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March
Cambodian opposition figure Kem Sokha sentenced to 27 years of house arrest
Written by Nur Yasmin
Prominent Cambodian opposition figure Kem Sokha was sentenced on Friday to 27 years of house arrest after being found guilty of treason, in a case condemned by the United States as politically motivated.
Judge Koy Sao also told the court in the capital, Phnom Penh, that Kem Sokha would be barred from running for political office or voting in elections.
He was arrested in 2017 over accusations he was conspiring with the United States to overthrow self-styled strongman Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades.
Kem Sokha, who headed the now-disbanded Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), had denied the charges and Washington dismissed the allegations as "fabricated conspiracy theories".
His lawyer said Kem Sokha's legal team would appeal the verdict.
"He's in house arrest, all of his political and citizens' rights are completely stripped ... This is not justice," said Ang Udom, who said his client would only be allowed contact with family members.
There was tight security around the court, with hundreds of police officers deployed in trucks.
W. Patrick Murphy, the U.S. ambassador to Cambodia, said the case was a miscarriage of justice.
"We call on authorities to allow all Cambodians to enjoy ... universal human rights of peaceful assembly and free expression and to participate in building a truly democratic system," he told reporters outside the court.
The government, which has forged close ties with China, tends to dismiss U.S. criticism.
A government spokesperson declined to comment on the court case, referring questions to the judiciary.
The CNRP was banned ahead of a 2018 election that was swept by the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
CNRP has since been decimated, with many of its members arrested or fleeing into exile in what activists say is a sweeping crackdown designed to thwart challenges to the CPP's power monopoly.
Cambodia is due to hold elections in July, with the opposition launching the Candlelight Party last year, which largely regroups members of the CNRP.
Many media outlets critical of Hun Sen have also been shuttered and civil dissent crushed in recent years.
Last month, Hun Sen ordered the closure of the Voice of Democracy, one of the last independent Cambodian news organizations, saying it had attacked him and his son and hurt the country.
Hun Sen is expected to seek another five-year term in office in the July election, but he has previously offered support for his eldest son, Hun Manet, as a possible successor.
Human Rights Watch said the case against Kem Sokha was a "politically motivated ploy" by Hun Sen to sideline the opposition and stamp out democracy.
"Sending Kem Sokha to prison isn’t just about destroying his political party, but about squashing any hope that there can be a genuine general election in July," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. (Reuters)
March
Former Malaysia PM Najib cleared of audit tampering in 1MDB graft scandal
Written by Nur Yasmin
A Malaysian court on Friday acquitted jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak of audit tampering in one of the many cases he faces over a multi-billion corruption scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
The acquittal comes amid renewed scrutiny on government graft under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose administration had to partner with Najib's corruption-tainted party to form a government late last year.
It also comes ahead of a decision due this month by Malaysia's top court on Najib's bid for a judicial review of his conviction and 12-year jail sentence in a separate case for illegally receiving funds from a 1MDB unit.
Applications for judicial reviews, which come after all other legal appeals have been exhausted, have rarely been successful in Malaysia.
Friday's acquittal was on a charge of abusing his position as prime minister to amend a government audit into 1MDB. The fund's former chief executive Arul Kandasamy was charged with abetting Najib and was also cleared and both had pleaded not guilty.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court on Friday ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a case against them, their lawyers told reporters.
"(The court) found that there was no element of gratification... absolutely no element of corruption in Najib's role in these charges," Najib's lawyer Shafee Abdullah said.
The Attorney-General's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Najib faces three more cases related to corruption at various government entities and 1MDB, a fund he co-founded in 2009. Some of those charges accuse him of receiving funds illegally from those entities into his bank accounts.
Najib has pleaded not guilty to all those charges.
An estimated $4.5 billion was allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB by high-level officials of the fund and their associates between 2009 and 2014, the U.S. Justice Department has alleged.
Shafee described the charges against Najib, who has been in prison since August last year, as "politically charged" and expressed hope that Malaysia's highest court would rule in favour of the judicial review request this month.
"We hope this is the beginning of many good things to come," Shafee said. (Reuters)
March
Myanmar Military Has Caused 'Perpetual Human Rights Crisis', UN Report Says
Written by Nur Yasmin
A report published by the United Nations on Friday accused Myanmar's military of creating "a perpetual human rights crisis" in the southeast Asian country and called for an immediate end to violence there.
Since a junta seized power two years ago, Myanmar has been plunged into chaos, with a resistance movement fighting the military on multiple fronts after a bloody crackdown on opponents that saw Western countries re-impose sanctions.
The report, which documents alleged human rights violations between Feb. 1, 2022, and Jan. 31, 2023, found that violence had intensified in northwestern and southeastern Myanmar due to the military's "indiscriminate air strikes and artillery shelling, mass burnings of villages to displace civilian populations, and denial of humanitarian access."
The tactic used by the military, the report said, was designed to cut off non-state armed groups from access to food, finances, intelligence and recruits.
"The military, emboldened by continuous and absolute impunity, has consistently shown disregard for international obligations and principles," the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said in a statement.
"Urgent, concrete action is needed to end this festering catastrophe."
Myanmar authorities did not immediately respond to Reuters calls and an email seeking comment.
The junta has previously said it has a duty to ensure peace and security and denied atrocities have taken place, saying it is carrying out a legitimate campaign against terrorists.
James Rodehaver, chief of the U.N. Human Rights Office's Myanmar team, said that armed clashes were occurring in about 77% of the country.
"There has never been a time and a situation in which a crisis in Myanmar has reached this far, this wide throughout the country," he told a briefing in Geneva.
In its recommendations, the report called on authorities in Myanmar to end the violence and stop persecuting opponents.
"Military operations must stop to provide room for dialogue that could end this crisis," the report said. (Reuters)
March
India's top court overhauls election commissioner appointment in 'historic' judgment
Written by Nur Yasmin
India's top court on Thursday ordered the setting up of a bipartisan panel that will include the prime minister and the chief justice to select the country's election commissioners, ending a practice of the government effectively choosing them.
The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority but opposition parties have regularly accused it of caving into the demands of the ruling party, a charge it has denied.
The new panel will also include the leader of the opposition in the lower house of parliament or the opposition party with the highest number of members in the house.
"This norm will continue to hold good till a law is made by parliament," said Justice K.M. Joseph, delivering the order of a constitution bench that heard several petitions calling for an independent committee to appoint election commissioners.
"The election commission of India is to perform the arduous and unenviable task of remaining aloof from all forms of subjugation by and interference from the executive."
Currently, the president of the country, who generally goes by the advice of the government, appoints the chief election commissioner and two commissioners for a tenure of six years each. Typically they are former bureaucrats.
Prashant Bhushan, a lawyer representing the petitioners, termed the judgment "historic".
"They have said the independence of the election commission is absolutely essential for democracy, and for that independence to be assured, you cannot have a system where the government alone appoints the election commissioners," he told reporters outside the court.
India's former chief election commissioner, S.Y. Quraishi, said that "our long pending demands are being met".
"At last SC has clinched it," he said in a post on Twitter, referring to the Supreme Court. "The demand has been pending for two decades. Good for the perception of neutrality of the Election Commission." (Reuters)
March
Former Pakistan woman hockey player killed in Italian shipwreck
Written by Nur Yasmin
Former Pakistan women's hockey player Shahida Raza was among at least 67 people killed on the weekend in a migrant shipwreck off the coast of Italy, officials in her home province said.
The vessel, which authorities believe was carrying up to 200 migrants, sank in rough seas before dawn on Sunday near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort in southern Italy. Sixteen children were among the dead.
Those on board were mostly from Afghanistan but also from Pakistan, Syria, the Palestinian Territories, Iran and Somalia, Italian authorities said.
"Pakistani authorities have informed Raza's family that the Pakistani national team hockey player perished in the boating accident off the coast of Italy," Qadir Ali Nayel, a legislator from Balochistan province, told Reuters late on Wednesday.
Raza was 27 and from the southwestern province. She also played soccer in domestic competitions.
The chief minister of Balochistan expressed grief over Raza's death saying in a statement she had brought honour to the province and the country. (Reuters)
March
Defence contractors target Australia as it gears up to counter China
Written by Nur Yasmin
As close U.S. ally Australia gears up to counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, global defence contractors this week showed off advanced drones, long-range missiles and military communications satellites at its biggest air show.
The firms are pushing for billions of dollars' worth of purchases expected after Australia's long-awaited defence strategic review (DSR) is made public next month, setting out the force structure and equipment required over the next decade.
Malcolm Davis, senior analyst in defence strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said securing long-range strike weapons in three to five years should be the priority given China's growing threat to Taiwan and the high likelihood of Australia joining the U.S. in a fight.
"When the DSR comes out there will be diplomatic language that doesn't necessarily squarely target China by name, but I think everyone gets the reality this has been driven by China, its rapid growth and its military capabilities," he said on the sidelines of the Australian International Airshow near Melbourne.
Like other countries, Australia is also focusing increasingly on securing more local production and supply stocks after observing the depletions caused by the war in Ukraine.
The government's aim is to "speed up the acquisition cycle" and move as quickly as possible once the review is public, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy told reporters on Wednesday. The federal budget is due in May and the defence allocation is expected to grow.
At the air show, some defence contractors privately expressed frustration that the tightly held review ordered last August, three months after a new centre-left government took office, had slowed down procurement and delivery times.
Major decisions in the balance from the review include whether to order another squadron of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-35 fighter jets, up to four more Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N) MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance drones and a major military satellite contract being pursued by five groups, including Airbus SE (AIR.PA) and Boeing Co (BA.N).
"Everyone is reading the tea leaves, but we know a lot of capability will be coming out of that DSR," said Stephen Forshaw, Airbus's chief representative for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.
Australia ranked 12th globally in military spending in 2021 at $31.8 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. It is a major buyer of U.S. equipment in particular, having operated alongside the U.S. in conflicts around the world. In 2021, it formed an alliance with the United States and Britain to buy nuclear-powered submarines.
The air show also highlighted how Australia's smaller force is influencing U.S. purchases. Australia has operated Boeing E-7A airborne early warning and control planes since 2009, as the first customer for the type. The U.S. Air Force said on Tuesday it planned to buy 26 of them to replace its ageing E-3s.
Boeing is also looking to sell the MQ-28 Ghost Bat fighter-like drone developed in Australia to the U.S. military, while the local arm of Britain's BAE Systems (BAES.L) this week unveiled plans for a smaller armed drone it also hopes to export.
Lockheed was selected last year alongside Raytheon Technologies Corp (RTX.N) to accelerate the manufacture and delivery of guided weapons to Australia.
In-country assembly, and eventually manufacturing, are a focus of the project that aims to build local stockpiles, said Ken Kota, vice president of Lockheed's Australian defence strategic capabilities office.
"Manufacturing guided weapons in particular has its own deterrent effect," he said. "It is very important for Australia to have this from a strategic standpoint." (Reuters)
March
Vietnam parliament elects Vo Van Thuong as new state president
Written by Nur Yasmin
Vietnam's National Assembly on Thursday elected Vo Van Thuong as the country's new president, in a reshuffle of the country's top leadership amid a sweeping anti-graft campaign.
In an extraordinary session, lawmakers confirmed Thuong, 52, after the ruling Communist Party nominated him on Wednesday as president, a largely ceremonial role but one of the top four political positions in the Southeast Asian nation.
The firms are pushing for billions of dollars' worth of purchases expected after Australia's long-awaited defence strategic review (DSR) is made public next month, setting out the force structure and equipment required over the next decade.
Thuong's election follows the sudden resignation in January of his predecessor Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who the party blamed for "violations and wrongdoing" by officials under his control, in what was seen as a major escalation of the country's "blazing furnace" anti-corruption crackdown.
In his first speech to the parliament as new president, Thuong said he will "resolutely" continue the fight against corruption.
"I will be absolutely loyal to the fatherland, the people and the constitution, striving to fulfill the tasks assigned by the party, the state and the people," Thuong said in a statement broadcast on Vietnam's state television.
Thuong is the youngest member of the party's Politburo, the country's top decision-making body, and is considered a veteran of the party having begun his political career at university in communist youth organisations.
He is widely regarded as being close to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam's most powerful figure and the main architect of the party's battle against corruption.
"The burning furnace campaign will not cool down in the foreseeable future," said Florian Feyerabend, the representative in Vietnam for Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a think tank.
Diplomats and businesspeople have raised concerns about the anti-graft campaign because it has paralysed many routine transactions in Vietnam as officials fear being entangled in the crackdown.
"PREDICTABILITY RESTORED"
A Hanoi-based diplomat said Thuong's election was a major step by General Secretary Trong amid jockeying to succeed him, given the 78-year-old leader may step down before the end of his third term in 2026.
The general secretary is usually chosen from among one of the top leaders.
Thuong was elected with 98.38% of the votes, according to the parliament's online portal.
Analysts and investors viewed the election as indicating continuity in the country's foreign and economic policies.
"There will be no major changes to Vietnam's foreign policy following Thuong's election," said Le Hong Hiep, senior fellow and Vietnam expert at Singapore's ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute.
A Vietnam-based foreign investor, who declined to be named, said the elections put an end to uncertainty caused by the sudden dismissal of the former president.
"It means stability and predictability is restored," he said.
Vietnam is a major recipient of foreign investment, with business leaders often citing its political stability as a key reason for investing. (Reuters)
March
Russia's Lavrov talks security, trade issues with Indian counterpart
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi on Wednesday, a day before attending the G20 foreign ministers meeting, Indian and Russian officials said.
The two ministers assessed the current security situation in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and ironed out issues on the use of local currencies for settling trade, said a senior Russian official.
Lavrov is scheduled to meet his Chinese, Bangladeshi and South African counterparts later on Wednesday, the official added.
"We will urge our constructive colleagues in the G20 to convert to national currencies, to align clearing and settlement mechanisms, and to create independent insurance plans and transport routes," the Russian embassy in New Delhi said in a statement ahead of the meetings.
"We will describe in detail Russia's actions to reduce these threats and diversify foreign economic ties and logistics corridors."
India has refused to blame Moscow for the Ukraine conflict, while seeking a diplomatic solution and sharply boosting its purchases of Russian oil.
A Russian foreign ministry official said Lavrov was aiming to meet at least seven foreign ministers on Wednesday before the dinner hosted for all representatives from 40 countries.
"The G20 meeting has given Russia the opportunity to engage directly with many countries who wish and choose to continue trade with Russia," the official said, requesting anonymity as he is not authorised to speak with the press.
The G20 includes the wealthy G7 nations as well as Russia, China, India, Brazil, Australia and Saudi Arabia, among other nations.
India has also invited nine other countries as special guests. (Reuters)
March
Japan foreign minister to skip G20 meeting in India -official
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will skip a meeting of G20 foreign ministers due to take place in New Delhi, India, this week, a Japanese government official said.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Kenji Yamada will represent Japan at the meetings scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Hayashi will attend an in-person meeting of representatives from the Quad countries - the United States, India, Australia and Japan - in India on Friday, the ministry said. (Reuters)
March
China's annual parliament to implement Xi's tightening grip
Written by Nur Yasmin
China's annual parliament opens on Sunday and will implement the biggest government reshuffle in a decade as Xi Jinping tightens control while contending with a host of challenges, from an uneven post-COVID economic recovery to cratering U.S. relations.
Nearly 3,000 delegates will gather in the Great Hall of the People west of Tiananmen Square for the first National People's Congress (NPC) of the post-zero-COVID era, although some precautions remain including testing and quarantine for journalists.
The rubber-stamp NPC will confirm Xi's new economic team after China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong cemented a norm-breaking third term and stacked the top of the ruling Communist Party with allies during its twice-a-decade congress in October.
It will also discuss Xi's plans for an "intensive" and "wide-ranging" re-organisation of state and Communist Party entities, state media reported on Tuesday, after a three-day meeting of the party's central committee.
"It will likely entail more incorporation of State Council ministries into the party under the name of the party’s comprehensive leadership," said Wen-Ti Sung, a political scientist at the Australian National University, with public health and national security likely to be areas of focus.
The government is likely to set a 2023 economic growth target of between 5% and 6% to keep a lid on unemployment, policy sources and analysts have said, with measures aimed at boosting consumption and foreign investment, among other efforts, but little expected in the way of landmark reforms.
China's economy grew just 3% last year, one of its worst showings in nearly half a century.
Loyalist Li Qiang, previously Shanghai party chief, is poised to become premier, charged with managing the world's second-largest economy, with investors cautiously hoping his ties with Xi will enable him to usher in more business-friendly policies after an increasingly statist turn.
The NPC will install new faces at the top of main economic and regulatory bodies including the central bank, replacing a generation of leaders seen as more reform-oriented, such as retiring Premier Li Keqiang and economic czar Liu He, a vice premier.
"The National People's Congress will be a continuation of the 20th Party Congress and will firmly implement Party decisions taken then, including a focus on security," said Alfred Wu, associate professor at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy.
The NPC takes place at a challenging time for China and Xi, who abruptly dropped his COVID policy in December after three years, following widespread protests unprecedented during his tenure.
It comes against the backdrop of a demographic turn that saw the population shrink for the first time since 1961, while urban employment fell last year for the first time in six decades, and per capita spending also declined.
Worsening relations with the United States, which is squeezing China's access to cutting-edge technologies, and a sluggish global economy add to headwinds for Xi, who will be confirmed in a third term as president after doing away with constitutional term limits in 2018.
ROCKY BEGINNING?
The 63-year-old Li Qiang, a veteran of provincial-level posts whose prospects were undiminished by his handling of last year's crippling two-month Shanghai COVID lockdown, will be the first premier of the People's Republic never to have served in the central government.
"The beginning of his tenure could be a bit rocky as he tries to find his place in the State Council and really understand how to make it work for him," said Trey McArver, co-founder of Trivium China, a research group.
Ding Xuexiang, a former Xi aide set to become the top vice-premier, also lacks central-level management experience.
The congress, which typically lasts between one and two weeks, will begin with the outgoing Li delivering a 2023 work report, which is expected to focus on stimulating an economy damaged by three years of COVID curbs and a property sector downturn.
"We will strive to spur growth and have policy tools to do that, mainly by channelling money into big projects," Xu Hongcai, deputy director of the economic policy commission at the state-backed China Association of Policy Science, told Reuters. (Reuters)