Australia’s new visa rules unlikely to deter Singapore students from considering further education there: Observers

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

“I think it really comes down to populist fear. Certainly, if we look at what’s really happening here, certainly we have an artificially high net overseas migration figure. But that’s because during COVID, we saw an enormous exodus of people,” said Dr Allen.

“So what we’re seeing here in the numbers of net overseas migration will be short-lived, and it’s only artificially high because of COVID,” she noted.  

“But it sent panic through (political) circles and certainly, the government is trying to look tough on something that they’d have little control over. And more importantly, the figures were going to go back to normal anyway, just after we get over this artificial blip.”

On sectors that are heavily reliant on migrant labour, Dr Allen said the Australian government needs to find the right balance. 

“They need to get the messaging right, so as to not upset local Australians. But the reality is that when it comes to things like building homes, the healthcare industry, and also in new and emerging innovative industries, we require the help of overseas friends,” she added. 

“I think most importantly, if you ask people who come to Australia, and risk a lot to move to a new location and to establish themselves, I reckon that they’re pretty fed up at seeing these constant changes in the visa rules, and the kind of changing goalposts that are needed to get say, for example, permanency and so on. 

“So I think there will be some pushback from people seeking to come to Australia just as much as perhaps there’s concern within Australia about people coming to the country.”

Continue Reading

Debt relief proposed for 10.3m people

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

PM outlines measures including lower interest rates, debt suspension and consolidation

Debt relief proposed for 10.3m people
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announces measures to tackle debt problems of 10.3 million people during a press conference at Government House on Tuesday. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has announced relief measures, including debt suspension and reduced interest rates, to help resolve debt problems faced by 10.3 million people.

The government hopes the measures will help to pare down household debt totalling 16 trillion baht, or 90% of gross domestic product, which has become an major drag on the economy.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Mr Srettha divided the debtors into four groups: those who were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, those who have regular income but huge debts, those who had unstable incomes that affected repayment ability, and those who have had bad debts for a long period of time.

All groups had one problem in common, he said: an inability to make instalment payments consistently. The more problematic their debt became, the higher their interest charges became, and they became trapped in a vicious circle of being unable to repay the debt. This resulted in many of them being added to the National Credit Bureau blacklist, said Mr Srettha, who is also the finance minister.

The government’s relief measures are based on the causes of each group’s problems, he said.

The first group of debtors normally had good repayment records, but the pandemic affected their cash flow, resulting in poor liquidity. This affected their ability to write off loans, which became bad debts. Debt suspensions were needed for this group, said the prime minister.

The government has instructed the Government Savings Bank and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives to help small debtors with bad debts. The state-run banks were told to collect debts based on appropriateness. About 1.1 million small debtors are expected to receive help.

About 100,000 small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) debtors, meanwhile, would be asked to undergo debt restructuring and their debts would be suspended.

The second group of debtors with permanent incomes but  huge debts mostly comprises teachers, police and soldiers. They will get help in three ways: reduced interest rates, debt consolidation, and appropriate salary deduction levels so that they can service debts and still have money left for daily living. About 900,000 teachers face debt problems that could be resolved in this way.

The group of debtors with uncertain incomes comprises farmers and many debtors of the Student Loan Fund.

Debt restructuring, interest rate reductions and the scrapping of loan guarantors would be introduced to help debtors of the Student Loan Fund. Farmers would be offered a three-year debt suspension, said Mr Srettha.

The fourth group — those who have had bad debts with state financial institutions for a long period — would have their debts transferred to joint-venture asset management firms for restructuring. This measure would help about 3 million people, he said.

“Debtors will be able to enter debt clinics … and we will reduce risk across the financial system going forward,” Mr Srettha said at the press conference.

There will be additional measures to improve financial management and savings programmes, he added.

“In the long run we will improve credit and risk assessment of institutions … and financial management skills of the public,” he said.

Continue Reading

Singapore will not claim from climate loss and damage fund despite facing rising sea levels: Grace Fu

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

Last month, it announced a plan to reclaim around 800ha of land – the size of over 1,000 football fields – on its east coast, as part of coastal protection measures.

As to whether Singapore will instead contribute to the loss and damage fund, Ms Fu said the country sees its role more as one that galvanises financing for nations at risk.

“There are countries that have sounded out their willingness to contribute to the fund. We very much welcome that, from the perspective of helping our fellow island states,” she said.

“But there are countries also that have (other) resources, such as in Singapore, I think our resources will be really in activating finance, activating technology, and bringing solutions to cities. So each one of us, if we are able to find our own way to contribute to climate action, I think that’s to be welcomed.”

PHASE DOWN OR PHASE OUT?

Ms Fu also addressed a major flashpoint in the COP28 climate talks, where the choice of language over whether to “phase down” or “phase out” fossil fuels remains under furious debate.

“We will have to work through the languages to find possible landing zones. We are trying to now find languages that can actually meet the needs of most parties, and this is a very democratic process,” she said.

Continue Reading

Cabinet approves visa-free entry for Japanese business

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 12 Dec 2023 at 15:45

Cabinet approves visa-free entry for Japanese business
Passengers arriving on a flight from Japan make their way through the Satellite 1 (SAT-1) terminal at Suvarnabhumi airport. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)

The cabinet on Tuesday approved the extension of 30-day visa-free entry for Japanese tourists to include Japanese making business visits, to facilitate investment, effective from Jan 1 next year.

Deputy government spokesman Kharom Polpornklang said the exemption was proposed by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Visa-free entry for Japanese passport holders currently applies only to tourists and is valid for 30 days. From Jan 1 it will It also be for business visits. The business exemption will continue until Dec 31, 2026, Mr Kharom said.

The measure would ensure convenience for Japanese business representatives, who were consistently Thailand’s top investors and third largest trade partners. They played a vital role in the country’s economy, he said.

Senior spokesman Chai Watcharong said many Japanese entered the country for business and investment talks and to sign contracts. The visa exemption would facilitate their entry.

Continue Reading

Police accused of rape, extortion of woman drug suspect

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 12 Dec 2023 at 15:31

Police accused of rape, extortion of woman drug suspect
The couple, their faces concealed, at the government complaints centre near Government House on Tuesday. (Photo: The complaints centre, PM’s office)

Seven police detectives in Pathum Thani have been transferred to inactive posts pending an investigation into the alleged rape and extortion of a woman drug suspect.

Pol Lt Gen Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ek, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 1, gave out some details on Tuesday.

The complainant said she was detained on Nov 22-23. An initial inquiry showed a drug arrest during that period, but there was no immediate evidence of extortion or rape, he said.

“If the investigation finds that they did wrong, they will face both disciplinary and criminal action. Any police involvement in extortion and rape is intolerable,” Pol Lt Gen Jirasan said.

The woman who laid the charge works in public relations. Her name was not released.

At the government complaints centre near Government House on Tuesday, she and her boyfriend, their faces covered, said that detectives searched them at a restaurant in Rangsit area of Pathum Thani and found ketamine and methamphetamine pills.

Their mobile banking app revealed the couple had 360,000 baht in account deposits. The officers allegedly demanded 300,000 baht in exchange for bringing a trivial charge of possessing two meth pills, instead of a ketamine possession charge and assets seizures.

They were taken to ATMs in Pathum Thani and made to withdraw a total of 300,000 baht in cash, the couple alleged.

One detective then took the woman to a motel in Pathum Thani, where she was allegedly raped. The woman said she was forced to have sex and to hand over another 30,000 baht in cash, in exchange for a successful negotiation with a superior to limit the charges.

Her boyfriend learned about the sexual assault only after being released on bail. He had been held at Thanyaburi police station for possession of two meth pills. 

Continue Reading

What are your chances of developing deep vein thrombosis like actress Rui En did?

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

Deep vein thrombosis or DVT is often thought of as the condition associated with air travel. You sit too long in a fixed position on the plane and a blood clot occurs in a vein deep in your leg.

But since actress Rui En revealed she developed a DVT in a vein behind her clavicle or collarbone last week, causing her right arm to swell and bruise, all bets are off that these clots are only confined to your lower extremities. Here’s a look at what DVT is and whether it can happen to you.

WHERE ELSE CAN THE BLOOD CLOTS OCCUR?

These rogue obstructions are most likely to occur in the lower leg, thigh or pelvis, where the veins are injured, although some clots can happen in the arm, brain, intestines, liver or kidney, according to Cleveland Clinic.

For Rui En, a DVT had developed in a vein behind her clavicle or collarbone, causing the blood supply to her right arm to be cut off. The initial signs of the emergency, as shared by the actress on Instagram, were swelling, bruising and mottling on her arm.

Continue Reading