Korat fossil came from ‘ancient alligator’

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In contrast to species found in the US and China, Nakhon Ratchasima has recently undiscovered types.

18 October 2023 at 20:03 PUBLISHED

Korat fossil came from ‘ancient alligator’
Alligator munensis, a species that was found in Nakhon Ratchasima, is known to have fossilized bone fragments in its possession. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment ( image )

According to the Department of Mineral Resources, an eel coal discovered in Nakhon Ratchasima in 2005 has been identified as being of a different species than those found in the United States and China.

A native of the Non Sung area discovered the fossilized bones, which are made up of a skull, two incisors, and five other fragments. He alerted the department.

Under two meters of shallow sediment, the legs were discovered.

The bones, which have been carbon-dated to roughly 230, 000 years ago — commonly referred to as the Pleistocene period — were then identified by the department with the assistance of a group of German researchers. & nbsp,

The bones were compared by the experts to known specimens of Alligator jasmine, which are widespread in China, and endemic to the United States.

They came to the conclusion that the eel from which the bones originated was probably a different local types.

The team’s findings were recently published in Scientific Reports, a peer-reviewed blog associated with Nature, according to Thitiphan Chuchanchot, assistant commander of the Department of Mineral Resources.

According to Mr. Thitiphan, the bones were discovered in the Mun River valley, so we gave the animal the name Alligator munensis, a guide to the location of its initial discovery.

Alligators are currently only found in the United States and China, where they run the risk of going extinct, according to Kantapon Suraprasit, a researcher with the Centre of Excellence for the Morphology of Earth Surface and Advanced Geohazards in Southeast Asia( MESA CE ).

It is unknown how the two types diverged from their shared father, but some experts think they must have both descended from the same species, an old alligator species that again roamed the Yangtze and Mekong-Chao Phraya river basins.

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Civilization and its enemies: a letter to a Chinese friend

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I had the privilege of writing the entry for Professor Wen Yang’s book The Logical of Chinese Civilization next year. China Daily published an abridged version of & nbsp. How has Foreign society survived for 5,000 years while all other societies in Western Asia and Europe vanished? & nbsp,

Professor Wen contends that while the West also reflects the traits of its hunter-gatherer grandparents, China developed a sedentary lifestyle thousands of years ago. & nbsp,

I noticed that China” assimilated individuals representing six main and 300 small language groups.” China united its diverse peoples through a common method of characters and downstream infrastructure, while native spoken languages, religion, and culture flourished. This is in contrast to Europe, which required its people to convert to Christianity in order to enter Western civilization. & nbsp,

But absorption occasionally failed. The Han dynasty was in danger from the wandering Xiongnu in the third century BCE. In order to deal with north nomad, the Han Dynasty tried a variety of strategies, including paying tribute to the warriors and marrying Chinese ladies to Xiongnu monarchs and encouraging the adoption of Taiwanese culture. These strategies included offensive and defensive wars. & nbsp,

The Han Dynasty was unfortunately forced to battle the Xiongnu. General Wei Qing’s troops did not overcome a sizable Xiongnu power until 124 BCE. The risk of the barbarians persisted. The Mongol and Manchu warriors conquered all of China more than a thousand years after.

Chinese culture was so resilient that it eventually assimilated the savage invaders, though not without great suffering and loss. All of the major systems used in the Industrial Revolution in Europe were created by the Tang and Song empires. Why did China never experience the Industrial Revolution, researchers wonder. The solution may be that barbarian invaders disrupted China to the point where its advances were unable to develop.

The threat of barbarians still exists despite China’s spectacular military prowess and unmatched economic growth. I’ve heard Chinese scholars claim that the United States purposefully incubated jihadists to destroy China during numerous trips to China over the past ten years. Although I don’t think the US intentionally did this, China undoubtedly suffered as a result of British mistakes in the so-called Global War on Terror. & nbsp,

In a file photo, East Turkestan Islamic Movement( ETIM) Ethnic Uighur soldiers are seen flying their flag. Photo: Facebook

In order to have the Sunni uprising against the American-sponsored Shi’ite majority government in Iraq, the Bush administration gave General David Petraeus a blank check in 2008. Past Sunni military officers received salaries from Petraeus totaling US$ 16 million per month.

The foundation of ISIS was afterwards formed by a large number of Sunni soldiers who were funded and armed by the US. According to an a & nbsp report released by the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2012, America’s support for Sunni jihadists in Syria encouraged the rise of ISIS.

Uighurs fighting in Syria take aim at China, according to a report by The & nbsp on the Associated Press in 2017. According to the AP statement:

Since 2013, dozens of Uighurs, a Muslim majority from northern China who speak Turkic, have traveled to Syria to station with the Turkistan Islamic Party and fight alongside al-Qaida, taking important part in numerous wars. As the six-year issue comes to an end, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces are currently engaged in combat with Uighur combatants.

However, China’s worst worries might start with the end of the war in Syria.

Ali, who would only give his first name out of concern for retaliation against his family back home, said,” We didn’t worry how the battle went or who Assad was.” We only intended to return to China after learning how to use the arms.

The same anti-civilizational warfare that taught jihadists to kill Chinese includes Hamas.

During trips to China, I had the opportunity to hear the opinions of eminent Chinese scholars and military managers as a panel member of an Israeli foundation that was involved with Israel-China relationships. A persistent worry has been the possibility of warfare spreading to Southeast Asia. The Chinese scientists emphasized that China has close ties to numerous Arab nations and a Muslim community that supports the cause of the Palestinians. & nbsp,

I don’t intend to give China advice on how to do diplomacy because China has its own grounds for remaining impartial on Israeli-Palestinian problems. Nevertheless, some aspects of the issue might not be fully understood.

Israel’s treatment of Hamas over the past few years has been modeled after the Han dynasty in its original attempts to appease the Xiongnu. Israel urged Qatar to give Hamas$ 40 million per month in incentives. According to reports, the mind of Mossad visited Qatar in 2020 to advocate for such grants. Israel opened the Gaza borders to 20,000 Arabs working in Israel over the course of the previous year in an effort to improve financial problems. & nbsp,

The Netanyahu government believed it had all strategic bases covered and that it could bribe Hamas to remain on the sidelines as it negotiated diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, as I stated in an & nbsp, October 11 essay & ndrp for the American website Law & amp, Liberty. It lulled itself into a careless cloud that obscured the ancient world’s recalcitrant elements that opposed the Abraham Accords’ modernizing impulse.

That is where the” knowledge loss” began, allowing tens of thousands of Hamas jihadists to invade Israel and kill more than 1,300 people, including hundreds of children and teens. Israel’s tragedy reports are not a tool of American propaganda. The majority of them are known to us thanks to video posted online by Hamas, which aims to frighten both Israelis and the rest of the world.

According to Professor Wen’s theory, Hamas is a holdover from the pre-civilizational, wandering earth that won’t accept assimilation. A two-state option is not what Hamas wants. According to its contract, Israel must be destroyed and an Islamic state should be established in its place. This is not a typical cultural issue that can be resolved by dividing the issue in half. & nbsp,

According to Hamas’ Charter,” The Islamic Resistance Movement is a recognized Palestinian movement, whose loyalty is to Allah, and which practices Islam.” Israel will be and may continue to exist until Islam destroys it, just as it destroyed another before it ,” it adds, attempting to raise the banner of Allah over every square inch of Palestine.

As alarms sounded behind and Hamas rocket attacks were launched from the Gaza Strip, smoke billowed over private Jewish areas. NDTV Screengrab picture

According to remark in guancha.cn, per capita income in the West Bank, where Israel continues to be the supreme power, is twice that of Gaza, which Hamas annexed in 2007 after Israel withdrew from the region on its own. Its arbitrary massacre of defenseless civilians, including children, is eerily similar to ISIS ‘ tactics.

No state has the right to survive if it allows a neighbor to off thousands of its citizens. Israel has no other option but to exterminate Hamas. In order to win sympathy from the rest of the world, Hamas tries to increase the number of casualties among its own civilizational people, as I explained in the remark for guancha.cn that was cited. Hamas asserts that it is battling Zionist” occupation.” nbsp

In actuality, Israel gave the Palestine Authority control of Gaza after formally ending its occupation in 2005. In 2007, Hamas deposed the Palestine Authority administration. More than 20,000 rockets have been fired at Israeli civilian goals since then by islamist terrorists. These were a lot of rudimentary products. & nbsp,

Some returned to the densely populated Gaza Strip, as I noted in my opinion from 2022, and killed a lot more Arabs than Israelis. One of many instances of criminal rockets killing Gazans more than Israelis was the loss of a hospital in Gaza on October 17.

Because Hamas uses Gazan civilians as human shields, Israeli actions in self defense will eventually result in human deaths. This will stoke Arab sentiment throughout much of the earth. The optimistic public stance of China is not unexpected. However, China should carefully consider where its interests in the Gaza fight lie.

China is worried about the free flow of oil from the Persian Gulf, which supplied 54 % of China’s oil imports in 2022, in the short term. With imports to Saudi Arabia almost tripling between 2018 and 2023, China’s business success in the Persian Gulf has matched its political accomplishments. Iran is the primary supplier of arms to Hamas and aids in the ongoing issue. China may undoubtedly advise Iran to prevent increase.

However, China’s involvement in the fight goes beyond just power security. China’s export to the Global South, which have doubled since 2019 and now outnumber those to developed industry, have a significant impact on its financial future. & nbsp,

China is bringing digital and physical infrastructure to billions of people who are currently at the periphery of the global economy, integrating them quickly into global markets, as I stated in my 2020 book: & nbsp, You Will Be Assimilated: China’s Plan to Sino-Form the World and in many subsequent articles. & nbsp,

China exports investment and technology to support the attempts of young people in the Global South as its local labour force shrinks. China wants to double its infrastructure-driven development model around the world, which is both an economical and a hegemonic essential.

China is a global modernizing army. China’s reputation in the Global South, where the general public has a favorable view of China, has improved thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative. However, this will not take place without criticism. Anti-modern tendencies from pre-civilizational parts in society still exist and represent the biggest barrier to China’s aspirations. & nbsp,

Numerous Chinese citizens have been killed in terrorist attacks by Hamas-like jihadists in Pakistan, and according to press reports and nbsp, security concerns are impeding Chinese investment in the$ 65 billion nation. & nbsp,

Anti-civilizational aspects around the world will take center and look for new target if Hamas survives the current conflict with Israel. Israel is currently at the center of society. The underlying interest of China is for the warriors to be driven out of Gaza.

The path of least resistance suggests a global split along professional – and anti-American lines. Israel became an American friend following the 1967 War as a result of Cold War planning. & nbsp,

But, it is not a creature of the United States. Israel made a concerted effort to stay out of the Ukraine War and keep cordial ties with both Russia and China. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared he may travel to China in June. & nbsp,

China's President Xi Jinping and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: AFP
Later in 2018, Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, and President Xi Jinping of China met. Asia Times Data / AFP image

America is forced to support an alliance that has been brutally attacked in the current crisis, and its critics are aligning themselves against it. That will only result in more conflict and subsequent issue escalation. & nbsp,

For the time being, Iran is unlikely to get involved, but it will make an effort to gird Israel in the future. Israel is prepared to use its numerous atomic weapons if its survival is in jeopardy. Although I don’t think a world war is imminent, the escalation of tensions between Israel and the rest of the world could result in an impending disaster.

China may hope that Israel is successful in eradicating the barbarians who pose a short-term threat to Israel’s existence and, over the long term, to civilization itself if it wants stability in the area and the development of civilization. & nbsp,

David P. Goldman, a deputy editor for Asia Times, serves on the SIGNAL ( Sino-Israel Government Network and Academic Leadership ) Advisory Board.

This article’s opinions are his own and do not always reflect those of any organizations to which he is affiliated.

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Nintendo pop-up store at Jewel Changi Airport from November, with themed merch from Mario, Animal Crossing and more

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Check in to your Nintendo accounts at the location if you’re going to the pop-up to obtain special stickers featuring various Nintendo characters.

One badge from the 18 models available will be sent to each person who checks in once a day. Sticker designs may be distributed at random. Simply scan & nbsp, the QR code on the tablet at the entrance to the store. Fans will get the thorn after being verified by the on-site staff.

The Nintendo pop-up shop will be at & nbsp, # 04 – 220 / 21 at Jewel Changi Airport.

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More rain in second half of October, could bring respite from warm weather and haze: Met Service

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SINGAPORE: According to the Meteorological Service Singapore( Met Service ), more rain is expected in Singapore and the surrounding area in the second half of October, possibly providing some relief from the warm climate and cloud position. In an advice, the Met Service predicted above-average rain for the second halfContinue Reading

Japanese firms upbeat on Thailand, Asean

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Japanese firms upbeat on Thailand, Asean
Recently, Hideyuki Tanaka, head of the committees on asean economic relations, traveled to Thailand to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Japan and Asea. He claimed that a lot of Asian businesses are eager to invest in the country. Jinakul Apichart

According to Hideyuki Tanaka, Chair of the Subcommittee on Asean Economic Relations, Keidanren( Japan Federation of Economic Organizations ), Chinese traders are still confident in their purchases in Thailand and are eager to remain there, especially in industries related to automobile manufacturing.

One of the ten Southeast members, Thailand, has a wealth of natural resources, and Japan believes that its citizens share Thai culture. More important, according to Mr. Tanaka, Thai citizens are cordial with the Japanese.

Some Japanese businessmen, especially in the automotive sector, are still confident in their investments in Thailand as a result of these elements. In the nation, production facilities are still being established.

According to him, some more Chinese businesses, including SMEs and startups, did relocate to Thailand. These small and large Chinese businesses have the potential to broaden their supply chains in the nation.

According to him,” Compared to another foreign investors, the number of Chinese firms and overall investment in Thailand is the largest.”

When Mr. Tanaka visited Thailand to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Asean-Japanese relations this time, he spoke to the Bangkok Post late. Japan and the East started political ties in 1973.

Japan is committed to advancing the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific( AOIP ) implementation through tangible projects and initiatives using an aseen-led mechanism. The AOIP, which adheres to the Free and Open Indo-Pacific( FOIP ) led by Japan, has four main focus areas: connectivity, maritime cooperation, SDGs, and economics.

Because Thailand is in the middle of the Mekong subregion and is surrounded by Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, Mr. Tanaka claimed that despite the rising cost of living there, Chinese traders did not depart.

Thailand is one of the largest business foundations for Japan in Southeast Asia at the moment, with approximately 6, 000 Chinese companies operating it. According to the Japanese Embassy in Thailand, over the past 40 years, Chinese companies have invested about 3.5 trillion rmb, or about 40 % of all international investments in the nation.

Asean concentrate

Over the next 50 times, Mr. Tanaka stated that Japan intends to invest in another Asian nations in addition to Thailand.

According to him, Chinese people have long invested in Asean because the region has been crucial because its nations have served as hubs for Chinese businesses.

But, Japan has begun to understand that the area is crucial for maintaining its source range in addition to production. One of the biggest consumers of Chinese goods and society is Asian.

” Asean’s GDP growth rate will probably soon surpass that of Japan.” Therefore, the consumer market is extremely alluring.

We are aware that Chinese goods and society are consumed in Asean. People from the area have often come to visit our nation. As a result, Asean is crucial to the Asian business and our products, and it is also very advantageous to Japan, he claimed.

Japan has regarded Asean as a long-lasting, dependable mate as the rest of the world has highlighted the significance of supply chains and had to cope with their perturbation. According to him, Japan recognizes Asean as its primary supply chain wall.

AOIP and FOIP: what are they?

More cooperation is in the works to create the shared values of the AOIP and FOIP.

Through the AOIP, Asean members have come to an understanding on how to work with foreign partners like China, the European Union ( EU ), the US, and Japan. With its innovative FOIP strategy, Japan will even work with Asean. According to Mr. Tanaka, the Chinese FOIP program and the AOIP have similar ideas and goals.

The new FOIP strategy was revealed by Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on March 20 while he was attending the Indian Council of World Affairs( ICWA ) summit, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry website.

The basic idea is to instill a sense of wealth, freedom, the rule of law, and an environment devoid of coercion or force. Peace and rules for happiness, Indo-Pacific-style problem-solving, multi-layered connectivity, and enhancing efforts for maritime and air security are the four pillars.

Additionally, Japan may work closely with both the public and private sectors to meet each nation’s requirements.

By 2030, Japan will also mobilize a total of more than US$ 75 million( 2.73 billion baht ) in public and private funds for infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region, where there is significant demand from each nation. Japan wants to develop alongside different nations.

Asean members had agreed to work with other nations on behalf of the AOIP to uphold the nation’s importance, harmony, freedom, and peace in Southeast Asia.

Under the AOIP, Asean members aimed to collaborate on marine issues, connectivity, UN SDGs, financial matters, and other potential areas for more cooperation, such as the online economy, SMEs and MSMEs, cross-border electronic data flows, risk reduction and climate change management, an aging society and innovation.

The Bangkok Post questioned Mr. Tanaka about the differences between the Chinese FOIP program and various strategies for engaging with Asean because the US and the EU both have their own Indo-Pacific engagement techniques. He claimed that despite having a very long history filled with ups and downs, Japan and Northern nations have now reached the same level of relationship as G7 members.

However, we Chinese people firmly believe that the way of considering in Western nations is not the accepted norm. We even comprehend Asians and Asean individuals.

Therefore, we can act as a liaison between the Asian and American perspectives. At the same time, Japan must comprehend Asean’s primacy.

So, in order to establish a new normal, we need to strengthen our dialogue. However, we do not think that there is only one option, as proposed by European nations, when it comes to power and the green transition. We must comprehend the present predicament between Asean and Japan before we can develop fresh solutions for this problem, he continued.

He recommended that Japan, Asean, and Thailand focus more on three areas for future cooperation: energy transformation, digitization of the internet of things( e.g., the improvement of grassroots livelihoods ).

” Women’s safety and security as well as their means of subsistence are extremely important. The age of groups varies in Asian cultures, and like Thailand, they are evolving into ageing societies. Japan developed into an older world than Thailand.

As a result, we can work on medical science and technology and discuss our knowledge and experience with Thailand. Additionally, we need to work together more to develop system as well as human capability, Mr. Tanaka said.

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Kishida’s ‘economic realism’ de-coupling Japan from China

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Years-long political and territorial disputes between Japan and China have coexisted strangely with intense economic cooperation in the areas of production, technologies, and financing. & nbsp, This has prompted Japan to forge economic ties with China through a seikei bunri policy that separates politics from economics.

Japan has grown more worried about its economic reliance on China as a result of intensifying US-China strategic competition, China’s history of economic force, and its long-term goals to secure its unique” main interests.”

Principles for economic engagement with China are giving way to Fumio Kishida’s new” economic realist” diplomacy in The & nbsp, seikei bunri.

Concerns about the effect of politics on Japan’s economic security can be addressed through a variety of policy measures, such as reshoring, & nbsp, friend-sholing, and national technological advancement.

Concerns about Japan’s susceptibility to economic coercion and supply chain weaponization have grown in Tokyo as a result of the seikei bunri & nbsp drift away.

By carefully diversifying supply stores and reducing rely on China, political leaders in Japan have already committed sizable corporate and financial resources to improving economic security. & nbsp,

Initiatives include the deployment of additional budgets for financial protection, such as securing bases for advanced semiconductor production at home. To help supply chains and motivate their diversification, supplemental budgets have concentrated on encouraging private investment.

The jointly dependent economic relationship is still largely intact, deepening, and very complement despite the political and security challenges. China will always be the largest marketplace for goods and services in Japan. & nbsp,

Especially in the technology, electronics, and automobile industries, Chinese businesses have made significant investments in China. For Chinese businesses, China is also a significant source of inexpensive products and parts. Due to this function, Chinese products are now more competitive in international businesses and prices have remained low.

The complex and varied shared dependency that defines the Japan-China economic relationship would need to be untangled in order to detach it.

East Asia, according to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, might become the next Ukraine. JiJi image

Based on an analysis of the difficulties brought on by China’s fall, Kishida prioritized financial security after taking business in October 2021. Kishida issued a warning that” East Asia could be the next Ukraine” in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which had an effect on inland strength and food safety.

Tokyo is encouraging reshoring by encouraging Chinese companies to either relocate their output from China back to Japan or look into new production facilities in Southeast Asia, India, and other nations. The government has implemented procedures, such as grants, tax breaks, and regulatory measures, to assist businesses that are thinking about reshoring.

Tokyo has also emphasized the significance of diversifying supply chains, especially for essential elements and aspects like rare earth aluminum. The Chinese government has made investments in other rare earth metal sources, such as recycling and building new mines abroad. Japan is even looking into how to replace rare earth metals with innovative materials.

Under the auspices of the” Free and Open Indo – Pacific,” Tokyo has encouraged cooperation to strengthen economic relations and objectives. This is demonstrated by the G7 Foreign Ministers’ statement from 18 April 2023, which emphasized that” resilient supply chains may be built in a clear, developed, secure, lasting, trustworthy and reliable manner.”

Japan has even emphasized the significance of bolstering home business. This includes the creation of new sectors and systems that are intended to strengthen Japan’s economic stability and lessen its exposure to China.

Semiconductors are a crucial part of Chinese firms. Despite being a big semiconductor maker, Japan still relies on exports of important components from different nations, such as China.

Tokyo has directly courted the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company( TSMC ), among others, to move to Japan in order to reduce this vulnerability. Additionally, it has supported the creation of next-generation electronics and pushed its businesses up the value network to lessen their reliance on imports.

Japan and other nations are at risk of being weaponized by the rare earth supply chain because China still has a monopoly on the origin and export of these metals. This makes distinctive Chinese industries, such as electronics, cars, and clean energy, vulnerable to potential coercion.

Japan & nbsp lacks domestic sources of rare earth metals and is dependent on imports, just like it does with energy and other mineral resources. There aren’t many reliable suppliers besides China, and building new mining is difficult and expensive. New activities with Canada are still unprofitable from a financial standpoint.

In addition to metals extraction and processing, developing inland industries that can use the metals in products is necessary to develop alternative rare earth metal sources. Even though Japan has a thriving high-tech sector, creating new companies that use rare earth metals takes time and money, which may not be up to the market’s requirements.

On March 10, 2013, loaders loaded vehicles with rare world onto a waterfront in the Jiangsu province’s Port of Lianyungang. Asia Times Files, Imaginechina, via AFP, Wang Chun, and

It will be challenging to improve financial stability and develop resilience to economic coercion and other types of financial instability. To ensure that activities are carried out properly and effectively, Kishida and potential administrations will need to build new mine and running facilities for rare earth metals while adhering to a number of economic standards.

Careful planning, conversation, and cooperation with partners, such as local areas, environmental organizations and government agencies, may be needed when building new mine and processing facilities for rare earth metals. This procedure is being launched by the Kishida presidency in collaboration with Australia and African nations like Namibia.

Japan’s attempts to lessen its reliance on China are motivated by a desire to improve financial stability and lower its susceptibility to geopolitical risks and uncertainties. & nbsp,

The Kishida administration seeks to strike a balance between economic opportunities and Japanese national interests in an increasingly complex and uncertain global environment by moving away from the & nbsp, seikei bunri, principles.

At the International Christian University in Tokyo, Stephen Nagy teaches politics and international experiments. He is also a visiting fellow at the Japan Institute for International Affairs.

This article can be found in Vol. 15 No. 3 of the most recent version of East Asia Forum Quarterly, titled” Re-defining the ASEAN-Japan Relationship.”

This post, which was originally published by the East Asia Forum, has been republished with a Creative Commons license.

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Indonesia’s Belt and Road train off to an uneconomic start

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JAKARTA – Maritime Coordinating Minister Luhut Panjaitan made it clear right away that Southeast Asia’s first shot train doesn’t just be restricted to the recently opened 143-kilometer track that wound through the tea estates between Jakarta and the hills town of Bandung.

In a 2018 interview, he admitted that the short distance made no sense and had, by inference, turn into an elephant if the Chinese-funded fast-rail, then known as Whoosh, mandated that people endure up to an hour of intense customers in order to reach the embarkation points at each end.

Panjaitan and his team came to the conclusion that bullet trains needed to travel at least 300 kilometers in order to make sense commercially, not the quick Jakarta-Bandung climb, where the rough gradients and four stations ensure it will never reach the speeds that make fast-rail… well, fast.

After several ceremonies with visiting Chinese officials that never quite saw the sleek train get far beyond the station, Widodok finally launched the long-delayed PT Kerata Cepat Indonesia China ( KCIC ) project on October 2. This brought back the Bandung – Surabaya plan.

As it stands, the project’s initial US$ 6.07 billion cost finally ballooned to$ 7.27 billion, forcing the government to break its promises not to use the state resources to help close the cash gap. That has embarrassed and infuriated both institutions.

The 44.4 % add-on for engineering procurement, followed by 22.2 % for what property experts claim were completely predictable land acquisition issues that caused early delays in just getting the venture off the ground, are said to have been the main contributors to the inflated cost, according to media reports.

The$ 1.2 billion cost overrun will be covered by a new$ 560 million loan with the China Development Bank( CDB ), down from an earlier estimate of$ 1.4 billion, according to Deputy State Enterprise Minister Kartika Wirjoatmodjo.

According to the news website Katadata Indonesia, when cost overruns are taken into account, KCIC’s total bill for the CDB did reach$ 4.5 billion.

The planned Surabaya extension, which would have been elevated along its whole length, was not going to be possible during President Joko Widok’s two terms in office due to his accomplishments in the infrastructure.

Indonesia’s fresh bullet train, which was funded by China, is praised by” Infrastructure President” Joko Widodon. Facebook and Screengrab photo

Panjaitan told Asia Times in 2018 that the 750-kilometer project, which stretches from Bandung to West Java’s brand-new but sparsely used Kertajati International Airport, Purwokarta, Jogjakart, Solo, Madiun, and Surabaya East Java interface town,” is a 20 to 30 year purpose.”

He predicted that by then, Jakarta and Bandung, which are already the third-largest cities in the nation, would be one enormous city. ” We need to consider more than just five years.” The transportation must remain present and span hundreds of kilometers.

The new Jakarta-Bandung rail may struggle to draw users despite reducing journey time from three days to 40 minutes. Instead of fighting traffic to get to the train, some potential passengers are likely to proceed using the existing freeway and nbsp,- bhp., for a journey of two hours.

According to KCIC, the railroad is not anticipated to generate a profit for more than 40 years, which is twice the return on investment assumption made in the initial feasibility research. According to one report from last year, there are 31,215 passenger trips per day, which is roughly half of the company’s original projection.

Similar to the regular train service that easily departs from the major facilities in the middle and nbsp of both cities, solution rates range from$ 16 to$ 22. The menu will undoubtedly be higher during complete activity, yet with a continuous subsidy. & nbsp,

Transport experts worry that the Jakarta-Bandung fast-rail may never lose its novelty value, even with a light rail commuter service at the Bandung end & nbsp, of the line, due to the lack of competitive fare at this early stage.

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his annoyance at the protracted delays caused by land and technical issues that were impeding the Belt and Road Initiative( BRI ), a project worth$ 1 trillion, almost entirely.

Xi, who was well aware of the damage it was causing to China’s unheard-of global infrastructure development and nbsp, travel, tried to give the project new urgency during a meeting with Widoho in Beijing next year.

In a joint statement released by the two leaders, they stated that they were dedicated to finishing the new railway” as scheduled as one of their flagship projects” and to working on” more strategic projects ,” which they referred to as” nbsp ,” as well as other projects.

When Xi attended the G20 summit in Bali andnbsp last November, both institutions wanted the railroad available for testing, which allowed for an opening. However, it was not the great ceremony they had hoped for while the two frontrunners watched a test run.

An Economic Coordinating Ministry spokesperson confirmed the Chinese rejection of Jakarta’s request that the CDB meet 75 % of the funding gap using the same funding structure that applied to the original mortgage for the job on the high-speed line improvement to Surabaya.

Instead, it will distribute who receives what based on the current makeup of the shareholders, with China Railway International Corp. and four other Chinese companies holding the remaining 40 % and the KCIC pool being controlled by four Indian state-owned companies, respectively. & nbsp,

Disgruntled Indonesian commentators point out that the Chinese estimated the project’s cost at$ 5.1 billion in 2015 tender documents, which is less than the$ 6.2 billion & nbsp alternative bid from Japan to construct the line.

In the end, even though the patient Japanese had done much of the early feasibility work, it was that and the notion that the Chinese would complete the task more quickly that swung the project & nbsp, Beijing’s way.

Speed has been everything in Widodok’s Indonesia, & nbsp, which explains why he is determined to move the new national capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan, the ultimate cap on his sizeable legacy of infrastructure-building.

When an authorized study by KCIC in 2016 found at least four details along the trail that were thought to be geographically fragile, critics claim that engineering difficulties should have also been anticipated. & nbsp,

The proposed Jakarta-Surabaya extension would raise the whole line, and a feasibility study reveals that it is susceptible to geological threats. KCIC photo

Public policy skeptics expressed their concerns about the job, some of them in letters sent directly to Widoho, & nbsp, with one vocal expert saying that such a little fast-rail wasn’t practical because it would take years to recover the cost.

In keeping with the late tech-savvy leader B J Habibie’s advice that Indonesia needed a cutting-edge mode of transportation. At last week’s launch & nbsp of the Jakarta-Bandung line, he said,” We must not be afraid to learn and try new things, even despite unexpected difficulties that may arise during the process.”

Its time will come, just not now, like the long-planned span across the Sunda Strait connecting Java and Sumatra. Coming governments will need to include it on the list of national strategic tasks, or else it will be beyond our economic features, one senior transportation official told Asia Times.

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TikTok to take proactive steps to address issues in Malaysia

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In: Asia

Short video game TikTok is committed to taking proactive steps to address issues brought up by Malaysia, a voice stated after the country’s government claimed the software was never fully compliant with local laws. A company director stated in an internet on Thursday, October 12, that” TikTok respects local lawsContinue Reading

1,593 arrests made in gun crackdown

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In: South-East Asia

Following the shootings in Bangkok malls, more than 2,000 illegal firearms were seized in a three-day activity.

12 October 2023 at 16:53 PUBLISHED

1,593 arrests made in gun crackdown
At the Royal Thai Police office in Bangkok on Thursday, more than 2, 000 improper weapons were seized along with tens of thousands of shots during a three-day global assault. Somchai Poomlard in the image

In a three-day global assault, police have detained 1, 593 suspects and seized more than 2, 000 illegal weapons and 75, 000 bullets in the wake of an incident that killed one people in Bangkok.

Between October 9 and 11, authorities groups raided 3, 224 areas across the nation, according to federal police captain Torsak Sukvimol on Thursday.

During the three-day procedure, 1, 593 suspects in complete were detained. 1, 789 improper firearms, including bare and BB weapons, as well as 219 registered weapons that were being traded, and 75, 973 rounds of ammunition, were all taken by soldiers.

The assault effort, according to Pol Gen Torsak, was a reaction to the shooting spree on October 3 at the Siam Paragon purchasing store, in which the teen shooter killed two people and injured five more.

The 14-year-old shooter, who is currently undergoing clinical evaluation, allegedly bought his modified empty gun online, according to police.

Torsak Sukvimol, the head of the national authorities, examines a seized weapons on Thursday. Somchai Poomlard( picture )

According to Pol Gen Torsak, the fatal shootings prompted Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to issue an order for a assault on all illegal firearms.

As one of seven short-term measures to strengthen gun control, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul immediately suspended the issuing of permits for the import and trading of firearms. Authorities are considering updating the nation’s 76-year-old firearms law in the long run to near gaps.

Additionally, the policeman Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau( CCIB) is collaborating with other organizations to take action against social media sites that promote the sale of firearms illegally online.

According to Pol Gen Torsak, there have been 79 Facebook pages, 14 TikTok accounts, 148 X( Twitter ), 26 YouTube channels, and 14 Instagram accounts shut down so far.

Gun rights is high in Thailand compared to other Southeast Asian nations, but unlawful firearm possession carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years and an additional 20,000 baht great.

According to the 2017 Small Arms Survey conducted in Switzerland, Thais owned about 10.3 million guns, just 6.2 million of which were registered, ranking 13th worldwide for small gun possession.

According to data from the World Population Review from 2022, Thailand had a level of 3.91 people per 100,000 people, making it the 15th-highest ranking in the world for firearm deaths, with 2,804 fatalities.

At police office, illegal weapons of different sorts are on display along with weapons. Somchai Poomlard( picture )

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