foundation in achieving the ASEAN
Community that now includes Cambodia,
Laos, Myanmar, Brunei, Vietnam and
Timor Leste by providing legal status
and institutional framework for
ASEAN including Article 34 ''Working
Language of ASEAN'' saying ''The
working language of ASEAN shall
be English.''
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
US
Bangkok embassy issues
security alert after
deportation of Uyghur
assylum seekers to
China
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Thailand's
Investigation Division
Immigration Bureau
vans with covered
windows leaving the
Soi Suan Phlu dentention
centre in Bangkok
on Thursday February
27, 2025
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From News Reports:
Bangkok, Monday 3: The United States
Embassy in Bangkok issued a security
alert for United States citizens
in Thailand after the deportation
of 45 Uyghurs assylum seekers to
China on Thursday after detention
in Thailand for two decades, with
the United States embassy saying
in a statement ''Similar deportations
have prompted violent retaliatory
attacks in Thailand in the past,
and US Secretary of State Marco
Rubio condemning Thailand's return
of the Uyghurs to China, saying
''member of the Muslim group have
faced genocide,'' reports the Bangkok
Post.
The United States Embassy in Bangkok
stated that ''violent retaliatory
attacks occurred in Thailand in
July 2015 in the wake of the deportation
of 109 Uyghurs from Thailand to
China,'' saying that explosive
devices were detonated at the
Erawan Shrine in Bangkok.''
''Improvised devices were detonated
at the Erawan Shrine that is heavily
visited by tourists from China killing
20 and injuring 125,'' said the
United States Embassy in Bangkok.
The Uyghurs assylum seekers deported
from Thailand to China on Thursday,
held in detention in Thailand for
two decades, were among 300 Uyghurs
apprehended in Thailand on 13 March
2014 after having fled China’s
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
The Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the
United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) condemned Thailand
for the deportation of 45 Uyghurs
assylum seekers to China, saying
''Thailand's deportation of the
Uyghurs is a serious violation of
international law and the fundamental
principle of non-refoulement.''
OHCHR, High Commissioner, Volker
Turk, said the forced return of
the Uyghurs from Thailand to China
''is completely prohibited in
cases where there is a real risk
of torture, ill-treatment or other
irreparable harm on their return.''
''The right to seek asylum and
of non-refoulement are enshrined
in Article 13 of Thailand’s
Prevention and Suppression of
Torture and Enforced Disappearance
Act, and Article 16 of the ASEAN
Human Rights Declaration,'' he
said.
UNHCR, Assistant High Commissioner
for Protection, Ruvendrini Menikdiwela,
said that the UNHCR had repeatedly
sought access to the detained
Uyghurs in Thailand, saying ''the
UNHCR had also sought assurances
from Thailand that the detained
Uyghurs would not be forcibly
returned to China.''
''UNHCR calls on the Royal Thai
Government to put an end to the
forced return of asylum seekers
from Thailand,'' she said.
The 45 Uyghurs assylum seekers
who were deported on Thursday
are among 300 Uyghurs who were
apprehended by Thailand authorities
on 13 March 2014 after the Uyghurs
fled China’s Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region.
Thailand Defence Minister and
Deputy Premier, Phumtham Wechayachai,
said that Thailand had endured
a torrent of international condemnation
over its deportation of Uyghurs
to China, saying Bangkok embassies
have sent out security alerts.
"Thailand should be commended
for managing this problem,"
he said.
He said that the deportation of
the remainder of the Uyghurs held
in detention in Thailand ''is
done out of the goodwill of the
Thailand government and not ill
intent,'' saying ''it is a good
thing to get them out of detention
so they can return to their normal
lives with relatives, husbands,
wives and children."
He said that the Uyghurs returned
to China voluntarily, saying ''Thailand
had been assured by China they
would be cared for and not mistreated.''
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Hong
Kong condemns US for
disregard of Hong
Kong as separate tariff
territory from China
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Office
of the U.S. Trade
Representative (USTR),
U.S. Trade Representative,
Katherine Chi Tai,
at the White House
in Washington, U.S.,
Tuesday May 14, 2024
|
|
From News Reports:
Hong Kong, March 2: Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR) condemned
the United States for the United
States disregard of Hong Kong's
status as a separate tariff territory
under the Basic Law of the People's
Republic of China after the United
States imposition additional tariffs
on all imports from China and Hong
Kong, with Hong Kong threatening
to complain to the World Trade Organization
(WTO), reports Reuters.
United States President Donald Trump
issued an executive order on February1
imposing an additional 10 percent
tariff on all imports from China
and Hong including low-value packages
from Hong Kong that previously entered
the United States tariff-free, with
Hong Kong saying, "we will
file a complaint to the WTO regarding
this unreasonable arrangement.''
Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region (HKSAR) chief secretary and
Committee for Safeguarding National
Security, secretary general, Eric
Chan Kwok Ki, said that the United
States disregard for Hong Kong's
status as a separate tariff territory
from China ''is absolutely inconsistent
with the WTO rules.''
''The United States has totally
disregarded that Hong Kong is a
separate tariff territory,"
he said.
On July 1, 2020 Hong Kong protesters
stormed the Hong Kong Legislative
Council raising a banner saying
''Hong Kong is not China" in
protest of the Basic Law on Safeguarding
National Security in the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)
that states that the former British
colony that was returned to China
rule in 1997 is an inalienable part
of China.
Deputy Judge Li Chi-ho said then
in sentenced protesters to prison
''aside from the actual damage to
the building, the storming of the
Hong Kong Legislative Council challenges
the Basic Law on Safeguarding National
Security in the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR) that
upholds the Beijing policy ''one
country two systems.''
The United States stipulated that
goods made in Hong Kong for export
to the United States should to be
labelled as made in China, after
the new Basic Law on the Safeguarding
of National Security in the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region
(HKSAR) was imposed on Hong Kong
by the National Peoples Congress
of the People's Republic of China
in Bejing on June 30, 2020.
On January 20, 2025 the Office of
the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR),
U.S. Trade Representative, Katherine
Tai warned that mainland China ''continues
to represent the biggest challenge
to the international trading system''
saying ''China still embraces a
state?directed, non?market approach
to the economy and trade.''
''China's approach to the economy
and trade runs counter to the norms
and principles embodied in the WTO.''
she said.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
China
wants Philippines
to remove
US Typhon missile
system stationed
in Philippines
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Philippines
Chief of Staff of
the Armed Forces of
the Philippines Gen.
Romeo Brawner, Jr.,
centre, at the 5th
Asian Defense and
Security Exhibition
in Manila from 25
to 27 September 2024
|
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From
News Reports:
Manila, March 1: China called on
the Philippines to remove the United
States Typhon mid-range missile
system stationed in the Philippines,
with the Philippines saying ''the
Philippines would consider returning
the Typhon missile to the United
States if China withdraws its claim
of sovereignty over the West Philippine
Sea and ceases harassment of Filipino
vessels and fishers, report the
Philippine Inquirer.
''The Philippines never promised
China that we would withdraw the
United States Typhon missile system,''
said Philippine National Security
Council (NSC) spokesman, Jonathan
Malaya.
China Foreign Ministry spokesman,
Guo Jiakun, claims that the Philippines
has breached its commitment that
the deployment of the United States
Typhon mid-range missile system
was temporary, saying ''the Philippines
pledged that the United States
Typhon missiles system would be
shipped out of the Philippines
after military exercises.''
Philippine National Security Council
(NSC) spokesman, Jonathan Malaya,
said ''the Philippines never made
any commitment to China to return
the Typhon mid-range missile to
the United States.''
''We never made any commitment
to China in this regard,'' he
said.
He said that the Typhon missile
system is stationed in the Philippines
for readiness and interoperability,
saying ''the Philippines have
a mutual defense treaty with the
United States.''
''The Philippine troops have to
be familiar with the weapon systems
of our partners and allies,''
he said.
China Defence Ministry spokesman,
Zhang Xiaogang, accused the Philippines
of introducing the risk of geopolitical
confrontation and arms race in
the region with the deployment
of the United States Typhon mid-range
missile in the Philippines, saying
''the United States Typhon system
is a strategic offensive weapon.''
''The Philippines is siding with
the United States by allowing
the deployment of the Typhon mid-range
missile system,'' he said.
The United States Typhon mid-range
missile system includes Tomahawk
cruise missiles capable of striking
targets in China and Russia from
the Philippines and the SM-6 missiles
that can engage air or sea targets
more than 200 kilometers away
was installed in the Philippines
for annual military exercises
with the United States military
on April 11, 2024.
In July 2016 Judges of the Permanent
Court of Arbitration in the Hague
ruled in favour of the Philippines
against China's claim of "historic
rights" over the South China
Sea.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration
in the Hague decision followed
the Philippine complaint in 2013
that called on the court to intervene
in the Philippine dispute with
China over the right to exploit
natural resources including fish
in the West Philippine Sea.
The Judges of the Permanent Court
of Arbitration in the Hague ruled
in 2016 that China had violated
the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
by invoking "historic rights"
in its claim over the West Phillipine
Sea.
China rejected the Permanent Court
of Arbitration in the Hague ruling
with China Foreign Ministry spokesman,
Lu Kang saying then that "the
Permanent Court of Arbitration
in the Hague has no jurisdiction
on this matter."
"The dispute was not covered
by U.N. Convention on the Law
of the Sea (UNCLOS) because it
was ultimately a matter of sovereignty
not exploitation rights.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
ASEAN
reviews ASEAN core
principles and challenges
in new geopolitical
shift
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Delegates
at the ASEAN Future
Forum 2025, ''Building
a United, Inclusive
and Resilient ASEAN
amidst Global Transformations''
in Hanoi on Tuesday
and Wednesday February
25 and 26, 2025
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From
News Reports:
Hanoi, February 28: A review of
the Association of South East
Asian Nations (ASEAN) core principles
and challenges in the new geopolitical
shift with reference to the ASEAN
Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP)
were addressed at the ASEAN Future
Forum, ''Building a United, Inclusive
and Resilient ASEAN amidst Global
Transformations'' in Hanoi on
Tuesday and Wednesday, reports
Reuters.
The Institute of Strategic and International
Studies (ISIS) of Malaysia chairman
and coordinator of the 2nd ASEAN
Future Forum, Prof., Dr. Mohd Faiz
Abdullah, promoted the importance
of ASEAN-led mechanisms including
the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum that
supports the ASEAN Community Vision
2045 and the ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive
Strategic Partnership (CSEP), saying
the ASEAN-led mechanisms promotes
cooperation, stability and peace
in the region, with Cambodia stressing
the importance of adhering to the
ASEAN Charter and United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS).
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of Foreign Affairs
and International Cooperation, Prak
Sokhonn, said ''ASEAN’s advantage
lies in its ability to navigate
an unstable environment while maintaining
peaceful coexistence and neutrality,'
' he said.
Vietnam Ambassador, former Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs and
former ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting
(SOM) said that ''ASEAN needs to
revitalise cooperation in a more
proactive approach,'' saying ''ASEAN
should increase dialogue with external
partners and expand cooperation
in areas of climate change response,
geopolitical competition, science
- technology and green development.''
''Expanding ASEANS partnership
is important to the region,''
he said.
Timor-Leste President H.E J. Ramos-Horta,
said that the ASEAN Charter principal
of non-interference should be
a golden rule observed by all,
saying ''but non-interference
cannot mean indifference and inaction
in the face of situations of extreme
violence and systematic violation
of human rights in a member state
or in the world at large.''
''Challenges like the South China
Sea overlapping claims and the
ongoing war in Myanmar have tested
these principles,'' he said.
The US-ASEAN Business Council
an advocacy group that fosters
economic growth and trade ties
between the United States and
the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) ten member countries
that is the only U.S.-based organization
enshrined in the ASEAN charter,
cancelled attendance of US-ASEAN
Business Council delegates at
the 2nd ASEAN Future Forum.
Director of the British Foreign
Policy Group, Evie Aspinall, said
the US-ASEAN Business Council cancelled
attendance at the ASEAN Future Forum
in Hanoi on Tuesday and Wednesday,
saying ''overriding feeling here
is that the US has abandoned the
multilateral system, and therefore
multilateralism is dead.''
''The West is increasingly not
seen as credible here and instead
they are prioritising regional
strength to protect themselves,''
she said.
In May 2022 former United States
President Joe Biden launched the
Indo Pacific Economic Framework
(IPEF) for prosperity with ASEAN
member countries Brunei Darussalam,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and
non ASEAN members Australia, Fiji,
India, Japan, the Republic of Korea,
New Zealand with an investment of
US$150 million on infrastructure,
security, pandemic preparedness
and other efforts, with the U.S.
State Department saying that the
new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework
(IPEF) trade pact is aimed at countering
the influence of rival China in
the Indo-Pacific."
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Philippines
calls for more funds
from the U.S. for
modernisation of the
Armed Forces of the
Philippines
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U.S.
President Donald Trump
in his first term
in office January
20, 2017 to January
20, 2021, left, accepts
credentials presented
by Philippine Ambassador
to the U.S. Jose Manuel
Romualdez, left, at
the White House on
Wednesday November
29. 2017 U.S.
President Donald Trump
was inaugurated for
the second term of
his presidency on
Monday, January 20,
2025
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From
News Reports:
Manila, February 26: The Philippines
called for additional military assistance
for the modernisation of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines from the
United States, with Philippine Ambassador
to the United States, saying ''the
Philippines expects to receive more
assistance from the United States
to modernise our Armed Forces of
the Philippines as quickly as possible,''
reports Philippine Inquirer.
Philippine Ambassador to the United
States, Jose Manuel Romualdez, said
the pause on USAID would not affect
the Philippines, saying ''there
will be no major changes for the
Philippines.''
He said the Philippines expects
to modernise the Armed Forces of
the Philippines, saying ''if our
Armed Forces are strong we can truly
be a partner of the United States.''
The Philippines Department of Foreign
Affairs confirmed that the United
States has exempted the Philippines
from the US Agency for International
Development (USAID) 90 day pause,
with spokesperson, Teresita Daza,
saying ''the Philippine government
has been informed of the waiver
issued to a portion of the U.S.
for the Philippines.''
''The Philippines and the United
States remain committed to their
treaty alliance and to efforts to
further strengthen defence cooperation
and interoperability,'' she said.
U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio,
said that ''Washington was eager
to build on the invested and enduring
relationship in the US-Philippine
Alliance,'' at a meeting with Philippines
Foreign Affairs Secretary, Enrique
A. Manalo, after the US Agency for
International Development (USAID)
90 pause was issued by U.S. President
Donald Trump in an executive order
last month.
''Maritime security tensions with
China undermines regional peace
and stability and is inconsistent
with the 1982 United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),
'' he said.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary,
Enrique A. Manalo, said ''both the
Philippines and the US were committed
to working together to further strengthen
economic and security ties.''
''A strong and committed Philippine-US
partnership in various areas will
contribute to a more robust alliance,"
he said.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
US
resumes funding for
removal of Unexloded
Ordinance in Cambodia
after USAID funds
suspended
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An
Explosive Ordnance
Disposal (EOD) team
in Cambodia found
and safely disposes
of a US-made MK-82
aerial bomb in southwest
Kampong Speu provinceon
Thursday February
20, 2025
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|
From News
Reports;
Phnom Penh, February 26: The U.S.
has resumed funding for the removal
of Unexploded Ordinance (UXO)
in Cambodia with funds from the
US Department of State’s
Office of Weapons Removal and
Abatement (PMWRA) after suspension
of U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) funds were
paused for 90 days by U.S. President
Donald Trump in an Execution Order
last month, with Cambodian Mine
Action Center (CMAC), saying ''this
decision has restored demining
efforts for 210 personnel,'' reports
Phnom Penh Post.
''The resumption of funding has
allowed continuation of cooperation
in mine and unexploded ordinance
clearance under existing agreements,''
said Cambodian Mine Action Center
(CMAC) director-general, Heng
Ratana.
He said that at least one Explosive
Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team requested
that Cambodian Mine Action Center
(CMAC) disband after U.S. Agency
for International Development
(USAID) paused funding for the
removal of Unexploded Ordinance
(UXO) on January 20.
He said that two children were
killed in an Unexploded Ordinance
(UXO) explosion of a 66 mm (B-63)
shell in Krahhong village, Ta
Siem commune Svay Leu district,
Siem Reap province on Thursday
February 22 saying ''there was
an accident involving a 66mm (B-63)
shell,''
''An unexplodeded ordinance remnant
from the war resulted in the deaths
of two 2-year-old children, one
died at the scene and the other
in hospital,'' he said.
He said the children Mo Lisa,
female, and Thom Yen, male, both
resided at Kranhong village, Ta
Siem commune, Svay Leu district,
Siem Reap province.
''This tragic landmine accident
occurred during the pause in funding
for the removal of Unexploded
Ordinance (UXO),'' said Cambodian
Mine Action Center (CMAC) director-general,
Heng Ratana.
Cambodian Mine Action and Victim
Assistance Authority (CMAC) Vice
President Ly Thuch said ''the
resumption of US Department of
State’s Office of Weapons
Removal and Abatement (PMWRA)
funding for the removal of Unexploded
Ordinance (UXO) provides much-needed
support for Cambodia’s ongoing
demining efforts.
''Cambodian Mine Action and Victim
Assistance Authority (CMAC) plays
a crucial role in clearing explosive
remnants of war (ERW),'' he said.
''The US Department of State has
informed the Cambodian Embassy
in the U.S. that 'the U.S. will
continue to support
demining in Cambodia without any
halt in the future,'' he said.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Philippines
launch comic book
to counter China's
territorial claim
over South China Sea
|
|
 |
|
Philippines
launch 40-page comic
book titled ''The
Stories of Teacher
Jun" to counter
China's territorial
claim over the South
China Sea in Manila
Friday January 24,
2025
|
|
From News Reports:
Manila, February 25: The Philippines
launched ''The Stories of Teacher
Jun", a comic book ''to counter
China's deceptive campaign that
furthers China's territorial claim
over the South China Sea'', with
the China's Embassy in Manila
criticising the launch of the
comic book, saying ''the comic
book is political manipulation,''
reports the Reuters.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila
claims the comic book has stirred
anti-China sentiment in the Philippines,
saying ''the comic book targets
young students through a manipulative
brainwashing approach.''
Philippine Coast Guard, education
and national security officials
attended the launch of the comic
book, ''The Stories of Teacher Jun,''
that depicts high school teacher
Jun, who resembles Philippine President
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. teaching his
students about China's territorial
claim of the contested Philippines
Sea and the 2016 ruling by the Permanent
Court of Arbitration in the Hague
that dismissed China's claim to
the sea.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant,
Ronnie Gavan, said he ''hoped
the book would inspire young Filipinos
to protect what is rightfully
ours".
Education Secretary Sonny Angara
was also present at the Friday
book release event, media reported.
National Security Adviser Eduardo
Ano said ''the comic book complemented
government efforts to expose China's
aggression in the South China
Sea, saying ''the comic book served
as a tool to educate Filipinos
about complex maritime conflicts
and their sovereign rights under
international law.''
''Chinese officials, along with
state-sponsored media and individuals,
continue to spread distorted and
twisted narratives to malign our
efforts and justify their unilateral
claims,'' he said.
''The Philippines will do everything
to fight misinformation, disinformation
and false narratives to put forward
the truth,'' he said.
In July 2016 the Arbitration Court
in the Hague ruled in favour of
the Philippines against China's
claim of historic rights over
the South China Sea that includes
the West Philippine Sea.
China claimed that the Arbitration
tribunal made an illegal and invalid
final verdict on the South China
Sea dispute, with China Foreign
Ministry spokesman, Lu Kang saying
then that the dispute was not
covered by U.N. Convention on
the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) because
it was ultimately a matter of
sovereignty not exploitation rights.
The China Foreign Ministry spokesman
said then that "China's position
of neither accepting nor participating
in the arbitration unilaterally
initiated by the Philippines remains
unchanged".
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
China's
warships sail 150
nautical miles off
Sydney in Australia's
EEZ
|
|
 |
|
Royal
Australian Navy (RAN)
sailors watch China's
war ships, naval frigate
Hengyang, destroyer,
Zunyi and fuel replenishment
vessel Weishanhu off
the east coast of
Australia 150 nautical
miles east of Sydney
on Tuesday February
11, 2025
|
|
From
News Reports:
Sydney, February 24: Australia Defense
Minister, Richard Marles, said Thursday
that ''China's war ships, the naval
frigate Hengyang, destroyer, Zunyi
and fuel replenishment vessel Weishanhu
were off the east coast of Australia
150 nautical miles east of Sydney,''
with a former Australian naval officer,
saying ''Chinese warships rarely
travelled so far south along the
Australia's east coast,'' reports
Reuters.
China's war ships sailed through
the Torres Straits between Papua
New Guinea and Australia, south
along Australia's east coast within
Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ) in the Coral Sea, with Australia
Defense Minister, Richard Marles,
saying ''they’re entitled to
be where they are.''
''Australia is also entitled to
be prudent, and we are monitoring
very closely what the activities
of the Chinese ships are,'' he said.
He said that Royal Australian Navy
(RAN) ships and the Royal Australian
Air Force (RAAF) are monitoring
China's naval frigate Hengyang,
destroyer, Zunyi and fuel replenishment
vessel Weishanhu movements in Australia’s
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), saying
''that's very much our right,''
''We'll do that in a manner that
is safe and professional,'' he said.
Australia Defense Minister, Richard
Marles, said Australia had engaged
with its nearest neighbour, Papua
New Guinea, over its response to
the ships sailing through the Torres
Straits, saying ''the ships sailed
around the Papual New Guinea coast
on its course to Australia's Exclusive
Economic Zone.''
He said Australia is working very
closely with New Zealand, saying
''New Zealand is separated from
the Australian east coast by the
Tasman Sea.''
New Zealand Defense Minister, Judith
Collins, said ''New Zealand's military
was monitoring the Chinese ships
by sea and air in coordination with
Australia.''
''We have not been informed by the
Chinese government why war ships
have been deployed into our region
and we have not been informed what
its future plans are,''
''We will continue to monitor the
ships,'' she said.
Australia’s National Security
College, former Australian naval
officer, Jennifer Parker, said ''Chinese
warships rarely travelled so far
south along Australia's east coast.''
''This is part of a broader power
projection from China's Peoples
Liberation Army- Navy (PLA-Navy)
and we should expect to see more
of this in the Pacific and in the
Indian Ocean,'' she said.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Hong
Kong Democratic Party
disbands due to political
environment
|
|
 |
|
Hong
Kong’s Democratic
Party chairperson
Lo Kin-hei announced
that the pro-democracy
party will set up
a task force to discuss
procedures for disbanding
in Hong Kong Thursday
February 20, 2025
|
|
From
News Reports:
Hong Kong, February 23: Hong Kong's
Democratic Party (DP) announced
on Thursday that the party founded
in 1994 is disbanding saying that
the pro-democracy party will set
up a task force to discuss the procedures
for disbanding, with chairman Lo
Kin-hei saying ''the Democratic
Party (ID) has considered the overall
political environment in making
its decision,'' reports the Hong
Kong Free Press.
Democratic Party (DP) chairman Lo
Kin-hei said that developing democracy
in Hong Kong is always difficult,
especially in the past few years,
saying ''we see a lot of civil society
groups or political parties disbanding
or dissolving,'' he said.
He said that over the past few years
the Democratic Party (DP) has seen
a lot of different political parties
and civil societies groups dissolving,
saying ''whenever those kinds of
groups disband or discontinue we
have a discussion about disbanding
the Democratic Party.''
Democratic Party member for Southern
District Council Lei Tung I, Au
Nok-hin, 36, who was among 47 charged
on February 28, 2021 with conspiracy
to commit subversion ahead of the
2020 elections in the Hong Kong
70-seat Legislative Council pleaded
not guilty to the charges.
Democratic Party member for Southern
District Council Lei Tung I, Au
Nok-hin, 36, pleaded not guilty
to conspiracy to commit subversion
under the new law on Safeguarding
National Security in the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)
that was passed into legislature
in Beijing in June 30, 2020.
The pro-Bejing, Democratic Alliance
for the Betterment and Progress
of Hong Kong (DAB), candidate Horace
Cheung Kwok-kwan, in the November
24, 2019 District Council elections,
who held positions in the District
Council, the Legislative Council
and the Executive Council, lost
his seat in the Sai Wan constituency
of Central and Western District
Council to Democratic Party (DP)
candidate that included party member
Au Nok-hin, 36.
Almost three million voted for Democratic
Party (DP) candidates on November
25, 2019 with pro-democracy candidates
securing almost 406 of the 452 Sai
Wan constituency of Central and
Western District Council seats,
an overwhelming increase over the
2015 District Council elections
in which the pro-democracy camp
secured only 100 of the 452 seats.
More than 150 pro-democracy Hong
Kong district councillors of the
about 390 pro-democracy Hong Kong
district councillors who secured
seats in the November 24, 2019 elections
resigned on July 15, 2021 ahead
of the oath-taking ceremony that
required councillors to pledge allegiance
to the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region (HKSAR) that adheres to new
laws passed into legislature in
Beijing in June 30, 2020 and to
the ruling on patriots in the Hong
Kong legislature on May 27, 2021.
Hong Kong candidates are subject
to the new law adopted by National
Peoples Congress of the People's
Republic of China on the Safeguarding
of National Security in the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region
(HKSAR) that upholds the institutional
system of one country two systems
and a further ruling that allows
only candidates deemed patriots
to stand for election.
A further 230 district councillors
who were involved in pro-democracy
mass protests against China rule
over Hong Kong and who displayed
banned protest slogans in their
electoral offices are reportedly
expected to be disqualified from
standing for the Legislative Council
elections scheduled for December
19, 2021 under the new ruling in
May that allows only candidates
deemed patriots to stand for election.
The
Southeast Asian Times
|
Australia
and Papua New Guinea
draft new Bilateral
Security Treaty
|
|
 |
|
Australia's
Defense Minister,
Richard Marles, left,
and Papua New Guinea
Defense Minister,
Billy Joseph, at the
Australia-Papua New
Guinea Defence Ministers’
Meeting in Brisbane
in Australia's state
of Queensland on Thursday
February 20, 2025
|
|
From
News Reports:
Brisbane, February 22: Australia's
Defence Minister, Richard Marles,
and Papua New Guinea Defence Minister,
Billy Joseph, reaffirmed that
a new Bilateral Security Treaty
(BST) is integral to the Australia
and Papua New Guinea, Comprehensive
Strategic and Economic Partnership
(CSEP) at the Australia-Papua
New Guinea Defence Ministers’
Meeting in Brisbane in Queensland,
Australia, on Thursday, with Australia's
Defence Minister saying ''I look
forward to strengthening our defence
relationship through a new defence
treaty,'' reports Reuters.
Australia's Defence Minister,
Richard Marles, and Papua New
Guinea Defence Minister, Billy
Joseph, agreed that a new Bilateral
Security Treaty (BST), would build
on the Bilateral Security Treaty
(BST), that was proposed on June
10, 2023, saying that the new
Bilateral Security Treaty (BST)
would enhance strategic cooperation
between Papua New Guinea and Australia
in accordance with the August
5, 2020 Comprehensive Strategic
and Economic Partnership (CSEP)
agreement.
The proposed Bilateral Security
Treaty (BST) was rejected by Papua
New Guineas over sovereignity
concerns in the wording of the
proposed treaty, with Papua New
Guinea Prime Minister James Marape
saying ''Papua New Guinea did
not agree on certain words used
in the Bilateral Security Treaty
(BST).
"Papua New Guinea felt that
the wording encroach on our sovereign
rights," he said.
"Australia's Defence Minister,
Richard Marles, acknowledged that
both Papua New Guinea and Australia
had to agree on the wording in
the Bilateral Security Treaty
(BST)," saying ''there was
no timeframe set for the signing
of the Bilateral Security Treaty
(BST).''
On June 3, 2022 the then Papua
New Guinea Minister of Foreign
Affairs and International trade
of Papua New Guinea, Soroi Eoe,
said at a meeting with China State
Councilor and Foreign Minister
Wang Yi in Port Moresby that Papua
New Guinea will continue to adhere
to the One China policy that includes
Taiwan and Hong Kong, saying "the
One China Policy is the foundation
of bilateral relations and Papua
New Guinea's unswerving support
for China's position."
"Papua New Guinea is willing
to enhance pragmatic cooperation
with China in various fields."
he said.
China State Councilor and Foreign
Minister Wang Yi said then that
sound relations between China
and Papua New Guinea will boost
regional peace and development,
saying "such relations are
conducive to upgrading China's
overall ties with Pacific island
countries."
The
Southeast Asia Times
| The
Southeast Asian Times
wishes its readers
a happy Christmas
and all the best for
the New Year with
a special thankyou
to its treasured letter
writers |
|
|
| MEDIA CHECK |
| Cambodia-China Journalist Association
(CCJA)
launched
in
Phnom
Penh ...open
here |
|
|
|
Darwin
reporter
John Loizou
asks a
survivor
of the
1965 killings
in Bali
"why didn't
you try
to stop
them"
in "Remembering
the slaughter
in Paradise"
........open page here
|
|
| Kang-Fu
the Red
Kangaroo
is relentless
in his fight
to
protect
Australia's
sovereignity...Open
page
here | |
| Bombed
by
the Americans
for Christmas
in 1972,
Ha Noi Bach
Mai hospital
is still
a war zone...Christina
Pas
reports...Open
page
here | |
| Indigenous
Australians
in the northern
Queensland
town of
East Trinity
aim for
economic
independence
from
eco-cultural
tourism,
reports
Christine
Howes in
"Australian
indigenous
eco-cultural
tourism
venture
wins best
small project
national
award
"
...open
here
| |
| Kavi
Chongkittavorn
talks about
the UK
application
to become
an ASEAN
dialogue
partner
in "New
dynamics
of Aseans
external
ties,"
with consensus
yet to be
reached
on admitting
a
former
colonial
master of
four
ASEAN
member countries
into the
Southeast
Asian bloc....open
| |
| Esther
Samboh talks
about
the
choise between
thousands
dying
of
Covid-19
or from
hunger in
densely
populated
Jakarta
in the new
normal in
"Medics
dying, infections
soaring
- it's still
the economy"
...open
page
here | |
| Australian
reporter,
Chris Ray,
investigates
why Australia
dropped
five spots
in the World
Press Freedom
Index...open | |
| Read
what Son
Nguyen has
to say about
the impact
of China's
virus on
Vietnam's
economy
in
"When
the
economy
gets sick"
open
here | |
| Has
the ancient
Syrian city
of
Palmyra
suffered
a fatal
blow, or
will it
rise again?
asks Australian
reporter
Chris Ray...
Open
page
here | |
|
Darwin
reporter
John Loizou
asks a
survivor
of the
1965 killings
in Bali
"why
didn't
you try
to
stop
them"
in "Remembering
the slaughter
in
Paradise"
........open
page here
| |
| "Goodbye
America"
says B.A.
Hamzah as
he calls
for Asians
to determine
their own
political
destiny
in "Time
for Asia
to
set it's
own course,
minus the
U.S."...open
here | |
| Is
prescribed
burning
of
grasslands
in northern
Australia
out of control?
......Chris
Ray reports
...
open page
here | |
| "Rockefeller
and the
Demise of
Ibu
Pertiwi"
by Kerry
B. Collison
"is
undoubtedly
fictional
but by no
means improbable,
"
says Johannes
Nugroho
....open
page
here | |
Viet
Nam is
planning
to go nuclear
by the year
2020.reports
John
Loizou
in
"Calculating
the costs
of nuclear
energy in
Vietnam"
...open
page here
| |
|
The
founder
of the
Revolutionary
Front
of Independent
East Timor
(Fretilin),
Mari
Alkatiri,
the now
former
Prime
Minister
of Timor
Leste,
after
losing
the May
12, 2018
election
to the
National
Congress
for Timorese
Reconstruction
(CNRT)
party,
led by
Xanana
Gusmao,
has accused
the opposition
of a coup
attempt.
Twelve
years
ago Mari
Alkatiri
also accused
the opposition
of a coup
attemp
claiming
then that
the
crises
that led
to his
resignation
was the
result
of a conspiracy.
"I
have no
doubt
about
that"
he told
Darwin
reporter
John Loizou
in an
interview
in Dili
on 6 November
2006
......open
page here
| |
|
Cuba's
302
physicians
in East
Timor
work at
five hospitals
and remote
villages
throughout
the republic...writes
Darwin
reporter
John Loizou
...open
page here
| |
| Benedict
Anderson,
a man
without
a country,
dies in
Indonesia
Jeet Heer
reports.....open
page
here | |
|
Thousands
of Northern
Australia's
indigenous
rock art
sites
are under
threat
from buffalo,
fire and
feral
animals.
Tim Lee
reports
........open
page here
| |
| Copy
of
letter
29 May 2012
from Vietnam
Womens Union
to
International
Olympic
Committee...open
here | |
| The
Southeast
Asian Times
wishes its
readers
a
happy
Christmas
and all
the best
for the
New Year
with a special
thankyou
to its treasured
letter
writers
| |
| The
Southeast
Asian
Times
wishes
its readers
a happy
Christmas
and all
the best
for the
New Year
with a
special
thankyou
to its
treasured
letter
writers
|
|
Published
by Pas Loizou Press
Darwin Northern
Territory
Australia
PASLOIZOUPRESSDARWIN@bigpond.com
|
The
Southeast
Asian
Times cannot
be
bought
|
|
| |
|
|
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|
|
|
|
|
Oz $ buys
|
|
Updated
daily.
Prices indicative only
|
US...0.7582
Brunei...1.0310
Cambodia...3,115.36
China..Yuan..5,0710
East Timor...0.7582
Euro..0.6794
HongsKong...5.8808
Indonesia Rupiah.9,997.47
Japan..78.8528
Laos..6,140.58
Malaysia Ringgit.....3.0900
Myanmar..923.19
Viet Nam Dong..16,849.44
Singapore
properties listed for sale in Myanmar
From News Reports:
Yangon, November 25: Singapore's largest property developer, the
Far East Organization, is to partner with Myanmar's property sales and marketing company, Min Zin Agency, in
Yangon to sell condos in Singapore.
Managing director of the Min Zin Agency in Yangon, Ko Kyaw Min
Zin, said that Singapore's Far East Organization has expanded
its sales and marketing efforts into Myanmar.
“The Far East Organisation has been selling their Singapore properties
to Myanmar buyers since 2009,” he said.
The Far East Organisation reportedly have over 750 properties
in Singapore’s residential, hospitality, retail, commercial and
industrial sectors,
including 45,500 or one in every six private homes in Singapore
listed with the Min Zin Agency in Yangon.
The Southeast
Asian Times
China to invest in rail and road construction
in Indonesia
From News Reports:
Jakarta, November 10: Indonesia's Railway
Corporation (PT KAI) and state construction company PT Jasa Marga
signed a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) with China Investment Fund (CIF) to develop indonesia's
railway services and toll road construction.
Witness to the signing, coordinating Minister for the Economy
Sofyan Djalil, said that the MoU will provide the groundwork for
further cooperation between China Railway and P KAI and China
Investment Fund (CIF).
"The MoU is the first step towards further development of public
services between China and Indonesia" he said.
Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia, Xie Feng said that the MoU would
spark more cooperations between China and Indonesia and would
bring about "real benefits to the public."
The Southeast Asian Times
Penang health department
shuts down soya bean factory
From News Reports:
Penang, October 19:
Five Penang food factories including a 100 year old
soya bean factory at Tanjong Bungah were ordered closed
by the state health department for failure to observe health
standards.
State health, food safety and quality
division, deputy director Ku Nafishah Ku Ariffin
said soya bean products were processed in an unclean
"rusty and moldy kitchen".
"Our inspectors found
that wet products were left to dry on "dirty" bamboo
sticks along with bathing towels. The bamboo sticks
were also dirty and dusty," she said.
A "sweets"
factory in Teluk Kumbar, a noodle factory in Simpang
Ampat and a sauce factory in Bukit Metajam were also
closed by the state health department
The Southeast Asian
Times
Fuel smugglers including military personnel
under arrest
From News Reports:
Jakarta, September 15: Riau Islands Police have arrested
30 suspects including several Indonesian Military
(TNI) personnel and seized 64 cars, two boats and
106 tons of fuel.
Riau Islands Police chief Brig.
Gen. Arman Depary said in Batam last week that the
seized cars had been modified to hold 100 litres of
fuel.
"The Military (TNI) personnel are suspected
of fuel smuggling and have been handed over to the
military base", he said.
TNI Commander Gen.
Moeldoko said that the alleged suspected fuel
smugglers are honor-based service military personnel.
The Southeast Asian
Times
Thai coup blammed for fall in tourist
arrivals
From News Reports:
Bangkok, August 18: The Thai tourism sector suffered its largest
fall in international visitors to Thailand in June, the
first month after the establishment of marshal law
and the military seizure of the Yingluck Shinawatra
government.
Tourism reportedly accounts for 10
percent of the Thai economy.
Data from the Thai
Department of Tourism shows that inernational
tourist arrival numbers in July fell by 10.9 percent compared
to the same time last year.
International arrivals in July totalled 1.91 million compared
to 2.15 million in July 2013.
Arrivals
from China with a18 percent share of all visitors to
thailand and the largest group of visitors to Thailand, fell by
25.3 percent.
Arrivals from the United
Kingdom with a 4 percent share of all visitors to
Thailand, was one of the few large markets to record
a gain, of 6.2 percent
The Southeast Asian
Times
US Senate approves sales of nuclear
equipment to Vietnam
From News Reports:
Hanoi, July 31: The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
passed legislation approving a 123 agreement on
civil nuclear commerce with Vietnam at a business
meeting of the committee last week.
The 123
agreement under the US Atomic energy Act of 1954 establishes
a civil nuclear commerce agreement that allows the US to
export nuclear reactors, research information and
equipment to Vietnam.
The civil nuclear commerce
agreement between the US and Vietnam is "part of
Vietnam's effort to ease its shortage of energy
towards meeting over 10 percent of the domestic power demand by
2030", reports the Vietnam News Service
The Southeast Asian
Times
Court for
construction
Industry
established
in Malaysia
From
News Reports:
Kuala Lumpur, May 3: The first two
Construction Courts for Malaysia were opened by
Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria in Kuala Lumpur and
Shah Alam last week, reports the Star.
The courts
will deal with disputes in the construction industry.
Works Minister Datuk Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof said that the
establishment of the courts will transform the way
the construction business in the country
operates.
"The construction industry
stakerholders can now have their disputes resolved
by judges with expert knowledge and experience in
construction industry disputes', he said.
The
proposal by the Construction Industry Board (CIDB) for the
establishment of the construction courts was first put to the
Judiciary in January 2013.
Britain
is the only other country that has a specially designated
court that deals with construction industry disputes.
The
Southeast Asian Times
Bali communities want larger share of tourism revenue
From News Reports:
Denpasar, April 14: Bali
community-based tourism operators have called for
amendments to regulations that stipulate that the local
community pay the Bali regency administration 60 percent of their
total tourism revenue.
Penglipuran tourist village in Bangli, community-based tourism
manager, Nengah Moneng, said that he objected to the fact
that his community received only 40 percent of the
total revenue.
"We want to have 60 percent share
of the tourist revenue to pay for operating costs",
he said.
The Penglipuran tourism manager said
that operating costs for trekking, traditional
dance, cultural shows including religious rituals
had increased.
The cost of operating lodges and
community halls for tourism had also increased.
"An increase in revenue for not only the Bangli
community but for tourism based communities across
Bali would benefit tourism island-wide" said the
tourism manager.
The Southeast Asian
Times
Riau forest fires force
Chevron to shut down oil wells
From News Reports:
Jakarta, March 21: PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI), the
Indonesian subsidiary of US-based oil company
Chevron has shut down 573 oil wells in the Riau
province of Sumatra.
The deteriorating quality of
air due to forest fires that have been raging for
the last month has forced PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia
(CPI) to shut down its oil wells and evacuate workers and there
families.
Indonesia's upstream oil
and gas regulator, SKK Migas, public relations
officer, Handoyo Budi Santoso, said that oil assets
in Riau province are important to national crude oil production.
"The biggest production loss came from the shutdown
of Rokan block, operated by Chevron Pacific
Indonesia, the country's biggest producer of crude
oil production", he said
The Jakarta Posts
reports that potential losses are estimated at about
12,000 barrels of oil a day.
The Southeast Asian
Times
Sabah caters to influx of tourists from China
From News Reports:
Kuala Lumpur,
March 5:
The New Straits Times reports that there
was an 86 percent increase in tourist arrivals from
China
to Sabah in the last two years.
Data from the Sabah Tourism Board reportedly shows that
193,010 tourist tourists arrived in Sabah from China
in 2011 increasing to 360,361 in 2013
Sabah West Coast Coffeeshop Association chairman, Yong Chee Yun,
said coffee shop operators were catering to the
influx of tourists from China.
"Coffee shops displayed tourist friendly signs in Chinese
saying 'how are you?' and menues included China's favourite
foods", he said.
Sabah and Labuan
Chapter chairman of the Malaysian Association of
Hotels and general manager of the At Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru
Resort,
said that staff members are
encouraged to learn Mandarin.
"So that they can
converse better with guests" he said.
The Southeast Asian
Times
Pilots strike forces Merpati to cancel
flights
From News Reports:
Jakarta,January 29: A pilots strike forced State-owned PT Merpati
Nusantara Airlines to cancelled all scheduled flights
to Surabaya, Merauke and Timika on Saturday, reports
The Jakarta Post.
Merpati corporate secretary
Riswanto Chendra Putra said that the airline had not
paid salaries to pilots and cabin crew for two
months.
The Jakarta Post reports that PT Merpati
Nusantara Airlines was required to restructure its
operations.
Merpati corporate secretary Riswanto
Chendra Putra says that Merpati has signed a
memorndum of understanding (MoU) with PT Armagedon
Indonesia and PT Bentang Persada Gemilang to restructure the
company.
The airline has debts of Rp 6.5 trillion
(US$533 million) reports the Jakarta Post.
"The management would pay the salaries around March or
early April, said the Merpati corporate
secretary.
Merpati’s workers union advisory board
official, Erry Wardhana, said about 200 Merpati
pilots planned to strike again next Saturday for an
indefinite period.
"The pilots would strike until
1,600 Merpati employees were paid", he said.
The union advisory board official says that this is the
first time that Merpati workers have gone on strike
over unpaid wages.
The pilots are owed wages for
December and January reports the Jakarta
Post.
The
Southeast Asian Times
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