Seafood imported from Japan is safe, says FDA

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 25 Sep 2023 at 12:28

Seafood imported from Japan is safe, says FDA
Customers browse locally caught seafood at the Hamanoeki Fish Market and Food Court in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, on Aug 31. (Reuters photo)

Tests on samples of seafood imported from Japan have so far revealed no traces of radioactivity beyond international standards and consumers can rest assured the food is safe to eat, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Monday

The assurance comes amid international consumer concerns over the release of stored water from the tsunami-destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant. 

FDA deputy secretary-general Lertchai Lertvut said on Monday that strict safety measures had been enforced on seafood imported from Japan since it begun releasing treated radioactive water from the Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean on Aug 24, 12 years after the nuclear meltdown.

He said 75 samples of imported seafood such as squid, molluscs and crabs had been collected for quantitative analyses of  caesium-134 and caesium-137 content by the Office of Atoms for Peace of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.

The results for 42 of the 73 samples showed no radioactive traces exceeding international standards. Analyses of the 33 other samples were still underway.

If any samples were found to be contaminated with radioactivity, the imported seafood would be destroyed and its importation suspended, Mr Lertchai said.

Mr Lertchai said consumers can be sure that the FDA has taken proper measures to ensure all imported seafood is free of radioactive contamination.

Continue Reading

More than 4,000 people will be affected by WWII bomb disposal operation at Upper Bukit Timah

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

Authorities held meetings with residents in the area on Sunday, informing them of the situation.

When CNA arrived at the scene on Monday at about 2pm, at least 30 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel were seen working on site. 

A barrier made of concrete blocks was being built around the bomb. Officers were also seen carrying sandbags into the construction site. 

Police vans arrived at Hazel Park condominium at about 4pm, with officers in vests arriving to survey the area. 

In a letter seen by CNA, residents were told to leave their homes before 8am on Tuesday and to stick a green strip of paper on their front door when they vacate. This green strip was provided by the police to allow authorities to account for residents in a building.

Continue Reading

Community Chest charity TV show raises more than S million

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

For the finale, actor Desmond Tan and singer Annette Lee sang a duet of the Mandarin song, The Sun, as the final artwork of the Community project, titled Trees of Hope, was unveiled. 

Local artiste Edmund Chen led volunteers to put the final touches on the artwork featuring cardboard trees and animals, which serves as a symbolic representation of the collaboration within the community to support those in need.

You can catch a repeat telecast of the Community Chest: Uniting Hearts 2023 Charity TV Show on Channel 8 on Oct 1 at 3.30pm. 

Continue Reading

NUS exchange student fined for molesting waitress at Marquee nightclub

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

SINGAPORE: A foreign exchange student at the National University of Singapore (NUS) had barely arrived in the country when he went to a nightclub with his friends, got drunk and molested a waitress.

Pakistani student Butt Muhammad Abdullah, 22, was fined S$4,000 (US$2,900) on Monday (Sep 25) for one count of outraging the 30-year-old victim’s modesty.

If he cannot pay the fine, he will have to serve four days in jail in default. Butt has already been in custody for four days as he was unable to raise bail.

The court heard that Butt holds a student pass and came to Singapore from Denmark, where he is a permanent resident, on a five-month student exchange programme with NUS.

On Sep 2 this year, he went to Marquee Singapore at Marina Bay Sands for a drinking session with his friends.

At about 2.50am, he decided to leave and head back to his hostel with a friend. 

When the victim, a 30-year-old waitress, walked past Butt to clear his table, Butt reached out his hand and touched her buttock once over her clothes.

The victim quickly turned around, confronted him and brought him to security. The police were called and Butt was arrested. His actions were captured by closed-circuit television cameras.

The prosecution sought a fine of S$4,000 to S$5,000, saying Butt had pleaded guilty and had no prior convictions. The CCTV footage also revealed that the touch was “fleeting, over clothing”, and “did not intrude on private parts”, said the prosecutor.

Defence lawyer Cathy Pereira said her client was an exchange student with NUS Business School and had been in Singapore for only a month before the night out.

“It was his first time drinking a large amount of alcohol,” she said. 

“He had only drunk once before. This time, he had seven drinks and didn’t realise the effect it had on him. He’s extremely remorseful.”

She said her client had acted on impulse and in the spur of the moment in his intoxicated state.

“After this, he intends to never drink again,” said Ms Pereira.

Since Butt had already spent four nights in custody, she asked for the fine to be calibrated down to S$1,500, with four days’ jail in default if he does not pay the fine.

The judge said he took into consideration the time spent in remand by the accused and calibrated the in-default imprisonment term accordingly.

CNA has contacted NUS for more information on the outcome of Butt’s exchange programme.

Continue Reading

Big Joke’s house searched by cyber crime police

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 25 Sep 2023 at 11:01

Big Joke's house searched by cyber crime police
Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn (left, partly concealed) reads the court search warrant, near his house in Bangkok on Monday morning. (Photo supplied)

Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) police searched the house of deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn in Bangkok on Monday morning after he was allegedly found to have been involved in gambling site operations.

The search was part of a larger operation code-named “Big Cleaning Day”.

Cyber crime police, armed with a court search warrant, were reportedly accompanied by police from the Anti-Corruption Division and Metropolitan Police special operations commandos.

Also to be searched under warrants were five houses in Soi Vibhavadi 60 behind the Police Club. The houses were reportedly bought by Pol Gen Surachate for his subordinates.

When police arrived about 8am, Pol Gen Surachate was at his house and received them wearing only a pair of boxers and white T-shirt. He reportedly refused to let the police into his house, citing his position as deputy commander of the Royal Thai Police.

The search team had to wait for Pol Lt Gen Voravat Watnakhonbancha, the CCIB commissioner, to arrive to talk with Pol Gen Surachate about the search warrant. After Pol Gen Voravat arrived, Pol Gen Surachate allowed the search.

Pol Gen Surachate’s house, in Soi Vibhavadi 60, was reportedly among about 30 houses to be searched on Monday in Bangkok and five provinces – Phetchaburi, Samut Prakan, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Saraburi.

The other houses reportedly belong to junior police officers close to Pol Gen Surachate and alleged to have been involved in online gambling sites operating in Laos with about one billion baht in circulation.

CCIB police investigating the financial transactions of the network found sufficient evidence to convince a court to issue search and arrest warrants.

In operation “Big Cleaning Day” a number of officers, including a police major general and a police colonel, in a team of investigators under Pol Gen Surachate were reportedly arrested. They were  expected to be taken to Metropolitan Police Division 5 headquarters on Sathorn road for questioning.

Pol Gen Surachate is one of four deputy national police chiefs, all eligible to aspire to the position of national police chief when Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas retires at the end of September. Pol Gen Surachate confirmed to reporters that five or six of his subordinates faced arrest warrants for alleged involvement in online gambling and said he and his subordinates would prove their innocence.

Pol Gen Surachate said he cooperated and the search of his home found nothing illegal. He had never received any money from any gambling website, and acted only to suppress the operations of  such websites. He was confident of his subordinates’ innocence.

Asked if he was worried about his prospects for the job of national police chief, Pol Gen Surachate said he was not a candidate. After the search, he planned to go to work as usual.

Pol Lt Gen Worawat Watnakhonbancha, commissioner of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, said the search was a part of an expanded investigation into online gambling and investigators believed some suspects had stayed at Pol Gen Surachate’s residence.

He did not know details of the suppression action. It was the responsibility of the Police Cyber Task Force, which had requested teams from CCIB to support the searches in many provinces on Monday.

Continue Reading

Assessing the negative consequences of globalization

By:
On:
In: Asia

Globalization may have brought common economic prosperity and improved welfare worldwide at first; now, however, it has more cons than pros.

This is mainly due to the so-called chain effect.

Because of the interconnectedness of economies, a problem in one country can have wide ramifications and lead to recessions and other adverse effects on a global scale.

The bursting of the dotcom bubble in the late 1990s, the real-estate bubble in 2008, and the European debt crisis in 2009 are excellent examples of this phenomenon.

The challenge is that, in the context of full globalization, it is difficult to mitigate the negative consequences of interconnected economies.

The unfolding crisis in China serves as a poignant reminder of this reality.

First, a lower-than-expected flow of orders from Chinese consumers or a cutback in foreign investment by the government cannot be easily replaced.

Second, if the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) increases the pace of its foreign-asset sales to support the yuan, there is limited recourse to offset the resulting negative impact.

Thus Chinese sales of US government debt could prevent yields from falling, even if the Federal Reserve nears the end of its cycle of interest-rate increases and global equity markets face a massive sell-off.

Besides, if the PBOC decides to dump a third of its $835 billion, there could be a massive shockwave in US long-term debt markets, especially in the current context of Fed quantitative easing.

So where does it take us?

Although globalization can be detrimental in times of uncertainty, it does not mean we should diminish interdependence and integration and return to protectionism. That would only increase global economic slowdown, inequality, poverty and inflation. The best thing would be to help those on sinking ships recover more quickly.

But unfortunately, in the current state of geopolitical relations, this seems highly unlikely. All we can do is track global market updates and stay prepared.

Continue Reading

US ag deficit no cause for another China trade war

By:
On:
In: Asia

Over the years, agriculture has been a bright spot in an often dark US trade picture. The US traditionally exports more agricultural products than it imports, partially offsetting big trade deficits in manufactured goods. That’s been a point of pride among American farmers and ranchers.

Lately, though, ag imports have outpaced exports. In fiscal 2019 and 2020, the US ran ag-trade deficits of US$1.3 billion and $3.7 billion. Surpluses returned in 2021 ($8.5 billion) and 2022 ($1.9 billion). But now the US Department of Agriculture is predicting a $19 billion deficit for 2023 and $27.5 billion for 2024.

For many, the deficits raise troubling questions. Do they signal a sapping of the vigor of American agriculture? Do they threaten the nation’s food security or farmers’ survival? Are the barbarians at the gate?

For the most part, the answers are no, no and no. That said, it is possible to detect early warning signs:

The U.S. ran small ag trade deficits in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 and USDA is predicting bigger ones in fiscal 2023 and 2024. (USDA table)
The US ran small agriculture trade deficits in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 and USDA is predicting bigger ones in fiscal 2023 and 2024. (USDA table)
  • On one side of the ledger, increases in imports of particular products that could pose competitive threats, among them beef and some fruits and vegetables.
  • On the other side, indications are that ag exports have stopped growing.

During the next couple of years, the US Department of Agriculture is forecasting a big drop in exports, from last year’s $196.1 billion to $177.5 billion this year and a further fall to $172 billion in fiscal 2024.

Could this be the beginning of a trend? While it’s too early to tell, farmers have noticed that Washington isn’t actively pursuing trade deals that would open new markets for US ag. Despite the warning signs, there are still plenty of reasons not to lose sleep over ag trade deficits.

The most obvious and oft-cited one is that a good chunk of American ag imports are crops we don’t grow, like bananas and coffee beans, or out-of-season fruits and vegetables or luxuries like single-malt Scotch whisky.

Consumers covet these products – but in a pinch, or a war, they could live without them, although some of us would suffer from caffeine-deprivation headaches. These imports don’t undermine the country’s ability to feed itself.

Then, too, declining exports don’t mean American crops rot in the fields for lack of demand. Where farmers and ranchers feel the impact is typically in lower domestic crop prices. While that effect is negative, exports are rarely the only thing affecting price. Their decline is in some cases counterbalanced by weather or changes in domestic demand.

Indeed, exports of some products are only retreating because domestic demand for them is so strong. Think soybean oil, which has become a big renewable-fuel feedstock.

A more speculative but still plausible reason not to worry: The export decline may not be permanent. It’s possible exports are just catching their breath after five years of respectable growth, from $144.8 billion in 2017 to $196.1 billion in 2022. A strong dollar has been a big deterrent to ag exports. History suggests the dollar won’t stay strong forever.

Still another reason: The forecast fiscal 2024 export decline is driven by a $3 billion drop in sales to China. US ag has become overdependent on the Chinese market; a correction was probably inevitable and perhaps even healthy.

It would be even healthier were Uncle Sam doing more to open new overseas markets to compensate for China.

While the leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee, chair Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and ranking member John Boozman of Arkansas, have pushed the administration to use Commodity Credit Corporation funds from a USDA unit that tries to stabilize farm income, what’s really needed if ag exports are to grow are new trade agreements.

The Biden administration isn’t interested. The administration’s major Asian initiative, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, is pointedly dubbed an “economic” arrangement.

Joe Biden’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework isn’t exactly a trade deal. Image: Facebook

It is explicitly not a trade deal. In fairness, it’s hard to believe Congress would approve any trade deal that included the kind of concessions on imports that would be the necessary tradeoff for lowered tariff and non-tariff barriers to US ag exports.

Still, ag trade deficits shouldn’t keep anyone up nights. For some farmers, it may be rational to worry about exports or imports, which could affect them directly.

But ag trade deficits? They may injure farmers’ pride but they won’t put US agriculture out of business or enable an enemy to starve Americans to death. Better to worry about something else.

Former longtime Wall Street Journal Asia correspondent and editor Urban Lehner is editor emeritus of DTN/The Progressive Farmer. 

This article, originally published on September 20 by the latter news organization and now republished by Asia Times with permission, is © Copyright 2023 DTN/The Progressive Farmer. All rights reserved. Follow Urban Lehner on Twitter: @urbanize

Continue Reading