#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004982

Fully jabbed travellers to Singapore to qualify for differentiated vaccination measures

SINGAPORE – Travellers to the Republic who have been fully inoculated with a vaccine under the World Health Organisations (WHO) Emergency Use Listing (EUL) will also be eligible for vaccination-differentiated safe management measures in Singapore.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Thursday (Aug 19) that from 11.59pm on Friday, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will start issuing tamper-proof stickers to arrivals who have been fully inoculated with a vaccine under the WHO EUL.

These include Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and Moderna – used in Singapore’s national vaccination programme – as well as the AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm, Sinovac and Covishield vaccines.

To obtain the stickers to affix to their passports, travellers must produce an English-language vaccination certificate to ICA officers upon arriving at Singapore’s immigration checkpoints.

Previously, only Singapore citizens, permanent residents (PRs) and long-term pass holders with vaccination records in the National Immunisation Registry were eligible for these vaccination-differentiated safe management measures.

MOH added that by September, IT systems will be enhanced so that vaccinated travellers – including citizens, PRs, long-term pass holders and short-term visit pass holders from all countries – will also be recognised by the SafeEntry Business app through their TraceTogether apps or tokens.

This will make them eligible for differentiated measures in Singapore such as dining in without needing to go through pre-event testing (PET).

All other incoming travellers will have to obtain a negative PET by an MOH-approved test provider. This will be valid for 24 hours.

These differentiated measures, first announced on Aug 6, include allowing the fully vaccinated to dine in groups of up to five at food and beverage establishments.

On Thursday, the Government also announced a new Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL).

It will allow fully vaccinated persons to travel to Singapore under reduced border measures – such as multiple polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests pre-departure, on-arrival and during their stay in Singapore – instead of having to serve a stay-home notice.

Pilot arrangements will kick off with Brunei and Germany.

ADVERTISEMENTx

At a press conference by the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung shared that as at Aug 17, 77 per cent of the population have completed the full vaccination regimen with 82 per cent receiving at least one dose.

“That is quite significant – which means some time in September, we will have 82 per cent of our population fully vaccinated,” he said, adding that this indicated a “remarkable” near-90 per cent of the eligible population being fully vaccinated.

By early September, 89 per cent of seniors aged 60 and above would have received two vaccine doses as well, said Mr Ong.

In a release, MOH stressed that there was clear evidence of vaccination significantly reducing severe illnesses and deaths.

It noted that among infected cases, almost 9 per cent of the unvaccinated required intensive care or oxygen supplementation, compared with 1.3 per cent for the vaccinated.

Around 1 per cent of the unvaccinated also died, in contrast with 0.1 per cent of the vaccinated.

Published : August 20, 2021

By : Justin Ong/The Straits Times/ANN

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004981

Afghans protests spread challenging Taliban rule

Afghan protesters have shown exemplary courage defying the Taliban for the second day, waving their national flag in motley demonstrations which were met with fierce reprisal from the militants.

Taliban responded rapidly to dissent as many fear that the militants will succeed in obliterating progress in women’s and human rights made in two decades.

A UN official warned of dire food shortages in this nation of 38 million people reliant on imports and experts said the country was severely short on cash, highlighting that the Taliban face the same problems as the civilian government they dethroned without the level of international aid it enjoyed.

On Thursday, a procession of cars and people near Kabul’s airport carried long black, red and green banners in honor of the Afghan flag. At another protest in Nangarhar province, video posted online showed one demonstrator with a gunshot wound bleeding, as onlookers tried to carry him away.

In Khost province, Taliban authorities instituted a 24-hour curfew on Thursday after violently breaking up another protest, according to information obtained by journalists monitoring from abroad. The militants did not immediately acknowledge the demonstration or the curfew.

At that rally, in the eastern city of Jalalabad, demonstrators lowered the Taliban’s flag and replace it with Afghanistan’s tricolor. At least one person was killed.

Meanwhile, opposition figures gathering in the last area of the country not under Taliban rule talked of launching an armed resistance under the banner of the Northern Alliance, which allied with the US during the 2001 invasion.

The Taliban so far have offered no specifics on how they will lead, other than to say they will be guided by Shariah, or Islamic, law.

“A humanitarian crisis of incredible proportions is unfolding before our eyes,” warned Mary Ellen McGroarty, the head of the U.N.’s World Food Program in Afghanistan. Beyond the difficulties of importing food, she said that drought has seen over 40% of the country’s crop lost. Many who fled the Taliban advance now live in parks and open spaces in Kabul.

“This is really Afghanistan’s hour of greatest need, and we urge the international community to stand by the Afghan people at this time,” she said.

Hafiz Ahmad, a shopkeeper in Kabul, said some food has flowed into the capital, but prices have gone up. “It is better to have it,” he said. “If there were nothing, then that would be even worse.”

Two of Afghanistan’s key border crossings with Pakistan, Torkham near Jalalabad and Chaman near Spin Boldak, are now open for trade. Hundreds of trucks have passed through, Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said. However, traders still fear insecurity on the roads and confusion over customs duties that could push them to price their goods higher.

At Kabul’s international airport, military evacuation flights continued, according to flight-tracking data. However, access to the airport remained difficult. On Thursday, Taliban militants fired into the air to try to control the crowds gathered at the airport’s blast walls. Men, women and children fled. Fighter jets later roared overhead, but no airstrike accompanied their pass.

Overnight, President Joe Biden said that he was committed to keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan until every American is evacuated, even if that means maintaining a military presence there beyond his 31 August deadline for withdrawal.

Indirectly acknowledging the resistance they face, the Taliban on Thursday asked preachers to urge congregants to remain in the country and counter “negative propaganda” against them.

The Taliban have also urged people to return to work, but most government officials remain in hiding or are themselves attempting to flee.

Questions remain over Afghanistan’s $9 billion in foreign reserves, the vast majority now apparently frozen in the U.S. The International Monetary Fund, meanwhile, said the militants for now would not be allowed to access loans or other resources.

The head of the country’s Central Bank warned that the supply of physical U.S. dollars is “close to zero,” which will batter the currency, the afghani, and raise the prices of much-needed food.

There has been no armed opposition to the Taliban. But videos from the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, a stronghold of the Northern Alliance militias that allied with the US during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, appear to show potential opposition figures gathering there. That area is in the only province that has not fallen to the Taliban.

Those figures include members of the deposed government — Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who asserted on Twitter that he is the country’s rightful president, and Defense Minister Gen. Bismillah Mohammadi — as well as Ahmad Massoud, the son of the slain Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Published : August 20, 2021

By : The Statesman/ANN

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004980

Vice-President Kamala Harris’ trip to Singapore, Vietnam will stress on US commitment to Indo-Pacific

WASHINGTON – United States Vice-President Kamala Harris will emphasise America’s enduring commitment to the Indo-Pacific region during her upcoming visit to Singapore and Vietnam, senior US officials said on Thursday (Aug 19).

“This region, South-east Asia, really matters to the United States,” one official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters during a briefing.

“The Vice-President… recognises that much of the history of the 21st century will be written in the Indo-Pacific. We have enduring interests there. And that’s why she is so focused on this region and making this trip,” he added.

Ms Harris’ trip to South-east Asia will be her second foreign trip since taking office in January, and the first visit by any US vice-president to Vietnam.

She will be the most senior US official to visit the region since President Joe Biden was sworn in in January, and her trip comes on the heels of Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin’s visit to Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines last month.

The official said her trip will highlight the Biden administration’s focus on revitalising alliances and partnerships around the world, and that Ms Harris “recognises the significance of showing up and engaging on the ground”.

ADVERTISEMENTx

Her visit comes amid concerns in Washington that China is gaining influence in South-east Asia, fuelled by an apparent earlier neglect of the region by Washington.

Her trip will make clear that America is part of the Indo-Pacific region and “here to stay”, and will further the Biden administration’s goal of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, said the official.

Officials said that Ms Harris will focus on the key areas of global public health, economic partnership, and security.

She will also discuss addressing the threat of climate change, America’s commitment to the rules-based international order, worker rights, human rights, as well as regional issues including China.

Ms Harris will depart Washington DC on Friday and arrive in Singapore on Sunday.

ADVERTISEMENT

On Monday, she will call on President Halimah Yacob and meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to discuss the full range of issues in  bilateral relationship, before having a joint press conference with PM Lee.

In the afternoon, the Vice-President will visit Changi Naval Base, where she will give brief remarks to US sailors on the USS Tulsa, an American littoral combat ship currently visiting Singapore.

“The Vice-President’s trip to the base will underscore the strong security ties between Singapore and the United States. Our partnership with Singapore really is the bedrock of our security presence in South-east Asia,” said another official.

Ms Harris will give a policy speech on Tuesday morning, making the case for why America’s partnerships matter, particularly those in South-east Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, and discussing the Biden administration’s vision for engagement in the region and how it intends to deliver on it.

“She’ll make clear that the US has an enduring commitment to the region, and she’ll outline key areas of our partnership and how we intend to strengthen those areas,” the official added.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Vice-President will then take part in a roundtable session with supply chain thought leaders, government officials and private sector representatives, where she will discuss supply chain resiliency issues.

Ms Harris will meet with staff from the US Embassy in Singapore, before departing for Vietnam, where she will arrive in Hanoi in the evening.

On Wednesday, she will have several government meetings, before leading the US delegation in co-hosting the official launch of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s South-east Asia regional office in Hanoi.

“They will discuss America’s response to the pandemic, and how we all need to work together to end the pandemic and strengthen global health security,” said the official.

On Thursday, Ms Harris will meet with civil society representatives and meet staff from the US Embassy in Hanoi during an embassy lease-signing event.

On the way back to Washington, she will stop in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she will meet and deliver remarks to US troops stationed there at Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam.

Published : August 20, 2021

By : Charissa Yong/The Straits Times/ANN

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004900

South Korea’s potential growth on downhill for decades

South Korea’s potential growth rate has declined for decades, reflecting the nation’s aging society, slowing capital accumulation and changing job market, a think tank report showed Wednesday.

Asia’s fourth-largest economy’s potential growth rate – gross domestic product per person aged 15 and over – by decade came to an average 2.1 percent in the 2010s, compared with 7.6 percent in the 1980s, according to the Korea Economic Research Institute. The figure has been gradually falling, with 5.3 percent in the 1990s and 3.8 percent in the 2000s.

A potential growth is the rate of economic expansion a country can sustain over the medium term without excess inflation. It has overall declined in advanced economies in recent decades.

The think tank took total factor productivity, capital accumulation, labor hours and employment per decade into account when calculating the growth rates. As a result, all areas expect employment rate have been declining in recent decades.

Total factor productivity or TFT — a measure of productive efficiency by measuring the size of output from “unseen” inputs including labor, capital and regulations — fell to 2.9 percent in the 2010s from 6.4 percent in the 1980s. The figure stood at 4.2 percent in the 1990s and 4.1 percent in the 2000s.

Capital accumulation reached its peak at 2.1 percent in the 1990s from 0.7 percent in the 1980s, then sharply fell to 0.3 percent in the 2000s. It stood flat at 0 percent in the 2010s.

Average labor hours came to minus 1.2 percent in the 2010s, compared with 0.1 percent in the 1980s. It stood at 0.8 percent and 0.9 percent in the 1990s and 2000s, respectively.

Meanwhile, the employment rate has steadily hovered around 0.4 percent in the cited decades, KERI said.

The think tank voiced concerns that the slowing pace of the potential growth could eventually pull the economy down into negative growth, if the issues remain unresolved. The changing labor market affected by the nation’s declining birthrate and the aging population trend is likely to further drag down the growth potential, it added.

The nation has been slowly morphing into an aged society. The number of senior citizens, or people aged 65 and older, came to 8.21 million as of November last year, data from Statistics Korea showed, accounting for 16.4 percent of the total population. The economy is projected to become a super-aged society in 2025, when those aged 65 and older account for 20 percent of the population.

The total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime — hit a new record low of 0.84 last year, same data showed. It marked the third straight year that the rate was below 1 percent.

Overall, South Korea’s total population grew slightly in the cited period, as more Koreans living overseas returned home due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 51.83 million people lived in South Korea as of Nov. 1, 2020, up 0.1 percent or 50,000 on-year.

“Since there is a limit to supply in labor and capital, Korea must boost its total factor productivity to nurture its growth potential,” said Choo Kwang-ho, the head of KERI‘s economy policy division.

“In order to achieve that, an overhaul of the strict business regulations, tax benefits and support for more research and development must be implemented,” Choo added.

Published : August 19, 2021

By : Jung Min-kyung/The Korea Herald/ANN

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004899

Are Myanmar migrant workers becoming criminals during Covid-19 crisis?

Myanmar still continues welcoming its migrant workers back from across Thailand every two days at Myawady-Mae Sot Friendship Bridge No.2 on the border between the two countries.

Returnees said they had a lot of difficulties coming back home amid inter-district travel restrictions in Thailand, where Covid cases are soaring in the third wave. 

Myanmar halted accepting returning migrant workers on July 19 during the pandemic, leaving over 800 others stranded in Thailand’s Mae Sot. Then, acceptance resumed on August 1. 

Authorities in Myawady District disseminated education about Covid-19 to the Myanmar returnees.  

Covid testing is carried out as soon as they enter the country. Those who tested positive for the virus were sent to the Covid Center in Myawady Township for treatment. Those free from the virus were sent to Kyauklonegyi Quarantine Center in Ward No.4 for ten days.  

The over 800 workers stranded in Mae Sot returned from the Thai police, immigration or the special detention center. They returned not because they committed a crime but because they felt homesick. 

“The migrant workers returned home after paying money to the Thai immigration and police officers through brokers. Even after their payment, they could not leave immediately. They have to wait in Bangkok. They are allowed to leave depending on how much they paid. If you pay 3,000, 7,500 or 8,000 baht, there will be differences in waiting time. The problem is that they cannot go back to Thailand. All of their documents will be stamped with a ‘cancel’ seal by the Thai immigration,” said Moe Gyo, Chairman of Joint Action Committee for Burmese Affairs (JACBA) based in Mae Sot.   

Some migrant workers are returning from Thailand as they are out of work following their factory closures caused by the Covid-19 third wave, while some are coming back to take care of their ailing parents and relatives.   

“With our factory having closed and my mother getting ill, I decided to come back home to take care of her. Since I was stranded in Mae Sot for over a month, she has now died,” said a woman returnee with her eyes filled with tears. 

Some heavily pregnant women reportedly gave birth to their babies in Mae Sot while awaiting to go home. 

A Myanmar worker in the area of Mae Sot said: “We feel so homesick that we want to return. But if we want to so, we have to get arrested and give money. The Thai immigration stamps cancel seals on our documents so we cannot go back to work. So we can’t help it. I have to set aside my homesickness.”   

JACBA chairman Moe Gyo said stamping a cancel seal on documents means that a worker has been regarded as a criminal. 

“The Thai government charges migrant workers for renewal of their documents and collects money for social security. But in the second and third waves of Covid-19, they don’t care for Myanmar workers. If a worker died of Covid-19, the body would be taken by municipal officials. The family was not allowed to come to the funeral,” he commented.  

A young woman out of work after being infected with the virus said those having tested for positive for Covid-19 were sent to a quarantine center for 14 days without receiving treatment. If they did not die, they were sent back to their hostels. But they would not have a chance to go back to work, she added. 

Anyway, migrant workers have to help with each other in Thailand that still sees surges in Covid-19 cases and deaths. 

Despite such difficulties, around 200 Myanmar migrant workers are returning to their motherland every other day via Mae Sot-Myawady Road. 

At Myawady-Mae Sot Friendship Bridge No.2, Myanmar authorities accepted and welcomed 200 returnees on August 1, 206 on August 3, 204 on August 5, 202 on August 7, 203 on August 9, 199 on August 11, and 204 on August 13. 

The total number of returnees in the third wave of the pandemic has reached 1,418.   

Unfortunately, migrant workers are having their documents stamped with a ‘cancel’ seal by Thai authorities when they return home during the Covid crisis. As such, the question arises as to whether every worker returning home in the Covid period is regarded as a criminal.

Published : August 19, 2021

By : Ko Shwe Thein/Eleven Media/ANN

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004898

4 HKU students arrested for violating National Security Law

The national security department of the Hong Kong police on Wednesday arrested four people on suspicion of advocating terrorism in relation to a motion that paid tribute to a “lone wolf” police attacker.

Steve Li Kwai-wah, senior superintendent of the department, said the four arrested men are members of the student union of the University of Hong Kong. Local media reported that the arrested individuals include former student union president Kwok Wing-ho and chairman of the union council Kinson Cheung King-sang.

ADVERTISEMENTx

Li said the arrested people were suspected of advocating and glorifying terrorism, and encouraging suicidal behavior, which were not only morally unacceptable but also allegedly violations of Article 27 of the National Security Law for Hong Kong.

Those who were arrested also used their own means, including livestreaming the meeting for voting on the motion, to promote these messages to the public, Li said.

On July 7, the student union council passed a motion by 30 votes to 0 to “appreciate the sacrifice” of an assailant who stabbed a police officer before committing suicide on July 1, and express its condolences over his “unfortunate passing”.

The motion drew huge backlash from officials, the university and the community. The union later withdrew the motion and several council members of the union stepped down.

Earlier on July 14, the university severed ties with the student union and would no longer recognize the union’s role on campus. Later in August, the university banned those involved from entering the campus and using its facilities.

ADVERTISEMENT

Chairman of the university council Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, in the wake of the motion, said expulsion could be a possible outcome for those involved.

In response, Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu on Wednesday morning said the government has a duty to make it clear to the public that law enforcement will deal with illegal activities committed by anyone or any organization in accordance with the law.

Lee cautioned the public to think twice before taking any actions as Hong Kong is a city of rule of law and everyone shall obey the law.

Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung on Wednesday said advocating terrorism is a serious crime, since it may mislead innocent residents to participate in terrorist activities.

Speaking at the Legislative Council, Tang vowed to come down hard on terrorist activities and urged society to stand united against acts that glamorize violence to prevent extremists from misleading young people who might become terrorists.

ADVERTISEMENT

Tang said there are signs of terrorism permeating the campus with attempts to recruit students to join terrorist activities. The recruitment, much like the behavior of international terrorist activities, mostly was carried out via social media platforms, Tang said.

Those who sympathize with violent attackers are easily persuaded to be supporters of violence and get involved in terrorist activities, he cautioned.

Glorifying terrorist activities may create soil for homegrown terrorism, therefore the government will step up intelligence collection to carry out full-scale investigation over online information that is fake, ill-intended and incites violence and hatred, Tang said.

Published : August 19, 2021

By : Gang Wen/China Daily/ANN

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004896

Tokyo to establish ‘oxygen stations’ to treat coronavirus patients

The Tokyo metropolitan government plans to open oxygen therapy facilities in an attempt to cope with the rising number of coronavirus patients recuperating at home whose condition suddenly deteriorates.

The first facility will open as early as next week at the site of a former children’s recreation center in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, with a capacity to treat about 130 patients. There are plans for two more, with the aim of reaching a capacity for 400 patients at three locations.

According to the metropolitan government and other sources, the three “oxygen stations” will mainly accept patients who have requested emergency transport while recuperating at home, and whose symptoms are judged to be relatively mild by the emergency team.

Oxygen will be administered to patients and their blood oxygen levels will be checked at the facilities, which will operate 24 hours a day. If the condition of the patients improves, they will be allowed to return home. If doctors deem it necessary, patients will be hospitalized.

Beds, medical equipment and partitions will be installed at the site of the former children’s recreation center, which the metropolitan government acquired from the central government in 2019. The facility will start accepting patients as early as next week.

Since July, the metropolitan government has set up facilities to administer oxygen and provide other medical treatment to patients who have not been able to receive treatment at a hospital, with a total capacity to handle 50 patients at 11 hospitals.

As of Tuesday, the number of people recuperating at home in Tokyo surged to 22,164, more than eight times the number a month ago.

The metropolitan government has decided to urgently strengthen measures as seven patients recuperating at home have died this month.

It plans to secure 80 beds at public and private hospitals to administer oxygen to patients with moderate symptoms.

“The situation is truly a disaster. We are considering it a medical emergency and will establish a response system to tackle the problem,” Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said on Tuesday evening.

“Considering there have been difficulties finding hospitals for severe patients in recent months, it is significant that large-scale oxygen stations will be set up at three locations,” said Tetsuya Matsumoto, professor at the International University of Health and Welfare and an expert on infectious diseases.

“In addition to setting up more stations, it is necessary to secure hospitals for patients whose symptoms have worsened. The government should consider establishing such facilities as soon as possible in areas outside of Tokyo where infections are spreading, to ensure medical services in those areas can be maintained.”

Published : August 19, 2021

By : The Japan News/ANN

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004895

PNP keeping Mindanao secure to avoid Afghan conflict spillover

MANILA, Philippines — Police are maintaining the peace and security situation in Mindanao as they look to avoid a spillover of the civil unrest in Afghanistan.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said on Wednesday that local terrorist groups might be influenced by what the Taliban did in Afganistan, as they were able to seize control of the entire country, including Kabul, from the Afghan government and U.S. troops.

However, he assured the public that the police force was in control of the situation in the southern regions.

“Sa ngayon, maayos at kontrolado natin ang sitwasyon doon. Patuloy ang ating koordinasyon sa militar para magbantay at  matiyak na hindi makapagsasagawa ng anumang pag-atake ang mga local terrorist groups sa Mindanao,” Eleazar said.

“I assure the public that the police and military will not allow a spillover of the Afghan conflict. Hindi namin hahayaan na makapaghasik ng kaguluhan sa bansa ang mga lokal na terorista para sabayan ang gulo sa Afghanistan,” he added.

The situation is unclear in Kabul and across Afghanistan since the Taliban took control after almost 20 years since the US-led allied forces overthrew the government.

ADVERTISEMENTx

Taliban forces marched into Kabul, causing panic among civilians, who gathered at airports to get flights out of the country.  Women have feared for their lives because the militant group has a history of committing brutal human rights violations and mistreating them.

However, the Taliban has vowed to observe a peaceful transition.

Eleazar said that the PNP would stay alert to prevent similar incidents in Mindanao, a region rocked by insurgency and separatist movements.

Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reminded Filipinos still in Afghanistan to coordinate with the foreign service as Alert Level 4 remains in the Middle Eastern country.

Under Alert Level 4, mandatory repatriation for all Filipinos in the area is in place.  According to the latest DFA estimates, there are still 132 Filipinos in Afghanistan.

Published : August 19, 2021

By : Gabriel Pabico Lalu/INQUIRER.net/ANN

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004831

Afghan Taliban tries to form inclusive government, promising amnesty, peace, women’s rights

KABUL – The Taliban did not want to have any internal or external enemies, and intended to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan, a Taliban spokesman said here on Tuesday.

At its first press conference since the Taliban’s takeover of most parts of Afghanistan on Sunday, the group’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they did not want any internal or external enemies, and they wanted to have good relations with everybody to develop economy and achieve prosperity.

“We don’t want to repeat any conflict, any war again,” he said, “Animosities have come to an end, and we would like to live peacefully. We don’t want any internal and external enemies.”

Talking about current discussion of forming a new government, Mujahid said all Afghans would have representation in the future set-up of Afghanistan. “Talks and consultations are continuing very seriously with politicians on formation of the new government, over its name and its flag.”

“Afghanistan will have a strong, Islamic government,” he said, adding the Taliban leadership was working and consulting on the name and specification of the new government.

ADVERTISEMENTx

The spokesman said the Taliban supreme leader had declared a general amnesty, promising to ensure the safety of the contractors and translators who had worked for the U.S. and allied forces, the government soldiers who had been fighting the Taliban for years, and those whose families were attempting to leave Afghanistan.

“We have pardoned everybody for the benefit of stability or peace in Afghanistan,” Mujahid said. He also called on the Afghans to stay as they are the nation’s assets.

When asked about the Afghan women’s rights, he said women could work and study in different fields including health sector, police and prosecutor within the framework of sharia or Islamic law, and they would be offered all rights within the Islamic principles, because women are vital parts of the society.

“We would like to assure the international community that there will be no discrimination.”

The spokesman said Afghanistan wanted to have very good relations with foreign countries to revive its economy and ensure prosperity, and the Taliban would use the country’s natural resources for national reconstruction.

Afghanistan would be drug free if the international community provided assistance to the country so that it would have alternative crops for the country, he said.

The Taliban had controlled Afghanistan’s all borders, said Mujahid, adding that there would be no smuggling of weapons, and all weapons in the fighting would be collected and registered.

When asked about the risk of Afghanistan hosting al-Qaida militants, the spokesman said, “Afghanistan’s soil is not going to be used against anybody … We can assure the international community of that.”

He also said that private media could continue to be free and independent, and it should not work against the Taliban.

In another development, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, political chief of Taliban, returned to Afghanistan from Qatar on Tuesday.

Since the U.S. troops started to pull out of Afghanistan from May 1, the Taliban began to launch major offensives on Afghan forces. During the past two weeks, the military group has captured most of Afghanistan’s territories in its blitz attacks, including the capital of Kabul.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : China Daily/ANN

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004830

7 more Japan prefectures to be put under state of emergency

The government is set to decide Tuesday to declare a state of emergency in seven more prefectures and apply pre-emergency priority measures in 10 prefectures, to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Both steps will be implemented from Friday through Sept. 12. Under the new plan, large-scale commercial facilities will be asked to limit the number of people that enter, and penalties will be applied if they do not comply.

The seven prefectures are Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Shizuoka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka, all of which are currently under priority measures. The state of emergency that is currently set to continue in Tokyo and five other prefectures until Aug. 31 will be extended through Sept. 12,

The 10 prefectures where the priority measures will be newly implemented are Miyagi, Toyama, Yamanashi, Gifu, Mie, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kagawa, Ehime and Kagoshima. The deadline for the priority measures currently being implemented in six prefectures including Hokkaido will also be extended to Sept. 12.

ADVERTISEMENTx

This would put 29 prefectures under a state of emergency or priority measures, or about 60% of all 47 prefectures.

The revised draft of the basic response policy for the pandemic includes a request for the prefectures under a state of emergency or priority measures to ask large-scale commercial facilities with a floor area of 1,000 square meters or more to control or limit their visitors. Those that do not comply will be subject to fines.

Food halls in department stores will also be asked to control the number of visitors.

Based on the outbreak of infection clusters at department stores and elsewhere, Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of COVID-19 countermeasures, said at a meeting of the government’s subcommittee on novel coronavirus, “The government’s basic line is to thoroughly control entry, and we will ask the facilities in all areas to strictly follow this policy.”

The government will also call on members of the public to reduce their shopping trips by half.

At the same time, Nishimura asked the subcommittee to consider how to ease restrictions on social and economic activities after Japan’s ongoing vaccination programs are concluded.

The daily number of new infections surpassed 20,000 last Friday for the first time, while the number of people with serious symptoms reached 1,603 on Monday, setting a record high for the fourth consecutive day.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : The Japan News/ANN