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June
Philippines Duterte urges vaccine uptake after missing targets
Written by Nur Yasmin
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appealed to the public on Wednesday to get vaccinated against COVID-19, after data showed the government was far behind its immunization targets as it battles one of Asia's worst and longest-running outbreaks.
"I invite all our countrymen to be vaccinated at the earliest possible opportunity because this is the most, if not the only way, effective way, to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic," Duterte said in a televised address.
"Let us all keep in mind that the vaccine will not only protect you from the virus, it will also protect your loved ones, especially the sick and elderly."
John Wong, a data analyst on the government's coronavirus task force, said that in the three months since early inoculations started, just 14% of senior citizens and 8% of people with health conditions had received first doses of a vaccine, short of the 21% target.
Wong attributed the slow rollout to limited vaccine supplies, vaccine hesitancy, and accessibility problems.
"Some people want the vaccine but cannot access it. We need to address access issues," Wong said.
And Wong said only half of the 2.1 million people eligible for a second dose had come back to receive it.
"We need to follow up on this," he added.
The Philippines has logged 1.24 million cases and 21,158 deaths since its first domestic infection in March last year.
The over 50s were the worst hit, accounting for more than 81% of deaths, Wong said.
Carlito Galvez, the former general in charge of vaccine procurement, expects a steadier flow of vaccine supply from this month onwards.
The Philippines is set to receive nearly 10 million doses of vaccines of various brands in June, which would allow for 1.5 million shots to be administered weekly, he told ANC news channel.
In the seven days to May 30, an average of 144,402 doses were administered daily, health ministry data showed. (Reuters)
June
Budapest names streets at planned Chinese university after Uyghurs, Hong Kong
Written by Nur Yasmin
The liberal opposition mayor of Budapest announced on Wednesday he would rename streets in the Hungarian capital near a planned campus of a Chinese university to commemorate alleged human rights abuses by Beijing.
One street will be named after the Dalai Lama, exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, labeled a dangerous separatist by Beijing. Another will be called "Uyghur Martyrs' Road" after the mainly Muslim ethnic group that Washington and other capitals say has been the victim of a Chinese genocide, and a third will be called "Free Hong Kong Road". A fourth street will be renamed after a Chinese Catholic bishop who was jailed.
China denies repressing human rights. Phone calls to the press office at the Chinese embassy seeking comment were not answered.
The renamed streets will converge at an area where China's Fudan University is planning to open a campus offering master's programs in liberal arts, medicine, business, and engineering for 6,000 students with 500 faculty.
"This Fudan project would put in doubt many of the values that Hungary committed itself to 30 years ago" at the fall of Communism, said Mayor Gergely Karacsony, a liberal opposition figure who plans to run next year to unseat Viktor Orban, Hungary's right-wing prime minister.
Orban's liberal opponents accuse him of cozying up to China, Russia, and other illiberal governments while angering European allies by curbing the independence of the judiciary and media.
Central European University, Hungary's leading private university, relocated most operations to neighboring Austria in 2019 after Orban's government enacted legal changes that jeopardized its status and launched a public hate campaign against its founder, businessman George Soros.
Karacsony told reporters the Chinese campus would cost Hungarian taxpayers nearly $2 billion and went against an earlier deal with the government to build dormitories and facilities for Hungarian students in the district.
The government has defended the project: "The presence of Fudan University means that it will be possible to learn from the best in the world," Tamas Schanda, deputy minister for innovation and technology said last week.
According to an opinion poll by the liberal think tank, Republikon Institute published on Tuesday, 66% of Hungarians oppose and 27% support the idea of the campus.
"Fudan has brought the topic of relations with China to the forefront of politics," said Tamas Matura, a lecturer at Corvinus University and expert on China.
Orban has faced criticism over a deal to reconstruct the Budapest-Belgrade railway with a $2.1 billion Chinese loan and for his fast-track approval of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine which still has not been approved in the EU. His government says the Chinese doses have helped accelerate the vaccine program, and the road funding will improve Hungary's transport links.
($1 = 284.6200 forints)
(Reuters)
June
S.Korea appeals to IOC over disputed islands on Japan Olympics map
Written by Nur Yasmin
South Korea asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to pressure Japan to remove a reference to South Korea-controlled islands as Japanese territory on the Tokyo Games website, an official with Seoul's Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.
The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) sent a letter late Tuesday asking the IOC to "actively mediate" the dispute, which has sparked outrage and protests in South Korea less than two months out from the start of the Games.
The small islands, called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, have been at the centre of a decades-long territorial dispute between the two countries.
"Dokdo is South Korean territory and political neutrality must be guaranteed at the Games," Kim Bo-young, public relations director of KSOC, told Reuters.
"Japan's behavior can be seen as a political action, so we have sent the letter as we believe such action runs counter to the Olympic spirit."
Japan rejected South Korea's protests. read more
"Takeshima is a territory inherent to Japan in view of historical facts and international laws. We cannot accept South Korean's protest at all," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters on Wednesday.
Some South Korean officials have pointed out that Seoul removed the disputed islands from a flag featured at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea after Japan complained.
South Korea said on Tuesday it had summoned Japan's deputy ambassador to "strongly protest" the map, which sparked uproar in South Korea and prompted some politicians there to call for a boycott of the Games. read more
Three South Korean students were arrested on Tuesday after burning Japan's "Rising Sun" flag in a protest outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul, while live-streaming the act on YouTube.
The three were detained on charges of violating assembly and demonstration laws, according to media reports.
About a dozen other members of the student group protested against the arrests outside the police station on Tuesday.
"South Korean land is being taken away," shouted one protester with a loudspeaker, according to video posted by the group on social media.
The diplomatic spat is the latest headache for organisers of the Tokyo Games, which is due to take place from July 23 to Aug. 8 after being delayed last year due to the COVID-190 pandemic.
Opinion polls show most people in Japan want the global sporting showpiece to be cancelled or postponed again as the country battles a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections. (Reuters)
June
S.Korea says vaccine shipment to N.Korea from COVAX delayed again
Written by Nur Yasmin
A shipment of coronavirus vaccines to North Korea via the global COVAX sharing programme that was expected for late May has been delayed again amid protracted consultations, South Korea's Unification Ministry said on Tuesday.
COVAX, which secures vaccines for poor countries, has said it will provide nearly 2 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to North Korea. read more
North Korea was expected to receive a first batch of the shipment in late May but discussions are still under way, said an official at the ministry, which handles North Korea affairs.
"Countries that want COVAX support are required to hold various consultations and submit some documents including an inoculation plan," the official said.
"But in North Korea's case, such consultations have been prolonged and it appears that the shipment will be made later than initially planned."
Insular and secretive North Korea has not commented on any consultations on vaccines. It has not officially confirmed any COVID-19 infections, although Seoul officials have said an outbreak there cannot be ruled out as the North had trade and people-to-people exchanges with China before closing its border early last year.
The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) alliance, which co-leads COVAX with the World Health Organization (WHO), said work is ongoing and discussions continue with North Korea, but no shipment date was finalised.
"As we get closer to a potential delivery, we'll be able to share more information on timetables," a GAVI official told Reuters.
GAVI said last month that shipments have not been made to North Korea due to its lack of "technical preparedness" and global supply shortages but could be expected later this year. read more
In a statement last week to the ongoing WHO annual assembly, North Korea accused unspecified countries of dominating vaccine supplies and causing a global "bottleneck" due to "national egoism."
"Some countries are procuring and storing the vaccines more than their needs ... when other countries can't even procure it," it said. (Reuters)
June
Indonesia says ASEAN must appoint Myanmar envoy immediately
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesia's foreign minister called on Wednesday on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to immediately name an envoy to troubled Myanmar, more than a month after the bloc agreed steps to try to end turmoil after a military coup.
ASEAN is leading the main diplomatic effort on Myanmar since the Feb. 1 coup plunged it into chaos, with hundreds of killings by security forces, thousands jailed, daily protests, paralysing strikes and spreading conflict in border regions.
Little apparent progress has been made since ASEAN said at a meeting in Indonesia's capital in April that it had reached a 'consensus' with the junta ruling member state Myanmar.
"The appointment of a special envoy must be done immediately and communication with all parties must be maintained," Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a video news conference in Jakarta.
The chair and secretary-general of 10-nation ASEAN plan to travel there in the coming days to follow up on the five-point consensus the bloc said it had agreed, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday. read more
Those points included ending violence, a constructive dialogue among all parties, the special ASEAN envoy to facilitate the dialogue, acceptance of aid and a visit by the envoy to Myanmar.
Rather than agreeing to dialogue with opposition forces that have formed a rival National Unity Government, the junta has branded them as terrorists and traitors.
"Inclusive dialogue should be encouraged to solve the political crisis in Myanmar and to bring democracy back to Myanmar's political sphere in accordance with the will of the people of Myanmar," Retno said. (Reuters)
June
Japan to donate additional $800 mln, vaccines to WHO's COVAX body - media
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is planning to pledge an additional $800 million to the World Health Organisation's COVAX programme, which provides COVID-19 vaccines to countries in need, the Mainichi newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Japan has already pledged $200 million to COVAX, and the country is expected to announce donations of vaccine doses to the programme, the newspaper said without citing a source.
Suga will serve as host for an online COVAX summit on Wednesday, which will also be attended by United States Vice President Kamala Harris, philanthropist Bill Gates, and representatives from Group of Seven nations.
The summit is intended to fill a $1.7 billion funding gap, and it is hoped that countries and organisations will boost their pledges of money and vaccine doses, a Japanese government official told reporters on Tuesday.
Japanese lawmakers have urged giving supplies of AstraZeneca Plc's (AZN.L) vaccine to Taiwan, which is dealing with a spike in domestic infections and has vaccinated less than 2% of its 23.5 million population. Japan has no immediate plans to use the AstraZeneca doses it has on hand and has secured enough supplies of other types of vaccine for its entire population. (Reuters)
June
EU agrees to add Japan to safe travel list, holds off on Britain
Written by Nur Yasmin
European Union governments agreed on Wednesday to add Japan to their small list of countries from which they will allow non-essential travel, while holding off until at least mid-June for British tourists, EU sources said on Tuesday.
Ambassadors from the EU's 27 countries approved the addition of Japan at a meeting on Wednesday, with the change to take effect in the coming days.
EU countries are recommended gradually to lift travel restrictions for the current seven countries on the list - Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.
Individual EU countries can still opt to demand a negative COVID-19 test or a period of quarantine.
The EU last month eased criteria for adding new countries to the list, by changing to 75 from 25 the maximum number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the previous 14 days.
Britain met that revised target but was left off the list because of an increase in COVID-19 cases arising from an infectious coronavirus variant first identified in India.
Britain recorded no COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, for the first time since March 2020, but cases of the Indian variant doubled last week and the government has said it is too early to say whether Britain can fully drop restrictions on June 21.
EU diplomats said Britain could be added to the list, depending on the course of the variant, in mid-June, when a larger group of countries are expected to be considered.
The list is designed to eliminate inconsistency of travel restrictions across the bloc.
France and Germany have imposed quarantines on UK visitors and Austria banned British tourists, while Portugal and Spain now welcome them.
Meanwhile, Britain advises against travel to all EU countries except Portugal and only exempts people coming from Portugal from a requirement to quarantine. (Reuters)
May
Australia And New Zealand Unite Over China Human Rights Issues
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australia and New Zealand on Monday expressed grave concerns over developments in Hong Kong and the human rights situation in the Xinjiang region of China, as the two nations sought to get in lockstep over their biggest trading partner.
In the first face-to-face meeting between heads of both countries in over 15 months, Australia and New Zealand presented a united front on China.
Quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand began last month after both nations controlled the spread of COVID-19, allowing Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to visit New Zealand.
Talks were focused among other things on China, with Australia currently at loggerheads with Beijing, while New Zealand has strengthened economic ties and upgraded a free trade agreement this year with China.
New Zealand's approach to China has to lead to suggestions by political commentators and the media that Wellington may not be taking a strong enough stance on China's human rights issues.
Ardern rejected this, saying New Zealand and Australia had similar positions on issues such as trade and human rights.
"You'll see Australia and New Zealand have broadly been positioned in exactly the same place on these issues consistently so I really push back on any suggestion that we are not taking a strong stance on these incredibly important issues," she said in a joint press conference.
Morrison backed Ardern, saying Australia and New Zealand were trading nations, but neither would ever trade away its sovereignty.
"I think as great partners, friends, allies and indeed family, there will be those far from here who would seek to divide us and they will not succeed," he said.
In a joint statement both prime ministers expressed grave concerns over developments in Hong Kong and the human rights situation in the Xinjiang region of China, calling on Beijing to respect the human rights of the Uyghur people and other Muslim minorities and to grant the United Nations and other independent observers unfettered access to the region.
China's foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, on Monday said Beijing rejects the statement from Ardern and Morrison.
"The leaders of Australia and New Zealand ... made irresponsible remarks, severely violated international law and basic norms of international relations, and grossly interfered in China's internal affairs," said Wang at a regular briefing.
Activists and U.N. rights experts say at least a million Muslims have been detained in camps in Xinjiang. The activists and some Western politicians accuse China of using torture, forced labor, and sterilization.
China initially denied detention camps existed, but has since said they are vocational centers designed to combat extremism. In late 2019, China said all people in the camps had “graduated”.
In Hong Kong, Beijing has clamped down on political protest, introducing a new security law in 2020 that criminalizes what it considers subversion, secessionism, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces.
Australia's ties with China have deteriorated since Australia led to support for an independent inquiry into the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.
China has in recent months moved to restrict imports of Australian products such as barley, wine, and beef, with the World Trade Organisation saying last week it would establish a dispute settlement panel to resolve the barley row.
Ahead of Morrison's visit, New Zealand said it would back Canberra in the spat. (Reuters)
May
Southeast Asia's Coronavirus Surge Prompts Shutdowns And Alarm
Written by Nur Yasmin
A sharp rise in coronavirus cases from new variants in parts of Southeast Asia that had been less affected by the pandemic has prompted new restrictions, factory closures, and attempts to rapidly scale up vaccination programs across the region.
The number of daily new COVID-19 cases in Malaysia has soared past India's on a per capita basis, while total cases in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and East Timor have all more than doubled in the past month.
Thailand, which was the second country to record infections after China, had won plaudits for containing its first wave of cases, but its death toll has risen ten-fold over two months - though at just over 1,000 is still low by global standards.
Adding to concerns, Vietnamese officials revealed the discovery over the weekend of a "very dangerous" combination of Indian and UK COVID-19 variants, which spreads quickly by air.
"COVID-19 infection rates are very alarming in countries across Southeast Asia," Alexander Matheou, Asia Pacific Director, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Reuters. "The more dangerous and deadly variants highlight the urgent need for much faster global sharing and manufacture of vaccines to contain this outbreak and to help avoid huge mass casualties."
In the absence of vaccines, containment is the priority.
Vietnam crushed earlier waves - and the country of 98 million has still suffered fewer than 50 deaths - but new distancing measures started in its business hub Ho Chin Minh City on Monday.
In the north of the country, factories supplying global tech firms such as Apple and Samsung are operating below capacity because of outbreaks, industry sources said.
Thailand's largest agribusiness, Charoen Pokphand Foods Pcl closed a poultry factory for five days after workers tested positive for COVID-19. Thousands of more cases have been found at factories, construction sites, and prisons.
As Malaysia ordered a "total lockdown" from Tuesday to stem the spread, officials said some factories could keep operating at reduced capacity.
SLOW VACCINATION
Malaysia has tried to step up its vaccination campaign, but fewer than 6% of people have received at least one dose of a vaccine - barely half the proportion in India.
Some Southeast Asian countries had placed less emphasis on vaccine procurement than Western countries or simply could not afford them and now have limited access.
"With a smaller segment of the population that is protected from vaccination, the vast majority of the population remains susceptible," said Teo Yik Ying, dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore.
"The healthcare systems in several Southeast Asian countries are either at risk of being or already have been completely overwhelmed."
Only the wealthy city-state of Singapore has comparable vaccination rates to Western countries with over 36% getting at least one injection, but the appearance of cases from new variants there has also prompted new closures this month.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was due to outline a strategy for opening up the country, whose economy depends on its place as a regional business and transport hub.
"The solution: testing, contact tracing, and vaccinating, all faster, and more," Lee said.
Health officials are also watching closely for any resurgence in Indonesia and the Philippines, the region's two most populous countries, which were both hit hard by the pandemic last year.
The Philippines recorded its highest number of daily infections in four weeks on Friday. Indonesia's seven-day average of new cases reached its highest in more than two months on Sunday.
A surge of cases has also been reported near Myanmar's Indian border - raising concerns about a health system that has collapsed since February. (Reuters)
May
Japan Considers Asking Olympic Fans For Negative COVID Tests, Vaccinations - Media
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan is considering requiring fans attending the Tokyo Olympics to show negative COVID-19 test results or vaccination records, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Monday, as a new poll showed public opposition to the Games remained strong.
Japan extended on Friday a state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas to June 20, and with the opening of the Games less than two months away, public confidence has been shaken by the fourth wave of coronavirus infections and a slow vaccination rollout.
Foreign spectators have already been banned and organizers are expected to make a decision next month on whether Japanese fans will be able to attend the Games, set to run between July 23 and Aug. 8., and under what conditions.
In addition to other measures like banning loud cheering and high-fives, the Yomiuri said the government was considering whether spectators should be required to show a negative test result taken within a week of attending an Olympic event.
The government's top spokesman Katsunobu Kato told reporters on Monday he was unaware of any decision on the issue.
"In order to make the Games a success it's necessary to take into account the feelings of the people," Kato said, adding that organizers were preparing to ensure measures were in place to stage the event safely.
The Tokyo Olympics organizing committee did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment on the newspaper report.
But Toshiaki Endo, vice president of the committee, told Reuters some spectators could be allowed into venues, although he personally preferred a total ban in order to reassure the public amid widespread opposition to the Games.
The Yomiuri report provoked thousands of posts on social media criticizing the country's continued push to host the Olympics in the middle of a pandemic.
The term "negative test certificate" was trending on Twitter in Japan, garnering over 26,000 tweets by Monday afternoon.
"If you can't eat, cheer, or do high-fives, what's the point in paying for a ticket and an expensive test?" asked a Twitter user, while others questioned the accuracy of such tests.
In a poll published by the Nikkei paper on Monday, over 60% of respondents were in favor of canceling or delaying the Games, a result in line with previous polls by other media outlets.
The Games have already been postponed once due to the pandemic but the Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee have said the event will go ahead under strict COVID-safe rules. (Reuters)