Allowing the Self-Defense Forces to transport foreign nationals exclusively in the event of an emergency abroad is being considered by the government, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
According to the Self-Defense Forces Law, after receiving a request from and consulting with the foreign minister, the defense minister can decide to have the SDF transport Japanese nationals when it is determined that the operation can be carried out safely. The law also stipulates that if the foreign minister requests that foreign nationals be protected, they can ride on SDF vehicles with Japanese nationals.
In light of the experiences related to this summer’s Afghanistan evacuation operation, the Defense Ministry aims at the earliest to submit a revised bill during the ordinary Diet session that starts next month, according to government sources.
Foreign nationals who serve Japan’s national interests, such as those working at diplomatic missions of Japan or for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), are generally among the people expected to be eligible for transportation. By revising the law, the government aims to resolve problems that arose when it dispatched SDF planes to Afghanistan in August, upon the Taliban Islamist group taking over the country.
Back then, an SDF plane dispatched to Afghanistan transported only Afghan nationals in response to a request from the United States. SDF planes had been dispatched to transport Japanese nationals, but the government determined that a flight exclusively carrying foreign passengers could be possible as part of its evacuation operation.
At the time, however, a senior Defense Ministry official expressed the opinion that the law needed to be revised.
“A political decision had to be made as to whether it was okay to transport foreigners,” the official had said.
About 500 Afghan nationals who were working for the Japanese government and related entities and their family members remained in Afghanistan at that time, though they wanted to leave the country. Some of them had to travel to Japan on commercial flights.
After the Self-Defense Forces Law is revised, it will be possible to dispatch SDF aircraft exclusively to evacuate such foreign nationals.
The operation to evacuate Japanese nationals from Afghanistan also left unresolved issues in the local intelligence gathering system. It took three days for the National Security Council to decide on the dispatch of SDF aircraft after the Foreign Ministry made the request to the Defense Ministry. The decision came eight days after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.
The government is also considering operational improvements to enhance information-sharing with the U.S. military and to speed up decision-making.
China dismissed concerns on Thursday over the safety of Lithuanian diplomats in China, saying that such allegations were groundless and Lithuania never raised any security concerns with China.
“The so-called claims that Lithuanian diplomats in China feared for their own safety or the Chinese government forbade its citizens from working for the country’s office of the charge d’affaires in China are purely groundless fabrications out of thin air,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin to reporters during a regular news briefing in Beijing.
The remarks came after Lithuanian authorities said on Wednesday they had summoned their top diplomat back from China for “consultations” and that they would operate remotely for the time being. Reuters reported that a group of 19 people comprising diplomats and dependents left Beijing.
Wang said China has always attached high attention to protecting the premises and personnel of foreign diplomatic missions and ensuring their normal operation, including that of Lithuania. “The Lithuanian side never raised to the Chinese side any concern over its safety,” he said.
Last month, in disregard to China’s strong objection and repeated dissuasion, the Lithuanian government approved the establishment of the so-called “Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania” in the Baltic state.
The move was a violation of the political commitment that Lithuania made in the joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Lithuania, and it openly created a false impression of “one China, one Taiwan”.
In response to this erroneous act, China downgraded its diplomatic relations with Lithuania to the level of charge d’affaires, and demanded that Lithuania change the name of its diplomatic representation in China accordingly.
Ties undermined
Wang said the rights and wrongs about how China-Lithuania ties have been undermined are very clear.
“If the Lithuanian side does not face up to the reality, does not reflect and correct its mistakes and instead shirks its own responsibility, bilateral ties will be impacted even more with the feelings between the two peoples also harmed,” he said, adding that it is Lithuania that suffers in the end.
“We urge the Lithuanian side to honestly abide by basic norms governing international relations, keep its own promises and correct its mistake that undermined China’s national sovereignty and core interests as soon as possible,” Wang said.
KUALA LUMPUR: The vaccination status of those required to get their Covid-19 booster shot will be deemed “incomplete” if they fail to get their shots by February next year, says Khairy Jamaluddin.
“If these group of individuals still have not got their booster shots after February 2022, their vaccination status will be changed to ‘incomplete’,” the Health Minister told a press conference in Parliament yesterday.
He said those whose status has been changed to “incomplete” would not be able to enjoy the benefits of those who are deemed to have completed their vaccination.
Sinovac vaccine recipients are among those who must get booster shots by the February deadline.
Meanwhile, those above 60 years old, irrespective of vaccines type, will also be required to get their booster shot.
Khairy said this was in line with recommendation by the World Health Organisation’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE).
He added that the Covid-19 Immunisation Booster Task Force had approved and adopted the recommendation on Dec 8.
At present, Khairy said that the vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinovac and AstraZeneca have been approved for use as booster shots.
He added those above 18 should also get their booster shots.
Booster dosing started nationwide on Oct 13 for fully vaccinated individuals to ensure the immunity received after completing their doses can be maintained for an optimal period, especially against the Delta variant.
Last month, Khairy stressed that Malaysia could face a new wave of Covid-19 infections if the administration of booster doses was not accelerated.
In a tweet later yesterday, he said in line with the government’s effort to ramp up the booster shots vaccination drive, mega PPV (vaccination centres) will be reopened starting with the Klang Valley.
“All 60 and above or Sinovac recipients must get a booster latest by February 2022 to keep (their) fully vaccinated status.
“You will get your booster appointment on MySejahtera 180 days after the second dose (Pfizer or AstraZeneca) or 90 days after the second dose (Sinovac).
HÀ NỘI — Fully vaccinated foreign arrivals with negative COVID-19 test results will only need to self-quarantine at home or places of accommodation for three days upon entry into Việt Nam by air, according to the latest guidance from the health ministry issued on Thursday.
The new policies will be effective from January 1, 2022, the day Việt Nam is set to resume – on a pilot basis – regular international flights, starting first with Beijing/Quangzhou (China), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (South Korea), Taipei (Taiwan, China), Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore, Vientiane (Laos), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), and San Francisco/Los Angeles (the United States), before pushing ahead with more destinations, including Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Hong Kong (China), Paris (France), Frankfurt (Germany), Sydney (Australia), and Moscow (Russia).
According to the guidance, the arrivals must have proof of negative COVID-19 test results (using the gold-standard PCR method) within 72 hours prior to entry (except in the case of children under two years old), must declare their health status before entry and must install Việt Nam’s PC-COVID app (available on both Android and iOS) for contact tracing and medical declaration purposes. The installation of the app is only on a ‘recommended’ basis for diplomats and entrants on official businesses.
Arrivals that are Vietnamese citizens, including Vietnamese citizens residing overseas and the spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens, who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, can be vaccinated for free during the quarantine period if they want to.
Entrants who have been fully vaccinated, or recovered from COVID-19, must not make direct contact with other people during the first three days, leave their places of residence or designated accommodation (hotels, motels, resorts, offices, dormitories, guest houses, etc.)
Two RT-PCR tests will be conducted, on the first and third day of entry.
If the results return negative, then the entrants still need to self-monitor their health status for 14 days after arrival, but this is already a huge step down from the current policies of mandatory seven days of centralised quarantine and seven days of follow-up medical self-observation.
If they are willing to get a COVID-19 test (RT-PCR) on the tenth day, then the medical self-observation could end then.
For entrants who have not been fully vaccinated, upon entry, they will stay at home or place of accommodation for seven days, with RT-PCR tests conducted on the first and seventh day.
If the results are negative, the full two weeks of self-observation is applied, with another RT-PCR test to be done on the fourteenth day of entry.
For entrants who are under 18 years old, above 65 years old, pregnant women, or having underlying health conditions (without requiring care or observation of medical facilities), they could be quarantined along with their parents or caretakers.
The caretakers must be fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 and sign a ‘commitment’ document giving their voluntary willingness to quarantine with another person after having been informed of the risks of virus transmission. They will also be subject to the same stringent testing regimes and COVID-19 prevention and control measures expected of foreign arrivals.
During the self-observation period, the entrants must adhere to 5K message: Khẩu trang (face mask) – Khử khuẩn (disinfection) – Khoảng cách (distance) – Không tụ tập (no gathering) – Khai báo y tế (health declaration).
Anyone who develops suspect symptoms, like coughing, fever, breathing difficulties or throat ache, is urged to notify the local health authorities immediately.
The entrants are also recommended to have rapid antigen tests on the first day of entry and notify the health authorities if the result returns positive.
The verification and recognition of foreign COVID-19 vaccination certificates and recovery certificates are implemented following the guidance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the verification and recognition of Việt Nam’s COVID-19 vaccination certificates and recovery certificates are implemented following the guidance of the Ministry of Health.
Việt Nam has a high vaccination rate currently; 96.4 per cent of the adult population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine while 76.5 per cent are double vaccinated. Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has ordered health authorities to finish administering two doses of vaccines to 100 per cent of the population aged 18 and above by the end of 2021 and accelerate the inoculation drive for children.
The protocols set in this guidance will replace relevant protocols set in previous guidance related to centralised quarantine, and further changes to the quarantine period could be made depending on COVID-19 pandemic developments, according to the health ministry.
The protocols are not applicable to all entrants who have arrived into Việt Nam and are already within the periods of quarantine and medical self-observation before the issuance date (December 16, 2021).
The proposed new rules were first made public by the health ministry just this morning before becoming official later in the day. — VNS
South Korea has decided to reinstate toughened social distancing rules and a 9 p.m. curfew for restaurants and cafes to combat record-high surges of COVID-19 infections, top officials said Thursday.
During the 16-day period between Saturday and Jan. 2, private gatherings will be capped at four people nationwide — if they are fully vaccinated.
People who are not vaccinated will only be able to dine out alone, or use takeout or delivery services, according to the reintroduced social distancing rules.
Restaurants, cafes and night entertainment venues will also have to close by 9 p.m. and internet cafes by 10 p.m. Cram schools, however, are not part of the reintroduced curfew, the government said.
The government‘s reintroduction of tough antivirus measures comes 45 days after the easing of social distancing rules in early November.
Over the 45-day phased recovery, the number of daily infections has increased fivefold from some 1,600 daily cases on Nov. 1, when the government first relaxed COVID-19 safety protocols.
The number of seriously ill COVID-19 patients has almost tripled during the same period, swamping an already stretched medical system.
The nationwide tally of new COVID-19 daily infections for Wednesday reached 7,622 at midnight. Of the total, 5,696 cases were from the capital area.
The number of severe cases hit an all-time high of 989 as well on the same day.
“I feel sorry that the government had to reintroduce toughened antivirus measures,” President Moon Jae-in apologized in a statement released Thursday. “Over the course of the phased recovery, (the government) has failed to suppress the increase in critically ill patients and secure enough hospital beds.”
President Moon added the government is discussing measures to provide financial assistance to businesses that could be affected by the shortened business hours.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum also noted “the situation is very severe now,” during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
According to the government’s analysis, the number of daily infections could continue to grow if things stayed the way they are now.
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong warned that daily COVID-19 cases could surge to fresh record highs of around 10,000 as many people are expected to gather during the end-of-the-year holiday season. The daily tally could even increase to 20,000 by January if the pandemic worsens.
“To overcome this critical moment, it is important to put a stop (to the phased recovery) for the next two weeks to reduce the number of locally transmitted cases and overall infection risk,” Jeong said.
The number of Covid-19 cases crossed 14.51 million across Southeast Asia, with 25,788 new cases reported on Thursday (December 16). New deaths are at 371, bringing accumulated Covid-19 deaths in Asean to 298,933.
Lao government on Thursday announced a plan to reopen for visitors starting from January 1, 2022. The government said it has approved the Lao Travel Green Zone Plan that would allow tourists to visit provinces and cities designated as “green zones” once the country reopens. An official announcement will be made on December 17 outlining the official reopening plan.
Meanwhile, large scale New Year celebrations in Malaysia have been banned over concerns that the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 could spread in the country. The Health Ministry said on Thursday that the organization of large New Year’s celebrations is not allowed but small-form celebrations of New Year or Christmas can happen for now, with those attending being required to carry out Covid-19 self tests beforehand.
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