AROUND ASIA THE PHILIPPINES

CHINA

A team of experts from the World Health Organization arrived in Wuhan on Thursday to start a highly politicised investigations into the origins of the coronavirus, as China reported its first death from Covid19 in eight months. The 10 scientists must complete a two-week quarantine in Wuhan before starting their work. Two others were unable to enter China at the last minute and remained in Singapore because they tested positive for coronavirus antibodies, the

WHO said. The investigation is a critical step in understanding how the virus jumped to humans from animals so that another pandemic can be avoided. Even in the best of circumstances, a full inquiry could take months, if not longer.

MALAYSIA

Malaysia’s king declared a nationwide state of emergency for the first time in more than half a century, suspending parliament in a move that allows embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to avoid facing an election until the pandemic is over. The emergency decree gives Mr Muhyiddin’s administration more power to tackle a surge in Covid cases, including over the operations of private hospitals, and may allow the police and military to assist in public health measures. The announcement came a day after Mr Muhyiddin imposed a two-week targeted lockdown in most of the country. Malaysia last saw a nationwide emergency in 1969, when race riots between ethnic Malays and Chinese led to the suspension of parliament for two years.

INDIA

India’s top court last Tuesday suspended the implementation of new agriculture laws that have sparked weeks of demonstrations by tens of thousands of farmers outside New Delhi. The Supreme Court said it wanted to facilitate mediation between the government and the protesting farmers who fear the legislation will leave them at the mercy of big business. The protracted dispute has emerged as a major challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Every person who is genuinely interested in solving the problem is expected to go before the [mediation] committee,” the court said.

BUZZ

Kurt Campbell (pictured), a former senior State Department official, will head a new Asia-related position created by US President-elect Joe Biden at the National Security Council, The Washington Post reported last Wednesday. As “Indo-Pacific coordinator”, Mr Campbell will have broad oversight of NSC units that cover Asian countries and China-related issues, the newspaper said. The move appears intended to reassure Asian allies that the Biden administration is taking the China challenge seriously, the Post said. Mr Campbell was an architect of the “pivot” to Asia pursued by former president Barack Obama, a phrase used to signal a focus on the region amid the rise of China.

SINGAPORE

Singapore is speeding a new law through parliament to allow the use of contact tracing data for criminal investigations after recent disclosures spurred concern that the government was using the information for more than just fighting Covid-19. With one of the highest take-up rates among contact-tracing programmes in the world, the TraceTogether app has been an effective tool for containing the virus. Now it’s become a test of public trust after senior officials admitted that the app has also been accessible to the police, contrary to prior statements. The government acknowledged its “error” in not revealing that the data wasn’t exempt from Singapore’s criminal code, but said it would be used only in the case of serious crimes.

MYANMAR

China will give Myanmar a batch of coronavirus vaccines for free, the Beijing government announced on Tuesday, as Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrapped up a two-day visit to Myanmar. “China will continue to provide anti-epidemic materials according to Myanmar’s needs,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Mr Wang, in meetings with the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar military, Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, also sought the support of the military for a China-Myanmar Economic Corridor. Some of the planned transport routes and other infrastructure would pass through areas where ethnic minority factions battle each other and government forces.

JAPAN

The Uniqlo lineup of functional and casual attire continued to lure value-conscious shoppers whose preferences are changing in the midst of the pandemic, helping to push the first-quarter earnings of Japan-based Fast Retailing Co close to an all-time high. Operating profit rose 23% to ¥113.1 billion (US$1.1 billion) in the three months ended Nov 30, according to a company statement last Thursday.

INDONESIA

Archaeologists have discovered the world’s oldest known cave painting: a life-sized picture of a wild pig that was made at least 45,500 years ago in Indonesia. The finding described in the journal Science Advances provides the earliest evidence of human settlement of the region. Co-author Maxime Aubert of Australia’s Griffith University told AFP the drawing was found in the Leang Tedongnge cave on the island of Sulawesi, in a remote valley enclosed by sheer limestone cliffs, about an hour’s walk from the nearest road. The painting in dark red ochre depicts a the Sulawesi warty pig with a short crest of bristly hair, as well as horn-like facial warts characteristic of adult males of the species.

CAMBODIA

A court in Cambodia on Thursday convened the treason trial of scores of opposition figures, one of a series of cases seen by activists as moves by the ruling party to sideline threats to its political monopoly. The defendants are among 121 people affiliated with the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) who are charged with treason and incitement. Sixty-one opposition figures have been summoned to appear in court, Mu Sochua, the CNRP deputy president who is in the United States, told Reuters in a text message. It was not immediately clear how many would show up, given that many are in exile fearing they would not get a fair hearing. The CNRP was banned and its leader Kem Sokha arrested before the 2018 election, allowing Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party to win every parliamentary seat.

S. KOREA

A South Korean court is scheduled to sentence Samsung Electronics heir Jay Y Lee on a bribery charge today, which could have ramifications not just for his company but for all of the country’s chaebol conglomerates. Mr Lee, 52, was convicted of bribing an associate of former president Park Geun-hye and jailed for five years in 2017. He denied wrongdoing, the sentence was reduced and suspended on appeal, and he was released after serving a year. The Supreme Court then sent the case back to the Seoul High Court, which will rule today. Prosecutors have called for a nine-year jail term. Legal experts say the court is highly unlikely to acquit Mr Lee but it could suspend his sentence.

BANGLADESH

More than 2,000 Rohingya refugees in a camp in Bangladesh were left homeless on Thursday after a blaze ripped through over 500 shacks in the early hours. There were no deaths but at least 10 people were injured at the Nayapara camp, home to tens of thousands of Rohingya originally from Myanmar, including many who have been living there since the 1990s. Onno van Manen, director of Save the Children in Bangladesh, said the fire was “another devastating blow for the Rohingya people who have endured unspeakable hardship for years”.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says the presidency is no job for a woman because of their emotional differences to men, dismissing speculation that his daughter would succeed him next year. “My daughter is not running. I have told Inday not to run because I pity (her) knowing she will have to go through what I am going through,” Mr Duterte said on Thursday, referring to his daughter Sara by her nickname. Sara Duterte-Carpio, 42, who succeeded her father as mayor of Davao City, topped a recent opinion poll that asked the public to choose a preferred candidate from a list of possible contenders for the 2022 elections. She told Reuters on Thursday that she had informed her father she did not intend to run for the country’s top job.

VIETNAM

Vietnam, under investigation by the US Trade Representative for allegedly importing illegally harvested or traded timber, is vowing to tighten regulations and buy more American lumber to avoid punitive tariffs that would devastate the sector. said. “A high tariff will seriously damage our wood industry, but it will also hurt US companies,” said Do Xuan Lap, chairman of the Vietnam Timber and Forest Product Association. The US is the biggest market for Vietnamese wood products, representing an estimated US$6.5 billion in 2020, about half of the country’s total agricultural shipments to America last year. About 40% of the timber used in Vietnam came from the US.

HONG KONG

A Hong Kong internet provider says it has blocked access to a website in order to comply with the new national security law imposed on the territory last year by Beijing, in a case that is fuelling concerns about the future of free speech in the territory. Hong Kong Broadband Network said it had prevented users from accessing HKChronicles.com, an anti-government website that has supported protesters and featured the personal information of local police officers and photos the website says are of proChina individuals that have harassed protesters. Police said the security law allowed them to force service providers to take “disabling action” when content “is likely to constitute an offence endangering national security or is likely to cause the occurrence of an offence endangering national security”.

LAOS

The ruling Communist Party on Friday elected Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith as its new secretary-general, replacing retiring party chief Bounnhang Vorachit. The once-every-fiveyears congress opened last Wednesday, amid challenges from the coronavirus pandemic and a potential debt default. A five-year economic plan to 2025, outlined by Mr Thongloun at the opening of the congress, aims to increase average per capita income to US$2,887 in 2025 from $2,534 now, the Vientiane Times said. Observers will be watching closely for the emergence of any new-generation leaders, as well as any views expressed toward China and Vietnam.