WASHINGTON: Popular video-sharing app TikTok has asked a US judge to block the Trump administration from enforcing a ban on the Chinese social media network, according to court documents filed late on Friday (Sep 18).
TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, filed a complaint in a Washington federal court challenging the recent prohibitory moves by the Trump administration.
The US Commerce Department issued an ban on Friday blocking people in the United States from downloading Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat and TikTok starting Sep 20.
The ban was being introduced for political reasons, TikTok and ByteDance alleged in their complaint. TikTok also said the ban would violate the company's First Amendment rights.
US President Donald Trump, who has been locked in a long-running trade dispute with China, issued an executive order on Aug 6 that prohibited US transactions with the Chinese owners of messaging app WeChat and TikTok.
Both ByteDance and TikTok are seeking a "declaratory" judgment and an order "invalidating and preliminarily and permanently enjoining the Prohibitions and the Aug 6 order," according to the complaint.
The White House did not immediately respond when Reuters contacted it for comment early on Saturday.
TikTok, which has over 100 million users in the United States, said the ban would "irreversibly destroy the TikTok business in the US".
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration will ban WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok from U.S. app stores starting Sunday night, a move that will block Americans from downloading the Chinese-owned platforms over concerns they pose a national security threat.
The bans, announced on Friday, affect only new downloads and updates and are less sweeping than expected, particularly for TikTok, giving its parent group ByteDance some breathing space to clinch an agreement over the fate of its U.S. operations.
WeChat, an all-in-one messaging, social media and electronic payment app, faces more severe restrictions from Sunday. Existing TikTok users, on the other hand, will see little change until Nov. 12 when a ban on some technical transactions will kick in, which TikTok said would amount to an effective ban. For a Q&A on the real impact, click
"We disagree with the decision from the Commerce Department, and are disappointed that it stands to block new app downloads from Sunday and ban use of the TikTok app in the U.S. from Nov. 12," the company said in a statement. "We will continue to challenge the unjust executive order."
China's Commerce Ministry expressed its "resolute opposition" and urged the United States to stop its bullying and wrongdoing.
"If the U.S. side obstinately clings to its course, China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies," it said, without elaborating.
Trump on Friday did not indicate whether he would back a TikTok deal. He said a deal "could go quickly."
"We have some great options and maybe we can keep a lot of people happy," Trump told reporters. "We have to have the total security from China."
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Network that "the basic TikTok will stay intact until Nov. 12."
The ban on new U.S. downloads of the widely popular app could still be rescinded by President Donald Trump before it takes effect if ByteDance seals a deal with Oracle that addresses concerns about the security of users' data.
"This is the right move - ratchet up the pressure on Beijing, protect Americans," said Republican Senator Josh Hawley on Twitter.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden promised to review security risks surrounding TikTok if he beats Trump in the Nov. 3 election.
"I think that it's a matter of genuine concern that TikTok, a Chinese operation, has access to over 100 million young people particularly in the United States of America," Biden told reporters at a campaign stop in Minnesota.
The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to purge “untrusted" Chinese apps from U.S. digital networks amid escalating tensions with Beijing on a range of issues from trade and human rights to the battle for tech supremacy.
The ban on WeChat, used by over 1 billion people worldwide, bars the transfer of funds or processing of payments to or from people in the United States through it. Users could also start to experience significantly slower service or sporadic outages from Sunday night.
WeChat developer Tencent Holdings' called the order "unfortunate" but said it "will continue to discuss with the government and other stakeholders in the U.S. ways to achieve a long-term solution."
The Commerce Department order bars Apple Inc's app store, Alphabet Inc's Google Play and others from offering the apps on any platform "that can be reached from within the United States," a senior Commerce official told Reuters.
While the bans are less dramatic than some had feared, the Commerce Department said it could issue additional orders if it finds "that WeChat’s or TikTok’s illicit behavior is being replicated by another app somehow outside the scope of these executive orders."
Oracle shares closed down 0.3per cent after initially dropping 1.6per cent in pre-market trading.
The American Civil Liberties Union said the Commerce order "violates the First Amendment rights of people in the United States by restricting their ability to communicate and conduct important transactions on the two social media platforms."
The order does not ban U.S. companies from doing businesses on WeChat outside the United States, which will be welcome news to U.S. firms such as Walmart and Starbucks that use WeChat's embedded 'mini-app' programs to facilitate transactions and engage consumers in China, officials said.
The order will not bar transactions with WeChat owner Tencent's other businesses, including its online gaming operations, and will not prohibit Apple, Google or others from offering TikTok or WeChat apps anywhere outside the United States.
On Friday, a U.S. judge in California declined to block the Commerce Department WeChat order, but set a new hearing for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. EDT to decide whether to issue an emergency order blocking the Commerce order in a suit brought by WeChat users.
The bans are in response to a pair of executive orders issued by Trump on Aug. 6 that gave the Commerce Department 45 days to determine what transactions to block from the apps he deemed pose a national security threat. That deadline expires on Sunday.
Commerce Department officials said they were taking the extraordinary step because of the risks the apps' data collection poses. China and the companies have denied U.S. user data is collected for spying.
Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
POPULAR APPS
TikTok has 100 million users in the United States and is especially popular among younger Americans.
Many TikTok U.S. users did not express alarm over the new restrictions. "It's kind of like the boy who cried wolf," said Carter Kench, a 17-year old from Atlanta, Georgia with 2.4 million followers.
WeChat has had an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, analytics firms Apptopia said in early August. It is popular among Chinese students, ex-pats and some Americans who have personal or business relationships in China.
The Commerce Department will not seek to compel people in the United States to remove the apps or stop using them. "We are aiming at a top corporate level. We're not going to go out after the individual users," one Commerce official said.
Over time, officials said, the lack of updates will degrade the apps usability.
"The expectation is that people will find alternative ways to do these actions," a senior official said. "We expect the market to act and there will be more secure apps that will fill in these gaps that Americans can trust and that the United States government won't have to take similar actions against."
Commerce is also barring services for WeChat that will significantly reduce the usability and functionality of the app in the United States and halt data hosting within the U.S., content delivery services and networks that can increase functionality.
Commerce will bar the same set of technical transactions for TikTok, but that will not take effect until Nov. 12.
(Reporting by David Shepardson, Echo Wang and Alexandra Alper; additional reporting by Pe Le, Sheila Dang, Karen Freifeld and Jarrett Renshaw, and Beijing newsroom; editing by Chris Sanders, Carmel Crimmins, Andrea Ricci and Daniel Wallis)
WASHINGTON: US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died aged 87, the court said in a statement on Friday (Sep 18).
She died of metastatic pancreas cancer at her home in Washington, DC, surrounded by her family, the statement said.
"Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature," Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement.
"We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her - a tireless and resolute champion of justice."
President Donald Trump, informed by reporters after a rally about the death of Ginsburg, said: "She was an amazing woman."
"She led an amazing life," Trump said.
In brief remarks to reporters before boarding the Air Force One following the Minnesota rally, Trump did not mention any potential plans to nominate a replacement.
Ginsburg was first admitted to hospital in July for a suspected infection when she underwent an endoscopic procedure "to clean out a bile duct stent that was placed last August," the Supreme Court said then.
She was hospitalised again at the end of July to undergo another "minimally invasive" procedure in New York.
Ginsburg, known by supporters as RBG, had also been hospitalised in May. She was also hospitalised several times in 2019 and 2018.
She had experienced a series of health issues including bouts with pancreatic cancer in 2019 and lung cancer in 2018, a previous bout with pancreatic cancer in 2009 and colon cancer in 1999. She disclosed on July 17, 2020, that she had a recurrence of cancer.
CHAMPION OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS
Ginsburg, who rose from a working class upbringing in New York City's borough of Brooklyn and prevailed over systematic sexism in the legal ranks to become one of America's best-known jurists, was appointed to the Supreme Court by Democratic President Bill Clinton in 1993. She provided key votes in landmark rulings securing equal rights for women, expanding gay rights and safeguarding abortion rights.
Ginsburg was the oldest member of the court and the second-longest serving among its current justices behind Clarence Thomas. She was the second woman ever named to the court, after Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed 12 years earlier.
Ginsburg was a stalwart liberal on the US Supreme Court since 1993, the court said, giving President Donald Trump a chance to expand its conservative majority with a third appointment at a time of deep divisions in America with a presidential election looming.
Trump, seeking re-election on Nov 3, already has appointed two conservatives to lifetime posts on the court, Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. Supreme Court appointments require Senate confirmation, and Trump's fellow Republicans control the chamber.
Supreme Court justices, who receive lifetime appointments, play an enormous role in shaping US policies on hot-button issues like abortion, LGBT rights, gun rights, religious liberty, the death penalty and presidential powers.
For example, the court in 1973 legalized abortion nationwide - a decision that some conservatives are eager to overturn - and in 2015 allowed same-sex marriage across the United States.
Ginsburg was a champion of women's rights who became an icon for American liberals. Her departure could dramatically alter the ideological balance of the court, which currently has a 5-4 conservative majority, by moving it further to the right.
CONFIRMATION BATTLE
The expected Senate confirmation battle over a Trump nominee to replace Ginsburg is likely to be fierce - at a time of social unrest in the United States during the coronavirus pandemic - though Democrats lack the votes to block him unless some Republican senators join them.
Trump on Sep 9 unveiled a list of potential nominees to fill any future Supreme Court vacancies in a move aimed at bolstering support among conservative voters.
One of the first fights will be whether the Senate should confirm a new justice until election, less than two months away, is decided.
National Public Radio reported on Friday that Ginsburg before her death dictated a statement to her granddaughter Clara Spera, saying, "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed."
When conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to allow the Senate to consider Democratic President Barack Obama's nominee to fill the vacancy, Merrick Garland, in an action with little precedent in U.S. history. While McConnell in 2016 said a Supreme Court nomination should not be taken up during an election year, in 2019 he made clear that the Senate would allow Trump, a fellow Republican, to fill an election-year vacancy, drawing Democratic accusations of hypocrisy.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the vacancy in the Supreme Court should not be filled until there is a new president.
"The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president," he said on Twitter.
"A TRAILBLAZER"
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, who would preside over confirmation hearings of her successor on the court, called Ginsburg "a trailblazer who possessed tremendous passion for her causes."
Trump, who as a presidential candidate in 2016 called on Ginsburg to resign after she criticized him in media interviews, will get a chance to reshape the court like no other president since Ronald Reagan, who made three appointments during his eight years in office in the 1980s, moving the court to the right.
Trump and McConnell have made moving the federal judiciary to the right a top priority. Another Trump appointment would give the Supreme Court a 6-3 conservative majority, meaning that for the liberal justices to prevail in any case they would need to have two of the conservatives join them.
Some liberal activists had urged Ginsburg to step down early in Obama's second term to allow him to appoint a younger liberal to replace her who could serve decades on the court.
Even with a conservative majority on the court, Trump came out on the losing end of several key rulings in June and July 2020, including decisions rejecting his claim of absolute presidential immunity from criminal investigation. With Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts playing a key role, the court also ruled against Trump in expanding LGBT rights, invalidating a restrictive Louisiana abortion law and blocking him from rescinding an immigration program created by Obama.
During the 2016 campaign, Trump promised to appoint justices who would overturn the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion nationwide.
It would take about a month for Trump and Senate Republicans to pick and confirm a replacement, said Daniel Epps, a law professor and former Supreme Court clerk.
"I would be surprised if the president and Senate Republicans don't try to fill the seat," said Epps, of Washington University School of Law. "They probably have the votes."
Trump will likely replace Ginsburg with another woman, Epps, said, and might use the opportunity to rally his base of social conservatives.
A private interment service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery, the court said, but did not specify a date.
WASHINGTON: US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died aged 87, the court said in a statement on Friday (Sep 18).
She died of metastatic pancreas cancer at her home in Washington, DC, surrounded by her family, the statement said.
"Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature," Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement.
"We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her - a tireless and resolute champion of justice."
Ginsburg was first admitted to hospital in July for a suspected infection when she underwent an endoscopic procedure "to clean out a bile duct stent that was placed last August," the Supreme Court said then.
She was hospitalised again at the end of July to undergo another "minimally invasive" procedure in New York.
Ginsburg, known by supporters as RBG, had also been hospitalised in May. She was also hospitalised several times in 2019 and 2018.
She had experienced a series of health issues including bouts with pancreatic cancer in 2019 and lung cancer in 2018, a previous bout with pancreatic cancer in 2009 and colon cancer in 1999. She disclosed on July 17, 2020, that she had a recurrence of cancer.
SECOND WOMAN NAMED TO THE SUPREME COURT
Ginsburg, who rose from a working class upbringing in New York City's borough of Brooklyn and prevailed over systematic sexism in the legal ranks to become one of America's best-known jurists, was appointed to the Supreme Court by Democratic President Bill Clinton in 1993. She provided key votes in landmark rulings securing equal rights for women, expanding gay rights and safeguarding abortion rights.
Ginsburg was the oldest member of the court and the second-longest serving among its current justices behind Clarence Thomas. She was the second woman ever named to the court, after Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed 12 years earlier.
Ginsburg was a stalwart liberal on the US Supreme Court since 1993, the court said, giving President Donald Trump a chance to expand its conservative majority with a third appointment at a time of deep divisions in America with a presidential election looming.
Supreme Court appointments require Senate confirmation, and Trump's fellow Republicans control the chamber.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the vacancy in the Supreme Court should not be filled until there is a new president.
"The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president," he said on Twitter.
CHAMPION OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS
Ginsburg was a champion of women's rights who became an icon for American liberals. Her departure could dramatically alter the ideological balance of the court, which currently has a 5-4 conservative majority, by moving it further to the right.
A private interment service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery, the court said, but did not specify a date.
CHANA, Thailand: For Khairiyah Rahmanyah, the sea is life.
She was born and raised by the water, like many children in Chana. The sea outside her home is shallow but abundant. It is a rich source of seafood and home to rare marine species.
Sea turtles have been spotted here, and so have pink dolphins – the endangered Indo-Pacific humpback species.
The sea of Chana has nurtured her family and generations before them. It is the lifeblood of thousands of residents in this coastal district of Songkhla in Thailand’s remote south.
“Everything I have comes from the sea. Every toy I own came from my parents’ income from fishing. For every hijab I wear, they have to go fishing and sell fish at the market before they can give me the money to buy it. The sea is very important,” said Khairiyah, 17.
Behind her, gentle waves lap the sandy shore of Baan Suan Kong, her village. The fishing community made headlines earlier this year when she wrote letters to ‘Grandpa Prayut’ – Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Khairiyah travelled some 1,000 km from her humble home to the Government House in Bangkok. After a long journey, she delivered one of the letters addressed to the prime minister, begging him to annul his cabinet’s resolutions that had approved in principle a large industrial development in her hometown.
The multi-billion-dollar project is part of the government’s push for Chana to become “an advanced industrial city for the future” – a prototype for other developments to come. It is an extension from a state-backed development scheme to boost economic expansion in Thailand’s southern border provinces through private investment.
The push for development worries Khairiyah.
“I live with the sea, eat from the sea and grew up with the sea. There is a tie between us – a strong one,” she said. Her hijab flutters in the breeze.
"I breathe clean air every day and swim in the clear and clean sea. The sand is white and fine. I want the younger generations to enjoy this opportunity too."
A row of fishing boats line the white sandy beach of Chana district. Rare marine species such as Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins have been sighted here. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
Months have passed without a response from the government. Khairiyah is now back in her hometown. Although no major construction has yet to take place, since the project is still in its early stage, an official document provides a glimpse of what it could look like if all goes as planned.
A vast area along Chana’s pristine beach could turn into a massive industrial park in the coming years, with factories, power plants, deep sea ports and a smart city.
Once complete, the industrial city will cover 2,680 ha of land in three sub-districts of Na Thap, Sakom and Taling Chan. The area is home to more than 30,000 residents, and many fear the massive development would destroy the environment and threaten the livelihoods of tens of thousands.
"PIECE OF A JIGSAW" IN PLAN FOR DEVELOPMENT
Chana is located on the eastern coast of Songkhla province, with white sandy beaches that stretch 20 kilometres along the Gulf of Thailand.
Today, much of it is rural land with lush green trees and fields. But preparations are being made to officially reclassify its utilisation from rural and agricultural purposes to industries and warehouses.
Maps show the location of the Chana industrial city in Songkhla, Thailand. On the left, Na Thap, Taling Chan and Sakom sub-districts are mostly classified as rural and agricultural zone. On the right, another map shows what the areas could look like in the future when the industrial city is completed. (Illustration: Rafa Estrada)
Local residents are divided over the future of their hometown. Many of them did not know about the mega project until after the national Cabinet approved it in principle on May 7 last year.
It was proposed by the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC), a governmental agency tasked with promoting development work and mobilising efforts for peace-building in the conflict-ridden south.
According to its acting deputy secretary general Bordin Rassameethes, the move followed a request from the private sector to invest in the area. Their wish, he said, coincides with the government’s work to develop the economy in Thailand’s far south.
“If we look at the big picture, that is Thailand from north to south, the south is the only region without a sizable industrial sector that could influence people’s life and livelihoods,” Bordin told CNA.
“The private sector has land. So they asked for permission to build an industrial zone for the future,” he added. “It’s a piece of jigsaw to interconnect all the parts."
Fishermen work on a fishing boat in Thailand's southern district of Chana, Songkhla. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
Chana is located in the border region near Malaysia. Data from the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council showed the area recorded the lowest gross provincial product per capita in 2018, compared to other parts in southern Thailand.
By turning Chana into an industrial hub, the government hopes to attract private and foreign investments to this part of the country.
The project is driven by a public-private partnership, with funding from two private energy giants. They are TPI Polene Power – Thailand’s leading operator of power plants and petrol and gas stations – and IRPC – a subsidiary of state-owned oil and gas conglomerate PTT.
Decades of marine conservation have transformed Chana into a rich fishing ground. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
One of the key investors, TPI Polene Power, has promised more than 100,000 jobs in the industrial city, along with scholarships and funds to develop the southern border.
Its deputy managing director Pakapol Leophairatana said the firm plans to inject US$9.5 billion into the project and will take into consideration all interested parties. The company will also focus on industries with minimal impact on the environment, he added.
For the government, this is a golden opportunity for development. But for many local residents, the prospect of living close to a large industrial hub spells problems.
"IT’S OUR RICE POT"
When news of the mega project reached Chana, some residents received it with trepidation. Their future seems uncertain with a massive industrial project taking shape near their home.
“I’m worried about how to survive in the future since most of us here rely on the sea,” said Zakariya Maklim from Na Thap, where deep sea ports are scheduled to be built
They plan to reclaim land, 3-4 km into the sea. This is where we make a living. It’s essentially our rice pot.
Zakariya is helping his father catch octopus. Their wooden boat rocks gently in the middle of the sea as he hauls on a long string full of traps. With precision, he squeezes water into each trap jar, forcing the octopus to come out. His big plastic bucket is filling up fast with the sea creatures.
Zakariya Maklim, 37, removes an octopus from a trap. Fishing is a main occupation for many residents in Chana. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
“The sea is abundant. We can catch octopus and fish during the day and find squids at night. You can catch seafood any time of the day. The income is okay too; it depends on how hard we work," he said.
"This is better than working in the city, than being told when to work and rest. It’s up to us. We rest when we’re tired and fish whenever we want."
On the shore, a row of traditional fishing boats lines the beach of Na Thap. A few metres behind, the village of Baan Suan Kong spreads beneath palm trees. Concern about the industrialisation runs deep in this area. Villagers fear it would pollute the sea, drive away fish, and eventually kill their jobs.
This is not the first time a large development initiative has met with local opposition. In 2015, the Thai government announced plans to convert a forest and wetland area in northern Chiang Rai into a Special Economic Zone. It would involve land reclamation and the building of factories.
A document from SBPAC reveals that 1,600 ha – 60 per cent of the Chana industrial city – will be used for power generation, heavy industry and other industries related to the sea ports. Agricultural and light industries will take up around 680 ha, while the remaining 400 ha will house a logistic centre and a smart city.
Artisanal fisheries are the main source of livelihood for coastal communities in Chana. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
Noting the locals’ concern, Bordin of SBPAC said the project will be regulated and its impact will be minimised. He also emphasised that Chana would be developed into an advanced industrial city for the future and that there are still many public hearing forums and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) to be carried out.
“People are often concerned when we talk about industrial development in Chana but we forget an important part here, which is ‘for the future’. So it’s impossible for the project to contain a petro-chemical industry or any other industry that would impact the environment,” he told CNA.
Concern is good but sometimes, we need to look at the big picture too.
For Bordin, the mega project could provide Chana with new opportunities, particularly employment. Right now, he said, a number of southerners have to find work in neighbouring Malaysia and many local graduates are faced with career limitations in their hometown.
“Everything we’re doing is to create opportunities for the area. We could let it continue like this but what about the future? We have people who want to live the traditional way. But there are also people who want a new way of life and new opportunities,” he added.
“It doesn’t mean you have to seize them but you have choices, and that’s the key.”
Despite strong objection from some locals, others welcome the job prospects.
“At least, our youths who will graduate from universities and schools wouldn’t need to travel far for jobs,” said Na Thap resident Sakkariya Ayama.
“I look at this as an opportunity that has never been here. Moreover, economic expansion at this time doesn’t happen so easily. It’s difficult to attract investors anywhere.”
In January, the national cabinet assigned SBPAC to supervise the Chana industrial project. Its responsibilities include holding public hearing forums on the multi-billion-dollar development.
However, the agency has been accused of lacking transparency in its handling of the forums, and for failing to provide comprehensive information about the mega project.
Chana is a coastal district in southern Thailand. Most of it is rural and agricultural land. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
The criticism centres on a lack of data about its impact on the environment, health and livelihoods. Based on a feasibility study report distributed by SBPAC in June, there appears to be a significant risk of pollution from what is portrayed as an advanced industrial city for the future.
The list is long. It encompasses various harmful pollutants that could cause respiratory problems, contaminate waterways and result in ecological damage.
The 3,700-megawatt power industry, which would be fuelled by four plants on a 640-ha estate, could release suspended particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide into surrounding air, according to the feasibility report.
The deep sea ports, it added, could discharge noxious liquid substances, sludge oil, sewage and harmful substances in packaged form into the sea. Their construction could also obstruct natural watercourses, affect the marine ecosystem, and create oceanic and coastal geomorphologic impacts, the report said.
Once the industrial city starts operating, the same study showed that waste could become a big problem in Chana as a result of petroleum refining, natural gas purification and treatment of coal in the industrial park.
The sun rises in Na Thap, a coastal sub-district of Chana that could house deep sea ports in the future. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
When it comes to impact mitigation, however, there were not many details on what would be done.
“The project will control, monitor and manage pollutants in the air and water as well as industrial waste according to the findings of environmental impact assessments that would be carried out in order to meet the standards required by the law,” the report said.
"CAN YOU RELEASE MORE FISH?": GOVERNMENT
The lack of information about the project’s impacts and mitigation processes has affected locals’ participation in public hearings.
According to environmental lawyer Amarin Saichan from EnLaw, this has prevented them from fully understanding how their lives would change once different industries arrive in Chana.
“The information about the impacts and mitigation measures in the feasibility study is rough and brief. It’s not enough to develop understanding about environmental and health effects that would occur. This could make the public unable to share their opinions effectively, especially when it comes to impacts on the marine ecosystem, which is Chana’s key potential,” Amarin said.
Children look for fish in the sea in Na Thap, a sub-district of Chana that could house deep sea ports if the industrial development project is realised. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
Currently, the project area is mostly zoned for rural and agricultural land use. But efforts are being made to officially reclassify it as an industrial zone. The process involves decisions by the local residents, and Amarin believes they need more information before deciding on the future of their hometown.
“Inevitably, the change is likely to cause pollution and impacts on the environment, ecosystem and livelihoods of local people,” he said.
According to SBPAC, however, the state-backed mega project will be regulated and monitored. Bordin told CNA his agency will ensure “all the matters of public concern will not occur” in the Chana industrial city.
“If we’re neglectful, of course, there could be impacts. It’s undeniable. But at the same time, it’s our responsibility to advise the private sector. For instance, ‘Can you plant artificial corals?’, ‘Can you release more fish?’ or anything that would make sure no fishermen would lose opportunities or have to change their livelihoods,” he said.
Official documents show a large coastal area of Chana district could turn into a massive industrial zone. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
For Bordin, the industrial city would bring endless opportunities to people in Chana. He believes that by having various industries in one place, the government can easily regulate their operations and control the impacts.
“Everything can be controlled because there are laws to regulate them. Having an industrial zone is not as worrisome as having factories scattered around and neglected, right? If state mechanisms are strong, everything will proceed as it should,” he said.
Public trust in the government is limited in parts of Chana. For months, SBPAC has come under fierce criticism for the way it held discussion forums in the area.
Unless officially invited, participation in these events is exclusive to the residents of Sakom, Taling Chan and Na Thap – the three sub-districts that mark the location of the future industrial zone.
The rules of participation are viewed by environmentalists as an attempt to stifle opposition and speed up the process.
The sea is a key source of livelihoods for many residents in Chana. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
According to Amarin from EnLaw, a big development project like this could result in change to the environment, livelihoods and health of people in a vast area. So by restricting public participation, he said SBPAC has deprived the rights of people and communities outside the industrial zone.
“The forums are only staged to meet legal requirements, not to truly heed the people or engage them in shaping a suitable and sustainable development plan,” he told CNA.
The impacts would be multidimensional and not limited to the three sub-districts.
Meanwhile, people who oppose the industrial development claimed they have been barred from taking part in the government-sponsored forums. One of them is Khairiyah’s father, Rungruang Rahmanyah.
Before a big public hearing in July, he claimed he was harassed by security officers. They came to his home several times, he said, to ask if he planned to join the event and what he would do.
“They came so often it seems like harassment,” Rungruang told CNA. “Sometimes they came in a car, showed me their faces and went back, just like they were threatening me.”
The fisherman has been vocal in his opposition. He does not agree with the government that Chana is suitable for an industrial project of this scale, and has been campaigning to protect its natural resources.
Chana is located on the eastern coast of Songkhla province, with white sandy beaches that stretch 20 kilometres along the Gulf of Thailand. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
For more than 20 years, local residents have carried out marine conservation work here. Years of commercial fishing had earlier depleted the sea in Chana. Today, the area has once again become a rich fishing ground, surrounded by green fields and orchards, forests and canals.
“Global development is clearly moving towards sustainability and reduced climate change impacts, and locals here have been moving in that direction. But when the idea of an industrial estate emerged, it’s the opposite,” said Supat Hasuwannakit, Chana Hospital director and local activist.
What’s happening in Chana is a clear example of broken democracy and authoritarianism that suppresses locals with state power and capital without caring what locals would say.
The government sees it differently.
By making Chana an industrial hub, it believes southern Thailand could greatly profit from the economic expansion. A variety of industries are expected to accommodate the local labour force and enhance the use of resources in Songkhla and nearby provinces.
“Everything has impact but it must be minimal. The impact must also be positive in order to improve the locals’ well-being and give them freedom to choose their way of life,” said Bordin of SBPAC.
Away in Baan Suan Kong, the sun is moving towards the horizon. Small children laugh as they try to catch fish in the shallow water.
With her bare feet, Khairiyah strolls along the beach outside her home. Her choice is clear.
“The sea is like another mother – a mother who has never left me,” she said. “Our fight is meaningful and we insist we don’t agree with anything that would destroy our way of life or the environment.”
WASHINGTON: The US Commerce Department issued an order on Friday (Sep 18) that will bar people in the United States from downloading Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok starting on Sep 20.
Commerce officials said the ban on new US downloads of TikTok could be still rescinded by President Donald Trump before it takes effect late Sunday as TikTok owner ByteDance races to clinch an agreement over the fate of its US operations.
ByteDance has been talks with Oracle Corp and others to create a new company, TikTok Global, that aims to address US concerns about the security of its users' data. ByteDance still needs Trump's approval to stave off a US ban.
Commerce officials said they will not bar additional technical transactions for TikTok until Nov 12, which gives the company additional time to see if ByteDance can reach a deal for its US operations. "The basic TikTok will stay intact until Nov 12," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Network.
The department said the actions will "protect users in the US by eliminating access to these applications and significantly reducing their functionality."
Oracle shares fell 1.6 per cent after the news in pre-market trading.
The Commerce Department order will "deplatform" the two apps in the United States and bar Apple's app store, Google Play and others from offering the apps on any platform "that can be reached from within the United States," a senior Commerce official told Reuters.
The order will not ban US companies from doing businesses on WeChat outside the United States, which will be welcome news to US firms like Walmart and Starbucks that use WeChat's embedded 'mini-app' programmes to facilitate transactions and engage consumers in China, officials said.
The order will not bar transactions with WeChat-owner Tencent Holdings' other businesses, including its online gaming operations, and will not prohibit Apple, Google or others from offering TikTok or WeChat apps anywhere outside the United States.
The bans are in response to a pair of executive orders issued by Trump on Aug 6 that gave the Commerce Department 45 days to determine what transactions to block from the apps he deemed pose a national security threat. That deadline expires on Sunday.
Commerce Department officials said they were taking the extraordinary step because of the risks the apps' data collection poses. China and the companies have denied US user data is collected for spying.
Ross said in a written statement "we have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of US laws and regulations."
POPULAR APPS
The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to purge “untrusted" Chinese apps from US digital networks and has called TikTok and WeChat “significant threats.”
TikTok has 100 million users in the United States and is especially popular among younger Americans.
WeChat has had an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, analytics firms Apptopia said in early August. It is popular among Chinese students, expats and some Americans who have personal or business relationships in China.
WeChat is an all-in-one mobile app that combines services similar to Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Venmo. The app is an essential part of daily life for many in China and boasts more than 1 billion users.
The Commerce Department will not seek to compel people in the United States to remove the apps or stop using them but will not allow updates or new downloads. "We are aiming at a top corporate level. We're not going to go out after the individual users," one Commerce official said.
Over time, officials said, the lack of updates will degrade the apps usability.
"The expectation is that people will find alternative ways to do these actions," a senior official said. "We expect the market to act and there will be more secure apps that will fill in these gaps that Americans can trust and that the United States government won't have to take similar actions against."
Commerce is also barring additional technical transactions with WeChat starting on Sunday that will significantly reduce the usability and functionality of the app in the United States.
The order bars data hosting within the United States for WeChat, content delivery services and networks that can increase functionality and internet transit or peering services.
"What immediately is going to happen is users are going to experience a lag or lack of functionality," a senior Commerce official said of WeChat users. "It may still be usable but it is not going to be as functional as it was." There may be sporadic outages as well, the official said.
Commerce will bar the same set of technical transactions for TikTok, but that will not take effect until Nov 12 to give the company additional time to see if ByteDance can reach a deal for its US operations. The official said TikTok US users would not see "a major difference" in the app's performance until Nov 12.
Commerce will not penalise people who use TikTok or WeChat in the United States.
The order does not bar data storage within the United States for WeChat or TikTok.
Some Americans may find workarounds. There is nothing that would bar an American from travelling to a foreign country and downloading either app, or potentially using a virtual private network and a desktop client, officials conceded.
