Myanmar’s military government has executed four prisoners, including a former lawmaker from Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, state media reported on Monday.
This is the country’s first use of capital punishment in decades.
The four were executed for allegedly leading “brutal and inhumane terror acts”, the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.
The paper added the executions were carried out “under the prison’s procedure”, without explaining when or how the four men were killed.
The military government has sentenced dozens of anti-coup activists to death as part of its crackdown on dissent after seizing power last year.
Meanwhile, global powers responded with condemnation when the junta announced the planned executions last month.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres slammed the junta’s decision, saying it was “a blatant violation to the right to life, liberty and security of person”.
Lives lost
The four executed included Phyo Zeya Thaw, a former lawmaker from Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD). He was arrested in November and sentenced to death in January for allegedly orchestrating several attacks on regime forces, including a gun attack on a commuter train in Yangon last August that killed five policemen.
A hip-hop pioneer whose subversive rhymes irked the previous military government, he was jailed in 2008 for membership in an illegal organisation and possession of foreign currency.
He was elected to parliament representing Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD in the 2015 elections, which ushered in a transition to civilian rule.
The second person to lose his life was prominent democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu – better known as “Jimmy”.
Kyaw Min Yu, who rose to prominence during Myanmar’s 1988 student uprising against the previous military regime, was arrested in an overnight raid in October.
The two other men were sentenced to death for allegedly killing a woman believed to be a junta informer.
The country’s military justified its February 1, 2021, coup by claiming voter fraud during the 2020 elections, which the NLD won by a landslide.
Suu Kyi has been detained since then and faces a slew of charges in a military court that could see her in prison for more than 150 years.
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The polite enquiry, “Have you eaten rice today?”, has long been considered equivalent to “How are you?” in South Korea. But it might not be the case much longer, with rice consumption shrinking amid changing eating habits, especially among younger generations.
According to data from Statistics Korea, the average rice consumption per person was 56.9 kilograms in 2021, a 17.3 per cent fall over the past 10 years. Rice consumption now is only about half of what it was 30 years ago,
The falling demand has also led to record low rice prices. According to the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, which represents more than 2.1 million farmers and 1,118 regional cooperatives nationwide, the price of 80 kilograms of rice was 179,494 won (around 5,000 baht) as of July 5, an almost 20 per cent decline over the past 45 years.
“We have purchased rice in order to support rice farmers. But with this year’s price dip, our regional branches have also been hit hard,” an official of the federation said.
Cheorwon in Gangwon province, one of the major rice-farming sites in Korea, saw a 27 per cent surge in rice production last year to 75,000 metric tonnes. Due to the plunging demand, the government pre-emptively purchased some 2,600 tonnes to offset the impact on producers. However, despite this measure, more than 5,400 tonnes remain in stock.
Yecheon, in the North Gyeongsang province, is no different. There are 11,000 tonnes of rice stocked in the region as of June this year, up 83.3 per cent from a year ago.
Experts say a growing number of young Koreans are eating less rice as they seek healthier food with less carbs.
“With the growing popularity of the weight loss industry, many tend to cut calorie intake by eating low-carb meals or dietary supplements instead of rice, a high-carb food,” said Kim Sang-hyo, a researcher at the state-run Korea Rural Economic Institute.
The domestic market for products and services related to weight loss is estimated to have reached 10 trillion won last year, according to industry estimates.
Kim stressed the government should purchase a larger public stock of rice to ease the problems rice farmers are facing.
“Food companies are currently in need of more rice to produce rice noodles and ready-made rice meals. If the government supplies low-priced rice, they can sell rice products at cheaper prices — a win-win for both farmers and food companies.”
Kim added that provincial governments could buy more rice and give it out to socially disadvantaged groups.
“Battered by inflation, some might not have the luxury of choosing between rice and dietary supplements.”
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The government in its 2022 defence white paper released on Friday included a hypothetical invasion of Taiwan by China for the first time.
If an emergency were to occur in Taiwan, an island only about 110 kilometres away from Yonaguni Island, Okinawa Prefecture, the crisis would also inevitably affect Japan, which is why it is said, “An emergency for Taiwan is also an emergency for Japan.”
A senior Defense Ministry official said, “Taiwan is the region with the highest risk in the world, next to Ukraine. We need to have the Japanese people know what kind of situation would unfold,” explaining the reason why a hypothetical crisis in Taiwan has been included in the paper.
Enhancing operational capabilities
Concerning a possible timeline for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, there are numerous hypotheses, including the year 2027 when China will mark the centennial of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army, and 2035, the year when China plans to achieve full modernization of its national defence system and armed forces.
On China’s mind is the movements of the U.S. forces. It aims to impede their operations within the Second Island Chain, which begins at the Izu Islands and extends down to Guam, an American territory, and to block them from entering the First Island Chain, which links the Nansei Islands and the Philippines.
China has already deployed the Dongfeng-21D, an anti-ship ballistic missile that, with its maximum range of about 1,500 kilometres, has been dubbed an “aircraft-carrier killer.”
With regard to frequent advances into the Pacific Ocean by vessels of the Chinese Navy, the white paper assesses that China “is aiming to enhance its operational capabilities in the open sea.”
In May, China repeatedly practised takeoffs and landings on its Liaoning aircraft carrier in the Pacific waters near Okinawa, a drill believed to have been conducted in anticipation of an invasion of Taiwan.
Nonetheless, as the Chinese military is said to face problems such as in transport capabilities, the white paper also included the position taken by Taiwan’s Defense Ministry that China “is not fully equipped” with the capability to conduct any large-scale landing operation on Taiwan.
3-front response
The Japanese government has been on the alert for cooperation between China and Russia. The Chinese military possesses Xian H-6 bombers, capable of carrying anti-ground cruise missiles, and in May conducted a joint flight with bombers of the Russian forces, flying over the East China Sea through to the Pacific Ocean. Chinese and Russian naval vessels have also been known to sail together in the waters around Japan.
Some believe that in the event of an emergency in Taiwan, North Korea may also embark on simultaneous military actions. Japan could even be forced to respond on the three fronts of China, North Korea and the Russian Far East.
Katsutoshi Kawano, former chief of staff, Joint Staff, said, “Japan should strive to strengthen its defence capabilities by assuming that the three countries — Russia, China and North Korea, which all share the same values — would cooperate in taking military actions.”
Mulling counterattacks
The government will accelerate discussions aimed at revising three security-related documents, including the National Security Strategy, in light of its recognition, incorporated in the white paper, of the security environment surrounding Japan.
Concerning the strengthening of defence capabilities, the government plans to push forward with discussions “without excluding any options, including counterattack capabilities,” as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has put it.
The white paper also noted that North Korea has been moving ahead with developing ballistic missiles that fly on irregular trajectories at low altitudes, to enhance its capacity to make a saturation attack, where many missiles would be launched at once.
The white paper also refers to advanced hypersonic missiles, assessing that North Korea “is committed to developing such a system to break through a missile-defence system.”
Having said this, the paper then poses a question: “Can we truly defend people’s lives and livelihoods solely by enhancing our interceptive capabilities?” thus strongly suggesting the need for counterattack capabilities.
While bearing in mind criticism from some opposition parties that a counterattack would constitute a “preemptive attack,” the white paper emphasised that “the use of force by our country after an enemy has initiated an armed attack should not be confused with a ‘preemptive strike.’”
The white paper provides an international comparison of national defence outlays among the Group of Seven major economies. The defence outlays of the United States account for 3.12% of its gross domestic product, and those of South Korea represent 2.57% of its GDP. Meanwhile, those of Japan stand at less than 1%. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is calling on the government to increase the defence budget, with a target of more than 2% of GDP in mind.
Yet, it is inevitable that the death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was a key standard-bearer of the budget increase, should impact the discussion on defence outlays. During his talks at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday with Ryu Shionoya, a former minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology and also a member of the Abe faction, Kishida said, “The loss of Mr Abe is having a major impact,” expressing his uneasiness about the effect on the discussions aimed at revising the three defence-related documents.
As some have indicated that Komeito — the LDP’s coalition partner — and the Finance Ministry may more strongly assert their concerns over increasing defence outlays in the days ahead, the direction of the discussions will be sure to draw attention.
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Residents of Metro Cebu were told to brace for higher water bills starting in the middle of next year. The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) has announced the need to increase its water rates to “sustain its operations.”
“We have been absorbing the increasing operational costs and our reserved funds are already depleted,” said MCWD board of directors chair Jose Daluz III in a statement.
“We really need this adjustment in order to continue our operation. We are not profit-oriented. This is only for us to continue operating and serving our consumers,” he added.
The two phases of the water rate increase will be imposed in July 2023 and in July 2024, which is roughly more than 60 per cent of its existing rate this year at P15.20 ( 10 baht ) per cubic meter. Its new rate next year will be P25.05 ( 16 baht ) per cubic meter.
On hold for 7 years
MCWD said that an average household subscribed to the water district normally consumes 21 cubic meters of water per month. Its water bill at present is P430.99.
In the proposed adjustment, the same household will now have to pay a bill of P561.90. In 2024, the same household will have a water bill of P617.36 for a 21-cubic-meter consumption.
The last time MCWD implemented a water increase was over seven years ago, on Jan. 1, 2015, even though the Local Water Utilities Administration allows water districts to apply for a rate adjustment every five years.
“MCWD opted to put it on hold in 2020 in consideration of the crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the water utility firm said.
It also said that it had spent P2.1 billion over the last seven years on its expansion and rehabilitation projects and another P12 billion on operational expenses.
These projects include the P1.1-billion Lusaran Bulk Water Project, located in the upland village of Lusaran in Cebu City, which is expected to deliver 15,000 cubic meters of water per day on Sept. 4 this year.
“This project will directly benefit the residents of barangays Busay, Lahug, Apas, Camputhaw, and Capitol Site, which are considered underserved due to the lack of water supply, as well as nine mountain barangays that are not yet served by MCWD,” the water district said, referring to the villages in Cebu City.
At present, MCWD is producing 232 million litres of water per day (MLD), according to Daluz.
The number, he said, is short of the needed water supply of around 600 MLD for the water district’s franchise area.
The MCWD franchise area covers the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, and Talisay and the metropolitan towns of Liloan, Compostela, Consolacion, and Cordova.
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After three cases were reported from Kerala, now New Delhi reported its first monkeypox case on Sunday where a 34-year-old man with no history of foreign travel tested positive.
According to official sources, this is the first case of the virus in the national capital.
The patient was admitted to the Maulana Azad Medical College Hospital around three days ago after he showed symptoms of monkeypox.
His samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune on Saturday which came out positive stated the source.
In addition to this, India’s overall monkeypox tally has risen to four.
On Saturday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the global monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
The global health body said the expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries is an “extraordinary” situation that now qualifies as a global emergency.
The WHO had previously declared emergencies for public health issues such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak, the Zika virus in Latin America in 2016, and the ongoing effort to eradicate polio.
The WHO, meanwhile, on Sunday called on countries in Southeast Asia to strengthen surveillance and public health measures for monkeypox, with the disease being declared a public health emergency of international concern.
Monkeypox virus is transmitted from infected animals to humans via indirect or direct contact. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or lesions, including face-to-face, skin-to-skin, and respiratory droplets. In the current outbreak countries and among the reported monkeypox cases, transmission appears to be occurring primarily through close physical contact, including sexual contact.
Transmission can also occur from contaminated materials such as linens, bedding, electronics, and clothing, that have infectious skin particles
India’s first case, potentially serious was reported from the Kollam district of Kerala on July 14.
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Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City will be blocking 22 streets to traffic on weekends in three phases between 2022 and 2025 for expanding the pedestrian street project
The HCM City Department of Transport has sent the City People’s Committee a proposal for expanding the pedestrian street project downtown.
In the first phase from 2022 and 2023, streets off the International Square roundabout will be marked out for pedestrian traffic. These streets will be closed to vehicles during specific hours.
In the second phase from 2023 and 2024, the city will open more streets such as Dong Du, Mac Thi Buoi, Ho Huan Nghiep Street, Ngo Duc Ke, Phan Van Dat and Ton Duc Thang to pedestrian traffic.
In the last phase between 2024 and 2025, other streets like Ham Nghi will be added.
City agencies are scheduled to study the project from the aspects of access, demand, connectivity and community support.
Expansion of pedestrian streets is also part of Ho Chi Minh City’s long-term goal of reducing the number of cars in the downtown area, improving the environment and protecting the area where many buildings of historical significance are located.
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The National Museum announced on July 23 that a bas-relief sculpture of Buddha currently preserved at the National Museum will be returned to its place of origin at the Banteay Chhmar Temple in Banteay Meanchey province at the end of July.
The museum said that the bas-relief was returned to Cambodia over 20 years ago after it had been confiscated in Thailand in 2000.
“This beautiful bas-relief sculpture of Buddha made in the 13th century will be returned back to the Banteay Chhmar Temple at the end of this month. Our compatriots in Phnom Penh can come to see it in the capital this week until July 28,” the National Museum said on Facebook.
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Prosecutors have raided the parent company of Terraform Labs as part of a broadening investigation into the massive collapse of the firm’s Luna and TerraUSD cryptocurrencies, sources said Sunday.
Last week, an investigation team of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office conducted the search and seizure at the parent company currently headed by Terraform co-founder Daniel Shin, according to the legal sources.
As part of the raid, prosecutors also searched the home of the chief of another Terraform-related company suspected to be serving as its Korean branch as well as a Terraform subsidiary, the sources said.
Terraform is under an investigation for alleged fraud and tax evasion after investors in TerraUSD and Luna filed complaints against Terraform Labs’ CEO Do Kwon and co-founder Shin in May, accusing them of fraud over the loss of billions of won following the crash of both coins earlier that month.
Last week, the investigation team raided seven local cryptocurrency exchanges, including Upbit, Bithumb and Coinone, and eight other places, including the homes and offices of people involved in the case.
The investigation team also secured Kwon’s records from the tax authorities last month to look into suspicions he evaded taxes.
The latest search is widely seen as focusing on money flows between Terraform-affiliated firms and the development process of the cryptocurrencies.
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A parade featuring a frog performance was held for the first time in three years at a temple in Nara Prefecture this month, after two years of cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Aperformer in a frog costume comically jumped onto a stage and bowed before a priest during the event at Kinpusenji temple, a World Heritage site in the town of Yoshino.
According to legend, a man who insulted the deity and temple acolytes was taken by an eagle and left on a cliff. A priest transformed the man into a frog to rescue him and later returned him to human form.
At the event on July 7, applause rippled through the crowd when the frog was transformed into a human by the priest’s sutra chanting.
While the temple continued to hold the performance amid the pandemic, a parade featuring the frog on a taikodai, a kind of float, was canceled in 2020, and ’21.
A 55-year-old local who runs a sweets shop has played the part of the frog for about 20 years.
“It was hot, but I’m happy we could put on a cheerful show,” he said.
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Unification Ministry seeks to allow S. Koreans to freely access N. Korean state media reports
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said its focus is on mapping out an “audacious plan” to provide economic compensation and security guarantees in return for North Korea’s “substantial measures for denuclearization.”
Unification Minister Kwon Young-se on Friday briefed President Yoon Suk-yeol on the vision of North Korea and unification policy as well as three principles and five core tasks to implement the policy, the Unification Ministry said in a press statement.
The vision of the policy is to “seek peaceful unification based on the liberal democratic order to establish a nuclear-free, peaceful and prosperous Korean Peninsula.”
The three major principles are not to tolerate any kind of armed provocations, to develop mutually beneficial inter-Korean relations, and to establish the foundation for peaceful reunification.
Audacious plan
At a news conference following the briefing, Kwon said he focused on explaining the Unification Ministry’s plan to create a virtuous cycle of achieving North Korea’s complete denuclearization and building confidence between the two Koreas.
The Unification Minister went on to say that pushing forward the “audacious plan” is key to achieving the goal.
In a separate press statement, the Unification Ministry explained that it has been drawing up the plan — which was first proposed by Yoon in his inauguration speech on May 10 — in tandem with related ministries.
In essence, the plan is to take into account economic assistance to North Korea and the country’s security concerns, according to the Unification Ministry.
The plan puts an emphasis on devising measures to implement economic cooperation with North Korea and provide security guarantees for the country. The compensations will be offered “in stages corresponding to North Korea’s substantial measures for denuclearization.”
In a nutshell, the Yoon government will “provide corresponding measures in a phased and simultaneous manner,” the Unification Ministry said, elucidating that it is not pursuing a big deal or all-or-nothing approach. The South Korean government also is not seeking a denuclearization first, then compensation approach.
“We are devising an audacious proposal to the extent that North Korea no longer sees the necessity to develop nuclear weapons,” Kwon said during the press briefing at the presidential office, without sharing further details.
“The core is to resolve political and military confrontations and push forward a consultation on economic cooperation with North Korea through inter-Korean dialogue and trilateral talks among the two Koreas and the US in keeping with substantial progress in North Korea’s denuclearization.”
Kwon said the Yoon government aims to “flesh out the plan in the near future in close coordination and cooperation with the US and propose it to North Korea.”
The Unification Ministry has weighed several options including measures for “military confidence building and arms control,” a high-ranking ministry official said during a closed-door briefing when asked about the issue.
The official, who wished to remain anonymous, also suggested that measures to improve diplomatic ties between the US and North Korea have been under consideration, explaining that what North Korea has consistently pursued since the 1970s is the restoration of US-North Korea relations.
Opening N. Korean media to public
Kwon said he also underscored the Unification Ministry’s plan to consistently push forward humanitarian cooperation with North Korea regardless of the political and military situation during his briefing to Yoon. The ministry hopes that COVID-19 aid could be momentum for inter-Korean cooperation on health care.
At the same time, the Unification Ministry seeks to substantially improve North Korean human rights to realize universal values of humankind. The expeditious launch of a North Korean human rights foundation — which has been postponed for more than six years — was proposed as one measure to fulfill the goal.
In addition, the Unification Ministry also set out a goal of restoring ethnic homogeneity by actively seeking inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation regardless of the denuclearization progress.
As part of its efforts, the Unification Ministry plans to gradually enable public access to North Korea’s state-run outlets and publications, most of which are off limits to South Koreans, with the intent to enhance better understanding of North Korea. It did not give further details.
The Unification Ministry aims to come up with measures that South Korea can unilaterally take to restore ethnic homogeneity, the ministry source said during the briefing. Against that backdrop, the ministry has considered the option of opening North Korean state media outlets to the South Korean public while encouraging North Korea to take corresponding measures.
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