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September
Thailand to accelerate vaccinations, stimulus measures - PM
Written by Nur Yasmin
Thailand will speed up vaccinations and introduce urgent stimulus measures to mitigate the impact of its most severe coronavirus outbreak, its prime minister said on Wednesday.
Thailand has reported more than 1.5 million infections and 15,000 deaths, about 99% of those since April this year, after a year of successful containment during which its key tourism sector collapsed.
The government expects the situation to normalise quickly, Prayuth Chan-ocha told a news conference hosted by the state planning agency.
"The government will make full efforts to resolve the crisis so that people can return to normal life as soon as possible," he said.
So far, only 22% of the estimated 72 million people living in Thailand have been fully vaccinated. Authorities want a higher inoculation rate before reopening fully to tourists.
The government has introduced a series of measures to cope with the pandemic, with 1.5 trillion baht ($45 billion) in borrowing, including 500 billion baht approved this year.
Earlier this week, it raised the public debt ceiling for more borrowing if needed. read more
Thailand needs a further 1 trillion baht to support the economy, the central bank's governor said last month.
The planning agency forecast the economy will grow 0.7% to 1.2% this year after a 6.1% contraction last year.
Recovery will be "K shaped" with some industries improving and some still not, particularly the service sector, said the agency's head, Danucha Pichayanan.
"The number of the poor tends to rise because of job losses and income declines caused by the crisis," he said.
Government revenue collection faces limitations with businesses unable to fully operate, restraining fiscal ability to develop the country, Danucha said.
Thailand is preparing an economic and social development plan for the next five years from October 2022 to transform the country with technology and innovation, he said. (Reuters)
September
Australia says trade pact would benefit EU in Indo-Pacific amid submarine deal fallout
Written by Nur Yasmin
An Australian-EU trade deal would be mutually beneficial and allow EU members a greater presence in the Indo-Pacific, said Australia's trade minister, as Canberra tries to repair ties with Paris after the scrapping of a $40 billion submarine deal.
Australia last week cancelled a deal with France's Naval Group to build a fleet of conventional submarines and will instead build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. and British technology after striking a trilateral security partnership with those two countries.
The cancellation has angered France, which accused both Australia and the United States of stabbing it in the back, and it recalled its ambassadors from both Canberra and Washington.
In solidarity with France, EU lawmakers have publicly questioned whether a trade deal with Australia could be possible.
Australia's Minister for Trade Dan Tehan on Wednesday urged the EU to progress ahead with a trade deal.
"The Australia-EU FTA is in the best interests of all parties," Tehan said in a speech in Canberra.
"The EU will use it as a way to strengthen its engagement with the Indo-Pacific because they realise that the region carries the economic weight of the world."
Australia and the EU are set to hold the next round of talks on a trade deal on Oct 12.
Australia expects those talks to go ahead, though the depth of anger was on stark display in New York at the United Nations when a senior EU lawmaker dispelled with normal pleasantries when speaking to Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday.
"For us transparency and loyalty are fundamental principles in order to build stronger partnerships and stronger alliances," European Council President Charles Michel told Morrison in a bilateral meeting in New York on Tuesday.
Morrison is in the United States to attend the quadrilateral security dialogue, made up of India, Japan, the United States and Australia - which convenes later this week.
He met with U.S. President Joe Biden in New York but Morrison said he would not be able to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. (Reuters)
September
Philippines' Duterte vows accountability for anyone who went 'beyond bounds' in drug war
Written by Nur Yasmin
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday that anyone found to have "acted beyond bounds" in his campaign against illegal drugs would be held accountable under national laws, while appearing to reject an International Criminal Court probe.
Duterte told the United Nations General Assembly he had instructed the justice ministry and police to review the conduct of the campaign, in which more than 6,100 suspected drug dealers have been killed since 2016. Activists say many thousands more, mostly users or small-time peddlers, were killed by mystery gunmen.
"Those found to have acted beyond bounds during operations shall be made accountable before our laws," Duterte said in a video address to the annual gathering that drew criticism from rights groups.
Human Rights Watch accused Duterte of trying to mislead the international community into believing his government was investigating unlawful killings, noting that out of thousands of drug war killings only one case had resulted in a court conviction.
In a statement, Carlos Conde, Senior Philippines Researcher at Human Rights Watch, said what the public had got instead was "more propaganda and stonewalling by the authorities."
Duterte made no mention of a formal investigation into possible crimes against humanity, which was approved by judges from the International Criminal Court last week, although he appeared to reject outside interference in human rights issues.
"We have recently finalized with the United Nations our Joint Program on Human Rights. This is a model for constructive engagement between a sovereign Member State and the United Nations," he said.
"Meaningful change, to be enduring, must come from within. The imposition of one’s will over another – no matter how noble the intent – has never worked in the past. And it never will in the future."
Duterte's government said last week it will not cooperate with the ICC or allow any investigators into the Philippines. read more Duterte and his police chiefs have said the killings were in self-defense and his government has insisted the ICC has no right to meddle in the country's affairs.
Rights groups say Duterte personally incited deadly violence in the drug war and accuse police of murdering unarmed suspects on a massive scale. Rights group say the police summarily executed suspects, which the policy deny.
In February, the Philippine police said they were looking into a government review of the killings after the justice minister made an unprecedented admission to the United Nations of widespread police failures. read more
In his speech, Duterte also said the Philippines would welcome an unspecified number of Rohingya Muslim refugees who had fled violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
The justice ministry had been ordered to work with the U.N. High Commissioner on Refugees to make preparations, he said.
"The Philippines has limited resources during these extraordinary times. But what we can do for humanity and to uplift human dignity, we will," Duterte said. (Reuters)
September
New Zealand says it may not get to zero COVID-19 cases again
Written by Nur Yasmin
New Zealand may not get back to having zero coronavirus cases in the community, the director general of health said on Thursday, as the country continues efforts to stamp out the infectious Delta variant of the virus.
New Zealand eliminated COVID-19 last year and had been largely virus-free, barring a small number of cases in February, until the latest outbreak of the Delta variant erupted in August, prompting Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to order a nationwide lockdown.
Its biggest city Auckland is still in lockdown with a small number of new cases being reported everyday.
"We may not get back to zero but the important thing is we are going to keep finding any infections and basically continue to contact trace, test and isolate people so that we stop the virus circulating in the community... that's the aim," Ashley Bloomfield, the director general of health told Radio New Zealand.
Bloomfield said the aim now was to try and get on top of the outbreak while also ramping up vaccination rates.
"Get that vaccination rate up over 90%...that's absolutely our new means whereby we will be able to get back to the freedoms we had," he said.
Ardern's tough lockdowns and international border closure in March 2020 helped rein in COVID-19, but the government now faces questions over a delayed vaccine rollout. After an apparent delayed start, New Zealand has ramped up inoculation with nearly 40% of the country's 5.1 million people now fully vaccinated.
Authorities reported 23 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, all in Auckland, taking the total number of cases in the current outbreak to 1,080.
At a daily COVID-19 press conference later in the day, however, the COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the government had not given up on achieving zero cases.
"We are not giving up on getting back down to zero. That is absolutely what we are striving for," Hipkins said. (Reuters)
September
Philippines lower house approves VAT for big tech firms
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Philippines' lower house of Congress has approved a bill imposing taxes on tech giants like Facebook (FB.O), Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google and Youtube, and Netflix (NFLX.O).
Voting 167-6-1, lawmakers late on Tuesday approved on third and final reading a bill imposing a 12% value-added tax (VAT) on digital transactions in the Philippines.
It will require foreign-based digital service providers to assess, collect and remit VAT on the transactions that go through their platform.
In July 2020, a lower house committee approved the bill, which will tax firms that provide digital service or goods through an online platform. A similar bill has been submitted to the Senate.
The bill aims to raise 29 billion pesos ($579 million) to help fund government measures to fight the coronavirus.
The Philippines is a growing market for big tech firms, with Filipinos among the heaviest social media users in the world.
Facebook, Netflix, Spotify and Alibaba's Lazada did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A Google spokesperson said: "We comply with the tax laws in every country we operate in around the world including the Philippines, and will continue doing so as tax laws evolve."
The new measure follows similar moves by other Southeast Asian countries to generate revenues from popular digital services.
Last year, Indonesia imposed a 10% VAT on sales by technology firms. Early this month, Thailand started collecting VAT from foreign tech companies. (Reuters)
September
BOJ rolls out climate scheme, to disburse first loans late December
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Bank of Japan said on Wednesday it will begin disbursing loans in late December under a new scheme targeting activities aimed at combating climate change, as part of efforts to align itself with a global push toward a greener society.
The central bank will begin accepting applications on Wednesday from financial institutions seeking to tap the new scheme. After the December disbursement, loans will be offered about twice a year, the BOJ said in a statement.
Financial institutions will be required to disclose targets and actual results on green investment and loans, as well as what steps they are taking to meet proposed disclosure rules set by the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), the central bank said.
The central bank decided on the details of the scheme during its two-day rate review, which ended on Wednesday.
The BOJ's green plans come as other major central banks seek to use their institutional heft to tackle climate change.
In July, the BOJ laid out an outline of the climate scheme under which it will offer zero-interest loans that can be rolled over until 2030 to banks that boost green and sustainable loans. read more
Since then, the central bank has been exchanging views with financial institutions to sort out details, such as disclosure rules and frequency of market operations.
The TCFD is an international body created by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) to develop disclosure rules on climate-related financial risks for companies, banks and investors. (Reuters)
September
Philippines supports Australia nuclear sub pact to counter China
Written by Nur Yasmin
The Philippines is backing a new defence partnership between the United States, Britain and Australia, hoping it can maintain the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region, a view that contrasts sharply with some of its neighbours.
Known as AUKUS, the alliance will see Australia get technology to deploy nuclear-powered submarines as part of the agreement intended to respond to growing Chinese power.
"The enhancement of a near-abroad ally's ability to project power should restore and keep the balance rather than destabilise it," Philippines foreign minister, Teodoro Locsin, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Locsin's remarks, dated Sept. 19, differ to the stance of Indonesia and Malaysia, which sounded the alarm about the nuclear power submarines amid a burgeoning superpower rivalry in Southeast Asia.
Locsin said that without an actual presence of nuclear weapons, the AUKUS move would not violate a 1995 treaty to keep nuclear arms out of Southeast Asia.
The South China Sea continues to be a source of tension, with the United States - a defence treaty partner of the Philippines - and Western allies regularly conducting "freedom of navigation" operations that China has reacted angrily to.
China sees those as outside interference in waters it claims as its own, in conflict with other coastal states, like the Philippines and Vietnam, which have accused China of harassing fishermen and energy activities.
A brief period of rapprochement is all but over this year, with the Philippines furious about the "threatening" presence of hundreds of Chinese "maritime militia" vessels inside its exclusive economic zone.
"Proximity breeds brevity in response time; thereby enhancing an ASEAN near friend and ally's military capacity to respond to a threat to the region or challenge the status quo," Locsin added, without specifying the threat.
"This requires enhancing Australia's ability, added to that of its main military ally, to achieve that calibration." (Reuters)
September
Australia PM says no opportunity for meeting with French president in New York
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday he will not speak with the French president at the United Nations this week even though French anger over cancellation of a $40 billion defence contract could threaten an Australian-EU trade deal.
Australia last week scrapped a deal with France's Naval Group to build a fleet of conventional submarines and will instead build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. and British technology after striking a trilateral security partnership with those two countries.
The cancellation of the deal has angered France, which accused both Australia and the United States of stabbing it in the back, and it recalled its ambassadors from both Canberra and Washington.
While U.S. President Joe Biden has sought to speak to French President Emmanuel Macron to ease tensions, Morrison said he would not hold a separate bilateral meeting with the French leader.
"There is not an opportunity for that at this time. I'm sure that opportunity will come in time," Morrison told reporters in New York when asked if he would speak to Macron on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
European Union countries expressed solidarity with France on Monday in a show of unity seen as threatening Australia's bid for a free trade deal with the bloc.
Australia and the EU are set to hold the next round of talks on a trade deal on Oct 12.
Australian Minister for Trade Dan Tehan on Monday said he expected those talks to go ahead as scheduled despite the French disappointment.
But Morrison sought to temper expectations that a deal will materialise. "It's not an easy thing to do, to get an agreement with the European Union on trade, I think everyone understands that," he said.
While Australia struggles to mend ties with Europe, the nuclear-powered submarines issue has also divided Canberra's Asian allies and angered China and North Korea.
Indonesia and Malaysia have said Australia risks igniting an arms race, though the Philippines on Tuesday said it supported Canberra's nuclear submarine deal as it would help bring stability to the region.
"The enhancement of a near-abroad ally's ability to project power should restore and keep the balance rather than destabilise it," Philippines Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin said in a statement.
Morrison will meet Biden and European leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York before travelling to Washington for a meeting of the quadrilateral security dialogue, made up of India, Japan, the United States and Australia - which convenes later this week. (Reuters)
September
'Western bloc' has let Pakistan down, board chief says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Pakistan have been let down by the "Western bloc" and the back-to-back pullouts by New Zealand and England could have a "domino effect" for cricket in the South Asian country, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja said.
England on Monday cancelled their men's and women's teams tour of Pakistan next month citing "mental and physical well-being" of the players.
It followed New Zealand's abrupt abandonment of their tour minutes before the opening fixture in Rawalpindi on Friday following a security alert from their government.
"I am very disappointed by England's withdrawal but it was expected because this Western bloc gets united unfortunately and tries to back each other," Raja, who took over as PCB chief earlier this month, said in a video shared by the PCB.
"You can take any decision on the basis of security threat and perception.
"But there's a lesson for us. We go out of our way to accommodate and pamper these sides when they visit...from now on, we'll tour only when it serves our interest."
The former Pakistan captain said there was a sense of anger in his country as New Zealand refused to share the exact threat, which necessitated a step that has far-reaching consequences for the hosts.
"It can have a domino effect. It can hit the tour by West Indies, and Australia are already reconsidering their tour next year," Raja said.
"England, Australia, New Zealand - they are part of one bloc. Who can we complain to? We thought they were our own but they haven't accepted us as theirs."
According to media reports, the PCB is facing a loss that could be anything between $15-25 million after the twin pullouts but Raja said he was determined to claim compensation from New Zealand Cricket.
Pakistan could have hosted Zimbabwe and a second-string Bangladesh team to fill the void but the PCB would not resort to such "desperation", he said.
Pakistan would have been treated better had PCB had more financial clout, the 59-year-old said.
"We have to improve and expand our cricket economy so that these countries remain interested in playing us," he said.
"They come to the Pakistan Super League where they don't get spooked or fatigued but collectively they have a different mindset together toward Pakistan." (Reuters)
September
Australia PM Morrison says trade talks with EU will take time
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday said any trade talks with the European Union will be worked through in "the weeks and months ahead" as he deals with fallout of the decision to cancel a $40 billion submarine deal with France.
"It's not an easy thing to do, to get an agreement with the European Union on trade, I think everyone understands that," Morrison told reporters in New York, after reaching the United States for a meeting of the leaders of the Quad group.
Australia last week cancelled its order of a fleet of conventional submarines from France, and said it would instead build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. and British technology, prompting a recall by France of its envoys in the U.S. and Australia. (Reuters)