Ultra-luxury Bijan bag seized from Najib-linked condos from ‘most expensive store’ in the world

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/asean-plus/30348779

Ultra-luxury Bijan bag seized from Najib-linked condos from ‘most expensive store’ in the world

ASEAN+ June 28, 2018 01:00

By The Star
Asia News Network

2,226 Viewed

A “special order” bag from The House Of Bijan seized from condos linked to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak comes from “the most expensive store” in the world.

During the recent raids, linked to the ongoing 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) investigations, the police identified a “Bijan special order bag” as one of the luxury bags seized, but there was no mention of whether it was a bag for men or women.

The House of Bijan is known as the most expensive store in the world.

Headquartered in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, this American brand uses only the finest materials from crocodile skin, kangaroo hide to flawless gemstones for its ultra high-end bags.

 

A lower-level Bijan crocodile clutch purse costs about US$10,000 (RM40,318).

But, its diamond-encrusted Bijan bags are likely to set buyers back by six figures, in US dollars, or more.

The Bijan bag seized from the Najib-linked condo was among other goods of luxury brands such as Hermes, Chanel, Prada, Versace, Judith Leiber, Chopard, Rolex and Richard Mille.

As with all luxury brands The House of Bijan has a “House” in its branding and a history to preserve its sanctity in the world of opulent retail.

The House of Bijan was founded in 1976 by the late Bijan Pakzad, an American Iranian menswear designer, who migrated to the US in 1973.

Pakzad’s first boutique for the House of Bijan opened on Rodeo Drive, known as the most expensive retail address in Los Angeles and where luxury brands such as Bulgari, Gucci, Cartier, Dior, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany, Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, Giorgio Armani, among others, are on display.

After Pakzad’s death in 2011, The House of Bijan store on Rodeo Drive was sold for US$122mil (RM491mil) to the parent company of Louis Vuitton, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2016.

There is no question of anyone just simply strolling through the sumptuous doors of its showroom with its blue awnings and bright yellow walls in Beverly Hills.

On its website, The House of Bijan is described as “a universe unto itself” and is legendary for its “by appointment only” showroom.

This “by appointment only” offering by the brand is the heart of its exclusivity and is what differentiates it from other luxury brands.

The brand’s luxury offerings for the well-heeled are available in four categories from jewellery and accessories, driveable art, fragrances to wearable art.

The House of Bijan has collaborated on design with Bugatti Veyron Motor cars and Rolls Royce Motorcars.

It was recognised with The Leadership Honor Roll by President George H.W. Bush, and it even has its own day – where The City of Beverly Hills has proclaimed May 8 as Bijan Day!

According to a report by Huffington Post The House of Bijan counts Barack Obama, George and George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Prince Charles, Pierce Brosnan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hugh Hefner and Monaco’s Prince Rainer among its star-studded client list.

With a special order bag seized from Najib’s properties, it’s likely that our former PM was also on this star-studded client list.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/06/27/ultra-luxury-bijan-bag-seized-from-najib-linked-condos-from-most-expensive-store-in-the-world/#dL7MEMkeLrpjOqJW.99

A lower-level Bijan crocodile clutch purse costs about US$10,000 (RM40,318).

But, its diamond-encrusted Bijan bags are likely to set buyers back by six figures, in US dollars, or more.

The Bijan bag seized from the Najib-linked condo was among other goods of luxury brands such as Hermes, Chanel, Prada, Versace, Judith Leiber, Chopard, Rolex and Richard Mille.

As with all luxury brands The House of Bijan has a “House” in its branding and a history to preserve its sanctity in the world of opulent retail.

The House of Bijan was founded in 1976 by the late Bijan Pakzad, an American Iranian menswear designer, who migrated to the US in 1973.

Pakzad’s first boutique for the House of Bijan opened on Rodeo Drive, known as the most expensive retail address in Los Angeles and where luxury brands such as Bulgari, Gucci, Cartier, Dior, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany, Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, Giorgio Armani, among others, are on display.

After Pakzad’s death in 2011, The House of Bijan store on Rodeo Drive was sold for US$122mil (RM491mil) to the parent company of Louis Vuitton, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2016.

There is no question of anyone just simply strolling through the sumptuous doors of its showroom with its blue awnings and bright yellow walls in Beverly Hills.

On its website, The House of Bijan is described as “a universe unto itself” and is legendary for its “by appointment only” showroom.

This “by appointment only” offering by the brand is the heart of its exclusivity and is what differentiates it from other luxury brands.

The brand’s luxury offerings for the well-heeled are available in four categories from jewellery and accessories, driveable art, fragrances to wearable art.

The House of Bijan has collaborated on design with Bugatti Veyron Motor cars and Rolls Royce Motorcars.

It was recognised with The Leadership Honor Roll by President George H.W. Bush, and it even has its own day – where The City of Beverly Hills has proclaimed May 8 as Bijan Day!

According to a report by Huffington Post, The House of Bijan counts Barack Obama, George and George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Prince Charles, Pierce Brosnan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hugh Hefner and Monaco’s Prince Rainer among its star-studded client list.

With a special order bag seized from Najib’s properties, it’s likely that our former PM was also on this star-studded client list.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/06/27/ultra-luxury-bijan-bag-seized-from-najib-linked-condos-from-most-expensive-store-in-the-world/#dL7MEMkeLrpjOqJW.99

A lower-level Bijan crocodile clutch purse costs about US$10,000 (RM40,318).

But, its diamond-encrusted Bijan bags are likely to set buyers back by six figures, in US dollars, or more.

The Bijan bag seized from the Najib-linked condo was among other goods of luxury brands such as Hermes, Chanel, Prada, Versace, Judith Leiber, Chopard, Rolex and Richard Mille.

As with all luxury brands The House of Bijan has a “House” in its branding and a history to preserve its sanctity in the world of opulent retail.

The House of Bijan was founded in 1976 by the late Bijan Pakzad, an American Iranian menswear designer, who migrated to the US in 1973.

Pakzad’s first boutique for the House of Bijan opened on Rodeo Drive, known as the most expensive retail address in Los Angeles and where luxury brands such as Bulgari, Gucci, Cartier, Dior, Jimmy Choo, Tiffany, Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, Giorgio Armani, among others, are on display.

After Pakzad’s death in 2011, The House of Bijan store on Rodeo Drive was sold for US$122mil (RM491mil) to the parent company of Louis Vuitton, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2016.

There is no question of anyone just simply strolling through the sumptuous doors of its showroom with its blue awnings and bright yellow walls in Beverly Hills.

On its website, The House of Bijan is described as “a universe unto itself” and is legendary for its “by appointment only” showroom.

This “by appointment only” offering by the brand is the heart of its exclusivity and is what differentiates it from other luxury brands.

The brand’s luxury offerings for the well-heeled are available in four categories from jewellery and accessories, driveable art, fragrances to wearable art.

The House of Bijan has collaborated on design with Bugatti Veyron Motor cars and Rolls Royce Motorcars.

It was recognised with The Leadership Honor Roll by President George H.W. Bush, and it even has its own day – where The City of Beverly Hills has proclaimed May 8 as Bijan Day!

According to a report by Huffington Post The House of Bijan counts Barack Obama, George and George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Prince Charles, Pierce Brosnan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hugh Hefner and Monaco’s Prince Rainer among its star-studded client list.

With a special order bag seized from Najib’s properties, it’s likely that our former PM was also on this star-studded client list.

Ronaldo pics, ‘ghostly’ officals draw voters in Indonesia polls

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/asean-plus/30348766

  • Photo : AFP
  • Photo : AFP
  • Photo : AFP
  • Photo : AFP
  • Photo : AFP
  • Photo : AFP
  • Photo : AFP

Ronaldo pics, ‘ghostly’ officals draw voters in Indonesia polls

Breaking News June 28, 2018 01:00

Jakarta – Tens of millions voted Wednesday in local elections seen as a gauge of Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s re-election prospects, with free food, football stars and fancy dress on offer to lure electors.

    Polling stations were decorated with posters of pin-up football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and election officials in one location even dressed as ghosts to boost the turnout.

Widodo, known as Jokowi, is popular across the 17,000-island archipelago. But he has struggled to keep his economic growth plans on track, while the growing power of hardline Islamist groups who oppose him could throw up a formidable challenge.

Some 152 million registered voters — more than half of Indonesia’s 260 million-strong population — were eligible to cast a ballot for 171 mayors, regional leaders and provincial governors.

Some polling station were decked out in a World Cup theme to attract voters — including posters of the Portuguese footballer and of Argentina’s Lionel Messi — as local staff donned team jerseys and small nets filled with balls were set up around the ballot boxes.

A polling station near a cemetery in the central Javanese city of Semarang took on a “spooky” theme as officials strapped on ghost costumes, local media reported.

Voters in Depok, also on Java, got free fried tofu for their efforts.

Indonesia’s three most populous provinces — West, East and Central Java — are seen as key battlegrounds in the race, along with North Sumatra.

The way they fall could have implications for 57-year-old Widodo as he gears up for an expected repeat next year of the 2014 contest which saw him beat retired general Prabowo Subianto for the presidency.

Subianto is believed to be planning to run again in the April 2019 presidential election.

By early afternoon, exit polls showed former Bandung mayor Ridwan Kamil — a Jokowi ally — had won the majority of votes in West Java.

“What really matters in Indonesia is perception — you don’t want the president to show himself as having a weak hand,” said Yohanes Sulaiman, a political analyst at Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani.

Authorities tightened security across the archipelago as voting began Wednesday morning. Results are expected by July 9.

Indonesia has been on edge since a series of suicide bombings last month stirred fears about Islamist militancy in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country.

Last week a cleric seen as a top messenger for the Islamic State group in Indonesia was sentenced to death for masterminding a 2016 suicide-and-gun attack in central Jakarta — raising concerns about retaliatory attacks by his supporters.

The political power of hardline Islamist groups is at unprecedented levels in officially pluralist Indonesia.

That power was highlighted when Jakarta’s first  ethnically Chinese and Christian governor — a key Jokowi ally — lost his re-election bid last year over blasphemy allegations that later sent him to prison.//AFP

Japan to back Thai entry to trade body

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/asean-plus/30348780

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House on Wednesday.
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House on Wednesday.

Japan to back Thai entry to trade body

ASEAN+ June 27, 2018 20:22

By The Nation

Japan on Wednesday vowed to support the accession of Thailand to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha expressed an interest in joining during a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono.

Kono was in Thailand for the third ministerial of the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD) on Wednesday.

CPTPP is a comprehensive free-trade agreement signed by 11 Asia-Pacific countries in March after the withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) after Donald Trump took office.

Japan took the lead in the free-trade scheme, which also included Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

Prayut has ordered a feasibility study for Thailand to join the CPTPP, according to spokesman Weerachon Sukondhapatipak.

Kono also discussed regional security issues, including the Korean peninsula and the contentious South China Sea, which both sides agreed needed to be solved peacefully, he said.

Earlier, Kono also met Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai to discuss bilateral and multilateral issues, including the situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, according to the Thai Foreign Ministry.

Japan reportedly supported Myanmar’s efforts to “solve the crisis” in the western state as well as to have safe return of refugees from Bangladesh, according to a Japanese official.

Asean pools knowledge to fight cybercrime

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/asean-plus/30348778

Asean pools knowledge to fight cybercrime

Breaking News June 27, 2018 20:06

By THE NATION

2,724 Viewed

THE DEPARTMENT of Special Investigation (DSI) on Wednesday hosted a Bangkok seminar for representatives of 10 Asean countries to discuss and exchange ideas on ways to suppress cybercrime.

Pinpointing a serious emerging threat in the Internet era, Permanent Secretary for Justice Wisit Wisitsoraat urged all countries to be on alert for digital crimes, which had hit Asean countries recently with serious consequences.

Wisit was presiding over a seminar for knowledge exchange on measures to prevent and combat cybercrimes in the Asean Economic Community (AEC). He said each country faces loopholes in international laws that allow criminals to commit and get away with online crime. Hence new channels must be created so that law enforcers can communicate and exchange information for suppression of the threat. Wisit said each country should also amend its laws to accommodate the efforts. Thailand’s own Computer Crimes Act comes with severe punishments but the challenge for authorities was to make arrests before cybercriminals – who can act remotely and unseen from abroad – could cause widespread damage, he said. It is important for law enforcers to develop a system to detect cyber crimes, he added.

DSI chief Pol Colonel Paisit Wongmuang said the Asean co-operation to prevent and combat cybercrimes would help boost the capacities of international agencies and each country’s law enforcement, especially via linking and exchange of information.

Thailand’s most-reported cybercriminals are call-centre scammers based in other countries who dupe Thai victims via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and have caused many millions of baht in damage in recent years, he said.

The Royal Thai Police specialised centre to suppress crimes committed via phones and electronic media reported 452 cases covering damage worth about Bt254 million since December. Paisit said police had issued 547 arrest warrants and arrested 396 suspects. Thai police are also co-ordinating with their counterparts in other countries to crackdown on scamming gangs, but the problem still persists, he added.

In the Philippines and Indonesia, most cybercrimes are cryptocurrency investment fraud, he said. In Australia, 48 per cent of cybercrime comprises fraudsters creating emails or websites mimicking authentic public sector websites to steal personal information, while the private sector is targeted by hackers stealing credit card information, he said.

Malaysia warns of disease carrying worms in canned sardines from China

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/asean-plus/30348742

Malaysia warns of disease carrying worms in canned sardines from China

ASEAN+ June 27, 2018 14:09

By The Star
Asia News Network

2,488 Viewed

PUTRAJAYA – The Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (Maqis) has revealed that it found worms that can cause the anisakiasis disease in humans in samples of a brand of sardines from China brought in through the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) in Penang on May 14.

 

Bernama quoted Maqis director-general Datuk Mokhtaruddin Husain as saying the worms were discovered through physical examination and sampling conducted on several sardine cans that arrived in two containers with an estimated weight of 36,720 kg and valued at about RM200,000.

The containers had been detained, he said in a statement on Tuesday (June 26).

The worms were likely to be from the genus Anisakis spp which causes the anisakiasis disease in humans that normally occurs when humans eat seafood such as raw fish or fish not fully cooked infected with the Anisakis spp parasite, he said.

Anisakiasis is a parasitic and zoonotic disease brought about by a congenital fish causing the Anisakis spp nematode (worm) that attacks the gastrointestinal system such as the stomach and intestines of humans and can cause gastrointestinal problems or symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.

Mokhtaruddin said the act of importing any plant, animal, carcass, fish, agricultural product, soil or microorganism with pests, diseases or contaminants was an offence under Section 14 of the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Act 2011. The case is being investigated for further action, he said.

Cash, luxury items seized from ex-Malaysian PM Najib’s residences valued at over S$300m

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/asean-plus/30348739

Malaysia police’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Amar Singh Ishar Singh said the cash seized from 35 bags amounted to RM116.7 million in 26 currencies.ST PHOTO: NADIRAH H. RODZ
Malaysia police’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Amar Singh Ishar Singh said the cash seized from 35 bags amounted to RM116.7 million in 26 currencies.ST PHOTO: NADIRAH H. RODZ

Cash, luxury items seized from ex-Malaysian PM Najib’s residences valued at over S$300m

ASEAN+ June 27, 2018 13:48

By The Straits Times
Asia News Network
Kuala Lumpur

Items seized from six premises linked to Malaysia’s ousted prime minister Najib Razak as part of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) probe are valued between RM900 million (S$304 million) and RM1.1 billion (S$371 million) – making it the biggest seizure the police has ever made in the country’s history.

Police’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) chief Amar Singh Ishar Singh said the cash seized from 35 bags amounted to RM116.7 million in 26 currencies.

“It took us three days to calculate. We were assisted by 22 officers from Bank Negara,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday (June 27).

He further revealed that out of the 72 large luggage bags seized, 25 contained jewellery such as diamonds, bangles and earrings.

“About 12,000 items of jewellery were seized worth RM440 million, without taking into account workmanship costs. Among them were 1,400 necklaces, 2,200 rings, 2,100 bangles, 2,800 pairs of earrings, 1,600 brooches and 14 tiaras,” he said, adding that the market value would be between 50 and 100 per cent more, or an estimated RM660 million to RM880 million.

“We took 16 days to count,” he added.

Datuk Seri Amar said the most expensive necklace is a RM6.4 million gold and diamond necklace.

Malaysian police reveal value of items seized from former Malaysian PM Najib Razak’s residences

The police also seized 567 luxury handbags, including high-grade counterfeits, worth RM51.3 million from 37 brands, including Hermes and Chanel.

“The most expensive is RM1.6 million. We also seized 423 luxury watches from 100 brands – Rolex, Richard Mille and Chopard, worth RM78 million which took us eight days to count,” he said.

One of the handbags is a custom-made item that comes from Los Angeles-based House of Bijan. Its value has yet to be determined by police.

The luxury brand has been described as one of the most expensive in the world. According to Huffington Post, the brand has dressed every American president since Mr Ronald Reagan, except current president Donald Trump.

The news portal also reported that the brand caters to Prince William and Prince Charles as well as Hollywood stars such as Tom Cruise and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

The brand specialises in custom-made pieces made from luxury materials, such as crocodile skin and kangaroo leather. They see clients by appointment only.

Meanwhile, from three bags, police also confiscated 234 sunglasses from 34 brands – Cartier, Versace and Dior among others – worth RM374,000.

Malaysian police seizing boxes of designer handbags, other luxury items and cash from a condominium unit linked to Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak on May 17, 2018.

Related Story

Ex-Malaysian PM Najib explains why he had so many luxury handbags, lots of cash, jewellery

Related Story

Najib’s signature all over 1MDB documents, impossible he didn’t know what was going on: Mahathir

Related Story

Malaysia seeks to lay multiple charges against ex-premier Najib over 1MDB: PM Mahathir

Related Story

Read more stories on the 1MDB saga

Since May 16, police have searched at least six premises linked to Mr Najib in its probe into the 1MDB scandal. Investigators have seized 284 boxes filled with designer handbags, 72 large luggage bags containing cash and valuables from four residences in Kuala Lumpur linked to him and his family.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, in an interview with Reuters last week, said Mr Najib was fully responsible for the 1MDB scandal and that authorities have “an almost perfect case” against the former leader.

Mr Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing, having explained three years ago that the nearly US$700 million transferred into his account had been a donation from an unnamed Saudi royal. The US Department of Justice has said the money came from 1MDB, and that a total of US$4.5 billion was misappropriated from the fund.

Mr Najib told Reuters last week that he shouldn’t be blamed for the alleged stealing from 1MDB, and declared he knew nothing about the money from the state fund appearing in his bank account.

Value of cash and goods seized from Najib-linked residences amounted to about RM1billion

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/asean-plus/30348735

Value of cash and goods seized from Najib-linked residences amounted to about RM1billion

ASEAN+ June 27, 2018 13:25

By The Star
Asia News Network

2,203 Viewed

KUALA LUMPUR: The cash and items seized from the six residences linked to Najib Razak amounted to between RM900million and RM1.1billion, say the police.

Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Amar Singh told a press conference that it took police from May 21 to June 25 to ascertain the value of the cash and items seized.

He said that more than 12,000 pieces of jewellery – comprising 2,200 rings, 1,400 necklaces, 2,100 bracelets, 2,800 pairs of earrings,1,600 brooches and 14 tiaras were seized.

The most expensive item was a necklace that had a value of at least RM6mil, he told a press conference here on Wednesday (June 27).

He added that the market value of these items would be about 50 to 100 percent more, or an estimated RM660mil to RM880mil.

He also said there were 423 watches worth RM78mil and 234 sunglasses worth RM374,000 seized.

Police also seized 567 handbags made up of 37 luxury brands, with an estimated value of RM51.3mil, said Comm Amar.

He added that this was the biggest seizure in Malaysian history.

The raids on the residences linked to the former premier were part of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) investigation.

Myanmar military leaders guilty of ‘crimes against humanity’: Amnesty

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/asean-plus/30348719

In this file photo taken on October 14, 2016, smouldering debris of burned houses are seen in abandoned Muslim village in Warpait in Rakhine state during intensified government security operations./AFP
In this file photo taken on October 14, 2016, smouldering debris of burned houses are seen in abandoned Muslim village in Warpait in Rakhine state during intensified government security operations./AFP

Myanmar military leaders guilty of ‘crimes against humanity’: Amnesty

ASEAN+ June 27, 2018 08:07

By Agence France-Presse
New York

Myanmar’s military chief and other top brass have been accused by Amnesty International of crimes against humanity for overseeing a “systematic” attack against Rohingya Muslims, according to a report by the rights group Wednesday calling for prosecution at the International Criminal Court.

More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims were forced to flee Rakhine state after a military crackdown that the United Nations has said amounts to “ethnic cleansing”.

Myanmar’s military has denied targeting the stateless minority and said it was defending itself against Muslim militants who attacked police posts in August 2017.

But a new report from Amnesty said army commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing and 12 other senior military and security officials oversaw an orchestrated campaign of violence in the restive state where the Rohingya have been historically marginalized.

“The ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya population was achieved by a relentless and systematic campaign in which the Myanmar security forces unlawfully killed thousands of Rohingya, including young children,” said the report.

It also accused security forces of sexual violence, torture, forced displacement and burning markets and farmland that starved communities and forced them to flee.

“These crimes amount to crimes against humanity under international law, as they were perpetrated as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the Rohingya population,” the report said.

The report said some senior military figures and border guard police oversaw units that directly carried out alleged atrocities, while others knew of subordinates’ actions and failed to prevent, stop or punish the crimes.

Humanitarian crisis

The 186-page document is the first attempt to name and implicate senior figures in the widespread violence that sparked the mass exodus and humanitarian crisis that followed.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have settled in squalid camps in neighboring Bangladesh, many too scared to go back despite a repatriation agreement with Myanmar that rights groups have said does not guarantee a safe return.

The report is the most detailed account of the crisis to date and follows fresh sanctions from the European Union this week against seven security officials accused of serious crimes including sexual violence and killings.

Min Aung Hlaing was not subject to the sanctions but six people on the EU list are also named in the Amnesty report, which is based on more than 400 interviews in Myanmar and Bangladesh from September 2017 to June 2018.

The authors also used satellite imagery, forensic analysis and confidential military documents.

The report also details alleged abuses carried out by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), the Muslim militant group that attacked police posts on August 25, 2017.

It said ARSA killed informants and people with military links and massacred dozens of Hindus in the area, which the militant group has denied.

Amnesty says it requested a response from Myanmar’s military and the office of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi but did not receive a reply.

Myanmar has previously rejected calls for an ICC probe, arguing that it is not party to the treaty that governs the court.

Trump claims victory on travel ban, but border crackdown on hold

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/asean-plus/30348715

x

Trump claims victory on travel ban, but border crackdown on hold

ASEAN+ June 27, 2018 07:06

By Agence France-Presse
Washington

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban targeting Muslim-majority nations, but the president’s “zero tolerance” crackdown on illegal immigration was put on hold for lack of places to detain families arrested at the Mexican border.

The court ruling handed a major victory to Trump in a tortuous legal battle over the Republican leader’s efforts to restrict immigration.

But it follows two embarrassing climbdowns on illegal migration, as Trump and Congress face mounting pressure to legislate a solution to the flashpoint issue.

Conservative jurists prevailed over liberals in Tuesday’s majority opinion from America’s highest court. The 5-4 ruling validated the third and most recent version of the ban, which applies to travelers from five mainly Muslim nations — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen — and from North Korea, about 150 million people in total.

Trump pounced on the decision as an endorsement of his authority to defend national security and “a tremendous success and victory for the American people.”

Protesters took to the streets from Washington to Los Angeles and New York to bemoan the decision, and oppose the administration’s hardline approach on the southern border, where 2,000 children remain separated from their migrant parents.

Trump’s executive order “does not exceed any textual limit on the president’s authority,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts in the majority opinion, capping a battle that began just days after Trump took office in January 2017.

“The government has set forth a sufficient national security justification to survive rational basis review. We express no view on the soundness of the policy.”

– ‘Anti-Muslim animus’ –

A week into his presidency, Trump fulfilled a campaign promise and announced a 90-day ban on travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

He repeatedly questioned the loyalty of Muslim immigrants and after a 2015 terror attack in San Bernardino, California, used his campaign to propose a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”

Prepared in secret, the sudden order created chaos as hundreds of travelers were blocked at airports — with protesters warning that Trump was banning Muslims in violation of the US Constitution’s religious freedom protections.

Courts in several states ruled the measure illegal, and did so again in March 2017 after the administration dropped Iraq from the list.

Trump angrily recast the ban again. Issued in September, the latest version was open-ended, dropped Sudan, and added North Korea and a selection of Venezuelan officials.

Opponents — and the court’s liberal-leaning justices — decried what they saw as a measure targeting Muslim countries, and referred back to Trump’s anti-Muslim statements during his election campaign.

The worst attacks in the United States since the Al-Qaeda hijackings on September 11, 2001 have been committed either by Americans or immigrants from countries not affected by the travel ban.

In a scathing dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote: “Based on the evidence in the record, a reasonable observer would conclude that the Proclamation was motivated by anti-Muslim animus.”

– ‘Open borders agenda’ –

The American Civil Liberties Union, at the forefront of the fight against the ban, led an avalanche of criticism.

“This is not the first time the court has been wrong, or has allowed official racism and xenophobia to continue rather than standing up to it. History has its eyes on us — and will judge today’s decision harshly,” the ACLU tweeted.

Democrats in Congress sounded off too.

“This is a backward and un-American policy that fails to improve our national security,” said top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer.

Immigration has been among the thorniest issue in American politics for decades, and the Trump administration last week rolled back its hardline border policy following an international outcry.

Five days after halting family separations, on Monday it stopped automatically arresting and prosecuting parents crossing illegally from Mexico with their children.

One reason, acknowledged US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, was the lack of sufficient detention space.

Border control agents will continue to refer for prosecution single adults who cross over illegally, however — while Trump suggested at the weekend that migrants who “invade” the US should be sent back home without due process.

Attorney General representing 18 US states filed suit Tuesday challenging the practice of separating migrant families as “inhumane, unconscionable, and illegal.”

Three undocumented mothers also filed suit in Los Angeles demanding to be reunited with the daughters they were forcibly separated from after crossing the Mexican border to seek asylum.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended Trump’s hard line during a speech in Los Angeles — where police made two dozen arrests as around 200 people protested against his visit.

“As the president often says, a country without borders is not a country,” he said — vowing to keep fighting back against Democrats who push “a radical open borders agenda.”

But Republicans, who control Congress, face deep internal divisions on immigration.

The House of Representatives intends to vote Wednesday on a broad immigration bill that ends family separations, but passage is in doubt. Should the bill fail, it would be a dramatic embarrassment for Trump’s party.

Hannah Hanmer, who was protesting with her baby, said she was angry the government was trying “to remove human dignity from immigrants” arriving with children.

“I want to be one of the people who said no,” the 26-year-old told AFP.

David Lynch walks back Trump praise: ‘You are causing suffering’

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/asean-plus/30348712

x

David Lynch walks back Trump praise: ‘You are causing suffering’

ASEAN+ June 27, 2018 06:42

By Agence France-Presse
Los Angeles

David Lynch accused President Donald Trump on Tuesday of “causing suffering and division” as the filmmaker clarified what looked like a glowing endorsement days earlier.

Lynch shocked liberal Hollywood when he told The Guardian newspaper in an interview published Saturday that Trump could go down as one of the greatest presidents in US history. He now claims he was taken out of context when his comments were picked up by other outlets.

“Unfortunately, if you continue as you have been, you will not have a chance to go down in history as a great president,” the “Twin Peaks” auteur, regarded as one of the greatest American filmmakers of his generation, said in a Facebook post.

“This would be very sad it seems for you — and for the country. You are causing suffering and division.”

Lynch told The Guardian that Trump could “could go down as one of the greatest presidents in history” because he had delivered a badly-needed shakeup of Washington politics.

The 72-year-old director of “Mulholland Drive” and “Wild at Heart” said he was undecided on whether Trump was doing a good job, but thought the Republican tycoon had opened up a space for other outsiders.

Trump promptly retweeted a Breitbart article on Lynch’s comments headlined, “Director David Lynch: Trump ‘Could Go Down as One of the Greatest Presidents in History.'”

“I wish you and I could sit down and have a talk,” Lynch posted on Facebook, addressing the president directly.

“This quote which has traveled around was taken a bit out of context and would need some explaining.”

Lynch urged Trump to “turn the ship around… toward a bright future for all.”

“You can unite the country. Your soul will sing. Under great loving leadership, no one loses — everybody wins,” he added.

“It’s something I hope you think about and take to heart. All you need to do is treat all the people as you would like to be treated.”