Grasp the pattern, read the trend
No. 33, August/2022, 3
Brought to you by CPG
Dear Readers,
Welcome to this week’s Asia in Review issue with the latest events and developments in in domestic politics, international relations and geopolitics in East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Wishing you an informative read, I extend special greetings to everyone who celebrates Afghanistan’s, Congo’s, Estonia’s, Gabon’s, India’s, and Indonesia’s Independence Day as well as Liechtenstein’s and Hungary’s National Day.
With best regards,
Henning Glaser
Editor in Chief
Webpage: www.cpg-online.de, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CPGTU
Main Sections
Constitutional Law and –Politics, Human Rights and National Security in East Asia
Constitutional Law and –Politics, Human Rights and National Security in South Asia
Constitutional Law and –Politics, Human Rights and National Security in Southeast Asia
International Relations, Geopolitics and Security in Asia
Announcements
Constitutional Law and –Politics, Human Rights and National Security in East Asia
China: White paper on Taiwan released
(ms) The Chinese government has released a white paper outlining future goals and strategies in the Taiwan. It reaffirms the position that Taiwan is part of the mainland and reunification is integral part of the overarching goal of China’s national rejuvenation, the country’s national strategy, that has been assertively pursued especially under President Xi Jinping.
The first in more than 20 years and the first under Xi, the white paper is far more explicit than its 1993 and 2000 predecessors, emphasizing that a peaceful reunification under the “one country, two systems” formula would be the preferred option but assures that China would not shy away from the use of military means if necessary. However, it also makes clear that the rights and freedoms of the Taiwanese population can only be guaranteed as long as the sovereignty, security and development interests of the mainland are not endangered.
Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the U.S. are identified as major threats to reunification. Mentioned for the first time, the DPP is accused of proclaiming “a new ‘two states’ theory,” and promoting "incremental independence," to the purpose of which the party “incite radical separatists in and outside the DPP to lobby for amendments to their ‘constitution’ and ‘laws’. The U.S., meanwhile, is accused of “incit[ing] separatist forces to create tension and turmoil in cross-Strait relations exploiting Taiwan as a convenient tool in their attempt to “undermine and pressurize China.”
Different from the previous Taiwan white papers, China’s promise not to station military or administrative personnel in Taiwan is no longer mentioned, indicating a potential tightened grip on Taiwan policy after reunification. [Xinhua] [Global Times 1] [Reuters] [The Diplomat]
The release of the white paper is a clear reaction to the visit of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan earlier this month. China already drew first consequences and sanctioned Pelosi and her family directly and announced to stop certain communication with the USA, in addition to several days of unprecedented large live-fire military exercises around Taiwan followed and an import ban of Taiwanese food products [see AiR No. 32, August/2022, 2].
It comes also shortly after Chinese authorities have placed a Taiwan national in incommunicado detention on suspicion of "separatism" and "endangering national security." [Global Times 2] [AiR No. 32, August/2022, 2]
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the white paper, calling it Beijing’s “clumsy political maneuvering,” and “wishful thinking that runs completely counter to international law and the cross-strait status quo.” [Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan]
China: Central Bank cuts interest rate
(ms) The People’s Bank of China (PBOC), China’s central bank, has cut the main interest rate at which it provides short-term liquidity to banks, from 2.1 percent to 2 percent, and its rate on a one-year loan to 2.75 percent from 2.85 percent. The PBOC is also making an additional USD 60 billion available for lending.
The cuts signal the government’s decision to leave aside concerns over high debt levels in favor of encouraging banks to lend more money to support the recovery of the country’s economy that is hampered by the government’s strict ‘zero-Covid 19’ policy and the ongoing real estate crisis.
The move comes just after a meeting of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party in early August in which Premier Li Keqiang effectively admitted that China would not achieve its planned economic growth target of 5.5 percent for 2022 [see Air No. 31, August/2022, 1]. In July, factory output and retail sales weakened, while home sales fell by double digits. [Associated Press] [Financial Times]
China: Three top executives linked to "Big Fund" under investigation
(ms) The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the Chinese Communist Party’s highest internal control body responsible for enforcing internal rules and regulations and combating corruption and malfeasance in the party, announced an investigation into three former high-profile executives associated with the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, called the "Big Fund". The individuals are two former investment managers and the former director of SINO IC Capital.
Earlier this month, investigations were launched against two other officials in connection with the Big Fund, Ding Wenwu, the former director of the fund, and another former executive of SINO IC Capital [see AiR No. 31, August/2022, 1]. Exact details on the alleged offenses against the five individuals are not known, but they are accused of “serious violations of discipline and laws,” an accusation that has been used mostly in the context of corruption cases since President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign.
The Big Fund, which was founded in 2014 and raised USD 50 billion from investors in the same year and in a second round in 2019, originally served to propel China’s chipmakers and to eventually achieve the country’s self-reliance in the semiconductor sector. However, these ambitions were thwarted after the Chinese technology and chip manufacturer Tsinghua Unigroup, which was also supported by the Fund, was on the verge of bankruptcy because it was unable to pay its debts of almost USD 30 billion due in mid-2021. How exactly the debt was incurred was not disclosed, but the company is currently undergoing a restructuring process after several officials of the company were investigated by the CCDI on suspicion of corruption. [The Wall Street Journal]
The investigations are seen among observers as an attempt to clean up and strengthen China’s semiconductor industry amid an increasingly fierce Sino-U.S. competition in the technology sector, reflected in the US-led efforts to form the so-called “Chip4” semiconductor alliance between the U.S. Taiwan, Japan and South Korea that is seen by China as an attempt isolate it from the supply chain. U.S. President Joe Biden signed a bill on August 9 that would provide nearly USD 53 billion in funding for U.S. semiconductor manufacturers and research, and while more specific details about, for example, distribution steps are not yet clear, the bill will strengthen the U.S. chip industry and complicates China's efforts to be the market leader in the semiconductor sector. [Al Jazeera] [Financial Times] [South China Morning Post]
For more regarding China’s reaction to the U.S. bill, see the entry in the International Relations sections.
China: City drops all restrictions on property purchases
(ms) Langfang in the Hebei province south of the Chinese capital Beijing announced the lifting of all restrictions on buying or reselling property.
After the price level of the capital also spilled over to the neighboring city, leading to a multiplication of house prices, Langfang implemented in 2017 restrictions that only allowed residents who had lived in the province for at least three years to buy a house, which led to a price drop from about USD 6000 per square meter in 2017 to USD 1500.
With the lifting of the restrictions and a targeted reduction in prepayment rates, the city is now hoping to boost the real estate sector.
Langfang is not alone with this move. Hundreds of smaller cities in China are taking measures to increase the willingness of potential buyers to purchase real estate. These purchases are seen as essential for save China’s heavily indebted real estate sector from a complete collapse.[Asia Financial] [South China Morning Post]
China: District to introduce financial incentives to boost birth rate
(ms) A district in eastern Zhejiang Province has announced that it will provide financial support to families with more than one child. Families with two children will receive the equivalent of USD 75 per month for each child under the age of three, and families with three children will receive nearly USD 150 for each child under the age of three.
The financial incentives are just one example of similar measures after a city in the Sichuan region launched a concept similar to the one above in July last year, and others have followed suit by offering one-time payments or parental leave.
The measures reflect latest efforts of the Chinese government to increase births and to tackle a looming demographic crisis. The number of births in China 2021 was about 11.5 percent lower than the previous year, according to official data. The country’s population grew by 480,000 to 1.4126 billion last year. The increase in 2020 stood at 2.04 million in 2020. Some demographers even assume, that the population peaked last year and will now begin to decline. [South China Morning Post] [The Print]
China: Customs confiscate thousands of maps
(ms) Chinese customs officials in the eastern province of Zhejiang said they confiscated about 23,500 “problematic” maps intended for export citing that the borders in these maps fail to conform the country’s territorial claims in the South China and East China seas. [South China Morning Post]
China: New coal-to-gas catalyst could strengthen energy sector independence
(ms) Chinese engineers have claimed that they have achieved a technological breakthrough in the production of a catalyst capable of converting coal to gas, allowing China to get rid of its dependence on foreign technology.
China, as both the largest producer and consumer of coal, could, in addition to self-reliance, lower the cost of energy production, which could give China an advantage over other global players, especially in the face of the Ukraine war and the resulting energy crisis, according to the engineers. [South China Morning Post]
China: Discovery of 1.7 billion oil-reserves
(ms) The Chinese oil company Sinopec is said to have discovered several oil fields with assets of about 1.7 billion tons of oil during an exploration program in Tarim Basin in the northwestern Xinjiang region.
The region already accounts for much of the supply of oil and natural gas fundamental to Chinese economic growth. The newly discovered 1.7 billion tons alone would be able to meet China's annual oil demand of about 800 million for about two years. [Global Times]
China: Court rejects appeal in prominent #MeToo case
(ms) On August 10, a Chinese court rejected the appeal of Zhou Xiaoxuan, a former intern at state-owned China Central Television (CCTV) who has been accusing well-known CCTV host Zhu Jun of sexually harassing her at the time of her internship in 2014, when she was 21 years old.
With her accusation going public in 2018, Zhou quickly became the face of China's #MeToo movement. Zhu, denying the allegations, sued Zhou for defamation, after which Zhou then took legal action herself, charging him with infringement of personal rights, as China did not have a standalone sexual harassment law until 2021. Zhou's appeal against the September 2021 ruling, which dismissed her charges due to "insufficient evidence," has now been rejected again. However, Zhou already announced that she will seek a retrial.
The case exemplifies a change in the treatment of feminists in China over the past years, as observed by analysts. While at the beginning of 2018 Zhou found mostly support and the case also received attention in Chinese state media, in recent years the Chinese government has increasingly resorted to censorship, e.g., Zhou's Weibo account as well as the accounts of those who express their support have been partially blocked, while opponents of Zhou who accuse her of "colluding with foreign forces", among other things, are allowed to continue. [CNN] [Reuters]
China: Trial of Cardinal Zen to Begin in September
(ms) Cardinal Joseph Zen, former bishop of Hong Kong, and five other activists are expected to face a five-day trial from Sept. 19 to 23, a Hong Kong court stated. The six defendants are accused of failing to register the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund as a society.
The fund was established in 2019 and was used until 2021 to provide financial support to anti-government protesters facing criminal charges. Zen was arrested by the Hong Kong police in May, but at that time due to suspicion of colluding with foreign powers under the National Security Law implemented in 2020.
Zen’s has been a vocal critic of the Vatican’s 2018 secret agreement with Beijing on the appointment of bishops, which is said to have granted the Pope the right to appoint bishops from candidates nominated by Beijing, but in return the Catholic Church would recognize bishops appointed by the Chinese government before the agreement came into effect, including bishops excommunicated by the Catholic Church. [Aciafrica] [China Observers] [Hong Kong Free Press 1] [see AiR No. 20, May/2022, 3]
Meanwhile, a National Security case against four student leaders has been adjourned by the court, citing an “unspecified new development”. The defendants are charged with advocating terrorism based on a student council’s motion mourning the suicide of a man who had previously stabbed a police officer. Currently, all defendants are on bail, which was extended due to the trial postponement. [Hong Kong Free Press 2]
China: Prominent Hong Konger entrepreneur sues against investigation of cell phone
(ms) Jimmy Lai, the founder of Apple Daily, a newspaper best known for its critical reporting against the Hong Kong government that was shot down in June 2021 after several raids of Hong Kong authorities, is filing a lawsuit against the search of his cell phone, claiming it contained protected journalistic files.
In August 2020, Hong Kong authorities confiscated several electronic devices during a house search and subsequently arrested Lai. As a result, he was sentenced to 20 months of imprisonment on several charges. Only late last year, Lai and other prominent representatives of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, known in particular for organizing vigils for the victims of Tiananmen Square in 1989, were sentenced to four to 14 months of imprisonment, which he is serving concurrently with his existing prison sentence.
In addition, Lai now faces four additional charges – two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign countries or external elements, one count of collusion with foreign forces, and one count of conspiracy to print, publish, sell, offer for sale, distribute, display and/or reproduce seditious publications. Crucial to the indictment is the data on the mobile devices seized in the 2020 raid, several thousand of which were identified by Lai as journalistic material that is supposed to be protected from police search and seizure.
The High Court has announced that it will hear Lai's case on August 22, but the trial on the four outstanding charges will likely not be heard until late 2023, if not 2024. [BBC] [Hong Kong Free Press] [The New York Times]
China: Second experimental lab of space station set to be launched
(ms) The Mengtian module, the second experimental lab of China's space station Tiangong, has been transferred to Wenchang Space Launch Site, where final checks will take place before the scheduled launch later this year. [Weixin, in Chinese]
Meanwhile, the carrier rocket Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3) has passed its ground test, according to the manufacturer. Designed primarily for commercial use, the SD-3 is the largest of the SD series and is said to be capable of carrying up to 20 satellites at a time. After the upcoming test flights, the SD-3 is expected to enter commercial service.
This represents another step in China’s ambitions to expand commercial spaceflight, after China began construction of its first commercial spaceport in Hainan Province in early July. [AiR No. 28, July/2022, 2] [Xinhua]
Japan: Reshuffled cabinet under pressure over members’ links to controversial religious group
(sb) Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has reshuffled his cabinet in response to dropping approval ratings and heightened public scrutiny of the relationship between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Unification Church.
Among the prominent new appointments – nine in total – is Yasukazu Hamada, former defense minister between 2008 and 2009, who returns to this post, replacing Nobuo Kishi, the younger brother of Abe. The change is apparently due to health reasons, but Kishi admitted to have obtained help from the Unification Church in past elections.
Former economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura has been made industry minister. He takes over from Koichi Hagiuda, who assumes the important post of the policy chief of the LDP.
Current LDP policy chief Sanae Takaichi, who is known for her hawkish security views, has been given the post of economic security minister, while the party’s PR chief Taro Kono, former foreign minister from 2017 to 2019, has been named digitization minister. Takaichi and Kono competed last year with Kishida for the post of the LDP party leader and effectively also for the prime minister post.
Deepening Kishida’s worries about his approval rating, at least seven ministers and 20 lawmakers appointed deputies for Cabinet members in the revamped Cabinet have revealed that they had links to the Unification Church, which was founded by an anti-communist and is known for its mass weddings and “spiritual sales” of jars and other items to members for exorbitant prices.
The revelations fuels suspicions of a close-knit network of contacts between LPD lawmakers and the Unification Church, which has come under intensified public scrutiny after former Prime Shinzo Abe’s assassination by a man who claimed that he killed Abe to revenge his mother who was allegedly made bankrupt by the religious group. [Japan Today] [The Mainichi]
Japan: New industry minister vows to secure a stable supply energy through nuclear power
(sb) New Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura has announced that he wants to achieve stable supply energy for Japan by using nuclear power, disclosing a plan to restart at least ten nuclear reactors.
Currently, only 10 reactors have obtained the approval of their host communities after proving that they fulfill strict requirements for reactor safety introduced by the Nuclear Regulation Authority in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. [The Mainichi] [The Asahi Shimbun]
Japan: Second largest opposition party kicks off race for party leader
(sb) The Japan Innovation Party, Japan’s second largest opposition party with 41 seats in the 465-member House of Representatives and 21 in the 248-member House of Councillors, has kicked of the race for the post of the party’s leader.
Three current lawmakers are running for the post including Nobuyuki Baba, the party's co-leader, Yasushi Adachi, a former industry ministry official, and Mizuho Umemura, a former freelance announcer.
The winner, to be elected at extraordinary party conference on August 27, will succeed incumbent leader Matsui Ichiro in April next year. He announced his resignation as a leader of the party after the July House of Councillors election, in which the party doubled its seats. [The Mainichi]
Japan: Okinawa government files a lawsuit to block relocation of construction site of U.S. military base
(sb) On August 12, the Okinawa Prefectural Government filed a lawsuit against the central government demanding the withdrawal of the land minister’s decision to annul Okinawa’s rejection of the defense ministry’s plan for a relocation of the construction site of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma base from Ginowan to Henoko, both in the Okinawa prefecture.
In November 2021, Okinawa rejected the Defense Ministry's relocation plan citing concerns over environmental damage the environment and it takes time until the Futenma air base would be returned to Japan due to the open-ended landfill project.
In April this year, Land Minister Tetsuo Saito reviewed the Okinawa decision and annulled it, reasoning that Okinawa’s rejection of the defense ministry’s relocation plan was an “abuse of its discretionary power.” [The Mainichi]
Japan: Population decline continues
(sb) The population of Japan declined to 125.93 million in 2021, according to data of the ministry for interior. As of January 1, it was down by 726,342, marking the biggest drop since comparable data have been collected in 1950 and the 13th straight year of decline.
Deaths were at a record high of about 1.44 million, while births were at a record low of some 810,000. Also at a record law is the ratio of people aged between 15 and 64, regarded as the working population, which accounted for 58.99 percent, down 0.10 point.
The numbers expose Japan’s immense demographic challenges of an ageing population and a declining workforce. [Kyodo News]
Japan: Turkish Kurd refugee status for the first time in the country’s history
(sb) Japan has recognized a Turkish Kurd as a refugee for the first time.
The Turkish Kurd man arrived in Japan in 2014 and applied for refugee status. In 2019 the man filed a lawsuit because the status was rejected in 2018. The final decision was up to the Sapporo High Court, which said that there were real dangers of persecution for the man if he came back home. On July 28, The Sapporo Regional Immigration Services Bureau recognized the refugee status to the man following the sentence of the High Court.
Human rights lawyers, activists and U.N. experts have long criticized Japan’s immigration law and policy as the country accepts only 1 percent of refugee applications. [Kyodo News]
Japan: New WHO organization to be established
(sb) According to Japanese foreign ministry sources, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and World Health Organization (WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus agreed on creating a new organization under the WHO to boost health care system in developing countries in Japan.
The purpose of the organization will be the promotion of universal health coverage, as well as the development of a framework to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. [Kyodo News]
South Korea: President pledges policy changes after hundred-year flood
(my) Seoul experienced the heaviest rain in 115 years from August 8 to 9. The flood caused 15 deaths, five missing people, and 7,197 flood victims who lost their homes while subway stations, buildings, and cars were submerged.
In response, President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to take fundamental measures to prepare for future catastrophes, committing to strengthening disaster response and forecasting measures. A task force for facility inspections on a national level was also proposed. [The Korea Herald]
In line with the measures, the Seoul municipality has decided to stop granting permissions to construct basement or semi-basement residences, while planning to dismiss existing subterranean dwellings gradually. [The Korea Times] [Yonhap News Agency, in Korean]
South Korea: New police chief appointed
(my) President Yoon Suk-yeol appointed Yoon Hee-keun as new head of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) on August 10.
During a parliamentary confirmation hearing on August 8, Yoon Hee-keun had been unable to get the approval of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP). The DP floor leader argued that Yoon could not be expected to protect police neutrality and independence from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and its newly launched police bureau vested with the power to oversee the police [see AiR No. 31, August/2022, 1]. In July, Yoon – in his capacity as deputy commissioner general of the KNPA and as the president’s nominee for the post of the KNPA chief, had warned police officials who attended a meeting to oppose the launch of the police oversight bureau and put leaders of the meeting on standby.
The president cited his wish to prevent a vacuum in public safety for Yoon’s appointment with parliamentary approval. [The Korea Times] [Money Today, in Korean]
South Korea: Samsung heir receives presidential pardon on Liberation Day
(my) President Yoon Suk-yeol has granted special pardons to Lee Jae-yong, heir to South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate Samsung, and nearly 1700 other people.
Lee had been sentenced to two-and-a-half-year in prison for bribery and embezzlement in a scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye (2013-2016) in January 2021. He was later released on parole in August 2021. Under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, however, he is banned from being employed for five years, which prevents him from performing a normal operation at Samsung until 2027. This pardon restores his authority and allows him to engage in management activities normally.
Although the pardon of former President Lee Myung-bak (2008–2013) was also anticipated, it was not granted. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison and KRW 13 billion (USD 10.9 million) in fines for embezzling and granted a stay of execution in June 2022.
Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said in a briefing that the pardon was focused on reviving the economy and improving people’s livelihood. Since the livelihood of the people is currently the most pressing and significant issue facing South Korean society, neither politicians nor public officials were pardoned, he explained. [Maeil Business Newspaper, in Korean] [Yonhap News Agency] [AiR No. 31, August/2022, 1].
South Korea: Ruling party’s emergency committee launched
(my) The People Power Party (PPP) has transformed the leadership structure into an emergency committee to serve as the party’s interim leadership. The PPP appointed a five-term lawmaker Joo Ho-young as the committee’s head on August 9.
On August 10, Joo outlined in a press conference the selection of the committee members. He stated that the party intended to form an emergency committee free from factional politics, in an apparent reference to former party leader Lee Joon-suk. [The Korea Times 1] [Yonhap News Agency 2, in Korean]
Lee, who was suspended from his post as the party leader for six months in July on charges of covering up evidence of sexual favors [see AiR No. 28, July/2022, 2], filed an injunction to halt the creation of the emergency committee. He criticized the party’s political situation in a press conference, claiming that the change in the leadership structure was undemocratic and unfair.
If the provisional injunction filed by Lee is accepted, the emergency committee will be dissolved, and Lee can retain his position as party leader after the completion of the suspension period. [The Korea Times 2] [Yonhap News Agency 2] [Yonhap News Agency 3, in Korean]
South Korea: Government to increase food self-sufficiency
(my) During a policy briefing with President Yoon Suk-yeol on August 10, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Chung Hwang-keun discussed raising the food self-sufficiency rate from its current 45.8 percent to 52.5 percent.
In addition, measures will be promoted to ensure a stable supply of food and address soaring consumer prices in advance of the upcoming holiday Chuseok, a Korean traditional mid-autumn harvest celebration. Demand for food products usually rises ahead of holidays in South Korea, and the government anticipates it to peak in September and October.
In June, Korea’s consumer price growth rate compared to the previous year reached 6.0%, the highest in nearly 24 years. In order to meet people’s demand for food and stabilize its price level for the upcoming holiday, the Minister is considering expanding the provision of discount coupons for farming and livestock products. [Yonhap News Agency 1] [Yonhap News Agency 2]
South Korea: Government to cut expenditures
(my) The Korean government plans to reduce its budget and freeze the wages of ministers and vice-ministers in 2023.
The Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Gyeong-ho announced on August 13 that the government aims to cut its expenditures next year. This decision is in consideration of Korea’s high inflation rate and global economic crisis. The ministry indicated that it expected the budget for next year to be less than KRW 679 trillion (USD 521 billion), the total expenditure of this year. The main budget will be less than the total expenditure of the previous year for the first time in 13 years.
The ministry is also willing to freeze the salaries of the ministerial and vice-ministerial level officials and have them return 10 percent of their paycheck. [The Korean Times] [Yonhap News Agency, in Korean]
South Korea: Defense Minister suggests strengthening deterrence system
(my) South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup has put a high alert on the reinforcement of the country’s deterrence system in several meetings on August 10.
Addressing the task force that is responsible for developing South Korea’s defense reform that is expected to foster a sturdier military based on cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence and robots, Lee emphasized promoting science and technology forces tailored for the security environment, stating that “[w]ithout the drastic improvement of our defense structure, it will be difficult to overcome challenges such as current and future threats, technology competition and population cliffs.” He demanded to prioritize investing in constructing a “three-axis” deterrence system. [The Korea Herald 1]
The deterrence system called the “Three-Axis System” is intended to neutralize nuclear threats from North Korea. It includes the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform, the Korea Air and Missile Defense system, and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation, an operational strategy that intends a punitive and retaliatory strike at the North Korean leadership. [see AiR No. 30, July/2022, 4]
In a separate top military commanders’ meeting, Lee called for the establishment of thorough military preparedness. He mentioned that the possibility of North Korean provocations still exists in the wake of the joint military drills called Ulchi Freedom Shield, which will take place from August 22 to September 1. [Yonhap News Agency 1] [Yonhap News Agency 2, in Korean]
Lee also met with a delegation of US security experts on the Korean Peninsula affairs, including former special envoy Joseph DeTrani and US representative Beth Van Duyne. They exchanged views on major security issues. Lee conveyed that Seoul places strengthening the South Korea-US alliance at the center of its foreign and security policy. [Yonhap News Agency 3]
Taiwan: Government allocates fund to mitigate impacts of China’s “Pelosi” trade restrictions on affected companies
(gö) China has imposed bans on the import of more than 1000 Taiwanese food products as part of its response to the visit of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. [FocusTaiwan 1]
In response, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has announced plans to allocate USD 6.67 million to finance the promotion of products of some 2,000 Taiwanese companies, which are affected by Chinese import bans, in more than a dozen countries. [FocusTaiwan 2]
For a discussion why the imports bans are only of political and symbolic nature, see Mike Ives and Zixu Wang in [The New York Times] who suggest that the fact that China has excluded Taiwan’s semiconductor industry from the imposed bans is indicative a “highly selective” strategy of economic retaliation.
Taiwan: KMT Vice Chairman resigns after controversy concerning China visit
(gö) Andrew Hsia, Vice Chairman of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), has resigned from his position as advisor to Taichung City Government after leading an official delegation to China. The trip was supposed to be from August 10 till August 27 and was highly controversial given that it was merely days after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi had just visited and China’s retaliatory military exercises were still in operation.
The criticism did not only come from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) but also his own party colleagues spoke out against him.
Hsia announced his resignment on August 12 two days after his departure to China and told reporters that the trip had been on the agenda for months and he did not take this year’s local elections into account. According to Hsia the objective of this visit was to come together with Taiwanese businesspeople based in China and exchange views with no intention to meet with high-ranking Chinese politicians. [Taiwan News]
Constitutional Law and –Politics, Human Rights and National Security in South Asia
Bangladesh: Tea plantation workers launch indefinite strike to demand wage increase
(aw) Almost 150,000 workers at tea plantations in Bangladesh launched an indefinite strike on August 13 to demand a 150-percent rise to their daily wages. But plantation owners offered an increase of USD 0.15 a day, after an USD 0.19 rise last year, saying they were “going through difficult times with profit declining in recent times”. [bdnews24] [South China Morning Post]
Most tea workers in majority-Muslim Bangladesh are low-caste Hindus, the descendants of labourers brought to the plantations by colonial-era British planters. The minimum wage for a tea plantation worker in the country is about USD 1.25 per day at official rates, but only just over a dollar on the free market.
Bangladesh: Opposition BNP protests against fuel price hike
(aw) A major Bangladesh opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), gathered thousands of supporters in the capital Dhaka on August 11 to protest a record fuel price hike announced by the government. The party announced it would expand the protests against the incumbent “fascist regime” to other cities and towns on August 22. [Bloomberg] [The Daily Star]
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government raised prices by as much as 52 percent on August 6, citing higher prices - a record jump for Bangladesh. Shortly after the announcement, transport operators increased bus fares, adding to public discontent. [AiR No. 32, August/2022, 2]
Bangladesh: 20 injured during clashes between rivaling factions of ruling party's youth wing
(lm) At least 20 supporters of the youth wing of Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League party, the Bangladesh Chattra League (BCL), were injured during clashes between two rivaling factions on August 15. The clashes took place during activities organized by the BCL on the occasion of the country’s National Mourning Day, held to commemorate the assasination of the country’s Founding Father and the father of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, along with most of his family members in 1975. [NewAge]
Bangladesh: Deliberate undercounting of ethnic minorities during latest census alleged
(aw) Experts, researchers, and indigenous rights activists in Bangladesh claim that the recent census has deliberately undercounted the number of the ethnic minority population, alleging intentional carelessness, neglect, and lack of skills on the side of the authorities. [Dhaka Tribune]
Bangladesh's population comprises 99 percent ethnic Bengalis, with a scattering of ethnic minority and indigenous groups – most of them Buddhists and Christians – in the Muslim-majority country's northern hill districts. Census results released last month said those minorities amounted to 1.65 million people, one percent of the national total of 165 million. [The Daily Star]
India: Ruling BJP party loses Bihar state after ally breaks ranks, joins opposition alliance
(vv/lm) Indian Prime Minister Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lost power in Bihar, the country’s third-most populous, after its regional ally pulled out of the coalition government and joined an opposition alliance and formed a new government. [Al Jazeera] [BBC]
Nitish Kumar, leader of the Janata Dal United (JDU) party, took oath again as the chief minister of Bihar on August 10, a day after ending an alliance with the BJP that had been formed in 2017. This was the second time in nine years that Kumar had split from the BJP.
Tensions had been brewing in the ruling coalition for some days after JDU leaders accused the BJP of trying to split their party, a charge the BJP denied.
Notably, Bihar’s coalition government collapsed two years before the 2024 general election, which the BJP is still expected to win for a third straight term unless disparate opposition parties are able to come together to overcome Prime Minister Modi’s popularity. The BJP-led coalition won 39 out of the 40 parliamentary seats in Bihar in the 2019 general election, helping the premier win one of the biggest mandates in India in decades.
India: Jagdeep Dhankhar sworn in as 14th vice president
(vv) Jagdeep Dhankar was officially sworn in as the 14th vice president of India and the chairperson of the upper house of the country’s parliament on August 11. Dhankar, a former West Bengal state governor was previously elected vice president on August 6, giving the ruling National Democratic Alliance led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi control of the country’s two highest constitutional posts [see AiR No.32,August/2022,2]. [CNBC]
A lawyer by profession, Dhankar will be the second vice president hailing from the state of Rajasthan after Bhairon Singh Shekhawat who previously held the post between 2002 and 2007. Both houses of parliament currently have chairpersons belonging to the same state Rajasthan. Dhankar has often voiced his support to the Other Backward castes (OBC) in Rajasthan and was fielded by Prime Minister Modi’s party as a farmer’s son, which marks a strategic political move to reach out to the farmer’s community that protested against the government’s farm laws.
India: Opposition Party Congress announces new protest campaign against government
(sr/vv/lm) India’s opposition National Congress (INC) party has announced that it will organize meetings in all assembly constituencies across the country to protest against soaring food and fuel prices and an increase in the goods and services tax from August 17 through to August 23. The campaign is expected to culminate in a demonstration in New Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan ground on August 28. [Hindustan Times] [India.com] [NDTV]
Earlier this month, police detained dozens of INC parliamentarians, including key leader Rahul Gandhi, as they attempted to march to the president’s house and the prime minister’s residence to protest against the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Police prevented the party’s efforts to hold similar marches in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, Guwahati, and some other cities, detaining party members and taking them away in buses and other vehicles. [AiR No.32,August/2022,2]
India: Campaign promises by political parties ‘serious economic issue’, Supreme Court observes
(vv) India’s Supreme Court observed on August 11 that political parties promising freebies to people during elections in a way to attract more votes is a “serious economic issue” that requires further examination by a body comprising the National Institution for Transforming India, the Finance Commission, ruling and opposition parties, the Reserve Bank of India, and other stakeholders. [Zee News]
The Supreme Court was hearing a plea seeking direction to seize election symbols and deregister political parties that promised to distribute irrational freebies from public funds. The petition also sought the court’s ruling to regulate poll manifestos and having political parties held accountable for any promises made. [Zee News]
The chief justice stressed on the importance of striking a balance between public welfare schemes and freebies while also spending more into development. Chief Justice Ramana also added that his statements in no way derecognizes any political party for the freebies culture as it would be anti-democratic. Showing reluctance in entirely interfering in the matter, he claimed that while he can respond to the pleas made, competent legislative and executive authorities like the Election Commission (must be considered for ultimate decision-making. [The Indian Express]
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was founded in the context of the 2011 anti-corruption movement and is currently the ruling party of two governments, filed a plea in response to the petition, claiming that free distribution in education and healthcare sector to disadvantaged people mustn’t be labeled as freebies. The AAP’s petition also states that if resource-conservation is the aim, then it shouldn’t begin from limiting access of disadvantaged people to equal opportunities, adding that the party’s free distribution schemes have only helped eliminate socio-economic gaps and uplifted the weaker economic sections of the society. [India Today]
India: Parliament’s monsoon session ends four days earlier owing to frequent disruptions
(sr) The Monsoon Session of India’s Parliament ended on August 8, with both houses being adjourned sine die four days ahead of schedule due to protests by opposition parties over a variety of issues, most notably the inflation-induced rising cost of living. [Business Standard]
A total of 32 bills were put forward throughout the session, of which 14 are expected to be introduced. Two separate bills seek to amend the Constitution to revise the list of Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SCs & STs) for Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu state. Scheduled castes and tribes are the lowest rung of India’s caste hierarchy; they currently make up 12.8 percent of Chhattisgarh’s population and 19 percent of Tamil Nadu’s. [The Indian Express]
India: Four employees dismissed in Kashmir for involvement in “anti-Indian” activities
(msk/vv) The governing authority of India’s Kashmir and Jammu union territory has dismissed four government employees, citing their involvement in activities “harmful to state security”. Among those sacked was the son of the leader of Hizbul Mujahideen, an Islamist militant group that seeks to separate Kashmir from India and merge it with neighboring Pakistan. Two professors at the University of Kashmir, whom the government said were radicalizing students in support of Pakistan, and a woman working in the rural development sector, were also sacked. [Reuters]
Four seat-sharing requirements are close to being agreed upon by the coalition task force
(op) A four-point criterion is nearly agreed upon during a task force meeting of the ruling five-party coalition to finalize seat-sharing agreements for the 2022 federal and provincial elections. The five partners came together on August 15 to discuss four criteria for seat distribution and to begin assessing the votes each received in the last two elections, which were the municipal elections and this year's the local elections in 2017.
The four factors include performance in the municipal elections last May, First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR) seats gained in the 2017 elections, and preference for party leaders. But according to task force members, there are disagreements and some dissatisfaction among some coalition party leaders over the criteria. The CPN (Maoist Centre) has been arguing that election performance alone should not be the criterion for sharing seats and that a way should be found to ensure victories for top leaders while the Nepali Congress whose party’s election campaign will run from August 18 to September 9, continues to insist on allocating seats based on the parties' past electoral performance. [Setopati]
Three further parties were unable to provide specific recommendations for the criterion. The working panel has until August 18 to develop the seat-sharing standards. A day after the administration declared that the federal and provincial elections would take place on November 20, the task group of 11 people was established. [see AiR No. 32, August/ 2022] According to another task force member, Nepali Congress is expected to receive 75 plus FPTP seats out of the total 165 if the parties agree to apportion seats on the basis of the four criteria. According to a Nepali Congress member, the party's task force members are still not satisfied with the four-point criterion since they are being pressured not to accept fewer than 100 FPTP seats. The member predicted that if the parties agree on the four criteria, the Maoist Centre would win 55 or more seats and the Unified Socialist would win 15 to 20. Pun of the Maoist Centre stated that the same standards will be used to apportion seats in both the federal and provincial elections.
The task force met for the third time on August 15. According to Dr. Beduram Bhusal, the CPN (Unified Socialist) head, the task force members would discuss with their respective party leaders up until early on August 17 before convening once more. [The Kathmandu Post 2] [Setopati 3] [The Kathmandu Post 4]
Nepal: Baburam Bhattarai and Pushpa Kamal Dahal talk about forming an electoral coalition
(op) Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the leader of the CPN (Maoist Center), and Baburam Bhattarai, the leader of the Nepal Samajwadi Party, met on August 10 to explore forming an election coalition. According to a source close to Bhattarai, at the meeting in Hattiban, Bhattarai offered an electoral coalition with Dahal and Maoist leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha, who is also a Gorkha native.
Since establishing his own party following his expulsion from the Janata Samajwadi Party, Bhattarai has been engaging with key leaders of various parties. He recently met Sher Bahadur Deuba, the president and prime minister of the Nepali Congress (NC). He has been expressing to the leaders of the ruling coalition his desire to stay with them and form an electoral partnership. Bhattarai intends to run for office in Gorkha-2 once more. In the ruling coalition, he has also been promoting a socialist center. [Setopati 1]
Nepal: Citizenship legislation was returned to Parliament for revision by Bidhya Debi Bhandari
(op) On the 15th day after receiving the citizenship amendment bill from the Speaker for authentication, President Bidya Devi Bhandari referred it back to the House of Representatives for review on August 14. [see AiR No. 30, July, 2022] After receiving approval from both the lower and upper houses on July 22 and July 28, the Speaker forwarded the measure to Sheetal Niwas on July 31 for verification. A bill, passed by both the houses, becomes a law only after getting the President’s seal. The President's aide said that she sent the measure back to the House with 15 objections and recommendations attached.
Thousands of children born to parents who obtained citizenship via birth have been anticipating the president's approval of the measure to get citizenship by descent. Prior to September 20, 2015, the day the Constitution of Nepal was promulgated, all qualified Nepalis were awarded naturalized citizenship. However, because the constitution said that a federal legislation would govern the provision to award their children citizenship, they were unable to get citizenship in the absence of one. Around 190,000 people had attained naturalized citizenship via birth.
If the presidential clearance had been granted, a person born in Nepal to a Nepali woman and whose father is unknown may have obtained citizenship by descent. However, the measure stipulates that the applicant's mother must self-certify that the father is unnamed. If it is determined that her claim that the father is unknown turns out to be false, the bill states that she shall be held accountable. Concerns about this self-declaration requirement have been voiced by the President. She claims that the clause violates both Article 38 of the constitution, which ensures women's reproductive and safe motherhood rights, and Article 39 of the constitution, which deals with children's basic rights. Bhandari claims that the clause requiring a mother to self-declare will not only force her to expose her name but also amount to a personal attack on her self-respect. The clause, according to the President, is in conflict with Article 16 of the constitution, which guarantees everyone the right to live in dignity.
Concerned about the fact that the former K.P. Oli administration quickly issued an ordinance with similar provisions but put off passing the bill even after it received support from the House, the President responded by stating that passing laws through an ordinance and a bill are two distinct processes.
The President stated in her message that a historical overview of the methods used to establish citizenship legislation is necessary. Before changing the law, the President has asked that the historical context and customs be studied. She has advocated for researching the very first citizenship law, passed in 1952, as well as older constitutions and amendments to them to change the clauses relating to granting citizenship, the citizenship law that the former King Birendra did not accredit, and commission reports to address citizenship-related issues.
The President has also called attention to Article 10(2) and said that the law does not comply with the constitutional need of a single federal citizenship with provincial identity. The provision of a single federal citizenship with a distinct provincial identity has been made in Nepal, according to Article 10(2).
She has also brought the report of the legislative State Affairs and Good Governance Committee to the House's notice. She said that it is unfortunate that a topic like citizenship has been used to sow societal discord and advised the House to stay away from disputes and concentrate on the issue at hand.
According to the President, the problem of naturalized citizenship has to have a long-lasting resolution. The President further stated that the issues facing Madhesh should be settled permanently in her address. She has stated that the citizenship question is not just a Madhesh problem. The President has requested that Parliament find a long-term solution, saying that the Madheshi populations have been closely monitoring the events of naturalized citizenship. The federal parliament has been requested to examine and deliberate on the law without delay and resend it for authentication. President Bhandari has also emphasized that there should be no delay in granting citizenship. According to Law Minister Govinda Bandi, the President used her constitutional authority to send the bill back to Parliament, and now the sovereign Parliament must conduct its work. [The Kathmandu Post 2]
Nepal: Agencies working in the health and gender sectors fall short of gender equality
(op) According to a new study on “Gender and Health 50/50 Nepal: Catalyzing Change for Gender Equality and Health Equity", which was published on August 10 by the Center for Research on Environment, Health, and Population Activities with the support of Global Health 50/50, very few organizations are found to have publicly available policies that promote and support gender equality. The report says, “Only a third of Nepal’s non-governmental organizations sampled are led by women and have gender parity in senior management."
Between March and June 2021, 77 organizations were polled, including 47 worldwide and 30 national NGOs. [Global Health 5050 1]
The report examined two ministries—the Ministry of Health and Population and the Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens—and three government departments—Family, along with the Welfare Division, the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, and the Department of Women and Children. The study aims to examine the gender of the leadership in the past five years and gender parity at the senior levels of organizations. According to the survey, just 7 percent (2 of 30) national NGOs and 49 percent (23 of 47) global organizations have defined gender, suggesting more than half of global organizations working in Nepal could not offer a definition of gender. Gender equality, diversity, and inclusion policies encourage better workplaces and career advancement for women and other under-represented groups. The survey identified a lack of workplace policy transparency and availability. A crucial step towards openness and accountability is making such policies available to the general public. According to the survey, 10 national NGOs' maternity policies give fewer paid weeks than the Nepali legislation. National NGOs examined had no parental leave policies available. Additionally, multinational organizations' Nepal-based employees were not covered by such rules. The report also highlights large discrepancies in gender parity in management and leadership roles. The research demonstrated a gender imbalance in NGOs, INGOs, and even UN agencies. Making a commitment to gender equality in national and international forums is one thing, experts in Nepal said; putting such promises into reality is another. [The Kathmandu Post 2]
Maldives: Speaker Nasheed submits motion to change government system to ruling party congress
(lm) The Speaker of the Maldivian parliament and president of the country’s ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Mohamed Nasheed, has submitted a motion to the party’s congress that seeks to introduce a parliamentary system of governance to the island nation.
Commenting on the motion, former President and leader of the main opposition Progressive Party of Maldives Abdulla Yameen said that introducing the parliamentary system to the Maldives was the only reform he could agree upon with Nasheed. Notably, Yameen also said that Nasheed’s idea of democracy does not fit an Islamic environment, adding that the democracy practiced in the Maldives should conform to Islamic rules. [Avas]
The country’s home minister and president of the Islamic Adaalath Party – a partner in the ruling coalition – sternly criticized the motion saying that a parliamentary system was regressive in nature to the country and would therefore further divide the people. [The edition]
Nasheed’s move comes after he had accused Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih – a former close ally and childhood friend of his – of adultery following the arrest of his brother and two other men accused of have engaged in consensual same-sex relations - criminalized under the Penal Code of the Maldives. [AiR No. 31, August/2022, 1]
Notably, the arrests occurred at a time when the government of President Solih was facing backlash from extremist Islamist groups for detaining over 20 people, including two religious leaders and a former member of parliament for their alleged involvement in a violent attack on a yoga event organized by the Indian embassy on June 21. These groups deemed the event, attended by government officials and foreign diplomats, as heretical, a celebration of idolatry or polytheism [see AiR No. 26, June/2022, 4].
Pakistan: News channel suspended, sedition cases filed against staffers over alleged anti-military remark
(msk/lm) The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has revoked the broadcast license of TV news channel ARY News after it was taken off air following an interview during which an opposition party official allegedly incited troops and officers against the military leadership. [Dawn]
Private Pakistani cable operators were ordered by the PEMRA on August 8 to block the transmission of ARY News – a broadcaster critical of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government – immediately “till further notice.” The state regulator later sent a formal “show cause notice” to the broadcaster, accusing it of airing “false, hateful and seditious content.” [VOA News]
The development came after ARY TV in the southern port city of Karachi earlier the same day aired the interview with Shahbaz Gill, a close aide of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the chief of staff for his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf opposition party. In the interview, Gill urged Pakistani troops and officers to refuse to obey “illegal orders” from the military — remarks that were seen by authorities as incitement to revolt. He was subsequently arrested on treason charges and could face the death penalty. [Al Jazeera]
The TV station’s news director was detained following the interview under sections of Pakistan’s penal code, which inter alia punish “sedition,” “abetting mutiny” and “conspiracy.” But he was then released on August 11, after an outcry from a media watchdog, rights defenders and top opposition leaders. Warrants have also been issued for the ARY News owner and CEO, a producer and two anchors on similar charges. [Reporters Without Borders]
Sri Lanka: Bill introduced in parliament to curb presidential powers
(kh/lm) Sri Lanka’s justice minister presented a bill to Parliament on August 10 that would transfer some presidential powers – including those to appoint independent election commission members, police and public service officials, and bribery and corruption investigators — into the hands of a constitutional council comprising lawmakers and respected non-politicians. [The Washington Post]
Under the proposed amendments, presidents would only be able to appoint chief justices, other senior judges, attorney generals and central bank governors on the recommendation of the constitutional council. The prime minister would recommend appointments to the Cabinet and the president would not be allowed to hold any ministry positions except defense. [ColomboGazette]
The bill, which will undergo debate, must be approved by two-thirds of the country’s 225-member Parliament to become law. If passed into law, the amendments would reinstate democratic reforms made in 2015. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was ousted as president last month, reversed those reforms and concentrated power in himself after being elected in 2019. Current President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who succeeded Rajapaksa on July 20, had promised to limit the powers of the presidency and strengthen Parliament in response to the protesters’ demands [see AiR No. 30, July/2022, 4].
Sri Lanka: State-owned electricity producer in serious debt, minister says
(kh/lm) Sri Lanka’s state-owned electricity producer, the Ceylon Electricity Board, owes more than USD 375 million to independent power producers and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, the country’s largest oil company wholly owned by the government, the power and energy minister said on August 12. [Xinhua]
In light of this, the Ceylon Electricity Board requested the government to increase tariffs by 800 percent – which was later decreased to 264 percent. [Economy Next] [NDTV]
Sri Lanka: Nearly 1,000 people intercepted while illegally fleeing country in last three months
(lm) Against the larger backdrop of Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis since independence, almost 1,000 people have been intercepted in the island nation’s waters attempting to flee the country in the last three months, according to data from the Sri Lankan Navy. Exiting the country unofficially is considered a criminal offense and people caught face having their passports canceled for up to five years. [Reuters]
Constitutional Law and –Politics, Human Rights and National Security in Southeast Asia
Cambodia: Former opposition activists sentenced to prison for incitement and royal defamation
(bs/fe) Seven former opposition activists members of the now-disbanded Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) received a jail sentence on charges of incitement, anti-government activities, and royal defamation. They were each sentenced to 18 months to three years in jail.
According to one of the accused, his activities online were constitutionally legit. He cited freedom of expression denying any intention to defame the King or rally the populace against the government. [Khmer Times]
In another case, in response to a complaint lodged by the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), the Phnom Penh Municipal Court accused Son Chhay, a former key member of the CNRP and current vice president of the main opposition Candlelight Party (CP), of public criminal defamation under Article 305 of the Criminal Code. Chhay is facing criminal charges for criticizing the June local commune elections by describing them as “unfair” and characterized by vote buying and intimidation of voters.
In an open criticism against the legal action, the CP referred to the case as “another example of political intimidation of opposition parties.” [The Phnom Penh Post]
The CP has promptly urged the prosecution to drop the charges against Chhay. He has dual Cambodian and Australian citizenship and he returned to Cambodia in March to join the CP after self-exiling in Australia to escape the crackdown on CNRP members in 2017. [The Sydney Morning Herald]
Cambodian courts have handed out jail sentences to over a 100 opposition activists since January. In a mass trial against opposition CNRP members and supporters in June, the court convicted almost 60 people on treason charges for their involvement in a conspiracy to oust Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government in 2018–2019. [AiR No. 25, June/2022, 3]
Cambodia: Treason trial against former opposition leader Sokha resumes
(fe) The treason trial against former opposition leader Kem Sokha resumed on August 10 with the prosecution continuing questioning the accused over his alleged involvement in a plot to overthrow the government in late 2013. The court specifically considered a series of videos showing Sokha speaking to the public in Freedom Park, and allegedly calling for large-scale protests in another speech on December 25 in the province of Kampong Cham.
According to the prosecution’s documents, Sokha also discussed the plot in Australia, in November 2013. Action that would confirm the allegations against the former leader of “conspiracy with foreign power.” [Phnom Penh Post]
Kem Sokha was vice-president of the now-defunct Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in 2013. He was arrested in September 2017 for “conspiracy with foreign powers” and inciting the public to overthrow Hun Sen’s government. He was charged under Article 443 of the Criminal Code, which carries a conviction of up to 30 years in prison.
Cambodia: Police launches probe into 11 officers accused of killing man through excessive use of violence
(fe) The National Military Police have launched a probe into 11 of its officers who were harshly criticized for their excessive use of violence in a crackdown on illegal cockfighting that led to the death of a man by alleged suffocation.
Following the event, the man’s daughter appealed to Prime Minister Hun Sen to intervene in the case and ensure justice.
Furthermore, the Cambodian Human Rights Committee is closely monitoring the case. According to the right committee, the police must investigate whether the death was caused by abuse of law enforcement officers or other natural reasons. [Khmer Times]
Indonesia: Defense Minister signals third Presidential run, new coalition formed
(jvk) The Defense Minister has registered his party for the 2024 General Elections and stated that he would run if nominated by members.
As a former head of a military special forces unit, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has been accused of past human rights abuses which he has denied. The United States has previously banned Prabowo from visiting the country, although this ban was dropped in 2020 due to lack of evidence to support the allegations against him. Accusations made against him include alleged kidnapping and disappearance of pro-democracy activists in the 1980s. [The Star]
Ahead of the elections, Gerindra has also established a coalition with the moderate Islam-based National Awakening Party (PKB). The current President Jokowi has not yet explicitly endorsed any potential candidates to take his place. Recent opinion polls show Prabowo as a popular political figure to run for the post and this would be his third attempt at the presidency. [AiR No.31, August/2022, 1] [Channel News Asia] [The Diplomat] [The Star]
A.M Farul Baqi contributed research to this article
Indonesia: Bank of Indonesia and government move to stabilize food prices
(jvk) The Bank of Indonesia (BI) has announced a national movement to keep food inflation under control by the end of the year. The program consists of coordinating with local and regional administration to intensify the distribution of excess food commodities like chili, onions, and eggs.
As part of the movement, local governments will plant chili seeds, set up greenhouses, and develop digital-farming infrastructure, to alleviate food inflation pressures.
Indonesia has recorded an increase of over ten percent in food inflation and is seeking to control it to six percent. Observers say that continuous volatile food prices could lead to potential widespread social discontent and political problems. [Jakarta Post]
A.M Farul Baqi contributed research to this article
Indonesia: Nickel battery deal sparks environmental concerns
(jvk) The Indonesian Government recently reached a US$5 Billion deal with American automotive company, Tesla, for the trade of Indonesian-processed nickel batteries. Tesla has been attempting to set up production companies in Indonesia, a country with large nickel reserves, keen to develop the domestic electric vehicles and battery industries.
However, the deal sparks some ecological concerns about potential irresponsible practices and damage to the environment. Despite Indonesia stopping the export of nickel ore, to ensure supply for investors, most nickel investments from abroad have gone into the production of crude metal. In an attempt to diversify this, there remain concerns that the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry (ESDM) has conducted no innovations in rehabilitating former contentious mining locations. Critics claim that the government has not sufficiently explained how the new investments in nickel will be coupled with environmental protections. [Tempo] [Reuters]
Indonesia: Retired military officers urged to continue work
(jvk) The Defense Ministry has stated that retired officers of the National Armed Forces (TNI) must continue their contribution to the country through the economic sector. A National Gathering of Retired Armed Forces Convention was held on August 12 to discuss retired forces’ welfare.
Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto stated that retired officers seeking work are crucial in supporting the national defense. In working toward these goals, the ministry aims to reform the military and police insurance company, Asabri, in order to provide better support for retired officers long after their service is ended. [Daily Express] [New Straits Times]
A.M Farul Baqi contributed research to this article
Malaysia: Amendments to Employment Act introduce reduced working hours
(pe) Working hours in Malaysia are due to be reduced from 48 to 45 hours per week, in a move promoted by the government as improving worker wellbeing and bringing the country’s approach in line with international standards.
The new measures, due to come into force on September 1, also introduce a section to the Employment Act that focuses on provisions for flexible working. Supporters claim this will give workers greater ability to respond to future challenges to working hours and location, such as those that had been posed by Covid-19 restrictions. [HRM Asia]
Critics argue that the new working hours will do little to combat the issue of labor abuse across the country, pointing to recent examples of migrant workers suing multinational brands for allegedly allowing excessive overtime and other practices to permeate the economy. [Eco-Business]
Malaysia: Former Prime Minister begins final bid to quash 1MDB conviction
(pe) The former Prime Minister, Najib Razak, has started a final attempt to overturn his conviction in a corruption case linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state fund, that he had co-founded in 2009. The accusations against him include money laundering, the theft of USD 4.5 billion, and crimes related to his alleged abuse of power and trust, including allegations he deliberately amended audit reports to avoid legal action.
Najib was fined and sentenced to twelve years in prison in July 2020 for illegally receiving around USD 10 million from a former 1MDB unit.
This conviction was upheld by the appeals court a year later. Currently on bail, this is Najib’s last chance to contest the sentence given. If he is unsuccessful he will begin serving his prison time immediately. In addition to attempting to overturn the conviction, Najib is seeking to nullify the trial by introducing new evidence which centers around accusing the trial judge of a conflict of interest.
Najib has indicated his interest in running for re-election to Parliament in upcoming elections, due to be called some time before September 2023. Currently, due to local law, this will not be possible unless his conviction is overturned or he receives a royal pardon. The Federal Court had set aside nine days from August 15 to August 19 as well as August 23 to August 26, to hear the appeal. [Reuters] [Aljazeera] [Free Malaysia Today] [CNA]
Malaysia: Prime Minister Telegram and Signal accounts hacked amidst debate over cybersecurity
(pe) The Prime Minister has reported an alleged hacking incident of his Telegram and Signal personal accounts, both encrypted messaging platforms.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has issued a statement, which cautions anybody who may have received messages from the hacked accounts to report them to the police, citing concerns that the hackers are engaged in criminal and fraudulent behavior. [The Star]
Government social media and messaging accounts have been the target of hackers in the past, with targets include communications and customs departments. [Free Malaysia Today]
There have been rumors circulating, prior to this hacking incident, that breaches in government cybersecurity had led to data leaks of millions of Malaysians’ personal information, this includes an alleged data breach of the Central Bank. The government denies these claims, but critics argue that the recent breach of the PM’s personal accounts demonstrate vulnerabilities in cybersecurity procedures. Furthermore, social media platforms have linked a number of ‘troll’ accounts, accused of spreading misinformation and attempting to control public discourse, to the Malaysian police force. These accusations are also denied by the government. [South China Morning Post] [US News]
Malaysia: Former rubber-glove factory workers sue companies for labor exploitation
(pe) Former workers at a Malaysian rubber glove maker have sued two multinational companies, accusing them of knowingly profiting from the supplier’s alleged use of forced labor.
The lawsuit has been filed on behalf of 13 Bangladeshi migrant workers, by International Rights Advocates (IRA). It claims that the multinational firms Kimberly-Clark Corp (ICC) and Ansell Ltd profited from forced labor at Brightway’s glove-making factories. This includes allegations that workers were forced to work over 12 hours a day, with little or no rest, after having paid up to USD 4000 in recruitment fees to secure the job. Further allegations claim that their passports were confiscated from them, and they were forced to live in cramped accommodation with 70 people confined to a room.
Brightway Group was barred from importing into the US in December 2021, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) filed a Withhold Release Order against the company. The lawsuit claims that the buying companies involved were fully aware of the labor abuse issues happening at the factory long before this occurred, yet failed to do anything to address it. The two multinational companies involved have dismissed the claims as ‘without-merit’, the case will be tried in the US courts. [The Diplomat] [Benar News]
Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi condemned to six more years in jail on corruption charges
(bs) Former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to an additional six years in prison on corruption charges by a Myanmar military court. The six years pile up to another 11-year jail sentence for sedition, corruption, and other charges that she was handed since the military took over power in a military coup in February 2021. Aung San Suu Kyi denied all the charges. An appeal is expected shortly.
According to local sources, the last conviction was handed down for abuse of power, in which Kyi allegedly had rented public land at below-market prices to build a charity-based residence. [Aljazeera]
Myanmar: Siblings of dead wanted person charged under anti-terrorism law
(jp) The Myanmar military sued three family members of Daw Phyu Phyu Khaing, a Myanmar lawyer, and charged them under sections 50 (J) and 52 of the Criminal Code for alleged connection with terrorist organizations after they were taken hostage by the authorities in June. The authorities took Khaing’s siblings when they failed to find her. She was the target of an attempted arrest by military personnel for her alleged involvement in protests against the military junta and for supporting the resistance by providing financial support to members of the People's Defense Force (PDF).
After finding out that military junta troops had arbitrarily kidnapped and held her siblings as hostages, Daw Phyu Phyu Khaing, took poison on June 12 and committed suicide.
Three of the attorney's siblings were held in custody for more than a month, questioned without evidence, and ultimately brought to trial. Within the next six months, their cases will be evaluated; the military conducts trials every Thursday, and their trial is scheduled to take place on August 18. According to sources within the family, three of her siblings held positions of responsibility under sections 50(J) and 52 and were suspected of having ties to the terrorist organization. [Burma Associated Press] [Jurist]
Myanmar: Military leader under probe on alleged key role in Rohingya genocide
(jp) Head of Myanmar's Military General Min Aung Hlaing is among the group of 20 high-ranking officials who are under investigation for their suspected involvement in the mass murders of the Rohingya Muslim ethnic minority. The International Criminal Court (ICC), the highest court of the United Nations, is now examining a lawsuit regarding the genocide of the ethnic community in Rakhine State.
The military murdered over 700,000 Rohingya Muslims in 2017. The following year, they were compelled to move to Bangladesh. According to the investigation by the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA), a war crimes investigator, the Myanmar military planned the genocide of the Rohingya community “years in advance.” Other sources claimed that civilian organizations might be involved in encouraging violence. They observed that some of these organizations were responsible for creating militias inside the communities. Ultranationalist Buddhist organizations coordinated and mobilized these people. A witness said that military and police officers raided the hamlet and began torching the Muslim minority's homes. They were then joined by locals who tossed children and the elderly into the flames.
The records also indicate that top officials often met with their subsidiaries to discuss the security measures they would use as part of their clearance operations. They also routinely checked the outcomes of the activities and punished those who disobeyed.
In July, the International Court of Justice determined that the lawsuit against the military government of Myanmar for suspected genocide against the country's Muslim minority may continue. This implies that the government may no longer object to the complaint launched by the Gambia. The complaint against Myanmar was filed at the International Court of Justice in 2019 by the Gambia. It has been compounded by the military coup that erupted in the government last year, which led to large demonstrations and the deaths of several citizens. [Asia Views] [Irrawaddy]
Myanmar: Armed conflicts
(jp) Ongoing military airstrikes in Myanmar's Shan State resulted in the entrapment of more than seventy civilians, including many injured villagers. As a consequence of the attacks, between 7,000 and 8,000 individuals fled the area.
In addition, the military authorities have been raiding and occupying villages killing civilians and resistance members. According to a pro-government news source, seven members of the resistance People's Defense Forces (PDF) were killed in raids.
Another military airstrike in Latpankyin Village, Myanmar Township, resulted in the deaths of ten individuals. Using PDFs, government soldiers warned the villagers before the assault. In regions including Shan, Karen, Kayah, and Mon, the military has been also conducting airstrikes against various targets, including military units and rebel groups.
According to a local aid group, the military has carried out numerous airstrikes on residential areas and military units. In some of these assaults, the detachment destroyed residential properties and murdered civilians. In response to attacks by the PDF and other armed groups, the military has committed multiple atrocities against the country's civilians. The execution of civilians arbitrarily and using civilians as human shields are examples. [Irrawaddy]
The Philippines: Department of Justice firm on decision not to withdraw drug charges against de Lima, despite Ombudsman’s dismissal
(jd) The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed the bribery charges filed against a former senator and her former aide due to lack of probable cause.
The 2018 case originates from the defendant Leila de Lima’s alleged plan to extort money from self-confessed drug trafficker Kerwin Espinosa. Both de Lima and her aide deny all accusations of wrongdoing.
The Ombudsman has released a ruling dismissing the bribery charges, where it was also declared that the statements made by Espinosa and other witnesses were inconsistent in relation to the delivery of the alleged PHP 8 million bribe and that the special team of investigators failed to provide sufficient evidence of bribery.
Despite the Ombudsman's dismissal of the bribery case, the Department of Justice (DOJ) decided not to withdraw the drug cases filed against the former senator.
De Lima has been detained since February 2017 due to drug charges under the Duterte administration. The charges brought against her sustained that she favored an illegal drug trade in the national penitentiary during her term as Justice secretary under the previous Aquino administration. She was absolved by a Muntinlupa court in one of her cases following the prosecution’s failure to present strong evidence to prove her guilt, however she still has two remaining drug charges.
De Lima has always declared her innocence and accused the government of fabricating cases against her. Some witnesses of the prosecution, including Espinosa, have affirmed that their allegations and testimonies stemmed from coercion, pressure, and threats by the police.
De Lima and her Legal counsel stated that the DOJ should review the cases filed against her, in light of the recent recantations. However the DOJ has stated that the decision lies with the courts to determine whether the evidence merits further trial.[CNN Philippines 1] [CNN Philippines 2] [GMA News] [Philstar 1] [Philstar 2]
The Philippines: Leading Marcos and Duterte critic arrested on cyber-libel charges
(jd) Philippines’ police have arrested a left wing activist on cyber-libel charges. The activist, who is also a former senator, and former vice-presidential candidate was arrested a few days after US Secretary of State Blinken visited the Philippines.
The warrant for Walden Bello’s arrest was issued by a judge at a court in Davao City, where Vice President Sara Duterte served as mayor.
The charges originate from a cyber libel case filed against Bello in March by former Davao City Information Officer Tupas, who worked under current Vice President Sara Duterte during her time as mayor of the city. Tupas had been reportedly fired after he and Vice President Sara Duterte were found at a party where PHP 1.5 million worth of illegal drugs were confiscated during a raid.
In a Facebook post Bello criticized Duterte for avoiding a presidential debate and accused her of protecting a drug dealer. Tupas stated that the comments defamed him and ruined his reputation and he therefore filed a cyber libel complaint seeking P10 million in damages from the former senator.
Bello has refuted the claims, stating that they are a form of political harassment.
The Chair of the advocacy group ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has defined Bello as one of the most prominent critics of the former Duterte administration. He also affirmed that the charges are a clear expression of the continued attacks against the opposition through red tagging and narco-tagging tactics and pointed out how cyber libel laws have been used in the Philippines as a means to silence criticism.
Bello has also been a critic of the Marcos administration, defining President Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte “an axis of evil,” and describing the Marcos family as a “family of thieves.”
After his arrest Bello affirmed that he won’t be intimidated and won’t let free speech be suppressed, with his lawyer stating that he will seek to have the case thrown out as quickly as possible. [The Diplomat]
Bello was detained for around 24 hours and was released after posting bail. [Al Jazeera]
Singapore: Former Foreign Minister will not contest election
(pe) The former Singaporean Foreign Minister, George Yeo, has confirmed that he will not put his name forward for the Presidential position in next year’s elections, putting an end to speculation that he will run.
Yeo commented on the rumors in a recent interview, stating that he enjoys his freedom of expression that had come with his recent retirement from being a politician. He argued that running in the election would cause him to lose this freedom, which he does not intend to do.
The next election will occur in 2023, as current President Halimah Yacob's six-year term comes to an end. [The Straits Times]
Thailand: Prime Minister’s constitutional term may terminate in 2025
(td) Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan announced his full support in backing Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in staying in office two more years surviving the ongoing dispute over the constitutional eight-year limit supposedly approaching to an end in August.
As the head of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), he also vowed to nominate Prayut as a candidate for Prime Minister for a second time at the next general election in 2023.
According to Prawit and some political commentators, Prayut had officially embarked on his premiership soon after the then government promulgated the 2017 constitution which stipulated – in line with Section 158 – that a PM’s term is limited to a maximum of eight years. Thus, he should leave the office in 2025 if re-elected.
On the other hand, opposition supporters claim that his term began in 2014, when Prayut took over the country’s power through a military coup. Further, another group of people believe that Prayut’s premiership started in 2019 with the official royal endorsement.
All in all, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha recently urged his critics to keep an eye out for the Constitutional Court’s ruling on his case to settle the dispute, whereas a prominent anti-graft activist had earlier requested the Office of the Ombudsman and the Election Commission (EC) to seek a judicial review of his eight-year term. In fact, the PM’s tenure conditions has been a subject of debate for several years since it came to light for the first time in 2018. To seek an official ruling on his case, the opposition Pheu Thai Party will submit a petition to the Constitutional Court through the House Speaker on August 17, although the PM is unlikely to dissolve the government shortly. [AiR, No. 32, August/2022, 2][Bangkok Post 1][Bangkok Post 2][Thai PBS World]
Thailand: Parliament fails to pass new electoral bill
(td) Despite unwavering efforts from several micro political parties, the controversial election bill failed to meet the 180-day deadline due to lack of quorum in parliament.
It is reported that the majority of MPs from the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) and the main opposition Pheu Thai Party were intentionally absent during the second time of meeting as the parliament began to count the quorum. As a result, it could not go ahead with the second session to deliberate the bill and finalize if it should be amended to accommodate the use of 500 in calculation under a dual system. Under the new election method, the figure 500, which would include all of the constituency MPs, rather than 100, the total number of party-list MPs, would be used in the calculation to determine the number of party-listed seats which each contesting party would receive.
In fact, the PPRP itself – along with the Democrat Party – put the proposal surrounding electoral regulations at the next poll to parliamentary consideration, which resulted in the passing of second reading of the debatable bill. However, it later remade a decision as the original electoral bill which stipulates the proportion of 400:100 for constituency and party-list MPs, plus the one-ballot system, would greatly help the party secure more seats.
That said, after the second parliamentary session, those smaller parties speculated that Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan had lobbied his fellow MPs and then military-appointed Senators to join him in boycotting the session. In response, he denied such allegations. [AiR, No. 32, August/2022, 2][Bangkok Post][The Nation Thailand]
Thailand: House vetting committee cut down budget on pressing government schemes
(td) The House vetting committee has revised a budget bill of 3.18 trillion baht (about USD 90 billion) for the fiscal year 2023 according to Thailand’s economic revitalization and social development plans, which sees the allocation for several agencies scaled down to spare the remainder for newly proposed government schemes.
In this regard, a budget of 7.64 billion baht (USD about 2.16 billion) out of the total national budget has been cut in which the Defense Ministry faces the biggest chop – followed by local administrative organizations and the Education Ministry. Nonetheless, prior to the revision, the original bill passed its first reading in June. Therefore, the House committee will forward the revised bill to the parliament to proceed with the second and final readings scheduled for August 17-19, noting that the budget bill must be cleared within 150 days after its proposal. The panel also suggested that the government consider widening the tax base to raise state revenue. [Bangkok Post]
Thailand: Democrat Party remains unshaken despite political scandal over rape and resignation of members
(td) The royalist Democrat Party has insisted to remain unshaken despite a series of resignations of prominent figures as a result of the scandal over rape cases commited by the party’s former deputy leader, who had also resigned from the post to sustain credibility of the party amid public criticisms. Despite refusals, he has struggled with legal proceedings up to date, and he recently heard two more charges which brought to the total of 16 sexual misconduct cases.
As several members of the Party set their sights on joining another political party, it is only permissible by law to switch and resign from the parliament free of charge after November 23. Otherwise, they will be required to pay a fine to the Election Commission responsible for the constituency members of parliament. That said, while some of them have resigned from the party, the rest are set to follow suit before the next poll. Overall, in spite of internal rifts and waning popularity, the party vows to support the Prayut-led administration. [Bangkok Post][Thai Enquirer][Thai PBS World]
Thailand: Rights activists file petition to release detained pro-democracy protesters
(bs) Amnesty International Thailand, a prominent international rights group, along with other rights activists filed a petition to the Ministry of Justice urging the authorities to release pro-democracy activists, drop all the charges against them, and reintroduce the right to bail for political detainees. The appeal also called on Thailand to adhere to international human rights standards.
The petition was signed by 4,701 Thai citizens following widespread debates over two detained pro-democracy activists who have been on hunger strike since June 2. According to the petitioners, the Thai government must protect the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and to “minimize pretrial detention.” [AiR No. 32, August/2022, 2]
Rights groups report that Thai authorities have escalated crackdowns on pro-democracy and anti-monarchy activism since 2020. [Prachatai]
Vietnam: National Assembly discusses law amendment on state capital investment
(ntan) On August 12, the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee discussed a law amendment aimed at stabilizing the legal framework for State capital investment in production and business at enterprises.
The lawmakers are looking forward to enhancing the national economy by ensuring harmony between the capital investment projects and current legislations. To achieve their goals, the NA drafted several proposals, including considering the use of some new methodologies on State ownership in enterprises, defining monitoring standards for the use of State capital in enterprises ,and clarifying specific policies to institutionalize guiding principles [Vietnam News]
International Relations, Geopolitics and Security in Asia
Chinese research ship docks at Sri Lanka port despite India's concerns
(kh/lm) A Chinese research vessel docked at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port on August 16, despite security concerns raised by India about the vessel's presence in nearby waters. Colombo said the ship, Yuang Wang 5, will be allowed to remain in the port Beijing leases from the Sri Lankan government until August 22 on the condition it would not carry out research while in Sri Lankan waters. [BBC] [CNN]
The vessel was originally scheduled to arrive at the port on August 11, but the visit was delayed after concerns were raised about the ship's presence, though India denied putting any pressure on Colombo. New Delhi claimed that the vessel is a dual-use spy ship that can be employed for space and satellite tracking and intercontinental ballistic missile launches. [AiR No. 31, August/2022, 1]
China blocks India-US bid to designate JeM leader as terrorist at the UNSC
(vv) China has opposed and blocked a India-United States joint bid to list Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) leader Abdul Rauf Azhar a global terrorist at the recent UN Security Council held on August 10. [Hindustan Times]
Azhar is the younger brother of the founder of the terrorist organization Masood Azhar, which is based at Bahawalpur district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The US Treasure Department designated Azhar as a global terrorist in 2010, describing him as a senior leader in JeM who urges Pakistanis to be involved in terrorist activities associated with JeM. India’s bid to sanction Azhar comes after Azhar’s involvement in the hijacking of Indian airline flight IC814 from Kathmandu to Kandahar in 1999 and 2001 attack on Indian parliament, among other terrorist attacks in the country.
India and the US have made joint bids to list Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN Security council that has been blocked by China stating that they have placed a technical hold on the proposal asking for more time to study the bid. Many claim that this is a repeated instance of China blocking India and US previous proposals of sanctioning terrorists in Pakistan, which is considered to be China’s traditional ally. A technical hold was previously placed by China on India and US joint proposal, at the UNSC, of listing another Pakistan based terrorist organization Lakshar-e-Taiba (LeT) leader Abdul Rehman Makki, the brother-in-law of LeT founder Hafeez Saeed and remains pending to this day. China had also previously placed technical hold on sanctioning Azhar's elder brother Masood Azhar four times, which had invited much criticism from international circles. Due to mounting global pressure, China eventually lifted its technical hold on Masood Azhar in 2019, for his links with another terrorist organization Al-Qaeda.
The listing and sanctioning of terrorists, as per the UN Security Council, requires the country the terrorist is currently based in to seize financial funds and assets of the terrorist in question, enforcing a travel ban and prohibiting the terrorist’s access to weapons and other materials.
Activists urge UN human rights chief to raise concerns during Bangladesh visit
(az/lm) The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, arrived in Bangladesh on August 14 for a four-day visit to the country, which includes meetings with Rohingya refugees at the sprawling makeshift settlements and overcrowded camps at Cox’s Bazar.
During her visit, the first official visit by a UN rights chief to Dhaka, Bachelet was also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other ministers. She also met with the National Human Rights Commission, representatives of civil society organizations and other stakeholders. In addition, Bachelet was set to deliver a speech at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies.
The timing of the visit assumes added significance, considering that it takes place on the eve of the 5th anniversary of the Rohingya exodus from neighboring Myanmar’s Rakhine state in August 2017.
Against this backdrop, nine global human rights organizations in a joint statement urged Bachelet to publicly call for an immediate end to severe rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and enforced disappearances, during her visit to Dhaka. The rights watchdogs alleged that a potential silence of the Commissioner during her meetings might incentivize the ruling Awami League party to continue legitimizing its alleged abuses of activists. [The Daily Star] [Voice of America]
Various organizations in Chittagong also came to the streets protesting against extrajudicial killings, illegal detentions in the name of arms recovery, and re-arrests from jail after bail in the country. [DhakaTribune]
Dispelling the notion, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry called the protests a politically motivated agenda that aims to mislead the people. [UNB]
UN human rights expert arrives in Cambodia
(bs) The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Cambodia began his 12-day visit to Cambodia on August 15. The expert is in charge of assessing the human rights situation in the country and evaluating the government’s efforts to ensure the respect of international human rights protection standards.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expects a full report to the Human Rights Council in October. [OHCHR]
UN special envoy travels to Myanmar for the first time since appointment
(bs) Noeleen Heyzer, the United Nations (UN) special envoy to Myanmar landed in the country on August 16 for the first time since her appointment in October 2021. The visit marks a special occasion for the UN envoy as her predecessor’s entry to Myanmat was repeatedly rejected by the military authorities.
Heyzer will attempt to discuss potential solutions to the ongoing violence in the country and share major concerns from the international community. She is yet to know if she will be allowed to meet former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has recently been sentenced to an additional 6-year jail conviction. [DW]
Pakistan to receive IMF loan by end of month
(sg) Pakistan is set to receive approval from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a USD 7 billion loan later this month. The long-awaited loan will boost Pakistan’s foreign reserves, which had plummeted to around USD 10 billion amid the country’s worst economic crisis since independence.
The IMF will hold an executive board meeting on August 29 to purportedly approve the completion of the seventh and eighth reviews of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The move comes after Islamabad secured monetary guarantees of USD 4 billion from its foreign allies. According to multiple news sources, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and China confirmed that they had completed arrangements for multi-billion dollar financing. [The Business Standard]
Previously, Pakistan had to fulfill multiple actions to secure IMF funding. Efforts included critical measures such as raising taxes on the rich and banks and privatizing government assets to increase revenue and limit spending. Additionally, Islamabad raised petroleum product prices by about 70 percent since April this year [see AiR No. 29, July/2022, 3].
Most foreign funding may stem from the Saudi government, which has planned to renew a USD 3 billion deposit for Islamabad. Additionally, Riyadh intends to extend USD 100 million per month for ten months in petroleum products. The move comes shortly after Pakistan’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, reached out to Saudi Arabia requesting financial aid for his country [see AiR No. 32, August/2022, 2].
General Bajwa had also recently reached out to the United States, seeking help in securing an early release of an essential USD 1.17 billion installments from the IMF. [AiR No. 31, August/2022, 1]
The Philippines supports bill to institutionalize use of West Philippine Sea term
(jd) The Philippine Foreign Office is supporting a legislative move to officially rename the country’s portions of the commonly called South China Sea as the “West Philippine Sea,” in order to strengthen the Philippines territorial claims in the contested waters.
Tolentino, vice-chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations who filed the Senate Bill No. 405, declared that the proposal aims to institutionalize the West Philippine Sea term so that the maritime area, which includes the airspace, seabed, and subsoil, would officially be named "West Philippine Sea" or "Kanlurang Dagat ng Pilipinas”.
In a press conference, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson stated that any effort that seeks to reinforce the Philippines' situation in the South China Sea can be supported as long as it remains in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and does not undermine the 2016 Arbitral Award.
Tolentino said that since under the UNCLOS the Philippines is granted a territorial sea of up to 12 nautical miles, a contiguous zone of up to 24 nautical miles, and an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of up to 200 nautical miles, the bill is a response and an embodiment of the doctrine.
The Senate Bill No. 405 also directs government offices to popularize the use of the suggested name both domestically and internationally, encouraging the use of the term in all communications, messages, and public documents.
Tolentino also said that during the past decade, the actions of China in establishing control over the region for economic and military purposes intruded upon the sovereign rights of the Philippines over its EEZ. He further claimed that China's buildings and offshore harbor in the contested area had caused the destruction of coral reef areas
In the recent 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Cambodia, the DFA declared its territorial ownership over the contested territories by citing the arbitral award, The Hague ruling, and the 1982 UNCLOS.
If the legislation goes through, the Philippines will join other countries that have given their own names to the disputed waters. [Philippines News Agency] [Philippines News Agency 2] [Radio Free Asia]
Bangladesh to gear up military cooperation with Saudi Arabia, India
(aw) In a press conference organized on the occasion of the visit of the delegation of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center to Bangladesh, the Saudi Ambassador to Dhaka expressed his optimism about increasing military and security cooperation between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi envoy said that his country would sign several MoUs on defense and security with Bangladesh to strengthen the existing defense cooperation. [Prothom Alo]
With respect to strengthening ties with Bangladesh, he informed that Saudi Arabian businesses are planning to invest more than 10 billion dollars in Bangladesh, while Aramco, Acqua Pawa, and Red Sea Gate are starting to invest in various projects in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh and India have expressed commitment to boost up the engagements between their armed forces. During the talks about different aspects of defense industrial and capability-building cooperation at the 4th Bangladesh-India Annual Defence Dialogue, both sides agreed to enhance existing bilateral exercises and training and the complexity of these exercises. It was emphasized that both countries have great potential for cooperation in defense trade, co-development, and joint production. [Dhaka Tribune]
Diplomatic disputes continue in the second week after Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan
(jw) While the second week after US Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan [see AiR No. 31, August/2022, 1] saw a decrease in Chinese military activities around the island [see AiR No. 32, August/2022, 2], diplomatic disputes continued.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen stated in an address to air force officers that despite a down-scaling of Chinese military drills the threat from the Chinese military had not decreased, while Pelosi commented that China must be prevented from establishing regular military drills as a “new normal.” [Reuters 1] [Taiwan News]
The statements came after China’s Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army announced regular combat readiness security patrols in the Taiwan Straits in the future. [Global Times]
On several occasions, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, for his part, warned other countries not to follow the example of Pelosi and engage in a “political performance” similar to that of the US. According to Wang, other countries should consider that following Washington’s approach “will seriously undermine the political foundation for engaging with China”.
However, after Washington repeatedly argued that Chinese threats will not lead to the isolation of Taiwan, another delegation of US lawmakers arrived on the island on August 14 [see entry below]. The Chinese embassy in Washington asserted that the visit “once again proves that the US does not want to see stability across the Taiwan Strait and has spared no effort to stir up confrontation”. [Reuters 2] [South China Morning Post]
China’s harsh reaction to Pelosi’s visit also put a strain on diplomatic interactions between China and Australia. After Australia voiced its support for Taiwan and criticism against the Chinese military drills, the Chinese ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian argued that Australia must “handle the Taiwan question with caution” if it aims for closer ties with China after years of deteriorating bilateral relations. Xiao went on to state that China is “ready to use all necessary means” to ensure a reunification of Taiwan with mainland China. Reacting to Xiao’s remarks, Australian treasurer Jim Chalmers urged de-escalation, calling the ambassador's language “concerning”. [Associated Press] [The Guardian]
China’s ambassador to the UK was summoned by UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to explain China’s actions over Taiwan. In a statement, Truss asserted that China has displayed “increasingly aggressive behavior and rhetoric”. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that it “resolutely opposes” the statement and lodged a diplomatic complaint with Great Britain. [Reuters 3]
Due to the heightened tensions, the US is reportedly also rethinking its tariff policy toward China, re-considering the cutting of some Trump-era tariffs that were imposed during the US-China trade war and have been under scrutiny as multiple senior US officials called for an easing of trade barriers to combat inflation. Even though there was no final decision announced despite months-long considerations, current confrontations over Taiwan “changed everything” and will restart the policy-making process, according to an anonymous source cited by Reuters. [Reuters 4]
China reiterates criticism of US semiconductor bill signed by US President Joe Biden
(jw) On August 9 after both legislative chambers of the US already voted in support, US President Joe Biden signed a bill to boost the US semiconductor industry that is aimed at decreasing US dependence on foreign suppliers and meant to strengthen the domestic industry facing competition from heavily subsidized Chinese companies. The bill is also relevant due to tensions running high over Taiwan, which produces up to 90% of high-end chips but might not be able to keep supplies going if the dispute with China continues to escalate.
After China already voiced its opposition to the bill [see AiR No. 31, August/2022, 1], the Chinese Foreign Ministry reiterated its criticisms, stating that the bill will “restrict companies’ normal investment and economic and trade activities in China” and “disrupt international trade and distort global semiconductor supply chains.” [Associated Press] [CNBC]
Five Chinese state-owned companies announce voluntary delisting from US stock market
(jw/ms) Amid ongoing negotiations in the so-called audit dispute between the US and China, five Chinese state-owned enterprises announced on August 12 that they would voluntarily delist from the US stock market, marking an escalation in the financial decoupling of the US and China.
Among the companies announcing their withdrawal from Wall Street are Sinopec and its separate unit Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co, along with PetroChina, China Life Insurance and Aluminium Corporation of China (Chalco).
In May, All five companies were placed on a list of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which threatens about 200 Chinese enterprises with delisting, should they continue to not comply with US auditing regulations and withhold relevant auditing documents due to national security concerns.
Experts cited by the Financial Times claimed that the simultaneous announcement of five state-owned enterprises is likely to be a tactical, political move meant to influence ongoing negotiations. However, according to a statement by the China Securities Regulatory Commission that was released right after the announcement, “the delisting choices were made out of their [the companies’] own business considerations.” [Financial Times] [Global Times] [Reuters]
Latvia, Estonia leave 16+1 group, marking decreased Chinese diplomatic influence in Europe
(jw) Latvia and Estonia announced their decision to leave the 16+1 group – a cooperation initiative between China and countries in Central and Eastern Europe – dealing a major blow to China’s diplomatic efforts in Europe. The decision comes one year after Lithuania left the group, which was then called 17+1 and is now down to 14+1, due to disputes over the Baltic state’s decision to allow the opening of a Taiwan Representative Office in Vilnius [see AiR No. 32, August/2021, 2]. Estonia and Latvia now followed suit, presumably due to China’s hardened stance toward Taiwan, its close ties to Russia – the country causing most concerns to Baltic nations – and decreasing diplomatic ties between China and Europe in general. [Politico] [Reuters 1]
According to the Estonian government, Estonia will, however, “continue to work towards constructive and pragmatic relations with China, which includes advancing EU-China relations in line with the rules-based international order and values such as human rights.” The Latvian Foreign Ministry also stated that Latvia will “continue to strive for constructive and pragmatic relations with China”. [Estonia Foreign Ministry] [Latvia Foreign Ministry]
Meanwhile, Lithuania further angered China, as Lithuanian Deputy Transport and Communications Minister Agne Vaiciukeviciute led a delegation to visit Taiwan and advanced negotiations on an air services agreement. In reaction to the visit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned “the Lithuanian anti-China forces for their deliberate violation of China’s sovereignty and gross interference in China’s internal affairs.” Furthermore, the Ministry announced that Vaiciukeviciute would be sanctioned and Chinese engagement with the Lithuanian Transport and Communications Ministry as well as cooperation on transport with Lithuania would be suspended. [Reuters 2] [Taipei Times] [Xinhua]
Report indicates plans of Xi Jinping to leave China for the first time since 2020
(jw) According to a The Guardian report, Chinese President Xi Jinping is “expected” to arrive in Saudi Arabia in mid of August, making his first official visit to another country since January 2020.
Responding to a question about the report, the Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed that it has no information to offer. Xi’s visit would mark a deepening of ties between China and Saudi Arabia after Saudi Arabia defended China against accusations of human rights violations in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. In addition to China being the largest importer of Saudi Arabian oil, China increasingly has strategic ambitions in the region, eyeing military bases and competing with the US that does not display the same presence it did a decade ago. [Reuters] [The Guardian]
The visit would come weeks after US President Joe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia that is seen by many analysts as a big US diplomatic failure. [Washington Post] [Daily News Egypt] [CNN]
China to increase economic cooperation with Mongolia, support infrastructure projects
(jw) After an August 8 meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh as well as Wang’s Mongolian counterpart Batmunkh Battsetseg, China is keen to enhance economic cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
As China tries to import less critical commodities from countries like Australia or the US which assume a critical attitude toward China, Mongolia is one of the countries to fill the gap, according to an expert quoted by the South China Morning Post. However, China first needs to further open its border to Mongolia and develop infrastructure like railway routes and highways to benefit from Mongolia’s natural resources such as gold, iron, coal or copper. Mongolian infrastructure is also essential for smooth trade between China and Russia as the two countries ramped up their economic cooperation amid Russia being heavily sanctioned for invading Ukraine. [South China Morning Post]
China, Thailand conduct joint air-force drills
(jw) Amid an overall increase of military activities in the region, Chinese and Thai air forces kicked off the 12-day “Falcon Strike 2022” joint military exercise on August 14 in Udon Thani, Thailand, focusing on “training courses such as air support, strikes on ground targets, and small- and large-scale troop deployment” according to a statement by the Chinese Defense Ministry.
The drills involve six J-10C/S fighter jets, a JH-7AI bomber and a Shaanxi KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft on the Chinese side and five Gripen aircraft, three Alphajet attack aircraft and a SAAB 340 AEW early warning and control aircraft on the Thai side.
The joint training exercises which are meant to “enhance mutual trust and friendship between the air forces of the two countries” take place amid increased military activities in the region with China holding large-scale exercises around Taiwan and the US joining Indonesian, Australian, Singaporean and Japanese forces for drills in Indonesia [see AiR No. 32, August/2022, 2]. [Channel News Asia] [Chinese Defense Ministry] [Bangkok Post]
Beijing asks New Delhi to reiterate One-China policy
(sg) Beijing wants New Delhi to reaffirm its “one China” policy after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. The move comes after the Indian ministry of external affairs stated that New Delhi opposed any change to the status quo of Taiwan at a media briefing on August 12.
Without naming China or Taiwan, the Indian ministry of external affairs outlined its response in a series of questions on Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. A ministry spokesperson stated that “India’s relevant policies are well-known and consistent. They do not require reiteration,” after questions from reporters of the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency regarding India’s backing for Beijing on the one-China policy. India stopped referring to the policy in 2008 when Beijing claimed India’s eastern territory of Arunachal Pradesh and issued stapled visas to some residents in parts of disputed Ladakh. [Hindustan Times] [The Straits Times]
India’s decision not to reiterate the one-China policy contrasts with 170 countries, including all neighboring member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The latter unilaterally reaffirmed recognition for Beijing following Pelosi’s visit. The move is seen by many as highlighting India’s ‘Independent’ foreign policy, whereby New Delhi aims to strike a balance between China and the US while also maximizing its own interests. [Bloomberg]
In response to New Delhi’s comments, the Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong, urged India to stick to its one-China principle amid a “positive impetus” in China-India ties. Sun referred to two recent meetings between the foreign ministers and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance at the China-hosted BRICS summit in June.
However, ongoing border disputes and increased Chinese influence in countries such as Sri Lanka have soured relations between the two. Most recently, the arrival of a Chinese military research vessel in Sri Lanka has strained bilateral ties. [see article in this edition] [Global Times]
India, United Kingdom release report on fifth free trade talks
(tj/sg) India and the United Kingdom, which concluded their fifth round of their bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks on July 29, have now released the outcome statement of the meeting. According to the joint statement, the two countries are on track to conclude negotiations on the FTA by the Indian holiday of Diwali in October this year. The most recent round of talks took place in a hybrid setup with 85 separate sessions covering 15 policy areas. [UK Government]
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson set the ambitious Diwali deadline during his visit to New Delhi in April [see AiR No. 17, April/2022, 4]. However, a UK governmental panel recently warned against rushing to complete the FTA and called on the government to publish a comprehensive trade policy that provides a framework within which all negotiations can be conducted. [The Wire]
The post-Brexit Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the UK could see bilateral trade double to around USD 100 billion by 2030, according to a recent report. [The New Indian Express]
In separate developments, the current Chief of the Army Staff of the Pakistan Army, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, represented the Queen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II at the Sovereign’s Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on August 12. General Bajwa was accompanied by the director-general of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) and the Pakistani High Commission's military attaché. [The Times, $]
Washington accuses India of covering up Russian oil exports to United States
(sg) The United States Treasury Department has accused India of covering up a Russian oil shipment to New York, thereby violating US sanctions against Russia. [Bloomberg] [Reuters]
The US Treasury reportedly told the Indian government that a Russian tanker transferred its cargo to an Indian ship on the high seas. The oil was allegedly brought to port in the west Indian state of Gujarat, where it was refined into a product used to produce single-use plastics. The refined product was placed back onto the ship, which departed without a defined destination.
The US sanctions put in place following the Russian invasion of Ukraine prohibit the import of Russian-origin energy products such as refined fuel, coal, oil, and gas. The US and its western partners have repeatedly pressured New Delhi to reduce trade with Russia. India has so far refused to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, dismissing the calls from its western partners, and doubled down on imports of discounted Russian oil.
India, Malaysia conduct joint military exercise
(pe) The Indian Air Force (IAF) has participated in a joint military exercise ‘Udarashakti’ with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), lasting four days. The exercise involves several drills for the aerial forces, as well as best practice sharing and coordination on defensive matters.
The two respective Defense Ministers have also discussed their ongoing allyship and mutual capabilities. Observers state that this exercise continues a recent trend, whereby India is seen to be enhancing its cooperation with many of the South East Asian countries. [The Hindu] [ANI News]
Indonesia, Malaysia sign defense agreement
(pe) Malaysia and Indonesia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) involving sharing of information on defense issues and heightened cooperation and dialogue between the two countries’ armed forces including exchange of officers, military training and education.
The focus of the MOU is to strengthen defense at the border, including the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, following the Indonesian government’s plan to move their capital to Kalimantan. The two countries also agreed to hold a Malaysia-Indonesia Land, Sea and Air Joint Exercise (Latgabma Malindo Darsasa), which would focus on anti-terror activities, as well as increased cybersecurity activity. Furthermore, plans were established to resume land, sea and air patrols that had previously been put on hold due to Covid-19. [Malay Mail]
Indonesia urges Myanmar to implement peace consensus
(jvk) During ASEAN’s 55th anniversary celebrations, Indonesian Foreign Minister has urged the Myanmar military junta to carry a five-point consensus aimed at restoring peace, which had been drawn up in April 2022.
While speaking at the ASEAN conference, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi suggested the ASEAN approach to finding a solution to the Myanmar crisis should focus on tackling the issue as a unit. The five-point consensus includes measures to halt violence, open up dialogue to address the root cause of the conflict, as well as allow for the safe passage of humanitarian aid to affected people. [Jakarta Globe]
A.M Farul Baqi contributed research to this article
Indonesia summons Ukrainian envoy over Tweet about Russia
(jvk) The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry has summoned the Ukrainian Ambassador over a tweet where he allegedly condemned Indonesia for not taking a harsher stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Ambassador had responded to an Indonesian social media post condemning Israel’s violence in Gaza, implying a perceived lack of solidarity with Ukraine.
The envoy has been warned against repeating a similar action. The Indonesian government has highlighted that they were among the first to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early February 2022. Furthermore, they have reiterated that the Indonesian President had traveled to Kyiv and Moscow to discuss a peaceful resolution with counterparts of the two countries, and as such should not be subject to criticism. [Jakarta Globe]
Indonesia and Saudi Arabia agree to integrate Indonesian migrant worker's placement systems
(jvk) Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have agreed to integrate their placement platforms for Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) into a single-channel system.
The integration of the two countries’ job market platforms into one system is an exercise to develop a more reliable system for manpower placement and expand job opportunities for those seeking employment.
In addition to manpower placement, the integration will oversee the protection of migrant workers by promoting transparent and responsible recruitment. The Indonesian Manpower Minister has further stated that Indonesia will send more skilled workers, instead of mainly domestic workers, to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has welcomed this opportunity as its economic expansion has led to a heightened demand for skilled migrant workers. [Antara News] [MedCom]
A.M Farul Baqi contributed research to this article
US Treasury Department calls on Indonesia to cap Russian oil prices
(jvk) A top US Treasury Department official has visited various ministries in Indonesia to discuss the various spillover effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Topics discussed include imposing a potential price cap on Russian oil to help lower the commodity price without lowering supply, and potentially help the Indonesian state-owned oil company.
Previously, the Group of Seven Largest Economies (G7) called on Indonesia to join its supplemental alliance G7+ to impose a price cap on Russian oil. While the G7 nations have already placed sanctions, they are seeking the support of countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan in the matter. [US Treasury] [Jakarta Post] [The Star]
Japan: Prime Minister Kishida sends offerings to controversial wartime shrine
(sb) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent a ritual offering to the Yasukuni shrine on August 15, the day that marked the 77th anniversary of Japan’s World War Two surrender.
Indicative of his dovish stance, he avoided to visit the controversial war shrine, and different from his predecessors Yoshihide Suga and Shinzo Abe, Kishida made a reference to Japan's wartime actions stating that Tokyo “will never again repeat the horrors of war."
Still his offering – and the visit of various ministers – angered China and South Korea which consider the shrine a symbol for Japan’s military aggression in the past as it not only honors 2.5 million Japanese soldiers and civilians who died in war in the 19th and 20th century, but among them also 14 leaders convicted as war criminals by Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal in 1947.
While China expressed dissatisfaction with “this wrongdoing and firmly opposes it,” calling on Japan to "correctly recognize and earnestly reflect upon its history of aggression," South Korea, where August 15 is celebrated as Liberation Day, voiced “deep disappointment and regret” over the offering and the visit of the shrine. [Japan Today] [CGTN] [Yonhap News Agency]
Xi Jinping let ballistic missiles fall in Japan's EEZ on purpose
(sb) According to sources, cited by Japanese news agency Kyodo News, Chinese military forces submitted to Chinese President Xi Jinping two plans to respond to the visit of the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. The first consisted in firing missiles that would hit waters overlapping with Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Okinawa Prefecture Island. The second suggested not to target this area to avoid further harming already strained Sino-Japanese bilateral relations ahead of the 50th anniversary of normalization of diplomatic ties in late September.
Xi, who chairs the Central Military Commission, China’s highest national defense organization, reportedly chose himself the more aggressive of the two options, in a bid to send a warning and deter Tokyo's interference in any cross-strait contingency. [Kyodo News]
Joint Japan/U.S. joint military drills increase
(sb) Japan’s defense ministry has revealed that three aircraft from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and two from the U.S. Air Force conducted a joint training exercise near Okinawa Prefecture on August 4, the same day when five Chinese ballistic missiles fell into Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
According to the ministry, Japan and U.S. joint drills have increased by 50 percent year-to-year. The two countries conducted a total of 51 bilateral exercises in 2022 as of the end of July, compared with 34 for January to July 2021, and 23 in that period in 2020. The war games are also becoming more substantive as they include existential-threat scenarios.
The upswing comes as Beijing and Moscow have increased joint military activities in the vicinity of Japan after the invasion of Ukraine while Pyongyang have tested missiles in high frequency in the past months, including an intercontinental ballistic missile. [Asia News Network] [Nikkei Asia]
Malaysia, Thailand commit to infrastructure development at border
(pe) Malaysia and Thailand have committed to investing in the development of infrastructure at the border, in an effort to reach bilateral trade targets. This involves
Meeting with the Thai PM and Deputy PM, Malaysia Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah reiterated the commitment to improve rail and trade links between the two nations. As part of these commitments, plans are being made to accelerate road alignment between border checkpoints as well as expedite bridge building between key border towns.
Furthermore, Saifuddin acknowledged the joint efforts needed to end the ongoing conflict in Southern Thailand, referring to the decades-long conflict between the Thai government and Islamic separatists in the region. He highlighted the good relationship between the two countries in coordinating efforts to address the ongoing challenges. [Bangkok Post] [The Edge Markets]
Detained Australian economist makes first court appearance in Myanmar after coup d'état
(jp) Sean Turnell, an Australian economist detained in Myanmar since February 6, 2021, a few days after a coup against Myanmar’s democratically elected government, made his first court appearance on August 11. Following the military coup d'état on February 1, 2021, Turnell, an economist at Sydney's Macquarie University who had advised former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, was arrested, and charged with violating the country's official secrets.
Turnell denied all the charges. His attorneys were not permitted to discuss his testimony during the proceedings due to the restrictions surrounding his trial. However, the military council controlled Myawaddy and MRTV reported that Turnell had attempted to flee the country with confidential information about Myanmar's economy while serving as advisor for the now-ousted civilian government. In addition, Turnell has been accused of violating immigration law, which carries a sentence of one month to five years in prison. [Radio Free Asia, Facebook, in Burmese] [The Leader] [Canberra Times]
Myanmar military leader meets with a Japanese lawmaker for the first time since coup takeover
(jp) General Min Aung Hlaing, the military leader of Myanmar, has met with Hiromichi Watanabe, a member of Japan's lower house and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Since the military took control of the country in February 2021, he and the member of parliament discussed various issues during this meeting. According to Myanmar's state television, the two discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties and boost investment. However, the Japanese Embassy in Myanmar confirmed the meeting's occurrence. However, it was noted that a Japanese official arranged the meeting. [Asia Nikkei] [Reuters]
Keyrung-Kathmandu Railway feasibility study to be carried out by China under grant
(op) While speaking with Nepali Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka in Qingdao on August 10, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the statement to conduct a feasibility study using grant funding for the Keyring-Kathmandu Railway. Wang Yi also announced that China will give Nepal 800 million RMB (more than Rs 15 billion) in 2022. The two parties decided to establish a technical committee on a bilateral basis to make the required preparations for the operation of the Joint Boundary Inspection Committee between China and Nepal, which is already in place. Additionally, the two foreign ministers discussed how to continue their collaboration in different multilateral and regional fora on issues of shared concern. Amidst the tensions in the Taiwan Strait, Khadka reaffirmed Nepal's steadfast adherence to the One China Policy and gave the assurance that no activity against China will be permitted on Nepali soil. Wang Yi, on the other hand, reaffirmed China's unwavering support for Nepal's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and pledged to assist in its development efforts in accordance with the priorities of the Government of Nepal, according to the press release.
Additionally, the two foreign ministers reaffirmed their dedication to the prompt execution of the agreements reached and understandings struck during previous high-level visits. The execution of projects supported by China in Nepal would be sped up, they both agreed. The Chinese side gave the Nepali delegation the reassurance that they will soon begin building on the second phase of the Kathmandu Ring Road Improvement Project. In response to the Nepali side's request, the Chinese side also gave its assurance that it would seriously consider giving Nepal chemical fertilizer and would research the viability of setting up a facility producing chemical fertilizer there. The two foreign ministers also agreed to allow two-way trade through the ports of Rasuwa-Keyrung, Tatopani, and Jangmu, as well as one-way trade through the port of Hilsa-Pulang, which will happen as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic's most recent wave in China's Tibet Autonomous Region is under control. The Chinese Foreign Minister also said that all remaining Nepali students who choose to return to China can apply for visas while adhering to health requirements in order to resume their studies. [Setopati 1] [Reuters 2]
Examining the two remarks made during the foreign minister's travel to China
(op) Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka came home on August 11 following a three-day visit to China. During Khadka's meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, who is also the state councillor of China, a number of understandings were inked. The declaration of an 800 million RMB (Rs 15 billion) grant support for Nepal for the year 2022 is a significant outcome of the visit. The statement provided by the Nepali embassy in Beijing refers to the economic assistance that Wang promised to provide during his meeting with Khadka, while the Chinese foreign ministry's statement makes no mention of it whatsoever. But there was a sharp difference. In the statement released by the Nepali embassy in Beijing, several details given by the Chinese side were absent, and vice versa. The enormous infrastructure project known as the Belt and Road Initiative, which was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, is not mentioned in the Nepali statement. Although Nepal joined the BRI in May 2017, no projects have yet to begin there. Beijing's announcement specifically cites the BRI and states that China is ready to collaborate with Nepal on high-quality project building as part of the program. When Wang visited Nepal earlier in March, the Nepali side's statement remained mute about the BRI discussions. However, the Chinese side did mention it.
The Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI), two different concepts forwarded by Beijing in September 2021 and April 2022, respectively, at the Boao Forum, is yet another topic that the Chinese brought up but the Nepali side neglected to discuss. The Chinese government's statement states, "Nepal agrees with the concept of the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative and is willing to actively study and participate in the connection," while the topic was not mentioned by Nepal. The Foreign Ministry intends to bring up the issue with the Chinese side about Beijing's continued association of the GSI with Nepal. According to an official, when there is no joint statement, each party is trying to appease their own home constituencies. [The Kathmandu Post 1] [The Kathmandu Post 2]
Reviving the current boundary processes between Nepal and China to resolve the border dispute was another key issue for Nepal throughout the negotiations. Since 2006, the bilateral mechanisms have been inactive. At three distinct levels, the Nepali side has consistently pushed for the resurrection of the current border arrangements. Former government representatives who have handled numerous such bilateral visits claim that, in the event that both sides must issue separate statements, there is a general consensus regarding what to include, including what was decided upon, what was signed, what was announced, and what was discussed. They claim they were surprised by how diverse the statements were and how important details were left out. Yagya Bahadur Hamal, former ambassador and joint secretary of the foreign ministry, asserted that such a stark divergence between the two nations' statements following bilateral talks is highly improbable because there is typically some sort of understanding between the two sides regarding what to mention or what not to mention. [The Kathmandu Post 3 ]
Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani border entry ports are under an unexpected blockade by China
(op) A surprise roadblock by China has been put in place at two major Nepalese border crossing sites, Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani . China's action came just after Nepal's Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka, who visited China from August 9 to 11, returned to his country. Then, Foreign Minister Khadka asserted that his trip to the country's northern neighbor had improved diplomatic ties between the two nations.
But without providing the Nepali government with any official notice, the Chinese side established a blockade. The development of the COVID illness in Tibet has been used by China as justification for closing border crossing sites. The Chinese side has blocked the Tatopani border, and since August, 10 cars have been stopped, according to the head of the Tatopani Customs Office. Even though 200–250 trucks used to be permitted to enter Nepal every day, just 25–30 vehicles are now permitted. According to the officials, only up to eight to ten cargo trucks would transport products across the Tatopani crossing each day. Only a few cargo trucks were permitted to enter Nepal even though the checkpoints were still in place following the COVID outbreak.
Nepali traders are having difficulties as a result of China's sudden ban. According to Bharat Karki, general secretary of the Nepal Himalayan Cross Border Commerce Association, ready-made clothing sent for festivals was stopped in transit after the border was closed. Chinese products predominate in Nepali marketplaces. Businesspeople predict that when different supplies, including ready-made clothing sent for festivals, have been blocked in China, commodities in the Nepali market may become more expensive. [Khabar Hub]
North Korea blames South Korea for its COVID-19 outbreak
(my) Kim Yo-jong, sister of Kim Jong-un and the deputy department director, publicly announced that the corona virus was introduced by South Korea.
During a meeting held with medical professionals and scientists on August 10, she stated that the outbreak of COVID-19 in the North began from the leaflets and supplies sent by North Korean defectors relocated to South Korea. She warned that if “enemies” kept on acting dangerously, the north would not hesitate to retaliate.
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared “victory” over COVID-19 during the meeting. According to North Korea, no additional suspected cases have been recorded after July 29.
In line with the declaration, it has lifted its maximum restriction. A maximum emergency epidemic prevention system, including an obligation to wear masks and a rigorous restriction on cross-regional mobility, had been placed for three months since the North’s first confirmed case on May 12.
The maximum restriction will still remain in border regions, including that of South Korea, where North Korea claims to be the inflow route of the virus. [Hankyoreh] [Yonhap News Agency, in Korean]
North Korea to dispatch construction workers to Luhansk
(my) North Korea seeks to send its workers to Luhansk, Ukraine.
Rodion Miroshnik and Shin Hong-chol, the ambassadors of Luhansk and North Korea to Russia met on August 10 to discuss the possibility of developing mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation. Two ambassadors considered dispatching North Korean construction workers to reconstruction projects in the Luhansk region of Ukraine.
The UN Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea said Pyongyang’s input of workers violated UN sanctions on North Korea that blocks the dispatch of workers to foreign countries. [Chosun Ilbo, in Korean] [NK News] [Radio Free Asia, in Korean]
North Korea and Russia to expand bilateral ties
(my) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin have expressed their willingness to expand bilateral relations.
According to Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the North’s state media, the two leaders exchanged letters marking Korea’s Liberation Day on August 15.
In the letter to Putin, Kim wrote that a relationship between Russia and North Korea had been forged in World War II with victory over Japan, which had occupied the Korean peninsula.
In their collaborative efforts to resist threats and provocations from hostile military forces, the “strategic and tactical cooperation, support, and solidarity” of the countries reached a new level, Kim stated in the letter.
Additionally, he emphasized his confidence that North Korea and Russia’s friendly, cooperative relationship will be strengthened and benefit the people’s prosperity and welfare of the two countries.
Putin also pledged that the comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations between Russia and North Korea would continue to expand.
He stated that the expansion of ties between “[t]he two countries is in the interests of the people and will contribute to strengthening the safety and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia region.” [BBC] [Voice of Asia, in Korean]
North Korea criticizes UN chief’s pledge to support denuclearization
(my) Pyongyang slammed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over his meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on August 12 during which the two leaders addressed global challenges, such as the North Korean nuclear program and regional security. During the meeting, Guterres expressed his full support for efforts for a complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of North Korea.
North Korea criticized Guterres for expressing his support for CVID, stating that it violates North Korea’s sovereignty. North Korean foreign ministry said on August 14 that “[t]he fact that he mentioned the old ‘CVID’ can only be interpreted as agreeing with the US and its followers’ hostile policy toward North Korea.” [KBS World] [Yahoo News Canada] [Yonhap News Agency, in Korean]
Pakistan, Turkiye sign preferential trade agreement
(sg) Turkish Trade Minister Dr. Mehmet Mus and Pakistani Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar signed a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between the two countries at a ceremony in Islamabad on August 12. The PTA aimed at boosting trade in goods between Turkiye and Pakistan.
Under the new trade deal, Pakistan has agreed to give duty exemptions to Turkiye on nearly 220 products, whereas Turkiye has given exemptions on roughly 120 products. The PTA includes provisions on bilateral safeguards, the balance of payment concessions, dispute settlement, and periodic review. The agreement could potentially improve Pakistan’s trade and account deficit - Pakistan imports significantly more than it exports. Its trade deficit last fiscal year rose to USD 48.66 billion, up 57 percent from the previous year.
However, the Pakistani private sector has rejected the agreement as “bad for businesses”. According to some industry leaders, Islamabad has not consulted the private sector before signing the agreement raising fears that the more advanced Turkish industry could setback Pakistan’s manufacturing base. Critics also cite the Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which has worsened Pakistan’s trade deficit while proving successful for Beijing. [The Business Standard] [The Express Tribune] [Xinhua]
Crucially, the PTA lays the groundwork for a more substantial trade agreement between the two countries. During the signing of the new trade pact, Pakistani’s Syed Naveed Qamar announced the two countries’ intention to work towards a bilateral FTA in the near future. [Pakistan Observer]
The PTA comes after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif traveled to Turkiye in late May this year. During his visit, Sharif vowed to work to expand the Pakistan-Turkiye bilateral trade volume, stating that the volume of trade should rise to USD 5 billion over the next three years, up from around USD 1 billion this year. [No. 23, June/2022, 1]
Party of Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister Khan's hires firm to improve image in United States
(sg) The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) political party of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has hired a public relations company to improve its image in the United States, a move that has been criticized by many in the South Asian nation, including the incumbent government, who accuse Khan of hypocrisy.
Imran Khan has in recent months cultivated an anti-American image after he blamed Washington for orchestrating his ousting. Khan was removed from power in a no-confidence vote in April this year and accused the US of conspiring with the Pakistani political opposition to remove him from office, alleging that the White House was upset over his approach to foreign policy that distanced Islamabad from the US.
The most recent move is seen by many as damage control after months of pushing the narrative of US meddling in Pakistan’s internal affairs. According to the Pakistani Dawn news outlet, the PTI US chapter will pay public relations firm Fenton/Arlock LLC USD 25,000 to polish the PTI’s image. According to a PTI representative, the contract does not suggest that the PTI is actively lobbying the US administration but rather seeking to develop a relationship between the US media and the party. According to public documents, the public relations firm will support the PTI’s aim of “good relations with the United States and the Pakistani diaspora in the US.” [Ani] [Dawn]
The Pakistan Muslim League (PLMN), the party of current prime minister Shehbaz Sharif immediately criticized the move. PLMN Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal stated, “I have never had any doubt that Imran Khan has hundred faces,” [Ahsan Iqbal via Twitter], while others, including the Pakistani government, accused the PTI of hypocrisy. [WION News]
Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan praises India for resisting western pressure
(sg) Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has praised Indian Minister for External Affairs Dr. S Jaishankar for standing up to western pressure concerning sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Khan made the comments at a large gathering of his supporters in the north-eastern city of Lahore on August 13, the eve of the country’s 75th Independence Day.
Khan highlighted surging energy prices by playing a clip of Jaishankar at the GLOBSEC 2022 summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, in early June. In the clip, Jaishankar is quizzed on India’s stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and western sanctions on oil imports following Russian aggression. Questioned whether oil imports were funding Russia’s war against Ukraine, Jaishankar responded: “If India buying Russian oil is funding the war, then in Europe buying Russian gas not funding the war? Is it only Indian money that funds the war and not Europe’s? Let’s be a little even-handed.” [see AiR No. 23, June/2022, 1] [NDTV] [The Times of India]
Jaishankar has repeatedly defended New Delhi’s stance on the Russian invasion and treated a fine line between the West and Russia. Notably, Jaishankar has pioneered efforts to continue and boost oil imports from Moscow. The minister defended the acquisition of discounted Russian oil, pointing out that Europe had purchased vastly more petroleum products from Russia before the war than India.
Meanwhile, Khan, ousted from office in a no-confidence vote in April this year, has repeatedly criticized the new government surrounding prime minister Shehbaz Sharif. Khan accuses Islamabad of bowing to US pressure in refusing discounted Russian oil. Khan accused the US of masterminding his removal from office over pursuing an independent foreign policy and distancing Islamabad from Washington’s influence. [The Print] Khan has urged the government to facilitate oil imports from Russia as Pakistan battles its worst economic crisis in decades – leading to soaring oil and gas prices. Nevertheless, unlike its Indian neighbor, Islamabad has so far refrained from importing any discounted Russian oil and gas even as energy imports hit a four-year high. [The News International]
Khan’s warm words contrast bilateral relations during his time in office. Relations between India and Pakistan froze after India stripped Jammu and Kashmir – India’s only Muslim-majority region – of its special autonomous status in 2019. However, following his move into political opposition, Khan has repeatedly praised India for following an ‘independent’ foreign policy. In May this year, Khan praised India for obtaining discounted oil from Russia despite being a close US partner and a member of the US-led QUAD alliance with Japan and Australia. [Republic World]
Khan’s comments come amid reports of India-Pakistan Backchannel talks reaching dead-ends, despite ‘intense’ diplomatic efforts. Both sides are not willing to concede an inch on their respective issues. Pakistan maintains that India must take steps regarding Kashmir - claimed in full by both New Delhi and Islamabad - before any process of normalization of ties begins. India, however, is more interested in Pakistan first exploring the option of resuming bilateral trade. [see AiR No. 32, August/2022, 2]
Singaporean companies accused of supplying weapons to Myanmar military
(pe/jp) 116 companies based in Singapore and Myanmar have been accused of brokering the supply of weapons and other military equipment to Myanmar. Rights groups have called on Singapore to impose immediate sanctions to ban the use of its territory for the supply of arms and equipment to the military junta.
Justice for Myanmar (JFM), a rights-based organization, has made the allegations in a report that it claims is based on leaked government documents. Of the 166 companies identified, it alleges that 27 have been involved in supplying weapons to Myanmar since 2017. This is when the junta began its campaign against the ethnic minority Rohingya, which observers have labeled ethnic cleansing, estimating tens of thousands were killed.
According to JFM, many of the companies listed were also allegedly working with the military during the 2021 coup d’etat that toppled the democratically elected government. One of the companies listed, Singapore-based Venture Sky International Ltd, is accused of directly supplying aircraft spare parts to the Myanmar military. Last month, Washington criticized the ASEAN response to Myanmar, and critics are calling on Singapore to take a more decisive stance on companies operating in this space. [The Diplomat] [Irrawaddy] [Malaysia Now]
South Korean President addresses North Korea, Japan in Liberation Day speech
(my) President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed Seoul’s willingness to support North Korea’s denuclearization and improve relations with Japan in his speech on August 15 to mark the 77th anniversary of the country’s liberation from Japanese rule 1910-1945.
In reference to the “audacious plan,” Yoon stated that the South was willing to assist the North in terms of economy, military, and security provided North Korea shows verifiable denuclearization measures.
The “audacious plan” was specifically introduced in his speech, noting that it contains a number of measures including a large-scale food supply program, assistance for power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, and support for the modernization of hospitals, ports and airports.
Yoon also stated the importance of the improvement of diplomatic relations with Japan. He aims to retain the spirit of the Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Declaration in 1998 which proposed a blueprint for comprehensive future relations between Korea and Japan.
Yoon emphasized that the historical problem between the two countries would be solved when South Korea-Japan ties move towards a common future based on shared universal values. [Yonhap News Agency]
South Korean public-private consultation body established to seek resolution of wartime labor issue with Japan
(sb) According to an interview of South Korea’s ambassador to Japan, Yun Duk-min, for Nikkei Asia, South Korean politicians want to avoid the liquidation of Japanese corporate assets ordered by the South Korean Supreme Court to compensate South Korean victims of forced labor during Japan’s rule on the Korean peninsula 1910-1945. To address the problem, South Korea has launched a public-private consultation body to discuss an alternative solution.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is committed to improving the cooperation with Japan, his administration is trying to seek a comprehensive solution for the wartime labor issue, roll back export controls introduced by Japan in 2019 and normalize a bilateral intelligence-sharing pact called the General Security of Military Information Agreement. [Nikkei Asia]
South Korea: President meets with USFK chief
(my) General Paul LaCamera, the commander of US Forces Korea (USFK) met with President Yoon Suk-yeol on August 9. The discussions aimed to coordinate defense measures ahead of the joint Ulchi Freedom Shield drill which will take place from August 22 to September 1. The closed meeting was also attended by Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Kim Seung-kyum, National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg.
The meeting comes at a time when as North Korea is believed to be preparing its seventh nuclear test, China increases military pressure on Taiwan in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit, and tensions on the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding region are intensifying. [The Korea Times]
Meanwhile Edward J. Markey, US senator and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations East Asia, Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Subcommittee visited South Korea and Markey met with President Yoon Suk-yeol on August 12 to discuss joint efforts to improve the South Korean-US alliance, including investment and trade between the two countries. Yoon expressed expectations that the CHIPS and Science Act (H.R. 4346), that has been recently signed into law by President Joe Biden and that provides USD 52 billion to subsidize U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, would help South Korean businesses invest in American businesses, as the alliance is extending beyond military security to economic and technological sectors.
In a meeting with the Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se, two sides discussed humanitarian cooperation in North Korea. Markey also met with Rep. Tae Young-ho, a North Korean defector-turned-South Korean lawmaker, to discuss Tae’s experiences as a defector and his views on North Korea’s ongoing nuclear weapons program. [Ed Markey] [Yonhap News Agency 1, in Korean] [Yonhap News Agency 2, in Korean]
South Korea joins joint military drills in Hawaii
(my) South Korea participated in a joint exercise that aims to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Hawaii, the US.
The US State Department announced that it hosted the exercise called Fortune Guard 22 in Honolulu, Hawaii, from August 8 to 12. Fortune Guard 22 is part of the annual exercise in the Asia-Pacific region under the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).
A total of 21 countries, including South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, participated in the training.
According to the US State Department, the exercise addressed all aspects of barrier measures linked to halting the spread of WMD, from operational interdiction and seizure to information exchanges on chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear responses. [Radio Free Asia, in Korean] [The Korea Times]
South Korea, US discuss North Korean cyberthreats
(my) To discuss how to counter North Korea’s cyberthreats, a director-general-level meeting between South Korea and the US was held in Washington on August 9.
In accordance with the May summit between South Korea and the US, where the two presidents agreed to increase cooperation to counter North Korea’s cyberattacks, the two sides concurred that it is crucial to thwart the North’s attempts to secure funds for nuclear and missile development through hacking of overseas IT systems and cryptocurrency.
The meeting came after the US Treasury Department sanctioned a cryptocurrency mixer called Tornado Cash on August 8 for assisting hackers in laundering more than USD 7 billion worth of virtual currency. The department claims that Tornado Cash has let cyber groups, including hackers with North Korean support, utilize its platform to launder the funds of cybercrimes.
The sanction against Tornado Cash was the most recent step the US has taken to crack down on North Korea’s ongoing illicit cryptocurrency use, a senior administration official said on August 8. [The Korea Times] [The Hill]
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry of South Korea held the Korea-US Information and Communication Technology (ICT) cooperation committee with the US Department of Defense in Seoul.
The two sides reaffirmed that securing interoperability between two countries is the key to increasing the combined combat power and decided to continue discussions to establish various command control and information sharing systems to enable constant combat readiness. [Yonhap News Agency 1] [Yonhap News Agency 2]
Chinese and South Korean FM hold bilateral meeting
(my) South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Qingdao, China, on August 9. The bilateral talks reportedly took place in an amicable setting commemorating the 30th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations.
Both Minister discussed North Korea’s nuclear threats. In order to steer North Korea away from provocations and toward negotiations for denuclearization, Park appealed to China to take a “constructive role.” Both sides also committed to speeding up the negotiation on the China-South Korea free trade agreement.
On the agenda was also a discussion on the so-called “Chip4” alliance. South Korea’s possible participation in the semiconductor alliance together with between the U.S., Japan, and Taiwan has emerged as another source of tension between South Korea and China, as Beijing considers “Chip4” as a threat to its semiconductor chip supply chain as the US began to offer incentives to corporations to entice chip manufacturers to the US. China responded by putting pressure on South Korea to make “independent decisions” regarding joining the alliance.
Given that 30 percent of South Korean semiconductor exports depend on China and that China has the greatest influence on North Korea, joining the “Chip4” alliance would create a problem for South Korea to maintain its diplomatic equilibrium between China and the U.S. [South China Morning Post 1] [The Korea Herald 1]
In this light, it appears understandable that Park emphasized in the meeting that South Korea’s participation in the “Chip 4” preliminary meeting, scheduled for late August or early September might also benefit China, as South Korea would act as a conduit between China and the other participating nations.
Two ministers conveyed each country’s stance on the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and agreed that the problem shouldn’t stand in the way of bilateral cooperation. [Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China] [Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, in Korean] [South China Morning Post 2] [The Korea Herald 2]
Beijing and Seoul clash over THAAD deployment issue
(my) China and South Korea clashed over the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea.
Although the foreign ministers of the two countries concurred that the deployment of THAAD shouldn’t obstruct bilateral cooperation [see above], differences on this issue surfaced shortly after the ministers’ meeting.
On August 10, the Chinese foreign ministry announced details of the bilateral talks held between the foreign ministers the day before, stating that “[t]he Korean government has officially taken an ‘oath’ of ‘Three Nos and one restriction policy’.”
While “Three Nos” refers to “not to deploy additional THAAD, not to join the US missile defense system, and not to form a military alliance with the US and Japan, “one restriction” calls for limiting the operation of the THAAD system that is currently installed in Korea.
The South Korean presidential office responded by declaring on August 11 that it will retain its position that THAAD is a self-defense means that can never be subject to negotiations. It also insisted that the oath, claimed by China, had never been taken, and that the “Three Nos” policy was purely a diplomatic position of the previous Moon Jae-in administration. It further expressed its willingness to “normalize” THAAD, meaning that it aims to change the temporary THAAD deployment to an official one.
The Chinese foreign ministry responded on August 12 that it “cannot sit idle” since the THAAD missile defense system deployed by the US in Korea threatens China’s strategic security.” [Hankyoreh] [Reuters] [Yonhap News Agency]
Former Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa turns up in Thailand after Singapore visa expires
(kh/lm) Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, arrived in Thailand on August 11, as he is seeking temporary shelter in the third Asian country after fleeing his island nation amidst violent anti-government protests last month. Thailand’s government was quick to emphasize that Rajapaksa, as a holder of a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport, can enter the country without a visa for up to 90 days, adding that the ousted leader's stay is temporary and he is not seeking political asylum. [Bangkok Post] [CNN]
Rajapaksa initially fled Sri Lanka for Maldives in July, before flying to Singapore where he tendered his resignation.
US delegation visits Taiwan
(gö) Less than two weeks after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, another US delegation of five lawmakers, led by Senator Ed Markey arrived in Taipei on August 14 for a two-day visit.
According to the American Institute in Taiwan, the de-facto US embassy in Taipei, the visit is part of a larger tour to the Indo-Pacific region, with bilateral relations between the US and Taiwan, regional security, global supply chains and trade on the agenda. None of the delegation’s itineraries were open to the press while the meeting with Tsai in the Presidential Office was conducted behind closed doors with no media access. [Focus Taiwan] [Reuters]
In response, the Chinese government described the visit as a provocative act and announced new military drills. China’s Defense Ministry announced retaliation with even more air and sea exercises around Taiwan. [Taiwan News 1]
In a latest development, Taiwan’s defense ministry disclosed that it tracked 30 Chinese military aircraft and 5 ships around the island on August 15, with 14 Chinese aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait. Meanwhile, a Harbin Z-9 anti-submarine warfare helicopter was spotted in the northeast part of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. [Taiwan News 2]
On the other side, Kurt Campbell, the US Asia-Pacific Coordinator of the Biden administration, announced that the US was set to conduct “air and maritime transits through the Taiwan Strait over the next few weeks” in the coming weeks, adding the operations would be carried out in partnership with other G7 countries. [DW]
Taiwan-U.S. missile service contract renewed
(gö) Taiwan and the United States have renewed a USD 83 million missile engineering service deal that seeks to ensure better maintenance of Taiwan’s Patriot-3 missile defence system.
The renewed service contract will run until December 31, 2026. [South China Morning Post] [Taiwan News 1]
The deal comes as Taiwan’s defense ministry reported that on August 14, 22 People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military aircraft and six People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels had entered Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), with ten of the warplanes crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait. [Taiwan News 2]
Germany fighter jets to fly near Taiwan
(dql) Germany’s air force has dispatched six fighter jets to Asia for the first time on August 16 to participate in the 17-nation joint military exercise “Pitch Black” to be held in Australia from late August to September. During these exercises the German Eurofighter Typhoons will fly near Taiwan. A passage of the Taiwan Strait is not planned.
The dispatch, which includes also three A330 aerial tankers and four A400M transport aircraft, marks the largest overseas deployment of German military aircraft since World War II. [Taiwan News] [ABC]
Lithuania backs G7 statement on peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait
(gö) During her visit to Taiwan, Lithuanian Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Agne Vaiciukeviciute restated Lithuania’s support and solidarity with Taiwan. Vaiciukeviciute referred back to the G7 statement which was issued by the G7 foreign ministers and the European Union's high representative for foreign and security policy one day before China’s military exercise around the island began. The joint statement called upon a "shared and steadfast commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait." [Focus Taiwan]
Strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations was the main agenda for Vaiciukeviciute’s 5-day visit. The Baltic nation has been reinforcing economic cooperation and boosting their diplomatic ties with Taiwan since its withdrawal from the 17+1 cooperation mechanism between China and Central and Eastern Europe Countries (China-CEECs) last year and since it has been facing diplomatic and economic retaliation from China after it allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius that carries the word “Taiwan” in its name. Lithuania is expected to open its representative office in September. [Taipei Times]
In response to Vaiciukeviciute’s visit, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced sanctions on her for engaging with Taiwan, adding that any engagement with Vaiciukeviciute’s ministry and cooperation on transportation with Lithuania will be terminated. The Lithuanian Ministry denounced this and stated that “Beijing is choosing to continue and intensify the course of illegal actions against (an) EU member state." [Reuters]
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an international, cross-party alliance of parliamentarians from democratic countries focused on relations with China, voiced its support for the Deputy Minister in a tweet and deems the imposed sanctions as unjustified. The IPAC made its stance clear by stating: “Countries must be free to determine their own relations with Taiwan, free from PRC intimidation.” [Taiwan News]
Thai Navy may opt for submarine powered by Chinese-made engine following EU arms embargo on China
(td) Following a failed last-ditch effort to secure a German-made MTU396 diesel engine to supply Thailand’s first submarine with high-quality and standardized propelling system, the Royal Thai Navy is now likely to consider purchasing an alternative product from China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Corporation (CSCO).
The government signed a contract with the Chinese state enterprise to acquire a Chinese-made S26T Yuan-class submarine, worth USD 402 million, in 2017 with a view to arm the country with first and historic submarine fleets. Nonetheless, to fully honor the agreement, CSCO must be responsible for supplying the RTN with such an engine from Germany despite the European Union (EU) arms embargo on China, imposed after the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989. The embargo, however, was imposed only on military equipment, not for civilian applications.
According to the German Defense Attache to Thailand, the government turned down a request from China to export the controversial engine as it had not coordinated with Germany in the first place before signing a Thai- China contract.
Consequently, China has attempted at offering a locally-made and equivalent diesel engine namely CHD620 to power the submarine earmarked for Thailand instead. In this regard, prior to the recent move, the RTN insisted adamantly that MTU396 was the favorable choice, and the CSCO had to secure it at all cost; otherwise, it could scrap the agreement.
The quality and effectiveness are pending a comprehensive review expected to be concluded by September 15. If it passes the assessment, the two parties can proceed with the official acquisition of a submarine which was postponed from September 2023 to April 2024. Should the contract be terminated, they will hold talks to discuss compensation. [Bangkok Post 1]
Thai fight choreographer abducted in ethnic-controlled region of Myanmar repatriated to Thailand
(td) Following the abduction of a Thai national in Wa State – an autonomous region of Myanmar – in January, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) eventually sent him to Myanmar authorities in the town of Tachileik bordering Thailand. He has since been repatriated to Thailand after an investigation into his motives which saw him captured in the ethnic-controlled region amid speculations that he might be involved in illegal businesses.
A Thai film director and fight choreographer, nicknamed Danny, was reported to have been kidnapped by the UWSA to demand a ransom of 24 million baht (about USD 679,683 USD) in return for his release. At the time of his detention, he likely underwent physical and mental abuses, and was subjected to all-day-long forced labor as well. Thus, his family called on the Royal Thai Police to urgently probe into such a transnational crime.
On his release, the Thai-Myanmar Township Border (TBC) took charge of his repatriation through the Mae Sai - Tachileik border in the northern province of Chiang Rai. He was then debriefed by the Thai Police whereby he admitted his illegal crossing via a natural channel to seek funds to produce a movie in Myanmar, and claimed he was duped into the ethnic-controlled state after a Myanmar-based Thai businessman had approached him.
Upon his return, the Royal Thai Police has filed charges against him for illegal departure from the country, defiance of Section 9 under the Emergency Decree on Public Administration, and violation of Chiang Rai’s provincial instruction regarding the suspension of border travel in the wake of covid-19 pandemic. [Bangkok Post 1][Bangkok Post 2][Bangkok Post 3]
United Nation to assist Vietnam in addressing new sustainable development challenges
(fe)The United Nations (UN) intends to demonstrate its readiness to meet the Government of Vietnam's evolving demands through the Strategic Framework for Sustainable Development Cooperation (CF) with all UN resident and non-resident organizations in Vietnam.
According to UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pauline Tamesis, the two parties have agreed upon four key development outcomes: social services; economic transformation; climate change, resilience, and sustainability; governance; and access to justice. The cooperation framework's goal is for the UN to be prepared to assist Vietnam with all of its shifting developmental demands and problems. Vietnamnews.vn
In an effort to strengthen its commitments, on August 11, the Vietnamese government signed the CF for the years 2022–2026. The UN representative praised Vietnam's government for its pledge to advancing sustainable development and raising the standard of living. [Nhan Dan]
Announcements
Upcoming Online Events
16 August 2022 @11:00 a.m, (GMT-8), Wilson Center, United States
India and Pakistan at 75 – A Dialogue with Akbar Ahmed and Nirupama Rao
This month, India and Pakistan mark 75 years since independence. The traumatic and tragic envets of Partition continue to impact both countries today. This event will feature a moderated conversation with Akbar Ahmed and Nirupama Rao, both Wilson Center global fellows and former senior diplomats with a keen understanding of the India-Pakistan relationship and its complexities.
More information on [Wilson Center]
16 August 2022 @6:00 p.m, (GMT-8), Cato Institute, United State
The Taliban Today
It’s been one year since the Taliban has held power in Afghanistan. While the US and its allies maintain sanctions on the group, Afghans are living through a humanitarian an economic disaster. What does the Taliban’s evolution mean for US policy? Does the United States have tools available to push the group in the direction policymakers want it to go? What US interests remain in Afghanistan?
More information on [Cato Institute]
17 August 2022 @9:00 a.m, (GMT-8), Peterson Institute for International Economics, United States
Is Asia the new home of dynamic trade?
As protectionism has been growing in Europe and the US, countries in Asia and the Pacific have been expanding their economic ties. Regional governments have concluded the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for transpacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Digital Economy Partnership (RCEP), and other important bilateral trade agreements. Guests from Singapore and Australia (Simon Birmingham, Liberal Senate Leader and Shodow Foreign Minister of Australia and S Iswaran, Minister for Transport and Minister in charge of Tarde Relations of Singapore) will discuss how they see the future of globalization, international trade and the World trade Organization (WTO).
More information on [PIIE]
17 – 19 August, Webinar’s time to be confirmed, African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes, South Africa
Hybrid conference: The failed promise of tenure security: customary rights and dispossession
This conference is that it will be a hybrid event with both a virtual and in person component that will allow participation from across urban and rural areas in South Africa and beyond.
More information on [ACCORD]
18 August 2022 @5:00 p.m, (GMT-4), Center for Strategic and International studies (CSIS), United States
Democratic Responses to Foreign Interference: Learning from Australia’s experience
Over the past decade, the Chinese Communist Party has ramped up its influence campaign in democratic societies around the world. Nowhere has this been more keenly felt than in Australia, where Beijing’s efforts to silence critics of China and amplify the voices of individuals and instructions supporting China, have been felt across the political, business, academic and civic spectrum. How Australia has responded to this challenge?
More information on [CSIS]
18 August 2022 @8:30 p.m, (GMT-4), Cato Institute, United States
America’s Great-Power Opportunity, Revitalizing US Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition
Since the early years of the Trump administration, “great power competition” has been Washington’s go-to formula to describe its approach to foreign policy. Russia and China represent the biggest challenge to US interest and demands a robust, competitive policy response.
More information on [Cato Institute]
18 August 2022 @11:00 a.m, (GMT-4), Urban Institute, United States
What would it Take to Achieve Place-level Transformation? Considerations for the Federal Government
Where we live shapes our daily quality of life and prospects for upward mobility. The federal government has a critical role to play in stimulating and supporting economic growth, and in doing so in ways that help all residents succeed. From Opportunity Zones to New Markets Tax Credits to the Community Development Block Grant, the federal government has an array of policies and programs with the potential for change.
More information on [Urban Institute]
18 August 2022 @2:00 p.m, (GMT-4), Urban Institute, United States
Measuring and Assessing the Use of Evidence
Cohosted with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
In collaboration with the Office of Management and Budget
The purpose of conducting rigorous evaluations and building a base of strong evidence is to improve operations and results. For that to happen, evaluations and various other evidence-building activities should ideally be co-developed with end users, and the findings and results must be disseminated to and applied well by users and practitioners. How do agencies know if the evidence they are building is reaching the intended users? Is it being used, and if so, how?
To see more information, visit [Urban Institute]
18 August 2022 @12:00 p.m, (GMT-4), Atlantic Council, United States
Iraq’s internal politics & prospects of expanding its regional role after the Jeddah summit
A panel discussion on Iraq’s evolving into an ever-reliable regional mediator and if delays in Iraq’s government formation and the ensuing power struggles threaten to weaken the country’s emerging role as a critical regional player and interlocutor.
More information on [Atlantic Council]
19 August 2022 @10:00 p.m, (GMT-4), Cato Institute, United States
Pandemic Policy Postmortem: Lessons from Sweden
In the pandemic’s early days, many countries’ public health officials curtailed economic and social activity to various degrees, prescribed social distancing, enforced lockdowns, required masking, and pushed for other nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce illness and death. in Sweden, public health officials were fiercely criticized for implementing less‐harsh “light touch” NPI measures. Sweden’s approach presents a fascinating quasi‐natural experiment to evaluate the merits and demerits of the more liberal approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate whether the loss in personal and economic freedom was partly compensated by a decrease in illness and death.
More information on [Cato Institute]
19 August 2022 @9:30 a.m, (GMT+1), Danish Institute for International Studies, Denmark
How to fund your research idea through the European Research Council
Every year the ERC funds cutting edge investigator-driven frontier research in Europe. At this information meeting you will get the opportunity to learn more about the different ERC funding opportunities for both early career scholars and senior researchers and get good advice on how to craft your research idea into a successful application.
More information on [DIIS]
19 August 2022 @9:00 a.m, (GMT+8), Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore
“Tell China’s Story well”: How China Projects its discourse power in Southeast Asia
China has actively projected its discourse power, to shape favourable international public opinion for its foreign policy goals, particularly in Southeast Asia. What are China’s key messages, and have they served to “build a credible lovable and respectable image of China” among the Southeast Asian audience?
More information on [ISEAS]
22 August 2022 @9:30 a.m, (GMT-4), Center for Strategic and International studies (CSIS), United States
The Military Dimensions of the Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis
After the visit of the US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, China has initiated unprecedented military exercises surrounding Taiwan, leading some experts to call this the beginning of the Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis. What are the larger strategic implications?
More information on [CSIS]
23 August 2022 @11:00 a.m, (GMT-4), Atlantic Council, United States
One year later: Reflecting on America’s departure from Afghanistan
The United States entered Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, degrading al-Qaeda and eventually killing Osama bin Laden, while temporarily removing the Taliban regime. Tens of thousands of lives – from everyday Afghans to American soldiers – were transformed, and lost, along the way. What has US withdrawal from Afghanistan meant for Afghanistan and the United States?
More information on [Atlantic council]
Recent and upcoming book releases
Paul Kelly, Conflict, War and Revolution: The problem of politics in international political thought, Ubiquity Press, 472 pages, published on January 4, 2022. For a review, visit [LSE].
Luke Cooper, Authoritarian Contagion: The Global Threat to Democracy, Bristol University Press. 184 pages, published on June 23, 2021, with a review in [LSE].
Daniel J. Mahoney, The Statesman as Thinker: Portraits of Greatness, Courage, and Moderation, Encounter Books, 232 pages, published May 24, 2022. Find a review at [Claremont Review of Books].
Orlando Figes, The Story of Russia, Metropolitan Books, 368 pages, to be published on September 20, 2022. A brief review is available at [Kirkus Review].
Mick Ryan, War Transformed: The Future of Twenty-First-Century Great Power Competition and Conflict, Naval Institute Press, 312 pages, published on February 15, 2022. The book is reviewed at [Diplomatic Courier].
Adele Webb, Chasing Freedom: The Philippines’ Long Journey to Democratic Ambivalence, Sussex Academic Press, 240 pages, August 12, 2022. See an interview of the author about her book, see [New Books Network].
Calls for Papers
The China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research invites paper proposals for its conference “Eurasian Research on Modern China and Eurasia,” to be held on December 2-3, 2022. The deadline for abstract submission is November 5, 2022. For more information, see [Chinastan].
The Hellenic Association of Political Scientists invites proposals for chapters in a collected volume on “Comparative Health Policies and National Healthcare Systems: management, economics, governance and reforms”. The closing date for manuscript submission is August 31, 2022. If you are interested, find more details at [IPSA].
Jobs and positions
Greenpeace is looking for an EU Campaign Legal Counsel to provide in-house legal assistance and support to Greenpeace campaigns at EU level. This position is based at Greenpeace European Unit in Brussels. The application deadline is September 11, 2022. For more information, see [Greenpaece].
The University of East London invites application for the position of Lecturer in Law. The closing date of application is August 18, 2022. More details are available at [University of East London].
The University of Sydney Law School seeks applications for positions at the level of Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor/Professor. The positions focus on teaching and research in the field of Federal Constitutional Law and Public Law. Applications must be submitted by September 8, 2022. If you are interested, find more about the offer at [University of Sydney].
The U.S. Air Force Academy is hiring an Assistant Professor of Military Strategic Studies to teach undergraduate courses in military strategy and/or international security. Only U.S. citizens can apply for this position. The closing date for application is October 3, 2022. Learn more about the vacancy at [USA Jobs].
The Center for European and Mediterranean Studies in Arts and Science at New York University seeks applications for a Faculty Fellow position from candidates specializing in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean regions, with a specific focus on questions of migration, human rights, identity, inequality, or the environment. The deadline for applications is December 20, 2022. Visit [New York University] to find the full job description.
The School of Social Sciences (SOSS) at Singapore Management University (SMU) is offering one postdoctoral position in political science, with a focus on politics in Southeast Asia. Applications are accepted until September 5, 2022. You can find more information at [SMU].
The interdisciplinary Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics: Dynamics of Tradition and Innovation” at the University of Münster (WWU), Germany, invites applications for the position of Doctoral Research Associate. The closing date for application is August 31, 2022. For further details, see [WWU].
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the European Union’s expert agency tasked with providing the EU institutions and the EU Member States advice in the area of fundamental rights, is offering 11 positions in its Scientific Committee. The deadline for application is September 19, 2022. If you are interested, learn more about the position at [FRA].
The Department of International Economics, Government and Business (EGB) at Copenhagen Business School (CBS) invites applications for a four-year postdoc position in Business and Government. Applications for this position can be submitted until October 8, 2022. For further details, visit [CBS].
The School of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Nanjing University invites applications for tenure-track positions at the level of assistant professor. The closing date for application is September 15, 2022. You can find more information at [China University Jobs].
Team:
Afif Zaman (az), Aniello Iannone (ai), Beatrice Siviero (bs), Duc Quang Ly (dql), Farul Baqi (fb), Francis Ezeh John (fe), Gizem Öztürk (gö), Henning Glaser (hg), Jennifer Marie Domenici (jd), Jessica Pierre (jp), Joanna V. Kumendong (jvk), Julian Wendt (jw), Kashif Ali Hadi (kah), Lucas Meier (lm), Margot Renard (mr), Mashal Shahid Khan (msk), Minyoung Yoo (my), Nguyen Thi An Nhan (ntan), Oshin Pandey (op), Peer Morten Strantzen (ms), Phoebe Ewen (pe), Sebastian Gräff (sg), Shilpa Ramachandran (sr), Sofia Bertolino (sb), Theerapon Damrongruk (td), Tomwit Jarnson (tw), Varshinya Varadhachari (vv), Venus Phuangkom
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