Migrants risk losing right to work, stay
Staff bemoan complicated operation
PUBLISHED: 8 Nov 2024 at 05: 30
Numerous companies and migrant workers have voiced concerns about issues relating to the new registration and work force registration requirements, which are alleged to have caused a large number of migrant workers to miss the deadline and lose their constitutional status.
A representative of Nai Chang Si Khao ( White Employers ), Nilubol Pongpayom, said yesterday that the employer group had previously petitioned the government to change the requirements to make migrant registration and work permit renewal more convenient.
According to Ms. Nilubol, it has yet to receive a response because hundreds of thousands of migratory laborers have missed the Oct. 31 deadline and turned into illegal workers.
There are only seven CI centers nationwide, and she claimed the Certificate of Identity ( CI), an additional document required for migrant worker registration, was way too complicated.
She attributed the unjust treatment that many companies and migratory workers claim to have been subjected to to state officials ‘ allegedly poor control of these centers to their alleged poor care.
The CI center in Samut Prakan, for example, demanded migrant employees pay a CI payment of between 3, 800 and 4, 000 ringgit without issuing them a correct ticket, Ms Nilubol said.
She claimed that the procedure involved several fees and was rather difficult.
According to there merely being seven CI areas, many migrant workers had to travel to nearby counties, she said.
Another batch of migrant workers whose work grants are scheduled to expire on February 13 will have to go back to their country of origin and re-enter the process before being registered to work in Thailand, according to Ms. Nilubol.
A 30-year-old Myanmar employee who requested anonymity claimed to have worked legally for a sizable Samut Sakhon corporation and had paid her taxes for years.
She missed a deadline on October 1 because of problems with the new CI need, the woman claimed, and thus presently qualifies as an illegal migrant worker.
” I have been living and working around, paid all my fees and have social security. However, due to this challenging procedure, I was unable to meet the deadline and became incapacitated.
A 28-year-old man from Myanmar who has a work force that will expire on February 13 claimed he was uneasy about moving back to his home state, where he would ultimately contribute money to the ruling junta.
Songkhla ‘terrorist’ gets jail time
PUBLISHED: 8 Nov 2024 at 05: 30
For the unlawful possession and formation of arms, Azman Porloh, a 29-year-old think in various terrorist attacks in Songkhla state, is facing more than five years in prison.
It is his first event to go to test in which case he is facing.
On costs of unlawful defense and arms concentration as well as illegal possession of weapons, Azman was sentenced to four years and 16 months in jail by Songkhla’s Na Thawi Provincial Court.
On September 17 at a station along with four associates, he was detained along with four other people driving between Pattani and Narathiwat.
Officers found a symbol with the symbol of the BRN separatist movement and evidence indicating planned violent deeds in his car during the arrest.
Azman is from Thepha area in Songkhla. His criminal history includes 18 warrants that are still unfulfilled, 13 of which relate to violence and protection, and 5 of which relate to vehicle theft.
His reported terrorist attacks include numerous bombings, equipment damage, and attacks on public officials.
He is also linked to a 2019 bomb attack on a safety guard in Songkhla’s Saba Yoi area, which injured six soldiers.
In December 2022, he reportedly planted a weapon on the Outfit Yai-Padang Besar rail line, causing a cargo train accident, followed by an ambush on railway workers, resulting in three mortality and four wounds.
The court’s most recent ruling focused on expenses related to capturing and storing arms without authorization rather than these violent incidents.
Charges due for 1st batch of iCon suspects
PUBLISHED: 8 Nov 2024 at 05: 30
The second group of suspects in the image Group pyramid scheme is being investigated by the Department of Special Investigation ( DSI), with its acting director claiming yesterday that the research could be completed as soon as now.
The 18 offenders ‘ case will be brought in as soon as possible after their 84-day confinement period is up, according to Pol Maj Yuthana Phraedam, according to Pol Maj Yuthana Phraedam.
According to Pol Maj Yuthana, these offenders may also face additional expenses under the Direct Sale and Marketing and Fraudulent Loan Act.
He added that the next group of suspects may be detained as soon as the exploration into their involvement in the plan is complete.
When questioned about the 20 people who asked the DSI to be potential witnesses in the case on Monday, Pol Maj Yuthana advised them to request their attorneys to send a proper request, listing out the names of the witnesses and the type of information they had.
He said the DSI has even instructed Witoon Kengngam, a lawyer who represented The image Group founder and CEO Warathaphon” Boss Paul” Waratyaworrakul, to provide a list of additional testimony, with a clear description of each individual’s role in the program.
The plea followed Mr Witoon’s earlier commitment to bring at least 2, 000 testimony for the sensor.
If none of them were questioned, he even threatened to report the office for being dishonest.
According to Pol Maj Yuthana, authorities have seize 78 area plots owned by the 18 defendants and their associates across Greater Bangkok.
The DSI will transfer the assets to the Anti-Money Laundering Office ( Amlo ) for further investigation later, he added.
Witthaya Niti-tham, the Amlo spokeswoman, said the department had seized at least 320 million ringgit of goods from suspects thus far, generally funds held in savings accounts.
Before determining the appropriate compensation for The sign Group victims, Amlo is currently compiling a stabilized asset list.
Resources that have been transferred to strangers, such as charities, may be probed to identify whether they were transferred with good purposes, the official added.
‘Middle of the world’: How the UAE is drawing more tech talent amid US-China AI race
In Dubai, it works with a regional partner that has experience with facilities and the , health government of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the former being , the UAE’s capital and largest province.
” It’s great to have experienced colleagues in the region”, he said. There are a lot of confidence and personal relationships that matter, in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, in my opinion.
The Decision Labs was given the opportunity to apply for a position in a start-up program for biotechnology and life science called HealthX after giving a presentation at a meeting in Abu Dhabi in May. It was successful and established relationships with neighborhood hospitals.
” Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are all experiencing significant growth and expenditure.” The entire electronic change, particularly in heath, is happening as we are speaking”, said Mr Anupam.
For example, he just understood that there were investors willing to finance it during a private conversation with an established at a UAE state institution.
” They are ready to ship the best skills, be it from Singapore, from the US, the UK, from the top colleges”, said Mr Anupam, who is an American citizen and in Dubai on a public manager card.
He is trained in statistical economy and has a master of business administration from , HEC Paris , and , MIT Sloan School of Management.
When The Decision Labs actually signs a project that, his staff, which consists of about 18 people, currently consists of about 18 in Bangalore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
SINGAPORE, DUBAI CAN LEARN FROM EACH OTHER
Given their reputations as aircraft hubs, economic centers, gateways to their particular regions, and their desire to be it and start-up hubs, some observers have compared Singapore and Dubai to being competitors.
But people beg to differ.
” They are so geographically far away that I do n’t think they should be competitors”, said Mr Skoumal of the two cities, which are a seven-and-a-half-hour flight apart.
” They do n’t fight for the same customers. They do n’t fight for the same companies. They have their own industry”, said Mr Skoumal.
” I feel like they can learn from each other, and I guess they are doing it”, he said, citing both places ‘ attempts to digitalise state systems.
Commentary: Homeless shelters that feel like home can help keep people off the streets in Singapore
HOW DOES SINGAPORE TACKLE HOMELESSNESS?
Ironically, the poverty issue frequently involves more than just providing a ceiling over people’s mind. Cover is a crucial component of the answer, but tackling poverty requires meeting difficult physiological, psychological, and social needs.
Since the crisis, Singapore has made many significant progress in addressing poverty. To better understand the extent and causes of rough sleeping, standard global street counts of rough sleepers are now being conducted.
The PEERS Network, a partnership between society groups, social services agencies and government organisations, has been actively engaging hard sleepers through night walks, to give shelter and assistance.
The Housing and Development Board has also tested new typologies of common rental housing to better accommodate songs, including rough sleepers, who have trouble finding co-tenants or sharing cover with people. Singles can apply for a rental apartment through the Joint Singles Scheme Operator-Run pilot, and tenants can also benefit from shared facilities and greater privacy with their own bedrooms, as well as access to shared amenities to reduce social isolation. For modern thinking could also use to Singapore’s poor homes.
Currently, homeless people here have access to two main shelter options: Safe Sound Sleeping Places ( S3Ps ), which are temporary or overnight shelters run by community or religious organisations, and the longer-term government-funded transitional shelters in one-room to three-room HDB flats or former public buildings.
According to an upgrade from Older Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development , Eric Chua in Parliament next month, about 60 per cent of the 720 rooms available at Singapore’s seven intermediate tents were occupied annual from 2021 to 2023. He continued, adding that people stay in a transitory house for an average of nine months.
Transitional tents and S3Ps are both shared areas with limited amenities and a lack of basic amenities.  , Standard knowledge on poor shelters argues that making the space to “homely” may hamper a person’s improvement towards permanent housing.
This reasoning seems rhythm. After all, a house is a transitional setting and may inspire people to leave and seek more permanent cover. For assumptions, but, lack proof. Nervous shelters may not always give people the motivation to move on. Previously, in the United Kingdom, poor folks had chosen to remain in crowded homes that were disgusting, with poor hygiene because they had no additional means of supporting themselves.
Commentary: In wake of US election, conditions are ripe for a more active ASEAN bloc
CEMENTING ASEAN’S BARGAINING RESERVOIR
Although it is true that the US and China’s GDP differences will probably increase as they compete against the next big strength, smaller nations may have stronger bargaining positions. Places like Malaysia, Brazil, Turkey, Mexico, Indonesia and Botswana are rising upper-middle-income states with growing negotiation power and control.
Use financial strength, which is anchored in rationality and lodging, as ASEAN’s negotiations reservoir to demand for extended neutrality and resistance to picking sides.
This strategy, however, calls for a withdrawal from a silent non-alignment stance to one that is cautious, considered, and strategic neutrality. It is, therefore, appropriate for ASEAN to contemplate deepening economic inclusion, both internally and externally with another coalitions.
This might take a variety of forms, all of which are of economic nature and do n’t seek political integration like the EU model does. The most significant of these is the ASEAN Power Grid, which aims to integrate the power systems of member states and which has widely-accepted benefits ( decarbonisation, creating up to 9, 000 jobs annually ). Resolving the Laos-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore pilot implementation grab is concern, as this would create regional-level planning skills. With this, discussions about grid system funding will also following, serving as a check for region-wide funding structures.
Another related meaningful financial integration is local infrastructure development, quite as highways and railways, that are supported by local funding mechanisms. Labour mobility might be a key component of ASEAN’s transformation from a dispersed company of various entities to a 650-million market in order for it to truly become a 650-million market. Instead of a complete free motion, which meets the stage of development of most part state, this could be focused on high-skilled skills.
On top of that, ASEAN could be used as a program for inter-regional teamwork with other big financial blocs, such as the BRICS, US, China, EU, MERCOSUR, African Union, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. ASEAN would be a leading advocate for business in the world, and this could lead to more important broad-based and/or regional free trade agreements or actions plans with investment areas.
Understandably, critics may say that ASEAN has not been an effective company specifically due to its non-interference approach, where member states may overlook local pressures and deal with business-as-usual. However, there are a few problems that favour traditional moves to combine.
One, configuration of leaders ‘ interests. Because nations compete to pass up or down the price ring, the leaders of the majority of member states place economic growth before other measures. Technology and renewable energy are also prominent topics on the leaders ‘ agenda of the member states. There is also a desire to prove themselves through a strong financial and investment effect, as the majority of the member states ‘ rulers were only appointed less than five years ago.
Next, trade protectionism is a worsening danger. Local economies typically form when exterior conditions are unbalanced, let alone in a trade-heavy area that has benefited from an open economy like ASEAN. In a peace, this openness to regional integration may not be as widely accepted.
Third, Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim‘s legality of chairman in 2025. Anwar is a standout for his distinguished political past and foreign diplomacy because he is the second ASEAN leader to create trade relations with China in 1974 and has a stake in the South China Sea conflict. Anwar also has the opportunity to adopt a legacy-building steer by prioritizing substantive integration that has n’t previously been achieved as 2025 approaches the halfway point of his prime ministership.
The ASEAN’s return narrative has demonstrated how effective it is and has a wider impact on the world today. In order for ASEAN to become like the numerous facets of a rock, each separating in various ways but unified in the same light, the next decade needs more thought and proactivity.
James Chai is the creator of Sang Kancil ( Penguin Random House ), as well as a political scientist and blogger.
Defence minister to visit Koh Kut to assert sovereignty
Tour intended to proclaim say in a dispute
PUBLISHED: 8 Nov 2024 at 04: 45
In light of the ongoing dispute over Cambodia’s maritime territory, Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai may travel to Koh Kut in Trat on Saturday to reaffirm Thailand’s regional authority over the beach.
Mr. Phumtham, who also serves as deputy prime minister, promised to lead a team inspecting the area and raising morale among soldiers stationed there to protect the Thai-Cambodian boundary.
The Defence Ministry’s permanent director and secretary-general, as well as the Royal Thai Navy chief-of-staff, may also join the group, he said.
” We will go there to establish Thailand’s sovereignty over Koh Kut and increase confidence among local people”, he said.
When asked about the establishment of a Joint Technical Committee (JTC ) to negotiate the maritime areas claimed by both nations, Mr. Phumtham stated that the Foreign Affairs Ministry was in charge of the matter and that they would soon make recommendations to the cabinet.
In the following two weeks, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra had previously stated that the JTC may become established. On the basis of the memorandum of understanding signed by the two nations in 2001, the committee will resume discussions with Cambodia regarding the Overlapping Claims Area ( OCA ).
The energy-rich OCA, which extends over 26, 000 sq kilometers in the Gulf of Thailand, is both under the control of Thailand and Cambodia.
Cambodia made its first say in 1972, which Thailand rejected. The next year, Thailand made its suit.
The committee, which will be led by a deputy prime minister in charge of regional stability, will be led by Mr. Phumtham on Thursday, and will include representatives from the Council of the State, the Defense, Energy, Foreign, and Finance departments, as well as other key figures.
Two more departments will also be formed to help with the conversations, Mr Phumtham said.
” I hope that the government’s work relating to the clashing says area will help clean the air”, he said.
When asked about the state that Thailand lost autonomy over the area when it signed the 2001 MoU with Cambodia, Mr Phumtham said the “false information” was politically motivated.
” The area has been a piece of Thailand’s place for a long time”, he said.
Mr. Phumtham responded to critics who demanded that the government withdraw the 2001 MoU because it was deemed to be the most effective forum for discussions and negotiations over the maritime borders between the nations.
The authorities made the names as Cambodia and Cambodia resumed discussions on the OCA.
Paiboon Nititawan, secretary-general of the Palang Pracharath Party ( PPRP ), said on Thursday that party leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon has instructed the party’s MPs to push for the revocation of the 2001 MoU” to protect Thailand’s maritime sovereignty”.
In 2001, when the Thaksin Shinawatra leadership was in power, the two nations signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop portions of the OCA and mark a maritime border.
The maritime boundary separation and shared creation must be carried out as an “indivisible package,” with a Thailand-Cambodia JTC set up to examine them under the MoU.
Numerous rounds of discussions have been held since, but there has not been any headway, primarily because of the debate over the coastal wall’s demarcation.
After observers made the point that if the file is used as the basis for discussions on managing the OCA, Thailand could lose its sovereignty over Koh Kut.
Govt set to visit Koh Kut
Tour intended to proclaim say in a dispute
PUBLISHED: 8 Nov 2024 at 04: 45
In light of the ongoing sea territory debate with Cambodia, Phumtham Wechayachai, the defense minister, will travel to Koh Kut in Trat on Saturday to reaffirm Thailand’s regional authority over the area.
Mr. Phumtham, who is also a deputy prime minister, promised to lead a delegation to examine the island and raise morale among the island’s soldiers who patrol the Thai-Cambodian border.
The Defence Ministry’s permanent minister and secretary-general, as well as the Royal Thai Navy chief-of-staff, may also join the group, he said.
” We will go there to establish Thailand’s sovereignty over Koh Kut and increase confidence among local people”, he said.
When asked about the establishment of a Joint Technical Committee (JTC ) to negotiate the maritime claims made by both countries, Mr. Phumtham stated that the Foreign Affairs Ministry was in charge of this matter and would soon make recommendations to the cabinet.
The JTC should be established in the next two weeks, according to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra before. On the basis of the memorandum of understanding signed by the two nations in 2001, the committee will resume discussions with Cambodia regarding the Overlapping Claims Area ( OCA ).
The energy-rich OCA, which extends over 26, 000 sq kilometers in the Gulf of Thailand, is both under the control of Thailand and Cambodia.
Cambodia made its first state in 1972, which Thailand rejected. The next year, Thailand made its suit.
The committee, which will be led by a deputy prime minister in charge of regional security, may include members from the Council of the State, the Defense, Energy, Foreign and Finance ministries, and other important organizations, according to Mr. Phumtham’s statement on Thursday.
Two more departments will also be formed to help with the conversations, Mr Phumtham said.
” I hope that the government’s work relating to the overlapping says area will help clean the air”, he said.
When asked about the state that Thailand lost autonomy over the area when it signed the 2001 MoU with Cambodia, Mr Phumtham said the “false information” was politically motivated.
” The area has been a piece of Thailand’s place for a long time”, he said.
Mr. Phumtham responded to critics who are urging the government to rescind the 2001 MoU because it is thought to be the best place to discuss and discuss the maritime borders between the nations.
The government made the calls as it announced its intention to begin discussions with Cambodia regarding the OCA.
Paiboon Nititawan, secretary-general of the Palang Pracharath Party ( PPRP ), said on Thursday that party leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon has instructed the party’s MPs to push for the revocation of the 2001 MoU” to protect Thailand’s maritime sovereignty”.
In 2001, when the Thaksin Shinawatra leadership was in power, the two nations signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop portions of the OCA and mark a maritime borders.
The maritime boundary separation and shared creation must be carried out as an “indivisible package,” with a Thailand-Cambodia JTC set up to examine them under the MoU.
Numerous rounds of discussions have been held since, but there has not been any development, primarily because of the debate over the coastal wall’s demarcation.
After spectators made the point that Thailand could lose its independence over Koh Kut if the 2001 MoU is used as the framework for discussions involving the OCA, Thailand could lose it.
The recurring Trump nightmare: Can Asia manage what’s coming? – Asia Times
Donald Trump has regained control of the United States, overcoming a flurry of worry and anti-incumbent desire for change. Since the Civil War, Americans have been subjected to the most rigorous examination of the political and legal order.
But for the rest of the world, it is a little less horrific time. The United States is now on the verge of disbanding its post democratic order.
What does Trump’s gain think for Asia and for British friends in Japan, South Korea and the Pacific?
Some British security experts, including would-be officials to Trump, may reassure Japanese and Korean officials with their comforting words. Everything will change in the Indo-Pacific under Trump, those authorities guidance. Just before the vote, RAND specialist on Eastern protection and former intelligence official Derek Grossman wrote in The Diplomat that” US foreign policy in this region is likely to continue constant.”
Trump, in Grossman’s giving, may be” a more interpersonal and uncertain head” but he left relationships in the region intact. No matter what happens,” the China factor will encourage the US empire network’s continued growth.”
Such views ignore the numerous evidence, mostly in Trump’s own words, of his goal at the end of the first name to leave a huge portion of those alliance commitments.
Trump planned to remove US forces from South Korea, to finish the empty deal with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, and to need large sums from Japan to cover the cost of the American security role, as his previous defense secretary Mark Esper and National Security Advisor John Bolton described in their memoirs.
The calming evaluations even go back on Trump’s repeated plans to impose large, broad-based tariffs on foreign goods, tariffs that target both allies in Europe and Asia as well as China.
More important, the idea that international legislation in Asia may be distinct and separate from what happens elsewhere, especially in Europe and the Middle East, is an idea.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has fundamentally altered the safety position in East Asia, as Japan’s personal National Security Strategy document demonstrates. It has resulted in a nearby military ties between Russia, China, and North Korea, which threatens the security of Taiwan, East Asia, and the Korean Peninsula.
Trump repeatedly stated his intentions, just like his running mate JD Vance, by cutting off military aid to Ukraine and forcing Kyiv to embrace Vladimir Putin’s surrender terms.
He even threatened to renounce his determination to NATO’s security. That would allow Putin to reclaim control of some of the Soviet empire, starting with the European state and threatening Poland.
Trump may feel like he has an democratic mandate to do these outrageous items, predicts Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia and chairman of Stanford University’s Institute for International Studies.
He believes that the American people support him in saying to Putin,” Do whatever the devil you want” when it comes to things like NATO or our friends in Asia. I believe that history demonstrates that when we are robust, the United States of America, can manifest greater peace through power. When we signal failure, when we try to appease rulers, that’s when negative things can happen”.
Trump’s second term saw the release of trustworthy figures from the Democratic national security elite, as well as his own incompetence and lack of familiarity with the levers of power, in large part due to his own incompetence and lack of experience with those levers. These restrictions will no longer remain in place.
According to McFaul, “he relied on traditional Republican to complete his foreign policy team” in his first term, including those at Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and national security advisers HR McMaster and John Bolton.
They most undoubtedly prevented Trump from implementing some of his most outrageous proposals, including pulling out of NATO because he was at the bottom of that list. What’s going to be different this time around is that none of those folks are going to be in the Trump presidency, he’s disparaged all of them.”
What about China? And North Korea?
Despite these worries, it is assumed that Trump did at least view China as the country’s main attack, particularly in terms of trade and economic policy. Because of this, the relationships in Northeast Asia will continue to be valuable to a Trump presidency, according to Chinese politicians and, to a lesser degree, those in South Korea.
Even if that is accurate, it does not indicate that Seoul or Tokyo will have easy sailing. It may result in more pressure on both friends to spend more on defense and to join in export controls and other trade and investment restraints with China, which could have serious implications for their economy.
” The Trump presidency is going to bend a lot of arms,” says Tobias Harris, the leader of Japan Foresight, a recognized expert business, and the twistees had” better be ready for that.”
Trump’s advisors have already pushed Japan to significantly increase its defense spending beyond the target of 2 % of GDP and assume full responsibility for its own defense.
The Trump tax policy may cause an even greater issue, argues Harris:
If Trump follows through, even partially, on risks to impose off-the-board levies on US goods, plus important imports on US tariffs from China and Mexico, it will have a significant, immediate effect on Japan’s largest manufacturers, prompting them to ponder whether to switch manufacturing to the US, back to Japan or to other markets. Japanese companies may also have to navigate political and national security issues if they decide to invest in the US in response to the Trump administration’s policies. However, as Trump’s vocal opposition to Nippon Steel’s bid for US Steel suggests, they may also have to navigate these issues.
It may be premature, however, to assume that Trump will want to line up Japan and South Korea for a grand confrontation with China. Some analysts believe Trump might instead choose to strike a grand bargain with Xi Jinping, which might even include leaving Taiwan.
During the campaign, the President-elect criticized Taiwan’s companies for destroying the US semiconductor industry and questioned whether the US should defend itself.
Making China the main target or the heart of his second persona is unnecessary and possibly unthinkable, according to a former senior intelligence official and long-time China expert.
There is likely to be little for him or his minions to receive in the near future. He will bluster, threaten tariffs and brag about his relationship with Xi, but probably not come out swinging.”
Trump’s new primary backer, billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has extensive business ties in China, where over half of the company’s global car production takes place at its massive Shanghai factory.
Trump-Kim bromance
Kim Jong Un, a dictator of North Korea, may be Trump’s other love interest. Trump continues to gloat about how close he and Kim are, and he feels bad that they lacked a chance to reach a deal.
That agreement, which was almost reached at their second summit in Hanoi, was undermined by both Kim’s overly grand demands and opposition from within Trump’s own administration, which were supported by Shinzo Abe’s intervention.
There will be no such resistance within the new administration. And Japan’s current prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, does not have any such relationship with Trump as the late Abe had, nor is he likely to be able to create one. Kim may be the most significant obstacle to a deal, which would put an end to North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and missile launchers.
Trump may claim that Kim has a warm welcome from Kim, but the North Koreans have since formed a close military ally with Russia, which has resulted in the deployment of 12, 000 troops on the Ukrainian front. A Trump-Putin embrace would likely have to follow, and Kim most likely would use his new authority to demand a much higher payoff.
A breakdown in US-South Korean ties, which include demands to renegotiate Korea’s defense cost-sharing agreements, and the start of the roughly 28,500 US troops stationed there, would be a more likely development.
Trump appears to be ready to redefine his relationship with South Korea as an ally as US forces reorient themselves toward direct confrontation with China, according to Benjamin Engel of Seoul’s Dankook University, who spoke to NK News.
Whither Japan?
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost its majority in last month’s election, which is shocking for Japan. Ishiba, the prime minister, has the unusual task of creating a minority government. The ability of Japan to navigate this new, extremely dangerous situation is being hindered by internal political paralysis in Tokyo, as a veteran observer of Japan put it to me.
Ishiba congratulated Trump right away and, as one might expect, expressed hope that the postwar security alliance would continue to serve as the basis for US-Japan relations.
But let’s say Trump heads head on the wrong path, undermining that alliance, or even compulsion an unnecessary confrontation with China. In that situation, Japan might feel compelled to look for alternatives, such as strengthening ties with Beijing while flattering the newly powerful American autocrat.
” Japanese are not going to end the alliance,” says Japan expert Harris”. However, they will need to develop more self-control skills.
The Oriental Economist published this article on its own. It is republished with permission.
South Korean president sorry for controversies surrounding wife
The president of South Korea has expressed regret for accepting a number of expensive Dior handbags and share adjustment in response to his wife’s string of scandals.
Addressing the country on tv, Yoon Suk Yeol said his partner, Kim Keon Hee, may have conducted herself much, but her description had been exceedingly “demonised”, adding that some of the states against her were “exaggerated”.
The president promised to set up an office to handle the initial lady’s official duties, but he turned down a request for an investigation into her activities.
Yoon’s explanation comes as he tries to revers a decline in his reputation in South Korea as a result of his wife’s controversy.
Late in 2023, left-wing YouTube channel Voice of Seoul published a video that purportedly showed Kim accepting a 3m won ($ 2, 200, £1, 800 ) Dior bag from a pastor, who filmed the exchange in September 2022 using a camera concealed in his watch.
In February, Yoon said that the footage was leaked as a “political manoeuvre”, and did not apologise.
South Korea’s Democrat Party, the opposition to Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, at the time labelled the president’s” blatant approach” as “hopeless”.
The scandal even caused rifts within Yoon’s group, with one head matching Ms Kim with Marie Antoinette, the queen of France famous for her luxurious lifestyle.
The first girl has long been accused of being a part of stock price manipulation by the opposition party. Yoon vetoed a bill earlier this year that demanded that his wife be subject to an investigation into those complaints.