'Don't want to live in Yangon anymore': Skilled workers leaving for jobs abroad 2 years after Myanmar coup - CNA

“There are so many problems and it’s a very difficult situation for so many people to survive in our country,” said another Myanmar expatriate, Ye Thu Aung, 38.

His family operates guesthouses in the mountainous town of Kalaw, Shan State. They used to welcome both international and domestic travellers but that changed after the coup.

“Now, there is no one coming from abroad,” he told CNA. 

“I was very disappointed in the situation. I felt like we’d lose our future in our country. That’s why I changed my life plan to come to Bangkok.”

Ye Thu Aung left Myanmar in February last year, hoping to find a job or a business opportunity in the Thai capital. His parents and two siblings remain in Kalaw to keep the guesthouses running.

Eventually, the family plans to move their business to Thailand and provide hospitality services to Myanmar travellers. 

“For Myanmar people, the future is difficult to survive,” he said. 

“There are so many jobless people in Myanmar. So, our young people go abroad.”

Despite his two degrees in technology and business development, plus eight years of experience in the hospitality sector, Ye Thu Aung was not able to secure a job in Bangkok. 

Like many Myanmar expatriates, he cannot communicate in Thai and only holds a student visa, which does not allow him to work. 

Currently, he is studying interior design and relying on financial support from his family. He has no plan to return home. Even if the military regime comes to an end, he believes Myanmar’s economy will still take many years to recover.

“I’ll stay here or try another country if I can find a job with a visa,” said Ye Thu Aung.

THAILAND SEES A SURGE IN MYANMAR PROPERTY OWNERS

Myanmar has a long history of military rule. It was governed by the military for 49 years, following a coup led by Ne Win in 1962.

The country enjoyed a decade of civilian rule before another military takeover reversed its course in 2021.

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2023-01-31 22:02:00Z
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Viral video puts spotlight on issues faced by breastfeeding mums in China - The Straits Times

BEIJING - New mother Geng Zitong remembers vividly the helplessness she felt when she had to breastfeed her four-month-old son in public to soothe his loud cries, despite her desperate attempts to find a nursing room.

“I was almost in tears when the only nursing room I found in the mall, after searching three floors, was locked though there was no one inside,” said the 30-year-old, as she recalled the September 2022 incident where she was out alone with her son.

“I felt very frustrated, and we were drawing a lot of stares because my son was crying so loudly... I decided to find a quiet corner near the toilet to feed him,” added Ms Geng, who lives in Beijing. “Before that, I had held him closer, patted his back and rocked him gently, but nothing worked.”

The adequacy of China’s public nursing rooms – and the general lack of support for breastfeeding mothers – was in the spotlight earlier this week after a video of women stepping up to surround a mother breastfeeding her child at a bus terminal in Beijing went viral on Sunday.

In the 30-second clip, a mother is seen trying to calm her crying baby, who is strapped to her front, by pacing around her seat while carrying a big backpack and a waist pouch. A black luggage bag is parked next to her.

She then sits down and starts breastfeeding her child, drawing glances from nearby passengers, when another woman approaches her. The two women speak briefly before the second woman starts using the luggage bags belonging to the two of them to form a barrier.

More women then join the “wall of love” – as netizens called it – to give the mother privacy as she feeds her baby. 

A hashtag on the video has so far received more than 300 million views and sparked more than 160,000 comments on microblogging platform Weibo, with netizens calling for more support for breastfeeding mothers.

China, whose population fell for the first time in more than 60 years in 2022, has been trying to encourage couples to have more than one child by loosening birth restrictions and rolling out policy changes including cash stipends and longer paid leave days. 

The National Health Commission (NHC) has also been encouraging women to purely breastfeed newborns in the first six months – which is in line with World Health Organisation recommendations – and to continue nursing till the baby is 24 months old, even after introducing other foods.

But the lack of nursing rooms at workplaces and in office buildings is a major hindrance to working women who want to express milk after their maternity leave ends, noted Dr Wang Fang, a gynaecologist at a public hospital in Inner Mongolia.

“It is very rare that a mother would not try breastfeeding, but it can be hard to go beyond six months because they have to go back to work,” she said. 

“What is most important is to provide support at public places such as malls, transport hubs and offices to those who are willing and able to breastfeed.”

Ms Geng, who has watched the viral video, said: “I could understand perfectly how the mother felt when she decided to breastfeed in public. At that point in time, the priority was to feed her baby, and not so much about ‘modesty’.”

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2023-01-31 12:58:04Z
CBMiWGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vYXNpYS92aXJhbC12aWRlby1oaWdobGlnaHRzLWJyZWFzdGZlZWRpbmctcHJvYmxlbXMtaW4tY2hpbmHSAQA

Japan and NATO pledge 'firm' response to China, Russia threats - CNA

The previous day in Seoul, Stoltenberg asked South Korea to step up military support for Ukraine, which was invaded by its neighbour Russia nearly a year ago.

But on Tuesday, he praised the "strong position" and "substantial support" offered to Ukraine by Japan.

Tokyo has imposed sanctions on Moscow along with its G7 partners and has taken the rare steps of sending defensive equipment and offering refuge to those fleeing the conflict.

Stoltenberg said he and Kishida also shared concern over North Korea's "provocative behaviour", from nuclear activity to ballistic missile tests.

He said China was "not our adversary" but warned of its growing military presence in Asia "including nuclear weapons, bullying neighbours and threatening Taiwan", as well as spreading disinformation about NATO and Ukraine.

Kishida said Japan would establish an independent representative office for its dealings with NATO as part of efforts to deepen ties.

The country will also consider regular participation in high-level meetings held by the alliance, Kishida added.

In December, Japan announced its largest shake-up to its defence and security strategy in decades.

The new strategy includes plans to raise defence spending to two per cent of GDP by fiscal 2027, bringing Japan in line with NATO member guidelines.

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2023-01-31 12:22:01Z
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China's Sichuan frees unmarried people to legally have children - CNA

Until now, the commission had allowed only married couples who wanted to have up to two children to register with local authorities.

China's population shrank last year for the first time in six decades, a historic turn expected to usher in a period of decline. That prospect is pushing authorities to roll out incentives and measures to boost the population.

A nationwide registry system for couples to register with local authorities ensures maternity insurance to cover medical bills, while letting married women keep their salary during maternity leave.

These benefits will now be extended to single women and men in Sichuan, which ranks seventh in the nation in terms of those older than 60, or more than 21 per cent of its population, government figures show.

Much of China's demographic downturn stems from its one-child policy imposed between 1980 and 2015.

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2023-01-30 07:45:51Z
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Khairy - "Umno lost its way" remarks in GE15 election campaign meant for party leadership - New Straits Times

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1. Khairy - "Umno lost its way" remarks in GE15 election campaign meant for party leadership  New Straits Times
2. Khairy taking time to consider political future, will not appeal against Umno sacking  The Straits Times
3. Malaysia Politics: UMNO's Purge of Senior Leaders Fortifies Zahid's Grip  Bloomberg
4. LETTER | Smoking peace pipe good for you, Hishammuddin  Malaysiakini
5. Of sackings and suspensions  The Star Online
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-01-30 01:49:59Z
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Israel seals synagogue attacker's home as violence rages - CNA

JERUSALEM: Israel on Sunday (Jan 29) prepared to demolish the east Jerusalem family home of a Palestinian man who killed seven people near a synagogue, as part of measures to punish the relatives of attackers.

The step comes as violence rages in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which also saw dozens of Palestinians killed this month, sparking global alarm.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged all parties to avoid feeding a "spiral of violence" during a telephone call on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the president's office.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due in Jerusalem on Monday to discuss steps for de-escalation, while Pope Francis on Sunday deplored the "death spiral".

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also urged "maximum responsibility" in calls with his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts.

In the wake of two shooting attacks targeting Israelis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet moved to punish "the families of terrorists that support terrorism".

The government is planning to rescind the rights to social security benefits of attackers' relatives and has also considering easing access to guns for Israeli civilians.

In the first concrete move, Netanyahu's cabinet said the east Jerusalem home of Khayri Alqam, 21 - who was shot dead by police following Friday's attack - "will be sealed immediately ahead of its demolition".

An AFP correspondent saw Israeli forces on the property after they shuttered its entrances, with Palestinians clearing out their belongings.

Alqam's mother was one of five people who remained in custody on Sunday, police said, out of 42 suspects arrested after the shooting in the settlement of Neve Yaacov.

Although Israel already routinely demolishes the homes of Palestinians who kill Israelis, the process requires prior notice to families and allows for an appeals process.

Dani Shenhar, a legal expert at Israeli rights group HaMoked, said sealing off Alqam's home overnight demonstrated the government's desire for "revenge against the families".

The measure was carried out "in complete disregard for the rule of law", he charged, adding that HaMoked would launch a protest with Israel's attorney general.

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2023-01-29 15:28:00Z
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Najib's son offers to contest for deputy Umno Youth chief post - The Star Online

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1. Najib's son offers to contest for deputy Umno Youth chief post  The Star Online
2. Najib's son offers to contest deputy chief's post in Umno Youth  The Straits Times
3. Najib's son to contest Umno Youth vice-chief post  Malaysiakini
4. Najib's son eyes Umno deputy youth chief's post  Free Malaysia Today
5. Najib's son Nazifuddin eyes Umno Youth deputy chief post  New Straits Times
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-01-29 11:43:00Z
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