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Phnom Penh Municipal Hall officials are continuing discussions on the new flyover project planned for the Russian Federation Blvd intersection with St 2004 and St 2011 at the Century Plaza traffic light in Por Sen Chey district’s Kakap I commune.

Phnom Penh Municipal Hall officials are continuing discussions on the new flyover project planned for the Russian Federation Blvd intersection with St 2004 and St 2011 at the Century Plaza traffic light in Por Sen Chey district’s Kakap I commune.

Sam Piseth, director of the municipal Department of Public Works and Transport, said the flyover is intended to ease traffic congestion near the Phnom Penh International Airport.

Piseth said the project will begin in March 2022 and should be ready in 14 months, but from now until the start of construction, experts will study the bypass and conduct impact studies.

He said the interchange has total length of 516.2m with a 233.9m-long overpass.

Phnom Penh governor Khuong Sreng said that to complete the new flyover as planned, construction workers would be working both day and night on the project with the goal of opening it for use prior to Cambodia hosting the 2023 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games).

“This project will show us how big the impact is and what the costs are so that we can deal with traffic congestion in the area over the long run,” he said.

Sreng said that while the flyover and underpass at the Chaom Chao roundabout at the west corner of the airport will be put into operation in the near future, traffic congestion is still expected to occur along Russian Federation Blvd.

The Russian Blvd project will be the seventh flyover in the capital, with Chaom Chao nearly finished as the sixth. The completed five have significantly reduced traffic congestion near their locations, in Meanchey, Tuol Kork and Sen Sok districts.

Kim Pagna, director of the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, said the construction of the flyovers really helps to improve traffic flow, but at the same time he suggested that relevant officials consider ways to facilitate traffic during their construction period.

“The municipal hall . . . should consider facilitating traffic by opening a detour so as not to cause too much congestion and wasted time,” he said.

Lay Samean 

The Phnom Penh Post

Published : January 14, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40011073

South Korea has extended its special advisory against overseas travel for another month amid the global spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19, the foreign ministry said Friday.

In the advisory, people are recommended to cancel or postpone nonessential trips abroad until Feb. 13, while asking those overseas to take measures to prevent exposure to the virus, such as refraining from going to large-scale events.

It was first issued in March 2020 and has been extended every month. (Yonhap)

Published : January 14, 2022

By : The Korea Herald

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About 349,800 people were displaced in southeastern and northwestern Myanmar from February 1, 2021 to January 3, 2022 and need humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The statement said that fighting between the Tatmadaw and the People’s Defence Forces (PDF) has intensified in southeastern and northwestern Myanmar.

The OCHA said the fighting had destroyed people’s homes and increased the number of internally displaced people inside and outside the country.

As of January 3, a total of 192,300 people have been displaced in southeastern Myanmar, including 87,800 in Kayah State, 74,200 in Kayin State, 7,200 in Mon State and 1,300 in Tanintharyi Region, according to a statement from OCHA.

According to Thai government figures, more than 4,700 people are living in makeshift camps in Thailand.

As of January 3, about 157,500 people have been displaced in northwestern Myanmar: 103,200 in Sagaing Region, 20,100 in Magway Region and 33,800 in Chin State. More than 1,550 homes, including churches and schools, were destroyed in the blaze, OCHA said in a statement.

OCHA said it was difficult for humanitarian workers to reach those in need due to the security situation, checkpoint and the lack of travel permits.

The OCHA said that due to heavy fighting in Kayah State in southeastern Myanmar in December, some partners had to suspend operations and local partners were providing as much assistance as possible to those fleeing the fighting, but it was difficult to meet the needs adequately.

The World Food Programme (WFP) provided two months’ food rations to about 100 displaced people in Mindat Township, Chin State, by the end of December 2021, but tens of thousands of people across the country were in need of adequate food and shelter, medicine and clothing, according to the statement.

Published : January 14, 2022

By : Eleven Media

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40011071

The UN and ASEAN special envoys to Myanmar, and the Southeast Asian bloc’s chair have all pledged to work together on the emergency de-escalation of violence in the crisis-stricken nation and for the provision of humanitarian aid to its people.

The pledge was made during a virtual meeting between Prime Minister Hun Sen and UN special envoy on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer on January 13 to discuss the outcomes of the premier’s recent trip to Myanmar and what needs to be done to make further progress there.

According to Hun Sen’s Facebook post after the meeting, Heyzer expressed her “satisfaction” with the prime minister’s initiatives on Myanmar thus far including his decision to visit the country. She said Hun Sen has an important role to play as head of government for this year’s ASEAN chair and that she will work together with him on behalf of the UN to bring Myanmar out of a state of crisis.

Hun Sen explained to Heyzer that ASEAN did not operate very smoothly in 2021 on this issue and while Cambodia is ASEAN chair, he is determined to find a way to halt the violence and maintain the “ceasefire” in Myanmar while pursuing the bloc’s five-point consensus and bringing in humanitarian assistance.

“Hun Sen stressed that we cannot stand by passively while Myanmar falls apart and that we must find a way to resolve the stand-off between the opposing sides there and take advantage of all opportunities to pursue negotiations,” said the post.

“Heyzer said she was committed to working with ASEAN and the bloc’s chair to do everything possible to keep the situation in Myanmar from deteriorating further,” added the post.

Hun Sen requested that Heyzer work with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn in his role as ASEAN special envoy on Myanmar, which she agreed to do.

Heyzer also issued a press statement following the meeting with Hun Sen, urging immediate action based on strengthened UN-ASEAN cooperation to prevent further deterioration of the situation in Myanmar and address the desperate needs of its people.

Last week, General Ming Aung Hlaing – Myanmar military chief and chairman of the ruling State Administration Council (SAC) – declared a unilateral ceasefire through 2022, but Heyzer expressed deep concern about apparent continued intensification of military operations despite that, including aerial bombardments on parts of the country.

With regard to aid, she said the UN-ASEAN “humanitarian plus” umbrella could coordinate and deliver assistance to affected communities through all existing channels and address the multiple priority needs of the people across the country.

“This would include civilian protection as well as food security, socio-economic resilience, humanitarian and Covid assistance. The special envoy welcomed [Hun Sen’s] invitation to co-facilitate such efforts,” the press statement said.

Thong Mengdavid, a research fellow at the Asian Vision Institute’s Mekong Centre for Strategic Studies, said a concerted effort between Heyzer and Cambodia in its role as ASEAN chair was a good approach as the problem should be dealt with through multilateral mechanisms.

“Cambodia is a small country with a big heart. We are a country that loves peace after having gone through many years of war.

“Therefore, Cambodia understands well the issues in Myanmar and achieving peace there will require more participation from the international community in providing humanitarian assistance and pursuing other means to stop the fighting and pave the way for the special envoys to meet for peace talks,” he said.

Although a complete solution for Myanmar’s crisis may not be achieved during Cambodia’s tenure as the ASEAN chair, Mengdavid said Cambodia would still be credited as the initiator of the efforts to heal that nation should a peaceful resolution be found.

By Ry Sochan

Published : January 14, 2022

By : The Phnom Penh Post

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40011070

India and China failed to make much headway at the 14th round of Corps Commander-level talks to disengage at the remaining friction points in Eastern Ladakh but agreed to make “effective efforts” to maintain security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector, including during winter.

“The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue via military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest. In this context, it was also agreed that the next round of the Commanders’ talks should be held at the earliest,” said a joint press release issued today on the marathon 13-hour talks held at the Chushul-Moldo border point yesterday.

The Indian side was led by Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, the new Commander of the Leh-based Fire & Fury Corps on the Indian side and by Maj Gen Yang Lin on the Chinese side. The joint statement said representatives from the defence and foreign affairs establishments of the two sides were present at the meeting.

The two sides had a frank and in-depth exchange of views for the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western Sector. They agreed that both sides should follow the guidance provided by the state Leaders and work for the resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.

“It was noted that this would help in restoration of peace and tranquillity along the LAC in the Western Sector and enable progress in bilateral relations. The two sides also agreed to consolidate on the previous outcomes,” the joint statement added.

India is believed to have demanded disengagement and eventual de-escalation at the remaining friction points like Hot Spring, Depsang Plains and Demochok.

Published : January 14, 2022

By : The Statesman

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40011069

BEIJING – Beijing has hit back at a new United States report that says its maritime claims in the South China Sea are “unlawful”, calling it misleading and a distortion of international law.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a daily press briefing that the study, released on Wednesday (Jan 12) by the US State Department’s Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs, “distorts international law, misleads the public, sows discord and disrupts the regional situation”.

He pointed out on Thursday that unlike China, the US has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and yet “considers itself a judge of the Convention”.

The 47-page report lays out in comprehensive detail Washington’s case against Beijing, pointing out that the geographic and historic bases for Chinese claims are “inconsistent with international law” under Unclos.

For instance, it says that China claims sovereignty over more than 100 features that are underwater during high tide, meaning they are “not subject to a lawful sovereignty claim or capable of generating maritime zones such as a territorial sea”.

“The overall effect of these maritime claims is that the PRC unlawfully claims sovereignty or some form of exclusive jurisdiction over most of the South China Sea,” said the study, using the acronym for the People’s Republic of China.

China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea are disputed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam which have competing claims.

Rebuffing the US report, Mr Wang said: “As an extraterritorial country, the United States frequently creates disputes in the South China Sea and sows discord among countries in the region, this is completely unpopular. The international community sees this very clearly.”

He added that Beijing would work with countries in Asean to achieve “peace and stability in the South China Sea and promote regional prosperity and development”.

Maritime security expert Collin Koh from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said the report is the latest move in what he says is a gradual shift from the Trump administration’s often military-focused approach to confronting China in the South China Sea, to a more “political and legal” approach.

He pointed out that the release of the report now – at a time when there is talk about reinvigorating stalled negotiations for a code of conduct in the South China Sea between Beijing and Asean countries – seemed to be Washington’s effort to shape and influence the talks.

“Asean countries will look at this report with great interest. The materials enshrined in the report will be very useful in helping to further strengthen the position of Asean parties in a negotiation with China,” he said.

International relations expert Shi Yinhong of Renmin University of China said the study would likely encourage South-east Asian countries that dispute Beijing’s claims to stand up to China.

“With the US holding such a tough position, countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia will feel a sense of reassurance,” said Prof Shi.

Indonesia is not a claimant state in the South China Sea but is in an ongoing dispute with China over control of the Natuna islands.

Prof Shi and other Chinese experts see the study as a continuation of Washington’s efforts to pressure Beijing in the disputed waters, stretching back to the previous administration which had said that China’s claims were unlawful.

“The US has now completely moved towards denying China’s claims in the South China Sea, its sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. This is very clear,” said Professor Zhu Feng, dean of the Institute of International Relations at Nanjing University.

By Danson Cheong

Published : January 14, 2022

By : The Straits Times

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40011039

The brothers could not control their emotions and burst into tears of joy after meeting, embracing each other and recalling memories.

DHAKA – Two brothers, who were separated during the India-Pakistan Partition in 1947 were reunited after 74 years in Kartarpur Corridor in Pakistan, NDTV reported citing local media on Wednesday.

A video capturing the reunion of the siblings on Tuesday has been making rounds on social media.

The News International reported that Siddique, a resident of Pakistan’s Faisalabad, met with elder brother Habib who arrived at Kartarpur from the Phullanwal area of Punjab in India via the Kartarpur Corridor that connects Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan to the border with India.

The Gurudwara Darbar Sahib was built at the location Guru Nanak is believed to have died. It is considered to be the second holiest site for the Sikh religion. During the 1947 partition of India, the region got divided across India and Pakistan, said the report.

Siqqique was an infant at the time of Partition when his family split and his elder brother Habib grew up on the Indian side of the Partition line.

The brothers could not control their emotions and burst into tears of joy after meeting, embracing each other and recalling memories.

During the meeting, Habib lauded the initiative of Kartarpur, saying that the corridor helped him to reconnect with his brother, reports NDTV.

According to The News International, he told his younger brother that they will continue meeting through the corridor.

The Daily Star

Published : January 13, 2022

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SINGAPORE – More than 5,000 children aged 5 to 6 have been registered for their Covid-19 vaccination.

This was shared by a spokesman for the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) in response to The Straits Times queries on Wednesday (Jan 12).

Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said on Tuesday (Jan 11) that about 80,000, or more than one in three pupils in the Primary 1 to 6 cohorts, have received their first dose of the vaccine.

He added that SMS invitations will soon be sent out progressively for pre-schoolers based on their registrations under the National Appointment System.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Wednesday that around 3,900 children aged six to 11 in special education (Sped) schools have been invited to get their Covid-19 jabs, and more than six in 10 have signed up to do so.

Vaccination for pupils in these schools began on Wednesday, with mobile vaccination teams from the Health Promotion Board deployed to four Sped schools to give the children their shots.

The exercise will be progressively rolled out to all 20 Sped schools with eligible pupils, said MOE.

By Shermaine Ang and Ang Qing

Published : January 13, 2022

By : The Straits Times

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Kim Jong-un attends a new weapon test after around two-year hiatus

North Korea successfully conducted the second consecutive test-firing of a “hypersonic missile” in less than a week for “final verification” on Tuesday, while the country’s leader Kim Jong-un urged bolstering “strategic military muscle” according to state media reports the following day.

The North Korean state media suggested that the country successively test-fired an identical maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV) to the one launched on Jan. 5, although Pyongyang labels the projectile as a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV).

“The test-fire was aimed at the final verification of overall technical specifications of the developed hypersonic weapon system,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported in an English-language report.

The state media said that the second missile flew further, and that the reentry vehicle had “superior maneuverability” during the final test-fire compared to the previous week’s test launch.

The reentry vehicle “made glide jump flight from 600 km area (after being released from the missile) before making a 240 km corkscrew maneuvering from the initial launch azimuth to the target azimuth and hitting the set target in waters 1000 km off.”

The KCNA had reported that the previous week’s MaRV flew 700 kilometers and made a “120 km lateral movement.”

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Tuesday said North Korea test-fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile with “advanced” capabilities in respect to detected specifications, including speed and flight distance.

The missile flew more than 700 kilometers at a top speed of around Mach 10 and at a maximum altitude of 60 km.

“The first test was seemingly a sufficient success to prove the concept that for the second test, the envelope of this new system was pushed much further in terms of range, speed and the claimed maneuverability of its warhead,” Joseph Dempsey, research associate for defense and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told The Korea Herald. 

“It is unclear if any changes were made to the design in the intervening period.”

Dempsey also explained that “multiple tests of the same new system within a relatively short period are not uncommon.”

Implications for missile defenses
Despite questions remaining on missile capabilities, analysts point out that the consecutive test-firings of missiles armed with maneuverable reentry vehicles have significance in view of missile defense systems.

The tests appear to seek ways to penetrate American, South Korean, and regional missile defenses, given that MaRVs can change their trajectory aerodynamically generally after re-entry.

“North Korea has demonstrated multiple types of maneuverable missiles to defeat missile defenses, either by evading allied interceptors, or by traveling around or under the ranges of those interceptors,” Adam Mount, director of the defense posture project at the Federation of American Scientists, told The Korea Herald.

Pyongyang has been pursuing multifaceted maneuverable systems, including KN-23 and KN-24 short-range ballistic missiles.

“North Korea continues its efforts to circumvent or saturate allied missile defenses. It may believe these capabilities provide more options to strike preemptively or to keep a conflict limited,” Mount added.

Kim Jong-un’s attendance in 2 years
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un conspicuously attended the weapons test, which is his first appearance in about 22 months since March 2020, when the country test-fired a pair of single-stage solid-fuel KN-24 missiles.

Kim’s presence explicitly showed the significance of the test-firing of the “hypersonic missile.” The state media also said the development of the hypersonic weapons system has the “most important strategic significance in the five core tasks of the five-year plan for building up the national defense capability.” 

The party congress “set forth a strategic task” of prioritizing the development of hypersonic weapon system to “bolster up the country’s war deterrent,” the KCNA reported, underscoring the party-led vigorous efforts in leading the entire process to fulfill the task.

After the missile test, Kim Jong-un conspicuously emphasized the need to “further accelerate the efforts to steadily build up the country’s strategic military muscle both in quality and quantity and further modernize the army.”

Kim also encouraged researchers in defense science to continue to make achievements with the goal of “remarkably increasing the war deterrent” and following the ruling party’s “strategic policy of national defense development and strategic guidelines.”

Analysts view that the consecutive missile tests early in the year as Pyongyang‘s determination to push forward the ruling party’s plan to bolster national defense capabilities and pursue military buildup as scheduled. So, there could be more weapons tests to come.

“Hypersonic” missile test and more to come
Cha Du-hyeogn, a principal fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, pointed out the domestic implication of Wednesday’s announcement is that it “set the example of actualizing” the party’s plans.

North Korea announced that it conducted the test launch for final verification after test-firing two different types of what it claims as “hypersonic missiles” three times since last September.

Regardless of actual fulfillment, Cha said, Pyongyang would impart the significance of the final verification of the missile in respect to carrying out the task set by Kim Jong-un. And the country would move forward to implementing other tasks proposed at the Eighth Party Congress, in which Kim ordered to develop a wide range of conventional and nonconventional weapons.

“My view is that North Korea processes tasks –which are supposed to be completed in specific time frames — one by one,” Cha told The Korea Herald.

“Against that backdrop, Pyongyang would step forward to fulfill other goals set at the Eighth Party Congress, which entail launching a submarine-launched ballistic missile, building a medium-sized submarine, and developing unmanned air vehicles.”

Despite North Korea’s pronouncement, Cha forecasted that North Korea would not be able to deploy “hypersonic missiles” for the foreseeable future, given that there are high chances that the country has not yet developed nor acquired light and miniaturized nuclear warheads that can be mounted onto a hypersonic glide vehicle.

But North Korea needs to conduct additional nuclear tests to miniaturize nuclear devices, breaking the self-imposed moratorium. Do we expect more nuclear tests on the horizon?

“That leaves open the possibility,” Cha said. “Kim Jong-un would probably agonize over an additional nuclear test, which is a political decision.” 

By Ji Da-gyum

Published : January 13, 2022

By : The Korea Herald

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The United States on January 10 called a prison sentence for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi an “affront to justice” and renewed a call for her release.

“The Burmese military regime’s unjust arrest, conviction and sentencing of Aung San Suu Kyi is an affront to justice and the rule of law,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters, using Myanmar’s former name of Burma.

 “We call on the regime to immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi and all those unjustly detained, including other democratically elected leaders,” Price said.

On January 10, she was sentenced to four more years in prison for the charges against her under the telecommunications law, the export and import law and the natural disaster management law.

A special court in the Nay Pyi Taw Council area handed down the sentences to her under Section 25 of the Natural Disaster Management Law, Section 67 of the Telecommunications Law and Section 8 of the Export and Import Law.

A two-year sentence was handed down to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during the January 10 trial. The charge came after U Nyi Nyi (a) U Tun Myint Aung had filed a suit against her under Section 25 of the Natural Disaster Management Law.

The case was related to the gathering that formed after Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, chairperson of the National League for Democracy canvassed for the election in Shwekyabin Ward, Zabuthiri Township, Nay Pyi Taw, on August 19, 2020.

She was also sentenced to two years in prison under the export and import law and one year under the telecommunications law. However, the two sentences will run concurrently.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was charged under Section 67 of the Telecommunications Law and Section 8 of the Export and Import Law as six Icom walkie talkies from her security forces, three Icom walkie talkies from the security gate, one Icom walkie talkie and a pair of jumber were seized from the dorm of her personal assistant at the State Counsellor’s house located in Mya Nan Bon Thar Road, Zeya Theikdi Ward, Zabuthiri Township in Nay Pyi Taw on February 1 and they were illegally imported.

Before the latest sentences, she was also sentenced to four years in jail under Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code of Myanmar and Section 25 of the Natural Disaster Management Law. However, the chairman of the ruling State Administration Council issued a pardon in which her sentence was commuted to two years.

She has so far been sentenced to six years in prison including the latest four-year sentence.

The first two sentences were related to an incident on September 20, 2020. Led by District National League for Democracy chairman Min Thu, about 760 supporters went round in 220 cars and on 32 motorbikes in the Nay Pyi Taw Council area for election campaigning. On the way, the convoy stopped over the gate of the residence of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to receive welcome without following the Covid-19 prevention rules issued by the Ministry of Health. 

Published : January 13, 2022

By : Eleven Media