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September
Candidate close to establishment wins Singapore presidential race
Written by Nur Yasmin
A former member of Singapore's ruling party on Saturday scored a landslide victory to become the city-state's president, in an election seen as a barometer of public sentiment amid economic challenges and high-profile scandals.
Former deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 66, won 70.4% of votes, the elections department said, to become Singapore's head of state. The country is a parliamentary democracy and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is the head of government.
Analysts said the landslide victory for the candidate seen as closest to the establishment is a sign that Singaporeans generally still trust the ruling People's Action Party (PAP).
"It shows that the PAP is still a trusted brand, as long as the candidate that is put forth is credible. Tharman is as credible as it gets," said political scientist Walid Jumblatt Abdullah of Nanyang Technological University.
Tharman has been a popular politician, having scored several victories in parliamentary elections, including the biggest margin of votes in the general election in 2020 as a PAP member.
He resigned from the party earlier this year and emphasised his independence during his campaign for the presidency.
Usually a beacon of stable and corruption-free politics, Singapore has been rocked by a series of high-profile scandals in recent months, raising frustration among voters already wearied by exorbitant living costs.
A rare graft investigation involving a cabinet minister, the resignations of two ruling party lawmakers including the house speaker, and public outcry over ministers renting plush state-owned properties have made headlines in the tiny city-state of 5.6 million.
The role of the president is largely ceremonial in Singapore, though the office is expected to ensure checks and balances on the government.
The president holds the key to the country's large but undisclosed reserves, with veto powers over any budget or specific transaction that is likely to draw on those reserves, thought they must consult the Council of Presidential Advisers.
The president can also veto the appointment or removal of key public officials, and direct the anti-graft bureau to investigate cases even when the prime minister disagrees.
This is Singapore's third presidential election since a 1991 act gave the public the right to choose and Tharman will be the country's ninth president overall.
PM Lee said in a statement he had called to congratulate Tharman.
"I...assure(d) him of my government's full cooperation. Mr Tharman has also declared his intention to work closely with the government," he said. (Reuters)
September
Thai king commutes former PM Thaksin's prison sentence to one year
Written by Nur Yasmin
Thailand's king has commuted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's eight-year prison sentence to one year, the royal gazette said on Friday, a day after the billionaire submitted a request for pardon.
The country's most famous politician returned to Thailand last week in a dramatic homecoming after 15 years abroad in self-exile to avoid jail time after he was ousted by the military in 2006.
He arrived on a private jet and was transferred to prison to serve an eight-year sentence on charges of abuse of power and conflicts of interest from during his time in power. On the first night, he was moved to a police hospital over chest pains and high blood pressure.
On Thursday he submitted a request for a royal pardon.
Thaksin "was a prime minister, has done good for the country and people and is loyal to the monarchy," the royal gazette said on Friday.
"He respected the process, admitted his guilt, repented, accepted court verdicts. Right now he is old, has illness that needs care from medical professionals," it read.
Despite being away for 15 years, Thaksin remains an influential figure in Thai policies with parties loyal to him winning every election since 2001 until this year.
His return overshadowed a vote in parliament that installed political ally Srettha Thavisin of the Shinawatra-backed Pheu Thai party, as prime minister.
Srettha, a real estate tycoon, received support from pro-military and conservative parties connected to the same generals who ousted Thaksin's governments in 2006 and 2014.
Thaksin's return and time in hospital have fuelled speculation that he has struck a deal with those very rivals among the country's powerful generals and conservative old money elites - something he and the Pheu Thai party deny.
He remains hospitalised, with authorities citing the need for specialists and advanced medical equipment for his treatment.
"It is his majesty's grace that showed Thaksin mercy," the former leader's lawyer Winyat Chatmontri told Reuters, referring to King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
"Thais should accept and not criticise this outcome because it could be considered a violation of royal power," he said.
Thailand's strict royal insult law shields the monarchy from criticism, carrying a prison sentence of up to 15 years. (Reuters)
September
Pakistan inflation stays high at 27.4% as IMF reforms kick in
Written by Nur Yasmin
Pakistan's inflation rate stayed above target at 27.4% in August, data showed on Friday, as reforms set out as conditions for an IMF loan complicate the task of keeping price pressures and declines in its rupee currency in check.
The South Asian nation is embarking on a tricky path to economic recovery under a caretaker government after a $3 billion loan programme, approved by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in July, averted a sovereign debt default.
Reforms linked to the bailout, including an easing of import restrictions and a demand that subsidies be removed, have already fuelled annual inflation, which rose to a record 38.0% in May. Interest rates have also risen, and the rupee hit all-time lows. Last month the currency fell 6.2%.
The August data from Pakistan's statistics bureau showed a slight easing from July's 28.3% inflation rate, but food inflation remained elevated at 38.5%.
Authorities also raised petrol and diesel prices to record highs on Friday.
The worsening economic conditions, along with rising political tensions in the run-up to a national election scheduled for November, have triggered sporadic protests.
Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamist opposition party, has called for a countrywide strike on Saturday in response to higher power tariffs.
Ordinary Pakistanis say they are struggling to make ends meet.
Bank employee Waseem Ahmed, speaking at a petrol station in Islamabad, said the middle classes were being crushed.
"More than 60 to 70 percent of my salary is spent on bills and petrol. Where will we get basic staples from? This is why people are contemplating suicide," he told Reuters.
Mohammed Sohail, CEO of Topline Securities, a Karachi-based brokerage firm, said August's inflation reading was in line with expectations.
But the falling rupee and rising energy prices meant that "we may not see a big decline in inflation year on year as was expected earlier," he added.
He was referring to government projections that inflation will fall to 22% by the end of the fiscal year that runs to June 31.
Pakistan's central bank said in its last monetary policy statement in July - when it held benchmark interest rates likewise at 22% - that it expected inflation to remain on a downward path over the following 12 months. (Reuters)
August
Russia says it will deepen ties with North Korea, doesn't confirm Putin-Kim letter exchange
Written by Nur Yasmin
Russia said on Thursday it intended to develop ties with North Korea, while not confirming a statement by the White House that Russian President Vladimir Putin had exchanged letters with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The White House said on Wednesday it was concerned that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea were advancing actively, and said Putin and Kim had written to each other pledging to increase their cooperation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not answer directly when asked by reporters if the letter exchange had taken place.
"Moscow and Pyongyang maintain good, mutually respectful relations. We intend to develop them further. Contacts are being made at various levels," he said, calling North Korea "a very important neighbour".
Washington has warned before that North Korea could provide more weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine. Earlier this month the United States imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of being tied to arms deals between North Korea and Russia. (Reuters)
August
Thailand's billionaire ex-PM Thaksin submits royal pardon request
Written by Nur Yasmin
Thailand's former premier Thaksin Shinawatra has submitted a request for a royal pardon, outgoing Justice Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Thursday, his latest move in a long-running power struggle with the country's establishment.
Thaksin, Thailand's most famous politician, made a dramatic homecoming last week after 15 years abroad where he lived in self-exile to avoid prison.
Thaksin arrived on a private jet and greeted supporters before being moved to a prison to serve an eight-year sentence for abuse of power and conflicts of interest from his time in power.
Hours later, Srettha Thavisin of the Shinawatra-backed Pheu Thai party won a parliamentary vote to become prime minister with the support of pro-military lawmakers.
Thaksin, a former telecoms tycoon still wields influence in Thai politics with parties loyal to him winning every election in the past two decades until this year.
This month's events have fuelled speculation that Thaksin has struck a deal with his bitter rivals in the conservative establishment and royalist military, which ousted his parties in coups in 2006 and 2014, at the time accusing him and his parties of corruption and disloyalty to the powerful monarchy.
Thaksin denied those allegations and has rejected talk of a deal with the generals.
On his first night in jail, Thaksin was transferred to a police hospital, on account of chest pains and high blood pressure.
A representative of the 74-year-old Thaksin declined to comment when asked by Reuters about his pardon request.
A request for royal pardon must be submitted through the corrections department to the justice minister.
"The request will then be presented to (incumbent) Prime Minister Prayuth Cha-ocha who needs to sign it before presenting it to the king," Wissanu told Reuters.
If a royal pardon is not granted, Thaksin will have to wait two years to submit another request. (Reuters)
August
North Korea to convene rubber-stamp parliament in September
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly, will convene on Sept. 26 to discuss organisational matters and other issues, state media said on Thursday, as the country slowly reopens after years of pandemic lockdowns.
The North's parliament rarely meets and usually serves to approve decisions on issues such as governing structures and budgets that have been created by the state's ruling Workers' Party, members of which form the vast majority of the assembly.
The planned meeting comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un blasted top officials last week for their "irresponsible" response to flood damage, saying they had "spoiled" the national economy.
Kim has said such irresponsibility and lack of discipline from officials were "mainly attributable to the feeble work attitude and wrong viewpoint of the premier of the cabinet," raising speculation over a personnel reshuffle.
The North has suffered serious food shortages in recent decades, including famine in the 1990s, often as a result of natural disasters. International experts have warned that border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic worsened matters, while international sanctions and the North's focus on developing its missile and nuclear programmes have also contributed.
The agenda of the upcoming parliamentary session will include laws on the irrigation, public servants, people with disabilities, and the law enforcement in the financial sector, news agency KCNA said.
The decision was made at a Plenary Meeting of the parliament's Standing Committee on Wednesday, where members also discussed a law for "revitalizing domestic tourism and expanding international tourism simultaneously."
North Korea has recently approved the return of its citizens who were abroad after years of strict border restrictions, state media reported on Sunday as the isolated country cracks open its border to passenger travel. (Reuters)
August
Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia Reject China's Latest South China Sea Map
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have rejected as baseless a map released by China that denotes its claims to sovereignty including in the South China Sea and which Beijing said on Thursday should be viewed rationally and objectively.
China released the map on Monday of its famous U-shaped line covering about 90% of the South China Sea, a source of many of the disputes in one of the world's most contested waterways, where more than $3 trillion of trade passes each year.
The Philippines called on China on Thursday "to act responsibly and abide by its obligations" under international law and a 2016 arbitral ruling that had declared the line had no legal grounds.
Malaysia said it had filed a diplomatic protest over the map.
China says the line is based on its historic maps. It was not immediately clear whether the latest map denotes any new claim to territory.
China's U-shaped line loops as far as 1,500 km (932 miles) south of its Hainan island and cuts into the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
"This latest attempt to legitimise China's purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law," the Philippine Foreign Ministry said.
Its Malaysian counterpart in a statement said the new map holds no binding authority over Malaysia, which "also views the South China Sea as a complex and sensitive matter".
The map was different to a narrower version submitted by China to the United Nations in 2009 of the South China Sea that included its so-called "nine-dash line".
The latest map was of a broader geographical area and had a line with 10 dashes that included democratically governed Taiwan, similar to a 1948 map of China. China also published a map with a 10th dash in 2013.
Asked about the latest map, Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu said Taiwan was "absolutely not a part of the People's Republic of China".
"No matter how the Chinese government twists its position on Taiwan's sovereignty, it cannot change the objective fact of our country's existence," he told a press briefing.
China is currently having a "national map awareness publicity week", state broadcaster China Central Television reported on Tuesday.
Asked why China had released the latest map with 10 dashes compared to one with nine dashes, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Beijing had been unambiguous about its territory.
"China's position on the South China Sea issue has always been clear. The competent authorities of China regularly update and release various types of standard maps every year," he told a regular briefing.
"We hope that relevant parties can view this in an objective and rational manner."
Late on Thursday, Vietnam's foreign ministry said China's claims based on the map have no value and violate Vietnamese and international laws.
Vietnam "resolutely rejects any claims in the East Sea by China that are based on the dashed line," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said in a statement, referring to the South China Sea.
Separately, Hang said Vietnamese authorities are seeking to clarify an allegation by Vietnamese fishermen that a Chinese vessel attacked their fishing boat with water canon earlier this week in the South China Sea, injuring two of them.
"Vietnam opposes the use of force against Vietnamese fishing boats operating normally at sea," she said in a statement sent to Reuters.
India said on Tuesday said it had lodged a strong protest with China over a new map that lays claim to India's territory, the latest irritant in testy ties between the Asian giants. (Reuters)
August
North Korea denounces 'gang bosses' of US and allies amid drills
Written by Nur Yasmin
The United States, South Korea and Japan staged joint naval missile defence drills off the Korean peninsula on Tuesday, as North Korea denounced the "gang bosses" of Washington and its allies for increasing the risk of nuclear war.
The three nations staged exercises in international waters off South Korea's southern Jeju island to improve their ability to detect and track targets, and share information in the event of provocation by Pyongyang, South Korea's military said.
The drills come as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for "radically" modernising the weapons and equipment of his country's naval forces, criticising an increased presence of U.S. strategic assets in the region.
In a speech to mark Navy Day, Kim said the "gang bosses" of the United States, Japan and South Korea announced regular joint military exercises, news agency KCNA reported, apparently referring to their Aug. 18 summit at Camp David, Maryland.
"Owing to the reckless confrontational moves of the U.S. and other hostile forces, the waters off the Korean Peninsula have been reduced to the world's biggest war hardware concentration spot, the most unstable waters with the danger of a nuclear war," Kim was quoted by KCNA as saying.
In the first standalone meeting between the leaders of the U.S., South Korea and Japan, the three agreed to deepen military and economic cooperation as they seek to project unity in the face of China's growing power and the North's nuclear threats.
Japan said the sharing of information on ballistic missiles was part of the drills on Tuesday.
"The exercises will strongly facilitate trilateral cooperation and demonstrate the commitment of Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea to protect a free and open international order based on the rule of law," Japan's defence ministry said in a statement.
South Korea and the United States last week began the Ulchi Freedom Shield summer exercises, designed to enhance their joint responses to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. Pyongyang has long denounced the drills as a rehearsal for war.
As part of the exercises, the allies' special operations troops practised infiltrating an enemy's coastline from the sea, riding rubber boats and emerging from the waves with diving gear and guns. (Reuters)
August
Japan may take China to WTO over Fukushima-driven seafood import ban
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan threatened on Tuesday to take China to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to seek a reversal of Beijing's ban on all of its seafood imports after the release of treated radioactive water from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that Japan would take "necessary action (on China's aquatic product ban) under various routes including the WTO framework".
Filing a WTO complaint might become an option if protesting to China through diplomatic routes is ineffective, Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi said separately.
The comments came as Japanese businesses and public facilities continued to receive harassment calls from phone numbers with the +86 Chinese country code, with many reporting callers complaining of the Fukushima water release.
Fukushima prefectural government and public facilities in the prefecture have received about 3,000 such calls, Kyoto News reported, quoting the prefecture governor.
The power plant operator Tokyo Electric Power (9501.T) has received about 6,000 such calls to date, local media reported, and the government said it was seeking help from telecommunications companies to block the calls.
An increasing number of landline phone users are requesting to block foreign numbers, said a spokesperson at NTT Communications, a Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (9432.T) unit. NTT and other phone companies including KDDI (9433.T) and SoftBank Corp (9434.T) are discussing measures following the government's request.
NTT East, which serves the eastern half of the country including Fukushima, said it had set up a customer service centre on Tuesday specifically for harassment calls from overseas, in response to the government's plea.
"It is extremely regrettable and concerning about the large number of harassment calls that have likely come from China," Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said during a news conference. He said that according to the people of Fukushima some calls were even going to hospitals.
"Human life is at stake now. Please stop the calls immediately," Nishimura said.
The minister said the government was gathering information on the reports of movements to boycott Japanese products in China and would work with business leaders to address the situation.
Japan is also conducting interviews with local travel agencies to gather information about the status of travel to Japan from China after media reports that some Japan-bound tours have been cancelled.
"Some travel agencies responded that they had received cancellation requests while others said they had received inquiries about the safety of food and beverages, and the possibility of postponing or cancelling tours," Japan's Land Minister Tetsuo Saito told reporters.
The move came after China earlier this month lifted pandemic-era restrictions on group tours for Japan and other key markets. (Reuters)
August
'Hundreds of thousands' trafficked into SE Asia scam centres - UN
Written by Nur Yasmin
Hundreds of thousands of people are being trafficked by criminal gangs and forced to work in scam centres and other illegal online operations that have sprung up across Southeast Asia in recent years, the United Nations said in a report on Tuesday.
The report cited "credible sources" estimating that at least 120,000 people across Myanmar and around 100,000 in Cambodia may be trapped in scam operations, with other criminal-owned enterprises in Laos, the Philippines and Thailand ranging from crypto-fraud to online gambling.
"People who are coerced into working in these scamming operations endure inhumane treatment while being forced to carry out crimes. They are victims. They are not criminals," said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.
Cambodian police spokesperson Chhay Kim Khoeun said he had not seen the U.N. report but queried the number.
"I don't know how to respond, where did they get the (100,000) number from? Have they investigated? Where did they get the data? Foreigners are just saying things."
Myanmar's military-run government did not respond to requests for comment.
The U.N. Human Rights Office report was one of the most detailed of the phenomenon that has emerged since the COVID pandemic, fuelled by closure of casinos that prompted moves into less regulated areas in Southeast Asia.
The fast-growing scams centres are generating billions of U.S. dollars in revenue each year, the report said.
"Faced with new operational realities, criminal actors increasingly targeted migrants in vulnerable situations ... for recruitment into criminal operations, under the pretence of offering them real jobs," the report said.
It said most of the trafficking victims were from other Southeast Asian countries as well as China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, but some were recruited from as far away as Africa and Latin America.
The U.N. rights office called on regional governments to strengthen rule of law and tackle corruption to "break the cycle of impunity" that allows criminal enterprises to thrive. (Reuters)