Govt rolls out CCA screening

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 19 Feb 2024 at 04:30

Thailand has the highest incidence of cholangiocarcinoma (more commonly known as bile duct cancer) among Asean countries, according to Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew.

Speaking at an event marking World CCA (cholangiocarcinoma) Day in Maha Sarakham on Sunday, Dr Cholnan said the cancer is mainly caused by liver fluke.

As Thailand has the highest incidence of CCA in Southeast Asia, the ministry is working with various agencies to eradicate and treat existing CCA cases in 30 high-risk provinces.

By introducing thorough screening for liver flukes for people above 15 years old, and quick detection of cholangiocarcinoma in those aged over 40, the ministry aims to reduce the infection rate to lower than 1% of the population by 2025.

Screening for the condition will be rolled out for individuals considered at high risk of developing CCA, using a liver fluke screening kit developed by Khon Kaen University.

Several Royal Covid Testing Vehicles have also been repurposed to provide ultrasound screening, he said.

Continue Reading

Budget 2024: Most mid-tier properties to benefit from less property tax but move ‘not a cooling measure’, say analysts

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

MOST HOME OWNERS, MID-TIER PROPERTIES TO BENEFIT 

Property and tax analysts noted that the move to raise AV bands will benefit the majority of home owners and owner-occupied properties.

In the past, most properties had an AV below S$30,000, which meant that home owners only paid 4 per cent property tax, said Christine Sun, senior vice-president of research and analytics from OrangeTee & Tie.

However, with the recent increase in rental prices, many home owners’ AVs have crossed the S$30,000 mark, resulting in higher taxes for them.

“This has affected many people, especially those who did not benefit from the rental hike and felt that they were being unfairly penalised,” said Ms Sun.

“Therefore, the changes are considered fair and beneficial for most home owners, especially those who are not landlords.”

Mr Wong had previously announced in Budget 2022 a two-step increase in property tax rates for residential properties, which had been meant as a wealth tax targeted at investment properties and the higher-end segment of owner-occupied private properties.

However, rents increased significantly from 2022 due to a combination of strong demand and COVID-19-related supply constraints, resulting in an increase in annual values as well.

While the government had expected the property tax changes to impact the top 7 per cent of owner-occupied residential properties, the AV increases resulted in nearly 13 per cent of owner-occupied properties being affected.

The announcement on Friday is also to achieve the original top 7 per cent target, “without causing too much pain” for owners of the remaining owner-occupied residential properties, said Mr See Wei Hwa, professional services firm KPMG Singapore’s property tax and dispute resolution partner.

In line with the policy objective of property tax, most owner-occupied residential properties should benefit from the recalibration in the AV bands, noted Mr See.

The notable exception being private properties, such as penthouse and landed bungalows, which have monthly rental value of more than S$11,667 or annual rental value of more than S$140,000, he added.

Chief executive officer of ERA Singapore Marcus Chu pointed out that an Outside Central Region or OCR three-bedroom private apartment with an annual value of S$40,000 can enjoy a property tax saving of S$360.

“This is a 24 per cent reduction compared to 2024,” he added.

Ms Tricia Song, CBRE head of research for Singapore and Southeast Asia said that the revision is expected to benefit owners of mid-tier properties the most.

The difference in property tax payable is more significant for properties with lower AVs, except for properties which have AVs close to the lowest threshold, Ms Song said. 

For properties with AVs of S$140,000 and above, the difference in tax payable remains at S$5,760, which is marginal for properties with high AVs. 

“Previously, those living in higher value properties who have no or lower income may have considered downgrading. 

“With the revised AV bands, coupled with the 24-month interest free installment plan to retirees, owners may be able to pay the property taxes and hold firm to their current property,” Ms Song added.

Mr Wong on Friday also announced that the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore will offer retirees a 24-month instalment plan without interest to help those living in higher-end residential homes facing cash flow issues.

Continue Reading

Ministry outlines EV roadmap

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 17 Feb 2024 at 04:00

Ministry outlines EV roadmap
Supamas: Need to upskill workers

The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation (MHESI) has launched three policies aimed at making Thailand the biggest EV production hub in Southeast Asia.

Minister Supamas Isarabhakdi outlined the policies: developing skilled workers, increasing EV usage, and supporting research and development.

“We are confident that these policies will play a crucial role in making Thailand the largest EV production hub in the Southeast Asian region and achieving the government’s goal of reducing vehicle emissions by 30% within the next five years,” she said.

Ms Supamas recognised some challenges.

“Thailand does not have a big enough workforce to join the EV industry, and this is a big problem,” she said.

“So we have to develop skills for people so that they can find work in this field,” she said.

Ms Supamas said that by 2030, the government aims to reduce carbon emissions by 30%.

To achieve the target, one of the measures is to replace petrol vehicles with EVs, which includes producing 725,000 electric cars and 675,000 electric motorcycles.

The production of EVs will create job opportunities, she said.

The MHESI has launched the “MHESI For EV” initiative, focusing on Electric Vehicle-Human Resource Development (EV-HRD), to train 150,000 people in EV-related skills within five years.

The ministry will also promote EV usage by encouraging all agencies under the MHESI to switch to electric vehicles and putting in place more charging stations.

About 30% of the MHESI’s vehicles will be electric within five years, making it more environmentally friendly, she said.

Additionally, the ministry will support EV innovation by investing in research and development to improve the EV industry’s competitiveness.

Continue Reading

Thailand to expand visa-free access, says Srettha

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 16 Feb 2024 at 11:24

Thailand to expand visa-free access, says Srettha
Inbound passengers arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport, Samut Prakan province, during Lunar New Year 2024. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)

The government plans to offer visa-free travel to citizens of several more countries, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Friday.

Thailand has recently waived visas for citizens of China and India to boost tourism, a key driver of Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Srettha and David Hurley, the Governor-General of Australia, had a meeting at Government House and agreed with a proposal to consider the possibility of introducing a mutual visa exemption scheme to facilitate travel and business activity between the people of both nations.

Mr Srettha said on Monday that his government is also hoping for visa-free travel agreements with the Schengen-visa states of Europe.

Last year, Thailand drew about 28 million foreign tourists and 1.2 trillion baht in revenue, well short of the record of almost 40 million arrivals and 1.9 trillion baht in revenue in 2019 or before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said Malaysians made up the largest group of visitors to Thailand, with around 4.5 million visitors last year while Chinese tourists formed the second-largest group with about 3.51 million visitors.

But as of Feb 1, Chinese travellers tallied more than 533,000 this year, followed by arrivals from Malaysia at more than 337,000 and South Korea at more than 229,000.

The Chinese comprised the biggest group of visitors in pre-pandemic 2019, with about 11 million.

The Tourism and Sports Ministry is confident the country can attract 35 million foreign visitors this year after 3 million arrived in January.

Continue Reading

City all set to host Fifa meet

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

PUBLISHED : 16 Feb 2024 at 04:00

Bangkok will host the 74th Fifa Congress in mid-May, the first time Southeast Asia has ever hosted the prestigious convention of football’s world governing body.

Thailand will also sponsor the May 13 to 17 event under a special organising committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, said government spokesperson Chai Watcharonke yesterday.

The committee met yesterday at Government House to discuss updates and preparations. The talks were helmed by Tourism and Sports Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol. Nualphan Lamsam, president of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), also participated, and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin observed the meeting.

All related sectors have been ordered to collaborate in ensuring the safety and convenience for overseas guests, Ms Sudawan said, adding the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and the FAT had already met several times to work on the project.

A draft of the action plans covering the period from May 12 to 18 was also approved by the panel, according to Ms Sudawan. The plan focuses on facilitating the visa issuance process and airport customs, special services for VIPs and emergency cases, security measures, medical services, event receptions, and recreational programmes.

A budget was also allocated during the discussion.

The 74th FIFA Congress at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) is expected to welcome top-league footballers and representatives of football associations from 211 countries.

Mr Srettha ordered the panel to draw up a list of priorities and cooperate as much as they can to ensure the event is a success and further bolster Thailand’s international standing, said Mr Chai.

Continue Reading

Indonesia, Singapore sign outline pledge on carbon storage

By:
On:
In: Asia

“Cross-border carbon capture and storage is an emerging solution in Asia, and supports Singapore’s transition towards a low-carbon future,” said Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) deputy secretary Keith Tan in the joint statement. “With this LOI, Singapore and Indonesia can become the pathfinders to catalyse deployment of cross-border CCSContinue Reading

International Energy Agency to open first regional office in Singapore

By:
On:
In: South-East Asia

The IEA is an intergovernmental organisation that provides analysis, data, policy recommendations and solutions to help countries in their transition to sustainable energy. Singapore joined the IEA as an association country in 2016.

Dr Tan said: “The IEA Regional Cooperation Centre in Singapore will deepen our partnership with the IEA.

“The centre will be the first energy-focused international organisation in Singapore and will be a strategic asset for the IEA in the Asia Pacific.

“It will energise the region’s decarbonisation journey, while continuing to provide advice on energy security and resilience.”

Chief executive of EMA Ngiam Shih Chun said the centre will further strengthen EMA’s ability to work with the IEA to support the region’s energy transition pathways.

“EMA and IEA have worked closely over many years to enhance the region’s capacity on key energy initiatives such as energy efficiency, infrastructure financing and cross-border power interconnections through the Singapore-IEA Regional Training Hub and the Singapore-IEA Forum at the annual Singapore International Energy Week,” added Mr Ngiam.

IEA’s executive director Fatih Birol noted that the new office will allow it to “significantly increase (its) engagement with Southeast Asia and beyond”, adding that the region is “one of the most dynamic and fastest growing regions in the world”.

“Through the centre, we stand ready to accompany all of the countries in the region as they strive to provide affordable, reliable and modern energy for all their citizens,” added Dr Birol.

Continue Reading

Clare Rewcastle Brown: UK journalist says Malaysia sentence is ‘political revenge’

By:
On:
In: Asia
British journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown speaking during an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo credit: MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)Getty Images
By Leisha Chi-Santorelli
BBC News Culture

UK journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown has accused the Malaysia of seeking “political revenge” for her reporting after a court jailed her in absentia.

The 64-year-old is appealing a surprise conviction for criminal defamation of a Malaysian royal handed down this week.

A local magistrates court sentenced her to two years in prison during a single-day hearing.

Ms Rewcastle Brown told the BBC she was being targeted after her work on the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal.

The scandal saw $4.5bn (£3.9bn) stolen from the Malaysian sovereign fund founded by former Prime Minister Najib Razak in what is thought to be the world’s largest kleptocracy case.

It ensnared top Hollywood celebrities, brought down bankers from Goldman Sachs and saw the first criminal charges filed against the storied Wall Street firm.

Najib was jailed in 2022 but still faces a raft of other charges. He denies all wrongdoing.

On Wednesday the Kuala Terengganu Magistrates’ Court ruled that Ms Rewcastle Brown criminally defamed Malaysia’s former Queen Nur Zahirah in her book The Sarawak Report – The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose.

Ms Rewcastle Brown said she was not notified in advance nor given the opportunity to defend herself in court. Her lawyers have already requested the ruling be set aside by a higher court on violations of the criminal procedure code.

“I’m afraid this is malicious, it is politically motivated. And I see it as revenge for my public interest journalism,” she told the BBC.”I think there are a lot of very powerful and wealthy people in Malaysia who are revengeful that I identified the corruption of their former prime minister [Najib Razak], who remains popular and powerful and wealthy.

“And I think that it’s no coincidence that just two or three days after [he] failed to get a pardon from the [Malaysian] King that would have let him out of jail after a fraction of his sentence, that this sentence was then passed against me”.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) described the decision to jail Rewcastle Brown as “outrageous” and has called on Malaysia to scrap the sentence and to “stop harassing the journalist over her crucial reporting on the country’s 1MDB scandal, recognized as one of the world’s biggest-ever corruption cases”.

“The harsh ruling will deter all reporters from investigating official corruption in Malaysia and represents a clear and present danger to press freedom in the country,” CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative Shawn Crispin said in a statement issued on Friday.

The outgoing 13th king of Malaysia, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin (L) and Queen Nur Zahirah (R), stand for the national anthem during a farewell ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on December 12, 2011. (Photo credit: MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Getty Images

Defamation cases

Malaysia has the world’s only rotating constitutional monarchy. The federal head of state changes every five years in what is a largely ceremonial role but the monarch wields significant cultural and political influence.

The oil-rich coastal state of Terengganu is home to one of the country’s nine royal families. The Malay ruler is called a Sultan and his wife, a Sultanah.

Terrangganu Sultanah Nur Zahirah, who served as Malaysia’s Queen from 2006-2011, has filed two defamation cases against Ms Rewcastle Brown for allegedly insinuating she was involved in corrupt practices linked to 1MDB.

The first was a civil case in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur which was dismissed by the High Court in October 2022. That was overturned on appeal and is still making its way through the courts. The second filing was the case in her local magistrates court which she has won.

Ms Rewcastle Brown said there was a misidentification error in the book that was corrected back in 2018. She also apologised for the error. But her legal team have argued that the error is not defamation, nor criminal libel.

“I do fear that there has been manipulation of this case and I do not seek to lay blame for that at the feet of the Sultanah. She was understandably annoyed,” Ms Rewcastle Brown told the BBC.

Sultanah Nur Zahirah and her legal team have been approached for comment by the BBC.

Najib’s reduced sentence

The former leader is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence that was halved this week by Malaysia’s pardons board – a move that sends a message leaders in South East Asia can act with impunity, said James Chin, professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania.

Najib’s United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which previously led the ruling coalition that governed Malaysia, has been pushing for a royal pardon after testing and exhausting other legal avenues of appeal.

Najibin court in janaury

Reuters

Ms Rewcastle Brown told the BBC she finds it hard to believe Najib’s reduced sentence and her defamation conviction, which took place shortly afterward, are not linked.

“I have become somewhat emblematic in the eyes of those who are deeply resentful that Najib was found guilty and convicted of this crime.

“We can speculate, but I think that it’s hard to come to the conclusion other than it is all connected to this 1MDB case”.

Najib’s lawyers are reportedly also trying to get Netflix documentary Man On The Run about the 1MDB scandal taken down for “sub judicial and contemptuous” content.

He is also said to be looking to take legal action against former Malaysian attorney-general Tommy Thomas and Rewcastle-Brown over their statements in the documentary Man On The Run.

Netflix and Mr Kim with both approached for comment by the BBC but have yet to respond.

Interpol involvement

Ms Rewcastle Brown also fears the Terengganu magistrates court ruling may impact her ability to travel freely.

Malaysian law enforcement officials have twice before applied for an Interpol Red Notice for Rewcastle Brown on charges related to her 1MDB reporting. Interpol denied the previous two applications, she said.

It is unclear whether Malaysian authorities will pursue an Interpol Red Notice for Rewcastle Brown’s arrest again. The Kuala Terengganu Magistrates’ Court did not immediately reply to the BBC’s request for comment.

Ms Rewcastle Brown is requesting support from the UK government and various non-governmental organisations such as the CPJ and Index on Censorship.

Born in Sarawak, Ms Rewcastle Brown has two grown sons with husband Andrew Brown, a media strategist and former journalist who is the younger brother of former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

She founded investigative website Sarawak Report in 2010, which made her name as a journalist and environmental campaigner focused on corruption in the lucrative palm oil trade.

She hopes to one day return to Malaysia without the threat of imprisonment.

“I will just keep going,” she said. “I’m just one of many, many journalists campaigning to support the right of journalists to do their job, which is to bring information in the public interest to the wider audience.”

A copy of a Malaysian police arrest warrant from 2021 for Clare Rewcastle Brown

Clare Rewcastle Brown

Related Topics

More on this story

Continue Reading

Thai-Cambodian reset a symptom of a wider problem – Asia Times

By:
On:
In: Asia

On February 2, three political activists, including Lim Sokha, a senior member of the Candlelight Party, the once fledgling opposition party that was banned from participation in Cambodia’s sham July 2023 elections, were arrested in Thailand after seeking asylum and being granted refugee status.

Fears were that the three outspoken activists, who planned to hold a protest during Hun Manet’s visit to Thailand on February 7, were rounded up because the two governments were working in concert to prevent “interference in Cambodian internal politics” on Thai soil. 

After being arrested, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin assured his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Manet, that it is Thailand’s policy not to allow anyone to use Thai soil “as a platform to interfere in internal affairs or conduct harmful activities against our neighboring countries.”

While the three were eventually processed by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and allowed to depart to another country, recent cooperation between Thailand, partially billed now as a “semi-democratic” state, and the repressive one-party Cambodian autocracy signals a broader move in the wrong direction – and it’s not Thailand that started it. Others have made the same critical mistakes. 

While there are the usual nationalist flare-ups in tensions among populations, recently demonstrated in the Southeast Asia Games, where the Cambodia Boxing Federation renamed the kickboxing event “Kun Khmer” as opposed to “Muay Thai,” which provoked a stern reaction among Thais, where Muay Thai has recently been tagged as a form of Thai soft power.

And in the past, tensions over the Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO heritage site, stirred tensions to the point of border skirmishes in 2011.

Instead, the danger lies in a much wider global pragmatic turn, where relations are justified under the guise of a strategic reset under Hun Manet.

Thailand wasn’t the country to host the newly minted Khmer leader, as French President Emmanuel Macron greeted Hun Manet in Paris, pledging US$235 million in development agreements from energy to water infrastructure and voicing support for a strategic partnership.

That was enough for government-controlled or -aligned media to herald the trip as an upgrade to relations to the level of “equal partners.” The move in essence handed Cambodia more undeserved legitimacy than a deeply flawed election ever could. 

As many have noted, the chance for a foreign-policy reset under Hun Manet has been too good to pass up, where Macron’s visit was an opportunity to reframe French-Cambodia ties, which are stained by its colonial past.

Even the United States, who once criticized Cambodia’s election as having a “pattern of threats and harassment” leading to a neither free nor fair declaration, reversed its withholding of $18 million in foreign aid after a sideline meeting between Hun Manet and Victoria Nuland, the acting US deputy secretary of state, during the United Nations General Assembly in September, but without saying specifically why. 

The reality is that very few countries can repair their relationships with Cambodia without compromising normative positions on human rights and democratization.

Japan, one of the few exceptions, has maintained a consistent position on Cambodia largely on the strength of its diplomatic track record dating back to the 1991 Paris Agreements, the 1992 UNTAC peacekeeping mission, and the volume of its official development assistance, which has reached nearly $3 billion since the early 1990s.

In short, Japan never looked for a reset, but has been playing a long game and serving as a reliable alternative to Chinese dependence. 

The European Union on the other hand, which is in the process of negotiating a free-trade agreement with Thailand, has compromised its normative position because of a desire for closer ties with Southeast Asia – the same error made by Macron with Hun Manet. 

Worse, the message that Western countries are sending by prioritizing Indo-Pacific economic ties while abandoning normative positions is that it gives license to semi-democratic regimes like Thailand to continue a business-as-usual approach to relations with Cambodia.

Even during military rule under Prayut Chan-o-cha, Thai-Cambodian relations had markedly improved and both were working in lockstep, and under Srettha, little work has been done to investigate the August 2023 beating of Cambodian opposition activist Phorn Phanna in Rayong province by three men on Thai soil.

While it is a delicate balance between criticism and engagement, as many wish to prevent a recurrence of the past, which sent Cambodia firmly into the arms of China, there is scant evidence that backing sharply away from human rights and democratization will have much effect on diplomatic relations. 

It merely means that a Western-educated son of a dictator who ruled over Cambodia for three decades gains another much-needed upper hand – development and investment without the pesky pressures of the past. 

Continue Reading