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April
U.S. general says has grave doubt about Taliban's reliability
Written by Nur YasminJakarta. A top U.S. general said on Tuesday that he had grave doubts about the Taliban's reliability as a negotiating partner, as the United States is set to remove all its troops from Afghanistan in the coming months and focus on diplomacy.
Last week President Joe Biden said all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan starting May 1, to end America's longest war, rejecting calls for them to stay to ensure a peaceful resolution to that nation's grinding internal conflict.
"I have grave doubts about the Taliban's reliability ... but we need to see what they're going to do here," Marine General Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, said in a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
"If they want any form of future international recognition for Afghanistan ... they're going to have to keep the agreements that they've made," McKenzie said, adding the U.S. military would still be able to observe them and verify their actions.
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, when they were ousted by U.S.-led forces. Since then they have waged a long-running insurgency and still control wide swathes of territory.
The foreign troop withdrawals have raised concerns that the country could erupt in full-scale civil war, providing al Qaeda space in which to rebuild and plan new attacks on U.S. and other targets.
A United Nations report in January said there were as many as 500 al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan and that the Taliban maintained a close relationship with the Islamist extremist group. The Taliban denies al Qaeda has a presence in Afghanistan.
Announcing his decision to withdraw troops, Biden said the United States would monitor the threat, reorganize counter-terrorism capabilities and keep substantial assets in the region to respond to threats to the United States emerging from Afghanistan.
McKenzie said he would provide the defense secretary a plan for counter-terrorism forces outside of Afghanistan by the end of the month. He cautioned that the loss of the current U.S. military network in Afghanistan, and the intelligence capability it allows, would have an impact.
"If you're out of the country and you don't have the ecosystem that we have there now, it will be harder to do that. It is not impossible to do that. It will just be harder to do it," he said.
A top White House official said on Sunday that no one could offer guarantees about Afghanistan's future after U.S. troops leave, even as he stressed the United States would stay focused on threats emanating from the country. (Reuters)
April
Japanese journalists call for Myanmar junta to free detained colleague
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. A group of journalists in Japan called on Myanmar's junta on Tuesday to free a colleague, Yuki Kitazumi, detained in Yangon following a crackdown on media amid ongoing protests against the military overthrow of an elected government.
"We want the junta to stop oppressing the citizens of Myanmar, and we seek the swift release of the many detained journalists, including Kitazumi, who strive to tell the truth," Isoko Mochizuki, a fellow journalist and long-time friend of Kitazumi, told a news conference.
The group of journalists started an online petition on Monday addressed to Myanmar's junta and the Japanese government calling for Kitazumi's release. So far about 2,000 people have signed the petition.
The journalists have asked the Japanese government to apply more pressure on the Myanmar authorities to free Kitazumi, who was detained on Sunday evening by the military outside his home in Yangon for allegedly "spreading falsehoods".
"It doesn't feel at all like the Japanese government is putting enough pressure onto Myanmar," Kanae Doi, director of Human Rights Watch Japan, told the news conference.
"I hope this becomes a tipping point for Japan to do more," she said, adding that the Japanese government has appeared to tread gently around the issue of what is happening in Myanmar, while the European Union and United States have imposed sanctions on people involved in the coup.
Kitazumi, who runs a media production company, was arrested previously in February while covering protests against the Feb. 1 coup but was released soon afterwards.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group, 737 people have been killed by security forces in Myanmar since the coup and 3,229 remain in detention. (Reuters)
April
S.Korean students shave heads in protest over Japan's nuclear waste water plan
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. More than 30 South Korean college students shaved their heads in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul on Tuesday to protest Japan's decision to release water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.
Police periodically dispersed crowds, who chanted and held placards, but did not stop the event from taking place, though there is an anti-pandemic ban on gatherings larger than 10 people.
The protesters who were shaved were draped in protective sheets emblazoned with messages condemning the Japanese plan and calling for it to be ditched.
One read: "The Japanese government should immediately cancel the plan to release the contaminated water."
Japan's government said last week it will release more than 1 million tonnes of treated water from the Fukushima site in stages starting in about two years.
Seoul has strongly rebuked the decision, with the foreign ministry summoning the Japanese ambassador and President Moon Jae-in ordering officials to explore petitioning an international court.
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on Sunday (April 18) said he believed Japan had made the decision in a transparent manner and would continue to follow due procedures. (Reuters)
April
Pressured by Islamists, Pakistan parliament to vote on whether to expel French envoy
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Pakistan's government will seek a vote in parliament on Tuesday on whether to expel the French ambassador after violent anti-France protests by Islamists demanding action over cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammad, the interior minister said.
Prime Minister Imran Khan warned his nation in a televised address late on Monday that Pakistan risked paying a price if it expelled the French envoy, as half the country's exports are sold to the European Union. read more
Relations between Paris and Islamabad became more strained after President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute late last year to a French teacher who was beheaded by a man of Chechen origin for showing cartoons depicting the Prophet in a class on freedom of speech.
Muslims consider such drawings of their Prophet to be blasphemous.
The expulsion of the ambassador is one of the main four demands of a radical Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) group, which the government banned last week after its members blocked main highways, railways and access routes to major cities, assaulting police and burning public property.
Four police officers were killed, almost a dozen were taken hostage and more than 800 wounded, many of them seriously, during clashes with the Islamists.
The Islamists say that three TLP members were also killed.
The violence erupted after the government detained TLP leader Saad Hussain Rizvi ahead of a planned countrywide anti-France campaign aimed at pressuring Prime Minister Khan to take action.
On Monday, the government said it had entered negotiations with the TLP, and that the Islamist group had freed 11 police that had been snatched during a clash outside the TLP's headquarters in the eastern city of Lahore. read more
"After long negotiations between government of Pakistan and the TLP, this has been agreed that we will table a resolution in parliament today to expel French ambassador," Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said in a video recorded statement.
Aside from wanting the ambassador expelled, the TLP is demanding the release of their leader and hundreds of arrested workers, the removal of ban on the group and the dismissal of the interior minister.
All cases registered against the TLP and its workers will be withdrawn, the interior minister said, adding that the group will end all the sit-in protests from across the country. (Reuters)
April
New Zealand expects Australia 'travel bubble' to stay open despite new virus case
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. New Zealand authorities reported on Tuesday that a worker in Auckland airport has tested positive for COVID-19, but doubted whether the new case would warrant ordering a pause in quarantine-free travel with Australia.
Australia and New Zealand opened a travel bubble on Monday, after both countries had closed borders in March 2020 to non-citizens and permanent residents to contain the pandemic.
"When we opened, on both sides, we of course knew we would continue to have cases connected to our border," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. "We accept that's going to be part of our journey together, I think Australia accepts that."
New Zealand's health authorities were liaising with their Australian counterparts, Ardern said, with no initial indication that the so-called 'travel bubble' would be halted.
The infected worker, who was fully vaccinated for the virus, had been cleaning airplanes coming from countries with known virus outbreaks, Ardern told reporters in Auckland.
The worker had tested negative on April 12 but on Monday tested positive as part of routine testing, she said, adding that contact tracing was underway.
Australia Health Minister Greg Hunt said he has "full confidence" in New Zealand's health system to contain the new infection.
"We've seen them deal with the inevitable outbreaks and there will be other days when there are cases in Australia," Hunt said during a televised media briefing in Melbourne.
Border closures, snap lockdowns and speedy tracing systems have helped Australia and New Zealand keep their COVID-19 numbers relatively low.
Australia has recorded just over 29,500 virus cases and 910 deaths since the pandemic began, while New Zealand has had just over 2,200 confirmed cases and 26 deaths. (Reuters)
April
ASEAN calls summit on Myanmar crisis as EU imposes sanctions
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Southeast Asian countries will discuss the crisis in Myanmar at a summit in Jakarta on Saturday, the ASEAN bloc's secretariat said on Tuesday, but Thailand's prime minister said several will be represented only by their foreign ministers.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he would not be attending and that Thailand would be represented by Deputy Prime Minister Don Pramudwinai, who is also foreign minister.
"Some other countries will also send their foreign ministers," Prayuth, a former army chief who led a coup in Thailand in 2014, told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting.
A Thai government official said on Saturday that Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing would go to Jakarta, although the Myanmar government has not commented. However, this is seen as unlikely - in previous stints of military rule, Myanmar has usually been represented at regional meetings by a prime minister or foreign minister.
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been trying to find a way to guide fellow member Myanmar out of the bloody turmoil that it descended into after the military overthrew an elected government, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, on Feb. 1.
But there have been divergent views among ASEAN members over how to respond to the army's use of lethal force against civilians and the group's policies of consensus and non-interference in each others’ affairs have limited its ability to act.
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore have sought to ramp up pressure on the junta. Thailand, Myanmar's neighbour, has said it is "gravely concerned" about escalating bloodshed, but close military ties and fears of a flood of refugees mean it is unlikely to go further.
Brunei, the current chair of the bloc, said after a meeting of the group's foreign ministers in March that ASEAN expressed concern about the situation in Myanmar and called on "all parties to refrain from instigating further violence".
LITTLE WILLINGNESS
Romeo Jr. Abad Arca, assistant director of the community relations division of the ASEAN Secretariat, said Saturday's summit would take place at its Jakarta headquarters under strict health and security protocols due to the pandemic, confirming an earlier advisory.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group, 738 people have been killed by Myanmar security forces since the coup.
Myanmar's military has shown little willingness to engage with its neighbours and no sign of wanting to talk to members of the government it ousted, accusing some of them of treason, which is punishable by death.
Pro-democracy politicians including ousted members of parliament from Suu Kyi's party announced the formation of a National Unity Government (NUG) on Friday.
It includes Suu Kyi, who has been in detention since the coup, as well as leaders of the pro-democracy protests and ethnic minorities.
The NUG says it is the legitimate authority and has called for international recognition and an invitation to the ASEAN meeting in place of the junta leader.
Former U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon urged his successor to engage directly with Myanmar's military to prevent rising violence and said Southeast Asian countries should not dismiss the turmoil as an internal issue for Myanmar.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, has communicated with the military since the coup, but the junta has not allowed her to visit.
In its firmest response yet, the European Union said on Monday nine members of the junta's State Administration Council, formed the day after the coup, had been targeted with travel bans and asset freezes. Information Minister U Chit Naing was sanctioned also.
The decision follows similar measures by the United States. Min Aung Hlaing and Myint Swe, who has been acting president since the coup, were blacklisted by the EU last month. (Reuters)
April
WHO panel against requiring vaccination proof for travel - statement
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. The World Health Organization's Emergency Committee recommended on Monday that proof of vaccination not be required as a condition of international travel, maintaining its stance on the issue under growing debate.
The independent experts, in a statement issued after meeting last Thursday, cited limited evidence on whether vaccination against COVID-19 reduces people's ability to transmit the virus and "the persistent inequity in global vaccine distribution".
States should recognise that requiring proof of vaccination deepens inequities and promotes unequal freedom of movement, the panel said. (Reuters)
April
India to waive import duty on COVID-19 vaccines, says govt source
Written by Nur YasminJakarta. India will waive its 10% customs duty on imported COVID-19 vaccines, a senior government official told Reuters on Monday, as it tries to boost supplies to counter a dramatic surge in coronavirus cases.
Imports of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine are due to arrive soon and the government has also urged Pfizer (PFE.N), Moderna (MRNA.O) and Johnson and Johnson (JNJ.N) to sell their products to India.
The official, who declined to be named, also said the government was considering allowing private entities to import approved vaccines for sale on the open market without government intervention. They could also be given the freedom to set pricing, he added.
The Indian government currently regulates the sale and purchase of all COVID-19 shots in the country.
A finance ministry spokesman did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment outside business hours.
Other South Asian countries, including Nepal and Pakistan, as well as Latin American nations such as Argentina and Brazil levy vaccine import tariffs ranging between 10% and 20%.
New COVID-19 infections and deaths in India have jumped by record numbers for days, with hospitals running short of beds, oxygen and key medicines. Total deaths have swelled to nearly 179,000 and cases have climbed above 15 million, the world's second highest tally behind the United States.
The government has now decided to open vaccinations for all adults from May 1. (Reuters)
April
World can bring pandemic under control within months - WHO chief
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. The world can bring the global COVID-19 pandemic under control in the coming months provided it distributes the necessary resources fairly, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) told a news briefingon Monday.
Global climate change activist Greta Thunberg, joining the briefing as a virtual guest from Sweden, took a swipe at "vaccine nationalism" and said it was unethical that rich countries were prioritising their younger citizens for vaccination ahead of vulnerable groups in developing countries.
"We have the tools to bring this pandemic under control in a matter of months, if we apply them consistently and equitably," said the head of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
However, he also expressed concern over the "alarming rate" at which COVID-19 is spreading in those aged 25-59 worldwide, possibly due to much more contagious variants.
"It took nine months to reach one million deaths; 4 months to reach 2 million, and 3 months to reach 3 million."
Thunberg said that whereas one in four people in high-income countries had now been vaccinated against COVID-19, only one in more than 500 people in poorer countries had received a shot.
"Vaccine nationalism is what is running the vaccine distribution," she said.
"The only morally right thing to do is to prioritise the people who are most vulnerable, whether they live in a high income or a low income country."
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE
Thunberg also drew a direct link between the pandemic and the environmental destruction that she said made it much easier for dangerous viruses to leap from animal populations to humans.
"Science shows we will experience more frequent, devastating pandemics unless we drastically change our ways and the ways we treat nature ... We are creating ideal conditions for diseases to spill over from one animal to another and to us," she said.
Thunberg urged young people everywhere to get vaccinated if given an opportunity, even though they are the age group least at risk from COVID-19, out of "solidarity with people in the (high) risk groups".
A leading WHO epidemiologist, Maria van Kerkhove, told the same briefing that the latest surge in COVID-19 infections worldwide included increases among age groups previously less affected by the pandemic.
"We are seeing increased rates of transmission across all age groups," she said, adding that some 5.2 million cases were reported last week, the highest weekly increase since the start of the pandemic.
"We are seeing a slight age shift in some countries, driven by social mixing," she added. (Reuters)
April
Pakistan urges Taliban to stay engaged in Afghan peace process
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta. Pakistan on Monday urged the Taliban to remain engaged in the Afghan peace process after the armed group said it would now shun summits about Afghanistan until all foreign forces leave.
The decision was taken after the United States said last week it would withdraw all troops by Sept. 11 this year, later than a May 1 deadline set out by the previous administration.
"They take their own decisions but we will do whatever we can to convince them that it is in their national interest to remain engaged," Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said of the Taliban in an interview with Reuters in Abu Dhabi.
The refusal has thrown the peace process into disarray with Turkey scheduled for Saturday to host a summit that diplomats had hoped could create new momentum towards a political settlement between the Taliban and Afghan government.
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 when they were ousted by U.S.-led forces, but they still control wide areas.
Qureshi said withdrawal delays were always a possibility due to logistics but that the Taliban had largely succeeded in their objective for foreign troops to withdraw and so should show flexibility towards the new Sept. 11 deadline.
"The troops will be out and a date has been given and the process starts on the 1st of May and goes on until the 11th of September so there is a definite time frame," Qureshi said.
Sources have told Reuters Pakistan was putting pressure on the militants to come back to the table.
Qureshi said he believed the Taliban would benefit from staying involved but said he had no contact with the group.
Pakistan, which helped facilitate U.S.-Taliban negotiations in Doha that resulted in the initial May 1 withdrawal deal, wields considerable influence with the Taliban.
The insurgents have sanctuaries in Pakistan, whose main military-run intelligence service gives them support, according to U.S. and Afghan officials. Pakistan denies the allegation.
Qureshi said he feared violence could escalate if the peace process remains deadlocked, plunging Afghanistan into civil war and leading to an exodus of Afghans.
Pakistan, which hosts close to 3 million Afghan refugees and economic migrants, has built 90% of a fence along its disputed 2,500 km (1,500 mile) border with Afghanistan and would hopefully be completed by September, he said.
He also said Pakistan was ready to engage in direct dialogue with arch-rival India once Jammu and Kashmir statehood was restored, which New Delhi in 2019 split into territories.
"We are two atomic powers that cannot, should not go into a direct conflict. It would be suicidal," Qureshi said.
But he said he had no plans to meet with his Indian counterpart who is also in the United Arab Emirates this week.
Top intelligence officers from India and Pakistan held secret talks in Dubai in January in a new effort to calm military tension over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, sources have told Reuters (Reuters)