The ninth annual report of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres detailed retaliatory actions taken against human rights defenders on a country-by- country basis, including allegations of killing, torture, arbitrary arrests and public stigฌmatisation campaigns.

Cases in Thailand mentioned in the report included the intimidation of Maitree Chamroensuksakul, a Lahu indigenous human rights defender, and Sirikan Charoensiri, a memฌber of the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

Maitree was subjected to harassment and death threats after he met Michel Forst, a special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, on May 27, 2017. Forst was on a visit to Thailand at the time.

Maitree met him to seek justice for Chaiyaphum Pasae, a 17year old Lahu youth activist who was shot dead by military personnel on March 17, 2017 during an alleged antidrug operation in Ban Kong Phak Ping village.

Two days after Maitree met with the special rapporteur, police from Provincial Region 5 and Chiang Mai – armed with a warrant issued by Chiang Mai Provincial Court – conducted a joint large-scale raid on Ban Kong Phak Ping village, supposedly to search for drugs.

The authorities searched nine houses, includฌing Maitree’s, while he was not at home. Two of his family members were arrested and charged with drug possession, and both were denied access to a lawyer during their interrogation.

Meanwhile, Sirikan was charged with allegedly giving false information regarding a criminal offence. The UN raised concerns that the charges she faced – sedition and gathering five or more peoฌple for political purposes – under the criminal code may be directly linked to her cooperation with the UN, particularly her participation in the 33rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in September 2016.

Sirikan had represented 14 student activists arrested for participating in peaceful protests in June 2015, following the 2014 coup. She was charged with refusing to comply with the junta order. In 2016, upon returning from a UN Human Rights Council meeting, she was further charged with sedition.

Hundreds of dignitaries, most of them dressed in black mourning clothes, gathered at the Accra International Conference Centre, to mark the end of three days of national mourning for the respected diplomat.

Annan’s casket was centre stage at the religious service and surrounded by flowers and candles.

The current UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, led mourners from the diplomatic corps, while there were representatives of the African Union, the West African bloc ECOWAS, and presidents from across Africa and beyond.

Royalty included Princess Beatrix, the former queen of the Netherlands, and her daughter-in-law Princess Mabel, who were close friends of Annan.

Annan led the UN from 1997 to 2006 and was the first from sub-Saharan Africa to do so. He died on August 18 aged 80 at his home in Switzerland after a short illness.

The funeral will be followed by a private burial at the capital’s military ceremony and a 17-gun salute.

The Anglican bishop of Annan’s home city of Kumasi in southern Ghana, the Most Reverend Daniel Sarfo, said: “Today history is being made in Ghana. One of our illustrious sons is lying here.

“But we are grateful that God used him over the years to work for humanity, for peace. Today, as he lies here, he has finished his work.

“We pray that all of us will emulate the service that your son has rendered to mankind. No matter what we are we will also die,” he told the congregation.

Ordinary Ghanaians and dignitaries have paid their respects to Annan since his coffin was returned from Geneva and received with full honours on Monday.

Thousands of people have filed past the coffin, which was draped in the red, green and gold national flag and guarded by the military in ceremonial uniform.

One mourner, Fritz Kitcher, who spent his career working in human rights for the UN in Geneva, said he had seen Annan rise through the ranks.

Annan had taught him “the benefit of humility, the benefit of honesty, the benefit of decisiveness, and diplomacy from the grassroots,” he told AFP.

Others described Annan as a father-figure and a source of national pride.

– ‘Diplomatic rock star’ –

Annan devoted four decades of his working life to the UN, and was known for bringing quiet charisma to the role. He was widely credited for raising the world body’s profile in global politics during his two terms in office, facing challenges including wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Annan was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001, as the world was reeling from the September 11 terror attacks in the United States, jointly with the UN “for their work for a better organised and more peaceful world”.

He left the post as one of the most popular — and recognisable — UN leaders ever, and was considered a “diplomatic rock star” in international circles.

He kept up his diplomatic work, taking mediation roles in Kenya and Syria, and more recently heading an advisory commission in Myanmar on the crisis in Rakhine state.

He acted as a negotiator between the government and the opposition in Kenya after post-election violence at the end of 2007, leading to the formation of the Grand Coalition government.

Annan is survived by his wife Nane Maria, his children and grandchildren.

Innovations in artificial intelligence (AI), coupled with its increased adoption, will have a big impact on the workforce over the next decade, according to a study by Cisco and Oxford Economics.

The “Technology and the Future of Asean Jobs” study claims innovations in digital technology will present big opportunities for Asean economies to boost their productivity and prosperity.

A more widespread adoption of existing technologies, coupled with advances in the use of AI through software, hardware and robotics, will cut costs of goods and services, driving demand and creating millions of new jobs.

The study predicts that the sectors that will see the greatest rise in demand for new workers are wholesale and retail (1.8 million jobs), manufacturing (0.9 million), construction (0.9 million) and transport (0.7 million).

However, there will be a marked shift in the region’s labour market as lower-skilled jobs are displaced.

“Many skills that we have now will be redundant. The lowest skilled workers will be the most at risk, and the sectors that are most vulnerable are in services and agriculture,” said Naveen Menon, president for Southeast Asia at Cisco.

He added that to achieve the same level of output, Asean’s six largest economies will need 28 million fewer workers.

Singapore could see the biggest relative impact, with up to 21 per cent of its workforce displaced. Vietnam and Thailand are next in line, with 14 per cent and 12 per cent of jobs displaced, respectively.

It estimated that Indonesia will see about 9.5 million jobs impacted and Malaysia 1.2 million.

The study predicts that over a 10-year period, the competing effects of job displacement and creation will offset each other. However, many of these new jobs are likely to be created in areas different from those where they are being displaced.

As many as 6.6 million workers across the bloc’s six largest economies will have to adapt their skills and forge a new career path to remain productively employed.

A ministry spokesperson said the office would seek a solution to the matter.

Ministry of Education spokesperson Dy Khamboly said a committee had been established to address the dissatisfaction of some students.

“As of 3pm on Wednesday, the ministry has received about 500 complaints from exam candidates across the country,” Khamboly said, adding that an inquiry would begin and start delivering results within a week.

Starting Monday, a group of students gathered to protest in front of the Ministry of Education.

Failing favourite subject

Vong Saravuth, a grade 12 student from the capital’s Sovannaphum High School, said he lodged a complaint because he was not convinced that he had actually failed the mathematics test, given that it was his favourite subject.

“When I first saw the results which indicated I failed mathematics, I thought maybe I made mistakes during the examination, but after I checked with the scoring guide posted by the Ministry of Education, the result is not acceptable to me,” he said.

Saravuth said that he frequently received top scores in mathematics.

“Regarding scholarships in the country, some have already started to be offered. As for overseas ones, I applied to Japan. It will impact my application before reaching the interview phase on September 18. If I fail in mathematics, I might lose this scholarship,” Saravuth said.

He asked the ministry to review his exam result and provide a solution as soon as possible.

“Every year, I hear that the ministry does not listen to complaints. However, this year the ministry will probably work more than normal because the mistakes occurred in a lot of places,” he said.

Chan Phanara, a student from Ang Snoul High School in Kandal province, said he filed a complaint on Monday and is waiting for a solution as he found the result unacceptable.

He said he failed in mathematics while getting either a B or C in other subjects.

“I failed in mathematics which is unacceptable. I got Bs and Cs in other subjects. However, I failed in mathematics which makes my total grade an E,” Phanara said, claiming he spent four to five hours each day studying.

Tha Bunsin, from the capital’s Sisowath High School, said he complained because he disagreed with the result after he failed his favourite subjects which are mathematics and chemistry.

“The ones who sat next to me failed five subjects, but our results are similar,” he said. He also said he got an E in the English test even though he was expecting an A or B.

In a video uploaded by Super Junior’s Yesung to his Instagram page, the members of the boyband are seen wearing full suits. They later introduce themselves in English and Korean to Jokowi and Iriana.

During the meeting at Lotte Hotel in Junggu, Seoul, Jokowi handed the band members a repackaged version of SuJu’s second album, Replay, and asked them to sign it.

Lucky for him, they had already prepared a signed copy of their album for the President.

Jokowi then taught them the “proper” way to do the dance, which had been the talk of the town after he presented it spontaneously during Via Vallen’s performance of “Meraih Bintang” (reaching the star) at the Asian Games opening ceremony.

Not only did the dance go viral in Indonesia, his dance even reached Korea, when Eunhyuk and Donghae tried to imitate it in an interview with KBS World Indonesia Radio and promised they would include the dance in the closing ceremony.

Innovations in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, coupled with its increased adoption, will have a big impact on the workforce across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) over the next decade, according to a new study by Cisco and Oxford Economics.

Titled “Technology and the Future of ASEAN Jobs”, the study claims that innovations in digital technology will present big opportunities for ASEAN economies to boost their productivity and prosperity.

A more widespread adoption of existing technologies, coupled with advances in the use of AI through software, hardware and robotics, will cut the cost of goods and services, drive demand and create millions of new jobs.

The study predicts that the sectors that will see the greatest rise in demand for new workers are wholesale and retail (1.8 million new jobs), manufacturing (0.9 million), construction (0.9 million) and transport (0.7 million).

However, there will be a marked shift in the region’s labour market as lower-skilled jobs are displaced.

“Many skills that we have now will be redundant. The lowest skilled workers will be the most at risk, and the sectors that are most vulnerable are in service and agriculture,” said Naveen Menon, President for Southeast Asia at Cisco.

He added that to achieve the same level of output, ASEAN’s six largest economies would need 28 million fewer workers.

Singapore could see the biggest impact, with up to 21 per cent of its workforce displaced. Việt Nam and Thailand are next in line, with 14 per cent and 12 per cent of jobs displaced, respectively.

Indonesia will see about 9.5 million jobs impacted and Malaysia 1.2 million jobs.

The study predicts that over a 10-year period, the competing effects of job displacement and creation will offset each other. However, many of these new jobs are likely to be created in areas different from those where they are being displaced.

As many as 6.6 million workers across the region’s six largest economies will have to adapt their skills and forge a new career path to remain productively employed.

The study reveals that 41 per cent of those in at-risk jobs are “acutely lacking” the IT skills that new jobs will be demanding. Almost 30 per cent lack “interactive skills” that will be needed for future job openings, such as negotiation, persuasion and customer service.

Just over 25 per cent also lack “foundational skills”, like active learning, reading and writing.

“This will require all stakeholders – businesses, governments and educators – to work together to ensure the region’s current and future workforce are picking up skills that go beyond just technical knowledge,” Naveen said.

“They need skills like problem solving, design and critical thinking, leadership, collaboration, conflict resolution and empathy. In a digital future, where everyone will have access to the same data and information, these skills will be the key differentiator between being employable or not.”

The report suggests a range of training approaches are needed, including greater commitment to on-the-job training, more flexible online courses and work experience schemes to complement or even, in some cases, substitute for a formal school and tertiary education.

“It’s not an exception for Việt Nam. The digital transformation is no longer a vision, it has become the reality,” said Lương Lệ Thuỷ, Country Manager and General Director, Cisco Vietnam.

The challenge for Việt Nam was that low-cost labour made up the majority of jobs in the country, she said, adding: “The Government needs to have some solution because this is going to be a really big challenge for society.”

The auction in Yangon will be jointly organised by the foundation and Sedona Hotel.

“The statue will be offered for Ks50 million, a glass vase for Ks2 million and a gold chain for Ks10 million. These are the reserve prices. The reason why we want to hold an auction is that foreign scholars highly respect Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. It is a gesture of honouring her. This is for charity purposes. The money will go to the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation for public welfare,” said Dr Than Thaw Kaung, while announcing a second event to raise funds for the foundation.

The auction will be held at the fund-raising ceremony.

The bronze statue was cast by Norwegian artist Merete Sejersted Bodtker. The other objects to be auctionedare a glass vase created by designer Andrea Hyniova Traditional Czech from a private company, Crystal, and a jade necklace donated by Myint Tun Oo Gems and Jewellery.

The fund-raising ceremony will be held at the hotel on October 5, when the performers will include singers Yiling Chain and Ni Ni Khin Zaw, a pianist from Taiwan, local violinist Sit Thway, a Brazilian pianist and a soprano from Malaysia. Entry tickets cost US$100.

China welcomes ASEAN countries aboard the express train of China’s economic development, Han said, and will share the dividends of economic growth with ASEAN.

Han announced that China will work with ASEAN to upgrade the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement signed in 2004 and accelerate talks for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

China has been ASEAN’s biggest trading partner for nine consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China’s third-largest trading partner for seven years in a row.

Trade between China and ASEAN economies jumped 19 percent year-on-year to $380.64 billion in the first eight months of this year, according to the General Administration of Customs.

Two-way investment has surpassed $200 billion, and China has established more than 4,000 companies in ASEAN countries, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Given that many ASEAN countries are heavily reliant on exports of commodities and agricultural products, the tightened business ties with China that have come with the FTA give them greater bargaining power with other developed countries that control the pricing of many commodities, said Li Guanghui, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

Li cited manufacturing and clean energy, such as solar power, as profitable sectors for cooperation, since many ASEAN countries have ample labor and energy resources but lack technology, equipment and investment to develop them.

“ASEAN economies involved in the Belt and Road Initiative are having infrastructure renovation and consumption upgrades, which will continue to stimulate activities in cross-border goods and the service trade, tourism and financial cooperation,” said Yang Hongyi, vice-president of Beijing-based China Communications and Transportation Association.

Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China will work with ASEAN countries on a joint statement of production capacity cooperation to foster more integrated industrial value and logistics chains that can deliver extensive benefits.

The two sides also need to fully leverage financing platforms such as the Silk Road Fund to provide full support for quality projects, Han added.

Over the past 14 years, the expo has boosted China-ASEAN trade and investment.

China has expanded its exports of electronic products, construction materials and construction machinery as well as new energy technology and high-speed trains to ASEAN countries, said Wang Bingnan, vice-minister of commerce.

In return, the countries’ agricultural products, daily goods and bulk commodities are also favored by Chinese consumers and manufacturers, Wang said.

The incident occurred at 7:35 pm (1135 GMT), according to a statement on the official social media account of Hengdong city in central Hunan province.

Police have taken the driver — a man in his mid-40s — into custody, according to a report published by the state-funded news website The Paper, which added that a person matching the description of the alleged assailant had previously been jailed on drug charges.

Authorities said they were investigating the incident, but did not elaborate further.

Pictures reportedly from the scene and shared on social media showed a red SUV with a crushed bumper.

Videos of the incident circulated briefly on social media, but were quickly removed.

Violent crime has risen in China in recent decades as the country’s economic boom has widened the gap between the rich and the poor. Police have also previously blamed such attacks on militant separatists.

In 2013, two tourists were killed when a car rammed into bystanders on Beijing’s iconic Tiananmen Square before bursting into flames.

Three attackers also died in the incident, which Beijing blamed on separatists from the restive western region of Xinjiang.

They also called on ASEAN to strengthen collaborative resilience to navigate the adversarial climate caused by fractures between the world’s two largest economies.

“We need to start taking the opportunity of what was already built several years ago and that is ASEAN,” said Ignatius Darell Leiking, Minister of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia, as he spoke on a panel called ‘Trade in Trouble: Navigating Geo-Economic Tensions’.

“Work as a single ASEAN, to trade between ourselves and make it seamless between ourselves. That could reduce the impact that is forthcoming because of this tariff war,” he concluded.

Alan Bollard, executive director of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Secretariat, Singapore, said it was unclear how far relations might deteriorate, given the direction of global trade.

“If there is US$60 billion worth of trade into the US with a 25 per cent tariff and vice versa, and the threat of $200 billion worth of trade under a tariff of that sort, I don’t know at what point trade friction becomes trade war,” he said.

“But it doesn’t look good at all.”

Yasuo Tanabe, senior vice-president and senior corporate officer at Hitachi, Japan, said there are solutions.

“Back in the 70s and 80s we were often pressured by the US and we negotiated on many issues in almost all sectors,” he said, adding that the solutions included both voluntary export restraint and import expansion, which helped calm trade stresses.

Beyond boosting intra-ASEAN trade to help protect the bloc from global disruption, Bollard pointed out that current circumstances have seen other countries step up to take the lead in major trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and may encourage others to follow suit.

“We are going through a period where we are seeing a bipolar world move into a multipolar one. Who would have thought that Japan would have taken leadership of the TPP? I never thought that would have happened and it has. Is it possible that India could do the same thing on RCEP?” he asked, referring to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Acknowledging the uncertainty about whether existing pressures will be short, medium or long term, Victor L L Chu, chairman and chief executive officer of First Eastern Investment Group, Hong Kong SAR, China, said there were also opportunities within.

“If you look at the silver lining, it is an opportunity for us to look at our competitive advantages,” said Chu, “Hong Kong and ASEAN signed a free trade agreement last November and that is very interesting. Hong Kong wants to be more than a China bridge; we want to be at the centre of Asia looking at a closer relationship with Japan, with ASEAN, while at the same time contributing to China’s road and bridge initiative.”

Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Ignatius Darell Leiking warned there was no time to waste and ASEAN leaders must embrace the reality that a solution is needed now, and from within.

“ASEAN negotiators should have in their mind that the intention is to see their neighbours prosper. If all our neighbours prosper together whereby we help each other, provide input into how to develop our countries, in an equal way,” he said.

“Then we’ll be alright.”