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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013961

N. Korea could ‘rapidly restore access’ to yet unused tunnel for seventh nuclear test

North Korea has been restoring access to a yet unused tunnel at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in a potential attempt to expedite a seventh nuclear weapons test, said Open Nuclear Network, a Vienna-based research institute.

Commercial satellite images have shown “signs of increasing activities” since last December especially at the South Portal and the main administrative area within North Korea’s only known underground nuclear test site, according to the institute’s research report released Monday.

“These developments clearly show that the DPRK has reactivated, or is in the process of reactivating, some parts of the Punggye-ri nuclear weapon test site, especially the South Portal and the main administrative area,” Dr. Katsuhisa Furukawa, a senior analyst for Open Nuclear Network and former member of the UN Panel of Experts on North Korea, said in the report.

The Punggye-ri nuclear test site had “remained almost inactive” since in May 2018 when North Korea had dismantled all of the four portals or tunnels, except for the East Portal shuttered after the first nuclear test.

But since March, the satellite imagery has shown more ”visible“ indications of Pyongyang restoring access to the South Portal, also known as Tunnel 3, at the nuclear test site in Punggye-ri in Kilju County of North Hamgyong Province.

A total of four tunnels, which are referred to as the East, North, South, West Portals, were constructed at different times between 2006 and May 2018 to conduct nuclear tests.

Pyongyang used the East Portal for its first nuclear test in October 2006 and North Portal for the rest of the five nuclear weapons tests carried out from May 2009 and September 2017. The country has not yet conducted any nuclear tests at the West and South Portals up to date.

Open Nuclear Network pointed out that the “signs of excavation were visible close to the secondary entrance to the South Portal in March,” while there have been no indications of excavation and activities at the other three tunnels.

The satellite images from March 23 and 24 showed “several signs of excavation activities were observed near the secondary entrance.” For example, an installation of what could be a road became “visible” in that area, and seemed to connect to the likely secondary entrance or a possible new entrance to the South Portal. Indications of movements of vehicles or personnel were also visible in the imagery.

“The DPRK has very likely already started its efforts to restore the secondary entrance to the South Portal or establish a new entrance nearby,” the report said.

The satellite imagery from this month also showed indications of construction and renovation activities, “increased vehicle traffic,” and accumulated soil piles, especially near the secondary entrance to the South Portal.

North Korea, for instance, seemed to have partially repaired the roof of the semi-destroyed building located between the main administrative building and the South Portal. 

A new building and a new visible object were seen constructed in the same place of the two now-shuttered buildings that had been linked to the excavation of the primary and secondary entrances to the South Portal.

Within the main administrative area, the satellite imagery last week showed possible but “visible” log piles that could be “used for the construction of building (s) or restoration of the demolished tunnels.” 

The “increased vehicle traffic” was observed in the main administrative area and between the area and the South Portal.

The research institute agreed with the previous assessment by South Korean authorities that North Korea could restore Tunnel 3 “within a month” with the goal to expeditiously prepare for the seventh nuclear test.

“Analysis of available satellite imagery is consistent with this hypothesis, indicating that the DPRK’s excavation efforts have likely started in order to restore the South Portal for use in an upcoming nuclear weapon test,” the report read.

“If the tunnel structure inside this portal was not damaged extensively in May 2018, it might be possible for the DPRK to rapidly restore access to the tunnel through the secondary entrance.”

The detected activities could be a sign of forthcoming nuclear tests, especially at a juncture when North Korea last week renounced its self-imposed moratorium on testing an intercontinental ballistic missile.

“It is assessed as likely that the DPRK may also end its moratorium on nuclear weapons testing in the near future.”

At the eighth party congress, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in January last year called for advancing nuclear technology, miniaturizing nuclear warheads, developing tactical nuclear weapons and pushing ahead with the “production of supersized nuclear warheads.”

By Ji Da-gyum

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : March 30, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013960

WASHINGTON – The war in Ukraine has implications for the Asia-Pacific, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at a joint press conference with United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday (March 29).

“There are potential flashpoints and contentious issues in our region too, which, if not managed well, could escalate to open conflict,” said PM Lee, who is on a working visit to the US.

“Countries with interests in the region need to pursue all efforts to settle disagreements through peaceful means so that we can avoid reaching a point of no return,” he added, without specifying any countries.

The two leaders met for an hour at the White House, and afterwards strongly condemned the attack by Russia on Ukraine, now into its sixth week, at a press conference.

Said PM Lee: “The sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity of all countries, big and small, must be respected. The unprovoked military invasion of a sovereign country under any pretext is unacceptable.”

He said that he and Mr Biden had discussed the measures taken by Singapore to constrain Russia’s capacity to conduct war against Ukraine. They include sanctions and export restrictions.

Mr Biden said Singapore’s “strong leadership in the region” made it clear that Russia’s war was unacceptable to countries in every region, not just Europe.

“Today, Singapore and the United States are united in sending a message to all nations… regardless of size or population, they are equal in their rights on the global stage,” he said.

“They have a right to sovereignty and territorial integrity and to determine their own future, free from violence and intimidation.”

The leaders, who last met in Rome on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in November last year, also discussed peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, said Mr Biden.

“That includes ensuring that all nations in the region, including China, uphold the principles that enable a free and open region,” said the president, adding that Singapore and the US were both committed to freedom of navigation and the unimpeded flow of maritime commerce in the South China Sea.

They also urged North Korea, which has conducted missile tests in recent months, to return to negotiations and refrain from further provocations.

Mr Biden said they had expressed deep concerns over the continuing suffering and violence in Myanmar, following last year’s military coup.

“Singapore and the United States agree that the military regime must urgently implement the Asean Five-Point Consensus and return Burma to its path to democratic transition,” said Mr Biden.

Asean’s five point road map for Myanmar, called a “consensus”, calls for an immediate cessation of violence, constructive dialogue among all parties, a special envoy to facilitate mediation and meet with all parties concerned, and humanitarian assistance.

PM Lee also met Vice-President Kamala Harris on Tuesday afternoon and will attend a dialogue at a think-tank on Wednesday. He is accompanied on his trip, which ends on April 2, by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong and Communications and Information Minister Josephine Teo.

By Charissa Yong

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : March 30, 2022

By : The Straits Times

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013959

China conducted the maiden flight of the Long March 6A carrier rocket on Tuesday afternoon at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

The 50-meter rocket blasted off at 5:50 pm and then roared into the dusk. It transported two satellites – Pujiang 2 and Tiankun 2 – to their orbit, the State-owned space contractor said in a statement.

The launch marked the 412th flight of the Long March rocket family and the seventh space mission by China in 2022.

Developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the Long March 6A is a medium-lift rocket and consists of a 50-meter, liquid-propelled core booster and four solid-fuel side boosters. The core booster has a diameter of 3.35 meters and will be propelled by two 120-ton-thrust engines burning liquid oxygen and kerosene.

The rocket has a liftoff weight of 530 metric tons and will be tasked with transporting satellites to multiple types of orbit, including sun-synchronous, low-Earth and intermediate circular orbit.

Despite being called Long March 6A, the new model will be very different from Long March 6, also designed and built by the Shanghai academy.

Long March 6 is about 30 meters tall and weighs 102 tons, much smaller and lighter than the new model. It was first launched in September 2015 and has fulfilled six flights.

Hong Gang, the rocket’s project manager at the academy, said the Long March 6A is China’s first rocket to use both liquid- and solid-propellant engines as its main propulsion.

The Pujiang 2, also made by the Shanghai academy, is tasked with carrying out in-orbit scientific tests and surveying land resources.

Developed and built by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, another State-owned contractor, the Tiankun 2 will be used to demonstrate and verify several advanced space technologies.

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : March 30, 2022

By : China Daily

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013928

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will start the COVID-19 inoculations of children aged 5-11 years from the beginning of April, using 13.7 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines donated by the Australian Government.

According to the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), on March 22, the health ministry held a working session with the Australian Embassy in Việt Nam on the assistance regarding COVID-19 vaccines for children this young.

The programme is coordinating with the embassy to bring the first batch of vaccines to Việt Nam this week.

There will be about 9.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine doses in the first delivery – 700,000 doses of Pfizer and 9 million of Moderna (with expiry date at July 2022) – which are already in store in Australia and could be transported to Việt Nam in early April after procedures are completed.

The second delivery comprising about 4 million of Pfizer vaccines donated by the Australian Government via the UNICEF, will also arrive in April.

Australia has said they would provide necessary documents for the health ministry to soon give approval for use, and they would also bear all the costs and responsibilities of transport.

Within March, the programme has been organising training on the vaccination of young children for health workers across the country and providing instructions and guidelines for local authorities on the immunisation plans.

After the vaccines arrived in Việt Nam and go through quality controls, they would be distributed to localities for administration early next month, according to the programme.

In addition to the COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Australian Government, the health ministry is also actively looking at other vaccine sources including from international organisations such as USAID, COVAX Facility and Governments of other countries, etc., to soon secure donation commitments of about 8-10 million doses, ensuring that all children aged 5-11 in Việt Nam will receive the full course (two doses).

The health ministry has also asked the Government to potentially buy more vaccines after the amount of donated vaccines is known for certain.

Earlier, the Government has agreed with the health ministry’s plan to buy nearly 22 million doses of Pfizer vaccines to administer to the children from 5 to under 12 years old, but reportedly contract issues with Pfizer and donation intentions from various partners have complicated and delayed the process.

To date, Việt Nam has basically completed the vaccination of people aged 12 and older, and aiming to wrap up booster shots for adults within the first quarter.

Up to 205 million doses of vaccines have been administered in Việt Nam (population of 98 million people) to date, with nearly 38 million booster shots in people aged 18 and older. — VNS

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : March 29, 2022

By : Vietnam News

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013927

Civil servants and armed force personnel are set to receive a 50,000 riel allowance for both the Khmer New Year and Pchum Ben Festival period this year, with a government spokesperson calling it a “morale booster”.

According to a sub-decree signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on March 25, the allowance will be provided to all of the Kingdom’s 500,000 civil servants at an estimated cost to the government of $8 million. The allowance will be split, with 50,000 riel for Khmer New Year and another 50,000 riel for Pchum Ben Festival.

Beneficiaries include those who are employed by the legislature, judiciary, National Police of Cambodia, Ministry of Interior, Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, National Audit Authority, National Election Committee and the Cabinet.

The allowance will also be offered to local government civil servants and officials. Members of the boards of the municipal, provincial, district and commune or those of equivalent rank, employees of the People’s Office in the sub-national administration, village chiefs, village deputy chiefs, village members, contracted officials and staff working at the national and sub-national levels, former civil servants who are now retirees and those with disabilities, veterans of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and former officers of the National Police of Cambodia will be eligible for the payout.

The families of civil servants with disabilities and veterans will also be provided with this allowance as a one-off payment.

The prime minister instructed ministries, national institutions and sub-national administrations to submit the number of eligible officials to the Ministry of Economy and Finance “as a matter of urgency for the ministry to prepare additional budgeting loans and ensure that this subsidy is implemented on time,” he said.

The sub-decree stipulates that the finance ministry and relevant institutions must cooperatively arrange the distribution of the Khmer New Year allowance to each civil servant by April 13, with the allowance for Pchum Ben festival to be disbursed in September.

Ministries, institutions and units that have not yet opened payroll accounts for their civil servants must arrange for the payment of allowances “in full and on time”, according to the sub-decree.

Ministry of Civil Service spokesman Youk Bunna told The Post that although Cambodia was still in the throes of Covid-19 crisis management, the government will “always take care” of civil servants, calling the payout a “morale booster”.

“We all know that we are facing Covid-19. Despite that, the government is trying to find a way to boost the morale of all civil servants, armed force personnel and officials in this difficult time, especially to allow them to properly participate in the joyful occasion of Khmer New Year and Pchum Ben festival,” he said.

Pech Pisey, executive director of Transparency International Cambodia, previously said that the government has been providing additional cash incentives to civil servants regularly in recent years.

“I think, if our national budget is not facing problems, then this payment is welcome, because our civil servants’ salaries are low. This [payment] will be an opportunity for civil servants to further enjoy the festival,” he said.

Non Dary, a teacher in Kampong Siem district, Kampong Cham province who is eligible for the payments, said that such financial support shows that the government has considered the wellbeing of civil servants, which will encourage them to “keep working hard”.

“The payments are enough for spending on gasoline and buying some goods in preparation for the festivities,” he said.

By Lay Samean

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : March 29, 2022

By : The Phnom Penh Post

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013926

South Korea said Tuesday it plans to focus its fiscal policy for next year on propping up the economic recovery and strengthen fiscal soundness amid mounting national debt.

Under the 2023 budget guidelines, approved by the Cabinet, the government plans to normalize COVID-19 related emergency spending to pre-pandemic levels and make efforts to secure fiscal space to support new policy goals by the incoming government, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Government ministries and agencies will use the guidelines to draw up their spending plans by end-May for the 2023 national budget. But details could be changed later in line with policy objectives to be laid out under the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

South Korea has maintained an expansionary fiscal policy and drawn up seven rounds of extra budgets to cope with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the country’s national debt has increased at a fast pace and its fiscal deficit has sharply widened. (Yonhap)

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : March 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013925

WASHINGTON – Singapore signed the Artemis Accords on Monday (March 28), becoming the 18th country to join the American-led international agreement that sets out guidelines for responsible space exploration.

The signing ceremony took place during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s working visit to the United States, his first under the Biden administration.

PM Lee will meet US President Joe Biden, who took office in January last year, Vice-President Kamala Harris, and other Cabinet secretaries while in Washington.

Singapore hopes to work more closely with like-minded partners such as the US in the space industry, said Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, who represented Singapore at the signing ceremony.

Said Mr Gan: “I hope that by joining the Artemis Accords, Singapore will be able to cooperate more closely with like-minded partners like the US, to progress the international conversation on space norms and spur the development of the global space sector.”

The accords, which are based on the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, lay out the principles for safe and responsible international cooperation on civil space exploration.

They are spearheaded by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) space agency and inspired by the Artemis programme, which seeks to send humans to the moon again by 2025.

Mr Gan said that space-based technologies are important to many civilian and government functions, adding that Singapore sees strong economic potential in the application of space-based technologies in aviation, maritime and other sectors.

Singapore has been working to grow its “relatively nascent but fast-growing space ecosystem”, which has more than 50 companies and over 1,800 professionals, he added.

Last month, the Government announced it will invest $150 million in researching and developing space capabilities.

Nasa deputy administrator Pam Melroy, who represented the US at the ceremony, said that space-based technologies represent a high-growth industry around the world.

“The commercial space industry is finding its way into almost every other industry. Those space-based technologies are becoming critical,” she said.

The technologies developed to support people in deep space, for instance, will also have applications on Earth.

She said: “As we go out into the solar system, with humans, with technologies, we find that it is very important to take those norms and behaviour, the values that we share… with us.”

These include responsible behaviour, transparency, and the sharing of science information, she added.

Other than the US and Singapore, the other countries in the agreement are Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, South Korea, Romania, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

US State Department official Jennifer Littlejohn, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, said the signing would take America and Singapore’s civil space partnership to the next level.

“The Artemis Accords… are the keystone of US civil space diplomacy, presenting a powerful and incredible opportunity for this generation to positively define rules and principles to guide our exploration into outer space,” she said at the ceremony.

Earlier on Monday morning, PM Lee met Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Washington.

Both welcomed the growing economic and financial cooperation between Singapore and the US bilaterally and internationally, including the US-Singapore Climate Partnership and sustainable finance, said PM Lee’s press secretary Chang Li Lin.

“They also exchanged views on domestic responses to facilitate pandemic recovery and exchanged views on regional and international issues, including the developments in Ukraine,” she said.

PM Lee and Dr Yellen also discussed cooperation at international fora to deal with emerging challenges affecting the global financial system, she added.

The Prime Minister, who will be in the US until April 2, is scheduled to meet Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin later on Monday at the Pentagon.

PM Lee will also meet senior members of the US Senate and House of Representatives and take part in a think-tank dialogue, before travelling to New York City where he will meet United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other leaders.

By Charissa Yong

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : March 29, 2022

By : The Straits Times

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013924

Moment of silence observed at meeting; DNA matching has been completed

President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders observed a moment of silence on Monday to mourn the victims of the China Eastern Airlines plane crash.

The moment of silence, proposed by Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, was observed at the start of a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing.

Flight MU5735, with 132 people on board, crashed into a mountainous area in Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on March 21. All people aboard were confirmed dead on Saturday.

After the crash, Xi immediately ordered the launch of an emergency response, all-out search and rescue efforts, and proper handling of the aftermath.

Rescuers and investigators announced on Monday that DNA matching for all 132 victims had been completed. Remains and belongings of the victims have been sent to the local funeral home, properly stored and classified, and will later be transferred.

After the crash, the Ministry of Public Security quickly drew up a work plan to identify the victims and established a special platform for DNA comparison, according to Liu Kaihui, an official with the Institute of Forensic Science of China of the ministry.

Public security officers in more than 20 provincial-level regions were involved in collecting the DNA samples of the victims and their family members, he said at a news conference in Wuzhou on Monday.

“Our institute also dispatched a team of 30 experts to the crash site, carrying out on-site investigations together with more than 200 forensic science workers in Guangxi,” Liu said. In addition to DNA matching techniques, fingerprint experts have also compared the fingerprints taken at the scene to confirm the victims’ identities.

Zhu Tao, head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s aviation safety office, said that as of Monday noon, the search and rescue team had canvassed an area of about 370,000 square meters in the core and neighboring areas of the crash site, and had collected 36,001 pieces of aircraft debris and other fragments.

Five drone teams were deployed to carry out search missions by taking photos on the margin of the core areas, searching an area of nearly 9.55 million square meters, he said.

Zheng Xi, head of the Guangxi Fire and Rescue Brigade, said the search and rescue team is now prioritizing the search for victims’ belongings and aircraft debris, as both black boxes have been found.

As decoding and analysis work for the two black boxes is ongoing, other avenues for investigation are also progressing, Zhu said, adding that the investigation team is collecting evidence such as aircraft debris, accident-related video clips and witnesses’s accounts.

To fully discover the truth, “it is insufficient to rely only on data from the black boxes in an air crash investigation”, he said.

Shu Ping, director of the China Academy of Civil Aviation Science and Technology’s Aviation Safety Institute, said the investigation of an airplane crash also involves information collected at the crash site and experimental verification. “Many objects at the crash site could be used to analyze the situation, such as the condition of the engine system,” he told CAAC News.

Cao Yin contributed to this story.

Asia News Network: The Nation (Thailand), The Korea Herald, The Straits Times (Singapore), China Daily,  Jakarta Post, The Star and Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia), The Statesman (India), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Yomiuri Shimbun and The Japan News, Gogo Mongolia,  Dawn (Pakistan),  The Island (Sri Lanka), Kuensel (Bhutan), Kathmandu Post (Nepal), Daily Star (Bangladesh), Eleven Media (Myanmar), the Phnom Penh Post and Rasmei Kampuchea (Cambodia), The Borneo Bulletin (Brunei), Vietnam News, and Vientiane Times (Laos).

Published : March 29, 2022

By : China Daily

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013911

China has offered 2,000 metric tonnes of rice free of charge, following cash-strapped Sri Lanka’s request for urgent food aid.

The Chinese Embassy spokesperson said that Ambassador Qi Zhenhong recently informed Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa of their decision to provide 2,000 tonnes of rice to Sri Lanka, experiencing difficulties, and assured the Premier that China would continue to support the island’s development, within its capacity.

The Embassy stated: “The year 2022 marks the 65th anniversary of China-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations and the 70th anniversary of the Rubber-Rice Pact. The two countries share a tradition of helping each other and sharing weal and woe with each other. At the request of the Sri Lankan government, upon the current difficulty of food shortage in the island, the Chinese government decided to provide 2,000 tonnes of rice as emergency food aid to the brotherly people of Sri Lanka, with a total value of about 2.5 million US dollars (including freight expense).

The continuously raging COVID-19 pandemic and the dramatically changing international situation have further worsened the global food shortage and shipping capacity. Against this backdrop, the technical teams, from both countries, will work closely to finalise the production and shipment arrangements and deliver the aid to Sri Lanka at an early date. As always, China will continue to support Sri Lanka’s social and economic development within its capacity.”

Published : March 28, 2022

By : The Island

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40013908

If Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. becomes president, our country’s brittle institutions would be subjected to their most difficult test. Would they dare to rule against his interest in the many unresolved cases that have been filed against members of his family?

Or would the Marcos scion’s election to the nation’s highest office be interpreted as a popular mandate that tacitly absolves them of all past liabilities?

Because we think of ourselves as a democracy, we assume that the legal system is separate from the political system and that no one is above the law. We also believe that the judiciary is independent of the other branches of government and that the various agencies of government enjoy autonomy from executive power.

But we are only too aware that our democratic system has not reached the level of maturity that we often note, with envy, in other countries. A case in point: In 1995, Sweden’s then Deputy Prime Minister Mona Sahlin was prosecuted for charging private expenses (like a bar of Toblerone chocolate) to her official credit card. She was subsequently acquitted. But years later, she was found guilty of tax evasion for failing to declare income earned from her writing and speaking engagements.

Compare this to the Priority Development Assistance Fund scandal involving convicted plunderer Janet Lim Napoles. Only a couple of cases were actually filed against the legislators who, in partnership with Napoles, monetized portions of their pork barrel allocations for their personal use. Three senators landed in jail but, under a new president, all were later declared innocent and released. Only their underlings have remained in jail.

In 2005, New Zealand’s then Prime Minister Helen Clark’s motorcade was on its way to the airport when it was flagged down by the police for speeding and dangerous driving. The drivers were found guilty and fined, and PM Clark, who was a passenger in one of the three cars, was taken to task for allowing the speeding to happen. Such effrontery (for that’s how our politicians and police would have perceived it) would never happen here.

It took President Noynoy Aquino, at his inaugural speech in 2010, to remind the Filipino people that elected public officials were not entitled to break the law. His “no more wang-wang” policy was emblematic of his belief that in a democracy, the people are the real boss. But under a new president, we quickly went back to the same ingrained habits.

We have allowed the political privilege to undercut the state so often that rule of law doesn’t really mean much. We have become so accustomed to treating the powerful differently, conferring upon them an unspoken right to certain exemptions, that we are no longer surprised when they behave arrogantly. This entitlement is not written in our laws. It is rather deeply embedded in our feudalistic culture, forever constraining the system of modern law enforcement, and preventing our institutions from functioning effectively.

If Marcos Jr. wins in the May 2022 presidential election, as the opinion polls project, it is fair to ask what will happen to the cases against the Marcoses that have remained unresolved. These have hardly moved over the last three decades largely because of clever legal manoeuvring by their highly-paid lawyers.

I quote from a recent Business World column (BW, 3/17/22) by former Bangko Sentral deputy governor Diwa C. Guinigundo: “Some 942 items of real property worth P29.1 billion are still under court litigation. We are also running after 914 items of personal properties like corporations, aircraft, and paintings worth P96.9 billion. All in, P125.98 billion is 2.5% of our annual budget.”

And then there is the matter of unsettled estate tax liabilities, now amounting to P203.81 billion. Guinigundo continues: “Marcos Jr. and his spokesman’s reasoning that the tax obligation could not be settled all these years because the amount is yet to be settled between the BIR and the Presidential Commission on Good Government, does not hold water.” Citing a source from the BIR, he says that “as early as 1997, the judgment on the tax case had become final and executory.”

It is good to know that the BIR has not been forgotten. BIR Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay confirms that as recently as Dec. 2 last year, they sent a demand letter to the Marcos heirs concerning their still unpaid tax liabilities. If Ferdinand Marcos Jr. can repeatedly ignore the BIR as executor of the Marcos estate, do we expect him to be more law-abiding when he becomes president?

In highly unequal societies like ours, the scales of justice have generally tipped in favour of those who are in possession of political and economic power. The Marcoses are not known to be modest in their use of power. More than the redemption of the family name, we can assume that it is the resolution of these pending cases under more favourable circumstances that is at the root of Marcos Jr.’s bid for the presidency.

Alongside these cases — all involving huge amounts of money and property — are the longstanding claims of the Marcoses to portions of the wealth of Marcos Sr.’s former cronies. If Marcos Jr. becomes president, there would be no need for the family to resort to expensive and prolonged litigation to get back what they believe is theirs.

Yet the irony of it all — and this may be what is fueling Marcos Jr.’s support among the poor and oppressed in our society — is that the prospective return of a Marcos to Malacañang is being depicted, telenovela style, as redemption for past humiliation, and a vicarious balm for the pains of popular discontent.

 Randy David

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Published : March 28, 2022

By : Philippine Daily Inquirer