Asia

18Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

India, China face off in first deadly clash in decades

The worst border clash between India and China in more than 40 years killed dozens of troops on both sides, raising tensions between nuclear-armed rivals who have increasingly been flexing their diplomatic and military muscle over a contested area of their shared border.Chinese state media described the incident on Monday night in the Galwan River valley where both countries have deployed troops in recent weeks as "the most serious clash between Chinese and Indian soldiers so far," confirming casualties but offering no further details about them.Indian government officials speaking on the condition of anonymity informed that 20 Indian army personnel had died in the fighting.As for China, American intelligence believes 35 Chinese troops died, including one senior officer.The incident took p...
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[South East Asia] Malaysia, Singapore agree to defer HSR project until December 31
17Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments

[South East Asia] Malaysia, Singapore agree to defer HSR project until December 31

Malaysia and Singapore on Sunday came to an agreement and said that they have decided to defer the long-awaited Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project again until the end of the year.The construction of the 350km-long HSR project has been suspended since September 2018 and was due to resume at the end of May.The update comes after Singapore Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Friday said that Singapore was considering Malaysia’s request to extend the suspension period of the project.In a Facebook post, Khaw wrote that Malaysia had requested a seven-month extension to allow both sides to discuss and assess Malaysia’s proposed changes to the project."In the spirit of bilateral cooperation, we have agreed to a final extension of the suspension period to 31 December 2020," said K
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[South East Asia] Malaysia to deport undocumented migrants from next week
17Jun By Desk TeamNo Comments

[South East Asia] Malaysia to deport undocumented migrants from next week

As Coronavirus continues to spread unabated, the Malaysian government has decided to deport undocumented immigrants in the country to their respective countries starting next week.Senior Minister (Security) Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the sending back process will start with Indonesian citizens on June 6.“All Indonesian illegal immigrants will undergo Covid-19 testing via the Rapid Test Kit Antigen (RTK Antigen) method first in the presence of officials from the Indonesian embassy before being sent back.“The first phase, which starts on June 6, will involve 2,189 Indonesians, who are currently being detained at immigration depots in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak, as well as 672 at depots in Sabah,” Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri said on Saturday.“From the total number of Indonesians involved, the
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Hong Kong police blame youngsters for committing crimes under shadow of protest
17Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Hong Kong police blame youngsters for committing crimes under shadow of protest

Justifying its aggressive tactics towards pro-democracy demonstrators, the pro-China Hong Kong police are now accusing young Hong Kongers of committing crimes under the shadow of unrest.Expressing his concerns, Commissioner of police of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, Chris Tang Ping-keung said that young people committing crimes have become a trend in the territory amid protests against China.The Hong Kong police have been called out of its excessive use of forces against the demonstrators in the territory. On June 12, the police arrested 35 people protesting against China's plan to impose national security legislation on the territory.In 2019, a total of 4,268 young people were arrested, an increase of more than 50 per cent from 2018. Of the 8,057 people a...
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Tibet, Taiwan key in reforming India policies towards China: Experts
14Jun By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Tibet, Taiwan key in reforming India policies towards China: Experts

Amidst the stand-off between India and China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), strategic experts and intellectuals said that to counter Xi Jinping’s ‘One China Policy’, India should support Tibet and Taiwan, and give Dalai Lama more visibility in India’s political circles.“India should be supporting Tibet and try that the Dalai Lama should be given a higher position and more visibility in India’s political circles. Along with this, we must begin economic and technological engagements with Taiwan, besides supporting it politically,” Director of Vivekananda International Foundation Dr. Arvind Gupta said.He was speaking at webinar titled, "Revisiting One China policy: Economic and Political Options for India: Hong Kong, Tibet, Taiwan, and Xinjiang" jointly organized by the Law and Society
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India, China to continue military talks to address dispute along LAC in Ladakh
11Jun By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

India, China to continue military talks to address dispute along LAC in Ladakh

As the commander-level talks did not result in any immediate change in ground positions, India and China have decided to continue to hold discussions at both military and diplomatic level to address the present dispute on the LAC in the Eastern Ladakh sector.“The talks at the military and diplomatic levels will continue to find a solution to the issue in Eastern Ladakh”, sources in New Delhi said.The two sides had met on Jun 6 in Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) but there has not been any significant change in the ground after that.From the Indian side Lt General Harinder Singh who is the 14 Corps Commander in Leh had crossed over to Moldo on the Chinese side of the line of control opposite Chushul in Ladakh with his Chinese counterpart Major General Liu Lin.Du
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LAC dispute: China mobilizes thousands of troops, armored vehicles near border with India
10Jun By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

LAC dispute: China mobilizes thousands of troops, armored vehicles near border with India

Thousands of paratroopers, armored vehicles, and equipment were reportedly mobilized in a military drill by China with the country saying they could be deployed “within hours” to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India in the Himalayas, where tensions have again flared.Both India and China have been at loggerheads over disagreements regarding LAC in India’s eastern Ladakh. Throughout the month of May, several areas along the LAC in Ladakh and North Sikkim witnessed major military build-up by both the Indian and Chinese armies, in a clear signal of escalating tension.According to state media reports, the soldiers and armored vehicles were transported from the central province of Hubei to an unspecified location in China’s northwest plateau, thousands of kilometers away, in “just a few h
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Mobile services suspiciously shut down in Pakistan’s Quetta
5Jun By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Mobile services suspiciously shut down in Pakistan’s Quetta

Mobile and internet services have been shut down in Pakistan’s Quetta since Monday morning for unknown reasons, causing various problems to general public and the students availing online classes amidst the Covid-19 outbreak.According to the city’s media reports, cellular networks, which includes mobile services and internet went offline on Monday morning for no apparent reasons and have been shut down since.Liaqat Shahwani, the spokesperson for the Balochistan government, denied local government’s involvement in the matter and expressed ignorance on the issue.Shahwani further added that the provincial government has not requested the federal government for this measure and is completely unaware of the federal government’s involvement in the cellular network shutdown.This is not the first
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Responding to COVID-19 in Southeast Asia
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments

Responding to COVID-19 in Southeast Asia

Countries in Southeast Asia have mobilized a wide range of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic—with some better-prepared than others. Without a swift response, countries in the region risk a severe outbreak, especially among the more vulnerable refugees and internally displaced persons. The U.S. should examine its current aid portfolios—especially for poorer countries in the region—and consider whether it can offer additional assistance to its friends in Southeast Asia. It should also seek to safeguard liberty in the midst of a crisis that some countries could see as a carte blanche to expand government power. Southeast Asia has a broad spectrum of responses to the coronavirus, from the well-prepared in Singapore to the woefully inadequate in Cambodia. The U.S. should examine its current ai
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Almost 1,000 Malaysian students still stranded in Indonesia
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments

Almost 1,000 Malaysian students still stranded in Indonesia

The Malaysian Embassy here is closely monitoring Malaysian students still stranded in the republic, with the assistance of the National Association of Malaysian Students in Indonesia (PKPMI) and local authorities. It said 989 students are still in the neighbouring country, as they are still attending classes or in the midst of settling their student visa. So far, 2,799 Malaysian students in Indonesia have returned since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Malaysia’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Datuk Zainal Abidin Bakar, said the embassy and Education Malaysia in Indonesia (EMI) are always in contact through video conferencing with PKPMI representatives all over Indonesia to obtain the latest information on their condition. “We also told them to comply with the order of the authorities, to
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