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May
In Malaysia, migrants say they are in limbo after promised jobs fall through
Written by Nur Yasmin
Stranded without work for months, hundreds of South Asian migrants in Malaysia say they are losing hope after failing to find jobs promised to them by recruitment agents in exchange for thousands of dollars in fees.
At a students' dormitory about 40 km (25 miles) from the capital, Kuala Lumpur, about 500 migrants – mostly young men from Nepal and Bangladesh who had arrived in Malaysia since December – spend their days in crowded rooms or at an open-air cafeteria.
They say they arrived in the country on a three-month work visa that was meant to be upgraded to a work permit, but never was. Because their legal status is unclear, they are afraid to leave the premises, the workers told Reuters at the facility where they are staying.
Many say recruitment agents took their passports and continue to promise them jobs.
"We are all depressed and helpless. We already paid a huge amount for the job. How can I pay that back if I do not have a job?" a Nepali migrant at the dormitory told Reuters.
The 23-year-old, who declined to be identified for fear of backlash from recruitment agents, signed a two-year contract with a Malaysian cleaning company but has not started work. He said he, like others there, had borrowed 300,000 Nepali rupees ($2,300) to pay an agent for the job. He was promised a monthly salary of 2,062 ringgit ($464.94) per month.
The workers at the facility all tell similar stories: upon arriving in Malaysia, recruiting agencies told them no jobs were immediately available and took them to accommodation facilities to wait. They were then told they would eventually be employed; in the meantime, they must pay for their own food without a salary.
It is unclear how the workers ended up without jobs despite arriving in Malaysia with employment contracts and promises that their temporary work visas would become permanent on arrival. Malaysia last month launched an investigation.
Puncak Jupiter Management Services and Star Domain Resources, listed as employers on some of the workers' travel documents, did not respond to requests for comment. Amial International, one of the recruitment agencies the workers used, did not respond to requests for comment.
Malaysia's Human Resources Ministry and the labour department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The ministry has promised to find jobs for a separate group of 226 stranded workers from Bangladesh and Nepal.
Migrants form the backbone of Malaysia's export-reliant economy, making up about 15% of the country's 15 million workforce. Malaysian companies have faced U.S. bans in recent years over use of forced labour.
Rights activists say migrant workers have been at greater risk after Malaysia eased recruitment processes this year in a bid to fill a 1.2 million job shortage across its plantation, manufacturing and construction industries.
"It's a bigger problem now," said Adrian Pereira, the executive director of migrant rights' group North South Initiative, adding that his team had received reports of about 1,200 other workers across Malaysia caught in a similar plight.
The Bangladesh embassy in Kuala Lumpur last month called for more transparency by Malaysia to prevent its citizens from being cheated of jobs.
A Bangladeshi official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, told Reuters a "few hundred" of its citizens were stuck in Malaysia without jobs.
The Nepal embassy has also said it received such complaints.
At the facility visited by Reuters, the migrants lived four to six in small rooms with bunk beds and one shared bathroom.
Two workers - Nepali citizens aged 43 and 46 – died by suicide between February and April at the facility, the Nepalese embassy in Kuala Lumpur said, citing reports from the Malaysian police and hospitals. Reuters could not determine why the two men killed themselves.
Without income, the migrants find it difficult to buy food and pay back loans back home.
"We still don't know whether we will get a job or not. The agent keeps asking us to wait... it's been three months," one Bangladeshi worker said. (Reuters)
May
China completes warship deliveries to Pakistan as military alliance grows
Written by Nur Yasmin
China has delivered two frigates to Pakistan's navy, completing a four-warship deal inked in 2018, Chinese media reported, amid deepening military cooperation between the two nations in one of the world's most complex geopolitical regions.
The vessels - two Type 054A frigates - will be used to safeguard the seas of the China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC), state-backed Chinese newspaper Global Times reported late on Wednesday.
CPEC is an ambitious infrastructure project that links Xinjiang in west China to Pakistan aimed at offering an alternative transportation route in the future for goods including gas. Part of the network is Pakistan's Gwadar port, located on a key waterway in the Arabian Sea.
Economic and military ties between the two neighbours have deepened against a shifting geopolitical backdrop, evident from Pakistan's increasing military procurement from China and joint military exercises to safeguard assets and trade routes. For China, Pakistan and its access to the Arabian Sea is key in the event of a maritime blockade in the Strait of Malacca.
China delivered the first batch of six J-10 fighter jets to Pakistan in March last year. Eight Hangor Class submarines that Pakistan ordered from China are expected to be delivered before 2028.
Earlier this week, China's defence minister told Pakistan's navy chief that their militaries, including their navies, should "expand into new fields of cooperation" to bolster their capability in safeguarding regional security.
"The prospects for cooperation between the two sides, in my opinion, is getting stronger and stronger," Song Zhongping, a military commentator with Phoenix TV, told Reuters.
In South Asia, China's ties with India, with whom Pakistan has frosty relations, have deteriorated in recent years, and the withdrawal of U.S. troops in nearby Afghanistan has raised geopolitical uncertainty in the region, pushing China and Pakistan to seek a stronger alliance.
"Maintaining the peace and stability of South Asia fits with both countries' actual interests," Song said. (Reuters)
May
Hong Kong restricts foreign lawyers from national security cases
Written by Nur Yasmin
Hong Kong's legislature passed a legal amendment on Wednesday to prevent foreign lawyers working on national security cases, a restriction critics say will undermine fair trials and the right of defendants to choose their lawyers.
The amendment enshrines in law a ruling from China's top lawmaking body last December that Hong Kong courts must get the approval of the city's leader before admitting a foreign lawyer without Hong Kong qualifications for national security cases.
The use of foreign lawyers by both prosecutors and defence has long been part of the rule of law traditions in the former British colony and in recent years some have become involved in defending critics of the Beijing-backed city government.
The December ruling by China's National People's Congress Standing Committee followed an appeal to it by city leader John Lee after the city's Department of Justice had tried unsuccessfully to block British lawyer Timothy Owen from defending media tycoon and China critic Jimmy Lai.
Lai, 75, founder of now shut pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, faces a total of four charges under the security law and a colonial-era sedition law.
Under Wednesday's amendment, a foreign lawyer can not get involved in national security cases unless the city's leader has sufficient grounds for believing that the lawyer's involvement is not contrary to the interests of national security. It will be decided case-by-case.
Defending the amendment, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam told the city's Legislative Council that Hong Kong had more than 100 senior counsels and 1,500 barristers, so defendants could choose suitable legal representatives among them.
"The bill complies with ... the Hong Kong National Security Law on respecting and protecting the human rights and freedoms, nor does it deprive any people’s legal rights," Lam said.
The bill was passed unanimously.
British-based legal scholar Eric Lai said the amendment allowed for a broad government interpretation of what constituted a national security case, and therefore who might be allowed to get involved in it.
It would also discourage some foreign lawyers from getting Hong Kong restricts foreign lawyers from national security cases
involved, he said.
"The vague definition of 'cases concerning national security' in the bill implies that the government can arbitrarily use the new powers to allow or prohibit foreign lawyers from taking up local cases, whatever civil or criminal, on the over-broad ground of 'national security'," Lai said.
Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 after months of anti-government protests. It punishes acts of subversion, terrorism, collusion with foreign forces and secession with up to life imprisonment.
Jimmy Lai's legal team filed a legal challenge last month after Hong Kong's national security committee advised the Immigration Department to refuse Owen a new visa. A decision will be handed down by a High Court judge. (Reuters)
May
G7 Hiroshima Summit 2023: when is it, who will attend and what's on agenda?
Written by Nur Yasmin
Leaders of seven of the world's richest nations meet next week at the G7 summit in the Japanese city of Hiroshima to discuss geopolitical, economic and climate issues as the war in Ukraine drags on and tensions rise between China and the United States.
WHAT IS THE G7 SUMMIT?
The G7 is an informal grouping of wealthy Western nations. It has no permanent secretariat or legal status. Each year, a different member country assumes the presidency of the group, sets priorities and organises a leaders' summit and ministerial meetings throughout the year.
Italy will take over the presidency from Japan in 2024. Russia was included in what became the G8 in 1997 but was suspended in 2014 after annexing Crimea from Ukraine.
WHEN AND WHERE IS IT?
This year's meeting will be held from May 19-21 in Hiroshima, Japan, which in 1945 was the first city to be bombed with an atomic weapon.
WHO IS ATTENDING?
The G7 comprises the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Representatives from the European Union also attend.
In recent years it has become customary to invite other nations to help bring to the fore key topics.
This year, the leaders of Australia, Brazil, Comoros for the African Union, Cook Islands for the Pacific Forum, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Vietnam are among those invited.
The G7 and other Western states are seeking to shore up alliances, reach out to the Global South and defend their shrinking influence as China and Russia make economic inroads and push an alternative to the existing international order.
HOW LONG HAS THE G7 BEEN AROUND?
The G7 was founded following the 1973 OPEC oil embargo as a forum for the richest nations to discuss global economic issues. Its countries have a combined annual GDP of $40 trillion - just under half the world economy.
FROM RUSSIA, CHINA TO NUCLEAR: WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA?
The G7 will hold broad discussions on climate change, the health of the global economy, inflation and global food security as they assess the impact of the Ukraine war.
SUPPORTING UKRAINE
More than a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, the conflict will take centre stage.
The G7 will want to show unity ahead of a likely Ukraine counter-offensive, underscoring the need for more weapons deliveries, political support and financial assistance. How much help the G7 is willing to provide in the coming months will play a large part in determining how the conflict pans out.
That will be coupled with promises to intensify sanctions, and in the immediate term a focus on forcing countries which help Moscow circumvent sanctions to comply with them.
But behind the scenes the G7 countries differ in their approaches to issues such as how and when to bring both sides to the negotiating table, China's role and whether to ban exports to Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy will address the G7 via video link.
DETERRING CHINA
The United States has been pushing its closest allies for a stronger deterrence strategy towards China.
The G7 in Japan will be the forum to define that, and from Washington's perspective to allay doubts among some allies on how to slow China's technological advance, reduce the West's economic and supply chain dependency on it, and counter Beijing's belligerence towards Taiwan.
NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION
Japanese Prime Minister's Fumio Kishida's symbolic choice of Hiroshima, his hometown, as host location highlights his desire to put nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation at the top of this year's agenda.
The post-World War Two nuclear security architecture is being shaken by Russia's veiled warnings it could use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, North Korea's repeated ballistic missile tests and Iran's expansion of its nuclear programme.
"I can't say that the G7 will resolve these non-proliferation crises, but without a coherent position from the G7 we have no chance," said a senior G7 diplomat.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Not originally on the agenda, the rapid ascendancy of generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT has meant G7 leaders could no longer ignore it.
In April, Kishida met the CEO of OpenAI, which developed the ChatGPT service, and EU lawmakers urged G7 leaders to find ways to control its development.
G7 digital ministers agreed in April they should adopt "risk-based" regulation on AI.
QUESTIONS FOR BIDEN
The allies will no doubt quiz U.S. President Joe Biden over how serious the risk is of a debt default by the world's biggest economy. Biden said on May 9 he could cancel his trip if the debt ceiling talks went down to the wire.
Underscoring differences amongst the group, European Union partners will want to bring up the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, passed last year, which offers $369 billion of green subsidies that often only apply to products made in North America. (Reuters)
May
Coronation travel cost prompts public backlash in Papua
Written by Nur Yasmin
Papua New Guinea has witnessed an online backlash over the cost to taxpayers of around 30 officials travelling to London for the coronation of King Charles, with the governor general's office denying media reports the bill was close $1 million.
Media and online news sites in PNG, a Pacific island member of the Commonwealth, have been running hot with insults and criticism of the cost of travel since Saturday's coronation in Westminster Abbey, with many saying the money would have been better spent on hospitals.
"Insane number of delegates for overseas trips, for so called meetings, yet no funds for basic human rights services," wrote Esther Kila on the PNG Post Courier website.
In a statement, Government House official secretary Bill Toraso denied media reports the governor general's office had spent 3 million kina ($825,000), but confirmed to Reuters 10 of its staff had travelled to London, in addition to 10 guests.
This was in addition to the governor general, Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae, his wife and Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko.
Whenever the governor general travelled there were always 10 staff, he said, including a valet, lady-in-waiting and two protocol officers.
"Everybody is included to ensure the governor general doesn't embarrass the country," Toraso said by telephone from London.
Security and a car were provided by Buckingham Palace.
The governor general's delegation cost was less than half a million kina, he said, noting Australia had provided transport on a military aircraft when they went to the Queen's funeral.
PNG values its "close and historical ties we as a nation share with the monarch, as our head of state," he said.
Tkatchenko said he was asked by Prime Minister James Marape to attend the coronation, and his invitation from Buckingham Palace had included a spouse and he had taken his daughter in her place.
Two staff travelled to London, where he held meetings with British ministers. "It was a very productive and historical visit," he said.
Driving up costs was the strength of the pound, worth four-times the kina, he added.
Five PNG soldiers travelled to take part in the military parade.
The British High Commission in Port Moresby was monitoring the public backlash, an official said. (Reuters)
May
Cluster of Chinese vessels spotted near Russian rig off Vietnam - ship monitors
Written by Nur Yasmin
A Chinese research vessel flanked by coast guard and nearly a dozen boats on Wednesday entered a gas block operated by Russian and Vietnamese state firms, two monitoring groups said, another potential flashpoint in the South China Sea.
It follows a pattern of assertive moves of late by Beijing in its neighbours' exclusive economic zones (EEZ), as it presses its claim to sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, testing the United States and its allies at a time of heightened regional tension.
Strong relations between Russia and China are a major factor supporting global stability, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in March, but the two countries have conflicting interests in the South China Sea.
The Chinese research ship, two coast guard and 11 fishing boats entered block 04-03 of Vietsovpetro, a venture between Russia's Zarubezhneft and PetroVietnam, and were still in the area by nightfall, data from two independent vessel monitors reviewed by Reuters showed.
The Chinese group was also close to blocks 05-1 B and 05-1 C, operated by Idemitsu Oil & Gas, a unit of Japan's Idemitsu Kosan (5019.T), the data showed.
China has been accused of using its coast guard and an armada of fishing boats widely considered militia to intimidate and disrupt energy activities, including off Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Beijing says it is lawfully operating in its waters.
But the move on Wednesday was "extraordinary", according to Ray Powell, who leads Stanford University's Project Myoushu on the South China Sea, because of "the sheer number of militia and coast guard ships involved".
"It seems they are sending a message about China's jurisdiction over Vietnam's oil and gas operations," Powell said, adding at least three Vietnamese fisheries surveillance vessels had moved close to the Chinese ships.
'CHINA'S JURISDICTION'
China's foreign ministry said those activities were "normal".
"Chinese fishing and scientific research vessels carry out normal production and work activities in maritime areas under China's jurisdiction," it said.
It made similar remarks on Tuesday after Chinese boats approached an area where the navies of India and Southeast Asian countries held exercises.
Japan's Idemitsu declined to comment. Vietnam's foreign ministry and the other companies involved did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
On Wednesday, the Chinese vessels were about 10 nautical miles (18 km) from the Japanese operating rig and about 20 miles from the Russia-Vietnam rig, according to South China Sea Chronicle Initiative (SCSCI), an independent non-profit.
The Chinese research vessel moved at full speed before entering Vietnam's EEZ but slowed to 4-5 knots, suggesting the ship was conducting a survey there, said SCSCI's Van Pham.
Surveys in a country's EEZ's without prior notification have in previous instances been considered hostile or provocative.
It follows similar incidents in March in two blocks involving Russian firms off Vietnam, which has licensed operations of more than 150 blocks. (Reuters)
May
Australia to boost Pacific, defence spending in budget
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australia said on Tuesday that it would spend billions of dollars to improve ties with neighbouring Pacific nations and shore up its defence capabilities, as it looks to counter China's growing strategic influence in the region.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's second budget since his centre-left Labor government was elected in May last year has pledged A$1.9 billion ($1.3 billion) over the next five years to expand engagement with Pacific nations.
"The Albanese Government is delivering a transformational package of support to the Pacific, to respond to Pacific priorities and ensure our shared interests in a peaceful, prosperous and resilient region," the government said in a statement.
Of the total figure, A$1.4 billion will be spent on expanding Australia's defence engagement in the Pacific over the next four years and strengthening law enforcement in the region.
About A$114 million will go to supporting regional architecture while A$300 million will go to the labour schemes between the Pacific and Australia over the next four years.
Canberra has looked to build its defence capabilities amid concerns about rising global geopolitical tensions and China's growing influence among Pacific island nations.
Defence spending as a proportion of GDP will lift above its current trajectory to be 0.2% higher by 2032-33, the budget showed.
Over the next four years, the government will invest more than A$19 billion to implement the priorities identified in a defence strategic review released last month, the budget statement said.
"Ultimately, defence spending will grow over the medium term, which is in line with the strategic circumstances," defence minister Richard Marles said in a statement.
The spending includes A$9 billion for the nuclear-powered submarine programme through AUKUS, a trilateral security pact with the United States and Britain, and A$4.1 billion for long-range strike capabilities. (Reuters)
May
British ex-premier Truss to visit Taiwan next week
Written by Nur Yasmin
Former British prime minister Liz Truss will visit Taiwan next week and meet senior members of the government, her office said on Tuesday, a move that could anger China amid strains in its relationship with the current British government.
China has previously condemned visits by British lawmakers to Taiwan for interfering in China's internal affairs.
Truss, Britain's shortest-serving prime minister, took office last September, but was forced to resign less than two months later after her economic policies sparked market turmoil.
Since leaving office she has called for a tougher stance towards China, and she will deliver a speech during her Taiwan visit on May 17.
"Taiwan is a beacon of freedom and democracy. I'm looking forward to showing solidarity with the Taiwanese people in person in the face of increasingly aggressive behaviour and rhetoric from the regime in Beijing," Truss said in a statement.
Britain has warned against the use of military force against Taiwan by China. China's foreign ministry said in response that the greatest threat to peace in the Taiwan Strait was the "separatist acts of Taiwan independence and the connivance and support of foreign forces".
Truss' premiership contributed to bringing relations between Britain and China to a low point, though her successor Rishi Sunak is aiming to engage where possible with China while also raising concerns over areas of disagreement.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who served under Truss and Sunak, said he "made plain" Britain's views on issues including Taiwan in a meeting with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Friday, and he is expected to visit China this year.
Sunak's spokesperson said that it was a matter for individual lawmakers where they chose to travel.
"We have no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong unofficial relationship," the spokesperson told reporters.
"The UK Government will continue to engage with the government of China on the issue of Taiwan." (Reuters)
May
EU envoy to China hails Xi's call with Ukraine president as positive step
Written by Nur Yasmin
Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was a very positive step, the European Union ambassador to China said on Tuesday, while urging greater efforts to achieve peace.
Xi's hour-long call with Zelenskiy for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fulfilled one of Kyiv's long-standing goals, which it had publicly sought for months.
"We would like China to go further and help more to reach a just peace, which involves withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine," Jorge Toledo Albinana told a press conference in the Chinese capital.
State media had reported that during their call, Xi told Zelenskiy China would send special representatives to Ukraine and hold talks with all parties seeking peace.
Albinana said expectations of further high-level dialogue this year included strategic talks between EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, as well as topics such as trade and economy, digital affairs and climate.
Recent comments by Borrell on the disputed Taiwan Strait had been grossly exaggerated, Albinana added.
Borrell reportedly wrote in an opinion piece in the Journal du Dimanche that European navies should patrol the Strait.
"I think what he said has been grossly exaggerated," Albinana said.
Taiwan "concerns us economically, commercially and technologically," Borrell added in the piece. (Reuters)
May
North Korea's Kim says Russia 'will prevail' over hostile forces
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Russia "will prevail" in its fight against what he described as "imperialists," state news agency KCNA said on Tuesday, in remarks seen to be aimed at Ukraine and its Western supporters, such as the United States.
North Korea has forged closer ties with the Kremlin and backed Moscow after it invaded Ukraine last year, including its proclamation later of having annexed parts of Ukraine that most U.N. members condemned as illegal.
"We send warm wishes to you, the Russian army and the people of Russia for their holy fight to preserve world peace," the agency quoted Kim as telling Russian President Vladimir Putin in a letter.
Kim also congratulated Putin on Tuesday's Victory Day anniversary that celebrates the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany, saying Russia would continue to protect its "autonomy" and the "stability of the region". (Reuters)