Indonesia says ASEAN credibility at stake as Myanmar crisis worsens

ASEAN leaders attend the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, on May 10, 2023. (Reuters)
Short Url
Updated 12 May 2023
Follow

Indonesia says ASEAN credibility at stake as Myanmar crisis worsens

  • Indonesia acknowledges lack of progress in Myanmar peace plan
  • Jakarta says ready to engage anyone, including junta, other groups

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Thursday that the credibility of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is at stake, as the bloc comes under increasing pressure over the lack of progress in ending ongoing deadly violence in Myanmar.
ASEAN leaders met this week for the first of their biannual summits in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, with the exception of Myanmar’s junta leaders who have been barred from attending over their lack of progress in implementing a peace plan endorsed by the regional grouping in 2021.
More than two years since the military junta seized power and unleashed a bloody crackdown on opponents, violence in Myanmar has been on the rise. One of the most recent incidents included an attack on an aid convoy comprised of Indonesian and Singaporean diplomats.
“ASEAN’s credibility is at stake, and Indonesia is ready to talk with anyone, including with the junta, and all the stakeholders in Myanmar for the sake of humanity,” Widodo told a press briefing at the summit’s conclusion.
He added that “engagement doesn’t mean recognition.”
As ASEAN chair this year, Indonesia said it has engaged many stakeholders in Myanmar to discuss possible solutions, as it continues to push for dialogue and the implementation of its peace plan, which has not been enforced since the bloc forged it with Myanmar’s top general in April 2021.
The Five-Point Consensus plan, also referred to as 5PC, called for an immediate end to the violence in Myanmar and dialogue among contending parties to seek a peaceful solution, to be brokered by an ASEAN special envoy.
“I have to be honest, there has been no significant progress in the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, so we need ASEAN unity to formulate our next steps,” Widodo told Southeast Asian leaders.
More than 3,450 people have been killed by security forces since the junta took power, and thousands more remain imprisoned, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a non-governmental organization that tracks killings and arrests.
In April, an airstrike killed at least 100 people, who were mostly civilians and included many children. Human Rights Watch on Tuesday described the attack as a war crime.
“There is disunity within ASEAN regarding on how it should actually deal with Myanmar crisis to some extent,” Lina Alexandra, senior researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Arab News.
“This is a very crucial time for Indonesia and the fact that there is no progress that means Indonesia needs to work harder,” she said. “Indonesia (needs) to be much more bold … and also to be more brave, particularly to discuss this further with the other ASEAN leaders … to push for a breakthrough.”
In a review meeting held last November, ASEAN leaders highlighted the “need for an implementation plan that outlines concrete, practical and measurable indicators with a specific timeline to support the Five-Point Consensus” and delegated their foreign ministers to develop one.
“If Indonesia chairmanship this year, you know, can really say ‘this is the implementation plan that ASEAN has decided on how we can implement the 5PC’ — that will be a major achievement,” Alexandra said.
Even though Indonesia has acknowledged the lack of progress, a solution to the problem remains to be found.
“Restating the problem is not really solving the problem, right?” Alexandra said. “Here’s the problem, so what’s your solution, proposed solution to that?”


Bangladesh prepares to send Hajj pilgrims by sea after 40 years

Updated 9 sec ago
Follow

Bangladesh prepares to send Hajj pilgrims by sea after 40 years

  • Bangladesh has been struggling to meet its Hajj pilgrim quota due to high airfares
  • Travel by sea estimated to help decrease the cost of pilgrimage package by about $900

DHAKA: Bangladeshi authorities are preparing to resume sending Hajj pilgrims via the sea route, aiming to significantly reduce travel costs starting next year.

For the past few years, Bangladesh, one of the most populous Muslim-majority countries, has struggled to meet its Hajj quota, as fewer people have been able to afford the pilgrimage since international airfares surged after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The possibility of pilgrimage by sea was discussed during Bangladeshi Religious Affairs Adviser Khalid Hossain’s meeting with Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah in Jeddah last month.

Dhaka’s envoy to the Kingdom, Brig. Gen. S.M. Rakibullah, told Arab News on Thursday that the first session on the logistics was set to take place next week.

“We have received confirmation from (the) Saudi authority regarding the transportation of pilgrims by sea. A coordination meeting on this issue will be held in Jeddah on the 3rd of December,” he said.

Targeting to start sending pilgrims by sea already during next year’s Hajj season — which will take place between June 4 and June 9 — Bangladeshi authorities are planning to reduce the cost of pilgrimage packages.

The price of the current 2025 package is about $4,000.

“We will declare a new Hajj package for the pilgrims who are interested in taking the sea route,” Matiul Islam, additional secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, told Arab News.

“This new sea route will help us in fulfilling the Hajj quota ... Our assigned shipping company is working on sourcing the ship. If we get ship on time, there is no other problem at our end.”

Hajj travel by sea will take place for the first time in four decades.

“To the best of my knowledge, in 1984, Bangladeshi pilgrims traveled to the Kingdom by ship to perform the Hajj rituals for the last time,” Islam said.

Karnaphuli Ship Builders, the shipping company chosen by the Bangladeshi government to operate the route, expects that the new mode of transport will reduce the cost of the current pilgrimage package by more than 20 percent.

It plans to purchase a 32-story ship to carry pilgrims from the southern Bangladeshi port of Chottogram to Jeddah.

“The costs of the Hajj journey will be reduced by around $900,” said M.A. Rashid, the company’s managing director.

“We have already sourced a Caribbean cruise ... The ship will carry up to 3,000 pilgrims at a time. It will take eight days to reach from Chottogram Port to Jeddah.”

Last year, Saudi Arabia granted Bangladesh a quota of 127,000 pilgrims, but because of high inflation and the cost of flights to the Middle East, only 85,000 were able to embark on the spiritual journey that is one of the five pillars of Islam.


Namibians vote to wind up chaotic polls

Updated 30 November 2024
Follow

Namibians vote to wind up chaotic polls

  • Electoral authorities prolonged voting until Saturday in presidential and legislative polls
  • The original election day was marred by logistical and technical failures that led to hours-long queues

WINDHOEK: Namibians voted Saturday on the last day of a controversially extended election after poll chaos and allegations of foul play.
Electoral authorities prolonged voting until Saturday in presidential and legislative polls, after the original election day — Wednesday — was marred by logistical and technical failures that led to hours-long queues, which some voters eventually abandoned.
On Saturday, hundreds of people queued up at the sole polling station in the capital Windhoek where some 2,500 voters had cast their ballots on Friday.
Sielfriedt Gowaseb, 27, managed to vote in less than 30 minutes on Saturday but was critical of the arrangements.
“They should have set up at least another polling station where the majority of Namibians live. We would have needed more venues, one in the suburbs. Most Namibians don’t live in the central business district,” he said.
Namibia’s opposition is hoping to bring an end to 34 years of rule by the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), which is facing its toughest challenge as disenchanted younger voters across the region reject traditionally dominant liberation-era parties.
SWAPO has governed Namibia since leading it to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990, but high youth unemployment and enduring inequalities have eroded its support, with around 42 percent of the 1.5 million registered voters aged under 35.
Naita Hishoono, executive director of the Namibia Institute for Democracy, a nonpartisan NGO, echoed popular dissatisfaction.
“It would have been helpful to open more than 36 polling stations... each constituency should have at least have one polling station open to accommodate everybody. Every voter should only stay half an hour to an hour in line and the whole voting process should take no more than 15 minutes,” Hishoono said.
SWAPO’s candidate, Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, could become the first woman to lead the country if she is elected.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has admitted to failures in the organization of the vote, including a shortage of ballot papers and the overheating of electronic tablets used to register voters.


Pakistan court grants bail to journalist detained after probing protest, lawyer says

Updated 30 November 2024
Follow

Pakistan court grants bail to journalist detained after probing protest, lawyer says

  • Matiullah Jan was picked up off the street on Wednesday night while investigating claims of casualties in a protest march
  • The Committee to Protect Journalists had expressed ‘grave alarm’ over Jan’s ‘abduction,’ demanding his immediate release
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court approved bail for a journalist arrested this week after investigating claims of casualties in a protest march, his lawyer said on Saturday.
Matiullah Jan, a critic of military influence in Pakistani politics, was granted bail by an anti-terrorism court in the capital Islamabad in a terrorism and narcotics case, his lawyer, Imaan Mazari, said in a text message.
“He should be home by this evening,” Mazari said.
Jan was picked up off the street on Wednesday night while investigating claims of casualties in a protest march demanding the release of jailed ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, according to a colleague and his lawyer.
The Committee to Protect Journalists had expressed “grave alarm” over Jan’s “abduction,” demanding his immediate release.
Hours before being picked up, Jan had appeared on television casting doubt over the government’s denial that live ammunition had been used when security forces dispersed the protest and that any protesters had been killed.
The government has repeatedly denied using deadly force against protesters. Police and the information ministry have not responded to request for comment on Jan’s detention.
Thousands of supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party this week stormed Islamabad. The government said they had killed four security officers.
The PTI said hundreds of protesters had been shot, and between eight and 40 killed.

Taiwan’s Lai departs for US stopover during Pacific trip

Updated 30 November 2024
Follow

Taiwan’s Lai departs for US stopover during Pacific trip

  • China considers self-governed Taiwan to be part of its territory
  • Beijing opposes any international recognition of the island

TAIPEI: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te departed Saturday for a stopover on US soil as part of a week-long tour of the Pacific, which has ignited fiery threats from Beijing.
China considers self-governed Taiwan to be part of its territory and opposes any international recognition of the island and its claim to be a sovereign state.
Lai, on his first trip abroad since taking office in May, will stop over in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam as he visits Taiwan’s allies Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau.
They are the only Pacific island nations among the 12 remaining allies that recognize Taiwan, after China poached others with promises of aid and investment.
In a speech shortly before take-off, Lai said the tour “ushered in a new era of values-based democracy” and he thanked the US government for “helping to make this trip a smooth one.”
Lai said he wanted to “continue to expand cooperation and deepen partnerships with our allies based on the values of democracy, peace and prosperity.”
The trip has elicited a furious response from China, which has vowed to “resolutely crush” any attempts for Taiwan independence.
China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalist forces were defeated by Mao Zedong’s communist fighters and fled to the island.
Taiwan lives under the constant threat of an invasion by China, which has refused to rule out using force to bring the island under its control.
Beijing deploys fighter jets, drones and warships around Taiwan on a near-daily basis to press its claims, with the number of sorties increasing in recent years.
Taiwanese government officials have previously stopped over on US soil during visits to the Pacific or Latin America, angering China, which has sometimes responded with military drills around the island.
Lai’s tour of the Pacific was an opportunity for him “to show those countries and the world that Taiwan matters,” said Bonnie Glaser, a Taiwan-China affairs expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
“I think that the People’s Republic of China always wants to leave the impression that Taiwan is isolated and it is dependent on the PRC,” Glaser told AFP, using China’s official name.
“When Taiwan’s president travels outside Taiwan, it’s a reminder that there are countries in the world that value their diplomatic relationships with Taiwan,” she said.
“And of course, when he transits the United States, it’s a reminder, I think, to the public of Taiwan, that the United States and Taiwan have a close partnership.”
The US is Taiwan’s most important backer and biggest supplier of arms, but Washington does not have official diplomatic relations with Taipei.
Lai’s trip follows the US approving the proposed sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16 fighter jets and radar systems, as well as communications equipment, in deals valued at $385 million in total.
Earlier this month, Taiwan’s foreign minister Lin Chia-lung met with European Parliament members in Brussels.
It was part of a trend of more senior Taiwanese officials traveling abroad and countries publicly receiving them despite the risk of suffering retaliation from China, Glaser told AFP.
“I think there’s safety in numbers — the more countries that do something, the more that other countries are willing to do it,” Glaser said.
“There’s also greater awareness of how aggressive and assertive China has been, and so countries are willing, to some extent, to stand up to China because they don’t like China’s behavior,” she said.
“And there is recognition of Taiwan’s role in the world, especially in semiconductor chips.”


More than 100 Rohingya refugees rescued off Indonesia: UN

Updated 30 November 2024
Follow

More than 100 Rohingya refugees rescued off Indonesia: UN

  • Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN refugee convention and says it cannot be compelled to take in refugees from Myanmar

Banda Aceh: More than 100 Rohingya refugees including women and children have been rescued after their boat sank off the coast of Indonesia, the United Nations refugee agency said Saturday.
The mostly Muslim ethnic Rohingya are heavily persecuted in Myanmar and thousands risk their lives each year on long and dangerous sea journeys to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.
“We received a report from the East Aceh government that there are 116 refugees in total,” UNHCR’s Faisal Rahman told AFP on Saturday.
“The refugees are still on the beach right now, it has not been decided where they would be taken.”
He said the flimsy wooden boat carrying the Rohingyas was found half-submerged not far from the beach off the coast of northeastern Sumatra island.
A local fisherman, Saifudin Taher said the boat was first spotted entering East Aceh waters on Saturday morning, and a few hours later it nearly sank.
“All passengers survived, but one of them was ill and ...immediately received treatment,” Saifudin told AFP, adding the boat was only 100 meters away from the beach, and the refugees could walk easily to safety.
Rohingya arrivals in Indonesia tend to follow a cyclical pattern, slowing during the stormy months and picking back up when sea conditions calm down.
Last month, 152 Rohingya refugees were finally brought ashore after being anchored for days off the coast of South Aceh district for days while officials decided whether to let them land.
Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN refugee convention and says it cannot be compelled to take in refugees from Myanmar, calling instead on neighboring countries to share the burden and resettle Rohingya who arrives on its shores.
Many Acehnese, who have memories of decades of bloody conflict themselves, are sympathetic to the plight of their fellow Muslims.
But others say their patience has been tested, claiming the Rohingya consume scarce resources and occasionally come into conflict with locals.
In December 2023, hundreds of students forced the relocation of more than 100 Rohingya refugees, storming a community hall in Aceh where they were sheltering and vandalising their belongings.