TOKYO – The one-day Covid-19 tally in Japan has soared by nearly 16 times since the turn of the year, exemplifying the explosive surge in infections driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus across Asia.
Elsewhere, all-time records toppled in Australia and the Philippines, while India registered a seven-month high on Saturday (Jan 8).
Australia bested the 100,000 mark for the first time on Saturday with 116,025 cases, smashing the previous day’s tally of just over 78,000, as states scrambled to reintroduce curbs to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.
The Philippines logged a new record of 26,458 cases on the day, just two weeks after reporting fewer than 200 a day. Curbs have been introduced in metro Manila, as well as dozens of other cities and provinces to deal with the surge.
India, meanwhile, reported 141,986 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday. This was the highest since May as the Omicron variant overtakes Delta as the dominant strain in metropolitan areas.
Japan, where case tallies have been in the low hundreds since a state of emergency was lifted in September, reported 8,480 cases on Saturday as infections continued to mount at an alarming pace. There were just 534 infections on the same day last week.
Tokyo saw 1,224 cases – breaching the 1,000 mark for the first time since September with a tally 15.5 times that of last Saturday’s 79 infections.
The current surge, at unprecedented speeds, poses a headache for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is Japan’s third Covid-era leader. He will have to navigate a treacherous political climate and decide between imposing tougher measures and protecting economic interests.
His predecessor Yoshihide Suga quit after his approval ratings plunged over the perceived dilly-dallying over restrictions as the virus ran amok.
Despite the heavy caseload, there were 89 patients in serious condition and two deaths in Japan on Saturday (Jan 8), though these figures should not be taken to mean that the Omicron variant could be treated lightly, an expert warned.
Professor Hideaki Oka of Saitama Medical Centre’s Department of Infectious Disease and Infection Control said those infected with Omicron with light or no symptoms could be going about their daily lives and spreading the virus without even knowing it.
The infectivity rate appears close to that of an airborne infection, he added, as he urged the government to urgently prepare for the worst.
“Even if the number of severe cases is lower, this is only compared with the Delta variant. It may be as severe as – or more severe than – influenza and so this is not cause for optimism,” he said.
What may yet prove to be a political tinderbox is how the Omicron variant is said to have been seeded in Japan by reckless behaviour among United States servicemen at military bases throughout the country – though the subsequent spread might be traced to festive merry-making and travel.
A “quasi-emergency” is set to run from Sunday until Jan 31 in three prefectures hosting the bases – Okinawa, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima – with food-and-beverage businesses told to shorten hours and stop dine-in alcohol sales.
Okinawa broke its one-day tally for the fourth day in a row with 1,759 cases, while Hiroshima set a new one-day high of 547 infections. Yamaguchi’s 154 cases was just shy of its record of 181 infections on Thursday.
These areas are, however, just the tip of the iceberg.
They were among 18 out of Japan’s 47 prefectures to have logged more than 100 cases on Saturday, including rural areas like Kagoshima and Niigata.
Mr Kishida’s government has, in the meantime, asked US bases in Japan to observe Covid-19 protocols including a strictly enforced mask mandate as well as restrictions on going out of camp premises unnecessarily.
Covid-19 clusters, however, have also emerged at US bases in South Korea, with US forces raising its health protection alert after registering its highest weekly tally of 682 new infections. This brings the total to 3,027 cases.
US forces said on Friday that it will ban its servicemen in South Korea from dining outside bases, as well as visiting indoor malls, bars, clubs, gyms, amusement parks, theatres and massage parlours.
Travel to Seoul will also be barred unless on official business.
Still, South Korea has escaped the surge thus far with 3,510 new cases on Friday, down from 3,716 the previous day, though small clusters have been identified in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Tougher curbs were reinstated last month despite a “living with Covid-19” policy, after the nation reported record-breaking daily infections hitting 7,800 in November.
In China, where the Beijing Winter Olympics is set to open on Feb 4, there were 159 cases on Friday. This was down from 174 a day earlier, with most of the 95 locally transmitted cases in Henan and Shanxi provinces.
Murree was declared calamity hit on Saturday after at least 22 people froze to death in cars stranded in snow amid a glut of tourist influx that led to extreme traffic jams on roads leading to the hill station.
The traffic jams were exacerbated by heavy snowfall overnight, which resulted in road blockages. In some instances, the snowstorm and intense winds had also uprooted trees that had fallen on the roads and in one instance, on a couple of vehicles.
Television footage from Saturday evening showed queues of cars loaded with tourists, hours after Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar issued instructions to expedite rescue work and provide aid to those stranded.
However, in a tweet in the evening, Buzdar claimed that all those stranded had been moved to government rest houses and hotels, adding that they were being provided with food, medicines, blankets and other essentials.
Around 10:30pm, the military’s media wing also confirmed that all stranded persons had been shifted from their vehicles to safety, while army engineers and troops continued working to clear snow on roads leading to Murree. It said engineers had already cleared the Murree Expressway.
Meanwhile, entry of cars into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Galiyat was banned, according to the province’s chief minister.
A list issued by Rescue 1122 said 22 people died, including 10 children. The deceased include an assistant sub-inspector of Islamabad police and seven members of his family.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, in a video message, said tourists had flocked to the hill station in such large numbers “for the first time in 15 to 20 years which created a big crisis”.
He said Rawalpindi and Islamabad administrations, along with police, had been working to rescue those stranded, while five platoons of the Pakistan Army, as well as Rangers and Frontier Corps, were called on an emergency basis.
The minister said that around 1,000 cars were stuck on the hill station.
Ahmed said that residents of Murree provided food and blankets to stranded tourists, adding that the administration had closed all routes to the hill station and was now allowing only vehicles planning to take food and blankets.
“God willing, we will rescue 1,000 cars by evening today. We have decided to stop people [travelling] on foot as well. It is no time for [pedestrian] tourists to visit.”
The Pakistan Meteorological Department had predicted heavy snowfall in Murree and Galiyat from January 6 to 9.
Murree declared calamity hit
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar declared Murree calamity hit and imposed a state of emergency in hospitals, police stations, administration offices and Rescue 1122 services.
He also directed the provincial chief secretary, inspector general of police, relief commissioner, director general Rescue 1122 and director general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to undertake rescue work, in addition to providing his helicopter to help with aid efforts.
In a statement issued by his office, the chief minister said that rescuing stranded tourists was the “foremost priority”, adding that all rest houses and state buildings had been opened to them.
The process to rescue the tourists has been expedited while food and essential items are also being provided, Buzdar said.
He also expressed sadness over the deaths of people stuck in the snow, saying he was with the families in their grief.
The chief minister shared the same in a tweet later in the day, saying he had issued orders to accelerate work to rescue citizens stuck in the snow and send more machinery from Rawalpindi.
More than 23,000 cars were evacuated from the area the night before and the rescue operation was going on, he shared. Buzdar appealed to people to strictly follow instructions given by the police and district administration and cooperate with them.
Pakistan Army troops were also called in to help with the rescue work. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said army engineers reached the area to help open up the main highways.
“Heavy machinery from Murree, army engineers division and FWO are working without any pause to assist people who are struck,” the ISPR said, adding: “Where machinery can’t reach, troops have been moved and they are clearing traffic and opening roads.”
In the evening, the ISPR said all stranded people will be shifted to five relief camps set up by the army in Murree.
“Food, shelter will be provided to people affected by heavy snowfall. Army relief centre has been established at Army School of Technicians Barian, Military College Murree, Jhika Gali, APS Kuldana, station supply depot Sunny Bank,” the ISPR statement read.
Meanwhile, some of the tourists who were stranded, told Geo News that the civil administration was nowhere to be seen, adding that rescue and relief work was being carried out by Pakistan Army officials only. They praised army officials for reaching out to them, giving them food items and making efforts to clear the roads.
Complete ban on entry of cars into Galiyat
In a statement, KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said he was keeping a close eye on the situation in Galiyat which has also been overcrowded with tourists in the current winter season.
The entry of cars into Galiyat has been banned completely, he said, adding that no untoward accident had occurred in the area where three feet of snow fell a day earlier.
The chief minister added that tourists who had been stranded in cars were rescued and shifted to rest houses and hotels. “Galiyat Development Authority, Rescue 1122 and local administration have been put on high alert to deal with any untoward situation,” he said.
Khan also instructed all deputy commissioners to ensure that all homeless people in the province were moved to shelter homes amid the snow and rain and no one slept in the open.
PM says district admin was ‘caught unprepared’, orders inquiry
Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed sorrow and regret over the deaths in Murree, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill shared on Twitter.
“All agencies have been mobilised. Army, 1122, Hazara div(KP) and Pindi div (Punjab) resources are mobilised to open up [and] clear the blocked areas,” he added.
Later, the prime minister tweeted himself, acknowledging that district administration was “caught unprepared” due to “unprecedented snowfall and rush of people proceeding without checking weather conditions”.
“[I] have ordered an inquiry and putting in place strong regulation to ensure prevention of such tragedies.”
‘Where was the government?’
Meanwhile, opposition political leaders criticised the government for its handling of the influx of tourists and inadequate preparation.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif said he was heartbroken over the tragedy in Murree and questioned who was responsible for the deaths.
“Where was the government all the while? What arrangements did it make to deal with such an influx? Incompetence is fast turning into criminality. Prior arrangements & round the clock supervision were the normal SOPs in the past,” he tweeted.
Terming the deaths heartbreaking, PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman said governments “needed to be more vigilant about the flood of tourists on the Galiyat routes”.
“Instead of seeking more tourists govt should have given a warning for jammed roads. These were tragic & avoidable losses which no one intended, but no one acted in time either. Lessons need to be learnt,” she added.
“The job of governments is not only to count tourists but also to make advance arrangements and security measures for them […] These deaths are not due to snowfall, but due to government negligence,” tweeted PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz.
Later, Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry responded to the criticism, saying “it is unfortunate that the opposition is playing politics over the matter.”
Addressing a press conference alongside Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, he said, “The opposition’s politics, however, does not hold any importance.”
“They will criticise no matter what,” the minister said, adding that the government was fully alert.
“We are [standing] behind our people and the situation is improving. The [Muree] Expressway is now open and more routes will be opened soon,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention that Chaudhry had earlier in the week cited the arrival of around 100,000 tourist vehicles to the hill station as a sign of “increase in prosperity and income of common man”.
Hotel association assails admin, offers free stay for those stranded
Raja Yasir Abbasi, the secretary general of the Hotels Association, announced free stay and food arrangements for tourists stranded in Murree.
Speaking to DawnNewsTV, he railed against the local administration for their “mismanagement”, saying that the death of a police officer and his family were wholly due to “departmental and administrative laziness”.
He also criticised the interior minister’s notification of shutting down Murree, saying it had spread fear and panic among the people.
The secretary general also contested declaring the area “calamity hit”, saying that such a tag was for sudden acts of God and not for situations such as this where the Met office had predicted the rough weather “10 days ago”.
Fawad appeals to tourists to avoid Murree
Earlier today, Chaudhry also appealed to people to not visit the hill station.
“A large crowd [is headed towards] Murree and hilly areas. Hundreds of thousands of cars are travelling to these areas. It is impossible for the local administration to provide facilities to people in such a large number,” he tweeted.
Chaudhry urged those people who were at home to delay their travel plans to those areas for some time.
A large number of people were stranded and flights faced delays as rain continued to lash the federal capital and Rawalpindi for the fourth consecutive day on Friday.
Due to continuous snowfall and traffic congestion in Murree, the district administration imposed a ban on entry of more vehicles.
Snowfall, which began on Tuesday night, continued with regular intervals, attracting thousands of tourists. However, due to the rush of visitors, many families ended up getting stranded on roads. It has been reported that over 100,000 vehicles entered the hill station.
In a statement, Chief Traffic Officer Taimoor Khan said entry of vehicles into Murree had been banned from Friday night onwards and cars were being diverted from toll plazas and other entrances.
He said since snowfall started on Monday morning, more than 155,000 vehicles had entered Murree and 135,000 had so far left.
HÀ NỘI— As vegetarians make up a large proportion of Indian population and people in the country consume imported dragon fruit at weddings, it is a huge potential market for Việt Nam’s dragon fruit, according to trade counsellor Bùi Trung Thướng.
This statement was made in a forum “Linking production and consumption of dragon fruits” jointly held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and other agencies on January 6.
Thướng said bilateral trade between Việt Nam and India had risen steadily in recent years, from US$5.1 billion in 2016 to $11.2 billion 2021, and is expected to top $13 billion this year.
Việt Nam’s dragon fruit export to India went up quickly during 2019-2020, reaching over 11,000 tonnes and fetching $9.86 million.
However, the fruit’s export in 2020-2021 experienced a drop of 25 per cent due to the pandemic. On top of that, India successfully sold its first batch of dragon fruit to UAE in June 2021, posing a competitive challenge.
Given the situation at hand, the counsellor suggested Vietnamese authorities hold regular talks with foreign counterparts, as well as forming working groups and subcommittees, in order to expand its market reach overseas.
Domestic associations and trade promotion agencies are also recommended to cooperate with diplomatic representatives abroad on trade promotion programmes to help firms improve their competitiveness in international markets.
“The enterprise community is strongly advised to diversify products, participate in trade forums, actively reach out to foreign partners, stay cautious during negotiations and pay attention to packaging,” Thướng added.
At the forum, Vietnamese trade counsellor in Japan Tạ Đức Minh said Japan remained one of Việt Nam’s leading trade partners and Việt Nam’s agricultural produces was always in high demand in the country.
Japanese firms were thus willing to do business with Vietnamese partners to import more fresh and processed fruits.
Japan allowed the import of Vietnamese white-fleshed dragon fruit in 2008 and red-fleshed fruit in 2017.
To boost agricultural exports to Japan, the counsellor recommended Việt Nam shift the focus to highly processed products and pay closer attention to its products’ shelf life to adapt to complex domestic distribution systems in Japan.
“In the future, we would like to work with agencies of MARD to promote Vietnamese fruits on e-commerce trading floors in Japan,” Minh added.
Currently, Việt Nam produces around 1.4 million tonnes of dragon fruits a year and more than 60 per cent of this comes in Q3 and Q4. In 2021, Việt Nam’s dragon fruit export raked in over $998 million.
Nguyễn Quốc Thịnh, chairman of the Dragon Fruit Association of Long An Province, disclosed that dragon fruits in the province would be harvested up until Lunar New Year with an expected price of VNĐ15,000 ($0.66) per kilo.
These fruits were set to be sold to China, but the pandemic led to the closure of most border gates and brought a halt to the trade flow.
The association thus urged the authorities to step up promotion to help Vietnamese dragon fruit find customers elsewhere, especially in India, and develop domestic market through supermarket chains, to less commercially depend on China.
According to Trần Thanh Nam, deputy minister of MARD, dragon fruit is a Vietnamese key export produce with a high competitiveness in international markets. The fruit has successfully made inroads into fruit-geared countries including Thailand, Indonesia and India.
Even demanding markets like Australia, the European Union and Chile have begun to give carte blanche to the Vietnamese fruit.
However, China continues to position itself as the main importer of Vietnamese dragon fruit.
Meanwhile, China has also been expanding its own dragon fruit cultivation for years, eating into the Vietnamese market share.
To sustain the consumption of the Vietnamese fruit, it is necessary to hold more trade forums to promote the fruit worldwide and develop the domestic market to be less dependent on the trade with China.
In the near future, firms should take advantage of free trade agreements to bring dragon fruit exports to the next level. — VNS
South Korea will extend a travel ban on six countries in the Middle East and Africa as well as some parts of the Philippines for six months due to prolonged security risks, the foreign ministry said Friday. The ban was slated to expire on Jan. 31.
It will be extended for Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Afghanistan and the southern region of the Philippine archipelago — the Zamboanga Peninsula, Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi — the ministry said.
The designated regions are exposed to constant risks of terrorist attacks and political instability that will likely persist for a considerable period of time, the ministry said.
Travel to Iraq, Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan has been banned since 2007. Seoul imposed the ban on Yemen in 2011, Libya in 2014 and the islands in the Philippines in 2015. (Yonhap)
WASHINGTON — Rahm Emanuel, who will soon arrive in Japan as the new U.S. ambassador, has expressed his intention to strengthen the bilateral alliance to realize a “free and open Indo-Pacific” through cooperation between the two countries.
Regarding the vision of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” that Japan has advocated since 2016, Emanuel said, “It was a way of seeing the region, seeing the alliance and seeing … our North Star, what we’re building towards.”
During an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun in Washington on Wednesday, Emanuel, 62, called the Japan-U.S. alliance a “bulwark in that region.” He acknowledged the alliance is solid, but said, “It has to be strengthened at all times and nurtured for the future.”
Emanuel also said the security challenges posed by China and North Korea would be different from those of the past. Given that, he regards reinforcing the alliance as an urgent task for the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden during the remaining three years of its current term.
Emanuel, a longtime Democrat, served as chief of staff, a key White House position, from 2009 to 2010 during the administration of then U.S. President Barack Obama. He supported Obama along with Biden, who was vice president at the time.
Last August, Emanuel was nominated by Biden to be the next U.S. ambassador to Japan. However, the process was delayed mainly due to criticism over his handling of the death of a Black teenager who was shot by a police officer in Chicago when Emanuel was mayor of that city. In December, the U.S. Senate confirmed him to become the ambassador to Japan.
“My goal is not just to have an incredible experience but to make a difference,” Emanuel said.
He described the Japan-U.S. alliance as an example of how the two countries “can build something that is long-lasting, sustainable and makes a difference.”
■ Friendship with Biden
Emanuel said he had visited several former U.S. ambassadors to Japan under both Republican and Democratic administrations. He also emphasized his personal relationship with Biden and expressed his willingness to lead the development of U.S.-Japan relations.
Recalling his time as Obama’s chief of staff, Emanuel said of Biden, who was then vice president: “Every day he was in my office. We talked multiple times.”
Emanuel went on to say that Biden and his wife came to his inauguration ceremony when he was sworn in as Chicago mayor in 2011.
“That was kind of, I think, an example of or an illustration of not just political alliances but a friendship,” he said.
Mainly in the 1990s, U.S. ambassadors to Japan were major figures in the party of the president who appointed them, including Walter Mondale, a Democrat who had served as vice president, and Howard Baker, who had served the Republican floor leader in the Senate. They showed their strong presence through such actions as directly engaging with Japanese prime ministers on the two countries’ outstanding issues, such as those related to U.S. bases in Okinawa Prefecture and the overseas dispatch of Self-Defense Forces personnel.
Former Ambassador Thomas Schieffer is a close friend of George W. Bush, the president who appointed him. He was regarded as a figure who could directly contact Bush any time.
In recent years, businessmen who helped raise funds for presidential elections, such as John Roos and William Hagerty, tended to be appointed to the post for their contribution.
Emanuel is a figure with a distinguished career in public service and apparently ranks with the high-profile former ambassadors. He is also known as a superb fundraiser, serving as chairman of a congressional election campaign committee during his days in the House of Representatives. He also extended support to Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
By Kentaro Nakajima and Hiroshi Tajima / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondents
Revising the existing guidelines for all international arrivals in view of the rising Covid cases and the Omicron threat, India on Friday made seven days home quarantine mandatory.
The new guidelines will be effective from January 11 till further notice.
Travellers coming from specified countries at risk will have to undergo home quarantine for 7 days and shall undertake an RT-PCR test on the 8th day of arrival in India, as per the guidelines.
These travellers will have to submit samples for the post-arrival Covid-19 test at the point of arrival (self-paid).
Such travellers will be required to wait for their test results at the arrival airport before leaving or taking a connecting flight.
If they test negative, they will follow home quarantine for 7 days and shall undertake another RT-PCR test on the 8th day of arrival in India.
The travellers shall also be required to upload results of repeat RT-PCR test for Covid-19 done on the 8th day on the Air Suvidha portal.
If negative, they will further self-monitor their health for the next 7 days. However, if such travellers are tested positive, their samples should be further sent for genomic testing at the INSACOG laboratory network, as per the new guidelines.
Travellers coming from countries other than the list of risk countries will also undergo home quarantine for 7 days and shall undertake an RT-PCR test on the 8th day of arrival in India.
They will have to upload results of repeat RT-PCR test on the Air Suvidha portal and if found negative, they will further self-monitor their health for the next 7 days.
The guidelines said that all travellers should submit complete and factual information in a self-declaration form on the online Air Suvidha portal before their scheduled travel, including travel details of the last 14 days. They need to upload a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR report. The test should have been conducted within 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey.
The passengers coming from or travelling to at-risk countries shall be informed by the airlines that they will undergo post-arrival testing. They will be quarantined if tested negative and will be subjected to stringent isolation protocols if tested positive, as per the new guidelines.
BANGKOK – Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen began his two-day trip to Myanmar on Friday (Jan 7), becoming the first government leader to visit the country since the Feb 1 coup last year.
While there were concerns that the visit, as well as his meeting with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, would legitimise the junta leader who was shut out of recent Asean summits, Mr Hun Sen said he wanted to help Myanmar avoid a civil war.
Cambodia is Asean chair this year under the grouping’s rotating arrangement.
On arrival in Naypyitaw on Friday, the Cambodian Prime Minister, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and other senior officials, presided over the donation of masks, ventilators, oxygen concentrators and other medical equipment to help Myanmar combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
He later traded a fist bump with Gen Min Aung Hlaing, as both of them sat down for talks. According to Myanmar state television, the junta leader thanked Mr Hun Sen for supporting peace efforts in Myanmar.
According to a press release issued by the junta’s foreign ministry late on Friday night, Gen Min Aung Hlaing referred to an earlier ceasefire his administration had declared with all ethnic armed groups during discussions with Mr Hun Sen.
The general “called on all parties concerned to accept the ceasefire in the interest of the country and people, end all acts of violence and exercise utmost restraint”, it said.
Gen Min Aung Hlaing reportedly welcomed the participation of Asean’s special envoy on Myanmar – Cambodian foreign minister Prak Sokhonn – to join ceasefire talks with Myanmar’s ethnic armed groups.
Both leaders said they would support convening a meeting involving the special envoy, the Asean secretary-general, relevant United Nations agencies and Myanmar organisations like the Myanmar Red Cross Society to make the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Myanmar people more efficient.
Protests have broken out in Myanmar against Mr Hun Sen since he announced the trip last month. Myanmar social media users have also slammed him on his Facebook page.
“We don’t need you. Shame on you,” wrote Facebook user Tain Tha Khin on Friday (Jan 7).
The military junta has justified its power grab by alleging that the November 2020 election won by the National League for Democracy party was fraudulent. It has pledged to hold fresh elections in 2023.
Months after violently putting down peaceful protests against the coup, the regime is now grappling with an armed insurgency by “people’s defence forces” in various parts of Myanmar.
More than 220,000 people have been displaced by armed conflict and unrest since the coup, according to the United Nations.
Mr Hun Sen made the visit without setting preconditions, drawing criticism that he was scuttling Asean’s hard-won agreement to exclude the junta from its high-level meetings if it did not make any progress on the bloc’s “five-point consensus”.
This blueprint called for an immediate cessation of violence, humanitarian aid to Myanmar and constructive dialogue among all parties that a special Asean envoy would help facilitate. It also agreed that the envoy would visit Myanmar to meet all stakeholders concerned.
The first such envoy, Brunei’s Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof, did not visit Myanmar as the junta would not grant him access to deposed political leaders such as state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
She is currently serving a two-year jail sentence for inciting dissent and breaching pandemic restrictions, and faces several other charges brought against her by the regime after the coup.
During the meeting with Mr Hun Sen, Gen Min Aung Hlaing stressed that the implementation of Asean’s five-point consensus should be complementary to the junta’s own political road map.
In the online Regional Outlook Forum 2022 held by ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute on Friday (Jan 7), Myanmar analyst Min Zin questioned whether the junta would be able to fulfil its pledge to hold fresh elections in 2023 in light of the escalating insurgency.
It would likely “double down” on its tough response, he said.
The majority of people in Myanmar was also sceptical about Mr Hun Sen’s intervention, said Mr Min Zin, who is the executive director of the Institute for Strategy and Policy.
“They are very worried that Asean is giving an exit to the military, not to the country’s crisis,” he said.
He also urged Cambodia to consult broadly with stakeholders such as the rival National Unity Government, as well as coordinate its actions with envoys like those from the UN, China and Japan.
“It’s quite important to pay attention to coordination and listening, rather than trying to show off with their solo diplomatic championship. Otherwise that will be unsuccessful or at worst be seen as co-opted,” he said.
In a message on New Year’s Eve, the newly appointed UN special envoy on Myanmar, Dr Noeleen Heyzer, said: “Any solution for the current crisis needs to be a Myanmar-led process, reflective of the will of the people and honour the principles cherished by the founding leaders.”
SINGAPORE – Unemployment rates in Singapore continued to decline in November last year (2021), according to figures from the Ministry of Manpower on Thursday (Jan 6).
The overall unemployment rate was 2.5 per cent, down from 2.6 per cent in October.
The resident unemployment rate fell to 3.2 cent, from 3.4 per cent in October, while the citizen unemployment rate dipped to 3.5 per cent, from 3.6 per cent previously.
“This indicates that our labour market is recovering steadily, with the economy rebounding from the recession in 2020 and GDP (gross domestic product) growing by 7.2 per cent last year,” said Manpower Minister Tan See Leng in a Facebook post on Thursday.
“The increase in group sizes for dining out and the opening of more vaccinated travel lanes have allowed sectors hardest-hit by Covid-19 such as food and beverage services and air transport to begin ramping up capacity again. We expect hiring demand in domestic sectors to pick up with gradual relaxation of community measures,” said Dr Tan.
There were 76,600 residents who were unemployed in November, of whom 70,200 are citizens.
This is down from the 80,000 unemployed residents in October, including 72,200 citizens.
According to The Business Times, November’s figures are the lowest since March 2020, when overall unemployment was 2.5 per cent, resident unemployment 3.5 per cent and citizen unemployment 3.6 per cent.
Dr Tan noted that the road to recovery “is still an uneven one” and that it will be paved with uncertainties.
“With the spread of the Omicron variant throughout the world, it is likely that Singapore will see a new wave of cases in the coming weeks. Businesses and workers need to be adaptable and flexible as the Covid-19 situation changes,” he added.
Jobseekers who need support can approach Workforce Singapore and National Trades Union Congress’ Employment and Employability Institute for career matching services.
Dr David Leong, managing director of PeopleWorldwide Consulting, a human resources search and advisory firm, said the effect of the Omicron variant on jobs should be minimal.
“The scare factor is substantially reduced as data reveals that this strain is milder, though more infectious. Furthermore, our vaccination rate with boosters is high.
“Unemployment should not be a major concern in the coming quarters as businesses are looking to expand aggressively over lost time,” said Dr Leong.
As working from home has become increasingly entrenched, more businesses and employers would have factored this in, and more jobs will also be reconfigured to suit the work-from-home setting, he noted.
Samsung Electronics logged an operating income of 51.57 trillion won ($42.89 billion) for 2021, up 43.3 percent from a year prior, as its businesses ranging from semiconductor chip to smartphones and home appliances have seen a surge in global demand, its preliminary filing showed Friday.
Solely during the fourth quarter, the South Korean technology bellwether earned 13.8 trillion won, up 52.5 percent on-year, according to a consolidated earnings report.
The full-year figure, however, was slightly lower than a consensus estimate of 52.84 trillion won by analysts in South Korea, according to data compiled by market intelligence firm FnGuide.
The company also saw its annual revenue rise 17.8 percent to 279 trillion won.
Samsung Electronics’ share price rose 1 percent to 77,700 won apiece immediately after the shares started trading on the stock market.
HÀ NỘI — Different airlines continuously reopened regular international routes in the early days of this year, bringing good news for 140,000 overseas Vietnamese to have an opportunity to return home and enjoy the approaching Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday.
Phạm Việt Dũng, Chairman of the Việt Nam Aviation Business Association (VABA) said that with the early recovery of the domestic aviation market, the rapid reopening and expansion of international routes had been approved by the Government.
Vietnam Airlines on the first day of this year reopened a regular international flight from HCM City to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
It plans to gradually restore regular international routes after reopening flights from Hà Nội to Tokyo on January 5.
From January 1, Vietjet also reopened international routes to Japan, Taiwan (China) and Singapore.
Bamboo Airways has prepared plans and resources to open international routes to key markets of Việt Nam.
In phase one, it plans to operate direct flights to Japan, Taiwan (China) and South Korea. In phase two, it will operate direct flights to Germany and Australia.
Aspiration
VABA General Secretary Bùi Doãn Nề said that international routes restoration from the very first days of the new year proved positive signals of the aviation industry.
The reopening of international routes was very necessary after a long time of closure because if it stayed closed for a long time, many domestic aviation businesses might disappear from the market, he added.
To ensure the dual goals of both economic development and pandemic prevention, choosing markets from countries with good COVID-19 control and high vaccination rates as proposed by the Ministry of Transport was reasonable, said Nề.
Forecasts of international organisations, including the International Air Transport Association, say that the domestic aviation market will recover around next year and the international aviation market will recover in 2024.
The recovery speed of different markets depends on the vaccination process and each country’s plan.
The VABA proposed a maximum relaxation of quarantine regulations for passengers with the policy of “safely adapting, flexibly and effectively controlling COVID-19 pandemic,” and towards lifting quarantine regulations for passengers and for crew members of Vietnamese airlines who have just completed flights from abroad.
A spokesperson of the Ministry of Transport said that in the first stage of reopening international routes, for 10 to 15 days, the ministry would have specific assessment to make appropriate adjustments.
Due to COVID-19, air passenger transport has declined sharply since 2020.
By the end of September last year, the total market reached only 13.4 million passengers, down 42.1 per cent compared to 2020 and down 77 per cent compared to 2019.
For international flights, airlines had only 349,000 passengers, down 95.1 and 98.8 per cent over the same period in 2020 and 2019, respectively. — VNS
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