Just news this week as we reboot the news digest. In ExSE news, co-founder Brian Eyler has moved from Kunming to a new posting in Washington, DC with the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia program. Now more than ever, we’re always looking for contributors and mulling funding opportunities. Feel free to get in touch at eastbysoutheastmail@gmail.com if interested.
EXSE FOCUS
Aung San Suu Kyi concludes China trip by visiting Yunnan – GoKunming Myanmar’s main opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi wrapped up her first ever stay in China over the weekend.
Related: Following Suu Kyi’s Footsteps, Ethnic Politicians Set to Visit China – The Irrawaddy
Myanmar’s Refugee Problem Is Worse Than You Thought – The Diplomat The numbers tell a shocking tale.
Related: Burma Deports Another 37 Boat People to Bangladesh – The Irrawaddy
TPP Update: What Happened in the House – The Diplomat Friday’s antics in the House of Representatives highlight the obstacles for the Obama administration on trade.
Related: Obama’s Asia Policy Faces Toughest Test on Trade – The Irrawaddy
Water very low in 9 major dams – The Nation The disposable-water level at nine dams has already dropped below 10 per cent of their capacity, reflecting the severity of the drought Thailand is now facing.
Related: Nakhon Ratchasima officials to discuss Lamtakong dam’s low level – The Nation
Related: Farmers urged to cut or drop second crop – The Nation
Kunming’s CSAEXPO balloons to enormous proportions – GoKunming When the Spring City throws a trade and investment party, everyone comes.
REGIONAL RELATIONS
Mekong River Commission Says Governments Must Decide Fate of Lao Don Sahong Dam – Radio Free Asia The Mekong River Commission (MRC), an intergovernmental body that supervises development along Southeast Asia’s main waterway, said Friday that the fate of the controversial Don Sahong dam project in Laos must be decided by the governments of its four regional member states.
Related: Lower Mekong countries take prior consultation on the Don Sahong project to the governmental level – Mekong River Commission
Related: Regional Concerns Over Dam Project in Laos Remain Unaddressed: Green Group – Radio Free Asia
US Mulls New Asia Infrastructure Facility to Rival Regional Players The Diplomat The United States is mulling the development of a new facility based in Asia to coordinate and market U.S. infrastructure to the region in the face of growing competition by China and other countries, a U.S. official said Tuesday.
Eight suspected tanker hijackers caught in Vietnam – The Star Hours after the pirates fled on a rescue boat from hijacked oil tanker MT Orkim Harmony, Vietnam said eight Indonesians were detained in its waters near Thổ Chu Island.
As Tensions With U.S. Grow, Beijing Says It Will Stop Building Artificial Islands in South China Sea – NYT Experts said construction of the islands was all but complete and China will continue to build military installations on them.
Related: Vietnamese fisherman accuse China of attacking them in South China Sea – The Guardian
Related: South China Sea Clash Complicates Vietnam-China Meeting – The Diplomat
Thailand’s electricity utility may be complicit in human rights violations in Myanmar’s Salween dams – Mekong Commons The building of the 241 meter high Mong Ton (also known as Tasang dam) is well underway in the Upper Salween River in the southern Shan state of Myanmar.
Laos Seeks Second Loan From China to Build Northern Road – Radio Free Asia Laos is planning to ask China for a second multimillion-dollar loan to build a 90-kilometer (56-mile) road in the northern part of the country, after using previously borrowed funds for the same project to host a summit for Asian and European leaders
CNRP Suggests Legal Action if Vietnam Ignores Diplomatic Notes – Cambodia Daily Deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha on Wednesday said the government should bring the issue of Vietnamese incursions into Cambodian territory before an international court if its recent diplomatic notes to Vietnam demanding it respect Cambodia’s sovereignty go ignored.
Related: CNRP Slams Gov’t Refusal to Share Border Map – Cambodia Daily
We are not slaves – SEA Globe High-profile cases are shining the light on shocking working conditions for some Southeast Asian domestic workers in the financial powerhouse of Hong Kong
Related: Asia Needs Better Data, More Funding to Stamp Out Modern Day Slavery – The Irrawaddy
Related: Strike one – SEA Globe
Bangladesh and Burma Patrols Exchange Fire Along River Border – The Irrawaddy One Bangladesh border guard was wounded and another seized by his Burmese counterparts on Wednesday after the two sides exchanged gunfire while chasing drug smugglers on a river separating their countries.
Burma’s Rice Exporters Eye European Market – The Irrawaddy Burma’s rice exporters will attend an exhibition in Milan late next month for the first time, hoping to promote Burmese rice in Italy and other European markets, according to the chairman of the Myanmar Rice Federation.
SUSTAINABILITY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Australian Firm Says Community Opposition Impeding Consultations on Controversial Dam – The Irrawaddy An Australian company contracted to assess the potential environmental and social impact of the planned Mongton dam has responded to recent criticism of the consultation process, saying that interference with its data collection efforts could lead to “suboptimal outcomes for the affected communities.”
Related: Wind and Solar Power Are Taking the Lead – ChinaDialogue
Villagers Urge Environmental Protections for Inle Lake – The Irrawaddy Over 100 local communities in Shan State banded together on Monday to demand a stop to the deterioration of Inle Lake, which has suffered a dramatic drop in water levels and quality as a result of nearby development.
Report: Erhai Lake water quality steadily improving – GoKunming An assessment issued by China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection claims that “rehabilitation efforts” concerning the water quality of Erhai Lake (洱海) are proving largely successful.
National park system in the works for China – GoKunming China’s National Development and Reform Commission, in cooperation with United States-based think tank Paulson Group, issued a white paper earlier this week concerned with establishing a national park system.
Coal crash: how pension funds face huge risk from climate change – The Guardian The plummeting coal sector and a growing green divestment movement is leaving firms who still invest in fossil fuels and connected pension holders heavily exposed
Burma’s water paradox – DVB At around 300 kyats (US$0.20-30) a litre, it remains too pricey for the majority of people in a country where the average annual per capita income of $1,105 remains one of the lowest in Asia.
Related: Burma one of countries most affected by climate change – DVB
Thorny frog and dementor wasp among new species discovered in Mekong – The Guardian 139 new species were identified in South East Asian region in 2014, including four moths named after Thai princesses and a new mammal
NRC panel eyes setting up of environment court – The Nation The National Reform Council’s (NRC) natural resource and environment reform committee is planning to propose a bill for the setting up of an environment court within this month, committee representative Sayumphon Limthai said yesterday.
China trials environmental audits to hold officials to account – ChinaDialogue China is moving ahead with plans to evaluate provincial officials on the environmental consequences of their decisions – even long after cadres have left office – but auditing experts say making such calculations is inherently difficult.
Related: Growing pains for China’s new environmental courts – ChinaDialogue
Govt mulls disposal of 30m tonnes of garbage – The Nation Thailand would need up to Bt1 billion to properly dispose of its 30 million tonnes of garbage, Interior Minister General Anupong Paojinda said yesterday.
China’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Likely to Peak by 2025 – ChinaFile China’s output of greenhouse gases could peak in 2025, five years earlier than it has promised, meaning that the world’s largest emitter may be able to quicken the pace of cuts in coming decades, according to a new paper published June 8 by the London School of Economics (LSE).
Thai police pleased with ‘Cobra III’ effort – The Nation Thai police said yesterday that their role in “Operation Cobra III” – a global operation to combat wildlife poaching and trafficking – was “most satisfying”.
Related: 35 rescued pangolins released to the wild in southern Vietnam – Thanh Nien
CHINA
Hong Kong parliament defies Beijing’s insistence and rejects ‘democracy’ plan – The Guardian Proposal that would have allowed election of leaders, but only from candidates vetted by Communist party hierarchy, is defeated in key vote
Related: Has China’s ‘One Country, Two Systems’ Experiment Failed? – ChinaFile
The Trial of Zhou Yongkang and China’s Rule of Law – The Diplomat The closed-door trial is a missed opportunity for judicial transparency and the rule of law in China.
Foreign Groups Fear China Oversight Plan – NYT A proposed law would require international organizations to find a government sponsor, seek police approval for all “activities” and hire Chinese citizens for at least half of all staff positions.
Attack Gave Chinese Hackers Privileged Access to U.S. Systems – NYT Undetected for nearly a year, Chinese intruders executed a sophisticated hack that gave them “administrator privileges” in government networks. Their ultimate target: information on anyone seeking a security clearance.
China Ends Recovery Efforts on Ship That Capsized on Yangtze – NYT Officials said that the vessel had 454 people on board at the time of the accident on June 1, not 456 or 458, and that there were 12, not 14, survivors.
Chinese police ‘find suicide note’ in case of ‘left behind’ children deaths – The Guardian Announcement comes after China’s prime minister, Li Keqiang, promises urgent inquiry into pesticide poisoning of four siblings in Guizhou province
Chinese smartphone app adds new feature to dob in corrupt cadres – The Guardian Smartphone app lets citizen whistleblowers send compromising images of wayward Communist party officials straight to investigators
Where Does the CCP’s Legitimacy Come From? (Hint: It’s Not Economic Performance) – The Diplomat New research shows that China’s economic performance has caused a decline in happiness among elites.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
Fresh Fighting in Hpakant Sends 100 Villagers Fleeing – The Irrawaddy Fresh skirmishes have broken out between the Burma Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)
Mers virus: fears of further spread as Thailand confirms its first case – The Guardian Thai authorities took four days to confirm that man from Oman who arrived in Bangkok on Monday was infected, raising fears of repeat of 2002 SARS outbreak
Ranong revealed as longtime hub for the trafficking of Rohingya – The Nation The dense mangrove forest on both sides of the road through the Laem Son National Park leading to Bang Ben Bay is indeed intriguing.
Related: Suspected kingpins being interrogated – The Nation
Myanmar’s Missing Rohingya – NYT Some 140,000 Rohingya Muslims, a persecuted ethnic group in Myanmar, are confined to a squalid government encampment in Sittwe. Tens of thousands have fled, setting out on a risky sea voyage. Many are still missing.
Related: UN concern at Bangladesh plan to move thousands of Rohingya to flooded island – The Guardian
New Citizens Kept Grounded in Arakan State – The Irrawaddy The movement of about 500 people recently awarded citizenship remains restricted by authorities in restive Arakan State, according to the deputy minister of immigration, who was responding to questions on Monday from lawmakers taking a rare stand on behalf of persecuted Muslims in western Burma.
Related: Can Southeast Asia Tackle its Human Trafficking Problem? – The Diplomat
Ruling CPP Set to Elect New Leaders – Cambodia Daily The ruling CPP will convene an extraordinary meeting of its central committee on Saturday—the day after the cremation of its longtime president Chea Sim—to elect the new party leadership.
For Burma’s Journalists, a Bumpy Road to ‘Discipline-Flourishing Democracy’ – The Irrawaddy Three years after the end of the country’s draconian pre-publication censorship regime, journalists working in Burma remain fearful of arrest, criminal prosecution and violence, despite legal safeguards ostensibly guaranteeing reporters broad freedoms to operate without interference from authorities.
Related: Thailand’s Junta Deals Free Speech Another Blow – The Diplomat
Activists seek bail at Tharawaddy court hearing – DVB Around 70 activists appeared in Tharawaddy district court on 16 June for their seventh hearing. They are being tried on charges relating to their involvement in education reform protests earlier this year that culminated in the violent disassembling of a sit-in by police in Letpadan on 10 March.
Related: Most Student Demands Unmet as MPs Pass Amended Education Law – The Irrawaddy
Enslaved Fishermen Return From Indonesia – Cambodia Daily A group of 230 fishermen who had been trapped in Indonesia returned to Cambodia on Thursday, many of them after being released from slavery on Thai-captained fishing vessels.
Over 3,000 Illegal Doctors in Country: Ministry – Cambodia Daily A Health Ministry official said Thursday that an investigation in the wake of a devastating HIV outbreak in Battambang province’s Roka commune late last year had revealed more than 3,000 unlicensed doctors operating across the country.
Gov’t Ignored Arrest Warrant For Accused War Criminal – Cambodia Daily Judicial police ignored an arrest warrant for former Khmer Rouge navy commander Meas Muth, putting the government in breach of the rules of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, declassified documents released by the tribunal Wednesday show.
Strong public reaction to proposal on legalising casinos – The Nation The controversial proposal of allowing legal casinos to operate has received a mixed public reaction, with supporters of the idea highlighting the huge revenue they would generate and critics denouncing them as immoral and the begetters of social and crime-related issues.
Related: Police chief backs casinos, PM ‘not opposed’ to idea – The Nation
Suu Kyi Vows Transparency With Candidates’ Asset Disclosures – The Irrawaddy Aung San Suu Kyi said Saturday that every member of her National League for Democracy (NLD) who wishes to contest in Burma’s upcoming general election will have to declare their assets, as the party seeks to exercise transparency in the highly anticipated vote.
Related: UEC to Adjust Polling Policies for the Disabled – The Irrawaddy
Regional Roundup for Week of 3.15.2015
Regional Roundup for Week of 3.8.2015
Regional Roundup for Week of 2.1.2015
