Former Sarawak governor, chief minister Taib Mahmud dies at 87

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“GREAT LOSS”

Born on May 21, 1936, Taib Mahmud served as Sarawak’s chief minister for 33 years.

He was appointed the seventh Yang di-Pertua Negeri – or governor – of Sarawak on Mar 1, 2014.

After almost 10 years in the position, he was replaced by Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar who was sworn in on Jan 29.

Anwar expressed his condolences to the people of Sarawak.

“We, especially the people of Sarawak, lost a respected statesman,” he said in a Facebook post. 

Anwar added that Taib Mahmud’s deeds and services to the country and Sarawak would be remembered forever.

Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof described Taib Mahmud’s death as a great loss.

“His death is a great loss not only for Sarawak but also for the country. The deceased had also served as a minister at the federal level before returning to Sarawak,” he said. 

Fellow Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also expressed his condolences in a Facebook post, hailing Taib Mahmud’s important role in governing and driving the success of Sarawak.

“I have too many memories with the deceased. He was an approachable person and always concerned for the people.”

Sarawak Media Group director and political analyst Jeniri Amir described Taib Mahmud as a charismatic leader who deserves to be called Sarawak’s father of modernisation.

“He brought about changes in various fields in Sarawak which also created opportunities for education and employment, and facilitated socio-economic and educational mobility, progressing individuals from rural to urban areas,” he said.

“He developed Sarawak from a backward state to a developing state and was able to reduce the state’s poverty rate from 70 per cent to about 20 per cent.

“I think he deserves to be given the title not only as the father of development but also as the father and architect of modernisation in Sarawak because he managed to transform Sarawak into its modernised state. This is his legacy,” he added. 

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Boeing welcomes competition from China’s C919 plane

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SINGAPORE: Boeing said on Wednesday (Feb 21) it was preparing to compete with China’s first domestically produced passenger plane, which was showcased for the first time to international buyers at Asia’s biggest airshow. The single-aisle C919 aircraft made its international debut this week at the Singapore Airshow, featuring in both flying andContinue Reading

CNA Explains: How Myanmar’s new conscription law could trigger an exodus and more violence

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SINGAPORE: Mandatory military service is not an uncommon practice around the world. In Myanmar, such a law was first introduced in 1959, but had never been enforced.

After a military-led coup in 2021, army chief Min Aung Hlaing hinted at conscription – an idea that didn’t take off until three years later, with an announcement on Feb 10, 2024.

What are the details of the conscription law?

All men between 18 and 35 years old and all women aged between 18 and 27 will have to serve up to two years in the military if called up.

There will be a higher age limit of 45 for men and 35 for women – and a longer three-year term of service – for some vocations such as doctors and engineers.

The length of service can be extended to five years during a state of emergency – a situation Myanmar has been in since the coup.

Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told media at least 13 million people will be eligible. The country’s population was reported at 55 million in 2021. 

He said each recruitment batch would involve 5,000 conscripts, with the first intake in mid-April after Myanmar’s new year holiday known as Thingyan.

Young women will be recruited only from the fifth batch.

The aim is to recruit 60,000 soldiers in a year, to a military whose current total strength is thought to lie between 200,000 and 300,000.

Evading conscription will be punishable by up to five years in jail and a fine. Members of religious orders are exempt, while civil servants and students can be granted temporary deferments.

But on Wednesday (Feb 21), the decision to recruit women was seemingly scrapped, with Zaw Min Tun saying there were no plans yet in this area.

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Indian farmers resume Delhi protest push after talks fail

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PATIALA, India: Thousands of Indian farmers riding tractors prepared to resume their push towards New Delhi on Wednesday (Feb 21) after failing to reach a deal with the government on their demands for higher crop prices. The protest hopes to successfully replicate the yearlong siege of highways into the capitalContinue Reading

Japan receives more than 2.6 million visitors in January

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TOKYO: Japan welcomed more than 2 million visitors for an eighth consecutive month in January, official data showed on Wednesday (Feb 21), setting the stage for a potential record year for tourism. The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure was 2.69 million last month, down slightly from 2.73Continue Reading

Thai influential ex-PM Thaksin gets visit from old ally Hun Sen of Cambodia

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BANGKOK: Thailand’s influential ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was released this week from detention, was visited on Wednesday (Feb 21) by former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, one of the tycoon’s closest allies during his 15 years of self-imposed exile.

Political heavyweight Hun Sen, the self-styled strongman of Cambodia, was prime minister for nearly four decades until handing over to his son last year.

Hun Sen provided the billionaire with sanctuary during his exile, naming him a special advisor and allowing him to visit frequently and meet allies in Cambodia, frustrating Thaksin’s rivals, who saw it as interference by a neighbouring country.

The activities of Thaksin, a towering figure over Thailand’s tumultuous politics, are being closely watched amid expectation he will exert influence on a government led by his family and allies, as he did while in self-imposed exile to avoid jail after being toppled in a coup.

Thaksin was freed on parole on Sunday due to his age and health, with the 74-year-old since seen wearing a neck brace, padded sling and using a wheelchair. A senior official who met him said he was “truly ill”.

“Two former prime ministers met and didn’t talk about politics,” Hun Sen posted on Facebook, with an image of him sitting on a sofa next to a sombre-looking Thaksin wearing arm and neck supports.

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China issues highest weather alert as temperatures plunge

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State news agency Xinhua said the NMC had “called on local governments to take precautions against the cold weather, advised the public to keep warm, and called for necessary measures to protect crops and aquatic products”. In Beijing, where temperatures hovered around freezing on Wednesday, residents awoke to find theContinue Reading

Operations cancelled as South Korea doctors’ strike grows

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South Korea’s general hospitals rely heavily on trainees for emergency operations and surgeries, and local reports said cancer patients and expectant mothers needing C-sections had seen procedures cancelled or delayed, with scores of cases causing “damage”, Park said. “My surgery was cancelled on the day of admission due to theContinue Reading