WASHINGTON: US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi met in Vienna this week, Washington and Beijing announced on Thursday (May 11), as the two powers seek to maintain communication amid soaring tensions, especially over Taiwan. The two held eight hours of talks stretching over WednesdayContinue Reading
Party says whistleblower has hurt its chances, seeks injunction to bar him from final campaign rally
The Bhumjaithai Party has sued former politician and whistleblower Chuvit Kamolvisit for allegedly damaging party candidates nationwide and demanding 100 million in damages.
The party is also seeking a court injunction to bar the former massage parlour tycoon from its final election campaign rally on Friday in Bangkok.
Lawyers Natchanikarn Ketkhamkhwa and Pichai Iem-on claim in the suit, authorised by Bhumjaithai executive Supachai Jaisamut, that Mr Chuvit has undermined the popularity of the party in the run-up general election on Sunday.
In addition to barring him from its rally at the Show DC Hall on Friday, the party wants the court to order Mr Chuvit not to disrupt any party events from Friday through Sunday.
Mr Chuvit has declared war against the Bhumjaithai Party’s cannabis policy and encouraged voters to join his crusade against allowing recreational use of the plant.
Bhumjaithai has insisted that it supports medicinal use of cannabis and opposes recreational use. But the latter has been an unintended consequence of its push to remove the plant from the national list of controlled drugs before a law could be passed to clarify what is and isn’t allowed.
Mr Pichai said the party was suing Mr Chuvit because he had infringed on the rights of the party and intimidated its members and supporters near the Din Daeng police station in Bangkok on May 2. The amount of damages was based on the campaign budgets of party candidates in 400 constituencies nationwide, at 1.9 million baht per constituency, said the lawyer.
The court has accepted the suit for consideration and will begin witness examination on July 3. A decision on the injunction was expected later on Thursday.
Mr Pichai said Mr Chuvit was free to hold press conferences or give media interviews as he had the right to do under the framework of the law. But the party wanted him not to stage any moves against it near its rally venues in order to avoid confrontation, said the lawyer.
A court in April granted a Bhumjaithai request for a temporary injunction that barred Mr Chuvit from criticising its cannabis policy, a decision that concerned free-speech advocates. It was quickly overturned, with the Civil Court saying that the public had a right to hear about the benefits and potential risks of cannabis.
Mr Chuvit has also been an outspoken critic of the Chidchob family, the main power behind Bhumjaithai. He has also targeted suspended Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob, whom he has accused of irregularities. He has insisted that he is acting alone and not pursuing anyone else’s political agenda.
WASHINGTON: China is facing a growing backlash from the United States and other Western governments over its controversial efforts to pressure dissidents and their advocates abroad, but Beijing has appeared undeterred. Authorities in the US, Canada, Britain and elsewhere recently have taken a hard line, including with expulsions, indictments, arrestsContinue Reading
Admits fault in last week’s early voting
The Election Commission (EC) has set up a Cyber Threat Surveillance and Response Operations Centre to ensure transparency in the election, EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee said yesterday.
The commission worked with the National Cyber Security Agency, Office of the Personal Data Protection Commission, Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, the Bureau of Registration Administration and National Telecom Public Co Ltd in setting up the centre.
Mr Sawaeng said the EC accepted responsibility for errors in the advanced voting last Sunday and will prevent such mistakes occurring on Election Day this Sunday. “We will keep all ballots safe and there will be no ballot rigging,” said Mr Sawaeng.
Responding to a question from a Pheu Thai candidate about election observers, Mr Sawaeng said the EC encouraged all sectors to work with the EC in observing the election.
But if parties want to send their own observers, they have to inform the EC within 15 days of the poll under Section 55 of the Organic Act on the Election of Members of the House of Representatives. They must also be responsible for their own expenses.
Seats for observers will be reserved at polling stations. If they do not inform the EC in advance, parties can have their own observers but they will be situated outside polling stations.
The EC used to help cover such expenses under rules set out by the Organic Act on Political Parties 1998 but that law was scrapped under the 2007 constitution.
The EC has told directors in every province to record events at polling stations from the start of voting at 8am until the result is announced. The EC expects unofficial results about 11pm.
EC deputy secretary-general Suranee Pontawee said people can access www.ectreport.com and initial results are expected around 7pm or two hours after polling stations close.
On March 31, 2023, Russia published its new Foreign Policy Concept. Rapid growth in Asia has fuelled Russia’s drift toward the East and the pivot has now been integrated into official policy. This is a tectonic shift for Russia domestically but the material effects in Asia will be felt gradually.
Russia lists global regions in order of priority in the Foreign Policy Concept. The West has been relegated to penultimate priority before the Antarctic, which signals a 180-degree flip. Moscow asserts its desire for “peaceful coexistence” but the ball is in the West’s court.
Russia’s first strategic priority after former Soviet Union states is the Arctic region. It is only now bringing its plans for the North Sea Route out of the cold. Russia’s moves in the North Sea will have a direct effect on logistics from China, easing its geo-economic difficulties and allowing more efficient transit of goods via Southeast Asia.
The Arctic is also a confrontation point with circumpolar states, which will likely further delay thawing of relations with the West.
While seeking “peaceful coexistence”, Russia does not see a detente with the United States and other Western states in the foreseeable future. This sentiment is illustrated by high-ranking officials including Deputy Secretary of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev.
Russia’s Foreign Policy Concept lists China and India as its first and second priority relationships with Southeast Asia as its third. China’s importance is obvious, deep and enduring.
So is India’s, considering the tight relationship between Moscow and New Delhi since India’s independence. The long history of cooperation in the military and economic spheres has created significant institutions of cooperation — for example, the joint missile program BrahMos requires deep mutual trust throughout the verticals of government.
Crowded out of global fora, Russia is reprioritizing its relations with regional organizations such as ASEAN going forward, juxtaposing them with Western-dominated groupings including the Quad, Chip4 and AUKUS. The strategy may resonate with Chinese policymakers and roughly half of Southeast Asian decision-makers.
The interest expressed towards joining the BRICS format by 19 states, mostly from the Global South, is evidence that Russia’s bet on non-global decision-making fora can be a winning strategy.
Russia’s foreign policy strategy places economics first. Russia is shifting its economic attention to Asia and will likely concentrate on the rapidly growing nations of Southeast Asia.
Russia–Asia links began to develop long before Russia’s official pivot to greater focus on Asia and prior to the hostilities between Russia and Europe. Links include the Power of Siberia pipelines, increases to the Trans-Siberian railway’s capacity and rejuvenation of the North–South Transport Corridor into Iran.
Frequent references to infrastructure projects now pepper Moscow’s strategy. New market access initiatives in sectors where Russia has an advantage or is on par with the West should be expected. Some of these market initiatives are already visible — for example, India contracted Russia’s Transmashholding corporation in April 2023 to produce trains.
Russian energy, commodities and niche specialties like nuclear technology may be a boon to energy-poor but relatively cash-strapped Southeast Asian states. India becoming one of Russia’s major oil customers is a case in point.
While Russia has no state ideology, its many peoples have long been traditional and conservative. Russia has found itself the de facto defender of thought that is seen as reactionary in the West. As Western values evolve, Western countries find themselves distancing from the Global South.
Russia, in contrast, is moving closer to its southern counterparts and has now made “traditional spiritual and moral values” part of its foreign policy.
This is a significant shift after three decades without explicit value-led foreign policy. Russia will likely use the soft power of tradition to pave the way for market access through press and diplomatic campaigns. In Moscow’s eyes, Russia’s success in Africa shows that backing primary exports by bolstering traditionalist governments is a functional foreign policy model.
Since the first Far Eastern Economic Forum in 2015, Russia has been taking steps to increase capacity, interest and opportunities with Asia. Changes in education, social attitudes and business relationships have laid the groundwork for the pivot that Moscow has now put in writing.
Economies in Southeast Asia are growing and so are potential markets for Russian exports. Russia’s turn to the East is a long time coming and not the effect of conflict in Europe.
The lack of sanctions toward Russia from most Asian states is an advantage and Moscow’s strategy maintains that current negative perceptions toward Russia may yet be overturned to facilitate increased cooperation.
Russia’s foreign policy structure is compatible with China’s Global Civilizational Initiative — both argue for multipolarity in international relations, the importance of resisting hegemony and the need to respect different civilizations.
Compatibility between Russia and China may have a multiplier effect on multipolarity. The entente between Beijing and Moscow in Africa and the Middle East sets a precedent for Asia. Russian and Chinese resources and industry may yet prove mutually reinforcing in Asia.
Despite Moscow’s intentions, Russia’s presence in Asia has been low. But Russia has been laying the groundwork for the pivot for over a decade and Asia is becoming even more vital. Russia’s shift toward Asia may be gradual, taking place in a select range of sectors and focusing on a limited number of countries to start with — but the direction has been set.
Oleg Yanovsky is Lecturer in the Department of Political Theory at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO).
This article was originally published by East Asia Forum and is republished under a Creative Commons license.
BEIJING: President Xi Jinping will host a two-day summit with the leaders of five Central Asian nations next week, Beijing said on Monday (May 8), as China moves to increase its influence in the region. Leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are expected to attend the China-Central AsiaContinue Reading
SINGAPORE: Subdividing Certificates of Entitlement (COE) categories may result in more volatile prices, said Transport Minister S Iswaran on Sunday (May 7).
This comes after suggestions from dealers and buyers to split Category D, which is for motorcycles, separating luxury bikes from the rest.
“The more you subdivide the COE categories, the smaller the supply for each category,” said Mr Iswaran on the sidelines of the official opening of a new integrated community services centre, Jampacked@West Coast.
“Therefore, the more volatile the price will become because basically, you have a smaller supply and all you need is a small increase in demand, and the price will go up significantly and vice versa.”
Last month, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced changes to “improve allocation efficiency”.
Among the new measures implemented, LTA increased the bid deposit for motorcycles to S$1,500 (US$1,132) from S$800.
At the same time, the validity period for motorcycle temporary COEs was cut from three months to one month.
In the latest bidding exercise on May 4, which was the first tender involving new measures for Category D, premiums for motorcycle COEs plunged nearly 60 per cent.
Speaking to reporters during a media doorstop, Mr Iswaran said the latest set of measures aims to minimise speculation and improve the overall functioning of the market, but added that it is difficult to predict future prices.
“We’ve seen the result of one bidding exercise after the changes that have taken place so I think we should let the market work itself,” he said.
“Don’t be premature and draw any conclusions at this juncture.”
If there is a need for any further moves, the Government will consider that at the appropriate time, he added.
Turning to a question from the media about whether a similar approach would help to bring COE prices for cars down, he pointed out that the mechanism for securing car COEs is different from motorcycles.
“In the case of Cat D, dealers bid and secure the COEs, they hold them before they onsell a motorcycle with the COE to a buyer, whereas in the case of cars, it is a different kind of mechanism because typically, the dealers bid in the name of the buyer,” he said.
“Having said that, we are studying this,” he added.
“We have always been ready to make refinements and adjustments in response to material developments in the market and it’s no different at this point in time.”
Prices for cars in Category A and B broke records for the third consecutive tender in April, closing at S$103,721 and S$118,501 respectively.
While both closed lower in the latest bidding exercise in May, they remain above S$100,000.
Mr Iswaran is scheduled to deliver a ministerial statement on meeting the transport need of Singaporeans in the next Parliament sitting, which begins tomorrow.
AFPAt least 30 people have been killed in ethnic clashes in the remote Indian state of Manipur, officials say.
The violence began earlier this week after a rally by indigenous communities against moves to grant tribal status to the main ethnic group in the state.
Mobs attacked homes, vehicles, churches, and temples. Some reports put the death toll as high as 54.
Around 10,000 people have reportedly been displaced. Thousands of troops have been sent in to maintain order.
A curfew is in place in several districts and internet access has been suspended.
Neighbouring states have begun evacuating their students from Manipur, which is in India’s northeast and close to the border with Myanmar.
The army says it is bringing the situation under control but the Hindu-nationalist BJP-led government in the state has been accused of not doing enough to prevent the violence.
Members of the Meitei community, who account for at least 50% of the state’s population, have been demanding inclusion under the Scheduled Tribe category for years.
India reserves government jobs, college admissions and elected seats at all levels of government for communities under this category to rectify historical wrongs that have denied them equal opportunities.
This status would give the Meiteis access to forest lands and guarantee them a proportion of government jobs and places in educational institutions.
Other tribes are worried that they may lose control over their ancestral forest dwellings.
On Tuesday, thousands of tribal people from the hill districts of the state participated in a march called by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur to oppose the demand.
A day later, a similar rally turned violent, sparking unrest in other districts that has since spread.
Google, Line trumpet efforts to curb misinformation
Tech giant Google has launched new tools for Thailand’s upcoming general election, while LINE Thailand suggests politicians use their “Official Accounts” to communicate with voters.
The moves aim to tackle misinformation.
Saranee Boonritthongchai, country marketing manager at Google Thailand, said that in the lead-up to the election, the company understands that Thais need helpful and relevant information to help them make decisions.
The company recently launched a Google Trends Thailand General Election page to make it easier for the media and public to find search trends related to political campaigns.
“We’ve focused our efforts on supporting the 52 million Thais who are expected to cast their vote and more than 3 million first-time voters in the election this year by helping them connect to useful and relevant election-related information online, ensuring that our products offer unbiased, authoritative and timely information,” she said.
“To curb misinformation at the source, we also trained and engaged journalists and newsrooms on reporting authoritative and credible news ahead of the election cycle.”
The policies of Google Ads and YouTube’s Community Guidelines help ensure that everyone understands digital best practices and their responsibilities during elections, said Ms Saranee. Google has policies governing misinformation related to elections, Covid-19 and vaccines across its platforms.
Mukpim Anantachai, head of YouTube partnerships for Thailand and Vietnam, said election integrity is a priority for the company and it has been working to ensure the right policies and systems are in place to support the election.
As well as connecting people to authoritative and quality information, YouTube removes content that violates its standards in a timely manner with the help of machine learning and trained content reviewers. Its goal is to maintain a balance between protecting the community from harm and enabling a diversity of viewpoints to thrive on YouTube, said Ms Mukpim.
In the fourth quarter of 2022, content that violated guidelines comprised 0.09% to 0.11% of views on YouTube. More than 5.6 million videos and 6.4 million channels were removed for violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines. Of these, more than 69,000 videos from Thailand were removed.
In related news, LINE Thailand recommends political parties and candidates use its verified Official Accounts (OA) to communicate with the electorate.
LINE OA messages generated by political parties or candidates are labelled in the politics category. Advertising campaigns on Line Ads are available, assuming messages comply with the laws and regulations of the Election Commission.
Along with UPS and DHL, FedEx Corp., one of the three largest express package delivery business, reportedly plans to relocate its Asia-Pacific regional offices from Hong Kong and nbsp to Singapore in order to” achieve greater speed and agility.”
According to Bloomberg, Kawal Preet, the local president of FedEx Express, will relocate to Singapore in September. Other Hong Kong-based executives will also relocate there, according to an unnamed staff member.
In an email cited by Bloomberg, the American courier claimed that it could more quickly and easily connect its operations in the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa( AMEA ) in Singapore. While retaining a” significant” presence and leadership roles in the special & nbsp, administrative region, it stated that fewer than 15 % of its positions in Hong Kong will relocate to Singapore. & nbsp,
According to the organization, some positions that don’t need to be located in the offices city may be moved to Malaysia or India to cut costs. & nbsp,
Given that Sino-US social tensions are rising, commentators claimed that some foreign businesses are leaving Hong Kong because they are unsure whether they will one day become the target of Chinese regional security investigations or secondary sanctions from the US.
Chau Sze – tat, a political commentator from Hong Kong, writes in his YouTube channel,” The transfer of FedEx’s regional offices deals briskly to the city, which usually highlights its status as an international logistics hub.” The business relocates its top executives to Singapore, demonstrating that it no longer values Hong Kong as a major logistical hotspot for the region.
According to Chau, the authorities could always hold the pandemic responsible for the absences of foreign businesses in Hong Kong over the past three years. However, it demonstrates that Hong Kong’s long-term business environment has deteriorated if they are still leaving the city after all Covid standards have expired. Concerned about the National Security Law are some international businesses.
He claims that FedEx’s investigation by the Chinese authorities in 2019 for withholding Huawei Technologies’ packages may have played a role in the US courier company moving its regional offices. & nbsp,
After the British mail mysteriously diverted two packages intended for Huawei headquarters in China to the US and tried to divert two persons, Huawei announced on May 27 that it was reviewing its partnership with FedEx. The next day, FedEx expressed regret for handling Huawei’s packages improperly and claimed that no outside difficulty had caused it to request transhipment. & nbsp,
The Chinese government announced earlier in June 2019 that it was looking into FedEx in response to a complaint Huawei had made about misrouted packages. Later, in late July, it was reported that FedEx may have delayed the delivery of more than 100 items to Huawei. & nbsp,
Socially private, the incident occurred after Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou was detained in Canada in December 2018 on suspicion of breaking US punishment. Following a formal arrangement with the US court, Meng was released in September 2021.
After anti-extradition protests broke out in Hong Kong in June 2019, Sino-US hostilities had increased. According to the Foreign foreign ministry, Todd Hohn, a FedEx Express aircraft and retired US Air Force commander, was detained on September 12 at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and nbsp for leaving with an air gun pellet package. He was given parole, but smuggling ammunition was the subject of an investigation.
On June 27, 2020, Hohn was given permission to leave Guangzhou, just a few times before Beijing enacted the National Security Law in Hong Kong on June 30. & nbsp,
In an interview with HK01.com in December 2020, managing director Anthony & nbsp, Leung of Express Hong Kong and Macau expressed his confidence in his ability to manage the express business there in spite of the unstable global environment.
Leung described Hong Kong’s market climate as an international financial hub with many benefits, such as a prime area, no tariffs, and straightforward customs procedures. He declared that FedEx would have its top operations and support staff based in Hong Kong, where it has its Asia Pacific headquarters.
However, FedEx began moving its Hong Kong-based planes to San Francisco in January 2021, claiming that the Asian financial capital’s stringent Covid regulations were having an impact on its operations. It announced that it would close its team center in the neighborhood in November 2021. & nbsp,
Despite the fact that Hong Kong repealed all of its anti-epidemic regulations in late 2022, some critics claim that the worsening US-China relations continue to pose operational risks for international businesses based there.
Five Chinese businesses, including one in Hong Kong, were sanctioned by the US in February of this year for allegedly offering goods and services to the Russian army. It sanctioned 12 Taiwanese companies last quarter, the majority of which were based in Shenzhen, for sending electronic components from Hong Kong to Russia.
Additionally, according to Chief Executive John Lee, Hong Kong will pass other national security policy by the end of 2024 in accordance with the Basic Law’s Article 23. & nbsp,
The current National Security Law deals with crimes like independence, terrorism, corruption of the government, and cooperation with foreign power. The new legislation will focus on spying activities as well as treason, sedition, theft of state secrets, and & nbsp. & nbsp,
Study: New Sino-US tensions are sparked by the Fentanyl and Russia industry.
@ jeffpao3 Follow Jeff Pao on Twitter at & nbsp.
