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GATHERINGS:
An informed guide to happenings throughout the region.
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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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| Myanmar calls
on government to allow humanitarian
aid to Rohingya Muslims |
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Myanmar
protesters in Yangon call on
the Myanmar government to allow
humanitarian aid access to Rohingya
Muslim refugees |
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From
News Reports:
Yangon, September 20, Myanmar nationals
including Buddhist monks called on the government
in to allow humanitarian aid to Myanmar's
Rohingya Muslims in the capital, Yangon
on Monday following the exudus of more than
a third of Rakhine's Muslim population of
more than a million from Myanmmar's Rakhine
State.
The protestors also called on the government
to permit the entry of a United Nations
fact-finding mission assigned to investigate
rights violations in Rakhine State and
to ensure the safe and voluntary return
of those displaced by the conflict.
They called for the appontment of an independent
authority to process citizen application
complaints and the placement of border
police under the authority of the national
police chief.
The exudus of Rohingya Muslims across the
Mynmar border to Bangladesh follows Myanmar's
retaliation to the assualt on Myanmar police
outposts and military bases by the Arakan
Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)
reportedly carried out assaults on police
outposts and on a military base in northern
Rakhine state on August 25 in what the
Myanmar government called "extremist
terrorist" attacks by Muslim insurgents.
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.
Myanmar reportedly considers the Muslim
Rohingya illegal migrants from Bangladesh
but Bangladesh rejects the Rohingya's,
rendering them stateless.
The United Nations has urged the National
League for Democracy (NLD) party leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, 70, 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,
is 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
Anti-communists
demand communists cancel Jakarta meeting
From News Reports:
Jakarta, September 19: Hundreds of anti-communists
demanded that the Foundation of the Indonesian
Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) in Jakarta
disband a meeting of alleged members of
the disbanded Communist Party (PKI) on
Sunday, reports the Jakarta Post.
The meeting of scholars, activists, victims
and family of victims of the 1965 killing
of communists intended to hold a meeting
at the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal
Aid Institute (YLBHI) the night before
but were reportedly stopped by police
from holding the meeting.
The anti-communists believe that the meetings
were related to the 1965 killings of communists
and accused the organisers of being members
of the disbanded Communist Party (PKI).
The anti-communists urged the organisers
to cancel the meeting on the grounds that
the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal
Aid Institute (YLBHI) did not have permit
to hold the meeting.
Tensions escalated on Sunday when the
anti-communists attempted to enter the
Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid
Institute (YLBHI) office where about 200
had gathered for a music event.
"Lies!" "Long live TNI"
and "Dismiss the PKI" the anti-communists
shouted despite assurance from the Central
Jakarta Police chief and the military
that there was no Communist Party (PKI)
activity going on inside the Foundation
of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute
(YLBHI) office.
The anti-communist protesters refused
to leave, singing Indonesia Raya, the
Indnesian national anthem and giving speeches.
A clash broke out about 1.22am on Monday
morning when the protesters pushed against
police officers who guarded the building
The protesters reportedly threw bottles
and rocks, injuring several officers.
The Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI)
office was evacuated at about 2.16am.
In August East Jakarta police shut down
a workshop held in Klender by the International
People's Tribunal 1965 (IPT65) in support
of compensation for the 1965 communist
killings under the Suharto regime.
The District Military Command (Koramil)
reportedly raided the workshop hours before
it had started.
East Jakarta Police Chief Sr. Comm. Andy
Wibowo said that he had received
reports that the workshop was linked to
the defunct Indonesian Communist Party
(PKI) saying that communism was still
legally banned in Indonesia.
“If it was a Communist Party (PKI)
event then it had to be dispersed,”
The International People's Tribunal 1965
(IPT65) committee member, Dianto Bachriadi,
said that police forced the organizers
to cancel the workshop on the pretext
they did not have a permit.
"Members who attended the meeting
were interrogated and intimidated, he
said.
The
Southeast Asian Times
| New East
Timor government led by returned
prime minister Mari Alkatiri
sworn in |
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| East
Timor returning prime minister
Mari Alkatiri, 68, was East
Timor?s first prime minister
following independence from
Indonesia in 2002 |
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From
News Reports
Dili, September 18: The new East Timor
government led by returning prime minister,
Mari Alkatiri, 68, East Timor's first
prime minister, was sworn in on Friday,
reports Agence France Press.
The new prime ministers was reportedly
the only candidate nominated for the premiership,
Mari Alkatiri, secretary-general of the
Front for an independent East Timor (FRETILIN)
party, was inaugurated with 10 members
of the minority coalition government at
a ceremony in the capital Dili.
The returned prime minister Mari Alkatiri,
pledged to maintain good ties with neighbours
Australia and Indonesia and improve public
services.
"I will create a better economy,
education and health in Timor-Leste,"
he said.
Former president Jose Ramos-Horta and
former prime minister Rui Maria de Araujo
are to return to cabinet.
The new cabinet is reportedly to include
a new youth party, Khunto, that received
about 6 percent of the vote in the July
elections.
East Timor's two main political parties,
the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction
(CNRT) and the Revolutionary Front for
an independent East Timor (FRETILIN) won
enough votes in the parliamentary July
election to form a national unity government.
The election was East Timor's first parliamentary
election without United Nation supervision
since peacekeepers left in 2012.
Mari Alkatiri, a Muslim politician in
the majority-Catholic country, was East
Timor?s first prime minister following
independence from Indonesia in 2002.
He was forced to resign after civil unrest
in Dili in 2006.
The
Southeast Asian Times
Typhoon
Doksuri hits Vietnam, killing four
From News Reports:
Hanoi , September 17: Doksuri ,the most
powerful typhoon to hit Viet Nam in a
decade, has left four dead after making
landfall in Vietnam's central provinces
on Friday afternoon, reports Rueters.
Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces bore
the brunt of Typhoon Doksuri, flooding
hundreds of thousands of homes, blowing
off roofs and knocking out power.
The force of the wind brought down or
damaged power poles, trees, advertising
billboards and a television tower.
Agriculture minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong
said that Typhoon Doksuri had caused widespread
damage
“There has never been a storm of
level nine or 11 that has lasted eight
hours like this one," he said.
The eye of the storm skirted Vietnam’s
most productive coffee growing areas,
bringing rain that was largely seen as
beneficial to coffee plantations
Vietnam Military forces were deployed
to help farmers harvest rice before typhoon
Doksuri struck Vietnam's central province
More than 116,000 people have been evacuated
from Vietnam’s densely populated
coastal area in preparation for Doksuri.
The Ky Xuan kindergarten in Ha Tinh province
lost its roof in the 130 km per hour winds.
Principal of the Ky Xuan kindergarten,
Tran Thi Hong, said that the school "looks
terrible, worse than at war time".
“I could just cry, it took us so
long to build this school,” she said.
Four fishing boats sank in Quang Ngai
province despite fishermen dragging their
small wooden boats into the streets of
coastal towns in an effort to save them
from being swept out to sea.
Doksuri swept through the Philippines
on Tuesday, killing at least four and
leaving six missing.
Doksuri is reportedly heading for Laos.
The
Southeast Asian Times
| Indonesian
court hands down death penalty
for drug trafficking |
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| Irwantoni,
38, sentenced to death on Wednesday
for his involvement in drug
trafficking from China to Indonesia,
at the Medan District Court
with his mother |
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From
News Reports:
Jakarta Post, September 16: The Medan District
Court has sentenced Irwantoni, 38, to death
for his involvement in drug trafficking
from China to Indonesia, reports the Jakarta
Post.
Jjudge Saryana said that Irwantoni was found
guilty of trafficking in sabu-sabu or crystal
methamphetamine from China to Dumai, Riau
and Medan, North Sumatra, saying that the
accused had violated the 2009 Narcotics
Law.
"The court handed down the death penalty,"
he said.
Four accomplices, Daud aka Athiam, 47, Ayau,
40, Lukmansyah Bin Nasrul, 36, and Jimmi
Syahputra Bin Rusli, 27 were also handed
the death penalty for their involvement
in the trafficking of drugs from China to
Indonesia at a previous court hearing.
The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) apprended
the drug traffickers in October 2015, reportedly
stopping 270 kilograms abu-sabu or crystal
methamphetamine that was in transit from
China to Indonesia.
In April the Indonesian government announced
that it would not implement a moratoriam
on the death penalty despite calls from
the Jakarta-based human rights organisation,
Imparsial, to heed the United Nations recommendation
to abolish the death penalty.
Indonesian Attorney Genera, Muhammad Prasetyo,
said that Indonesia would continue executions.
In October 2016 the Institute for Criminal
Justice Reform (ICJR) called on President
Joko Widodo to issue a moratorium on the
death penalty in the proposed legal reforms,
saying that the president should instruct
the Attorney Geeral not to carry out further
executions.
Indonesia has reportedly been under international
scrutiny since the execution of 18 convicted
drug traffickers in quick succession since
president Joko Widodo took office in 2014.
The Institute for Criminal Justice Reform
(ICJR) stated that "Guarantees of effective
legal assistance, without torture, with
strong evidence, and legal certainty in
the context of the law must be guaranteed."
The Indonesian Institute for Policy Research
and Advocacy (ELSAM) called on the government
in October last year to abolish the death
penalty and to revisit all cases to make
sure that those facing the death penalty
had been given a fair trial.
The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy
(ELSAM) researcher and human rights lawyer,
Wahyudi Djafar says that a study of 42 death
sentences handed down by Indonesia's district
courts, state courts and the Supreme Court
over 11 years for drug offences and premeditated
murder reveals that a number of convictions
were the result of "unfair judicial
process".
The
Southeast Asian Times
Third Melbourne council
votes to abandon Australia Day celebrations
From
News Reports:
Melbourne, September 15: A third Melbourne
Council in the state of Victoria in Australia
has voted to abandon Australia Day celebrations
on January 26, reports Australian Associated
Press (AAP)
Moreland council voted 7-4 to join Yarra
and Darebin councils in Melbourne's north
in dropping all references to Australia
Day celebrations.
The Moreland councillers claim that January
26 is not an appropriate date for an inclusive
national celebration, saying that "January
26 marks the British invasion of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander lands and oppression
of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people."
The motion to chnge the date of Australia
Day was proposed by Green's Party councillor
and deputy mayor Samantha Ratnam.
Deputy mayor Samantha Ratnam said at the
Moreland council meeting that the abandonment
of Australia Day celebrations was not
about erasing Australia's past history.
"Thousands of Australians like me
want to celebrate Australia Day but just
not on a day that's so painful for others,"
she said.
Moreland councillor, Oscar Yildiz claimed
that it was not the role of councils to
debate the date of Australia Day.
"This issue is splitting the nation,"
he said.
Assistant Minister for Immigration and
Border Protection Alex Hawke said that
"the Australian government absolutely
rejects the extreme and divisive nature
of the discussion the Green Party and
Socialist Councillors in Moreland are
promoting,"
"Ratepayers of Moreland, who have
not been consulted and who did not sign
up to dumping Australia Day, have every
right to feel ashamed and angered by this
divisive move," he said.
"The Australian government is considering
what action to take against the Moreland
council", he said.
The
Southeast Asian Times
| Police investigate
murder of elderly Japanese couple
in Bali |
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| Indonesian
police have launched a murder
investigation into the deaths
of an elderly Japanese couple
at their rented home in Jimbaran,
a fishing village in southern
Bali |
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From News Reports:
Denpasar, September 14: Indonesian police
have launched a murder investigation into
the deaths of an elderly Japanese couple
whose bodies were found burned beyond
recognition in Bali, reports Agence France
Presse.
The burnt bodies of Nurio Matsuba, 76,
and his 73-year-old wife Hiroko were discovered
on September 4 by their Indonesian adopted
son at their home in Jimbaran, a fishing
village in southern Bali.
Police have ruled out any involvement by
the murdered couple's Indonesian adopted
son, Abdul Salam.
Denpasar police chief Hadi Purnomo said
on Monday that investigators are looking
for more than one suspect and have interviewed
42 witnesses ranging from family to business
associates, saying that the murder was
planned.
"Police are yet to establish a motive
for the murders," he said.
He said that investigators found rope and
two knives at the rented home of the Japanese
couple
"Initial examination revealed multiple
stab wounds", he said.
Nurio Matsuba and his wife Hiroko had
lived in Bali for seven years.
Nurio Matsuba was reportedly a broker
in a tuna export company.
The
Southeast Asian Times
Indonesia
to coperate with OIC to settle Rohingya
Muslim conflict in Myanmar
From News
Reports:
Jakarta, September 13: Vice president
of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla, said that Indonesia
is prepared to cooperate with the Organization
of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in order
to settle the Rohingya Muslim conflict
in Myanmar, reports Antara.
"Indonesia is ready to be the mediator
to bridge Islamic countries to settle
the crisis in Myanmar," he said following
an invitation from the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for Indonesia's
coperation in the settlement of the Rohingya
Muslim conflict in Myanmar
He said that Indonesia is able to do what
other countries cannot because of Indonesia's
access to Myanmar.
"Indonesia can any time communicate
with the Myanmar government," he
said.
The vice president said at the Organization
of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) science and
technology summit held in Jakarta on Sunday
that he was yet to discuss a program for
cooperation with the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) secretary general.
The president of Kazakh, Nursultan Nazarbayev,
said at the summit held at the Palace
of Independence that he will raise the
Rohingya Muslim conflict with the United
Nations Human Rights Commission in order
for the UN to investigate the possible
violation of international laws.
Almost 300,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled
to Bangladessh and about 30,000 non-Muslim
civilians have been displaced after the
Myanmar military launched a counter-offensive
against attacks by the Arakan Rohingya
Salvation Army (ARSA).
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)
reportedly launched attackes on 30 police
posts and an army base on August 25.
Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)
urged humanitarian orgnisations to resume
aid to all victims of the conflict
"Irrespective of ethnic or religious
background during the ceasefire period,"
it said in a statement.
The Myanmar government claims that its
security forces are conducting clearance
operations to defend Myanmar against the
Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)
insurgents, saying that the Myanmar government
has declared the Arakan Rohingya Salvation
Army (ARSA) a terrorist organisation
The
Southeast Asian Times
Myanmar
rejects ceasefire declaration in Rohingya
Muslim conflict
From News Reports:
Myanmar, September 12: The Myanmar government
has rejected the month-long ceasefire
declared by Arakan Rohingya Salvation
Army (ARSA) insurgents last week, saying
that the Myanmar government does not negotiate
with terrorists, reports Rueters.
Rohingya insurgents declared a month-long
unilateral ceasefire in order to allow
distribution of humanitarian aid to victims
of the conflict in north-west Myanmar.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)
called on the Myanmar military to lay
down arms and allow humanitarian distribution.
Almost 300,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled
to Bangladessh and about 30,000 non-Muslim
civilians have been displaced after the
Myanmar military launched a counter-offensive
against attacks by the Arakan Rohingya
Salvation Army (ARSA.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)
reportedly launched attackes on 30 police
posts and an army base on August 25.
Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)
urged humanitarian orgnisations to resume
aid to all victims of the conflict
"Irrespective of ethnic or religious
background during the ceasefire period,"
it said in a statement.
The Myanmar government claims that its
security forces are conducting clearance
operations to defend Myanmar against the
Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)
insurgents, saying that the Myanmar government
has declared the Arakan Rohingya Salvation
Army (ARSA) a terrorist organisation
The
Southeast Asian Times
| Indonesia's
Muslims protest at Buddhist
Temple against violence of Rohingya
Muslims in Myanmar |
|
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| Indonesian
Muslims Protest at the Borobudur
Temple vihara Buddhist monastery
on Jl. Imam Bonjol in Medan,
North Sumatra |
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From News Reports:
Jakarta, September 11: Thousands of Muslims
protested at the Borobudur Buddhist Temple
in Medan, North Sumatra, on Friday against
the alleged violence of the Rohingya Muslims
by the Myanmar military, reports the Jakarta
Post.
Muslim organisations and the Care for Rohingya
Action (APRO) organisation prayed at the
Medan Grand Mosque ahead of the march that
was secured by more than 1000 Indonesian
Military and National Police..
Spokesman for the second largest Islamic
organization in Indonesia, Muhammadiyah
, Rafdinal said the protest aimed to call
on Buddhist monks to take action to end
the violence against Rohingya Muslims.
Last week the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals
Association (ICMI) called on the Indonesian
government to initiate a conflict resolution
process for Myanmar in ASEAN, urging member
countries to accept Rohingya Muslim refugees
from Myanmar's Rakhin State.
The Indonesia called on Myanmar to open
Myanmar's Rakhine State to humanitarian
aid following the attack by the Arakan
Rohingya Muslim Salvation Army on Myanmar
police and military posts.
The attack on the Myanmar police last
month by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation
Army has reportedly triggered a counter-offensive
raid that r esulted in the killings of
more than 100 including civilians.
The counter offensive raid has reportedly
forced thousands of Rohingya Muslims to
flee Rakhin State for Bangladesh to avoid
the conflict.
The United Nations estimates that 800,000
Muslim Rohingya live in the northwestern
Rakhine state that borders Bangladesh.
Myanmar reportedly considers Muslim Rohingya
in Rakhin State illegal migrants from
Bangladesh but Bangladesh rejects the
Rohingya's, rendering them stateless.
The United Nations has urged the National
League for Democracy (NLD) party leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, 70, 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,
is 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
Philippine
president Duterte to ban open-pit mining
From News Reports:
Manila, September 10: Philippine President
Rodrigo Duterte said that he agreed with
banning open-pit mining in the Philippines,
saying that he had instructed Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) “to
look into the eventual closure of open-pit
mining, ” reports the Philippine
Inquirer.
President Rodrigo said that he agreed
with former Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) secretary, Regina Lopez, that "open-pit
mining caused environmental damage that
was harming the Philippine poor."
"I'll give the mining companies enough
elbow room for eventual change on the
modality of getting what's inside the
bowels of the earth," he said.
In May former Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) secretary, Regina Lopez,
ordered the closure of 22 of 41 mines
in the Philippines, banned open-pit mines
and cancelled contracts for undevelopment
mines, saying that "environmental
damage was harming the Philippines poor."
The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines,
spokesman, Ronald Recidoro, said following
the sacking of Regina Lopez that he would
seek to undo the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) measures
when a new secretary was appointed.
"The closure of mines and banning
of open-pit mines was killing the mining
industry," he said.
Former Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) secretary, Regina Lopez had reportedly
ordered that nickel miners pay an additional
2 million pesos ($40,000) per hectre to
repair environmental damage.
Regina Lopez is the second minister of
President Rodrigo Duterte cabinet to be
rejected by the Commission on Appointments
after former Deprtment of Foreign Affairs
Secretary, Perfecto Yasay.
In April the Compostela Farmer’s
Association (CFA) in the Philippine Province
of Compostela Valley claimed that mining
company, Agusan Petroleum and Mineral
Corp., was in collusion with the Armed
forces of the Philippines (AFP) in an
effort to force the farmers to accept
mining on their land, reports Bulatlat.
The Compostela Farmer’s Association
(CFA) secretary, Jimmy Saypan, accused
the Armed forces of the Philippines (AFP)
66th Infantry Battalion of "acting
as the protector and partner of the Agusan
Petroleum and Mineral Corp"
The
Southeast Asian Times
| Cambodia
justifies treason
arrest
|
|
 |
| Opposition
Cambodia National Rescue Party
president Kem Sokha following
his arrest at his home early
Sunday morning |
|
From News Reports:
Phnom Penh, September 9: Cambodia's Ministry
of Foreign Affairs justified the arrest
on Sunday of the opposition party president
of the Cambodia National Rescue Party at
a briefing with ambassadors, charges d'affairs
and military attaches', saying that the
opposition party president, Kem Sokha, had
committed a "clear act of treason,
reports the Phnom Penh Post.
Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn began the
briefing by showing a short video of the
Cambodia National Rescue Party president
claiming that he had received assistance
from the US.
"There is a longer version that is
more revealing and would surely add more
weight to Kem Sokha’s guilt, he said.
The Cambodian Foreign MInister claims
that the video showed that the Cambodia
National Rescue Party president, Kem Sokha
had “clearly confessed that the US
had told him what to do”
"The conspiracy explains the strikes
and demonstrations following the dispute
over the 2013 national elections",
he said.
Opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party
president, Kem Sokha, was charged with
treason on Wednesday following his arrest
on Sunday at his Phnom Penh residence
and detained at Tbong Khmum prison.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesman Ly
Sophanna said prosecutors had sufficient
evidence to charge the opposition party
president under Article 443 of the Criminal
Code for “conspiring with a foreign
power”.
Opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party
president, Kem Sokha, faces 15 to 30 years
imprisonment if found guilty of "committing
[a] red-handed crime related to a secret
plan and the activities of conspiracy between
Kem Sokha and foreigners, which causes chaos
and affects the Kingdom of Cambodia.”
The
Southeast Asian Times
| A
cartoon goes inside the tour
bus in Manila on the day that
ended with the slaying of eight
Hong Kong tourists
...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 |
|
| .MEDIA
CHECK |
|
The
Yogyakarta Alliance of
Independent Journalists
(AJI) want
the murder of Yogyakarta
journalist in 1996 remembered
in proposed Anti-Violence
against Journalists Day...open
here |
|
|
Timor-Leste
justice
threatened
by firing of foreign judges
By Susan Marx ...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 dated 29 May 2012
from Vietnam Womens Union to
International Olympic Committee...open
here |
|
Published
by Pas Loizou Press Darwin Northern Territory
Australia
PASLOIZOUPRESSDARWIN@bigpond.com
|
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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
Papua New Guinea..2.4033
Philippines Peso..35.3212
Singapore dollar...1.0308
Thailand...Baht..26.2521
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 local 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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