The United Nations says global HIV/AIDS targets for 2020 will not be met, and that some progress could be lost, in part because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has seriously impacted the HIV/AIDS response.“Our report shows that COVID is threatening to throw us even more off course,” Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS said Monday at the report’s launch in Geneva. “COVID is a disease that is claiming resources — the labs, the scientists, the health workers — away from HIV work. We want governments to use creative ways to keep the fight going on both. One disease cannot be used to fight another.”COVID-19 is the disease caused by the new coronavirus.UNAIDS says despite expanding HIV treatment coverage — some 25 million of the 38 million people living with HIV now have access to antiretroviral therapy — progress is stalling. Over the last two years, new infections have plateaued at 1.7 million a year, and deaths have only dropped slightly — from 730,000 in 2018 to 690,000 last year. The U.N. attributes this to HIV prevention and testing services not reaching the most vulnerable groups, including sex workers, intravenous drug users, prisoners and gay men.COVID-19 poses an additional threat to the HIV/AIDS response because it can prevent people from accessing treatment. The U.N. estimates that if HIV patients are cut off from treatment for six months, it could lead to a half-million more deaths in sub-Saharan Africa over the next year, setting the region back to 2008 AIDS mortality levels. Even a 20% disruption could cause an additional 110,000 deaths.HIV/AIDS patients who contract COVID-19 are also at heightened risk of death, as the virus preys on weakened immune systems.The World Health Organization warned Monday that 73 countries are at risk of running out of antiretroviral (ARVs) drugs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO says 24 countries have reported having either a critically low stock of ARVs or disruptions in the supply chain.FILE – A doctor takes an AIDS/HIV blood test from an athlete during the 18th National Sports Festival in Lagos, Nigeria.Gains and lossesUNAIDS reports progress in eastern and southern Africa, where new HIV infections have dropped by 38% since 2010. But women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa continue to bear the brunt of the disease, accounting for nearly 60% of all new HIV infections in the region in 2019. Each week, some 4,500 teen girls and young women becoming infected. They are disproportionately affected, making up only 10% of the population, but nearly a quarter of new infections.Condom use has also dropped off in parts of central and western Africa, while it has risen in eastern and southern parts of the continent.Eastern Europe and Central Asia is one of only three regions where new infections are growing. Nearly half of all infections are among intravenous drug users. Only 63% of people who know their HIV status are on treatment. UNAIDS says there is an urgent need to scale up HIV prevention services, particularly in Russia.The Middle East and North Africa have also seen new infections rise by 22%, while they are up 21% in Latin America.“New infections are coming down in sub-Saharan Africa, but going up in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, going up in the Middle East and North Africa, and going up in Latin America. That’s disturbing,” Byanyima, the UNAIDS chief said.Progress is also impacted by draconian laws and social stigma. At least 82 countries criminalize some form of HIV transmission, exposure or nondisclosure. Sex work is criminalized in at least 103 countries, and at least 108 countries criminalize the consumption or possession of drugs for personal use.One of UNAIDS’s main targets was to achieve “90-90-90” by this year. That means 90% of all people living with HIV would know their status; 90% of those diagnosed would be on antiretroviral treatment; and 90% of all people on treatment would have suppressed the virus in their system.Only 14 countries have reached the target, including Eswatini, which has one of the highest HIV rates in the world. The others are Australia, Botswana, Cambodia, Ireland, Namibia, the Netherlands, Rwanda, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.“It can be done,” Byanyima said. “We see rich and poor countries achieving the targets.”Globally, there have been gains in testing and treatment for HIV. By the end of 2019, more than 80% of people living with HIV worldwide knew their status, and more than two-thirds were receiving treatment. Therapies have also advanced, meaning nearly 60% of all people with HIV had suppressed viral loads in 2019.UNAIDS says that increased access to medications has prevented some 12.1 million AIDS-related deaths in the past decade. While some 690,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses last year, that is a nearly 40% reduction since 2010.
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Category: East
East news. East is the direction toward which the Earth rotates about its axis, and therefore the general direction from which the Sun appears to rise. The practice of praying towards the East is older than Christianity, but has been adopted by this religion as the Orient was thought of as containing mankind’s original home
Uncertainty Looms Large Over South Korea’s Bid to Revive Nuclear Diplomacy
South Korean President Moon Jae-in is gearing up to facilitate another summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The effort, however, faces an uncertain future, analysts say.Moon recently tapped new national security chiefs who have extensive experience in high-level contacts with North Korea.The move comes days after Moon said he wants another summit between Trump and Kim before the November presidential election in the United States.“This lineup I think is clearly geared towards keeping the North Koreans engaged, finding out what the North Koreans would want at a summit and then trying to convince Washington that having another summit with the North Koreans is a good idea,” Evans Revere, who served as the acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the George W. Bush administration, told VOA.FILE – North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a meeting on the south side of the Military Demarcation Line that divides North and South Korea, June 30, 2019.The nominee for the director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), South Korea’s main intelligence agency, Park Jie-won, “contributed greatly in arranging the historic 2000 inter-Korean summit,” according to South Korea’s presidential spokesman.As a special envoy, Park met with North Korean officials in Singapore and China and laid the groundwork for the summit between then-President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.At the time, Park was assisted by two intelligence experts, one of which was Suh Hoon. Suh is the current chief of the NIS, and Moon appointed him as the new national security adviser. During his three decades at the NIS, Suh played a crucial role in arranging inter-Korean summits in 2000, 2007 and 2018.Facilitator of dialogue But even with their expertise, analysts doubt that South Korea can facilitate another summit between Trump and Kim, given Pyongyang’s little interest in talks.FILE – Cut-out photos of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, U.S. President Donald Trump, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, are displayed in Seoul, South Korea, August 15, 2019.“Frankly, I think there’s a lot of skepticism about whether South Korea can play a role. And even though South Korea has a team that is very pro-engagement and probably one of the most experienced teams that you could put together to focus on North Korea, the North Koreans themselves have been the biggest obstacle to enabling South Korea to play a role,” said Scott Snyder, U.S.-Korea policy director at the Council on Foreign Relations.South Korea’s opposition parties and conservative media criticize the new lineup as heavily focused on North Korea and lacking expertise in alliance management with the U.S.Snyder said Suh Hoon is “well known to people on the U.S. side” and “represents continuity for the Moon administration on North Korea policy,” whereas Park Jie-won “has a lot of experience with North Korea, considerably less with the U.S.”Revere also noted, “all of these people were clearly chosen because of their expertise on North Korea, not necessarily because of their expertise on U.S.-R.O.K [South Korea] relations.”He added, “We’ve seen some signs that Washington and Seoul have not always been on the same page lately when it comes to dealing with North Korea. So I think this is going to necessitate more dialogue and communication between Washington and Seoul.”Diplomatic opening?On Saturday, North Korea stressed it has no immediate plans to resume negotiations with the U.S. The North Korean statement came a day after South Korea announced the shuffle of its top aides.FILE – U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in Hanoi, Vietnam, February 28, 2019. At left is then-National Security Adviser John Bolton.“Is it possible to hold dialogue or have any dealings with the U.S. which persists in the hostile policy toward the DPRK [North Korea] in disregard of the agreements already made at the past summit?” First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said.Ken Gause, director of the Adversary Analytics Program at CNA, a research and analysis group in Virginia, said North Korea is unlikely to agree to another summit unless the U.S. makes concessions.“The Americans would have to make it very clear that they’re putting significant sanctions relief on the table to get the North Koreans to agree to even meet with Trump,” said Gause, who specializes in North Korean leadership.But it is highly unlikely Washington will make major concessions on North Korea sanctions or shift its demands on denuclearization, according to Revere.“I suspect there are some people in Pyongyang who may be making the argument that it’s better to try to see what can be done with the current U.S. president. … But at the end of the day, President Trump seems to be surrounded by a number of advisers who have some very clear views about what the United States needs out of this dialogue with North Korea. At the top of that list is a clear, firm commitment to denuclearization. We’ve never gotten that from Kim Jong Un,” Revere said.Washington and Pyongyang held working-level talks in Stockholm in October, but the talks broke down quickly, and they remain stalled since then.
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Hong Kong Denies Bail to First Defendant Under China’s New Security Law
The first person arrested under Hong Kong’s new security law was denied bail Monday.
Tong Ying-kit, 23, was arrested last week carrying a sign that read “Liberate Hong Kong” and allegedly drove his motorbike into police.
Tong was unable to appear in court Friday because of injuries sustained from the incident, but appeared Monday in a wheelchair and was charged with inciting secession and engaging in terrorism.
Under article 42 of the new security law imposed by China, a judge may deny bail if they have sufficient reason to believe the defendant would continue to endanger national security.
Tong’s next hearing has been scheduled for October 6.
Hong Kong police said last week that 370 people were arrested at a July 1 demonstration which had previously been banned.
July 1 marked the 23rd anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China. It was also the first day of the official implementation of the national security law for Hong Kong.
The new law carries severe penalties for vaguely defined crimes against the state, effectively ending many of the special freedoms that citizens of the territory long enjoyed. Since 1997, Hong Kong has operated under a “One Country, Two Systems” model with mainland China, enjoying some level of autonomy.
Hong Kong saw months of pro-democracy protests, many of them turning violent, in 2019. The protests were initially provoked by a controversial extradition bill that eventually evolved into a demand for greater democracy for the city.
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Chinese Law Professor Critical of President Xi Jinping Detained in Beijing
A Chinese law professor who has written essays critical of President Xi Jinping’s governance has reportedly been detained in Beijing.
Friends of Xu Zhangrun say the writer and academic was taken from his home early Monday morning by more than a dozen police officers. The New York Times, quoting his friend Geng Xiaonan, says a computer and papers were also taken from the home.
Geng says she learned from Xu’s wife that police told her Xu was accused of soliciting prostitutes during a recent visit to the southwestern city of Chengdu.
Xu Zhangrun taught law at Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University for several years until 2019, when he was banned from teaching and researching after publishing an essay condemning President Xi’s tightening grip on power. He had recently been placed under house arrest.
An essay he published in February blamed the culture of secrecy and deception for the spread of the novel coronavirus in China, which was first detected late last year in the central city of Wuhan before evolving into a pandemic that has sickened over 11.4 million people around the globe, killing more than 534,000.
Xu is the latest prominent figure to have been arrested this year for criticizing Xi over his handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Millionaire property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang was detained in April.
The arrests are part of President Xi’s increasing crackdown on dissenting voices in China, highlighted by the new national security law for Hong Kong that has criminalized open protest.
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Thailand Still Tepid on Tourists as Virus Fears Linger
Economists and industry insiders predict a slow rebound for Thailand’s all-important tourism sector as one of the world’s top travel spots slowly opens its borders after more than three months of virus-induced lockdown. While some European countries, with far more confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, have already begun welcoming visitors from the rest of the continent and beyond, Thailand is moving with much more caution. A laboratory staff member demonstrates testing for the COVID-19 virus at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, July 3, 2020.The government says the first few thousand non-essential foreigners were cleared for arrival as of July 1 — mostly permanent residents and work permit holders, investors, teachers, students and those seeking medical care. The country is eyeing the return of tourists from a select few Asian countries in August or September, just ahead of peak tourist season. Even then the visitors will be kept on a short leash and likely made to download phone apps that track their moves and to stick close by their hotels. The size of Thailand’s tourism sector has made the pandemic especially hard on the country. The World Bank predicts that the Thai economy will see one of the sharpest contractions in the East Asia and Pacific region this year, at about 5%, throwing an estimated 8.3 million people out of work. “And the main reason for that is that Thailand has a large exposure as a tourism hub; close to 15% of GDP is tourism-related earnings,” said Kiatipong Ariyapruchya, the World Bank’s senior country economist for Thailand. FILE – Chinese family wearing face masks walk in a pedestrian crossing in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 29, 2020.Thailand was the 8th most-visited country in the world last year, welcoming 39.8 million foreign guests, according to the UN. In its own 2019 index, Mastercard named its sprawling capital, Bangkok, the world’s most visited city. It will take time to get the tourism sector humming again. World Bank economist Arvind Nair said the economy will need at least two years to recover, owing substantially to the “gradual normalization of tourism over the course of 2021.” The Travel Authority of Thailand is expecting to finish 2020 with 10 million foreign tourists at most, about a quarter of last year’s total. Numbers like that are setting the industry back some 10 to 20 years, said Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, a vice president of the Thai Hotels Association, “so I think we’re bracing for a very slow recovery.” A steward greets a group of customers at a pub in Bangkok, Thailand, July 1, 2020.The government is hoping to make up some of the lost business from abroad by trying to stimulate more domestic tourism with a number of incentives, from discounts on travel and accommodation to subsidies for tour companies that book trips for health care workers. Airlines are coming up with deals of their own. “So hopefully that will bring in some income for hotels, but nowhere near normal levels at all,” Sukosol said. “We need international income from tourists to be able to resuscitate the hotel sector.” The World Bank warned also that schemes to stimulate domestic tourism, while welcome for now, could backfire if misdirected and prolonged. It said they may fail to prove tempting enough to lure Thais still wary of the virus away from home. The Hotels Association says about 8 of every 10 hotels in the country closed their doors to ride out the COVID-19 lockdown and that few of them have reopened to try and cash in on the domestic tourism push. FILE – A man collects his umbrellas on an almost empty beach that’s usually crowed with tourists, amid the global coronavirus disease outbreak, in Pattaya, Thailand, March 27, 2020.In Pattaya, a beach town on the Bay of Thailand popular with foreign tourists, the Sunbeam Hotel is not planning to throw its doors open again until November or December, choosing instead to wait for the return of foreign guests. “For us [the] international market is around 80 to 85% of our total room occupancy…, so for us it’s very, very important,” said general manager Boonkerd Suksrikarn. In a typical peak season, the Sunbeam could expect to fill anywhere from 75% to 85% of its 270 rooms on an average night. This season hotel officials are hoping it can fill half of them. Much like the World Bank, Boonkerd is not expecting numbers to return to normal for another two to three years. “This year … we’ll be happy if we break even or make just a little bit of a profit,” he said. “That’s our goal — survival.” Before the lockdown, Thailand’s hotels nationwide relied on international guests for nearly two-thirds of their business. While a vaccine will do much to draw many of them back, Sukosol says the industry can ill afford to wait that long. But she also understands the government’s caution. Thailand has kept total confirmed infections below 3,200 thus far and gone more than a month without a locally transmitted case; Its leaders are keen to avoid importing a second wave. “We only have one chance to recover,” she said.
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US Diplomat in Hong Kong Says Security Law Use a ‘Tragedy’
The top American diplomat in Hong Kong said Monday that it is a “tragedy” to use the semi-autonomous Chinese territory’s new national security law to chip away at “fundamental freedoms” in the Asian financial hub and create an “atmosphere of coercion and self-censorship.” “Using the national security law to erode fundamental freedoms and to create an atmosphere of coercion and self-censorship is a tragedy for Hong Kong,” Hanscom Smith, U.S. consul general to Hong Kong and Macau, told reporters. “Hong Kong has been successful precisely because of its openness and we’ll do everything we can to maintain that.” The law, imposed last week following anti-government protests in Hong Kong last year, makes secessionist, subversive, or terrorist activities illegal, as well as foreign intervention in the city’s internal affairs. Any person taking part in activities such as shouting slogans or holding up banners and flags calling for the city’s independence is violating the law regardless of whether violence is used. Critics see it as Beijing’s boldest step yet to erase the legal firewall between the former British colony and the mainland’s authoritarian Communist Party system. Since the law went into effect, the government has also specified that popular protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time” has separatist connotations and is thus criminalized. In Hong Kong’s public libraries, books by pro-democracy figures have been pulled from the shelves, including those authored by prominent pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong and politician Tanya Chan. The authority that runs the libraries said it was reviewing the books in light of the new legislation. Many pro-democracy shops that publicly stood in solidarity with protesters have moved to remove pro-democracy sticky notes and artwork that adorned the walls of their stores, fearful that the content might violate the new law. A 23-year-old man, Tong Ying-kit, has become the first person in Hong Kong to be charged under the new law, for allegedly driving into a group of policemen while bearing a flag with the “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time” slogan.
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Indian Soldiers Unarmed and Caught by Surprise in China Clash, Families Say
Indian soldiers who died in close combat with Chinese troops last month were unarmed and surrounded by a larger force on a steep ridge, Indian government sources, two soldiers deployed in the area and families of the fallen men said. One of the Indian soldiers died after his throat was slit with metal nails in the darkness, his father told Reuters, saying he had been told that by a fellow soldier who was there. Others fell to their deaths in the freezing waters of the Galwan river in the western Himalayas, relatives have learned from witnesses. Twenty Indian soldiers died in the June 15 clash on the de facto border separating the two armies. The soldiers all belonged to the 16th Bihar Regiment deployed in the Galwan region. No shots were fired, but it was the biggest loss of life in combat between the nuclear-armed neighbors since 1967, when the simmering border dispute flared into deadly battles. Reuters spoke to relatives of 13 of the men who were killed, and in five cases they produced death certificates listing horrific injuries suffered during the six-hour nighttime clash at 14,000 feet (4,267 meters) amid remote, barren mountains. Reuters contacted the military hospital in India’s Ladakh region where the bodies were brought. The hospital declined to comment on the cause of death and said that the bodies were sent to the families along with the death certificates. Reuters also spoke to two soldiers of the Bihar Regiment deployed in the area, who were among those who accompanied the bodies to their homes in the area. They were not directly involved in the melee. The soldiers cannot be named because of military rules and all the families asked for anonymity because they said they were not supposed to speak about military matters. The Indian defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the fighting June 15. In response to a Reuters query, a China foreign ministry spokesperson repeated previous statements blaming the Indian side for crossing the de facto border and provoking the Chinese. “When Chinese officers and soldiers went there to negotiate, they were suddenly and violently attacked by the Indian troops,” the spokesperson said. “The rights and wrongs of the incident are very clear. The responsibility absolutely does not lie with the Chinese.” China has not provided evidence of Indian aggression. China’s defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment. ‘Arteries ruptured’ Three of the men died with “arteries ruptured in the neck” and two sustained head injuries caused by “sharp or pointed objects,” the death certificates seen by Reuters said. There were visible marks on the neck and forehead, all five documents said. “It was a free-for-all, they fought with whatever they could lay their hands on — rods, sticks, and even with their bare hands,” said a government official in Delhi briefed on the clash. The Indian government has said that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) acted in a premeditated manner, but it has not provided a full account of the clash that stunned the country and stoked popular anger against China. China has dismissed an Indian government minister’s claim that China lost 40 soldiers from the PLA’s western theater command deployed in Galwan. Its envoy to Delhi suggested in remarks to local media and posted on the embassy website that there had been losses on both sides. “The Indian army suddenly and violently attacked the Chinese officers and soldiers who went for negotiation, causing fierce physical conflicts and casualties between the two sides,” Sun Weidong said. Indian government officials have told Reuters that the conflict began when the commanding officer of the Bihar regiment led a small party to Patrol Point 14 to verify whether the Chinese had made good their promise to withdraw from the disputed site and dismantle structures they had built there. But instead they came under attack by Chinese soldiers using iron rods and wooden clubs with nails studded in them on a narrow ledge barely four meters wide overlooking the Galwan river. Bodies Found in RiverIn recent weeks the world’s two most populous countries have mobilized more forces along the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC), and the renewed hostilities have triggered a diplomatic and commercial spat that threatens to escalate, experts including former Indian military officers say. The possibility that unarmed Indian soldiers were overrun by a larger force could further fuel resentment against China and raise questions about why Indian soldiers were sent to a tense frontline without being armed. “How dare China kill our unarmed soldiers. Why were our soldiers sent unarmed to martyrdom?” Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition Congress party, wrote in a tweet, demanding the government provide a full account. A relative of one of the soldiers who accompanied Colonel Santosh Babu, the commanding officer, to the site of two tents erected by the Chinese troops told Reuters that members of the Indian patrol were unarmed. They were confronted by a small group of Chinese soldiers and an argument ensued over the tents and a small observation tower, the relative said, on the basis of conversations with two other soldiers who were present. Reuters was unable to establish all of the details of what happened, but government officials in New Delhi briefed on the incident said that at some point Indian troops took down the observation post and the tents because they were on India’s side of the LAC. Soon after the Indian side came under attack from a large Chinese force that pelted them with stones and attacked them with sharp-edged weapons, according to the families of three dead Indian soldiers, based on conversations they had with survivors. Some soldiers retreated to safety on the ridgeline in the darkness, but when they could not find the commanding officer, they re-emerged and came under fresh attack, four family members said. Babu was among those killed in the fighting, the Indian government said. One of the soldiers deployed in the area that Reuters spoke to said the Indian patrol was outnumbered by the PLA. “The Chinese side overwhelmed our people by sheer numbers,” said the soldier, who overheard radio messages seeking reinforcements being sent to regional headquarters in Ladakh. Three of the Indian families said they had been told by soldiers who were commissioned to bring the bodies back to them that some combatants pushed each other into the fast-flowing Galwan river. The government official in Delhi also said bodies of some soldiers were fished out of the river the next morning. Some had succumbed to hypothermia, the official added.
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At Least 34 Dead in Japan Floods; More Rain Expected
Japanese meteorologists are warning residents in Kumamoto, in southwestern Japan, to be on alert for more heavy rain after floods and mudslides left at least 34 dead and dozens either missing or trapped in inundated areas.Forecasters say torrential downpours can be expected all day Monday and Tuesday.Authorities in Kumamoto say many of the 200,000 residents ignored recommendations to evacuate because of the coronavirus, preferring to stay home and take their chances with the weather.Heavy rains, of as much as 100 millimeters (4 inches) an hour, sent the Kuma River over its banks. Mudslides across many roads are making rescue efforts more difficult. Power lines are down, cutting off electricity and communications in villages across the prefecture.Officials say many of the dead and missing are elderly residents of a nursing home near the river.The Kyodo news agency says people aboard one of its helicopters that flew over the region could see flood victims waving towels standing next to the words “rice,” “water,” and SOS spelled out on the ground.More than 40,000 soldiers, coast guard members and firefighters are helping with search and rescue operations.
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Japan Floods Leave up to 34 Dead, Many at Nursing Homes
Deep floodwaters and the risk of more mudslides that left at least 34 people confirmed or presumed dead hampered search and rescue operations Sunday in southern Japan, including at elderly home facilities where more than a dozen died and scores were still stranded. Helicopters and boats rescued more people from their homes in the Kumamoto region. More than 40,000 defense troops, the coast guard and fire brigades were taking part in the operation. Large areas along the Kuma River were swallowed by floodwaters, with many houses, buildings and vehicles submerged almost up to their roofs. Mudslides smashed into houses, sending people atop rooftops waving at rescuers. At a flooded elderly care home in Kuma Village, where 14 residents were presumed dead after rescuers reached them on Saturday, rescue continued Sunday for the dozens of remaining residents and caregivers. Sixty-five residents and about 30 caregivers were trapped at the riverside care facility Senjuen when floodwaters and mud gushed in. All remaining 51 residents, including three who had hypothermia, had been rescued by boats and taken to hospitals for treatment by Sunday afternoon, officials said. Shigemitsu Sakoda, a local rafting company operator who joined defense troops in the rescue effort at the nursing home, said floodwaters were still high on the first floor when they arrived at the scene on rafts. “So we smashed windows with a hammer to get in,” he told Japanese broadcaster NHK. Soldiers went up to the roof to rescue survivors who were able to go upstairs while the waters rose, he said. “Unfortunately, some of the residents could not make it to the second floor” Sakoda said. Overall, 18 people were confirmed dead, while 16 others, including those at the nursing home, were presumed dead. Fourteen others were still missing as of Sunday afternoon. Dozens of others were still trapped in inundated areas waiting to be rescued, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. In Hitoyoshi City, the deluge poured into houses near the main train station. “The water rose to the second floor so fast and I just couldn’t stop shivering,” a 55-year-old woman who was visiting her relatives told the Asahi newspaper. She and her relatives ran upstairs, swam out of a window and eventually took refuge on the roof to wait for their rescue. As floods eased in parts of Kumamoto on Sunday, vending machines and cars lay scattered on mud-coated streets. Some people were cleaning their homes, taking out damaged furniture and rinsing off mud. More than 200,000 residents in Kumamoto prefecture were urged to evacuate following pounding rains on Friday evening and into Saturday. But the evacuation was not mandatory and many people opted to stay home because of concerns over catching the coronavirus, even though officials say shelters are adequately equipped with partitions and other safety measures. Flooding also cut off power and communication lines, further delaying the search and rescue. Nearly 6,000 homes in Kumamoto were still without electricity Sunday, according to the Kyushu Electric Power Co. The rainfall that exceeded 100 millimeters (4 inches) per hour has since subsided, but the Japan Meteorological Agency kept mudslide warnings in place across Kumamoto. Prefectural officials said evacuation advisories were still in place due to more rain in the forecast.
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Canada Suspends Extradition Treaty with Hong Kong
Canada suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong Friday after local authorities moved swiftly to implement China’s new security law in the territory.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country is a firm believer in the principle of one country, two systems for Hong Kong and will support the demands of its people for freedom and democracy.”Canada joins the international community in expressing its grave concern with the passage of national security legislation for Hong Kong by mainland China…,” said Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. “We will continue to support the many connections between Canada and Hong Kong while also standing up for its people. In the days and weeks to come. We’re also looking at additional measures, including around immigration.”“Canada will treat exports of sensitive goods to Hong Kong in the same way as those destined for mainland China,” Trudeau said, adding that “effective immediately Canada will not permit the export of sensitive military items to Hong Kong.” In Hong Kong, China Threatens to Snuff Out Press FreedomSweeping new law lets government do ‘pretty much anything it wants’China unilaterally passed the legislation that took effect Tuesday ignoring Hong Kong’s Legislative Council and consultations with the public.”We are extremely concerned about the situation in Hong Kong,” said Trudeau. “We will continue to look at responses, working closely with our allies, including our… allies who have made very strong statements in regards to the decision by the Chinese government to move forward and weaken the one country two systems principle that is so important not just to us, but to the 300,000 Canadians who live in Hong Kong and to the millions of people who live in Hong Kong.” Under Beijing’s direction Wednesday, Hong Kong police arrested about 370 people, ten of them on suspicion of directly violating the law, while thousands took to the streets in protest.China’s security law punishes secessionist movements, subversive or terrorist acts, and what it interprets as collusion with foreign forces intervening in the city’s affairs.
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2 US Aircraft Carriers Conduct Exercises in South China Sea
The U.S. Navy says the USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier groups are conducting exercises in South China Sea on Saturday “to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.”China has also conduced military drills in the sea, which the Pentagon criticized this week as “counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability,” accusing China of trying to intimidate its Asian neighbors.Rear Admiral George M. Wikoff, commander of Carrier Strike Group 5, has said the exercises were not in response to China’s drills.“We aggressively seek out every opportunity to advance and strengthen our capabilities and proficiency at conducting all-domain warfighting operations,” Wikoff said.“The U.S. Navy remains mission ready and globally deployed. Dual carrier operations demonstrate our commitment to regional allies, our ability to rapidly mass combat power in the Indo-Pacific, and our readiness to confront all those who challenge international norms that support regional stability.”China dismissed the U.S. criticism Friday, accusing the United States of increasing tensions in the Western Pacific, including in the South China Sea.Vietnam and the Philippines have also criticized the Chinese drills in the disputed waters.U.S. naval ships have long conducted exercises in the South China Sea and at one point recently, there were three American aircraft carriers in the region, according to the Navy.
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North Korea Says it Has No Immediate Plans to Resume Nuclear Negotiations with US
North Korea said Saturday it has no plans to resume nuclear negotiations with the United States in near future if Washington does not abandon what the communist country terms “hostile” polices toward Pyongyang.North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui made the statement following former national security adviser John Bolton’s comments to reporters in New York earlier this week that President Donald Trump might hold another summit with the country’s leader Kim Jong Un as an “October surprise” shortly before the presidential election in November.“Is it possible to hold dialogue or have any dealings with the U.S. which persists in the hostile policy toward the DPRK in disregard of the agreements already made at the past summit?” Choe said.President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, who has worked intensively to revive the negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang, expressed optimism in a video conference with European leaders, also this week, that Trump and Kim would meet again before the election.Trump and Kim have met three times since 2018 for discussing on denuclearization of North Korea, but negotiations stalled after their second summit in Vietnam in February 2019, in which the U.S. rejected North Korean demands for substantial sanctions relief as a condition to partially give up its nuclear ambitions.
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Flooding, Mudslides Kill 2 in Southern Japan
Two people died in southern Japan on Saturday after heavy rain overnight caused floods and mudslides, according to official sources.More than a dozen people are missing, and many others are stranded on rooftops waiting to be rescued.In the prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima, authorities have urged more than 75,000 residents to evacuate.Footage from local broadcaster NHK showed large areas of Hitoyoshi town in Kumamoto covered with muddy waters from the Kuma River.The water level has reached car windows and houses are partly submerged.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has set up a task force to respond to the situation and the rescue of those missing.
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US Customs Seizes Hair Weaves from Chinese Prison Camps
Federal authorities in New York on Wednesday seized a shipment of weaves and other beauty accessories suspected to be made out of human hair taken from people locked inside a Chinese internment camp.U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials told The Associated Press that 11.8 tons of hair products worth an estimated $800,000 were in the shipment.“The production of these goods constitutes a very serious human rights violation, and the detention order is intended to send a clear and direct message to all entities seeking to do business with the United States that illicit and inhumane practices will not be tolerated in U.S. supply chains,” said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade. This is the second time this year that CBP has slapped one of its rare detention orders on shipments of hair weaves from China, based on suspicions that people making them face human rights abuses. The orders are used to hold shipping containers at the U.S. ports of entry until the agency can investigate claims of wrongdoing.Rushan Abbas, a Uighur American activist whose sister, a medical doctor, went missing in China almost two years ago and is believed to be locked in a detention camp, said women who use hair weaves should think about who might be making them.“This is so heartbreaking for us,” she said. “I want people to think about the slavery people are experiencing today. My sister is sitting somewhere being forced to make what, hair pieces?”Wednesday’s shipment was made by Lop County Meixin Hair Product Co. Ltd. In May, a similar detention was placed on Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories Co. Ltd., although those weaves were synthetic, not human, the agency said. Hetian Haolin’s products were imported by Os Hair in Duluth, Georgia, and I & I Hair, headquartered in Dallas. I & I’s weaves are sold under the Innocence brand to salons and individuals around the U.S. Both of the exporters are in China’s far west Xinjiang region, where, over the past four years, the government has detained an estimated 1 million or more ethnic Turkic minorities. The ethnic minorities are held in internment camps and prisons where they are subjected to ideological discipline, forced to denounce their religion and language and physically abused. China has long suspected the Uighurs, who are mostly Muslim, of harboring separatist tendencies because of their distinct culture, language and religion.Reports by the AP and other news organizations have repeatedly found that people inside the internment camps and prisons, which activists call “black factories,” are making sportswear and other apparel for popular U.S. brands.The AP tried to visit Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories Co. more than a year ago during an investigation into forced labor inside the camps. But police called the cab driver taking AP journalists to the area, ordering the driver to turn back and warning that the cab’s coordinates were being tracked.From the road, it was clear the factory — topped with “Haolin Hair Accessories” in big red letters — was ringed with barbed wire fencing and surveillance cameras, and the entrance was blocked by helmeted police. Across the street, what appeared to be an educational facility was topped with political slogans declaring “the country has power” and urging people to obey the Communist Party. It was unclear whether the factory was part of a detention center, but former detainees in other parts of Xinjiang have described being shuttled to work in fenced, guarded compounds during the day and taken back to internment camps at night.The Chinese Ministry of Affairs has said there is no forced labor, nor detention of ethnic minorities.“We hope that certain people in the United States can take off their tinted glasses, correctly understand and objectively and rationally view normal economic and trade cooperation between Chinese and American enterprises,” the ministry said in a statement.Last December, Xinjiang authorities announced that the camps had closed and all the detainees had “graduated,” a claim difficult to corroborate independently given tight surveillance and restrictions on reporting in the region. Some Uighurs and Kazakhs have told the AP that their relatives have been released, but many others say their loved ones remain in detention, were sentenced to prison or transferred to forced labor in factories.While tariffs and embargoes over political issues are fairly common, it’s extremely rare for the U.S. government to block imports produced by forced labor. The 1930 Tariff Act prohibited those imports, but the government has only enforced the law 54 times in the past 90 years. Most of those bans, 75%, blocked goods from China, and enforcement has ramped up since then-President Barack Obama strengthened the law in 2016.Rep. Chris Smith said that while the allegations of forced labor are appalling, “sadly they are not surprising.”“It is likely that many slave labor products continue to surreptitiously make it into our stores,” said Smith, a New Jersey Republican who has taken a lead on anti-human trafficking legislation.On June 17, President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, condemning “gross human rights violations of specified ethnic Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang region in China.” Earlier, calling for its passage, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decried what she described as China’s mass incarceration, forced sterilization and journalist suppression. “Beijing’s barbarous actions targeting the Uyghur people are an outrage to the collective conscience of the world,” she said in a statement.
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In Hong Kong, China Threatens to Snuff Out Press Freedom
Hong Kong’s status as one of Asia’s most thriving press hubs appears to be on life support with the onset of a new national security law imposed by China on the semi-autonomous territory this week. The law, a response to the resurgence of pro-democracy protests over the past year, ostensibly aims to prevent secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces. Punishments for those crimes range from three years to life in prison. But the legislation’s broad, vaguely worded provisions – which apply to locals, foreigners, and even people living in other countries – will drastically curtail freedom of speech, analysts warn. “It says the government can do pretty much anything it wants,” says Steven Butler, the Asia program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Butler says the territory is likely to see a period of testing as authorities reveal exactly how they intend to interpret and apply the law, but the uncertainty has already had chilling effects on free speech. Signs of fear In recent weeks, waves of Hong Kongers have downloaded virtual private networks, or VPNs, as well as encrypted messaging apps such as Signal, to hide their digital activities from authorities. Some Police detain protesters after a protest in Causeway Bay before the annual handover march in Hong Kong, July. 1, 2020.Some international media outlets have found that a handful of civil society groups and activists in Hong Kong have halted giving on-the-record comments until they can determine how certain segments of the law will be applied. “I mean, who knows what ‘provoking hatred toward the government’ means,” said a person with one non-profit organization, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. ‘Provoking hatred’ That statement is a reference to Article 29 of the new law, which among other things criminalizes working with a broad range of foreign organizations to provoke hatred among Hong Kong residents toward the local or mainland governments. The law says both the individual and the foreign organization involved in the provocations can be punished with up to life in prison, even though officials have not clarified what “provoking hatred” means. “Writing an article — does that incite people to be hateful? We don’t know what counts,” says Tommy Walker, a British freelance journalist in Hong Kong. “Everyone’s a bit worried,” says Walker, who like some other foreign journalists, are searching for backup options in case reporting in Hong Kong becomes untenable. Journalists wait outside West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts in Hong Kong, July 3, 2020.Ninety-eight percent of survey respondents said they oppose the legislation. Ninety-two percent said they were worried about their personal safety. Eighty-seven percent said they believe the media would stop reporting on sensitive issues. Press freedom in Hong Kong had already been on a downward trajectory for years. In 2002, Hong Kong ranked 18th in RSF’s Press Freedom Index. This year, the country ranked 80th. As Beijing rapidly increases its influence in Hong Kong, many now fear the territory’s press freedom will plunge further, perhaps even closer to China, which ranks 177th out of 180 countries.
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Hong Kong Man Charged With Terrorism, Inciting Separatism for Slogan
A Hong Kong man who carried a sign saying “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” as he drove a motorcycle into police during a protest this week has become the first person charged with inciting separatism and terrorism under a new security law. Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong late on Tuesday after weeks of uncertainty, pushing China’s freest city and one of the world’s most glittering financial hubs on to a more authoritarian path. The law punishes crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison but critics say it is aimed at stamping out dissent and ending a long-running campaign for greater democracy in the city. The logo of Judiciary of Hong Kong is seen outside West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts, after a motorcyclist was charged under the newly passed national security law, in Hong Kong, China, July 3, 2020.Police said the 23-year-old man charged under the law rammed into several officers at the unauthorized protest on Wednesday injuring some. He was initially arrested for dangerous driving, media said. A video circulating online showed the driver knocking over several officers with his motorbike on a narrow street, before falling off and getting arrested. The charge against him, as shown in a court document on Friday, comes less than 24 hours after the city’s government said the protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” connotes separatism or subversion under the new law. The rallying cry appears on placards at most rallies, is printed on T-shirts and accessories, and scribbled on sticky notes on walls across the Chinese-ruled city. The government’s ruling on the slogan will compound fears about the suppression of the global finance hub’s freedoms. China’s parliament adopted the security law in response to protests last year triggered by fears that Beijing was stifling the freedoms, guaranteed by a “one country, two systems” formula agreed when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Beijing denies the accusation. Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have repeatedly said the legislation is aimed at a few “troublemakers” and will not affect the rights and freedoms that underpin the city’s role as a financial hub. But the United States, Britain and others have denounced the new legislation and the United Nations said it feared it would restrict space for civil society and lead to the prosecution of activists. Dozens of people gathered to protest outside another court where a man was charged with “wounding with intent” for stabbing a policeman in the arm with a sharp object during the Wednesday disturbances. Supporters raise white paper to avoid slogans banned under the national security law as they support arrested anti-law protester outside Eastern court in Hong Kong, China, July 3, 2020.They held up blank pieces of paper to highlight what they fear will be the new law’s impact on free speech. “I’m not scared. Come what may,” said one of the protesters, 25-year-old Wilson. He did not give his last name. On Wednesday, the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule, police said they arrested about 370 people during the protests, with 10 of those involving violations of the new law. National security office In what is sure to be seen as another ominous sign for Hong Kong’s freedoms, China’s official Xinhua news agency said a Communist Party cadre who became prominent during a 2011 clampdown on protesters in a south China village will head a national security office in Hong Kong to be set up under the new law. Zheng Yanxiong, 57, most recently served as the secretary general of the Communist Party committee of Guangdong province, an economic powerhouse bordering Hong Kong. He was seen calling the foreign media “rotten” in a leaked video of a government meeting at the time. Customers sit near blank notes on a “Lennon Wall” inside a pro-democracy restaurant in Hong Kong on July 3, 2020, in response to a new national security law introduced in the city.Under the new legislation, the agency can take enforcement action beyond existing laws in the most serious cases. It also allows agents to take suspects across the border for trials in Communist Party-controlled courts and specifies special privileges for the agents, including that Hong Kong authorities cannot inspect their vehicles. ‘Window for the world’ Some prominent activists have been keeping a low profile or leaving. Demosisto, a pro-democracy group led by Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, disbanded hours after the legislation was passed, while prominent group member Nathan Law left the city. “The protests in Hong Kong have been a window for the world to recognize that China is getting more and more authoritarian,” Law told Reuters in an online interview. While the government said late on Thursday the slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times” now indicated independence or separation of the city from China, altering its legal status or subversion, it was not unclear if independent courts would uphold that view. Some are taking no chances. Public broadcaster RTHK reproduced the slogan as “L*******#HongKong” in a comment on Twitter, to the scorn of some other social media users.
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Modi Vsits Military Base Close to China Amid Standoff
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unannounced visit Friday to a military base in a remote region bordering China where troops from the two countries have been facing off for nearly two months.
Modi, accompanied by India’s military leadership, interacted with troops in Ladakh region. A photo on his Instagram account showed him sitting in a camouflage tent at the base. “Interacting with our brave armed forces personnel,” he wrote.
Modi’s visit comes in the backdrop of a massive Indian army buildup in Ladakh following hand-to-hand combat between Indian and Chinese soldiers on June 15 that left 20 Indians dead and dozens injured in the Galwan Valley, the worst confrontation in over four decades between the Asian giants.
Indian officials say there were casualties on the Chinese side as well, but there has been no confirmation by Beijing.
Modi chanted “Long live mother India!” while addressing troops at the Nimu military base, insisting that “after every crisis, India has emerged stronger.”
He praised the valor of Indian soldiers and said: “Enemies of India have seen your fire and fury.”
“Days of expansionism are over. Expansionism creates danger for world peace. This is an era of development. Expansionist force have either lost or forced to turn back,” he said in an oblique reference to China.
Modi’s speech, which lasted for 26 minutes, was punctuated by nationalist fervor and praise for Indian soldiers. He said the bravery shown by troops was “a message of India’s prowess” to the world. “The weak can never accomplish peace, the brave do. The world is praising the bravery shown by Indian soldiers in Galwan Valley.”
Later Friday, Modi also visited a military hospital where he met injured soldiers.
Both India and China have provided little information officially, but media in the two countries have given large coverage to the escalating tensions, much of it replayed on television news channels and social media.
The leader of Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, B.L. Santhosh, tweeted Friday that the visit was a “big, big booster to soldiers morale. He leads from front.”
Modi has faced public pressure for a stern response to Chinese actions along the contested frontier.
Indian protesters have been calling for a boycott of Chinese goods. On Monday, the government banned 59 Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok, citing privacy concerns that it said pose a threat to India’s sovereignty and security. The ban was largely symbolic since the apps can’t be automatically erased from devices where they are already downloaded.
China has insisted that Indian forces provoked the border incident and the blame lies entirely with New Delhi.
On Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the countries need to maintain their relations while seeking to de-escalate tensions through military and diplomatic channels. “Against such a backdrop, no party should take any actions that may complicate the border situation,” he said.
Zhao called it “the evil way that two sides are suspicious of each other and engaged in friction continuously.”
“The Indian side should get along with China to jointly safeguard the overall situation of bilateral relations. The pragmatic cooperation between China and India is in nature mutually beneficial and win-win,” he said. “To deliberately set obstacles for pragmatic cooperation between the two countries violates the relevant WTO rules and will harm the interests of India itself.”
Indian officials say the current standoff began in early May when large contingents of Chinese soldiers entered deep inside Indian-controlled territory at three places in Ladakh, erecting tents.
They say the soldiers ignored repeated verbal warnings, triggering a yelling match, stone-throwing and even fistfights in at least one place along the Pangong Lake, the site of several such confrontations in the past.
But the situation turned deadly when the rival troops engaged in a nightly medieval clash in the Galwan Valley, where India is building a strategic road connecting the region to an airstrip close to China.
According to Indian officials, Chinese troops atop a ridge at the mouth of the narrow valley threw stones, punched and pushed Indian soldiers down a ridge at around 4,500 meters (15,000 feet.)
Since then, India has sent huge reinforcements of soldiers, military equipment and fighter jets into the already highly militarized area.
The disputed border covers nearly 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) of frontier that the two countries call the Line of Actual Control and that stretches from Ladakh in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim in the northeast.
India and China fought a border war in 1962 that also spilled into Ladakh. The two countries have been trying to settle their border dispute since the early 1990s, without success.
India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory while separating it from disputed Kashmir in August 2019, ending the territory’s semi-autonomous status and straining the already prickly relationship between New Delhi and Beijing. China was among the countries to strongly condemn the move, raising it at international forums including the U.N. Security Council.
Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks to end the current crisis in Ladakh have been unsuccessful.
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Activist Leaves Hong Kong After New Law to Advocate Abroad
Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law has left the city for an undisclosed location after testifying in a U.S. congressional hearing about a tough new security law imposed by mainland China on the semi-autonomous territory. Law, who declined to disclose his whereabouts for safety, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday that he left because Hong Kong needs an advocate for democracy who can work internationally.Hong Kong Activist Calls for Help in Standing Up to ChinaPro-democracy activist wants international community to stand up to China’s infringement of Hong Kong’s autonomyUnder the new security law, activists and politicians in Hong Kong who speak to foreign media or testify in foreign hearings can be arrested for secessionism or colluding with foreign forces, Law said.”For me leaving the place that I love, that I grew up in, that I spent most of my life in, it’s definitely a really difficult decision, but this is more than a personal choice,” he said. “I miss everything from it.”The security law, which took effect Tuesday night, targets secessionist, subversive or terrorist acts, as well as collusion with foreign forces intervening in the city’s affairs. Under Beijing’s direction, local authorities have moved swiftly to implement the law’s sweeping conditions, with police arresting about 370 people Wednesday, including 10 on suspicion of directly violating the law, as thousands took to the streets in protest.In some cases, suspects were carrying items advocating Hong Kong’s independence, police said. China’s Cabinet on Friday appointed a veteran Communist Party cadre who rose to prominence during a crackdown on villagers seeking land rights in 2011 as head of a new central government national security office in Hong Kong. Zheng Yanxiong and his department will report directly to Beijing without oversight from Hong Kong’s courts or any requirement that they answer to local authorities. Law, 26, rose to prominence in Hong Kong as one of the student leaders of the pro-democracy Umbrella Revolution in 2014. In 2016, he became the youngest lawmaker elected to the city’s legislature but was later disqualified after he raised his tone while swearing allegiance to China during the oath, making it sound like a question.He was a leader of pro-democracy group Demosisto with fellow activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow. All three resigned Tuesday ahead of the security law coming into effect. With the loss of its top members, Demosisto dissolved. The Hong Kong government announced Thursday night that the popular protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Time” connotes a call for Hong Kong’s independence or its separation from China, and those using it or displaying it on flags or signs could be in violation of the new law.Critics including Law say the legislation effectively ends the “one country, two systems” framework under which the city was promised a high degree of autonomy when it reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997.”That is blatantly eradicating ‘one country, two systems,’ it’s blatantly putting the last nail in the coffin,” Law said.He urged the international community to prioritize human rights over trade interests, and to present a united front to “combat or contain the authoritarian expansion of China.” Under the security legislation, the maximum punishment for serious offenses is life imprisonment, and suspects in certain cases may be sent to the mainland for trial if Beijing deems it has jurisdiction.A 24-year-old man who was arrested for allegedly stabbing a police officer during the protests on Wednesday has been charged with wounding with intent, police said Friday. He was arrested on board a plane to London, apparently trying to flee the territory. Police wouldn’t say if the man would face additional charges under the security law.Separately, police charged a 23-year-old man with incitement to secession and terrorist activities on Friday, making him the first person to be prosecuted under the new law. Tong Ying-kit is accused of crashing a motorcycle into a group of police during Wednesday’s protests while possessing a flag with the newly banned slogan.
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New Zealand Health Minister Quits After COVID-19 Mistakes
New Zealand Health Minister David Clark resigned Thursday after recent controversies surrounding his handling of the coronavirus crisis. Clark was criticized for breaches of strict quarantine rules for travelers returning from overseas and for ignoring lockdown measures by taking his family to the beach.Border closures and strict lockdown measures have helped New Zealand contain the coronavirus, and officials have said there was no evidence of community transmission. But David Clark has paid the price for his mistakes. The former health minister had admitted breaching travel restrictions when New Zealanders were ordered to stay at home. He was demoted from his position as an associate finance minister after breaking rules to take his family to the beach. Clark called himself an “idiot” after the breach.He was also criticized for failures to ensure that returning travelers were properly tested. In a high-profile case, two women were allowed to leave mandatory isolation early to visit a dying parent without being screened for the virus. They were later confirmed to have the disease.Clark said it’s time to move on.“Serving as minister of health has been an absolute privilege particularly through these extraordinary last few months,” he said. “It is no secret that health is a challenging portfolio. I have given it my all, but it has become increasingly clear to me that my continuation in the role is distracting from the government’s overall response to COVID-19 and the global pandemic.”Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was essential those leading the response to the pandemic had the confidence of the people of New Zealand.The opposition National Party had been calling for Clark’s resignation for weeks. A spokesperson said his handling of border quarantine measures had “been utterly shambolic.”The government ended most disease-control restrictions last month. It had imposed some of the world’s toughest lockdown measures. Its international borders remain closed.New Zealand is a South Pacific nation of about 5 million people. More than 400,000 coronavirus tests have been done.It has had 1,528 confirmed or probable coronavirus infections. There are 18 active cases in the country. So far, 22 people have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
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Slow Easing of Coronavirus Rules in US, Europe Gives Vietnam a Rare Economic Boost
The slow easing of anti-coronavirus containment rules in Western countries and nearly nonstop work at major factories in Vietnam gave the export-reliant South Asian nation a small yet elusive economic boost in the second quarter this year, analysts say.The economy grew 0.36 percent from April to June compared to economic activity in the same months of 2019, Vietnam’s General Statistics Office announced Monday. The bulk of that came from manufacturing late in the quarter rather than services, economists believe.European nations began easing business shutdowns in April and May. In mid-June, those countries opened borders to one another for travel. And U.S. states have allowed phased-in reopening of businesses since May despite continued rises in coronavirus cases.Both trends allowed consumers to visit stores and buy goods that they had put off during the shutdowns, said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific chief economist with IHS Markit in Singapore. Electronic gear for remote communication is a particular draw for those consumers, he said.Vietnam counts the United States as its biggest market, with 23.2 percent of all exports. The European Union takes 15.7 percent of Vietnamese exports.“The lockdowns started to come off in May in Europe, and so that’s why I think we’re seeing that June is better,” Biswas said.Export manufacturing drives Vietnam’s normally fast-growing, $262 billion economy. Foreign manufacturers like Vietnam for its low wages, support from government and proximity to raw materials in neighboring China. Vietnam has siphoned away some foreign investment from China since 2018 because of U.S. tariffs imposed on Chinese exports during a two-way trade dispute.Vietnam’s economic future “really depends on the world economy,” said Jack Nguyen, partner in the business advisory firm Mazars in Ho Chi Minh City. “Vietnam is now so linked to the world that how other countries are opening up will indicate how big Vietnam will be (in) improvement.”The operation of major foreign-invested factories in Vietnam supports economic growth, said Ralf Matthaes, founder of the Infocus Mekong Research consultancy in Ho Chi Minh City.“If you go like Samsung, Panasonic, the big guys, if they’re opened up again it would be a huge spike,” he said. Both foreign electronics firms and many others have cautiously operated their factories year to date. Vietnam’s relatively low coronavirus caseload of just 355 people with no deaths allows work to go on with few risks.In China and India, two other Asian manufacturing powerhouses, governments ordered factory closures at the height over their virus outbreaks.Domestic consumption further helped strengthen Vietnam’s economy in the second quarter, though people on the ground report that small stores have gone out of business. A lack of foreign tourists due to Vietnam’s ban on most arrivals is hurting hotels and airlines. The ban has left some foreign factory heads stuck in other countries, Matthaes said.The International Monetary Fund forecasts Vietnam to grow faster than any other Asian country with full-year GDP growth of 2.7 percent. The IMF expects Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar and Nepal to grow as well but by smaller percentages.Vietnam’s second half of 2020 is widely expected to beat the first half. A free trade deal with the European Union will cut tariffs when it takes effect August 1. Spending before the Western year-end holidays should help too, Biswas said.“Vietnam is going to be one of the best performing Asia Pacific countries,” he said. “Vietnam won’t have a recession this year. It will be one of the only countries in Asia.”
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Cambodia’s Use of Incitement Law Chills Press Freedom
Cambodia’s use of incitement laws to jail journalists sends a threatening message to news outlets and could result in self-censorship, media experts say.The country’s vaguely worded incitement law is often used against detractors of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government, international rights groups say.Recently, the law was used to jail three journalists, in a move that local press groups warn could silence critical reporting.Ros Sokhet, publisher of the Cheat Khmer newspaper, was arrested June 25; Sok Oudom, owner of the Rithysen Radio News Station, was taken into pretrial detention in May; and Sovann Rithy, who runs the Facebook-based TVFB news outlet, was charged in April. All three are in custody in Phnom Penh.Ith Sothoeuth, media director at the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, said the government should not use criminal code provisions, such as incitement, against journalists, especially if they were only expressing opinions.“We have the Press Law, and I think in cases related to journalists, we should use this law, especially when they are expressing opinions,” Ith Sothoeuth said.Cambodia’s Law on the Press is supposed to deal with any infractions by journalists or news publications.Nop Vy, executive director of the Cambodia Journalist Alliance, said the arrests were a “threat” or warning to other reporters to refrain from critical reportage, and that authorities should use the Press Law rather than criminal charges.“Journalists now are more fearful of writing their articles,” Nop Vy said. “Those journalists will restrict their freedom of expression [by not] writing opinion pieces.”Khan Leakhena, a journalist who covers controversial issues like politics and land-ownership disputes for local publication Voice of Democracy, said the arrests made her worry that she may be detained.“I am afraid that they will pick up any mistakes [in my stories] and accuse me of incitement,” the 29-year-old reporter said. “Even if I work professionally, I am still worried. I don’t know when I can be the target.”Information Ministry spokesperson Meas Sophorn denied the arrests were related to press freedom or the right to free expression and said the reporters had broken the law.The spokesperson added that the ministry was considering whether to revoke Ros Sokhet’s media outlet’s license but did not say why such a move was necessary. A Phnom Penh court issued an arrest warrant for the publisher for “incitement to commit chaos,” according to Phnom Penh Police Chief Sar Theth.Sar Theth referred questions on why the journalist was arrested to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.A spokesperson for the court did not respond to requests for comment.Court and police officials have not said publicly why Ros Sokhet was arrested. A few days before he was detained, the journalist posted critical comments on Facebook including about Prime Minister Hun Sen’s response to economic hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic and alleged plans to make Hun Sen’s son the next prime minister.In Sok Oudom’s case, the radio owner was charged with incitement to commit a felony after he broadcast a Facebook Live report on a land dispute in Kampong Chhnang province’s Phnom Oral Wildlife Sanctuary.A court spokesperson told VOA said the journalist was guilty of “inciting villagers to grab military and state land for private ownership.”TVFB journalist Sovann Rithy was charged with incitement after reporting on Hun Sen’s speech at the government building Peace Palace.Local police officials said the prime minister’s comments in his speech that motorcycle taxi drivers should sell their vehicles to buy food if affected by the pandemic were made in jest and not to be reported seriously.Cambodia’s media work in an already restrictive climate. The country ranks 144 out of 180 countries, where one is the most free, in Reporters Without Borders’ 2020 press freedom index.Under a crackdown that started after the 2017 commune elections, The Cambodia Daily was closed for alleged tax violations, and The Phnom Penh Post was sold to a Malaysian investor with links to Hun Sen. Two former Radio Free Asia reporters were charged with espionage and two former Cambodia Daily reporters are awaiting trial for incitement over a 2017 story.This story originated in VOA’s Khmer service.
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US Senate Passes Bill Targeting Entities Over China’s Hong Kong Security Law
The U.S. Senate approved a bill Thursday that would penalize individuals or companies for conducting business with Chinese officials responsible for implementing Beijing’s new national security law on Hong Kong.The Republican-led Senate unanimously passed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act one day after the Democratic majority House approved the measure without opposition. The approvals were a rare display of bipartisan support in the face of an erosion of autonomy in Hong Kong, a former British colony that prospered as China’s most democratic city and a global financial hub.The measure, which now goes to President Donald Trump to be signed into law, would impose mandatory sanctions on people or entities that materially contribute to China’s failure to preserve Hong Kong’s autonomy. The bill would also sanction financial institutions that do business with those individuals or entities.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 11 MB480p | 16 MB540p | 20 MB720p | 45 MB1080p | 84 MBOriginal | 103 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioUS Condemns New Chinese Security Law in Hong KongU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that China’s newly enacted Hong Kong national security law was “an affront to all nations” and that Washington was taking steps to end special permissions for the Chinese region.“The United States is deeply concerned about the law’s sweeping provisions and the safety of everyone living in the territory, including Americans,” Pompeo said.The Chinese legislature, the National People’s Congress, adopted the national security law for Hong Kong on Tuesday, a day before the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule.The law recommends harsh penalties for vaguely defined crimes such as “collusion with foreign countries.” Crimes such as damaging public transportation could be considered terrorist activity punishable by life in prison. Legal analysts say it effectively ends political freedoms that long allowed Hong Kong residents to publicly express their political views and helped transform the territory into an international business hub.“Article 38 of the new law also purports to apply to offenses committed outside of Hong Kong by nonresidents of Hong Kong, and this likely includes Americans. This is outrageous and an affront to all nations,” Pompeo said.Nike Ching contributed to this report.
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Tokyo Sees Biggest COVID-19 Surge in 2 Months
Officials in Japan’s capital Thursday reported 107 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the highest one-day total for the region in two months. Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike told reporters that many of the recent infections involved people in their 20s and 30s and were linked to nightlife establishments. She urged workers to get tested for the coronavirus and called on residents to refrain from visiting Tokyo’s nightlife district and remain cautious of spreading the virus. She said no one wants to go back to closing businesses and asked everyone to cooperate. Government officials have acknowledged that the number of cases is on the rise, but stress that many of them were diagnosed because of expanded testing among workers in Tokyo’s entertainment district. On May 2, Tokyo reported 154 new cases, the last time the city saw more than 100 new cases in a day, Japan lifted a seven-week state of emergency in late May. Officials say the city’s daily numbers had stayed consistently low until last week, when they started exceeding 50 new cases per day. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga Wednesday said the situation did not immediately require a reinstatement of requests for business closures or travel restrictions but warned that another state of emergency was a possibility if the situation deteriorated.
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China, Pro-Beijing Activists Condemn ‘Meddling’ in Hong Kong
China’s government and pro-Beijing activists in Hong Kong condemned what they called foreign meddling in the territory’s affairs on Thursday, as countries moved to offer Hong Kongers refuge and impose sanctions on China over a new security law.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said no amount of pressure from external forces could “shake China’s determination and will to safeguard national sovereignty and Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.”
He urged the U.S. to abide by international law and stop interfering in Hong Kong’s affairs, and not sign a sanction bill into law.
His comments came after the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday joined the Senate in approving a bill to rebuke China over its crackdown in Hong Kong by imposing sanctions on groups that undermine the city’s autonomy or restrict freedoms promised to its residents.
If the bill becomes law, “China will definitely take strong countermeasures, and all consequences will be borne by the U.S. side,” Zhao said at a daily briefing.
Meanwhile, dozens of pro-Beijing activists and lawmakers protested outside the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong to demand that the U.S. stop meddling. The group said it gathered 1.6 million signatures online in support of its call.
Tam Yiu-Chung, Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, said on public broadcaster RTHK on Thursday that the new security law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong was not harsh. If it were, no one would dare violate the law, he said.
His comments came a day after thousands of protesters marched against the security law, which took effect in Hong Kong late Tuesday.
The security law outlaws secessionist, subversive and terrorist acts, as well as any collusion with foreign forces in intervening in the city’s affairs. Critics say the law effectively ends the “one country, two systems” framework under which the city was promised a high degree of autonomy when it reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
The maximum punishment for serious offenses under the legislation is life imprisonment, and suspects in certain cases may be sent to stand trial on the mainland if Beijing deems that it has jurisdiction.
The law takes aim at actions that occurred during anti-government protests last year. It says destruction of government facilities and utilities would be considered subversive, while damaging public transportation facilities and arson would constitute acts of terrorism.
About 370 people were arrested during and after Wednesday’s protests, including 10 on suspicion of violating the new security law. Some of those arrested allegedly possessed materials that advocated Hong Kong’s independence.
Hong Kong police arrested a man on a London-bound flight early Thursday on suspicion of having stabbed a police officer in the arm during Wednesday’s protests.
The 24-year-old man, surnamed Wong, was arrested on a Cathay Pacific flight after police received an anonymous tip-off about his travel plans, police said.
Wong had purchased a ticket on Wednesday and boarded the flight with no check-in luggage, police said. He did not respond to the crew when they called him by name, and was not in his designated seat. Police identified him after conducting a sweep of the plane.
Meanwhile, two protesters were sentenced to four weeks in jail on Thursday for vandalizing a ticketing machine at a rail station in September last year. They were among nearly 9,000 arrests by police in connection with the anti-government protests between last June and May this year.
The central government’s passage of the security law for Hong Kong has triggered concern from the territory’s former colonial ruler, Britain, and other countries.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday that imposition of the law was a “clear and serious breach” of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the treaty that guaranteed the former British colony would enjoy a high degree of autonomy and civil liberties for at least 50 years after its handover to Chinese rule.
The Foreign Office summoned Chinese Ambassador Liu Xiaoming on Wednesday to a meeting with Permanent Secretary Simon McDonald, who reiterated Britain’s concern. Britain also announced that it is extending residency rights for up to 3 million Hong Kongers eligible for British National Overseas passports, stressing that it would uphold its historic duty to its former colony. Those eligible will be able to live and work in the U.K. for five years before applying for settled status and then again for citizenship.
On Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in London said such a move would be in breach of “international law and basic norms governing international relations.”
“We firmly oppose this and reserve the right to take corresponding measures,” it said in a statement, without elaborating. “We urge the British side to view objectively and fairly the national security legislation for Hong Kong, respect China’s position and concerns, refrain from interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any way.”
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Thursday his government is considering a move to provide a “safe haven” to Hong Kongers, and Taiwan opened an office to help Hong Kongers move to Taiwan for employment and other purposes.
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