Thai police scuffled with paint-throwing protesters and arrested at least 21 of them before a royal motorcade passed by on Tuesday, drawing chants of “release our friends” as King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s convoy swept past.
Such open dissent towards the monarchy has no recent precedent in Thailand and came on the eve of the latest planned anti-government demonstration.
The protests, which have swept the country for the last three months, present the biggest challenge in years to a political establishment that is dominated by Thailand’s army and the palace.
Protesters are calling for a new constitution and the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader.
They have also called for curbs on the powers of the monarchy, breaking a longstanding taboo against criticizing the royal family which many Thais still revere. The Royal Palace has given no response to requests for comment on the protests or demands for royal reform.
Hours before the royal motorcade was due to pass Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, protesters pushed up against a police line and some threw blue paint. Police demolished a tent set up for the protest and dragged some demonstrators into police vehicles.
Police said that 21 people had been detained, among them Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, a protest leader, and Chaiamorn Kaewwiboonpan, a singer. Those detained would be charged if appropriate, police added.
“The protesters may not have observed the law today so police had to act to bring order and didn’t act disproportionately,” government spokesperson Anucha Burapachai told Reuters.
After the trouble, the royal motorcade passed by on the other side of the street. Protesters raised their hands in the three-fingered salute of anti-government campaigners and demanded the release of those detained.
“This is the ugliness of feudalism, where one person can do anything and the majority of the people have to accept it unconditionally,” Parit “Penguin” Chirawat, a student leader, said on Twitter.
Protesters have said they do not seek the abolition of the monarchy, but to reduce the king’s powers under the constitution and to reverse an order to put the palace fortune and some army units under his control.
“The monarchy has to be under the constitution, that is how it supposed to be,” said 21-year-old protester Waranya Siripanya.
Tuesday was a public holiday to mark four years since the death of the king’s widely revered father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who reigned for seven decades.
Thousands of royalists gathered at the Grand Palace to pay their respects, bearing the late king’s picture and flowers and wearing yellow shirts, the color associated with him.
In the evening, the king left the palace to greet supporters who had waited outside for hours.
Many royalists critical of the protesters.
“They may have been taught and told that the monarchy doesn’t have any value to the nation,” said Narongsak Poomsisa-ard, 67. “But I want to remind them that our nation exists until today, because we have the strong institution.”
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New figures released Tuesday by the Chinese government show the world’s second-largest economy continues its rapid recovery from the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Chinese exports rose 9.9% in September compared to a year ago, and a significant increase from the 9.4% figure posted in August. Analysts say the rise in exports was spurred on by global demand for Chinese-made personal protective gear and other medical supplies to curb the spread of COVID-19.   China’s global trade surplus last month was $37 billion, down from the $58.9 billion posted in August.   The country’s $30.75 billion trade surplus with the United States in September dropped from the $34.24 billion figure posted in August, as the two countries engaged in a tit-for-tat trade war sparked by the Trump administration’s efforts to curb Beijing’s technology ambitions and trade surplus.  Imports surged to 13.2% in September, far above the 2.1% contraction reported the month before.  A poll conducted by Reuters had predicted an anemic 0.3% increase for September. China’s economy was the first in the world affected by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which was first detected late last year in the central city of Wuhan.  But it has become the first to bounce back to pre-virus growth levels in the second quarter of 2020, climbing 3.2 percent. 
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Heavy rains and flooding in central Vietnam have killed at least 17 people and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents over the past week, according to state media.Images from the region showed entire villages in the province of Quang Tri submerged due to the flooding, which also cut food supplies to thousands of residents. More than 40,000 people have been evacuated to higher ground.  Authorities say they expect the situation to worsen when another tropical storm, named Linfa, brings a new round of heavy rain.  Vietnam is prone to destructive storms that trigger floods and landslides, with central coast areas most vulnerable. At least 132 people were reported either dead or missing due to natural disasters last year.
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China staged a large-scale island invasion military exercise during Taiwan’s National Day as President Tsai Ing-wen called for “meaningful dialogue” with Beijing.  The simulated night attack drill Saturday included drones, special forces and airborne troops moving from multiple locations, according to a report by state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).  It was the first time in recent years that Chinese media had disclosed the entire process of a staged military landing in Taiwan.  “The exercise, with the effective integration of multiple new combat forces, increased the actual combat capability of the troops in joint landing and three-dimensional assault,” the report said.  Tensions over Taiwan have risen sharply in recent weeks as Beijing has ramped up military pressure with its warplanes almost daily crossing the sensitive “median line” of the Taiwan Strait that normally serves as an unofficial buffer zone.  According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, a Chinese military aircraft entered the island’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) again Sunday, marking the 17th such incursion since Sept. 16, when Taipei began regularly publishing Chinese military movements on its website.  Beijing views self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and says it must one day be reunited with the mainland – by force if necessary.  Speaking at National Day celebrations, the Taiwan president described the situation in the Taiwan Strait as “quite tense” and called for “meaningful dialogue” with Beijing on an equal basis.  “As long as the Beijing authorities are willing to resolve antagonisms and improve cross-strait relations, while parity and dignity are maintained, we are willing to work together to facilitate meaningful dialogue,” Tsai said.  Beijing responded by accusing Taipei of trying to keep its “confrontational thinking and hostility” toward China.  “Taiwan independence is a dead end, while confrontation will lead to nowhere,” said Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson at the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing, on Saturday.  Chinese state media also reported on Sunday that the government has cracked hundreds of espionage cases involving spies from Taiwan in a special initiative called “Thunder 2020.” A CCTV report singled out one Taiwan resident, Li Meng-chu, saying he was “instigated by ‘Taiwan independence’ forces” to engage in espionage.
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Alex Chong, whose company, MBA Crew, owns nine restaurants in Malaysia was having trouble last Friday luring customers in for lunch, a sign of the economic pain facing the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was not a lot of foot traffic at the MyTown Shopping Centre, a destination mall in a commercial area, and Chong, MBA Crew’s managing director, was standing in front of one of the company’s restaurants, Leleh, specializing in Malaysian food. “Just a couple of weeks ago, we would have had a lot more foot traffic in the mall at this time,” he told VOA. It has been this way across Malaysia for the past week. The country has seen a surge in confirmed COVID-19 cases. Alex Chong says a recent spike in confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Malaysia has meant a dramatic drop in business at his company’s nine restaurants. (Daven Grunebaum/VOA)“So, people are just staying at home and they are more afraid,” Chong said. For several months it looked like Malaysia had things generally under control, but the country had record high new case numbers several days last week. A popular shopping mall has been temporarily closed after several positive cases were linked to it. Even Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and several members of his Cabinet are now in quarantine after Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri tested positive. “It just shows how anyone can get this and we all need to be really careful,” said Sam Lee, age 29, as he headed to his car after finishing work on Friday. “I’m going straight home now. No happy hour drinks for me,” he said. Rising health concerns are taking an increasing toll on local businesses.  Alex Chong says after several rough months during the start of the pandemic, business was bouncing back in August and September. (Dave Grunebaum/VOA)Chong said business at his restaurants is down by more than 50% from just a few weeks ago. He said if this continues for a few more weeks he may have to close two restaurants and lay off about 20 employees.  “We’ll have to shut down those locations where our landlords don’t give us rebates, our landlords don’t help us with the rentals,” Chong said. Hakimi Azri, 32, had lunch outside with some friends Friday but said such occasions are becoming rarer for him because the rising number of COVID-19 cases has convinced him to spend more time at home. Hakimi Azri (middle) enjoyed lunch outside with some friends. Azri says he usually goes straight home from work each day because of the rising number of Covid-19 cases. (Dave Grunebaum/VOA)“Most of the time, I only just go to work and then just immediately go back to the house,” he said.  “Even for my colleagues and my friends, I can say they’re doing like that.”  At Lim Brothers Fruits, Ben Lim made his store’s signature rojak fruit salad, a Southeast Asian specialty, with a mix of papaya, mango, apples, guava and spices. The shop has been operating for 45 years. Ben Lim prepares his family fruit shop’s popular rojak salad. Lim says business is down almost 40-percent in just the past week. (Dave Grunebaum/VOA)Lim said business has dropped 40% just in the past week, on top of decreased sales since the start of the pandemic, and now the store is barely breaking even. “Much more fear, concern about how the businesses will be affected, on the rental of this shop, and the salary of our staff,” he said.  Lim said that, so far, the store has not laid off any employees, but he took a pay cut. He also said the store is stocking considerably less fruit than it was before the pandemic. Chong said that after several rough months, starting in March, his restaurants were bouncing back in August and September and he had thought a comeback was on the horizon, but the latest plunge has changed his outlook. “I’m totally blank. I don’t know what to do,” he said.  
  
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The coronavirus pandemic has prompted Australia to cut its annual acceptance of refugees from 18,750 to 13,750, effective immediately. Official documents suggest the cuts to the humanitarian program will save almost $700 million.Australia has a long history of accepting the displaced for resettlement. Since 1945, it has given sanctuary to more than 800,000 refugees. However, the government has said the financial consequences of the pandemic have forced it to cut the annual quota by 5,000 people, to 13,750.The Refugee Council of Australia called the announcement “shattering.”“We were probably expecting that there might be some short-term reduction,” said Chief Executive Paul Power. “What we were not expecting was that the government would cut the program over the next three years and use that as a budget-saving measure.”Australia closed its borders to foreign nationals, including refugees and migrants, to curb the spread of COVID-19 in March. Officials have indicated the restrictions could remain until late next year.The government said it will spend about $9 million to help young refugees find work and adapt to life in Australia through community programs.Australia is also cutting its skilled migration program, but priority will be given to innovators, investors, and job creators as the nation faces its first recession since the early 1990s.Canberra will also insist that foreign partners of existing Australian residents pass an English language test before they are given a permanent visa.The controversial immigration requirement would apply from mid-2021.“We will require an applicant and a sponsor to have met functional-level English, or to have at least made reasonable efforts to learn English, and by reasonable efforts we mean for most people that would be doing about 500 hours of free English language classes,” said Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge.Thirty percent of the Australian population was born overseas. In 2019, every single country from around the world was represented in Australia. The largest groups of migrants come from England, China and India.Australia has been built on successive waves of immigration, but it retains an uncompromising stance on asylum-seekers arriving by boat, who are denied entry and transported to processing camps in the South Pacific.
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The conviction of a journalist who reported on comments that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen made publicly about COVID-19 is a threat to all reporters covering the pandemic, local media groups say.A Phnom Penh court gave Sovann Rithy an 18-month sentence on Monday but ruled that the journalist, who has been in custody since April, be released for the remainder of the sentence.Kuch Kimlong, a spokesperson for Phnom Penh Municipal Court, confirmed that
Rithy, 31, who runs the news outlet TVFB on Facebook, was convicted of incitement and that he would be released.“The remaining prison term has been suspended as of (Monday’s) verdict,” Kimlong said.VOA Khmer could not reach Rithy or his family for comment.
 
The Cambodian Journalists Alliance, a nonprofit media organization, said it was disappointed by the conviction, but welcomed the court’s decision to suspend the prison sentence.“This is the first time a journalist has been convicted for their coverage related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a threat to the freedoms of Sovann Rithy, as well as other professional journalists who are reporting on COVID-19,” said Nop Vy, executive director of the group.
 The Cambodian Center for Independent Media also warned the conviction could impact the way reporters work.“This sentence can affect the right to freedom (of journalists) and a journalist’s work, since they just report public speeches of the prime minister,” Ith Sothoeuth, media director at the nonprofit, said.Between July and Sept., 15 journalists in Cambodia faced attacks, detentions or court complaints, the Cambodian Journalists Alliance said.Ros Sokhet, publisher of the Cheat Khmer newspaper, and Sok Oudom, owner of the Rithysen Radio News Station, were arrested on similar charges to Rithy and placed in pretrial detention.Oudom’s wife, Nuth Sovanthou, said that a court investigation into her husband’s charges has concluded, but a hearing has not been scheduled.
 
While no official restrictions were placed on the media during the pandemic, access to information was centralized through the Health Ministry, with provincial authorities and medical officials refusing to comment on the COVID-19 situation in their hospitals and provinces.
 
In April, the government voted through a state of emergency law that gives the administration sweeping powers, including prohibiting the publication of news that it determines can cause “panic and chaos.”
 
Domestic and international rights groups criticized the law, which they said was too broad and vague and could allow the government to act without a court order.   
 
The extended powers have not been used against the media, but the government has jailed citizens who voiced criticism of its response to the pandemic. Some were forced to make publicly broadcast apologies and sign agreements to refrain from publishing similar information online.
 Chilling effectThe Rithy verdict and the wider government clampdown on freedom of expression has had an effect on some local journalists.
 
Khan Leakhena, a reporter for the local news website Voice of Democracy, said it was worrying that journalists who reported the news truthfully were being convicted.
 
“If they want to arrest us, even if we publish accurate (information), they can do that because they want to retaliate or target us,” she said.FILE – Women wearing face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic walk with their children outside a hospital with a banner warning about the dangers of the virus, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sept. 29, 2020.In April, Leakhena reported on a Health Ministry spokesperson who asked residents of a Phnom Penh neighborhood to get COVID-19 tests after the virus was diagnosed in two people in the district.The ministry official posted a screenshot of the article on social media and said it was “fake news and spoiling society.” The spokesperson did not point to any specific inaccuracies in the story, and Leakhena stands by her reporting.
 
“At that time, I was concerned that I could be accused of incitement to provoke social chaos. But I have the recorded audio,” she said, referring to her interview with the spokesperson.In Rithy’s case, the journalist was arrested on incitement charges after he reported on comments Hun Sen made during an April 7 press conference, in which the prime minister said motorcycle taxi drivers facing economic hardship should sell their vehicles to buy rice.At the time of the arrest, local police said Hun Sen was speaking in jest and the quote should not have been taken seriously.
 Platform for journalismDays after Rithy’s arrest, the Ministry of Information revoked the media license of Rithy’s news outlet, TVFB, saying in a statement that the owner “published information which contains incitement, affected social security, order and safety.”
 
Chak Sopheap, who heads the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said it was unclear how Rithy’s reporting on Hun Sen’s comments could provoke criminal activity, and said authorities should have relied on the usual channels of dealing with an alleged inaccurate story — requesting a correction — rather than initiating criminal proceedings.
 
“This would be a more appropriate and proportionate response, compatible with international human rights standards, and valuably, it would permit Rithy to continue to play his role as a part of the media,” she said.
 
Rithy is one of a growing number of digital journalists who use Facebook to report on everything from local crime stories to broader national issues, such as the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and human rights abuses.
 
He started TVFB as a Facebook page that covers traffic accidents and crime stories through videos and livestreams. As the page’s popularity grew, Rithy was granted a media license, and went on to cover other issues, including rights abuses.
 
Digital journalists like Rithy often use a selfie stick-mounted smartphone and microphone to report from events as they unfold, such as garment worker protests, demonstrations by victims of forced evictions, or late-night car crashes.
 
The coverage can alternate between independent reportage and analysis to a more government-friendly spin on the day’s events.
 
The existence of such platforms is important in Cambodia, which has limited space for independent journalism and scores 144 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders, where the No. 1 country is most free.This story originated in VOA’s Khmer Service.
 
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A Philippine city hollowed out by civil war is under a COVID-19 lockdown through the end of this month, a move that has inadvertently added security in a region where new rebel violence can flare up anytime, observers say.  
   
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte placed Marawi City and surrounding Lanao del Sur province, of which it is the capital, under “modified enhanced community quarantine” Sept. 28 through the end of October, according to the presidential office website.  
   
The province reported a jump in coronavirus cases in mid-September, from a near-zero trickle to 441, including the governor, domestic media reported. Just one local hospital is equipped to handle a raft of cases.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police are expected to pair quarantine enforcement with surveillance for any rebel movement, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism predicts. Road checkpoints surrounding Marawi remain in place despite the end of martial law in December, and a congressman says both enforcement agencies will add personnel this year.
 
Military and police must maintain their forces to keep the peace they established since martial law took hold in mid-2017, Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe II told Philippine media.
 
“It just gives [authorities] more of a reason to be more vigilant,” said Herman Kraft, political science professor at University of the Philippines Diliman, referring to quarantine enforcement.
 
“The military presence and the militarization in the area is now even more legitimized, if you will, by justifying in terms of COVID-19,” he said.  
 
Lanao del Sur is on the island of Mindanao, a hotspot for clashes between soldiers and about 20 Muslim rebel groups that want more autonomy in the majority-Christian country. An estimated 120,000 people have died in fighting in and around Mindanao since the 1960s.  
 
A four-year-old state of emergency over all of Mindanao allows military and police to set up curfews and checkpoints as needed.FILE – Soldiers are seen on truck among destroyed buildings in Marawi City, southern Philippines, May 23, 2019.“Of course, it’s Marawi and it’s Mindanao, so we know that the situation can change from one moment to another,” said Enrico Cau, Southeast Asia specialist with the Taiwan Strategy Research Association.
 
Containment orders effective this month bar people from entering or leaving the quarantine zone, a barrier to trade and work-related travel. Public transport has receded as well in much of the Philippines as part of the widespread stay-home orders. Drivers who ferry goods and people will probably be sent away as part of quarantines around Marawi, the journalism center’s website says.   
 
“There are some challenges if you go outside your city, but if you are within your city, your work’s there, you can go on with your life,” said Jonathan Ravelas, chief market strategist with Banco de Oro UniBank in Metro Manila.  
 
In another area that police have merged quarantine enforcement with other priorities, drug-related killings by Philippine police had increased earlier this year, Human Rights Watch said last month.
 Citizens of Marawi interviewed in 2018 said they supported the checkpoints and curfews in effect then to ward off any new violence.  
     
Security threats are low today in Marawi but that can change in a flash, Cau said.
   
The province is part of a 4.3 million-person autonomous Muslim region formed by the central government in 2018 to help quell fighting, but new rebel groups sometimes emerge from the splinters of defeated ones. An armed communist insurgency remains active in Mindanao with recruitment ongoing, Cau said.
   
“There is always a risk that some group, it can be a rogue group, it can by anybody, takes advantage of the fact the troops and the army [are] mostly engaged and busy with these measures for the COVID,” he said. “They can actually strike where weak points are placed. That’s of course a possibility.”  
 
As a case in point, a pair of bombings in nearby Sulu province killed at least 14 people in August, domestic media reported.
 
Marawi, one-time Muslim commercial hub of about 200,000, never rebuilt after civil war in 2017 killed about 1,100 people and rendered the core lakeside commercial hub a ghost town of rubble. More than half the population fled.
 
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Tasmanian devils are back Down Under for the first time in thousands of years, thanks to a reintroduction project that released a group of the feisty marsupials in Barrington Tops, a protected national park about 200 kilometers north of Sydney.Eleven devils were freed Tuesday to roam mainland Australia; they are the first of their kind to do so in nearly 3,000 years. Their population was at least partially wiped out by dingoes, wild dogs that were introduced to the Outback at least 3,500 years ago. Ecologists say that a surge in the indigenous human population and a severe drought caused by a prolonged El Nino also contributed to their elimination from the mainland.The only remaining devils prior to Tuesday’s release were on the island of Tasmania, where they found refuge from dingo populations. However, the scavengers have struggled with a deadly and highly infectious cancer called Devil Facial Tumor Disease. The cancer has spread through the population through biting, fighting and mating, according to Aussie Ark, a conservation group that aided in the reintroduction program.The fierce creatures were listed as endangered on the United Nations Red List in 2008, with only 2,500 left in the wild.Tasmanian devils, though no larger than a small dog, are the world’s largest surviving marsupial carnivore. Despite being small in stature, the creatures made a big splash because of their frenzied, raucous habits showcased by the character Taz in the Looney Tunes cartoons.Over the course of a decade, ecologists worked to clear out the dingo population — now considered a pest species — from Barrington Tops. They began breeding the devils in captivity, hoping to one day return them to the mainland once conditions were sustainable for survival.Experts from Aussie Ark, Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) and WildArk said they hope that bringing back the devils will help protect other native species that have been threatened by invasive predators, according to a statement released Oct. 5 by GWC.Researchers said in the statement that each devil released into the Australian wild has been tested for the cancer that nearly wiped out the population living in Tasmania. It is their hope that the cancer-free devils will boost the ecosystem that has been ravaged by feral cats and foxes.The devils, 20 more of which are expected to be released in the next year, are being kept in a protected 404-hectare wildlife sanctuary, where they will be monitored by remote cameras and GPS tags to gauge how they adjust to their new environment.
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The U.S. government aims to take another bite out of Chinese influence in Southeast Asia with a partnership to aid five countries that traditionally tap Beijing for help, experts in the region say.The Mekong-U.S. Partnership, formed September 11, will give Washington more clout in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam by offering aid for various projects ranging from COVID-19 relief to anti-drought measures.U.S. officials hope the Southeast Asian partners will favor their largesse over China’s, analysts say. China aggressively builds infrastructure in Southeast Asia but threatens their water supplies with upstream dams and leaves some countries under the threat of debt, the experts say.China and the United States, rival superpowers, compete in much of the world for the support of smaller countries, as the government in Beijing expands offshore economically as well as militarily. In Southeast Asia, the United States backs Vietnam in resisting Chinese expansion in the South China Sea where the two Asian countries have overlapping claims.“The U.S.-Mekong partnership was I think high on the agenda for the United States because the U.S. has recognized the importance of the Mekong subregion, where China has been making some vital gains,” said Alexander Vuving, professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii.“The more the competition between the U.S. and China increases, the more important the Mekong subregion is,” Vuving said.Washington’s partnership effectively replaces an 11-year-old Lower Mekong Initiative also backed by the United States. The countries involved signed a joint statement four days after forming their partnership to pledge stronger “transparency” along with “respect for sovereignty, non-intervention, rule of law [and] respect for international law.”Specifically, the partnership will bring U.S. pandemic relief to the five Southeast Asian countries – building on $52 million in U.S. support already offered this year – and extend another $6 million for work that will include steps to help the Mekong countries make informed decisions involving water flows. Data would help governments decide on allotments to farmers and flood control measures.Expect “high-quality energy infrastructure” along with steps to help prevent the illegal trade in wildlife, and measures to control both floods and droughts, the joint statement says of the region that spans the 4,350-kilometer Mekong River.The five Mekong nations hope to avoid becoming overly dependent on Chinese aid, especially because dams on the river’s upper reaches in China can dry up the lower segments in Southeast Asia, said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, political science professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. China uses releases of water from the dams as “bargaining power” in Southeast Asia, Thitinan said.“What the U.S. provides is a counterbalancing, countervailing force,” he said. “No one around here among the CLMTV wants to be dominated by China,” he said using an acronym for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, where 60 million people rely on the river for a living.Laos faces a growing debt to China, the world’s biggest lender, following hydroelectric and other infrastructure projects in the small, landlocked country. The Lao debt comes to 45% of its GDP, according to the Lowy Institute research group in Australia. Myanmar’s auditor general cautioned his government in June about overreliance on high-interest loans from China, news reports around Asia said at that time.Chinese investment projects in other parts of Southeast Asia have fanned resentment over use of Chinese workers instead of local labor.“The thing is, China doesn’t ask difficult questions as to what the conditions would be if it invested, and they are very flexible,” said Alan Chong, associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.In Cambodia, for example, the information minister called Chinese projects “crucial to boosting economic growth and making communication easier and faster,” China’s Xinhua News Agency reported last year. Xinhua cited 31 Chinese-built highways and eight bridges in addition to hydropower stations. 
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The U.S. government aims to take another bite out of Chinese influence in Southeast Asia with a partnership to aid five countries that traditionally tap Beijing for help, experts in the region say.The Mekong-U.S. Partnership, formed September 11, will give Washington more clout in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam by offering aid for various projects ranging from COVID-19 relief to anti-drought measures.U.S. officials hope the Southeast Asian partners will favor their largesse over China’s, analysts say. China aggressively builds infrastructure in Southeast Asia but threatens their water supplies with upstream dams and leaves some countries under the threat of debt, the experts say.China and the United States, rival superpowers, compete in much of the world for the support of smaller countries, as the government in Beijing expands offshore economically as well as militarily. In Southeast Asia, the United States backs Vietnam in resisting Chinese expansion in the South China Sea where the two Asian countries have overlapping claims.“The U.S.-Mekong partnership was I think high on the agenda for the United States because the U.S. has recognized the importance of the Mekong subregion, where China has been making some vital gains,” said Alexander Vuving, professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii.“The more the competition between the U.S. and China increases, the more important the Mekong subregion is,” Vuving said.Washington’s partnership effectively replaces an 11-year-old Lower Mekong Initiative also backed by the United States. The countries involved signed a joint statement four days after forming their partnership to pledge stronger “transparency” along with “respect for sovereignty, non-intervention, rule of law [and] respect for international law.”Specifically, the partnership will bring U.S. pandemic relief to the five Southeast Asian countries – building on $52 million in U.S. support already offered this year – and extend another $6 million for work that will include steps to help the Mekong countries make informed decisions involving water flows. Data would help governments decide on allotments to farmers and flood control measures.Expect “high-quality energy infrastructure” along with steps to help prevent the illegal trade in wildlife, and measures to control both floods and droughts, the joint statement says of the region that spans the 4,350-kilometer Mekong River.The five Mekong nations hope to avoid becoming overly dependent on Chinese aid, especially because dams on the river’s upper reaches in China can dry up the lower segments in Southeast Asia, said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, political science professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. China uses releases of water from the dams as “bargaining power” in Southeast Asia, Thitinan said.“What the U.S. provides is a counterbalancing, countervailing force,” he said. “No one around here among the CLMTV wants to be dominated by China,” he said using an acronym for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, where 60 million people rely on the river for a living.Laos faces a growing debt to China, the world’s biggest lender, following hydroelectric and other infrastructure projects in the small, landlocked country. The Lao debt comes to 45% of its GDP, according to the Lowy Institute research group in Australia. Myanmar’s auditor general cautioned his government in June about overreliance on high-interest loans from China, news reports around Asia said at that time.Chinese investment projects in other parts of Southeast Asia have fanned resentment over use of Chinese workers instead of local labor.“The thing is, China doesn’t ask difficult questions as to what the conditions would be if it invested, and they are very flexible,” said Alan Chong, associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.In Cambodia, for example, the information minister called Chinese projects “crucial to boosting economic growth and making communication easier and faster,” China’s Xinhua News Agency reported last year. Xinhua cited 31 Chinese-built highways and eight bridges in addition to hydropower stations. 
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In a further blow to the travel industry, Australia is warning its international borders are likely to stay closed because of COVID-19 restrictions until “late next year.” Foreign nationals were banned in March to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, and Australian citizens must get official permission to leave the country.Last year, about 9 million overseas travelers arrived in Australia. The largest groups came from China, New Zealand and the United States. The pandemic has seen those numbers collapse.COVID-19 has turned Australia into a fortress. Its borders were closed to foreign nationals in March, helping to contain the disease but inflicting enormous economic harm. Australia is in a recession for the first time in three decades.The exclusion of overseas tourists and students intending to study in Australia has cost Australia billions of dollars in lost revenue.Australian citizens and permanent residents are allowed to fly home, but they must pay for mandatory hotel quarantine on their return. Tens of thousands of people are stranded in other countries because of strict quotas on those allowed into the quarantine system. Australians need official permission from the government to leave the country.Many of Australia’s internal borders also have also been closed to curb the spread of the virus.Most states and territories have managed to contain the virus, but reopening the country will take time, according to the Australian treasurer Josh Frydenberg.“Domestic borders are assumed to reopen around the end of this year,” he said. “International travel, including by tourists and international students, is assumed to remain largely closed off until late next year and then gradually return over time. And a vaccine to be available around the end of 2021 is one of the assumptions in the budget.”Large-scale immigration, which has fueled prosperity in Australia, will only resume when international borders are reopened.By many global comparisons, Australia has mostly handled the pandemic well. It has recorded just over 27,000 coronavirus cases, and about 900 people have died.Geography has been a key part in its pandemic strategy. Australia is a huge island, and restricting international travel has helped to limit the spread of COVID-19. Safely reconnecting with the rest of the world promises to be a monumental challenge for the authorities here, though.
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