MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian law enforcement authorities on Monday declared an arson attack on a synagogue last week a terrorist act in a decision that increases resources available to the investigation.

Arson squad detectives have been investigating the blaze that extensively damaged the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on Friday. But the investigation was taken over on Monday by the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team which involves Victoria state Police and Australian Federal Police as well as the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, the nation’s main domestic spy agency.

“The decision … to transition the Adass Israel Synagogue fire attack to the Victorian Joint Counter-Terrorism Team is a crucial turning point in this investigation,” Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett told reporters.

“I want to thank Victoria Police investigators for the significant information they have gathered so far, which has helped lead us to believe that this is likely to be a politically motivated attack. This is now a terrorism investigation,” Barrett added.

The declaration gave investigators more resources, information and legal powers to pursue the three suspects, police said.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said investigators had made “significant progress,” but declined to detail that progress.

Witnesses reported seeing two masked men spreading a liquid accelerant before the fire. Police have not revealed what role the third suspect played. Police have also not revealed if they know the identity of any suspect.

The synagogue fire is the first declared terrorist incident in Australia since April when a 16-year-old boy allegedly stabbed a bishop and priest in a Sydney Assyrian church while a service was being streamed online.

Some lawmakers had been calling for the arsonists to be charged with terrorism offenses so that they would potentially face longer prison sentences.

The blaze is an escalation in targeted attacks in Australia since the war began between Israel and Hamas last year. Cars and buildings have been vandalized and torched around Australia in protests inspired by the war.

In a separate initiative, Australian Federal Police announced on Monday the formation of Special Operation Avalite to target antisemiticism around the country.

The investigators were brought together in response to arson attacks on the synagogue, Jewish lawmaker Josh Burns’ Melbourne office in June and on a car in a Sydney street last month that was related to antisemitic vandalism.

“Special Operation Avalite will be an agile and experienced squad of counter-terrorism investigators who will focus on threats, violence, and hatred towards the Australian Jewish community and parliamentarians,” Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who is Jewish, said his government was striving to make the Jewish community “feel safe.”

“We’ve experienced in Australia, in the last year, the highest level of antisemitism that I’ve experienced in my lifetime. That’s a common reaction from members of the Australian Jewish community,” Dreyfus said.

The Victoria government on Friday offered 100,000 Australian dollars ($64,300) to help repair the synagogue and said there would be an increased police presence in the area.

The federal government on Sunday offered the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, an umbrella body representing more than 200 Jewish organizations, AU$32.5 million ($20.8 million) to enhance security at community sites including synagogues and schools.
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TOKYO — A frog holding a taro-leaf umbrella. A parade of frolicking animals. An Ukiyo-e style Mount Fuji. Giant waves. A Japanese artist who goes by the name Lito carves these delicate designs on fallen leaves, giving life back to them.

The world of Lito’s delicate art, which he began in 2020 and posts on social media almost daily, has won fans from around the world. The leaf art has also given him solace after earlier struggles with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and a purpose in life — the joy of making people happy with his art.

He enjoys working at night. From a pile of leaves treated with a wrinkle-free chemical, he picks one and places it on a cutting board.

First, he outlines the design on the leaf with a pen in his right hand. Then he takes a design knife in his left hand and starts cutting the leaf carefully. Slowly, the leaf begins to take the shape of a frog carrying an umbrella — a simple design he demonstrated in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

More complex, highly intensive work on a single leaf can take more than eight hours to complete.

His leaf-cutting works include titles such as Scrolls of Frolicking Animals, Leaf Aquarium and Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji: The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Each piece includes his own twists and often uses animals.

“I would rather finish it in one go when I am focused,” Lito, 38, said. He didn’t want to disclose his real name for personal reasons.

Since his childhood, Lito says he has had high levels of concentration and patience. But he had trouble fitting into what was considered the norm at school or at work, despite all his efforts. He struggled to interpret others’ feelings and to avoid confrontations.

After years of difficulty, he went to a hospital at age 30 and was told he has ADHD, a diagnosis that he felt explained why he has always done things differently.

He saw no point in forcing himself to do things the same way as other people, and began to adjust his life.

In early 2020, Lito came across the art of leaf cutting. He saw it as the perfect use of his patience and concentration.

Word of his skills has spread across social media, and he has published books on his leaf-cutting work. He holds a near monthly solo exhibition in various places in Japan.

“If I can make people happy by doing what I am doing, I want to do more. That’s my driving force for what’s next,” Lito says. 
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WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote next week on an annual defense bill that includes just over $3 billion for U.S. telecom companies to remove equipment made by Chinese telecoms firms Huawei and ZTE 000063.SZ from American wireless networks to address security risks.

The 1,800-page text was released late Saturday and includes other provisions aimed at China, including requiring a report on Chinese efforts to evade U.S. national security regulations and an intelligence assessment of the current status of China’s biotechnology capabilities.

The Federal Communications Commission has said removing the insecure equipment is estimated to cost $4.98 billion but Congress previously only approved $1.9 billion for the “rip and replace” program.

Washington has aggressively urged U.S. allies to purge Huawei and other Chinese gear from their wireless networks.

FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel last week again called on the U.S. Congress to provide urgent additional funding, saying the program to replace equipment in the networks of 126 carriers faces a $3.08 billion shortfall “putting both our national security and the connectivity of rural consumers who depend on these networks at risk.”

She has warned the lack of funding could result in some rural networks shutting down, which “could eliminate the only provider in some regions” and could threaten 911 service.

Competitive Carriers Association CEO Tim Donovan on Saturday praised the announcement, saying “funding is desperately needed to fulfill the mandate to remove and replace covered equipment and services while maintaining connectivity for tens of millions of Americans.”

In 2019, Congress told the FCC to require U.S. telecoms carriers that receive federal subsidies to purge their networks of Chinese telecoms equipment. The White House in 2023 asked for $3.1 billion for the program.

Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell said funding for the program and up to $500 million for regional tech hubs will be covered by funds generated from a one-time spectrum auction by the FCC for advanced wireless spectrum in the band known as AWS-3 to help meet rising spectrum demands of wireless consumers. 
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South Korean lawmakers failed Saturday to impeach conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol for declaring martial law — which was lifted within hours — this week. But opposition lawmakers say they will hold another impeachment vote as soon as next week. VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from Seoul.
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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — The impeachment effort against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared uncertain on Saturday, as opposition forces made an emotional, last-minute effort to convince their conservative colleagues to support the measure.

During a tense session at South Korea’s National Assembly, nearly all conservative lawmakers of the governing People Power Party, or PPP, walked out of the legislative chamber just minutes before the vote, effectively boycotting the opposition-led impeachment motion against Yoon.

As conservatives filed out of the chamber one by one, each was met by loud jeers and chants from an opposition-dominated crowd gathered just outside, with many screaming insults, including “collaborators.”

Hours later, a dramatic scene continued to unfold as the opposition used a variety of pressure tactics to get their counterparts to return. At one point, opposition lawmakers chanted the names of their conservative colleagues, one by one, followed by “come back.”

At least two conservatives returned, joining one other PPP member who had stayed, prompting loud cheers in the National Assembly building.

The impeachment effort needs the votes of eight conservative PPP lawmakers to pass. The opposition Democratic Party says the vote can last until approximately 12:30 a.m. local time.

Outside the legislative compound was a crowd of approximately 100,000 people, according to police estimates, the vast majority of whom had gathered to support the impeachment measure. Many chanted for conservative lawmakers to return.

Yoon declared martial law late Tuesday, claiming it was necessary to “crush anti-state forces” and “protect constitutional order.” The decree was overturned by opposition lawmakers within hours.

Earlier on Saturday, he apologized for causing public anxiety and vowed he would not attempt a second martial law decree.

In an apparent attempt to find a path forward that does involve his resignation, Yoon also said “future governance will be jointly handled by our party and the government.”

It is not clear how Yoon would yield any presidential authority to the PPP, analysts said, since there does not appear to be an established political process for doing so.

Some PPP lawmakers have begun pushing for a compromise proposal, under which South Korea’s constitution would be amended to shorten presidential terms to four years, rather than the current five.

Under such a proposal, Yoon would apparently step down early and the powers of the presidency could be reduced in some manner.

However, opposition party lawmakers have given no indication that they would support such a deal.

“This is a cunning tactic only in order to buy time,” Kim Joon-hyung, a lawmaker with the opposition Rebuilding Korea Party told VOA. “This regime, and the ruling party is dead and dysfunctional, even if the impeachment vote fails.”

South Korea’s presidential office has not clarified Yoon’s remarks or whether he would support such an arrangement.

A Seoul-based law professor, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the ongoing discussions, said there is no process by which the president can transfer the powers of the presidency to the party.

“But more importantly, I don’t think that’s what [Yoon] meant,” he added. “I think he merely meant that he will follow whatever decision the party makes regarding how to stabilize the situation … whether that refers to constitutional revision is unclear.”

Yoon and his party may be trying to avoid a vacancy in the office of the presidency, because under such a scenario an election must be held, according to the constitution, he said.

“President Yoon seems to be trying everything he can to hang on to power,” said Hans Schattle, a professor of political science at Yonsei University. “But the idea of him staying in office any longer seems totally out of sync with the public outrage right now.”

Opposition lawmakers, who have a solid majority in the unicameral legislature, have vowed to quickly hold another impeachment vote if their Saturday effort fails, raising the prospect of a prolonged period of political instability.

“The public will continue to demand that the president, the instigator of this rebellion, will face prosecution or arrest,” Rep. Kim Min-seok told VOA amid the uncertainty Saturday.

Kim, a senior Democratic Party leader, said Yoon’s apology was insincere.

“This will further fuel public anger and lead to greater political chaos,” he said. 
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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA   — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday apologized for causing public anxiety and vowed he would not attempt a second martial law decree, in an apparent last-minute bid to save his presidency ahead of an impeachment vote.

In a televised address, Yoon said his decision to impose martial law late Tuesday was a “desperate decision made by me, the president, as the final responsible authority for state affairs.”

“I deeply regret the anxiety and inconvenience this has caused to people. I sincerely apologize to the citizens who were greatly appalled by this,” Yoon added, before bowing in front of the camera.

Yoon also said he would take “full legal and political responsibility” and would “leave the responsibility of stabilizing the political situation, as well as my term, to our party.”

“The future governance will be jointly handled by our party and the government,” he added.

It was not clear how Yoon would yield any presidential authority to his ruling People Power Party, analysts said, since there does not appear to be an established political process for doing so.

“The only way I know of that he can be relieved from duty is impeachment or resignation,” said Ben Engel, who teaches political science and international relations at Dankook University outside Seoul.

Yoon, frustrated for months by what he saw as opposition attempts to obstruct his governance, declared martial law late Tuesday, claiming it was necessary to “crush anti-state forces” and “protect constitutional order.”

Within hours, South Korean lawmakers overturned the decree, after fighting their way through police and military personnel who had been sent to the National Assembly Building.

The opposition, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, plans to vote on Yoon’s impeachment late Saturday.
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Seoul, South Korea   — The head of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party has announced support for suspending the duties of President Yoon Suk Yeol – a stunning, last-minute move to abandon his fellow conservative leader that analysts say greatly increases the chances of Yoon’s impeachment over his failed attempt at martial law.

At a party meeting on Friday, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon called for the “swift suspension” of Yoon’s duties, citing “newly revealed facts” that suggest Yoon had attempted to use intelligence agencies to arrest prominent lawmakers, accusing them of being “anti-state forces.”

“President Yoon has not acknowledged that the illegal martial law was a mistake. If President Yoon continues to carry out his duties, there is a significant risk of a recurrence of such extreme actions … which could pose a great threat to the Republic of Korea and its people,” Han said, using South Korea’s formal name.

Yoon, frustrated for months by what he saw as opposition attempts to obstruct his governance, declared martial law late Tuesday, claiming it was necessary to “crush anti-state forces” and “protect constitutional order.”

Within hours, South Korean lawmakers overturned the decree, after fighting their way through police and military personnel who had been sent to the National Assembly Building.

The opposition, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, plans to vote on Yoon’s impeachment late Saturday.

Tensions building

Adding to the urgency, South Korean media on Friday reported unconfirmed rumors that a second attempt at martial law was being planned, though the reports were quickly denied by the military.

In a live-streamed interview on YouTube, Kwak Jong-geun, the head of South Korea’s special warfare command, said he would not enforce a second martial law decree, should he receive such orders.

Kwak also said that during the first short-lived martial law, he refused orders to clear lawmakers from the National Assembly, viewing such a move as illegal.

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense later suspended Kwak and two other senior military commanders who were involved in the first martial law declaration, according to the Yonhap news agency.

At the country’s legislature, tensions were briefly high on Friday, amid rumors that Yoon was set to visit and meet with lawmakers in an attempt to find a path forward that does not involve impeachment.

In preparation for Yoon’s rumored visit, hundreds of opposition lawmakers and officials gathered at the entrance, warning Yoon to stay away.

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Min-seok told a public gathering that his party had informed the presidential office that Yoon would not be allowed to enter the grounds. Yoon’s office later said that he had no plans to visit. 

PPP leader a key figure

South Korean police on Thursday announced they have opened an investigation into charges that Yoon and other senior leaders committed treason related to the events of Tuesday night.

On Friday, South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo reported that Yoon ordered South Korea’s spy agency to arrest Han, the conservative party leader who had once been a close ally and colleague of Yoon during their earlier careers as prosecutors.

Han, who had previously served as Yoon’s justice minister, has played a key role in the political drama unfolding this week.

Immediately after Yoon declared martial law, Han opposed the effort, and 18 members of his conservative party voted to overturn the decree.

However, on Thursday Han and his fellow conservatives began to rally around Yoon, saying they would oppose the impeachment, which they claimed would paralyze the country.

Han changed his stance again on Friday, saying he had obtained “credible evidence” that Yoon was trying to arrest senior lawmakers.

“I firmly believe that now is the time to think solely about the nation and its citizens,” he said.

Constitutional court uncertainty

To succeed, at least eight members of the PPP must support the impeachment motion. So far, only two conservatives have publicly said they will vote to impeach Yoon.

But after Han’s reversal, many observers say it now appears likely that the impeachment will pass.

If Yoon is impeached, he would be immediately suspended while the Constitutional Court deliberates on whether to remove him from office, a process that could take weeks or even months.
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KYOTO, JAPAN — The Tokyo-Beijing Forum was held in person this week in Japan for the first time since it went virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the two-day forum from December 4 through 5, officials from Japan and China expressed hopes to warm their frosty relations.

Analysts pointed to China sending a higher-level delegation than at past forums as a sign that Beijing wants closer trade ties with Japan.

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya attended in person, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi addressed the forum via video. Both expressed hopes for improving China-Japan relations, which cooled after Tokyo’s support for Washington’s restricted exports of advanced microchips to China amid its increasingly assertive military, and attacks this year on Japanese citizens living in China.

Huang Wei-hsiu, a project researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia at the University of Tokyo, told VOA Mandarin the attendance of former Finance Minister of China Lou Jiwei and former Governor of the People’s Bank of China Yi Gang was a sign of China’s need for better economic relations.

“Because foreign capital has been leaving, raising the level of economic officials’ attendance symbolizes China’s emphasis on the economic field with Japan,” he said.

China’s economic growth has been slowing amid a slump in property prices and low domestic demand. Despite a raft of government stimulus measures, economists say it could drop below 5% growth this year.

China is Japan’s top trade partner. In 2022, China exported $178 billion to Japan, while Japan’s exports to China was $135 billion.

The ministry said Japan invested $3.4 billion in China in 2020, the most recent year listed, while China invested half a billion dollars directly in Japan.

Cold at the bottom?

Sachio Nakato, a professor of international relations at Ritsumeikan University, told VOA Mandarin that both sides want to see better relations.

“In this sense, [Japan’s] Prime Minister [Shigeru] Ishiba and [China’s] President Xi [Jinping] have the will to improve relations within the current difficult situations,” Nakato said.

However, a joint survey released before the forum by Genron NPO, a Japanese think tank, and state media China International Publishing Group showed the Japanese public generally dislike China, while there is a growing sense of hostility toward Japan among the Chinese public.

“The proportion of Japanese people with a negative view of China has remained consistently above 80% since 2012,” Huang said.

“One of the factors contributing to the deterioration of the Japanese people’s views on China is the killing, detention and prosecution against Japanese nationals in China for unknown reasons,” said Professor Hiromoto Kaji of Aichi University.

“The Chinese government has not explained or responded on the motives of the perpetrators. Japanese public opinion is growing increasingly distrustful of this uncertainty,” Kaji said.

Another factor is China’s restrictions on the import of Japanese food and other products since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident and release of treated water from the nuclear plant. In August 2023, China temporarily banned the import of Japanese food and feed.

The public opinion survey also showed a sharp drop in the number of Chinese who believe that “Japan-China relations are important” — from 60.1% to 26.8%, the first time it ever dropped below 60%.

To address some of the tension and attract more tourist dollars, China in late November resumed 30-day visa-free travel for Japanese visiting China, which had been halted during the pandemic.

But the action is so far temporary and will expire at the end of 2025 if relations between the two countries don’t improve. 
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Baku, Azerbaijan / Washington — International rights organizations and Western governments are calling on the Azerbaijani government to release prominent human rights defender Rufat Safarov.

“The arrest of Rufat Safarov on trumped-up fraud and hooliganism charges is another glaring example of the Azerbaijani authorities’ relentless efforts to silence dissenting voices in the country,” Amnesty International said in a Wednesday statement.

Safarov, a former prosecutor who heads the Defense Line human rights organization, was detained Tuesday and charged with fraud and hooliganism. He has been put on four months of pretrial detention.

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs told VOA that Safarov’s detention was related to a conflict between him and an individual over a land purchase.

However, in a statement on social media written at his request, Safarov attributed his detention to being nominated for a human rights award in the United States.

“I was supposed to travel to the United States in two days because I had been recognized as the ‘Human Rights Defender of the Year,’ ” the statement reads. “From the outset, I express my deep gratitude to U.S. Ambassador Mr. [Mark] Libby, for nominating me, and to U.S. Secretary of State Mr. [Antony] Blinken for supporting my candidacy.” 

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has confirmed that Safarov was due to meet with several senators next week to receive the State Department’s Human Rights Defender Award.

“But the Azeri regime jailed him on bogus charges,” Cardin wrote on X. “His fight for justice transcends prison walls. He must be released immediately.”

Libby called on the Azerbaijani government to release all those unjustly imprisoned and to abide by its international human rights obligations.

The ambassador spoke Thursday at an event organized in the capital, Baku, which was also attended by the ambassadors of Britain, the European Union and Switzerland, as well as Azerbaijani human rights defenders, members of the civil society and public activists.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on Wednesday denounced criticism by the ambassadors, calling their comments an interference with the country’s judicial system.

“We strongly reject the claims of the ambassadors of the U.S., U.K., Switzerland and the European Union regarding the detention of ‘journalists’ and ‘political activists’ in Azerbaijan. These statements are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of the Azerbaijani judicial system,” the ministry said in a statement.

Rapporteurs at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have called Safarov’s arrest another example of a growing crackdown on human rights defenders and activists in Azerbaijan.

“This alarming development is part of an ongoing pattern of repressing critical voices and targeting those speaking up to defend fundamental freedoms and democratic values,” Thorhildur Sunna Aevarsdottir and Emanuelis Zingeris said in a statement.

The head of the opposition Musavat Party, Isa Gambar, condemned Safarov’s arrest and called the charges against him politically motivated.

“It aims to both hamper and halt his activities, and to once again threaten the society by using him. This is unacceptable,” he told VOA, calling on authorities to release Safarov and all other political prisoners.

Azer Gasimli, head of Azerbaijan’s Institute of Political Management, believes there are only a handful of human rights defenders left in Azerbaijan who are not behind bars.

“The government has declared a war on the nation, on its active and enlightened part. On the one hand, it drowns people with social problems, tramples on their rights. And on the other hand, it tries to destroy dignified members of the society. I know, without doubt, that sooner or later, the people will win in this fight,” he told VOA.

Bahruz Maharramov, a member of the Azerbaijani Parliament, told VOA that Safarov’s detention and criminal prosecution are being carried out in compliance with all the procedural requirements and in accordance with the law.

“A person’s position, beliefs, affiliation with political or other public associations, or being a social media phenomenon cannot exempt them from legal responsibility,” Maharramov said.

Safarov resigned from the Zardab District Prosecutor’s Office in 2015 after accusing the Azerbaijani authorities of human rights violations and lawlessness. He was subsequently arrested on charges of accepting bribes, which he denied, and was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2016. He was later pardoned by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and released in 2019.

This story originated in VOA’s Azerbaijani Service.
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KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — The young man has been handcuffed to the ceiling, beaten until his buttocks turned purple, and received electric shocks to his feet. That’s how his captors treat him inside a scam compound in Myanmar where he has been trapped since October, according to his mother, who showed VOA a photograph sent by her son’s captors of what she says is his beaten body.

The mother, who asked that her name and that of her son not be published for fear of retaliation by the captors, says her 24-year-old Malaysian son traveled to Thailand for a vacation. She doesn’t know how he ended up in neighboring Myanmar.

However, a few weeks ago, his family expected his release after they paid about $16,000 in ransom, but his mother said that they were tricked by the criminal syndicate and that there’s no end in sight for this ordeal.

“I lost all my money and still did not get him back,” the mother said. “It’s very heartbreaking. I have been crying for many days.”

In parts of Southeast Asia, this story has become all too common.

“Over the last several years, hundreds of thousands of people have been brought to the region, many of them via various forms of coercion, deception and human trafficking, to be involved in a very lucrative global industry of organized cybercrime,” said Jake Sims, a visiting expert at the Washington-based United States Institute of Peace.

“The main hubs for these scam compounds are in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos because of corruption, governance gaps and an absence of effective rule of law,” he said.

The governments of Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos have not replied to VOA requests for comments.

Sims said the trafficking victims come from around the world, but most are from East Asia and Southeast Asia. The United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime has described Southeast Asia as “ground zero for the global scamming industry.”

Last year, the United Nations estimated that more than 200,000 people were forced to work in scam centers in Cambodia and Myanmar alone.

According to the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the scam centers “generate revenue amounting to billions of U.S. dollars each year.” And despite warnings by human rights advocates as well as reports in local and international media, the problem is worsening, according to Sims.

“This industry is growing and will likely continue to grow for some time,” Sims said. “This industry is defrauding the world to the tune of tens of billions of dollars per year. So, there’s a lot of incentive for these criminal organizations to keep operating.”

Victims are often lured by a false promise of a good job opportunity, only to find themselves trapped inside a guarded compound where they’re forced to work 15 hours a day, seven days a week, befriending people on social media and dating apps and persuading them to invest their money in cryptocurrency scams. Those who refuse risk violence.

“There are widespread reports of torture, mysterious deaths — all kinds of issues that are emerging for people who either fail to comply or fail to succeed at the tasks that have been given to them,” Sims said.

He added that some victims are completely unaware of the scam syndicates until they’re trapped. In other cases, Sims said, victims understand the risks but are so financially desperate that they’re willing to take them.

One Malaysian father, who insisted on anonymity, has a 27-year-old son trapped in a compound in Myanmar. The parent told VOA he received videos of his son being tortured. The family is now paying almost $1,000 a month in ransom to prevent further violence to him.

Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates, a Bangkok-based consultancy, said other countries in the region are not putting enough pressure on the governments of Cambodia and Laos and the junta in Myanmar.

“They need to find levers that really bring pain to these governments and force them to have another approach,” Robertson said. “Without that, these criminal networks in these countries will continue to have impunity.”

Zsombor Peter contributed to this report.
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HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam has suspended the operations of Chinese online retailer Temu after it failed to meet a government deadline to register the company by the end of November. 

It is unclear if Temu, a unit of Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, will be allowed to resume its business once it registers. The suspension comes after the ministry had raised concerns about the authenticity of Temu’s extremely cheap products and their impact on Vietnamese manufacturers. 

Temu said Thursday it was working with the Vietnam E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to register its e-commerce services and had submitted required documents. 

Temu began selling goods in Vietnam in October with aggressive discounts and free shipping. The government had warned the company that its app and website would be blocked if it did not register before an end-of-November deadline, official Vietnam News Agency cited the Ministry of Industry and Trade as saying. 

On Thursday, Vietnamese language options were removed from Temu’s website. A notification on the site said that Temu was working “with the Vietnam E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to register its provision of e-commerce services in Vietnam.” 

Temu is being investigated in Europe over suspicions it was failing to prevent the sale of illegal products.
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  Seoul, South Korea  — Leaders of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s political party say they will not back a motion by the opposition party to impeach the embattled president over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law.

Han Dong-hun, the leader of the conservative People Power Party, called Yoon’s shock decision this week “unconstitutional” when speaking to reporters Thursday, and said he had asked the president to leave the party. 

But both he and Choo Kyung-ho, the PPP’s parliamentary floor leaders, said none of the party’s 108 members will vote on the resolution brought by the Democratic Party.

The impeachment resolution is expected to come up for a vote Saturday. The Democratic Party and its allies hold a huge majority in the 300-seat National Assembly, and need only a few defectors from the PPP to pass the resolution. Eighteen PPP lawmakers who are part of an internal anti-Yoon faction were among the 190 lawmakers who voted to rescind the president’s martial law decree early Wednesday morning, just hours after the announcement.

If Yoon is impeached, he will be suspended from office and replaced by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. The case will then go to the Constitutional Court, which will decide on whether or not Yoon should remain in office.  If he is convicted, new elections will be held within 60 days to replace him.

In a late Tuesday address, Yoon justified his decree by citing the need to eradicate “anti-state forces” and “protect the constitutional democratic order.” 

Less than six hours later, after the country’s parliament overturned the martial law decree, Yoon backed down saying the decree would be lifted and martial law forces withdrawn. 

The developments stunned political observers in South Korea, a U.S. ally accustomed to political gridlock but unaccustomed to such drastic measures. It marked the first declaration of martial law in South Korea since the country made the transition to democracy in the 1980s.  

The decree — which sought to ban political activities and place media under military control — triggered a frantic response at the unicameral National Assembly.

Shortly after his address, South Korean military forces descended on the legislative compound, with some reportedly arriving by helicopter, according to a VOA reporter on the scene. Security forces attempted to bar entry to lawmakers and others. 

Despite minor scuffles at the main gate, opposition lawmakers eventually forced their way inside, with some livestreaming on social media as they climbed over gates and through windows to reach the legislative chambers. 

Less than three hours after Yoon’s declaration, the lawmakers voted to lift the decree. Under South Korea’s constitution, the president is required to comply when a majority of lawmakers vote to overturn martial law.   

The presidential office said Thursday that Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who reportedly proposed the idea of martial law to President Yoon, had resigned and would be replaced by retired general Choi Byung Hyuk, who is currently serving as South Korea’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho, who is currently serving as acting defense minister, told a parliamentary committee Thursday that Kim Yong-hyun also made the decision to deploy troops to the National Assembly. The Democratic Party has also submitted a resolution to impeach Kim Yong-hyun.

South Korea’s national police said Thursday they were investigating Yoon and Kim Yong-hyun on charges of treason for their roles in the martial law decree. Also under investigation are Army Chief of Staff General Park An-su and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min. Prosecutors have imposed a travel ban on Kim Yong-hyun.

Since taking office in May 2022, Yoon, a former chief prosecutor known for his blunt rhetoric, has faced fierce political battles with the opposition and suffered from persistently low approval ratings.  

His critics have seized on corruption allegations involving his wife, Kim Keon-hee, and accused him of mistreating the media. In turn, Yoon has frequently portrayed his critics as North Korea sympathizers and “anti-state” forces.  

Yoon’s position in the legislature was further weakened in April when the PPP suffered a major defeat in legislative by-elections.

A poll released on Thursday by Realmeter, a Seoul-based public opinion research organization, suggested that 74% of South Koreans support impeaching Yoon over the martial law incident. However, crucially, 50% of conservatives oppose the impeachment, suggesting that Yoon still holds the support of many conservatives.

Protests that began almost immediately after Yoon’s declaration are continuing to expand. A series of activist and civil society groups have called for nightly “candlelight protests” until Yoon resigns. The protests are expected to be biggest on the weekend.
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