VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Supreme Court in military-ruled Myanmar will hear an appeal this week by former leader Aung San Suu Kyi against two of her convictions, a source familiar with the case said on Monday, as the Nobel laureate seeks to reduce her 33 years of jail time.

The 78-year-old has been convicted of a litany of offences from incitement and election fraud to multiple counts of corruption since the military arrested her during a February 2021 coup against her elected government.

Suu Kyi's allies and Western governments have condemned her incarceration as a junta play to prevent any comeback by the popular figurehead of Myanmar's decades-long struggle for democracy.

The Supreme Court has announced it will hear appeals on Wednesday against Suu Kyi's conviction for a breach of the official secrets act and for electoral fraud. The source, who declined to be identified because of sensitivities over her cases, said a decision could take two months.

A spokesperson for the junta could not immediately be reached for confirmation.

The military insists defendants are afforded due process by an independent judiciary, countering criticism from human rights groups over the jailing of multiple members of the pro-democracy movement in secret trials, and the resumption of executions after a decades-long hiatus.

Myanmar has been locked in conflict since the military seized power on the grounds of unaddressed irregularities in a November 2020 election that Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party swept in a landslide.

The NLD denied fraud and has since been dissolved along with 39 other parties for failure to register for an election for which the generals have yet to set a date.

Activists have urged the junta not to hold the election, warning it could see an intensification of bloody violence between the military and a pro-democracy resistance movement. (Reuters)

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn inaugurated the opening of parliament on Monday, setting the stage for an attempt by the progressive Move Forward Party to form a government after its surprise election win six weeks ago.

Move Forward won big support from youth voters and the capital Bangkok, campaigning overwhelmingly on social media on an anti-establishment platform that could complicate its effort to win enough support to form a coalition government.

It will team up in parliament with the populist heavyweight Pheu Thai Party after the two won the lion's share of seats, trouncing parties allied with a royalist military that has controlled government since a 2014 coup.

The two are part of an eight-party alliance and have played down talk of a rift over the house speaker post, which could determine the passage of flagship legislation and timing of key votes.

Late on Monday, in what is being seen as a compromise between Move Forward and Pheu Thai, the alliance nominated veteran politician Wan Muhamad Noor Matha for house speaker and gave a deputy speaker position each to the two main parties.

Wan Noor, 79, of the Prachachart Party has been closely allied with Pheu Thai in the past, and served in its administration led by billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra between 2002 and 2005.

Parliament is expected to endorse the speaker on Tuesday.

Analysts say a Move Forward-led government is still not a certainty.

The speaker is expected later this month to table a joint session of parliament to decide on a prime minister, which requires the votes of more than half of the 750 members of the bicameral legislature.

The alliance is backing Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, 42, to become premier and Pita needs 376 votes to secure the post. He currently has 312.

He will need 64 more votes from either rival parties or members of a conservative-learning Senate that was appointed under the military and has previously locked horns with Move Forward over some of its policies.

Pita last week said he had secured enough support in the Senate. He also faces an investigation for breaching election rules, which could further complicate his bid, Kiatkwankul said.

"Worst-case, they become a formidable opposition ... No matter how it turns out, it is not the end of Move Forward and democratic forces," he added. (Reuters)

China, Japan and South Korea need to send a clear signal of regrouping towards co-operation, and resist "the coercion of bullying and domination", China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, said on Monday, in an apparent swipe at the United States.

The remarks come at a time of heightened tension as the United States moves to forge closer ties with allies Japan and South Korea to push back against China's growing regional influence.

Wang was speaking on efforts to revitalise co-operation among the three neighbours at a forum organised by the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, a body set up by agreement among Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo.

He called for them to "foster a sense of strategic autonomy, maintain regional unity and stability, resist the return of the Cold War mentality, and be free from the coercion of bullying and domination," the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Although Wang stopped short of mentioning the United States, he said "certain major countries outside the region" had attempted to replace unity with division while seeking geographical gains, the ministry said in a statement.

"If this trend is allowed to develop, it will not only seriously interfere with the smooth progress of trilateral co-operation, but also increase tension and confrontation in the region," Wang added.

Wang emphasised the need to solve disputes through dialogue and consultation, and oppose words or deeds that could plunge the region into war.

At the event in the eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Wang also called for accelerating talks on free trade zones and efforts to free up and smoothe trade among the neighbours.

However, Wang reiterated Beijing's opposition to Japan's plan to release into the sea treated water from Tokyo Electric Power Co's (9501.T) Fukushima nuclear plant, saying it would affect the marine ecosystem and people's safety.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa addressed the event via video link. (Reuters)

Taiwan's main opposition presidential candidate has promised to reverse an extension of compulsory military service due to take effect in January, saying he will ease tensions with China making the longer service unnecessary.

The democratically governed island's relationship with Beijing is a central issue in the run-up to a presidential election on Jan. 13 next year, as fears have grown in recent years that China might invade the island it claims as its own.

Responding to the growing security concerns, President Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) announced in December that compulsory military service for all men would be extended to one year from four months from Jan. 1.

Hou Yu-ih, candidate of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party, said the DPP had triggered the "danger of war" but he would work to ensure peace.

"After I am elected president, I will work hard to ensure stability and peace across the strait. After that, I will resume the four-month service," Hou said in an interview with TVBS broadcast late on Monday.

"Stability across the strait will decide the issue of our military service, and that's why I will work hard to ensure stability," said Hou, who is mayor of New Taipei City.

China claims Taiwan as its own and has stepped up military and diplomatic pressure to get the island to accept Chinese sovereignty. The island's DPP-led government says only the Taiwanese people can decide their future.

The KMT traditionally favours close ties with China while Tsai has infuriated Beijing by rejecting its position that both sides are part of a single China.

Hou is running against the DPP's William Lai, who is now vice president and is leading in the polls.

Hou said he supported the KMT position that both Taiwan and China are part of a single China though each can have its own interpretation of the term.

Tsai took office in 2016 and cannot run again due to term limits. (Reuters)