Grasp the pattern, read the trend
No. 37, September/2022, 2
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Dear Readers,
The Asia in Review (AIR) team is pleased to present you this week´s AiR issue offering an update on the latest happenings and developments in domestic politics, international relations and geopolitics in East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
I wish you an informative read and extend special greetings to everyone celebrating Chile’s, Costa Rica’s, El Salvador’s, Honduras’, Mexico’s, Nicaragua’s and Papua New Guinea’s Independence as well as Malaysia’s National Day in this week.
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: Chinese Communist Party’s constitution to be adjusted
(ms) The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is set to revise its constitution during the 20th national party congress later in October as the Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee convened a meeting on September 9 to discuss a draft amendment to the party’s constitution. President Xi Jinping chaired the meeting.
While the meeting decided to “work out an amendment to the Party Constitution that facilitates the innovative development of Party theories and practices,” that “meets the need of advancing the great new project of Party building in the new era,” no details on the charter revision was revealed. [Xinhua]
However, observers believe that the revision could possible include shortening the formulation “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics”, that was enshrined in the party’s constitution at the last party congress in 2017, to “Xi Jinping Thought,” which would mark an upgrade of its stature to that of “Mao Zedong Thought,” and further cement Xi’s power position in the party. Xi is expected to secure an unprecedented third term as party leader at the party congress. [Reuters] [South China Morning Post 1]
Meanwhile, a separate document released by the Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs – a policy coordination group within the party’s Central Committee, comprising top party leaders – suggests that part amendment will be to also include Xi’s views on the “one country, two systems” formula that governs the relationship between Hong Kong and the mainland. This could further legitimize the Hong Kong National Security Law, which has been in force in Hong Kong since mid-2020 and which has been criticized for undermining democracy and the rule of law in the former British colony. [South China Morning Post 2]
China: Xi announces nationalized high-tech sector
(ms) The sanctions imposed by the USA since 2020, which among other things prohibit the sale of American high-tech products to the Chinese market, have led China to increasingly push for the self-reliance of its tech sector, especially in the field of semiconductors. This manifested once again in a speech of President Xi Jinping, in which he announced the implementation of an improved system to better utilize national resources to mobilize technological breakthroughs.
Experts see this as a potential departure from the "open door policy" implemented by former leader Deng Xiaoping, which reopened the Chinese economy to foreign investment. This could lead to a nationalization of the high-tech sector, in the form of a more top-down economy that gradually replaces Western technology with nationally produced ones. [Global Times] [Radio Free Asia]
This tendency towards a more top-down approach can be seen, for example, in the national summit of “little giants” held on September 8 in eastern Jiangsu province. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), "little giants" are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have an annual turnover of USD 7 million or more and have invested at least USD 450,000 annually in the research and development of new technologies. The SMEs must also operate in strategically important industries such as semiconductors, software, and artificial intelligence, and need to be able to “fix weaknesses” in the domestic supply chain, so that these weaknesses no longer have to be remedied by foreign players. [South China Morning Post 1]
Of the 10,000 little giants planned by 2025, nearly 9,000 have already been selected and have qualified for benefits such as tax breaks and other subsidies that have not yet been finally announced. [South China Morning Post 2]
China: Leader of Hong Kong Journalists Union Arrested
(ms) Ronson Chan, the chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) and veteran reporter for Channel C, an independent online news outlet, was arrested on charges of obstructing police and disorderly conduct. The arrest was prompted by an identity check by the police, in which, according to the police, he allegedly refused to cooperate.
According to reports from his Channel C station, he has already been released on bail, but will have to report to the police again on September 21. Chan also reported a harsh approach by the police officers, which are supposed to have left bruises.
After the 2019 anti-government protests, the Hong Kong police tightened their crackdown on the press, bringing Chan as well as the HKJA under increased criticism from pro-government bodies. [Channel C HK, in Chinese] [Hong Kong Free Press 1]
While HKJA and Hong Kong's Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) were critical of Chan's arrest and called for more transparency, the mainland also got involved, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) releasing a statement in response to the criticism, rejecting the two journalists' associations' criticism and stressing that such "anti-China" comments would only jeopardize Hong Kong's stability and that press freedom must submit to existing laws. [Hong Kong Free Press 2]
China: Case of famous Hong Kong anti-government activist transferred to High Court
(ms) The case against Chow Hang-Tun, the former vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which gained notoriety for organizing vigils for the victims of Tiananmen Square, has now been transferred to the Court of First Instance, the lower court of the High Court of Hong Kong.
Chow, as well as two other leaders of the now-abolished alliance, are accused of inciting subversion through their vigils, among other things, under the Hong Kong National Security Law. Whether the cases of the other two defendants will also be moved to the Court of First Instance is expected to be decided at a hearing later this week. If the case is decided as Chow’s, the three defendants could face up to ten years in prison. [Hong Kong Free Press]
China: Five Hong Konger jailed for publishing children's books
(ms) Five Hong Kong speech therapists have been sentenced by a court to 19 months in prison each under the offense of sedition. They were found guilty of publishing three books between 2020 and 2021 which “effectively brainwashed” readers according to the court.
The children’s books in question are about sheep and wolves, which the judge interpreted as making allusions to the 2019 anti-extradition riots, the detention of 12 Hong Kongers, who tried to flee Hong Kong in the wake of Beijing’s tightened control over the city, by Chinese authorities and a strike by Hong Kong medics at the start of the Covid 19 outbreak. Allegedly, the books are intended to incite fear and hatred among children toward the "wolves" who are supposed to embody the government.
The verdicts were handed down under a anti-sedition law from the British rule over Hong Kong, that was revived in the wake of the 2019 anti-government protests. [Hong Kong Free Press]
China: Starvation related deaths in Xinjiang region in wake of COVID-19 lockdown
(ms) In the northwestern Xinjiang province, according to various reports, there have been more than ten deaths due to lack of medical treatment or starvation. This is said to have been triggered by a renewed strict lockdown imposed since early August due to a confirmed COVID-19 case in the province.
The activist group World Uyghur Congress (WUC) once again expressed increased concern about the situation in the Uyghur-populated region, as in addition to the strict COVID-19 measures that apply throughout the country, in the event of a similar outbreak, the WUC accuses the Chinese government of taking more severe action against the minority in exercising the measures. For example, affected Uyghurs report that under the pretext of outbreak control of the virus, residents from Uyghur-inhabited areas were taken to an unknown location, which then turned out to be an internment camp. [Radio Free Asia] [WUC] [VOA]
The fate of the Uyghurs received new attention only two weeks ago with the belated publication of the UN Human Rights Report, by the now retired UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet, in which the actions of the Chinese government against the Uyghurs were classified as a major human rights violation that could potentially be classified as crimes against humanity [see AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1].
China: Three more unmanned lunar missions planned for next 10 years
(ms) China’s National Space Administration has been given the green light to send three more orbiters into space over the next decade as part of the Chang'e Moon program.
The news came just days after China became the third country ever to discover a new mineral on the moon. The new mineral, called Changesite-(Y), was accepted by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association and contains helium-3, an isotype seen as a potential future energy source.
The newly announced lunar missions represent another step in China’s growing ambition to compete with the Western and especially the U.S. space programs. [Bloomberg] [WION] [Xinhua]
China: Presentation of own suicide drone
(ms) In a video published on September 8 [Twitter], the FH-901 drone developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation was presented. The drone is supposed to be an unmanned suicide drone, which is believed to be the counterpart to the US Switchblade drone going forward.
The drone can be launched from the ground as well as in the air by an aircraft or another unmanned drone. [Global Times]
China: The world's largest free piston driven shock tunnel operational
(ms) The wind tunnel now in operation in the southwestern Sichuan Province is the largest of its kind and will be able to simulate flight speeds of 2.5 to 11.5 kilometers per second, thus advancing the development of Chinese space travel as well as supersonic aircraft and rockets and technology in general. [South China Morning Post]
Japan: Plans for state funeral remain controversial
(sra) The state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinto Abe has received diverse levels of support both domestic and international following the developments of the former leader’s ties to the controversial Unification Church.
Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has asserted the validity of the event as a form of honoring Abe’s legacy as the first PM in history to serve for eight years. [Japan Today] The ongoing scandal of Abe’s July 8 assassination has been connected to the religious group, along with at least 379 lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. [Kyodo News] [The Mainichi 1] A recent survey of the Japanese government has confirmed at least 80 percent of the affiliation concerned members of the LDP. [The Asahi Shimbun 1] Further public discontent has been expressed through the September 5 petition, with over 400,000 signatures from dissatisfied tax-payers and conflicted citizens demanding the state funeral to be cancelled. [The Asahi Shimbun 2]
The purpose of the state funeral on September 27 to offer condolences has caused Kishida’s political support to plummet as hundreds of protesters rallied in opposition, stating the lack of parliamentary approval for the funeral to go ahead contradicts the Constitution. The government also received backlash in response to the cost of the event at taxpayers' expense of an estimated USD 12 million. [NHK World-Japan] The funeral is to be attended by over 6000 guests, including international leaders such as US Vice President Kamala Harris [CNN] and current Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese [Associated Press News] to pay their respects.
In response to Japanese citizens’ concerns over the LDP’s ties to the Unification Church, the government launched a legal telephone consultation service on September 5 to provide support to those financially impacted by the controversy until September 30. There have already been a number of complaints brought to the attention of the Consumer Affairs Agency directed at the church’s role in the financial ruin of its followers. It is expected that the consultation service will be widespread, offering assistance from an extensive range of government officials. [The Mainichi 2] Lawyers have advised the agency to deny the church’s request to be informed of the consultations, as the organization attempts to reduce the amount of money being returned and limit the number of cases being exposed to the public. [The Mainichi 3]
Japan: Immigration bill to remain under revision
(sra) The Japanese government has confirmed the resubmission of the bill to revise immigration rules will not go ahead in the next coming months as planned. Asserted on September 6, the Immigration Services Agency and Justice Ministry are to continue to revise the amendment of the law. The immigration law has been a contentious topic following the death of the Sri Lankan in Nagoya detention center, Ratnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali, in 2021.
The decision to not resubmit the bill comes after protesters across the country on September 4 expressed their disapproval of the potential resubmission [see AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1]. The initial review sought to prevent deaths under custody, provide support for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the ongoing war with Russia and proposal for a complementary protection system in place for those who may not legally be considered refugees, seeking asylum in Japan. [Kyodo News]
Among the protesters in Nagoya was Poornima, Wishma’s sister. Her sister travelled to Japan as a student in 2017, however, she was placed in a detention facility after her asylum application was rejected, remaining in the country past the visa deadline, until the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau caught up to her in August 2020. Her death in March 2021 came after a month of illness. Wishma’s family believe the appropriate care from the officials would have prevented her from passing away. [The Mainichi]
Japan: Development assistance policy review to enhance economic stability
(sra) The government of Japan will decide on a strategy to reinforce official development assistance (ODA) in an effort to enhance security in the Indo-Pacific region. The ODA will revise the cooperation between Japan and developing countries for the first time since 2015, amid the increasing impact of Chinese influence in Taiwan and the Russian military occupation in Ukraine.
The charter aims to provide transparent development funds in order to enhance both the quality of life and security within the region, as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida aims to counter the expansion of Chinese influence over developing countries and their economies. The Foreign Ministry requires a 12 percent increase in the budget for ODA for fiscal 2023 in order to provide good-quality development, a steep target in terms of the current economic state of Japan. [The Asahi Shimbun]
Strategic revision of the charter will provide an alternative to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, seen by critics as being responsible for loaning unrepayable economic support to developing countries at high-interest rates, as seen in Sri Lanka in 2017. [Japan News]
Japan: Military investigation into sexual assault allegations
(sra) The Japanese Defense Ministry has ordered an investigation into sexual assault allegations following the submission of the petition of former soldier Rina Gonoi which gained more than 100,000 signatures after initial investigations were dropped by local prosecutors. Along with the support of 146 former members of the military who also experience violations of basic human rights, the request to proceed with the investigations aims to provide disciplinary action [see AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1].
Gonoi’s case is finally to be reopened and investigated by a third party, as per her initial request on August 2021. The revision of the allegations comes as a result of increasing complaints of sexual harassment within the Defense Ministry with 2,311 official complaints in 2021. [The Associated Press]
Japan: National security document revisions underway
(sra) Japan has foregone major revisions to key security documents such as the National Security Strategy (NSS), the National Defense Program Guidelines and the Mid-Term Defense Program, to alter the Japanese defense policy and alter the long-standing restrictions aligned to the postwar constitution.
The lack of transparency for public knowledge of these revisions has been critiqued, as changes to the foreign policy have been discussed over 17 meetings since January with the increase in national security threats. The documents are to be finalized by the end of the year. [The Asahi Shimbun]
Japan: Government confirms US base relocation in Okinawa, opposing election results
(sra) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida confirmed the government’s commitment to relocating US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa. Regardless of the re-election of Denny Tamaki, who represents a strong opposition to the relocation plan, as governor of the prefecture on September 11. Kishida has pledged to sway locals in support of the decision, regardless of years of local resistance. [South China Morning Post]
The results of the gubernatorial election campaign were predominantly following the resolution of the government’s plan to relocate the base. As the leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Tamaki was very vocal about completely removing the Air Station from the prefecture and stopping the construction of new military facilities in the area, shifting from the 1996 Japan-US Joint Declaration on Security agreement [see also AiR No. 35, August/2022, 5]. Tamaki resulted in a 50.8 percent win in the elections, overruling the former Ginowan Mayor Atsushi Sakima of the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition with Komeito, of which both parties support the relocation plan of the central government. [The Mainichi]
The Kishida administration sees the plan as a form of addressing public opposition toward US bases in the prefecture by moving Futenma Air Station from the populated Ginowan City to the more quiet Nago City. Tamaki has stated he will continue negotiations with the government to not follow through with the plan in an effort to relieve the burden Okinawa continues to hold, hosting 70 percent of the nation’s US military facilities decades after the land was returned to Japanese control. [Kyodo News] [NHK World-Japan]
Mongolia: Cabinet extended to 21 members
(dql) Mongolia’s parliament has approved a proposal of Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamrsai to revise the structure and composition of the Cabinet and to add ten new members increasing the number of Cabinet members to 21. It is the largest Cabinet in the country’s history, consisting of 16 ministries and including two new positions established only last year: the minister of economy and development and the minister of digital development and communications.
Among the ten new members are nine parliamentarians, raising the total number of Cabinet members who also double as lawmaker to 13, a move seen as an attempt of the Prime Minister to secure political and legislative support for his liberalization and privatization agenda as part of his New Revival Policy that seeks to stimulate post-pandemic economic recovery and tackle the country’s vulnerabilities as a landlocked country. [The Diplomat] [Monstame]
North Korea: Pyongyang legislates nuclear weapons operation policy
(my) North Korea’s parliament, the Supreme People’s Assembly, passed legislation on its nuclear weapons policy on September 8 to introduce the right to the automatic use of preemptive nuclear strikes for the country’s self-defense, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sending a signal of strength towards the U.S. and its allies by assuring in an address to the assembly that the move “is to draw an irretrievable line so that there can be no bargaining over our nuclear weapons,” effectively abandoning any talks on de-nuclearization. He added that even “sanctions over 100 years” would not make him surrender the nuclear weapons.
The law also describes five conditions for the use of nuclear weapons, such as when nuclear or non-nuclear attacks strike the state’s leadership or nuclear commanding body, or during catastrophic crises in the state’s existence and people’s lives.
North Korea has never stated the operation strategy for nuclear weapons explicitly in the law in the past. It only for the first time declared itself to be a nuclear power in a law in 2013.
The international community including South Korea has consistently called for Pyongyang’s denuclearization. Meanwhile, North Korea carried out its sixth nuclear test in September 2017, and experts on the Korean Peninsula believe that preparations for its seventh nuclear test are complete [see also AiR No. 35, August/2022, 5]. [The Guardian] [Yonhap News Agency, in Korean]
South Korea: Main opposition party proposes bill against first lady
(my) The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) proposed a bill calling for a special counsel investigation into first lady Kim Keon-hee who is facing accusation of stock price manipulation, falsification of academic credentials, and bribery.
Kim is suspected to have been participating in Deutsch Motors Inc.’s stock price manipulation that happened in the early 2010s. Kim denied the allegations.
She also is accused of fabricating her academic and professional background when applying for teaching jobs, including a position she secured at Kookmin University [see AiR No. 35, August/2022, 5]. Additionally, she is accused of bribery since her salary was doubled after her husband, President Yoon Suk-yeol, became the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in 2017.
The DP also demanded the exclusion of the ruling People Power Party when appointing special prosecutors.
In a separate move, the DP lodged another claim against Yoon suspecting him of omission of property reports. According to a report released on August 26, Kim’s high-priced necklaces that she wore during an official schedule were omitted. The presidential office stated that the item was borrowed, not owned by Kim. [Korea Herald]
South Korea: Main opposition party leader indicted over election law violation
(my) The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung was indicted on September 8. The prosecution summoned him for questioning over disseminating false information in response to which he submitted a written statement.
Lee has denied allegations that he had given several private businesses preferential treatment in development programs for Daejang-dong and Baekhyeon-dong in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. He also stated that he did not know Kim Moon-ki, who was under investigation over the Daejang-dong project, and that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport put pressure on him while he was promoting the Baekhyeon-dong project.
The prosecution considered Lee’s remarks as false since it detected that Kim had given Lee multiple face-to-face briefings on the Daejang-dong development project. The prosecution also stated that Seongnam Municipality decided the change on its own, not by a request from the Land Ministry. [Yonhap News Agency]
The Daejang-dong development project is a public-private cooperative development project involving Seongnam Municipality when Lee served as the mayor. Seongnam Municipality attempted to sell its land property as a national institution in Baekhyeon-dong relocated in 2015. It changed the classification of the land from a green area to a quasi-residential area, stating the classification had made the sales challenging. On top of that, lot-solid apartments were constructed in place of the rental apartments that were initially intended to be built, and investors achieved substantial gains from it.
While Lee claimed that the Land Ministry put pressure on the change of classification, the ruling People Power Party which filed the complaint asserted that Lee made the decision voluntarily since the ministry’s official letter did not include any content corresponding with his testimony [see also AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1].
South Korea: Ruling party’s floor leader resigns over party leadership crisis
(my) Kweon Seong-dong resigned from his post as floor leader of the People Power Party (PPP) on September 8, citing his responsibility for “the increasing confusion in the party.” His resignation continues the controversy within the party over its leadership.
While he was announcing his resignation, Kweon attacked former party leader Lee Jun-seok saying that “[t]he party’s leadership crisis was triggered by the allegations of the former leader.” Lee was suspended from his party membership in July on charges of sexual favors and attempted cover-ups. Kweon then served as the party’s acting leader but resigned from his acting post after a text conversation with President Yoon Suk-yeol was detected, which hinted at internal strife within the party. The party’s Supreme Council was dismissed when Kweon stepped down, and an emergency committee was launched under the lead of Joo Ho-young. His post, however, was suspended after a court ruled that the party was not in an emergency sustaining an injunction filed by Lee [see AiR No. 35, August/2022, 5].
Kweon, then, temporarily took charge, and the party sought the establishment of a new emergency committee [see AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1]. Five-term lawmaker Chung Jin-suk was appointed as an interim leader on September 7. The party appointed nine committee members on September 13. [Arirang] [Yonhap News Agency, in Korean]
Lee filed another injunction with the court to hold the establishment back. He claimed the new interim committee was still invalid since the earlier decision of the court was still effective. [Korea Herald]
Prosecutors indict 609 people for violating election laws
(my) The Supreme Prosecutors' Office indicted 609 people for violating the election law in the presidential election held on March 9. Twelve of the indicted were detained.
The indictee includes Lee Jae-myung, the main opposition Democratic Party leader. He was indicted for publishing false information during a parliamentary audit held in October 2021. Suspicions were raised against his remarks when he denied his allegations that he had given preferential treatment to several private businesses during his term as Mayor of Seongnam [see also AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1]. [KBS World]
South Korea: Government reduces national committees
(my) The South Korean government seeks to reduce the number of national committees in order to improve its efficiency. Among 636 committees under its oversight, 246 committees will be repealed or integrated.
According to the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, considerable numbers of committees are performing similar and duplicated roles. It further mentioned that some of them were "ghost committees" without actual agendas.
166 committees will be abolished or turned into temporaries, while 80 committees will be integrated into related divisions. With this reorganization, the government anticipates saving by KRW 30 billion (USD 21.7 billion) of its operational budget. [Korean Policy Briefing, in Korean] [Yonhap News Agency]
Taiwan’s fighter jets and helicopters conduct live-fire drill
(gö) Taiwan’s military last week conducted a four-day exercise in southern Taiwan, involving firing live ammunition and Apache helicopters as well as Taiwan’s indigenous defense fighters in a simulated attack on invading forces. [Focus Taiwan]
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Air Force Missile Defense and Command has won its bid to launch a new construction project at the military base in northeastern Taiwan. Completion of construction is expected for end of 2025. It is speculated among observers that the construction site will become a station for Tiangong III anti-aircraft missile systems, aimed at providing Taiwan's eastern coast with protection in the event of an attack from China. [Taiwan News]
Constitutional Law and –Politics, Human Rights and National Security in South Asia
Bangladesh: Court opens trial in murder of prominent Rohingya leader
(az) A court in Bangladesh has indicted 29 Rohingya and announced another seven unidentified persons over the murder of popular community leader Mohib Ullah last September. [bdnews24] [The Daily Star]
Ullah, a high-profile figurehead for the more than 800,000-strong Muslim minority Rohingya was killed by unidentified gunmen as he spoke to other community leaders outside his office on September 29 last year [see AiR No. 40, October/2021, 1]. No one has claimed responsibility for the murder, though Ullah’s family blamed militants from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, an armed group present in the camp, with activists claiming they were enraged by his growing popularity in the camps [see AiR No. 41, October/2021, 2].
Bangladesh: Government orders increased vigilance for biggest Hindu festival in the country
(az) To ensure utmost security during the upcoming Durga Puja festival, the biggest festival of Hindus in the country, Bangladesh’s government has mandated installing CCTV cameras at each and every temple. Furthermore, the Rapid Action Battalion and the Ansar Bahini, two forces responsible for the preservation of internal security and law enforcement, will be deployed. [Dhaka Tribune] [Prothom Alo] [The Hindu]
Muslim mobs instigated communal violence against Hindu communities across Bangladesh during the Durga Puja festival in October last year, in response to a viral video where Quran was kept under a temple idol feet. Hindu temples were brutally attacked by angry Muslim mobs. More than 50 temples and makeshift worship arrangements were vandalized all over Bangladesh. [AiR No. 42, October/2021, 3]
India: Opposition National Congress party launches ‘Unite India’ march to engage voters
(vv/lm) Rahul Gandhi, senior member of India’s main opposition National Congress (INC) party, has launched a cross-country “unity” march, echoing iconic protests by India’s independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, as he aims to revive the party’s sagging electoral fortunes ahead of the 2024 general elections. [NDTV] [The Strait Times]
The march, named “Bharat Jodo Yatra” or “Unite India Rally”, started in the southern coastal town of Kanyakumari in the state of Tamil Nadu on September 7 and will see Gandhi interact with locals and farmers across the nation. Accompanied by supporters, the INC leader will cover more than 3,500 kilometers to reach Srinagar city in the northernmost Himalayan region of Kashmir in about 150 days. [The Indian Express]
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the march as an opportunity to lash out at the INC, alleging that the march was organized by the Gandhi family to keep control over the INC. [Al Jazeera]
In fact, more than 60 senior members of the local branch of the INC in the Jammu and Kashmir union territory, including former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, resigned last month from the party. Azad, also a former minister of health and welfare during the INC’s tenure in the central government, handed in his resignation on August 26 in a scathing letter to party leader Sonia Gandhi, alleging immature behavior towards the party’s political agendas and treatment of senior leaders. [AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1]
The march comes ahead of elections in the western state of Gujarat – Modi’s home state – this year and the central state of Madhya Pradesh next year. Both states are currently ruled by the BJP.
India: Bribe money refund doesn’t absolve graft charges, observes Supreme Court
(vv) India’s Supreme Court on September 8 revived a 2018 criminal case against the current power minister of Tamil Nadu state, Senthil Balaji, related to charges of corruption in a recruitment scam. [Times of India]
Balaji, a former transport minister between 2011 and 2015 in Tami Nadu, was accused of taking bribes and adopting corrupt practices to favor a few and secure employment in the transport corporation. The apex court rejected the Madras High Court ruling to quash criminal proceedings against Balaji, stating that corruption by a public servant is a crime against the state itself and misuse of one’s position isn’t something the court would allow to happen, regardless of the repenting actions Balaji has taken following the charges.
India: Multiple raids carried out in connection with July murder of BJP youth leader
(vv) India’s National Investigating Agency (NIA) has raided over 30 locations across the country to probe alleged terror module linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI), an extremist Islamic organization with alleged links to the Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The NIA also raided the residence of the national secretary of the Social Democratic Party of India. [Deccan Herald] [Hindustan Times] [India Today]
The raids were related to the killing of Praveen Nettaru, a youth member of Prime Minister Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), this July in the southern state of Karnataka. The incident sparked outrage, with instances of stone-pelting, an attack on the vehicle of the local BJP president, and mass resignations by party workers. [AiR No. 31, August/2022, 1]
The Karnataka Police initially investigated the case and arrested 6 accused, before handing over the probe to the NIA, which claimed last week that the accused – believed active members of the PFI – had planned and committed the murder of Nettaru as part of a larger conspiracy to strike terror. [The News Minute]
Pakistan: Court extends bail of ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan in terrorism case
(lm) A anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on September 12 extended the pre-arrest bail of former Prime Minister Imran Khan until September 20 after the state prosecutors asked for more time to prepare their arguments. [Al Jazeera 1]
Khan was charged with “terrorism” for remarks made at a public rally on August 20 against police officials and a female judge who had ordered the arrest of one of his top aides, Shahbaz Gill [see AiR No. 34, August/2022, 4]. Gill was arrested earlier in August and charged with sedition after he was accused of inciting a mutiny in Pakistan’s powerful military during a TV show [see AiR No. 33, August/2022, 3]. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party alleges Gill was tortured in custody.
The same speech also resulted in Khan being charged with contempt of court and unlawful assembly, with charges in the contempt case set to be framed on September 22. [CNA]
In a related development, Bol News, a Pakistani channel considered to be sympathetic towards Khan, was taken off air by the authorities on September 12. The country’s media regulatory body said the channel was ordered to close because it “did not submit an application for renewal of its licence”. But Khan alleged the channel was suspended because it gave him and his party coverage, calling the move “fascist”. [Al Jazeera 2]
Furthermore, in the lead-up to this week’s hearing, Khan landed a new controversy when he accused the government of trying to appoint a “favorite” as the next army chief while addressing a rally in Punjab province on September 11. Khan also accused the government of delaying fresh elections until after the tenure of the current chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, ends in November this year. [Bloomberg, $]
Sri Lanka: Government appoints 37 junior ministers, causes backlash from opposition, human rights watchdogs
(kh/lm) Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has come under fire from opposition parties and international human rights watchdogs after adding 37 new senior posts to his government. Three of the appointees are implicated in serious rights abuses, according to Human Rights Watch. The addition of the junior ministers has also sparked a social media backlash from the Sri Lankan citizens, who claim that the country is in the midst of a crisis and such additions mean nothing but the misuse of public spending. [Human Rights Watch] [The Manila Times]
The 37 new posts are in addition to the 20-member cabinet of President Wickremesinghe. They all come from the Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance, the coalition of former President Gotayaba Rajapaksa, who was forced to flee abroad after mass protests in July but returned home on September 2 [see AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1].
It is important to note that the United Nations Human Rights Council will discuss a new resolution on Sri Lanka’s human rights situation later this month. In a new report on September 6, the Council urged Wickremesinghe to prosecute those responsible for economic crimes that bankrupted the South Asian island nation. The report also urged that the government should embark on a national dialogue to advance human rights and reconciliation. [OHCHR]
Sri Lanka: President says government will not oppose bill seeking to decriminalize homosexuality
(kh/lm) Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe on September 11 said his government will not oppose a bill that was introduced by a lawmaker to parliament and seeks to decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations in the South Asian island nation. But the president also said “individual” MPs will have to decide whether to support the measure, the Colombo Gazette reported. [Colombo Gazette] [ThePrint]
The United Nations (UN) Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, a UN treaty body, in March ruled the criminalization of consensual same-sex sexual activity in Sri Lanka violated the rights of the executive director of Equal Ground, a Sri Lankan LGBTQ and intersex rights group. The Committee also called on the Sri Lankan government to repeal its law criminalizing adult, consensual same-sex conduct – including between women.
Constitutional Law and –Politics, Human Rights and National Security in Southeast Asia
Cambodia: Candlelight Party adopts guiding party principles in preparation on next year’s general election
(fe) The Candlelight Party (CP), Cambodia largest opposition party, has adopted at a three-day meeting from September 7-9 a seven-point set of guiding principles to be implemented in the lead-up to next year’s July national election. They include “internal consensus, developing the quality and capacity of the party’s structure from the bottom up, policy formulations that reflects the people’s needs and good cooperation with state ministries in order to effectively participate in solving problems and confronting threats that affect the political rights of citizens.”
In the recent June 5 commune council elections, the party won 20 per cent of the votes. [Phnom Penh Post]
Cambodia: Candlelight Party undecided over political alliance with other opposition parties
(fe) In the run-up to the country's general election next year, the Candlelight Party (CP) has not officially stated its opinion on a political alliance with three other opposition parties, namely the Grassroots Democratic Party (GDP), the Khmer Will Party (KWP), and the Cambodian Reform Party (CRP). The groups seek to combine forces with CP, which has grown to be the second-largest party in the nation with candidates running across the board and won 22 percent of the votes in the June 5 communal council elections.
A senior CP party official declared that the request of the other party has not been dealt with as his party is currently occupied with the process of restructuring itself internally.
According to a spokesperson of the GDP, they want to send CP a second letter soon asking for a face-to-face meeting to talk about the partnership. The chairman of the GDP board of directors promised to continue fostering the parties' collaboration. Because no one party outside of the government appears capable of obtaining the “50 plus one” majority in the 2023 election, the shared objective is to create a multi-party liberal democracy. GDP has suggested several possibilities for cooperation, including dividing up the constituencies, joining any current party as umbrella party, or creating a new party with other like-minded non-governmental parties for the parliamentary election. [Phnom Penh Post]
Cambodia: Ex-CNRP leader questioned in the treason trial
(fe) On September 7, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court investigated Kem Sokha, the former leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which the Supreme Court had ordered to be disbanded. He is accused of conspiring with foreign powers to overthrow the government.
The interrogation centered on two pieces of evidence, the first of which was video and photographic evidence of violent protests on Veng Sreng Street in Phnom Penh. The second is footage of tense protests that took place on Dragon Bridge close to Wat Phnom.
Sokha has denied responsibility for any protests that took place outside of Freedom Park in the capital, the location and focus for political demonstrations against Prime Minister Hun Sen's regime. [Phnom Penh Post]
Cambodia: Minister of Interior claims progress in fighting human trafficking and money laundering
(fe) The inclusion of Cambodia in the “Grey List” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for being a safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering and in the “Black List” for human trafficking in the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report of the US Department of State, is – according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Sar Kheng – is seriously harming Cambodia's reputation.
He insisted that the country’s fight against human trafficking and money laundering has made progress, referring to the work of a committee against money laundering and terrorism funding that had been established by the government to solve these problems under the direction of the Prime Minister. The Deputy Prime Minister also urged more steadfast assistance from the pertinent ministries and institutions.
He made the statement on the occasion of the inauguration of the new administrative building and meeting hall of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police on September 8.
The Council of Ministers of Cambodia passed the draft law on countering money laundering and terrorist funding in 2020 targeting high-risk industries in the country, including banking, finance, construction, real estate, and casinos. [Khmer Times]
The Cambodian government has also denied claims made in Hong Kong and Taiwan that human traffickers have lured victims into the country for “organ harvesting” and the sale of body parts for transplants underground. The government called argued that these “stories” are all “fabricated.” [UCA News]
Cambodia: Eight institutions take part in first sovereign-bond auction
(fe) The auction of the first tranche of USD 25 million of Cambodia’s maiden sovereign bond, worth nearly USD 300 million, has attracted at least eight bidders.
The winning bid rate was 2.2 percent, and the total volume of bids was 41,800 units. The tranche, according to the National Bank of Cambodia, would have a one-year tenor, a par value of one million riels, and a set annual coupon rate of 2 percent paid semi-annually.
The CEO of Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX) Hong Sok Hour stated that the government views the first sovereign bond offering as a "market test" to learn more about the expectations for and demand for state securities, which he noted would offer new opportunities for investors to diversify portfolios and the government to raise money.
He added that the National Assembly has also limited the amount the government may raise on the securities market to the roughly USD 300 million that will be earned through the bond. [Phnom Penh Post]
Indonesia: Azwar Anas new Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform
(ai) Joko Widodo has officially assigned the new post of State Administrative Reform Minister (or MenPAN-RB) to Azwar Anas, ex-regent of Banyuwangi, East Java, a role that Azwar will cover until 2024.
Azwar Anas is a young and prominent Indonesian politician. At the age of 24 he was a member of the People’s Consultative Assembly. After the end of the Soeharto regime in 1998, he became a member of the House of Representatives for the National Awakening Party (or PKB) from 2004 to 2009. For ten years he was the regent of Banyuwangi from 2010 to 2021.
The new minister has already started to work. Azwar has recognised a few critical issues the new minister will need to address in his plan. One of the most important is the bureaucratic reform and the simplification of the bureaucracy apparatus.
Moreover, an important issue Azwar must resolve is the flexible working arrangement (or FWA). This issue was amplificated by the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Azwar should now try to fix and create a workable balance for the Indonesian working class, specifically the state civil apparatus (and non-state civil apparatus) and the government employees. [Anatara News] [detikbahasa] [jpnn.combahasa] [Jakarta Global]
Indonesia: Rights advocates seek to expand human rights jurisdiction to go after Myanmar government
(hg) A group of human right advocates has petitioned the Constitutional Court to amend the country’s Human Rights Court Law to allow legal action against the coup government in Myanmar, which, according to the petition, shall be tried for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide against Myanmar’s Muslim population. [Jurist] [SCMP]
If successful, Indonesia would be the first country in which Myanmar’s military government could be held accountable.
While the Indonesian Constitution envisions human rights as universalistic norms, the relevant Law 26 (2000) regulates the jurisdiction of the country’s Human Right Court for cases of gross violations of human rights committed in and outside the Indonesian territory by Indonesian citizens. In its current version, however, the law restricts jurisdiction to Indonesian nationals. [Council of ASEAN Chief Justices] [Jurist]
This restriction is what the petition aims to change by removing it from the law to bring it line with what it sees as a universalistic commitment to human rights by the Constitution.
Among the petitioners are former Attorney General of Indonesia Marzuki Darusman, a prominent human rights advocate who served as chair of an independent fact-finding mission on Myanmar under the United Nations’ Human Rights Council in 2017. The petition is – among other organizations – also supported by the legal aid arm of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s second-largest Muslim association. [SCMP]
Indonesia: Protests over rising fuel prices
(hg/ai) Trade unions, workers, students and Muslim groups across the country engage increasingly in protests over rising fuel prices. Protesters are demanding a reversal of the government’s decision to increase state subsidized fuel prices by 30% in a time during which the country suffers from economic difficulties. [The New York Times] [The Independent]
While the protests did not reach a critical level despite some acts of violence yet, fuel prices use to be politically sensitive in the country. In 1998, a 70%-price hike contributed to the violent protests that eventually led to the downfall of the Suharto-regime. Subsequent governments which also tried to increase the fuel price had to finally back down over protests. [The New York Times]
The price hike which adds to a generally high inflation that it would likely worsen hits the poor disproportionally in a country that has traditionally been among the countries with the world’s lowest price rates for gasoline due to government subsidies.
27.54 Indonesians were considered poor in 2021, according to the latest data from the Indonesia Statist Center, which means they are living below the poverty line of USD 141 per month for a family. Furthermore, 10.86 Indonesians in 2021 were considered to live in a situation of extreme poverty. [antaranews] [kompasBahasa]
While the minister of finance has argued parts of the current energy subsidies would be needed to build thousands of hospitals, schools or roads. [The New York Times]
The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment has stated that the reduction of subsidies would boost the economy remaining the only alternative for the government in difficult times despite some initial discomfort. [antaranews] [voinews]
Meanwhile, however, the government reacted to the protests after the chief of the president's office met on Monday with workers protesting at the presidential palace in Jakarta.
According to presidential statemen, the government will review minimum wage and other labor rules to create some relief. [Channel News Asia]
Indonesia: A team to investigate human rights activist murder case
(ai) The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas Ham) has formed a team to investigate the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib who was poisoned with arsenic during an international flight bound for the Netherlands 18 years ago at 38, in 2004.
Munir's homicide still does not have a final verdict. According to some human rights activists, Munir was a victim of Indonesian intelligence. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the then president, began an investigation that led to the arrest of a former Indonesian intelligence officer, Muchdi Purwoprandjono, who was released shortly after.
Mohammad Mahfud MD, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs and former President of the Constitutional Court, reiterated that President Joko Widodo is not against the formation of the investigative team. [antaranews] [benarnews] [voi]
Malaysia: Najib Razak received millions of USD into his personal account, trial hears
(pe) According to a recent testimony by a former bank employee against Najib Razak at the High Court, over USD 13 million were credited to former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s personal bank account in 2011. The evidence is part of the ongoing proceedings against the former PM for bribery, corruption, and crimes allegedly committed involving abuse of his power while in office.
While defending himself before the court Najib, who is currently jailed, is seeking a royal pardon for his alleged crimes. [Malaysia Now]
Malaysia: Debate brews over Najib Razak's prison conditions
(pe) The prisons department has stated that former prime minister Najib Razak has not been given special treatment while serving his sentence.
Rumors have been circulating online that Najib has been enjoying access to his own house in prison that would usually be reserved for guards, amongst other perks. The debate has been further stirred by remarks made by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim about his own jail experiences when he was serving his sentence after losing his sodomy appeal in 2015. Anwar claims that he was given special treatment including better visiting times, good food and furniture, and trips out of the prison.
The prisons department has dismissed the rumors as inaccurate and denies all such claims as false information. [Channel News Asia] [Malaysia Now]
Malaysia: Governing coalition to amend its ‘constitution’
(pe)Tthe governing Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition is planning to amend its constitution, the proposed changes will make it easier for political parties to join the coalition. Currently, the constitution allows each component party with a veto power to reject applications, which limits BN’s expansion.
Makkal Sakti president Datuk Seri R.S. Thanenthiran has urged BN to allow the party to join, one of seven that have applied recently. Critics of the plans to amend the constitution have said that BN must accept the reality of today's politics, and demand inclusivity. [New Straits Times]
Malaysia: Ismail reiterates no intention to create Deputy Prime Minister role
(pe) Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has confirmed that he sees no need for a deputy prime minister, with the four senior ministers that he has filling this role already.
The four Senior Ministers in Ismail Sabri's cabinet are Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Datuk Dr Radzi Md Jidin and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
Rumors of a new Deputy PM post had been circulating as Pas secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan claimed the existence of a memorandum of agreement (MoA) that would create the new post. This had been confirmed by a number of senior Ministers. [New Straits Times]
Myanmar: Latest numbers of civilians killed in conflict
(tp/dql) According to latest data released by the defense ministry of the National Unity Government (NUG), at least 3,010 civilians were killed by Myanmar junta troops over from September last year, when the NUG declared a defensive war against the junta, to August this year. Close to 2,000 were wounded. A total of more than 6,300 assaults on civilian have been carried out ouver the past eleven months. The north-western Sagaing Region saw the most assaults with more than 1,900 attacks, followed by Magwe in central Myanamr with 864 and Yangon with 601.
On the other side, over 20,150 junta soldiers have been killed and another 7,000 injured wounded, said the ministry. The number of resistance fighters who have died in clashes is at 1,500. [Irrawaddy 1]
Meanwhile. the Civilian’s Defense and Security Organization of Myaung (CDSOM), Myanmar’s anti-junta groups, have coordinated with the 27 resistance fighters to attack the military’s boats which contained weapons and around 30 armies to the Kyauk Tan village in Myaung on September 8. At least 12 army soldiers have been killed and 10 injured. [Irrawaddy 2]
In a latest development, junta forces have been forced to retreat from Moebye in Pekon Township, southern Shan State, following heavy losses that have been reported during four days of attacks. It is estimated that 85 regime soldiers reportedly died. [Irrawaddy 3]
Myanmar: NUG claims control over more than half of country
(jp/dql) Myanmar's civilian National Unity Government (NUG) acting president Duwa Lashi La stated on September 7, the first anniversary of the declaration of a people's defensive war against the junta, that Myanmar's People's Defense Forces (PDF) and allied ethnic revolutionary organizations (ERO) have effective control of more than half the country after a year of waging a people's defensive war against the military regime.
The acting president of the NUG stated that the organization had established more than 300 PDF battalions across the country, while other township public defense forces have been included in 250 out of 330 townships across the country over the previous year.
Since the coup that took place a year ago, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reports that the junta has been responsible for the deaths of 2,267 people as of September 5, 2022, and that 15,416 people, including democratically elected government leaders, have been arrested or detained as a result of the coup. [Irrawaddy 1]
Furthermore, the Arakan Army (AA) has captured a junta outpost in Maungdaw Township in northern Rakhine State on September 10 while 19 junta police officers were killed when the AA seized a police outpost near the Bangladesh border in the township on August 31. [Irrawaddy 2]
Armed groups claim that resistance forces and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) seized almost 90 bases since the coup. Among them are important outposts in strategic locations or bases that are critical in terms of the supply of weapons and food to frontline troops. [Irrawaddy 3]
Myanmar: 56 Rohingya jailed for 2 years
(tp) Around 56 Rohingya have been sentenced to two years in prison at the Myaungmya prison in Ayeyarwady under the Residents Registration Act., section 6(3).[RFA]
The number of Rohingya who have been arrested since the coup in 2021 has increased significantly under the Residents Registration Act., about 2,000 people have been sentenced up to 5 years in jail. [Human Rights Watch]
Meanwhile, five political prisoners, have escaped from Pakokku Prison in Magwe Region on September 10. Among them were two resistance fighters. [Irrawaddy]
Myanmar: Qatari Ooredoo telecom sells operation in the country
(jp) The Qatari telecom Ooredoo has sold its Myanmar unit to Singapore-based Nine Communications for USD 576 million. The move completes the departure of international telecom companies from Myanmar following the coup last year. Ooredoo was launched in Myanmar in 2014 and grew to become the country's third-largest telecom operator by 2020, with nearly 15 million users.
In March, Norwegian Telenor sold its Myanmar operations to the junta-linked company Shwe Byain Phyu, with Lebanese investment firm M1 acquiring a minority stake. In Myanmar, the unit is now known as ATOM. Two more telecom service providers in Myanmar are MPT, a large state-backed operator that operates as a joint venture with a Japanese corporation, and Mytel, a joint venture between the Myanmar military and Viettel, which Vietnam's Defense Ministry controls. [Irrawaddy]
Philippines: Government asks International Criminal Court to deny resumption of “drug war” probe request
(jd) The Philippine government asked the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) pre-trial chamber to deny the request for the resumption of the probe into the “war on drugs” operations led under the Duterte administration and the drug-related killings in Davao.
In November 2021, the ICC suspended the probe due to a deferral request from the Philippine government, however, in June, ICC Prosecutor Khan pushed for a resumption of the investigations, affirming that the Philippine government failed to show proof and details of its own probe on related crimes.
The Philippines submitted its comment on September 8, respecting the deadline set by the ICC as part of due process, however Philippines’ Justice Secretary Remulla previously declared that it should be considered as an act of respect, rather than compliance.
The government in its submission stated that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the situation in the country and that the reports on the war on drugs do not constitute crimes against humanity since the incidents do not qualify as attacks against the civilian population.
It affirmed that the cases are currently being investigated by proper agencies and a report concerning the progress of the investigations has been included in the submission.
In addition, it emphasized how precedence is needed in view of the fact that under the complementarity principle a probe can only take place in situations where the country’s national justice system has failed to function, demonstrating that it is unwilling or unable to genuinely carry out proceedings.
In his request to resume the investigations, ICC prosecutor Khan stated that the Philippines’ department of justice conducted a desk review which mostly included administrative rather than criminal sanctions. [CNN Philippines] [Rappler]
Philippines: Proposed budget cut threatens Commission on Human Rights' work
(jd) Following the Department of Budget of Management’s (DBM) submission under the National Expenditures Program (NEP) for 2023, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed how a cut in the CHR’s budget for the following year would threaten its vital work against state abuses.
The NEP submitted to Congress by the DBM allotted PHP 803,283,000 for the CHR in 2023.
The amount shows a reduction of PHP 118,233,000 from its budget in 2022, when it received PHP 921,156,000, and represents half of the agency’s proposed PHP 1.6-billion budget.
The CHR has therefore appealed to Congress to reconsider the proposed budget cut since, if it does go through, it will affect the agency’s ability to investigate cases of human rights violations, to provide financial assistance to the victims of such violations, and it will limit its ability to deliver its mandate as the country’s rights watchdog. Another fear relates to the fact that it can severely impact the pursuit of legal cases in the fight for justice for victims, including those killed under Duterte’s war on drugs.
The CHR had to face a budget cut related issue in 2017 as well, when 119 lawmakers allied with former President Duterte voted in favor of a reduction of the commission’s funds due to the CHR’s condemnation of the killings related to the drug war.
CHR data shows that it is currently handling 3,892 cases of drug war-related killings, with a total of 4,529 victims, as of June 2022.
In addition, the budget cut would deeply affect personnel services, maintenance and operating expenses, and a huge impact would be perceived in the regional office’s operations as well.
At the same time, it might affect the CHR independent participation rights at the UN Human Rights Council and related bodies, including voting rights in the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions.
The Commission on Human Rights Executive Director Jacqueline de Guia expressed how the CHR exists to help the government meet and satisfy its human rights obligations and that they are hopeful that they will be enabled to carry out their mandate with the support of a reasonable budget.
The CHR director added that providing an adequate budget can show the government’s respect for the work of an independent national human rights institution and will help ensure that the commission will operate efficiently in carrying out its work. [Inquirer] [Rappler]
Singapore’s Ministries of Law and of Home Affairs refute human rights groups' claims on executions
(pe) The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) have refuted two critical statements issued by two global human rights groups regarding executions carried out in Singapore.
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) are calling on Singapore to establish a moratorium on executions, which they claim violate human rights. They criticize the Singaporean approach, stating that many defendants do not have access to fair trial, particularly international migrants who stand accused of drug trafficking. Firthermore, they claim that the death penalty disproportionately impacts those of lower socioeconomic status.
The government has hit back at these claims, stating that all parties have access to legal support regardless of nationality. [Channel News Asia] [Today Online]
Thailand: Constitutional Court likely to deliberate prime minister’s term limit plea this week
(td/lm) Thailand’s Constitutional Court may start deliberating the case pertaining to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha’s ability to stay in office, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on September 9. He also said September 14 is the deadline for parties involved in the case to submit statements to the court.
Prayuth ceased performing his prime ministerial duties on August 24 when the top court suspended him after accepting a petition from the main opposition Pheu Thai party seeking a review of Prayuth’s legally mandated eight-year term limit [see AiR No. 35, August/2022, 5]. The suspension stays until the Constitutional Court determines whether he violated the term limit, which his opponents say began after he seized power in the May 2014 coup [see AiR No. 34, August/2022, 4].
In a leaked – but not authenticated – court argument, Prayuth’s legal team made the case that he has not breached the term limit because he came to power under a temporary constitution drafted as a stopgap during military rule, and as such the 2017 constitution’s term limits could not be retroactively applied. Another leaked legal opinion, provided by Meechai Ruchupan, the former chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, provided a similar view. According to these interpretations, Prayuth’s tenure would have started in 2017 — giving him three more years to serve. [Thai PBS World]
Nevertheless, Meechai has come under fire after it was reported that during the 500th meeting of the Constitution Drafting Committee in 2018, he told the panel that Prayut's tenure started prior to the promulgation of the present constitution on April 6, 2017. In light of this, the Constitutional Court has ordered Parliament to forward the minutes of the 501th meeting of the Drafting Committee for review, even though the opposition Pheu Thai Party had filed the minutes in question to the court beforehand. [Bangkok Post 2] [Prachatai English] [Thai Enquirer]
While the Constitutional Court deliberates on Prayut’s tenure, Prawit Wongsuwan serves as acting prime minister. Prawit, who leads the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, in a surprise move last month was granted greater power over budget and personnel appointments than caretakers previously had. [The Washington Post]
Thailand: Parliament withdraws royal decorations bill in response to royal veto
(fj) A joint session of Thailand’s Parliament has withdrawn its previous approval of a draft amendment pertaining to royal decorations after King Maha Vajiralongkorn vetoed it by not giving his signature within 90 days, raising concerns over the palace’s role in the country’s legal process. The amendment, which had found overwhelming support in both houses of Parliament before its presentation to the King, was clearly rejected when it stood for vote again after the King’s refusal to sign it. [Prachathai]
The draft bill, which would make a certain royal decoration that can currently be passed on within a family non heritable, had gone through its initial hearings smoothly. It had passed its final hearings with 328 votes in favor and one abstention in the lower house and 194 votes in favor and two abstentions in the upper house. However, after a 90-day period granted for royal review, the bill was returned to the parliament without endorsement by the King. [iLaw 1, in Thai]
On September 6, when both houses had to vote on the rejected bill again, the parliamentary debate showed that the palace had not provided information on the grounds on which the bill had been vetoed. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam speculated that the reason lay with the limited scope of the amendments and reflected the royal wish for broader revisions of the amended act.
In response, an MP from the opposition Move Forward Party voiced his dissatisfaction of relying on guesswork in such important matters, called for clarification and warned of setting a bad precedent with this procedure. A member of the military-appointed Senate countered by pointing out that the royal veto had been enshrined in the Constitution since 1932 and Wissanu’s elaboration was sufficient to justify the rejection of the bill. In the ensuing vote, the members of parliament voted one for and 431 against the bill, with 28 abstentions, showing a strong reversal of opinion compared to its previous votes on the bill. [iLaw 2, in Thai]
It is worth noting that Parliament could have still passed the amendment, provided it found a majority of two thirds across both houses. The prime minister could then have gone ahead to enact the law against the monarch’s disapproval. [iLaw 1, in Thai] [Prachathai]
Thailand: Political parties prepare for general election
(fj) As political parties across the political spectrum are stepping up their preparations in anticipation of the upcoming general election, Sudarat Keyuraphan has been chosen as the leader of the Thai Sang Thai Party and declared her readiness to run as the party’s candidate for the post of Prime Minister. At the party’s general assembly that saw her election as new head, she stressed her determination to see Thailand’s 2017 constitution revised by elected representatives. [Bangkok Post 1]
Sudarat was a founding member of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai party in 1998 and ran as the prime ministerial candidate for the opposition Pheu Thai Party in the 2019 election. Adding weight to her ambitions are poll results collected on the voters of Thailand’s Northeastern region, which show her to be the most popular choice for the post of Prime Minister among local residents. With its large rural population, the region is an important factor in the general election. [Bangkok Post 2]
The leader of the opposition Move Forward Party (MFP), Pita Limjaroenrat, has also confirmed his ambition as his party’s prime ministerial candidate. As the head of MFP, the de-facto successor to the defunct Future Forward Party, Pita stands for a social-democratic program including the goal to decrease the role of the military in Thai politics. [Bangkok Post 1]
The recently established Sang Anakhot Thai Party has officially confirmed former Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak as its chairman but has so far refrained from nominating him as PM candidate. With its profile built around economic expertise, other members of the party include former Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana, as well as former Deputy Prime Minister Pongpol Adireksarn. [Bangkok Post 3]
The main opposition Pheu Thai Party is yet to confirm its prime ministerial candidate. While Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin, placed second in the above cited poll of the Northeastern region, it remains an open question whether she will run as the biggest opposition party’s PM candidate. [Bangkok Post 4]
The Pheu Chart Party, also part of the opposition, has elected Pawitsarat Tiyapairat as its new party leader. Pawitsarat is the daughter of erstwhile House Speaker and former Thai Rak Thai party member Yongyuth Tiyapairat. She has a background in law and is a member of the Thai Bar as well as the president of Chiang Rai United soccer club. Upon her election as party leader, Pawitsarat stressed that the party will run for a more equal society with more public participation. [Thai PBS World]
While no date has been fixed for the general election, expectations are centering around the first half of 2023, with the caveat that an earlier election remains a possibility should the government decide to dissolve parliament. In fact, according to a poll conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration, the majority of respondents would like to see acting Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan call for early elections. [Reuters]
Thailand: Joint sitting of Parliament rejects bid to strip Senate of powers to vote for prime minister
(fj) A joint sitting of Thailand’s Parliament on September 7 rejected a charter amendment bill that sought to abolish the Senate’s involvement in the election of the prime minister - the most recent attempt in a series of unsuccessful bids. [Bangkok Post]
As per the 2017 Constitution, the 250-member Senate, picked by the military that seized power in the 2014 coup, has the power to select the prime minister together with Parliament’s lower house for the first five years following post-coup elections in 2019. Brought forth by the Seri Ruam Thai party of the opposition, the failure of the bill does not come as a surprise as it would have required the backing of more than half of the votes from the combined 750-seat National Assembly, including more than a third of Senate votes. [Bloomberg]
In light of the amendment being highly unlikely to succeed from the outset, its proposal is best understood as a way of bringing attention to the limitations that Thailand’s 2017 Constitution places on democratic participation. Keeping questions of political legitimacy on the agenda has a clear strategic value for the opposition as it is a point on which it can keep pressuring the government. [The Diplomat]
Just hours after the bill had been voted down, the opposition Move Forward Party declared its intention to keep pursuing the matter of the Senate’s voting rights, by launching a campaign to collect 50,000 signatures in a bid to launch a referendum on the drafting of a new Constitution. [Prachathai]
Thailand: Budget for rice price guarantee approved
(fj) A budget of USD 4.1 billion has been approved by the National Rice Policy and Management Committee to finance a rice price guarantee that, according to Thailand’s Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, will benefit 4.64 million households across the nation. [Bangkok Post]
With a guarantee of a minimum price as well as other measures that are aimed at encouraging a slower release of the harvest to avoid flooding the market and depressing prices, the declared intention of the scheme is to insulate farmers against market fluctuations and to protect them from having to sell their crops at a loss.
Observers, including an expert working with the National Institute of Development Administration, have questioned the economic necessity and soundness of the price guarantee. Given such criticism, as well as the large number of beneficiaries, gaining of voters’ sympathies has been suggested as an ulterior motive [see AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1].
Thailand: Lawmakers push two bills on same-sex union before end of parliamentary session
(td/lm) A drafting committee of Thailand’s Parliament aims to put two different bills on same-sex unions to the second and third readings before the end of the current session of Parliament on September 18. Both bills passed their first reading in June and will be passed on to Parliament’s upper house, the Senate, for final deliberations if the Lower House approves them. [Prachatai English 1]
On June 15, Thailand’s Parliament approved four different bills which later were consolidated into two opposing proposals - in favor of same-sex marriages or civil partnerships - for lawmakers to vote.
The government’s favored option is civil partnerships, which members of the ruling coalition argue would be more acceptable to religious leaders. But, several opposition members, most notably of the Move Forward Party, argue that the government’s Civil Partnership Bill creating a distinct legal category for same-sex unions is on par with treating LGBTQ couples as second-class citizens [see AiR, No. 24, June/2022, 2]. They, in contrast, have fully stood for the Marriage Equality Bill which is resolute to make some amendments to the existing laws on marriage. In essence of the bill, apart from equal deserved rights, it aims for the modification of legal terminologies in a way that homosexual couples are by no means segregated from heterosexual couples, such as “spouse” in place of “husband” and “wife”, to remove gender identity bias.
The calls for marriage equality have up to date led to objections from a host of conservative lawmakers – not to mention religious groups – as evident by their reported attempts to derail the further passages of the Marriage Equality Bill in question. Nonetheless, the Rainbow Coalition for Marriage Equality has recently filed a petition to the Parliament, received by a group of opposition MPs, to call for the legalization of LGBTQ marriage in line with international obligations, given that Thailand is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) – let alone Section 27 of the Constitution stipulating that all people receive equal rights and legal protections. [AiR, No. 31, August/2022, 1] [Prachatai English 2]
International Relations, Geopolitics and Security in Asia
In a bid to counter G7 price cap proposal, Russia offers discounted oil to India
(vv/lm) Against the larger backdrop of a recent push by G7 leaders to implement a cap on the price of Russian oil in order to drive down Moscow’s fossil fuel revenues, Russia has informed India that it is willing to provide petroleum at an even lower rate than before, the Business Standard reported. [Business Standard] [Financial Times]
Observers agree that the success of the scheme hinges on the readiness of big importers of Russian oil, including India and China, to go along with the scheme. But so far, neither country has indicated a willingness to participate. Instead, the share of Russian crude oil, which was less than 1 percent of India’s crude oil import volume,prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, rose to 8 percent in April, 14 percent in May and 18 percent in June, according to official data. India depends on imports to meet 85 percent of its petroleum needs.
Speaking against this backdrop, India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on September 8 that purchasing oil from Russia was a part of India’s mechanism to combat inflation and manage the economy, and that all countries were doing something similar. She also praised Prime Minister Modi’s “statesmanship”, stating that he must be given credit for balancing trade and other diplomatic ties with various countries across the world. [The Strait Times]
UN secretary-general visits flood-hit Pakistan, asks for ‘massive’ foreign help
(fm/tj) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on September 9 the world owes Pakistan “massive” help in recovering from unprecedented floods because the country bears less blame than many other nations for climate change, which experts say contributed to the deluge. On September 10, the UN chief visited the flood-affected areas in the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan. [The News 1] [The News 2]
Months of heavy monsoon rains and flooding have killed nearly 1,400 people and affected another 3.3 million. Another 33 million people have been displaced, and the country is now facing the spread of waterborne diseases and other health challenges in the affected regions [see AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1]. According to UNICEF, more than 3 million children are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. [UNICEF]
The devastating floods have also caused significant damage to Mohenjo Daro, a famous 4,500-year-old archaeological site in the southeastern Sindh province which UNESCO has declared a World Heritage site. [Al Jazeera]
Guterres’ trip comes less than two weeks after he appealed for USD 160 million in emergency funding to help those affected by the monsoon rains and floods that Islamabad says have caused at least USD 10 billion in damages.
Financial advisory group in talks with China, India, Japan on Sri Lanka debt
(kh/lm) A financial advisory group hired by Sri Lanka in May, Lazard, has started talks with India, China and Japan on restructuring the South Asian island nation’s debt, for which estimates range from USD 85 billion to well over USD 100 billion.
This development comes after the International Monetary Funds (IMF) announced earlier this month it had reached a preliminary agreement with Sri Lanka for a 48-months USD 2.9 billion loan to help the crisis-hit island nation restore economic stability. Notably, the IMF made clear that the loan will only be disbursed after satisfactory debt restructuring, including debt relief arrangements with regional heavyweights China, Japan and India, among others, have been struck [see AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1]. The three countries hold about USD 13 billion of Sri Lanka's debt.
Continually, Japan has expressed willingness to assist Sri Lanka as it has asked Beijing and New Delhi to hold a conference along with other banks and private institutions that provided debt to Sri Lanka. But neither Beijing nor New Delhi has responded to Tokyo’s request yet. [Reuters 1]
The United States, meanwhile, announced it will support the restructuring of Sri Lanka’s debt and extend financing assurances to the crisis-hit island nation. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in a letter seen by Reuters also said Washington will engage with other US government agencies, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. [Reuters 2]
In related developments, visiting USAID Administrator Samantha Power on September 11 urged the Sri Lankan government to tackle corruption and introduce governance reforms in order to increase international investor confidence. During her two-day visit to Sri Lanka, Power announced a total of USD 60 million in aid to Colombo. [Voice of America] [ThePrint]
Sri Lanka’s central bank has reported that the country’s foreign exchange reserves have decreased from USD 1,817 million in July to USD 1,716 million in August 2022. [Economy Next]
IPEF meeting to secure regional supply chains
(sra) The Ministerial Meeting of the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) in Los Angeles on September 8 brought the 14 member states to an agreement to enhance supply chains in the region. Over the two days of conferences, the IPEF discussed a shared concern for economic disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese tensions with Taiwan and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine [see AiR No. 35, August/2022, 5].
The negotiations focused on economic growth and investment measures in the Indo-Pacific region, accounting for 40 percent of global GDP. The IPEF initiative announced a digital skills training program targeting women provided by 14 US tech companies, with the goal to provide over seven million women with access to the program by 2032. Countries interested in sustainable and inclusive economic growth such as Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam will take part in an upskilling initiative too.
Further negotiations between member state officials will be released in a post-meeting statement. [Kyodo News]
Seoul Defense Dialogue held
(my) South Korea held the Seoul Defense Dialogue from September 6 to 8 with national security officials from 54 countries and experts from the UN, EU, and NATO discussing cooperation to address international security threats.
The conference discussed ways to advance Asia-Pacific multilateral security cooperation and bring about peace on the Korean peninsula. Officials from the NATO called for joint efforts of participating countries against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats. [Korea.net]
Ahead of the convention, experts from the NATO arranged meetings with officials from South Korea, and discussed cyber defense, climate change, and potential security issues posed by advanced technology and CBRN risks. [NATO]
Japan, South Korea and US vow to strengthen ties over North Korea's nuke threat
(my/sra) US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim met his counterparts Kim Gunn and Funakoshi Takehiro in Tokyo on September 7. The three sides pledged to continue security cooperation amid concerns that North Korea has prepared for its 7th nuclear test.
The delegates underlined the three countries’ joint efforts to persuade Pyongyang to denuclearize. Takehiro stated that they were prepared for potential threats including a nuclear test. Kim Gunn added that the three participants discussed specific countermeasures which would be “different from the past.” [Chosun Ilbo, in Korean] [The Business Standard] [The Epoch Times]
The meeting came after a trilateral gathering of the national security advisers from the three countries in Hawaii on September 1 [see also AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1].
Meanwhile, North Korea passed legislation outlining its nuclear weapons operation strategy on September 8, declaring it would not give up its nuclear weapons.
Prior to the trilateral meeting, the three countries agreed to maintain open communication with North Korea, asserting that Pyongyang is welcome to take part in negotiations. Although the aim for full denuclearization of the region will not be altered. [Reuters] The countries also added their concerns that Pyongyang may sell artillery shells and rockets to Russia.
In a separate meeting on September 7, Japan’s senior deputy minister for defense and South Korea’s counterpart held a meeting in Seoul, agreeing to boost bilateral relations regarding previous territorial disputes. The two also discussed the need to improve trilateral cooperation between them and the US. [Kyodo News]
Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia conduct joint military exercise
(dql) Laos’ defense ministry hosted on September 10 a joint search and rescue exercise in Vientiane, together with the Vietnamese and the Cambodian defense ministries. the capital city of Laos, on September 10, involving 500 military officers from the three countries and focusing on search and rescue in areas hit by floods and landslides, as well as by collapsed buildings and toxic chemicals.
It is the first drill carried out under an agreement that was concluded by the three countries in Hanoi in 2019 and will run through September 15. [Vietnam Plus]
China praises Russia's resilience against Western sanctions
(yv/dql) Li Zhanshu, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, arrived in Vladivostok on September 7 to attend the Eastern Economic Forum. On the sidelines of the event, which is held yearly in the city in Russia's Far East to promote foreign investment in the region, China’s top lawmaker and formally No. 3 official, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sending a message of close Sino-Russian ties, Li emphasized during their meeting that the “political trust, strategic coordination and pragmatic cooperation between the two countries have reached new heights.” In a speech at the forum's plenary session, he reiterated Beijing's opposition to supply chain disruption and unilateral sanctions session, praising Russia’s resilience against the “harsh sanctions from the United States and the West.” He added that Sino-Russian energy cooperation will be “long-lasting and full of possibilities.”
Furthermore, state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation and Russian natural gas giant Gazprom signed a contract under which both sides agreed to pay for gas shipments to China in rubles and yuan at the forum.
Additionally, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin are set to meet in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit scheduled for September 15-16. It would be Xi’s first trip abroad since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and come amid major challenges to China including Russia’s confrontation with the West over Ukraine, the tensions over Taiwan and a global economy that is falling beyond expectations. [South China Morning Post] [BBC] [Reuters]
China’s and Australia’s leaders ready for a meeting
(yv) In comments that could aid in further thawing relations, Chinese Ambassador Xiao Qian to Australia indicated that the leaders of the two nations might meet without “preconditions.”
After a “promising start” with the recently elected new Australian government of Anthony Albanese, Xiao stated that “there is an opportunity for a possible reset of the relationship” between China and Australia. Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have both visited their Chinese counterparts since Labor’s victory in the May general election, improving relations that had deteriorated throughout the past years.
Although the Albanese government claims that its support for Australia’s national interests has not changed after the May election, it has adopted a more conciliatory tone toward China. China was prepared to resolve Sino-Australian trade problems through the World Trade Organization, according to Xiao in August. [The Guardian]
China urged Germany to embrace an economy of reason and practicality
(yv) In response to claims that Berlin is looking into way to reduce its trade with its biggest trading partner China, the Chinese government has urged Berlin to adopt “a rational and practical policy toward China”, warning of “shooting itself in the foot.”
To lessen its dependence on Asia's economic juggernaut, Germany is reportedly thinking about methods to make commerce with China less attractive, including “cut[ting] or scrap[ping] investment and export guarantees for China” and halting promotion of trade fairs and manager training in China. [AA]
U.N. ambassador to China Xinjiang report "locked door of collaboration"
(yv) China’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva has announced that China would not collaborate with the U.N. human rights office anymore.
The statement came in response to the publication of a long-awaited report on alleged violations of human rights in the Xinjiang region of China’s far west of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. The report asserts that severe human rights breaches have been committed in China and claims that the incarceration of Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang may amount to crimes against humanity.
The Chinese foreign ministry called the report “completely illegitimate and void,” adding that it “proves once again that the OHCHR [Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights] has become a thug and accomplice of the U.S. and the West." [Reuters]
US bans "high tech" companies from establishing operations in China
(yv) The Biden administration has announced plans to promote local semiconductor production while prohibiting US technology companies that receive government assistance from constructing “advanced technology facilities” in China for ten years.
The move comes after the US Congress in August had passed the US Chips and Science Act (Chips) that authorizes USD 53 billion to increase the production of semiconductor, as part of the US reaction to a protracted technology conflict between Washington and Beijing. [The Guardian]
China and Israel set to conclude free trade agreement
(yv) China and Israel may clinch a historic trade agreement this year after ongoing negotiations since 2016.
According to an Israeli official, the two countries intend to conclude a free-trade agreement by the end of 2022, marking a significant development that would give Beijing its first accord in the Middle East where it has sought stronger economic ties over the past twenty years.
So far, China has concluded comprehensive strategic partnerships with Iran and Saudi Arabia. It is currently working on a trade pact with the Gulf Cooperation Council. [South China Morning Post]
Angola’s president expected to reduce the nation's reliance on China
(yv) Angolan President Joao Lourenco is believed to continue diversifying the economy away from oil and lessen its reliance on China after his victory in the August general election was confirmed by the Angolan Constitutional Court on September 5.
The National Union for the Total Liberation of Angola (Unita), the largest opposition party, had asked the court to declare the results of the general election on August 24 invalid because claiming election irregularities. The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the party in power under Lourenco, obtained 51 percent of the votes while Unita received 44 percent.
Under Lourenco’s predecessor José Eduardo dos Santos, who had led the MPLA for 38 years, Angola eventually became Africa’s biggest investment destination for Chinese lenders pouring USD 42.6 billion into the country which is more than a quarter of China’s total lending to African countries between 2000 and 2020. Angola, is the continent’s second-largest oil producer, with most of its exports going to China, partly to pay down Chinese debts.
Already during his first term Lourenco said that Angola’s economic diversification was “a matter of life or death”, admitting “kinds of credit lines had a condition that the debt would be switched out with oil as collateral,” and declaring that “we are discontinuing such a practice … advised by the IMF and the World Bank.” [South China Morning Post]
India, China troops disengage from friction point in disputed western Himalayan area
(vv) India and China have troops have begun to disengage from the Gogra-Hot Springs area in the disputed Himalayan border region, indicating that the two nuclear-armed neighbors might be moving toward de-escalation as talks between senior military officials following deadly clashes in June 2020 continue. [Al Jazeera] [The Guardian]
The withdrawal was according to a consensus reached in July during the 16th and most recent round of bilateral talks between top commanders in July. It marks the fourth and latest major act of disengagement since August 2021, when troops “ceased forward deployments” and dismantled infrastructure in another area also near Gogra [see AiR No. 32, August/2021, 2].
The disengagement comes prior to next week’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan, which both Indian Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are attending. No confirmation has been made on whether the two leaders will have bilateral talks, making it an interesting watch on the future of India-China. Beijing and New Delhi haven’t engaged in talks since their last meeting in the BRICS Summit Brasilia in 2019, following the military standoff in the disputed region of Eastern Ladakh in India in April 2020. [The New York Times]
India and China Army officials have stated jointly that the disengagement is happening conducive to peace and tranquility in the border region, conducting the same in a coordinated and planned way to ensure no border skirmishes. While the disengagement happens, both countries still have thousands of soldiers lined up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which has seen standoffs between India and China troops in the past. Army officials, however, claim that the coordinated disengagement is the first step to a calmer LAC in the future, making progress in understanding the potential to attempt peaceful ties between Beijing and New Delhi.
India, Japan agree to strengthen military ties, technology cooperation
(sra/vv/lm) The defense and foreign affairs ministers of Japan and India met for meetings in the so-called ‘two-plus-two” format in Tokyo on September 8. The four ministers agreed to expand military cooperation by holding more joint exercises and pursuing combined development of defense equipment such as unmanned vehicles amid growing tensions with China Russia in the region. The two countries also agreed to conduct their first joint fighter jet drill at an early date. [Associated Press News]
The meetings also paved the way for a summit between the prime ministers of the two countries in late September. Narendra Modi and Fumio Kishida are set to meet on the sidelines of Modi’s visit to Tokyo for the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. [Kyodo News]
Notably, the talks were held on the heels of the Russia-led “Vostok-2022” military exercise, which involved about a dozen countries, including India and China. Tokyo protested to Moscow about the exercise, which included drills on Russian-held islands which Japan also claims [see AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1]; India’s decision to participate raised eyebrows in the United States, given that the exercise came in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This week, then, Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force launched weeklong drills with the Indian Navy in the area stretching from the Andaman Sea to the strategically important Bay of Bengal. The ongoing training includes exercises against submarine, aerial attacks and shooting drills. [The Japan Times]
Indonesia-Singapore: President Jokowi ratifies agreement on air space boundaries
(ai) The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, had signed a presidential regulation to ratify the flight information region (FIR agreement) with Singapore. According to the agreement, the boundary between Singapore and Jakarta FIRs will be under Indonesia’s territorial boundaries.
The FIR is of three bilateral agreements between Indonesia and Singapore, signed during the meetings in January between Lee Hsien, Prime Minister of Singapore and Joko Widodo. According to international agreements, the Singapore FIR has controlled the airspace since 1946 up to the Riau and Natuna islands. Nevertheless, Indonesia is looking for a realignment of the air space border, resulting in the FIR agreements of January 2022. The other two agreements pertain to extradition and cooperation in defense and military training. [The Straits Times]
Indonesia-Philippines: Manila asks to pardon Filipino sentenced to death
(ai) The President of the Philippines, Marcos Jr, has asked the Indonesian government to spare the life of a compatriot, Mary Jane Veloso.
Miss Veloso was arrested in 2010 for bringing 2.6 kg of heroin into Indonesian territory where she was arrested and punished with a death sentence. The execution was halted in 2015 when a woman suspected of being Veloso's mastermind was arrested in the Philippines supporting claims that Veloso herself was a victim of trafficking.
Diplomatic consultation in the case went bad for Veloso after Rodrigo Duterte became the Philippines’ President in 2016. Duterte who started a bloody “war on drugs” in his own country, said Indonesia could execute Veloso.
Last Sunday, however, Philippine foreign minister Enrique Manalo asked his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi for executive clemency for Veloso who agreed to consult with the justice minister for a possible solution. [TheJakartaPost][rthk.hk]
Indonesia-Philippines: Marcos chooses Jakarta for first overseas trip as President
(ai) Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr will meet President Joko Widodo on Monday to discuss. Inter alia, especially security matters with a focus also on terrorism.
This journey is Marcos Jr's first overseas trip as president. During his visit, which is expected to last three days, Marcos Jr and Joko Widodo will also discuss the expired 1997 pact on defense, cooperation exercises, and border defense.
Another essential issue will concern investments, especially in the agricultural and energy sector. Joko Widodo, aka Jokowi, said that collaboration between two countries is essential, which is also demonstrated by the 50% increase in trade between the two countries compared to last year. [TheJakartaPost] [arabnews] [U.S.News]
Japan and South Korea hold first high-level defense talks in six years
(my) South Korean Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul and his Japanese counterpart Masami Oka held talks on September 7. The meeting, which was on the sidelines of the Seoul Defense Dialogue that was held from September 6 to 8, is the first vice defense minister-level meeting between the two countries in six years.
Discussed issues includes the two countries’ ongoing dispute regarding the incident in the East Sea/Sea of Japan in December 2018, in which Japan claims a South Korean warship targeted the fire-control radar on its patrol plane while South Korea claims the Japanese patrol aircraft had conducted a low-altitude flyby over its warship. [Nikkei]
Shin stated that the two sides shared perspectives on the importance of trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the US, and Japan to respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. He added that the two countries vowed to continue related cooperation. [Yonhap News Agency]
Japan, UK alliance in missile production
(sra) Shifting away from the constraints of the Japanese constitution and toward military expansion within the fiscal 2023 request, the Japanese Ministry of Defense is aiming to invest USD 2.1 million toward a program with the UK to develop a Joint New Air-to-Air Missile (JNAAM), of which an extra USD 10 billion has been requested to follow through with the next-generation fighter program [see also AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1].
As Tokyo’s first defense project outside of its alliance with the US, the JNAAM program will combine the beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile technologies of the UK and Japanese advanced radio frequency seeker technologies. The program will also facilitate the development of jet engines and sensors for new fighter jets. This will increase defense-related exports from Japan, providing a benefit to the predominantly domestic industry, as it will enhance the manufacturing capacity to provide arms for countries in Europe and Southeast Asian nations, including Australia.
The program for the development of the fighter jets is to be deployed by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in 2035. The discussions between Japan and UK have been ongoing since June 2021, when ships from the Japan Maritime SDF sailed to Britain to participate in training drills. There were also talks aiming to include Italy in the multilateral alliance to come in 2023. [Nikkei Asia]
The cooperation between Japan and the UK will strengthen the security alliance, in an effort to counter Chinese military threats in the region and are likely to progress under the rule of the new British Prime Minister Liz Truss. Bilateral agreements such as the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement of 2020 and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2021 have drawn the nations closer. [The Diplomat]
Laos and South Korea sign MoU on cultural cooperation
(dql) Laos’ Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and the Asian Cultural Centre of the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in the joint development of digital resources and capacity building in the field of culture.
Under the MoU South Korea will provide official development assistance worth close to USD 2.2 million for the project which is to run from 2022 to 2025. It seeks to promote mutual understanding of the countries’ cultures and will focus on modernizing the preservation of Lao culture in digital form. [The Star]
Mongolia invites North Korean leader Kim to state visit
(dql) Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh has reportedly issued an invitation to North Korea leader Kim Jong Un for a visit to the country “at a comfortable time,” to hold a “warm and friendly conversation.”
The reported invitation comes less than two weeks after South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin visited the country. During his stay he urged both sides to develop more robust bilateral relations.
Ulaanbaatar seeks to maintain a neutral position and uphold friendly relationship with both Pyongyang and Seoul. Mongolia is among the last remaining countries to run an embassy in Pyongyang, regularly sending congratulatory and other messages to Kim to mark auspicious events of North Korea. [NK News]
US bounty for Malaysian fugitive
(pe) The US has placed a bounty of USD 40,000 for any information leading to the arrest of the former Malaysian military contractor known as 'Fat Leonard'. He is wanted for violating the conditions of his pretrial release.
‘Fat Leonard’ is being tried for allegedly bribing naval officials. He triggered an investigation that placed 60 admirals and 550 other US navy officers under scrutiny for accepting bribes. Over 30 navy officers and contractors have been convicted or pleaded guilty to corruption as a result.
He has reportedly cut off his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet and disappeared, prompting a high-profile manhunt. He reportedly pleaded guilty in 2015 to charges he provided US Navy officers with cash, gifts and sex workers in exchange for classified information on the ships. [The Guardian] [Malay Mail]
Malaysia, Cambodia discuss counter-trafficking cooperation
(pe) Cambodia and Malaysia have highlighted mutual concerns around human trafficking and online scamming operations.
The two countries have touched on cooperation on efforts to fight human trafficking, and both have thanked the other for their ongoing collaborations in this space. Recently, as many as 148 Malaysian victims have been reported and 118 have been rescued in Cambodia. Most of these victims were lured by falsified job adverts. These rescue efforts have been attributed to the work conducted between law enforcement in the two nations. Additionally, Malaysian citizens have been advised to be aware of ‘too good to be true’ job offers abroad and to make contact with the Malaysian Embassy in the country concerned if they face any issues. [AP News] [Phnom Penh Post]
China’s top lawmaker visits Mongolia
(dql) Li Zhanshu, chairman of China’s National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee and formally China’s third highest state official, visited Mongolia to hold talks his Mongolian counterpart, Chairman of Mongolia’s State Great Hural (Parliament) Gombojav Zandanshatar, President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene.
During the meetings both sides agreed to continue to deepen their countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership and to “strengthen coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs, and push forward multilateral and bilateral win-win cooperation.” [China.org]
Meanwhile, Mongolia has launched the Tavan Tolgoi railway, a more than 230-kilometer cross border rail line that is expected to raise coal exports to China from 30 million to 50 million tons per year. With the change from truck to train, coal transportation costs will also be reduced from USD 32 per ton to USD 8 per ton.
Located in southern Mongolia, Tavan Tolgoi is one of the world’s largest untapped coking and thermal coal deposits, with an estimated resource of 6.4 billion tons. 25 percent is believed to be high quality coking coal which is essential for steel-making. [South China Morning Post]
Mongolia and Russia in talks over major infrastructure project
(dql) Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed that Russia and Mongolia are in talks about a new infrastructure project to deliver gas to China via Mongolia.
Putin made this statement during a televised meeting with Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene who attended the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
Russia’s Gazprom has proposed a plan for a new gas pipeline – the Power of Siberia 2 – that runs through Mongolia to China and would be capable of delivering 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, which is only slightly less than the Nord Stream 1 pipeline which carries Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
Launched in late 2019, the current Power of Siberia pipeline linking Russia to China has an annual capacity of 61 bcm and is believed to turn into a major revenue source for Moscow over the coming years in the wake of Europe’s decision to throw off its reliance on Russian gas. [Hellenic Shipping News]
Mongolia’s and Serbia’s foreign ministries hold second political consultation
(dql) The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia and Serbia held their second political consultation between on September 7 in Belgrade.
At the meeting, both sides reached agreement on expanding bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment, agriculture, transportation, logistics, health, education, tourism, and culture. They discussed ways to effectively implement the agreement on trade and economic cooperation and decided to sign an agreement on international road transport cooperation.
The meeting saw also the signing of an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the education sector. [Montsame]
Mongolian and Indian Defense Ministers meet
(dql) Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh visited Mongolia from on September 5-7 to meet his Mongolian counterpart G. Saikhanbayar and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh for bilateral talks.
In the talks, both sides agreed to cooperate to elevate relations and cooperation in the defense sector to a new level. [Montsame]
Thailand, Mongolia sign agreement to set up joint trade committee
(td) Thailand and Mongolia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a joint trade committee (JTC) with a view to expand bilateral trade and investments to USD 100 million and USD 1.5 billion respectively by 2027. The move also coincides with the commemoration of the 48th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 2022 – marking a milestone. [National News Bureau of Thailand]
The MoU is based on a five-year work plan for cooperation (2022-2027) between Mongolia and Thailand, which focuses on broad cooperation, ranging from trade, investment, tourism, culture, agriculture to academic cooperation. Meanwhile, with regards to the JTC, several representatives from the public and private sectors of both parties, as agreed, will be formed as the committee members to convene a meeting every two years. Furthermore, the landmark MoU is effective only for five years, but shall be automatically renewed for another five years unless a letter of cancellation is issued by either of Mongolian or Thai sides. [Bangkok Post]
Overall, to streamline two-way trade and spur investment, Thailand is set to come to terms with Mongolia over further agreements on investment protection and exemption of redundant taxes. As the trade values between them amounted to USD 53.9 million last year, with an average of 55.64 during 2017-2021, Thailand has pinned her hope on capitalizing on such a strong economic relations with Mongolia, serving as the gateway, to gain an access to the markets of several countries in the Central Asia region, most of whom are former republics of the Soviet Union. Moreover, more direct flights from Mongolia to Thailand is a topic of discussion to boost tourism, and Thailand pledges to be a key partner in terms of food production to help Mongolia cope with food security. [Bangkokbiznews, in Thai]
Myanmar military government leader and Russian president meet for first time
(jp) After Myanmar's military chief and coup leader Min Aung Hlaing visited Russia twice since the coup (Feb. 2021), Russian President Vladimir Putin met him at the Moscow-organized Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, Russia's most eastern city for the first time.
At this event, Min Aung Hlaing and the director general of Russia's state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, signed a roadmap for future atomic energy cooperation, including the potential implementation of a modular reactor project in Myanmar. [Irrawaddy]
Myanmar announced plans to import Russian fuel oil in August to help alleviate a supply shortage. During their first meeting, Min Aung Hlaing told Putin that Myanmar was ready to pay for imports in Russian ruble. And for the past decade and until now, Russia has primarily provided military assistance to the Myanmar military in arms and other air force weapons.
The Myanmar regime has refused to implement a regional plan to end the violence and international sanctions; it has become increasingly isolated and seeks to strengthen ties with long-term allies such as Russia. [Aljazeera]
Russia to purchase weapons from North Korea
(my) Russia reached out to North Korea to purchase weapons, according to the US Department of Defense. Sanctions imposed on Russia as a consequence of the war in Ukraine caused “severe supply shortage”, and Russia reportedly requested rockets and artillery shells from the North. [BBC] [Yonhap News Agency, in Korean] Since 2006, the UN Security Council has imposed three sanctions on North Korea’s imports and exports of weapons, including small arms, armored vehicles, and tanks.
North Korea has been enhancing its bilateral relations with Russia in response to the South Korea-US cooperation that has been extending since South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol’s inauguration [see also AiR No. 33, August/2022, 3].
US State Department greenlights possible sale of F-16 equipment to Pakistan, raises concerns in India
(tj) The US Department of State has greenlighted the potential sale of F-16 aircraft sustainment and related equipment to Pakistan in a deal valued up to USD 450 million, Reuters reported. [Reuters]
Against this backdrop, Indian officials raised strong objections against the possible sale during meetings with a US delegation led by the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu. Lu told the Indian officials that the package was a maintenance deal for F-16s, some of which are 40 years old and part of Wasington’s global policy of maintaining its defense sales for their entire lifecycle. [The Hindu]
The US delegation visited New Delhi last week for talks that sought to discuss ways in which the two countries can deepen bilateral cooperation. [U.S. Department of State]
Philippines-Singapore: President Marcos Jr. state visit
(jd) Philippines’ President Marcos Jr. visited Singapore from September 6 to 7 for a state visit intended to bolster bilateral relations and cooperation in several areas between the two countries, including trade and investment, counterterrorism, healthcare, and digital cooperation.
The trip follows his first state visit to Indonesia where he and Indonesian President Joko Widodo signed cooperation agreements on defense, trade, cultural and people-to-people exchanges and creative economy. [see this AiR and AiR No. 36, September /2022, 1]
While in Singapore, Marcos met with Singapore President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to sign five deals. These include an arrangement between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Singapore Armed Forces on assigning a team to the regional Counter-Terrorism Information Facility in Singapore; a MOU on Digital Cooperation between the Department of Information and Communications Technology of the Philippines and the Ministry of Communications and Information of Singapore; a MOU for collaboration on the development of New Clark City; a renewed MOU on Cooperation in Personal Data Protection and a renewal of a MOU on Water Collaboration.
Among other topics discussed appeared the ASEAN’s position in the South China Sea and its role in keeping peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the region in accordance with international law.
The Philippines and Singapore also agreed to continue enhancing bilateral cooperation and emerge from Covid-19 stronger together. [Philstar] [Rappler]
Singapore, Vietnam commit to deepening ties in digital and green economy
(pe) Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh have met to discuss ongoing cooperation in technology and green economies.
The two also discussed the importance of Asean centrality and a multilateral approach to promote peace in the region. The meetings took place as part of Singapore’s official visit to Ho Chi Minh city. The Singapore-Vietnam Strategic Partnership marks its 10th anniversary next year, and the two parties expressed their gratitude for the relationship, committing to collaboration for a further fifty years.
DPM Heng also met Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Economic Affairs Le Minh Khai, they discussed greater cooperation in economy-boosting activities and innovations. [New Straits Times]
South Korea and US to resume deterrence talks
(my) South Korea and the US will hold a high-level deterrence discussion on September 16. The Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group, a meeting of vice-ministerial defense and diplomatic officials from the two countries to discuss the viability of the extended deterrence, has not been held since January 2018 after the former President Moon Jae-in’s inauguration who sought for a more conciliatory approach towards North Korea to facilitate inter-Korean dialogue. US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol during the summit in May decided to restart the meeting, according to the US Department of State.
At the meeting, the two sides will discuss comprehensive measures to deter North Korea’s military threats, including measures to strengthen the effectiveness of extended deterrence. [Korea Policy Briefing, in Korean] [Yonhap News Agency]
South Korea and US to open an engagement channel on electric vehicles tax
(my) South Korean trade minister Ahn Deok-geun met with Katherine Tai, US Trade Representative, in Washington D.C., US on September 7. According to Ahn, a working-level channel will be established to discuss ways to resolve concerns over the US’s newly signed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The IRA ratified in July provides purchasers of electric vehicles assembled in North America with a government tax credit of up to USD 7.5 thousand. South Korean manufacturers will not be eligible for the incentive until they open factories in North America, therefore the South Korean government and automakers have expressed concern over its implementation. South Korea claims that the IRA violates the Korea-US free trade agreement, which guarantees that Korean goods will be treated equally as local products [see AiR No. 34, August/2022, 4]. [Hankyoreh, in Korean] [Yonhap News Agency]
South Korean National Assembly Speaker visits Spain and Portugal
(my) Kim Jin-pyo, South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker visited Spain and Portugal from September 9 to 15 and discussed a range of issue in industrial cooperation while seeking support for Busan’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo.
Kim met with president of Spain’s Congress of Deputies Meritxell Batet Lamaña on September 12 and discussed joint efforts in the renewable energy field and digitized government policy. On the next day, meeting with Spanish President of the Senate Ander Gil García, he talked about potential cooperation in joint entry to a third country’s construction sector. They also agreed on strengthening cooperation between the two countries in defense industries.
On September 14, he met Portugal’s Assembly president Augusto Santos Silva and discussed the electric vehicles market and maritime industry cooperation. [KBS World]
His visit is in line with several goals South Korea is pursuing. South Korea has been bidding to hold the 2030 World Expo and asking for its visitors’ and hosts’ support. It also seeks other countries’ combined effort in order to minimize the impact of the US’s newly signed Inflation Reduction Act which it forecasts to have a negative influence on its carmakers [see AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1]. Since South Korea is expected to reach its record-breaking exports in the defense industry in 2022 [see also AiR No. 31, August/2022, 1], it seeks potential partners in this industry.
South Korea and Netherlands seek for cooperation in chips industry
(my) The Dutch ambassador to South Korea Joanne Doornewaard met with South Korea’s deputy trade minister Jeong Dae-jin on September 6. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties in the chips industry and other promising sectors including hydrogen and nuclear power.
Jeong requested Netherland’s active semiconductor investment in South Korea. Doornewaard urged more dialogues to deepen the multifarious cooperation between businesses, private institutions, and governments.
The Dutch chip equipment manufacturer ASML is embarking on a plan worth USD 175 million to build a semiconductor complex in South Korea. [Yonhap News Agency]
South Korea’s Unification Minister proposes discussions about separated families to North Korea
(my) Unification Minister Kwon Young-se on September 8 called for inter-Korean dialogues to fundamentally address the issue of separated families.
Kwon stated that “I look forward to holding talks between officials in charge from the South and North as soon as possible to discuss humanitarian issues, including the issue of separated families.”
As of August, the number of survivors of separated families in South Korea is approximately 43 thousand, mostly elderly people in their 80s or older. In August, Rep. Tae Young-ho of the ruling People Power Party proposed a bill to designate a day for separated families, asking for the two Koreas’ attention on the issue [see also AiR No. 34, August/2022, 4]. [Korea Herald] [Yonhap News Agency, in Korean]
US confirms arms sale to Taiwan will continue
(gö) The U.S has confirmed that it will not stop providing Taiwan with defensive weapons following protests from China over Taiwan’s latest procurement contract with the U.S which includes purchase of 4 MQ-9B SeaGuardian unmanned aerial vehicles [see AiR No. 36, September/2022, 1].
The U.S Department of State followed up on China’s objection and said that “the United States has been providing defensive capabilities to Taiwan for decades, which is in line with our longstanding commitments under not just the Taiwan Relations Act, but it’s also consistent with our ‘one China’ policy.”
As security issues are on the rise in the Indo-Pacific Taiwan aims for combat-readiness in case of Chinese military operations. The U.S Department of State made their stance clear and ensured “the U.S. will continue to meet Taiwan’s defense needs.” [Taiwan News] [Focus Taiwan]
Taiwan shoots at Chinese drone over Cao Yu island
(dql) Taiwan’s Army announced that it spotted a suspected Chinese drone entering the restricted waters around the southwestern Cao Yu Island. Taiwanese troops responded with jammer guns, live rounds shots, and signal flares fired toward the drone.
The past month has seen increased Chinese drone activity, prompting more aggressive action on the Taiwanese side, that included shooting a drone down in at least one instance.
Beijing has claimed that the drones were “civilian drones". [Taiwan News]
Tuvalu reaffirms allyship with Taiwan
(gö) Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen welcomed Tuvaluan Prime Minister Kausea Natano on September 5 in Taipei. Natano pledged Tuvalu’s loyalty to Taiwan and promised to “stand firm to remain a lasting and loyal ally”.
It was Natano’s first ever visit to the Island. He said that this visit was a “testament of our shared and genuine commitment to our longstanding friendship forged since 1979”.
During Natano’s weeklong visit he also received thanks from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for his promise of support at the United Nations Assembly, which will be held from September 21-23.
In 1979 Tuvalu established diplomatic relations with Taiwan and Natano stressed the foundation of both countries are based on the same principles such as democracy, trust, human rights and individual freedom. Ahead of their 43rd anniversary the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced both nations signed a joint communiqué to reaffirm bilateral relations.
The visit also involves two other agreements one concerning the cooperation between police and coast guards with Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior and the Ocean Affairs Council. According to the MOFA the other agreement involves a memorandum of understanding with the National Sun Yat-sen University based on education and maritime research. [Focus Taiwan] [Taiwan News]
Slovakian parliamentary committee supports Taiwan in International Civil Aviation Organization
(gö) A resolution backing Taiwan’s accession in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was passed by the European Affairs Committee of Slovakia’s parliament on September 8.
The resolution calls for Taiwan’s “meaningful” involvement in the ICAO and other related mechanisms. “Reconnecting the World” is the theme of the 41st ICAO and will be held at the end of September in Canada’s capital.
The resolution which was passed unanimously also reinforces the importance of Taiwanese participation and their contribution regarding the tech field. Back in May the European Affairs Committee passed a resolution backing Taiwanese accession in the World Health Assembly. [Taiwan News]
French Delegation in Taiwan meets with Taiwanese Vice President
(gö) France demonstrates its support for Taiwan after a French delegation led by Senators Cyril Pellevat, vice president of the European Affairs Committee, and Olivier Cadic, vice president of the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Armed Forces Committee arrived in Taipei.
Taiwan’s Vice President William Lai met with the delegation on September 8 and praised their disapproval of the Chinese military drills that started after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei. Lai stressed the importance of regional security in the Indo-Pacific and expressed hopes that the French government will keep the situation on their radar. Lai also called back on the fact that the French Senate unanimously backed Taiwan’s accession in international organizations.
This was the fourth visit from a French delegation to Taiwan since 2021. [Taiwan News]
Former Taiwanese Vice President visits the Vatican amidst rumors of meeting with China
(gö) Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reassured that Taiwan is in close contact with the Vatican following rumors of a potential meeting between China’s President Xi Jinping and the Vatican’s Pope Francis in Kazakhstan on September 14 during which the two leaders might discuss the establishment of formal ties between the Vatican and Beijing.
The Vatican is one of the 14 nations that maintain full diplomatic ties with the island.
Neither President Xi nor Pope Francis has confirmed any plans to meet each other, and both are visiting Kazakhstan for different reasons. Under Pope Francis ties to Beijing have been warming up and both sides have been working together since 2018 on the appointment of Chinese bishops.
Taiwan’s former Vice President Chen Chien-jen met with Pope Francis at the beatification of former pope John Paul on September 4. Chen served as President Tsai Ing-wen’s special envoy and was also appointed as an ordinary academician of the Political Academy of Sciences by Pope Francis. According to the MOFA, this showcases the “strong and stable” relationship Taiwan maintains with the Vatican. [Taipei Times]
US Ambassador-designate to Thailand assumes post, vows to take on human rights, Myanmar military
(td) Robert F. Godec was endorsed by the United States Senate on August 4 to become Washington’s new ambassador to Thailand, succeeding Michael DeSombre. His arrival marks a return to the tradition of posting a career foreign service officer to serve as head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in the Southeast Asian country. According to the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, he has served as Ambassador-designate since early September, pending the presentation of his credentials to acquire full status. [Bangkok Post] [Daily News, in Thai]
Prior to his appointment, he has held several key positions in the U.S. State Department – including two former ambassadorships to Tunisia (2006-2009) and Kenya (2013-2019), and he notably was once in charge of Thailand and Myanmar Affairs while working for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Also, it is worth noting that, in an address to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 13, he pledged to take note of the human rights situation in Thailand, and to urge Thailand to be independent of Myanmar to exert more pressure on the military-led government of Myanmar, given Thailand’s heavy reliance on oil and gas exports from its neighbor [see U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Thailand] [Radio Free Asia]
Announcements
Upcoming Online Events
15 September 2022 @ 6:30–7:15 p.m (GMT+5.30), Observer Research Foundation, India
France and India in the Indo-Pacific: An Essential Partnership in Challenging Times
This webinar looks deeper at the relationship between France and India as global partners working together to provide stability and strategic autonomy through multi-faceted operational collaborations that aim to defend an open and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.
For more details, go to [ORF].
15 September 2022 @ 8:00–9:00 p.m. (GMT-5), Peterson Institute for International Economics, USA
Will the New China-US Audit Deal Resolve a Decade Long Dispute?
Chinese and American authorities have been disagreeing over how US-listed Chinese companies should be audited ever since the late 2000s. Last month, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) announced an agreement with its Chinese counterparts at the Ministry of Finance and the China Securities Regulatory Commission to end the stalemate. Join the webinar for insights and discussions on the future of the economic relationships between China and the US.
For more details, visit [PIIE].
15 September 2022 @ 9:00–11:30 p.m (GMT-5), RAND Corporation, USA
The Impact of the War in Ukraine on the Indo-Pacific Region
This webinar will delve into the conflict in Ukraine from the Japanese and American perspectives as well as the potential impacts it has on international relations and order.
Go to [RAND] for more information.
16 September 2022 @ 1:00 a.m.–2:00 a.m (GMT-5), Center for Strategic & International Studies, USA
Forced Labor around the World
This seminar/webinar embarks on the important discussion about the new International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), and Walk Free Global Estimates of Modern Slavery report. Released every 4-5 years the report examines the global manifestations of modern slavery, its evolution through time, and what remains to be done to achieve the goal of ending forced labor, modern slavery, and human trafficking by 2030, and to end forced child labor by 2050.
Visit [CSIS] for further details.
16 September 2022 @ 9:00-19:15 a.m. (GMT+8), Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore
Kelantan under PAS Administration
The state of Kelantan has been ruled by the Islamic party Parti Islam Se Malaysia (PAS) from 1959-1977 and 1990 to the present. During this period, the government was in opposition and has created intrastate conflict and economic devastations. This webinar looks at the factors that have allowed PAS to maintain its political power in Kelantan.
More details available at [ISEAS].
16 September 2022 @ 1:30 p.m. (GMT+9), Asian Development Bank Institute, Japan
Responses to Food Insecurity in Sri Lanka and the Way Forward
In this webinar, expert speakers from the World Food Program, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Development Program, and Asian Development Bank voice their perspectives on the food security situation in Sri Lanka, looking at both short-term responses as well as potential long-term solutions.
For more details, go to [ADBI].
18 September 2022 @ 8:00 p.m.–5:00 a.m. (GMT-5), Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, USA
Ocean Nations: The 2nd Annual Indo-Pacific Islands Dialogue
Listen to key leaders from island nations, global scholars, and high-level security experts, as they discuss how nations handle security challenges, specifically, how they examine the impacts of issues such as climate change, maritime security, and the geopolitical landscape and infrastructure in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
For more information, visit [Carnegie Endowment].
Recent book releases
Vili Lehdonvirta, Cloud Empires: How Digital Platforms Are Overtaking the State and How We Can Regain Control, The MIT Press, 296 pages, to be published on September 27, 2022. For a review, see [LSE].
Dipo Faloyin, Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent, W. W. Norton & Company, 400 pages, published on September 6, 2022, reviewed in [The New York Times].
Max Fisher, The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World, Little, Brown and Company, 400 pages, published on September 6, 2022, with a review in [Kirkus].
Ayşe Zarakol, Before the West: The Rise and Fall of Eastern World Order, Cambridge University Press, 300 pages, published on March 3, 2022. For an interview with the author on her book, see [Youtube].
Sergei Guriev, and Daniel Treisman, Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century, Princeton University Press, 360 pages, published on April 5, 2022. A review is available at [Foreign Affairs].
Abby Seiff, Troubling the Water: A Dying Lake and a Vanishing World in Cambodia, Potomac Books, 162 pages, published on March 1, 2022. Visit [Asian Review of Books] to read a review.
Joseph Torigian, Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion: Elite Power Struggles in the Soviet Union and China after Stalin and Mao, Yale University Press, 312 pages, published on May 10, 2022, with a review in [New Books Network].
Shyam Saran, How China Sees India and the World, Juggernaut, 304 pages, published on May 30, 2022, reviewed in [The Tribune].
Calls for Papers
Publishing house De Gruyter invites proposals for a topical issue of Open Theology on “Political Theology and the State of Exception: Critical readings on the centenary of 'Political Theology' & 'Roman Catholicism and Political Form' by Carl Schmitt”. The closing date for proposal submission is January 31, 2023. For more information, visit [De Gruyter].
The Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) at the University of Oxford invites paper proposal for the RSC 2023 Conference on “Recognising Refugees,” to be held 20-21 March 2023 at Keble College, University of Oxford. The deadline for proposal submissions is October 31, 2022. Find more about the call at [RSC].
Jobs and positions
The Food and Agricultural Organization seeks a Agrifood Systems Coordination Specialist to be based in Zimbabwe. Core responsibility is to support the delivery of the Zimbabwe Country Programme Framework focusing on promoting inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems to address food security and nutrition. Applications are accepted until 23 September 2022. More information is provided at [FAO].
The Food and Agriculture Organization seeks a Human Resources Officer to be based in Italy. Core responsibility is to support the development of new policies, guidelines and administrative circulars, as well as reviews and updates of current policies. Applications are accepted until 30 September 2022. More information is provided at [FAO].
The Food and Agricultural Organization seeks a National Project Personnel - Procurement Logistics to be based in multiple locations. Core responsibility is to review, check, monitor and implement the procurement steps as per established check lists and Standard Operating Procedures. Applications are accepted until 30 September 2022. More information is provided at [FAO].
The Food and Agricultural Organization seeks a Senior Analyst - Design and Publications to be based in Yemen. Core responsibility is to review the design of the products, research and create new design concepts based on best standards for all FSNIS products. Applications are accepted until 23 September 2022. More information is provided at [FAO].
The Food and Agricultural Organization seeks an Environment and Natural Resources Coordination Specialist to be based in Zimbabwe. Core responsibility is to support the delivery of the Zimbabwe Country Programme Framework focusing on sustainable management of natural resources and environmental protection. Applications are accepted until 23 September 2022. More information is provided at [FAO].
The Food and Agricltural Organization seeks a Communication Specialist to be based in Ukraine. The Communications Assistant will perform the following duties in accordance with FAO’s corporate communications policies and practices. Applications are accepted until 23 September 2022. More information is provided at [FAO]
The Food and Agricultural Organization seeks a National Project Personnel - Human Resources Assistant to be based in Ukraine. The Human Resources Assistant interacts with a variety of colleagues within the work unit and with immediate clients, supporting the effective and efficient delivery of human resources services. Applications are accepted until 22 September 2022. More information is provided at [FAO].
The Food and Agricultural Organization seeks a Climate Resilient Agriculture Capacity Building Consultant to be based in the Palestinian territory. Core responsibility is to assist the international climate Resilient Agriculture expert in conducting an inventory, screening, evaluation, and synthesis of best CRA practices and appropriate tools and technologies. Applications are accepted until 22 September 2022. More information is provided at [FAO].
The Food and Agricultural Organization seeks a Gender Consultant to be based in the Palestinian territory. Core responsibility: Providing gender integration and mainstreaming support for the development of the program framework. Applications are accepted until 22 September 2022. More information is provided at [FAO].
The Food and Agricultural Organization seeks an Institutional and Good Governance Consultant to be based in the Palestinian territory. Core responsibility Review available and existing knowledge, baseline data, and research about climate change related to the Palestenian Context. Applications are accepted until 22 September 2022. More information is provided at [FAO].
The International Labour Organization seeks a Project Manager, Employment and Resilience to be based in Lebanon. Core responsibility is to support the effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all project activities in conformity with ILO policies and project strategies. Applications are accepted until 29 September 2022. More information is provided at [ILO].
The International Labour Organization seeks a Finance and Administrative Assistant - G5(DC) to be based in Uganda. Core responsibility is to perform a range of specialized finance support functions and services for operational and payment-related work of the Office, including initiating and processing financial transactions in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Applications are accepted until 4 October 2022. More information is provided at [ILO].
The International Labour Organization seeks a National Project Coordinator to be based in Thailand. Core responsibility is to ensure effective management including planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project’s activities in accordance with the policies, programme strategies, programme guidelines, administrative and financial procedures of the ILO and country/action programmes. Applications are accepted until 15 September 2022. More information is provided at [ILO].
Team:
Afif Zaman (az), Aniello Iannone (ai), Duc Quang Ly (dql), Farhan Maqsood (fm), Farul Baqi (fb), Felix Jonas Jantz (fj), Francis Ezeh John (fe), Gizem Öztürk (gö), Henning Glaser (hg), Jaroslav Volkov (jv), Jennifer Marie Domenici (jd), Jessica Pierre (jp), Kashif Ali Hadi (kah), Lucas Meier (lm), Minyoung Yoo (my), Peer Morten Strantzen (ms), Phoebe Ewen (pe), Sitha Komatineni (sk), Sofia Bertolino (sb), Sol Renteria Adorno (sra), Thanida Piyachot (tp), Theerapon Damrongruk (td), Tomwit Jarnson (tw), Varshinya Varadhachari (vv), Venus Phuangkom
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