Sunday, December 5, 2010

News Updates for Week of November 29th

Philippines – 10 Missing after Ship Sinks

Ten Chinese crew members were missing after their vessel went down in waters off the northernmost Philippine islands, the Philippine coastguard and police said on Saturday.

The Panamanian cargo vessel MV Hong Wei, with 24 Chinese crewmen, sank off the Batanes islands late on Friday. Fourteen crewmen were rescued by a passing ship and a Taiwan coastguard vessel, the police and coastguard said. However, 10 crew members were still missing even as Philippine and Taiwan coastguard vessels searched the waters, said coastguard spokesman Earl Paredes. The cause of the sinking is still not known but Mr Paredes said the waters in the area were known to be rough and dangerous.

For more, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_610453.html

Thailand – 5 Shot Dead in the South

Suspected Islamic militants shot dead five people in attacks across Thailand's restive south, including one Muslim man gunned down by a gang apparently dressed as soldiers, police said on Saturday.

The 36-year-old deputy village headman was killed after three gunmen dressed in clothing resembling military uniforms broke into his house in Narathiwat on Friday evening, according to police. In the same province a 43-year-old Buddhist man, who worked with the local irrigation office, was also shot and killed at his home. Earlier in the day, a 55-year-old Muslim government worker died on his way back from afternoon prayers in a drive-by shooting in Pattani province. Another shooting in Pattani killed a 32-year-old security volunteer who was driving a motorcycle. His wife, who was a passenger on the vehicle, was seriously injured. In Yala province, a 41-year-old Muslim man was shot dead while returning from working at a rubber plantation on Friday afternoon.

For more, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_610452.html

Malaysia - Investors to Have Confidence in Market

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission admits the business sector is highly prone to corrupt practices and the MACC and the respective chambers of commerce in the country want to fight this.

'We want to create a healthy business environment for Malaysia, so that foreign investors have stronger confidence in the country. 'We want to tell investors that Malaysia is not a corrupt-infested country and they do not have to pay extra to do business here,' said MACC deputy chief commissioner (prevention) Datuk Sutinah Sutan, when announcing that the business community would take a pledge next week to fight corruption.

For more, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_610447.html

Indonesia – On Alert for Religion-related Terrorism

Indonesia has gone on alert for terror attacks during the Christmas and New Year period after police found and defused several homemade bombs in Central Java on Wednesday.

The revelation yesterday coincided with the discovery of a cache of explosives in a warehouse in North Jakarta. National Police spokesman Iskandar Hasan told reporters yesterday that the alert has been raised across the country, particularly in areas like Bali, Java and Sumatra, which have been targets in the past.

It came after police found bombs in three separate places this week - on the roadside in front of a Christian chapel, an Islamic hospital and a police post in Kendal, Central Java. Each bomb was made up of four or five petrol-filled 600ml plastic bottles hooked up to a timer, a detonator and a battery. A police source told The Straits Times that one of them was supposed to explode at 2am, but failed to go off. 'This is a terrorist group showing their existence,' said Inspector-General Iskandar, adding that police were investigating. 'They are targeting the Christmas and New Year eves.'

For more, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_610390.html

Singapore – Dean One of Top 100 Thinkers




The dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School) has been selected by Foreign Policy magazine as one of its top 100 global thinkers in 2010.

Prof Kishore Mahbubani, a distinguished diplomat, is honoured by the magazine 'for being the voice of a new Asian century'.
Prof Mahbubani was appointed Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in 2004 after having served 33 years in the Singapore Foreign Service. He was the permanent secretary of the Foreign Ministry from 1993 to 1998. He has also written several books such as Can Asians Think? and Beyond The Age Of Innocence: Rebuilding Trust Between America And The World.

For more, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_608615.html

Cambodia and Thailand – Border Gate to Reopen

Cambodia plans to reopen a border gate with neighbouring Thailand at the 11th century Preah Vihear temple this weekend, officials said on Monday, indicating a thaw in relations between the two countries. The move came after the redeployment of both Cambodian and Thai soldiers away from the border. He said the tense situation there had eased and troops from both sides had covered up their bunkers in the area. Ties between the neighboring countries have been strained since July 2008 by a series of deadly border clashes over land surrounding the temple after it was granted UN World Heritage status.

For more, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_608657.html

Indonesia - Yogyakarta statement on Tuesday

Amid a heated debate over the President's comments on the special status of Yogyakarta, the government will issue a formal statement via the Home Affairs Ministry on Tuesday, an official said.

The President's comment, which hinted that the automatic ascension of the Sultan of Yogyakarta as governor of the province was in direct conflict with democracy, has evoked the anger of people who adhere to the sultanate's special status in the country. The sultanate, under law, is given special rights due to the extraordinary contribution of the Yogyakarta Sultanate to Indonesia's birth as a republic. Sultan Hamengkubuwono X said he was considering relinquishing his position as governor following the statement.

For more, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_608550.html

East Timor – Wants in on ASEAN



Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta said on Wednesday it would be symbolic if his fledgling country gained Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) membership next year when former occupier Indonesia takes over as chair of the regional bloc.
'If it is under Indonesia and Timor-Leste joins Asean as the 11th member at the summit in Jakarta in November 2011, it would elevate Indonesia's statesmanship, it would elevate Asean,' Mr Ramos-Horta said in Singapore.

Indonesia will assume the revolving chairmanship of the 10-member Asean in 2011 from Vietnam. As chair, it will host the group's annual summit and related meetings and steer the agenda for the year.

Timor Leste, a former Portuguese colony, was invaded by Indonesia in 1975 as it moved towards formal independence, starting a brutal 24-year occupation. It won its freedom in a 1999 UN-backed referendum that was marred by violence as Indonesian-backed militias laid waste to much of the country in a scorched earth campaign that displaced hundreds of thousands.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_609252.html

No to ‘Hot Money’ Controls

At 7th ASEAN Finance Minister's Investor Seminar in Kuala Lumpur, Southeast Asian finance ministers said on Tuesday there was no need to coordinate on the massive inflow of foreign capital into the region, which has raised fears of destabilising economies.
The 'hot money' has nudged most Asian currencies higher, making their exports more expensive on the global market as the US allows the dollar to weaken and China keeps a tight rein on the yuan.
The influx of funds has also led to steep gains in stocks and property prices, which have stoked fears of 'bubbles' that could later burst if the money is withdrawn quickly, and prompted individual central banks to act to cool down their market.

For more, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_608953.html

Cambodia – USD 8m Given to Restore Angkor Wat



Chine has given Cambodia US$6 million to help restore a deteriorating temple at the Angkor Wat temple complex, one of Asia's greatest landmarks.
Soeung Kong, an official with the agency that oversees the Angkor Archaeological Park, said on Monday the renovation of the Hindu-style Ta Keo temple will begin early next year and should be completed in eight years. He said the temple is deteriorating badly and its walls are at risk of collapse due to natural deterioration.
Ta Keo is a pyramid of five levels, built entirely of sandstone in the late 10th century to early 11th century.

For more, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_608833.html

Malaysia – ‘Green’ Snowman



AEON Bandaraya shopping complex decided to go green in a record-breaking way for the coming Christmas season with the biggest snowman in the country made of recycled plastic bottles. Standing at 9.14m tall and 6.1m wide, the Frosty snowman is made of 15,000 recyclable plastic bottles and is located at the complex's centre court in Jalan Lagenda. To top things up, the giant Frosty has made its way into the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) as the biggest snowman made of recyclable bottles in Malaysia.

AEON Co (M) Bhd managing director Nagahisa Oyama said a total of 40,000 plastic bottles were collected during a recycling programme at all its shopping complexes and 90 schools nationwide. 'We hope to educate our customers on the importance of recycling, reducing (waste) and reusing items besides promoting the Green Christmas theme,' he said.

For more, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_610006.html